Kenji
"I know I said that I wanted to get back in action as fast as possible… But this seems a little intimidating."
Kenji sat in his wheelchair just inside the doorway, staring at the equipment scattered around the room.
There were parallel bars, exercise balls, and resistance bands hanging from hooks on the wall.
He was surprised to see that a few other patients were working with therapists in the far corner, going through their own routines.
He should have expected that he wouldn't get his own private area. There was no reason to hide his recovery, after all.
But a part of him was still self conscious at being seen so weak.
"Ready?" Himeko asked from behind him, her hand resting on the back of his wheelchair.
"50/50," Kenji admitted.
"Good. That means you're taking it seriously." She wheeled him further into the room. "Come on. Your therapist is waiting."
Theresa walked beside them with a calm expression. She hadn't said much since they'd left the dorm.
A man approached them. He looked to be in his thirties, with short dark hair and a professional smile.
"Kenji Aoyama?" he asked.
"That's me."
"I'm Dr. Nakamura. I'll be overseeing your physical therapy sessions." He glanced at his clipboard. "First session today. We'll start with some basic assessments and light exercises to see where we're at."
Kenji nodded. "Okay."
Dr. Nakamura gestured to a padded table nearby. "Let's get you up on the table first. We'll check your range of motion and muscle strength."
Himeko moved around to help him stand. Kenji gripped the wheelchair's armrests and pushed himself up slowly. His legs wobbled immediately, and Himeko's hands were there to help him out.
He took two careful steps to the table and sat down, breathing harder than he should be from such minimal effort. Theresa was watching from a few feet away, her small hands clasped in front of her.
"Alright," Dr. Nakamura said, pulling up a stool. "Let's start simple. I'm going to move your leg, and I want you to tell me if you feel any pain or discomfort."
The next twenty minutes were a series of small movements to see his mobility. Lifting his leg. Bending his knee.
"Your range of motion is good," he said finally. "But your muscle strength is significantly weakened. That's expected after a month of bed rest and the trauma your body went through."
"So what do we do?" Kenji asked.
"We build it back up with normal exercises, and some time hooked up to a recovery machine, but that will be much later on."
"Recovery machines?" Kenji asked.
"Don't worry about it." Theresa assured, "It's just a tank that helps with muscle recovery."
Dr. Nakamura nodded and gestured to the parallel bars. "Let's try some supported walking."
"How long do I need to walk for?" Kenji asked.
"Just enough to train you. You'll hold onto the bars for balance. We're not asking you to run a marathon here."
Himeko helped him off the table and over to the parallel bars. Kenji gripped them tightly,
"Whenever you're ready," Dr. Nakamura said, positioning himself nearby. "Just take it one step at a time."
Kenji took a breath and started moving.
It was harder than it should be. The weight shift made his left leg tremble, and he thought it would give out entirely for a second.
"Good," Dr. Nakamura said. "Now the left."
Another step. Then another. His breathing was labored now, sweat beading on his forehead. The parallel bars felt like the only thing keeping him upright.
'This sucks.'
Time passed by as he did more physical therapy workouts. Leg strengthening, flexibility, and mobility. Before he knew it, he had already finished.
"That's enough for now," Dr. Nakamura said, noticing his trembling legs. "Let's get you back to the wheelchair."
Himeko was there immediately, supporting his weight as he turned around and made his way back. He collapsed into the wheelchair, chest heaving.
"You did great. That was a pretty solid first session." Himeko said,
"I could barely walk," Kenji muttered.
"You walked," Theresa said, stepping closer. Her voice was gentle but firm. "A few days ago, you couldn't even make it across campus without collapsing. Progress is progress, Kenji."
"Well, I was able to make it half— Wait, how do you know about that?!"
Theresa merely shrugged with a smirk on her face. Kenji narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Himeko, who turned her head away quickly.
Dr. Nakamura nodded in agreement. "She's right. Recovery isn't linear, and it's not fast. But you made it further than most patients do on their first day."
He made a few notes on his clipboard. "We'll do this daily. Gradually increase the distance and add strength exercises. You'll be walking unassisted before you know it."
"How long?" Kenji asked.
