Purotekuta

CHAPTER SIX

"What can I do for you?" The professor sitting behind the desks asks my grumpily.
          I look down at Akio, his hand shaking in mine. His head is bowed, wings drooping low. I can smell blood coming from him, the gash on his face still bleeding. He looks terrified, but this is the only way that I can keep him safe. I'll apologize to him later.
          "I was wondering if you could place Akio in all the same classes and dorm with me." I tell him politely.
          The teacher behind the desk looks tired and worn down. I know him. He is the teleport protector, Kaze.         
          He looks down at his papers and sighs, closing his eyes.
          "Sorry, kid. There's nothing I can do for you. It's protocol that we don't change up the dorm rooms and classes after they've already been decided." He replies to me, his voice monotone.
          Akio is trembling against me, and I look down at him. I look back up at Mr. Kaze, a sincere look in my eyes.
          I bow, raising my ears in respect. God, my wings hurt so bad. I have to get to an open area quickly.
          "Please, Mr. Kaze. Akio is terrified of anybody else except for me, and I fear that if I am not there to help him through this his grades and scores will not accurately represent his skills and abilities, therefore causing him to fail in Mamoru High for no reason except for fear that could have been resolved easily." I state to him.
          Mr. Kaze looks at me, seemingly unfazed by my explanation. "When I found Akio, he was crying against a wall, alone in a corner. When he finally spoke to me, his voice sounded like he hadn't talked for a long time. Please, Mr. Kaze. I am begging you to let him be with me."
          He stares at me, long and unfazed. He is searching my eyes for some sign of a lie but finds nothing.
          "Fine. I will try my best to put you both in the same classes and dorm." He agrees reluctantly.
          Akio's trembling doesn't stop, but I can sense that he feels my happiness and relief, because his breathing is slowing down to normal.
          I raise my ears, and bow my head in respect.
          "Thank you so much, sir! It is greatly appreciated by both me and Akio!" I look back up at Mr. Kaze, a smile on my face.
          "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just don't screw this up, or I will revoke this privilege," he growls, turning his gaze away from me.
          The smile fades from my face, but the happiness swirling inside of me doesn't waver.
          "Understood, sir."
          "Good, now go back to the benches, or wherever it is you came from."
          "Yes, sir." I lead Akio away from the front desk, and he slowly stops trembling as hard. I only now noticed the scratches covering his small hands, but I don't say anything. I don't need to make him feel worse.

"Attention all examinees!" The announcer from before exclaims. "It is time to go back to your homes! All of you that made it into Mamoru High, congratulations! We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow! Have a great rest of your day and get a good night's rest! We will be assigning you your dorms tomorrow at the front of the school once you arrive. All further details will be given to you in your homeroom classes tomorrow! Bye for now!"
          It is finally time to go home from the exam, and it is only then that I realize we have a problem. Akio has to go home, too. I wonder if Father would let him come home with us. I highly doubt that though. Father is strict, and I would also have to get the consent of Akio's guardian as well.
          Akio must have the same realization, because he looks up at me, his eyes watering. I had just finished patching up Akio's eye not too long ago, but the blood was already starting to soak through to the other side.
          I offered to take him to the nurse, but he clung to my arm while shaking his head, so that clearly wasn't an option.
          I ended up getting some bandages and patching him up myself, though it's not the neatest.
          "Hajime!" A voice bellows across the crowd.
          I look over and see my father looming in the doorway. Just on time, as always. I am hesitant to bring Akio over to Father, but if I don't do it, there is no chance that he is going to be able to spend the night at my house, even if the chance was small in the first place.
          "Hey, Akio. Do you see that man over there?" I ask him in a soft voice. "That's my father, do you think that you can come over there with me to meet him? It's the only way that I can try and convince my father to let you stay with us. Can you do that for me?" He looks over my shoulder at Father, clearly terrified of him. Who isn't terrified of him? Even I'm terrified of him, even if it's just a little.
          He looks back at me, his eyes wide, but he nods, sliding his hand into mine and squeezing hard. I squeeze back, and stand up.
          We start walking over to Father as another man comes up behind him, searching the crowd.
          I can see Father's face harden, his features tightening. He glares at the man standing next to him, the man doing the same.
          Akio stops moving.
          As I look back, I can see him standing there frozen in fear, staring at the man that just came up next to Father.
          The tears in his eyes are on the verge of falling down his face, but it almost looks like he is trying his hardest to hold them back. Is that Akio's Father?
          "Hey, Akio? Is everything alright?" Akio slightly shifts his gaze to face me, his eyes leaving the man, shaking his head at me.
          "That's your father, correct?" Akio nods his head, the tears in his eyes threatening to overflow.
          "Hajime..." He croaks, his voice filled with fear.
          "Hey, Akio. It's alright. I'm here now, remember? I won't let him hurt you." I whisper to him, wiping away the tears in his eyes with my thumb.
          His head leans into my hand as his hand slides back into mine. "We can do this, alright?" I have a funny feeling that this is going to boost my odds of getting Akio to stay with me for the night. Father will do it just to spite that other man.
          "You ready Akio?" He nods, a slight gleam in his eye.
          Akio is only a few centimeters shorter than me, but he still has to look up at me. We stand up from the ground, and start walking.

I walk up to Father, Akio in tow. He is hiding behind me, gripping my hand hard.
          Father looks down at him skeptically.
          I can tell by his eyes that he doesn't approve. He must have seen something in Akio, because he shifts his gaze to look at the man standing next to him, also staring at Akio, and his expression changes from skeptical to knowing and approving.
          "Father, I was wondering if you could allow Akio to stay the night at our house. He has injuries all over him, and is refusing to go to the nurse, and won't let anybody else treat his wounds." I ask him, my voice monotone.
          The aura around Father changes completely; it's an aura I've never felt around Father. The aura feels almost happy, or glad.
          "I suppose so. I didn't have any training planned for tonight. You must approve it with Akio's Father, though. He should be somewhere around here."
          "I'm right here," a voice growls. I expected a voice like Father's to come from Akio's Father, but I wasn't expecting him to be so deep or stern.
          His voice seemed like it always carries a growl in it, making it menacing.
          Father turns to Akio's Father and looks him dead in the eye with a look that doesn't have room for any defiance, his ears tilted to the sides, tail swishing behind him.
          "Hey, Shinu. Long time no see. Do you think that Akio could stay with us for today? Hajime isn't going to let it go until he gets what he wants, and I don't feel like dealing with that right now. So, let's make this easy, shall we?" Father growls back at Shinu.
          Akio is trembling hard behind me, his hand shaking in mine. Akio's father has a serious face pasted on that doesn't waver, but I can smell the fear inside of him.
          "Of course, Tero. Akio can stay with you and your son tonight. I wouldn't mind." Despite Akio's father agreeing, the growls in his voice is still there.
          I can feel Akio relax against my back, his forehead resting in the middle of my back, loosening his grip on my hand.
          I panic, not wanting him to feel my wings. I quickly wrap them around my body, careful not to let Akio feel them.
          They're stiff from lack of use, even though I flew not too long ago.
          "Thank you, Shinu. It is much appreciated." Father says, bowing his head as I breathe a quiet sigh of relief.