Nighttime descends upon the estate once again, and Helia prepares herself for another training session with Toji. The routine has become a familiar part of her life, and she knows what to expect.

However, after her conversation with the head maid and her own reflection about Toji's past, there's a sense of nervousness in the air as she makes her way to the designated training area.

Her mind is filled with conflicting thoughts. On one hand, her curiosity and sympathy for Toji's past make her want to ask him about his childhood. But on the other hand, she's unsure if it's a good idea to bring up such a sensitive topic.

She knows Toji's demeanor and his tendency to keep people at arm's length, and she wonders if broaching the subject of his childhood might push him further away.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she steps into the training grounds. Toji is already there, standing with his arms folded, waiting.

The sight of him brings back the memories of their previous training sessions. His expression is as usual somewhat distant and indifferent, yet there's a hint of expectancy in his eyes as he waits for her to approach.

Toji had been experiencing a subtle uneasiness when around Helia since the night of the party. He couldn't quite put his finger on the reason, and it unsettled him a bit.

The thought of seeing her makes his heart race, and he finds himself secretly wanting her attention and company even if it made him nervous for some infuriating reasons.

As she approached him, his face maintained its usual indifferent expression, but there was a hint of tension in his stance that he tried to hide. The thought of being nervous around her was unwelcome, and he silently reprimanded himself for feeling this way.

He deliberately avoids making eye contact with Helia, afraid that if he looks into her eyes, he might let his guard down even further.

"Hello!" She tries to sound as friendly as she can, especially if she wants to ask him about his past.

He nods in response, mumbling a somewhat stoic greeting.

"Hey. Ready to get started?"

He keeps his voice steady, trying not to give away the turmoil of emotions he's feeling inside. Toji stands there, arms folded and waits for her to reply.

She nods. "Yes, I'm ready."

"Good. Let's get started then."

He gestures for her to begin training, continuing to keep his tone cool and indifferent.

[...]

As the training session unfolds, Toji observes her progress and notes the improvements she has made since they began to train.

Her increased speed, strength, and agility have not gone unnoticed. While Toji doesn't show it outwardly, a small flicker of pride and admiration sparks within him as he witnesses her dedication and growth.

The training session draws to a close, and both of them are visibly winded and sweaty.

"Not bad." He remarks coolly. "You've improved a lot since we started. Keep it up."

A hint of surprise flickers on her face as he praises her, and he notices it. Toji wasn't known for handing out compliments easily, yet he couldn't help but acknowledge her hard work and improvement.

"Thank you!" She says with a large smile.

He gives a slight nod, maintaining his stoic demeanor.

"Don't mention it. You've put in the effort, and it shows."

She smiles at him, happy of his unusual kindness. He catches sight of her smile, and he's momentarily taken aback. Seeing her genuine expression of happiness makes his heart skip a beat. He quickly composes himself, though, and responds with a somewhat dismissive remark.

"Keep smiling like that, and someone might think you actually enjoy spending time with me."

Helia scoffs and says sarcastically. "Oh, we wouldn't want that for sure."

He lets out a scoff, his lips curling into a teasing grin.

As the playful banter continues, Helia realizes that this might be the perfect opportunity to ask Toji about his past. The moment feels right, and she gathers her thoughts, steeling herself for any potential reaction he might have.

"I saw you yesterday when I was out in town."

He raises an eyebrow at her comment, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. He feigns indifference, crossing his arms and leaning against a wall.

"Yeah, and? What about it?"

"I saw you helping an old lady, and you looked well... kind?"

His eyes narrow slightly, and his expression becomes guarded. It's clear that he's uncomfortable with her witnessing a moment of softness from him. He lets out a derisive scoff.

"What, you think that just because I helped an old lady means I'm suddenly a saint or something?"

"No, but that got me wondering if you...always acted kind outside of the estate?" She asks unsure if this is actually a good idea.

His guard goes up even further. He clenches his jaw slightly, torn between wanting to shut down the conversation and wanting to respond. After a brief pause, he responds gruffly.