"Hard to say. Everyone's different. But given your age and overall health, I'd estimate a few weeks of consistent therapy should get you back on your feet." Dr. Nakamura smiled. "Just don't push yourself too hard outside of these sessions. Let your body recover properly."
Kenji nodded, but he could feel the stares of Himeko and Theresa boring into him. They wanted him to know that if he didn't rest, then he would actually be put in house arrest.
"Alright, that's all for today. Same time tomorrow?"
"Thanks, doc," Himeko said.
Dr. Nakamura left to check on his other patients, and for a moment, the three of them just sat there in silence.
"You really did well," Theresa said with her signature chipper tone. "I know it doesn't feel like it, but you should be proud."
Kenji looked down at his hands. "I just want to be back to normal… It feels so weird being like this."
"You'll get back to normal," Himeko said. She stood up and moved behind his wheelchair. "But normal doesn't happen overnight. As they say: trust the process."
She had a point. He knew she had a point. But that didn't make it less frustrating.
"Come on," Himeko said, starting to push the wheelchair toward the exit. "Let's get you back to the dorm. You've earned some rest."
"I-I can wheel myself, you know?" He muttered, slightly embarrassed at the stares he kept getting.
"What? It's just for a little bit. You don't like it if I'm the one pushing you?" Himeko said with a dangerous tone.
"Nope. It's completely fine."
"Good."
Theresa walked beside them as they left the PT room. Once they were in the hallway, she glanced at her watch and sighed.
"I have a meeting with the board in twenty minutes. But at least I got to accompany you on your first session."
"Thanks for coming Theresa. I really appreciate it."
She smiled at him. "Of course. I'll check in on you later, okay?"
"Okay."
Theresa gave a small wave and headed off down the corridor. Himeko continued pushing the wheelchair toward the exit.
"She's been worried about you," Himeko said after a moment.
"I know."
"We all have been." Himeko's voice was softer now. "But you're doing fine, kid. Better than fine, actually—I kind of thought you might be crippled after what happened in ME Corp."
"Himeko, I AM crippled."
"Only temporarily!" She chuckled out.
Kenji didn't respond. He appreciated the sentiment, but it was hard to feel like he was doing fine when he could barely walk.
They reached the entrance to the medical building, and Himeko stopped, moving around to face him.
"Alright, that's as far as I go. I have to head to a training session," she said. "Will you be alright getting back to the dorm on your own?"
Kenji nodded. "I can manage."
Himeko studied him for a moment, then smiled. "Yeah. I know you can. Don't do anything stupid between here and there."
"I won't."
"Good. Because if Mei hears you tried to walk without the wheelchair again…"
"I get it, sheesh!"
"Hahaha!" Himeko laughed and walked away towards her destination
Kenji sat there for a moment, then gripped the wheels of his wheelchair and started pushing himself forward back to the dorms.
/ — /
The path back to the dorms was peaceful.
Most students were in class at this hour, which meant the campus walkways were mostly empty. Something Kenji really didn't mind.
Without the sounds of students walking about, he could actually enjoy St. Freya's calming atmosphere.
He kept pushing the wheelchair forward. His arms were getting tired, but it felt good to move under his own power. Even if it was just this.
'I'm pretty sure Kiana has some snacks in the fridge.' He thought, 'Maybe I can grab a few without—Wait, is that?'
Fu Hua stood near one of the benches lining the path. Her posture was as straight and stiff as ever. It didn't look like she was doing anything, so maybe she was waiting for someone?
Kenji slowed the wheelchair to a stop a few feet away from her.
"Fu Hua."
Fu Hua turned to face him in slight surprise. It seemed like he was able to catch her off guard somehow.
Usually, he could talk with her without a problem. While she was sometimes strict and uptight, she was easygoing once you got to know her.
But that was before he knew just who she was.
Before the coma, Fu Hua had been his classmate. Someone who'd helped him train when he was still figuring out how to fight properly. She was intimidating in the way all talented people were, but approachable enough that he'd never felt uncomfortable around her.
But now?
Now, when he looked at her, all he could see was the vestige world.
The seven fiery figures standing around him. And Fu Hua was there too. One of the Flame-Chasers. One of his predecessors.
And she was fifty thousand years old.
