Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The velvet curtain was still hanging straight, providing a barrier between the stage and the audience, leaving them time to take their seats, go to the bathroom or chat idly about the play that was about to commence- A performance of a classic tale of freedom and growth, starring young middle school kids that put all of their efforts into the production over the course of three full months.

"It's time to begin.”

The lights on the sides of the stage were brought to life and shined bright white as the curtain was drawn, revealing the scenery on the stage. A single spotlight illuminated a drawing of a pond full of white lilies and tall reeds that highlighted the night’s turquoise-black sky, full of stars that shined beyond their canvas. On the stage stood four children- the real stars of the night. The three siblings of the Darling family, two little boys and their older sister, all wearing matching nightgowns- blue, green and pink. They all started singing, telling an old tale about a boy who never grew up and could fly in the sky without a care in the world. The spotlight shifted to highlight the forth boy standing on the stage, the rest of the characters looking at him hopefully and with shining eyes, anticipating him to sing his lines.

The boy wore a camel brown polo t-shirt that had one button undone under a coyote-brown colored one-piece elf attire that was sharp on its edges. It reached down to the middle of his thigh and was paired with matching shorts, plastic boots and a sharp red hat decorated with a fake white feather that sat nicely on his blonde curls.

He looked at the audience with helpless cobalt-yellow eyes, like he was about to burst into tears at any moment.  He folded his hands, trying to stop his panic from taking over yet failing miserably. He averted his face from the crowd to the wooden floor, trying to calm his breathing as the three other kids kept singing. He attempted to sing the heroic lines he had memorized, but all that came out of his mouth was silence, his voice refusing to cooperate with all of the ears listening.

The air around him felt hot and heavy, pressuring him to just surrender and run off the stage for as long as his legs could handle and as far away from the horrifying spotlight to where he will not be watched. The boy closed his eyes, not wanting to give into his fear and ruin the show he had loved so much and disappoint any of his classmates that counted on him to play the leading role.

But as expected of him, he couldn't follow through.

At a matter of seconds, peter pan was no longer on stage. No one saw him running off or heading to any of the edges of the stage where he could hide in the shadows. He didn't understand the murmurs and confused frowns that rose on the crowd's faces, given that in his eyes nothing changed.  He still stood on his own two feet in front of an enormous amount of people, who seemed to be looking for something.

The boy was confused about the situation, turning around to see his classmates reacting the same, looking around the stage in search for something that couldn't be seen. The orchestra stopped playing and the murmurs went stronger, making peter pen feel like he humiliated himself badly yet couldn't remember any of it. Whatever it was that he did, he screwed up the show beyond repair, failing everyone. He took the chance when no one was looking at him and stormed off of the stage, the sounds his shoes made as he ran only confused the people in the auditorium more, who couldn't understand who was making them.

 He ran as fast as he could, to the exit leading to a quiet school hallway which he soared through, entering the boy’s bathroom and letting the door slam behind him. He placed his hands on one of the sinks, breathing heavily with his head hanging low, tears streaming down due to another failure he wished he could concur. I knew this was a bad idea, he scolded himself, I'm done, he decided in his head, reminding himself that no matter how much he loved theatre- I'm never going to be able to overcome my stage fright.

Hoping his crying wasn't as obvious in case he was found; He glanced up to look in the mirror jumping back immediately once he did. "Toru?" a deep, familiar voice called in the hall outside. "Toru!"

"Where are you?" a feminine and older voice asked.

"Onii-chan, are you in here?" two high-pitched voices wondered together, followed by a knock on the restroom’s door that he couldn’t answer in his current state. His eyes felt like they were about to pop out of their place as he looked at himself in the mirror; he couldn't tell since there was nothing staring back at him, the mirror only showing him the open toilet stall he stood in front of.

He shook his head once, twice, stepped in front of another sink and glanced down at his own open palms, finding no trace of himself to be seen. The door to the bathroom was opened and four familiar faced glanced inside. He held his breath and stood still in front of them, gasping as the door was closed once more, the people searching for him not noticing him being there at all.

He stepped in front of the mirror once again, squinting his eyes and reaching forward to touch the glass, swallowing thickly as his face was revealed to him, sweaty, teary and scared from before, but mostly wondering now, with just an extra pinch of terror. He didn't know what was happening to him, but watching his own temporary reflection made him more nervous that standing on the large stage.

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They should really fix the trashcans so they can be opened from the inside, he thought to himself as he closed his eyes, saving his sigh inside. Preferring to avoid taking a breath of the stuffed air in the large trash container which was located at the small lot behind the school’s cafeteria. It smelled mostly of that day’s main dish, Sushi, which made the experience of being stuck inside of it as if he was just another garbage bag even grosser. It was pitch black so he couldn't really see what he was doing, so he resorted into kicking the plastic cover separating him from the outside world. But the lid refused to be opened, leading the theater geek to believe it had been blocked from the outside by the same people who tossed him into the dumpster.

He refused to dwell in what-ifs and consider what his school life might have looked like if he hadn't taken the role. Working on the play was really fun, helping with the costumes, talking to his co-stars about their shared passion and spending late nights building the set-pieces with the help of his saw, alongside his best friend and his paintbrush. He loved his role too, princess Cliona, exotic yet strong and the proud ruler of Aporobia. So what if doing what he loved caused to him to turn into the laughing stock of half the school? He could handle everything anyone tried to throw at him...

Or so he thought.

He kicked the lid once more, groaning in anger when it didn’t move and tried to use his hands, but his efforts did nothing but get his palms sticky and smelling like dead fish. He bit his lip as he curled deeper into himself, pulling his light-blue hoodie up and over his hair, settling back on the stuffed bags of trash. It was in his dramatic nature to think he was never going to find his way out of there, that he was going to remain alone and cold until the next morning, when the dumpster will be emptied into a bigger one, and then he will be squashed to his death with the rest of the rotten things.

Let Eigo know I love him, he pleaded to no one in particular, holding his knees closer to his chest and leaning his cheek on the nearest pink plastic bag - At least he thought it was pink, he couldn't really see anything. He knew the sun should still be out, judging that only an hour or two passed since he was ambushed by his private gang of bullies while he waited for his best friend to come out of his advanced science class so they could walk home together like they did every day. But instead of being alongside his favorite person in the world, he was dragged by his arms and legs and disposed of. Don't cry, he convinced himself, regretting the moment he chose to breathe through his nose, Or else you are just the girly princess they see you as...

“Rui!” The voice of reason woke him up from his dark slump, causing his head to shoot up and an immediate smile to spread on his face.

“In here!” He called back, banging on the dumpster's wall and breaking into a fit of coughing when he inhaled too much stuffy choking air at once.

“Hold on,” the brunette's voice asked of him, followed by the sounds of hands placed upon the outside of the garbage container, working hard to remove the thing blocking the lid. By the sound it made as it was tossed aside and hit the ground, it must have been a pretty heavy metal pole.

He tried hard to squint his eyes open once he was faced with sunlight again, stuffing down another cough as he tried to take in the fresh oxygen. ”Are you okay?” His rescuer asked worriedly, reaching out to grab his hand and pull him out of the dumpster.

“Alive, maybe.” Tatsumi admitted, pushing himself out and landing on the steady asphalt of the small parking lot. He smiled apologetically when he saw the look on his childhood friend’s face, concern and panic written all over it as he scanned the blonde's dirty clothes.

“Don't joke about that, I was so worried.” Sawatari admitted, launching himself forward to hug his taller friend around the shoulders, using the opportunity to check for any broken bones. The other just chuckled and hugged back tightly, reminded once more that he was never truly going to be alone. ”You smell terrible.” The brunette admitted, confused when he was pushed away to face a half-offended expression from his best friend.

“Thank you Eigo, I feel much better now.” He teased and the other teen tilted his head at him in question.

“I just stated the facts.” He reasoned, mouth twitching upwards when the emerald eyed teen chuckled softly. “Come on, I have extra clothes in my locker.” He said, leading Tatsumi by his hand back into the school's building.

The hallways were mostly empty of students, seeing as whoever wasn't taking afternoon classes had already gone home, but the blonde still couldn't help but glance around to make sure there was no one around to see him in his current state.

Standing before the mirror of the boy’s locker room, he was faced with himself, the way he always looked, only with a few stains of fish oil decorating his uniform. He didn't know what he expected to look like, probably as awful as he felt inside, but he was relieved nonetheless to see Sawatari didn't witness him looking like a ran-over street cat.

“Here,” his rescuer pulled him out of his thoughts expertly, handing him a neatly folded pair of pants, a school shirt and blazer, along with a gray sweater which was not a part of the uniform. “I know you’re a little sensitive to cold.” He excused the little detail, making Tatsumi grin.

He quickly pulled his shirt off his head, ignoring the cold air hitting his skin in favor of appreciating the softness of the gray cotton the hoodie was made of, warm and smelling like his best friend’s fabric-softener. He must have appreciated it a moment too long, because the brunette noticed it, smiling at him kindly and reaching out to adjust the laces of the hoodie, so they’ll be in equal length.

“You can keep it if you like,” he honestly said, hazel eyes blank yet utterly beautiful as he looked at his childhood friend. “It’s a little too long on me anyway,” he excused, both of them chuckling together. Tatsumi's heart was filled with sheer joy that was provided simply by being in the other’s presence; the smell of sushi leftovers forgotten and the bitterness lifted by a small smile that decorated a blank serious expression.

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He regretted leaving to get two creamy deserts for him and his best friend the moment he heard the distinctive sound of a frail body hitting the ground, followed by commotion noises from the students occupying the busy cafeteria at lunch hour. "Careful where you step princess!" a deep voice noted with amusement, taking a bite of his apple and laughing together with his gang of Neanderthals, all gathered around a table and looking down at their usual victim.

Sawatari quickly ditched the line of students waiting to receive the lemon pies and marched to his best friend, who kept his head low as he pushed himself into a sitting position, shoulders hunched forward as he picked up the scattered content of his tray, which scattered everywhere as he was tripped to crash over the slippery floor of the dining hall.

The brunette who discovered he had earned the title 'knight' wasn't one to draw attention to himself by being loud and impulsive; but once he was faced with the painful image of his precious friend, splayed on the floor with a poker face that told Sawatari how upset he was on the inside and the entire student body murmuring and laughing about him, the hazel eyed teen couldn't help himself.  "Don't you have something better to do?!" he challenged, keeping his head high as he returned some of the gazes that glared at him, not managing to get any kind of satisfaction once the smiles had been whipped from the crowd who found a tortured soul to be a joke.

The leader of the bullies chuckled and joked about something else, making his gang laugh with ease, their snores breaking the silence that stretched and allowing the cafeteria go back to normal, dull conversations resuming and casual complaints about studying being aired out.

Sawatari's first instinct was to rush to his friend's side, kneel down next to him where he was left on the floor and make sure he was okay physically at least, knowing his emotions were far than being fine. But he reminded himself of the blonde's wishes and stayed put, waiting until after Tatsumi got up from the ground to join him, the two of them not needing more than a short meeting of the eyes to know to walk out of the cafeteria with steps that easily synchronized, both teenagers ignoring the gazes of three hundred pairs of eyes burning into their backs.

The knight knew to stay silent as the king led them away from judgmental stares, to one of the secluded corners of the school only loners like them knew of. He didn't need to ask in order to understand the older teen's feelings, he couldn't blame him for them, and the only thing he could do was be proud of him for taking everything that was launched at him without falling apart.

The brunette easily climbed his way up the 1.5 meter tall brick wall, taking the requesting hand of his best friend to pull him on it as well, so they were sitting in front of each other, each of their legs swinging off a different side of the fence. He stared down at their hands, placed on the gray cement, the paler pair itching closer to intertwine the tips of their fingers together, as their owner spoke.

"I'm fine." He assured, voice serious and emerald eyes avoiding the hazel ones and by doing so, revealing his lie.

"This has to stop." The brunette determined instead, keeping his voice leveled but just as serious.

"I just tripped, it happens." Tatsumi insisted, looking away to the blue skies that carried on beyond the school's fence.

"You didn't trip, you were tripped. There is a difference." The equally as stubborn teen pointed out. "You could have twisted an ankle, or hurt your head, or break your nose-" he went on, causing his best friend to sigh and look back at him with his mouth twitched upwards sadly.

"I'm not that weak, Eigo." He replied knowingly, making the shorter teenager duck his head, but both of them knew it wasn't what he was implying. "And you are being too dramatic." The blonde added with a gentle smile he hoped will reassure his worried best friend.

"Me?" he wondered, tilting his head to the side. "Aren't you the one who writes his own eulogy every time he's locked in a dark space?" he teased, making the other chuckle despite himself. "We need to tell someone."

"That's not going to do anything. You know I'm right." Tatsumi dismissed kindly, linking their fingers together and smiling sadly to the other who knew he was. Rui is always right, he learned long ago. He figured as such by himself, that there was no way out of the situation they had found themselves in.

Bullying was intolerable mostly, both by the faculty and the school's board, but apparently, the exception for the rules was Nanjo Koki, the main cause for the sleepy king's misery and the one who tormented him the most. He was a member of the student council ever since his first year, and was a shoe-in for president once they become third years. The entire school was in his pocket, manipulated by his confidence and natural charisma that led everyone to ignore how rotten he was on the inside.

If they tried to accuse him of anything, it will be an honor student's word against the one of Tatsumi, the theatre geek whose charm and beauty were only known to his true friends. No one in the school will side with him, even after they witnessed Nanjo's abuse every day, they didn't care for anything that was not regarding them. The drama club would have helped, after all, Tatsumi was a beloved member and a good comrade, but they were biased, just like Sawatari was.

"Eigo…it's okay," his childhood friend assured him, beautiful emerald eyes soft with serenity, only frustrating the knight more. Why would someone ever want to hurt such a good person? Was all he could wonder, failing to understand the illogical cruelty most people possessed in their hearts.

"I don't know what to do, Rui." He admitted, looking back at his precious friend. "I'm supposed to take care of you, and yet I can't stop him from hurting you."

The hand on his cheek both surprised and comforted him at the same time, and he found himself leaning into the cold touch, sighing again. "Nanjo is the type of guy who is looking for thrills, right?" the emerald eyed teen questioned, his best friend nodding in return. "Then he'll be bored with me in no time," he determined with a smile that was too infectious to resist.

"Killing him will solve the problem." The brunette speculated, placing his fingers under his chin in a thinking position and causing the other student to laugh despite himself.

"We are not exactly fighters Eigo; even if we try together I bet we won't survive to tell the tale." He teased, making the serious hazel eyed student smile.

"I can always get my sword," he teased back, glancing down at his clock to see that his hunch was right, it was almost time for classes to resume. He swung his leg to be on the right side of the fence, jumping down back to the solid ground.

"Let's leave it as a last resort, okay?" Tatsumi suggested, jumping down as well and using the shorter's shoulders to balance his landing, both of them laughing together, happy to be in their own little bubble if only for a few short moments.

