Chapter Text
Suo had to be lying if he said that he didn’t feel guilty.
The last time he had seen Nirei, he was lying against a slab of stone, his face beaten and bloody. Because of him. He knew that leaving in such a way would throw Sakura, Kiryu and Tsugerura into a fit of rage. But that was his intention. It would be better if they never wanted to see him again. They should focus on finding someone else to fill Suo’s absence.
Okay, to be completely honest, Suo struggled with the guilt weighing so heavily on his heart for the last couple of weeks. He didn’t want to leave his friends or the class that he bonded so well with in the first half of the year, but when trouble arose in Bankoku-gai, he had to choose between Bofurin and the Red Chanpuru.
Bofurin, who had accepted him.
Red Chanpuru, who had raised him and protected him.
He hadn't truly returned to Kasai since he left the Red Chanpuru. Once he heard of the events that took place in his hometown, he decided he should go back and pay off his debt. Of course he debated for hours in his mind whether he should really leave or not. How would he leave? What would make them stay in Makochi and forget him? What if they needed him? Deep down, Suo knew that Sakura could live just fine without him. Sakura was a man of many connections. In a matter of months, he had managed to bond with all the first-years, outsider gangs and tamed Furin’s rogue legends. Sakura could easily find someone else to fill Suo’s spot. He knew that without a doubt. Suo had lived within the shadow of everyone else. He was insignificant compared to Nirei and the others. Knowing the consequences of his choice, Suo left Bofurin in a way that would ensure they would never want to see him again. He knew, as he fought with Nirei, that he could have knocked him out cold with one hit, but went the extra mile and pushed him beyond his limits.
He hated every second of it.
Sakura would have surely found him already, Suo assured himself. He exhaled heavily, the tassels on his earrings swaying in the gentle breeze. The scent of smoke and spices faintly hung in the air. His hands, which he clutched behind his back, felt ice cold. He turned his eye to the crescent moon that hung in the sky. It was such a different sight from Makochi. Back in the town, he could see the full moon clearly, with its iridescent shine blanketing his face. However, the crescent moon here in the city was partially obscured by the predominantly cloudy sky.
“Why are you still standing out here?” a voice asked behind Suo.
Suo was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the pair approaching him from behind.
“Sun Fei’s been standing here every night now. It’s not even a surprise anymore,” another voice said.
Suo jolted at the use of his birth name. Sun Fei. He’s too used to being called Suo. If he closed his eyes for too long, he swore he could see Sakura, Nirei, Kiryu and Tsugera calling his name.
“It's become a daily habit now,” Sun Fei said, finally acknowledging the two men behind him. Bacchus and Rakta, his two acquaintances in the Red Chanpuru, had constantly tailed him since last month. It’s been a month since he left Bofurin.
“I see,” Rakta responded, bowing his head slightly.
“Do you really?” Bacchus looked incredulously at Rakta. “Or are you just saying that?”
“Is there a reason why both of you are here at this time?” Sun Fei asked, his smile slightly strained. He was too tired to play along with his partner’s antiques.
“Not particularly,” Bacchus said, which was followed by a heavy smack at the back of his head by Rakta.
“Some of the kids at the dojo are asking for you,” Rakta said informatively, glaring at Bacchus. “They say they want to see you before they have to leave”
“They’re still training at this time of night?” Sun Fei asked, frowning slightly.
“Yeah,” Bacchus responded, rubbing the back of his head and returning Rakta’s glare.
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt,” Sun Fei sighs, forcing his legs to move. Bacchus and Rakta followed Sun Fei behind him as he walked through the winding hallways of the Red Chanpuru building towards the training dojo.
The hallways were decorated with traditional Chinese colours and patterns. The walls were adorned with paintings from many countries, symbolising the city’s diverse culture. There was not a sound in those hallways, other than the footsteps of those walking.
When the three finally reached the dojo, Sun Fei pushed the sliding doors aside and stepped in. The sounds of fighting and the scent of sweat instantly flooded Sun Fei’s senses. The dojo was brightly lit with bamboo mats evenly spread across the floor. Kids aged around ten to thirteen exchanged blows. Sun Fei recognised their fighting style instantly, the same kind that he used. Of course, his skill was far greater than that of these kids.
When they noticed him, they immediately stopped their tussling, and their expressions lit up as if they had just seen the sun. The kids excitedly scrambled towards him. Sun Fei had to take a step back to avoid being overwhelmed.
“Sun Fei, Sun Fei!” one of the kids exclaims. His bright green eyes look up at him with awe.
“Sun Fei nii-san, can you spar with me?” another kid boldly challenges.
“Calm down, everyone,” Sun Fei laughs. “I can’t hear what you're saying.”
“Popular as ever, aren’t you?” Bacchus mutters. Rakta slaps him promptly, which triggers an enraged “ow!” from Bacchus.
“Isn’t it too late to continue training?” Sun Fei asks, glancing around the crowd of children.
“We want to get stronger and faster!” a child says excitedly.
“I want to serve the Red Chanpuru as soon as possible!”
The children continue listing off their reasons, but don’t notice Sun Fei’s expression drop. He quickly masks his face into a cheerful expression and says, “You can’t get stronger without your sleep!”
The children blink up at him.
“You’re right, Sun Fei nii-san.”
“We should go now!”
The kids scramble to the exit, waving their goodbyes and laughing amongst themselves. Sun Fei kept his smile plastered on his face until everyone had left.
