Chapter Text
Kujou Sara had heard about him even before they officially met. Arataki Itto, widely known in the university for never lasting in a college program for that long. Rumors say that he continuously shifts because he often gets into liaisons with his professors, and such is the reason why he’s always kicked out but is still allowed to stay. No one knows what year level he’s in because he’s stayed in here for so long the people he used to know have already graduated.
But those are just rumors. No one really knows the reasons for Arataki Itto’s tumultuous college life.
Frankly, Kujou Sara couldn't care less on how long he decides to stay in this school or how many times he decides to shift programs. It should be none of her business, and it really isn’t, but when Arataki Itto decides to be the most irresponsible and irritating project partner she’s had in all of her stay in Inazuma Univeristy, then all of his fuck-ups become her responsibility.
Whether he likes it or not.
She makes her way to the student dormitories located on the outskirts of Inazuma City, where she knows Itto currently stays— he’d given her his address just in case they needed to work overnight for projects— and walks with purposeful strides, determined to confront the hell out of the stupid white-haired student.
“Sara, Sara! Over here!”
Sara hears a feminine voice call out to her— Sangonomiya Kokomi’s no doubt— but she doesn’t have the time to play catch up when she is literally seething from rage.
She tries to pretend not to hear her, and walks in faster strides. But Kokomi catches up to her. She laches herself to Sara’s side in an instant.
“Not now, Kokomi. I’m busy.”
Kokomi makes a face. “I know. That’s exactly why I called you; the debate club is screening the applicants soon and you haven’t been responding to the group chat. If you’re too busy, that’s okay, but at least tell me so I can make arrangements—”
“I can make it on Friday. I’ll screen the applicants, okay? Just…” Sara stops walking, runs her hand through her hair. Takes a deep breath. “Let me handle this thing I have going on first.”
“Well… maybe I can help? We’re in the same program after all.”
Sara takes a moment to think. Her and Kokomi aren’t exactly best friends, but they do share some classes under the Social Sciences program, and they're both holding positions in the debate club. Both in their third year, Sara and Kokomi had shared their struggles together and then some, but for some reason Sara still cannot get herself to ask for Kokomi’s help if needed, even when she’s offered it several times.
And honestly, in this situation, there’s nothing much Kokomi can actually do to help her.
But that doesn’t mean Sara can’t rant to blow off some steam.
So that’s exactly what she does.
“Do you have time? Walk with me.”
“Mkay. Where are we going?”
“To the dorms. Byakko District.”
So Kokomi and Sara continue their walk, arm-in-arm, braving the cold of the Inazuman autumn night.
“Do you know Arataki Itto?”
“The head of the Oni Club, right?”
Sara looks at her incredulously. “He’s in the Oni Club?”
“Oh my god, you didn’t know? He co-founded that organization with Kamisato Ayato. Quite amazing, honestly.”
…So that dumbass had the time to establish an organization but not do their philosophy papers? Oh, now Sara’s really angry. The Electro vision she wields on her hip buzzes in response to her emotions, and she clutches it to stop it from overreacting.
Kokomi notices this and backs away, but she summons her Hydro in an attempt to heal what she senses is Sara’s growing headache. Not a good idea, considering Sara’s Electro is already buzzing erratically. She appreciates the gesture though.
“Uh… you’re emitting this kind of scary vibe. Do you need to sit down?”
Sara pulls her hair and nearly shouts in annoyance and her Electro almost electrocutes them both. “That stupid motherfucker . I’ve had enough!”
So Sara storms her way inside the Byakko District Dorms, ignoring Kokomi’s pleas to slow down (she’ll catch up anyway).
Knowing Itto’s room is only on the third floor, Sara decides to skip the elevator and heads for the stairs, taking three at a time.
By the time she’s knocking furiously at Itto’s door, Kokomi just barely catches up to her.
There’s no answer. Sara slams her hands louder.
“Arataki Itto! I know you’re in there. I hear the fucking Netflix playing so OPEN. THE FUCK. UP.”
Kokomi tries to placate her. “Sara, I know you’re kinda mad right now—”
“You think?! This stupid baboon has been letting me do all our projects on my own for almost half the semester. And we’re under that stupid Liyuean professor Zhong-lu-la-li whatever his name is! He gives a ton of homework, all for me to do on my own, just because a certain dumb oni decides to watch netflix instead of actually helping out.”
“Yeah, but there’s been a rumor going around… they said Itto’s—”
And then the door opens, and Arataki Itto comes out in all of his (almost-naked) glory.
