Chapter 1: We're All Just Sparrows Swallowed in Stone

Ishigami Senkū—a child of seven winters with a stubborn streak as wide as the galaxy—rolls up the window, eyeing the darkening skies and the beginnings of a drizzle settling over the city. His wings fluff up and flutter with excitement at the thought of what he's about to do.

He looks down at his watch and grins. The weather is on time, just as he calculated.

It won't take long for the winds to pick up speed, for the dark masses above to color charcoal black, and the faint traces of lightning coming from the east. He grins wider as buckets of water cascade and blur the clarity from the glass, but he doesn't care for that.

He puts on a water resistant coat and a hat for his hair. It would be pointless in a few minutes but it'll be easier to stave off hypothermia and even a cold. Byakuya told him he easily gets sick and a cold would keep him down for a week or more. The idea is ludicrous to him; he'd have very little time studying and furthering his research, but with a few early preventative measures he'll be back without getting sick. All it'll take is fifteen minutes—a hypothetical five minutes of dryness, and ten minutes of flying into the storm. He'll be back right after like nothing happened.

He can see the torrent falling onto some unlucky people who were unable to find shelter quickly enough. Birds scatter with the coming of thunder and the skies light up with roiling lightning, frightening all to its mighty roar.

All except him. Senkū tenses his wings and bursts forth, the window panel shutting closed to prevent rain from drenching his telescope. Soon he's soaring through the skies regardless if he's drenched or dry with a cry of exhilaration. His long white wings speckled in green take him higher into the sky, breaching through the black mass obscuring the bright blue from view. He hovers for a moment, taking in the gentle cradle within the barrier of clouds. None are more brave to enter the storm than him.

It feels much more exhilarating than the chase taking place after classes let out. His usual tormentors were much too slow to keep up with his speed, which clocks at 82 km/h. A new record for someone his size and age.

"Heh, idiots couldn't outspeed a squirrel," he scoffs, feeling smug. It's only natural. His wings are twice larger than any other at his age, and he is thrilled to know that they'll keep growing that way, larger and stronger than even most athletes without a sweat. He isn't expected home for another while but Byakuya is sure to hunt him down if he stays out too long.

"Kid, you're gonna make my hair grow even whiter than they should be if you keep recklessly flying in the rain!" Is what he'd told him months before, when another storm covered the sky completely.

"Oh, stop it Pops. At least I'm not graying!"

Senku scoffs. He can take care of himself. He's way smarter than most people in school; there's no need to confine him indoors when he really just wants to fly in peace. With the storm coming in it's more an opportunity to train his wings against heavy air currents and rainwater weighing him down. Already his flying is up with the best, the larger wingspan granting him additional speed with how small he is compared to his classmates. Less weight and smaller body equal less drag. With double the average wingspan his speed doubles over any child he knows. It's why he's becoming the winner of junior sky races taking place in Hakone, paying tribute to their bronze Buddha statue when they reach the halfway point.

But he can't pass this up. It's perfect to condition his wings for the advanced endurance sky races that universities all over the country host for the best of the best. Those ones are far more difficult when they take place in the snowy mountains on dangerous air currents and plummeting temperatures, or the stone stacks jutting from the sea for competitive stunt flying, or even the Great Troposphere Race where the competitors fly as high as they can flap until there's only one left flying. The last one may sound easy but the competitors have to combat thin oxygen levels, colder temperatures, air pressure, and gravity. Articles that focus on such races are astoundingly intriguing, enough that one day, when he's older, he'll partake in every Sky Race he can join and show the world that even smaller fliers can beat the best of them.

So, against Byakuya's wishes he sneaked out and now soars along quickly-changing winds, his feathers tugging every direction as the storm threatens to push him around. His wings strain as he eyes a particular patch of sky bare of clouds and grins.

He'll turn it into a sky race. His goal is to combat the wind and avoid potential lighting strikes to get to clear air. Once he's conquered that challenge he can happily return home and rest. Well, if the old man doesn't discover he's missing by the time he can make the "I was in the shower" excuse by using the fact he's soaking wet to his advantage.

Grinning, he flaps his wings and flutters closer to the storm, the rain bearing down heavier in the time he's been mapping out his path to the open patch. He gets into position, wings spread open, arms tucking in his sides, legs halfway curled, and his body positioning itself forward. Standard sky race form, but Senkū will change his to suit his speed. That's another test he'll have to conduct at a later date.

