Work Text:
Hyo can't stop thinking about someone. This is.. new and weird for her. She’s never seen people before. She doesn't think about them and doesn't care enough to. But she’s started this new school and ever since joining, one person keeps magnetizing her attention.
Others watch him too. She doesn't know why at first. She just notices people also stare at the same guy. Maybe he's naturally like that? Hyo keeps silently observing.
The guy, Hyo learned his name is Zanka, sits near the front. Every single movement he makes is intentional, careful, and beautiful. It's mesmerizing how he writes. And distracting.
Hyo turns back to her paper and writes some notes, then looks at a few of her classmates. Two girls nearby are talking about Zanka. She can tell they have a crush on him.
The concept confuses her. She doesn't understand crushes, love, or even friends. It hasn't happened to her so she has no frame of reference.
Later that day Hyo gets to see him train. He has a wooden sword and moves with perfected grace, avoiding everyone's attacks, blocking them, then counter attacking. It's almost like a dance, but one where only he can hear the music.
Hyo hears it too, the beat and the tune, but she isn't able to go up against Zanka yet since this is her first day. She trains against others for now though.
Hyo doesn't understand their reactions. They are smug at first. Taunt her. Call her names or sneer that she's from the slums. She doesn't care and it doesn't bother her.
Hyo just acts as she always does, fighting them in the ways she knows. Each time the battle is over within moments. Those smug faces fall and they are scorned and pissed off, spit at her, angrily yell their frustrations out like it's her fault they lost and not their own.
She doesn't get it. Hyo feels eyes on her at all times. How people stare at her like a strange creature to be observed but never interacted with.
But she feels another gaze on herself, and it’s one that's sympathetic. She looks around and sees Zanka staring at her with a neutral face that conveys nothing, but Hyo understands it. She knows he gets it too.
She turns away and goes to fight her next opponent, repeating the smug then hate process.
By the time his first day is done, Hyo has a lot of new things to consider.
A few weeks pass. Her 'new person' status is gone and people stop staring at her as much. They look for new reasons now, but not as often. She still doesn't care but can't help but notice.
They still stare at Zanka. Over the weeks she's learned a lot about him. Zanka comes from the most important family here and is to be treated with respect.
Despite that.. Hyo often overhears other students whispering to themselves. Talking badly about Zanka, circulating rumors to try to taint his image in some way. Hyo doesn't understand why they do it, but she knows they are jealous of him.
She sees the correlation between when, who, and what. Zanka will fight someone and win. That person will then make rumors about Zanka. Some believe them, most don't. An unending stupid drama filled cycle that Zanka can’t really battle against.
Zanka's mysterious. Hyo has been observing him. He's... unreadable. Hyo has never been good at reading people's emotions, but she can pick up on their goals. However she can't with Zanka. Not really.
From the little she knows, Zanka obviously wants to be the best. Hyo has admittedly followed him and watched him smile and hype himself up when he thinks he's alone.
He has an ego, but it isn't a truly evil or selfish one. Like he thinks he is better than everyone, but doesn't look down on them. Hyo finds this complexity curious and somewhat.. cute. Which is strange to say. Hyo has never found anything cute before.
Today was the day she battles Zanka for the first time. Unlike the others, while Zanka is smug, he does not taunt Hyo or look down at her. Hyo knows he has been watching her fights and learning her moves.
Zanka is not an idiot. He doesn't let his ego blind him. He memorizes his opponents. That won't help him this time because Hyo knows she will win, but it's admirable. Hyo wants to be the person Zanka can fight on even footing and struggle against so he can become even better.
Hyo starts the battle, this dance between them, and she can see the beat Zanka moves to. Thrumming, quick and even. The blocks from the wooden swords sound like music to Hyo as they move to try to attack and block one another.
Zanka doesn't make a mistake once. He acts flawlessly. But that's his error. All he knows is perfection, no wiggle room for creativity and to expect things out of the norm.
