Shadows

Golden Dream Mirror

Leah smiled as Sere hugged her. She agreed to call in and make an appointment. She would have to ask Sere if she needed to bring anything when she came over. No one had ever asked her to stay the night at their house. Leah walked back to the university and back to her dorm room. She closed the door and plopped onto her bed. She pulled out her ipod and put on some music before she began her homework.

Leah worked for a few hours before she got hungry again. She went to the common area and rummaged for some food. One of her roommates came in and greeted Leah, this roommate, her name was Ella seemed nice enough and the two chatted over some chicken and rice before Leah went back to her room to sketch.

Shadows - Page 5 Endo_b10

Endo grabbed his things, placed his journal in his bag and walked into the studio. He saw Sere so he decided to go say hello, he felt like he had to say hello. Just seeing her made his day brighter.

"Sere its nice to see you again, I hope you have been practicing, you will need to use the skills we practiced tonight and will learn some new skills, if I remember correctly." He smiled smugly what is wrong with me i sound like some kid in high school he thought as he walked over to his training area hoping he would somehow be able to help her learn some more martial arts moves.

ooc:

Dream Mirror

Sere felt her cheeks heat up as Endo approached her, and she struggled to form words when he spoke to her. She could only nod and smile. She watched him retreat, and forced herself to look away. 'Why do I get so distracted by him?' she thought, focusing her attention on the instructor. She was able to see a little better this time, but she had trouble taking in everything the instructor said. It was turn your ankle this way, twist your body that way, move your limbs another way - she just couldn't keep up. When it came time to train individually, Sere struggled once again. She started off by practicing the kick they had learned first, and then she tried the more advanced move. She struggled to keep her balance as she lifted her foot into the air, attempting to make the crescent shape her instructor had demonstrated. She chewed on her lip as she attempted again and again, but continued to stumble.

Crescent Kick:

Golden Dream Mirror

Endo was working on his newest sparring moves when he caught a glance at Sere. he saw that again she was struggling, she had the basics of this move down but was needing to keep her stance firm and power through with her kicking leg. He decided he would help her after his practice was over.

He powered through his moves and practiced with a partner until the session was over. Endo walked over to where Sere was, he had just wiped his face and neck with a towel so he wasn't covered in sweat.

"I see you're working on a new move Sere, you've almost got it, but if you like I can work with you through the move, step by step."

He hoped she would say yes, he felt a longing to be near her right now and wasn't sure what was driving these unknown feelings inside of him.

OOC:

Dream Mirror

Sere jumped when Endo appeared behind her, startling her. He offered to help her with her moves, and she blushed, immediately imagining his hands on her waist and arms. As always, that tiny voice in her head was telling her not to fall for his words, but she shoved the thoughts away. He was a good person...she could feel it. She just hoped she wasn't wrong about him. She couldn't handle the pain if he were to reject her.

Clearing her mind of all negativity, Sere smiled and nodded. "Sure! That would be great. Sorry, I've never been very coordinated," she laughed.

Golden Dream Mirror

Endo smiled at Sere before setting his bag down. He wasn't sure why he suddenly felt nervous or that his heart was racing, no girl had been able to do that, well not without other action involved he thought as he went to stand near her, not too close as he didn't want to accidentally kick her.

He broke the moves down as he demonstrated the move to her. "The key is to keep your hips square in this move, the other moves you are pivoting on your other foot , but this time don't pivot your foot. The key is to also kick with the side of your foot." He then demonstrated the move for her full range and full speed.

He walked over to her and adjusted her form, is she so off form on purpose, Endo thought as he chuckled to himself. He didnt mind being able to help her either and enjoyed what he felt when he was this close to her.

"Okay so the first thing we need to do is square the hips." He walked over and placed his hands on her hips and turned them just a bit until they were square.

"Now try the kick in slow motion, its good to get a good feel for it before going all out, I learned a move similar to this and got over eager, I didn't practice and ended up spraining my ankle because my form was off." He felt embarrassed about his story but he figured it would help her maybe not get injured.

He stepped back to give her some space to practice the kick.

Dream Mirror

Sere found herself too preoccupied with Endo's good looks and charm to really pay attention, and so when he stood there waiting for her to try the move she was slightly startled. Without really thinking, she attempted the kick again, but her balance wobbled and her leg didn't go as wide as it was supposed to. She made more of an oval than a crescent. On both feet again, she laughed lightheartedly. "Sorry," she said, scratching the top of her head. "I'm a little...unbalanced."

