Chapter Text

花は桜木人は武士 — Proverb; “Among flowers, the cherry blossom. Among men, the warriors”. As Sakuras are the foremost flower, so are the warriors among men.

Takiishi Chika is no older than two when his parents divorce— Or rather, when his abusive and alcoholic father leaves one day and never returns. His mother hadn’t even blinked nor shed a tear when the man disappeared from their lives; In fact, it seemed that a burden had fallen off her shoulders.

Still, Chika had been just a young babe; Too innocent, too naive to understand the shift around him— How the house he lived in changed, the colors of the walls, the rugs his mother would leave him on to play.

Or, at least, that was what the adults around him thought.

Chika was, in fact, very observant for his age. While he might’ve been unable to voice it, he still subtly showed how displeased he was when his clothes changed overnight, when his older toys had been thrown away and replaced with shiny new ones.

Or when his mother started seeing a new man.

Chika was, by no means, attached to his father. He was attached to very few things, in fact; Attachment, love— Such emotions were rarely, if ever, present in his young mind. After all, in the two years of his life, all that he received from his father were yelling and, sometimes, a heavy hand to his cheeks. Whatever he did that displeased his father was met with some sort of punishment. Whether it was physical or emotional – like taking away his favorite toys – Chika quickly learned to not grow attached to anything, lest it was used against him.

And so, he didn’t particularly care when they started living with that person.

The man had onyx hair and dull brown eyes like any other man; It was a stark contrast to his mother’s unusual molten gold eyes that he inherited. However, as if to make up for his average looks, the man was fairly wealthy. And that had been the reason why everything was changing— From the curtains in his bedroom to the socks he wore; Everything had a funny looking name stamped on them. The clothes his mom started to wear turned from plain shirts to elegant dresses.

But the biggest change happened gradually.

It was his mother’s belly.

Not too long since they started living with that man – who his mother tried to make him call “dad” – Chika noticed as his mother’s belly kept growing in size.

In his childlike mind, he wondered if she had been eating too much.

However, one day, his mother collapsed.

All that Chika could remember was the rush around him as the man he begrudgingly started to call his father – if only to appease his mother – panicked and made thousands of calls, before taking Chika and his mother into one of their cars. He remembered as his mother screamed in pain and his father yelled at their driver to go faster. Then the white walls and blinding lights.

His next memory, however, was his most precious one.

It was of a tiny hand holding his in a tight grip.

Chika looked at the small creature sleeping in his mother’s arms. It’s eyes were clenched shut, but Chika wondered what color was hidden behind those eyelids. When he tried pulling his finger away, he was surprised when the little thing held on tighter, unwilling to let go.

He had seen other creatures like that one on the way to his mother’s room. But, unlike the one in his mother’s arms, all of them were ugly, with faces set into a frown, their bodies full of wrinkles.

The one holding his hand, however, was simply the most beautiful being in his eyes.

And then, for a moment, the tiny thing opened his eyes.

Mismatched brown and molten gold stared back at him.

And in that moment, a new feeling sprouted in Chika.

Chika and his father visited their mom everyday as she rested and recovered. The young boy would happily saunter to the crib holding the tiny baby— It’s your baby brother, his mother had said. His name is Haruka.

His brother.

His Haruka.

He would stare at the baby for hours, completely deaf to the people around him. Because in his tiny world, only he and Haruka existed. He’d reach into the crib and Haruka, as if sensing his presence, would immediately latch his hand onto Chika’s finger. And Chika would be unable to retrieve his hand without Haruka making a sound of protest. The baby would cry at the missing hand and would only calm down when Chika stroked the silky soft hair tufts that were growing on his head.

And Chika would stare, mesmerized by the dual colored hair in his brother’s head.

Black and white.

He’d never seen such a thing before.

His Haruka is unique.

Yet the adults present in the room seemingly didn’t share the sentiment, as they spoke in hushed tones— Ugh, he is defective; How could you give birth to a freak? Oh shut it, we can just dye it and no one will notice.

Chika doesn’t hear them talk; After all, only he and Haruka existed in that little world.

And little Chika vowed that that little world would remain exactly like that; Just the two of them, with no one to separate them.

Even if he had to burn everything else to ashes.

Chapter Text

Freesia

Haruka and Chika grow up inseparable. Wherever the elder one goes, the younger would follow with his tiny, clumsy steps— It’s no wonder that Chika is the only one to witness Haruka’s first steps and then it comes as no surprise when Haruka’s first words are his attempts to pronounce his brother’s name.

“I– Ika!”

Chika remembers freezing on his spot on their living room’s sofa, where he leisurely had been reading a children’s book. And right after, he simply dropped said book on the ground, rushing to his beloved baby brother’s side.

The eldest's eyes rarely ever showed any emotion, always remaining blank and wide open; But if one were to catch that scene, they’d see as Chika’s eyes glowed with joy as he tried to correct Haruka’s pronunciation.

Haruka is barely a year old, yet he has his older brother wrapped around his chubby fingers.

Still, tiny Haruka clings to his brother as their parents are often away for work — or socializing, in their mother’s case. The caretakers they are left with only tend to their basic needs, such as food and bath time; Other than that, the two only have each other for company.

And that was fine with them.

They only needed each other after all.

With enough money to hire caretakers, their parents never bothered sending Chika and Haruka to a kindergarten; And so, when Chika is six years old, it’s the first time the siblings are separated. Everyday, early in the morning, he had to say goodbye to a tearful Haruka and walk to the nearby Elementary School.

Chika thought it was a waste of time.

He had always been a bright child, learning how to read by himself with the books that their parents provided; And so, school passed at a snail’s pace as the teacher drowned on about whatever it was they were teaching— Chika didn’t pay attention to it. All that occupied his mind as he stared out the window was his dear Haruka’s face. He’d sometimes face the front of the class just to look at the clock hanging right above the blackboard, before turning away when only ten minutes had past.

At first, his teachers would call him out for his nonchalant and aloof behavior; But when Chika’s test scores always came in perfect marks, they learned to just leave him be.

At the sound of the bell signaling the end of day, Chika would be the first out of the class, barely bothering to say goodbye to his teachers and his classmates. He didn’t bother answering other kid’s calls to play some dumb game; All he wanted was to go home and see his baby brother.

He’d ignore those faceless, nameless beings who approached him, only interested on his smarts— And then the parents of other kids that wanted to meet his father.

Walking in long strides, he only feels relief when he sees his house.

And, like clockwork, the door opens before he even crosses the fence’s gate.

Haruka’s radiant smile greets him and only then Chika allows himself to relax before mirroring his brother’s smile.

It’s two years later when the siblings have their first taste of contempt by other people.

Late at night, a few days before Haruka would start going to Elementary School, Chika is woken up by Haruka— The boy shyly asks for his brother’s help to go get some water to drink. As the two slowly make their way to the kitchen, they notice light coming from the living room. The door is left slightly open and the siblings look at each other before silently creeping towards it.

Peeking inside, they spot their parents sitting on separate sofas.

“What are we going to do?”

They hear their mother say with a heavy sigh.

“Well, as you said before, we can dye his hair and no one will notice.”

“Ugh, I hope no one does.” The woman then lights a cigarette. “It’s bad enough he has mismatched eyes, did he really have to be born with a hair like that?”

Chika feels as if ice crept up his body, but he couldn’t place a name to that feeling.

“At any rate, for our sake, let’s hope that no one realizes that he’s a freak.”

Oh.

Chika realizes what the feeling is called; He remembers it vaguely from one of his classes.

It’s hatred.

When the day of Haruka’s first day at school arrives, the boy fidgets with his now entirely pitch black hair. Chika tries to cheer him up, holding his hand firmly into his as they walk together to school and he is there when they arrive at Haruka’s classroom.

With a small wave, Chika drops him off before heading to his own classroom.

However, on his first day at school, Haruka already has had enough of it.

The siblings learn how cruel children can be when a boy in Haruka’s class makes fun of his heterochromic eyes.

And the teacher doesn’t even bother stepping in when other children join in on trying to take a closer look, tightly gripping Haruka’s hair to force him to face them. It’s only when Haruka winds up his arm and punches one of the kids on the face that the teacher finally looks up from his book as the kid wails with a bloodied nose.

Haruka is sent to the Principal’s room, where his mother arrives at about half an hour later.

The young boy looks at his mom with relief in his eyes— But it quickly dies when the woman walks past him with a glare in her eyes. Haruka recoils in his seat, head down as his mother listens impatiently to the principal’s recount of what happened.

Haruka tries to defend himself, protesting when the principal tells his mother that Haruka punched the other kid out of nowhere, but a firm slap to his cheek has him thrown to the ground, dazed and shocked. He barely notices when his mom quickly bows down and apologizes to the principal, before she roughly yanks his arm and forces him to his feet.

When they leave the room, Chika is waiting them by the door. His eyes are unblinking as he looks at Haruka’s face for a split second before he turns to stare hard at his mother.

Their car ride back home is silent.

Haruka’s only comfort is his brothers hand over his, their fingers interlacing.

After that incident, their parents are much more open with their distaste towards Haruka as are their praises towards Chika.

“Your brother got straight perfect marks, but you can’t even score above 80? Ugh, what an useless son.”

“Chika is always top of his grade in both academics and sports, why can’t you be like that?”

And at school, the kids continue to relentlessly pick on Haruka. As much as the boy tries to focus on class — because all he wanted was to become good enough to his parents, to make them proud and be like Chika — the poking and probing of the other children has Haruka fighting and punching someone everyday. And everyday he is the only one sent to detention.

“He’s a problem child after all.” Is what all the teachers say about him.

“Poor Chika, having that boy as his younger brother. I hope it doesn’t affect his performance.”

—Is also what reaches Chika’s ears as he passes by two teachers gossiping on the school’s hallways. He spares them a quick glance, before quickly turning away, his steps gaining more speed as he searches for his baby brother.

He finds Haruka alone, sitting under their school’s Sakura tree.

And Chika learns what anger feels like when he takes in the fresh bruise on Haruka’s face.

He decides he too, has had enough.

Chika starts picking fights with other students, especially the ones he sees bullying Haruka.

And soon, both brothers are a constant presence in the principal’s office.

But, unlike Haruka, Chika is always let go with a simple warning— He is the school’s golden child after all. Their genius. Their pride.

And then, the people around them are quick to blame Haruka for his sudden aggressiveness.

“Gosh, that brat is even making Chika-kun violent.” He hears the teachers speak through a window. “How are their parents even raising them?”

They aren’t.

Is what passes through Chika’s mind, because their parents are the first to give up on Haruka. And when he starts acting up, they simply see it as a phase that would eventually pass— They had more important things to take care of after all.

The siblings understand right then that they truly were alone in the world.

However, it’s because of those so-called “important things” that Haruka’s mismatched hair becomes known to everyone.

During Haruka’s second year of Elementary School, their parents are gone for an entire month due to a business trip to another country and they are left with only their caretakers.

Haruka’s hair had always grown quickly, thus the boy frequently needed haircuts and had to dye his hair. However, their caretakers were only there to provide them food and prepare their baths. Thus, the black dye started to fade as the white roots of Haruka’s hair started to grow.

It didn’t take long for people to notice the patch of white hair peeking from between strands of onyx.

And soon, whispers of Haruka dyeing his hair white like a delinquent spread through students and faculty alike— Nevermind the fact that it was his natural hair color.

But it has always been easier to assume things that sounded far more “normal”.

When their parents return from their trip, it coincides with a parent-teacher meeting and both Chika and Haruka prepare for the worst when their mother is immediately approached by other adults— All of them asking how she felt about her son becoming a delinquent at his age.

And then she notices as Haruka’s hair was already returning to its natural state.

She awkwardly smiles and says that the foolish boy probably was playing with her dyes, because she would never admit she gave birth to a freak.

Haruka’s hair is back to being completely black later that same day.

Chapter Text

Black Lily

The siblings' lives take a turn one particularly cold afternoon when Chika is nine and Haruka seven. Whether it was for the best or worse, Chika would say for the worse without a doubt, but Haruka would happily say it was for the best.

Because their little world had gotten just a tiny bit bigger.

It happens when Haruka has to walk home alone.

Chika had been held back by the principal for picking another fight with other kids. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for the two kids; They beat up other children almost every week for trying to mess with Haruka— Although, with the passing of the years, many of them learned to stay clear of the two lest you wanted to end up with a broken nose or a missing tooth.

But there were always some of the more confident kids that didn’t know when to give up.

And in that particular afternoon, Haruka sees himself get surrounded by children bigger and older than him.

Behind them, he could see the grinning face of one of his classmates.

“My lil bro here told me how well you and your brother took care of him.”

The apparent leader of the group said and Haruka could already feel his stomach churning.

“It’s only proper if I return the favor, no?”

As soon as he is let go, Chika rushes out of the school building, determined to catch up to Haruka on their way back home— Whenever one of them had to stay behind, the other would spend some time on a nearby park’s playground. Neither one of them wanted to be alone in their house after all.

As Chika approaches the park, however, he can hear the sound of boisterous laughter—

—Followed by the tiniest of grunts.

Chika’s eyes widen as the noise reaches his ears and his strides gain a desperation to get there as fast as possible.

And when he peeks over the fence, he feels as if the blood on his veins froze over.

A large hand holding his Haruka in the air as the small child struggled to break free.

The jeering crowd of middle and high school students staring at Haruka with grins in their faces, amused at seeing the flailing boy.

The kid that was always tormenting Haruka, laughing while throwing pebbles at Haruka’s tiny back.

His mind goes blank.

When he finally comes to his senses, the moon is up in the sky and it’s him who is holding a boy by their collar. The boy’s feet dangle in the air as Chika holds him atop the playground’s jungle gym. The bodies of the other boys lay scattered across the ground, some of them bent over the steel bars.

A crimson droplet drips from his chin and Chika realizes that the scarlet liquid is covering his entire body.

He lets go of the kid, not even bothering to watch as he falls to the ground with a dull thud. Instead, his eyes darted around, looking for the only important person in his life.

Haruka.

“H—Hey.”

A voice stops him in his tracks. Did he leave one of them conscious?

“What’re you doing… Over there…?”

Chika doesn’t recognize him— A boy that looked about his age, messy pitch black hair framing a young face, unmarred and completely unknown to him.

“…”

Chika climbs down where the kid is.

“What’s your nam—”

And walks past him. He’s not interested. All he wants is to find Haruka and get the hell out of there.

“Hey, wait—!”

He feels a hand grabbing his wrist and Chika immediately whirls around, striking the boy’s face in a single fell swoop. The boy falls down, but Chika is already turning away.

He faintly hears the boy laughing as he walks.

Chika finds Haruka unconscious on the ground. His brother’s clothes were completely covered in dirt, with specks of blood on it. He looks at Haruka’s face where a trail of dried blood leads to his bruised nose. Chika lifts the hem of his own uniform and uses a clean section of it to wipe some of the blood off.

He carries Haruka on his back all the way to their house.

He is lucky that their parents are, once again, out.

The strange boy appears again the following week on their Elementary School’s rooftop.

“I’m Endo Yamato.”

He hears the boy say.

“I wanted to see you again! Or, actually… I just wanted to be with you!”

Chika ignores him. And when the door to the rooftop opens, Haruka comes into view holding two lunchboxes in his arms. The older brother’s eyes lit up and he jumped down in front of Endo.

Endo’s face brightened up when he thought the other boy was approaching him— But he walked past Endo and towards the smaller child. The two siblings completely forget about his existence as they head together to another part of the rooftop.

Endo gets curious.

And he makes the mistake of touching the younger’s shoulder.

Chika’s arm moves faster than one can blink.

“Don’t touch him.” He growls.

Endo grins as those pure gold eyes turn to him.

He starts following the siblings like a lost puppy.

At first, Haruka thought that Endo was a weird guy. The older boy would always hang around them, but he wouldn’t treat them like all the others nor would he look at them in fear when they fought other kids. Instead, he’d bring sweets and snacks for them to share and even join them in beating up Haruka’s bullies.