Sawatari sneaked a short glance over to his best friend as they made their way to class, lingering a little too long on the blonde's gentle smile. It had been too long since he saw him so calm and it lasted way too shortly, only until they entered the school's building, where their little bubble popped and reality was forced upon them again.

I'll do anything to protect you; he made a quiet promise that in his heart he knew his best friend could hear. I'll find a way.

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The blonde teen laid on his bed, his eyes closed shut in an attempt to get rid of the exhaustion that refused to vanish. Over the past two days, he shamelessly spent all of his time in his home's kitchen, cooking a ridiculous amount of meals that could feed an entire army. It did help however, since he spent less time over-thinking about the incident he had on stage. Yet he was not immune to the need for a good sleep, cooking was as tiring as it was relaxing.

A soft knock on his door broke the silence he so desperately needed, causing him to rise up to his feet and head toward the entrance of his bedroom. He opened it carefully, revealing both of his parents standing there, looking at their son with matching kind expressions.

"Can we come in?" his mother asked, the teen nodded in approval and took a step away from the door to allow them inside. They sat on the bed casually, their son joining them, already guessing that the topic he refused to face would come up again.

"First order of business, I'm afraid we are not going to be able to finish all the food you made, so no more cooking for the rest of the week." His father stated, leaving the blonde invisible boy slightly embarrassed but with a small smile. "Second, we have to tell you something."

"Since I'm human, we weren't sure if to tell you or not," his mother took over, noticing expertly that her husband wasn't really sure where to begin. “But you're more special than you think."

"That's a nice way to say it.” The youngest Nayuki in the room admitted, wrapping his hands around his curled up legs. Special was just a pretty word for a freak, strange and an outsider who will never fit in anywhere.  He wanted to shake off the gentle hand that was placed on his shoulder. ”I don't know what is happening to me."

"It is not your fault, dear." His mother told him. "You can't control it yet."

“’It?” The teenager wondered, his wide yellow eyes looking with question at both of his parents.

"Your mutation." They both replied, their answered not helping to clear things up but instead only awakening more questions. It was probably clear on his face since his father explained it a little better, smiling kindly as he spoke.

"You're a mutant, Toru. It means that you have a special ability that is beyond a regular human's reach."

"...What?" was all that the invisible could ask, causing his father to chuckle shortly.

“It's an evolutionary step forward, a special gene that started about three hundred years ago,” the oldest Nayuki began to explain, reaching out for this wife's hand so he could take off the bracelets she wore, the one he gave her on their latest anniversary. ”Or so I think, history was never my strong suit...”

“You see, each mutant has a different power,” Nayuki’s mother supplied, the two of them watching the second mutant in the room curling the pearl bracelet in his hand, so it was no longer seen.

“I can reshape objects,” his father supplied, opening his palm up to reveal a small pearl-made cat toy sitting on it. Their child looked at it with awe, starting to grasp the new reality. “And you can turn invisible,”

Nayuki swallowed thickly as he nodded in understanding, playing with his hands that had been disappearing at random times since the day of the show, along with the rest of his body. “Will I be able to control it?” He had to ask, familiar with his habit to be a failure in all fields of life.

"Sure thing, you just need some practice." his father guaranteed him optimistically.

"Which is also another thing we need to discuss." His mother started to say, causing the teen sitting between her and her husband to face her. “There is a course for early bloomers like you,”

“They'll teach you how to restrain your powers,” His father added.

“And you can meet other mutants your age,” His mother concluded with a smile, painting the pretty picture for her clearly nervous son. “We already signed you up so you can start going tomorrow,” she said and he nodded in understanding, trying to think of the full half of the glass until it was broken too. “After you go to school of course,”

He sighed but nodded again, accepting the loving hug his parents gave him, telling him how proud they were of him and his bravery for dealing with it all. The truth was that he felt terrified inside and was still unable to wrap his mind around the new data, but he knew that blocking his ears and locking himself in his room for the rest of his life was not a possibility his parents or sisters were going to let him get away with- so he decided to give it a shot.

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One of the main traits any aspiring actor such as himself should possess is radiating confidence. He was considered to be lucky in that department, giving that there weren't many things about himself he despised or wished to drastically change. He wasn't as smart as his best friend was but he was a good student, many people had pointed out he was really pretty even if he himself didn't see their point and even if he wasn't exactly the type to have a lot of friends, he got along with anyone who talked to him, which was probably due to the leadership skills Sawatari always told him he possessed.

There was only one point about himself he absolutely hated and wished to dispose of immediately yet never could; his life-long dependency on the one people started calling 'knight' because of it.

It first started when they were little, before he could even remember really, one of the many times he was severely sick and grounded in bed while Sawatari's grandparents were visiting the family living in the house just across of his. They assigned their grandson to take care of him since the brunette was the only person he got along with at the time, a job that he had maintained ever since.

 But even if Tatsumi wasn't stuck in bed with a seasonal cold, or because he missed his pill, he still counted on the one always by his side way too much; to bring him his tea, to study with him, to walk him to and from school and to be the one good thing that helped him forget about the nightmare his life had turned into in the last two months.

He knew that there was no helping him being alone for the day, he reminded himself of it as he stepped into the crowded school building. His best friend wasn’t feeling well, he texted him that morning and asked if he will be okay going on his own. The blonde immediately responded with a confident smile, deciding it was his moment to try and face things on his own.

Without his hazel eyed friend by his side, the excelling student who was worthy of his fellow colleagues' appreciation toward him, Tatsumi found himself wishing the ground will swallow him alive. The eyes of the student body didn't hesitate to leech upon him, making it harder for him to look ahead with his chin held high. But as he walked through the hallway, stopping by his locker to take his books for the day, he couldn't miss a particular set of red eyes looking at him with satisfaction, giving him the uneasy feeling that something bad was heading his way.

As a result, he avoided the cafeteria, spending any free minute of the day in the library, reading about other worlds that didn't include Nanjo in them, or in their drama club room since its location neither of the bullies knew. They preferred to spend their time in the gym or in the outdoor sports field. He was almost sure he went through it in one piece, once the sun was setting and the last bell of the day rang, bringing him the happy news that it was his time to go home at last.

He waited half an hour just to be sure there was no one left on the school's ground, before he picked up his bag and exited out of the main door, stopping down the stairs while holding onto his bag's straps with both hands. He inhaled the fresh air, focusing a little too much on the large gate that he missed the leg tripping him off his feet to fall on the stones of the courtyard, causing him to scratch his chin in the process.

He tense up when he heard the familiar laughter of at least four people whose faces he recognized but names he had never learned, all overshadowed by the meanest one of all, his bass voice matching his condescending smirk as he glanced down at him, the edge of his polished shoe only centimeter away from the fallen student's nose.

"Look what I've found, guys." He said in a playful tone, chuckling when one of his minions lazily kicked their victim in the stomach, causing him to curl on his side without a sound of pain, not wanting to give them the satisfaction.

"What are we going to do to him today?" one of the mindless idiots wondered with the grin of a sadist. The rest of them broke into a debate about the different ideas they had on how to torture him, eventually fighting among themselves on what was the best option, nearly punching each other over the choice between locking him up in the girl's bathroom and drowning him in the toilet. That caused him to laugh before he could stop, amused by the low IQ levels of the gang surrounding him.

"You find something funny, princess?" wondered their leader, nudging his cheek with his shoe so the other will be forced to look at him, probably surprising him with his calm smile and blank eyes who weren't scared. After all, what could Nanjo do to him that he hadn't already endured in silence like the weak person he really was inside?

I'm pathetic, he thought to himself as he stared up at the student council member. He was sure in the past that they will eventually get bored of him and will move on to their next victim, but apparently, his lack of fighting back only motivated the gray haired monster further. It fit his character perfectly, judging by the fact his friend's combined intellect matched the one of a dry peanut.

"Shut up already! We are using the toilet flush!"

"You shut up! Just imagine the girls chasing him out!"

The two members of the bully gang continued their argument, making the blonde lying on the ground chuckle again, only this time, so that his tormentor could hear, responding to his previous question.

"You choose them to be this stupid on purpose, don't you?" he challenged, using the arm that was not crushed underneath his body to get back up, not missing Nanjo's hands raising up, to sign his droids to not interfere. He raised an eyebrow at the emerald eyes teen, his own eyes peeked with interest. "Does it make you feel better about yourself?" Tatsumi wondered playfully, using his years of acting experience to his favor, his smile turning a little true when he spotted the tiniest sign of confusion on Nanjo's face.

"Look who suddenly learned to talk, guys." He played along, using his superior height and strength in order to hoist the blonde off the ground, holding him by the edges of his gray sweater and suffocating him a little. "How should we shut him up?" the tormentor wondered, tilting his head to the side as Tatsumi struggled against his hold, reminding himself that he should really start working out. The grip the taller student had on him only tightened as he tried to kick him away, chuckling at his vain efforts.

"Let go of me." The emerald teen ordered in a cold tone, trying to keep himself calm even though he could hear the neckline of his sweater starting to tear apart as the bully used it to support his entire body weight. The red eyed teen seemed to catch up on it as well.

"Scared I'm going to ruin your clothes?" he asked in a pitiful voice, looking down at him with a different light in his eyes. "You really are a princess," he noted, making the buffoons standing around them to laugh like the barbarians they were. "What would Sawatari say if he sees you ruined his gift for you?" he wondered, the casualty in his voice driving the student in his grip even angrier, as he tried to break free one more time, already knowing he was fast enough to outrun all of them if given the chance. Maybe speaking up was a bad judgment, he concluded, trying to push Nanjo's strong hands with his own, only making him laugh harder.

"Look how squinty he gets,"

"Like a girl,"

"Someone's sensitive about their boyfriend, ha?" the leader of the group said, the others agreeing with him with a snorty laughter. "Maybe I should mess with him instead, seems more challenging." He speculated, making a suddenly-courageous Tatsumi groan, giving up on his escape plan and instead intending to go down with his pride still somehow intact. He used his close proximity to the main bully's body to kick him in the stomach as hard as he could. It turned out to be enough since the taller student's grip loosen immediately as he gasped, dropping the blonde back to the ground.

But not even a second passed before he was restrained again, two of the mindless droids holding onto him, his arms behind his back and his private space filled with the terrible scent of sweaty jocks.  Nanjo chuckled bitterly, straightening up again like nothing happened, and walked closer to him with confident steps. "I say we should lock the princess in the girl's bathroom where he belongs," he concluded, his group accepting their leader's call immediately. "Let's go, I have date to get to later." He added, turning his back to lead them into the school's building, already pulling out his chain of keys to every door in the school when the emerald eyed teen spoke before he could think.

"You better hurry up or you'll get dumped, I heard Kitahara is not a patient guy." He called out, smiling a little when he felt the two pairs of arms restraining him tense up a little, clearly confused to hear the male pronounce in that context. 

His smile stretched wider when Nanjo turned around, face calm and charming as it always was, but his eyes telling a different story; one where despite his approaching demise, the princess in distress managed to hit a nerve on the evil emperor keeping him captive. Said emperor lifted up his sleeves,  and swung his hardest punch casually to the blonde's jaw, causing pain to eco in his body, but he still refused to make a sound.

"You really should have kept your mouth shut, Princess Tatsumi." He heard the deep voice whispering to him as all sound ceased to exist and the world around him went blank.

He woke up in the girl's bathroom like promised, head hurting and vision a little blurry; his aching body splayed over the cold floor that thankfully was clean in comparison to the boy's bathroom. He pushed himself up with shaky arms, sitting back on his heels and knowing without lifting his sweater that there were angry bruises over his chest and stomach that will turn purple tomorrow. A deep sigh escaped his lips as he got up to his feet, looking around the empty bathroom and noticing that it was dark already, only the pale moonlight illuminating his surroundings. Luckily, he always kept his phone in his pocket, his experience letting him know that his bullies had a tendency to steal his bag and hide it somewhere after attacking him.

As he suspected, he had a few missed calls from his mother and even more from his best friend, the two of them probably worried since dinner time was approaching fast and he still wasn't home.  So he quickly texted them that he was on his way, before opening the toilet stalls from right to the left, finding his bag drowned in a random one, soaked with all of his books inside of it. He sighed again but picked it up with a wrinkled nose, holding onto the top strap that remained dry and faced the door, which of course, was locked.

But he didn't despair, immediately glancing at the window. His bully might have been smart, but he seemed to forget that Tatsumi was way smaller in size, and therefore had no problem squeezing his way out of the narrow window.

He used the sinks, placing his left foot on them in order to push himself to the window's ledge, pulling it open and throwing his bag out of it, nodding in relief when he heard it hit the ground only a second later. Thanks to his bully's laziness, he was placed on the first floor. He carefully crawled his way out of the window, not having anything to hold onto and therefore falling on his face again, this time hitting soft grass, slightly damp from the evening sprinklers. It provided some comfort, letting him know he stopped Nanjo's plan from coming true to the fullest…

But it still didn't stop his tears from falling as he ran the entire way back to his house.

Tatsumi's parents were known for their worrying nature, which was why he entered through the back door, avoiding them laying eyes on his puffed red ones. "Rui? Is that you?" his mother's voice wondered as he climbed his way up the stairs to his room, intending to lay his damaged books out to dry.

"Yeah!" he called back, stopping mid-action in front of his mirror, eyes widening as he took in his reflection.

"How was school?" she asked, probably finishing off dinner preparations and about to come up and talk to him at any moment. Then she'll probably get a heart attack when she sees his bruised up face, his chin and nose slightly bleeding from the scratches covering them.

"Boring," he answered her, leaving his room with hushed steps and entering his parents', where he knew his mother kept her makeup. He retrieved it quickly, rarely thanking for his ghostly complexion as he applied the white powder, effectively covering up every wound.

"Since Eigo-chan wasn’t there?" his mother asked as she entered his room without knocking on the closed door. But his instincts were always quick ones, meaning he managed to hide the purple powder box in his drawer just in time, facing Ayaka with a gentle smile that she returned.

"Of course." The younger blonde said, causing the older to chuckle.

"I figured, Soramiku said he was really sick." She commented, making the smile on his face disappear. He knew his best friend's mother was not the dramatic type, she was level headed like her son, which meant that if she was nervous, he had a reason to be too.

"I'm gonna go check on him, he'll want the notes from today too." He excused, his mother smiling proudly, humming in agreement.

"Heat your dinner when you get back," she told him and he nodded, breathing out only when she left with the door closed behind her.

Quickly, he pulled his soft sweater off, frowning when he saw the tear in his collar that his mother didn't notice. Thanks mom for being an airhead sometimes, he commented in his head, neatly folding the piece of fabric and putting it on his desk's chair, taking a mental note to himself to sew it back together once he returned from visiting his friend who was never sick.

His hand was already on his door's handle when he remembered his best friend was much more observant than anyone else he knew, especially when it came to seeing through Tatsumi's already unconvincing lies. So he turned back around, took a quick shower to wash off the smell of the hideous day that he had been thought, and putting on his current sleeping attire, a red sweater his mom bought him but was too big, some comfortable pajama pants and slippers.

