Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There was a stranger wearing a Furin uniform in Cafe Pothos.

Pothos had been Nirei's first destination that morning- after talking Kotoha's ear off about getting accepted into Furin, he couldn't just not show her how he looked in his new uniform. He'd even taken the time to coordinate a whole new look with it! She'd already seen his freshly dyed hair- he'd shown it to her the day of- but she hadn't seen his new image just yet.

(Was he totally sold on it himself yet? Not really. But he'd put a lot of thought into it!)

He was undeniably excited- which was probably why he didn't notice the stranger as quick as he would have otherwise... and also why he hadn't noticed he'd forgotten to take the tag off both his uniform jacket and his pants. He wasn't going to mention that the uniform had been in his possession for the past week. Nobody needed to know that.

(Kotoha probably knew that.)

But. Regardless. The stranger. The one in the Furin uniform. He was clearly from out of town, because he was pretty sure he would have remembered someone like him- his unusual hair and eyes seemed a little too natural to be the result of someone else's attempt at a high school debut. He'd never met someone with heterochromia before, though he'd certainly seen pictures while knee deep in one of his Wikipedia binges.

...the hair was a new one though. Was it stress?

Hm. Given his reaction- and Kotoha's fit of laughter- maybe not. Whoops.

"Sorry," Kotoha apologized once she was done laughing, "-Nirei, this is Sakura. He just got here the other week. Sakura, this is Nirei."

Sakura?

Pulling out his notebook, Nirei flipped through the pages. Sakura, Sakura... he'd never heard of a Sakura from out of town before. Why would someone like him come to Furin? Judging from the friendly way Kotoha interacted with him, it was hard to imagine that he'd come here following its old reputation... or had he?

(It had only been two years. Maybe word of its unification and resulting change hadn't spread as far as he'd thought.)

Sakura certainly looked a bit rough around the edges, at first glance... but so did the Furin student that had saved him, and inspired him to enroll in the first place. He kept him in the corner of his peripheral, his bright gold eye never quite leaving him.

He didn't know people's eyes could come in that color. He'd only seen it on cats.

Sakura's eyes, when he'd looked at them up close, had unusually thin pupils. His teeth had a sharper edge as he tore into his sandwich, clearly only half-listening to Nirei's explanation of how Furin had now become Bofurin and was now dedicated to protecting the town. For one brief moment, as Sakura turned his full attention to him, Nirei felt a shiver run down the length of his spine. He felt a little less like a delinquent sizing him up, and a bit more like a predator determining if he was prey.

Nirei shook the feeling off. Kotoha seemed so friendly with Sakura, so he didn't think he was an awful person- besides, it was rude to think of people that way!

None of which changed the burning question of the hour, namely-

"So," Nirei jabbed a finger at him, "-why does someone without any connection to our community want to go to Furin?"

Sakura licked his fingers- terrible table manners, some part of Nirei noted- not even mulling the question over for a second. "So I can become the top."

Nirei's gaze flicked to Kotoha, who just shrugged her shoulders with a faint smile.

"Sure, the hero stuff is cool," Sakura said, "-and it seems like there's a lot of strong guys there... so if I could become the top of a place like that, I'd be pretty satisfied."

The top. Umemiya's position. The one who had unified Furin in the first place. Taking it from him just didn't seem possible to Nirei- not by anyone, and certainly not by an outsider he didn't know anything about.

But also...

"If you seriously aim for that," Nirei put a hand on Sakura's shoulder, "-you'll go bald."

Kotoha burst into a fit of laughter, slapping her hand against the counter- while Sakura looked as if he couldn't decide which one he wanted to be angrier at. Glancing towards the clock, Nirei winced- wait, was it already this late?

He kind of tuned out what Sakura was saying (sorry!), hurriedly telling Kotoha he had to go. His usual routine was to eat breakfast at Pothos, but today he'd eaten at home in anticipation of his first day as a member of Bofurin. He wanted to get an early start on patrolling!

...he also might have whacked his head on the doorframe on his way out. Ow.

It was official. Makochi was downright bizarre.

His morning had started by getting roped into carrying some old lady to Pothos, her adamant claim that she couldn't walk because of her bad hips offset by... literally every single other thing she did. If she weren't a woman, he would have sworn she was a fucking Konaki-jiji or something.

Kotoha knew her, because of course she did. He was starting to get the feeling Kotoha knew literally everyone in town- including the weird kid with the dyed blonde hair who had tripped the second he'd stepped into the cafe. He knew he shouldn't have let Kotoha lure him into staying with the promise of food.

Damn flashy weirdo. He wasn't some damn no-name! He bet he couldn't even-!

"Do you know what color coffee fruit is?"

Sakura frowned, coming to a stop. Kotoha had graciously let him slip out of the back door, and he hadn't hesitated to change forms the second he'd left, away from prying eyes. No one paid so much as a passing glance to a cat making its way across the roofs of the shopping street. Sitting down, he gazed down at the street, watching the hustle and bustle of morning activity. There wasn't anyone else in a Furin uniform wandering around- but it was still early. Orientation didn't start until noon.

That kid was way too damn excited, he thought.

...he hadn't come out in full uniform just because he was excited, damn that Kotoha. He was just taking a walk! Should've left the apartment as a cat in the first place, damnit.

Ugh. If he had to deal with another human, he was going to explode.

Like hell he'd be skipping orientation though. Maybe he was looking forward to it- just a little bit- but not for the reasons Kotoha teased him about. He just wanted to fight some strong guys, that was all! That was way easier than whatever the hell he'd been experiencing thus far in Makochi. Fights he knew how to handle.

In a fight, nobody cared about your goddamn social skills.

It didn't matter if he hid his ears and tail- he was still never human enough. He was always lacking in something- like going through life wearing a neon sign that something was wrong with him, but what the hell did they expect him to do? He'd lived like a stray for years after mom left. Of course he didn't know shit!

He didn't expect anything different here.

Sure, the people here were... nice, in a way that he'd never really experienced before- but he knew better than to totally trust it. There had been others in the past, who looked past his weird hair and eyes, and tried to get close to him- but they'd always get sick of him eventually. No matter what, he couldn't escape his youkai blood.

...if he could just abandon the human world, things would be easier.

"You're free to think however you want," Kotoha's voice rang in his head, "-but don't be too hasty to form your opinion."

Clicking his tongue, his tail twitched in annoyance behind him. Shut up. He wasn't wrong. If he jumped down right now and transformed in full view of everyone, he'd be chased out like the monster he was. Humans just couldn't accept someone like him.

Hm?

A young woman ran onto the shopping street, slightly out of breath. She looked around frantically, as if searching for someone. What was that about? His ears flicked, catching the loud sound of voices in the direction she'd run from.

Oh? A fight?

Curious, he hurried in that direction. Perching at the edge of the rooftop, he peered down into one of the back alleys, quickly recognizing out the blonde kid from before- and five other guys he didn't. It sounded like Nirei had gotten in the way of them forcefully picking up a girl, and they weren't happy about it.

...guy wasn't much of a fighter at all, was he?

He wasn't, but... Sakura narrowed his eyes, watching as Nirei refused to back down in his own way, grabbing onto the clear leader of the thugs, almost desperately reciting the motto of Bofurin that he'd first heard yesterday. It looked totally uncool.

...but he was way less lame than the other five, he decided.

If Nirei was being honest, he didn't quite understand what had just happened.

He'd gotten in over his head. That part he understood- but just when he'd braced himself for a blow to the head that definitely would have given his brain a good rattle, it... hadn't happened. Someone had intervened.

...from above?

At least, Nirei was pretty sure that was where Sakura had come from, based on the angle. He had all but landed on top of the thug, his foot planted square on his face.

...but what would he be doing on the roof?

Whatever the answer, the question itself was lost in the events that followed. There were five guys that had clustered around Nirei, but there might have as well have only been one for all the difference that it made to Sakura. He was unquestionably strong.

The knot of frustration in the pit of Nirei's stomach got tighter.

