"Kyo, Room 2B!"
These words came from Goda Ota as Kyo was acting as goalie for the just put together soccer match.
Without hesitation, Kyo ran to that room. He didn't look to find the room, he didn't ask his friend why, he didn't even pause to think anything at all.
No, instead, Kyo trusted his friend, as though it was his own instinct and ran from the outside field to that classroom.
Run isn't the right term.
If Koda was a fast runner, and Hiro seemed more like a blur.
Then Kyoyota Arianagi vanished.
There one second and gone the next.
Some people are a fish in the water, Kyo is a roadrunner on land.
He has always been a good runner, a natural, who was further cultivated by athletic friends like Hiro and Goda.
Kyo might have lacked technique or actual skill, but running came as easy to him as breathing.
The downside is that he hates running, but this time, he knew something was wrong.
It is hard to gauge the distance from the outside soccer field to the second floor middle of the hall classroom, but it was by no means a short distance. The average student would take about three minutes if they were to walk the distance.
Kyo made the distance in thirty seconds.
His lungs were burning, his legs hurt, but he persisted through the pain for thirty seconds, and made it in front of the door. As quickly as he was running he threw the door open.
He quickly saw Zuko looming over Yuuki in the corner of the classroom, she looked scared.
Kyo ran over and jumped a desk to land in between Zuko and Yuuki.
Kyo was exhausted and out of breath, so his words were heavy, slow, and filled with rage.
"What were you doing to Yuuki!?"
"Get out of here kid, this is a conversation between adults." Zuko said, obviously surprised that someone came barging in, but not backing down from his current position.
"Yuuki, what happened?" Kyo asked, leaving his eyes narrowed on Zuko.
"H-he suddenly came onto me, and -."
"Lies! She approached me! She asked to speak with me! Hanami likes me!" Zuko yelled, interjecting Yuuki's explanation. This just made Kyo even more mad.
"I get the gist of it," Kyo said, letting out a deep exhale. "Yuuki, I need you to leave the room and grab a teacher." Kyo's voice was now lighter, made to be more reassuring.
"I won't let you!" Zuko said lunging past Kyo, but Kyo intercepted and yelled "now!"
Yuuki got up, her legs were weak, and quickly left the room.
Kyo, having been grabbed, stared daggers at the upperclassman,"Zuko, this is your last warning."
"Or what? I'm gonna beat your ass!" Zuko then took his other arm and punched Kyo square in the cheek, but Kyo was unphased.
Kyo tackled Zuko to the ground, after a quick exchange of arms grabbing the other, Kyo won and got on top of Zuko.
Kyoyota Arianagi, the student council treasurer, the kid who graduated second place in his middle school, the kid who got into a prestigious high school, was now beating an upper classman in self defence.
BAM "that one was for grabbing me."
BAM "that one is for hitting me."
BAM "that one is for making Yuuki scared."
Three punches. Three hard hits to Zuko's face. As hard as an athletic fifteen year old can punch. Enough force to cause Zuko to have a bloody nose. Zuko looked like he was done, his body limp, arms laid out.
After a breath, Kyo started to get off of Zuko.
The instant Kyo's body was slightly off balance with his feet not fully cemented on the ground, Zuko grabbed Kyo's face and bashed it on the corner of a desk.
SLAM
Kyo fell back.
Blood fell out of the side of his head.
His vision was blurry.
Zuko got up slowly and then started to kick and stomp on Kyo repeatedly.
"Take that" BAM "and that" SLAM "and that," WHAM then three kicks back to back, "you filthy, stupid, reclusive bastard."
Zuko was out of breath. It took energy to kick his opponent. Kyo, although having taken the one major injury, entered into the fetal position and was protecting himself.
Just when Zuko was going in for another kick, a white figure stood at the door, "Zuko, back off!" This booming voice with so much authority that Zuko froze in place was done by Gara Nyuta the gray haired, white button-up advisor of the student council.
"He started it, he attacked me first." Zuko was quick to point fingers thinking it would get him out of trouble.
"President Hanami told me everything, come with me."
"Tch, yeah, well what if I just don't go with you? You're a teacher, you can't lay a hand on me."
Mr. Nyuta looked at the boy with the eyes of a killer. Cold, narrowed, serious, unamused eyes. "I would choose to protect one of my students' more than I care about my position as a high school teacher."
Zuko was shocked, then Nyuta walked into the room, the atmosphere grew more intense, he grabbed Zuko forcibly by the arm. Not in a painful way, but enough to yank him away from Kyo. Zuko's eyes showed only fear.
"President Hanami, please take Mr. Arianagi to the nurses office, I will visit there shortly, if the injury is more serious than it looks, call an ambulance."
Yuuki, who was obviously still in shock over the situation, nodded, and helped Kyo off the ground.
"Please don't tell my family what happened here. Please Mr. Nyuta." Kyo said this in a straight yet out of breath voice.
Although Kyo could not see it, Mr. Nyuta's face soured when he heard Kyo's plea. The fact that Kyo, a fifteen year old student, was more worried about his family's reaction than his own well-being pained him. Forcing himself to not speak in a cruel tone, "We will talk about your situation when I am done with Zuko."
Mr. Nyuta started to walk away again.
"Mr. Nyuta, I need your word that you won't contact my family first."
Nyuta grimaced once again, "I won't."
Kyo sighed a breath. Mr. Nyuta walked off with Zuko. Yuuki linked arms with Kyo and guided him to the nurses office. When they arrived and entered the room, Kyo took a seat on one of the beds.
Yuuki grabbed a cotton swab and some rubbing alcohol to clean Kyo's cut that has now made him bleed down to his neck.
"Ow."
"I'm sorry."
"You're fine, it just hurts more than I thought."
"I'm sorry."
"You are ok Yuuki, thank you for taking care of me."
"I'm sorry … I am so sorry." Yuuki apologized over and over again, tears streaming down her face. She wanted to ask how Kyo knew she was in danger. She wanted to ask why he rescued her. All she could muster was those two words, "I'm sorry."
When Kyo finally realized that she wasn't apologizing over the pain from his wound being healed, he just said, "I am glad you are safe," with a soft smile.
That soft smile with the final bit of the sunset peering down on them was enough for her heart to skip a beat. She fell into Kyo's arms, a hug as tight as her weakened state could allow.
When Kyo felt her body for the first time, he thought to himself, she is so frail.
As Yuuki felt Kyo's body for the first time, she blurted out
"I like you."