Unnatural Arrival

Chapter 2: A Trip To The Infirmary

Shiro's P.O.V.

I was completely distracted, looking down at the school map, trying to understand it; but I just couldn't. I let out a sigh as I looked up and back down. No, I thought, this can't be right. I kept walking forward and much to my misfortune I bumped right into someone and the unexpected stop made me fall backwards. The pain I expected never came because the…boy, I noticed as I looked, had grabbed my arm and waist.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I should've been looking where I was going…" I pulled away from him and regained my balance as I listened to him. He was short (in a cute way, but that was in the back of my mind) and had dark brown hair and pale skin with a kiss of olive to it. This boy was undoubtedly attractive. I was upset though, as I remembered that I was still lost and I had bumped into this guy. Why was this goddamn map so confusing? I looked at the boy properly, not revealing anything I was thinking or feeling, which wasn't much to be honest.

"It's alright. It's partly my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going either. I think I'm lost…" I mumbled to myself as I kept glancing at the map.

I could still feel his gaze on me. "Oh, so you must be new here. Do you…uh, want me to help you find your way?" Well, at least he wasn't mad at me, and he was offering his help. That was…kind of him. He seemed genuine, kind, the kind of person with a good heart and I longed to connect with him. But I reminded myself that I had to keep away from people. I didn't want to cause problems like I had in the past. I did notice his aura though. It was lemon yellow with some pink and…traces of other colors but these appeared to be the dominant two.

"Well, if you wouldn't mind. I don't want to impose." I spoke softly, still not showing any of my emotions or thoughts. Just relax Shiro, I sighed inwardly.

The boy nodded and looked at my schedule. "Well, you're actually rather far from your first class. This building here," he gestured to the one right besides us, "is the 1100 classrooms; you're looking for the 1700 classrooms which are over there." He pointed it out for me on the map. I looked down and finally understood my mistake.

"Damn lenses… I misread it." I mumbled yet again. "Thank you very much. I appreciate your kindness. I'll be on my way now." I made my way around him as I headed in the direction of the correct building, hopefully. The boy seemed nice enough, but I knew better than to get involved with others; little did I know the impact that I would have on his life.

It didn't take me long to find the correct building. I walked in and made my way down the hall as I glanced from side to side. 1701, 1702…1706, I came to a stop at the next room. 1708. Yeah, this was the right place. My teacher was someone by the name of Mr. Blowfis, a strange name. I walked in and noticed that almost the entire class was here. I could feel the looks as I made my way to the back where I found an empty desk to sit at. The bell rang soon after and the teacher closed the door behind him as he walked in.

"Hello class! I look forward to a great year of learning with you. I know it's cliché but I thought it'd be a nice way to spend the first day by doing ice breakers after going over the syllabus that I am passing out now." The students passed the stacks back till everyone had one and Mr. Blowfis quickly covered it, from things like grading and late policies, to absences and extra credit opportunities.

"Alright now, I want everyone to get up, one at a time, and state their name and an interesting fact about themselves. Let's start here." He smiled at the kid sitting at the front closest to the door.

He sighed and got up. "My name is Will Solace and I like cheetahs." And so it began. Students, one after another, got up, stated their name, and some random fact. I tensed as it got closer to me and soon it was my turn. I groaned inwardly as I got up slowly.

"Um…my name is Shiro Hitachiin. And…I like being left alone." I sat back down, not looking at anyone else. The teacher regarded me silently, I could tell, before the last few students went.

"As you all know, I'm Mr. Blowfis, and I have the most beautiful, loving wife and the most kind and caring stepson." He smiled before continuing. "Tomorrow I'm going to get a feel for how each of you writes and what your strengths and weaknesses are by having you guys write an essay on any topic that you choose; as long as it's school appropriate." The bell rang and class was dismissed. I grabbed the bag and made way out of the room, taking special care not to make any contact with anyone.