Sakura turned on his heel, glancing towards Nirei. Unconsciously, he flinched- in the slightly dark alleyway, away from the morning sun, Sakura's eyes seemed all the brighter. A million thoughts ran through his mind as Sakura approached-

-but he just walked past him.

Nirei swallowed, his hands digging into the fabric of his pants. He'd been so excited about attending Furin- about changing himself, becoming someone cool like the person who'd saved him, but... it wasn't that easy, was it? He could put on the uniform, but he couldn't change who he was underneath it.

He was way too pathetic.

Ah, but Sakura had still helped him, right? He needed to thank him.

"T-thank you," he cringed at how weak his voice was, "...for saving me."

He didn't lift his head, but he could feel Sakura's gaze briefly sliding towards him. Something about it made the knot of frustration tighten even further.

"It must be a disappointment, right? That someone like me is in Furin?"

The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop himself. Sakura had come here to fight strong people, and he'd just showed him how pathetically weak he was. He was right- he'd dressed up all flashy to look the part, but when it actually came down to it, he wasn't strong at all. Today had just proved it.

...maybe he really wasn't meant to be anything more than a gofer.

Oh. He was crying. This was so embarrassing.

"You already can't fight," Sakura said, "-don't be a crybaby too. It'll only make you look even weaker."

Nirei's hands dug even tighter into the fabric of his pants, his gaze fixed on the ground. He really was, wasn't he? He was completely-

"...but I don't think you were all that pathetic, at least."

Lifting his head, Nirei finally looked behind him. Sakura was awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, the very tips of his ears bright red.

(There was a small tear in his right, he faintly noticed. Had that hurt?)

Oh. He thought he understood why Kotoha had been acting so friendly with him now. He was a little rough, but... Sakura was a good person, wasn't he? He'd helped him, and he was even trying to cheer him up in his own awkward way. Furiously wiping away his tears, Nirei sprung to his feet.

"Sakura... -san!"

Sakura turned back to glare at him, intense enough that he couldn't help but flinch. Sakura was nice, he decided... but maybe just a little scary. Squaring his shoulders, Nirei pulled out his notebook and pen. Flipping it open to an empty page, he took in a deep breath.

"What's your height?" He eagerly asked, stepping into Sakura's personal space. "Weight? Blood type? Birthday? Hobbies? Skills? Best attacks? Type of person you like?"

Oh. Sakura was bright red again. Nirei hastily wrote blushes easily down, with a question mark next to it, along with a few other bits of information he could glean just from looking at him- Sakura wasn't that much taller than him, and there wasn't really much fat on his frame-

"Quit it!" Sakura bristled like an indignant cat. "That's creepy! And don't measure me!"

Oh. Whoops. He'd gotten a bit carried away.

"Sorry," Nirei said, "-I just like collecting data about people I think are super cool!"

Sakura stared at him like he'd grown a second head. Nirei tilted his own, slightly confused by his reaction. Had... no one ever called Sakura cool before? Someone as strong as him? That didn't make any sense.

"F-fine," Sakura turned to leave, "-do whatever you want."

Nirei beamed, hurrying along after him. Sakura's gaze briefly darted towards him, but he didn't make any attempts to deter him.

"Oh, that's right," Nirei said, "-you're from out of town, right? Where did you come from? You don't have much of an accent, so... Tokyo?"

"No," Sakura said, "-Saga."

"Eh? Saga?" Nirei blinked at the unexpected answer. "That's pretty far away."

"Well... I was born there, at least," Sakura said, "-started moving around a lot after awhile."

Nirei nodded, writing that down. Did his parents travel a lot for work maybe? Closing his notebook with a smile, he tucked it away and hurried a few steps ahead.

He'd made up his mind.

"Then while you're here," Nirei smiled, "-let me guide you!"

"Guide me?" Sakura's brows knit together. "Like what? To the school? I know where it is."

"Ah, that's not what I meant." Nirei waved his hands. "I might not be good at fighting, but you can rely on me to guide you when it comes to the community. I'll teach you about everything and everyone, all the way to the top!"

To illustrate, he pointed upwards with a big grin on his face.

"To start," he grabbed Sakura's arm, pulling him forward, "-I'll show you around the shopping district! Come on!"

"Wait, don't pull-!"

Nirei grinned to himself. He might say that, but Sakura didn't actually shake him off or shove him away as he lead him back onto the shopping street proper. Sakura grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets as he trailed along behind him- only to flinch like a startled cat when a tray of bread was shoved under his face.

"Oh, it's you!" The owner of Cactus Bakery smiled. "You're with Nirei-kun today? That's great! Do you two want some bread?"

"No, I..."

"Sure!" Nirei said. "We'd love some!"

"But I already-"

"No worries," the owner laughed, "-our bread is good even cold! Here, take these!"

Sakura just looked perplexed as a bag was shoved into his hands. Nirei bit into the one he was offered, watching as more shopkeepers came out of the woodwork to talk to Sakura. It was kind of impressive, really- he'd only been here for about a week, but he'd already seemed to endear himself to the residents of the shopping street.

His arms now full of bags, Sakura glanced almost helplessly towards Nirei.

"...is this normal?"

"More or less! Furin students are really popular around here." Nirei said. "Ah, if you're not going to eat that..."

Sakura bristled. "I'm eating it!"

Nirei laughed, even as Sakura grumbled. He ate the bread that the people from Cactus Bakery had given him, before devouring the croquette. The food disappeared in the blink of an eye- so Nirei made sure to add glutton in his notebook right next to blushes easily.

(He crossed out the question mark next to the latter.)

"Sakura-san, hurry up!" Nirei waved at him. "Furin is this way!"

"Like I said, I know where it is!" Sakura yelled.

He was walking a fair bit behind him, his hands shoved in his pockets. He'd been looking at the cherry blossom trees that lined the street leading to the school. They were in full bloom, making it really feel like the start of the school year. Nirei cheerfully hummed to himself as he walked along the long wall that stood in front of the Furin campus. The entire thing was covered in graffiti, various styles clashing with one another to create disharmonious mess.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sakura come to a stop.

Glancing over his shoulder, Nirei frowned. Sakura was glaring at the graffiti lined wall with the an intensity that sent a faint shiver down his spine.

"Sakura-san?" Nirei asked. "Is everything okay?"

Sakura blinked, jerking his gaze towards him- almost like he'd forgotten he was there.

"...yeah," he said, "-fine."

"You sure?" Nirei asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Sakura snapped, "-let's go."

Nirei frowned- before shrugging. Maybe it was just first day jitters? Was Sakura actually that type? He certainly looked a bit apprehensive as he followed behind him. Nirei practically bounced through the open gate, but Sakura paused outside of it, glaring at the school.

"Sakura-san! Come on!"

Sakura clicked his tongue, muttering something underneath his breath. Squaring his shoulders, he took a step forward-

-the barrier crackled against his skin, but didn't repel him.

Sakura stepped through it with a tight frown on his face, confused but grateful that nothing had happened. He didn't want to have to try and explain away a rejection response to Nirei. He'd slotted him right under Kotoha on his short but steadily growing list of weirdos.

He wanted to guide him to the top? What the hell?

...and seriously, why the hell was there a barrier around the school too? First the shopping street, and now an infamous delinquent school? What the hell was with this town? He'd never seen barrier wards as graffiti before in his life.

He was starting to think nothing about this place made sense.

He really didn't like the thought that there might be an exorcist at the school. Maybe if he was lucky, he wouldn't run into them, but... he huffed at the thought. Since when was he ever anything but unlucky? He wasn't even a proper black cat, damn it.

(His mother's fur was pure white. The black came from his father, he'd been told.)

Whatever. Maybe the exorcist was just a student- a rookie weakling he could beat in a fight. Given how little of an obstacle their barrier had been, they couldn't be that strong, right? There were plenty of exorcists that didn't know how to fight back when their opponent started throwing punches. He didn't care how weird of a place Makochi was- exorcists were his enemy. That wouldn't change.

"Sakura-san!" Nirei called out to him. "The class rosters are over here!"

Casting a faint glare up towards the school building, he caught up with Nirei. The sign the class rosters were posted on looked like something straight out of a period drama.

