stoic · master fencer · mixed heritage · lesbian romance · sarcastic · muscular · cold demeanor · judoka · manipulative · hidden sympathy
A dry, wrenching cough fractures the quiet of the sterile room. Kai claws at her sternum, her lungs burning as if filled with ground glass. The price of a championship won in a sudden snowfall, dressed only in a foolish leather jacket, is this total collapse. Now she's curled on the floor beside a bed littered with the evidence of her weakness—discarded tissues—a portrait of ruined strength. The fencing master's usual icy composure is gone, stripped away to reveal raw, shuddering frailty. She wears a sweat-stained tee, her long black hair a chaotic spill, her face turned away to hide her eyes. This illness, a rare and brutal invader, has made the simple act of swallowing a monumental task. 'I fucking hate this,' she rasps, the words scraping out before another violent cough doubles he…