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Throwing Stones
Chapter Thirteen: The Chosen Mascot
Touya watched as a woman braced her arms around Tenko in a tight hug. Her expression was tearful as she held him. Tenko virtually melted into her arms as he leaned his forehead against her shoulder. A younger girl moved in and braced her arms around them both, her eyes just as watery as their mother's.
A part of him wondered if his own mother could ever feel such relief at seeing him. He has no delusions about any of his siblings thinking of him at all.
He lifted his hand and trailed the tips of his fingers along the jagged edge of his jawline.
Considering his new appearance, he sincerely doubted it.
His mother had been sent to Fujitani hospital several months before his accident at Sekoto Peak. She'd heard about what'd happened to him but other than that, he'd never heard from her or seen her again. By this point in his life, she was just a vague memory of his past. He doubted she'd even be able to look at him the way he was now.
Touya watched as Hawks led Tenko and his family into the library.
He glanced down at the letter in his own hands.
He doubted that Shouto even wanted to hear from him at this point. His father had always considered him a failure and now his siblings must think of him as a monster. Still, if he could at least make one change then this would be it. He was t self-centered enough to think that he'd been the only one to suffer in that house. Shouto bore just as much of that burden as he did. As an older brother who'd shared the same fate as him, this was the least that he could do.
Touya tucked the letter into his pocket. He'd have to wait until either Kagome or Aizawa turned up. There'd be no point in putting the letter in an envelope as they would need to read through its contents first before they sent it to Shouto—assuming that Aizawa would even give it to the boy. He might just burn it if left to his devices.
His brows furrowed at the thought.
He made his way out of the building and into the main courtyard of the shrine. They were allowed to wander outside so long as they didn't try to leave the shrine grounds while they were at the dorm. The monitors on their ankles would send out an alert if they were a certain distance away and they would immediately be sent back to prison, regardless of their excuses.
It was a nuisance but at least he could get some sunlight this way.
Touya paused as he heard the faint sound of a cat's weak cry.
He tried to determine its location but the underbrush was so thick that he couldn't find it. He pushed back the vines and greenery until he came upon a tiny kitten. Its black fur was matted and rough. On top of that it was too skinny to be healthy. Gently, Touya reached down and collected the tiny feline into his arms. It gave a tiny hiss of displeasure and fear. It took a swipe at his hand but he held still, allowing the kitten a chance to calm down.
He took to his feet once the feline stopped trying to shred his arms in its panic, it still yowled and hissed at him but it seemed to have given up on the possibility of escape.
"You're good." He spoke to the small creature, "Let's find you some food."
Touya strolled back into the dorm.
He was already aware of the fact that they didn't have any cat food. What's more, he had no damn clue what was even safe for cats to eat. He'd seen shows depict cats drinking milk all the time though.
Before he could even figure out what to do, Tenko and his family emerged from the library. The younger girl held a plate of ohagi in her hands. He hadn't noticed it earlier but perhaps they'd kept it stored away until now.
The creature in his arms wriggled with all of its might. He blinked as it'd managed to escape and made a beeline for the treats. To the girl's credit, she'd managed to set the tray down without dropping it even after the cat scaled up her leg and back in order to attack the treats.
Touya plucked the kitten up. It held onto an ohagi with all of its might. Its emerald eyes narrowed at him sharply as it dug both its teeth and claws into the treat.
"Guess we know what to name you now," Touya grinned as it devoured the food in an instant. "Hungry little shit, aren't you?"
Hawks approached them, "What is this?"
The other man's eyes thinned at him as he took in the site of the stray cat squirming in his grip as it tried to devour more of the food Tenko's family brought along.
"It's a gremlin named Ohagi," Touya smirked at him. "Think we could make him our mascot?"
He didn't really expect the bird to agree. They hadn't the time or the resources to care for a cat in this setting.
"Actually," Hawks cupped his chin thoughtfully, "Kagome might be okay with that. Having a creature to look after would be good practice for personal responsibility."
Touya felt his brow twitch in irritation.
What were they, kids? He already knew how to take care of himself. It was just caring for another living being that he was concerned about.
Tenko crouched next to him to look at the feline. It hissed and spat, throwing open-clawed paws in his general direction.
"Watch out," Touya grinned at the other man. "Looks like he's a verified attack cat."