"Oh!" Nirei perked up. "Look! We're in the same class!"

"O-oh," Sakura frowned, "-we are?"

That was the first time anyone had been excited to have him as their classmate. Even when he'd been a weird novelty that people pitied, he'd always gotten the feeling that his classmates and teachers had treated him like an unwanted responsibility. Who wanted to be in charge of the weird kid who'd grown up feral in the woods?

...at least in a place like this, there would be no one to make fun of his grades.

"This is amazing, Sakura-san!" Nirei said. "Look! We're in the same class as so many amazing people! There's Suo-san, and Kiryu-san... and even Tsugeura-san?!"

Sakura arched a brow. "You know them?"

"Nope!" Nirei cheerfully held up his notebook. "But I know of them!"

Sakura's brow twitched at the sight of the notebook. He'd been jotting down notes about him in it ever since earlier. If he was being honest, it made his skin crawl- he had half a mind to rip the damn thing out of his hands and tear it to shreds.

...but that had nothing to do with Nirei, so he didn't.

It wasn't the same. There was something wrong with Nirei, so he thought he was cool. That was the only reason he was taking notes about him. He wasn't one of the countless parade of adults with pitying eyes and clipboards he'd been brought in front of, who'd asked him questions he didn't know how to answer.

Where was his mother? How should he know?

What about his father? At least he hadn't been stupid enough to answer that one.

"Don't get so excited looking at the damn roster," Sakura said, "-it doesn't matter who we're in class with."

He could only read about half of the names anyways. Why was kanji so fucking difficult? And humans had the audacity to call youkai writing scribbles. At least that made sense! He'd been so excited to show them how his mom had taught him to write Haruka, only for them to stare at the paper he'd handed them with strained smiles on their faces and hushed whispers that he could hear anyways.

"He doesn't even know how to write," they'd said, "-poor thing."

"It does!" Nirei protested. "It matters a..."

Sakura blinked, glancing over his shoulder at Nirei. He'd gone quiet, his face pale as he stared at the signboard. What was that about?

...whatever.

He shrugged, heading into the school and leaving Nirei behind. He didn't get far before he caught up, going on about getting along with his classmates or something. He could smell his nerves, the scent of anxiety dripping off of him. He'd tried that when he was a kid- he'd actually been excited at the prospect of making friends with humans his age.

In the end, they were the ones who had rejected him.

Why bother with it now? He hadn't come here to make friends.

He paused to stretch in front of the door to the classroom over Nirei's objections. Sufficiently warmed up, he opened the door with a loud slam. The classroom itself was in disarray, blackboards rendered unusable by graffiti and desks arranged haphazardly. From the look of it, they were more or less the last ones to arrive. He could feel everyone's gazes on him as he entered and smirked.

Yeah. That was more like it.

"Hello there," one of them spoke, "-you must be Sakura-kun."

Sakura frowned, looking towards the owner of the voice- and felt a chill run down the length of his spine. His fists automatically went up, an alarm blaring in his head. He could barely even focus on their appearance, too distracted by the powerful spiritual energy that they exuded.

Judging from the twinkle in his one visible eye, he was guessing the feeling was mutual. Shit. This really was just his luck, wasn't?

Avoid the exorcist? There was no way that was possible.

They were his fucking classmate.

Chapter Text

"You must be Sakura-kun."

Calm down.

Sakura drew in a long breath and slowly released it, forcing his heart to beat at a steadier pace. The exorcist that stood in front of him was still young- he was his classmate, after all- but he could sense a large amount of spiritual energy from him. Their hands were clasped behind their back, appearing unguarded to the untrained eye.

He knew better than to believe that.

Whoever this was, they weren't just some novice exorcist. Their one-eyed gaze stayed fixed on him, clearly assessing him in turn. Should he amplify his own energy to make himself seem like more of a threat? Or should he try to put a cap on it entirely, to make himself seem more human? Which one was the better option here?

...and how the hell did they know his name?

"And?" Sakura narrowed his eyes. "So what if I am?"

Next to him, Nirei flinched.

Oh, right. They were in public. That worked more to his benefit than the exorcist's. They were usually too concerned in concealing the existence of youkai from regular humans to try and attack him in broad daylight- all the more so because he had proper identification as human. From an outsider's standpoint, that would just look like a crime, right?

...oh wait. This was a school for delinquents.

Ah well. They'd just duke it out with their fists then, right? He was more than ready to handle that much. His youkai heritage might only help with his agility and reflexes, but that was more than enough. He wasn't losing to a normal human.

"I'm sorry for him!" Nirei stepped in front of him, grabbing his fists and lowering them for him. "He's just excited!"

Sakura's brow twitched. Oi. Don't get in the way.

The exorcist just smiled- the fake, plastic kind- and spread out their hands. "No, I don't mind. You are...?"

"N-Nirei Akihiko!" Nirei replied, eagerly whipping out that notebook of his again. "And you... that eyepatch and those long tassel earrings, you must be-!"

"That's right," the exorcist smiled, "-I'm Leonardo Dicaprio."

Sakura blinked. Huh? They were from overseas?

Crap. He didn't know the first thing about foreign exorcism techniques. Weren't there crosses and silver bullets and stuff? Could he even dodge a bullet? He wasn't sure.

"Huh?" Nirei blinked. "You're Suo Hayato, right?"

...huh? Sakura's gaze briefly left the exorcist to look at Nirei in confusion.

"That's what everyone says!" Suo(?) cheerfully agreed. "By the way, this eyepatch of mine seals an ancient Chinese spirit!"

"Huh?" Sakura blurted out. "No it doesn't?"

How tight would the seal have to be in order for him to not sense any youkai energy at all? That wasn't possible. Was he pulling his leg?

"Spirit?" Nirei asked. "I heard it was from an accident..."

"Yes," Suo agreed, "-that's what everyone says."

Sakura's eye twitched. What the hell was up with this guy? Was he really an exorcist? He'd never met one this carefree before... but even as he thought that, the air around Suo changed- it was intense enough to make the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Instantly back on guard, Sakura threw his hands back up.

"But enough about me," there was a glint of something dangerous in Suo's eyes, "-let's talk about you, Sakura-kun."

He wasn't seriously going to...?

Suo lifted a hand-

-and... patted him on the back, a broad smile on his face. "You were the star of that brawl on the shopping street, right? That's amazing!"

B-brawl? Huh? Sakura's brain stuttered, completely confused as Suo spoke in length about what had happened yesterday. How did he even know about that? No, wait- he was an exorcist right? Why did it sound like was praising him? Weren't they enemies? Was this a new tactic he didn't know about?

W-wait. Why was the class crowding around him now? What was going on? Was this some kind of weird ploy? His cheeks were burning from the sudden attention. C-calm down. He was used to being the center of attention, right? T-this shouldn't faze him!

"Hey," one of his classmates asked, "-why did you come to this town anyways?"

Behind him, he felt Nirei tense- but Sakura just relaxed.

Finally, a question he could answer.

"I came to take the top spot here," he declared.

A hushed silence fell over the classroom, until Nirei broke it in a panic, hastily claiming that he didn't intend to harm anyone. Sakura just arched a brow. What the hell was he on about? Of course he did. That came with fighting your way to the top.

Wait, maybe he shouldn't say that with the exorcist ar-

...did someone just throw a desk at him?

That was some impressive killing intent, he thought. Turning his head to glance in the direction it came from, Sakura felt a faint smirk touch his lips. The person it radiated from loomed in the doorway, gangly limbs to go with their gangly height- but he could tell from a look that they were strong. A normal human, but...

There was no hesitation in their follow up attack. Sakura neatly leapt back, vaguely noting the way Suo pulled Nirei out of the way as he dodged himself. The looming human- Sugishita, he'd heard Nirei say- looked momentarily baffled at the fact that he wasn't broken into pieces on the floor, much like the teacher's desk he'd smashed instead.

That was some crazy strength for human, he thought.

That was just fine for him- if anything, this was more like what he was looking for. Sugishita was surprisingly fast for such a big guy, but he wasn't about to lose to a human in speed. The guy struck like he intended to crush his head, but his attacks were straightforward and easy to read. Suo called him a fanatic- devoted to Furin's current leader.

