Grieve-tan Short

The first strike was parried while the follow-up was turned away, she could feel her chest tightening with each swing. He was blocking every strike, only the sweat on his brow gave away the ferocity of their exhibition duel and of course, her increasingly ragged breath turning to wheezes.  She wished that they had been alone in the gym but as with her opponent's charisma, he was ever accompanied by his compatriot, and she by her sisters. Sometimes her sister's presence annoyed her, but she knew they were just making sure she was safe, from anything or anyone that would do her harm.

"I say dear if you would like to pause our fight to fetch your medication I would more than willing to let you." He said with a slight smile in his smug magnanimous way.

"I don't need it to be-" her chest started to seize, and she had to pause her assault as she bent over slightly, eyes clenched and limbs tensed, she wheezed and felt a hacking fit build in her lungs. She would not lose this way! "-at you!"

She forced her condition from her mind as she rushed at her opponent with a brutal combination of cross slashes and downward swings that forced him to retreat towards the corner of the gym. She saw the sudden surprise in his face and the edges of her lips curled with a small smile.  Her face was red and her heart was beating so hard in her ears, she failed to hear anything else.

He was backed into the corner and his mobility was hampered.  She saw her chance to strike and finish the bout.  She jumped and spread her legs to grip the padding on the walls as she thrust two of swords in her lower arms forward and angled the others for a follow up strike.  Both practice swords struck the wall to either side of his shoulders as he held his own straight up and down, like a fencer saluting.
His face was red.

She could see he was trying to avert his eyes, from something.  She could feel her lungs burning and her heart throbbing.  She had outlasted her condition, she had bested her opponent. She had won.

She had also left herself wide open.

"Uh, Grieve dear, could you step down please." He made a point to look her in the eyes, his face still slightly flushed.

"What?" she answered in a rasped whisper.

"I think you forgot something in the locker room." He replied, an index finger extended to point in front of him.

Grieve looked down from above, down to where he was pointing. She was perched so that her pelvis was eye level with him.  Her skirt was being pulled back across her thighs and exposing her underwear. She felt her face flush, her heart began to beat even harder and the adrenaline was wearing off. She also felt a breeze.

"You…" she looked back at his face, he was smiling sheepishly, "you…" water began to mist at her eyes "IDIOT!"