Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There is a sign at the entrance of this town.

The siblings stared at the sign at the entrance of the town, the oldest of them all had a frown on his face. The middle held a glint of admiration, while the youngest was just confused.

"Anyone past this point who causes pain, who brings destruction, who holds evil in their heart, will be purged by Bofurin without exception."

A sign that was erected by the strong.

"Aniki, does that mean you'll purge evildoers too, just like these Bofurin people?!"

"Ah- Yes..."

"Cool!"

"Nii-san. What does purging mean?"

"Don't worry about it..."

The market street of the town was bustling with activity, as expected. The trio of siblings walked past the people, the sound of cyclists and chatter filling the air. The eldest brother sighed, his hands buried deep within his pockets.

'I only care about the strong. I have no interest in the weak.'

Though he continued walking, he paused when he felt a tug at his sleeve. He looked down, seeing the youngest brother grabbing his sleeve. He paused. "What is it?" he asked. Although his small brother didn't say anything verbally, he had instead pointed to a direction in the town. The eldest blinked, following where his brother pointed. And he could only scowl in annoyance.

A group of boys were all crowding around a girl with dark brown hair and amber-colored eyes against the metallic door of a garage. She had bags of groceries looped around her palms, indicating she had just finished buying groceries. And she looked annoyed at this interruption of her day. "Those guys don't bring in good news." his younger sister flatly commented, staring at the scene with a similar annoyance to the unknown girl.

"You're right." the elder brother said with a simple nod. Even the younger agreed with them, though he didn't say anything, instead tightening his grip on his brother's sleeve.

"Listen, already! Get out of my way!" the unknown girl exclaimed, wanting to get out of the situation.

"C'mon, don't be like that, babe. Don't you wanna hang out? Isn't there anything you wanna do?" one thug that looked like the leader asked, clearly unwilling to back down, much to the girl's utter exhasperation. She clicked her tongue.

"I'd love to..." she began, and the leader of the thugs tilted his head with a disgusting smile "smash some eggs right into your ugly mugs." she hissed, features hardened "But my hands are full, and that'd be a waste of good eggs. So..." she trailed off, as if she was actually considering what to do "No. I'll hold back." she declared, beginning to walk away. The eldest whistled quietly at that, glancing down at his younger sister. She looked actually proud of the stranger.

"I like a woman who can fight back." the bastard began, ruining the mood "But if you're too hard-nosed, you might end up hurting that pretty face of yours." he reached and gripped her forearm tight.

"Hey! That hurts!" she exclaimed. The eldest sucked in a sharp breath.

"Yuzuha. Cover Shuya's eyes. I'm gonna deal with these scums." he told his younger sister as he took his hands out of his pockets, fists clenched. She nodded.

"C'mon Shuya, let's look away. Aniki's gonna cause a scene, and we shouldn't learn from him whenever this happens." the younger girl suggested. The youngest nodded, quickly turning away. His tiny hands clasped over his eyes, following what his sister said.

"Let go!"

'And weaklings...'

He walked up to the thug and placed a tight hand on his shoulder.

'...who have their heads up their asses, mistaking their confidence for strength...'

As the thug turned to look at him, he reeled his fist back, heterochromatic eyes staring daggers at him.

'...make me sick.'

In just mere seconds, the thugs were laying on the floor, writhing in pain. The leader was the last one to fall, coughing in surprise as blood trickled down from his nose. The eldest stood proudly in front of him, one foot at each side as he leaned down, staring daggers at him as his bi-coloured hair fell over his face, framing it perfectly. "What goes on inside your head to even believe that you're strong?" he asked mockingly, ignoring the stranger as he reached out and grabbed a fistful of the thug's shirt. Slowly, he raised him towards him.

"Ya better remember my name... and my face." he began "I want the weak to avoid me, and I want the strong to seek me out. I am Sakura Haruka, from Furin High School!" he proudly declared before roughly dropping him. Ignoring the girl's stare, he brushed his own hands against one another, as if to wipe off any dust. With that, he then headed to his siblings.

"Shuya. You can open your eyes now." he spoke, tone somewhat softer. The tiny boy uncovered his metallic black eyes, blinking. He saw the unconscious bodies of the thugs, but he paid them no mind. At least, not the same mind as his older siblings.

"They're all asleep." he commented, blind to what had truly happened.

"Yep! Aniki put them to sleep for being bad people!" Yuzuha nodded, golden eye scanning the damage Haruka had done to the thugs. They were just out cold from simple punches.

"Ah." Shuya nodded. There was a small hint of admiration in his eyes as he looked at his older brother

"Let's get going." Haruka urged. Nodding, both siblings each took one side of their eldest brother, holding each one hand. Shuya's hands were far smaller, tiny. Barely able to cover his rough palm. Yuzuha's fingers were far smaller than his. Both of his siblings' hands fit in his perfectly.

"Hey!" he heard someone call, but he ignored it. They needed to get an apartment soon, a place for the three of them.

"Hey, you!" the girl insisted, grabbing Haruka's arm "Thank you." she said. He looked back at her, confused. Glancing around, he noticed the street was completely empty. Only him, his siblings and this random girl he had just saved. Well, he just took care of the thugs.

"Huh? Me?" he asked, tilting his head. He would have pointed at himself, but his hands were currently busy.

"Nii-san, you're the one who dealt with those meanies." Shuya said.

"Yeah. Apart from those two kids, you're the only one standing here." the girl nodded. Haruka's face exploded into a bright shade of red as he processed her words. She thanked him? She thanked him?! Him?!

"Here it comes." Yuzuha sweatdropped.

"I-I didn't do it to save you! I just can't stand people like that a- that guy!" he stammered. The unknown girl just stared at him, surprised by the outburst.

"Totally lame!~" Yuzuha teased her older brother, much to his chagrin.

"Yuzuha!"

"Nii-san is not lame." Shuya huffed, pouting at Yuzuha. The other girl stared, a small puff of air coming from her as she quickly looked away, covering her mouth. It didn't take Haruka too long to understand why she did that.

"D-DON'T LAUGH AT ME!"

"So the three of you are from out of town? No wonder I didn't recognize any of you." the girl asked as she served the trio plates of food. Shuya's mouth watered at the sight, but he didn't move to eat at all, much to Yuzuha's amusement. Haruka just sweatdropped, looking around the place and fidgeting.

"Yeah yeah, whatever, I'm just a weirdo." Haruka huffed.

"Not true." Shuya quietly argued.

"That's not what I mean, my bad!" the girl laughed, waving her hand "It's not you who's weird. This town had a lot of teams and gangs and whatnot breaking into fights not too long ago. it was very unsafe on the streets. Normal people wouldn't even come close." she explained. Haruka hummed, leaning forward with interest. Even so, that was before. Which meant something had changed.

"That being said, I'm not from this town either. I'm Tachibana Kotoha. Nice to meet you three." she smiled, placing spoons in front of the siblings. Haruka frowned.

'This girl... Why is she acting so friendly?' he thought, confused 'Most people would be freaked out. I fucking pummelled five guys in front of her!' he thought 'Plus...'

"Hm? Are none of you gonna eat?" Tachibana asked, confused "Do you not like omelette rice?" the question managed to snap Haruka out of his thoughts. Right, if he didn't try the food first, then his siblings would not eat either.

"We will! Digging in right now!" he quickly replied, shoving a spoonful of food into his mouth. His eyes snapped open, sparkles in them. 'DELICIOUS!' he thought. It felt like an explosion of flavour had just been given to him.

"Is it good, aniki?" Yuzuha asked. He nodded. That was more than enough for his siblings to begin to dig in as well, eating the food and holding the spoon the same way Haruka did. Yuzuha was eating fast, while Shuya was shoving more food in his mouth than he could take. Tachibana stared at them in surprise, as if taking in the way they ate. He knew very well how it looked.

"Yuzuha, slow down. Shuya, smaller bites." he told them. Shuya nodded apologetically, cheeks lightly flushed.

"But it's really good, aniki! This is the best thing ever!" Yuzuha protested. In response, Haruka gently pet her head.

"Wouldn't it be better to eat slower so you savour it?" he asked. She paused at his words, as if considering. Then she began to eat again, just slower this time. Haruka was content, and only then did he began to eat yet again.

"Can we get takeoff here?" he asked as he munched on the food. It was really good, and maybe he could pay it to take to their next home. Yuzuha and Shuya liked it a lot, and as much as it was embarrassing to admit, Haruka liked the meal as well.

"Huh? You mean takeout, right?" Tachibana asked, and Yuzuha nodded "We don't do that here!"

"O-Oh... No takeout, huh..?" he murmured to himself, somewhat defeated. Well, that went one source of food down the drain. Though maybe he could get breakfast here.

"By the way, Sakura... You've got an interesting look." Tachibana began, and Yuzuha visibly tensed up while Shuya remained focused on his food "Both sides of your hair and your eyes are different colours... You didn't dye your hair, and you're not wearing colored contacts, right?"

"So? Ya got somethin' ya wanna-"

"Wooooow! Your eye looks like a marble!"

"...say..?" his voice trailed off at her words, finding himself staring right at her. In just a second, his face had exploded into a deep red, and he backed away, stumbling out of his seat.

"WHAAAAAAT?! DO YA WANNA GO?!"

"Tachibana's not glaring you down, aniki, calm down!" Yuzuha laughed.

"What the girl said, man..." Tachibana sweatdropped.

"You're a weird one... Most people get freaked, or try and push me away with everything they've got..." he sighed, getting back on the seat.

"Except us!" Yuzuha grinned, her gold eye twinkling.

"Yeah, except you two." Haruka sighed, ruffling her hair.

"Well, that's because I'm used to seeing a guy with an even crazier do!" Tachibana exclaimed, making gestures with her arms that Haruka just did not understand. But Yuzuha laughed at her. So maybe this chick wasn't so bad. Maybe.

"Crazy how, exactly?" Haruka asked. Tachibana seemed surprised by the question, and it was as if she realized something.

"Wait, is that why..?!" she began.

"How ya look doesn't matter in a fight..." Haruka began, putting down the spoon "That's why I came to Furin."

Furin High School.

With the lowest average scores, and the strongest fighters. Furin in where failures gather.

A dog-eat-dog world, where factions are always fighting... The underlings are always unseating the bosses...

Be it Obon or New Year's, there isn't a day where students aren't smacking down.

"And I'm gonna be the top of the school!" he declared proudly.

"Oh? Well, that's some pretty big talk." Tachibana commented.

"Not really..." Haruka shrugged "The lowest of the low, hated by all others, worth nothing but their fists are willing to bet everything on becoming the best of the best at brawling... That's the dream if you ask me." he didn't see the way Tachibana's hand twitched at his words "It's a battle to determine the trashiest of trash. That suits me perfectly." he said.

"Aniki's really good at fighting! I know he'll make it!" Yuzuha grinned.

"You've got high expectations, and already a fan..." Tachibana began as she finished cleaning the pan "AAAH! That must be why you're wearing the uniform even though classes start tomorrow! You're excited, aren't you?!" she asked, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"WHA?! I-I AIN'T EXCITED! I- UHH-" he stammered "I JUST MOVED IN! I DON'T HAVE NO OTHER CLOTHES!"