His body went stiff without meaning to. His hands gripped the armrests of the wheelchair a little too tightly.
"Kenji… I'm glad to see you doing better." Fu Hua said. Her voice was the same as always. But there was something in her eyes, like it was taking effort to keep eye contact with him.
'Is she… Does she know I'm her successor?' The thought appeared in his head. But he was too nervous to ask that question out loud.
"How was your session?" she asked instead.
"It was fine…" He said, before adding on quickly, "I mean, it's my first session, so I can't expect much. But it's alright."
"I see." Fu Hua's gaze flicked to the wheelchair, then back to his face. "I'm glad you're recovering."
"Thanks."
They returned to awkward silence for an embarrassingly long amount of time.
'Say something dammit! This is your predecessor! Don't just sit here like an idiot!'
But what was he supposed to say?
'Hey, I saw you in the vestige world, and now I know you're a warrior from fifty thousand years ago. How's your day going?'
Yeah. That would go over well.
His mind pieced together that Fu Hua must not have known the true nature of his powers. If she did, she would have told him.
Fu Hua seemed to be having her own internal struggle. Her expression didn't change much, but there was a slight tension in her shoulders. Like she wanted to say something, but wasn't sure how to start.
Finally, she spoke.
"May I walk with you?" she asked. "Back to your dormitory?"
"Uh. Sure. Yeah. That's fine." Kenji squeaked out.
"Thank you." She seemed to notice his odd behaviour but chose not to comment on it. Fu Hua fell into step beside him as he started pushing the wheelchair again.
All the while, Kenji's mind was in shambles.
Should he tell her about his connection with her? Obviously, she must not know if she hasn't said anything about his powers. And every time they sparred, she always talked about how odd his abilities were, like none she had ever seen.
Even if she doesn't know about him, she must know about Elysia. Back in the vestige world, all the Flame-Chasers seemed so close. There's no way Fu Hua could have forgotten about her comrades like that.
"Kenji," Fu Hua said quietly.
He looked up at her.
"Would it be possible for us to have a… private conversation in your dormitory?"
Kenji's heart skipped a beat.
"About what?" he asked.
Fu Hua's expression remained neutral, but there was something in her eyes. Something searching.
"About your predecessors," she said.
Silence.
Kenji tried his best not to stutter. "It's still a few hours until the girls finish classes. We can talk in the dorm without anyone interrupting.
"I see. That would do just fine." She nodded in response.
They walked the rest of the way in silence.
/ — /
Fu Hua stood just inside the doorway, scanning the room thoroughly as she always did. A habit of hers Kenji had noticed over the months they had known each other.
He wheeled himself toward the kitchen area. "Do you want anything? Water? I think Kiana has some—"
"No. Thank you."
'Right. Straight to business then… Fuck.'
He turned the wheelchair back around. Fu Hua had moved to the window, looking out at the campus below. Her reflection in the glass was perfectly still.
It didn't seem like she wanted to sit down. Looking at her hands, he could see them clenched hard. She was also nervous.
Kenji felt like he should be the one to start the conversation. But what should he say first?
Telling her that she's one of his predecessors feels a little too heavy to start with. Revealing that his powers came from an actual god is a definite no.
The thought spiraled in his head, and before he could stop himself—
"Are you really over fifty thousand years old?"
Fu Hua went very still.
Kenji's brain caught up to his mouth approximately three seconds too late.
'No. No no no. Why did I say that AGAIN?! What is WRONG with me?!'
Fu Hua slowly turned from the window. Most of her face was hidden by her hair, but she showed just enough to see her eyes.
Her very, very, scary eyes.
"I—!" Kenji's hands shot up defensively. "I'm sorry! That was—that was incredibly rude, and I shouldn't have just—it's a personal question, and I don't know why I—"
"Yes."
Kenji's rambling died in his throat.
"...What?"
"I am over fifty thousand years old." Fu Hua walked over to the couch and sat down with a sigh. "Though I stopped counting the exact years a very long time ago."
Kenji already knew, obviously. But hearing her say it out loud, not just in the vestige world, made it real in a way it hadn't been before.