He counts down from three, waiting for a signal to start his race. He counts down to zero just as a bolt of lightning hits a nearby mountain and he springs to flight, snapping his wings down harshly and rocketing forward. The houses barely blur around him as he maneuvers the clouds, twirling around taller buildings with a manic grin and joy in his eyes.

No one occupies the roads. He's the only one flying now, when on a normal sunny day the sky would have hundreds of flying humans getting to where they need to go, he's the only soul brave enough to fly. It's so freeing to fly when no one else occupies the skies, the scene all his to conquer as the winds increase, and Senkū has it all to himself.

He dodges large gusts of wind and smiles when he sees the open patch just a few meters away. He's almost there when an ominous feeling bursts in his chest, and he instinctively barrel-rolls away from a lightning bolt streaming past him and striking the tree he was flying over, watching the bark explode and burst into flames while electricity scatters in the ground. In horror, he quickens his pace, straining his wings to go faster while taking account of his steady breathing to keep it up. If he panics now there's no telling what'll happen with his poor stamina if he gulps air like Byakuya eats ramen.

Senkū feels the air stiffen, goose bumps running up his limbs. He dodges to the right, narrowly missing another bolt of lightning. He scrambles to form a plan. Flying under this storm he's a likely target for lightning to hit, seeing as the bolt will search for the nearest thing to travel to and he's not keen on being the designated target. It's a one billion percent certainty he'll get hit if he doesn't get out of the storm.

His house isn't too far. If he can put on a burst of speed he can slide through his window and close the pane. He's wired it to open if he isn't inside. As soon as he's within ten meters of the building. His house is currently 132 meters away. With his current speed of 82 km/h, he'll get there within—

The air gets thicker and the smell of ozone is the only warning he gets before blinding pain burns through his body, causing him to scream as his vision turns white-hot. He whimpers as the sensation of liquid fire bursts through his sensitive nerves, carving through the flesh of his neck and rooting downward on his left side. The sound is deafening and for a moment, in a far corner of his mind, he wonders if he's gone deaf. He's just shy of five meters from the open spot of sky, 130 meters from his home, yet suspended by a bolt of plasma at least 20 meters in the air. If he were faster he would have made it.

The faint, numb sensation spreads across his body, limbs not responding to his commands as his wings freeze, feathers smoking and catching the slightest embers as gravity pulls him back.

It feels like dying…

His body careens towards the earth, the faintest whistle of wind wailing around his ears. He can't feel the wind rushing through his clothing or the way his wings whip around without a twitch..

Is this how he'll die? Falling to his death by the whims of Earth's gravitational pull after being struck by lightning? Before he can make his goals come true?

"Hang in there!" A loud yell sweeps through the sky, almost drowned out by thunder and rain. Something impacts from behind and he would've flinched if he could feel it. He looks up with blurry eyes to see shining brown ones looking at him in concern and fear, brown wings speckled in black at the middle of his secondary feathers flap frantically away from the clouds.

"W-What?" is all he manages, eyes blurring the longer he tries to see the stranger.

"It's okay! I know a safe place we can hide from the storm! Please don't close your eyes," the stranger yells with a choking whimper.

But Senkū can't promise him that. He knows his body is shutting down, shaking as his breathing turns erratic as his lungs fight for air. The world shifts and warps into strange, abstract images and Senkū doesn't realize he's already slipped into unconsciousness long before they touch down to earth.

"H-Hey! Please, hold on! I can help you get better. Just p-please don't go to sleep!"

A part of him wants to apologize to him. Byakuya, too, if he gets wind of his foolish stunt once he realizes Senkū's gone missing on the off chance he gets admitted to a hospital.

But for now, he feels strangely lightheaded and floaty, the pain banishing and leaving pleasant numbness calling out to him like a siren's song.

He forgets he has to stay awake and drifts off, oblivious to the stranger's sobbing pleas.

When he comes to, it looks as if the storm rolled away, now far in the distance where the thunderous roars are mere whispers.

"Hey," a loud voice breaks the darkness around him. The sound startles him into releasing a tiny screech. "Are you okay? Do you need me to take you to the hospital? You're hurt pretty bad!"

Oh, to all that is power in science, could this stranger please quiet themselves?

Senkū grits his teeth as consciousness pulls itself together, his hands shaking like he's grasping at the air. His wings hurt in a way that feels like someone used a branding spit on the delicate flesh beneath his plumage. It burns intensely, more than they ever have in his short lifespan and just moving them brings a burning wave of pain eating through him like acid.

It burns, it's painful, and even the slightest movements are almost too much for his body to handle. He feels like passing out and throwing up all at once but he forces his eyelids to cooperate, hoping to see the person who saved him from becoming human roadkill with bits of plumage on the road.