"But nii-san said that he couldn't wait to start the school year." Shuya innocently commented, tilting his head to the side. Haruka froze at those words. When did Shuya heard that?! He swore he said that in his mind, or when he was alone! Tachibana howled with laughter.

"Exposed by your little brother! Ohhh, how terrible of a fate!" she theatrically said.

"Shut it!"

"You're pumped up for your new high school life, aren't you?~" Tachibana teased him. He growled as he stomped harshly on the floor, shooting up from his seat.

"You little... let's take this outside-"

"Kotoha-chan, thank you for another great meal." an old man spoke as he walked up to the door "I left the money on the table."

"Thank you for coming again, Yama-gramps!" Tachibana beamed as she headed over to the old man, deciding to help him walk up to the door. Haruka's neck snapped between the old man and the brown-haired girl a few times before he turned away, grumbling under his breath so Shuya wouldn't hear him. He was young, easily impressionable. The last time he said something like 'bastard' or 'ass', Shuya had repeated it to a teacher that neither Haruka nor Yuzuha had been fond of. It was satisfying. But also got him in trouble. But then said younger brother had tugged on his sleeve, pointing at the table the old man had been sitting at. Haruka's gaze focused on what his brother was pointing at.

"I'll come by again next time." the old man smiled.

"Take care!" Tachibana nodded as she began to open the door for him.

"Hey, old man." Haruka called as he presented a bag right in front of the man "You forgot this." the two stared at him as he handed the bag back to the old man and began to walk back to his own seat.

"Oh goodness!! I've been forgetting things a lot lately..." the old man murmured. Haruka heard the door opening, indicating the elderly man was leaving the establishment as well. He sat back down, ready to enjoy the meal again, but then he noticed Shuya was already done. And he didn't look satisfied. Discretely, he switched their plates for him to enjoy the rest of his own food. Shuya looked at him with gleaming eyes, a way to say thank you.

"Here, for you." Tachibana spoke, placing a small group of candies right in front of Haruka "It was a present for his grandson, apparently. "You really helped me there. Thank you." he said." she told him. Haruka's cheeks reddened again, disbelief flashing in his eyes.

"Why're you blushing?"

"AAHHHH!? SH-SHUT YER TRAP!" he shouted "THIS WHOLE TOWN'S MAD! INCLUDING YOU!!" he pointed at her aggressively.

"What?!"

"How can you guys act like that around a guy who looks like me?!" he questioned "PLUS!! I'M WEARIN' THE UNIFORM OF THE INFAMOUS DELINQUENT SCHOOL! THERE'S NO WAY YOU GUYS DIDN'T KNOW!! HOW CAN HE... thank a guy like me?! Normal people... would have their guard up... would even suspect me..." he rambled, voice growing weaker.

"Because people are dumb and rats!" Yuzuha huffed.

"Eh?"

"One time, aniki picked up a guy's wallet that had fallen off. Guess what?? He blamed aniki for 'stealing' it instead of thanking him because of how aniki looks!" she pouted, crossing her arms aggressively.

"He's gotta be more cautious! He needs to check to make sure everythin's still inside!" Haruka insisted.

"Do you want people to trust you or not??" Tachibana deadpanned. She looked annoyed, but then she let out a quiet sigh, a small smile on her face. She slowly walked to the entrance.

"It was right for the three of you to come here, and it was right for you to choose Furin, Sakura. But..." she began as she slowly turned, the dim glow of the sun coating her. Her back faced the door as she crossed her arms, that small, sympathetic smile on her face growing confident.

"...You will never be the top of Furin. No matter what."

Chapter Text

A beat of silence passed the establishment as Haruka processed the words that Tachibana had said to him. Anger bubbled inside of him as his grip on the spoon loosened. A scowl appeared on his face, teeth clenching against one another. "Hah?" he let out, eye twitching as he stared down at Tachibana. She did the same, her posture oozing confidence, the same confidence with which she had delivered her words to him.

"In your current state, you can forget about the top," Tachibana spoke, a smile on her face "because no one in Furin would even give you the time of day."

"AS IF!" Haruka snapped, slamming his hands down on the wooden bar table "YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW STRONG I AM!!" he rebutted, anger in his tone.

"Yeah, you might have some skills, but that's not enough to be the top of Furin. Because you..." she pointed at him, the gleam in her eyes darkening. Haruka glared at her.

"...are alone."

Haruka's breath hitched at those words, a vein bulging. What was this woman's audacity? What the hell?! He didn't need someone to depend on! He didn't need someone to watch his back! No one ever did! No one ever cared for him and his siblings! It was always like this! In that stupid, tiny shed, taking care of his siblings like an older brother should! He's had to sacrifice a lot for them!

"SHUT UP!" Yuzuha snapped as she kicked the stool she sat on, surprising Haruka and Tachibana. The two looked back at the middle schooler, seeing her roll her sleeves up.

"ANIKI IS STRONG! HE DOESN'T NEED SOME WEAKLING TO WATCH HIS BACK! YOU'RE WRONG!"

"Yuzuha!"

"I'm not talking about physically-"

"I DON'T CARE!" Yuzuha cut her off, stomping out of the cafe and pushing Tachibana to the side. She slammed the door shut with force enough to shake the building once she had stepped out, scaring the youngest Sakura. Haruka looked back at Shuya, seeing him covering his ears already. He sighed, walking up to his younger brother.

"Is the shouting over?" he asked quietly, and Haruka nodded. Gently, the oldest picked up his brother in his arms. He sent a glare at Tachibana before opening the door, ready to walk out of the cafe as well, determined to follow his sister. While she definitely needed to cool off, he'd rather not lose sight of her. Who knew what kind of trouble she'd get into without him.

"Sakura." she called him. He paused, looking at her with a glare that could have drilled itself right onto her back.

"What?"

"You should go meet the Furin kids first. Then you'll understand what I mean."

"Stupid girl! Who does she think she is?!" Yuzuha huffed to herself as she kicked a pebble with force, the miniscule rock colliding with a wall and bounced back toward her. She quickly caught it with her hand, glaring at it before she let out a groan of frustration as she threw it again.

"Dammit! Screw it all!" she cursed.

"OW!" she froze when she heard a voice. Looking around, she saw a group of delinquents- the same delinquents her brother had beaten up earlier. They were destroying the city, and had stopped when one of them, the one her brother had punched straight in the face and probably the leader of the group, had gotten hit. Hit, with the pebble she had thrown randomly. She paused. 'What the hell is my luck?!' she thought, sweating.

"Ah? And what are you doin' here, little girl?" one asked, a smug grin on his face.

"She's just lost probably!" another chimed.

"Ah, wasn't she with that ugly, dual-colored hair bastard?" a third asked. Yuzuha's anger spiked up at that, her eye twitching slightly. How dare they insult her brother's appearance? He was handsome, thank you very much!

"That lucky freak? Gah, don't remind me of him!"

"Because you five got hella unlucky back there!"

'That's a lie.' she thought. These runts were weak. They were weaker than her brother, but she knew they would play dirty. They all did. They had weapons with them, now. But they'd cower the moment they didn't have any weapons with them anymore.

"Hey now, lil' lady! How about you cower back, just like the rest of the people here?" the leader asked, leaning down. Yuzuha's short bangs casted a shadow over her face. Her fists were shaking in anger. Glancing around, she could see some of the residents that were hiding in their houses taking a peek, looking at her with worry. Worried over her. What a joke.

"Aniki..." Yuzuha whispered in amazement as she saw her brother standing in front of a group of fallen kids his age, his knuckles were bruised and his shirt was bloody. He blinked, his head snapping towards her direction. His eyes widened slowly, as if he was surprised to see her there.

"Y-Yuzuha? You- You shouldn't-"

"That was... That was so cool, Aniki!" she gushed as she ran to him, her eye sparkling in joy "You were like 'BWAM!' and 'HYAH!' and- and- You're amazing!" she rambled, a giant smile placed on her face. Her brother stared at her in disbelief, as if he had expected something else. But what else could he expect? Yuzuha adored her brother. He'd been the one that had stuck with her for as long as she could remember! Meanwhile, those other meanies had chosen to leave her and her siblings! She didn't understand why. Aniki was kind.

"Teach me!"

"What?!"

"Teach me! I wanna be as cool as you!"

It's always been like that with us. Aniki and I have always been pushed away, rejected, dismissed. Aniki has long since given up on others. I... I still have hope on them. Call me an idiot, but I still have hope that we'll be accepted. And I thought that... I thought that Tachibana would have accepted us. But then...

...

I'm not like Aniki. I can't find joy in beating someone up just because. And that's 'cause...

The image of a chubby girl with glasses appeared in her mind. In her old school, there had been a group of meanies constantly belittling everyone, but they targeted the girl with glasses the most because of how weak she was. She was weak, not because she couldn't fight back, but because she always let them step all over her, both literally and metaphorically. "Hahaha! You're so lame, Hirata!" one laughed. Yuzuha looked up, looking inside the bathroom.

Hirata was covered in water, her entire uniform was drenched in it. The girl with glasses was at the verge of tears, eyes casted downward. "Look at her! She's gonna cry!" another mocked. Yuzuha scowled.

"HEY!" she shouted as she stomped inside, eye flared up with anger.

"Ahhh! It's Sakura!"

"Run, it's the freak!"

The bullies scattered, leaving the two alone. Hirata looked up at her, surprise and a small hint of fear in her eyes. Yuzuha sighed, taking off her hoodie and skirt, leaving herself in just the uniform top and some gym shorts. She offered them to Hirata, who was looking at her in surprise. "Ah?"

"You're totally wet. So you should wear this." Yuzuha deadpanned "My skirt's the same size as yours, by the way. I hate tight clothing."

"Ah... T-Thank you, S-Sakura-san." Hirata nodded shyly, taking the articles of clothing in her hands. Yuzuha nodded, looking away.

"You gotta stop being a rug." the black-haired girl commented, crossing her arms. She heard Hirata rustling, probably still fitting the clothes.

"I know..." Hirata nodded "But... It's scary."

"Scary how?"

"Because what if it goes wrong? What if the teacher dismisses me? What if my parents don't believe me?" she asked.

"Then you take it into your own hands." Yuzuha said "That's how it is." she shrugged. She could feel Hirata's stare on her.

"Sakura-san..." she whispered. Yuzuha turned her head to her, a brow raised. Though she visibly flinched when she saw the stare of amazement in her eyes. The same glance she'd given her brother a few years prior.

"You're a hero, Sakura-san!" she beamed. Yuzuha's heart skipped a beat, cheeks flushing

I wanna be a hero. I wanna help people. I wanna be as cool as Aniki, too.

"That freak picked the wrong guy to slug. There ain't a team in this town who'd stay quiet after getting a fist to the face." the leader spoke smugly, confident about his words "He started a war between us a Furin-" Yuzuha couldn't bear to hear more bullshit anymore. With grace, she spun, leg reeled back before she slammed her foot into his face, sending him reeling back.

Who cares about how Aniki looks?! His looks aren't strange or weird! They're totally normal, they're unique! They're a part of him! That's who he is! What has he ever done to you?!

"Your stupidity surprises me." Yuzuha coldly spoke "But your cowardice makes me want to howl in laughter."

"You!"