Hyo follows the beat still, but is moving at a faster tempo. 'Bum-bum' versus Zanka's one 'Bum'. Hyo easily takes over the fight and wins.
Zanka looks shocked. He doesn't look hateful at Hyo. All of that hate and anger is internal. It's at himself for failing. Hyo sees Zanka storm off and follows.
Zanka’s hunched over a sink, his face dripping with water. Hyo doubts its tears or to hide it. She wants to apologize but doesn't know why. Didn't they just fight? Isn't this a good outcome?
Zanka looks over at her. For a split second Hyo sees behind his mask. His face is twisted in self hatred. Then it's gone and he stands up and smiles, chuckling. Passing it off like he was fine.
"That was a really good fight. I didn't expect that at all." Zanka is saving face. His tone is calculated, practiced.
Hyo realizes that Zanka's ego isn't for others. It's for himself. And Hyo just popped his self worth. "You are really skilled." Hyo says maybe too flatly. Lots of people complained he spoke with too little emotion so words came out weird. "I'd like to train with you more."
Hyo sees Zanka's conflict behind his eyes. She can practically hear his thoughts now that she understands Zanka's internal turmoil. 'Does she want to fight me to win again and feel better about herself? Is she being genuine? No, she isn't, she can't be. Anyone who wins against me would love to gloat about it. But she doesn't look elated.' And the like.
"Theres always things to learn." Hyo admits. "And I haven't had disciplined training like you. Do you mentor?"
Zanka stared at her, his outside face still smiling while his inside one looked confused and worried. Had Zanka been scored by people in the past? "I can prove my worth to you if I need."
That seemed to hit something close to his heart. Hyo could see it. Zanka instantly tensed up. "No, no. Ya don't need to prove anythin' to me. You, uh, really want to train with me?"
Hyo nods once, firm and not even questioning it. She wants to figure out the puzzle that is Zanka Nijiku.
"Alright, I guess." Zanka looks away for a moment, then sighs. "Okay." It was like he was telling himself to accept it. "My schedule is intense though."
"I said I would train with you." Hyo states again. "That means I go out of my way to join you. I never assumed you would change your accommodations for me."
Zanka stared at Hyo then smiled for real this time. "Alright. Meet me on the training grounds at seven am tomorrow."
Hyo nods again and leaves. Internally she is elated. She got to finally fight Zanka and talk to him. And now she gets to interact with him tomorrow? Today was great.
Hyo actually can't sleep that night she's so excited. Not that it shows on her face. At six am she can't keep laying down anymore so gets up, gets ready, and waits at the training field an hour early.
Zanka shows up half an hour later and looks surprised to see Hyo already there. He grabs two wooden swords and offers one to Hyo after she stands up.
"I've never trained with someone not family before outside of class." Zanka admits. Hyo can feel the underlying nervousness in his tone. He's never been a mentor before, only a mentee.
"We can do our own thing today and just observe the other." Hyo says, knowing how Zanka memorizes how she fights already. Hyo can see Zanka's shoulders relax hearing that. She can also see the slight bags under his eyes too.
Oh. He couldn't sleep either? Hyo hoped he was excited too. They start to train in silence in the morning air as the sun rises. Hyo is showing off more basic moves for Zanka to memorize and try later during his own time. She can see Zanka practically reliving their fight and trying to move in better ways to go against Hyo again.
Her brain keeps repeating 'cute' and she doesn't understand why. But it is.
When it nears eight am, they both clean up and head to class together without a word. Hyo likes that they don't need to talk to understand one another.
..people are talking bad about Zanka again. This time it's everyone. Word that Hyo, the kid from the slums, won against him in battle spread fast.
People are staring at Zanka. Unlike Hyo in how their gazes unaffected her, she sees how it affects Zanka. On the outside, Zanka is still calm and like he doesn't hear them.
But Hyo can see how his fingers are slightly trembling. How his precise movements fumble just a bit. No one but Hyo notices because she is staring intently. She isn't even sure Zanka is aware he's making these small mistakes either.