The boy hovering over him is completely drenched, his short hair plastering to his face and stained white shirt clinging like tree sap. Those brown eyes he saw before he passed out shine with unshed tears as a large smile splits his face.

"Who are you," Senkū asks. "What time is it?"

The boy looks familiar. Possibly from his class if he thinks about it, but his head pounds something fierce and he has to lie his head down to make it go away. The boy almost reaches out to help but he hisses at him, startling him into retracting his hands.

"I don't like being touched," Senkū explains. The boy's face falls at the rejection for aid. "But otherwise I ache a lot right now."

Senkū frowns at him as he puts a bit of distance between them, looking like he desperately wants to help yet refuses to upset the smaller boy. Guilt rises in Senkū's chest. He didn't mean to snap at the boy but several kids his age always tricked him into lowering his guard so they could tear him apart just for entertainment. His trust in kids is comparable to winning a plush from the claw machines, where you plow through eagerly but meet low expectations and increasing disappointment. In the few years he's attended school, that analogy perfectly sums up each human interaction that comes his way. He considered a private school once, where discipline is the foundation to decent, normal human beings than the neanderthals that walk school halls but Byakuya talked him out of it stating that it would be hell and no one would want to be friends in such an environment.

The brown-haired boy grins in relief. "Thank goodness! I saw you get struck by lightning in the storm and flew up to catch you! You could have died if I hadn't!"

The reminder makes him flinch and the boy looks ready to bow for forgiveness at the reaction.

"Please, let me take you to the hospital! Those wounds aren't good!"

There's a lot of fear in his voice, shaking and cracking as it is. Senkū can't help the tiny spark of warm gratitude that seeds itself in his chest.

It's very strange for someone his age. Senkū doesn't know him very well, but he's in the same class now that he concentrates on his face. He's very loud and energetic and he's avoided the boy on every occasion during recess, but now they're face to face, after he got struck by lightning trying to train his wings for an experiment that's totally blown in his face and is now paying the consequences for it. If Byakuya notices then he is going to get his butt roasted on the spot.

Heh. Sounds like something the old man would do in these situations. Mother-hen him to death while screeching like some smoked chicken pipe being shoved down someone's throat.

He takes a minute to breathe, blinking the white spots out of his eyes to see where they are. There's something soft beneath him, his wings spread out on either side soaking in the spots of sunlight filtering through what looks like old floorboards and a set of wooden stairs attached to what he assumes is the deck. He turns his head to see the loud kid staring at him in concern, his white shirt and brown shorts dirty and sticking to him in all places. His feet are bare of footwear and his wings fidget behind him, fluffing up occasionally as Senkū's silent scrutiny lingers longer than is comfortable.

There's one thing Senkū questions: why is this strange kid still here when he could've left him alone after rescuing him.

"My name is Ōki Taiju—it's nice to make your acquaintance!" He bows at him and Senkū flinches in surprise when Taiju bends in half at the waist in his formalities. That freaks him out more than the large, hopeful smile shining back at him like a megawatt lightbulb.

He hesitates in returning the favor. How can he not? They barely know each other outside or even inside of class. At most they only passed each other in the playground rather than talk regularly. Everyone knows him at school, but Senkū never even bothered even a millimeter to do the same, preferring to linger on his own and focus on space and technology in a vacant room with little traffic. But here and now, Taiju, the ever-smiling loud kid in class is giving him a hopeful smile as he waits for Senkū to return formalities.

It's weird. 10 Billion Percent weird, but he might just be the first person to ever look at him like that outside of Byakuya.

He grins. What an interesting thought.

"Name's Ishigami Senkū. Just call me Senkū—sounds like my old man if you address me by family name."

There. He takes the plunge, places his bets, and hopes he's made the right choice in extending an olive branch to Taiju. Experience-wise, making friends pales considerably to the science he's soaking in like a sponge. He has no idea how it works, how he should act, and is fully prepared to receive backlash for the upcoming failure that no doubt comes. It's happened enough that he's gotten used to getting turned down by potential friends but he never lets that bother him much. Not when science and flying are the only passions he nurtures in the world.

"Nice to meet you, Senkū!" The large smile the boy gives him is radiating with genuine happiness and his arms twitch as if resisting the urge to hug him.

Somehow, Senkū realizes he's just made a friend. How… exhilarating.

Sometime after introducing themselves, Taiju does his best to help Senkū get back to his feet, finding it somewhat difficult due to the smaller boy's wings dragging over the ground. When he offers to carry him on his back, Senkū immediately refuses, his face turning a bright shade of red as he looks away.