'Fifty thousand years…'
Empires had risen and fallen. Languages had been born and died. The entire shape of human history had played out while Fu Hua just... kept going.
"How do you..." Kenji started, then stopped. "Sorry. I don't even know what I'm trying to ask."
"Most people don't." Fu Hua's expression softened. "Though most people don't know enough to ask in the first place."
Fair point.
Kenji wheeled himself closer, positioning the wheelchair near the couch. Close enough to talk properly, far enough that he didn't feel like he was invading her space.
"Look," he said, deciding honesty was probably the best approach at this point. "I'm going to be terrible at this conversation. Just... warning you now."
Something that might have been amusement flickered across Fu Hua's face. "Noted."
"Okay. Good." Kenji took a breath. "So. You wanted to talk about my predecessors."
Fu Hua nodded, and just like that, she switched to business mode.
"Theresa told me what you shared during your... debriefing." Her eyes were sharp again. "That you had voices. People living inside your head. Your predecessors, you called them."
"Yeah."
"She also said you have a connection to something very old." Fu Hua leaned forward slightly. "How much do you know about the Previous Era?"
Kenji blinked. "I-I know it exists? But why do you want to know?"
"Because I don't remember much of anything from that time," Fu Hua's gaze didn't waver.
"Wait, seriously?" The surprise in Kenji's voice was genuine. "But you're from—"
He cut himself off, but Fu Hua's expression told him she understood what he'd been about to say.
Kenji swallowed hard. "So… why don't you remember?"
"Remember?" Fu Hua looked down at her hands. "That's… an extremely complicated question."
She was silent for a while after that, and Kenji couldn't help but feel bad for prying about her memories. But then she spoke again.
"Can I ask you something first?" Fu Hua's voice was careful now. Almost hesitant. "Before we go further."
"Sure."
"Your power. You called it OFA." She looked up at him. "You told us that, but not what it stood for… Can you tell me what it means?" There was something in her voice. An edge of... hope? Desperation?
Kenji studied her face. The way she was looking at him, like his answer might unlock something she'd been searching for.
'She really doesn't know,' he realized with absolute certainty. 'She's looking for answers about herself. And she thinks I might have them.'
This put a lot more weight on his shoulders than he was prepared for.
"Before I explain," Kenji said carefully, "I need to understand something."
Fu Hua waited.
"When you say you don't remember much about the Previous Era..." Kenji chose his words carefully. "What happened? Why don't you remember?"
Fu Hua took a moment to understand his question before letting out a heavy sigh. "Let me explain in the simplest way I can..."
"My body is immortal. It can recover from nearly any wound given enough time. But my brain..." She tapped her temple lightly. "My brain is still human. It wasn't designed to hold fifty thousand years of memories."
Kenji stayed quiet, letting her continue.
"Think of it like a storage device with limited space," Fu Hua said. "You can only fit so much before it starts to break down. If I tried to hold onto everything—every conversation, every battle, every person I've ever met—I would eventually collapse under the weight of it all."
"So you can't keep them all," Kenji said quietly.
"Yes." Fu Hua's hands folded in her lap. "I keep essential information. Combat techniques. Knowledge that helps me continue my mission. Everything else..." She paused. "Everything else has to be discarded."
The matter-of-fact way she said it made it sound so simple. But Kenji could hear the grief behind her tone.
"I also use something called the Fenghuang Down," Fu Hua continued. "It's a Divine Key—a weapon from the Previous Era. I can store memories outside of my mind, preserve them in a way that doesn't strain my brain."
She turned to look at him then, and there was something in her eyes. Something tired.
"But in dire circumstances... I use the Fenghuang Down to burn my memories as fuel."
"You… burn your memories?" While Fu Hua didn't say it explicitly, Kenji got the idea that she must have burned at least a good chunk of her memories before.
Fu Hua looked down at her hands, seemingly reminiscing on battles lost to her mind, yet scarred on her body and soul. "It's not something I do lightly. But when there's no other choice..."
She didn't finish the sentence.
Kenji found it hard to imagine. Being in a fight so desperate that you had to literally burn away pieces of yourself just to survive.
Not knowing what you were losing in the process, just knowing that you needed to win.
"I'm sorry," Kenji said, because he didn't know what else to say.