Haruka wondered if that’s what having a friend? was like.

But Endo really only looked at Chika.

But that was fine with Haruka.

Chika, after all, deserved to be revered .

Endo initially only takes an interest in Haruka because of Chika. The older of the brothers never showed any emotion in his face, always having the same blank look.

But, whenever Haruka appeared, Endo could notice how his features softened and how the shadow of a smile would appear on Chika’s lips.

Endo was an only child, with no siblings to know how that felt.

“Chika-nii is beautiful, isn’t he?”

Endo pauses in his thoughts as the small child whispers to him. The two sat together on a bench, watching as Chika tossed around some teens from another school.

And Endo had to agree, because Chika looked majestic as blood splattered on his face— Very reminiscent of the night he met him, like a being bathed in flames.

Endo very much believed he had a revelation that night.

He only realized that his god was right in front of him when he saw Haruka take down a Middle School gang’s leader by himself. Chika stood beside him, hair bleached and dyed a shade of blonde, as they watched Haruka deliver a powerful kick to the other boy’s head— His own hair parted on the side, white and black.

“It’s natural.”

The younger had told him when he showed up at school, mismatched hair in plain view. Chika bore holes into him with his eyes, daring him to say anything that would upset his baby brother.

Their parents would be gone for a good part of the year, and so they both just decided to return Haruka’s hair to its natural color.

And Endo would thank whoever is it that allowed him to witness as Haruka danced in the battlefield, bathed in blood as the perfect personification of both day and night— The same molten gold eye that Chika possessed glowed like a sun in the middle of the night; Haruka’s white hair reflected the silvery light of the moon and formed a halo as strands flew around his head

And the blood that was splattered almost looked like flower blossoms— Sakura blossoms.

Endo knew then that perfection existed.

If Takiishi Chika appeared in his life as a revelation, Sakura Haruka was the God that that revelation led to.

Chika wondered if the black flowers he spotted one day growing in their yard was the sign of the curse that would befall their family.

Or, perhaps— He wondered if it was a miracle instead.

In his last year of Elementary School, their father’s business went bankrupt.

With an economic crisis, several business partners had cut off ties to diminish costs. Coupled with their mother’s spending habits — buying lavish trips, foods, clothes, cars — their father had no way of keeping his business afloat.

And once again Chika saw as everything around him changed. Their spacious house was replaced by a tiny apartment, no more new clothes every month, no maids, no fancy meals.

Still, the boy didn’t care about it at all.

He still had Haruka by his side after all.

The next curse miracle happens in the form of a car crash.

“Seems like they were having a fight. Your father lost control of their car… And it crashed onto a family on the sidewalk.”

The old policeman tells them.

“The impact was too much for their bodies… And, unfortunately, it was the same for the people they hit.”

“Only a child about your age survived… His mother was pregnant too— What a shame.”

Were he any other child, Chika believes he might have shed a tear or fallen into despair.

But he doesn’t know how to react.

He’s never been taught about sadness after all.

He did feel a small sliver of sympathy for the boy that had lost his baby brother.

The two boys find themselves in an orphanage not too long after that.

However, nothing much changes in their lives as the orphanage teachers look at them with wariness. The two are placed together in the same room away from the other children.

They were too violent.

Cursed, some would say.

But the siblings don’t care about their whispers.

They still had each other after all.

Chapter Text

Erica

The funeral affairs came and went rather quickly. As a family fallen from grace with close to no money, no one bothered to attend their parent’s ceremony. Chika had never met any of their parents’ relatives— Nor did he even know if they existed at all. Their father had cut ties to everyone that he thought would try to steal his money.

Thus only Haruka and himself sat in front of the coffins as the priest read the mantras.

Once done, the bodies were sent to the crematory and Chika and Haruka found themselves wandering the building as they waited for the ashes to be ready.

Haruka aimlessly walked through the halls. Chika had told him to stay still while he went to the bathroom, but Haruka was bored from staying still for so long.

Exploring the halls, he faintly hears the sound of muffled cries and murmurs coming from the end of the corridor. Curious as he is, Haruka gingerly makes his way towards the open door. Peeking inside, he sees another funeral happening. However, different from his parents’, the room is filled with people dressed in black, their faces downcast with some of them weeping for the deceased.

Haruka feels a small pang of jealously— For the people in those caskets were obviously loved by many people.

As he looks over the people present, he lets out a small gasp when he locks eyes with another boy. He seemed just a bit older than him, maybe around Chika’s age?

Yet, the emptiness in his steel eyes made him look so much older… And so much less lively.

Like a walking corpse.

They stare at each other, though Haruka wonders if the boy is even seeing anything.

He only breaks their staring contest when he hears Chika’s voice calling for him.

Their parents’ ashes are left forgotten; Haruka would never know what became of them— Or whatever Chika had done with them.

Their time in the orphanage is uneventful.

Due to their history of violence, all the teachers avoid them and actively tell the other children to stay away from them. Neither Chika nor Haruka mind it, however. Instead, they appreciate the quietness and peace it brought them.

And in the time they’ve spent in there, there had been several families that had taken a interest in adopting Chika— His dyed blonde hair and golden eyes gave him an air of a foreign child. That and his impeccable school records made him a very good candidate for an adoption.

However, it was the boy himself that scared any potential family away.

Because no one was interested in taking Haruka as well.

Even when both siblings were introduced together, Chika could see how their eyes looked at Haruka with scorn and ridicule. Thus Chika would make it clear that he wouldn’t go anywhere without his baby brother— Physically, most of the times.

Soon his reputation spread and the adoption requests stopped coming altogether.

Two years later, Chika was in his last year of Middle School.

As he and Haruka find themselves sitting by a Sakura tree in the orphanage’s outdoor playground, they relish the chilly breeze of early spring. The tree was already sporting some small pink buds, with some of them already starting to bloom.

Chika stares at the tiny petals that color the branches and then at his brother. Haruka is comfortably laying on the grass, his head resting on Chika’s lap.

It was one of those peaceful moments that nothing else mattered in the world. It was just the two of them bathing in each other’s presence.

Chika wanted that moment to last forever.

Just so Haruka would never be hurt again.

So that he could smile carefreely.

A small content sigh leaves his baby brother’s lips as the boy snuggles into Chika and the elder of the two can’t help but lightly smile, petting the unruly black and white locks.

Haruka’s blissful expression just steels his resolve.

For a world with only the two of them, he knew what had to be done.

“Haru.”

He softly calls the boy’s name.

“Mm?”

“What do you think of having a place just for the two of us?”

Haruka frowns in deep thought. He had never put much thought into something like a room, much less a house, because as long as he was with Chika, it didn’t matter where they went.

“It would be nice, I think? I mean, we’re pretty much left alone wherever we go, but I would like a place to call our own and only ours.”

“… I see.”

Haruka shoots his brother a curious look.

“What made you suddenly ask that?”

Chika looks away.

Lifting his head, Haruka frowns as he waits for his brother to say something.

His brother’s face bears no expression, but his eyes shine with all the emotions that only Haruka is privy to. As Chika seemingly has a discussion in his mind, a moment of silence befalls the siblings.

And, eventually, Chika’s eyes find his own again.

“I’m moving.”

“I’m moving.”

Is what comes out of his brother’s mouth, breaking the fragile silence that had settled between the two.

A gust of wind blows by, rustling the sakura trees and making their petals fall— the early buds showering them in a flurry of pastel pink, a gentle reminder of the spring that was to come.

“Where to?” He asks, looking up with heterochromatic eyes in curiosity.

His brother’s own orbs of pure molten gold stare back at him.

“Fuurin.”

Haruka doesn’t recognize that name. While he wasn’t the brightest student in his class, many of his peers underestimated Haruka’s ability to retain the information of people and places he thought of importance— Such as the names of schools that regularly challenged the two (three with Endo) to a fight.

And if Haruka doesn’t know where that was, it meant Chika was moving to a place far away.

Far away from him.

“… Why?”

He asks, uncertainty turning into apprehension and bleeding into his voice.

There was no way Chika-nii would leave me behind, yes?

“I’ve heard… That Fuurin is where the strong go to, where only strength matters.” He tells Haruka. “If I take the top… I can make that place ours.”

And then we won’t have to worry about anything anymore.

“I’ll come with you.”

Haruka clenches his fist.

Chika’s eyes widened a fraction, before the elder of the siblings gave his brother a small pat on his head.

“You can’t.” He tells Haruka. “Not yet.”

Mismatched eyes look at Chika and for the first time in their short lives, Haruka scowls at Chika.

“Why not?!” He yells. “You’re going there with En-chan aren’t you? Why can’t I?!”

Haruka’s eyes sting with unshed tears.

“… Am I… Too weak…?” He can’t stop the small hiccup from coming out.

Immediately, Chika reaches forward and hugs Haruka, wrapping one of his arms around his shoulders and the other around his head, pushing Haruka’s head against his chest in a protective manner.

“I would never think of you as weak, Haru.” He softly whispers into Haruka’s ear. “But this will be far more dangerous than picking fights with other kids. The people in Fuurin— In Makochi as a whole… They will not hesitate to bring weapons and fight dirty.”

The hug gets tighter.

“I just fear people would resort to hurting you. Endo agrees.” Giving the boy some space, Chika brushes his hand over Haruka’s cheeks. “Please, Haru.”

Haruka’s eyebrows furrow, but in the end he lets out a small, saddened sigh.

“Promise me you’ll come back?”

And Chika gives him one of his rare and few smiles.

“For you, always.”

As he packs his essentials, Chika is approached by Haruka, who holds a small card in hands.

“I saw the teachers showing the other kids how to do it.”

He says as he hands his older brother the little gift.

It’s a pressed flower.

Erica.

“Thank you.”

Even in later years, this would remain one of Takiishi Chika’s most precious treasures.

It’s a rainy day when Chika leaves through the orphanage door with only a bag on his back. Endo awaits for him on a motorbike.

Haruka remembers his brother’s eyes looking at his until they couldn’t see each other anymore.

And for the first time, Haruka truly knows what loneliness feels like.

What neither of the siblings expected was just how deep human cruelty could be.

Just a week after Chika leaves, Haruka finds himself thrown out with only the clothes on his back and a backpack with just enough supplies to last a couple days.

“We have too many mouths to feed, you see.”

“And all the other kids are actually trying to get adopted. We can't have someone like you leeching off our food.”

And with the door shut on his face, Haruka has no choice but to wander into the empty streets that surround the orphanage.

Even with Sakura carefully rationing the sparse supplies he was given, the food ran out in just over a week. Water — the one from the bottle — was gone on the fifth day and Haruka was glad that the water from taps around the city was drinkable. At least that was something he wouldn’t have to worry about.

However, as his stomach growled in pain and hunger, the smell of freshly baked bread that came from the store across the street became more and more tantalizing.

Still, Haruka could never bring himself to snatch one of the loaves.

The piece of bread he finds in the trash can is stale, but it’s not moldy yet and it’s enough to ward off the hunger for a couple hours.

Despite being twelve, Haruka’s body was rather tiny compared to many of the other children - he'd gotten a lot thinner during his two years in the orphanage.

And so, it wasn’t particularly hard for him to find a nook or a cranny he could fit inside to sleep.

However, for as much as he walked, trying to find food and discarded clothes, Haruka would always find his way back to the orphanage and hide between abandoned crates— Sometimes inside the dumpster when it rained.

He had a promise to keep, after all.

The smell that clung to him never bothered him, but Chika taught him the importance of hygiene, so Haruka would always make sure to take a dip in the nearby park’s fountain during the dead of the night, when no one was around.

It’s only one day when he wanders too far that Haruka finds himself lost.

He tries to get help, but no one bothers to look at a homeless boy like him.

Haruka thinks about going to the police, but what can they even do? Haruka is infamous as a school delinquent— He’d be lucky if they don’t throw him in juvie for all the fights he’s been into.

One less scum roaming the streets.

As he leans against a wall, Haruka wonders if this was to be his end.

Closing his eyes, he drifts into a dreamless sleep with only the image of golden eyes in his mind to bring him a semblance of comfort.

He wakes up to a hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him.

“Hello there young man. Are you alright?”

Chapter Text

Pink Rose

The man that greets him as he wakes up, eyes bleary and body still fatigued, looks at him through his glasses, light brown eyes with equally light hair a drastic contrast with the darkness of the night. The man keeps looking at him, waiting for a response.

But Haruka glares at him.

Adults were not to be trusted.

He learned that the hard way throughout his life.

The man, as if sensing that wouldn’t go anywhere, backs away slightly to give Haruka more room, before reaching into his grocery bag. And in a matter of seconds, he pulls out an apple.

“Here.” The man extends his hands, offering the fresh and ripe apple to him. “You can have this.”

Haruka’s eyes glow with desire and his stomach makes itself known again as it rumbles with hunger. But still, Haruka makes no move towards it, still keeping a distrustful eye on the man.

Seeing that, the man sighs sadly, but understanding, and takes out a small paper tissue from his pocket. Laying the paper on the ground, he places the apple on it and backs away.

Haruka stares at the innocent apple as if it was a trap. He slowly shuffles closer to it, eyes going back and forth between the apple and the man, to make sure he wouldn’t try to catch him off guard. Sensing that the man wasn’t going to move, Haruka quickly snatches the apple and hurries back to his small nook, already munching on the sweet fruit.

It disappears quickly into his mouth, leaving only the core behind.

“Goodness, you must’ve been starving.”

The man looks at him with a strange face. Haruka doesn’t know what it is, but it was different from all the other people he’d met before— It reminded him of Chika and En-chan when they patched up a particular nasty bruise he’d get from fighting.

“Say, would you like some more? I mean, an actual meal… Not just a fruit.” The man doesn’t come closer, but he crouches so he is at Haruka’s eye level. “I can make some for you— I run an orphanage, you see.”

At that word, Haruka immediately flinches back and his glare returns at full force as he backs away with a hiss.

Orphanage.

The man was the same as those mean adults. The ones that threw him out.

The man seems to notice Haruka’s defensiveness and holds his hand up, trying to placate the boy. To him, it was clear that he stepped on a landmine. Seeing that he would be unable to convince the boy as is, he stands up, scratching the back of his head.

“... How about I just bring it to you?”

When Haruka doesn’t say anything, the man just picks up his grocery bag and walks away.

He comes back later and finds the child asleep again. Instead of waking him up again, he simply leaves a small black bento box wrapped in a purple cloth.

The next day, he is nowhere to be seen, but the box is placed on the small corner he had been sleeping in over the cloth, which was neatly folded.

The days pass with the same routine.

The man would leave food and snacks on that place in the mornings and would take back the empty boxes when night fell. Sometimes he’d leave other small things like some plain shirts, underwear, shorts, as well as other items such as a toothbrush and toothpaste. Since all the things disappeared by night, he figured the boy was taking them to another place, but he knew he shouldn’t try to follow the boy if he wanted to win his trust.

The door to the small orphanage is opened with enthusiastic force and Yuki Shitara fondly huffs as the bright white haired teen struts inside.

He doesn’t comment on the blood stains and dirt clinging to his Fuurin jacket and just opens his palm.

Hajime smiles as he takes off his jacket and hands it to the caretaker he had grown to see as a second dad.

“Sorry, I got it dirty again.”

Yuki laughs it off, taking the jacket to the washing machine. Although Hajime had moved out not long after entering high school, the boy would often visit Furinen to play with his little brothers and sisters. He did, however, always make sure to take off his uniform— He didn’t want to scare the children with the blood, nor attract attention to the orphanage.

Makochi was still very dangerous and Hajime had quickly garnered attention from rivals.

The caretaker looks at the children laughing at Hajime’s goofiness with a smile.

But then, he thinks back to the young boy he had been trying to help the past couple days and his smile turns somber.

He quickly brushes it off when he catches Hajime giving him a curious side glance.

After the kids are put to bed, Yuki and Hajime sat across from each other on their dining table.

“What’s been bothering you?”

He sighs.