"You don't take weapons..." she said, her voice slowly raising as she ran in "TO A DAMN FISTFIGHT!"

Haruka froze when he heard his sister shout. It was a roar of anger, and that didn't happen most of the time. He looked back at Tachibana, who had followed after him to help find Yuzuha. She looked surprised, too. Something clearly happened. He looked at Shuya, who had recoiled at the shout. "Can you take care of my brother?" he asked as he handed her Shuya. She let out a strange noise, but she nodded.

"Nii-san..!" Shuya called.

"I'll be alright, Shuya. Just trust Tachibana here, okay? Stay with her and don't leave her side." Haruka assured, patting his brother on the head. Shuya just stared at him with a teary gaze, but nodded. With that, Haruka ran in the direction, feet moving fast. If his sister was in danger and something happened to her when he wasn't there to protect her, then he'd never forgive himself.

"Aniki's hurt again..." Yuzuha whispered, looking at Haruka with a frown and pursed lips. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. Haruka just sighed.

"I'm okay, Yuzuha." he assured her. Shuya was already asleep, snoring quietly and curled up on himself. He was so tiny, already three years old. Slowly, he scooped him up, cradling in his arms as Yuzuha leaned her head against his side, closing her eyes. She was tired too, wasn't she? It was late, she'd been awake waiting for him, and it just made him feel bad.

"I don't want Aniki to be hurt." she whispered.

"I'm alright."

"No you're not." she was right, he knew that. She could tell he was lying. He did limp to his safe place, after all. But he had to keep it up. Or else she'd crumble too.

"I'm alright, because you're not hurt." he assured her

His eyes widened as he turned the corner, seeing Yuzuha surrounded by a group of idiots with weapons. She was fighting them, kicking and punching however she could. His blood went cold, worry flooding his mind. Was she hurt? Was she bleeding? She didn't look injured, but still, Haruka was worried. Though anger slowly began to overtake the worry, realizing that these no-name punks were the same ones he had beaten earlier in the morning. Were they seriously trying hurt his sister for what happened earlier? Were these guys that lame?

He ran in, jumping and kicking a guy in the head, knocking him out cold. He landed right next to her, seeing her nearly drop her stance out of relief. "Aniki..!" she whispered.

"You're a reckless idiot, Yuzuha." he scolded, flicking her forehead. She yelped, rubbing it. But she still looked relieved to see him.

"It's the punk from earlier!" one called.

"Where did he come from?!"

"Are you sure that's him??"

"Of course I'm heckin' sure! That ugly hair and those mismatched eyes are difficult to forget!" Haruka smirked at those words. Finally.

That's more like it. That's the kind of reaction I was expecting.

Belittling, resenting, dismissing. It's what I know. I've given up in trying to be a nice person, because in the end, it doesn't matter to them. As long as I look like this, I won't be accepted. But I don't care. I've stopped caring for a while.

'Looks like not everyone in this town is insane.' he thought. He glanced back at Yuzuha. All she had were scrapes. She was still a bit inexperienced in fighting, after all, so he had expected that. He looked back at the punks. Without warning, he rushed in, slamming his fist against one in the face. "HOLY-"

"GYAHGH!"

"Hey, Yuzuha, try to not get in trouble. Can't keep solving these messes with my fists all of the time." he playfully spoke as he dodged a blow. His sister looked at him in surprise, but then she just laughed, getting into position. She launched herself, hair flowing with the wind as she spun, delivering a fluid roundhouse kick to one guy. He grinned, pride seeping into his chest as he punched a guy.

It doesn't matter if I'm alone... Only one person can be at the top!

"I'll try not to, Aniki!" she assured as she spun, almost dancing as she fought. She was graceful, fluid, and fast. Haruka knew she'd been doing her own research on fighting styles.

As long as I'm strong in a fight...

Haruka kneed a guy in the face, the satisfying crunch of bones breaking reaching his ears. He used the guy's body to leap into the air, fist reeled back as his bangs shadowed his face, his frustration evident.

...As long as I'm the strongest around, then that's enough to take the top, right?!

Yuzuha placed her hands on the floor, bending her body and spinning it, kicking a group of guys and sending them flying toward the walls. Haruka dove into the sea of opponents, punching a few of them in the face. Weapons were sent flying into the air and rolled on the floor.

So what does that have to do with being ALONE?!

"GAH-" he heard Yuzuha gasp. Looking to the side, his eyes widened with horror as he saw her being slammed against a garage door, pain etched on her face. He ran towards her, quickly grabbing the thug and slamming him against the wall. Blood poured from his nose, his body slowly sliding until it dropped to the floor.

"You alright?"

"Y-Yeah." she nodded, a bead of sweat rolling down her face. He nodded, quickly turning back to face the rest of the thugs. But then he felt a sharp pain on his ankle. He looked down, seeing a blade dug into his ankle. Pain shot throughout his entire leg as he wobbly stood, quickly kicking the guy in the face.

"Shit-" he hissed in pain, forcing himself to stand as he dodged a blow. His back collided with Yuzuha, pushing her against the garage door and shielding her. She grunted in pain, eyes widening in horror.

"Aniki..!"

Doing something for someone else's sake never once benefitted me... And yet...

"Aniki! I got a high score on the exam!" Six-year old Yuzuha beamed brightly at her brother, showing him a paper. He blinked, looking away from Shuya for a moment as he looked at it. His eyes widened slightly as he saw the red 75 written on the right corner. This was the highest score Haruka had ever seen before. His grades were just tipping towards the low average, between 50 and 60, sometimes reaching the 40's. Not like the bastards ever cared, he learned that a long time ago.

"You did amazing, Yuzuha." Haruka smiled.

"Do you think mama and papa will be proud?" she asked, her eyes shining. Even if her left eye was rolled up almost unnaturaly, Haruka could still see the gleam of joy it had. He swallowed.

"I think so."

"Yay!"

"Nii-san, are you hungry?" Haruka looked up from his homework, seeing five-year old Shuya handing him a plate. It had a small, plastic sandwich. The older quickly understood what Shuya had presented him.

"Haha. Thank you, Shuya." he said, seeing the way his brother's face had brightened at the acceptance of the gift "Did you make it yourself?"

"Mhm. At school. Though some boys wanted me to play soccer, but I don't like sports. But the girls let me cook with them." he nodded. Haruka's face softened at that.

"I'm glad to be your first customer."

Yuzuha, and Shuya...

He closed his eyes, protecting his sister as the metal made contact with his head. He saw stars as his head burst with pain, vision blurry and ears ringing. The last thing he saw was someone else taking a swing, ready to hit him. Yuzuha has probably said something, but he didn't know what.

Yuzuha held her older brother in her arms as he collapsed, shielding her even while he was unconscious. "ANIKI!" she shouted, seeing one of the thugs swing a bat. She closed her eyes, wanting to be the one to protect her brother, not the other way around. But the blow just... never came. Or at least, she didn't feel it. Opening her eyes, she gasped when she saw a boy older than her brother standing right in front of them, protecting them.

"A first-year and a middle school student? Man, you two really saved our butts, being here." the boy spoke. His hair was a bright brown, same with his eyes, and his teeth resembled those of a shark. Yuzuha gaped, her eye's pupil had shrunk, her breathing had become uneven and ragged. 'A Furin... uniform...' she thought, taking in the details of the boy.

"HIRAGI!" she heard Tachibana say. She looked to the side, seeing her holding Shuya, while also covering his eyes. She looked relieved to see the boy in question as Haruka and her fell, with her brother's bleeding head resting on her lap.

"Kotoha-chan. Don't get caught up in this troublesome clusterfuck." the boy, Hiragi, said. Slowly, he took the metal bat out of the thug's hands before elbowing him in the face. Yuzuha gasped. Hiragi swayed slowly, turning to the other three.

"Hey... You little shits..." he began as the sound of footsteps approached. The middle sister looked to the side, seeing more boys with the Furin uniform beginning to approach the scene. They all looked serious, shadows casted on their faces.

"Don't go swingin' this kinda stuff around town. You understand..." he began, placing both hands on the metal bat. Slowly, he put pressure, enough for it to bend.

"...WHAT DOING THIS SHIT GETS YOU, RIGHT?!" he roared in anger, heaving.

"Oh, c'mon! There're way less people than they said!" one beamed loudly, excited for battle.

"We could've handled this with two people." another whispered. While the fourth one just popped a lollipop into his mouth.

"Anyone past this point who causes pain, 

"Do you understand now?" Tachibana asked as she approached, Shuya running to the two. Yuzuha blinked when she felt him wrap his arms around her, small tears on the corners of his eyes that wet her uniform's shirt.

"Why I told your brother that he'd never make it to the top because he was alone?"

who brings destruction,

"It's- It's Furin! Furin's Hiragi!" one runt cried out.

"Don't just stand there! Only four more people showed up!! That's all! Go beat the shit outta them!" another exclaimed.

who holds evil in their heart,

"MATSUMOTO! KAJI! YANAGIDA! DON'T LET A SINGLE ONE OF THEM GET PAST US!" Hiragi ordered as the four ran in "SEND 'EM FLYING!" Yuzuha couldn't help but stare in awe at the scene, seeing the four of them run into the fight, fists raised and spirits high. She gaped. Because holy shit, they were amazing.

will be purged by Bofurin without exception."

"Matsumoto! Watch over those kids and Kotoha-chan until the first-year wakes up! And make sure he can think coherently!" Hiragi ordered.

"Is that boy alright?!" one guy, the loud one with a mohawk, asked as he approached. He must be Matsumoto.

"His head is bleeding, of course he isn't!" Tachibana snapped.

"Ah- Sorry! I didn't see the blood!" the boy apologized as he knelt down by the bi-colored teen's side, taking off his jacket and pressing it against his head, cleaning off the blood.

"He's definitely gonna have a concussion from that hit." Tachibana said as she took off her apron, folding it as if it was a pillow. Haruka's head was moved to rest on it, staining it with blood. Yuzuha's lips pursed as she looked at the other Bofurin students, who were fighting. Dammit, she wanted to do something too.

"Woah, his hair's two-toned! That's so cool!" Matsumoto smiled.

"Not the time."

"Right!"

"Gh..." Yuzuha gasped when she heard her brother groan. She looked down, seeing his eyes slowly peel open.

"Yuzu- Yuzuha..?"

"Aniki!" she smiled as she threw herself on him, hugging him tightly.

"ACK-" he wheezed.

"Don't do that!" Tachibana scolded.

"Whoops!" she quickly let go of him, carefully sitting down on her knees. Shuya just rested his head on Haruka's chest quietly.

"What... What happened?" he asked, blinking.

"You got hit in the head with a metal bat, kid! Had the idiot who swung aimed, you could've been worse!" Matsumoto spoke. Haruka flinched away, surprised.

"Who-"

"Say, you're a first-year at Furin, right?" Matsumoto asked her brother.

"Ah?"

"Good job on holding the fort for us!" he flashed them a smile "You and this lil' girlie did awesome! But now let your senpais do the rest!"

"...Huh?"

"Furin came to help, Aniki. Look." Yuzuha pointed forward, helping her brother see the current brawl. A brawl that Furin was winning, with bruised fists yet winning grins. Haruka's eyes widened.