He looked out of his window and saw the lights in the Sawatari household were on, meaning he didn't need to grab his keys. The emerald eyed teen stuffed his hands in his pockets as he made the short trip across the road, to a two-story house that resembled his own, slightly smaller and with a pool in the backyard instead of a blossoming greenhouse.

Sawatari's father was the one who opened the door for him, telling him that the one he came to see was still napping in his room, after he had been through a rough night. The blonde thanked him and make the right turn in the hall, to the room he spent the most time in other than his own.

The door was slightly opened so he allowed himself in, smiling immediately when he laid eyes on his sleepy best friend, who watched his TV with his eyes half close, face blank and glasses resting over his nose. As worthy of the guy who knew everything, the brunette lying under the converts of the double bed noticed his presence almost instantly, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards, just as happy to finally see his best friend as the latter was to see him.

"Can I bother you?" the silvery-blonde wondered, making the other nod his head and pet the spot next to him on the bed.

"Come here, I missed you." he admitted once Tatsumi placed himself next to him, as he sat up so he could be eye-leveled with his best friend.

"Missed you too," he returned honestly, frowning a little when he got a clearer look on his knight's face, noticing not only the bizarre paleness, but the dark shadows under his eyes and their red frames, signing that the brunette hadn't gotten any proper sleep for at least two days. The frown that rose to his face didn't help hide those details, as he pushed his glasses up his nose, his hazel eyes turning cold.

"What happened?" they both asked at the same time, something that would have caused the two of them laugh together if they were under different circumstances and less concerned for each other.

"I'm fine." Tatsumi clarified shortly. "You look terrible, did you go to a doctor?" he asked what really mattered to him, but was waved off just as carelessly by the younger teen.

"I have migraines, nothing serious." The brunette specified. "And I can't believe you thought you could fool me with makeup," he said, reaching out to hold the other's chin, his suspicions only confirming when the other hissed in surprised as the warm fingers aroused sharp pain.

"What are you talking about?" he didn't know what he was thinking when he tried to deny, resolving in his best friend swiping his thumb softly, not in affection but to remove the white powder off the bruised flesh. His frown deepened when it was revealed. "I fell down the stairs…?" he gave it one last lame attempt that his best friend didn't appreciate.  

"Nanjo?" the serious voice wondered, sharp eyes focused on the beautiful face he knew so well, identifying everywhere it had been hurt, biting his lips when he spotted too much powder stains. The other nodded once, knowing he'll have to confess eventually. "He never did something that drastic before." Sawatari pointed out, biting his lip as he thought about a possible reason for the sudden deterioration in the severity of their problem.

"I taunted him." the blonde admitted, trying to look away but was unable to once he saw the other's face changing, from blankness into something softer. "I couldn't just take it silently anymore, Eigo, I'm sorry. It was so stupid and now I made everything worse…" Tatsumi ducked his head, feeling all contact between them breaking as he mentally prepared himself to be scolded about his recklessness.

But instead, his best friend just sighed, leaning forward to rest his forehead on the frail shoulder, holding onto him as if there was something he wanted to say but couldn't. The taller teen leaned his head against his, hearing him without any words being spoken. Don't ever scare me like this again.

"I'll go get ice." Sawatari said, pulling away and like magic forgetting about his own sickness once he saw his best friend was in trouble.

"I'll do it-" the older of the two tried to protest but was cut off immediately by his worried knight.

"Don't get up Rui, stay put." He ordered, tone serious as he looked at him from where he already stood near the room's door, not leaving until the other nodded in defeat. I can't do anything right, can I? Tatsumi wondered to himself once he was left alone, leaning back on the soft pillows and smiling bitterly when he noticed what his best friend was watching before he interrupted him inconsiderably.

His smile turned into a small laughter when Sawatari returned, holding in his hands a bag of frozen peas, joining the laughter once he realized how ridiculous he must have looked, dressed in his flannel pajamas and clutching frozen vegetables. "We ran out of ice," he muttered with a small smile, stumbling his way to the bed and slumping over it with too little control.

"You don't look really fine Eigo, are you sure-" the blonde asked worriedly, cut off when the frozen bag was pressed to his aching flesh. He tried to protest and remove it, but his best friend was always persistent when taking care of him.

"Hold still, or else it'll get swollen." He noted kindly, holding the peas in their place. Tatsumi sighed and accepted his sentence, lowering himself down so the other could do the same, until they ended up in a comfortable position; the boy with hazel eyes and dark spots under them leaning his head slightly on his childhood friend's bony shoulder, hand resting over his chest to hold the bag of peas in place. He chose not to point out that the emerald eyed teen had lost weight again, which the latter deeply appreciated as he leaned back and focused on the TV.

"I love that movie," Sawatari muttered, the other nodding in agreement. They used to watch it all the time when they were little, he always loved watching it when he was sick, so it made sense the shorter teen felt the same way. Before he could tell, he began humming along with one of the songs, his best friend joining him with perfect harmony, the two smiling to themselves in their own little bubble of the world, where there was no one who could hurt them.

By the time the credits rolled around, the tired brunette had drifted to sleep, shoulders rising up and down to the rhythm of his breathing. The one he used as he pillow smiled sleepily too, not seeing the harm in spending the night in a comfortable bed with the person he loves more than anything.  So he shut the TV off and shifted ever so slightly, to remove the bag of peas that had long ago melted and to settle under the covers, gently taking Sawatari's glasses off before wrapping himself around the slightly smaller body in peace.

He always loved the way they simply fitted in each other's arms, which was probably why he almost immediately fell into the deepest sleep he had in months.

That also turned out to be really short.

At first, he was sure he was dreaming even though it was strange hearing screams that weren't his in his nightmares; but Sawatari's still applied; given that his pain hurt Tatsumi more than his own suffering. He was woken up to reality when the screams didn’t stop, and the arms lazily draped over him pushed him away, too hard to be intentional.

Thanks to low blood pressure, it was hard for him to open his eyes and get away, but he managed to eventually, when two people he knew since he was born entered the room, alert looking yet unworried. That fact changed the moment they noticed his presence.

"What…?" he asked under his breath, another scream of pain pierced his ears and caused him to look at his best friend, who was quivering next to him on the double bed, eyes shut tight and fists clutched with white knuckles. "Eigo…?" he whispered, sitting up in horror and realizing it was not a dream after all, no way his mind was that twisted. "What's wrong?" he asked, reaching out to touch his friend's shoulder when the other ignored his words, as if unaware of him being there at all.

A hand on his own shoulder only momentarily stopped his panic, causing him to look at who had been like his second mother, whose brown eyes were never cold. "You should go home, dear." She advised him as his eyes ran over the dark room, between his excruciated friend, the one telling him to leave him like that, and her husband, who placed a bucket near the corner of the bed, probably preparing for the worse.

"What is happening to him?" he asked, his voice quiet yet the best he could master in the situation. But the hand on his shoulder tensed up, pushing him away to a standing position.

"He's fine, Rui-chan, I promise." She told him seriously, escorting him to the door while he was unable to resist, her words barely making it to his ears since all of his senses were focused on one thing. "He'll talk to you tomorrow." Was what he heard when the dark wooden door was closed in his face, leaving him in an empty hallway, listening in to his best friend in the entire world, his protector, the one he cherished the most, breaking apart and unable to control himself.

Is he having a seizure? What is happening? Why are they so calm? Is he okay? "Please, just open the door," he called in his breakdown, feeling the same urge as before to just follow his instincts. Not that he was able to do anything else in that situation, the room around him was starting to blur together, the only thing in his head was the beautiful face of the boy on the other side of the door who sounded like he was being rapidly stabbed in the chest while being torn apart limb from limb. "Let me in!" he demanded, banging on the door and groaning when he was just ignored elegantly.

He tried to turn the handle, finding it to be locked which contributed to him slipping farther away from his good judgment. "Eigo!" he yelled desperately, wishing more than anything that the door will open and let him go to the one he loved.

He didn't linger once it did, nearly flying out of its hinges and revealing the plain room once more, the one lying in the middle of it now on his side, clutching his head with both his hands and screaming out all of his air, whimpering and breaking the blonde's heart.

"Just let it go, Rui-cha-" a voice tried to warn him from entering, but was silenced midsentence, the beautiful woman it belonged to planted in her spot and unable to stop him. Why is the house shaking? He wondered, tripping over his steps as he ran toward the younger teenager, dismissing it quickly once he reached him. He knelt down next to him, placing one hand over his and using the other to remove his hair from his face. "Eigo…" he whispered softly. "Tell me what's wrong," he pleaded; the other whimpering once again and clutching his head harder, curling into a tighter ball.

"There's no helping it, he won't come back to the real world for an hour at least. You shouldn't see him like that, Rui-kun." The oldest Sawatari in the room commented, looking slightly scared, staring down at his legs but not moving them as they shook with everything else in the house.

"Rui…" the next whimper escaped the brunette's lips, causing Tatsumi to sigh in relief.

"Yes, it's me," he whispered back, gentle hand linking their fingers together. "I'm here Eigo, Everything's okay." He assured, the other shaking his head in return, too harsh and probably causing himself more pain.

"My h-head-" he complained, groaning once more. "It burns…" he continued, shaking it once again to try and get rid of the excruciating feeling.

"G-get him to open h-his eyes," Soramiku told him through greeted teeth, still sitting on her back legs over the bed next to her screaming son, her slightly worried expression matching her husband's. He didn't understand what was happening around him, so he was willing to listen to any advice given, feeling his own body starting to waver.

"You heard her, open your eyes, " He said gently, the other teen seemingly not aware of him again. "Eigo, listen to me, if you open your eyes it will be over." He tried his best to convey something he desperately hoped was true. "Eigo, look at me," he pleaded, not knowing what to do for his friend other them forcing his eyes open.

"C-Can't-" Sawatari muttered through gritted teeth. "Burns-" he groaned, making Tatsumi squeeze his hand harder.

"Yes you can," he persisted. "You'll do anything for me right?" he tried a different approach, hopeful when the other nodded just a little. "Open your eyes and look at me then," he challenged. "Please…" he whispered gently one last time, before his best friend complied, blinking his eyelids open and making Tatsumi face the familiar eyes he knew since he could remember, usually deep golden but now bright and blinding, like a flashlight had been lit behind them.

He stumbled backwards in surprise, yet was unable to look away from his best friend, who seemed desperate to keep their gazes connected, his noises silencing the longer he held the contact, the light behind his eyes running out degradedly.

He breathed heavily after a few agonizing moments, coughing and releasing his head, crushing down and nearly falling off the bed if weren't for his best friend and his sharp instincts, who reached for him in time. Tatsumi's tears spill from his eyes as he looked at his best friend who finally stopped screaming, he couldn't help but whimper himself as relief went through his body.

"Eigo....you're okay…" he sighed, making the conscious brunette look at him again with his golden eyes wide in shock.

"Rui…!" he uttered under his breath, as if only now understanding that the other teen was actually there. "I'm okay, I'm fine," he hurried to assure him, sliding down from the bed to join him on the floor, wrapping his arms around his shoulders tightly to demonstrate the truth in his words. "I'm fine," he repeated, the other terrified teenager slumping against him with zero strength, letting his tears flow and his anxiety to leave his body.

He didn't knew what just happened, or why, he didn't even want to think about reasonable explanations because he feared he'll find none; but it didn't matter to him either way, as long as he is okay.

The house around them stopped shaking at once, and the two people frozen in their spots were released from the invisible force keeping them in place, both of them exchanging shocked looks that turned into knowing ones as they watched their little boy holding dearly to their other one.

"We should wake your parents, Rui-chan." Soramiku said, shifting around to stand once she could. The frail blonde looked up at her from where he was curled in her son's strong arms, feeling like he was about to pass out at any moment for some reason. Back then, he excused it for his adrenaline levels dropping back to normal.

"I'm sorry I freaked out." he apologized sincerely, head still laid over the brunette's shoulder, his hands caressing his back gently while the other still tried to catch his own breath, the burn in his head not completely faded from his vision.

"You actually did a good job, dear." She told him kindly, approaching the two of them with a knowing smile her son inherited.

"That's right. We never manage to bring him back," her husband added with a little smile of his own.

"I never hear anyone's voice when it happens." Their son supplied calmly. "But I heard you." he whispered so only he could hear, making him grin like an idiot; which fitted the situation since he already felt like one for not understanding what anyone in the room was talking about, and moreover, why they were talking so casually about it.

"Do you remember what you saw?" Sawatari's father asked hopefully, a small smile spreading on his and his wife's lips when their son nodded slowly.

"Not a lot. Just that I saw grandmother…she wore something black, I think." he admitted, his mother looking incredibly delighted, approaching him and planting a kiss on his temple, whispering she was proud of him. Tatsumi remained confused, not seeing the point. After all, Sawatari's traditional grandmother always wore black, matching her soul.

"I might still need an explanation," he admitted, still not pulling away from the body supporting him so carefully. The couple chuckled together, their son smiling knowingly.

"Let's all go to the living room, okay boys?" Sawatari's father offered, his wife nodding in agreement.

"And I'll go drag Ayaka here," she declared playfully, making her way out of the room, her nightgown waving with her steps. "It seems we have two new mutants on our hands."

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

It took Nayuki almost a month to come in terms with his new status as a mutant. He wasn't a fan of things changing to begin with, especially when they were that drastic. Yet, it wasn't really the main reason he denied his peculiarity at first. It wasn't due to the fact it was strange or unbelievable either, but something simpler- it was because it felt too good to be true.

He was always incredibly shy, and since it came along with anxiety and natural nervousness, his usual state was wanting the ground to swallow him. He couldn't believe the universe actually granted his wish and gave him a superpower. Paving him an escape route.

However, he knew it wasn't really an excuse to use his power unsupervised and outside of the safe walls of the Ayanagi course. So at first he only spent a few hours a day invisible, sitting in the corner of the homeroom class with his knees pulled up to his chest and his eyes closed shut, peaceful and delighted to have no one be aware of his presence. It was hard to maintain it at first, giving that once he spent a lot of time visible, disappearing was challenging. But he practiced every day, expanding his range until he could stay invisible as long as he wished to be.

Before he knew it, not using his powers became hard.  Whenever he made his way in between classes, sat alone in the cafeteria and even took the train, he wished he could just disappear and get away from the eyes constantly looking at him; judging, scary and too many. So he gave in little by little, one time to avoid the mean popular kids, another to sit by in gym class without the teacher noticing his evasion and then many more, until transparency became his nature and his pale skin was looked upon as the odd mutation.

I love my powers, he sighed in his head, walking invisible with his head held high into the Ayanagi course’s main classroom, no one looking at him as he signed his name at the attendance record before approaching his usual spot, a small blue table leaning on a windowless wall at the end of the row. His teacher soon walked in with two new students who looked serious and a little frightening.

A moment later Nayuki discovered his first impression had been correct.

