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1. At the beginning
Everyone was born with a pair of wings. Bird wings with colorful feathers at first, then shaped by their experiences. As their owner aged, some changed color, some gained or lost a few feathers, some gained another pair or became just crooked bones, some freely being paraded whilst some tucked under clothing. Everyone was born with one, no exception.
The same could be said for one Sakura Haruka. Born in spring, wailing loudly, he should have been greeted with joy. He should have brought smiles to those around him. His name should have been uttered adoringly by his parents.
Instead, the premature baby was saved from his dying mother's womb as the only living survivor of a car crash that took away both his parents that day. His parents can never smile at him. His name was found stitched on a bloodied baby blanket clutched desperately in his mother's hand who was protected in his father's desperate embrace.
His circumstances would normally garner pity from surrounding nurses. However, his hair, eyes, and wings distracted them. For they were not of the same color.
Now, it is normal for people to have hair, eyes, and wings of different colors from each other. This one's, though, differ in color between each other.
His hair, though still sparse, was in inky black and pure white.
His eyes, once he stopped crying and opened them, were in deep grey and twinkling gold.
His wings, hanging limp from his upper back just like every other baby, was in bloody orange and soothing wine.
His whole coloring, except for his skin ("Thank goodness!" A nurse exclaimed, though is it?), was as if someone took a half of two persons and fused them together to create a single being.
Whatever the case, though, the now orphan baby will have to go somewhere (not to mention the bill must also be paid). And fortunately, for the hospital at least, people claiming to be Haruka's paternal grandparents had come and decided to step up to the role.
The first family member to see little Haruka in his incubation crib was his uncle, though.
His uncle, his father's older brother, who took one look at his newly-born nephew and all his colors and decided that this...this abomination of a monster was the one who caused his beloved brother and sister-in-law to die early.
Disregarding the standing nurse, he opened the incubation lid and, quite simply, yanked out the baby's wings till only two gaping holes were left on Haruka's back.
Wails of pain filled the room, accompanied by the sound of wing bones crushed by the man's hands.
The nurses were horrified, doctors and security were called, and Haruka's very first memory was that of pain.
2. The world is unfair
"Why do we have to take him in?"
"What else can we do? Nobody else would take him."
"Of course not, when he looks like that."
'Did you see his hair? So strange.'
"Hey! I told you to dye your hair black and make sure your wings are hidden! You really never listen to others!"
'Did you see his eyes? So creepy.'
"Did you hear? He got into another fight."
"Really? What a nuisance."
"Yeah, he's clearly dangerous."
"Seriously, the worst!"
'Did you see his wings? So ominous.'
"You heard how his uncle rips his wings? He should do it more often, if you ask me, along with shaving all that hair!"
"Yeah. If I were him, I would have killed myself."
'''So gross!'''
"Hey kid! An elementary schooler like you picking fights with us, have any death wish?!"
The 10-year-old stopped, not like he can keep going with how the group of, what he assumed to be, high-schoolers surrounds him like crows. Haruka hasn't even done anything, just limping home from school, even his wings are tucked in and hidden under his oversized shirt. Huh, home? That place is clearly different from the homes his teachers illustrated. At least his 'room', which is just his uncle's dog's house, comes with a fluffy roommate who's warm during rainy and snowy days.
"Those disgusting eyes should just be dug out! Glaring everywhere like you're better than us with that kinda cosplay!"
Okay, admittedly, Haruka does tend to glare while walking. Not his fault that his eyes made him more sensitive to light.
(Haruka refuses to wear sunglasses. Not after his first day of school. And that means people think he's looking down at them.)
(Haruka also refuses to wear any hats. Not after that trip to the hospital. And that means he's more easily singled out.)
"Such a shrimpy dares walk around our town! How old even are you? Five?"
Haruka is small compared to his classmates. Not his fault he's always hungry.
(Still, Haruka refuses to eat vegetables. Not after his cousin forced him to eat a 'salad' of rotten vegetables laced with insecticide. And that means scrapes from school lunch three times a week and hose water are his only sources of nutrition.)
"Ignoring us now!?"
A knee connected with Haruka's temple, and blood quickly seeps out. Snickers and taunts were heard around him, though he refuses to go down. At least not without a fight.
Quick as a cat, Haruka launched his own punch. After that, the fight turns bloody.
Haruka's pretty sure he lands more than enough punches and kicks to down most of the high schoolers. Not without receiving some of his own, though. He's pretty sure his face is bloody, considering his vision keeps getting blocked. From experiences, he can also tell bruises are blooming all over his body, and his ankle might actually break again if this continues.
