The night air clung to Hara’s skin, cool yet thick with the weight of the past few days. Sweat dripped from his temple as he struck Colton’s outstretched hands, each punch sharp, deliberate. He had to keep moving, keep training, keep from thinking too much. But his mind betrayed him, drifting back to her—__Kami.
His body was bruised, aching in ways he hadn’t felt in years, but it was nothing compared to the dull, relentless ache in his chest. The one she had put there. He knew she was watching. He could feel the weight of her gaze pressing against him from behind the window. Every time he caught a glimpse of her, there was something raw in her eyes—rage, confusion, something deeper, something darker. It wasn’t just about the Red Reapers or the matches they had fought. No, this was personal.
And he knew exactly when it started.
That damn kiss.
He had felt her slipping away from him ever since. Svetlana’s poison had done something to her, something neither of them understood, and now Kami looked at him like he was a ghost of the man she used to know. Like she wanted to rip him apart and never see his face again.
A sharp pain shot through his stomach as Colton’s fist connected. Hara barely managed to brace for impact before stumbling back, groaning.
“Shit, man,” he muttered, clutching his ribs.
Colton smirked, rolling his shoulders. “You were somewhere else.”
Hara huffed, shaking his head. “I’m right here.”
“No, you’re not.”Colton glanced up at the window where Kami stood moments before. “She’ll come around, Cuz.”
Hara swallowed, forcing himself to breathe. “And if she doesn’t?”
Colton sighed. “Then you fight for her.”
Hara wanted to. He had never stopped fighting for her. But how the hell was he supposed to fight something he couldn’t see? Something inside her, twisting her, making her look at him like he was the enemy?
Colton’s hand clapped his shoulder, dragging him back to the present.“Come on. Better ice those twins before you really can’t have kids.”
Hara exhaled through his nose, shaking his head."Yeah, yeah"
But before he could move, the door to the kominka slid open.
Kami stepped outside.
For a moment, everything stopped.
The breeze lifted strands of her dark hair, the moonlight painting her in silver, making her look almost untouchable. But Hara knew better. He knew every scar, every wound that lingered beneath the surface. He had memorized the way she moved, the way she carried herself, the way her shoulders squared when she was trying to hide the storm raging inside her.
Their eyes met.
Something sharp twisted in his gut. He wanted to go to her, to tell her that he was still here, still hers if she’d let him be. But before he could take a step, she was gone, disappearing down the stone path lined with cherry blossoms.
Hara turned away, running a hand down his face. He needed to fix this. He just didn’t know how.
Hours passed before he saw her again.
The dojo loomed before him, a place of discipline, of control. But tonight, it felt like something else entirely. A battlefield. One neither of them could walk away from until this was settled.
He stood at the threshold, his pulse steady despite the weight of what was coming. Footsteps approached, and when he looked up, there she was.
Kami stopped a few feet away, Colton beside her.
“This ends now,” Colton said, his tone firm."You two are going to be locked in that dojo. No running, no hiding. Just you, her, and whatever the hell is going on between you."
Hara’s jaw clenched. His gaze flicked to Kami, searching for resistance, for hesitation. He found it in the tight set of her lips, the slight tremor in her fists.
But she didn’t say no.
That was enough.
Stepping inside, he watched as she followed, the doors sliding shut behind them with a finality that settled deep in his bones.
The silence stretched.
Hara took a slow step forward, keeping his movements careful, measured. Kami held her ground, her expression unreadable, but he could see it—everything she was holding back, everything she wanted to say but wouldn’t.
His voice came quiet, rough. “Kami.”
She flinched. It was small, almost imperceptible, but he caught it.
“You can’t even stand to hear my voice now, can you?”he asked, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.
Kami’s hands curled into fists.“Don’t."
“Don’t what?” He took another step. “Don’t talk? Don’t stand here, looking at you like I’d do anything to make this right?”
Her eyes burned, jaw tightening.“There is no making this right, Hara."
Something inside him snapped. “Says who? You? Svetlana? You think I don’t know what she did to you? What she put inside your head?”
Kami’s breath hitched, but she masked it quickly. “You don’t know anything.”
Hara stepped closer, voice dropping lower. “Then tell me. Let me in.”