A level three psychic and the first level five mutant that the students had ever seen. The duo hadn't approached Nayuki to his relief; since he wasn’t sure he'll be able to come up with something decent to say other than beg for mercy on his lesser self. In fact, they haven't really started a conversation with anyone willingly, simply answering the friendly introduction questions that their new peers showered on them. It was later that day when he had learned about Ayanagi’s grading system; labeling mutants based on strength that was measured in levels, one to five. He found out it will be a crucial part of his future in Ayanagi academy, the high school he’ll attend a little over a year from then, which blew off the wind from his sails.

Sure, he loved his power, it was everything he ever wished for and made him ten times happier than he ever was; until he realized that the mutant society didn't consider invisibility neither as a strong ability, or one that mattered at all. After all, hiding and running away was a trait of cowards, not powerful mutants. He stared a little too long at the letters telling him that despite his previous notions, his mutation only barely made it into a level-two status, reminding him once again of the truth he somehow forgot.

He was still living in the real world, which meant that even if he was supposed to be special, he'll forever remain at the bottom of the food chain.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Of course. It's a solid plan."

"Involving your powers."

"I'm not going to break any rules. And I believe we became mutants for a reason."

"Agreed, just wanted to make sure. Thank you Eigo, for always being there for me."

"Only thank me if it works," noted the new psychic, the both of them nodding at each other with a synchronized breath before stepping into the library, where Sawatari foresaw their bully will be.  The princess and knight spotted him immediately, sitting alone in a secluded table between the bookcases. He probably excused his usual gang in order to study and uphold his status and honorary reputation. The brunette really hoped that was true, since that fact was the one they were going to play on.

"Did you not have enough for today?" wondered Nanjo as they sat in front of him, taking out their books and fitting into the view of cramming students.

"Not quite. You could have stuffed our lockers or something to really spice things up," Tatsumi shot back, receiving a small kick from his best friend, who warned him beforehand to not let their possible escape from the tormentor get in his already impulsive head.

"More importantly," began the serious teen, getting his sly looking opponent's attention. "We have a deal we would like to strike."

The gray haired teen's poker face didn't change much as he leaned his head on his hand, eyeing them in question mixed with amusement, not knowing if to take them seriously or not. He decided to let them continue for the sake of his entertainment. "I'm guessing it's regarding our little predator-prey relationship. But it gives me too much pleasure; I doubt there is anything you can offer to buy me out of it,"

The two mutants glanced over at each other before opening their school books in unison, revealing the data they had been collecting for the last three weeks. The magenta eyed teen let his gaze slip down and scan the images, focusing really hard on not letting his emotions show as he understood what they were.

Every forbidden act he had committed in the last month was recorded and presented to him by the calm looking princess and knight, who folded their arms on the table in unison, waiting for his response.

There was him in the principal's office, after hours as marked by the setting sun, pressing his girlfriend to the heavy oak table, kissing down her neck teasingly, the camera capturing his identity perfectly.

There was a sheet of paper, filled with data that could easily be summed up. Calculations proving the student council president didn’t win rightfully, but by stuffing the ballot boxes with thirty votes to his favor.

His last literature exam captured with his true grade, before he convinced the teacher to give him extra credit with the help of his charismatic skills and effect on the student body. His ability to cause student anarchy in a moment was a good bargaining card.

"We also have a video of you talking to Mr. Tezuka," supplied the knight knowingly, breaking him out the trance he slipped into.

"In case you try to deny the negotiation." Completed the princess, looking rather pleased with himself and making Nanjo want to punch him one more time.

"And obviously those are not the only copies, so trying to destroy them is not going to work." Sawatari pointed out.

"And we have more in safekeeping, like the receipt you so carelessly disposed of when illegally selling school supply,"

"And a video of you casually hanging out in the nurse's office, plus the time you helped one of your minions escape detention,"

"And of course-"

"Okay, cut it off!" he yelled, getting a particularly nasty look from the librarian who implored him to be quiet and not disturb the peace, which he found really hard to do at that moment. He had no intention to surrender to terrorists, especially not those two, but he needed to hear their terms in order to figure out his counter attack. "What do you want?" he regretted saying once he saw the satisfied smiles on their faces, small yet radiating confidence he didn't want to allow. As if he just announced them his defeat.

"From here on out you won't be allowed to assault either of us physically while we are in school." Supplied the serious brunette, his best friend nodding in approval. Nanjo wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or question their sanity.

"Is that it?" he wondered, baffled still when the couple nodded once more. That time he didn't hold his chuckle in as he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head casually. "Consider it a done deal." He said and the theater geeks nodded once more, getting up from their chairs and picking up their evidence with them, leaving the library with their heads held high and without another word.

"Do you think he'll fall for it?" wondered Tatsumi once they were out of their tormenter's reach, walking down the crowded halls to their last class of the day, gym.

"Of course, we left too many loop halls for him to resist." Said the psychic, turning to look at his best friend knowingly. He could already tell without using his powers that the bully will try extra hard from there on to hurt them, playing on his other options of torture other than punching them in the face…which will make it even more satisfying when they avoid it elegantly, already aware of his plans before he made them. "We are going to drive him crazy." He whispered in satisfaction, delighted when the beautiful mutant by his side chuckled.

"I never thought you could be so vindictive," he admitted in amusement, emerald eyes becoming brighter after the other mutant stated his claim, not regretting his choice of action.

"No one is going to hurt you like that without getting payback." He declared and raised his finger up to make his point. "Besides, I don't see the harm in making a sly fox chase his own tail."

 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Tsukigami was never a very sociable guy.

It was another quality that contributed to his 'black sheep' status, given that he came from a family of charmers who thrived on human interactions. He just wished people won't let the gossip fool them; he was not avoiding society because he felt superior or anything remotely so…

If he was being honest, despite his greatest efforts, he was still a shy boy. His mother thought it will go away eventually, which was probably why she scared him for life by taking him to her music college's class reunion when he was five. He suspected he'll forever have the bitter memory of bawling in front of all the adult strangers, who watched him too long. Nothing good ever came out of him being around too many friendly people.

Which was why it was so often that he found himself in his own companion, maintaining a cold and unapproachable aura to stop anyone from coming near him. He added to it by being the top of his class and always excelling, slipping farther out of people's reach. It was a good thing in his eyes though; the less he interacted with people and vice versa, the chances of him or those around him getting hurt decreased- it was technically a win-win for everyone.

However, his anti-social self was not an acceptable excuse to avoid proper training as a new mutant.

On his first day at the Ayanagi course, an afternoon system that handled early bloomers like himself, he was beyond the feelings the word ‘irritated’ could describe. The building it took place in didn't look like much from the outside. In fact, when he first arrived there, he had to check the address twice just to make sure he didn't get lost. The building was standing among many others, of business companies and a large shopping center that was filled with life, not as isolated as he came to expect after his father told him about the strict rules regarding the secrecy of the mutant world. Which was why the location is perfect, he pointed out to himself as he walked into the building he was told to, approaching the kind-looking receptionist who sat at the front desk, typing in her computer casually with perfectly groomed nails.

“Can I help you with anything?” she asked without looking at him, but he took no offense, poker face in place.

“I’m here for the Ayanagi-” he began to say, cut off by the woman waving him away.

“Basement floor, take the back elevators.” She informed him and he thanked her quietly, walking away with his gaze toward where he was instructed, avoiding the looks of the business people parading around the lobby with white collared suits and leather briefcases.

The spoken of back elevators opened for him before he could press the non-existing button to summon it. He looked back at the receptionist, nodding in gratitude when she winked at him knowingly before going back to her work. He stepped past the metal doors and pressed the only button, leading to an underground basement. Let's get this over with.

When the short ‘ding’ sounded and the elevator opened, another woman was waiting for him, dressed in a professional blazer and a knee length skirt colored dark purple. Her hair was picked up to be in a tight pony tail and her sharp teeth, like a shark's, were grinning at him in a friendly matter.

“Tsukigami-kun?” She questioned, her voice as melodic as it was gentle. He nodded shortly. “Nice to meet you, I'm Mrs. Kawaguchi, your homeroom teacher.” She introduced herself and he nodded again, bowing his head politely in front of her and returning her greeting. He was thankful she didn't want to shake his hand.

She led him to room number 003 and opened the door for him, calling out to the rest of her students to be introduced to the new member of their class. She told them his name and power, while he tried his best not to use it, digging his palms deeper into his pockets. As usual, it felt like all eyes in the room were on him from the moment they heard his name, but he kept his head high and eyes focused; blocking the world away as he took his seat at the front of the class (where no one could talk to him unless he turned to them) and listened to his teacher’s instructions that were very short: Don't break anything.

It turned out to be a little hard to do when he focused on the murmurs going on behind his back, clear and expected yet incredibly frustrating.

"Isn't it Tsukigami Haruto's …?"

It was silly of him to think the Ayanagi course will be a complete safe heaven as advertised. After all, his brother was even more famous as a successful mutant than he was as a Broadway star. He tried to focus on the bright side, which was him getting the chance to use his horrible power freely, probably hurt more people with it…the glass was definitely half full. Good grief…

 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

The two of them were making their way down the stairs from Tatsumi's room, laughing about something that only made sense in their own little bubble of the world. The taller of the two tried to convince the other to stay with him for a little bit longer, pointing out that it was their day-off and there was no better way to spend it than with each other. The brunette would have agreed with the convincing any other day, but chose this one to dismiss the sleepy king and focus on his goal, offering a counter excuse of his own.

"You know my grandparents are coming for the week, I need to practice my violin." He said with a small smile, shaking his head with a sigh when the blonde rolled his eyes. "And you can't watch because you'll distract me." He answered the other's reasoning before it was made, causing him to sigh in defeat, bowing his head in surrender. Admittedly, he usually was pleased that his best friend liked to watch him play, which was one of the few hobbies they didn’t share; but he had to play perfectly in his grandparent's request, meaning that Tatsumi's distracting smile had to take the backseat.

"I do have a few books I really wanted to read…" the older of the two settled, earning himself a proud nod from his best friend, who was glad for his understanding. "Practice quickly though, I read really fast." He added, causing the brunette to chuckle in acceptance of the terms.

Ayaka's voice spoke to them as the two passed through the living room on their way to the front door, promising to meet later when Sawatari, Tatsumi and the plant manipulator who happened to be Tatsumi's mother will work in the greenhouse. Which usually ended with the telekinetic teen sitting at the side and simply watching them with his resident soft smile.

"Are you heading out?" she wondered, sipping her coffee in front of the large TV, legs resting over the table and still in her pajamas; clearly enjoying her day off.

"Just walking Eigo to the door," her son replied.

"So you can do me a tiny favor," she declared, turning around to face them with a bright smile, hand resting on the back of the sofa." Do you mind taking a short trip to the convenient store? I need some stuff for dinner,"

"Do I have to?" her son wondered, getting a death glare he deserved for being lazy. "Fine, fine. What do you need?"

"List on the kitchen counter," she told him cheerfully, returning to her previous position, leaning her head on a fluffy red sofa cushion.

"I'll come with you." the hazel eyed mutant concluded blankly, pleasing his best friend who couldn't help but question his choice, raising his eyebrow in wonderment. "It's just a short trip to the convenient store, right?"

The two little helpers found out too late that Ayaka's definition of 'short' was very different from what was socially acceptable.

"Do you want me to take some bags?" wondered the knight worriedly; unable to see his usually frail friend carrying what was probably his own weight in shopping bags. But the telekinetic teen just waved it off, tightening his hold on the ten full plastic bags in his hands.

"I'm alright; the course's training is really starting to pay off." He noted with a kind smile that the brunette returned immediately. When he thought about it a second more, he could tell that his friend was right like he always was; they had been in the Ayanagi course for almost half a year, spending every day either busying their minds or their bodies, engaging in basic combat training among the rest of the curriculum; and it was starting to affect his best friend wonderfully.

Despite the thick sweater he wore to protect himself from the fall's chilly wind, the psychic could make the sculpt of his arms, no longer as boney as they were but masculine, it applied to his shoulders too, which were much more comfortable to rest against nowadays. He somehow became an even faster runner as well, which Sawatari found a little unfair but was determined to keep up with. Even his face grew to be more beautiful; the shadows under his eyes gone so that the emerald color of his irises was lighter, his high-cheek bones were not as fleshed out but still were a perfect piece of the puzzle. Maybe it was because they started eating their lunch outside that his nose was dusted with new freckles, from the tip to the bridge that was slightly more prominent than average; but the brunette didn't mind the tiny imperfection, in fact…Rui really is good looking, he found himself thinking for the first time, having heard it being said about his childhood friend before.

"Eigo…?" the melodic voice that never felt to penetrate his busy mind when necessary questioned, cutting his line of thought.

"Sorry, I blanked out." he admitted, the telekinetic mutant chuckling in return. "Have you ever wanted a girlfriend?" he blurted out without thinking, but would have done it either way, knowing that there were never secrets between the two of them and that they could talk about anything. However, he was beginning to question his choice when Tatsumi's eyes widen slightly, clarifying his surprise of the matter being brought up by non-other than Sawatari Eigo- the national robotic romance nun.

"Why are you asking?" he returned the question and the other mutant was about to respond seriously before they were interrupted by the deep familiar voice of the one who tried to torment them on a daily basis.

"Look who I found, Ren." He teased, hands stuffed inside his pockets and posture ever proud and condescending, which was made ten times worse due to his company.

"Oh, the princess and her knight," replied said company, grin mischievous and cruel as it always was. Sawatari honestly wished the rain hasn't begun pouring in that moment, clearing the never-busy street of their neighborhood from the few people there, leaving them damp and getting drenched in front of their ex-bully and their current one. "What a lovely sight." He commented, exchanging a knowing look with his best friend. It was enough to let the psychic know bad news were coming toward them unless they walk away immediately.

"Look, we don’t want any trouble." He voiced calmly, looking at the two in the eyes since he read it inspired compassion. "Just let us be on our way," he asked, nudging his best friend to walk ahead with a hand full of plastic bags that were starting to get too heavy.

"We were on our way to get a new punching bag," Kitahara pointed out playfully.

"It must be fate we met you guys," Nanjo complied, knuckling his fingers together and eyeing Tatsumi with a small smile. "Saved us the walk," he added, the two chuckling together like the imbeciles they were. Sawatari could read between the lines their bully spoke, you said not to harm you only when we are at school.

"Give it a go then." A voice he hadn't expected to talk did, confident and looking at the two certified Karate ninjas like they were fleas bothering him.  The gray and red duo exchanged surprise looks that turned almost wicked when they realized they were challenged. The psychic didn't need to ask his childhood friend what was going through his head; he shouldn't have been surprised it came to it with the way things had been going lately.

They barely saw Kitahara anymore since they were no longer in the same school, just random glances when they spotted the boy who used to live a few houses down the block and ruined their sand castles when they were younger; and Nanjo didn't bother them so much at school anymore, either because of Sawatari's blackmailing methods, or because any attempt to mess with Tatsumi was thwarted by the psychic who used his time in the Ayanagi course to foresee them.  With less actual confrontations between them, it was easy to miss the fact the sleep king was no longer scared of the people taunting him, confident in his ability to fight back now that his enemies were humans and he was a level-five mutant who could (and probably will) maim them if they were stupid enough to cross him.