Being a perfectionist sounds so stressful. Hyo could not imagine putting herself on such a pedestal. She tried to sympathize with Zanka's situation and realized just why he had an ego.
If he had to be perfect, he had to feel the part too. The moment he doesn't feel perfect is when it crumbles down. What happened after that would either be an outcome where Zanka can’t or won’t rebuild from the rubble, or he will metamorphosize into something new.
Hyo was going to offer her hand to Zanka and help him step off that stupid pedestal so he could just be himself and fight how he wants. This was unnecessary stress he didn't need on top of everything else.
Hyo kept an eye on Zanka all day and it got worse as the hours passed by. By the end of the day Zanka's shoulders were tense, he visibly looked irritated, and his jaw was tight.
Zanka left without even looking at Hyo. Which was fine. He normally didn't. Hyo had a gut feeling to follow Zanka though, so she did.
Zanka opened a sliding door and stepped inside, shutting it behind him. No one else was around. Hyo approached to listen. It's not like these doors were walls. They were paper and thin.
Hyo... didn't like what she heard. Someone, or several people, were lecturing Zanka. Harshly. It wasn't a learning lesson on how to do better. It was beratement. For not being perfect. For making mistakes. For letting people talk badly about him. For not standing up for himself. For not winning the fight. For every single mistake he made.
Hyo didn't understand. It wasn't that serious. It was one fight. If Zanka never loses, then he will never learn properly. Hyo left to go train on what she saw Zanka doing earlier that day.
The next day Hyo got up early at about seven thirty. She got ready and left, passing the training grounds. When she did, he saw Zanka there staring at her.
This time his face showed betrayal.
What? Why? What did she do? She didn’t understand.
Hyo stared at him, blinking. Confused. Zanka walked up to her, a slight scowl on his face paired with pain. "Why didn't you come to train this morning?" The 'with me' wasn't said, but Hyo swore she still heard it.
"You only asked me to train with you that one day. I.. didn't realize you meant every morning." Hyo admitted, genuinely remorseful.
Zanka's hurt slowly melted as he realized the mistake. "I-- no. That's my fault. I shoulda told you to visit again.. got caught up in things." He set his wooden sword away.
When he did, Hyo saw his sleeve lift up. His fingers were calloused and red. Hyo realized Zanka had been training all night.
He hadn't slept that night before because he trained so much. And even now.. had he even slept at all..? "There is such a thing as overtraining the mind and body." Hyo said, hoping to teach Zanka the importance of taking a break.
"Yeah?" Zanka said skeptically. Not that he wasn't dismissing the idea, but that he certainly didn't believe it. "Even if that's true, I can't."
"Can't?" Hyo parroted. "Why?"
Zanka weakly snorted. "Cus you know what people would say if they saw me taking a break. I'd be slacking, lazy, or abusing my family name to do nothing."
Hyo realized that Zanka's defenses were down. He was exhausted, stressed, and upset. Hyo glanced at the sun and saw they still had some time.
"Come on." She grabbed Zanka's wrist lightly and pulled him along, walking him to the mess hall. Hyo only let go when they got in line. Zanka needed to eat. This is how he could take a break.
Zanka looked uncomfortable. Hyo could tell he had never been in here before, so she took the lead in grabbing food for herself so Zanka knew what to do without asking.
Hyo sat with him and while they didn't eat in a relaxed way as it was a bit rushed since they still had class soon, Hyo could see how it eased Zanka's nerves.
With food in his system and at least a moment break to not think, he already looked a lot healthier.
Before they parted ways, Hyo locked eyes with Zanka. "Just to make sure, you do want me to show up every morning from here on out at six thirty?"
Zanka actually looked flustered at the time change since he realized Hyo was adding thirty minutes because he got there early. "Or seven, if you want. You don't have to be there as early as me."
