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Of Butterfly Wings

Chapter Twenty-Four: Rage

Kagome watched as Touya made his way onto the concrete platform. The forest from before had been replaced by a square arena. It was lifted several feet and a solid white line was painted around the edges.

"For the first match we have two of our strongest contestants!" Midnight began her commentary, "First up is Omoikiri Inuyasha!"

Her ex's face was displayed across the screen. Golden eyes were set into a deep scowl as he could be seen muttering curses beneath his breath.

"He hasn't had a chance to stand out much this round but he's a top contender in the hero course's class A!" Midnight's description of him made his brows dip even further as she could now hear the curses being thrown around without the additional help of their microphones. "He's the second and youngest son of the number five hero, the Silver General. Will he be able to keep his family's legacy alive or will there be a new dark horse in this festival?"

The crowd's cheer suddenly grew to a piercing roar. Flames blasted from the posts arranged on each corner of the concrete platform, signaling her boyfriend's arrival.

"You've got this, Touya!" Kagome cheered for him as loud as her voice could go. She didn't think he'd be able hear her over the roaring of the crowd, but his gaze settled on her as he flashed her a confident smirk.

Her face flamed in response.

She didn't miss the way the cameras zoomed in on her reaction nor did she miss the enthusiastic cheering from the stands.

How had they amassed thousands of fans in the span of a few hours? Honestly it was enough to make her head spin.

"Second but certainly not least is Todoroki Touya!" Midnight's announcement carried with it a slight squeal of excitement. Was it just her, or was their teacher entirely too enthused about their relationship? The older woman continued, "He's shown us time and time again that he's not to be counted out! Clearly the standout and favorite to win this festival, he's willing to do anything to express his love for his girlfriend. Even take home the win!"

Touya's face suddenly turned several shades darker. He shouted something at Midnight but the microphones failed to pick it up with all the cheering drowning out every other sound.

"Let's have a nice and fair fight boys!" Midnight raised her arm in the air, "Begin!"

In an instant a wave of azure flames encompassed the entire arena. Kagome held her hands over her face in a vague attempt at blocking the heat.

She watched as Touya blasted forward. He'd shielded his body with a thin layer of ice as he dove at his opponent.

Inuyasha barely had time to dodge. He leapt into the air where Touya chased after him. No words were spoken between the two, yet all she could feel was the blazing heat of Touya's rage.

The crowd stood to their feet when Touya landed the first punch, sending Inuyasha careening to the ground in a ball of azure flames. He didn't stop there either. He dove down, planting his feet firmly in the other teen's stomach and hitting him with another wall of flames.

Kagome pressed her palms over her eyes.

She really disliked Inuyasha but she also didn't want to see Touya lose himself to his anger. Was he doing this because Kikyou had thrown him over for Inuyasha, or was it because of what Inuyasha had done to her? There was a part of her that was afraid to find out.

"Touya!" Kagome tried calling out to him, but the vicious cheers of the crowd completely drowned her out.

He stomped his foot into Inuyasha's chest once more.

The other teen struggled to catch his breath but Touya delivered a powerful kick to his ribs, sending him flying across the arena and doused in azure flames. Inuyasha stopped just short of the painted white line. His golden eyes narrowed at Touya's form.

Although the distance was far, she could read the words forming upon Inuyasha's lips.

She's not yours.

A tendril of ice ran down Kagome's spine. What exactly did he mean by that?

That time Touya slammed his heel against Inuyasha's temple, pressing his face against the concrete and refusing to let him up. The fire that erupted afterwards flared out, nearly burning the crowd along with his opponent.

"Touya!" Kagome cried out again.

He couldn't hear her.

He was so blinded by his rage that he couldn't hear anything.

She had to get there.

She had to get to Touya!

Kagome thought nothing about the rules and regulations regarding non-contestants entering the ring. She hardly cared about that at the moment. The only thing she knew was that Touya was going too far. Any more and he'd risk expulsion. There was only so much damage that he could inflict in a fight before both the crowd and the staff would turn against him.

Kagome vaulted herself over the railing, taking care to land on the soft grass below. She could hear the heaviness in Touya's blows the closer she got to the platform.

"Todoroki!" Midnight tried to intervene, "Your opponent is KO'd. Stop the match!"

The faculty remained focused on Touya's rage.

She had no idea what so of context Inuyasha had used leading up to his comment earlier, but whatever the case may be, he'd infuriated him so much that he was now blind to everything else around him.

Kagome dove through the remaining flames licking at the side of the platform. The edges of the concrete were beginning to melt and her own skin started to burn. She couldn't stay like this for long. She would have to get his attention quickly.

Kagome thought nothing as she ran up behind Touya. Wordlessly, she wrapped her arms around his middle and hugged his back with all of her worth.

"It's okay," She tried to soothe him. "The fight's over now. You've won."

The fire that surrounded his body began to fade away.

"It's over now." Kagome assured him, pressing her forehead against the space between his shoulder blades.

Touya turned within her grasp. He curled his arms around her as he pulled her flush against himself.

"You shouldn't be here." His voice trembled when he spoke, "It's too dangerous. You'll get burned."

Kagome took his face within her hands and forced him to look her in the eye, "Dangerous or not, I needed to be here." Her smile softened, "You promised to win, not get expelled. So try to hold that temper in check. It'd be hard for us to see each other if you get kicked out."

She watched as Touya's lips gradually curled upward into a small smile.

"You're still a reckless idiot." He took her wrists within his hands as he began checking her over for injuries. "You didn't get burned, right? That was a lot of fire you just ran through."

He pulled at her arm gently, sliding the sleeves back to ensure that there were no burns or marred flesh.

"I'm perfectly fine." Kagome smiled up at him once more. "But if you really want to do me a favor, then lean down real quick."

Touya did as she requested without complaint. Kagome curled her arms around his neck as she pressed her lips against his own. She hardly paid the crowd any mind. The only thing she could focus on was the feeling of his arms around her waist and the beating of her heart within her ears.

He drew back just long enough to rest his forehead against her own.

"Sorry," He apologized. "I really lost my temper there."

She glanced up at him curiously, "What was that about anyways?"

His face suddenly turned red as he finally took notice of the amount of attention they were receiving from the crowd.

"I'll tell you in a bit."

Kagome cocked her head to the side curiously.

What was that about?

Touya kept his arm wrapped around her waist as he guided her down the platform.

She heard Inuyasha struggle to his feet.

The other teen let out a vicious growl as he called out to Touya.

"Don't get comfortable! Mark my words, it's not going to last!" Inuyasha patted at his clothing, failing to put out the rest of the flames still burning his clothing.

Kagome threw him a sharp look, "You can save the tough guy act for when you actually win. Losers don't have any right to talk big."

Touya's arm tightened around her waist as he guided her back to the stands.

Whatever happened in that fight between them, she wanted both Touya and Inuyasha to know where her loyalty lied.

They made their way into the stadium's ground floor hallway system. It was being used for the contestants to enter and leave the arena without interference. The second they were out of view of the cameras and the crowd, Touya pulled her against him completely. He spoke nothing as he slanted his mouth against hers possessively.

Kagome closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around his neck in the process.

Come what may, she knew that she would never regret choosing Touya.