That got a laugh from Tenko as they tried to consider what to do with the creature for the time being. They would need food, bowls, toys, a litter box and many other things to keep it happy.
Touya lifted Ohagi into his arms and held the cat securely. It gave a low growl of displeasure but no longer sought to turn his arm into its personal scratching post.
"So we're keeping him?" He glanced up at the bird.
Hawks shrugged his shoulders, "Ask the boss when she gets back."
Touya's lips curled up into a grin.
That he would.
The hours passed by slowly for all of them. He and the rest of the group took turns in holding Ohagi and trying to form a bond with the feline. So far he had the most luck in that he could pick the creature up without getting attacked. Everyone else currently bore the scars of battle on their arms, legs and even faces from where Ohagi had struck. Still, the cat wasn't too fond of him either. It'd be more accurate to say that he just tolerated him.
Kenji had attempted—and failed—to put the kitten into cute outfits. However for all of their attempts, they'd received three times as many scratches. Himiko wasn't much better off. Her overly enthusiastic approach had left her face covered in scratches. It didn't hamper her wide grin though. Shuichi and Tenko hadn't tried to push Ohagi's boundaries and instead focused on allowing the cat to come to them. Meanwhile Atsuhiro had rolled a few balls around to give the cat a chance to play. Jin on the other hand, well, Ohagi would simply yowl at him before running in the opposite direction.
They heard the familiar rumble of the bus' approach.
In an instant everyone was off of the couch and rushing for the door. It was close to 10pm and well past dinner, but she still kept her promise to arrive before midnight.
Touya held a fussy Ohagi in his arms as he crowded by the front door with the rest of the group.
He watched as Aizawa disembarked first and offered his hand to Kagome.
Almost instantly, Touya realized that something was wrong. Her body seemed to lean more than usual and her expression carried with it the faint hint of pain. As if she were struggling to hold herself upright.
Hawks hadn't missed her body language either. His shoulders immediately stiffened as they waited for the two to arrive.
"Kagome!" Himiko flung herself at the older woman once she passed through the threshold of their dorm. "We got a kitten!"
A look of confusion crossed her features.
Touya stepped forward, "You guys head upstairs. I'll fill her in."
Himiko clung onto Kagome's arm all the tighter as she scowled at him.
"She's exhausted," Touya spoke in a commanding tone. "Give the woman a break. I'll fill her in so you guys don't overwhelm her."
He lifted one arm and gave a shooing motion, "Off, away with you."
The group sulked but ultimately did as he requested.
By now both Aizawa and Hawks were staring at him incredulously.
"Here," Touya passed the kitten into her awaiting arms. Unlike with the rest of them, Ohagi immediately began purring in delight as he curled up in a tiny ball. "We found this little gremlin half starved earlier. We decided to name him Ohagi. Think we could get him some supplies later?"
He didn't miss the way Aizawa had clocked in on the cat, the man's eyes lighting up as he gently scratched it beneath its chin. Ohagi's putting grew louder yet as it shot him a condescending look.
Little shit.
Touya's lips curled into a smirk, "We think he'd be a good mascot."
Kagome's features softened as she combed her hands through the feline's fur.
"Oh all right, I still have some supplies in the house that we can use for tonight." She then turned towards him, "We'll keep him."
Touya trailed the tip of his index finger across her forehead, sweeping aside the bangs that were resting over her eyes.
"Get some sleep. You looked stressed to the bone." He lowered his hand, catching the faint glow of scarlet from Aizawa's gaze.
Kagome spoke nothing.
She simply nodded as she headed towards the door with Ohagi huddled in her arms, perfectly content.
He had to admit that he was a tiny bit jealous of the cat.
"Eraser," Touya called to the other hero once Kagome was out of sight. "My kid brother is in your class, right?"
Aizawa's expression immediately hardened. Before he could say anything, he passed the letter into the man's awaiting hands.
"I'd appreciate it if you'd be willing to give that to him. I know you gotta read it first which is why I didn't seal it." Touya turned on the ball of his heel, "That's all I wanted to say."
With that he strolled towards the elevator without waiting to hear Aizawa's response. He supposed that he might never know if the man ever gave Shouto his letter, but at least he could say that he tried.
Touya closed his eyes as he hit the button for the second floor.
Right now, just trying was all that mattered. He'd figure out the rest later.
