bound to an enemy

Shiki Ichinose hated silence.

Especially the kind that followed a fight.

The training hall was unusually quiet, the echoes of yesterday’s destruction already cleaned away as if nothing had happened. The walls stood tall and unbroken now, but Shiki could still feel the aftermath in his body—bruises beneath bandages, muscles aching from overuse.

And irritation burning in his chest.

“Unbelievable…”

He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, glaring at the door like it had personally betrayed him.

Working together.

With him.

The door slid open.

Shiki didn’t need to look to know who it was. He could sense that presence—calm, rigid, suffocatingly controlled.

Jin Kougasaki stepped inside, posture straight, expression unreadable. Not a single sign that yesterday’s chaos had affected him at all.

“Tch,” Shiki muttered. “You really showed up.”

Jin ignored the comment, walking past him as if Shiki were nothing more than background noise. He stopped in the center of the room and turned slowly.

“This assignment is not optional,” Jin said. “I expect you to take it seriously.”

Shiki pushed off the wall. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll try not to ‘embarrass’ you with my lack of control.”

Jin’s eyes flickered—just barely.

“You think this is amusing?” Jin asked coldly. “Yesterday could have ended with casualties.”

“They didn’t,” Shiki snapped back. “Everyone walked away alive.”

“Luck is not a strategy.”

Shiki laughed bitterly. “You wouldn’t understand.”

Jin stiffened. “Explain.”

But Shiki had already turned away, rolling his shoulders like he was shaking off invisible weight.

“Forget it.”

The instructor’s voice cut in before Jin could respond. “Today’s training will test synchronization.”

Shiki groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Paired combat,” the instructor continued. “Failure will result in penalties.”

Jin exhaled slowly, clearly restraining himself.

Shiki cracked his knuckles. “Guess you’re stuck with me, Cold Prince.”

Jin met his gaze. “Do not call me that.”

“Make me.”

The signal was given.

They moved at the same time—and immediately clashed.

Shiki lunged forward aggressively, instincts driving him straight into attack. Jin sidestepped with precision, redirecting Shiki’s momentum with a sharp strike to the arm.

“Don’t rush,” Jin snapped. “You’re wasting energy.”

“Stop bossing me around!” Shiki yelled, twisting free and swinging again.

They missed each other’s timing again and again—Shiki too fast, Jin too calculated. Every move felt like a fight for dominance instead of cooperation.

“Your emotions are clouding your judgment,” Jin said through clenched teeth.

“And your heart’s dead!” Shiki shot back.

The floor cracked beneath them as Shiki lost control for just a moment—power flaring dangerously.

“Enough!” Jin shouted.

Before Shiki realized it, Jin grabbed his wrist, grounding him. The contact sent a jolt through both of them.

Shiki froze.

Jin’s grip was firm, steady. Not violent. Not cruel.

“Breathe,” Jin said quietly, almost without realizing it. “You don’t have to drown in it.”

Shiki stared at him.

For a second, the world narrowed to just that moment—their hands locked together, Shiki’s racing heartbeat slowly steadying.

Then Shiki yanked his hand away.

“Don’t touch me,” he muttered.

The rest of the training passed in tense silence. They didn’t speak, but something shifted. Their movements became slightly more coordinated. Less hostile. Still far from perfect—but not disastrous.

When it ended, Shiki collapsed onto the floor, breathing hard.

Jin stood nearby, watching him.

“You push yourself too hard,” Jin said after a moment.

Shiki scoffed weakly. “And you don’t push yourself at all.”

Jin didn’t respond.

As they left the hall together, neither of them noticed how their steps had fallen into the same rhythm.

Or how, despite himself, Jin glanced back once—just to make sure Shiki was still walking.

And Shiki, unaware of it, felt a strange warmth settle in his chest.

Annoying.

Unwanted.

Dangerous.

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