"Well! Kotoha-chan, I'm gonna go back into the fight!" Matsumoto beamed before shuffling back and up and running back to the fight. TAchibana only nodded.

"You with us?" she asked, and Haruka merely nodded.

"GOOOOOO!"

"WE'VE BEEN WAITIN' FOR YOU GUYS!"

The siblings looked up, seeing the citizens peeking out of their windows and balconies, cheering on the students that were currently fighting. Haruka couldn't help but look in disbelief, while Yuzuha finally understood. "What the hell..? What's... What's going on here..?"

"This town was full of teams and gangs and whatnot fighting everywhere. That's what I told you, right?" Yuzuha nodded as the corners of her eye barely caught a guy being flung to a wall, crashing into it "To be precise, that was the case until two years ago. Since then, the town has changed. And the people who changed it...

...were the students of Furin High." she revealed. Yuzuha looked at her brother's uniform. They were the protectors of this town. Bofurin... They must have changed the name somewhere in that timespan.

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

"If ya can't use a damn bat right, then at least learn how to read!!" Hiragi shouted "ANYONE PAST THIS POINT WHO CAUSES PAIN!"

"They originally had Furin High's name written next to it, but..."

"WHO BRINGS DESTRUCTION!"

"...eventually, the townspeople gave them a new name... As the protectors who fight to defend the town."

"WHO HOLDS EVIL IN THEIR HEART! WILL BE PURGED BY BOFURIN, WITHOUT EXCEPTION!"

"Bofurin. The chime of the Wind Breaker. The protector of this town."

And Yuzuha could only think one thing.

Her brother was going to be a protector of the town as well. He'd be just as cool as them. And she wanted to be just like him, too.

Chapter Text

The place that Haruka got for basically free was shit, but what else was he expecting? It was better than the actual shed that he and his siblings had to live in for practically almost all of their life. But that wasn't to say it was good. It was just a one room apartment that looked like it was about to crumble at the slightest of things. But his siblings seemed fine with it, so.

He sighed as he was forced to lay down on the futon, head and ankle both dressed up with bandages. He was basically forced to stay on bed rest for now. At least until the concussion left. But knowing Yuzuha, she was not going to let him move out of bed until the next day. Which he was definitely going to complain about it for a bit at least.

He doesn't like staying still for long. Even when he was doing homework, it was difficult for him to stay still, he needed something to do. Which is why he would get dragged around by Yuzuha or Shuya. The former would drag him to help her dance and help her train, and the latter would drag him to play chef and have him 'taste' food and rate it. Activities that both of his siblings did constantly in the shed, to entertain all three of them while those bastards just did whatever they wanted in that luxurious house of theirs. They made his blood boil.

"The people of this town, they need you, Sakura."

His gaze hardened at what Tachibana had told him, the words playing like a broken record inside of his mind. The people need him? Yeah right. No way. What was she smoking? Sure, the people were protected by Bofurin. But they'd never need someone like him. They'd only see him as a freak. Probably. He shifted slightly in his futon, seeing Yuzuha already preparing dinner: three cups of instant ramen. The water had boiled and been poured into the cups already, she was just waiting for them to finish. Shuya, on the other hand, was playing with that old plush that Sakura had retrieved from a box of broken items once. It was going to be a gift for Yuzuha, but she didn't want it. So instead, he gave it to Shuya for his sixth birthday.

It was a big plush of a shark, all worn out and ragged with an x over one of its eyes, its original grayish blue colour becoming almost unrecognizable, almost taller than Shuya. And yet his younger brother never once parted from it the moment he saw it, packing it in the small bag he had when the three left for Makochi. Haruka will never understand why he is so attached to that thing, but he doesn't wanna see him sad, so he couldn't say no to him bringing the shark along in their long trip.

He came out of his thoughts when he feels something poke his cheek. He blinked, seeing the shark plush's nose poking his cheek. He looked up at Shuya. "What are you doing?" he asked, voice soft.

"You were looking at Kurosame." Shuya answered.

"Ah. I was just remembering how I got the little guy." Haruka admitted, sweatdropping.

"Nii-san saved him from getting crushed." Shuya said, hugging the plush close to him.

"That's right." Haruka nodded, that was the lie he had told his brother to seem more cool. Though he wished he could have gotten more things as well from that box for his siblings. But he didn't have time, and when he had returned the next day, the box had been emptied. His only guess was that someone saw him taking the shark plush and decided to take away the contents of the box, which was absolutely amazing. Note the sarcasm there.

"Aniki saw him and he thought how unfair it was for the little guy to be crushed, so he dove in and rescued him!" Yuzuha chimed with a grin as she brought the cups to the other two. Plopping down next to them, careful to not spill anything, she handed Shuya a cup first. His young brother placed the plush down on the floor, right next to him, and took it in his tiny hands, holding it like if it was sacred. She then helped Haruka sit up slowly, not wanting to jostle him much. He didn't really like being helped, but there wasn't much he could do about it.

Once he was sat up, she gave him his cup. He nodded at her as a way to say thank you, inhaling the delicious smell of the ramen. This was absolutely delicious. Though he did wish that they could get more than that. But money was tight and limited, which is why he had to save up. Save up for his siblings.

"Mmm, this flavour's so tasty!" Yuzuha beamed.

"It's strong. It's good." Shuya nodded. And Haruka agreed with them both, although he didn't voice it. They shared a meal in silence, the usual silence between the three of them. Whenever they ate, silence had always been prominent. They'd rather just enjoy the food first, and then talk.

Finishing their meal, Shuya cleaned it up for the other two while Yuzuha basically tucked Haruka in like a child. He sweatdropped. "You don’t have to baby me." he complained.

"You took a hit from a metal bat, aniki! We're not letting you try jack!" his younger sister exclaimed, puffing out her cheeks. Shuya nodded in agreement, not as vocal as Yuzuha, but nonetheless determined. Haruka sighed, resigning to his fate. Well, if his siblings were not gonna stop, then he might as well just give in. Besides, he did need a rest after what happened today.

Shuya knew that if either nee-san or nii-san found out about this, they'd be very upset with him. As the youngest, he's grown to accept that his siblings tend to be more protective of him than of themselves. And Shuya... he's not blind. At least to his siblings' actions. He has seen the way nii-san gives him or nee-san bigger shares of his food because he wants them to grow. He knows nee-san would rather give Shuya anything of hers just so he could have it.

He doesn't like it. He dislikes the fact that his siblings are always putting themselves aside. It's why he wants to grow up faster.

He looked down at where Kurosame had fallen, seeing him laying on his side on the street. He'd been playing because he couldn't sleep, and he had accidentally flung the plush out the window. His lips trembled, the idea of his dear friend hurt settling in his tiny mind. It's why he didn't hesitate in sneaking out of the apartment, leaving the door open so he could go back in. His tiny legs carried him down the stairs, hurrying down the steps as fast as he could. Which would never be as fast as his nii-san is, he's the fastest.

He eventually made it to the street, quickly turning the corner where he had memorized the place Kurosame had fallen. However, much to his surprise, he found the familiar sight of a really tall boy holding the plush in confusion. A tall boy with straightened, short, blond-tan hair and green eyes. He was wearing the uniform of the school his nii-san was going to attend, just with a black t-shirt. There was a brief recognition in Shuya's mind. He was one of the four that had come to help nii-san earlier in the day. The one that seemed like the leader.

Shuya stared at the boy with alarm in his body despite his expression. He had Kurosame in his hands, holding him carefully. His fingers were feeling the fabric, as if curious. And then he looked up, seeing Shuya right there. The younger froze up at the fact that he'd been spotted. And the other boy didn't look that less surprised either.

"Hey, what are you doing out here this late?? It's dangerous!" he scolded, walking towards Shuya. The tiny boy just stared, because this boy is holding Kurosame. And he has shark-like teeth. His teeth are like Kurosame's. He's like Kurosame. He's like Kurosame! He's like his dear friend!

Shuya pointed at the plush, eyes gleaming. The boy looked at it for a moment before he seemed to understand. "Oh, is this little guy yours?" he asked "Found him stranded, and thought someone must have left.

"Mhm. He's my friend."

"I see. Well, you gotta be careful, alright kid? And not go out at night." the boy said, crouching down to Shuya's level.

"I know. I hurt him, I didn't want to or mean to." Shuya nodded, lips pursed as he reached his tiny hands for Kurosame. His friend was given back almost instantly, and the youngest Sakura hugged him tightly, the worn-out fabric brushing against his skin. He didn't care, though. He had his friend back, that's all that mattered to him. He didn't want to let him go again. What if he hurts him again?

"I'm sure you didn't mean to hurt your friend." the boy assured, a small, gentle smile on his face "If you were this desperate to go and help him, then you didn't mean it." Shuya nodded, cheek pressed against his friend's head. Then he glanced at the boy again.

"You're like my friend." he said. The taller blinked.

"Eh?" Shuya reached his hand and poked his cheek.

"Sharp teeth, but... You're really soft and warm. And you smile with all your teeth." Shuya said, a small glint of happiness in his eyes. The boy seemed surprised by his words.

"And Kurosame likes you. He wants to be your friend." he added, pushing the shark plush forward so that its nose booped the boy's nose. There was a small moment of silence before the tall boy smiled, reaching a hand out and patting the plush on the head.

"Heheh. Well, tell your friend I want to be his friend, too." Shuya's joy grew bigger at that, lips quirking upwards for a moment.

"Yeah!"

"Now come on. I'll walk you two home. 'Cause that's what friends do."

If Umemiya saw him now, Hiragi was sure that his leader would have been beaming with joy at the fact that he may have made a pair of new friends in a small child and a shark plush. As ridiculous as it sounded, that's what had happened. Went out on a night patrol to make sure the dumbasses from earlier in the day were not making people's lives harder, found an old and worn-out shark plush on the pavement, picked it up and then ended up seeing a child.

As he walked back home, hands buried in his pockets, he couldn't help but frown. The apartment complex that the child, Sakura Shuya, had pointed him to looked like it had not been looked after for years. It was located at the outskirts of the town, rotting, decaying. How it was still standing went through Hiragi's head, because it made no sense at all.

"It's only me, nii-san and nee-san." Shuya had said. Only him and his older siblings, which was even more concerning. How much older were they? Were they working? Were they at school? And where the hell were their parents?!

Hiragi exhaled, already feeling his stomach churning just from the stress of worrying over Shuya. He has barely known him for like, 5 minutes, and yet he's already made an impact on him. He exhaled, taking out his box of Gas-kun 10. The pills inside rattled with the movement. Dammit.

'I definitely gotta talk to Umemiya about this.'

Chapter Text

I came to this town in order to fight and to protect my siblings.

There's an infamous delinquent school here called Furin High.

But that school...

Has been nicknamed Bofurin. It's become a school that protects the town.

Haruka grumbled curses under his breath, his back killing him from the weight he was carrying while Yuzuha just smiled and Shuya held his older sister's hand, since his older brother had his hands full already. Tachibana turned her head, surprised to see them there so early. "Eh? Sakura, what's wrong? Do you have a tummy ache?" she asked.