Hyo considered this, then dismissed it. "I will see you every day at six thirty then. However I have a stipulation."
Zanka raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"
"If I see you are tired from inadequate sleep, I'm not sparring against you. If you have, I will just train alone beside you."
This had the benefit of telling Zanka to rest, showing she knew he didn't sleep enough, and giving him a benefit to fight him without anyone seeing his mistakes to learn how to fight her and win.
Zanka opened his mouth a few times as he was unsure what to say, then nodded. "Alright."
Hyo was once again excited.
Ever since that day, she changed her sleep schedule to wake up even earlier. Hyo arrives on time every day and trains with Zanka. If she sees bags under his eyes, she keeps to her promise even when Zanka asks to spar.
Zanka is getting better. Hyo in turn is too. However she has yet to use an actual sword. She wants to. The weight difference is just the start. It moves and flows differently to a wooden copy.
Some days during their training they are silent. Others, they talk. Zanka explained to her one day how they will pick out their life weapon soon.
"So they are testing us on how we can tell apart good quality swords from bad?" Hyo asked, but she already knew the answer.
Zanka nods. "Yep. I already do. I can teach ya. I'd hate for you to pick a bad one. You deserve a sword that will take care of ya."
Hyo flashes him a faint smile. "And you don't?"
"I never said that! Whatever weapon I pick out, I know she'll protect me."
The way he phrased that was curious. One side of Hyo's brain was going 'cute! Cute'. The other pointed out how Zanka was already personifying an item before he has even seen it.
True to his word, Zanka spent some time teaching Hyo the various metals, temperaments, blades, and craftsman skill in what makes swords good.
Zanka could pick out any good weapon in a random pile even at a distance. It was mesmerizing to witness.
So when the day came to pick their life weapon, Hyo was amazed when he chose a stick and not any other weapon, especially a sword.
To Hyo, this meant that none of these swords were good enough for him and he'd rather an imperfect stick to work from and show off his skills.
Still, Hyo had to pick something. There wasn't another stick. Which if there was, she would have chosen it. Not necessarily because of Zanka, but because she has been working with wood during practice for months so it made sense in a way.
So she used the skills Zanka taught him to pick the best sword instead.
Hyo looked to Zanka and saw how happy he looked with the staff. He could see how he was admiring it already and testing its size and weight out.
She had never seen Zanka look so happy before. It was cute.
Hyo picked out the sword she deemed had the best craftmanship to it and showed him it. Zanka seemed genuinely happy for her and even complimented her choice in weaponry.
It was only an hour later when he along with the entire class learned that stick was in there by accident and that, essentially, Zanka had utterly failed this assessment.
Hyo could hear the yelling from across the building well into the night from whoever was pissed at Zanka.
Even though it wasn't directed at her and she never reacted to yelling, it made her gut coil with anxiety. Maybe it was because she knew everyone could hear it too and worried about Zanka thinking about their judgement knowing it bothered him.
Hyo was gripping her sword in both hands. It was safe in its sheath. She looked down at it and gripped it harder.
What was the point of this sword if she couldn't use it to protect her friend?
No, no. It wasn't the sword's fault. She stared up at the ceiling and failed to fall asleep.
Zanka didn't go to training that morning which was a first. Hyo understood why though. She didn't train with her new sword to make it fair, only held it to get her hands used to the weight.
Hyo saw Zanka enter class later that day. He was holding the stick, but he was gripping onto it like a lifeline. She learned from the whispers of others that Zanka was forced to use it since he chose it. It was an attempt to humiliate him.
Hyo knew better. She could tell Zanka wanted to prove his worth with the stick. He didn't need to be 'forced' and 'punished' to use it. Hyo knew Zanka would have kept the stick no matter what.
She knew this because of how happy Zanka looked when he picked it up and held it proudly.
When school was done, Hyo got up and grabbed Zanka's wrist before he could leave.
Zanka wasn't looking at her. He was gripping the staff so hard that Hyo knew he was going to potentially make his skin bleed from the rough wood. He probably already has.