I pulled out my schedule and looked at my next class. College Algebra, room 0679, with a Ms. Athena. I turned the page to study the map. That was quite a trek. I had better get a move on I suppose. I had to pass through another building in order to take the shortest route; there weren't many students in the hall right now. I was stopped when someone grabbed my shoulder and spun me around to face them. He was blonde, blue eyes, and a pale scar running from the bottom of his eye to his chin.

"What have we got here?" His smile looked cruel and I just looked at him. "Fresh meat I see." He had two goons behind him. "You're walking through my territory boy."

"Sorry, wasn't aware a plebian like you owned part of the school." It probably came out more insulting than it should have. He hoisted me up by my collar and slammed me against the wall. I groaned in pain and just glared at him.

"You've got balls insulting me like that punk. Who do you think you are?" His goons smirked as they encouraged him to show me who's boss. The blonde pulled back his fist before connecting it with my jaw. Fuck, I cursed in my mind. I felt angry, and I felt emotions of jealousy, something about a father, and siblings…

I kept glaring. "Oh, is someone jealous for daddy's attention? What? Do you feel like he loves your other siblings more? Or maybe he's just disappointed in you." Fuck me. The words left my mouth before I even processed them. His eyes widened, shocked, but not for long before he was overcome by rage and started punching my harder as I cried out in pain.

"Don't. You. Fucking. Pretend. To. Know. Anything. About. Me!" Every word he pronounced was another punch, to the face, the gut, mostly the face. I was getting bruised up pretty bad and blood gushed from my broken nose and lips.

"Castellan! Let him go!" They turned around in surprise. I was barely conscious.

"What the fuck do you want di Angelo! This is none of your business!" I heard the guy holding me growl.

"Don't make me get Jason. Back off you overgrown ape." There was a momentary pause.

"Keep your dog on its leash. Let's go." He dropped me to the ground and I landed hard, I groaned in pain, trying not to pass out. I felt someone else lean over me and grab me. I felt myself being carried before losing consciousness.

Nico's P.O.V.

I frowned as I carried the new kid to the infirmary. Shit, I looked down at him, I hope he's going to be ok. I kicked open the infirmary door with my foot and Calypso looked up, startled.

"Nico! What's going on?" She watched as I laid the boy down on one of the cots.

"Nurse Calypso. He got beat up by Luke," I looked over at her, "please, help him." She nodded and quickly came over to treat his injuries. She grabbed a rag and drenched it in warm water before straining it. She slowly started wiping the blood from his lips and nose.

"His nose is broken and he's pretty bruised up. But he'll be fine. I think…" She was cut off as he groaned and opened his eyes slowly. "You're awake!" She leaned over to look at him. "It's ok, you're safe here. This is the infirmary. Nico brought you here." His eyes slowly made their way to me. For once, there was emotion there. I smiled softly.

He swallowed before speaking. "I need to get to class."

Calypso put a hand on his chest. "Oh no you don't; not in this condition. I have to set your nose…" He looked at her before grabbing his own nose, and without any cry of pain, snapped it back into place himself. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the cot.

"I'm fine. Really. I've had worse." Again, I looked at him, as he mumbled that last part but I was honestly shocked. This guy…was something else. "The bruises will heal on their own. My nose is fine now, and you already wiped off the blood. Please, I want to get to class." Calypso was just staring at him wide eyed, nodding dumbly. She was as shocked as I was.

He gave his thanks and walked out. I managed to snap out of it and run after him. "Hey! Wait." He turned around to look at me and actually…smiled? What?

"Thank you for helping me…Nico? Right?" I nodded at him.

"I apologize for my rudeness. My name is Shiro Hitachiin." He offered me his gloved hand.

I smiled at him and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you Shiro. My name is Nico di Angelo. Where's your next class? I'd like to walk you there." He blinked once but nodded.

"My next class is College Algebra with Ms. Athena." He double checked his schedule.

"Really!? I'm in that class too," I smiled up at him and started walking. "Come on, I'll show you the way. And I have a hall pass," I showed him, "so we won't get in trouble for being late." He nodded and followed me along. "So, do you have any friends here?"

