Chapter 29 - Again

The sound of bells signal the end of class. Students rush out of the classrooms, chattering amongst themselves about dinner. As the classroom empties, a little girl stays behind to back her books. She stacks the books carefully on top of one another, making sure to not damage the covers. As she ties the fabric around the book, a set of light footsteps approach her.

"Tianyu, right?" A soft voice greets the little girl.

Yuyu looks up at the owner of the voice.

"Aunty L-" Yuyu pauses as she realizes she had mistaken the person for someone else. "Oh, hi…"

"I heard that Dan calls you 'Yuyu'. You also refer to yourself as Yuyu quite often." The young girl smiles as she continues. "Is it alright if I call you 'Yuyu' as well?"

Yuyu doesn't answer the question. She just looks down at her books, biting her lower lip.

"My name is Xihan, Song Xihan. You can call me 'Xi' if that's easier."

Yuyu doesn't respond again. The little girl wraps her hands around her books before standing up. She makes her way towards the hallway, occasionally stumbling from the weight of the books.

"I'm sorry, Tianyu. My friends… Well, they're not really my friends. It's a little complicated… But still, I'm sorry for their actions." Xi forces a smile onto her face as she bows towards the little girl's back. "I hope you can forgive me."

Yuyu pauses upon hearing the genuine apology. She turns her head around to see Xi still bowing.

"Yo- you can call Yuyu 'Yuyu' if you want…" The little girl hesitates for a moment before responding. "B-bu-but Xi shouldn't apologize to Yuyu…"

"I know." Xi lifts her head upon hearing the little girl finally responding. "Where is Dan? He hasn't been in class for the last few days. I'd like to apologize to him properly."

"Dan is with Mister. Yuyu is going there now if Xi wants to c-c-come along…"

"I would love that, Yuyu." Xi smiles as she makes her way towards Yuyu. She gently lifts the stack of books out of Yuyu's arms. "Let me carry them for you. Why don't you show sister Xi the way?"

The two girls make their way into the hallway and out of the building. Despite her initial hesitance, Yuyu becomes calmer as they walk and chat. Xi notices that Yuyu responds positively whenever Dan and 'Mister' are brought up, so she continues to ask questions about them. The little girl lights up as she talks about her best friend and Mister. As the girls approach their destination, they hear a loud rumble. Upon turning around the corner of the training field's entryway, Xi's eyes widen as she watches a large boulder fly onto the edge of the training ground.

***

"Again."

Dan grimaces in pain as he collapses onto the training ground floor. He stares at the edge of the training ground beneath him for a fleeting moment, heaving heavy breaths, before pushing himself up from his knees. Despite the cuts and bruises on his body, Dan's eyes show no hint of hesitation as he dusts himself off. His feet move shoulder width apart. With a straight back, Dan bends his knees and firmly grips the ropes bound around a large boulder. With a deep breath, he heaves the heavy boulder over his shoulders before making his way back to the other side of the training ground.

"Slow down. Control your breathing."

The boy lessens his steps. Heeding his instructor's words, Dan takes a deep breath before exhaling slowly. As he lifts his right foot to take another step, he pauses. The sound of a light whistle, growing ever so slightly louder, causes him to plant the foot down firmly half-way through completing the step. With his center of gravity shifted above his right leg, Dan sweeps his left foot counter-clockwise in a circular motion to turn his body. Just as he completes the turn, a stone soars past the space where he previously stood. The whistling disappears as the stone crashes into the training ground wall.

Before he could even take a breath, Dan hears another whistle as another stone rips through the air towards him. The boy sweeps his left foot forwards before kicking off with his right. He continues to shift his center of gravity around, weaving and turning. After each completed motion, a stone would whistle by, barely missing him. His knees tremble as he makes it past the half-way mark of the training ground. Dan grits his teeth as he continues to weave his way towards the edge of the training ground.

Too easy for you?

Sun, seeing his only student dodge every stone, smiles as he picks up two handfuls of stones and pebbles. His body disappears from where he stands, reappearing at a seemingly random place by the walls. After a light flick of his finger, Sun disappears again, reappearing in a different spot. The sound of whistling from every direction causes Dan to freeze up for a split moment.

What th-

Before he could even finish his thought, Dan's foot instinctively slides forwards and causes him to tilt his shoulder just outside the trajectory of the stone. His knee jerks upwards even before he could catch a firm footing. A split moment later, a stone whistles through the air beneath his foot. As Dan struggles towards the edge of the field, he reminds himself of his instructor's words.

Don't rush… Breathe… Don't rush… Breathe…

Sun smiles as he observes the boy's rapid progression. He disappears again before reappearing in the blindspot behind Dan's back. With a flick of his finger, the last stone blurs as it flies silently towards Dan. Dan takes another set of steps towards the edge of the field. With only three steps left to go, his pupils suddenly shrink as he detects a slight change in the air pressure behind him.

Three steps...

Dan knows that he could make that final dash if kicks off with all his might. The question is not whether or not he could make it. The question is whether or not he could make it before the stone reaches him.

He closes his eyes and shifts his body weight above his right leg. In the same split moment, his left leg sweeps forwards in a crescent. As his body tilts and glides out of the trajectory of the stone, his right leg trembles from the motion of the boulder on his back. Realizing his leg was about to give, Dan instinctively extends his left hand towards the ground. His elbow bends as his palm connects with the tile. As he straightens the arm to push himself up and forwards, Dan realizes that he just made a huge mistake.

Momentum. The moment that Dan released his hold on the rope, he lost control of the boulder. Although he was still holding onto the boulder with his other hand, he didn't realize that he had lost control until he tried to push off the ground with his arm. Instead of repositioning into an upright stance, Dan crashes onto the ground, tumbling as the boulder drags him across the edge. Ignoring the pain, Dan rolls over onto his back and squints as he gazes at the golden glow of the evening sky.

I did it!

Dan laughs through his heavy breathing as he celebrates his first successful crossing. With a slight smile on his face, Sun walks past the boy on the ground. He stops next to the boulder before sliding a single finger under the rope. Dan watches as the boulder flies past him, blocking out the sky. A moment later, it crashes at the edge of the training field.

"Again."