"What, Hyo?" Zanka said hoarsely, his voice raw. It seemed he expected mockery or disdain, none of which Hyo had.
"Did she protect you?"
Those four simple words hit Zanka at his core. He was shaking and pulled the staff closer to himself, now holding it with two hands. They were alone in the classroom with just Zanka trying to stifle his muted sobs as they spilled out.
Hyo sat beside him and glanced at the staff, then back to Zanka. He was hunched over refusing to show Hyo his face.
She knew in her gut that the answer to that question was yes. Even if a stick can't stop the hurtful words and stares, it can support and be there for him.
Unlike her sword. Hyo needed to figure out how to use it. She wanted to learn how Zanka could put so much faith and love into a weapon so fast, enough that he is determined to show everyone he is strong with it.
"Swords are easy and simple to show strength with." Hyo says, turning her own over with a slight frown. "I regret my choice. I wish I had picked a staff as well. The road of proving oneself with such a weapon is more admirable that way."
Zanka lifted up his sleeve and rubbed his face with it. His blue eyes bore into Hyo with so much emotion.
There was no mask there at all right now.
This was Zanka.
"Are.. are ya being serious?" Zanka sounded absolutely baffled at his words, like he didn't believe her at all.
"I have never lied in my life." Hyo said truthfully. She turned her attention to the staff. "She protected you where I could not. She's better than I ever could be to you already."
Zanka rubbed his face again and coughed out a dry laugh. "You really are serious.." He gripped her harder, then relaxed his hold. "Even as they berated me for choosin' her.. I just kept holdin' her. And... I don't know. Things felt better 'cus at least I wasn't alone." Zanka looked over at Hyo.
"I mean.. the both of us are basic as hell." Zanka was talking about himself and the stick. "Mediocre at best. But.. I wanna train with her. Prove that even a simple stick can be powerful."
Hyo gripped her sword softly. She admired Zanka so much. Why did she have to pick the easy weapon to show her strength? Maybe because she wanted to show off to Zanka the skills he taught her.
Had she really picked this weapon from her heart then? Zanka had, and now he had a life weapon that would certainly protect him from anything.
Hyo had.. a random sword. It meant nothing to her other than a weapon. She was fascinated by how Zanka bonded with his own weapon so fast. To understand an item is to use it in battle even more skillfully than before.
"I have a lot to learn from you." Hyo admitted. "I hope I didn't disappoint you by picking out this sword."
Zanka looked confused. "Why would you care about my reaction to your weapon? Ya picked the best thing up there. The logical weapon. That's the sword everyone wants 'cus it's made the best." Zanka extended his hand to silently ask to take it from Hyo.
Hyo let him and watched Zanka stare at the metalwork. "Yeah.. this is the sword they wanted me to pick out. Made it for me. I'm such a dumbass."
Hyo blinked. She realized why the sword felt... wrong. It was made for someone else. Not for her.
..maybe she could make it hers? That felt wrong. "You can have it." Hyo said. "We can trade."
Zanka's grip on the staff tightened. He pulled it close, like he was defending it.
Hyo was mesmerized once again. She had never seen someone so adamant about an item before like this. She realized that maybe the staff was akin to a stuffed animal. That Zanka was clinging to it like a ward or for comfort.
"People will make fun of you." Zanka said through gritted teeth. "That you deserve some shit weapon or even a random stick. Ya don't." Zanka handed the sword back. "I want you to wield this sword and prove those assholes wrong."
Hyo stared at him, perplexed. "Prove what?"
"That ya do deserve this sword. That being born somewhere doesn't dictate someone's worth."
Hyo realized he was telling her this because Zanka wanted to hear those words himself.
She looked down at the sword she picked out and thumbed the handle. Zanka was telling her to use it and make it her own. To show people this sword didn't have to belong to a specific person, but anyone who could wield it.
