"You must be hyped for today, eh?" Kane asked Rui, smirking.
"Well..." Rui smiled wryly. "I would be lying if I said wasn't."
"You better not get your ass whooped."
"Will do."
Rui and Kane bantered as they walked over to the sparring facility. It had been year since both of them had joined the Academy, both of them had hit their growth spurts in that period, growing several inches taller, their bodies had visibly defined muscle tone, uncharacteristic of normal young adolescents, having long shed a lot of their childish features.
Rui's black hair had grown in the time that he had immersed himself in training, a testament to how he focused and invested he was. A lot of the active energy Rui had, had condensed, as if it had a direction to strive towards. Gone was the Rui that had limitless curious excitement regarding all matters related to Martial Art, and in its stead was a calm driven young man with a temperament forged by immense perseverance and hard work.