"I'm not always an ass, you know. Sometimes I do nice things when the occasion calls for it."

"Yeah, I guess so..." She looks away, a little embarrassed.

He can sense her hesitation and the conflict in her thoughts. He knows she's tiptoeing around a topic, and it makes him agitated.

"Just say what you want to say. You're clearly thinking about something."

She hesitates for a few seconds. "Well, all of that got me wondering about your childhood."

She can't look at him in the eyes, afraid of his reaction. Even if she can't see it, Toji's jaw muscles tighten as the subject turns to his childhood.

The mention of that time in his life brings up memories he would rather forget. His expression hardens, and a hint of irritation flickers in his eyes. However, he remains silent for a moment before speaking in a guarded tone.

"And what about it?"

Still looking away, Helia continues. "I was wondering how you were as a child, if you were more opened perhaps, so I asked the head maid about this."

His irritation grows with her mention of the head maid. He didn't like the fact that Helia had been asking about his past behind his back. Despite his anger, he tries to maintain a relatively neutral tone.

"And what exactly did the old hag say?"

Helia could hear in his voice that he was angry, she's starting to regret asking those questions.

"She didn't tell me much, just that it was difficult for you, but that's why I wanted to ask you."

He scoffs, his annoyance shifting to frustration. He doesn't like talking about his childhood, and he doesn't appreciate people gossiping about it and spreading it around. His voice grows slightly cold and harsh.

"Difficult is an understatement. But why do you care? What difference does it make to you?"

"I just wanted to know more about you."

She stopped. No this is not what she wanted to say.

"No, I mean, I wanted to know why you act so distant and indifferent."

His emotions were a tangled mess. He was caught off-guard by her desire to know him better. It stirred something inside him, a mixture of surprise, confusion, and a hint of vulnerability.

However, he tenses at the thought of her searching into his childhood. The memories of his past were painful, and he hated discussing them. The conflict was evident in his face, a battle between his guarded nature and the strange feelings her question had triggered within him.

Seeing that he doesn't answer, Helia speaks again in a low tone. "I didn't mean harm, I just wanted to know."

He grits his jaw, fighting with his emotions. A part of him wants to snap at her, to tell her to mind your own business.

But at the same time, there's a small part of him that yearns for connection, for someone to understand his past. But the angry part of him is stronger. He lets out a heavy sigh, his voice strained.

"Look, I don't want to talk about my childhood, alright? It's none of your damn business." He says coldly.

He crosses his arms tightly, the walls he puts up around himself fortified once more. He stares ahead, avoiding eye contact.

"But-"

"Just go. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

He continues to avoid eye contact, his body language tense and closed off. It's clear that he's shutting down the conversation and wants to be alone.

"Alright, I understand." She turns around reluctantly. She shouldn't have pushed him to speak about his past.

He feels a pang of regret for snapping at her and for pushing her away. However, his anger and defensiveness are still present, making it difficult for him to process his feelings in a healthy way.

Toji reprimands himself silently, questioning why he even let the conversation go on for so long. He didn't want anyone to know about his past, and the more she tried to dig, the more he shut down.

Maybe he feared that talking about it would make him appear vulnerable, or perhaps the memories were too painful for him to talk about.

A part of him wishes he could have been different, could have shared his past with Helia. But his defenses are too strong, his fear of vulnerability too great.

Right before Helia exits the training grounds, she stops and speaks without turning back.

"You know, I saw you smile yesterday to that old lady. You should smile more, it suits you..."

And with those words, she leaves for good, leaving him alone in the now too silent training grounds.

His heart clenches. No one had said that to him before. He watches her leave, a mixture of emotions coursing through him.

He's frustrated at himself for not being able to open up, but her words touched a part of him he didn't know still existed.

He stands there, still as a statue, watching as she exits. He doesn't know how to react, but her words linger in his mind, etched into his memory.

He contemplates her words and the strange flutter it stirred in his cold heart.

•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•

Two chapters for today! Let me know how it was!

Sarah ☆