"Nii-san is helping a nice lady." Shuya piped up, Kurosame tucked tightly below his arm. Normally, the boy would leave the plush at home when it came to going to school, under the pretence of Kurosame protecting the home from any possible burglars or meanies. Shuya sometimes would murmur that his friend was not a dog, but he always listened when it came to leaving him behind. But today, neither Haruka nor Yuzuha could actually convinced him to do so, he'd been incredibly insistent to not leave him behind, for some reason. The youngest Sakura was practically glueing himself to his plush. So they ended up giving in, as long as Shuya kept the plush safe from any harm. Haruka would ask him later.

"Yeah, 'cause this old lady has the gall to use me as a dam- as a frickin' horse!" Haruka exclaimed. Tachibana's eyes seemed to brighten up with recognition as the old lady took a peek from over the bi-coloured-haired teen's shoulder.

"Granny Sato!"

"Good morning, Kotoha-chan." the woman, granny Sato, waved at her, but then she glared at him "Are you telling an old lady to jump off from your back at this height? Be more considerate of your elders, boy. You wouldn't want to give your little siblings a bad impression, either." she scolded almost playfully. Oh, she was getting 

"Nii-san is the best." Shuya simply said. Yuzuha nodded with a smile.

"Goodness, you both are so sweet. Your older brother is very lucky to have you." Miss Sato said as she, quite literally, jumped off of Haruka's back, landing like a god damn superhero. Haruka stared in disbelief as the old woman walked over to Tachibana with ease.

"HAAAAAHH?! Didn't ya say yer hips were hurtin' so much ya can't stand?!" he exclaimed. The old lady took a few more steps before she stopped completely by Tachibana's side, looking back at Haruka.

"Ahhhh, owwww... This is as far as I can goooo... My hips are in too much paaaain..." she drawled out theatrically, causing Tachibana to laugh softly at her playful demeanor.

"DON'T GO SPOUTING THAT CRAP WHEN YOU STUCK THAT LANDING LIKE YOU'RE PART OF THE AVENGERS!" he shouted. The old lady let out a hearty laugh.

"What are the avegeners, nee-san?" Shuya asked, looking at his sister. She shrugged, just as confused as him.

"You may be rude, but you're still a Furin boy." she said, sitting down "You and your siblings were a lot of help. Thank you." she smiled warmly at the siblings. Haruka huffed, but before he could start fussing, Shuya ran over to Tachibana with Kurosame in his arms. She blinked.

"Hey there, little buddy." she greeted, crouching down to his level  with a smile"Is that your friend you have with you?"

"Mhm. His name's Kurosame." Shuya nodded.

"I see! He's very cute!" Tachibana beamed "I'm sure he protects you a lot, huh?"

"Mhm." Shuya nodded again, glancing at his plush for a moment "Kurosame likes you. He wants to be your friend." he announced, booping Tachibana on the nose with Kurosame's nose. She beamed at that.

"Oh, I'd love to be his friend! He looks like a very strong friend." she said.

"He is. He guards our home whenever we're out. He's super brave and kind."

"That's the sort of friend I'd want to have."

"I think Shuya likes Tachibana-san, aniki." Yuzuha whispered to her brother, looking at the scene fondly.

"Mh. What do you think of her, Yuzuha?" Haruka asked. His younger sister blinked, staring at him in surprise. Then she looked at Tachibana, who had gently picked up Shuya and sat him on one of the stools next to the bar.

"...I'm still mad she said you were alone and would never reach the top, but... She's a really nice person." she concluded, her gaze soft as she looked at Shuya and Tachibana interact. That was enough for the eldest. If both of his siblings trusted her, as well as his own opinion of her being positive, then he decided she wasn't as delusional as he first thought.

"How's your head and ankle, Sakura?" Tachibana asked as she beckoned the older siblings to come closer, which they did, albeit confused. To their surprise, she whipped out a breakfast meal for the three: a bunch of fully-packed egg sandwiches with seasonal fruits.

"I'm alright. Good enough to walk to Furin." he shrugged. Tachibana hummed at that.

"Isn't the entrance ceremony starting in the afternoon?" she asked.

"Yeah, nii-san's starts in the afternoon. But not nee-san's or mine's." Shuya nodded as he ate.

"Is that why you're wearing the uniform, Sakura? 'Cause you're that excited?? Or is it because you want to make sure your siblings are safe and kick asses if someone messes with them?" the waitress asked with a smug smile despite the fondness in her tone.

"Sh-Shut up! Yuzuha can fight just fine!" he said, embarrassed "B-Besides! Their schools are close to Furin anyway! So it's a coincidence!"

"But didn't you insist on coming with us just to drop us off and talk to our teachers?" Shuya asked, confused. Haruka's face burst into a bright shade of red at that. Yuzuha snickered at that, a big smile on her face.

"Awww, aren't you a good big brother?" Tachibana teased, gently slapping him on the forearm. Haruka grumbled in response, looking away as Yuzuha also began to eat. God, he actually was hungry. And Tachibana is a decent cook. She didn't actually try and give him anything raw or rotten. He began to eat, the food tasting like heaven inside of his mouth. He closed his eyes, enjoying the meal.

'I wish Yuzuha and Shuya had this sort of meal every day instead of what we have...' he thought, brows furrowed. His siblings deserved better than what they actually had. And no matter how much Yuzuha convinces him otherwise, sometimes he wishes they weren't related to him just so they could have a better life. Because they're so young, they still have their life ahead of them. Not him. Though she'd disagree.

"KOTOHA-SAAAAAAN!!" a boy shouted as the cafe door flung open, Haruka's head quickly snapping towards the direction of the voice just in time to see a blond guy trip on his own feet and fall down face first. Huh. What a first impression. He heard Yuzuha snort beside him, while Shuya just made a confused noise.

"Oh, good morning, Nirei-chan!" the old lady greeted, and Haruka was not going to lie, he forgot she was here for a moment. Nirei, huh.

"Good morning, Granny Sato!" the boy, Nirei, beamed brightly as he quickly got up, undusting himself. He was wearing the Furin uniform, wearing a flashy purple shirt and a golden chain. His bangs were pulled back by a hairclip, being held back, and he was wearing some flashy sunglasses. Haruka scoffed at that. Flashy people. How he dislikes them.

"How does my Furin uniform look, Kotoha-san?! It's dapper, ain't it?!" Nirei asked, spinning around in glee and excitement. Haruka blinked, noticing a familiar-looking tag sticking out of his back. He snorted.

"The tag's still on it." he commented casually.

"And the one on the pants, too!" Yuzuha chirped with a smile, mouth half full.

"Yuzuha." Haruka only said, sweatdropping at her attitude. She blinked for a moment, gulping down the big bite in her mouth before nodding, giving him a sheepish smile.

"Huh?! Ack! They really-" Nirei began, squirming around before slipping and falling on his back "-are..." it was silent for a couple of seconds, Haruka blinking. Processing. This guy... Was he seriously going to Furin? Really?? He's ridiculous.

"What the heeeck?! I can't get it ooooff!" he whined, kicking his legs. Haruka decided to ignore him, annoyed at his childish display of emotions. But he paused when he saw Shuya get up from his seat and hop down, walking over to the blond while he left Kurosame on the counter, the plush turned to him as if he was also watching the scene. His fingers hooked around the cord of the tags, pulling at them and ripping them off with ease.

"Ah?" Nirei let out, blinking. Shuya didn't say anything, just handing him the tags back, as if they were a possession to have.

"Oh- Thank you, kid! That was nice of you!" Nirei beamed, gently patting Shuya on the head with a bright smile. Too bright, in Haruka's opinion. Shuya just nodded, walking back to his seat and hopping up with Yuzuha's help, taking his plush back into his arms. If he could emote, Haruka would be Kurosame would either be proud of Shuya, or looking at the blond judgementally.

"Huh? And this guy's in Furin, too?" the heterochromatic boy asked, giving the boy a heavily judgemental gaze.

"Yup. You two will be in the same grade." Tachibana nodded.

"Wh-What do you mean this guy?! I've never seen you before, either!! You didn't come from out of town, did you?!" the blond asked, aggressively pointing at him. Haruka's eye twitched.

"I did. And it doesn't matter where I came from-"

"ALSO!!" the blond practically flew towards him, inspecting him super closely. Haruka flinched, because what the hell was this guy doing? Why was he acting like this? 'What is with this guy..?'

"WHAT IS THIS?! HOW?!" he gasped "THAT HAIR! AND THOSE EYES!!" his fists curled at that, feeling his face scowl. Yuzuha's shoulders tensed up, as if she was ready to fight him for Haruka's honour, while Shuya held Kurosame tighter.

"What about 'em?" he asked. Nirei placed his hands on his shoulders, almost looking... concerned?

"Are they from stress? You poor thing, you're still so young..." he asked, and Haruka felt his brain shortcircuiting for a moment after those words were said. Because what? Stress? Huh? What was he talking about?

"Stress??" Yuzuha whispered as Tachibana began to laugh loudly at that, holding her stomach.

"Do we stress out nii-san?" Shuya asked, lips forming a thin line and brows furrowed. Oh no.

"Of course you don't! Don't listen to this lame guy!" Haruka quickly said, waving his hands around.

"Lame?!"

"Yeah, we don't stress out aniki, Shuya!" Yuzuha nodded urgently.

"I'm sorry! Nirei, this guy over here is Sakura. And these two kids are his little siblings." Tachibana said, wiping a tear away from her eye "And this is Nirei."

"Sakura... Never heard of any Sakura from outta town that has any siblings..." Nirei hummed as he took out a small notebook, flipping the pages at an almost inhuman speed. How the hell was he doing that? Hello?

"Why would some no-name kid come here..?" Haruka's irritation became evident when he aggressively pointed at the blond.

"He doesn't mean it. He's just like that." Kotoha sighed.

"Furin High isn't just any other normal high school! The people of Bofurin stand up to protect the town. They defend the weak and crush the wicked. They're like heroes here!" Nirei rambled "Everyone who comes to Furin all look up at them! People who want to aid in protecting the town are all super cool!! And of course, I'm one of those very people!!" he sounded proud about saying the last part. As if he'd been dreaming about it for a while.

"Why would a nobody who has no connection with the town want to come to Furin?!" Yuzuha rolled her eyes, finishing her breakfast. Haruka glanced at her for a moment. She'd shoved the rest of the food into her mouth like a chipmunk. He sweatdropped.

"So I can become the top of the school." he answered. There was a silence that followed, with Nirei's incredulous expression obvious. So, Haruka continued.

"Yeah, these heroes defending the town are real cool and all, and there seems to be a lot of pretty strong guys there. So if I can become the best in a place like that..." he reached up a hand, licking off the remains of his meal "...Then that'd feel pretty satisfying." he finished with a smirk, a challenging glint in his eyes. To be the top of a school of heroes felt like the right thing. The way to prove himself, to rebel in the freedom. To protect his siblings.

"You should watch yourself. That's just not possible." Nirei said, much to Haruka's chagrin. Because what did he know?

"If you say that, and actually go for it..." he began, slowly walking towards the eldest Sakura. Yuzuha tensed up, ready to fight. Nirei placed down his hands on his shoulders again.

"Then you'll go bald." he promptly said. It was so out of left field, it took Haruka off guard. Tachibana began to laugh again, slapping the counter with her hand.