“I think you should also get your sleep,” Rakta suggests to Sun Fei.
“You should practice what you preach,” Bacchus snorts.
“I will admit, I’ve been a little fatigued lately,” Sun Fei admits.
“You’ve been busying yourself with the Red Chanpuru the whole day. You’d better get your rest,” Rakta said.
“I think I might take you up on that for once,” Sun Fei agreed, heading back into the building. “Both of you are dismissed. I’d hope that you, too, will get your beauty sleep.”
“No need to worry about us,” Rakta assures. Bacchus responds with a thumbs up.
It doesn’t take long before Sun Fei finds his room. It looks the same as every other bedroom in the building. Except that his bedroom was quite empty, other than the futon placed in the corner. While most people have treasured belongings neatly scattered across their rooms, he has only a rack of clothes, a tray of bandages (which he rarely uses), and a small table harbouring paperwork. He makes quick work of changing and brushing his teeth before lying on the futon and gazing up at the brown ceiling.
Now that he has some peace and quiet, he allowed his mind to drift back to his memories.
Memories of Nirei and Sakura. Memories of the class that he cherished for the first half of the year. Surely they hate me, Sun Fei thought. Better off if they do. The phone that he placed beside him on the floor lit up. He hadn’t looked at his phone the whole day because of how busy he was, running around the city. He reached for the device and briefly glanced at the screen. His eyes widened in surprise when his brain registered what he was seeing.
1 new notification from Nirei.
‘Suo, where are you?’
He makes sure he doesn’t accidentally click the notification, so the boy doesn’t know he’s read the message. Why was Nirei still trying to look for him? Sun Fei thought he had sent a clear message that he had no intention of seeing any of them ever again.
A new notification appears.
‘Suo, if you somehow read this message, please respond.’
He clenched the device harder. Did Nirei not understand the message that he sent when Sun Fei fought with him? He turned his phone off and placed it face down on the padded floor. Sun Fei forced his eye closed and imagined tucking the memories of the past six months deep within his brain before finally settling into deep sleep.
-~-
At 7 am in the morning, Sun Fei was already walking down a now busy hallway in the Red Chanpuru building. Not sure what he really would do in the morning, he decided that a walk through the garden would be nice and refreshing. Then maybe after that, he would have a cup of chai tea. It was a warm morning at Bonkukogai, and the sun was already resting high in the sky. The smell of pollen drifted through the air.
And it seems that he wasn’t the only person thinking about walking through the garden. Standing by a bush of purple bell flowers was a girl with waist-length hair, half of it tied up in a bun with a pin pierced through it, and bright hazel eyes. She wore an elegant yet simple red shirt paired with loose black pants. The sleeves of her shirt reached all the way to her hands. Only the people close to her knew what hid beneath those sleeves. It didn’t take long for her to notice Sun Fei as he entered the garden.
“Good morning, Sun Fei,” the girl greeted him with a small smile on her soft lips.
“Hello, Yuki,” Sun Fei greeted back. He walked to stand beside Yuki, who had turned her attention back to the bell flowers.
“They bloom so beautifully this time of the year,” Yuki said, trailing her hands through the flowers.
“Indeed, they do,” Sun Fei agreed.
“This is some nice timing, I had wanted to speak with you,” Yuki mused. Sun Fei kept a neutral expression on his face. Uh oh. Yuki was one of the Red Chanpuru’s venerated officers. She is around the same age as Sun Fei and was brought up by the same person as him. Yuki was also the only girl within the Red Chanpuru. But her soft looks are especially disarming, but behind that facade lies an intelligent brain and a cold personality. From experience, Sun Fei knew that angering her was a bad idea.
“Say, Sun Fei, how did you spend all that time away for the past couple of years? I barely see you return to Bankoku-gai,” Yuki wonders, her eyes still fixed on the flowers in front of her.
“I joined a humble community in a town while receiving a basic education,” Sun Fei responds. His hands grip tighter behind his back. He hasn’t told anyone about his decisions and experiences in Makochi, and he would like to keep it that way.
“I see,” Yuki nodded. “Is that really all? I don’t think you're the type of person to settle down in a boring country town. I don’t even know why you even left in the first place.”
“You know exactly why I left,” Sun Fei said, his mouth tightening into a straight line.
“Yeah, yeah,” Yuki mutters as she turns away from the flowers and fixes her sharp chestnut eyes on him. The wind breezes past the two, causing Sun Fei’s earrings to flutter and the charms on Yuki’s pin to jingle against each other. They stood like that for a while, not saying anything.
“Well, what are you doing here so early in the morning?” Sun Fei finally asked, breaking the silence.
“Just admiring nature,” Yuki said, her expression softening again. “What about you? It doesn’t seem like you’ve had breakfast.”
“I’m not hungry,” Sun Fei replied. “I’m planning on drinking some tea, though.”
“Oh, really?” Yuki asked sarcastically. She made a show of checking an imaginary watch on her wrist and faked a shocked expression. “I have to go now,” Yuki informed dismissively, flicking her black hair with a hand. “I’ve got to walk around the northern border to make sure those outsiders don’t get any closer. There’s so much trouble around there these days.” She stuck out her tongu with a bored expression on her face.
“I’ll leave you to it then,” Sun Fei said cheerfully.
“See ya,” Yuki walked off with a wave.