Then, his remaining enemies do something Haruka never saw nor even thought of before: they spread and fluffed up their wings. The crow imagery became real as their shadows blocked the sun from reaching Haruka.
His defeat that day taught him one old lesson and another important new lesson. One, Haruka realized his body can break and bruise without him feeling any of it. The other? Haruka learnt for the first time that wings can also be a weapon (but not wings as small and fragile as his).
3. Until they come along
Haruka felt completely out of his element ever since he moved to Makochi and attended Fuurin.
He expected a violent town, fit for 'the likes of him' as his uncle phrased.
And while, yes, he encountered violence on his very first day walking down the shopping street, he also met people who aren't...repulsed by his looks nor his demeanor.
The lady (who's the same age as him???) even gave him free food (with no poison!) and treated his injury and...and even, Haruka begrudgingly admitted, offered advices. To him!
His classmates, at the beginning at the very least, reacted within his expectations. Even the blond following him radiated fear, which is familiar to Haruka (not the gratitude he also detected, though, and certainly not the...excitement which even made his butter-colored wings fluttered around).
The eyepatch guy (who made a fool of him by pretending to be a foreigner) really threw a wrench to the class by revealing Haruka's role in the previous day's scuffle. But each and every one of them doesn't pick a fight with him because of his looks. Including the upperclassmen!
The Shishitoren guys, though, are more familiar to Haruka. Seeing the fights where those bullies got pummelled to the ground were good and eye-opening, what with the amount of new techniques he observed. Especially the graceful way eyepatch guy used his double scarlet wings like the limbs of one more person. Fighting him would be fun for sure.
(Even though Haruka begrudgingly admits to himself that his own wings will never be as magnificent).
His own opponent hits hard, as if his pine-colored wings, featherless as they are, helps him launch harder rather than dragging him down.
Haruka won, of course, but he's sure the guy got a glimpse of his own skeleton-like wings when he jumps around during the fight. The guy doesn't say anything, though, not even when they eat together (Bofuurin's leader is another species, Haruka thought, his white and fluffy wings always out and ready to embrace anyone he meets). The guy - no, Togame Jo, Haruka remembered his name now - gave him a look full of gratitude and understanding, though, when they parted ways.
Haruka isn't sure how he should feel about that.
4. Accepting me as theirs
Haruka hates whenever he's down for the count because of sickness or even injury. It's not like he can even feel the pain. He knows the danger of going out and about when he's this sluggish, though, and so, after the fight with KEEL, Haruka opted to stay and sleep at home (and this is his home, better than his previous 'home', no matter what anyone says or doesn’t say).
Not like anyone would realize much less care if he doesn't come to school for a day. So Haruka spread his wings so they can get some wind and help lower his fever before going back to bed.
He's proven wrong a few hours into the afternoon.
He vaguely remembered Nirei called him and that he answered (after battling with his smartphone on how to accept said call). Haruka went back to sleep after, only to be woken up by the creaking of his apartment's stairs followed by the sound of his (his?) front door being opened.
Dragging his heavy body and thankfully light wings (which have oddly begun to grow feathers) out of his futon, he braced for a fight with a burglar but was instead met with Nirei’s bloody scream.
Nirei's shriek after imagining his dead body made Haruka's head rings, enough to make him squeezed his eyes shut and thus unaware of the two's eyes widening when they get a glimpse of his usually perpetually-hidden wings.
“Why…are you guys…” Pathetic, even just walking a few steps made him felt weak to the bones and unable to think clearly.
“W-w-we came to visit you!” That was Nirei, Haruka’s sure of it.
“You seem really sick, Sakura-kun.” And Suou. His vice-captains are really here, in his home, in full-view of his weaknesses.
Haruka is speechless, but apparently Suou isn’t. He ushered Haruka back to his bed and even prompted Nirei to snap out of his stupor.
They show…concern for him. Which Haruka honestly doesn’t know how to react to. Thankfully, no matter how shifty Suou likes to act sometimes, he can read people better than any of them (better than Haruka can read himself, even). The two left not long after, though their attentiveness, his classmates’ care, and even Kotoha’s sympathy left him feeling more confused than ever. And just a tad bit warmer.
5. Even through muddy water
Haruka can feel he’s slipping up. Or was it slipping down?
Everyone trusted him to take on Endo Yamato while their leader would take on Takiishi Chika.
