Chapter Text
Kaoru had become much less inclined for physical affection as he grew older. Like a cat, that affection usually came on his own terms. Anyone, especially with strangers, that neglected to understand that tended to get Kaoru's verbal and sometimes physical "claws". Kojiro knew this more than most. His history and friendship status gave him some clemency but because he constantly pressed that limit and went too far over the line, he was regularly on the receiving end. On particularly vicious attacks he'd tease Kaoru and tell him he was just keeping him from going totally feral to humans. Even if he wouldn't admit it, Kaoru used to have a tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve. A trait that he desperately tried to quell under a hard emotioned persona, punk attire, and piercings galore. Kojiro on the other hand continuously had a soft approachable nature. Not really a golden boy when he didn't even think twice to break the law while skating around with his friends. Everyone always compared him to a golden retriever. Playful, eager to please, and gentle to those around him. That was, except for his lifelong classmates, they remember the quiet kid who was always alone.
[Flashback]
As a young child, Kojiro got more than his fair share of bullying. His slightly odd personality and his even stranger hair color made him stand out. As every kid learns from a young age, being different isn't a good thing. He found himself friendless because of it. Easy prey, when their scope eventually fell on him. It started off relatively harmless as most bullying does. But since these bullies were several grades above him and were almost twice his size, their unchallenged actions continually seemed to embolden them. Stick up for himself? The young boy didn't stand a chance. Whenever they cornered him his classmates averted their eyes for fear that they themselves might become their next victim. Kojiro didn't see a way out beyond snitching on the assholes. A label like that seemed out of the question when his classmates already were avoiding interactions with him. He resigned himself to his fate.
Years passed, Kojiro had grown a thicker skin to it all. As his response to the bullying became more muted, the gang of upperclassmen got less enjoyment in their antics. The group was becoming bored. So, once again, they sifted through the younger students for an easier target. That target was the new kid on the block. An overly sensitive pink haired crybaby who was becoming chums with their last target. And as luck would have it, shortly after, the friends got separated into different classes at the start of a new semester. That's when the bullies began there assault in earnest. Time and experience changed their cruel patterns and the verbal and physical attacks moved behind closed doors. Shielded from judgmental onlookers it quickly grew in intensity. Kaoru said nothing to anyone, but his best friend was noticing a slow change in his demeanor every evening when they reunited after school.
When Kojiro finally found out, unintentionally catching them in the middle of the act, both Kaoru's attackers, the teachers, and hell, Kaoru himself weren't prepared for the ferocity in which the once gentle boy lashed out. Something in him snapped. Screams of pain are what finally drew student onlookers into the unused storage room and teachers were franticly called over. By the time the rest of the scene unfolded, it took half a dozen adults to break up the fight. Three sets of hands had been used to pull a bloodied Kojiro off the even bloodier ringleader and pin him to the floor until he calmed down. The teachers then had to assess the damages. Kaoru walked away with a black eye and a handful of deep bruises. Kojiro and two of the bullies had to be sent to the hospital for an assortment of broken bones and lacerations. The rest were taken to the nurses office to be patched up and reprimanded. While Kaoru got spared from any punishment, Kojiro immediately got expelled for the rest of the school year. He was lucky. The parents of the bullies contained several prominent figures in the community. A few of them filed charges against Kojiro and he could have easily been sentenced to juvenile detention for his actions. Thankfully, while the teachers might have been guiltily unaware of the prolonged abuse, they refused to turn a blind eye to the events that were unfolding. Their backing of Kojiro's character, the overwhelming evidence of misconduct that trickled in from timid classmates, and the fear of their children's wrongdoings ever coming to light was the only reason that Kojiro was spared. After that his reputation changed. The bullying never happened again. But the damage to Kaoru had been done.
Here, have some music to go along with this.