Fu Hua shook her head slightly. "It's not your fault. This is simply the reality of living as long as I have."
"But you said you don't remember the Previous Era," Kenji said carefully. "Do you not remember anything at all?"
Fu Hua hummed as she thought of an answer.
"Fragments," she said finally. "I remember fragments. The feeling of fighting alongside others. But faces, names, specific events..." She closed her eyes. "Gone."
When she opened her eyes again, there was a flash of deep sadness. Just for a second, before she composed herself.
"I know I had comrades. I know we fought together. I know there were people who mattered to me. But I can't remember their faces. Can't remember their names. Can't remember who they were to me."
Kenji felt like his heart was being squeezed. Seeing the headstrong Fu Hua like this didn't seem right at all.
"That's..." He struggled to find words. "That's horrible. I'm so sorry."
"It's necessary," Fu Hua said, and the matter-of-fact tone was back. "Without managing my memories this way, I would have gone insane millennia ago. And I wouldn't be able to continue my mission."
'But do you remember why you set out on your mission in the first place?' Kenji thought, but didn't say that question out loud.
She looked at him directly then.
"But when Theresa told me about you—about your predecessors, I made the connection that you knew something, had a relation with the Previous Era—I thought..." Fu Hua paused, catching herself from spiraling. "I thought perhaps you might have answers. Answers that would help remind me of… anything."
As she finished, she stared at him like he was a treasure she had been waiting for. The only remaining connection to her and her forgotten past.
It felt so wrong to Kenji. Fu Hua was one of his predecessors, and it was his duty to help her as well.
"Alright, I'll tell you what I know." He said with a soft smile, "But be prepared, it's very… odd."
Fu Hua's eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly
"You're actually one of my predecessors." He decided to just rip off the bandaid first.
Fu Hua was still for a moment, a disbelief look on her face until she finally processed his words, and her eyes widened. Her mouth opened as if to speak, but no words came out.
For several long seconds, she just stared at him.
"I..." Fu Hua started, then stopped. She blinked, like she was trying to process what she'd just heard. "I'm sorry, what?"
"You're one of my predecessors," Kenji repeated, a bit slower this time. "One of the people living inside me. Well, not exactly living, but you get the idea..."
Fu Hua's expression cycled through confusion, disbelief, and many more expressions he couldn't name in time.
"That's..." She shook her head slightly. "That's not possible."
"But it is the reality."
"No, I—" Fu Hua stood up abruptly, then seemed to realize she didn't know what to do with herself and sat back down. "How? How is that possible? I'm alive. I can't be..."
She trailed off, looking down at her hands like she was checking to make sure they were real.
"Let me start from the beginning," Kenji said gently. "My power. OFA. Do you want to know what it stands for?"
Fu Hua looked up at him, still clearly shaken. "Yes. Please."
"It stands for One For All." Kenji leaned back in his wheelchair. "It's a power that's passed down through generations. From one person to the next. Each person who holds it becomes a vessel for everyone who came before."
"A power passed down..." Fu Hua repeated slowly.
"The way it was explained to me," Kenji continued, "is that it started with an Aeon—An Aeon is basically a cosmic god. Don't ask much because I also don't know—but an Aeon gave this power to someone a very, very long time ago."
Fu Hua's eyes sharpened. "Who?"
"Her name was Elysia."
Fu Hua's entire body went rigid, and she stopped breathing for a second. Her hand moved unconsciously to her chest, pressing against it like something had struck her there.
"What..." Fu Hua's voice was barely above a whisper. "What did you say?"
"Elysia," Kenji repeated. "She was the first person to hold One For All. The Aeon gave it to her, and she... I don't know exactly how, but she shared it with the other Flame Chasers, and the power somehow ended up with me."
Fu Hua's eyes were wide now, her breathing shallow.
"I don't remember that name," she said, hanging her head low. "But—"
"But you feel something," Kenji said softly.
Fu Hua's hand was still pressed against her chest. She looked down at it, confused and almost frightened.
"I don't understand," she whispered. "Why does it hurt? Why do I—" She cut herself off, her composure cracking. "I don't remember her. I don't remember anyone named Elysia."