“It’s very obvious, isn’t it?” He slouches on the chair. “I met a boy.”

Hajime leans forward, leaning his face on one of his hands.

“He… Seems to be living on the streets. I tried convincing him to come with me, but it seems that the poor boy had a bad time with another orphanage.”

Hajime hums, interested in the boy.

And the next day, Hajime is the one to deliver food to the boy.

As expected, the boy is nowhere to be seen, but the feeling of being watched indicates to Hajime that the boy was probably not too far away.

He looks around, but is unable to locate him.

He laughs.

“Sorry, Shitara-sensei is busy, so I came in his place.”

A bento filled with warm white rice, rolled omelet, steamed veggies and grilled fish is left hidden in the tiny nook.

At night, Hajime takes the empty bento back.

This continues for a couple weeks.

Hajime starts taking Yuki’s spot as he tries to befriend the skittish boy, but never once did he manage to catch sight of him.

Sometimes Hajime can see flashes of black, white and gold, but he pretends to not notice the hair strands peeking out of the nearby trees’ branches— If the boy wanted to be seen by Hajime, he’d do it on his own time.

On another day, Hajime sits down for a moment.

“I know you’re scared— Of being hurt again.” He says to the empty space. “But it’s alright. No one will hurt you ever again. I’ll transform this city and make sure of it.”

Haruka watches as he leaves.

And, for a second, he is reminded of his older brother.

What Haruka doesn’t expect, is to find himself ambushed one day while waiting for that teen to show up.

“I heard that Umemiya bastard had been hanging around these parts, but to think it was because of this lil’ kitten here?”

The moment they dared to laugh, Haruka punched the nearest man.

He watched in satisfaction as he crumpled to the ground in pain. But he doesn’t stare for long as the other men are quick to surround him completely.

Haruka smiles.

He wouldn’t back down from a fight.

Hajime knew he was running late.

Today’s battle against that other first year had lasted longer than usual, but it ended just like all the previous times: with Hajime laying flat on his back, yet again unable to defeat the blonde first year.

Still, Hajime felt proud of himself for lasting longer and longer against the other. It would be a matter of time until he defeated him and took the top spot at Fuurin.

In the back of his mind, he did wonder where he had seen such golden eyes before.

What Hajime doesn’t expect is to see a group of six teens about his age laying unconscious around a younger boy as he turns around the corner.

The boy is still sitting on top of one of the guys, panting.

And then, Hajime notices it.

The white, the black. And the golden eye.

Yet again that molten gold color.

Their eyes meet and the boy startles, hurriedly jumping away, nimble like a cat.

Yet, what catches Hajime’s eyes in the next instant is not the boy in front of him.

Rather, it’s the teen raising a knife behind the boy’s back.

Hajime never felt his body move as fast as it did as he dropped his package on the ground and rushed to the boy.

Taking him by surprise, Hajime wraps one arm around the boy’s frame and pulls him towards his body while lifting his other arm and blocking the incoming blade.

Haruka stares with shock in his heterochromatic eyes as blood splatters on his face.

The blade that had been aimed for him is lodged firmly in the white haired boy’s arm, yet he doesn’t flinch nor does the arm around Haruka loosens its protective grip.

And once again Haruka is reminded of Chika.

“Why did you… Protect me?”

Hajime stares at the boy sitting beside him.

“Well, I don’t really need a reason to protect my younger siblings.”

He watches in amusement as the boy flushes a deep red.

“Since when were you my brother?!”

And Hajime laughs, before petting his head.

“Everyone in this city is my family! Thus you’re my little brother! And as big brother, it’s my duty to protect my family.”

The boy swats his hand and wordlessly goes back to eating his food.

And Hajime looks at his still pink colored ears with a fond look.

“I heard from Shitara-sensei that you didn’t want to go with him.” He says to the boy. “He is a good man. He can take care of you and you won’t have to sleep on the streets. And you’ll have lots of yummy food as well!”

The boy looks away.

“I don’t like orphanages.” He grumbles. “The teachers are mean. And they’d just throw me out again for being a freak.”

Hajime is a very patient and kind person, but even the tiniest of flames can grow to burn down a house.

“And,” The boy says. “I made a promise. To wait for… Someone. He— They… Promised to come back for me.”

“Is that so?”

He nods shyly.

“They must be very important to you.”

The boy blushes again.

“But you know, don’t you think they’d be sad if they knew you were living on the streets?” Hajime asks him.

“… I don’t want to break my promise.”

Hajime smiles.

“You’re a good kid.” He tells the boy. “How about this then? You come with me to Furinen and get yourself a cozy bed and warm meals everyday, but you are free to come and go?”

The child’s feet shuffle. And then, he looks up at Hajime with those beautiful eyes, hesitant but with a small spark of hope.

“I… Won’t I be leeching off them…?”

Hajime shakes his head.

“Of course not.”

“… You promise?”

Hajime feels a smile blossoming on his face as he extends a pinky finger towards the boy.

“I promise and cross my heart!”

As they walk hand in hand towards Haruka’s new home, Haruka tugs on the taller teen’s arm.

The white haired teen looks down with a questioning hum.

“Thank you.” Haruka says, looking away as red starts to color his cheeks once more. “For protecting me. And… Next time I’ll be the one to protect you so we’ll be even.”

Hajime’s joyful laughter fills the empty streets.

Chapter Text

Orange Lily

Chika doesn’t blink even as he is surrounded by his upperclassmen. None of them could even scratch him, let alone injury him.

Well, except that other first year.

Chika’s eye slightly twitches in annoyance as the white haired teen’s face comes to mind.

Umemiya Hajime.

The only thorn on his side that kept getting in his way for complete control over Fuurin and Makochi. If it weren’t for him, his place as the top would’ve been secured the moment he first stepped inside the infamous school— And he and Haruka would’ve already been living together once more.

If Endo noticed him throwing a particularly strong punch, he didn’t comment on it.

Yet the bastard had the annoying talent to make others follow him like ducklings.

Not only other students, but the entirety of the city. Wherever he went, people greeted him with smiles, offering free food, snacks and even medical treatment.

As if they were one big family.

Disgustingly sweet.

—Is what Endo would always say as they watched their rivals from afar. Chika, however, could care less. “Family” to him only needed one person. Haruka.

Blood ties?

He already barely remembered his parent’s faces.

Only Haruka mattered.

The ash urn still sat at the bottom of a river, along with any pictures they had of their parents.

Those four other first years that followed Umemiya like shadows were stronger than most of the other students, Chika could acknowledge. However, none of them even got closer to Endo’s level, much less his own. Thus their presence barely even registered in Chika’s view.

No, only Umemiya himself had been able to grab his attention— As an utter annoyance.

That’s not to say that Chika and Endo hadn’t gathered a following of their own; Other Fuurin students that reveled in the violence that the duo brought, the chaos they wrecked— “Noroshi” was the name by which they became known.

But as days turned into weeks and weeks into months, the feud between Umemiya’s group and Noroshi dragged on and on. Especially when slowly more and more people decided to join under Umemiya.

Chika glared at the empty space in front of him.

They didn’t have much time.

It’s one day a little over two months after he entered Fuurin that Endo approaches him.

“I think we should change our plans.” He says. “Umemiya will not back off and if this continues like this, it’ll take way too long to conquer this city.”

Chika knows that.

While Umemiya had never once been able to beat him — nor Umemiya’s group as a whole been able to defeat the Noroshi — until the white haired first year gave up they’d never be able to fully control Makochi and Fuurin.

He’d once entertained the thought of simply finishing Umemiya, but he knew that that would just end up in him being separated from Haruka for far longer.

(And, for as much he wouldn’t admit, it was somewhat exciting to have someone that wouldn’t go down so easily, that could actually give him a challenge and make his blood boil)

“... What do you have in mind?”

“Let’s leave Fuurin. We can create your and Haru-chan’s place anywhere else, after all!”

Chika weights his options.

“And besides— It’s been more than two months since we left. Your birthday is coming up soon isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be nice to visit Haru-chan?”

Chika looks at a worn down calendar.

June 18th

… Perhaps Endo was right.

“Gather the others. We’re leaving this place.”

It happened overnight, but Hajime was the first to notice Takiishi and Endo’s absence. The moment he and his Four Kings step inside of the school grounds, the oppressive atmosphere that came with the Noroshi leaders was no longer present.

It was as if it never existed at all.

As the day passed and not a single shadow of the other first years had been seen, Hajime could sense his companions’ tension. He himself wondered if at any point they would get jumped on— But nothing ever came.

And then the next day came and still no hide nor hair from any of the Noroshi.

And then a week. A month.

And it was clear to them that they simply left.

None of them knew why.

And as if they were nothing but shadows, the Noroshi disappeared from everyone’s minds.

It’s on the night of June 20th that Chika and Endo arrive at the orphanage. Most of the lights are out, all of the children already asleep. Only the light from the orphanage’s living room is still on, indicating that someone was still awake.

Chika knocks on the door.

It doesn’t take long for a teacher to hesitantly open it.

“T—Takiishi-kun?”

So they still remember him.

“I’m here for Haruka. Get out of my way.”

He shoulders past the middle aged man, but said man scrambles after him.

“W—Wait, you can’t just go inside! And the children are all sleeping already!”

The blonde teen slaps away the man’s hand when he tries to grab his shoulder. With a pointed look at Endo, the black haired teen grins impishly and holds the older man in place with a headlock.

Now with no one to stop him, Chika makes his way to Haruka’s room.

Gently, he pushes the door open.

And then he stares.

The room is empty.

“Where is he?”

The man whimpers on the ground, covered in blood and bruises. A couple feets away, the orphanage’s children and caretakers look at the scene in front of them, sleep completely stripped away by the terror coursing through their veins as Chika delivers a kick to the man’s gut.

“P—Please… I don’t know—” He coughs blood. “Sakura-kun l—left on his own.”

Another kick.

“Haruka promised to wait for me.” Chika crouches by the man’s face. “Are you calling my baby brother a liar?”

Chika’s voice is monotone, but even then anyone could feel the icy edge that his tone took.

“I— I…”

“... Out.”

Both Chika and Endo’s heads turn to one of the children. A boy probably younger that Haruka, trembling like a leaf in a storm. Tears gather at the corner of the boy’s dull brown eyes as he hiccups.

“Oya? What was it that you said?” Endo approaches the boy, his cheshire grin in place.

The boy gulps in fear, but he manages to meet Endo’s gaze.

“Kicked… Out.” He whispers. “The teachers— Kicked Sakura-kun out.”

They feel their blood freeze. And slowly, they turn to the adults huddled together. The teachers flinch back as the two teens’ attentions focus on them.

They are not given a moment to even scream.

The people in the nearby houses are later woken up by the sirens of the firefighter truck, but nothing aside from cinders is left from the orphanage.

And no matter how much the police asks, the children and the teachers lips are frozen shut.

As night turns into day, Chika swears.

He will find Haruka again.

And those who stand between them shall be reduced to ashes.

Chapter Text

Higanbana

When Haruka woke up that day, he instinctively felt that something felt off.

Throwing off his futon, he stretches and yawns. Standing up, he made sure to neatly fold the futon and place it in the corner of the small room— Shitara-sensei had been housing and feeding him (and most important of all, treating him like an actual person), being tidy was the least he could do.

When he headed to the dining room, some of the other kids were already seated around the table, ready for breakfast.

While Haruka trusted Shitara-sensei and Hajime, he couldn’t help but be wary of the children.

He knew very well that kids could be just as cruel as adults— Sometimes even more.

And so he sat the furthest away he could.

Not long after, the teachers brought everyone their food.

Haruka ate slowly, savoring the meal.

Breakfast done, he prepared to leave.

Over the time he had been at Furinen, his trips to his old orphanage lessened. But today, he felt that it might just be different.

After all, it was Chika-nii’s birthday.

His feeling proves to be true the moment he arrived at the old orphanage.

Or rather, what was left of it.

“How horrifying… I hope the children are alright…”

He hears two old ladies chatting nearby.

“I heard it was a robbery gone wrong?”

“Oh my, how scary… I do hear how dangerous it has been around here lately…”

“Yes… It seems that it was so traumatic that none of them have said a word since then.”

“Dear me, and I heard that some unsavory lot has been seen walking around too—”

He stops.

And turns around.

Part of him wonders if it was okay to not feel any sympathy.

(Another part of him felt guilty for being happy about it)

When he returns to Furinen just an hour after leaving, Shitara-sensei is very much surprised.

“Did you forget something?”

Haruka shakes his head.

Yuki puts down the newspaper he had been reading.

“Did something happen? You usually stay out until dinner time.”

Haruka flops onto the couch. “The orphanage’s gone.”

“… What?”

“My previous orphanage. It’s gone.” Haruka repeats. “Burned to the ground.”

Yuki freezes on his seat by the table.

“I… See…” Shitara coughs into his hand, trying to break the awkward mood. “And— Well, what do you plan on doing now?”

Haruka shuffles his feet.

What to do now? He could still keep the same routine as before, but he thinks back on what those old ladies weer talking about. Had the area truly become more dangerous? Haruka never took notice of it since their little trio of misfits – him, Chika-nii and En-chan – were often left alone by everyone else.

Chika-nii’s fame in particular made sure that no one came ten meters close to the orphanage.

… Had the information of Chika-nii and En-chan leaving spread around?

Haruka wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case.

The orphanage’s caretakers never noticed it, too hung up on their delinquent fame to understand that their very presence there deterred far more unhinged people from doing whatever they pleased.

But, anyways.

He sighed.

Perhaps it would be better to wait and see what happened before deciding.

Turns out it ended up worse than he thought.

In the past week, a group of unknown people had been going around the area surrounding the orphanage leaving nothing but destruction in their wake.

Nobody knew who they were. They came and went at night, covered by shadows. And those unfortunate enough to encounter one of them—

Well.

They prized their lives.

And so the entire ward had gone into lockdown— Even the surrounding neighborhoods were on high alert. Police enforced a curfew from the moment the Sun went down until its first morning rays. Rarely anyone left their homes.

Haruka tried to sneak into the area, but under the scrutiny and a harsh shove from a policeman, he had no choice but to go back to Furinen, lest the man accused him of being part of that crazed gang.

Thus he finds himself in his current position.

Laying on his bed, staring at the white ceiling.

He felt lost.

He didn’t know what to do.

He didn’t want to... Couldn't break his promise.

A soft knock brings his attention to his door, which is slowly pushed open by Shitara-sensei.

“I brought you something to drink.”

He sits down by Haruka’s feet and offers a steaming mug of hot chocolate, which the young boy accepts openly.

“... I’ve heard about the situation.” The older man says. “Will you still… Try to head there? I— I just think it might be too risky.”

Putting down the mug, he stares at the chocolate swirls.

“I have to.” He states firmly. “I don’t know when nii-chan will be there— I have to wait for him where we promised.”

The teacher frowns.

“Don’t you think your brother would want you to be safe above everything else?” He says. “I think your brother would be sad if you got hurt by whoever is behind all those attacks.”

“I just fear people would resort to hurting you.”

His brother’s words.

“... I’ll think about it.”

Shitara-sensei gives him a small smile, lightly petting his hair.

“Take all the time you need.” He says, before leaving Haruka’s room.

The hot chocolate had cooled down a bit, but it still warmed him up.

This place truly wasn’t so bad.

If he was unable to return to that accursed place, then he would be the one to go meet Chika-nii, is what Haruka decided.

He wholly did not wish to break his promise, and he felt guilty at the prospect of disappointing Chika-nii and En-chan.

But Haruka knew that was his best option at the moment.

It was clear that police enforcement would remain at high alert, given that the lockdown hadn’t lessened even weeks after it was first installed— The group still ran freely through the streets.

Haruka wondered just how strong they were.

Of course, none of them would hold a candle to Chika-nii.

Chika-nii is the strongest after all.

Which is why Haruka knew that his brother would reign at the top of Fuurin— And he knew that he’d be able to meet him again once he himself enrolled at Fuurin.

Two years— Well, a little over a year and half by now.

