Chapter Text
Sakura had moved to the town Makochi with very little thought. He'd heard rumours of Bofurin, the delinquent group from the infamous school Furin, breeding the most bloodthirsty of fighters in all of Japan, and decided yep, that's where I'm going.
It hadn't been hard for Sakura to slip away. His orphanage barely kept count of the children they had and losing someone like Sakura was more of a reward for them than anything.
Everyone knows that Sakura is a problem, with his mismatched hair and heterochromatic eyes. He's the surly freak who's good at nothing but punching people. No one wants a kid like that in their home, other than the ones who do it for the money.
Thus, with a freshly bought uniform and a stolen futon, Sakura had made his way to Makochi. He had decided that he was going to claw his way to the top of Furin and become the most feared fighter in this town or die trying.
What he hadn't anticipated, however, was one teensy-weensy caveat. Due to the intense lack of school funding, the person Sakura most wanted to beat is also the person in charge of student administration in Furin.
This is how Sakura finds himself fidgeting in a plastic chair opposite Furin's Student Representative and Bofurin's top fighter, Umemiya Hajime.
Sakura tries to look polite enough to be accepted. He can't beat Furin's top fighter if he's not in Furin. However, when Umemiya lets out the third ambiguous hum in the span of five minutes as he considers Sakura's files, Sakura gives up.
A loud fist slams down on the table between them. "Just tell me what the verdict is, you slow-ass motherfucker."
Umemiya looks up, eyes blowing wide as if he'd genuinely forgot Sakura was sitting there. "Oh, sorry! We don't usually do application screenings this close to the school term, so I'm not used to having an audience when I'm doing the last stages of sense-checking," He opens a drawer underneath his desk and offers Sakura a lollipop. "Here, have this as an apology."
That… is not the response Sakura had been expecting. He squints. "I'm going to beat you," he decides to declare, apropos of nothing. "I aim to fight my way to the top of Furin and take your place as the best fighter of this school."
"Oh." Umemiya blinks. "Okay." He shakes the lollipop in Sakura's face. "Do you want this?"
Sakura scrunches his nose. The fuck is wrong with this guy?
"Here!" Umemiya takes Sakura's wrist with a touch that is so gentle Sakura forgets to pull back. He pries open Sakura's clenched fist and deposits the sucker in the middle of his now open palm. "Save it for later, if you don't feel like having it now."
"What the fuck? Did you not hear me, you idiot, I said–"
"I heard you," Umemiya says, still irritatingly indulgent. "You're going to make so many friends with that impeccably strong attitude! I can't wait for you to start your journey here in Furin."
He's accepted Sakura? Just like that? No, that can't be. He must think that Sakura's a joke.
Sakura closes his fist and breaks the lollipop with a scowl. "Stop fucking with me."
"I'm not!" Umemiya holds up his hands. "I swear!" His eyes dance with amusement.
Sakura snaps. He leaps over Umemiya's table with a dark growl. He needs to show Umemiya that he's not to be taken lightly.
He expects Umemiya to deflect the punch coming his way or at the very least, dodge the clearly incoming attack. He doesn't expect Umemiya to just sit there and fucking wink as Sakura's fist collides against his cheek.
"Wow!" Umemiya laughs, rubbing at the blooming red spot on his cheek. "What a strong punch!"
Sakura splutters in abject befuddlement.
Umemiya's gaze catches suddenly at the roots of Sakura's hair and the colour of his eyes.
Sakura goes silent. His jaw tightens.
Umemiya's probably realised that Sakura is a true freak of nature. Sakura braces himself for the worse. He doesn't know where he'll go if Umemiya denies him entry. All of his money was spent coming to Makochi.
Umemiya's grin doesn't drop. "Your hair looks really cool, Sakura."
Sakura jumps back ten paces. "What the fuck?" His cheeks are starting to burn, he can fucking feel it. "No, it doesn't. I mean– why would you say that! You're trying to throw me off! Fuck you!" He swings his arm up and down at Umemiya, pointing like a madman.
"I mean it! It's really special. Your eyes, too. They're so unique – very beautiful." Umemiya's grin is too blinding to be anything but true and genuine.
What the fuck? Sakura opens his mouth, closes it, and then opens it again. No sound comes out.
Umemiya laughs again. He smilingly opens his desk drawer again with a beckoning wave in Sakura's direction. Sakura narrows his eyes but shuffles over.
"Pick another lollipop." Umemiya offers again, like Sakura hadn't just completely decimated the one before. "They're all good flavours, trust me!"
"…You're insane."
"Probably!"
Sakura shakes his head, but finds himself with two cola pops in his hand.
"Good choice!" Umemiya closes the drawer smilingly. "Now, I'm going to need you to sit down, is that okay?" He raises his eyebrows meaningfully.
"Whatever." Sakura trudges back to his seat, pursing his lips. It's hard to fight someone who doesn't want to fight.
Umemiya nods approvingly once Sakura plonks his whole weight down on the poor green plastic chair. "From the initial files you sent before this meeting, the school board noticed that you didn't have a registered guardian."
Sakura cracks the cola pop open. "Yeah, so?" The cola pop is halfway to his mouth when Umemiya says–
"We thought it would be better if you were assigned a guardian, a temporary one."
Sakura freezes.
"It'll only be for a little while, at least until you're comfortable and know your way around the town," Umemiya gestures vaguely at the window behind him. "You don't have to feel pressured to stay with me after the initial six-month period."
"I have to stay with you?" All of Sakura's appalment accumulates in that last word.
That's why Umemiya had been so unbothered when Sakura punched him. He already knew that he would have a chance to tear Sakura a new one behind closed doors.
"Ah, I've jumped ahead. Should have eased you into it." Umemiya scratches the back of his head. "The student board really insisted for you to be placed under the care of someone capable and I happen to have the means to." Something must show on Sakura's face, because Umemiya adds in a softer tone, "I'm sorry, Sakura. You can't attend Furin if you're not assigned a guardian for at least the first semester."
No. No. Sakura can't beat Umemiya if he doesn't study at Furin. He can't do anything if he doesn't agree to their stupid condition.
He looks down at the cola pop. It's just six months. He can handle being under Umemiya's roof for six months. He'll let Umemiya do whatever he wants to him and then after that, after that, Sakura can take his revenge.
"Sakura? What's your decision?"
"Sure."
"Sure…?"
"Sure, I'll fucking stay with you!' The cola pop falls from his hand to the floor. Sakura stomps on it with both his shoes. The plastic stem snaps.
"Okay," Umemiya enunciates very slowly. He probably thinks that Sakura is stupid. Everyone thinks that. "Thank you for trusting me."
Sakura jerks his head to the side. "Whatever. Are we done here?"
"I suppose so, yes." Umemiya closes the file and rises to his full height.
Sakura stands quickly to lessen the height disparity between them. It's not much, but Sakura feels safer on his feet.
Umemiya walks over to hold the door open smilingly. He would be happy. He gets to torture Sakura whenever he wants.
"Come here tomorrow, okay?" He couches his first order to Sakura as a request. "We'll go home together."
Sakura nods and exits the office without looking at Umemiya.
He dreads what is to come. The last cola pop breaks under Sakura's belaboured grip.
Sakura will not be weak. It's not like he can't take whatever Umemiya wants to dish out. He always manages. He will just have to wait and bide his time, and then Umemiya's defeat will taste all the more sweeter for it. Yes. Sakura straightens his shoulders. He is not weak.