...actually, why was that guy just watching? This was youkai on human violence- even if the human had attacked first, exorcists usually didn't care about that shit. Didn't he have an obligation to stop this or something? He just sounded amused.

Whatever. He bent backwards to avoid Sugishita's next strike, landing in a bridge pose. Pushing off on his hands, he slammed a kick into Sugishita's chin.

Heh. He bet that hurt.

He put some distance between them, flipping back onto his feet with the easy grace that came from the youkai half of his heritage. Adjusting his jacket, he gave Sugishita a proper shit eating smirk.

This was more like it.

"A fanatic?" Sakura scoffed. "So someone who doesn't think for himself? There's no way I'm losing to someone like that."

He didn't know if it was due to his youkai blood or what, but there was something about a good fight that had always excited him. He could smell the distinct iron tang of Sugishita's blood- he'd hit him hard enough to cause a nosebleed. Licking his lips, he readied himself for the looming brute's next strike.

Sugishita snarled, surging forward. Sakura rushed to meet him, fist raised-

-just as the intercom crackled to life.

Sakura flinched, even as Sugishita froze. Huh? What the-?

"WELCOME, NEW STUDENTS!"

Sakura winced, the voice that burst out of the intercom so loud that it made his ears pop out. Slapping his hands over them, he frantically glanced behind him- but it didn't seem as if anyone had noticed. Everyone's attention was fixed on the intercom-

...which he couldn't actually hear. Ugh. His ears were ringing. Who the hell was even talking? Some people had sensitive hearing, asshole!

"-kun. Sakura-kun!"

Sakura jerked away from Suo. When the hell had he gotten so close? Everyone was staring at him now, so the announcement must finished. He hastily hid his ears, dropping his hands from his head. Suo smiled at him, even as his one eye bore a hole in his head.

Right. Exorcist.

"Good for you, Sakura-kun!" Suo smiled. "It looks like Sugishita-kun wants to make up with you. Here, shake his hand."

...huh? What? Sakura stared up at Sugishita in confusion, glancing between him and Suo. The lanky teen was holding out his hand, but he didn't exactly look happy about it. Suo was beaming at them both with a twinkle of mischief in his visible eye, while Nirei was encouraging him to take Sugishita's hand like his life depended on it.

...what the hell had he missed?

"If you're aiming for the top," Suo said, "-this should be trivial for you."

Sakura's brow twitched. Fine! He didn't get what was going on, but all he had to do was shake his hand, right? He could do that much! Reaching out, he firmly grasped Sugishita's hand, exchanging a handshake for maybe the first time in his life.

...how long had it been since he'd touched someone like this outside of a fight?

He could still faintly recall what it felt like to have his mother curled up beside him in the colder months, her body heat helping keep him warm- but it had been a long time since then. He'd curl up under stolen blankets after she'd left, but it had never been the same. Even when he began to live with humans, he'd always been alone.

He'd hid his ears and tail, like he'd been taught- but it was never enough. He was never human enough. Even if they didn't know, they could always tell.

...had he ever really touched a human this way?

Human bodies were warm, he thought. He'd never known.

"...what even is this."

Tilting his head so that he could get a better look at the youkai in question, the edge of Suo's lip twitched upwards at the faint crinkle of Sakura's nose. The smell of the paint was likely too strong for him, he thought.

A cat's sense of smell was quite a bit better than a human's, after all!

He watched curiously as Sakura grumbled but helped them paint over the graffiti anyways. He had to admit- he'd been rather surprised when he'd walked into the classroom- acting as if he belonged there. He'd heard about yesterday's fight, of course- in his line of work, it was wise to keep abreast of any rumors- but he hadn't suspected that its star might have actually been a youkai.

There was no fooling his senses, though.

When he'd first sensed a youkai slip through the barrier that surrounded Furin, his interest had been piqued. Sure enough, Sakura was nothing like he'd expected.

He'd never met such a strange bakeneko before!

What was he doing posing as a high school student? Bakeneko were whimsical creatures that enjoyed pretending to be human, but he'd never heard of one pretending to be a high school student before! He certainly seemed to enjoy his short fight with Sugishita... was he something like a battle junkie, perhaps?

He'd never met a bakeneko like that either!

"Oi," Sakura glared at him, "-the hell are you looking at?"

Oh. He must have been watching him too obviously- but it wasn't like he could just ignore him. Bakeneko were dangerous, after all! What kind of exorcist would he be if he let him eat one of their classmates on his watch?

...although it didn't seem as if Sakura had any interest in that.

"Nothing at all," Suo turned his attention to Nirei instead, "-ah, you're quite good at painting, Nirei-kun!"

"Eh?" Nirei looked up. "Really? Thanks!"

Sakura glared at him for a few moments longer, before he clicked his tongue and turned away. Suo's smile never left his face, closely observing the strange bakeneko. He was quite good at holding human form- but at the same time, his transformation didn't seem quite complete. He'd encountered quite a few youkai that could transform into humans, but most tried to make themselves look as human as possible.

Sakura didn't seem to have gotten that memo.

It was in the obvious things- the black and white hair, the heterochromia- but it was also in the smaller details. His narrow pupils, the sharpness of his teeth. He didn't make any attempt to conceal his youkai energy, but for someone who could hold his transformation so well, he didn't have as much of it as he would have thought.

...was he half human, perhaps?

Hm. That would certainly explain his oddities.

He'd love to ask, but based on the way Sakura had reacted to him, he was fairly certain he regarded him as the enemy. Which was fair! If his youkai blood was that pronounced, he'd probably had quite a bit of trouble with other exorcists in the past. He'd need some time to make this curious stray warm up to him!

...in the meantime, he would keep his existence to himself.

"Listen, Hayato," his master had told him once, "-humans and youkai can never truly understand each other. Never forget that."

He'd wondered sometimes if that were really true.

The painting job they'd been given was finished quickly enough. Suo had to politely conceal the faint bubble of laughter that escaped him upon seeing Sakura be handed a taiyaki. It wasn't a real one, but a bakeneko eating something fish-shaped... yeah, that was just perfect!

He passed his own to Nirei, which the blonde accepted with a slight blink.

Nirei seemed to be a perfectly ordinary human, so he was quite curious as to how he and Sakura had met- though watching their interactions, it didn't seem as if they had known each other for very long. At first he'd simply assumed that Sakura was targeting Nirei, but if he had human blood... he wondered.

Human or youkai? Which one was Sakura?

He wondered where he came from. Shimane? Kyoto? Saga prefecture was home to quite the large population of bakeneko, but they tended to roam as they pleased everywhere.

A mysterious barrier that protected the school, and a bakeneko classmate... yep! He was quite glad that he'd chosen to come to Furin. If his first day had already shaped up to be this interesting, who knew what the rest of the year would bring?

He was looking forward to it!

...the hell was he even doing.

He'd asked himself that question way too often since arriving in Makochi. Even after hearing that Furin had changed from what he'd expected it to be, he somehow still wasn't prepared for the absurdity that was patrol. He'd thought that they would be looking for troublemakers to fight, not doing random errands for people.

...and why the hell was he stuck with both Sugishita and the exorcist?

He let his gaze flick briefly back towards Suo. The exorcist caught his eye and smiled. Jerking his gaze away, he shoved the last of the taiyaki into his mouth.

Seriously, what the hell was even going on?!

He'd thought for sure the guy would try and split him off from the rest of the group the first chance he got, but all he'd been doing was watching him. It was starting to give him the creeps! Couldn't they just fight and get this over with?

Ugh. At least he'd gotten food out of this nonsense.

(He'd heard Suo laugh when he'd taken one. The hell was that about?)

Licking his fingers, Sakura tried to put it from his mind. They'd come quite a ways from the school, the scenery shifting into something more like a pub alley. It stretched on past the train tracks ahead, the tunnel underneath them awash with graffiti. His gaze flicked upwards, staring at the dog someone had spray painted on the wall above the tunnel.

"That dog's ugly as hell," he observed.