"Is that a threat, princess?" wondered the red eyed bully, taking another step closer to the two teenagers holding half of the convenient store in their hands. But Tatsumi didn't budge as he approached; in fact, he did so as well, leaving the bags from one hand on the ground so it will be free to use his powers like he was probably planning to do.

"Of course not." The knight stepped in, positioning himself between the two ego-driven teenagers, facing the one he loved. "Right, Rui?" he challenged, the two of them looking at each other determinedly. He followed his thought process effortlessly; the empty street preventing witnesses from seeing him use his powers against the rules, the rain making sure no one will come out of their homes either, the incredibly smug grin on Nanjo's face simply demanding to be whipped off… even Sawatari would have been tempted to just let his powerful best friend do as he pleased, if it wasn't for the fact doing so will break at least three rules that will danger said best friend and his Ayanagi future.

"Please move, Eigo. I've got them." He informed him seriously, moving past him in coordination with the pair of bullied, who already lifted up their sleeves in preparation for the fun to commence. But the loyal friend refused to let the telekinetic teen act out of anger and spite.

"No. let's go home." He determined, feeling a strong hand on his shoulder a moment later, who pushed him almost off his feet, out of the way. It only seemed to anger Tatsumi more, since he dropped the bags from his other hand and was about to attack, getting into the familiar position he always did before unleashing hell.

The only thing that Sawatari thought about as he jumped on his best friend was, get him out of here, which was exactly what he managed to do.

A large golden portal that glowed despite the rain opened under their feet, catching them as they fell into it along with their grocery bags. He closed his eyes to block the bright light, hearing Tatsumi's gasp of panic that mirrored the emotions in his heart perfectly.

It only lasted a second though. He opened his hazel eyes once they hit the ground with a loud set of thuds, made by the falling pair of fifteen year olds and then the plastic bags they carried earlier, defiantly breaking the eggs and shaking the vegetables to get beaten. He was confused to say the least when he was faced with the view, Rafflesia Arnoldii, Hydrangea and many more kinds of rare flowers were groomed in turquoise pots, along with some tomato plants and some cabbages that wouldn't have grown if it weren't for the help of a certain plant manipulator. He recognized his favorite place in the world immediately, calming down relatively when he processed they were in the Tatsumi's greenhouse, safe and alone.

He looked down at his childhood friend, body lying under his on the floor, the two of them crushed together so that the telekinetic teen took the majority of the blow himself. He still grinned like a buffoon though, staring up at the psychic with joyful eyes.

"What are you smiling at?" he questioned, using his elbows to rise a little and look at the reckless teen's face with his best scolding expression. "Do you realize what you almost did? you could have killed them!" he tried to keep his voice from outbursting, grateful for whatever force that got them away from the dreadful situation. "You know we are not supposed to use our powers without supervision! They would have given you the cure if-" he tried to continue but was cut off abruptly by his dramatic best friend, who sighed deeply, petting his back to try and get him to breathe.

"I know." He admitted faster than the psychic believed he would. "Revenge is a little too sweet for me to turn down, I keep forgetting that we are living in the real world." he excused, looking a little disappointed in himself. The brunette shook his head in understanding, sharing his friend's emotions to some extent. "Imagine paying him back…"

"Well, that's not the way to do it, Rui." He said even though he didn't need to, the other nodding in defeat before his smile returned, bright as it was before the lecture.

"Maybe, I could have gotten in trouble; but I had you to save me," he pointed out; the mutant hovering above him frowned questionably. "It was you, wasn't it? The portal?" the blonde wondered, shinning a new light that Sawatari didn’t get the chance to think about. His lips split into a smile identical to his childhood friend's, the two of them laughing together in perfect harmony when they understood the truth of the words.

"I didn't think I would have a second power," the hazel eyed mutant admitted, giggling when the other hugged him too tightly, changing their positions in the process. "And portals are so powerful…" he speculated, needing to think about it a little more to grasp the fact that something so rare happened to someone as ordinary as him.

"You are amazing Eigo," said the boy lying on top of him, emerald eyes sparkling as he whispered, giving the other the strange urge to kiss him- wait, what?! He swallowed thickly, suddenly becoming highly aware of the body pressed to his, the proximity of the beautiful king's nose to his, and how despite the cool rain that drenched his clothes, he was feeling hot under his collar. "What?" the blonde wondered, noticing immediately that something behind the golden eyes changed, but he didn't get his answer due to the two teenage boys being yelled at by what they thought was a serial killer.

"How dare you ruin my greenhouse you son of a-"

The psychopath interrupted them both, causing them to pull off of each other just for the sake of scooting back, fitting under the pot stands and hiding away from the crazy lady who was threatening them with a shovel. "Oh, it's just you boys." She reminded herself once she recognized their faces, lowering her shovel and smiling at them kindly, causing them to sigh in relief of not being killed by the one considered their mother.

"You gave us a heart attack, mom!" her biological son scolded, crawling from his hiding place and standing up on his two feet again, his best friend following his lead.

"I thought you were a burglar!" she defended herself, looking around to make sure nothing was broken around her precious piece of heaven. "What are you even doing here?" she questioned from where she stood in the entryway, hand on her hip.

The two childhood friends looked each other, chuckling knowingly with gentle smiles. "It's a long story." The brunette supplied, the older woman tilted her head in question yet told herself to focus on what mattered.

"Just get the bags in the kitchen, I have to cook a perfect dinner for the heads of the Sawatari family," she supplied knowingly, her and her son rolling their eyes in unison while the third mutant in the room just remembered his expected presence in his house to greet the honor guests.

"I have to go," he told Tatsumi, the other already expecting it and nodding in assurance, a little angry at his mother for sneaking her way back into the house without even considering helping him with the bags. "I'll see you tonight." he said, already turning around to dash to his house across the street, measuring times in his head to make sure he'll be ready in time. But his best friend still owed him an answer.

"Eigo," he called, making the brunette stop in his place, his arm holding the greenhouse's door. "I never wanted a girlfriend." He supplied, his smile of a kind the psychic never seen before, teasing with a pinch of something he couldn't recognize. Yet, his chance to questioning it personally never came, as the dramatic soul he knew since the day he was born exited the room with the first round of grocery bags, looking ahead in confidence without another word.

As he always did, Sawatari understood what his best friend was trying to tell him, which caused him to blush involuntarily as he ran to his house. His worries of being late was the only thing that stopped him from grinning like an ape now that he knew that he wasn't the only one who felt something different and that even if the sleep king never had any interest in having a girlfriend, he didn't rule out the possibility of a boyfriend.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

On his way back from the train station, everything he needed was stuffed in his pocket and a catchy song playing in his ear through his small headphones, he somehow managed to trip over an uneven block. He caught himself with his palms on the sidewalk and sighed, getting up with his head ducked and eyes glancing over at the other people who walked down the street. He expected to find them glaring back at him with judgmental, concerned or pitiful expressions; but no one was looking at him, which he was surprised over but was relieved by.

He did walk a little faster home, knocking on the door and expecting it to be opened by his sisters, who should have already returned from school by now. His expectations came to be when Tsumugi swung the door open, blank expression decorating her face as she slightly frowned, blinking twice before shutting the door in his face, before he even managed to step in.

He shook his head, excusing it to his sister's latest mood swings, and knocked on the door again, a little harder this time. Yuki was the one to answer it that time, smiling brightly in greeting. But her smile was whipped off in a second, right before she closed the door in his face for the second time.

"There's no one there…" he could hear her say as she walked away from the door, replied by her younger twin, who told her that will be the case. Without thinking about it he glanced down at his shoes, confused to find them transparent like the rest of his body. He hadn't even realize when it happened, but that was probably why he felt calmer when he walked home. He chuckled and knocked on the door again, this time using his voice to announce his presence.

Both of his sisters opened the door for him this time, their heads tilted in different directions as they stared at him questionably. "Were you trying to scare us?" Yuki questioned and the blonde shook his head in return before remembering that they couldn't see him yet. He concentrated on making his skin visible again, something he had done many times before and was already experienced with. But the doubting expression on his sister's face remained.

"Onii-chan?" Tsumugi wondered, her yellow eyes blank yet with a splint of worry when her brother didn't respond. He was too busy staring down at his own hands, frowning and trying to focus all of his powers to become visible again.

"Come on…" he muttered, walking past his sisters and into the house, hoping that maybe walking it off was the way, but he still remained completely see-through, noticeable only due to the sound of his breath, that was becoming heavier the more he tried. "Why..." he whispered, shaking his head to try and get the panic out of it, but failed.

"What's wrong Onii-chan?" Yuki asked, approaching him and trying to lay a hand on his shoulder but missed it by a few centimeters to the left.

"My powers…" he muttered, turning around to face his two sisters, not meeting their eyes since they couldn't make up the location of his. "They aren't working." He said, lip starting to quiver when his attempts of deactivating his powers kept failing like they never did before.

"What do you mean? Just turn them off," Tsumugi said, frowning slightly and walking closer to him, which only made him more nervous, no plan forming in his mind other than accepting the fact he lost control over his mutation.

"I c-can't..." he admitted, wanting more than anything to crawl into a cave and die there alone. "I can't turn b-back…"

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

"I don't understand the point of this." Tatsumi complained, folding his arms across his chest and looking around the classroom to see that the rest of the mutants in the Ayanagi course were already pairing up. His best friend remained standing in front of him, not sweating over the little tantrum the older of the two was trying to throw.

"Art has many benefits on the mind, it's very calming and helps with concentration..." the brunette began lecturing, expecting the huff of breath that escaped the other mutant's lips. "I wish I could be your partner too." he admitted, looking down a little and missing the smile that he brought to his best friend's face.

"Ms. Kawaguchi had it for me from the beginning," the telekinetic teen commented, making the psychic chuckle shortly. "Hey, what other reason can she have to forbid us from working together?" he challenged, smiling to himself when he saw the amused expression on his knight's face. Of course any good teacher will try to break a shy student away from his only friend, to help him make some more friends and get to know more interesting people..."Fine. But don't go home without me,"

"Of course." Sawatari noted, looking around as well to try and locate a partner for himself now that he got the king's agreement to the terms. His eyes met with someone half familiar, aurelion yellow facing hazel for about the third time ever. The shy level-two invisible boy stood at the corner of the room, a little worried to be left without a partner. The psychic waved at his direction, relieved when he waved back, disappearing slightly in the process but seemingly willing to partner up. The brunette turned back to his dramatic best friend and locked their eyes together. "It will be okay, I'll be right there with Nayuki-kun if you need me."

"I'll be okay," Tatsumi said before adding a teasing: "probably."

He chuckled when the shorter mutant rolled his eyes playfully, reaching out to squeeze his fingers in parting before making his way to the other side of the large classroom. The slivery-blonde mutant took a deep breath and stretched his fingers, feeling the comforting touch's lingers fading away and leaving him alone to find a partner for an extremely annoying couple-assignment of the Ayanagi course.

The goal was very clear, choose a project that has to do something with art and then present it to the class. It would have sounded silly to an outsider, but the level five mutant with control issues knew exactly the strong effect that art had on the soul, making mutants find a creative outlet was a step in the right direction towards containing their unique power. He would have played along just fine if he was allowed to work with his best friend, but apparently, the universe has other plans for him.

He looked around the class, biting his lip when he saw that almost every one of the students found their match, and he was left standing alone like a lost puppy. Then, he located someone with a similar expression of irritation on his face, a very recognizable face to go with a very recognizable name- Tsukigami Kaito, the one who was supposed to be his equivalent.

The blue haired and usually aloof mutant was sitting in front of one of the computers, staring at the screen without much interest, and clearly without a partner. Tatsumi wasn't the only one to notice that detail, from another spot in the room, he noticed the course's gossip fairy looking at Tsukigami as well, eyes bright in a way that could only be described as hungry. So the telekinetic mutant didn't linger, and quickly made his way to who probably will be his new partner.

"Tsukigami?" he approached gently, not sitting next to the shorter mutant just yet, but hoping for his agreement first. A pair of icy-blue eyes looked up at him observingly, reminding him of the way Sawatari looked at new people. "Would you partner up with me?" he asked and to his slight surprise, his request was replied with almost immediate nods.

Both of them had a little trouble with the initial silence, neither knowing what to say first and just assuming that the other did. Tatsumi's gaze travelled over at his supportive knight, finding him already glancing at the two level five mutants, looking at his best friend knowingly, and promoting him to just do his thing. Tsukigami played around with his hands, shoving them deeper into his pockets.

"Should I-"

"I'm just-"

They both began talking in the same time, stopping halfway through just to duck their heads in defeat. Eigo, save me please...Tatsumi couldn't help but think, causing him to feel even worse. You can do this, just stop being so awkward and-

"I'm sorry, I'm not very good at socializing." his new partner spoke before he could, looking at him with a blank expression. The telekinetic teen was great at reading those, so he immediately recognized the embarrassment the other mutant was feeling. He could relate perfectly.

"Me neither," he admitted with a small smile that the blue haired mutant didn't mind. They stayed silent for another moment before they both decided to just give it a go.

"Working with other people is problematic for me, if I'm being honest." Tsukigami confessed.

"I always partner up with Eigo, so it's usually not a problem." The blonde confessed back, not surprised that the blue eyed mutant knew exactly who he was talking about.

"I'm fine with switching if you want," he offered kindly, but Tatsumi waved him off.

"Impossible, Mrs.Kawaguchi said we can't be partners," he excused." But it's okay, we can do something simple,"

The shorter of the two hummed in agreement, shifting in his chair a little so he was facing his new partner. "Music will be best." he noted, winning the blonde's heart immediately with the simple fact. "Do you agree?" he asked considerately, replied with a hum.

"Anything you prefer?" Tatsumi asked, turning to face him as well. "I can't play instruments though, you've been warned." he noted playfully, surprised to see the other mutant's lips twitch upwards.

"I can play piano, but it's less my thing," Tsukigami told him honestly.

"Your parents made you take lessons?" the emerald eyed teen wondered before he could stop himself. But yet again, the other level-five mutant defied his expectations and hummed in agreement. "Mine gave up when I started taking singing lessons instead,"

"It was dance lessons for me," the energy manipulator informed him with a tiny smile. "They still bug me sometimes though,"

"Mine are covered, they have Eigo to play and me to sing," he noted with a smile that was fully returned.

"Music it is then. What style do you like?" The blue haired teen asked, now feeling much better about the project he never wanted to do. Their conversation moved swiftly and casually from there, both of them discovering that their music taste was very similar too, seeing as they both had a special place in their hearts for musicals. Tatsumi found himself feeling excited when he found out that his new partner wanted to become a musical actor after he graduated high school. Tsukigami appeared to be really talented, seeing him perform will be interesting. They went off topic for a moment, when they found themselves checking if there were any available tickets for a movie they both wanted to watch.