Silence.
Kami turned her head away, but he wasn’t letting her run this time. Gently, he reached out, brushing his fingers against hers. She flinched but didn’t pull away.
“I’m still here,” he murmured. “I never left.”
Her breath trembled. For the first time in what seemed like weeks, she looked at him—not with fury, not with that sickening rage he had grown accustomed to—but with something raw. Something he could hold onto.
Hara swallowed. “Let me help you, Kami.”
And for the first time in what felt like forever, Kami didn’t pull away. The battle inside her was visible, a war waging in her expression. But then, after what felt like a lifetime, she let out a shaky breath and whispered—
“I don’t know how.”
Hara exhaled, stepping even closer, their foreheads touching.
“Then we figure it out together.”
A fragile quiet settled between them, the tension in the dojo slowly beginning to dissipate. Hara could feel the shift in Kami, a subtle softening in the rigid lines of her body.
“I… I have my match coming up,”Kami said, her voice still rough but less strained.“The AAPW versus UW Aerial Championship. Three high-risk maneuvers… from the top rope.”
Hara nodded slowly, his gaze still locked on hers. “And I have the Submission Championship. It can only end with a tap out.”
A flicker of something akin to their old camaraderie sparked in Kami’s eyes. “You’re going to get your limbs twisted into a pretzel.”
A small smile touched Hara’s lips. “Maybe. Unless I learn a few new tricks.”_He paused, then looked at her intently. _“And maybe… maybe you could use a few more risks in your arsenal.”
Kami considered this; her brow furrowed in thought.“You think you can teach me to fly?”
“And you think you can teach me to bend without breaking?” Hara countered, a hint of his old teasing tone returning.
A ghost of a smile played on Kami’s lips.“Maybe we can both surprise them.”
“So,”Hara began, stepping back slightly to give her space, “how about we start with you showing me that armbar?”
Kami’s eyes sharpened, a familiar glint returning. “You think you can handle it?”
“Try me,”Hara challenged, a genuine smile finally breaking through.
“Alright,” Kami said, a newfound resolve in her voice. “First, you need to understand the leverage…”
And as the first tentative steps of their renewed connection began, the dojo transformed once more. No longer a battlefield of unspoken pain, it became a training ground, a space where they could fight for each other in a different way, one submission hold, and high-flying maneuver at a time. The weight of the past hadn't vanished entirely, but for the first time in days, there was a glimmer of hope, a shared purpose that might just be strong enough to pull them back together.
The fragile quiet held as Kami began to explain the intricacies of the armbar, her hands moving to demonstrate the precise angle of attack on Hara’s arm. He listened intently, absorbing her words, feeling the subtle shifts in pressure as she guided him through the initial steps. The air crackled with renewed energy, the tension replaced by a focused intensity.
The next few hours blurred into a rigorous dance of instruction and execution. Kami, her earlier defensiveness replaced by a focused intensity, walked Hara through a series of fundamental submission holds. She showed him the meticulous grip required for a rear-naked choke, the painful pressure points of a triangle choke, the agonizing twist of a heel hook. Each move was demonstrated with precision, her voice a steady stream of corrections and advice. Hara, despite his size and strength, was a willing student, his brow furrowed in concentration as he attempted to replicate her techniques. He grunted with effort as his muscles protested against the unfamiliar contortions, the mats beneath them bearing witness to their determined practice. There were near misses, awkward fumbles, and the occasional sharp intake of breath as a hold was applied a little too tightly, but through it all, a sense of shared purpose grew between them.
As the first rays of dawn began to paint the sky outside the dojo windows, they switched roles. Hara, now with a newfound understanding of grappling leverage, began to guide Kami through the fundamentals of aerial maneuvers. The top rope, which had loomed as a distant challenge for him moments before, now became their shared stage.
He started with the basics, showing Kami the proper way to ascend the turnbuckle, emphasizing balance and control. Then came the springboard maneuvers, the explosive bursts of energy needed to launch oneself into the air. Kami, lighter and more agile than Hara, took to some of these movements with surprising speed, her natural athleticism shining through. But the height, the sheer drop to the mat below, was a different beast.