"ANIKI WILL NEVER GO BALD!" Yuzuha exclaimed, jumping from her seat "YOU'LL GO BALD WHEN I RIP OFF YOUR HAIR!!"

"EH?! BUT IT'S TRUE! WITH HOW MUCH WHITE HAIR HE HAS, THAT MUCH STRESS ON BEING ON THE TOP WILL END UP LEAVING HIM WITH NO HAIR!"

"NUH UH!"

Haruka brought a hand to his face, already wanting to crawl into a hole. Seriously, he loves Yuzuha, she's his little sis. But she didn't need to do that. Constantly defending his honour like nothing. He wished she'd defend herself more than she defends him.

"AAAAH!"

"What's up?" Tachibana asked Nirei, who was looking at the clock.

"LOOK HOW LATE IT IS ALREADY!" he yelled, bringing his hands to his head for a moment. Haruka looked up at the clock. It was already 10 AM. But the ceremony was in the afternoon, not in the morning, right? So why the hell was he panicking.

"Kotoha-san! I'm heading out now!" he beamed.

"Hey, hold up!" Yuzuha called.

"Huh? You're not going to have your usual breakfast?" Tachibana asked.

"HEY!"

"I only came to show off my uniform..." Nirei shyly admitted.

"LISTEN TO ME!"

"I'm thinking of doing three more rounds of patrol before the entrance ceremony." Nirei began as he pushed the door open, the bell ringing. A small stream of sunlight shone down upon him, and Haruka's breath hitched for a moment.

"Since, starting today... I'm gonna be joining the heroes!" he beamed. His smile was bright. It almost reminded Haruka of the sun. His hair, too, it was almost the same colour as the sun. Nirei bumped into the doorframe, laughing nervously as he exited. Once the door closed, he heard him yelp in surprise. Haruka sweatdropped.

"See? There are some pretty interesting people there, huh?" Tachibana spoke up.

"Yeah, interesting all right!!" Yuzuha exclaimed "He's a total klutz!"

"He doesn't listen to anything anyone says!" Haruka added, quickly snapping out of his trance "Plus, what the heck is wrong with him..? He's so lame... People like that are in Furin, too?" he huffed.

"They gotta look the part if they wanna be called heroes." Yuzuha huffed.

"...He's bright." Shuya quietly added.

"I didn't know you were into fashion." Tachibana commented as she took back the plates "Want another cup of coffee?" she asked the eldest, who nodded.

"People like that who care about their clothes are the first to run when a fight breaks out. There isn't anyone more pathetic." Haruka said, shaking his head.

"You don't know if that's true." Tachibana countered.

"I've seen it before..." he insisted, shaking his head as his fists tightened "Enough times to make me sick."

"Cowards." Yuzuha bitterly bit out in agreement, her fingers curling around the fabric of her skirt.

"WHAT ARE YA BASTARDS DOIN'?!" Yuzuha gasped as she heard her brother, still covering her eye with her palms. She looked back, seeing Haruka running at full speed towards her and the group of kids.

"Look, the other freak!" one laughed.

"What is he gonna do, punch us?" another asked jokingly. Haruka jumped up, dropkicking one in the face. The body roughly collided with the floor, screams of fear ringing out as her big brother landed right in front of her, standing protectively.

"RUN! HE'S A MONSTER!" a third one shouted. The group ran away, one kid grabbing the one on the floor and dragging him away.

"Fuckin' cowards." he huffed.

"Aniki..." Yuzuha shakily called, tears streaming down her face, unable to get up from where she was. Haruka looked at her, his face softening. Bruises were blooming on her cheeks and on one of her arms, her eyepatch on the floor, all dirty and stomped on. He knelt down in front of her, and she crawled into his arms, sobbing into his shoulder.

"I'm here." he murmured, his hands stroking her head as comfort "C'mon, let's go home. Shuya's waitin' for us." he told her. She didn't move from his hold though, and he understood what she wanted. He grabbed her eyepatch, wiped off any dirt or bugs off of it on his jacket and putting it on her again. Then, he let her climb onto his back, securing his hold on her and her grip just so she wouldn't fall before pushing himself back up to his feet and beginning to walk.

"I see." Tachibana hummed, snapping the two older siblings out of their shared flashback "Say, Sakura? Do you know what colour the coffee fruit is?" she asked, looking at him. It was a question for him, not for Yuzuha or Shuya.

"Brown... Like coffee?" he answered, hesitant on his own answer, because he didn't really know.

"It's red. They're smooth, like cherries." she told him "At first, I thought the fruits were the beans that sold in the jars. But I never knew that those were actually the seeds, and that they were white before they were roasted. You never know what something really looks like if you're only looking at it from one direction. You're free to think however you want, but don't be too hasty to form your opinion." she said, placing down the cup of coffee. Haruka's eyes widened slightly.

"You should talk to them... Really look at them... And understand them. Or else, you'll never really know what a person is like." Haruka looked down at the cup of coffee with soft eyes, the image of the town coming to his mind. The people who helped him and nursed him yesterday, even despite his insistent refusals to go to the hospital because he did not trust those places anymore. They were so kind.

Why were they so kind..?

"That guy..." he mumbled. Tachibana looked up, curious.

"Is he actually a good fighter?"

"Is that the only thing that matters to you?" Tachibana deadpanned.

Chapter Text

The trio of siblings walked down the busy street of Tonpu Market Street. Shuya sat on Yuzuha's arms as she carried him, the little boy hugging Kurosame close. "Don't drop Kurosame in here, Shuya." Haruka told him, receiving a nod from the youngest in response. He wouldn't want the other to lose his friend. Haruka may or may not have also gotten attached to the old plush, but it would never be as big of an attachment as Shuya's.

"So many people..." Yuzuha murmured, shoulder brushing against her older brother's as she stuck to him like glue "Are you sure the route to our schools is this one?" she asked.

"Mhm." Haruka nodded, hands in his pockets. He was completely alert, not wanting to let his siblings get lost in this sea of people.

"You're free to think however you want, but don't be too hasty to form your opinion."

Tachibana's words resonated in his mind as the trio of siblings walked, and just the mere thought made him frown. Sure, he'd keep her words in mind, but... it's not like he was wrong. Those kinds of people always ran away at the slightest of inconveniences. Always so quick to gang up on others, using numbers to their advantage. But the moment those numbers were dwindled, they ran. They acted so tough just for show. He's seen it many times before.

He snapped out of his thoughts the moment that a tray of warm bread was shoved right in front of his face. He recoiled back, surprised by the sudden move. "Hey, it's you! Do you want a loaf of bread? It's freshly baked!" a baker offered with a warm smile.

"Uh... Why?" Haruka stammered, confused.

"'Why'? Well..." the baker chuckled "You Furin kids are always helping us out! We just want to give back when we can!" he smiled.

"You're the boy with his siblings who was in that fight here yesterday!" a woman beamed "Everyone was talking about how lucky we were to have you and your sister here!" her smile was almost blinding, it caused Haruka's cheeks to grow warm, his stomach doing weird flips in response.

"I... I'm not hungry right now!" he walked past the pair out of embarrassment.

"Huh?"

"S-Sorry about my brother! We're not used to sudden offers!" Yuzuha waved her hands as she tried to explain.

"Ah! You were in the fight too, were you not?" the baker asked, and Haruka paused his steps, watching his siblings. Right, he had walked past without his siblings.

"Here, you and your brothers must be hungry!"

"Ah- W-We aren't really!" Yuzuha nervously assured.

"In that case, you should bring some with you all and have it for lunch!" the woman smiled.

"Wh-"

"Our baking's good even after it's cooled down!" the baker chimed happily.

"Urk-"

"Have a good day!" In the end, Shuya accepted the bag that was offered, giving the pair a small nod. Yuzuha was too frozen in place to do anything until Haruka came back and sorta dragged her. He grunted as he took the bag, deciding to not let his baby brother carry it. Kurosame could slip from his grip.

"Oh, hey! Thanks for yesterday! Why don't you kids take some apples with you?"

"Hey there, kiddos! You were really flashy yesterday! Take some croquettes! They're on the house!"

"Hi, son! You and your lil sis are some strong kids! You wanna try competing in drinks against this old man?"

"Don't be stupid, dad! They're minors!"

Haruka dumbfoundedly stared up ahead as he and Yuzuha, who'd been forced to set Shuya down, carried with them a bunch of bags filled with food. Their arms were completely loaded. Shuya, on the other hand, was munching on a banana he was given, while also feeding Kurosame. 'Feeding' read between quotations, because the shark is a plushie, therefore he's not a real shark, and he does not need to eat. But Shuya liked to feed him anyway.

"Everyone in this town is weird..." Yuzuha murmured, confused. Haruka couldn't help but agree. They're all too friendly to them. Especially to Haruka himself. Why? What the hell was wrong with them?

"don't be too hasty to form your opinion."

So... It was my own opinion... That there was no way anyone would look at me like that...

His heart clenched at the thought. Was this... Was this what being accepted was like? His siblings- Shuya had his small friend group at school that always talked about animals they liked. They were so young and full of life. Despite the constant glares Haruka always got from Shuya's teachers when he came to pick up his youngest sibling, Shuya never once felt excluded. And Yuzuha had the Hirata girl she saved from those assholes at her school. Yuzuha's first real friend, because those other kids that faked being her friends revealed themselves the moment they pulled off her eyepatch as a prank.

He never got to meet them because, well. If he did, his siblings would be all alone again. Because they were the siblings of a freak. He couldn't risk that. He couldn't risk them being lonely and turning up like the unstable mass of anger and violence that Haruka was. Although Yuzuha was already on that path, he wanted to avoid it from fully happening if he could. Their happiness was something precious and valuable, it was something he wanted to protect with his life. Even if it meant he'd have to take all of the negativity that was being thrown at the trio. For them? It was worth it.

"EXCUSE ME!!" Haruka screeched out of pure shock the moment he heard someone shout, throwing his arms up in the air. All of the things in his arms flew, and if it hadn't been for Yuzuha's quick thinking, everything would have plummeted to the floor. His head whipped around, seeing a girl grabbing his sleeve.

"You're from Furin, right?!" she asked, panic in her tone "Please, help!!" she pleaded. Haruka glanced at Yuzuha and Shuya for a moment before nodding. Yuzuha gave their gifts to a woman, asking to hold onto them for now, before flashing a thumbs up at her brother.

"Let's go." the girl looked relieved as she grabbed his hand, beginning to guide them to the scene of the commotion. Haruka let himself be dragged, Yuzuha close behind as she held Shuya in her arms again. Judging from the girl's panicked tone, they both could tell that it was not something good. The girl looked like she'd run all the way while looking for help out of desperation.

His foot still hurt from the stab wound he got, but the adrenaline dulled the pain until it was but a tingling sensation.

They arrived at the scene, Haruka's eyes widening. It was that Nirei guy. He was getting tossed back like a ragdoll by some wannabe gangsters, face bruised and uniform dirtied. He frowned. He wasn't strong at all, huh. Though, he was surprised to see him get up and try to stop them. Huh. Maybe... Just maybe, he was wrong about the guy. He can barely hear what they're saying, but he can hear the punk laugh. Probably mocking the blond.