The pair was in the middle of going through a YouTube channel of Tatsumi's favorite female artist, when they were pulled out of their own little bubble. "I see you two get along," it was their teacher's voice coming from behind them, looking at their screen with a shark-like smile indicating she was very proud of herself for causing this. The telekinetic teen would admit that he never thought he'll look forward to working with someone who wasn't Sawatari. Maybe Mrs. Kawaguchi wasn't so bad. "Can we expect a song from you two?"

"A duet probably," Tsukigami answered her, voice back to being cold and distant, like it usually was.

"Excellent! Looking forward to it!" their bubbly teacher called as she walked back to check on the rest of her students. Tatsumi's eyes remained planted on the computer's screen, his part of the headphones still in his ear but his mind still thinking about the words his new friend had uttered.

"Should I not have said that?" the energy manipulator asked gently, looking at him without judgment. He had forgotten lately that there could be nice people in the world other than the ones he already found.

"It's alright. It's just that I only ever sing with Eigo..." he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment and sneaking a glance at the serious brunette who was currently practicing ballet with a half-transparent teenager, who seemed to keep up with him just fine. Tsukigami waved him off, rolling his eyes playfully.

"Sawatari doesn't seem to be the jealous type, I don't think he'll care..." he commented, making his new friend look at him questionably. "Sorry! I don't understand relationships really so I might be off...we can do something else." he hurried to correct himself, realizing that accusing someone's boyfriend of being possessive wasn't an acceptable social move. But to his relief, the telekinetic mutant just laughed, softly and genuinely.

"Eigo and I aren't together," he clarified, emerald eyes shining with amusement. "But you are not the first to assume it so you're good,"

"It's just that you talk about him a lot, I figured..." he confessed quietly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to,"

"It's understandable, you guys are best friends right?"

"Since we were born." the blonde informed with a gentle smile. "But I do like him so I sound like a love-sick fool sometimes," he admitted, ducking his head shyly, not knowing why he would reveal that detail to someone who was practically a stranger to him. But he somehow knew he had nothing to worry about, Tsukigami seemed like a really reliable person.

"Just sometimes?" The other teased playfully, both of them chuckling together. I knew it, nothing to worry for.

"What about you? Is there a girl you like?" he asked, amused when the other mutant's cheeks became the lightest shade of pink.

"Girls happen to care more for my brother then for me," The blue eyed teen admitted with a slightly bitter smile. "It's not like I have time for a relationship anyway,"

"There is a long way to the top, right?" Tatsumi guessed correctly, the energy manipulator nodding in agreement.

"But I'm guessing that's not the case for you," he said, leaning his arm over the chair's back and placing his head on top of it comfortably. The blonde looked down at his best friend once more, a smile immediately rising to his face when he saw him concentrated like that. Yep, totally in love with him.

"It's too risky with Eigo and me." he explained as simply as he could. "He's my anchor and stuff, you know, so if things go bad..." he continued, preferring not to describe the horrible consequences that will accrue if his knight will ever wake up in the morning and decide to leave him alone.

"Anchor...?" Tsukigami wondered, his expression truly curious. At first, Tatsumi was surprised to hear that the other level-five mutant didn't only not have an anchor of his own, but also didn't know the term at all.

"He is the one that keeps my power under control," he told him simply, but Tsukigami wasn't satisfied.

"Aren't you the one who controls your power?" he said questionably, trying to understand the reason behind the blonde's words.

"I am. But as I'm sure you know, level-five powers work a little different," he began to explain a little more carefully, the other mutant nodding as he took the information in. "Instead of logically-"

"They are emotionally based," he completed, very much aware of the annoying way his powers will just go off whenever he was upset. Everyone else in the Ayanagi course had little problems depressing their powers as long as they put their mind into it, using imagination and rational thinking... but with him? At his worst days, a sad note could get him to blow up a window.

"Which makes them so hard to suppress," Tatsumi finished, understanding exactly what was going on in his friend's mind. "But it's 100% guaranteed I will never lose control when Eigo is next to me." he explained, not needing Tsukigami to promote farther explanation. "He is the one person in the world that I would never hurt, can't hurt, so my power is containable when I'm around him."

"Wouldn't that mean your family are anchors for you too?" he had to ask, regretting it immediately when he saw the emerald eyes lowering their gaze for a second. "Hey, it's okay, you don't really have choice in that matter." he assured, hoping that he hadn't just ruined the new connection he so quickly developed with someone who already understood him more than anyone he met.

"I like to think that..." the other mutant admitted. "Honestly, sometimes I wish my power was less..." he confessed, struggling to find the right word and causing Tsukigami to smile.

"Deadly? Strong? Crazy? Destructive?"

"How about all of the above?" he offered with a challenging eyebrow, both of them laughing together at their joined fate. "Getting them was the worst though,"

"Yeah...especially the emotions before it, I felt like I was PMSing," Tsukigami admitted with a short chuckle.

"Don't even let me start with that, I was all over the place until someone decided to punch me in the face," the telekinetic teen told with amusement, surprised at himself for being able to mention anything regarding the incident that easily and carelessly.

"Mine was way worse," the blue haired teen continued the match without thinking. "I nearly killed-" he began to say before stopping himself in an instant, eyes widening and mouth snapping shut, alerting the other mutant more than the actual words spoken. The other level-five mutant looked at blue haired one sitting in front of him with a worried expression, making eye contact determinately.

"You can tell me if you want to." he cleared out. "There is nothing you'll say that'll scare me, trust me." he added with an encouraging smile before clarifying. "Or we can never talk about it again."

Tsukigami closed his eyes and sighed, looking around to make sure that no one bothered to listen in to their conversation. After seeing that that was the case and thinking it through for another moment he began speaking. "I just came back from school-"

He was sure he will remember that day as if it was yesterday even if he tried to forget. The way he so smugly walked into the school, knowing it was time for the midterm's results and that he was going to top everyone again. He didn't even bother to study to some of them, already assuming his full mark was granted to him. His mother warned him about it of course, accompanied by his father who told him to never trust his luck and to always try his hardest with everything he did. But the stubborn teenager stuck to his confident opinion, he was the smartest of them all and therefore will score higher.

He soon discovered that he was wrong and that no one was going to let him forget it.

His main competition especially, who took the liberty of letting everyone know he claimed the top spot that Tsukigami so recklessly lost, just because he had been feeling off for a few days. The blue haired teen practically ran his way home, stopping his tears of humiliation just for the sake of keeping his tough act. He just wanted to lock himself in his room and process alone, but of course, such a possibility was unlikely in his home.

"Welcome ba-" his father began greeting him from the kitchen, trying to pick the perfect apple for him to snack on but stopping when he noticed his younger son just walking past him, hands clutching his school bag so hard they were white. "Kaito?"

"Kaito?  Come here, I  have something to show you!" his mother's voice was next, smooth and inviting as usual as she called him from the living room. He just groaned and shook his head in annoyance, trying his hardest to ignore the world around him.

"I got this," he faintly heard a familiar voice of someone who was not even supposed to be home, but in New York performing on Broadway. The youngest Tsukigami quickly made a dash towards the stairs, knowing that if his brother saw him in his current state he would never hear the end of it. Also, Haruto's face was the last he wanted to see.

But his older brother's legs were much longer, so the frustrated teen's way was blocked by him quickly. "What's wrong?" he asked calmly, looking down at his brother with concerned eyes that weren't what he needed to see. His brother was a main source for his stress; he had been getting more and more buzz lately, meaning that anyone who made the connection between them constantly bugged the younger about the celebrity charmer he was sharing a house with.

"Nothing. Let me be." he answered back coldly, trying to keep his tone calm by clutching his bag straps tighter, only weakening them more. Haruto's Egyptian blue eyes widen as he looked down at the angry teenager standing in front of him, looking utterly surprised. The smell of smoke hit Tsukigami just a moment later, but that only made his clutch his bag tighter and deepened his need to be left alone.

"We need to talk," Haruto let him know, but he didn't care at the least.

"Out of my way, Nii-san." he ordered, passing his brother, for once grateful for his lesser height that allowed him to simply duck under his brother's lifted arm and dash up the stairs to his room.

"Kaito wait-" the charming voice told him, clearly intending to force him to obey; that was the thing that drove him off the edge. He was already anxious about being the only Tsukigami without any mutation yet, being surrounded by people who could make him do anything they wanted without him having the ability to do anything about it…the thought of his brother manipulating him at that moment made his blood boil with fierce anger.

"Leave me alone!" he ordered as felt a strong hand catching his arm, right between his shoulder and elbow where his skin was pale and bare.

"-the next thing I heard was someone hitting the floor and my mother screaming." he told his new friend, looking down at his bare hands that were his burden to carry.

"What happened...?" Tatsumi asked, leaning closer on his chair's back with listening eyes.

"I absorbed too much energy from his body," the blue haired mutant said bitterly."95% of it."

"Impressive." the blonde admitted honestly, causing a tiny smile to rise on the other mutant's lips. He never told that story to anyone before, but that was most definitely not the response he had anticipated.

"He was in the hospital for two weeks after that." the energy manipulator concluded his story, feeling like a heavy stone was lifted off his heart. He left out the parts where his own mother couldn't even bear to look at him during that time period or that his father threw him into the Ayanagi course without even asking, probably scared of his new strength too. After all, the Tsukigami family members were charmers, they knew he was a special kid but they never expected him to be that special. Or dangerous.

"If it makes you feel any better, when I first got my powers I almost brought down the house and paralyzed the people who are my second family. Then I just passed out." he confessed playfully, making his blue eyed friend laugh genuinely while nodding.

"It d-does," he spoke through his laughter, making Tatsumi join in as well. "Everyone else seem to have it so easy sometimes, it's refreshing to find someone who understands," he sighed, both of them looking around the class of lesser leveled mutants who seemed to so blissful with their lives.

"Agreed."

 "So tell me, did you ever break all the windows in a building?" the shorter mutant teased playfully, blue eyes shining.

"Not yet, but I nearly broke my house down." he admitted, both of them joking about their very serious problems for the first time.

"I nearly burned mine," Tsukigami said through laughter.

"I didn't need my powers to do that," the other mutant joked back, both of them still in their own little world of misfits when a third party approached them, clearing his throat with a knowing eyebrow raised at his best friend.

"The lesson's over, Rui." he let the blonde know, a tiny smile that no one would have noticed playing on his lips.

"Sorry, I distracted him I believe." Tsukigami apologized. Watching him and Sawatari scanning each other left the telekinetic teen interested, those two were really similar, just like he suspected. "Tsukigami Kaito," the energy manipulator introduced himself, not surprising the childhood friends when he left his hands in his pockets instead of reaching out for a friendly shake.

"Sawatari Eigo. Nice to finally meet you," the brunette returned the formal greeting, exchanging a knowing look with his best friend, already understanding what he was thinking and giving his approval.

"Do you want to go grab some milkshake with us?" Tatsumi asked hopefully, not missing the way the other mutant seemed shocked to receive the invitation. But he got himself together soon enough for no one around them to notice.

"There's a really good ice-cream shop nearby, we wanted to go and try it out. Their strawberry flavor is supposed to be exceptionally delicious." the psychic told them, voice as serious as ever but posture a little more casual. Tatsumi smiled at him gently, knowing that he wasn't the only one who had a little hard time socializing with new people. The blue eyed mutant sitting in front of them watched them closely before nodding once.

"Count me in."

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Sawatari Eigo never fancied himself to be an emotional person.

Ever since he was little, he mostly acted based on logical thinking, figuring out the situation, weighing his options and then deciding on the best course of action. He didn't see a reason to change his ways when it came to matters of the heart.

Granted, he had no experience with such things. In fact, he usually tended to avoid them at all cost, finding it to be the most illogical of all emotions. Anger- he could understand it, even if he himself never experienced it intensely he could relate due to the wrath he felt when his best friend was targeted by Nanjo Koki. Fear-logical and a part of basic human nature, a feeling needed for one's survival in the world. Joy is a natural response to something good that happened to you, uplifting and un-harmful to those who feel it.

He could apply the same thought process to the majority of emotions- frustration, amusement, competitiveness and so on and so forth… but the feeling the majority of the world called 'love' was still a mystery to him.

Seeing as he couldn't figure out himself why it existed in the first place if all it did was provoke people to act extremely, get hurt, be foolish and extend an awful amount of saliva with other human beings, exposing themselves to a verity of bacteria and disease? He couldn't see the point, never could and probably never will.

A part of his relationship with Tatsumi Rui, aside from their life-long friendship that was based on natural connection and mutual understanding, was their state of balancing each other out. Sawatari was meant to contradict the sleepy king's dramatic sense, moderate his curiosity with his own simple way of thinking and nurse him back to health. While the other returned the favor, explaining obvious ways of the world that the serious psychic didn't find so obvious, among other things.

However, giving that the emotions in question were directed at his usual interpreter, he knew he had to do his best to understand on his own. So that he was actually sure of the truth of his feelings before he brought them up to his best friend who probably won’t mind having that conversation with him. They could talk about everything after all.

His mother was off the question, given that she will probably coo at him for being adorable and having a crush; also, she will immediately share those thoughts with her own best friend, which will end horribly. His new friend, Tsukigami, was probably just as clueless as him regarding the subject, as he never been in love before or ever thought about the possibility. His grandmother was always happy to hear his thoughts and help him, but he didn't want to bother her on her last day in Tokyo, she had a lot of errands to run. So he resorted to a tool he found to be incredibly informative on many occasions prior –Google.

'how to know if I'm in love' he typed into the search engine, feeling a little bit more confident once the site completed his input, signing that he was not the first robot-like human to wonder such a thing. He was grateful for the fact his house was currently empty, leaving him and his wide eyes to stare at the computer's screen and take in the new information.

The article he first entered was of a very trusted site called 'Wikipedia', so he was certain in the words he read. He answered the questions the site presented to him, taking notes to himself.

Can I picture a world without him? Absolutely not. He refused to even think about such a terrible possibility. He didn't like having him away for the week because of his grandparent's visit, how was he supposed to deal with forever?

Can I go a few hours without thinking about him? I'm afraid not, caring for him is a part of my DNA.

Do I value his opinion? Of course, we consult each other on everything.

Does he make me want to be a better person? Being worthy of him is my constant goal, if I can even come close to that I'll be glad.

Does he have flaws? Not ones he embraces…he is a terrible cook, too emotional at times and therefore tends to lose control, he can be quite stubborn, he underestimates his talents sometimes and dismisses me when I worry about him. But other than that he is perfectly perfect.

He kept on going over the questions, answering positively to all them. He indeed loved to talk to Tatsumi about nothings for hours, the blonde was the only one who could make his humorless-self laugh, they stick by each other even when it's hard, he enjoyed doing little things with him, the psychic was never more himself than when he was by the sleepy king's side and he noticed his inner beauty way before his admittedly handsome appearance…

So I'm in love, good to know. He concluded, closed his computer's screen and got up from his chair, taking a deep breath and looking in the mirror, only slightly surprised to see his reflection smiling back at him. Movies taught him that love tends to make you smile a lot. But he didn't mind the feeling in his chest when he realized what the next logical step was- confess.