Then he’d be able to follow Chika-nii’s footsteps; Fight his way to the top, become Fuurin’s number two – Chika would always be number one – then take over once his brother graduated.

As he wrote on a Tanzaku paper, he closed his eyes and prayed. Not to a faraway god— But to his own gold-eyed god.

“Have you finished your Tanabata wish, Sakura-kun?”

Shitara-sensei extends his hand and Haruka gives him the small paper slip. The older man takes no time to tie it to a small bamboo tree the teachers had prepared.

“What did you wish for?” He asks Haruka.

Haruka looks at him, eyes shining. “It’s not a wish. It’s a promise.”

To never be apart again

As flowers fell and vibrant colors made way for lush green and deep red, snow soon graced the sky in delicate flakes.

The hands of the clock spun relentlessly without ever stopping.

And so, time passed.

And soon, a pair of mismatched eyes looked at the wind-chime decorated arch in front of them with a amused gaze.

Chapter Text

Primrose

Makochi was far more peaceful than he expected. For a city that was supposed to be full of delinquents running amok, everything seemed to be in perfect order.

Well, Haruka never had been to the center of the city, as Furinen was located fairly on the outskirts of the city, on the border with the neighboring ward. That said, he expected to be jumped on as soon as he stepped into the main street just for wearing Fuurin’s uniform.

He felt slightly disappointed.

However, his thoughts are quickly replaced with food as his stomach grumbles and he is reminded of the fact that he’d been so eager to finally find Chika in Fuurin that he left his run down apartment without eating the food that Yuki had given him when he moved out.

“Are you really moving out?” The older man asked. “You can live here until you graduate, you know…”

Haruka looks up from his spot, throwing the last of his belongings in a cardboard box.

“Furinen’s too far.” He replies. “Plus since I’m gonna go to Fuurin, I don’t wanna drag the younger kids into this.”

Yuki gives a small, fond sigh. “You really are just like him, huh…”

Walking around, he quickly spots a small cafe. However, right in front of it he sees a group of men surrounding a young woman.

When one of them forcibly grabs her, Haruka narrows his eyes.

Well. He thinks. Not that peaceful I guess.

He makes quick work of them. For how much they liked to intimidate others, they didn’t even make Haruka break a sweat.

He truly hated weak people that thought they were strong.

Still, thanks to them, he was now sitting at the cafe with a warm plate of omurice.

“I’m Tachibana Kotoha. Nice to meet you.”

He feels as if he’d heard that name before.

But still— He doesn’t know what to think of her. Even after seeing him pummeling five guys in front of her she still invited him to the cafe and gave him free food.

He frowns.

Normally people would be afraid of him.

“You know, it’s kinda rare for someone to move into Makochi.” She says. “Is there a reason you decided to come here?”

Haruka pauses.

His only objective was to find Chika-nii again.

However, he didn’t trust the girl in front of him.

Chika-nii had warned him that people in Makochi, in Fuurin, would do anything to get the upper hand— That just the fact they were related could be dangerous for the both of them.

He’d rather die than become Chika-nii’s weakness.

Not that he was weak. Far from it— During the two years he spent in Furinen, Haruka had been constantly fighting and getting stronger, just so he could proudly stand by Chika’s side.

But he knew that cowards liked to use underhanded methods to win fights.

Swallowing down the food in his mouth, he instead says. “I’m here to reach the top of Fuurin.”

Kotoha gives him a surprised look. “Huh…”

“By the way…” She says, after a moment. “You’ve got an interesting look— Your hair and eyes are mismatched.”

Ah. There it was.

Haruka narrowed his eyes, glaring at her. In the end, freaks will be freaks huh?

“Hah? What about it? Ya got something ya wanna—”

“Wow, it’s really like a marble!”

“—say…?”

Haruka is startled by Kotoha suddenly approaching her face.

“Wha—! Do ya wanna go?! Huh?!”

Kotoha was a weird one, Haruka decided. But a good kind of weird?

Everyone that ever caught sight of him got freaked out.

Well, except Hajime-nii— But the older man was also weird in his own way.

Still, he learned to not care about what other people thought of him. Besides, how one looks doesn’t matter in a fight anyways.

Haruka supposed it was one of the reasons Chika-nii chose Fuurin.

The school with the lowest national average and the strongest fighters, where failures gather. A dog-eat-dog world where factions are always fighting, where underlings backstab their bosses and where there isn’t a single day when the students aren’t smacking down.

And Chika was certainly the one on top of it— Haruka was sure of it.

“Hmm… You’ve got some high expectations huh?” She chuckles. “Aaaand is that why you’re already in your uniform when classes only start tomorrow, huuuuuh?”

Scratch that, she was just weird.

This town was mad.

He was wearing the uniform of a famous delinquent school, he looked like he dyed his hair and yet people looked at him without scorn.

Hell, an old man even thanked him for helping him.

But now, as he pummels down a group of punks, he is reminded of how things should be.

“Disgusting.”

Yeah. That’s more like it. That’s the right reaction.

Everyone always pushed him away, rejected him, dismissed him.

Haruka wondered where he would be if he didn’t have Chika-nii and En-chan while growing up.

He wondered what would have happened to him if he hadn’t been found by Yuki-sensei and Hajime-nii.

… It’s not something he particularly likes to think about.

He soon finds himself with his back against Kotoha, shielding her from them after the girl had come outside her cafe.

Fucking hell, this wasn’t like him— Protecting someone. He isn’t used to gave to worry about someone during a fight.

Why was he even protecting her?

A sharp pain on his foot brings him back to his senses as one of the punks he took down used a knife to stab his leg. Kicking him away, Haruka braces himself when someone else raises a baseball bat, aiming for Haruka’s head.

The pain never comes, however. Instead, he himself is protected by someone else wearing a Fuurin uniform.

What the hell… Haruka thinks, flabbergasted. Why are people from Fuurin trying to help another Fuurin student?

“It’s Fuurin’s Hiragi!”

And then, he is protected yet again.

“Gooooo!!”

“We’ve been waiting for you guys!!”

“Get them good!!”

And the townspeople were cheering? For them? For a bunch of delinquents?

This town really was mad.

“This town was full of teams and gangs and whatnot fighting everywhere.” Kotoha says to him. “Well, it was like that until two years ago, when the students of Fuurin High changed it.”

The students?

“The first thing they did was set up the sign in front of the town.”

“If ya can’t use a damn bat right, then at least learn how to read!!” The tall white haired guy yells out. “Anyone past this point who causes pain—”

“They originally had Fuurin’s name written next to it, but eventually the townspeople gave them a new name...”

“—who brings destruction, who holds evil in their heart!”

“... As the protectors who fight to defend the town.”

“WILL BE PURGED BY BOFURIN, WITHOUT EXCEPTION!!”

Kotoha smiles.

“Bofurin, the chime of the wind breaker… The protector of this town.” She mutters. “They used to be the lowest of low, hated by everyone. But now, they’re loved by this town and they’re needed here.”

What the hell…?

Haruka thinks, scrunching his face.

They’re just like heroes…

This doesn’t sound like Chika-nii at all.

After making sure all the punks are out cold, (he sneers when he thinks about the kick he landed on the dude trying to sneak on the Fuurin students, the coward) Sakura returns to his new apartment. It wasn’t anything to be proud of compared to the comfiness of Furinen, but it was what he could afford with the allowance Yuki-sensei had given him.

Still, it was good enough until he found Chika-nii and could move in with him.

The following day started as boring as any other day.

He did meet an… Interesting boy while eating breakfast at Pothos. Just like Kotoha, he didn’t seem to be wary of his appearance.

Haruka wondered if that lanky kid really was a Fuurin student.

Turns out the kid really was a Fuurin student.

Just… Unable to fight.

Haruka did think his determination was praiseworthy, though— In that aspect the boy, Nirei Akihiko, was far tougher than the guys that beat him up.

Whatever the case, he now had a blonde puppy following him around.

Walking towards the school, Haruka had to admit it was pretty intimidating. The building looked like it came straight from a post apocalyptic movie. Yet, it fit pretty well Fuurin’s image.

Haruka couldn’t help the bubbly feeling inside of him.

He couldn’t wait to see Chika-nii again.

Approaching his designated classroom with the pomeranian puppy behind him, he shrugs off the puppy’s concern about him being an “outsider”.

The school treating him as an enemy?

Hah.

Nothing new to him.

He didn’t care if those people saw him as an enemy; He was there to reach the top where Chika-nii is.

With that in mind, Haruka opens the door with a little too much enthusiasm as it hits the wall with a loud bang.

Eyes turn to him and Haruka finds himself smirking when the guys inside stare him down.

However, when a eyepatch wearing boy approaches him, he immediately puts his fists up, expecting to be attacked.

This is how it’s supposed to be. He thinks. I’m an outsider to these guys.

Instead, he feels a light pat on his shoulder.

“I heard all about it! Wow you’re amazing! You were the star of that brawl on main street yesterday right?!”

He is dumbfounded when Eyepatch praises him for protecting the town.

… Protecting the town? Him?

All he did was beat up some thugs?

“I think I remember seeing a guy I didn’t recognize! Holy crap dude, you were amazing!”

“Protecting the town even before classes start? That’s incredible!”

He feels his cheeks burn. Why were these guys praising him?!

“But you know, why did you choose to come here?”

Haruka shrugs off Eyepatch’s hand that was still on his shoulder. Face still painted a deep red, he turns away.

“I’m here to reach the top.”

And once again, he is returned with surprised faces.

But before anyone can say anything, a desk flies by him, crashing onto the wall.

Looking behind him, a wild dog (?) growled at him.

Haruka grinned.

In the end before he could completely knock that wild dog on his ass, a loud voice boomed from the loudspeakers and in an instant everyone straightened up, stopping whatever they were doing. Even the mad dog forgot about Haruka’s existence in favor of listening to the announcement.

Haruka stared in confusion.

“This is the Bofurin Rep…”

Bofurin Rep? Did that mean the man at the top of Fuurin?

But…

That wasn’t Chika’s nor En-chan’s voice.

“… Umemiya Hajime.”

Eh?

Umemiya… Hajime?

Hajime-nii…?

He’s the one at the top of Fuurin?

Then… Where is Chika-nii?

Chapter Text

Edelweiss

Haruka wanted nothing more than to leave his classroom and head to the broadcasting room as soon as the announcement was over. However, just as he was about to head to the door, it is slammed open by an upperclassman.

The next hours that follow pass by like whirlwind, leaving Haruka’s head spinning as he is dragged all over the town.

When he was told they were going out on patrol, Haruka figured they were gonna go around beating up other gangs, which did make him excited—

Then why was he painting some random person’s walls?!

“Oh, Sakura-san, that part is so uneven!”

“I got some extra paint.”

Then after that, they helped an old man switch their lightbulb.

Then they helped a grandma carry some heavy boxes.

What.

What the hell is this?

And to top it all—

Why did he have to be grouped with that mad dog?!

“Umemiya told me to keep my eye on you two.” The upperclassman, Hiragi, answered.

Toma Hiragi, one of Bofuurin’s Four Heavenly Kings and the one commanding the Tamon team. Haruka wondered just how strong the man was— If he was directly under Hajime-nii he had to be strong, yeah?

Haruka wondered if he would be able to meet Hajime through him.

A big part of him felt disappointed after hearing that Hajime was the one sitting at Fuurin’s top— It was supposed to be Chika-nii standing in that spot.

Or…

… Could Chika have left him behind?

Haruka shook his head.

There’s no way Chika would abandon him.

Still, he wished to know what happened to his brother and Endo

“This town was full of teams and gangs and whatnot fighting everywhere.” Kotoha says to him. “Well, it was like that until two years ago, when the students of Fuurin High changed it.”

Two years ago.

Back when Chika enrolled at Fuurin.

According to Kotoha, Fuurin used to be a no man’s land with students and gangs alike fighting everyday… So it’s possible Chika-nii and En-chan were one of such groups in Fuurin.

That said, Chika-nii and En-chan are the strongest people I’ve ever known— Could there have been someone that defeated them?

Haruka’s thoughts trail off, before his eyes narrow.

Hajime-nii…? He ponders. I’ve only seen him fight once, but was he strong enough to defeat Chika-nii?

He frowned.

He needed to face Hajime as soon as possible.

After helping more people around town, they finally resumed their patrol through the streets of Makochi.

Haruka was bored, to say the least.

“Wouldn’t it be more efficient to just find the other gangs and beat them up?” He wonders aloud as they walk.

“Ya dumbass, that’s not how protecting works— That’s just a damn raid.” Hiragi grumbles. “Our fights are meant for protectin’. There’s no need for us to strike first.”

Haruka averts his eyes, deep in thought.

Fight to protect?

Haruka had only ever fought to prove everyone wrong about him and Chika— To prove that they were the strongest. Picking fights had been their routine; It didn’t matter who their opponent was. All of them ended up beaten to a pulp.

To wait for the first strike to come… It’s not something that Haruka understood. To allow someone to hit him first would just put him at disadvantage; It was always better to be the one catching his enemies off guard.

Haruka just couldn’t understand Fuurin’s way of thinking.

Suddenly, he feels a light pat on his head. Lifting his head, Hiragi is looking away from him, his other hand holding a freshly made taiyaki.

“I get where you’re coming from.” He tells Haruka. “We were all like that before, too. But, being able to just talk with people and being needed by them… This can be quite fun too.”

Being needed… The only people that ever stuck to his side had been Chika and Endo. No one ever reached to him with anything less than ill-intent.

Hell, even his parents never saw worth in him.

Haruka wished to know how it felt like.

Turns out that they ended up taking the first swing. In another team’s turf nonetheless.

In Haruka’s defense, those orange bastards were technically the ones who struck first when they decided to gang up on that middle schooler.

That said, he didn’t expect the dog to have the same idea as him as they both landed a kick on that nameless bastard’s gut.

For so called “Devotees of Power”, he sure went down easily.

However, the way the guy’s teammates reacted didn’t sit well with him.

What the hell… Aren’t they on the same side…?

His answer came in the shape of a man that slowly walked up to them.

Behind him, Hiragi visibly tensed.

“Of all people to show up—” He hears him swear under his breath. “Shishitoren’s second-in-command, Togame Jo…”

“Oya? Fuurin? Over on this side?” The man, with an infuriatingly slow pace, looks down at the fallen Shishitoren member. “Ehh… So, was this… Your work of art?”

Haruka feels a shudder run down his spine at the guy’s grin.

He’s definitely a cut above those three.

“Lame.” Haruka drawls. “Beatin’ up weaklings is your definition of power? What a letdown.”

Haruka stands by his opinion.

Even as Togame pretty much accepted his war declaration and even as he’s chastised by the other Fuurin students.

Preying on weaker people doesn’t make one stronger; Only fighting stronger people does.

Hiragi sighs after taking an ungodly amount of Gas-kun. “What’s done is done. Besides… I should’ve been the one to step in first. Sorry.”

Haruka blinks in confusion.

Why should he be sorry? Haruka never regretted picking a fight, especially against dipshits that asked for it.

Those thoughts are shoved out of the window, however, as Hiragi leads them back to the school.

“We gotta report this to Umemiya.” He tells them as they climb up the stairs that lead to the school’s roof.

Haruka can’t help but feel nervous. He doesn’t know how should he face the man that had become a pillar of support to him. The Hajime he knew… Would he be different from Umemiya Hajime, Fuurin’s top?

The dread in Hiragi’s face doesn’t help ease his nerves.

Hajime hummed as he carefully tended to his precious plants. The crops had been growing very well, which meant they’d have tons of yummy vegetables to eat!

Before long, however, his thoughts trailed back to the list of new students.

1-1, Sakura Haruka

He lets out a small laugh.

In the end, Haru decided to come to Fuurin. Hajime’s eyes soften at the thought of his newest family member.

Haruka was a special boy, Hajime knew that from the moment he first laid his eyes on the younger boy.