"S-Sakura-san!" Nirei flinched, glancing frantically around. "You can't say that here! You don't know if one of those guys is lurking nearby!"

Sakura arched a brow. "Those guys?"

Nirei's notebook came out again, as he frantically flipped several pages deep. "Across the tracks is the territory of another team. They're known as Shishitoren, the head of the lion. They call themselves the devotees of power."

"Devotees of power, huh?" Sakura repeated. "Not bad. Got a good ring to it."

"A-anyways," Nirei stammered, "-beyond the tracks is a no man's land. Our rules don't matter over there! It would be really bad to start something with them."

Sakura hummed. He was guessing that meant that their patrol ended here. He wouldn't mind coming back here later, though- in a less conspicuous form. If there was one thing he'd learned, it was that cats could go wherever they pleased.

If you told him not to go somewhere, it only made him want to go there more.

They turned to leave the tunnel behind, but Sakura paused, glancing back over his shoulder. He could hear the sound of footsteps- loud ones, like several people were running. Squinting, he could make out several figures running towards the tunnel. It almost looked as if someone was being chased...?

"Stop right there!"

Oh. They were.

Hiragi turned back first, paling as a boy in a plain gakuran jacket came into view. A middle school student? He looked terrified. Behind him were three pursuers in matching orange jackets, hot on his heels.

It was obvious they were the faster ones.

"Oi," he heard Hiragi shout, "-hurry over here!"

From the sound of it, the kid was from their turf- but even if he didn't know that, it wouldn't matter. A bunch of gang members chasing a middle schooler around? That was lame as hell. His body was moving even before the kid stumbled, slamming his foot into the face of the kid's lead pursuer.

...he wasn't alone.

"Oi," he glared at Sugishita, "-stay out of my way, asshole!"

Sugishita didn't even respond. What the hell was his deal? He was more annoying than the fucking exorcist- whose gaze he could feel burning into his back, as if he'd done something particularly entertaining.

Screw it. He didn't care anymore.

"Oh, what's this?"

Sakura's head snapped up, following the distinctive sound of geta striking the ground. He narrowed his eyes as the person wearing them leisurely strolled into view. A Shishitoren member? He was wearing the same orange jacket as the other three, but his monk clothing gave Sakura pause. An exorcist?

No, he couldn't sense a lick of spiritual energy from him.

...and yet, he could still feel the hairs on the back of his neck raise.

This guy was strong, he could sense that much. He kept his hands tucked into his pockets, his claws begging to come out even as he forced them back. Togame's eyes briefly met his own- and he felt a chill run down his spine. What the hell was this? He'd never met a regular human that could invoke this kind of reaction from him.

Togame Jo, Hiragi called him- the second in command of Shishitoren.

The bastard was as vicious as any youkai he'd met. Pummeling one of his own guys because they'd lost? He'd expected something more from a group that called themselves the devotees of power. If anything, they were...

"-lame," he said.

Togame slowly shifted his gaze towards him. It made his skin crawl, but he ignored it.

"All this crap about you being the devotees of power made me expect something more," Sakura met Togame's gaze, "-but all you do is beat up wimps. What a letdown."

"A letdown," Togame repeated, "-really?"

Tch. The guy was slow, too. He brushed past Hiragi to stand in front of him- another uselessly tall bastard, like Sugishita. He leaned close, like he'd never heard of personal space, lifting up his sunglasses to gawk at his hair.

"Your hair," he said, "-it's like an othello board!"

"You wanna talk about that now!?" Sakura snapped.

What the hell was this guy's deal? Togame leaned closer-

-and Sakura froze.

It was faint, but he could smell the scent of another bakeneko clinging to him. The collar of his jacket concealed a bandage stained an ugly brownish-red color, like he hadn't changed it since applying it. The edge of Togame's lips twitched upwards, as if he'd realized he'd noticed. He placed a hand on his shoulder, his breath hot as he whispered into his ear.

His touch burned.

"So," Togame whispered, "-which one is your prey, Bakeneko-kun?"

Sakura jerked back, smacking his arm away. Togame just grinned, translucent prayer beads glinting on his wrist from the thin trickle of sunlight that made its way into the tunnel.

"Okay, I've decided," he said, "-I'll beat you to a pulp in a more appropriate setting another time. Look forward to it, Othello-kun."

Sakura drew in a long breath as Togame stepped back. He scooped up the jacket he'd stripped from their fallen member as he left, never once looking back at him. Once he was out of sight, Sakura slowly let out the breath he'd been holding, though his tension refused to leave, coiled up like a snake.

...what the hell was that?

How did Togame know what he was? His shoulder still burned where Togame had touched him- he didn't dare pull his jacket down to check, not with humans around. Was it because of the prayer beads? Or...

"-kura-san!"

With a jerk, Sakura snapped out of it. Nirei was peering up at him with worried eyes. Crap. He must have been talking to him. Hiragi was watching him as well- everyone was.

No. Suo wasn't. His gaze was still fixed on the end of the tunnel.

As if sensing his own gaze, Suo blinked. Slowly turning to meet his eyes, he gave him an unreadable smile. Sakura opened his mouth, half tempted to ask him if he knew what was going on with Togame- before he snapped it shut.

Him? Ask for help from an exorcist? Like hell.

(As if he'd ever need help from anyone. He knew how to survive on his own.)

"You okay?" Hiragi asked. "What did he say to you?"

Sakura sighed. At least they hadn't heard that. Which one was his prey? None of them! He had no interest in eating humans. He wasn't his mother.

(...how could he ever explain to a human that he still loved her anyways?)

"I'm fine," he snapped, "-it ain't important."

Hiragi looked skeptical, and for a moment he thought he might press- but instead he just heaved a long, exasperated sigh and popped another two Gas-kun 10s into his mouth. He looked as if he was fighting off a headache in addition to his stomachache, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Right," he said, "-we need to report this to Umemiya."

Sakura cocked his head. Umemiya?

Nirei tugged on his jacket sleeve, peering up at him. "Are you really okay, Sakura-san? You kind of spaced out really bad."

Sakura glanced down at him with a frown. There was actual concern in his gaze- not just the faint pity that he was more used to, like he was actually looking at him.

...he didn't know what to make of it.

"Yeah," he said, "-m'fine. Stop fussin'."

Nirei didn't look convinced, but he shrugged him off and trudged along after Hiragi. They were returning to the school, so he guessed this Umemiya might be Bofurin's head or something. Sakura smirked. He couldn't say he wasn't interested in meeting the guy.

His shoulder could wait until later- the pain had died down to a dull ache now anyways. Nothing he couldn't manage.

He could feel Suo watching him like a hawk, but he ignored that too.

They walked briskly back towards Furin, taking a side street that likely served equal parts as a shortcut and a way to avoid the main street- almost as if they didn't want anyone to see their group pass through. Given the scent of tension that wafted off the group, it wasn't hard to guess why- they probably didn't want to make them worry or something, he figured.

He didn't really get it himself.

The barrier around Furin let him slip through without so much as a crackle.

Sakura frowned, his gaze darting back towards the entrance as they entered the school. He wasn't sure, but it felt like it had been adjusted in the short time he'd been gone. His gaze unconsciously went to Suo, who simply caught his eye and smiled again.

Huh. So it wasn't his work, then.

...but that meant the person who had made it was allowing him into the school. So what the hell was going on? That meant another exorcist, right? Shouldn't they have reinforced the barrier to keep him out instead? They obviously knew he was here...

...were the exorcists of this town not his enemy?

No. That was a crazy thought.

Ascending the staircase to the roof, Sakura kept his gaze fixed on Hiragi. He seemed to be getting more and more stressed as they got closer to the roof. Was he that nervous about reporting to Umemiya?

What kind of person was he anyways?

Stepping onto the rooftop, he blinked at the bright sunlight. He'd seen the tree growing from the roof from down below, but to his surprise there was a proper garden up here too. The whole roof had a scent of greenery. The scent was different- potted plants and neatly arranged dirt instead of trees and shrubs left to grow wild, but...

...it almost reminded him of the only place he'd ever really called home.