"I can walk! I won't piggyback on you, not one millimeter!"

Taiju doubts the boy can do anything but shake. He says nothing out of respect for his new friend. Pride and dignity are what drive Senkū to get up and he finds that admirable, if concerning.

It's only after the exhausting struggle to escape harsh winds, the cold rain, and the near-death experience with that bolt of lightning that Senkū's body gives up, sending him sprawling on the ground with a whimper of painful frustration.

Taiju winces. He doesn't want to make Senkū uncomfortable anymore than he is, taking in the shaking limbs and his wings plastering themselves to his back. Senkū makes another attempt to stand and falls, gasping as he tries again. It goes on for a while until Taiju can't sit back and let this go on anymore so he props the smaller boy against a crate and stops his feeble attempts to resist.

"Senkū, you can't get up! Let me help! If you keep doing this you'll make it worse!"

Senkū grits his teeth as he curses the uselessness of his limbs. Small hands dig in the dirt as tears prick in his eyes.

Taiju gently crouches and picks him up. Senkū flinches and Taiju apologizes for agitating his wounds. Senkū grumbles at the boy for carrying him like a teddy bear but he has no choice.

"Where do you live, Senkū?"

"I live a few streets down, just follow the park and turn right at the exit. It's the white apartment building with a black gate."

"Okay, please hold tight. I don't want to drop you!"

"Then don't fly too quickly, you big oaf!"

"That's not nice."

"I didn't mean it as a way to intellectually degrade you."

"I seriously do not understand!"

Senkū rubs his temples wondering how he's getting out of this.

"Just follow the road."

Carefully, Taiju lifts flaps his wings and glides through the vibrant gardens of the park staying a few meters higher than the trees in case he somehow collides with anything. Senkū sighs as he watches the city blur by as Taiju flies above houses and people, shouting apologetically when he nearly hits other fliers when he hastens his pace. Senkū tries to enjoy the wind ruffling through his hair and the curving sway of Taiju's flapping but the numbness is beginning to make him worry.

When they do arrive at his house, Byakuya is home and looking like he went through a Category 6 panic attack as the house is torn apart. The man stops what he's doing and spots Senkū trying to squirm out of Taiju's surprisingly strong hold.

The worry on his face morphs into one of horror once he does, but his legs buckle the moment his feet meet solid ground and Taiju catches him before he manages to plant his face to the floor. That would've been horribly embarrassing..

"Senkū!" Byakuya cries, snatching him away from Taiju and holding him close, crying tears of relief. Senkū sighs and reaches around the man's neck to give him a weak hug, hoping the man would stop blubbering over him.

"What were you thinking!?" Byakuya sobs, "You could have gotten yourself killed out there, Senkū! What on earth made you leave the safety of this house?" He pales when he takes in Senkū's body, tracing the small, arching scars beginning at the shoulder, branching around his neck and diving down an arm. Byakuya's fears reach a new height once he examines Senkū's wings, moving the twitching limb to see his smoking feathers. He feels horrible when the boy whimpers at the gentle prodding of his fingers.

"Senkū, this is serious we need to take you to the hospital. There's no way for me to know what injuries you have besides what's on your skin."

"Byakuya-san! Can I please come with you! I want to make sure Senkū is alright" Taiju bows.

Byakuya eyes the boy with scrutiny. Scruffy, dirty, decently dressed… but he possesses an honest face and open eyes. He looks at Senkū and back at Taiju before sighing.

"You're the boy that saved my son," he asks, feeling worn out yet still on edge as Senkū burrows his face in his neck.

"Yes, sir! My name is Ōki Taiju, and I'm Senkū's friend!"

Byakuya's brows disappear into his hairline. Senkū, the little gremlin mastermind in the making, the snarkiest little brat any man could have, made a friend today that won't hurt his feelings by not destroying any of his inventions? Why, it's the most heartwarming thing to happen to Senkū, even if the circumstances are far less favorable.

Swiftly, he grabs his keys and gestures for Taiju to follow him, smiling when the boy's chocolate eyes shine with determination.

"C'mon, squirt. The hospital ain't too far from here. Once Senkū's settled down we can talk."

Well, the reunion could have been worse. If Byakuya wasn't simply holding him and he had more energy he'd never let the old man carry him like a stuffed toy.

"Senkū, I love you buddy, but you're grounded. End of discussion."

