Work Text:
Rin dropped down to perch in his usual spot at the edge of the roof just below the academy bell-tower. His scuffling feet had loosened a mini-avalanche of tiny pebbles, and he watched as they continued to slip from the peak of the roof, down over the edge next to him in a hazy drizzle of dusty debris. He always wondered why there were pebbles on the roof to begin with but had never come up with a plausible rationale for how the tiny rocks got up there in the first place.
Shifting his gaze from the dust cloud in the air to the slim package in his hands, he turned the envelope over and once again eyed the return address with trepidation.
True Cross University
2600 Mission St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
USA
The size of the package didn’t really lessen the anxiety creeping into his chest. Because while everyone knew that rejection letters were small, it didn’t necessarily stand to reason that this was an acceptance. He could feel some kind of brochure or pamphlet inside the large envelope, so maybe this was just another information packet and not his prayed-for acceptance to the school. After all, what were the chances of them taking him anyway? Sure his grades had improved tremendously since that disastrous first semester of his freshman year, but still, he certainly wasn’t on par with students like his brother or Suguro or Miwa. Hell, even Shiemi had better grades than he did.
Still…he had some hope of getting in considering he’d managed to earn a Meister in both Knight and Tamer during his time at Japan’s True Cross Academy. He’d managed to improve his scholastic performance beyond anyone’s expectations, and he’d also been assured of Sir Pheles’ personal recommendation, and that had to count for something…right?
Rin’s dream was to someday become Paladin, like his father. But before that, he had another goal, a goal known only to Yukio, Shura and the academy’s director, Sir Pheles. Rin was aiming to earn a Meister in all five Classes, again, just like his father. With two already under his belt, he was currently studying to earn Doctor and Dragoon (much to Yukio's skepticism), and the Order’s university in America would be a real boon to his education. Their School of Mashō Medica and Demon Pharmacology was one of the best in the world, but that also made his acceptance all the more unlikely.
Though Rin had many failings, cowardice had never been one of them. Mentally bracing himself, he slid one sharp nail under the flap of the large mailer, took a deep breath, and slashed it open. Reaching in, he grasped the slim sheaf of papers inside and slid them out. A smaller card fell from between the pages and landed on his lap. Glancing down he saw the word “SCHEDULE” in bold letters and nearly hyperventilated with joy when he read the list of instructions printed on the stiff little paper…instructions for selecting his schedule of courses! This was it!
He. Was. In.