"Okay." Hyo nodded firmly. "I'll show them." She wanted to show Zanka that she could. Not for anyone else.
"Good." Zanka ran his hand across his staff. "I gotta find some wood polish for her.. before I get a splinter or she starts cracking."
Hyo couldn't help but smile again. Zanka looked like he needed that cry and talk. Now he was back to caring about her.
"Let's go find some."
Hyo hadn't felt anger before this moment. She really had never. It hurt. It felt hot and tight and like she wanted to explode.
Zanka was missing.
Hyo had no idea when or what happened, but he was gone.
Three days past. Hyo had hardly slept. What if he was kidnapped? Or what if his family was punishing him? What if he was dead?
Hyo kept pacing the building. Kept checking places Zanka frequented. She searched the town, the roads, everywhere she could reach and think to check.
And then Zanka just... showed up. He looked exhausted, but something had changed. It was like a weight was gone from his shoulders.
Hyo knew what this was. Sometimes people go through revelations in their life. Hyo saw it like a metamorphosis, and to her, Zanka had gained his wings.
His freedom.
Zanka just said he was leaving to Hyo, apologized, then turned and left.
And that was it.
A final quick goodbye.
Hyo watched Zanka run off before any of his family could talk to him. He had apparently gotten done telling them something because as Hyo watched Zanka walk out of the building and greet a taller man with an umbrella and a shorter red headed girl, he saw Kyouka walk very quickly past her.
She was clearly not done with whatever talk Zanka had with his family minutes prior.
Hyo reached out and grabbed her wrist. She knew she shouldn't have, but if she didn't she knew that Kyouka would go and stop Zanka. She knew she'd clip his newly unfurled wings. That she would take his staff.
She didn't know how she knew this, but she did.
Kyouka looked down at Hyo with fury in her eyes. It was the type of rage that was centered around internal pain. She was upset she was losing Zanka. A faint amount of guilt too. Not enough to act on it, but enough she was aware of what it was and how it could affect her judgement.
"Let him go." Hyo said firmly. She was going to defend Zanka any way she could. She would be the sword he never chose.
Kyouka looked back to where Zanka was rapidly vanishing into the distance, a longing pain in her eyes. She yanked her hand from Hyo and stared coldly down at him.
"Do not do anything like that ever again."
Her tone was demanding. Sinister even. Hyo knew better. She was secretly grateful she had stopped her. Hyo didn't understand her at all. She knew Kyouka held love for Zanka, but it was so clouded by tradition and perfectionism that it was almost useless.
Hyo wasn't stupid. She knew trying to talk to her would be horrible for her. So she didn't.
Hyo turned back to look where she last saw Zanka. In the distance she saw that staff poking above a few heads in the crowd until it was too far away to track.
She didn't know how, but that staff freed Zanka from his chains of being stuck in a perfectionist role that he hated so much.
Hyo was happy for Zanka, truly.
For the first time in her life, Hyo felt her eyes sting. Her vision blurred. She was crying. Her chest hurt and her heart was pounding.
Even though she was happy Zanka was free, why did it feel like she was being left behind?
Hyo gripped her sword hard and went to the training grounds.
One day, she and Zanka would see one another again.
One day she'd get to see Zanka's power with that staff.
One day, she'd lose a fight to Zanka.
She looked forward to that day.
Until then, Hyo would do her best training and showing everyone her skills. That where she was born didn't matter. How Zanka had seen her as a person and trained her even if it was for a few months.
Zanka changed her life for the better, and Hyo really hoped she did the same for Zanka too.
She hoped that staff would protect him better than she ever could.
Hyo held her own sword up. The one that was supposed to be Zankas; the one Zanka chose a stick over.
She was determined to make this her own. To love and cherish it and see it for more than a weapon like how Zanka did with that staff.
Hyo wiped her tears away, inhaled, and started to train for that one day she would see Zanka again and get to prove herself to her friend once again.
She would be the sword he never chose, being something that could protect him the next time they met.