Morning workout (Matrim)

[Emi Hitokata]

"Nerenai...(I can't sleep)"

Emi groaned and forced her marshmallow-like pillow over her face. For the last six hours, she had been laying in her bed, changing sleeping positions every minute, but exhaustion had failed to overcome her. Something was preventing her from shutting her eyes, and she realized that spending another two hours in bed is a waste of time.

She looked at the clock: it was 4am, and she could tell from her bedroom window that the sky was starting to turn a lighter blue. Although she wasn't allowed to go outside at night, she knew that right now is a perfect exception to that rule. It wasn't as if she was going outside at night. If her father scolded her, then she could just say that she wanted an early morning jog.

Emi realized that she needed some exercise right now. Maybe that would exhaust her, and she would be able to go back to sleep after that. It took her ten minutes to dig out a pair of sneakers from the mountain of junk in the hallway closet, comb her short hair until it was deemed passable, and steal her brother's CD player. She glanced furtively at the hallway behind her before she opened the screen door and slipped out. It was now bright enough for the street lights to be turned off. Emi was even able to see the last part of the sunrise, which she found very relaxing.

Five minutes from her house is an old basketball court so vandalized that no one uses it anymore. Who would want to play basketball when both of the hoops are torn down? However, Emi found the court a good place to do stretching without worrying about guys whistling as they pass by in their cars or little kids running around.

She placed her brother's CD player on a concrete ledge, pressed the play button, and stepped away. Seconds later, the machine began to play a soft piano song accompanied by an enthusiastic Japanese male voice.

This was why she had to find a deserted place to do this: the song and stretches are so foolish that passerby would laugh at the sight of her.

[Matrim Gallagher]

Matrim had been jogging in the morning, training for sports and such. His face had bandages on it from the injuries Travis had left him. His jaw was still sore, but his prescription for vicodin was still good. So he put on sweat pants and a sweat shirt, a pair of sneakers, and he was jogging around the San Fran. He passed by buildings, and made it to housing areas. He was exploring a bit since he planned on jogging for quite some time. He had his headphones plugged in, listening to a mix of songs to run to. The current song on that list playing as he passed by a few houses and saw a girl in the distance.

Matrim wasn't interested in women other then Reira, but something about her workout was strange and caught his attention. It was like she was stretching, but he didn't recognize the stretches. Not to mention there was a boom box, and he wasn't sure what she was listening to but he took a break and slowly walked over onto the basketball court, making his way there he turned his music off and took his headphones out to hear someone speaking in Japanese and piano playing. The music definitely wasn't... well... it wasn't your average American work out song that's for certain.

Matrim scratched the back of his head trying to figure it out, but realized that it was futile unless he asked, "Uhm... what are you doing?" He asked, not trying to come off as rude or nosey, but probably doing both at the same time. He was more curious then anything.

[Emi Hitokata]

A man walked over just as the last notes of the warm-up song faded. The boom box went silent, the only noise being the chirping of the birds and whatever Matrim was listening to. His music was loud enough to make out some sort of rock song, which is too loud in her opinion.

He was good-looking. Although she isn't into guys with long hair, she liked the way that Matrim's hair fell around his shoulders and framed his face. His blue eyes stood out on his perfectly sculpted face, and when she gave him a look over, she couldn't help but linger on his body as his muscles were noticeable even covered with baggy sweats.

She stood there for five seconds with her hands in the air. Only when she was done with looking at him did she allow her arms to lower. She then realized that she probably made a fool out of herself with her Japanese warm-up exercises. However, she didn't actually feel as if she had made a fool out of herself, and Matrim appeared more confused than humored.

There was a long pause between them, broken only by the occasional chirping of a bird, as Matrim put his headphones away. It took another pause for her to realize that he had just asked her a question.

"Um... just warming up."

Emi sat on the ground and spread her legs until they were at an 180 degree angle. She bent over, reached out with her arms, and held that position for at least ten seconds. Then she did the same with each foot. Her eyes were on him the entire time. A part of her was curious about what he was doing outside this early in the morning, and another part just wanted to show off how flexible she is.

"And you?"

[Matrim Gallagher]

"Um... just warming up." The girl said, sitting down and stretched out her body. He grinned, it seemed so silly to just stand there and watch her warm up so he was about to leave until she spoke again, "And you?"