Like himself, Haruka’s eyes showed just how much the boy had suffered— And the boy himself had told Hajime, one night in Furinen, how he’d been cast aside by everyone.

Everyone but his older brother.

Haruka never told Hajime his name, but he knew from the stories Haruka would tell him about his brother that Haruka adored his big brother. It was plain as day the way Haruka’s eyes lit up when speaking about him.

Hajime did try to learn the other’s name, at least so he could find him and help the two reunite, but Haruka firmly refused to do so.

“Nii-chan has many enemies.” Haruka had told him. “Even if you’re the one asking, I can’t break nii-chan’s trust more than I already have.”

Hajime left it as it was. Nothing good would come from probing when Haruka didn’t feel comfortable sharing.

Still, Hajime couldn’t deny the feeling of curiosity nagging the back of his mind. He wanted to know the person that Haruka looked up to; The person that protected him when no one else had.

That also led to another question. Why had Haruka decided to come to Fuurin?

“I made a promise. To wait for… Someone. He— They… Promised to come back for me.”

It was fairly easy to deduce that the ‘someone’ most likely was Haruka’s older brother.

Could it be that he was a Fuurin student?

Hajime furrowed his brows.

None of the second nor third years seemed to show interest in the first years— At least not in Haruka.

… A former student?

That didn’t really narrow down the list that much, as many people had left Fuurin after Hajime and the Four Kings seized power, whether by graduating or just leaving altogether; If the person Haruka was looking for was a former student, there were a hundred or so people that fit that bill.

His thoughts are interrupted when the door to the roof swings open and Hiragi’s figure appears in the doorway, followed by some new faces— And Haruka.

Hajime perks up at the sight of the dual colored boy.

“Umemiya. We've got trouble.”

“I know.” Hajime replies to Hiragi with a serious face. “We don’t have enough seeds!”

And that’s a big problem! Because then they wouldn’t have enough veggies to feed everyone during their summer BBQ. Hajime wouldn’t forgive himself if anyone didn’t get to eat!

Haruka sweatdropped at Hajime’s antics. The older boy was the same as always.

He was worried for nothing.

“Hajime-nii.”

Several eyes turned to him in surprise, but Hajime happily bounced towards him.

“Haru~! I’m so happy you’re here!” He says as he hugs Haruka. “I was surprised when Yuki-sensei told me you decided to enroll in Fuurin.”

“L-Let go of me already, jeez.” Blushing, he struggles against Hajime’s embrace. “I’m the one who was surprised— You never told me you were in Fuurin… Much less at the top.”

Hajime laughed.

“Sorry, sorry. I try to avoid involving everyone in Furinen so they don’t get caught up in anything.” He says. “But I am truly happy to see you here!”

Haruka couldn’t fault him for that; He did the same thing by moving out of Furinen the moment the enrolled in Fuurin. Still, if Hajime had told him about Fuurin beforehand…

Haruka wondered if he would still have decided to come here.

Haruka waited until both Hiragi and the middle school student finished reporting to Hajime. As much as he wanted to talk to the older boy, he understood that there were more pressing matters at hand.

“Ohhh? Haru was the one to pick a fight?”

“That’s—! Those assholes were th ones calling themselves the devotees of power and crap, but they were beating up people weaker than them! It’s s lame! I just called it as I saw—!”

Hajime grinned.

“Aww, my lil bro grew up to be so reliable!” He ruffled Haruka’s hair. “I’m so proud of you!”

Haruka blushed again.

“Shut up! And stop messing with my hair!”

Haruka grumbled as he ran his hand through his black and white locks, trying to undo Hajime’s mess.

“Hajime-nii.” He called to the other boy. “Can we, uh— Can we talk? Just the two of us I mean— There’s something I need to ask you.”

“Why, of course! I’ll always make time for you, Haru!”

Except, that they were soon interrupted by Hiragi’s phone going off.

Soon followed by the leader of Shishitoren himself appearing on Fuurin’s grounds.

“Sorry Haru.” Hajime said as they watched Choji and Togame walk away. “I think we’re gonna have to leave that for later.”

Haruka looked away.

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t feeling slightly disappointed.

However, the idea of beating up that turtle made his blood excited— He’d been hungering for a good fight ever since he arrived and this might just satisfy him.

Shishitoren’s number two, Togame Jo.

Haruka grinned.

Finally, a decent challenge.

Chapter Text

Black Dahlia

After the altercation between Shishitoren’s Choji and Hajime, the group found themselves back at Pothos. The first year trio sat together on a table and Haruka stared as Nirei spiraled into an anxious mess. Suo, as always, had a perfectly neutral smile on his face.

Haruka wondered if the guy ever showed any other emotion.

“KO-! TO-! HAAA~!”

Not far from where they sat, Hajime gushed over Kotoha and Haruka was certain that the older boy would have hugged her if it weren’t for Hiragi holding him back and the bar standing between them.

Haruka blinked.

Is she Hajime-nii’s girlfriend?

The mere thought of it set his face on fire.

“She’s my little sister!” Hajime says proudly.

“We just were raised in the same orphanage.” Kotoha adds.

Huh. Haruka thinks, then frowns. Furinen? Then—

“Oh. You’re that Kotoha.” He comments. “Yuki-sensei and Hajime-nii talked about you a lot.”

It was Kotoha’s turn to stare at Haruka.

“You know Yuki-sensei?”

“… I lived there too. For two years before I came here.”

“Guess you could call me your big sister then.” She whispers to him with a wink as she gives him a cup of coffee.

The two lock eyes for a brief moment and it’s like a connection, a mutual understanding sets between them.

They both know what it's like to be all alone.

“Thank you so much for saving me!” The middle schooler gives the group a deep bow. “And best of luck on your fight tomorrow!”

Haruka blushes. “I-It’s not like we’re fighting for your sake or nothin’—”

“Geez, all you gotta say is, ‘you can leave it to us’.”

He looks away, embarrassed. “L… Leave it to us.”

He notedly ignores everyone’s proud smiles.

The following day, the group of four first years and two third years are led by Shishitoren’s top two into an abandoned theatre.

‘Ori’, the cage of beasts. Shishitoren’s headquarters.

True to its name, the moment they stepped inside, glares and leers were thrown at them, as if they were fresh prey to be devoured.

Haruka scoffed.

None of these guys held a candle to Chika and En-chan; The two were far more intimidating than these small fryes.

The first fight ended as fast as Haruka expected.

He only fought Fuurin’s mad dog for a couple minutes, but Haruka knew that Sugishita was far above his opponent.

He didn’t think it would take a single punch though.

The second match was… Interesting to say the least.

Haruka’s pretty sure he’d heard of Suo before, probably from Endo or another delinquent, but the rumors about the guy’s fighting capability didn’t make justice to the real thing.

He almost felt pity for the guy that was being toyed around, unable to even touch Suo.

What would I need to do to make him fight me seriously? Haruka hums.

That said, it’s not long before Scraggles intervenes and stops the fight, essentially kicking out the guy from Shishitoren.

Hiragi’s battle lasts far longer than the previous two.

His opponent — Sako or whatever — seemed to have some sort of past with Hiragi, as well as a grudge against the shark-toothed third year.

Still, Haruka felt pissed watching their fight.

Sure the other guy was far above the previous two in both skill and strength, but the Hiragi he had seen on his first day in Makochi was far stronger than that— Yet he was being pushed back, hesitant to fight.

It annoyed the hell outta Haruka.

Why bother fighting if you’re not giving your all?

It’s an insult to your opponent and a spit on the face of all the people you’ve beaten before.

“Hey, Shark Teeth! Ya hear me?! You listenin’?!” He yells as he stands up from his seat. “People are lookin’ down on us thanks to your sorry excuse of a fight!! Havin’ a weak stomach’s enough! Ya don’t hafta be a weak fighter too!”

Bless Nirei for his iron grip on Haruka’s jacket, the boy would’ve certainly jumped into the fight if allowed to do so.

Beside him, Suo laughs.

“Sakura-kun is starting to learn to care about his friends now, huh?”

Haruka freezes.

“W-Wha—?”

Him? Friends?

Since when…?

Haruka knew what friends were— Had seen the other children in his elementary school flocking together to talk about meaningless stuff, had seen as they smiled together as they shared their bento food with each other, helped each other study, played together—

He had seen as those friend groups ganged up on him, their laughter, their mocking eyes—

-

“Sakura-san…?”

Nirei’s hesitant voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Quickly turning away, his eyes drift towards the stage, where the fight had taken an intense turn.

Haruka’s eyes widened as Hiragi and Sako clashed viciously, with sharp strikes and powerful kicks as if up until now their fight had been nothing but a drunken brawl in a random alleyway.

“Sakura-kun’s passion probably got to him.” He hears Suo comment.

Still, it’s not long until Hiragi delivers a punch to Sako’s gut, making the Shishitoren member slump to the ground, unconscious.

Haruka watches in silence as Hiragi carefully carries his opponent off the stage and gently places him down against a wall.

It’s such a simple gesture, but Haruka’s gut clenches at the sight of it— He misses Chika’s gentleness that was reserved for him and him only. He misses his brother’s caring touch, one that would pat him on the head or simply hold his arm in silent support when no one was looking.

He misses Chika.

Contrary to his slow ass attitude, Scraggle’s fast when fighting.

Haruka seldom has time to think and dodge as Scraggles lunges for him, taking advantage of his longer arms and legs, which gave him far more reach than Haruka.

Despite that, Haruka manages to land blows of his own by relying on his own speed and agility.

Still, he doesn’t expect Scraggles to brush off a harsh kick to the back of his head and in the next moment, Haruka finds the air leaving his lungs as he is slammed against the ground.

“Look at yourself.” Scraggle’s voice reaches his ears as he is lifted by his shirt’s collar. “Who’s being lame now? The only people allowed to be smartasses and act like cocky little shits are those with the power to back it up. You’re only so smug because you’ve wormed your way in with the strong.”

“When you’re finally alone, you won’t be able to make so much as a peep.”

“Shut up.”

Lifting his arm, Haruka swings it up. Scraggles easily dodges the punch towards his face, but Haruka takes the chance to instead aim for the arm holding him up and force Scraggles to release him.

“Hey now, I’m still talking—”

“Shut the hell up.” Haruka growls. “Because I wormed in with the strong? ‘When’ I’m alone?”

Using the momentum from getting out of Scraggles’s grip, Haruka dashes forward. Scraggles narrowly dodges a left hook, but his balance is thrown off by a sweep under his feet.

Haruka, in the same movement, spins his body and turns the sweep into a roundhouse kick, hitting Scraggles straight in the face and making the taller man stagger.

“I fought my way to stand beside the strong.” He snarls at Scraggles. “I don’t depend on anyone to be free— I obtain that with my own fists. Being alone? Hah!” He scoffs. “That is nothing new to me.”

“Even if it kills me, I can’t lose to you!”

“You… What the hell are you tryin’ to do?”

As the battle progressed, Scraggles’ punches suddenly began wavering. After knocking out the two Shishitoren members that had been chasing the middle schooler, it felt as if his drive had disappeared.

His blows had no weight behind them.

“If you’re gonna be a lameass lowlife, then I’ll make you stop all this lame bullshit.” Wiping the blood on the corner of his lips, Haruka crouches, ready to continue. “Then you’ll join the cool club and become someone I wanna fight!”

Scraggles let out a humorless laugh.

“What a big mouth for someone facing a man stronger than you… You’re really selfish.”

“Who cares if it’s selfish?! Even if I’m facing someone to whom I owe my life— Even if they are stronger than me— I will never look away!” Leaping towards the taller man, Haruka winds up his leg. “I will never bend my will!!”

From the audience seats, Hajime looks on as the two trade blows.

The same way he felt proud of Haruka for reaching out and being able to communicate with Togame, he couldn’t help but let his thoughts linger on Haruka’s words.

He still remembers the boy when they first met two years before— Scrawny, shying away from everyone.

Hajime knew from talking to Haruka that his brother never meant for Haruka to be thrown away, but he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of resentment towards the unknown person.

“Why don’t we finish this?”

Togame’s voice brought his attention back to the fight. He watched as the two ran towards each other, fists ready for one last punch.

Yet only Haruka’s reached its target.

Hajime could see as everyone’s breaths took a sharp inhale as Togame fell to the ground.

Haru’s words reached you, huh?

Hajime was well aware of Shishitoren’s change— Tomiyama’s change.

He felt guilty of not being able to help, of not offering a hand when Tomiyama had needed it the most.

Which is why he’ll make sure to properly have a conversation with him this time.

Haruka doesn’t know what came over him when he almost punched Shishitoren’s leader.

Even as Hajime took his place on the stage, Haruka felt his blood boil in rage.

Shaking his arms off Hajime’s grip, he reigns in his anger. “If you lose, I’ll beat your ass.”

Hajime simply smiles. “Yeah, sure.”

Shishitoren’s leader is, for the lack of better words, crazy in Haruka’s eyes. His agility was on par with Haruka’s own— Maybe even above.

Still, Hajime stands firm, waiting patiently for the right moment to strike. Blow after blow, Haruka could see the wounds accumulating on Hajime’s body. Yet the older man looked completely unfazed.

“Your fists are powerless.” He hears Hajime say. “You’re fighting for nothing— You’re not shouldering anything. You allow Togame and all the guys under you to do it for you… And that—”

Haruka feels shivers run down his spine.

“—Is your failure as a leader!!”

Haruka feels the instant that the mood shifts.

The smile on the shorter boy is replaced by a crazed expression as he abandons his previous fighting style in favor of a reckless charge.

Haruka felt his heart drop when Hajime allowed himself to fall to the ground and let Tomiyama’s teeth clench around his throat, drawing blood from the punctures.

“Back then… Your fists were a lot heavier. You were dazzling and you looked like you were having fun— Much more than now.”

Startled, the blonde boy jumps back and away from Hajime.

“Remember what it’s like—”

They all watched as Hajime slowly approached him and took his face into his hands—

“—Tomiyama!”

—And then head butted the other boy.

Hajime watched from his spot as Togame and Tomiyama talked to each other.

He was glad the two finally talked— truly talked, both of them looking at each other.

And when Tomiyama offered him Shishitoren’s leadership, Hajime let out a hearty laugh.

“Instead of taking your team, how about we become friends?”

“Pfft! Ume-chan, you never disappoint.” Tomiyama laughs.

With the conflict between Shishitoren and Fuurin over, Hajime and the other Fuurin students found themselves eating together with Togame and Tomiyama.

Taking a bite out of each dish, Hajime hums in delight as the delicious food hits his tongue. Just what one would expect from the bar district!

Across from him, Haruka stares at the food and at Hajime, dumbfounded.

How can Hajime-nii share a meal with the guy he was fighting a moment ago? He grips his chopsticks. Could that even be considered a fight…?

Just how… How was Hajime-nii able to take the top spot like this…?

“Please accept my deepest apologies.” Haruka’s eyes turned to look at Togame, who had his head down in a deep bow. “This whole incident… And the reason why Shishitoren started to rot from inside… It’s all my responsibility. I’m really sorry for the trouble I’ve caused.”

Beside Tomiyama, Hajime let his hand drop to his lap. “Well, you heard him. What do you want to do, Haru?”

Startled, Haruka turns to Hajime.

“M-Me?!”

And then he found Togame also looking at him, expectantly.

“Y-You…!” Standing up abruptly, he points at Togame. “You have to change and become cooler than your lameass self!! And never do those stupid things again, ya hear me?!”

“… I promise.”

Later, after they parted ways with Shishitoren, the Fuurin group returned to Pothos. Kotoha and Sasaki welcomed them back as they entered the cafe. However, before Haruka could enter, Hajime nudged him back.

“Sorry Kotoha, Haru and I have some stuff to talk about~ Could you make us some coffee for later~?”

In response, Kotoha sighed, but nodded.

The cafe’s door closed, Hajime led Haruka to a nearby park not too far away. To their luck, it was completely empty.

“So.” Hajime started. “What did you need to talk to me about?”