He leans his elbow on the door frame. Smiles as if he isn’t only wearing sweatpants and as if there isn’t a seething woman knocking wildly on his door mere seconds ago. “Sup, Kujou-san?”
“Sup? SUP?!”
And then Kujou Sara’s Electro buzzes as she punches the daylights out of him.
Or, not really. Because Itto’s Geo instinctively reacts to the Electro-filled punch, effectively crystalizing the air around them. Sara growls in frustration and punches through the newly-made shield.
This time, Itto’s hands catch her fists before they hit his face. “Woah, tengu! Calm down! You’re gon’ get us in trouble for using our visions in fights!”
“Since when do you care about the rules or getting in trouble?”
“Well,” Itto snickers, “contrary to popular belief, I’m actually not that bad of a person—”
Sara takes her fists back and jabs her finger at Itto’s bare chest. She adds a little Electro for good measure. This time, the Geo doesn’t react.
“Yeah? How about irresponsible?” She jabs her finger again. Itto flinches. “How about selfish?” And again. “You’re gonna tell me you’re none of that too?!” And again. “How about just drop the fuck out if you’re not going to take studying seriously anyway?”
One last jab, and it pushes Itto back until he’s forced to sit on his (messy) couch, and Sara’s prepared to buzz him more, if not for Kokomi grabbing her hand to stop her.
“Sara, stop! If you continue doing that, his innards are gonna be toasted!”
“Yeah, what she said!”
Kokomi decides it’s time to take over the situation. “Okay… what don’t we all calm down for a bit. Talk it out?”
Sara scoffs. “There’s no use talking to someone who doesn’t have a brain the first place—”
“Sara. I’m sure he has a reason…” Kokomi glances at Itto empathetically, who’s currently clutching his chest where Sara hurt him. She refuses to heal his wounds, though. “...If the rumors I heard are correct. Right, Itto-san?”
A beat of silence passes by the three of them, and then Itto decides to drop the bomb, trying to be nonchalant abnout it all: “...I’m dropping out of college. For good.”
That throws Sara off-balance. How is she going to survive Zhonglu-la-li’s Philo class without a partner? Itto may be useless during homeworks, but he’s not as dumb as people think he is. He may be absent half the time, but when he decides to go to class, it always miraculously coincides whenever Sara needs him. He’s actually saved both their asses from the professor’s grilling on several occasions because for some celestial reason he knows his Philo shit. And he’s so damn smug about it too. Perks of repeating subjects, perhaps?
“What the fuck. What the actual fuck—”
“—But I am going to help you with the projects for the remaining semester. For saving my ass from failing the subject, I owe you this, at least.”
Sara doesn’t believe him. After all, how could she? If he couldn’t even participate properly when he was still enrolled, how can he do it when he has nothing tying him down to this school anymore? He—
Just then, Sara’s world spins, and suddenly she’s standing in the rain, wearing clothes that feel familiar, but not. She’s outside Tenshukaku, or at least, what she thinks is Tenshukaku. In front of her is a man whom she feels like she has known for all her life, knows better than anyone else. She feels tears streaming down her cheeks, an unfathomable sort of pain blooming in her chest.
The sight of the wounded man in front of her makes her want to vomit, but she opens her mouth to speak instead.
“You don’t even care about this war. You have no loyalty to the Shogun, let alone her people, so why are you even here ?”
The man, who’s currently holding a weapon—some sort of mace— drops it on the ground. He disregards all of his open wounds and walks over to her, places his hands on the sides of her arms, and caresses them gently. Though it is cold, she shivers more from his touch than the rain that is pelting down on their skins.
He smiles. “Because this is your dream, and I’m going to help you until it is realized.” He raises his hard to tuck her hair behind her ear. “For saving me so many times, I owe you this, at least.”
And then, she’s hurled back to the present, and notices that Itto’s already holding her the very same way the man in her vision did, asking her if she’s okay. His tattoo-laden face mere inches from hers, his body so close that she can feel his warmth through her clothes. And suddenly, she feels safe. Suddenly, she feels like she could trust him for the very first time. Feels like she’s known him, knows him. Will be knowing him in time.
But she still removes his hands from her arms, because whatever sort of fucked up scenario she’s been hurled into isn’t the same as what she’s going through now. And not even a thousand visions can change her mind about the disappointment and frustration that she feels for Arataki Itto, for giving her sleepless nights and pushing more shit onto her plate when he knows she’s busy enough as she is.
This one vision, however, convinces her enough to give him a second chance.
“You better.”