"I was just jogging. Usually I do a little bit more to work out, but that usually involves another person..." He thought about how that sounded and corrected himself quickly, "You know, sparring and such..." He threw a few fists into the air as sort of a non verbal communication, a smile spread across his face and his eyes a little lit up. It was early in the morning but talking to someone cheered him up a bit, "I don't think I know you, do you go to Moral Crest? I feel like I should have seen you around if you do but... I get busy sometimes and don't recognize people. Still, I feel like I'd remember meeting you."

The girl was pretty, not that he was on the market. But he couldn't deny that she was very attractive. Still, he was more concerned with if he had met her or not. His memory was excellent, he just didn't recall ever meeting her.

I'm going to feel like a dick if I actually do know her from somewhere...

[Emi Hitokata]

"Sparring?" she asked, her head slightly cocked to the right in curiosity.

Emi closed her legs and got to her feet. A few bits of gravel fell of the back of her pants as she stood, but the rest had to be casually brushed off as she walked over to the fence separating the two. She didn't bother changing her clothes, and the way her wrinkled t-shirt showed off a bit of white, pale stomach made her feel a little self-conscious.

Nonetheless, she avoiding worrying about her appearance. What caught her interest more was his workout routine. She was curious about how this sparring worked, and she inferred from his gesturing that it is a form of fighting.

"Yes, I'm a sophomore at Moral Crest, and I suppose you go there, too," she replied, her lips slightly tugging upwards.

She was a little surprised by the question, but her face masked her real emotions. Matrim didn't looked a little too old to be a high school student, but then most white people don't look their own age. Even after living in America for a few weeks, she still had problems getting used to how mature her classmates appeared.

"Does that spark your memory?"

[Matrim Gallagher]

"Yes, I'm a sophomore at Moral Crest, and I suppose you go there, too," She said, having got up. She seemed interested in his sparring comment, but also answered his question. At least, she had somewhat answered it, "Does that spark your memory?"

"Well, I was fishing for a name but I suppose I should probably give mine first," He said, winking at her. Not flirting or anything just being formal, "My name's Matrim Gallagher, Senior at Moral Crest, I'm the Varsity Captain. You know, the guy who thinks he's cooler then he really is just because he's a jock. Yeah, that's me."

Why did she ask about sparring?

"And yeah, Sparring, practice matches, fighting. It's not allowed on School Grounds, I know, but I like to spar whenever and wherever I can to keep myself fit. Aside from the injuries some people get, if the fighters know how to hold back a little you can work up a pretty good sweat going toe to toe with someone. Heck, just the other day I sparred with someone in the middle of traffic... insane I know, but I'm a bit... impulsive. So, what may I call you?"

A part of Matrim mentally patted himself on the back for not accidentally saying 'when' instead of 'what'. He slipped up from time to time, but Reira was the only girl for him in the end. That was the way it was going to stay. The black glass venetian ring on his left hands ring finger was a sign of that.

[Emi Hitokata]

"Matrim Gallagher," she repeated silently.

She had been at Moral Crest long enough to know that Varsity Captain is a very important job. Hearing about his position at school only added more to her interest. She wasn't interested in him romantically- she had Ryuu to prove that- but more of as someone that she hoped to surpass in strength and power someday.

Since he introduced himself, she decided that it was proper for her to do that same. However, his talk about sparring made her forget her manners.

She moved closer to the fence, her nose touching the metal. Her lips opened slightly as she listened intently to what he had to say. As her interest grew even more, her fingers poked through the fence and wrapped themselves around the areas where the cool metal linked.

"And you can call me Emi Hitokata," she said as soon as he finished his long but interesting explanation. "I don't have a position as prominent as yours but not for long."

[Matrim Gallagher]

"And you can call me Emi Hitokata, I don't have a position as prominent as yours but not for long." Matrim knew the name and laughed a little. It had to be the same girl, there couldn't be that many Emi's in one school. Especially since she seemed like a girl who would be able to date Ryuu. She was holding onto the fence with her nose touching it, kind of a funny thing to do.

"Emi... Emi..." He said smiling, "I know that name. Ryuu told me he was dating a girl named Emi, I take it you're one and the same?" He asked leaning some of his weight on his right hand which was placed high up on the fence. He wasn't pushing against it hard or anything, just slightly to give a more casual feel, "And you may not have a fancy title or anything but you could always aim to change that. Get strong enough and challenge the School Captain."