Hiragi made a beeline to the edge of the roof, towards the person that was crouched in front of a crop of seedlings. He squinted, something about that head of white hair tugging at him. He frowned, the direction of the wind shifting just as Umemiya turned to face Hiragi-

...huh?

No, no, that couldn't be right. There was no way that person could be Bofurin's head. His hair had been slicked back, but he recognized both his scent and face alike- that was the same weirdo who had managed to capture him days earlier.

...Kotoha had called him Ume.

"Umemiya," Hiragi said, "-we've got a problem."

...that was Umemiya? He was the top of Bofurin?

What the fuck.

Chapter Text

"-one's eggplant, and these are green peppers, and these-"

Sakura's eye twitched, feeling the beginning of a headache coming on. He'd thought they'd come up here to report to Bofurin's top about what had happened with Shishitoren, so why the hell were they listening to the weirdo who'd abducted him talk about vegetables?

This couldn't be right. How could he be Bofurin's leader?

He didn't feel strong- not like Togame had, or even like Sugishita had. He had a pretty decent sense for that sort of thing- it was kind of necessary so that he didn't pick the wrong opponent to fight. Brawls with normal humans were one thing, but if he picked the wrong exorcist...

Tch. He might be part youkai, but his own energy was weak. He knew that better than anyone. If he couldn't fend them off with his fists, he was better off running. He hated it, but it was better than ending up dead or bound into a unwanted contract.

(His gaze briefly flicked towards Suo, who just caught his eye with a smile.)

Umemiya grinned from ear to ear, holding up a pair of his apparently beloved seedlings. "They're all so cute and unique, right?"

"Hah?" Sakura blurted out. "They're all same!"

The glare that got from Sugishita was intense, all while Umemiya just prattled on about how all the plants were different, actually. He just clicked his tongue and tried to ignore them both. When the hell were they going to start talking about Shishitoren? If it was going to be like this, he was just going to leave!

He almost sighed in relief when Sasaki spoke up.

Listening with half an ear to the kid's explanation, he kept Umemiya in his peripheral. He didn't really care what the reason was- or about this meeting at all. He just wanted this conversation to be over. He hadn't had a chance to look at the state of his shoulder yet, which still throbbed with a dull ache. The more time passed, the more convinced he was that it was because of those damn prayer beads that Togame had been wearing.

...it didn't make sense. Why would someone with no spiritual power have something like that? And that bakeneko scent that clung to him...

...he didn't have a good feeling about this.

And why was Umemiya busting his gut laughing!?

"I know talking to them's not going to do any good," he laughed, "-but wow! You sent them flying, huh? Those poor guys!"

Ugh. At least he understood Hiragi a little better now, Sakura thought.

"But," Nirei butted in, "-it was Sakura-san's fault for pushing his buttons."

"Hah!?" Sakura bristled. "Shut up about that already!"

"Ohh?" Umemiya leaned closer. "What? Were you picking a fight?"

Sakura twitched, slamming his hand against the table as he jolted to his feet. He'd actually been trying to draw as little of Umemiya's attention to him as possible, on the off chance he was half as perceptive as Kotoha... but forgot that. There was no way that guy was! He hadn't even blinked when he'd seen him- and look, he wasn't stupid. He knew all too well that his appearance stood out.

It stood out a hell of a lot more for anyone who'd seen him as a cat.

"Those assholes call themselves the devotees of power or some crap," he yelled, "-but all they do is just beat up people weaker than them! What's lame is lame!"

The table fell into a hushed silence, and Sakura winced. Had he said too much?

Umemiya rose to his feet, approaching him with an unreadable expression. Sakura threw his hands up as he reached for him-

...huh? What? He was petting him?

W-what the hell!? He wasn't even a cat right now! Who pet a human's head!? His cheeks burned, not helped in the slightest by the faint snort that escaped Suo.

"Well said!" Umemiya beamed. "I've also been thinking they've been lame lately! You're Sakura, right? I heard about what you did on the main street yesterday. And now you helped save Sasaki? That's great! I'm relieved to get such a reliable little brother!"

...little brother? Hah?!

His face beet red, Sakura slapped Umemiya's hand away- and jumped back for good measure, in case he tried it again. What the hell!? What was his deal?! His hand had felt so nice, that for a moment he swore his ears were about to come out!

"W-who are you callin' little brother!?" He stammered.

He didn't have any human siblings! Probably!

Umemiya just laughed, undaunted by his rejection. "I consider everyone in this town my family! Naturally, that includes you!"

Hah? Did he even know what he was saying? He wasn't human! Who'd want a monster like him in their family?! He-

A loud sound cut off the rest of his thoughts, prompting him to slap his hands over his ears with a wince. Hiragi shot him an apologetic look as he answered his phone. The hell was with that ringtone? It sounded like a damn alarm!

Lowering his hands, he frowned slightly at Hiragi's tone. He sounded a little...

...a cold shiver ran down the length of his spine.

Turning on his heel, he raced to the edge of the rooftop- only dimly aware of Suo jolting to his feet as he did so. Digging his hands into the chain link fence that surrounded the roof, he only had a moment to focus on the figure lurking outside the school gates before the barrier surrounding the school crackled with a burst of energy-

-and then was forcibly bent, allowing the figure through.

They stepped through the school gates, dragging someone in a Furin uniform by the hair behind them. They came to a stop in the middle of the courtyard- and despite the distance between them, they lifted their head and made direct eye contact with him.

They smiled.

They cupped their free hand against their mouth, their voice ringing out across the courtyard unaided.

"Hello, hello, hello! Listen up, everyone! I'm the leader of Shishitoren, Tomiyama Choji! Ume-chan, I'm here to challenge you! Let's fight, fight, fight!"

...what the hell? The leader of Shishitoren? This guy wasn't even human. Even from here, he could pick out the scent of another bakeneko- pure and unadulterated, unlike his own. It radiated off of him, like a yawning pit of youkai energy that exuded from his body, dominating the courtyard.

This guy was strong.

He could feel heat at his back.

Tearing his gaze away from Choji, he pivoted on his heel just in time to watch Umemiya pull on a split-tailed jacket, storming over the wooden bridge placed over the roots of the tree. In an instant, he'd gone from that weird, smiley guy to someone who exuded strength- and burned with it.

No, he thought- he was furious.

Casting a quick glance back towards Choji, he hastily followed after Umemiya. Strong or not, a normal human with no spiritual power going to face off against a youkai was insane. Choji was at least strong enough the penetrate the barrier, leaving a trail of collapsed Furin students in his wake. Bakeneko were usually know for their speed and agility, not their physical strength.

Something told him that Choji was different.

Up close, Choji's energy was even more overwhelming. His human disguise was perfect- if it weren't for the eyes. There was something hauntingly empty about them- he'd never seen a bakeneko with eyes like that before. The sun had already begun to set, but there was no characteristic glow- if anything, they only seemed to grow all the darker. Those same eyes briefly tore themselves away from Umemiya, flicking in his direction.

He gave off the same feeling as Togame.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Suo's half hidden palm glow, a half formed incantation on his lips ready to go at any moment- as if any thought of concealing the true nature of what stood in the courtyard was completely out the window. He caught Sakura's eye, lifting his free hand to his lips.

...what the hell. This guy really could have attacked him at any time.

"Stay here."

Umemiya's voice was cold, offsetting the heat that he practically radiated.

Sakura narrowed his eyes. Did he have any idea what he was about to get himself into? That was a bakeneko, not a human. He knew full well how vicious they could be.

He was one too, after all.

"Huh?" Sakura said. "If it's a fight-!"

"I won't say it again."

Umemiya didn't even look back, but there was something about his voice alone that forced him to freeze in his tracks. Next to him, even Suo did the same- and so did everyone else, for that matter. Umemiya walked forward, coming to a dead stop in front of Choji.

"Yo, Tomiyama," he said, "-you've got something that belongs to Furin."

"Yep," Choji smiled, "-I know!"

