POV: Aria Akari
In silence, I was stupefied as I stared at Rai's torso, which was toned with muscles that I was unaware even existed as there were a numerous amount of scars marred across it, raising many concerns within my mind as in no world should a sixteen year-old boy have a battle-scarred body such as the one before me.
The scars were diverse, consisting of many gashes and cuts as there were even a few wounds that seemed to be caused from a gunshot, sparking my curiosity further as each scar was a testament to his formidable strength.
"As of now, it's not my place to tell you, but when the time comes, I'm sure Rai will explain everything to you. What I can tell you now is that Rai's life up to now has been far from a normal one."
As I recalled the Headmaster's conversation with Arthur, which I eavesdropped out of curiosity, I felt a wave of sadness wash over me as I imagined Rai struggling tirelessly in order to get to where he is today.
Rai… What kind of life have you lived for your body to end up like this?
Shifting my focus, I noticed his right arm was swollen, but unable to discern the severity of his injury, I gently lifted his right arm, rousing a wince of pain from Rai as I began unwrapping the bandages around his forearm to find that it was fractured as there were multiple grievous bruises among the swelling.
His arm is broken and yet, he's able to maintain his composure.
I guess with a seasoned body such as his own, it's no surprise that his pain tolerance is incredibly high.
"First, hand me your sweater.
"You can sit back down in the chair. With this kind of injury, it may take me at least several minutes to heal it. Also, hand me your sweater so I can wash it for you." I directed as Rai nodded and handed me his blood-soaked sweater before seating himself quietly.
After throwing his sweater into my washing machine, I headed back into my room and seated myself on the edge of my bed with a medical box beside me, prompting Rai to roll his chair towards me.
Upon his arrival, I gently grabbed his right hand and began healing his fractured forearm with my Aspect as I noticed his arm also bore a few scars, inspiring me to ask him a question.
"Rai, I've always wondered, but is there a reason why you choose to wrap bandages around your forearms? Is it because of your scars?" I questioned curiously as Rai's eyes widened until he shook his head with a smile.
"It's not because of my scars. If I'm being honest, I was never one to care for appearances, but the reason why I always wear bandages around my forearm is to honor my late father." Rai replied with a faint smile as I felt a sense of guilt arise within me from bringing up a sensitive topic.
"By late, do you mean…"
"Yeah." Rai answered grimly as I felt even worse for prying into life.
"I'm sorry for your loss." I said solemnly, unable to think of a better response as there was a moment of silence until Rai sighed with a smile.
"I appreciate your sympathy, but there's no need to feel sorry for me. I've come to terms with his death long ago and besides, my father would be furious if he caught me moping around because of his death." Rai replied with a sheepish laugh as the bruises along his forearm slowly began to fade.
"He must have been a great man when he was alive." I remarked with a smile, rousing a chortle from Rai until it evolved into laughter as his reaction surprised me.
"Great may be an overstatement. My father was a childish man who would do anything in the spur of the moment as if he was free from all responsibilties. If it wasn't for my mother setting him straight, I'm not sure what would have happened to my hometown." Rai replied with a cheerful smile as I was left speechless from the sudden shift in his demeanor.
In the little time that I've known Rai, there's one thing that I've noticed.
He barely smiles.
Of course, I don't expect everyone to radiate with positivity as everyone has different personalities, but even Rai, who has a more laid-back personality, has never once---smiled naturally as in the moments he did smile, they felt oddly forced, but this time was different.
As Rai began to explain another story about his father, a genuine smile rested across his face, refusing to leave as I found his happiness soothing, inspiring me to listen intently to his story as the once gloomy mood caused by my needless prying was now uplifted by Rai's jovial mood.
He's usually not this talkative.
It seems he's very fond of his father.
I wonder what kind of man he was.
His mood was contagious as it encouraged me to exchange a story of my own.
The two of us conversed with one another as if we were longtime friends until I finished healing his forearm, prompting him to flex his hand as he moved his arm around in order to test the results of my healing.
"How is it?" I asked as Rai finished twisting his wrist around.
"There's still a faint soreness, but overall, I would say it's healed. Your Aspect truly works wonders." Rai answered with a smile of gratitude as I grabbed a roll of bandages from within the medical box beside me.
"I'm glad you're finally ackowledging my skills." I voiced proudly.
"Now come closer so I can cover up the remaining wounds on your face." I added as Rai rolled closer towards me until he was no further than a foot across from me, but as I tried to place a bandage onto one of his bruises, I was irked by his wavy, yet long bangs that rested across his forehead, prompting me to remove a black hair bow from my wrist in order to tie up his chaotic bangs as for the first time, I was able to see his face clearly.
I was never able to get a clear look at his face because of his bangs, but…
He's more handsome than I thought?
I was unsure if it was because of Rai's face being wet from washing it, but for some reason, his facial features appeared more attractive than usual as I found myself captivated by his distinctive sky blue eyes, which seemed to sparkle along with his delicate eyelashes until my gaze fell upon his body, causing my heart to skip a beat as I felt an uncomfortable warmth arise within my face.
Whether it be from the internet or even in person, it's not like I haven't seen the bare torso of a male before, but seeing one that's within my reach was a completely different story, especially from someone who shared the same age as me.
The bare torso of a man wasn't as appealing to me as it was to your average teenage girl, who would typically lose their mind over a dreamy body paired with a face of a handsome male, but Rai seemed to be an exception as amidst my composure crumbling, my heart began to flutter as my breathing quickened while my mind raced with unseemly thoughts that were unbefitting of a noblewoman such as myself.
On the verge of succumbing to my wild desires, I was able to get a grasp on myself as with a deep breath, I began tending to Rai's wounds as I covered the gash above his left eyebrow with a small bandage.
Aria, what in the world are you imagining right now?
He may have saved your life, but even that doesn't justify your emotions.
Finishing tending his wounds, I stood from my bed and placed my medical box on the counter of my sink within my bathroom as I then walked towards my drawer, where I began searching for the hoodie I intended to let Rai borrow, but when I found it, I realized that it was much smaller than I anticipated, rousing a sheepish giggle from me.
There's no way Rai can fit this.
"What's wrong?" Rai asked curiously as I turned around and showed him the hoodie, which was a tacky yellow with a horrendous graphic design across it as it was a present from my grandfather, who has absolutely zero sense for fashion as Rai stood from his chair and observed the hoodie for himself with a baffling gaze.
"Aria… you don't expect me to wear this, right?" Rai asked with an awkward chortle as he handed me the hoodie back.
"Of course not." I replied with a giggle as I placed the hoodie back inside my drawer and began searching for another one until I realized the hoodie that I was currently wearing was somewhat oversized.
Maybe…
"Here---try to see if this one fits." I said as I removed my scarf and began taking off my hoodie, but in the moment I finished removing it, I suddenly heard the door to my dorm open from the outside as Rai and I traded a confused glance before directing our attention towards my doorway to find none other than Sarah, who inadvertently dropped a duffle bag of her clothes onto the floor as she stared at us incredulously, her jaw slackened while her eyes seemed to question reality itself.
"Sarah…?" I uttered as the room began to fill with silence, the composure I once had desperately tried to maintain was shattered, my best efforts for naught as I imagined Sarah's perspective, allowing my flustered, yet sleep-deprived mind to conjure salacious thoughts that were far more worse than anything I imagined earlier as I found myself a victim to a terrible misunderstanding.