Fu Hua looked up at him, and there were tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She didn't seem to notice, and Kenji didn't point them out.
"Who was she?" Fu Hua asked, her voice breaking slightly. "Who was Elysia to me?"
Kenji felt his own throat tighten.
"I don't know all the details," he admitted. "But from what I was told in the vestige world... she was a Flame Chaser, like you. Your friend. Someone you fought beside."
"The vestige world?" Fu Hua's voice was steadier now, focusing on something concrete.
"It's... hard to explain. When I was in the coma, I went somewhere. A place where I could talk to my predecessors." Kenji gestured vaguely. "There were seven of them, including you."
"Seven?" Fu Hua said quietly. "There were only seven?"
"Including you, yes."
Fu Hua shook her head slowly. "But that's not right. There were more than that. There should be more."
"How many should there be?" Kenji asked.
"There should be thirteen Flame-Chasers, not just seven." Fu Hua closed her eyes.
Kenji was also confused. There were seven visible in the vestige world, but Fu Hua thought there should be more.
Where were the others?
"And we're inside you?" Fu Hua said, still processing. "Our souls. Our power."
"Yeah."
The revelation silenced Fu Hua, and Kenji couldn't figure out what it was she was feeling at that moment. When she spoke again, her voice was small.
"So somewhere inside you, there's a version of me who remembers… everything. Who knows who Elysia was. Who knows what we were fighting for."
Kenji nodded. "The vestige you. Yeah."
"And she didn't tell you to tell me?!" The sudden shout made Kenji flinch. There was something almost desperate in Fu Hua's voice as her expression hardened on him. "S-She didn't leave a message or—!"
"Whoa, whoa! Calm down!" Kenji quickly clarified. "Our connection has been messed up ever since the Nagazora Eruption, even more so after Zero messed my powers up. She probably wanted to talk to you, but just couldn't."
Fu Hua's shoulders slumped slightly.
"So I'll never remember," she whispered. "Even though a part of me still exists somewhere with those memories intact, I'll never get them back."
Kenji wanted to say something comforting, but what could he say? That it would be okay? That she'd remember eventually?
He didn't know if either of those things was true. Maybe there could be a way for him to connect Fu Hua to the vestige version of her. But is that even possible?
"I'm sorry."
Fu Hua wiped at her eyes quickly. When she looked at him again, there was something different in her expression.
Determination.
"You said Elysia gave this power to her comrades," Fu Hua said, her voice stronger now. "And that power was passed down through the ages until it reached you, but you don't know how."
"Yeah."
"Then… you're carrying all of us. Everything we were. Everything we fought for." Fu Hua stood up, and this time she didn't sit back down. "Even if I don't remember, even if those memories are lost to me... they're not lost. They're in you."
Kenji nodded slowly, a little confused. Where was she going with this? "Yeah. I guess so."
"You guess?" Fu Hua's voice sharpened slightly. "Kenji, do you understand what that means?"
He opened his mouth, then closed it. He had a feeling that whatever answer he gave would put him in danger somehow.
Fu Hua walked closer, stopping directly in front of his wheelchair. She looked down at him, and there was something fierce in her expression now.
Kenji was now visibly sweating, unsure whether she was angry or something else.
"It means you're carrying the weight of countless lives. Countless legacies. The will of people who fought and died so that this power could reach you." Her hands clenched at her sides. "And you don't even realize how precious that is."
"I—"
"I've trained with you," Fu Hua continued, her voice steady but intense. "I've watched you fight. And I've seen how you treat yourself."
"You throw yourself into danger without hesitation. You fight recklessly. You treat your body as if it's expendable." Fu Hua's eyes narrowed. "That ends now."
"Fu Hua, I—"
"Uh uh!" Her voice was firm and immediately shut him up. She was no longer speaking to him as the Class monitor, but as his predecessor, a Flame-Chaser.
"Listen to me. I don't remember my comrades. I don't remember their faces or what they meant to me. But I know they existed. I know they fought for something. And I know that somehow, impossibly, their will has reached you."
She knelt down, bringing herself to eye level with him.
"If they entrusted everything to you—if after generations, this power reached you—then you don't have the right to throw yourself away." Her voice softened, but the intensity remained.
