Prologue part 1: Staring is rude

As a kid, I was never able to find any interests or hobbies that I could enjoy. This made it hard for me to make friends, as I really didn't have anything in common with my classmates or other people my age.

As time went on I ended up as a social outcast. It wasn't that I didn't want friends, but I just couldn't get along with any of them. I was always alone in the classroom and when my classes ended I would just go straight home and lie down in my bed. I was never bullied however and was practically never in a material fight unlike the verbal ones with my parents.

Every interaction I had only ended up as awkward and I started distancing myself from everyone. This applied to my family as well, I couldn't understand them and neither could they, me. We had fights all the time, even for the pettiest of things. In the end, my parents began to just ignore me to the best of their abilities in order to reduce the amount we fought, although we still managed to have a few fights now and then.

But in the end, I couldn't take the solitude anymore, and in my high-school years, I started getting severe depression. I could only think that there was something wrong with me, that I would forever be alone and many times I would even think about taking my own life.

One day when I was going home from school I heard strange noises coming from the street leading to the opposite way of my house. I had heard them for a few days in a row, but I was always preoccupied with my thoughts and didn't feel like checking it out.

But in the evening, the day before, I had a fight with my parents that didn't end up getting solved and I decided that I would rather check it out than go home. If I had gone home my mood would have most likely just gone straight downhill.

As I followed the noise it eventually led me to a house, or rather a gate to a house and the noise that I had heard had started to resemble people fighting each other until it suddenly stopped and a person could be heard.

*cough* *cough* "Dan, I really don't understand how you can be so good at this."

"You just need more practice, Alvin." another voice answered.

I was staring at the gate listening to them speaking. If anyone had seen me they would have probably thought I came there to confess to my lover or something, as I was just standing there all blanked out.

After a while, I snapped out of it and noticed a poster on the big gate into the yard.

[Welcome to Heikin Dojo!

We're open from 9 AM till 8 PM every day

We teach martial arts of many sorts and encourage you to learn it whether it be for self-defense, to compete, or just for fun.

Sign up for a free week and afterward, it's just 20 $ per month and you're allowed to come every day a week.]

It was then I realized that the noise coming from that place was indeed made from fighting, as it was a martial arts dojo. I immediately lost interest and was about to go away when the gate suddenly opened and slammed me right in the face. I lost balance and fell on the ground scratching my hands a bit on the asphalt as I instinctively tried to dampen the fall with them.

"Ah! Sorry! Are you okay?" A boy with brown hair most likely around the same age I was said as he reached out his hand to me.

Just as I was about to take his hand however another person came up the boy and hit him in the head "Alvin, you clumsy ass idiot! Don't just slam the gate open!" He then grabbed me around the wrist and helped me up from the ground. "I'm sorry about that, he's a bit clumsy. I'm Dan by the way, are you perhaps here to sign up for a free week?"

I was stunned by what had happened and didn't know what to reply, so I just replied "Yes?".

Suddenly Alvin began to run back inside "I'll go get some paper!". I was confused at first, but then I felt something running from my numb nose, I wiped it off with my hand and saw the blood on my hand.

"We're about to close for the day, but you're welcome to come back tomorrow if you want." Dan said, as I looked at him he seemed rather sturdy even though he was not very big or muscular, though they were still defined on his body. He had pretty good looks as well, with short, black hair and a gentle, charming smile with sharp green eyes.

He gave me a questioning look and snapped out of my thoughts. It seemed I had stared at him for a bit too long. "What's your name?" He asked me and smirked a bit.

I didn't really understand why he smirked, but I answered anyway, although I took a while "...Linn".

"Actually... Do you perhaps live around here Linn?" he paused a bit before he continued "It's just that I feel as if I've seen you somewhere before." his frown made it look like he was in deep thought.

I was a bit hesitant at first, but I gave in after looking at him and he seemed to be rather sincere "I guess I don't live too far from here."

At that moment Alvin came back with a bunch of paper in his hands. He ran up to me and gave the paper to me "Here you go, I'm really sorry about that. I'm Alvin if you didn't hear earlier, nice to meet ya." he paused and took in a big breath and bowed down in an angle that was close to 90 degrees "I hope you won't hold a grudge against me though since you're going to be training with us!" he looked up and gave me a wide smile.

Then Dan interrupted "Did you perhaps go to Selveé High? I really do feel like I've seen you before." He kept staring at me with his brows creased.

"Oi! Dan! I was talking to her, don't interrupt me!" Alvin exclaimed as he stared intensely towards Dan.

Dan shot him a weird look and said "You know... I was talking to her first when you came back and it was actually you who interrupted, you meathead."

I couldn't help but smile a bit at this situation. At that time I felt as if it was the first time I had been even remotely happy in a long time. I interrupted their bickering and said, "You don't mind if I come over tomorrow, do you?". The two of them immediately turned their heads towards me, both of them had stunned looks on their faces. After a while Dan shook his head and came back to reality, he then quietly muttered something to himself I couldn't quite hear. Then he said with his eyes focused on me "Of course you're welcome! Martial arts are starting to decline in popularity, we would really appreciate it if you came!"

Alvin then managed to snap out of his daze "Yes! Please do come tomorrow!" his eyes were intensely staring at me as he said it. Dan then smacked him in the head and said calmly "Staring is rude, Alvin." They then started bickering.

I didn't really understand their reactions but I quickly said "I'll be here tomorrow then." then I ran back home.