And yeah, he gets grounded for pulling this stunt. No Sciencing for a week as he recovers in a hospital bed. He'll be bored to tears on the second night.

When Senkū celebrates his tenth birthday, he and Taiju meet Yuzuriha for the first time at the park in spring of 2011 while climbing trees to look for a bird's nest.

Busy following a pretty blue butterfly, Yuzuriha stumbles upon them by mere chance, watching curiously as Senkū gently deposits a small chick back into the safety of the nest mere moments before the parent returns with help from Taiju's secure hold. The beautiful sparrow squawks at them fiercely and Senkū grin, relief in his features now that he knows the baby wouldn't be fending for itself after falling from the branch.

"Great job, Senkū!"

"Oi, you were the one holding me up! I would have fallen by now!"

"But you put the baby bird back in the nest!"

"Oh, huff it, you big oaf!"

The sight almost makes her giggle. What strange boys.

"What were you doing," she asks, emerging from a bush.

Senkū looks at her from his spot in the tree, eyes holding conflict as Taiju peers down at her with a friendly grin.

"Hello! We're helping baby birds get back to their nests!"

Yuzuriha tilts her head in wonder, her gaze switching from boy to boy curiously.

Senkū tenses, uncomfortable by her gaze. Taiju picks up on it and redirects her attention by loudly stating, "We will come down and introduce ourselves! Please give us a moment!"

"O-Okay!" She jumps at his volume.

The boys descend, Senkū far more slowly and cautiously than Taiju does, eyeing her suspiciously like she's going to bite him. The other boy leaps out of the tree to land in a crouch, greeting her with enthusiasm. He then offers to help and Senkū grudgingly scowls, resigning himself to accept it when it's clear he's no climber. Once both are safely on the ground she approaches with a small smile, her wings fluttering sheepishly behind her.

Senkū eyes them, analyzing them like he does with everyone else's wings. Her's are on the smaller side, colored a chocolate brown with tan bands tipping her primary feathers. She wears a simple sleeveless white top with a pink skirt, rain boots covering her legs. She wears a pink ribbon around her neck that shines in the sunlight. Physically, she is petite, and her chocolate hair and eyes are an average trait but she's what most people would say is on the adorable side.

Everything about her creeps him out but that could be him being antisocial with strangers.

Eyeing Taiju, Senkū sees a faint blush on his face.

Oh dear Einstein, he likes her? He wonders if he should even bring it up in the first place or be a decent human being and let it be for the bigger boy's sake. Never before has he seen Taiju look quite this speechless towards anyone before.

"M-My name's Ogawa Yuzuriha! It's nice to meet you!" She then bows and then straightens, waiting for them to return the gesture.

Taiju, unsurprisingly, volunteers first.

"My name's Ōki Taiju! My friend here is Ishigami Senkū! We're pleased to make your acquaintance!"

Senkū goes to protest but ultimately resigns himself. He really wants to get back to his rocket and test it out but Taiju spotted a baby bird falling from its nest and they had to help it before predators killed it. Meeting a complete stranger isn't how he expected to spend his afternoon with his best friend and he's seriously uncomfortable talking to Yuzuriha now that it's evident she won't leave anytime soon, but Taiju invites her to help test out the rocket and he doesn't get a chance to protest before Taiju's snagging her hand and zooming off to their camp.

When they get to testing the rocket, Taiju discreetly leans in and whispers a short sentence in his ear.

"I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable, Senkū. Give her a chance, please?"

Senkū frowns and eyes Yuzuriha, the girl oblivious to his stare as she looks over the rocket with curiosity. He then looks into Taiju's honest brown eyes and the encouraging smile before he gives him a hesitant nod. The smile he receives is brighter than the setting sun at that moment.

They test the rocket soon after, Senkū launching into a very detailed lecture about aeronautics and engineering, the reason for the current field test as he jots down notes and equations, eager to tell them both his observations and the calculations he had to make and account for before he could test it out, and though Taiju will forever be the lovable, clueless airhead, Yuzuriha tries her best to follow along even if she gets lost five minutes into his three hour lecture.

But she never leaves, nor does she shy away from his obvious love for anything science. In fact, she keeps returning to the park on days he and Taiju test out inventions, frequently participating in asking questions while Senkū is off on another tangent. Soon, within eight months of them meeting up to test Senkū's creations in what they consider their clearing, Senkū feels they've become close friends. The missing piece is finally in place.

It's also the beginning of a beautiful realization that Taiju has a crush on the female member of the group and Senkū takes this opportunity to tease the living daylights out of his best friend every time Yuzuriha graces their eyes.

