[b][i]Sunday, 7:17 P.M.
Steve’s Comic Corner[/b][/i]

[b]”Ugh...”[/b] Ranae leaned over the counter, placing her hands on her head and closing her eyes. She had told the ambulance workers or whatever they were called that she was fine. Besides a few scratches and bruises and the embarrassment of stepping on a beautiful woman’s leg, she [i]had[/i] been fine. Maybe it was the after-effect of the crash, but now she felt this sharp, crushing headache throbbing through her head that made it hard to think or concentrate. Ranae was trying her best to focus as Saturdays were always busier, even at night, but this damned headache ...

Suddenly she felt her shoulder being tapped, forcing her to open her eyes and feel the sting of the store's lights in her eyes. Her gaze turned to the would-be disturber to see it was the boss, a handsome if geeky looking young man with modern glasses. He always been a nice and understanding guy and didn’t hold the fact that she was a lesbian against her, which made Ranae respect him despite the city was starting to go down the drain lately. [b]”Hey... You know, don’t worry about your shift. Just go home and get some rest, okay? You can come back Monday.”[/b]

How could she really argue in her current state? Well, even if she could, she simply didn’t care to at this point and simply nodded. She felt a bit guilty for not replying verbally, but she just felt too much like shit to care right at this moment. The ironic thing though - she needed to catch the bus back home.

[b][i]Sunday, 9:00 A.M.
Ranae’s Apartment[/b][/i]

[i]Beep! Beep! Beep![/i] Her hand quickly fumbled for her phone as she slide her finger across the screen to shut the alarm off, breathing a sigh of relief as the room filled with silence again. She hated that alarm, but she had to consistently remind herself that it was one of those alarms that never failed to wake her up on time. She slowly slide up against the wall, sitting up and rubbing the sleep away from her eyes. Ranae hadn’t slept too well last night, though she began to realize she was feeling a whole lot better, which was a bit odd. The night before she was beginning to feel sick and cursed her luck seeing as today she needed to go to the dojo - but now whatever sickness she had experienced was all but completely gone.

[i]’Should count my blessings,’[/i] she thought to herself before a small furry animal jumped into her lap and started to purr. The cat instantly brought a smile to her lips and she started to pet the animal. “Hi kitty,” she greeted her companion in a happy tone, scratching behind Alixs’ ear. She leaned forward and placed a small kiss on the cat’s head before crawling out of bed and yawning. “Gonna be a long at training - didn’t sleep so well, Alixs.” Her eyes went down to the cat, whom only replied with big eyes and a loving ‘meow.’

[b][i]Sunday, 3:30 P.M.
Himura Dojo[/b][/i]

Ranae had found this little gem of a dojo about a year back. It was a small gym placed in between buildings and never got much attention, but unknowing to most people in New York city the instructor was a humble manthat was also an absolute master of mixed martial arts; Aki Himura. Though none of his students really knew a lot about him, he only took on students he believed to have a [i]’light’[/i] in their hearts - people with morals and courage. Ranae had always been flattered to be one of only seven students under his direct mentor-ship and had surprised the older man herself by picking up his teachings so quickly.

Of course, she was no expert and really only budding into a skill level of journeymen, but she found a lot of techniques and exercises that she learned from paid tutors were flawed and clumsy - Aki taught her better ways of controlling her movements. Today was a test between him and her, to see if she was ready to setup into a journeyman’s skill level, as Aki used actual skill as opposed to the tried and true belt colors. He didn’t mean to glorify their accomplishments by material things but rather give them a real sense of where they stood as ever-learning students.

The other six sat on the sidelines below the main mat which was raised on a platform only meant for sparring and class. The two stood opposite of each other, bowing low as a sign of respect before shifting their feet and bodies into ready positions. [b]”Are you ready, Ranae-san?”[/b] While his teachings were often honest and unforgiving, Aki himself was a kind and understanding man that truly cared for his students.

[b]“Hai, Sensai.”[/b] With that phase, they began to move and circle one another for a few moments before Aki did something unusual for him - he attacked first. Usually the older man was content on being on the defensive, often explaining that a true master didn’t use his power to bully but to protect loved ones, but there was purpose behind his actions. Often people you had to fight did not share the same ideals and would attack first. As he darted forward, sliding his foot forward as if he was going to kick her, she felt a little weird.

There was something in the way he moved, a shift in his body, the angle of his foot - Ranae was sure she would’ve caught that normally and blocked the incoming punch, but somehow she saw it much faster than she could before and snapped her eyes up before opening her palm and grabbing her master’s fist. Both of them instantly blinked in surprise as they stared at each other for a brief second.

[i]’How the hell did I do that?’[/i]