He laughed a little and said, "Or maybe Militia can help train you until you are strong enough to do so."

Wonder how she'll react to me knowing this much about her. Of course, maybe it's public knowledge to some people... either way it was something Ryuu told me. Something that he shouldn't have in my opinion. That he was in Militia, and he gave off some names about people who he said are in it. Then again, he did say later on that they weren't.... could have been a cover. Or maybe I mistook him at first.

EDIT: Massive edit.

[Emi Hitokata]

Her eyes widened, and she held her breath at the mention of Ryuu's name. She had always thought of Moral Crest as a large school, but maybe it was small after all. The two of them had only been dating for a few days, and now complete strangers knew about it.

"Uh, yeah," she stuttered. "It's funny how gossip travels around so fast."

She looked down and bit her lip. It was still weird having a boyfriend and something that she was still having trouble getting used to. Another second passed before she was able to get over her surprise. She looked up and flashed a wide grin at the senior.

"Maybe I will. Whoever the school captain is will have to watch out," she laughed.

The smile was still plastered on her face even when he mentioned Militia. Emi hadn't been at Moral Crest for that long, and she had no idea what Ryuu did when they weren't together. Militia was just another mysterious thing that sparked her curiosity.

"What is this Militia? A gym? I could use one of those," she giggled, the tip of her tongue slightly poking out of her mouth in a cute, innocent way.

[Matrim Gallagher]

She was a cute girl, had some strange mannerisms, he could see why Ryuu would like a girl like this, "Oh, don't worry about Militia it's just... it's not important," He said and laughed putting one of his hands off almost defensively. He hadn't meant to inform her of the gang itself. He was banking on Ryuu lying to him about her not having anything to do with Militia. It seemed as though Ryuu was telling the truth after all.

Great, now I'm recruiting for a gang I'm not even a part of. What next? Am I going to be starting a gang war? Will I be the one enforcing new rules for the school to follow?

"Anyway, the School Captain is Linda, pretty hard girl to miss. I'm sure one day you'll run into her. I haven't fought her myself so I'm not sure how strong she is, I only saw her fighting Emily, the old School Captain of 259," He said, "Though it'd be a shame to have Linda lose to you before I had a chance to face such a tough opponent myself."

Matrim grinned at the girl, wondering if she'd catch on to what he was hinting at, after all the girl was working out and Matrim knew a way they could both work up a sweat. He'd also be able to test the girls fighting capabilities. After all, Ryuu couldn't always be there in case she had to fight someone one day. She had to know how to fight in order to survive in a school like this. Who better to test her out then Matrim?

[Emi Hitokata]

Emi didn't bring up anything else about Militia after Matrim told her that it was nothing. She was brought up to not ask about anything that no one else had to talk about. However, the name still tugged at her mind, and a part of her wanted to find out what he was trying to hide from her. Is it a group, or the name of a person. For a second, she pictured a large guy, built for fighting but too violent to approach. She wondered if Matrim regretted telling her about Militia because it is too dangerous for her to get caught up in.

She finally decided to not pursue the subject. If he told her that it's not important, then she shouldn't have to worry about whatever it is. Besides, the gender of the school captain was now catching her attention. She never would have thought that the most powerful position at school is taken by a girl. Obviously, it had to do with her upbringing in Japan, as most Asian cultures value males over females. However, she had to remember that she is living in America, where talent overshadows gender or social standing, and girls have as many opportunities as boys.

"A girl, eh? I look forward to facing her someday."

Moral Crest never fails to surprise her. Matrim had to bring another girl into the conversation, someone that Emi is familiar with.

"Emily? Are you talking about that silver-haired girl," she asked, not bothering to hide the snobby tone in her voice. A few days ago, she met the former school captain at the school pool and was jealous at how Ryuu seemed to get along with her very well. Although her and Ryuu are dating, trying to change her feelings about a girl that she disliked at first sight is difficult to accomplish. Why should she even change her mind about Emily when there still is a chance that she can steal Ryuu from her?

However, Emi wasn't going to allow her hateful thoughts ruin a nice morning, especially when a chance to test out her fighting skills is standing right in front of her. Already, she could feel her heartbeat increase as adrenaline flowed through her body.

"Well, you shouldn't have to worry about me facing Linda first. You can lose to me now if you want," she said confidently.