As in anything else he did, he preferred to have a plan made beforehand. It was simple, given that they will be alone together the next day, he'll have many chances... He just needed to make sure he said it correctly and not spurt it out on Tatsumi just in case he won't expect it.

"I like you." he said simply to his reflection, analyzing his appearance and determining it was too blank. "Rui…I like you." he tried again, voice a little too weak but tone warmer. "I like you, Rui." He gave it another try, the tiny smile on his face growing as he slowly understood he will get to repeat those words to his best friend tomorrow. But not like that, his eyes look a little too dead. "I like you Rui!" he exclaimed happily, waving it off in a second. The bubbly persona was not him at all. "Rui, I… like you." he tried once more, a small smile on his lips, hair in place, posture comfortable and voice certain, like his heart became the more he spoke the words.

"Will you be my boyfriend?" was the next part he hadn't expected to escape his mouth so naturally, but that too made some sort of sense. After all, what was the point of Tatsumi knowing his new yet true feelings if their relationship wasn't going to slightly change? "Because I want to be with you..." he sighed dreamily, closing his eyes and leaning both his hands on his dresser, smirking to himself with a warm heart he didn't think he ever felt before.

"Eigo…?"A voice that wasn't his own echoed through the simple room, making his head snap up so he could look at the intruder, obedient expression naturally drawn on his face once he saw who it was. They were back early from the errands but he didn't mind, he just noted to himself to make a bigger meal for lunch later. But once he truly took in his grandmother's face, usual blank and serious like his, but now radiating something resembling anger, he realized he shouldn't have taken their walk-in lightly. "What did you just say?" she questioned, stepping into the room with elegant steps, her hands folded together properly in front of her body, her raven hair tied in a traditional bun to match her black kimono, clearly just back from another successful meeting that should have kept her satisfied and not mad at him.

He swallowed in concern, not understanding why his grandparents were looking at him as if wanting to date the boy he loved was the greatest sin anyone had ever had the courage to commit. They didn't wait too long to tell him however, sitting him down to the one lecture that turned into his voice of reason, reminded him to choke his useless an unnecessary feelings down.

He accepted their words completely, as he always found love to be a strange thing, being ordered to stay away from it was a path easy to choose.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Got ya! He thought to himself, wrapping the newspaper around the dead body of the stupid bug that dared interrupt him. It was guilty though, since it ruined his peaceful after-school relaxation time.  He smirked in satisfaction of the successful assassination and walked to his room’s open window, his favorite metal band’s new song bursting through his headphones and the warm summer breeze hitting his face.

Kitahara was about to dispose of the body by tossing it out, when he spotted something rather odd yet very irritating. There was an always-busy coffee shop right across from his apartment building and he usually found himself examining it, the different people walking through the doors with different orders to reflect their different pathetic life. Today was not an exceptional exception, except that he actually happened to recognize three of the pathetic souls. He saw the thoroughbreds as clear as his spot in the second floor allowed him, Tsukigami Kaito- the condescending snob who was in the same school as him - was accompanied by a familiar princess and her knight.

Why am I not surprised? The red haired teen wondered, The royals stick to someone with a status so they can all pretend they are stronger than they are. Guilty. He accused them, groaning when the three exited the coffee shop, series completing frozen drinks of coffee, strawberry and vanilla clicked together with gentle smiles. He pushed off the window and smiled back on his bed, the mattress jumping once he hit it, his headphones moving from their position.

He didn't expect his anger to boil so quickly, but then again, he was never really the calm and collected type of guy.

How angry will Koki be if I torture them without him? he wondered, playing with the different ideas in his head. He found himself smiling the more he thought about it, the images of the thoroughbreds wounded and beaten body and spirit were incredibly tempting to recreate outside of his mind. I'll have to save the princess for Koki though, he chuckled to himself, already seeing the smile that will reflect in his friend’s eyes as his fingers will curl around the pale and fragile neck...

His fantasy's soundtrack was cut short and woke him up from his daydream. He groaned in anger when he saw his phone died in the middle of an epic song. He groaned and shot off the bed, unplugging his headphones and throwing them somewhere as he looked for his hiding charger.

Now now , no need to be angry about it, a voice was heard in his head, startling him a little and causing him to look around for any intruders. He should have noticed it was unnecessary since he recognized the voice vaguely.

I'm going crazy now, He concluded, finding the charger and plugging it into the wall with a shake of his head that was filled with amused laughter that sounded like his yet wasn't.

Not that I know of, the voice replied as if actually thinking it over, But I don't see the problem with being a little mad.

Just to amuse me, who am I talking to? He wondered, not knowing what to expect and feeling like the hero of a movie just about hit its turning point. The devil?

I prefer the term demon, he said in a playful tone. 

Do I need to sell you my soul? Wondered Kitahara, sitting back down on his bed.

I already have it, admitted the creature talking to him so casually.

Weird, I never thought I had one to begin with, the burgundy red haired teenager joked, both him and the devil laughing together in perfect sync.

True, we are not the purest person, admitted the voice he didn't utter, confusing him farther with the way he referred to himself; as if he wasn't an outsider. But we are not about compassion, but strength.

Let me guess, you are going to make me more powerful? Wondered Kitahara with a little chuckle, feeling more amused when the voice hummed in confirmation. Okay, I'll bite, how will you do that?

 So many questions, complained the demon, how about I show you?

Without hesitation he nodded, regretting it when he felt his heart being grabbed by a clawed arm, squeezed a little before relaxing, his whole body feeling limb and calm yet somehow entirely different. The smirk on his face risen bit by bit as he noticed his senses were sharper, his grip felt stronger and his entire existence radiated power.  He stared down at his charging phone, seeing it turning back up and reflecting his new appearance, his human eyes shifting into color-only ones of a demon, the green turning into coal black.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Until that day, he never really considered porcelain ducks to be a useful weapon, but with desperate times came the need to use desperate measures. He found himself chuckling when another carefully sculpted duck (that was colored purple) he threw at his target was caught and blown to pieces with bursts of energy. His rival smirked back, making an attack of his own, tossing a green porcelain duck that had little horns at the top of its head right toward Tatsumi, who waved his hand and shifted the duck's course, sending it smashing into the see-through wall of the small training room.

"I worked hard on that one Tsukigami-kun!" Koumoto complained from the other side of the wall, glued to it like every other member of the Ayanagi course was, curious to see a friendly match between two of the strongest mutants that were about to enter the high-school division. The blonde and his blue eyed friend decided that they couldn't fight each other for real, since the risk of doing it without protection was too great. That was when Sawatari offered they'll use the products of yesterday's art lesson, since their homeroom class didn't have an extra space to place the flock of ducklings anyway, better to put them for good use.

And so they stepped into the bulletproof room, each of them armed with a bunch of porcelain statues and with anticipation. Tsukigami took off his fashionable gloves and didn't waste time, throwing two ducks at the telekinetic mutant who was his onetime-only rival. But Tatsumi avoided them quickly, waving his arms behind his back to lift two identical ducks from his own pile, aiming them at the energy manipulator who broke them apart with his power.

He could hear their crowd cheering from outside the door, each to who they thought was going to win once the other was hit or was left with no weapons. It was exhilarating really, in a way that the emerald eyed teen recognized from whenever he went on stage to receive applause.  Tsukigami probably felt the same, since both of them shared the dream of having a future in the limelight someday.

The two level-five mutants were quiet as they fought, the wheels in their heads spinning to figure out how to make their opponent make a mistake. Tatsumi was almost smashed with a turquoise colored bird when he glanced over to see his best friend, standing among the other mutants of the course, watching closely with his usual blank expression that somehow seemed different. But the brunette he found himself staring at more and more lately was quick to warn him, making him aware of the approaching attack just in time for him to dodge it. Tsukigami didn't miss the little exchange, if the small knowing smile he fixed his blonde friend was any indication.

As he figured his plan, the one he should have thought about before, he turned back to count his ducks, glad to see that he had three left. This will work. Maybe. He summoned the three pieces of porcelain to rise in the air, struggling a little to control more than two at the same time, especially when he was way passed his stamina limit and running on fumes. But he aligned them despite of it, allowing his opponent to throw his second to last duck at him and almost hit him if he didn’t jump to the side at the last moment. He threw his arms out, his weapon following his command and launching forward. The blue haired mutant concentrate as he caught one at each of his hands, breaking them with persist energy bursts but leaving himself no free palm to handle the third little duckling, that crushed against his chest, pushing him back to hit the wall before dropping to the ground and breaking.

"Victory for Tatsumi-kun!" cheered the friendly fairy who was liked by everyone despite his short time in the course, joined by everyone who clapped along and whistled, the two fighters' third friend included. Tatsumi smirked when the brunette gave him a knowing smile of congratulations and therefore missed the last intact porcelain duck flying his way, hitting him in the chest and sending him backwards.

His smirk then turned to his burden-sharing friend, who simply refused to lose without protest, fixing him a raised eyebrow as he approached him. "I'll win next time," he clarified, serious as ever as he shook the other's outreached hand, injecting him with a little spike of energy that the exhausted telekinetic needed.

"Aren't we going to be on the same team next time?" the taller of the two offered knowingly, the other nodding in return, remembering their previous conversation on the subject. They both agreed that being on the same star team next year will be the best possibility, but also agreed on being good sports if it wasn't the case, stay out of each other's way and still be an open ear to one another.

"We can still have a re-match," the blue eyed teen pointed out logically and Tatsumi had to admit he was right. A fanatic knock on the training room's wall interrupted them both, made by a panicked invisible boy who signed them to get out. They didn't even get the chance to doubt him when-

"What is going on here?!" it was their teacher speaking, clearly angry as she stared at them with her hands over her hips, tiny eyes becoming even more narrow as she glanced over the porcelain shreds the young mutants left everywhere. "Whose brilliant idea was that?" she questioned a little more calmly, looking between the twenty mutants standing outside the training room and the two problems they were cheering for when she entered.

The group remained mute, hands behind their backs and not willing to frame anyone from their ranks, at least not for something that they all gladly took part in. The teacher frowned and turned to the two level-five mutants with a raised eyebrow. "What do you have to say for yourselves?" she wondered irritably.

"We'll clean it up." Tsukigami said.

"And we can fix them if you want," Tatsumi added. "Yoru, if you will," he promoted, the mutant standing close to door was happy to help the friendly telekinetic teen, shooting him some bee-wax out of his hands that the other caught in the air, keeping it in place with one hand and summoning the broken pieces of a duck with the other. In a quick motion he brought them back together, glued and secure in the shape of a photogenic duckling with black eyes. "See?" he said with a smile, handing the duck to the energy manipulator that heated it up between his hands like an oven for two seconds.

"Easy." The blue haired mutant supplied, presenting the good-as-new porcelain to their homeroom teacher, who just placed her head in her palm, not expecting them to fix the problem that way.

Mrs.  Kawaguchi sighed before speaking again. "Just swipe them off the floor, please." She ordered them and they bowed their heads in acceptance, exchanging a calm and knowing look with each other. "Now that we got that mess under control," she changed the subject, turning to face the rest of her class. "Everyone, please meet our brand new student," She announced, gesturing toward the newcomer who spent all that time lurking in the entrance, looking at no one in particular with empty eyes, unnoticed by any of the young mutants in the room.

As expected, Koumoto's eyes brightened up as he stepped forward, immediately curious about the new mutant. His green pixie wings fluttered behind him as he skipped forward, bright friendly smile stretched across his lips. "Hello there! My name is Koumoto Tetsuya, nice to meet you!" he greeted joyfully. The other mutant just stared at him blankly with majorelle blue eyes, his black bangs covering his right eyes and adding to his aloof aura.

"Hello." He returned the greeting simply, his voice matching his appearance as it was monotonic and quiet. "I'm Ageha Riku." He added once he saw that the gossip-fairy kept looking at him hopefully, ears fluttering in excitement as it always did when he met someone new. Tatsumi watched the exchange with amused eyes, moving to stand next to his best friend while the rest of the course's students were focused on the newcomer.

"Koumoto is really refreshing, you know?" he whispered to the knowing brunette who nodded in response.

"A little too friendly." He added his opinion, hazel eyes looking at the white haired pixie who continued his interrogation of the new member, joined by a few more of their classmates, who were curious to find out just what Ageha Riku was.

"- and what's school do you - wait! You haven't said what your power is," the pixie said with a little chuckle, tilting his head in question that the shorter mutant had no problem answering honestly.

"I'm a sonic screamer." He said calmly, voice regular and arising amusement even in Sawatari.

Koumoto chuckled at that, shaking his head in dismissal. "Are you really sure of that, sugar-cube?" he asked gently, apparently angering the sonic screamer who released a casual high-pitch whistle, that caused the porcelain duck in Tsukigami's hands to break apart again. Ageha just stared at the one in front of him with blank eyes, as if daring to irritate him any further.

"He's interesting." Tatsumi muttered under his breath, the portal teleporter standing next to him nodded in agreement as the friendly fairy dismissed himself with one last smile, understanding when his attitude was unwanted.

"Come on, Tatsumi. We should introduce ourselves." The brunette concluded, signing Tsukigami to join them in being polite. The blonde began following him but stopped for a second when- wait, what did he just call me?

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

He stepped into the large conference room with his head held high, following his grandfather to the two remaining seats next to the table. The rest of the committee rose to their feet at the headmaster's arrival, honored by his presence. The bat winged mutant instructed them to take their seats, everyone including the Hiragi heir ready to begin the discussion.

At first, Hiragi couldn't believe he was allowed and expected to attend the annual status meeting, given the fact that he was still in high school and the rest of the people in the room were prestigious assets to the mutant world. But didn't hesitate to comply to his grandfather's request, joining him and his uncle to the business meeting.

He took his notes carefully, making sure to keep his posture professional and his own inputs clear and proficient, knowing he was doing a good job by the headmaster's approving nods.

"Next order of business." Announced one of the members of the board, a middle-aged man with a crocodile skin and bright white eyes. "The school year will commence shortly, what's our status?"

"Ms. Kiyoshi and I visited the course the other day, the new students look really impressive." a calm female voice said, fixing her dark brown ponytail as she glanced down to the files that displayed on the table.

"Their numbers?" questioned another authoritarian mutant.

"Slightly above average and counting, spring is just beginning." Supplied a raven haired woman who Hiragi suspected was Ms. Kiyoshi.

"So we are going to have even more rebellious, angsty pre-teens to straighten out," a deep manly voice wondered, causing all of the people in the room to smile in amusement. The blue haired phoenix would have been surprised by the light-hearted comment if it wasn't for his extent knowledge of the mutant community. He was bald yet appeared fairly young, his eyes stitched together with faded red scars…paired with his knowing smile, Hiragi identified him immediately. Fushigi  Hibiki, the strongest mutant in the room.

"Nothing extra homework can't fix." another man added. He probably used to be a teacher, speculated the heir.