Averting his eyes, Haruka sat down on one of the park’s swings. He didn’t know how to breach the subject to Hajime, but he figured it was best to just cut to the chase.

“Can you tell me about Fuurin?” He asks. “I mean— the Fuurin from two years ago.”

Hajime blinks once. Twice.

He half expected Haruka to ask that at one point, but not this soon. Sitting on the other swing, Hajime stretches his legs.

“Well, I imagine you’ve heard about the old Fuurin, yeah?” Haruka nods. “Back then… No, even before— I’ve always wanted to change Makochi and Fuurin. For the sake of the people I grew to see as my family, for the people that would come after me. I wanted to create a place where they could all smile with me.”

“It wasn’t easy at first. Everyone saw me as just another delinquent— Another person that would bring nothing but destruction to the city.” Hajime continues. “But slowly, people who wanted the same thing as me bundled together. And the townspeople gradually began accepting us.”

“My group— We understood that in order to achieve our goal, we had to start with Fuurin. A lot of gang members were Fuurin students so by taking charge of Fuurin we’d be able to cull some of the fighting.” Scratching lightly his cheek, Hajime gives Haruka a small smile. “Of course, we met a lot of resistance from people who were against our ideals— But we couldn’t back down.”

“... Among those people—” Haruka interrupts. “Was there… Who was your toughest opponent?”

Hajime is slightly thrown off by Haruka’s question. Taking a moment to ponder, there was no doubt in Hajime mind— The memories of golden eyes staring him down are still vivid on his mind.

“There was one person.” He says. “Another boy my age— He appeared in Fuurin around the same time as I did and like me, his objective was to take the top spot in Fuurin. But our ideals were far too different. The Fuurin that he wanted to create… Was one of bloodshed.”

The hair on the back of Haruka’s neck stood up as he felt a tinge of dread creep up his body.

“We fought countless times, but we never won against them.” Hajime confesses. “But one day… He and his group simply disappeared. We don’t know why— They just vanished. And without them, it ended up being a matter of time before my group took control of Fuurin.”

“Well, that’s more or less how Bofurin came to be~” Hajime says.

“...” Haruka averts his eyes. He knew what he had to ask— And deep down, he probably already knew the answer that Hajime would give him.

Nonetheless, he had to hear it from Hajime himself.

“... What was that guy’s name?” He asks after a minute of silence. “The one… That you never defeated.”

He meets Hajime’s eyes and as if the world had slowed down, Hajime’s lips seemed to move ever so slowly to form a name that was already very familiar to Haruka.

“Takiishi Chika.”

Haruka felt the blood drain from his face.

Chika had come to Makochi, to Fuurin.

He had fought for a place for them.

But,

The one that stood in his way… Was Hajime-nii…?

Hajime-nii… Was the reason Chika-nii is gone…?

“Haru?” He hears Hajime calling to him. “Are you okay?”

Haruka slaps a hand that hovered over his shoulder. The suddenness of his actions surprised Hajime, making the older boy retreat his hand.

“Don’t… Don’t touch me!”

Haruka stands up, eyes unfocused as he feels like his world spinning. Clenching his teeth, he turns his body to face Hajime, but his eyes kept locked on the ground between them.

“So you’re… So it’s your fault…” He mumbles under his breath. “So it’s your fault that nii-chan isn’t here…?”

Hajime’s eyes widen.

Haruka lifts his head, his golden eye glaring at him behind crystal clear tears.

And then, it comes back to him.

Takiishi’s golden eye.

His brother… The person Haru was looking for— The person he had been waiting for.

Takiishi Chika.

“Haru, I—”

“Stay the fuck away from me!”

Haruka growls out, but then immediately covers his mouth, eyes wide in shock at his own words. Quickly turning away, he makes his way out of th park.

“Haru, wait!”

Haruka’s steps falter. Glancing over his shoulder, his dulled eyes meet Hajime’s.

Yet nothing leaves Haruka’s mouth before the boy resumes his steps, slowly disappearing into the streets of Makochi.

Chapter Text

Lotus

Haruka doesn’t show up at Fuurin the next day, Hajime notices with a frown, worry etched into his face as he walks by each classroom. Hiragi raises an eyebrow as he takes his time, eyes scouring every room, and Hajime is grateful for his friend for not questioning him.

Part of him knew that Haruka needed space after the talk they had the day before, but another part of him wished to see the younger boy— At least just so he could explain himself… And apologize.

He wonders though. Had he known that Chika and Haruka were siblings, would that have made a difference on how he approached the other boy?

Haruka had always been a caring soul on the inside, treating the younger kids at the orphanage with a gentleness that contrasted harshly with his outside demeanor. Hajime knew how much Haruka loved his brother— And just that fact was enough to prove to him that Chika had his heart on the right place…  Just perhaps not on the best methods.

If he knew, would he have made an effort to seek the other boy when he disappeared?

Or perhaps prevented him from leaving at all?

Hajime sighed.

No use thinking about what-ifs.

Inside class 1-1, everyone tried to act normally, joking around or just chatting. But there was never single moment someone wasn’t looking at the empty desk by the window.

If Nirei blanked out while looking over his notes or if Suo was a lot quieter that morning, nobody mentioned it.

Haruka wandered the streets of Makochi.

He’d been up since early, going around and asking around the residents about the Fuurin of the past, but so far all he’d learned was the same thing that Hajime— Umemiya had told him; How the third years fought against the previous Fuurin students, rallying the town behind them.

Nobody, however, could tell him anything about the people they beat though.

It was as if they all simply wanted to forget about them.

As he turned into another street, he could faintly hear the sounds of a fight going on. Were it any other day, Haruka would’ve jumped at the chance of fighting. But now that he had a focus in mind, he would much rather spend his time looking for Chika.

Still, he couldn’t quell his curiosity.

Rounding a corner, he is surprised to see Eyepatch and the Puppy in the middle of the commotion. With them, he sees two other Fuurin students, although he can’t quite remember them— Were they in class 1-1 as well? He didn’t know for certain.

He instinctively moves to help, but then freezes and steps back into the alley he’d just come from.

Because he’s not part of Fuurin anymore.

Surely Umemiya informed the other students, right?

That he is related to Fuurin’s enemies.

That he is Fuurin’s enemy.

And then, a cold, indescribable feeling grips his heart, clutching it beneath it’s claws. Yet Haruka doesn’t even understand why.

He’d barely met them— He only went to school once.

So why the thought of disappointing them brought such fear? Sadness? Into him?

“Woah?!”

A startled cry makes him snap his head towards the scene, where he sees one of the thugs almost grabbing the blonde Puppy if it weren’t for Eyepatch stepping in. Around them, Haruka could see as they were slowly getting completely cornered— The other two Fuurin students too busy with their own side.

When Eyepatch doesn’t move from his spot, Haruka is left confused. He’s sure the guy was more than enough to defeat al of the guys surrounding them, yet he just stood there.

And then he noticed it.

A girl, wearing an unknown uniform, hiding behind the Puppy. She flinches as Eyepatch slams down another person and Haruka understands that he’s protecting her.

However when he sees one of the thugs getting up from his spot on the ground, unseen by both the Puppy and Eyepatch, and tries reaching for the girl, Haruka’s body moves faster than his brain can process.

The fight comes to an abrupt pause as everyone watched, with wide eyes, a black and white blur jumping and landing on a guy’s back.

A moment of silence spread among them as Haruka turned around, facing the other thugs.

“Trying to hit a girl? How lame—”

“Sakura-san!!”

Haruka’s vision is immediately flooded by bright blonde hair as the Puppy barrels towards him, completely trampling over the guy he had just kicked.

“Where were you? We were so worried when you didn’t show up for school!” The boy has a slight frown on his face as he inches closer to Haruka, startling the taller boy.

But it’s the pure concern shining in those caramel brown eyes that make Haruka speechless.

I only missed what, one day of school? It shouldn’t be that big of a deal.

He had lost count on how many times he and Chika spent days away from home, sleeping on a random alley or a rooftop, sometimes crashing at En-chan’s, only to come back to their house and nothing seemed out of order. 

Their mother would flick her eyes at them, then go back to whatever she was doing, like they never went missing at all.

Father wouldn’t even spare them a glance.

There wouldn’t be food for them, the water in the bathtub long drained and their sleeping mattresses smelling dusty and old like always.

Sometimes Haruka wondered if he could even call that place his home.

But more importantly— Haruka couldn’t understand why he looked at him with concern instead of contempt. He was the brother of one of Fuurin’s enemies for goodness’ sake— Why were they looking at him the same way as before?

Why are they still treating me like one of them? The thought gnawed at him. They should hate me. They should want me gone.

It didn't make sense. It shouldn't make sense.

His stomach twisted, thinking about everything he heard his brother had done, everything they all should know.

Do they know?

No, they have to know. Umemiya has to have told all of them. Something like this that could pose a threat to Makochi and Fuurin— He'd never simply let it go.

“Now, now, Nirei-kun,” Eyepatch chuckles and Haruka finally remembers the blonde’s name. “I’m sure Sakura-kun has his reasons, but for now I believe we still have some stuff to deal with, yes?” He motions to the thugs that shook off their stupor and resumed their fight.

“Ah! Sorry Suo-san!”

Oh, right. That was his name. Haruka blinks, before joining the fight. The matter of Umemiya was shoved on the back of his mind as he spun around and punched a guy that got too close to him.

The fight, however, didn’t last much longer and soon the cowards were running away, their tails between their legs. The girl that had been with them thanked the group profusely before walking away with a smile on her face.

As the Fuurin students watched the girl walk, Haruka tried to slowly back away and avoid talking to them.

That, however, was unsuccessful as Suo cheerfully called his name, making him freeze like a deer caught in the headlights as everyone turned their eyes to him.

“My, Sakura-kun,” Suo smiles and Haruka has to quell a shiver down his spine. “Are you leaving without saying anything? We were very worried, you know.”

Beside him, Nirei nods his head vigorously.

“Were you perhaps feeling unwell, Sakura-san? Or— Oh! Is it your injuries from your fight yesterday? I can get you some painkillers if you need and the pharmacy on the main street is always giving us some free bandages if you need them. Ah, but I know that Sakura-san is very strong very resilient so maybe we could just get you—”

“Nirei-chan,” The pink haired student interrupts. “You’re rambling.”

Nirei flushes in embarrassment, making the three Fuurin members chuckle.

“That said, Sakura-chan,” He continues. “Are you okay? We heard about your fight against Shishitoren’s number two— I think it was very impressive being able to win against him.”

Haruka doesn’t know how to respond to the praise, letting out a simple stammer.

“Oh, I’m Kiryu by the way. And this here is Tsuge-chan.” Kiryu says as he points to the muscular teen. “I don’t think we had a chance to properly introduce ourselves, hmm?”

“Yeah, yeah! We heard lots about ya though!" Tsuge exclaims. "I heard you got into that fight 'cuz you were protecting our kohai! That was very manly of you!!"

"Oh, yeah. That… It's nothing really…" Haruka lets out, averting his eyes. He swallowed hard, not knowing how to deal with all the attention on him, all those bright eyes on him. "Look, I— I, uh, gotta go now…"

They shouldn' trust me. I don't belong here.

I don't belong anywhere.

Before any of them can react, Haruka quickly turns on his heel and dashes away, ducking into the nearest alleyway. Nirei tries to reach for him, but his fingers are only capable of brushing lightly against the fabric of Haruka's clothes, leaving him grasping nothing but air.

"Wait, Sakura-san!"

But it's already too late, the dual colored boy already way too far for him to catch up— Especially when Haruka is agile and nimble like a cat.

Nirei lets his hand fall to his side, a worried look on his face. Beside him, Suo watches on, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

Haruka spends the next couple days avoiding Fuurin students, which proved to be rather difficult considering they are very much patrolling everywhere. And which is why Haruka slowly expanded his search to the outer, more desolate areas of Makochi.

And it's why he ended up stumbling into his current predicament.

Quite far away from Makochi's Main Street, near the shipyard district, watching as a group of white-clad gang members surrounded one of their own, their menacing figures completely dwarfing the boy that was being held by his collar.

Punishment, huh?

Haruka is not new to that sort of thing. Growing up with Chika and Endo, he had seen his fair share of gang members toying with their subordinates. People drunk in their delusion of power, thinking that no one could stand up to them.

Well, they were wrong. Chika-nii made sure to show all of them who was truly on the top.

That said, Haruka always hated those who didn't have the guts to fight stronger opponents and could only fool themselves by preying on the weak.

Still, this time he didn't make a move to intervene. This wasn't his business— Haruka wasn't a saint like the Bofurin members to step into another gang's problems if it didn't involve him.

The incident of a couple days before came to his mind.

He still didn't know what made him step in and help them— Whether it was guilt or a sense of obligation.

The sound of wood breaking shakes him out of his thoughts. He looks up, just in time to see a dark green uniform flying into the group, kicking one of them in the head.

Of course. Haruka thinks with a small, but unsurprised groan.

Because he can recognize Fuurin's uniform from a mile away.

The Fuurin student then grabs the smaller boy — the one receiving the punishment — and pulls him away from the group, intending to run away.

However, Haruka watches with surprise, the boy doesn't budge from his spot. Instead, he slaps away the Fuurin student's hand away, taking a couple steps back into the group. Dread starts rise within Haruka as the boy picks up one of the wooden pieces from the ground, holding it up like a bat.

Oh.

He's seen that plenty of times while fighting other gangs. The gang members that are nothing but punching bags, yet have nowhere else to go— Because they are already too deep into this side of the world.

Haruka doesn't want to interfere, because he's got nothing to do with Fuurin anymore, he shouldn't interact with Fuurin anymore. Yet, as the first year is surrounded by white hoodies and as he receives a blow to the back of the head, Haruka feels his feet involuntarily once more.

Before he knows it, he's already standing on top of five unconscious bodies.

The boy that had been on the receiving end of the gang's punishment had fallen to ground at some point, trembling in fear as Haruka made quick work of the group. The Fuurin student laid beside him, also unconscious.

Haruka glanced at the boy, making him flinch. He doesn't say anything to him and simply picks up the Fuurin student. Putting him over his shoulder, Haruka makes his way towards the Main Street, leaving the smaller boy behind. He pitied the boy, but Haruka could care less about someone who didn't have the courage to stand up and fight. The boy had made his decision when he chose the white-clad gang members.

As he approached the Main Street, Haruka made sure to avoid being seen, taking the more secluded streets and alleys. The last thing he wanted was for the townspeople to stop him and worse, call the other Fuurin students.

And so, once he stood just outside the Main Street, he gently let down the first year student he was carrying, propping him against the wall of the alleyway. The street was fairly busy, with vendors and passersby alike walking and chatting; It wouldn't take long before someone noticed the student.

Making sure the boy was as comfortable as he could be in such a position, Haruka quickly leaves the scene.

And not too long after, when he's already far enough, he hears the surprised shout of a woman and the commotion that followed.

Knowing that the guy would be alright, Haruka lets out a relieved sigh that he didn't even know he had been holding.

And then, he turns and disappears once more.

"Shit, that little punk…"

Snarls were exchanged between a group of men, all wearing a white and blue hoodie.

"Next time I see that black and white freak, I'll freaking kill him."

The others in the group all nod, anger evident on their faces.

"Hey."

Another gang member approaches them and fear shines on their eyes as they recognize the man before them.

"Could you tell me more of this 'black and white freak'?"

The man grins, his black tattoos peeking from under the hood.

Chapter Text

White Poppy

Sakura had disappeared again.

After their skirmish with some random thugs, the white and black teen had fled from the scene, leaving the four first years behind.

While he wasn't someone to be easily distracted, Sakura's recent behavior had intrigued Hayato. He knew something had happened between Sakura and Umemiya a few nights before, just after their fight against Shishitoren, but he hadn't pried either teens about it.

It had come as a surprise to him — and undoubtedly to the other first years — to learn that Sakura had known Umemiya before coming to Fuurin. That said, whatever had happened between the two had been enough to drive Sakura away.