Golden Dream Mirror

Endo couldn't help but chuckle a bit at Sere, she was determined to learn the move though so he gave her credit for her efforts. He walked back over next to her and spoke, his voice cool and composed.

"It's alright, this move is more difficult and has different techniques, but we can keep working at it until you get it."

He then moved and stood mere inches from her body, aligning his hips with hers, "he placed his hands on her hips and turned them slightly again, and spoke his words breezy as they passed her ear, "now the first thing to remember is to keep your hips square as you kick, the kick range will be just like with the front kick but remember to kick with the flat part of your foot."

He then reached around and gently grasped her arms and brought them to fighter stance, "arm stance is just as important with these kicks, it helps you to keep your center, go ahead and try the kick now and see if that helps."

Endo again backed away and let Sere practice her kick.

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Leah soon finished her homework and grabbed a shower before heading to bed. She sent Sere a text asking if she could come in at 2pm for her hair appointment the following day. She pulled out her journal to write before she fell asleep.

Today was a good day, I think I may have met someone who may really want to be my friend. Its so weird though, no one has ever wanted to be my friend and I have avoided people so much until now, but maybe she is really honest and wants to be my friend. Part of me still wants to keep my guard up, but another wants to trust her and see what having a friend is really like. I just hope it doesn't turn out like everyone else. I can't take any more heartbreak.

Leah closed her journal, turned off her light and fell fast asleep.

Dream Mirror

Sere felt like her body was on fire at this point. Endo's words, his touch...it was all to much. She wanted to turn around, to hug him, to see his smile and look into his eyes. It was rather frustrating, to tell the truth. She just couldn't focus when he was so close.

This time, she tried harder to listen to what he was saying, put his touch left burning sensations on her body. She squared her hips and tried again, this time making an almost-perfect crescent with her foot. She connected squarely with the punching bag, but she pivoted her foot. A sharp pain ran up her leg and she drew back, clutching her foot with her hand. Curses flew from her mouth as she tried to stop the pain. Frustrated, she let go of her foot and threw her hands into the air.

"I can't do this!" she said, frustrated tears in her eyes.

Golden Dream Mirror

Endo felt for Sere, she was really trying, but maybe she should take a break and come back in the following day. He walked over to Sere to see if she was okay.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and asked "are you okay Sere, why don't we call it a night." You are almost there it just takes practice, you will get it soon enough. "Do you need someone to look at your foot?" he asked as he pondered how she could have hit it so hard, she had a lot of fire to her kick and he knew that once she mastered that move it would flow perfectly- she just needed to be patient and focus.

Dream Mirror

"N-no...I'm fine," Sere said, trying to hide from her embarrassment. Why was she getting so emotional? She wasn't due for her period for at least another week.

"I'm going to try again," she said, stepping back up to the punching bag. She squared her hips, making sure her ankle was locked so that her foot wouldn't pivot when she kicked. With determination, she tried it again, but lost her balance in the middle of the kick. She huffed, trying again and again, but failing each time. "This is stupid!" she said, punching the bag.

She paused, staring at the bag. That felt...good. She wanted to do it again.

Punching the bag again, Sere smirked. All of her pain and frustration seemed to be coming out in her punches. She thought back to her conversation with Leah, and how it had brought back the memories of her father that she had tried so hard to push away. As the sound of shattering glass pierced her mind, Sere punched again, feeling her fist come into contact with the cushion. Her body felt like it was on fire, full of fury and energy. Stepping back once more, she kicked her right foot up in a wide, perfect crescent, hitting the punching bag squarely. It felt so good to hear the clash of her foot with the bag, along with her heavy breathing and the sounds of others around her.

She didn't even think about it - but she had done it.

Golden Dream Mirror

Endo watched silently as Sere tried the move again but was not successful. He admired her determination to learning the new move, but he was taken aback when she began to punch the punching bag. He watched as she repeatedly punched the bag, and he could tell she needed to blow off some steam, but he wondered what was troubling her. She always looked so happy, so bubbly that he couldn't imagine she would have something to get off her chest.

When he saw her do a perfect crescent kick, Endo couldn't help but smile, she hadnt even been trying to do it and she was able to. When he saw she was done beating up the punching bag he walked over and spoke in a calm voice.

"well, whatever that was it seemed to work for you, you weren't even thinking about the move and you nailed it." He wanted to ask her about her little fit, but decided against it. He turned to leave but spoke to her one last time before doing do.