"Ayanagi's discipline is impeccable; I doubt we are going to have any issues." Said the female sitting next to the head of the committee, hands folded on the table in front of her in seriousness. "However, we should take into considerations that this year's newcomers are exceptionally strong."

"If you look down at your reports," the attention was pulled by Hiragi's uncle, everyone flipping their pre-printed page stack. "Those are the initially-evaluated specs of each new student we sent a letter to." 

"There is a level-five mutant in this list." His grandfather spoke, scanning the page with blank yellow eyes.

"Two of them, in fact." the pony-tailed brunette noted with a proud yet small smile.

"Tatsumi Rui, and Tsukigami Kaito…? You mean as in the Tsukigami family?"

"Indeed, Tsukigami Haruto's little brother," His own uncle stated the obvious. "A very powerful mutant to a thoroughbred family, not surprising."

"I'm personally more intrigued by the telekinetic one, Tatsumi."

"Here's where we disagree," Hiragi's uncle pointed out to his old friend, the two of them exchanging a promising nod to discuss it later.

"What about the rest?" wondered the level-five mutant in the room, leaning on his elbows as he read his braille-lettered paper sheets. "A bunch of physical powers, basic mind manipulation, there's a psychic like every other year and too many shields… they seem rather dull," he admitted, gesturing his hand in dismissal.

"You might find the psychic interesting thanks to the superior company he keeps," noted the one who personally visited the course. "Strong mutants tend to stick together,"

"They are still kids who don't understand that rule," spoke another member of the board. Hiragi agreed with his words but didn't linger on them too much, too busy on figuring out how to apply his newly required information to his advantage.

As the head of the Kao council, he will be expected by everyone and himself, to assemble the strongest team to compete in the Ayanagi course. The list in his hand had to be looked over more carefully with his comrades, but his mind was already determined and made up – the level five mutants have to be on his team.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

As any good hunter will do after chasing the same prey for over a year, Nanjo had learned his target's habits. By the time his middle-school graduation rolled around, he knew exactly the spot to stay put and wait in for his enemy to approach him on his own. It was in the back exit of the lab, where he knew the AP biology class was having an after-graduation goodbye, probably toasting to their mad science and their eventual taking over of the world. That was, unless the gray haired teen managed to beat them to the undertaking.

The one he wanted to talk to was the last to exit conveniently, being the responsible adult who stayed behind to lock the class and return the keys to the teacher's lounge- which made him an easy target. The brunette adjusted his bag's strap over his shoulder; not stopping his walking when he spotted his friend's tormentor, leaning on the wall next to him with cool posture and a sly smile playing on his lips. Nanjo wasn't surprised to see him unbothered, the knight and his princess were probably sure they were rid of him the moment the graduation ceremony came to an end. He'll admit they were right for the most part, he was grateful for that fact too, seeing as he will no longer need to watch the thoroughbreds parade around like peacocks and annoying him wherever he went. He will be attending one of the best boarding schools in Tokyo, away from the two people whose secret he never managed to unfold.

"Yo, Sawatari." He called as he pushed off the wall, his hands in his pockets and step with an extra swing. "I have something to ask you," he said once he saw the other had no intention to stop his determined walk out of the school's gate and as far away from him as possible with no desire to return. "About you and the princess,"

He turned to him with a blank expression, staring back at him with absolute no emotions in his hazel eyes. Even the master of poker faces was impressed by his coldness. "We have nothing to say to you." he insisted, making the taller of the two roll his eyes condescendingly.

"I was just wondering, now that the show is over and all, if you'll tell me that secret you're hiding." He offered, voice dripping with natural charm. "For the sake of our time together," he added, pleased to see that his rival didn't like his little game.

"You just can't believe we beat you on our own, there is no secret behind it." noted the know-it-all brunette, not impressed by Nanjo's fake chuckle.

"I won't say you beat me per say," he pointed out, staring down at the determined teen who somehow managed to outsmart him. "Not fairly anyway." He added and smirked when the other's mouth twitched slightly upwards.

"You don't have a proof." He said, making the other raise an eyebrow playfully, sly smirk never fading.

"I know there is something off about you two," he insisted. The logic never made sense in his head. There was no natural way the averagely intelligent Sawatari could have so conveniently found him that day after school with his girlfriend at the time; there was no way for him to know of the few extra votes he slipped into the ballot boxes in order to guarantee his election for presidency; how could the princess know exactly when the attacks will come? And how could the knight have been prepared for it? but to top it all, there was no possibility anyone in their tiny pathetic school will ever dare stand up to him and blackmail him, not without having a trump card hidden up their well-ironed sleeve. "I'll figure it out eventually." He promised knowingly, looking down at the lesser human being with dark purple-red eyes that no one expected to see on the kind golden student of the school.

But instead of denying, jumping back, running or swallowing thickly, his rival just straightened his look, as dull as ever but with a little something else behind his golden eyes that seemed to glow a little brighter for a moment before fading back into deep hazel. "Good luck with that." The brunette wished simply, turning to walk away from the red eyed teen that was used to always getting his way. His head was held high and demanded Nanjo to push it back to the ground where it belonged.

So he didn't resist the urge and did just that, grabbing the shorter teen by his shoulder when he turned his back to him, clenching his fist and driving it straight into the other's eye, sending him stumbling backwards without a sound. Indeed, the duo's tendency to take the fun out of abusing them by simply taking it was the thing he hated the most about them, but Nanjo still felt satisfaction in his heart, burning like his knuckles.

He stuffed his hands back into his pockets and strode away from the knight, a smug smile spread across his lips and wind blowing his hair back, making him smirk wider when he realized it was the best way to sign off his middle school career. He stopped in front of the gate, closing his eyes and breathing it all in one last time, embracing the feelings of a proud king making his way into another territory to concur as his own. And somehow they get to have a new start too; he couldn't help but think, cursing under his breath when the image of the happy smiling faces of the royalty flooded his brain.

"Careful Koki, someone might see you," warned a voice he recognized immediately, causing him to blink his eyes open and pull his resting sly smile back on, delighted to be faced with his best friend. If that was the title fitting the guy standing before him cleaning dirt off of his long black claws; that was.

He was leaning against the ironed gate that somehow managed to get covered in deep blue roses while Nanjo's eyes had been closed, but the student council president decided to focus on his friend first. He wore the familiar school uniform he always wore on his way back home, sleeves folded to his elbows and tie nowhere to be seen. But other than that, he looked completely different. From his Burgundy Red hair peaked two sharp horns, his otherwise pretty Jungle Green eyes were now pitch black, the color filling everything from the inner corner to the eyelids. His smirk was mischievous and merciless as it usually was, but with the new twist of a slithered tongue that was visible as he spoke.

"Hurts to lose, ha?" he challenged, the gray haired teen shifted his gaze between his guardian demon and the gate, chuckling a little as he rolled his eyes. 

"I haven't lost." He fixed, walking closer and reaching out with gentle hands to caress one of the blue roses that were chocking the iron bars, his favorite shade of blue and ones he had never seen prior to that moment. He plucked one of the petals in a swift movement, conducting a little experiment to test the theory that formed in his head. His eyes narrowed curiously and his smirk became delightfully genuine when the flower not only regrew the missing petal as he wished it to, but sharped it's thrones as well, prickling the tan skin of the one daring to crush it so casually. He chuckled once again, his best friend giving him an impressed raised eyebrow, his pitch black eyes shining with a cruel light that matched the one in Nanjo's. "And I am never going to lose again."

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

When his best friend didn't show up at the school's gate after they split ways, Tatsumi decided to take the walk home alone, knowing that the smart psychic had way more people to say goodbye to than he did. But when almost two hours passed and the blonde was still draped over the living room's couch, patiently waiting for the knight to swoop in so they could celebrate their graduation with a perfectly harmonized duet and some pizza, he started to get a little worried.

So he pushed himself off the comfortable sofa and marched to the backyard, deciding the best place to check first was Sawatari's favorite place in the world, the place he'll disappear to when something was wrong. Plus, the flowers he had planted a week ago should have already started to bloom; obviously he'll want to see them in their prime.

"Found ya," he declared playfully when he entered the greenhouse, spotting the hard working brunette immediately, his rubber gloves on and digging into one of the pots, pulling out the bad weeds from the cabbages.

"Tatsumi!" the other glanced over at him halfway, smiling at him in greeting. But it was still half-heartedly as far as the telekinetic teen could tell, which made his own smile fade a little. His best friend had been acting odd lately, more distant, even less talkative, and now had the firm tendency to call by his last name. "Sorry, I just let myself in." he apologized unnecessarily and was waved off by the blonde.

"It's great actually; mom had been bugging me to help her for a while." He admitted, stepping closer and leaning back against the tables, facing his best friend.  "When did you came back?" he wondered, not bothering to remind his knight it was fine if he called him like he always used to- Sawatari will just dismiss him like he always did, his mind made up to follow the orders of his bothersome grandparents.

"Just a few minutes ago." He replied shortly, reaching out to grab the pruner from behind Tatsumi. The blonde reached out to bring it closer, sighing inside when the other avoided touching his fingers as he handed him the tool. Another perk of the new Eigo- he doesn’t like physical contact with me either.

"I can't believe we graduated," he muttered, the other nodding in agreement and turning to face him without thinking it through, revealing the other side of his face that happened to be damaged with a nasty looking dark mark that will soon turn purple around the golden eye. "Eigo!" he gasped before he could help it, stepping closer. "What happened?" he asked as the other ducked his head with a sigh, clearly intending to swipe it under the rug.

"I fell down the stairs…?" he offered with a tilted head, telling Tatsumi all that he needed to know. The telekinetic teen reached out to squeeze his hand without thinking, reminded of his new reality when his best friend pulled his fingers away with an apologetic half-smile.

"Wait a second," he noted, waving his fingers carefully and expressly-delivering an icepack from the freezer, this time of beans instead of peas. He smiled apologetically at the hazel eyed psychic, the two of them laughing together in unison, in their own little world as always. Tatsumi bit his lip when the shorter mutant hissed as the coldness hit his swollen eye, but accepted his grateful nod, holding the pack in place with telekinetic energy.

"You know you shouldn't use your powers outside of the course," the younger of the two noted, using his own hand to hold the frozen bag and making the other roll his eyes playfully.

"There is no course anymore, so we are practically free until we enroll in high school." He pointed out knowingly, making his best friend chuckle.

"No one said that,"

"No one unsaid it either," the blonde challenged back, the two of them chuckling together. "I actually can't wait for high school to begin already," he admitted. "Enter the tournament and all that,"

"You want to enter the tournament?" wondered the usually knowing brunette, dropping his tool and turning completely to face his friend, clearly concerned. It was how Tatsumi expected him to be, given that the Ayanagi tournament was first and foremost a battle to the synthesized death, where you most likely get hurt- not something his best friend was a fan of him doing.

"It will be fun, plus, I already made an agreement with Tsukigami," he excused, not missing the slight fall in his knight's smile. "You don't have to come with me," he added even though he disagreed. Doing something without Sawatari by his side was incredibly terrifying to him, but there was no way he was going to force the other to do something he didn't wish to do.

"Of course I'll go with you. My role is to support you," his best friend concluded truthfully, making the telekinetic mutant's heart fall a little. For a moment in time, he really thought that the psychic shared his feelings, those of his that went beyond their last name and the expectation of their relationship. He spent nights thinking about it with a smile and then some more nights with melancholy when he realized his feelings weren't reciprocated. He tried to keep a positive aura as he understood that their maliciously intended nickname fitted him perfectly since his knight had no intention to become his prince someday.

But as long as you are by my side…he sighed in his head, confident that his little moment of acceptance wasn't noticeable to the one knowing him best. "In that case, we have to make sure to win, right Eigo?" he challenged, his childhood friend and his partner for facing the world nodded confidently, chin held high and his eyes bright and gold.

"Of course, Tatsumi."

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

"Onii-chan?" Yuki wondered, her twin sister knocking on the door in completion. They were just working on their latest project, the costumes for the nearing school play, when they heard the door of the house slamming shut, followed by the sound of dress shoes on the stairs.  They learned pretty quickly to recognize their invisible brother's entrance, and they knew that if he was transparent now, it wasn't by choice.

"Talk to us." Tsumugi said, her voice sounded blank but it was intended to be soft and worrying.

"Please, I need to handle this on my own." Their older brother answered honestly, voice weak and uncertain as it usually was. Ever since his incident a few weeks ago, their brother's nervousness skyrocketed, he was walking around the house terrified of suddenly turning invisible. Neither of the family members could blame him for it, they too were scared he will not be able to turn back the next time he gave in.

The twins figured that their older brother would rather try to control it by himself, and that there was no need for them to step in. But it had been almost two years since his mutation was discovered up on the peter pen stage and he still was too far away from control…it was time for them to step in.

The twins walked away from the door as their precious brother wished, thinking the same thing without meaning to. "Terrible." Tsumugi noted.

"Truly tragic. It is time for our last resort."  Yuki returned, looking at her twin with matching determined yellow eyes. They had spent the entirety of last night talking in their bedroom, figuring out the ultimate solution for the invisible boy's lack of stability. The only way their plan could be debunked was if their mother found out, but they could worry about it later.

"Find the recipe, I'll boil the water." the older twin instructed, exchanging a determined nod with her sister before they split up, one to the home's kitchen and the other to their parent's room.

She just laid the kettle over the flame, filled with fresh mineral water when Tsumugi came back, placing the brown paper on the counter before the two sprinted into making the famous yet secretive Nayuki tea.

They knew it was not powerful enough on its own, since their brother seemed to break every Nayuki record when it came to nerves and anxiety…which was why they decided to take advantage of their superior skills and enhance the recipe, to make it a suitable stabilizer for an invisible boy in training.

"Mom is defiantly going to be mad." Concluded Yuki as they watched their masterpiece, cooling down to a perfect temperature inside of a red thermos.

"What are you doing?" it was their brother's voice that prevented the younger twin from replying. They both turned around, exchanging a knowing glance to coordination and effectively blocking the older Nayuki's view.

"What mom doesn't know is not going to hurt her." Tsumugi told her sister before the two nodded at each other. Their older brother began to question their bizarre behavior as the two launched at him, one grabbing him from behind in an iron grip so the other could slip the warm liquid down his throat. They pulled away once their mission was complete, Yuki gasping when their brother sank to the floor completely unconscious.

"Oh no." Tsumugi muttered.

"We killed Onii-chan!" her sister joined in, the two of them staring at the seemingly dead body that was splattered on the kitchen's floor. But their slight alarm didn't last very long since not a minute had passed until their brother's yellow eyes blinked open, no longer clouded by nerves and overthinking.

"That was…" he began, getting up to his feet and rubbing the back of his head which was hit when he fell. "Really bitter."

The three chuckled together, the twins exchanging a fist bump before folding their arms across their chests, eyeing their beloved older brother with determined fire. It was time to help him get in shape, they both thought, Ayanagi's entrance ceremony is just two weeks away.