Still, even with the boy away, it seemed that the impression he left among class 1-1 was enough for everyone to agree to have him as their Grade Captain, with himself and Nirei as the Vices.

However, when Umemiya asked for each grade's leaders to gather in the rooftop, Hayato could feel Nirei's nervous glances as the other students took notice of Sakura's absence. Even Umemiya, Hayato could see, seemed to be less enthusiastic. Despite that, the meeting proceeded smoothly.

It's just two days later that had Hayato and Nirei acting as the de-facto leaders of 1-1.

Between Anzai's injuries and their meeting with KEEL members, Hayato knew that the seemingly innocent envelopes in his hands were more than just regular mail.

And as Anzai read the letter, Hayato slid the second one inside his pocket.

When the other boy suddenly stood up, Hayato wasted no time in grabbing his shoulder, preventing him from dashing out of the classroom.

With everyone already moving to help Anzai and his friend, no one noticed as Hayato tossed a crumpled letter into the trash bin.

「見っつけた〜 ハルちゃん♡」

Found you〜 Haru-chan♡

Hajime supposed this should've been the first place he visited.

After all, despite everything, Furinen still was one of Sakura's safe havens.

Though, as the door opened and Yuki's sheepish face greeted him, he couldn't help but rethink his approach.

"He asked me to not tell you."

Hajime doesn't blame him. Sakura needed the space and this was clearly the one place he knew the other Fuurin students wouldn't find.

"I was surprised." Yuki says. "I didn't expect him to contact me so soon... Did something happen?"

Hajime doesn't know how to answer, unsure how to even breach the delicate subject without Sakura's presence.

Yuki sits down and motions for Hajime to do the same. The man looks at him with nothing but understanding and it's as if they went back in time, when Hajime had just arrived in Furinen, still scarred from the tragedy that took away his family. Yuki is patient; He doesn't rush him and allows Hajime to sort his tumultuous thoughts.

And just like that, Hajime feels like a young teen again; Without the weight of other people's expectations, nor the weight of the Bofurin on his back. It was just him, Umemiya Hajime, and his former caretaker.

And so, Hajime talked.

"… I see."

Yuki takes a sip of his coffee, before placing it back on the table.

"So, you want to apologize to him?"

Hajime nods, "Yes, but…"

"… You don't think you have the right to do so."

Hajime can only glance at his former caretaker.

"If it weren't for me… If I tried harder to just talk to Takiishi, Haru… Sakura would have been able to find his family again." He says. "I feel like I stole that from him— It's my fault he's suffering."

Yuki stared at him. The light coming from the window cast a shadow over them, partly obscuring their faces. The older man noticed how tired Hajime looked, hunched over, with his fingers gripping the edge of his still full coffee mug that sat on his lap.

At that moment, Hajime looked so much older than he was that one had to remember he was still a teenager himself.

Yuki knew this couldn't go on. He couldn't let this go on.

He swallowed hard, eyes hardening.

"Your fault, huh? Aren't you getting a bit full of yourself?"

Hajime stared at him, in surprise "… What?"

Yuki sighed. He truly should've done this sooner.

"You've always been like this, Hajime. Always taking everyone's troubles onto yourself. Don't get me wrong, it's an admirable thing— But it makes one wonder if you aren't carrying too much." He says, "When you introduced those Four Kings, I was relieved that you found people to rely on; But now I see you still hide a lot from your friends."

Hajime clenches his hands tighter around his cup, his knuckles turning white.

Yuki stands up and walks towards him, kneeling in front of Hajime.

"Hajime, everything that happened to Haruka is not your fault." He gently tells him. "To think that only your choices steer a ship is foolish and dare I say, arrogant. I knew about your conflict with that boy and choose to not say anything because I thought that was the best way to protect my kids— Haruka himself choose to not mention his brother to us because he thought that's how he could protect him."

Hajime stared at him, mouth slightly agape, and Yuki reached out, hands careful prying Hajime's fingers from his death grip on the coffee mug.

"If you still wish to blame yourself, fine." He says, taking the coffee into his own hands. "But don't pretend that other people don't exist in this mess— The universe doesn't revolve around you, nor anyone else."

He sets the cup on the table as he stands back up. Then, lifting his head, he turns his eyes to the door behind Hajime, which was just so slightly open.

"That goes for you as well, Haruka."

Hajime's head snaps around as the door rattles. And in the next moment, it slides open, revealing the bi-colored boy he had been looking for.

Haruka stands by the doorframe, face downcast, not meeting either of their eyes.

The older man let out a small comforting smile grace his lips at Haruka's hesitance. "Come here, Haruka."

The boy shuffles nervously, stepping closer to the two after a minute of consideration.

He stops just a feet away from Hajime and the white haired teen has to fight the urge to simply take the younger boy into his arms and hug him.

The two meet in an awkward silence, neihter knowing what to say. Their eyes move around, but never quite meeting each other's gaze.

After a moment of silence, Hajime clear his throat, "So, uh..."

At the same time, Haruka rubs the back of his neck, "Well, I…"

They both cut themselves short, a small blush forming on their cheeks as their eyes finally make contact.

They hold their gaze for a moment before Haruka turns away, "Look, Umemiya—"

"Wait." Hajime interrupted, "Let me— Just, let me explain myself, okay?" Hajime takes a deep breath, squaring his shoulders, "But before that, let me apologize." Hajime places his hands firmly on his legs, before firmly bowing his head towards Haruka. "I'm sorry. For driving away your brother from Fuurin."

Haruka stares at him in surprise, "Umemiya—"

"No, let me continue." He says, "I might have not known at the time, but still. It doesn't change that it was directly because of me that Takiishi isn't here anymore." He continues, "And to make up for that, I want to help you, Sakura— Help you find your brother. Not out of guilt, but because I genuinely want you two to be together again. He's important to you the same way I'm sure you are to him— And knowing this, I'm certain that this time I'll definitely be able to reach him."

Haruka shifts from one feet to another, guilt flickering across his face, "I—" He stammers, "I'm sorry too." His hands grip the sides of his pants, "I shouldn't have blamed it on you— It wasn't fair to you. Like the old man said, you didn't know Chika-nii is my brother… It's my fault for never telling you."

"But you didn't have to." Hajime shakes his head, "You didn't owe nobody that. You wanted to protect your brother." He looks to the side. "I would've done the same— Just like how I've avoided involving the other children with Bofurin."

"I guess you're right." Haruka lets out a small snort, "Sorry for how I acted… I was being a bit of a dumbass."

"Well, that makes it the two of us then." Hajime laughs, "But I mean it when I say I want to help you, Sakura. You're very important to me and if reuniting with your brother is what will make you happy, then I'll do everything I can to help find Takiishi."

The younger boy's cheeks flush slightly at Hajime's words, but he nods nonetheless.

At that, Hajime wordlessly spread out his arms and immediately, the younger boy stepped closer to him, accepting being wrapped up in a comforting hug.

Yuki smiled.

He hoped that things would be better now.

Storming the shipyard warehouse might have not been the best idea they could've had, but with Anzai's friend on the line, class 1-1 didn't the luxury to formulate a plan.

While they had been able to defeat most of KEEL's men, the moment the gang's leaders stepped in the tides changed.

With their strongest members occupied, the Bofurin boys were steadily being overwhelmed by the difference in numbers. Class 1-1 only had about forty students, while KEEL boasted well over a hundred members.

Not all of them willing. Hayato notes to himself as he is finally able to defeat one of KEEL's VIPs.

Despite Hayato's calm expression, inside he felt anxious. The source of that feeling being mostly the other Vice-Captain— Nirei. The blonde had insisted on going with the group and while Hayato could appreciate his determination, Nirei's lack of fighting capacity left him as an easy target. Because of that, many of their classmates had been careful to not stray too far from him— but that meant they were unable to fight freely.

Hayato narrowed his eyes.

They had to finish off the VIPs as fast as possible.

Hidden among the sea of white and blue jackets, Yamato watched in boredom as Fuurin fought.

As soon as the group busted the warehouse doors, his eyes swept over the group, looking for a familiar patch of black and white. However, to his disappointment, he was unable to locate his precious Haru-chan.

Yamato frowned.

He'd been sure that Haruka had been the one to beat the shit out of those KEEL lackeys, his dual colored hair was pretty unique after all. Those lackeys also had been certain that it had been a Fuurin member they fought, so it would stand to reason that Haruka had somehow found his way to Fuurin as well.

Had someone interfered?

How dare. He thought, with a glare. Standing between me and Haru-chan… The punishment for that can only be death~

Grinning like a madman, he shoved hands inside his jacket's pockets. Shouldering past the other KEEL members with ease, Yamato leisurely approaches the battlefield.

The eyepatch boy seems to be the leader.

Without thinking twice, he quickly lunges towards the Fuurin boy with tassel earrings, aiming for a blind spot while he's distracted. To his surprise, the guy is able to react and twist his body away from Yamato.

Not bad. He thought, slightly impressed.

That said, Fuurin had become significantly weaker since he and Chika left. Yamato wondered if Umemiya had also grown weaker— Would he still be able to amuse Chika?

There was only one way to find out, really.

Despite managing to dodge the initial lunge, Hayato had been caught by surprise— Which told him a lot about his current opponent. Not many people managed to sneak up on him after all.

"Say," The man drawls out. "I was hoping to meet a cute cat here today. Would you happen to know where he might be?"

Hayato eyes widened slightly in realization.

Sakura.

"Endo Yamato." He lets out in a whisper. "You're the one who sent that letter."

"Oh?" Endo grins. "Well well well, would you look at that~ Here I thought Umemiya and his kings wanted to keep our existence a thing of the past."

Hayato shakes his head.

"I've heard about you before I joined Fuurin." He says. "About you, Takiishi Chika… And Sakura-kun."

"Sakura Haruka?"

It was a name he heard about around the time he was in elementary school. And despite not being mentioned quite as often as other big names, it was always uttered together with two others.

Takiishi Chika, Endo Yamato.

The Raging Flames.

The Demon Trio.

—Among many other aliases they were given by those who feared them, those who were too scared to even utter their real names— Like the mere action of doing so would unleash a curse upon them. Hayato didn't blame them, really. Seeing the Demon Trio fight and leave nothing behind was truly terrifying.

That said, once he entered middle school, Sakura's name had slowly disappeared from people's mouths. While he wasn't quite as infamous as the older duo of their little group, it made Hayato wonder. Had something happened to him? Or had the boy simply stopped fighting?

"Yeah. Heard a guy was comin' from outside town."

Hayato blinked.

He supposed many had already forgotten that name.

When he had heard that Sakura Haruka was joining Fuurin at the same time as him, Hayato was particularly curious. He'd heard rumors about a trio that was feared throughout the city— A group that picked fights anywhere and everywhere.

And always coming out on top.

Hayato was skeptical at first; Why would one of the so-called demons join a school like Fuurin?

Yet, when that same boy fought off the thugs from the spaltips gang, Hayato decided to give the boy a chance.

And accepting him among the other Fuurin students, Hayato would say, was one of the best decisions he'd ever made.

The rumors from years before had painted an image of a boy that disregarded other people and only lived for the sake of fighting. Yet the boy that confidently stepped forward to protect others — That even risk a conflict with a rival gang for someone else's sake — had quickly disproved those rumors.

Sakura Haruka has a kind heart.

Yet Hayato knew the man before him brought nothing but destruction.

Noroshi.

The group that became famous for terrorizing a ward not too far from Makochi.

"Give him back to us."

Admittedly, the man is strong like others have said.

Far stronger than any other opponent he's ever had before.

Hayato lets a small pant escape his lips as he jumps back to create distance between him and Endo. Despite trading blow after blow, the man still seemed completely unfazed. Even the techniques his master taught him proved to be fruitless as the man either dodged or managed to catch himself.

All while grinning from ear to ear.

Still, Hayato doesn't back down— Not when Sakura, his friend, is at stake.

Hayato won't let him take Sakura away. He won't let the gentle Sakura be dragged into Noroshi's darkness.

Even when Endo's towering figure casts a shadow over him, standing victorious before him, Hayato still doesn't give up.

In the back of his mind, he wonders if that was to be his end.

The arrival of the second years, however, quickly says otherwise.

Yamato clicks his tongue in annoyance as KEEL members are defeated one after the other. He'd hoped to have more fun toying with the group, but alas— They proved to be useless.

Well, there's nothing else for me here anyways.

If Haruka wasn't here, then there was no point in lingering any longer in that warehouse.

He'd just have to find another way to get back his treasure.

With his white and blue jacket in hands, Yamato makes his way out diving behind the other KEEL members.

Tossing the jacket into the dark seawater of the pier, he fishes out a phone from one of his pockets.

He had plans to make.

Chapter Text

Queen of the Night

Shuhei stared at the photo in his hands.

In front of him, his contractor grinned as always. In the back of his mind, he wondered how a person of obvious wealth would choose this line of work, but alas— It wasn't his place to probe, especially when the man was offering a rather large compensation for a simple job.

Usually jobs like this had a young woman as the target— There was an endless amount of greedy old men willing to pay any price to get their hands on beautiful girls after all. That said, the boy in the picture was far from bad looking.

Rather, one could even call him an exotic beauty.

Still, a job was a job and it meant food on the table.

And so, Shuhei pockets the photo.

<Get the boy with the golden eye>

Akihiko hissed as Kiryu applied more disinfectant on his bruised cheek.

Although he had been passed out for most of the conflict, the injuries he received still needed some first aid treatment, just so it wouldn't get infected.

As the pink haired boy finished placing a bandage on his cheek, Akihiko thanked him, before looking away.

He clenched his fists.

He thought he'd be able to do something for once, to actually prove that he's also a member of Bofurin and fight.

Yet once more he had to have someone come save him— And once more he made his classmates worry about him; made them fight while looking out for him, restricted and chained, unable to fight at their best.

When the Second Years arrived, Akihiko felt relieved. He wasn't sure their senpais would reach their location in time, but he was more than happy to be proven wrong. Still, the thought of his own powerlessness weighted heavily on his mind.

He clenched his fist.

He couldn't stay like this.

For the sake of his friends and for himself, he had to become stronger.

And for Sakura, to whom he made the promise to lead him to the top.

On the day after their bout with KEEL, things had gone back to a sense of normalcy.

The only thing that was still missing was Sakura.

However, when the door slid open just a couple minutes before the first bell rang, Hayato couldn't help but let out an imperceptible relieved sigh.

He watches with his single uncovered eye as his classmates surround Sakura, all of them expressing similar relief at seeing their friend back. Hayato notices, however, the unusual tinge of anxiety and nervousness radiating from Sakura— He sees as his mismatched eyes avoid contact and as his hands grip the edge of his shirt, knuckles turning white.

And then the boy takes a deep breath.

"I— Uh." He stammers. "There's something I gotta tell y'all."

Immediately, Hayato tenses.

There was no way he was going to tell everyone about his past as part of the Demon Trio, was there?

"First, I— I heard y'all had uh, a fight against some assholes yeah?" He says. "I wanted to say sorry. For not being there I mean." Sakura lowers his head slightly. "I heard y'all had a tough time and the Second Years even stepped in to help and…" He trails off, eyes flickering towards Nirei, taking in the band-aids covering his face. "Well— I just wanted to apologize. I'm part of this class and I wasn't there to help out. Haji— Umemiya always told me that it's Furin's way to help out your fellow students and I failed to do that."

He pauses, taking in a small breath.

"I ran away because of… Personal matters… And I heard I made y'all worry about me. T—The thing is, for most of my life it was normal for me to not have this many people around me— There were only a few people I knew I could t—trust." He lets out. "—And then, when I thought that one of those people was just deceiving me I… I got scared." He pauses, his head tilting away from everyone. "I'm weak and lame— I'm sure you guys are probably disappointed in having me as your classmate… But— It's who I am. T—That's why… I'm sure there'll be more times I'll end up causing everyone trouble."

Even from a distance, Hayato can hear the trembling in his voice, the way his breath shakes with each intake of air.

"So… I— I'm… Sorry."