Reaching the age of 16 and being the president of the Science Club (founded by yours truly) was a steady course to getting his career roadmap accomplished. Today, like any other day was supposed to be another boring day at school as he creates his own brand of gasoline. teasing Taiju for his ever-constant pining over the usually oblivious Yuzuriha. A five-year pining, mind you, but Senkū doesn't pay fickle things such as love much attention when he's currently soaking up information on the Soyuz's crew up in space and getting a project done for class.

But space—it's such an exhilarating thought niggling at the back of his mind since he was in preschool. He knows that one day, with a lot of hard work and determination, he'll be among the best of scientific names to discover so much more than what he can access on the wide public internet and his lessons with a man named Xeno who works at NASA alongside Byakuya, even if he'll have to endure the older man's eccentric sense of humor once he too works there.

Because he'll make it there. Even if it takes him several decades to get there, he's confident he'll get in within a decade. All he needs is resources and the best college he can get into and bam! he's where he'll want to be.

Among the Stars.

So focused in his thoughts he almost misses Taiju bursting in like a mad cow, startling many of his fellow science students with the loud bang of the door like he's done so many times before. Senkū has long gotten used to the teen's obnoxious entrances to not startle or drop beakers anymore. The first time was disastrous enough back in seventh grade.

Senkū sighs and sets aside his notes, knowing he'll have to address this soon. The Big Oaf looks like he's about to molt on the spot with how hard his wings are shaking.

"Senkū! They're gonna have a sky race in the field!"

Senkū gives him a hum of intrigue.

"Big Oaf, I'm trying to do an experiment."

"That's no mere experiment…" One of the teens at the back blanches.

"So, what're you doing?" Taiju asks

Senkū chuckles. "I'm working on lignocellulosic hydrolysates to see if I can extract furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to make a new eutectic solvent for Takeshi-sensei. He says I need a complex formula to impress him instead of making gasoline."

"So, something very complex…?" Taiju scratches his head as his face turns blank.

"Something like that."

He says it so casually!

"But since they need me for a sky race, I'll be able to leave it for a while. As long as Haku-kun doesn't touch my stuff again."

Haku, an averagely built boy with plum-colored hair and brown eyes flinches, sweating buckets when Senkū gives him a patented Evil-Senkū Glare™.

"You know, there are roses growing around the gardens. I can easily get cythilicus from the rosehip and use it on you. You should know what that is and what I can make from that, hm?"

Haku pales. "Y-Yes! I'm sorry, I won't touch your projects again, Senkū-sensei!"

"Good!" Senkū beams, the evil aura gone in a blink. Taiju laughs as Senkū struts to the door, dodging Taiju's attempt at hugging him and sliding his hands in his lab coat.

"So? Why'd they ask for me, Taiju? Don't they have other fliers they can use this time?"

Taiju looks horribly guilty at the question and starts tugging at his sleeves.

Oh dear lord, he knows where this is going.

"W-Well, I may have told them that you're a… champion flier."

Senkū suppresses the urge to facepalm and gives him a flat look.

"And why, pray tell, have you told them again? I have work to do, you big oaf. I can't keep walking away just so that people believe in your claim about my flying."

"I'm sorry, Senku! But they were saying things about you I didn't agree with and they challenged you to a sky race."

The scientist cleans out an ear, looking completely uninterested in partaking in a leisure race, wings twitching as he blows away the wad of wax from his pinky.

"So? Why should I listen to a group of brain-dead neanderthals that don't know the difference between a horse and a cow?"

"They said you can't fly."

Senkū gives him a comically blank face.

"So they say," he mutters. He breathes a drawn out sigh. Again the lower-minded students, or bullies as the average kid calls them, try to challenge him at a sky race for dominance? How many times has it been since they started that annoying trend as a form of bullying? Ah, yes. Since seventh grade when he first showed off his skill in that loop race around Hakone's Buddha statue.

Senkū chuckles as he palms his face and looks at Taiju with hard eyes.

"We'll see about that."

With Taiju in tow, Senkū makes his way out of the main building to walk onto the track where three burly boys wait for him, all three grinning like a pack of foxes.

"So," Senkū starts as he stops in front of them, Taiju hovering over him. "Care to tell me why I'm here for this ridiculous challenge of yours?"

One of them laughs and brandishes his fists at him.

"We're sick and tired of having scrawny little Senkū beat us in sky races. So, we're here to put you in your place."

Senkū picks his ear. He was right. Big waste of time.

"Yeah, about that. Teachers already know about your little scheme."