[Matrim Gallagher]

"Emily? Are you talking about that silver-haired girl," She said, and she had a really disliking tone to her voice when she said it, Matrim was beginning to worry that there was some bad blood there, part of him was relieved though, realizing she wouldn't like Militia most likely since Emily was in it. Then again, so was Ryuu, so why did Emi not like her?

"Yeah," Matrim said, not saying much more, instead he was hoping they could get off the topic of Militia or anyone who was a member of Militia. Except for Ryuu, Ryuu was a kosher topic of discussion. He might even tell her a bit about Alex if they decided to talk more, but what she said next sparked the fighter inside of him.

"Well, you shouldn't have to worry about me facing Linda first. You can lose to me now if you want," Matrim liked her confidence, her cockiness about the fight. He underestimated his opponents constantly, and he was doing the same with this girl right now. He looked at her and doubted how serious of a fighter she could be. But still a smirk crossed his face as he took a few steps back and to the right, and then jumped up onto the fence, hopping over it and landing next to Emi in a crouched position. He got up and dusted off his sweat pants, walking away from the fence a little, facing her the entire time till he was in a good spot that had a bit of open area for them to fight, free of nearby fencing or the pole of a basketball hoop.

"Bring it on," Matrim said, extending his left hand, the fist open. His right hand was in a fist that was drawn back near his gut, his left foot was forward, toes pointed towards Emi. His right foot was planted to the back, sideways. His left hand waved her on towards him before turning and lifting so that the back of his hand was facing him.

[Emi Hitokata]

ooc: Crappy post. Sorry >.<

The smile on her faced soon faded away as he accepted her challenge, as if the teasing between them had never happened. Instead of seeing him as some nice guy that she started a conversation with, she now considered him her opponent, one that she wasn't going to be easy on.

She was taken back by the way he jumped over the fence instead of using the gate like most normal people would do. However, the surprise on her features were gone as quickly as they had appeared. Before she attacked she had to get a look at Matrim and try to predict the type of fighter he is.

At around six feet, he towered over the Japanese girl, making her feel as if she was facing a giant. However, that did not mean that beating him was impossible. She made up for her lack of muscle and height with speed and flexibility. As long as she thought out each move carefully and used Matrim's strength against him, victory was certain.

"I will warn you: you might end up in the hospital," she said with a smirk. The Japanese girl took two slow steps forward before she suddenly broke into run. At first, she considered punching him, but her fist stopped in midair. She turned her body halfway to the right and sent the back of her right leg to Matrim's left upper thigh.

[Matrim Gallagher]

"I will warn you: you might end up in the hospital," She said and he grinned. He wasn't worried about going to the hospital, in fact he would be so lucky to find another challenging opponent. Someone strong enough to do some serious damage. She took two steps forward and he braced himself. She took off into a full run, and he saw that she was quite fast, and the attack she sent had been a pretty decent maneuver, sending a kick to hit his leg. He let her kick connect as a way to measure her strength, and while the hit had hurt, she was not that strong, at least gauging from this hit alone.

Matrim grunted as the hit connected, his teeth gritting a little. His right hand which had been in a fist opened and reached to grab the ankle of her right leg, aiming to pull on her leg in a swift jerking motion, letting go afterwards. His left hand which was in a palm shot out towards her right side aiming to slam the heel of his palm into her ribs. She still had her hands to dodge or block with, but he was going to take it pretty easy on this girl. Not as a sign of disrespect towards her, but because he didn't want to anger Ryuu.

Avoid seriously injuring her, avoid face shots, avoid any inappropriate touching. I owe him that much. It's a good thing I can always go submission if I don't want to punch her too hard.

[Emi Hitokata]

She chuckled as she felt her leg make contact. However, her small victory was short-lived; something grabbed her ankle and she lost balance, landing on her back. As she was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, her arms were exposed, and she felt a sharp sting on her elbows. The only good thing that came out of falling down was that she avoided Matrim's deadly palm.

A growl escaped from her lips from the pain, but she did nothing for her scraped elbows. Her head lifted slightly and and pulled her right leg back before it shot out, this time aiming at Matrim's crouch area. It was a dirty move, but Emi didn't decide to go easy on the varsity captain in the first place.

Whether or not her moved worked, she would roll to the side before quickly getting to her feet. She took a couple of steps back: far enough to avoid attacked that she was unprepared for but close enough to prevent Matrim from thinking that she was a coward.

And then she waited for whatever surprises Matrim had up his sleeves.