Chapter 1: A Tiger and Two Demons

Every time Atsushi entered the rusted gates of Yokohama Secondary School he felt something inside him start growing and blossoming. It had been a slow morning so far, sadly the train had to stop due to something on the tracks and he sat there restless for a half hour. He then was burnt by the coffee and hot chocolates he had got that morning for his friends. Finally, his lunch had fell out his bag when he grabbed a kite stuck in the cherry blossom tree outside the gates. It was safe to say the day had started off less then ideal. As Atsushi slowly made his way up the stairs of the school's east wing, he felt a discerning presence looking at him. As he tiled his head up he saw what could only be described as a confusing sight. There was a Black and white kitten at the top of the staircase staring down at him. As the sight registered to him, Atsushi started bolting up the staircase, Hands over the drinks to stop any splash. As he came up on the final step, Atsushi felt a sigh of relief, there stood Kyoka, holding the kitten in her arms. "You scared me" Atsushi said smiling at Kyoka. In her soft and quite voice Kyoka reassured him "I found it in the trash can by the toilets, it seemed lonely so I thought we could keep it company. It was actually Akutagawa's idea to bring it up here". As Atsushi started to scan the he spotted the senior sitting on the windowsill next to the toilets, his hair was freshly washed and the sun reflected off its silver tips. This spot had been chosen by Atsushi when a junior to hide from the bulling that seemed to follow him everywhere in the school, it had been one of those lunch times, hiding in this tower that he met Akutagawa. A year above Atsushi, Akutagawa had been known for his obsession with the senior student Dazai and his hostile nature to others. That day as they locked eyes, Akutagawa hadn't picked on Atsushi or left irritated, but he sat down across Atsushi and started to eat his lunch as well, the two boys sitting there in awkward silence. As years passed it became their secret spot, and eventually when Kyoka joined the school, afraid and alone, she also began to hide on the top floor of the east wing with them. Since then they all met in the broken, decrepit east wing each morning to catch up with one another and prepare for the day. As Atsushi handed Akutagawa his coffee, a Cappuccino with no chocolate and a no sugar, he felt Akutagawa's eyes focused on the burns on Atsushi's hand. Luckily for Atsushi the school bell rang before he could be questioned on their origins. As they made their way towards the stairs Atsushi turned back to see Akutagawa, still sitting on the windowsill, however in the time Atsushi wasn't looking the cat had jumped into Akutagawa's arms. "Akutagawa?" Atsushi questioned, "Aren't you coming to class?". "No". Atsushi looked at Akutagawa concerned, a cool, aloof expression on his face. "I'm going to stay with the cat, I think I know what to name it" Akutagawa softly stated, not a single emotion in his voice. "And what's that?" Atsushi asked. With a slow turn of his head and nothing but love in his name he softly replied, "Shin".