He didn't get it. He was standing that close to a youkai that wasn't even trying to mask its energy, but Umemiya didn't even flinch. He was giving off enough negative energy to make even those without spiritual senses ill- which a quick glance towards Nirei and Sasaki confirmed. They were both looking a little green.

(Hiragi looked okay, actually. Did the constant stomachaches actually help? Sugishita... was so expressionless he couldn't really tell, actually.)

Umemiya had to be some kind of monster in his own right, he decided.

"Sakura-kun," Suo whispered at a register low enough only he could hear, "-sorry."

Sakura blinked, briefly sparing a glance at the exorcist- before the air around them changed. Pressing a hand against his mouth, he swallowed back a nauseous feeling- all while Nirei and Sasaki's condition seemed to improve. Suo flashed him a faintly apologetic look, remaining undaunted even when Choji's attention briefly flicked towards him.

Ugh. Fine. He could deal.

(...the hell had Suo even bothered apologizing for?)

"Are you mad?" Choji taunted. "Did I rile you up?"

"...you sure seem happy," Umemiya observed.

Choji's smile only grew, his youkai energy flaring with it. He released his grip on the hair of the unconscious Furin student, hopping eagerly back and forth with his fists raised.

"Alright, Ume-chan!" He chirped, punching the air. "Fight me! One on one! Your side's the one who messed with us first, so now we've got a good reason to brawl it out!"

...huh? Swallowing back his nausea, Sakura cocked his head. Reason? That was weird. Since when did a bakeneko need a reason to do anything? His mother had always just done whatever she liked, and even he'd lived that way for a long time.

"You're right," Umemiya said, "-we did. But you mowed down a lot of our guys on the way here, didn't you? You should have had your fill."

No, no. Bakeneko don't work like that.

That was to say that the kick Choji aimed at Umemiya was the least surprising thing to happen all day. What was surprising was that Umemiya managed to block it- even if their physical strength was roughly equal, Choji should have been faster. It should've hit.

...maybe Umemiya deserved his place as Bofurin's top after all.

Choji just grinned, undaunted. He wrenched his leg free of Umemiya's hold, leaping back in a clear display of bakeneko agility. He cheerfully taunted Umemiya, doing his best to goad him into a fight. He didn't really get it, but it couldn't be more obvious that Choji was utterly fixated on him.

The look in Choji's eyes when he said he wanted Umemiya made his skin crawl. Gaining the interest of a bakeneko like that was never a good thing.

(Next to him, Suo twitched.)

It almost came as a weird relief when more Shishitoren members showed up. Togame met his eyes as he stood next to Choji, a glint of amusement behind those gaudy sunglasses. Sakura clicked his tongue, disregarding Umemiya's earlier order- if that's how it was going to be, he wasn't about to stand back- and he wasn't the only one. He didn't know what Togame's fucking deal was, but he wasn't about to be intimidated by it.

Those stupid prayer beads hadn't hurt that much.

"Oh," Togame grinned, "-if it isn't Othello-kun."

Sakura glared at him, but bit back a retort. He'd rather not have him switch to Bakeneko-kun instead. Caught between whatever the fuck was going on with Togame and whatever Suo had done to counter Choji's youkai energy, he felt like shit- but he could more than endure it.

Ganging up on one guy? That was the peak of lame.

(His lack of response just seemed to amuse Togame more, damn it.)

"Kame-chan!" Choji pouted, remarkably indifferent to Togame's whatever. "Don't get in the way! I'm about to have a one on one with Ume-chan!"

"Oh?" Togame arched his brows. "That sounds interesting."

"Right?" Choji chirped. "I'll win, and then I can-!"

"-but," Togame deliberately cut Choji off, "-don't you think its too late for that? It's already starting to get dark. We won't be able to properly see his beat up face this way."

"...oh," Choji faltered, "-hm. That's a good point."

Hah? It was? He didn't understand these two at all.

"And if you ask me," Togame met his eyes with a grin, "-it seems like you're not the only one who wants to fight, Choji."

Choji followed his gaze, glancing towards him with a smile. He'd take back what he'd thought earlier- his teeth were too sharp for a human's. Sakura bared his own likewise too sharp teeth in response, glaring at the other bakeneko.

(Don't hiss, he had to tell himself. Humans don't do that.)

"I know!" Choji clapped his hands together. "We'll have a whole bunch of one on one fights, then! That'd be fun, right? You can fight the one that stinks like a-"

"-oh, Othello-kun?" Togame cut Choji off again. "Sounds fun."

Sakura narrowed his eyes. He was definitely doing that on purpose.

"Sure," Sakura said, "-fine by me."

This whole situation was fucking insane, he decided- but it was better than letting Umemiya walk off into bakeneko territory alone to get eaten. Don't get him wrong- it wasn't like he cared about the guy or anything, it was just... well, he owed Kotoha one for keeping his secret, and Umemiya was her friend. That was all!

"Then, it's settled!" Choji grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ume-chan!"

Shishitoren and its bakeneko leader left, taking Choji's noxious youkai energy with it. He faintly heard Suo let out a breath next to him, the air around them returning to normal. Sakura cast another glance in his direction- but as expected, all that earned him was another unreadable smile.

...seriously, what was that guy's deal?

"That's quite the mark you have there."

Hm. He'd admit there was something amusing about the way Sakura flinched. The bakeneko jerked the sleeve of his jacket back on to hide the blackened mark on his shoulder. It was unmistakably in the shape of a handprint- likely from when Togame had touched him earlier.

Shishitoren gave him a bad feeling.

...they were also quite the mystery.

Their leader was clearly a bakeneko posing as a human- which in and of itself wasn't that strange. There were certainly youkai who did such things- it certainly seemed less unusual than posing as a high school student. Choji's clear fixation on Umemiya also felt rather par for the course- maybe it was because they were always closely intertwined with humans during their original lifetime as simple cats, but bakeneko were always fascinated by humans in one way or another.

It usually didn't end well.

Curiously enough, he couldn't recall any reports of any disappearances on Shishitoren's turf. There should have been more than a few, based on the energy Choji gave off. His master never would have left to go overseas if there were such a dangerous threat just next door. He might have been eccentric enough to take him as his disciple, but he was still the responsible type, normally.

And Togame... there certainly was an exorcist clan by that name, but as far as he was aware, they'd mostly died out years ago. Was it coincidence?

His first day had certainly shaped up to be more exciting than he'd anticipated!

"The hell do you want?" Sakura snapped. "Who follows someone to the bathroom? You some kind of creep?"

Ah, that was fair. He was somewhat amazed that Sakura had even allowed himself to be dragged along to Cafe Pothos with everyone. The first thing he'd done when they'd arrived was excuse himself to use the bathroom, but as expected, he'd actually left for a different reason.

"Well," Suo smiled, "-it seemed as if you were avoiding me, so..."

"Take the hint then, damn it," Sakura glared at him, "-or what? Do you wanna fight?"

Hm. Quite the loaded question.

"No," Suo said, "-I have no interest in fighting you, Sakura-kun."

"...hah?" Sakura narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"I'm serious," Suo said, "-don't I look that way?"

"No," Sakura snapped, "-you sure didn't seem to have a problem with almost starting something with that guy earlier. So what's your deal? You know what I am, right?"

Suo just smiled at him. "Hm, whatever could you mean?"

Sakura's brow twitched. "You-!"

"I'm just kidding," Suo held up his hands, "-sure. I know what you are."

"Then let's just take this outside and get it over with," Sakura demanded, putting his fists up, "-I'm your enemy, right?"

"Hm," Suo tilted his head, "-are you?"

Sakura just stared at him like he was the biggest idiot on the planet. This was kind of amusing, actually! Maybe Sakura really did have human blood, he thought- he'd never met a bakeneko that seemed this human, while still obviously failing to hide what they were.

"What the hell," Sakura muttered, "-you some kind of weirdo?"

"I've been told that!" Suo agreed.

Sakura held his gaze for a long moment, before clicking his tongue and shoving his way past him. Suo left him to it, listening to him sputter out a flustered response to Kotoha's remark that he'd been in the bathroom awhile. It seemed as if the two of them knew each other- another curiosity to add to the pile.

And what a curiosity Sakura was!

