Kaede Rukawa

The icy wind whipped through the winter air as Kaede Rukawa pedaled through the snow-covered streets. Her breath condensed in the frigid temperature. Freezing slush sprayed across her wheels, soaking her uniform trousers and leaving them damp and clinging to her long, slender legs.

Kaede's black hair, usually so neatly styled, whipped wildly in the wind, a few loose strands clinging to her striking, angular face. Her long eyelashes fluttered as she nodded for a moment, tilting her head and loosening her grip on the handlebars. The bike wobbled dangerously, threatening to veer off the slippery road at any moment.

As usual, he was late, too exhausted from the intense training session the night before to bother waking up on time.

As she drifted in and out of consciousness, Kaede's bicycle drew ever closer to the edge of the path. Snow-covered branches of the trees lining the trail whizzed past her, their icy tendrils seeming to reach out and grasp her coat. She mumbled something unintelligible, her words lost in the howling wind.

Suddenly, the front wheel hit a particularly treacherous patch of ice, and the bike skidded. Kaede woke with a start, eyes wide, gripping the handlebars with all his might. With a herculean effort, he managed to right the bike and get back onto the road, his heart pounding in his chest after narrowly avoiding an accident.

He muttered to himself, shaking his head at his own recklessness. "One day you're going to kill yourself."

But even as I said that, I knew I would continue doing the same thing the next day.