Prompt: 065. Passing.
Word Count: 559.
Rating: G Summary: Byakko's grades aren't all that good and all the others seem to have done so well .
Author's Notes: Another one of my shiki in school scenes, but I don't think this will make it into the fic, if I ever write it. At least not unchanged.
"Do you think Tsuzuki will look at our grades?" Byakko fidgeted.
"I thought you passed Math?" Touda asked surprised at the tiger's nervous behaviour. "Did you fail anything else?"
"Yes ... no ... I ... I passed, but just barely." he frowned at his report card. "It's not pretty."
"Our grades don't matter," Touda reminded him. "We just have to pass to keep an even distribution among all age groups."
"Then you don't think Tsuzuki will ask to see them?" Byakko looked hopeful.
"I don't know." Touda shrugged.
He couldn't quite tell Byakko that he secretly hoped that their master would indeed look at their grades and see how well he'd done. He'd worked hard all year thinking that with his limited prior education he'd have trouble keeping up. It had come as a complete surprise when the teacher had told him that he was second best of his year and he really wanted to show it off.
Byakko on the other hand had paid very little attention to school work until it had become obvious that they'd have to continue their undercover operation into the next school year.
They arrived home a few minutes later to find Tsuzuki praising Tenkou and Kijin for their grades. Apparently those two had done great as well.
Byakko stepped behind Touda and tried to disappear.
Rikugou's grades received a bemused shake of the head.
"What is your problem with Sports class?" Tsuzuki asked the shiki.
"I don't like it." Rikugou declared unbothered. "There have been at least fifteen injuries in that class this year, from bloody noses, to broken bones. I refuse to risk my health and our mission for a 'friendly' ball game."
Tsuzuki couldn't argue with that. He'd been the one to take Suzuaku to the hospital after her attempt to catch a baseball with her bare hand, after all.
Touda quietly held out his hand behind him and with a sigh Byakko handed over his report card. He'd have to trust the serpent to slip it in unobtrusively.
And so Touda did. While everybody else was still laughing and teasing Rikugou he sidled up to the table and slipped their sheets half under the rest. His own on top covering Byakko's entirely.
Tsuzuki however noticed anyway and picked them out right away.
"Hey Rikugou!" the shinigami called out. "Touda beat your average."
"That's because of Sports." Rikugou looked slightly affronted.
"Not entirely. He also beat you in Science."
Everybody was staring their way now. Byakko tried to fade into the wall. Too bad he wasn't born a chameleon shiki.
"So." Touda shrugged. "I like Science. It's all logic and a little math. I've always been good with numbers. You know that."
"Well, fifth grade is easy." Rikugou sniffed. "Of course you got great grades there. It's not like you had to work for it."
Tsuzuki moved Touda's report card to the back of the pile revealing Byakko's. He glanced over it, then looked to the tiger.
"Uh, I passed," Byakko commented.
"You never said you expected anything more," Touda added. "We're here to protect the students and find a demon, not to learn anything. Byakko actually did most of the work for our team."
Tsuzuki grinned. "My sweet, lazy tiger," he laughed and hugged Byakko.
'And sweet, clever serpent.' Byakko thought, but he didn't dare hug Touda for his support.