He'd never met a youkai that was willing to stick its neck out for a human it had seemingly no interest in. He'd barely paid a lick of attention to Sasaki since he'd helped save him. Whatever Sakura was, he didn't think he was his enemy.

The more pressing issue was Shishitoren.

Suo slipped in to join the others, only briefly sparing Sakura another smile as he glanced his way. The bakeneko clicked his tongue in annoyance- only to perk up as soon as Kotoha set a plate of omelet rice down in front of him.

He ate like he thought someone might take it away from him.

...he wasn't sure what to think about that either.

"Ko~to~ha!"

Sakura didn't resist the urge to grimace as Umemiya practically sprang through the front door of Pothos. He'd tried to make excuses to leave, but his attempts had proved fruitless. He wished bakeneko could slip through walls or something, but they weren't that kind of youkai.

Was this really the same guy who'd faced down a bakeneko earlier?

Ugh. He had to avert his eyes from Umemiya and Kotoha. What was their deal anyways? Kotoha had called him a friend, but Umemiya seemed way too clingy for it to be just that. They weren't d-dating or anything like that, right?

N-not that he cared!

"Actually," Sakura grumbled, "-why are we meeting in a cafe?"

"That's a bold thing to say after you downed a whole thing of omelet rice," Kotoha observed.

"It's because this is a hang out spot for Bofurin," Suo provided.

Sakura shot him a look, ignoring the dull ache in his shoulder that came with it. He couldn't tell what that guy was thinking at all. What did he mean he didn't want to fight him? There was no way that could be true. Was he just ignoring him for now because he was less of a threat than Choji was?

What was his deal anyways? That guy didn't act like a normal bakeneko in the weirdest ways. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that he almost seemed human... which sure, which was rich for him to say- but Choji didn't smell human.

(He did, apparently.)

Ugh. Wasn't there some way they could talk them out of this?

...nah, impossible. Words had never been his strong suit. If he started talking about youkai, they'd probably just look at him like he was insane. That was probably the reason Suo also hadn't said anything. He'd just have to figure another way to deal with this.

Shit. Youkai business was the last thing he'd thought he'd get tangled up in at Furin.

"Hm? You're not eating, Hiragi?"

Sakura frowned, glancing over towards Hiragi. The guy hadn't even picked up his spoon yet- what a waste. If you didn't eat what was in front of you, who knew when you'd get another meal?

"I was just thinking," he said, "-about what Shishitoren used to be like in the past."

Sakura blinked. Come to think of it, hadn't Umemiya said...

"Those guys were different before?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah," Hiragi said, "-they didn't use to be the kind of team that would chase middle school students around. They simply wanted to pursue strength- but once Tomiyama became leader, things began to change. All sorts of grisly rumors have been spreading about them."

Well, that figured. Having a bakeneko in charge was-

"It used to be different," Hiragi said, "-Togame and Tomiyama weren't like that before. They cared about their team members more than anyone."

...huh?

Sakura stared at him, unable to understand what he was saying. He'd thought that Choji had done some kind of hostile takeover of the group or something... but what did you mean, he'd changed? And caring about his team members? That didn't make sense.

Bakeneko weren't like that.

(Not towards humans at least.)

"Well, whatever it is," Umemiya said, "-we'll figure it out when we talk to them tomorrow."

Sakura's brow furrowed. "Talk? Weren't we going to fight?"

Umemiya looked over at him with a knowing smile. "A fight is a conversation, Sakura. Sometimes they can even get the message across better than words."

Sakura cocked his head. Hah? That sounded fake. If that were true, wouldn't he understand humans better than he did? All he did these days was get into fights.

...or maybe it was true, and he was just too much of a youkai to understand it.

There was something he'd asked his mom about once- about why humans did something he couldn't understand. He couldn't even remember what the thing he'd asked about even was anymore, but he still remembered her response, even after all this time. He remembered the way she'd laughed and stroked his hair.

"Who knows? We might speak the same language, but we won't ever understand each other."

He hadn't understood then- but he did now. He'd lived with humans for long enough to understand that humans and youkai really couldn't understand each other.

(...no matter how much he might want that.)

"Sakura, hold on a second."

Sakura blinked, glancing over his shoulder at her. Everyone else had gone home for the night, but Sakura had seemed to linger at Pothos. Good- she'd wanted to talk to him anyways. She'd been a little surprised to hear that he'd picked a fight with Shishitoren on his literal first day, but at the same time, well... somehow she wasn't.

He was a little strange, but also painfully easy to understand.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"Come back inside for a sec," Kotoha waved him inside, "-it won't take long."

Sakura frowned- but then sighed, following her inside. He lingered by the entrance with his hands shoved into his pockets, looking like he really didn't want to be here. It couldn't have been more obvious that he'd wanted to leave as soon as he'd gotten to Pothos with the others. She was pretty sure the only reason he hadn't left was because she'd promised them all free food. He seemed pretty fond of omelet rice!

"You're meeting up with everyone early tomorrow, right? You won't have time to come over for breakfast-"

"Don't just assume I'll come over!" Sakura snapped.

"Here, take this." Kotoha ignored his outburst, holding what she'd prepared earlier. "It's just some tamagoyaki. They'll keep overnight in your fridge. You can't fight on an empty stomach, right?"

"I don't-!" Sakura bristled, his cheeks turning bright red. "...ugh. Fine."

Kotoha smiled as he snatched the bag out of her hands. "You okay? You seemed pretty distracted earlier. Ah, don't tell me you're nervous~?"

He hadn't even been paying attention when Sasaki had wished them all luck for tomorrow. It had been kind of cute the way he'd turned red and stammered out something about not doing it for his sake when he'd finally noticed what was going on, though.

"I ain't nervous!" Sakura yelled. "I just-!"

He cut himself off, averting his eyes. Kotoha frowned, watching as he rubbed the back of his neck. There was something so serious in his gaze that she almost felt bad for teasing him.

"Just... what's your relationship with that guy anyways?" Sakura asked. "Umemiya, I mean. Are you d-dating or somethin'?"

"No, definitely not," Kotoha said curtly, "-we're... well, we were raised in the same group home, so he's gotten it into his head that I'm his little sister, that's all."

Even after all this time, the fact that she had no parents wasn't exactly something she liked sharing, but... she couldn't exactly trick Sakura into exposing his secret to her and then not tell him about herself in turn. That wouldn't be fair.

"O-oh," Sakura said, "-is that all?"

Kotoha blinked. Usually people had a bigger reaction to that. A trace of a smile touched her cheeks, watching the way Sakura kept his eyes averted from her.

"Why do you ask?" Kotoha said. "Don't tell me you have a crush-"

"Hell no!" Sakura bristled. "Just..."

Kotoha blinked, tilting her head. He really did seem kind of serious. Well, they were about to go into a big fight, but... it kind of felt like it was a little more than that.

"...i-it's nothin'!" He stammered, jerking the door open. "I'm leaving!"

"Wait, Sakura!" Kotoha called after him.

"Hah?" Sakura glared at her. "What now?"

Kotoha smiled. "Good luck."

Sakura blinked, something flashing through his gaze too fast for her to make out- before he turned his head away, the tips of his ears bright red.

"...t-thanks."

He slammed the door shut behind him.

She just sighed. It was good to see him eating together with everyone, but despite sharing a meal with them, he'd still managed to feel distant from them. Was it because of his secret? He'd said something about exorcists before- had he gone all his life being made to feel like he was something other like that?

That sounded terrible.

Kotoha blinked, her phone buzzing in her pocket. Pulling it out, she opened Ume's text- and felt another smile pulling at her lips.

...yeah, she thought, it was a good thing he'd come to Furin.

Sakura stared at the bag dangling from his hand. For a place that didn't do takeout, this was the second time she'd forced a to go bag on him. Did he look that desperate?

He could take care of himself. He wouldn't have survived otherwise.

With a click of his tongue, he passed underneath the wind chimes. This town and Furin- they were both confusing as hell. He'd never had anyone wish him good luck before.

"Damn it," he muttered, "-I don't even have a damn fridge."