One of them pale a dreadful pasty white at the mention of teachers.

"You need to realise that I'll always be faster. Statistically, I have an advantage over all of you, being lighter, leaner, and possessing twice the wingspan than is normally considered in a modern human being. This means less drag. Add the fact I can easily ride wind currents and you have a 10 billion percent natural born flier. You, however, don't have a millimeter of a chance riding those currents or even gaining enough speed on the first wing thrust. With how heavy you are and factoring in your height and weight, speed isn't your best attribute for a sky race."

The boys' faces take on an unbecoming shade of red as Senkū ribs them with a simple calculation, dumbed down of course so as to not confuse them on the error they're making in challenging looks at him with something akin to respect or admiration.

If Senkū were a normal person he would have preened from the attention, but he isn't a normal person so that line of thinking doesn't mean anything to him. Preening at something as simple as admiration or respect is illogical. It's a juvenile reaction for attention and Senkū has no qualms in ridding himself of the sentiment. Science is far more important to him than beating his peers at something that's as natural to him as science is.

"Like hell I'll let you go mouthing at me like that!"

The biggest one towers over him, flesh curling with slight muscle as his shadow swallows Senkū. With a growl, the boy rears an arm and thrusts it forward for a punch aiming at Senkū's face.

The red-eyed male grins and unfolds his wings, flapping them hard enough to send the offender flying back a few meters but the boy gets back up, angrier than before. Senkū folds his wings and side steps the next punch, grinning from ear to ear when he hears the principal stalking forward with a furious scowl on her face.

"Hitoshi. My office. Now."

The teen looks ready to blow a gasket with how red his face looks right now. Any other time Senkū would have thought the boy was experiencing a fever with how red it is. When the principal leaves carting away the bully to meet his doom, Senkū chuckles and relaxes his wings, the few feathers that puffed up smoothing over as tension releases.

Looking at the sky as Taiju bounces around him with too much energy, Senkū figures it's a good day for a high altitude fly after he gets out of school later in the day. Partially cloudy skies are perfect for current gliding.

He looks at his watch and clicks his tongue.

"Come on, big oaf. We still have a few minutes of class time. At break, please for the love of all that is Einstein, go and confess to Yuzuriha already. It's been five years and you're still pining like a love-drunk monkey."

Taiju splutters behind him, whining about the smaller boy teasing him.

Senkū wouldn't have it any other way, and when break comes upon them Taiju elects to storm into the science lab again and roar like some deranged lion calling his name.

"Senkū! I'm going to do it! I'm going to tell Yuzuriha how I feel!"

Well, it's about damn time.

"And this has anything to do with me, how?" He inserts another vial into his invention, pouring yet another solution to distill the gasoline he's producing. Then he gets an idea, a brilliant idea that will no doubt both throw his classmates for a loop but also make a point about Taiju. He isolates a small mixture of his concoction and pours it in a flask, turning to Taiju with his patented Evil Grin. Because of the way his hair stands up and how his wings hike up around his shoulders the whole school thinks he's some mad scientist on the path of chemical warfare. The thought is both amusing as it is illogical, but he'd take the title if it stops people from bugging him.

He offers the flask to Taiju, who takes it with innocent curiosity.

"By using that you'll secrete pheromones like crazy and drive your ability to stimulate her by 10,000,000,000%." He can see a lot of heads perking up at the bluff and he can't wait to reveal the farce when their hopes are close to bursting, the fools. "Think of it as a love drug. If you really wanna go for it, just use that."

Taiju scrutinizes the flask and flares his nostrils, giving a blank stare before pouring the liquid in the sink, oblivious to the devastation writing itself in the faces of the other occupants who were interested in the contents. Senkū smirks at his decision, his wings curling pleasantly as Taiju sets down the flask and looks him in the eye, brown wings flaring wide.

"Senkū—I am grateful you made this for me, but I don't want to use a dishonest move on Yuzuriha. She deserves more than that."

Senkū gives him a coy grin, but the larger teen can see the fond glow in his usually flat red eyes giving their approval.

"Well then, go ahead. Stop kicking around the bush already or I'll leave your ass. I'm not waiting forever to go home today, not one millimeter."

A yell of gratitude roars back and the door slams closed, startling a girl he vaguely recalls is Hinata into spilling her vial of carbolic acid on her coat and then screaming as she frantically tries to take it off. Kaito, her partner, rushes to help her and wrenches it off. Senkū lets out a gruff sigh as he assists in neutralizing the chemical before cleaning it up, directing a glare at the pair.

