Check out my new fanfic: Jujutsu Kaisen: What is Life?
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Next day.
Akira sat by the front door, tying his shoes.
Today, he was in a simple tracksuit.
His two katanas rested against the wall beside him, sheathed in their scabbards. These were his best blades. If Mei Lin was as good as Jian claimed, training blades would be an insult.
Behind him, Momo stood in the hallway with Nia curled in her arms.
"She's really that strong?" Momo asked.
Akira looked back at her. "Mei?"
Momo nodded.
He stood up and grabbed his swords, sliding them through the belt loops on his waist.
"From what I've heard, she has to be," he said. "Jian bet his entire company on the fact that she's the best swordfighter in Asia. And Jian is a lot of things, but he doesn't exaggerate about his wives."
He adjusted the scabbards until they sat right against his hip.
"She can push my sword skills past this plateau. And I need everything I can get to become stronger."
He turned and looked at Momo with a smiled.
"And you know why I have to do this."
Momo's expression changed. The curiosity in her eyes dimmed, replaced by concern.
She remembered.
Two nights ago, they had been sitting on the roof of the estate. Just the two of them. Nia was asleep inside. The sky was clear, and the stars over Musutafu were bright enough to count.
Akira had been quiet for a long time. Longer than usual. His pipe was unlit in his hand. He wasn't smoking, he was just holding it, turning it over between his fingers, like he was trying to decide something.
Then he told her.
About the Hida Mountains. About Sasha and Shino Izumi, the couple who had welcome them in, showed them the hot springs, who, in just two days, became close to him.
About Muscular.
About Shino's body behind a boulder. About Sasha's water titan clashing against a monster of red muscle fibre in the centre of the village, while Honoka screamed at him to run.
About the moment, his mother pushed him away and told him she loved him, and it sounded like a goodbye.
About the guilt of running. About arriving at the evacuation point and hearing the fight continue behind him, knowing that if the sounds stopped, it meant everyone he loved was dead.
About how they survived.
About how nothing was the same after, and his promise to Kota.
He told her everything, while his hand shook.
When he finished, Momo didn't say anything for a long while.
She just took his hand and held it until the shaking stopped.
That night, she understood something about Akira that she hadn't before. His obsession with strength wasn't ego or ambition. It wasn't the competitive drive of a hero student chasing rankings.
It was fear.
The fear of being too weak to protect the people he loved. The fear of having to run again.
And from that fear, a dream had been born.
A dream to build a world where no hero has to die because they weren't strong enough. Where no family has to bury someone because the system failed them. Where no thirteen-year-old boy has to choose between fighting a monster and running while his mother charges into hell. A world where kids like Kota did not have to lose their parents.
Back to the present, she walked up to him.
She pulled him into a kiss. Her hand found the back of his neck. His hand went to her waist, pulling her closer.
It was soft and brief, but It said everything that words took too long to say.
She pulled back.
"Always remember, Akira," she said, looking into his eyes. "We are in this together. Your dream is my dream."
Akira put his hand on her cheek. The way he always did, thumb brushing just below her eye.
"I know, beautiful."
He held her gaze for a moment longer. Then he turned and walked toward the door.
"See you later. Nia, Momo."
The door closed behind him.
Nia, still in Momo's arms, looked up at her.
"You and Daddy are gross."
Momo's face went red. "Y-you shouldn't say that, Nia!"
"Nyahahahahaha!" Nia laughed and wriggled free, dropping to the floor and sprinting down the hallway.
Momo sighed, watching her disappear around the corner.
"I should get going too. It's almost lunch."
She looked at the closed door one more time.
I believe in you.
***
Outside the Shuzenji estate, a sports car was waiting.
The driver's door opened.
And a familiar figure stepped out.
She wore a fitted black jacket over a dark tank top, combat pants, and boots.
A cigarette hung from the corner of her mouth.
Li Mei. (Image if you don't remeber)
She leaned against the car and looked at Akira with a grin.
"Well, hello there, Little Phoenix. It's been a while."
Akira walked down the steps and stopped in front of her.
