Chapter 8
Colleen lunged forward, snapping a roundhouse kick toward Ash's ribs. He dipped just under it, his foot pivoting smoothly on the mat with a soft squeak as he ducked and shot forward with a jab. She caught his wrist, spun, and drove her knee toward his side, but Ash stepped out and deflected with a bent elbow, dispersing the force. "Good," she said, circling him.
"But don't just react—set me up." The two shifted positions, barefoot steps soft but sharp on the scuffed floor. A small breeze rattled the training weapon rack in the corner as she dashed in again with a Muay Thai clinch. Ash held back on power, but used the momentum to twist out of her grip and counter with a low kick that stopped just short of her knee.
"Too soft," she smirked, already inside his guard, sending a backfist toward his cheek. He pulled back just in time, her knuckles grazing his skin. The mat creaked beneath them as Ash launched a right cross. Colleen swayed back, letting the punch cut through air before she stepped in and delivered a sharp front kick to his abdomen.
He grunted but barely moved. "You're holding back again," she said. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to lose." Ash replied with a smile, feinting left and then rolling under her arm to strike from the right. His punch brushed her shoulder, but she twisted, locked his arm, and tripped him onto the mat with a thud.
Ash hit the ground, body bouncing once against the padded floor. A crack from a nearby window frame echoed, disturbed by the impact. "Again," he said, already flipping back up. "If I go all out, you'll fly into the wall." She tilted her head, loose strands of hair stuck to her cheek. "Then don't hit the wall. Control the force, not the intent."
Her eyes sharpened as she came in again, throwing a chain of taekwondo kicks. Ash parried the first two, then caught her ankle on the third—but before he could shift her balance, she twisted midair and used his arm as leverage to flip over and land behind him, palm already striking his back.
He stumbled forward, catching himself. "How did you—?" She smirked. "Leverage. Angle. Don't rely on power when technique will do the job cleaner." Ash responded with a spinning backfist, this time landing with a dull thump against her forearm.
Colleen gritted her teeth and pivoted, jabbing three times in quick succession, each one Ash dodged narrowly—until she swept low, knocking his legs out again. The mat creaked again under the shift, and a loud slap echoed as Ash caught himself with one hand, swinging a kick up toward her jaw from the ground. She caught it and smiled. "That's better."
Their breathing filled the room now, syncing with the rhythm of combat. Every movement was a conversation, every hit a word, every dodge a pause. Ash had the power, raw and steady like a dam at full pressure. Colleen had the skill, honed and practiced like a scalpel in the right hands.
And together, they moved across the dojo floor like fire and wind, ever colliding but never burning out. "Again," she said, raising her hands. "We go until your body remembers without thinking." Ash grinned, sweat rolling down his temple.
The wind outside had picked up, its howls slipping through a small crack in the upper dojo window, rattling the shoji screen in the back. Claire leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, watching with an amused grin as Ash and Colleen moved across the mat.
The distant clink of metal tools from downstairs faded as she spoke. "I thought you said I was the quickest learner you've had." Her voice broke the air like a friendly jab. Colleen walked over, brushing sweat from her brow as Ash collapsed beside Claire, chest rising steadily with his breath cycle. "Ash is something different," Colleen replied, accepting a towel. "It's like his body was made for combat."
Ash grinned as Claire handed him a bottle of water, which he downed without hesitation. "I do try my best," he said between gulps. But then he froze, the bottle hovering in the air halfway to his lips. His eyes narrowed slightly as he turned his head, not toward them, but toward the wall behind them. Claire noticed the sudden shift.
"What's wrong?" she asked. Ash stood slowly, footfall silent on the wood. The room, so filled with talk and breath a second ago, turned graveyard still. Colleen tensed and stood beside him. Then Ash's hand shot out—he shoved Colleen hard to the side just as a metallic glint sliced through the air. A kunai slammed into the floor where she stood, embedding itself deep with a sharp thunk.
Both Ash and Colleen dropped into a stance, eyes now trained on the shadows pouring in through the shattered dojo doors. Nine figures in black, masked and silent, flowed into the room like water, their steps light but deadly. Claire cursed behind them. "Not these guys again." Colleen's eyes narrowed as she muttered, "The Hand." The moment tensed—and then snapped. The first ninja rushed at Ash, his blade drawn and slicing down in a perfect arc. Colleen moved to intercept—but Ash vanished.
A single step. That's all he took.
The ninja's body convulsed mid-attack as Ash reappeared, palm buried in his chest. The sound of impact was like a cannonball hitting a wet sack. The man flew backward, crashed into the wall, and dropped unconscious with a dent in the wooden panelling. Everyone froze. For a breath. Then it was chaos.
A second ninja lunged at Colleen, but she used Ash's braced stance as a platform. One foot landed on his shoulder—he didn't budge—before she launched herself up, flipping and driving a two-footed kick into the attacker's chest.
The ninja flew back, crashing into a training dummy that toppled over with a crash. Ash turned just in time to catch a katana swing from behind. The blade slammed into his arm—and bounced off. The ninja stared, confused. Ash grabbed the attacker's wrist, twisted until bone snapped, then slammed his elbow into the man's face. He dropped like a rock.
Three more closed in. Ash moved first. A front kick caught one in the ribs, lifting him into the air before he crashed onto the mat, rolling once. The second slashed with precision, but Ash ducked under, slammed a fist into the man's knee, and when he collapsed forward, kneed him square in the jaw.
Blood sprayed as the body hit the floor. The third hesitated—but only for a second too long. Ash spun, a roundhouse crashing into the side of his head. The body flipped midair and landed limp near the shattered entrance.
Colleen danced between two more. She deflected a blade with the hilt of a fallen weapon, ducked under a swipe, and slammed her palm into a pressure point on one ninja's ribs, dropping him. The other attacked high—Colleen spun low, kicked out his leg, then rolled into a rising knee that knocked him unconscious. A third charged from behind, but she stepped aside just as the man passed her, grabbing his arm mid-run and twisting it behind him, then slamming his head into the nearest support beam.
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A/N its finally picking up the base, i have prepapred ash all i could, now we get into the actions, and its only going to get crazy from these point onwards, so stay tuned.