"Keep up the good work Sere, the more you practice, the better you will get, I have to get going, I have some papers to grade, but enjoy the rest of your night."

With that he turned to leave, grabbed his bag and walked out of the studio.

Dream Mirror

Sere stood there, panting and out of breath, listening to Endo talk. She felt a lot better after that session, but after she realized how vulnerable she was now, she felt awful. She had revealed a part of her that had not shown itself for years - a part of her that Endo was now aware of. Taking a deep breath, she exited the training room and followed the other trainers into the locker rooms. In silence, she changed into her clothes and left the room, ignoring the stares she got from others.
She marched home, angry and frustrated, but happy to be rid of some of her stress. She was starting to like the relief martial arts gave her. She checked her phone, confirming that Leah could come in the next day, and sending a text to her boss saying she had an extra appointment.

Sere arrived home and immediately went to bed, not bothering to eat or do anything else. She was exhausted and just needed to sleep. Without giving Endo or anything else any further thought, she flopped onto her bed and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Golden Dream Mirror

Endo walked to his apartment and brewed a pot of coffee while he did his homework and read over some of the papers that students have turned in to get feedback. Some of the students held a lot of promise and stood a great chance of passing the class, and others well it was clear that the work was not original and plagiarism was not something to be tolerated at the university.

Endo decided to take a break from his grading and go out for a smoke on his balcony. The night was cool, but he could see the moon and the stars perfectly. He stood outside and let the cool air blow on him. He thought back to the previous nights events with Sere and wondered what had sparked her outburst behavior, he had a feeling she was holding onto emotions that had been pent up and hoped that letting those emotions out would make her feel better.

Again Endo thought why he even cared for her at all, but there was this strong pulling calling from inside to him. For him to comfort her and protect her from all the pains of the past, but how could he do that when he too had his own closet full of monsters.

Endo walked back inside to his apartment and read through one last paper before going to bed for the night.

Dream Mirror

"Endymion!"

Sere shot out of bed, sweating and out of breath, her head spinning from the terrifying dream she had just had. Did she just say Endo's name aloud?

Shaking her head, Sere wiped the sweat from her forehead and turned to see what time it was. Her eyes almost popped out of her skull when she realized she was extremely late for her literature class. The young adult felt her heart race as she leaped out of bed and slipped on an outfit, brushing through her hair and quickly pinning it up before speeding out the door. She had forgotten all of her things, but right now her main priority was getting to class. She hadn't been this late since her freshman year of high school.

Sprinting, Sere panted as she neared the english building. She hoped she wasn't too late, oh Endo would be so disappointed in her, and what kind of example was she setting for Leah?

These thoughts running through her head, she didn't notice the bell begin to chime and the wave of students that exited their morning classes. Without even realizing it, she slammed straight into a taller person, sending both of them toppling to the ground. With a squeal, Sere braced herself for impact, but found it never came. No, she had landed on something soft...

Or rather, someone.

Golden Dream Mirror

Leah sat in literature class, taking notes as the professor lectured, she wondered where Sere was, it was the first week of school and the girl was missing class. Leah hoped Sere was okay and decided she would text her afterwards.

Leah continued to take notes, trying to make sense of all the professor was saying, something about good literature has this, that, and another thing, but it all went over her head, am I really cut out for college, its the end of the first week and I feel more lost than ever, she thought as the lecture came to an end and she packed her things and went to her shift at the cafe.

Shadows - Page 5 Endo_b10

Endo had been taking notes on the important points of the lecture. He had passed back the papers he had reviewed and suggested a few students come to his office hours or meet up with him off campus to discuss how they could improve their papers.

Endo grew worried when he noticed Sere hadn't shown up for class. He hoped she didn't stay too late practicing at the dojo- he hoped she hadn't gotten hurt. He pushed the thoughts aside quickly-he didn't know her still and she was a grown woman and if she didn't come to class that was on here. He would let her know what she missed, if she asked of course.

It wasn't until class was over that Endo saw Sere, or rather collided with Sere. He had gathered his things and was walking out the door when she bumped into him and caused them both to topple down. Out of pure instinct, Endo wrapped an arm around Sere's waist and held her close as they both crashed to the ground, Endo taking the majority of the fall as he tried to maneuver their fall so that neither would end of injured.