"Miss, can you please look after our younger brother?" Yuzuha asked with barely contained rage. The girl looked surprised, but nodded, muttering out a quiet 'y-yeah!' that was barely audible. Shuya looked up at the elder siblings.

"Nii-san... Nee-san..." he murmured.

"It's alright, Shuya. Kurosame will protect you." the elder boy assured, cracking his knuckles. He glanced at his sister just one time, before she nodded in agreement. And with that, they ran in.

All Akihiko felt was pain. His body burned from all of the blows he was taking from the punk. But there was no way he could back down from this. Those guys were harassing that innocent girl! She didn't want to go with them. They were practically going to force themselves upon her! These assholes were crossing all of her boundaries! And he couldn't just not do anything!

"THAT'S ENOUGH! LET GO, ASSHOLE! GIVE UP ALREADY!!" the leader screamed, continuing to hit Akihiko. Yet he didn't falter. Not once. Because that's what heroes did, right?

"I don't care if you're called Bofurin, or Brofurin, or whatever the hell you wanna be!" the asshole exclaimed, and the fact that he stopped hitting Akihiko meant that he was going to prepare a harder attack. The blond swallowed, closing his eyes.

"THE ONLY ONE GETTING PURGED TODAY IS YOU!!"

"GO TO HELL!"

The sound of a voice screaming, as well as the fact that his own body fell forward, made Akihiko open his eyes. His breath came to a halt for a moment as he saw two of the kids he remembered from earlier at the cafe kicking the guy in the face. Sakura and the girl who yelled at him for hinting that her brother would go bald if he aimed for the top spot. Really, Akihiko was just being genuinely concerned back there, okay?! With that much white hair at his age, he'd probably have some health problems in the near future!

He blinked, seeing the asshole fly back a few meters, sliding across the floor. Ouch. That had to have left some nasty friction burns at best... "Wh-What just-" one punk murmured in disbelief.

"Why did you... Why did you two save me?!" Akihiko's voice was strangled, hoarse. He just couldn't believe it, either. But Sakura's just remained standing tall, back turned to Akihiko as he undusted his shoulder.

"What the hell do you two think you're doing, assholes?!"

"That uniform... Hey, that older kid's from Furin, too!!"

"Here to save your pal, huh?! And comin' with a little girl that isn't even from Furin?!"

"Save my pal..? Don't get the wrong idea, dumbass." Sakura huffed, placing a hand on his hip "I just can't stand people who act like they're strong when they're weak as shit."

"It's stupid." the girl chimed "You think you're hot shit, when you're nothing but food so rotten not even raccoons or crows would ever want to taste." she huffed, rolling her eye. Akihiko's heart dropped. Shit. No, they- these two were in total trouble! He needed to call for reinforcements or-

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU LITTLE SHITS!?" one shouted as they all began to charge at them.

"YOU BOTH CAN'T TAKE THEM ALL ON YOUR OWN!" Akihiko warned how he could, but they were closing in on them. He could barely move at the moment, too frozen in worry and shock, and in too much pain.

"Let's dance, aniki!" the girl laughed as she ran in. Her body moved fluidly, like she was dancing, as she punched one in the face, blood spraying from his nose. Akihiko's eyes widened as the mere strength of that single punch sent him rolling on the floor, blood pouring down. Sakura had already moved as well, kicking one in the stomach.

They moved like a tandem, no words exchanged between one another, so fast and so beautifully. The girl had so much grace in her moves, while Sakura was violent, a complete contrast that made a beautiful combination. Akihiko stared in shock as the guys were downed in just seconds, the sun bathing the figures of the siblings in an almost ethereal light. His breath hitched.

"W...Wow..." he murmured as the wind kicked up, adding a visual effect that almost made him think that these two were some sort of deities.

In just the blink of an eye... Just who... who are they..?

The thought rang in his head as he watched Sakura toss the thug he was holding by the shirt to the ground in annoyance, the body making a thud in response. "Shit... You guys are seriously weak..." he huffed.

"What did you expect, aniki? Flashy idiots." the girl commented drily, rolling her shoulder. Then they both turned to him, eyes gleaming almost in predatory way. It made Akihiko flinch. He fumbled around for a few seconds, but then they walked past him, and it just... filled him with shame. Because these two were so strong. One was his soon-to-be classmate, and the other was a girl younger than him. They took care of this so easily... And he couldn't.

"Thank you both... for saving me..." he began, voice shaky "It's a disappointment, isn't it..? To have someone like me in Bofurin... and even in Furin..." he laughed, dry and clearly self-depricating. His lips began to tremble.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't mean to save you." Sakura spoke up "You can find people trying to act the part with flashy looks anywhere." those words made Akihiko's eyes began to shake, a thin coat of water beginning to form. Hah. He was right. He was totally right.

"I don't know why you came to Furin, but you better realize that your strength isn't-"

"I!" he exclaimed, cutting off the older brother "...have been treated like a gofer and got beat up every day, ever since I was young... All I could do was obey everything I was told... But the only person who stepped in to save me... was someone from Furin..." his chest tightened at the memory. The Furin student's roaring words of anger for Akihiko, not at him, the way his bullies cowered and ran, the sheer determination... It had warmed his heart. It moved him. It was so... so cool.

"Normally, I would've been scared of him. But, at that moment... he was really cool." he felt something warm trickle down his cheeks "I wanted to be just like him... I wanted to be strong, to be cool... That's why I chose Furin..." he choked out, ducking his head down. His shoulders were trembling.

"But... I'm absolutely pathetic..."

He felt a gentle weight on his back.

People like that who only care about their clothes are the first to run when a fight breaks out. There isn't anyone more pathetic.

"...WILL BE PURGED BY BOFURIN WITHOUT EXCEPTION!!"

Haruka remained silent as Yuzuha had quietly approached the blond and knelt down behind him, pressing her forehead against his back. A gesture of understanding, because she knew what it was like. Haruka knew what it was like. Second-hand, of course, but he still knew what that felt like. His throat was dry for a moment as he chose his words carefully. "You already can't fight. Don't be a crybaby, too. It's only gonna make you look weaker." he said. Nirei sniffed quietly, clearly unable to stop. Haruka sighed.

"But... I'll admit. I don't think you're all that pathetic." he said, rubbing the back of his neck as he felt a gentle warmth on his cheeks. He heard Nirei gasp at his words.

"It takes a lot of guts for someone to stand up to others." Yuzuha commented quietly, her voice was soft "Not many can do that. Take so many hits like a punching bag and still stand and try and stop the bad guys." Nirei looked back, seeing her right there. Clearly, he was surprised. Shuya ran past him, his tiny steps slowing down until he was by Haruka's side.

"Did she take care of you?" he asked. Shuya nodded.

"Umm!" the girl exclaimed as she ran up to Nirei, kneeling down next to him "Are you okay?!" she asked.

"Uhh, yeah! No! I mean- I'm perfectly fine!" the blond stammered, fumbling with his arms.

"I was so scared when they grabbed my arm. I'm so grateful you were there." she spoke before bowing her head "Thank you... so much..." she whispered. Nirei just looked down, but Haruka was sure he was still crying. Yuzuha got up, walking up to her two brothers. The older noticed the way her eye was glassy, she was aggressively wiping at it.

"You okay?" he asked quietly. She nodded.

"Let's go." she murmured. He nodded, turning back and ready to start walking again. They'd have to take back their things and bring them home before 

"A-And you three, as well! Thank you!" the girl added, looking at the siblings. Haruka's cheeks grew warm as he began to walk.

"SAKURA-" his head snapped towards Nirei "-san..."

"What do you want?" he asked. The boy seemed to cower for a moment, but he regained his composure as he took out a notebook and a pen. Haruka blinked, confused by this. Wasn't that the same notebook he had pulled out at the cafe before?

"What's your height, weight, blood type, hobbies, skills, best attacks, and what do you look for in a partner?!"

"WHA?!" In just the blink of an eye, the blond was right in his personal space, asking questions and touching him. His face burned bright red.

"You're just a little taller than me, so around 5"6. You've got a lot of muscles and very little fat. About 130 pounds, huh?"

"Hey-"

"Shoe size is men's 8.5... You've still got a lot to grow!!"

"Wha- THAT'S GROSS! DON'T TOUCH ME! DON'T MEASURE ME!" Haruka had punched the boy on the head out of embarrassment.

"S-Sorry..." Nirei whimpered, rubbing his head. Haruka huffed.

"What's up with that??" Yuzuha hissed, hiding behind her brother. Shuya just looked at Nirei intensely, as if judging him.

"I like gathering data on the people I think are super cool..." the blond explained shyly, and that just made Haruka blush. Huh? Him? Super cool?

"Of course aniki's super cool!" Yuzuha beamed "He's the best of the best!" oh god, no.

"Nii-san's super super cool." Shuya nodded.

"F-Fine. Do whatever you want!" the eldest huffed, turning on his heel.

"Okay! I'll watch you! Way up close!" Nirei beamed "And while I'm at it, lemme show you around!"

"Hah?" Haruka asked "Are you trying to imply that I don't know how to get to school? I'll smack ya into the sky."

"Uhhh, no... Not that." Nirei sweatdropped at the taller's words "I might not be helpful in a fight, but I know all about the town and its people! Everyone, all the way to the top!" he pointed up to the sky as a beam of sunlight bathed him. Haruka's eyes widened at the way Nirei's eyes gleamed in excitement and joy. How could someone be so... bright and warm? It didn't... It didn't make sense. Not one ounce of sense. This was so- It was so weird. Was he supposed to feel this warm?

"Come on!" Nirei beamed, grabbing Haruka by the arm, linking them both together "The school is this way!"

"Hey! Don't touch me! Don't drag me!"

"Listen to aniki! And wait for us!"

"Listen to me, dammit!" but Nirei just smiled at them as he ran, grabbing Yuzuha's arm as well while Shuya climbed onto Haruka's arm, holding the shark plush tight in his grip as his lips quirked up, a hint of a smile. Such a warm smile made Haruka's chest tight, his heart warming up. He glanced at his sister, who looked the same as him. Baffled, with pink cheeks, and stumbling around to try and not fall.

Chapter Text

"Sorry. I got too excited..." Nirei murmured, head ducked down. There was a notable bump on his head, which originated from getting hit by Haruka's fist. The heterochromatic teen huffed, embarrassed by the blond's attitude as he took out a bread from the bag those bakers had given him, the only thing Yuzuha insisted on keeping with them on their way to their new schools. Kurosame was tucked under his arm, having promised Shuya to look after him.

"Jeez." he huffed, tapping his foot against the floor, waiting for his siblings to come back from putting the gifts they got from the residents of Makochi in their home. He'd rather not let those things spoil. His siblings need as much food as possible, after all.

"Ah, look! They're back!" Nirei said with a smile "That was fast!" Haruka looked up. Yuzuha had always been fast, especially when it came back to getting back to her siblings, even when she was carrying Shuya on her back.

"Mission accomplished!" she proclaimed with a proud grin. Haruka nodded, patting hers and Shuya's head twice.

"Nice. Now come on, I don't want you two to be late." he said, beginning to walk.

"Yes!" she nodded. Nirei followed after them almost immediately, trailing like a lost puppy. Haruka took out the paper from his pocket, rereading what he'd written in it.

