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Of Butterfly Wings

Chapter Two: Feral

Kagome twisted in her seat. From their vantage point, it was difficult to see their new principal. He appeared as a tiny fluff of fur atop of a podium. The students around her kept whispering amongst themselves. She caught tidbits about how cute and adorable U.A.'s principal was. Then in the next breath their tones would shift into a scathing sneer.

She turned her gaze towards the boy beside her.

Touya's lips were set into a thin line. His eyes narrowed into sharp slits as he shifted back in his seat, glowering at everyone around them.

She could understand his frustration. He didn't apply here to be mocked and insulted by their peers. Just because he had a life-altering injury, that didn't mean that everyone else had the right to demean him.

Kagome nudged his arm with her elbow. She saw the faint twitch of his brow, yet he refused to look her way.

"Touya-kun," She tried getting his attention once more. "Want to have lunch together?"

That time his head turned towards her with lightning speed. An incredulous look was plastered across his expression and his eyes thinned at her suspiciously.

"Why the hell would I do that?" He kept his tone low in an effort to keep the teachers from overhearing their conversation.

"Because it's boring to eat alone and I think you're a fun person to talk to." She grinned as a stunned look crossed his features—as if he never once considered himself to be pleasant company.

"We only just met. You don't know anything about me at all. So it's not possible for you to say that I'm fun to talk to." His lip curled into a half sneer. "I'm not some damn charity case."

She was starting to get a better idea of the experiences he'd had with other people. It's only natural that Touya would be wary towards strangers that were unusually nice to him.

Her smile softened, "So? You were nice enough to help me earlier even though I ran into you and you let me drag you all the way here when you could've just walked away."

Kagome tugged on the cloth of his sleeve. If he was adverse to physical contact then she would just move within his comfort zone and allow him to choose how much contact he wanted with her.

She continued, "I think you're a kind person. Even if you don't want to admit it yourself." She held onto his sleeve, "That's why I want to talk to you and get to know you. I'd like to try being friends."

She didn't miss the subtle widening of his eyes nor the slight opening of his mouth. It were as if her words had completely blindsided him.

"Friends?" He said the word like it were some sort of foreign concept that he'd heard of but never thought would apply to him.

It made her own heart twinge a little at the thought.

How often had he been scorned that the very thought that someone reaching out to him was never something he'd considered possible?

Touya's gaze hardened as he pulled his sleeve from her grip.

"You're nuts."

Kagome lips curved into a smile, "So I've been told a few times before." That time she did not reach for him. It was clear that he was at his limit for the day, so it'd be better if she simply gave him the space he wanted. "But I wasn't lying when I said that I want to try being friends."

He shifted in his seat slowly, turning his eyes down towards the podium below.

It was evident that he wasn't going to give her an answer, so it was easier to simply let the subject drop.

Kagome listened as the teachers droned on for nearly an hour before the first bell rang—indicating that it was time for them to head to their home room for the first time.

Touya roughly stood up and pushed his way into the crowd. She didn't miss how students would jerk to the side to avoid touching him. Others yet wore unmasked expressions of disgust and revulsion when they spotted him.

It was ironic.

She was certain that if Touya hadn't had those scars, then he would easily be one of the most attractive guys in the school. The people gawking at him now wouldn't be able to tear their eyes away from him if they could see him without those burns.

His eyes were the first thing that stood out about him but he also had a well defined jawline and surprisingly strong build. She'd honestly thought she'd run into a wall when she accidentally bumped into him earlier. Then when she'd finally laid eyes on him, she easily found him to be the most handsome man she'd ever met. Most people would find his condition to be disgusting. Yet all she saw was a young man that possessed both confidence and a healthy dose of aggression. His glare had sent a chill down her spine but the second he'd crouched beside her, she knew that he was different. He was kind but in a gruff kind of way. It made her wonder what exactly happened to him, but that wasn't a topic she wanted to broach. Especially considering that they'd only just met.

Scars or no scars, there was something about his devil-may-care attitude that was appealing in its own right. Although judging by how he reacted to her offer of friendship, he'd just call her nuts or tell her that she had terrible taste in men if he ever found out her true thoughts on his appearance.

Kagome clapped her palms to her cheeks, knocking herself out of her reverie. She paid no mind to the bystanders staring at her as if she'd just sprouted a second head from her neck.

"Now isn't the time to mess around!" She gathered up her belongings and followed the masses towards her assigned homeroom.

U.A. itself was separated by four different courses. The Hero Course, the General Studies Course, the Support Course and finally the Business Course. Each course had its own pillar in the iconic square formation of the school. Naturally the Hero Course students had access to other facilities during their hero training while the rest of them were mostly limited to the main building save for the Support Course, who had their own dedicated lab.

It was easy to tell where her class would be based on the school's formation. First years were assigned to the first floor of each building and the letter class they were assigned to corresponded with how they scored in their entrance exam. Honestly acing the regular entrance exam for U.A. had been exceptionally easy. Studying was virtually second nature to her and it came as no surprise when she'd gotten accepted.

Her gaze tipped towards the Hero Course's building.

It was funny but she never once wanted to apply to this school. She never had much interest in heroes or the fields surrounding their work. Yet she still found herself being shoved down the narrow path set before her.

Perhaps that was another reason she felt a slight connection when she'd run into Touya earlier. There was something about his expression that made her want to reach out to him. The way he looked at the Hero Course's pillar made her chest feel heavy.

Kagome passed through the threshold to Class 1-C and found her seat. It was second to last in the first row, placing her squarely next to the wide-paned window. She took stock of the familiar face in the seat behind her own and a smile spread across her lips.

"Well looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of each other."

Touya hunched his shoulders and slunk down into his seat. The displeased twinge in his expression said everything that she needed to know.

Kagome set her bag down as she slipped into her desk.

"Of course it'd be you." She heard him grouse.

Kagome turned to offer him a wide grin, "Hey I wasn't planning on bugging you during class. I have to focus on my grades here. Give me some credit."

She had to admit that his sulky expression reminded her of a feral cat. With his back hunched, eyes narrowed and sharp wit—he perfectly replicated an angry feline being approached by a human for the first time. Not that she'd tell him that.

It'd be best if she didn't pester him. She asked once if he wanted to be friends and she wasn't going to push it. Annoying him half to death would just drive him into a corner.

Kagome faced forward in her seat. She pulled her textbook from her bag and began reading through the material she knew they would be covering this week.

The faint scraping of the chair behind her told her that Touya had finally re-situated himself in his seat, perhaps feeling more comfortable now that her attention wasn't on him directly.

"Hey Touya-kun," Kagome spoke low so that only he could hear her. "Let's have fun this year."

All was silent save for the sporadic conversations happening around them. Then came a sharp snort.

"Whatever you say."

Her lips pulled into a smile.

She sure hoped so.