Moments later, Endo looked up at Sere and couldn't help but laugh- "my my my aren't we late today, you know if you ran faster, you might have made it in time." he said teasingly as he could tell something had caused her to oversleep and she rushed here with nothing but her person to enter the classroom.

ooc:

Dream Mirror

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, oh my gosh I'm such a clutz are you -"

Sere froze. "Endo?" she said, shocked. Out of all of the people she could have clumsily run into, she ran into Endo?!

She suddenly became aware of the arm wrapped protectively around her waist and the gentle, caring eyes that were accompanied by a teasing smile. Blushing, Sere forced herself to stand. "I'm so sorry, Endo. I was exhausted last night and I overslept and ran her and - I'm sorry..."

She extended a hand to help him up, her cheeks still bright red as his touch lingered on her waist. "Are you alright? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Golden Dream Mirror

Endo chuckled a bit at Sere, he could tell she was flustered. He accepted her hand to help him up. When she apologized and explained why she was late he reached out and touched a finger to her lips.

"Its okay, don't worry about it, I am fine, you on the other hand should take a minute, just take a breath- if you ran over here I am sure you need it." He smiled, he suddenly realized he could grow use to being around Sere in this way and found that her blushing in a way made him happy inside- he felt that sense again deep in his core that he knew her somehow, but as hard as he thought, he couldn't make the connection to how or if he had ever known her prior to this class.

Endo motioned for Sere to follow him, "if you're done running for the morning you are more than welcome to join me for a cup of coffee, I can go over the lecture with you, or if you still are going to run then stop by my office hours later and I can catch you up on what you missed then." He said with a wink as he allowed her a moment to consider her options at his offer.

Dream Mirror

Sere froze when Endo's finger landed on her lips. Her eyes crossed, looking down at his hand. His words reached her mind, but she couldn't react. She was just...overwhelmed. He was right, really. She needed to take a breather. But there was just no time! She had to work soon, and Leah was coming in for an appointment, and she had to go.

But...his offer was so...appealing. She didn't get her tea, and her exhaustion from running was starting to get to her. Glancing at her phone, she saw that she still had some time to spare before heading to work. Spending the rest of the morning with Endo couldn't hurt.

With a smile, she nodded. "I'd love to, thanks!" she said, a bit more cheerful now. She began to walk towards the cafe, but didn't move her eyes away from Endo. "You sure you aren't hurt? I seem to be injuring you a lot," she said, biting her lip.

Golden Dream Mirror

Endo walked towards the café, Sere in tow. He glanced over at her as she asked if he was sure he was okay. He decided he would have a bit more fun and tease her a bit. Endo stopped mid stride and gripped his shoulder and let out a gasp.

“You know, come to think of it, I think I may need to get my shoulder looked at, you hit me pretty hard.” He said as he rubbed his shoulder. He could see worry cross her face and he placed a hand on her shoulder, “don’t worry- I am only joking, though I was a bit startled when you toppled into me just now, but I will be okay.” He said with a reassuring smile.

Its nothing compared to the pain I have had to endure growing up, he thought as he pushed the memories of his dark past to the farthest depths of his mind. He suddenly became aware of some of his scars he had gotten as a child. He casually slid his sleeves down to cover the scars on his forearm. He was also thankful he had been growing his hair out a bit more lately as it helped to hide the scar on his temple.

He walked into the café and held the door open for Sere. He looked at her and spoke, his voice soft and light, “What would you like? My treat.” He said with a smile.

When she had given him her order he walked up to the line to order their drinks, wondering the entire time just what it was about her that was beginning to make him change.

Dream Mirror

Sere's eyes widened in shock when Endo seemed to show signs of pain. "Oh my gosh, sit down! Let me call 911! Don't move, just take deep breaths, everything's going to be fine - oh god I am so sorry, Endo!"

She froze when Endo touched her shoulder. That familiar electric shock traveled through her body, stopping all thoughts and actions. The playful smile on Endo's face told her immediately that he was just messing with her, and that she had just freaked out for no reason at all. Embarrassed at her outburt, Sere's face turned red as they continued the walk to the cafe.

Sere couldn't help but feel a strange tension in Endo as they walked. There seemed to be something on his mind, something that bothered him. Curious, Sere decided she would ask when they got to the cafe if there was anything that was bothering him.

When they got to the cafe, Sere was going to protest against Endo for offering to pay, but something stopped her. She knew he wasn't going to take no for an answer - how she knew that, she had no idea.

She ordered an orange valencia iced tea and went with Endo to sit down. When they were both settled, she said, "Are you alright? Not because I hit you...but for another reason?"