Yuzuha—Hoshizora Middle School
Shuya—Kumogawa Elementary

Both schools near Furin.
Safe route to pick up and go back to apartment.
Speak with teachers.

"Hoshizora and Kumogawa?" Haruka flinched when he heard Nirei read out loud the names. He slid to the side.

"What's yer deal?! Stop doin' that!" he exclaimed.

"Wah! Sorry!" the blond sheepishly apologized "But I know where those schools are! I can show you the route!" he offered with a smile.

"I already said to do whatever the hell you want." Haruka huffed as he handed Yuzuha a bread for her to eat, and another to Shuya. His sister beamed as she took a big bite of the bread, eye gleaming.

"It's so good, aniki!" she said with her mouth full. Shuya nodded, having taken a significantly smaller bite of his treat. Haruka hummed, taking a smaller bread for himself and taking a bite. His face lit up. It was really good.

"Oh! That's the bread from Cactus, right?!" Nirei asked with a smile "The bread there tastes great, even when cold!"

"They said that when they offered us." Shuya commented.

"They really weren't lying!" Yuzuha nodded "It's so good it feels like it melts inside my mouth!" she beamed, scarving down her own piece. Haruka watched Nirei stare at her in... amazement? Before he whipped out his notebook thing and pen. For a moment, Haruka's protective senses shot up.

"The hell are you doin'?" he asked, grabbing Nirei's wrist with a harsh stare. The blond seemed surprised by this.

"Ah! Uh, I-I was just writing down what I saw about Yuzuha-chan, 'cause like I said! I like gathering data on people who are super cool..." he trailed off, sweating. Haruka must have been glaring into his very soul. He glanced at his sister, watching how her face had begun to heat up slowly, staring with a wide eye at Nirei. It was, unfortunately, a trait that she had inherited from Haruka himself. The way her entire face would flush at being praised or receiving kindness. At least she didn't blow up when that happened, but he wasn't sure if it was better or not.

"Don't write anything shitty, or else." he threatened, letting go of the blond's wrist and walking back to his siblings. There was no way he'd let anyone slander his baby siblings. They'd have to go through him. He's done it many times before, after all.

"R-Right! I would never!" Nirei claimed as he trailed after him immediately "All my information in the notebook is purely objective whatsoever! No bad things in it!" he promised. Shuya, who had finished his bread as well, made grabby hands at the notebook. Nirei blinked, surprised. But then he nodded, handing the object to the youngest Sakura. Yuzuha switched her hold, placing her brother in her arms as his tiny hands opened the notebook, eyes reading the contents with interest. Haruka glanced. Nirei looked almost... nervous for some reason?

"Is it interesting?" he asked, as if it wasn't obvious to the eldest. But Nirei wouldn't know, since he didn't know Shuya like Haruka and Yuzuha did. Shuya let out a small hum and nodded. That made Nirei's face begin to glow in joy. Ah, so all he needed was reassurance, got it. People pleaser tendencies. Welp, it was not his can of worms to open, anyway.

Their first stop was Hoshizora. The building was a large, modern school with a symmetrical design. It had a clean, rectangular structure with multiple floors. The walls are painted in a soft orange color with white trim, giving it a bright and welcoming appearance. At the center is the main entrance, with wide glass doors and windows, making the entrance look open and inviting. There was a sign at the entrance, wood painted dark blue with white letters that read Hoshizora Middle School. The sign had stars painted in light yellow. "This is my stop?" Yuzuha asked, staring up at the building.

"Yeah." Haruka nodded. She set Shuya down slowly, who didn't like that he wasn't being carried by his sister anymore. However, Haruka gave him back Kurosame, which he immediately yoinked out of his hands and tucked its head under his chin.

"Hey." Haruka looked at Nirei, who flinched "Can you look after Shuya while I talk to Yuzuha's teacher?"

"Ah- O-Of course!" Nirei nodded immediately. Haruka nodded. Sure, the blond was not the most reliable when it came to fighting, it was obvious he knew jack shit about it. But he at least seemed reliable enough to protect the youngest.

"Are you sure you wanna drop me off? I can go to class by myself-"

"Nope. Come on." Yuzuha sweatdropped as she followed after her brother, though her hand instinctively reached up for his sleeve.

"I wonder why he was so insistent on dropping his sister off." Akihiko murmured as he waited for Sakura to come out, sitting on a bench. Shuya was right next to him, holding onto the shark plush that Sakura had brought along. The blond guessed it was the boy's plush. But he wondered why the boy brought it along.

"It's 'cause nii-san has to do some adult stuff." Shuya chimed. Akihiko blinked.

"Adult stuff?"

"Mhm. Like the emergency contact stuff, and our address." the boy explained "It's just us three." Akihiko couldn't help but frown at that. Just them three? Did that mean that Sakura was the one taking care of his siblings? But why? Shouldn't an adult do that? Like a trusted relative?

"Wh-"

"Kurosame doesn't like it." Shuya cut him off. Akihiko blinked again.

"Huh?"

"He doesn't like you prying into stuff. Nii-san and nee-san don't like it either." Shuya said, shaking his head "So don't do it. Or else Kurosame'll bite you. And he bites hard." Akihiko swallowed. The threat shouldn't have been so serious coming from a kid that is probably in elementary. But the serious tone he had was enough to have the blond shudder.

"I-I won't!" he promised. Shuya nodded, content with that.

"Good. Kurosame is still watching you." Why is the shark plush glaring at him? It feels like that. This should not be this scary.

"Alright, I'm back." Sakura spoke. Akihiko quickly shot up from his seat. Shuya calmly hopped down, walking over to his brother and looking up at him. Haruka sighed, picking up his younger brother.

"You have to walk, y'know." he said.

"I already walked."

"What did you do, Sakura-san?" Akihiko asked after he calmed down. He was still not over the fact that Shuya might have just threatened him right then and there.

"Ah? Oh, that..."

"Ah, you must be Sakura Yuzuha?" the teacher looked at the two siblings, specifically at the girl. She nodded, her fingers curling around the fabric of her brother's jacket.

"Don't worry, I don't bite!" the woman assured. She was in her late thirties, wearing her long, brown hair in a side ponytail and letting it fall down her shoulder, and had grayish blue eyes behind circle-rimmed glasses.

"My name is Abe Marisa! I'm going to be your homeroom teacher, so if you have any problems, you can come to me! I'm more than happy to help you out!" she promised with a smile.

"N-Nice to meet you..." Yuzuha nodded.

"And I assume you must be her older brother?" Abe-sensei looked up at Haruka, who nodded.

"Sakura Haruka. I'm her guardian, as well." he said. The woman blinked, a flash of concern in her eyes.

"Guardian? But you look like a first year..." she murmured, brows furrowing before shaking her head "Ah, I should not be saying that! I'm more than happy to meet you!"

"L-Likewise." Haruka nodded, growing somewhat awkward "Uh- I'm her emergency contact, so if- if anything happens-"

"I understand!" Abe-sensei nodded "Don't worry! Our school prides itself on making sure our students are safe and happy!" she assured, patting his head. He flinched, surprised. But he nodded, reluctant.

"Good." he looked down at Yuzuha. She wasn't clinging to him, but she still looked reluctant to let go.

"Hey. Look at me." he said, crouching down slightly. She blinked, but obliged.

"It's gonna be fine. If you have to defend yourself, or others, then do so. But don't get yourself into too much trouble, alright? Don't be a troublemaker like me." he told her "And... try and make friends that are like Hirata." he added. She nodded.

"Good. Now, if for whatever reason, I don't pick you up, you pick up Shuya and go to Pothos, okay?" he told her. Pothos was probably the closest place he could think of that radiated security. Sure, it was a cafe, but... Tachibana was decent.

"Okay."

"Good." he straightened up, patting her head "Now go and... and be yourself. Make 'em drop, or something..." he said, immediately regretting how that sounded the quieter he got. But Yuzuha's face had visibly brightened at his words, and she nodded.

"I will!"

"Just making sure that Yuzuha's getting a good teacher. She gave me her phone number in case anything happened." Sakura shrugged. Akihiko sweatdropped at that. Right, sure. If anything, it just sounded like the heterochromatic was being protective of his sister. Which was really sweet.

"Let's go, let's go. Kurosame's getting impatient." Shuya said, looking up at his brother.

"Yes, yes, we're going. Wouldn't wanna anger your friend." Sakura sweatdropped, ruffling Shuya's hair lightly at they began to walk again. The blond couldn't help but smile at the scene. It was cute, really. How much the older brother cared for the little siblings. But it just brought more concern to the fact that they were living on their own, all three of them. Shouldn't they have a guardian?

The next building was a three-story structure, painted in a light beige or off-white color, with long rows of windows across each floor, stickers on the glass. It was Kumogawa, with stickers all over the walls. Some looked torn by something sharp, others looked intact. "The hell..?" Sakura murmured, brows furrowed together.

"Ah, that. It's actually pretty normal for Kumogawa!" Akihiko smiled "Every year, the new students place stickers they choose on the walls! It started almost two decades ago!"

"Hah?" Sakura let out, pulling a confused face. Akihiko just laughed.

"Will I have to place a sticker, then?" Shuya asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Maybe! You can always ask your teacher." the blond suggested. The tiny boy just hummed.

"You can go on to Furin. I'm just gonna drop my brother here." Sakura told him. Akihiko blinked. Huh? What? No way. He promised Sakura that he was gonna show him the ropes and everything he knows when it comes to Furin!

"It's fine! I don't mind waiting!" Akihiko assured him. Sakura stared at him like he'd grown a second head for a moment. But a tug at the sleeve coming from Shuya made him drop it, letting out an exhasperated sigh.

"Do whatever you want." he said, entering the building. Akihiko counted that as a win, honestly. He cheered silently, resting his back against the metallic fence as he let his excitement take over for some time. He was a Furin student! He was finally a Furin student! He was going to attend Furin! And he might have made a friend on his first day!

"Oh my! You brought a friend?" When the heterochromatic teen knocked on the door to the Cloud class, Shuya's class, an elderly man who looked like he was in his fifties opened it and greeted them. He had grayish blond hair that looked like a bush with how messy it was, and light brown eyes. Almost immediately, his gaze zero'd in on Kurosame.

"Sorry. He would not let go of him..." Haruka apologized, gazing at the side.

"His name's Kurosame." Shuya introduced. The elderly man laughed softly.

"Oh, he looks like rugged yet good friend!" he beamed "You must be Sakura Shuya, hm?" he asked. His younger brother nodded.

"I'm sorry if I brought him in late. An... issue happened." Haruka said.

"Hahah! It's fine! I understand how busy you Furin kids can get." the man shook his head "I'm Sasaki Tsuneo. I'm the homeroom teacher of the Cloud Class."

"Sakura Haruka. Shuya's older brother, his emergency contact and his guardian." Haruka nodded. Sasaki looked surprised.

"Oh my! You're rather young, huh." he commented "Ah, but I should not be judging." he added, taking out his phone "Would you mind if I have your phone number so I can contact you in case something happens?" he asked.

"Uh- Y-Yeah, but... how do I do that?" he asked, taking out his phone with one hand and holding his brother with the other. Sasaki chuckled, gently taking his phone from his hands.

"Here, let me."