Sakura clenched his eyes shut as silence fell around him. Even Hayato was left speechless by the boy's heartfelt confession. Beside him, Nire, however, took as step forward.

"Sakura-san…"

"… Are you an idiot?"

To Hayato's right, Kiryu couldn't stop the snort that left his lips— And he wasn't the only one. The shorter male's sudden bluntness ripped small snickers from their other classmates.

Even Sakura himself blinked, stunned by Nire's words, not fully comprehending them.

"What—"

Before the bi-colored boy could even say anything, though, he was suddenly thrown forwards by the force of Sugishita's kick on his back. Caught off guard as he was, Sakura fell face first on the floor.

"S-S-S-Sakura-san?!"

"The hell—?!"

"NICE GOING SUGISHITA!!"

A yell to their side was the only warning Sakura got before he is once more body slammed onto the ground, this time with their classmates piling up on top of him.

"Oi Sakura, you bastard!" Anzai yells as he grabs Sakura's collar. "What is this bullshit yer spewing out?!"

"Sakura-chan that's kinda mean~"

"Yeah, there's no virtue in that!"

One by one, they all voice their feelings and Hayato himself couldn't help but let out a small relieved sigh.

"You think we'd be mad at you? Sure we were worried 'cuz you disappeared for days, but no one in here thinks you're weak or whatever— everyone's got their own private shit and you're not weak for trying to deal with it." Anzai says. "—But I learned the hard way that there are people we can count on for that y'know? I tried to solve my stuff alone and I all got was getting my ass handed to me. Still, even knowing that we'd end up in a mess, these guys all chose to help me; They all offered me their shoulders. So whatever you want to do, remember that Furin's here for ya too."

"Also!" Kakiuchi quips from the side. "If we got our asses kicked during the fight against KEEL, that's totally out fault for being weak— We went unprepared and fell into their trap and our senpais had to come clean our mess. That's on us, not on ya, Sakura."

"And besides," Kiryu says. "We all already understood from the moment you arrived that you're very clumsy and awkward, Sakura-chan. Still, despite all of that, you still didn't hesitate to help that girl— you jumped into the fight along us even when you had a lot going on. How could we ever dislike someone as kind and selfless as you?"

Nire shuffles closer to Sakura, kneeling by him. "They're all right, Sakura-san." He tells the other boy. "Even when we first met, you saved me— and you told me that I wasn't lame. I believed you; I still do— so please believe in us too. Believe that we see you as our friend."

Friend.

Just a couple years ago Hayato would never think of befriending one of the Demon Trio's members.

Yet the word rolls on his tongue with ease.

Yes, he truly could get used to that.

"—Believe that we see you as our friend."

Haruka stares, wide eyed.

Friends.

It's a word that had been foreign to him for a long time— Until he met Yuki-sensei and Hajime and all the children in Furinen.

Did Chika-nii and En-chan count as friends?

The word felt insufficient for them. Lackluster.

Unworthy.

They had been his whole life after all.

Still, hearing the words flowing from — Nirei, his name was Nirei — made his brain halt.

And for a moment, Haruka felt like his breathing had stopped, his heart skipped a beat.

Because what he was hearing just could not be true.

Yet, for as much as he looked into Nirei's eyes, Haruka could not find a trace of trickery.

Haruka had learned how to read people's eyes at a young age.

The mischievous glint the kids in his school held in their smiling faces as they lured him into a sense of security before pushing him into the school pool, the nearby river or even down the hill that led up to the school—

Haruka learned to stay away.

To hold people at an arm's length.

A light touch on his shoulder grounds him and brings him back and its like his lungs are full with air again. As his body remembers how to breathe once more, he does a shaky inhale, then lets out the pressure quietly.

Following the hand that is touching him, he comes face to face with Suo. Usually, the one-eyed boy was an enigma for Haruka to read; He was one of the few Haruka could never fully get a grasp on with how reserved he was.

Yet, as he gives Haruka a small rub on his shoulder, Haruka has to fight the urge to just lean onto his touch— because Suo looks at him. He sees Haruka.

And when Haruka averts his eyes, he only meets the same gazes from his classmates.

All of sudden, it's like his mind clears and he feels nothing— not the heaviness of the phantom stares he was used to, not the feeling of anxiety, always expecting the next punch to come.

He just felt light.

Like all the burden of looking over his shoulder had been lifted off.

And in that moment, Haruka is able to breathe. Not gasping for air, running away.

Simply filling his lungs, letting him rest and look at his surroundings. And what he sees is nothing short of—

A place I want to be.

A place I want to live in.

Could he truly call this place a new home?

And most importantly;

Could he bring them to see the same?

Haruka clenched his fist.

The next couple moments are a blur to him.

Before he's aware, Haruka is already sitting at Pothos, a steaming plate of Omurice is placed in front of him. His hands move automatically, grabbing a spoon and scooping the delicious meal into his mouth.

Even in his distracted state, the burst of flavor coming from Kotoha's food makes him close his eyes in bliss.

With his eyes shut, he doesn't notice, however, as his classmates stare at him in awe.

He only opens his eyes when someone loudly proclaims that they should all share their lame points— just so Haruka can learn about them.

And Haruka doesn't quite understand why something like that creates a unfamiliar giddy feeling in his gut, but he thinks— This feels nice.

As one by one they share their fears, the feeling in Haruka grows and before he can stop it, a small chuckle leaves his lips. When had been the last time he laughed like this, he wondered? Or had he ever laughed at all?

He thinks of Furinen, but even in the comfort of Yuki-sensei's orphanage he could never bring himself to simply smile care freely like this.

He thinks of his life with Chika-nii, but even his fondest memories of his brother were stained by the cruelty of their peers — of their parents.

Haruka liked this place.

He wished this feeling would never disappear.

But just like ephemeral beauty of the Queen of the Night, nothing lasts forever.

And after seeing it bloom once, you long for it all the more.

The next few days pass with welcome peace.

Haruka learns that he had been elected Grade Captain for Class 1-1 with Suo and Nirei as his Vice-captains. At first, he had been overwhelmed by his anxiety over his duties as their class' leader; Yet with the guidance from both his vices and Hajime himself, Haruka found himself slowly adapting to his new role.

He wanted to make Hajime and his classmates proud.

Later, he is formally introduced to Furin's Four Heavenly Kings— Hajime's most trusted companions. With his consent, Hajime had informed the four third years of his relationship with Chika and Endo. Still, despite his fears of rejection, they all welcomed Haruka, promising to help the two reconnect the siblings.

Little by little, Haruka feels like he truly belongs, like a puzzle piece that finally found its place.

But after the peace, as they say, comes a storm.

It started with unfamiliar faces showing up around Makochi.

The patrol teams would report an increase of people lingering around the streets. Some of them averting their gazes, doing small talk among themselves; But others would follow their dark green uniforms, eyes sharp like knives stabbing their backs as they walked by.

However, none of them made an attempt to harm their city. And so, Hajime's orders were to simply let them be— though the tension in the air was clearly palpable.

And, like a glass gradually being filled with water, the last drop soon came.

The first group to be met by a pack of unsavory men was none other than Class 1-1's Anzai, Kakiuchi, Kurita and Takanashi. One by one, Bofurin's patrol teams found themselves fighting off their invaders.

Amidst the conflict, however, no one noticed as a man slithered through the back alleys.

The moment their phones pinged with an influx of messages from multiple group chats, Haruka and his group — Nirei, Suo, Tsugeura and Kiryu — were on the move. Unlike the other patrol groups from their class, they had the afternoon off; But when reports appeared on their phones about a mass conflict on the streets of Makochi, they knew they couldn't just not go as well.

And so, the quintet rushed out of the school gates, Haruka and Suo at the front of the group, with Nirei in the middle and both Tsugeura and Kiryu on the flanks. They didn't have to run very far before encountering Anzai's group— the quartet still engaged in a fight against the intruders.

At that moment, their bodies moved like on auto pilot, kicking and punching their enemies.

"Oh, thanks!" Anzai said, waving at them. "These bastards sure are persistent— and no matter how many we knock out, more appear with no frickin' end."

"My… Do we even know what's even their objective?" Suo asked, but Anzai shook his head.

"Hell no, they just attacked us outta nowhere."

Haruka snorted.

"Who cares why these losers decided to mess with us. They attacked our pals and are threatening our city— we can just beat them up for that." He said, turning to glare at the invaders, his golden eye glistering under the sunlight.

Meanwhile, the still conscious gang members stilled as they met Haruka's eyes and the bicolored teen frowned as they shared looks and whispered among themselves. Although too far to hear clearly, Haruka could catch just a single word—

"—Suzu…san…"

Immediately, one of the thugs nodded and turned around, taking off running. Instinctively, Haruka leapt over the unconscious bodies of the other gangsters and ran after him, ignoring the shouts of surprise from his classmates.

Whatever is it those guys were planning, Haruka wasn't about to let them have their way.

Hayato clicked his tongue in frustration as he watched Sakura's figure shrinking. The moment the other teen ran forward, Hayato made the move to follow him. However, the other gang members quickly stepped onto his path, blocking him from going after Sakura.

"Well, that was unexpected." One of them said, a small smirk dancing on his lips. "It does make our job much easier, though."

Hayato tensed.

So they were after something.

"We were supposed to inform Suzuri-san if we found the target— but if he himself goes to him, that will save us a lot of time."

Hayato — and all of the Bofurin members present — froze in place.

"Sakura-kun/-san/-chan!"

Catching up with the man in front of him was nothing short of child's play, especially given Haruka's athleticism and mobility. As they both turned into an alley, Haruka jumped on top of a trash container and used it to spring forward, jumping above the clutter rather than avoiding it and closing the gap between him and his target.

Right as they were about reach an intersection, Haruka leapt forward, with one leg raised as he kicked the other man's back.

The man fell face first, with Haruka standing above him. He quickly turns around, trying to kick Haruka away, but the bicolored teen easily dodges to the side, before grabbing the man's collar.

"Gh—!" He sputters. "You bastard—"

"Oi." Haruka says, bringing their faces closer. "You better spit out everything."

The other gives him a short laugh.

"You fucking wish, you goddamn freak."

Haruka's fist is stained with blood before he can even realize; and the guy he is holding is knocked out cold, his now red cheek already swelling. Seeing that, he pauses, before letting out a small sigh and letting go of the man.

As the guy's body hits the floor however, Haruka hears the sound of clapping coming from not too far and turns his head to the side.

His eyes widened.

"Still strong, aren't ya, Haru-chan?"

Yamato's eyes sparkle with glee when Haruka's figure appears in front of him— striking his opponent with a grace that was befitting of his name.

And when Haruka punched the guy in the face, quick as lightning, Yamato couldn't help but feel a shudder of delight run through his spine— Haruka had grown stronger.

Had become even more beautiful.

Like a sakura tree that had started to bloom in full.

Yamato grinned.

He couldn't wait to see those blossoms be tinged with red, like the blazing, all consuming fire that was Takiishi.

Yamato approached him, walking in measured steps with no rush at all, and slowly started clapping.

"Still strong, aren't ya, Haru-chan?"

As his beloved flower turned to face him, Yamato's grin grew wider.

Ah.

How he missed those mismatched eyes.

Like day and night both— In a single perfect creation.

"… En-chan?"

Haruka whispers, yet Yamato can still hear him even from where he was standing.

Slowly, like a predator encroaching his prey, he closes the distance between them, stopping just an arm's length away.

Finally. After searching tirelessly, Haruka was once more before him— a breath's width away. Yamato could reach out and his hand wouldn't phase through him, like on countless dreams. He'd be able to feel Haruka's skin under his palm, warm, with blood flowing in his veins.

Not a ghost.

Not a memory.

It was truly Haruka.

He found him.

He wasn't gonna let go— not again.

"Haru-chan." He says, almost breathlessly. "Let's go home."

Takiishi is waiting for us— for you.

Haruka falters as he is caught by surprise.

"H—Huh?"

"Home." Yamato repeats. "I came to pick you up— Takiishi… We have been looking for you."

Haruka blinks at his brother's name. "Chika-nii…?" He then suddenly takes a step closer to Yamato. "Is— Is Chika-nii here?!"

The older shakes his head. "No, Takiishi doesn't know that I'm here— Let's say this is our little surprise to him~"

Yamato sees Haruka's shoulders sag slightly in disappointment and immediately feels bad for making Haruka sad, but he knew Takiishi hated Furin's territory.

Which was all the more reason for them to leave as soon as possible, preferrably before Furin dealt with the people he hired. Yamato knew that while that Suzuri boy was fairly strong, he was nowhere close to Umemiya's level. Should the leader of Bofurin decide to step in, Yamato knew it would take only a moment before the entire operation was foiled.

Knowing that, Yamato reached for Haruka's wrist, grabbing it in a gentle hold — something that was only reserved for Haruka. Walking towards the path that lead outside of Makochi, Yamato tugged Haruka forward.

"C'mon, we should go." He says when Haruka doesn't move from his spot. "Haru-chan?"

When he looked over his shoulder, however, Haruka looked conflicted, eyes staring at the ground and teeth slightly nibbling his lower lip.

"What's up?" He asks.

Haruka clenches his free hand.

"I— I can't." He eventually lets out. "I mean, I do want to go with you and see Chika-nii again! It's just… I can't go yet."

Yamato freezes, letting go of Haruka's wrist in surprise.

"… What?"

Haruka fiddles with the hem of his shirt.

"I know you and Chika-nii don't like Furin, but— En-chan, they took me in." He says. "After you left… After the caretakers threw me out… I never thought I'd find somewhere I could stay— But the people in here… They accepted me…!"

Then Haruka looks up, meeting Yamato's eyes.

And Yamato can't look away, not when Haruka's eyes catch the light from the Sun above, shining like golden fire with pure hope. He feels his breath catch in his throat— Just when exactly had he last seen that look in Haruka's face?

Ah.

That's right.

Never.

They've never had the luxury to feel safe. Not when everyone around them were enemies looking for a chance— a moment of weakness to strike.

"En-chan… I— I like this place. I like the people from this city. I can feel at ease here, I can have fun in here." Haruka confesses. "I do wish to see Chika-nii again, I do want to live with you again… But right now, there are people threatening this place. That's why… I want to help them."

Yamato stared at Haruka, speechless, but the younger boy continued.

"And I know you two don't get along with the current Furin— But wouldn't you consider trying to live in here? I'm sure we can work out something, even if the others might be skeptical at first. I know that if Hajime-nii talks to them…"

Yamatos's thoughts come to a screeching halt.

Hajime… Hajime-nii?

He lets out a humorless laugh.

Of course. I see how it is.

It's always you— It's always been you.

Yamato grit his teeth.

"Umemiya Hajime…!" He hisses.

It's always you who steals everything from me— Takiishi, Furin… And now even Haruka?!

No. He wouldn't let that man take everything from him. He couldn't let him take Haruka away— brainwash him with his family nonsense, fill his God's mind with such flowery bullshit.

"En-chan…?"

Haruka's voice brought Yamato back from his thoughts, but Yamato's mind was already set.

In the back of his mind, he wonders what sort of face he was making as he sees Haruka's face shift from confusion to concern… And then a tinge of fear.

Still, the younger boy doesn't move away when Yamato grips his shoulders in a particular strong hold, even as the older man's nails start digging through his Furin jacket's fabric.

"Ugh… E—En-chan? What're you—"

Haruka is unable to finish before he feels a pain in his gut— A pain so intense he felt the corner of his vision blurring and turning dark. With the last of his quickly disappearing strength, Haruka's eyes trail down, where they see Yamato's tattoed hand diving into his abdomen.

"Don't worry Haruka." The younger boy faintly hears, like his ears were underwater. "We'll all be together again soon."

Haruka slumps into Yamato's arms and the tattoed man cradles him, holding him gently close to his body. Sliding his other arm under Haruka's legs, he hoists him up into a bridal carry.

And walks.

Without a single look back, he disappears into the shadows of Makochi's streets, his treasure secure in his hands.