Hara stood below; his arms outstretched as Kami tentatively perched on the top rope. He talked her through the mental aspect, the need to conquer the fear, to trust her instincts. He demonstrated a simple crossbody from the top, the wind whistling past him as he executed the move with practiced ease.
Kami watched, her eyes wide with a mixture of apprehension and excitement. Her first attempts were hesitant, a slight wobble in her stance, a moment of doubt before she committed. Hara offered constant encouragement, his voice a steady anchor.“Weight forward, Kami. Trust your momentum. You’ve got this.”
Slowly, painstakingly, she began to find her rhythm. A wobbly hurricanrana from the second rope became a more confident springboard moonsault attempt. Hara spotted her, his hands hovering just in case, offering subtle adjustments to her form. He taught her the importance of the landing, the need to absorb the impact to prevent injury.
Their training sessions became a grueling cycle of sweat and strain. Hara’s Gi was soaked through as he repeatedly practiced armbars and leg locks, his muscles burning with the unfamiliar exertion. Kami’s hands grew calloused as she gripped the ropes, her breath coming in ragged gasps after each aerial attempt.
They pushed each other, not with the animosity of their recent encounters, but with a focused determination. Hara would offer critiques on Kami’s aerial form, pointing out minute adjustments in her rotation or the angle of her dive. Kami, in turn, would dissect Hara’s submission attempts, highlighting weaknesses in his grip or openings in his defense.
Between drills, they would share quick, exhausted smiles, a silent acknowledgment of the progress they were making, both individually and together. The shared struggle was a balm to the wounds that had festered between them. In the language of wrestling, of pain and perseverance, they were beginning to find their way back to each other.
Days turned into nights as their intense training continued. Stopping only long enough for a drink of water, or a small bowl of rice. Hara’s repertoire of submission defenses grew, his movements becoming more fluid and instinctive. Kami’s confidence in the air soared, her leaps from the top rope becoming bolder, her maneuvers more intricate. She landed a picture-perfect crossbody, a breathtaking moonsault, and even began experimenting with a risky shooting star press, Hara spotting her carefully each time.
The dojo, once a symbol of their fractured connection, now echoed with the sounds of their combined effort: the slap of limbs on the mat, the whoosh of air as bodies flew, the grunts of exertion, and the steady rhythm of their focused breathing. As their championship matches drew closer, Hara and Kami stood side-by-side, not as adversaries haunted by the past, but as partners forged anew in the crucible of shared training, ready to face their individual battles with a strength born from their rediscovered bond.
As the sun rose on the third day Kami has Hara locked into a triangle choke. That scene starts to replay in her mind. She is being held as Svetlana beats on her, but it is not Svetlana it is Hara. Pounding her midsection with clubbing blows. Hara with a sinister smile on his is face, beats on Kami. Kami’s eyes grow dark, as her expression changes, to one of pure hatred. She pulls Hara’s head down tighter into the chokehold she has locked in. Hara’s breathing begins to shallow as he starts to tap the mat. Kami lets her right arm go and balls up her fist. She punches Hara straight in the face, breaking his nose. She lets go of the chokehold and jumps on top of Hara, punching him repeatedly in the face and the side of the head. Kami screaming in Hara’s face.
“Why? Why did you do that to me? I thought you cared! I thought you would protect me! I thought you loved me!”
Hara reaches up and grabs Kami’s arms, holding them tight to her side. He pulls himself up still holding Kami. He looks deep into her eyes. She kicks at him, but he takes the kicks without flinching. She tries to break free from him, but Hara pulls her into him and hugs her tightly. She tries to break free, but he is holding on too tight. She looks into his eyes, tears streaming down her face.
“I.. I trusted you.”
Hara looks down into her emerald, green eyes, blood dripping from his nose. Hara lets go of her wrists. He cups her face in his hands. Using his thumbs he wipes away the tears from her eyes.
“Tenshi I will always be there for you. I will always protect you. I will always love you.”
Hara leans down and softly kisses Kami. Behind them the door to the dojo slowly opens. Colton and Cassie stand there watching Hara and Kami kissing. Colton starts to walk in, quickly being stopped by Cassie.
“Let them have their moment big brother.”
Cassie slowly closes the door while giving the two of them a thumbs up.