Golden Dream Mirror

Endo walked to the counter and placed their orders, he noticed the barrista was in the literature class he had just come from. He smiled at the girl, she just looked like she needed a smile, he had learned how the effects of a smile could really change someone's day when he was younger, even if it didn't solve his problems, the smiles he received made him feel better and forget about his problems, if only for a moment.

Endo picked up their drinks, he decided on the usual black coffee, he didn't understand peoples obsession with their sugar infused coffee. He walked back to the table where they were sitting and placed their drinks down, sliding Sere's tea to place it right in front of her. Endo took his seat and began to blow on his coffee to cool it down.

Sere's words caught him of guard, was he alright, as in was something else bothering him, did I really let my guard down that much? Endo thought as his brain scrambled for a way to avoid her question, he figured he could lie a bit, he couldn't tell her what was really bothering him, those memories, he had worked so hard to push them away and now for reasons unknown to him they were coming back to the forefront of his mind at lightspeed, it was times like this that Endo would escape to the bars and get drunk out of his mind so he would become numb to the pain and darkness that still haunted him, years after he left his father for a better chance at life.

Endo spoke, his voice was distant from Sere, as if he were still lost in a different world. "Nah, I am okay, I just think this teaching assistant thing is going to be harder than I expect, but don't worry I will be okay." He hoped that would be satisfactory enough for the girl who seemed to ask a lot of questions, he didn't mind, he enjoyed Sere's company, but he wondered how much longer he could keep up his facade and hide the pains of his past when he was getting closer and closer to her each day.

Dream Mirror

Sere smiled at Endo. "I'm sure you'll do great - you're a really good teacher. Smart, too. I wouldn't want anyone else to be my teacher assistant, to be honest. You seem like you know what you're talking about."

Sipping her tea, Sere studied Endo's body language and facial expression. There was a deep, faraway look in his eyes that she just couldn't get over. Was he...lying?

She decided to try and push for some more information. "So, where are you from?" she asked, hoping to start a new conversation.

OOC:

Golden Dream Mirror

Sere's question threw Endo off guard, he wasn't expecting to have to talk about his past, but he got the feeling that she would not let up until he provided some answers. He decided he would share the bare minimum.

"I am from Osaka, but I moved to Tokyo when I was 16, best decision I ever made, don't get me wrong, I love Osaka, and I hope to go back and visit some time when life isn't so busy."

He sat staring out the window for the moment, as long as she doesn't ask anything about my family I should be okay, but knowing her, she will want to know more. Endo mentally kicked himself, this is why he didn't get close to people, they always had questions and wanted to know about him and his family and why he never talked about them, and yet here he was sitting with Sere, sharing more than he had shared with anyone, typically with the girls who had thrown themselves at him, he would make up some sap story to get their pity and a few other things and then he would drop them and be sure to never see the girls again, but Sere was different, the feeling he had inside of his core was screaming at him to not let her go, but he couldn't figure out why he was so strongly drawn to her.

Dream Mirror

Sere nodded. "I've been there a few times. It's a very interesting place. Do your parents live there?" she asked, taking another sip of tea. It felt good against her throat as she swallowed. She was itching to ask him why he left home at such a young age, but figured she would be digging herself too deep if she did.

Golden Dream Mirror

Endo nearly spit out his coffee when Sere asked if his parents lived there. Why is she asking so many questions, is this girl really that dense when it comes to personal matters. he thought as he calmed himself- she didn't know his past and it was really an innocent enough question, one you would ask others in college, but he hated talking about his past, especially his parents, it could open a can of worms that Endo would rather just leave at the door.

He glanced up at Sere and even though he was about ready to lie to her, he felt that sensation inside that he could be honest with her and she wouldnt judge him.

He let out a sigh before speaking, "well I don't know where my mom is, or if she's even still alive- she left when I was 12 and I haven't seen her since." He paused wondering if his mom was alive and if she was well and why she had never tried to reconnect with him after all these years.

His voice took on one full of anger and bitterness, his hatred for his father spanned wide and he didn't see his emotions toward his father changing any time soon, "my father is still in Osaka, though I haven't been to see him since I left, nor do I plan to see him any time in the near future."

He looked up at Sere hoping he hadn't startled her with his emotions, he had to try and contain what he was truly feeling, which only itched his desire to go and numb his pain at the bar tonight, but he would be going to the concert with Andrew, well maybe he could score something at the concert and have a good time as well.

He sat and let Sere soak in what he had just said, he wanted to ask about her, but he had never been one to pry into someone else's life.

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