He didn't say anything for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I don't know. I'm new here and haven't had a chance to meet any interesting people besides that fella with the mean left hook." I chuckled.

"Well, I'll be your friend. How's that?" His eyes seemed to study me for awhile before looking down.

"I would like that. But…to be honest, you wouldn't want a friend like me. I'm…different. And I have a hard time getting close to people or letting them get close to me. Not because I hate others, but because I have trust issues, among other things..."

I nodded thoughtfully. "Well, how about you leave that to me? Let me be the judge of whether I think you make a good friend or not. If I happen to earn your trust and get close to you, great! And if not, I'll leave you be, ok? Trust me, I know about trust issues. I didn't use to be like this. I was very reserved and in my own shell, kind of like you, until Percy and my other friends came along," I smiled fondly, "they helped me. And although not everything is perfect in my life, I am better off than I was before. So, please, allow me to extend the same courtesy to you."

He smiled. He smiled and it was because of me. I felt warm inside and suppressed a blush. "You are a very kind person Nico. I'll take you up on your offer." I smiled back at him and gestured.

"Here's our class. I'll give Ms. Athena the pass." He nodded and we both walked in.

Shiro's P.O.V.

I walked towards the back of the class to take a seat. Everyone was quietly working on something and as I sat down I saw Nico converse with the teacher quietly. He handed her the pass as she nodded and handed him two packs of paper. Nico made his way to me and handed me one pack.

"This is today's assignment," he whispered to me before going and sitting down a few seats up. I took out a pencil and started to complete the not-so-complex mathematical equations. It was sort of a review but also about specific skills you were already expected to know by this point. After awhile, quite a few students stood up, having finished, and turned their assignments in.

Ms. Athena stood up. "If you finish before the bell rings, you may leave. For those of you left, there are 20 minutes remaining. You can get help from a friend if you have any questions at all but make sure to know how to complete problems like these on your own by the end of the week." The class broke out in shushed murmuring as people turned to talk to their friends. I had already finished though and went up to turn it in. Ms. Athena looked at me, her piercing gaze was analytical. I met her gaze, noticing her gray eyes, before walking back to retrieve my things. I passed by Nico and saw him struggling with a problem.

I knelt down beside him. "Hey, want me to help you?" He looked at me, surprised, and smiled.

"Please!" I chuckled and grabbed my pencil.

"This is where you made your mistake." He looked where I pointed and redid the equation. "Yes, that's correct, now that you have that part, you can do this part." The last twenty minutes of class went by quickly as I helped Nico whenever he got into a problem he wasn't very familiar with. I had the strangest feeling of accomplishment at being able to help him out. Was this what friends were? It was a nice feeling.

After Nico had finished and turned it in, he came back and looked at me. "Wanna hang out during lunch with me? I'll introduce you to my friends." I had grabbed my bag and personal things before looking back at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Really?" I hadn't expected that. To be honest, when I had woken up at the infirmary to find out that Nico had stood up for me, I had the strangest feeling towards him. It was unlike anything I had felt before except for the time when I had bonded with those other foster kids years ago. Nico actually evoked emotions in me that were rather foreign and I liked that. Perhaps that is what actually gave me the real reason to allow him to get close to me. But if I let down all my barriers around him, what would stop him from ever hurting me?

Before that train of thought progressed any further, I was brought out of it by Nico calling my name. "Shiro? You look so out of it," he chuckled.

"Oh, sorry, I was thinking. Sure Nico, I'll hang with you during lunch. My next class is AP World History with Mr. Brunner. Where do you want me to meet up with you after that?"

He shook his head. "I'll meet you there. Anyway, let's get going before we're late." I nodded and we parted ways outside Ms. Athena's room. My next class went by rather quickly. Chiron, as he preferred to be called, was a really interesting teacher, a bit eccentric with his collection of ancient Greek artifacts and whatnot, but interesting nonetheless.

I kept thinking about Nico the whole time. Would it be so bad to let him in? After years of being alone? He was the first person to every try and befriend me. I smiled softly at the thought of him. Perhaps this year really would be different after all.