He smiled. "It sure has."
Mei took a drag from her cigarette and looked him over. Head to toe. She noted the swords on his hip.
"I heard you've been busy," she said, exhaling smoke. "USJ. Villain. Heck, you even managed to get a girlfriend."
She grinned.
"I gotta say, I'm impressed."
"Thanks, I guess."
Mei laughed.
"Get in, Little Phoenix," she said, flicking the cigarette away and sliding back into the driver's seat. "Let's get going. We've got a lot to do."
Akira walked around to the passenger side and got in.
Mei hit the gas.
The car launched forward with enough force to press Akira into his seat.
Akira grabbed the door handle.
"You drive like my mother."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"It wasn't one."
"Too late. Already accepted."
***
Soon, the city slid past as they approached the U.A. hillside.
Mei glanced at him. "So. Jian tells me you taught yourself everything."
"Pretty much."
"Books and videos?"
"And sparring against combat droids."
Mei was quiet for a moment. Then she nodded, a hint of respect in her eyes.
"That's impressive, kid. Most self-taught swordsmen develop bad habits that take years to fix. Let's see how good you are."
Akira looked at her and smiled. "That's why I'm here."
"Good," Mei said. "Because I'm not going to be gentle."
A few minutes later, they pulled into the U.A. teacher's parking lot.
The campus was quiet, as it was a weekend.
Mei turned off the engine and looked up at the main building through the windshield.
"Nice of Nezu to let us use the U.A. facilities," she said.
"Yup," Akira agreed, stepping out. "You can always count on that rat."
They walked across the campus, and soon they reached a wide training gym. One of the larger ones, typically reserved for combat exercises. High ceilings. Reinforced walls. Shock-absorbent flooring. The perfect place for them.
Mei pushed open the doors and walked in. She looked around the space, nodding approvingly.
"This'll do."
She shrugged off her jacket and tossed it onto a bench. Underneath, her arms were chiseled. Scars ran along her forearms, thin white lines from years of blade work. Some from training, while most from fights.
She began to stretch. Rolling her shoulders. Cracking her neck. Loosening her wrists with slow, circular motions.
Akira stood at the edge of the gym, watching her. Studying the way she moved.
Mei finished and turned to face him.
"Okay, kiddo," she said. "Here's what we're going to do."
She cracked her knuckles.
"Before I teach you anything, I need to see where your swordplay is. Your speed, form, and instincts. I need to know what I'm working with."
She held out her hand.
The air around her palm began to vibrate.
Then it appeared.
A claymore materialised in Mei Lin's hand.
It was enormous. A greatsword of black metal, wide-bladed and heavy, with a braided hilt and a crossguard that swept outward like dark wings. The blade itself was matte black, absorbing light rather than reflecting it. Near the top of the blade, just below the crossguard, a single gemstone was embedded in the steel.
A deep, glowing pink, like a heart made of crystal. Veins of crackling pink energy radiated outward from the gem, spreading across the upper portion of the blade like lightning frozen in metal.
THE IMAGE:(COMMENT)
It looked less like a weapon and more like an artifact. Something pulled out of a video game.
Mei held it one-handed like it weighed nothing.
"The rules are simple," she said. "No fire tricks. Blade against blade. I want to see your blade, not your quirk."
She pointed the claymore at him, as the pink gem pulsed.
"Understood?"
Akira looked at the claymore.
And smiled.
He reached for his waist and drew both katanas. The steel sang as it cleared the scabbards.
He took his stance. Left blade forward, angled down. Right blade back, held high. His weight centred on the balls of his feet.
Phoenix Drive: Overdrive.
Blue flames erupted across his body.
They wrapped around him like a second skin. His eyes glowed, and his hair lifted. The air around him shimmered with heat.
He looked at Mei across the gym.
"Let's do this."
Mei Lin grinned.
She raised the claymore with one hand and rested the flat of the blade against her shoulder. The pink veins along the metal pulsed in rhythm, like a heartbeat.
"Come, Little Phoenix."
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Next chapter, MC vs Mei. Who, I tell you is super strong👀👀.
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