"As exhilarating as chemistry is, wearing it isn't a great idea."

"I-I'm sorry, Senkū-senpai!"

Senkū scoffs but softens his expression some. There isn't a need to scold a student for being startled. He'll have to talk to Taiju about his entrances or someone, somehow, will start spilling sulfuric acid or something equally as dangerous around each other and then it's up to him to clean up after them before permanent damage can be done.

The door slams open once more and Taiju walks in, fists balling tightly and startling poor Hinata again. Thankfully without something delicate in her hands.

"Senkū! I forgot to tell you, but Satoshi-sensei asked me to remind you about your wing exam!"

The red-eyed scientist cringes. Seriously? Today? He doesn't have the patience to go for a wing exam today! Wing exams are tedious, finicky little tests designed to monitor and record the condition of an individual's wings every three months. If they score low it's usually due to illness, disease, or injury, with plumage looking so awful that the color is muddled and the feathers are distorted, broken, or splitting. Score high, and the wings should be well-cared for and bear glossy, silky-soft plumage. Average scores are usually from individuals who preen decently but don't go as far as to treat them a few hours of the day. That would be Taiju, but his feathers are decently well-cared for.

It still feels like a waste of time.

Nodding in acknowledgment, Senkū smirks as Taiju flies down to meet Yuzuriha at the old camphor tree, watching with bated amusement as the boy sputters in front of her. He spots her salmon-colored ribbon, the same one she's worn since they met at age 10, tied around the lowest limb and wonders what she's doing with it.

"I bet 100 yen he gets his ass dumped six feet under."

Hoh? How interesting. A bet to determine what the outcome would be.

Senkū eyes the students for a second, smirking to himself as he pulls out change in front of the vending machine. An energy drink doesn't sound too bad right now.

"Nah, I bet 500 that he's definitely getting dumped."

"Ha! I bet 1,000 yen for the same. No way she'll accept his confession!"

Senkū grins. "I bet 10,000 yen for him to not get dumped."

"Whaaat? You serious, Senpai?"

"With how he lumbers about I'm surprised he's actually gonna do it, Senkū-senpai."

Red eyes crinkle in amusement. Oh, such fools for thinking so illogically. They literally can't see the equation here. It's as plain as two kids learning how to turn fire green using boric acid in a beginner's chemistry kit. Yuzuriha would undoubtedly accept Taiju's feelings. It's not hard to see that, but the entire school sees him as an equal to an affectionate caveman and Yuzuriha, a galactic marvel no one is worthy to touch.

A pretty nauseating thing to associate them with but perhaps the best thing to compare them with the way rumors usually form in this school. The only chaotic one he doesn't agree with is the one when people started getting the idea that he is a vampire simply because of the way he looks. Sure, he isn't very tan but Byakuya says it's a condition. The only one he thinks that could be is anemia or albinism but he never experienced any of the following symptoms. And sure, he has red eyes and white hair gradually fading to pine-green ends, but according to Byakuya his hair isn't outrageous or an act of delinquency, it's just genetics.

He opens the can and takes a swig of his drink, satisfied that the liquid quenches his thirst before his instincts wipe out the pleasant feeling with the cold rigidity of utter wrongness that permeates the air, stilling the sounds around him, and brings a violent shiver to run through his being. It's so intense that his wings shake, his feathers all puffing out in agitation just as a faint green light makes itself known far into the horizon.

His fellow science students all gasp in fear at the boy's reaction before pointing and shouting at the phenomenon, the horrible feeling spiking in Senkū's chest as the light encroaches at incredible speeds. Fear takes hold and Senkū drops his energy drink, his wings plastering tightly against his back. Screams erupt and disappear as soon as they are heard, and before his eyes people turn gray and rough—like the surface of stone—before everything goes black, the sound of panicking people and birds vanishing, touch dwindling until it all goes numb, taste of citrus energy drinks gone, and the smell of dust and paper makes way to empty smell.

He checked his phone before it all went wrong. He calculates the current time, reassesses his situation before an idea comes forth.

There's no reason for everyone to be affected. It could be a new biological weapon developed by a foreign country like North Korea or even Russia intended to use on Japan as an experiment? A sort of test drive to see if it could be used in chemical warfare on the rest of the world? Or does it have alien origins that for now he can't scientifically prove as correct rather than an illogical assumption. He'll count the seconds, keep time until he figures out a way to solve what's going on. And then he'll just resume life as it should.

After all, there's a beautifully open sky waiting for him once school lets out, with Taiju and Yuzuriha waiting for him. It would be a shame to miss out.