Kenji felt his throat tighten. "I'm not trying to—"
"I know you're not trying to," Fu Hua said gently. "But you do it anyway. You don't value your own life the way you should."
Kenji averted his gaze. That was the only thing he could do while stuck in a wheelchair.
"That's why..." Fu Hua stood back up, her posture straightening. "That's why I'm going to train you properly. I will fix this mindset of yours and ensure you become my proper successor."
Kenji looked up at her, stunned.
"I may not remember my comrades," Fu Hua continued, her voice taking on a solemn weight. "But I'm still here. I'm still alive. And if they trusted you with their legacy, then it's my responsibility—my duty—to make sure you're worthy of carrying it."
She placed her hand on top of his head. The gesture was gentle, almost protective, but it carried the weight of a vow.
"I will make you strong, Kenji Aoyama. Strong enough to carry the burden you've been given. And I will teach you to value your own life, because someone who carries the hopes of so many people doesn't get to treat themselves as disposable."
Kenji felt his eyes start to tear up. He blinked rapidly, trying to keep it together.
"Fu Hua..."
"This is not a request," she said, but her voice was warmer now. "This is my responsibility. To them. To you. And I will see it through."
Her hand remained on his head, and she gave him a soft and gentle smile, "So be at ease, my pupil."
Unknowingly, Kenji felt his head lean into her touch. "O-Ok… I'll try my best to live up to your expectations."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The weight of everything that happened shifted their relationship from peers to something new and far more intimate.
Mentor and student.
Predecessor and successor.
Kenji could count on his hands the number of times he has ever felt this… safe. Every time he was in Elysia's presence, he felt a motherly warmth that eased all his worries.
Now, with Fu Hua declaring herself as his mentor. He felt a different sensation, a feeling of being protected that he rarely ever felt.
It wasn't like he never had mentors before. It's just that none of them had ever felt this intimate. Fu Hua was one of the Flame-Chasers. The people who gave him his powers, the ability to change the world, and the ones who gave him purpose.
Fu Hua ruffled his head, "I have a feeling you will—"
*BANG*
The two of them flinched as the door slammed open.
"Kenji, we're back! Mei wanted to—"
Kiana froze in the doorway, her eyes going wide. Mei stood behind her, her eyes widening as well.
The scene before them was perfectly innocent: Fu Hua with her hand on Kenji's head in what was clearly a mentor's gesture.
But Kiana's brain, as always, went somewhere else entirely.
"WAIT." Kiana pointed at them, her voice rising. "WAIT WAIT WAIT. THERE WERE ALREADY RUMORS ABOUT YOU AND WENDY!"
"Kiana—" Mei started.
"NOW YOU'RE GOING FOR THE CLASS MONITOR TOO?!" Kiana's arms flailed wildly. "KENJI, YOU PLAYER! HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS FROM A WHEELCHAIR?!"
Fu Hua's expression didn't change. She calmly removed her hand from Kenji's head, turned to face Kiana, and in a blink, she appeared in front of the Kaslana and grabbed her by the collar.
"I would like to apologize—!"
Fu Hua threw her out the window.
The sound of Kiana's scream faded into the distance, followed by a distant crash.
Mei stepped into the dorm, completely unbothered. "I apologize for the interruption."
Fu Hua nodded. "It's fine." She turned back to Kenji. "We'll continue this conversation… and your training, another day. Be prepared."
"I... okay."
Fu Hua walked past Mei and out of the dorm, her posture as composed as ever, like she hadn't just defenestrated one of her classmates.
Mei closed the door behind her and looked at Kenji with a raised eyebrow. "So. Want to explain what that was about?"
Before Kenji could answer, there was another crash as Kiana came flying back through the window, landing in a heap on the floor.
"That hurt!" she groaned, then immediately sat up and pointed at Kenji. "And you! Explain! The forums are going to explode when they hear about this!"
Kenji slumped in his wheelchair, suddenly feeling more exhausted than he had after the entire physical therapy session.
"Well? Start talking!" Kiana shouted, and while Mei was more reserved, she couldn't hide the curiosity in her own eyes.
Kenji sighed and prepared himself to come up with a convincing lie.