But the longer they fight, the more Haruka felt he’s going to be the one taken in.
It’s his fault Fuurin and Makochi are going to be destroyed. If he only says yes, they will all survive as they have before he came here.
But then…his friends (Is he allowed to call, to think, of them as his friends? His?) are there. After a whole life of not feeling the punches that rained down on him, he can feel his friends’ punches. Not physically, of course, but rather…deeply, in his mind and heart and very soul. He can feel their trust in him, their love for him. And that is enough for Haruka.
He knows he can’t win, Haruka thought as he stood up.
He knows Endo Yamato is stronger than him, Haruka thought as he shed his Fuurin jacket and spread his wings.
He knows this place that has accepted him as he is relied on him, Haruka thought as he gets into position opposite of Endo whose eyes show even more delight and adoration at seeing Haruka’s orange and wine wings.
But he also knows that he will not lose to the man in front of him, Haruka thought as Endo spreads his own midnight black wings and they clash once again.
Endo’s wings are bigger than his. Stronger and sharper too, with muscles rippling underneath each cutting swing.
However, Haruka has more flexible bones and joints from repetitive healing. Using his wings which have grown healthier without his uncle’s interference, Haruka copied how his enemies had used theirs to overpower him and how his allies had used theirs to protect each other.
He might never be able to fly with his wings, but now he knows he has friends who will help him fly together.
And he doesn’t have to win. He just has to not lose.
+1. I am theirs and they are mine
The aftermath of the fight with Noroshi is devastating, but not as much as they thought. Within a few weeks, all that was left as evidence of it was some healing injuries.
The after party was a sounding success, if you ask any of them. Plenty of food and laughter are being spread across the school. And right now, Haruka is surrounded by those closest to him: Suou and Nirei as his vice-captains, of course, along with his classmates like Kiryu and Tsugeura, even some upperclassmen and those he asked for help are there on the rooftop. He even followed Tsubakino’s advice to forgo his summer uniform and simply walks around in his t-shirt.
No one seemed disgusted by his wings, and that feels quite…nice. Even Sugishita simply grunts in greeting.
“Alright, everyone! Gather around and get comfy!” Umemiya’s cheerful voice rang throughout the rooftop. “It’s time for group preening!”
Immediately, cheers were heard from all over the school ground. Everyone seemed to know what their leader meant except for Haruka.
“Sakura-san! Come sit with us!” Nirei’s excited call jolted Haruka from his confusion, as he saw his classmates sitting down on the ground, all with their wings out.
“W-what is this?”
“We’re doing group preening, Sakura-kun,” said Suou kindly. “Come here, we’ll do yours.”
“What…what is group preening?” It embarrassed Haruka not to know something, and having to admit it, but he’s really lost here.
“You mean you’ve never been preened?!”
“Oh my, that won’t do, Sakura-chan.” Even Kiryu’s chosen to sit near them. “Come here and get comfy!”
“U-uhn.”
Meekly, like a baby bird trying to fly for the first time, Haruka sat among his friends and, copying them, spread his wings.
Immediately, Nirei latches to his wine wing whilst Suou took hold of his orange wing, and they began to…smooth the feathers?
“Wow, Sakura-kun, your feathers are so soft.” Suou’s hands are gentle on his wings.
“It must be because they’re new, Suou-san!” Nirei’s excited voice contrasted his careful fingers. “Down feathers are generally softer, after all!”
No one…ever voluntarily touched his wings without malicious intentions.
“Here, Sakura-chan.” Kiryu held out one of his own fuchsia wings to Haruka and gently led his hands to comb them. “This is called preening, when flockmates clean, comb, and generally maintain each other’s wings. It not only soothes the parties involved, but also strengthens their bond.”
“F-flockmates?” Haruka’s really out of his depth right now.
“Yes, Sakura-kun. We’re your flockmates ever since you came to Fuurin.”
“And you’re our flockmate, Sakura-san!”
“Yeah, Sakura!” Even Anzai from next to them chirps up. “And you have such beautifully colored wings! You should let us preen you more often!”
Haruka seldom takes a look at his own wings. And someone else just said they’re…beautiful?
“We can definitely take turns!”
“Hey! Don’t go off deciding on your own!” Haruka’s indignant shout was met with laughter.
But these are the good kind of laughter, Haruka now knows, even as a blush threatens to overtake his face. And with a gentle tug from Suou, he settled down to let his flockmates continue pampering him.
Haruka might not know what this is. But he can learn, as he had learned how safe he felt surrounded by his friends.