Chapter Text
Chapter One: First Impressions
The wind in Makochi didn’t feel like normal wind. It felt loud, heavy with the scent of cheap convenience store snacks, oil from ramen shops, and the unmistakable, low-humming tension of people who lived with their fists perpetually clenched.
Sakura Haruka stood on the corner of the block, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his asymmetrical jacket, glaring at a pigeon like it had personally insulted his lineage. Half of his hair was stark white, the other half pitch black; his eyes mismatched pools of silver and gold. People stared when they passed him, or more accurately, they swerved wide to avoid him. He was used to that. He preferred it, even. It kept things simple: You look like a monster, so everyone treats you like one.
He hadn't come to this town to make friends. He had come to Furin High because the rumors said it was a sanctuary for the strongest street fighters in the prefecture—delinquents who used their fists to protect the town instead of tearing it apart. Sakura wanted to test his strength against them. He wanted to know, for once in his life, if he belonged anywhere at all.
"Um! Excuse me!"
Sakura blinked, snapping out of his thoughts as a frantic blur of blonde hair skidded to a halt in front of him. It was a boy about his age, wearing the same striking green-and-white Furin uniform, frantically flipping through a pocket-sized notebook.
"Are you... are you a first-year too?" the blonde boy blurted out, his voice cracking slightly with nerves. "I'm Nirei! Nirei Akihiko! I saw you standing here and you looked kind of lost, or maybe mad, or—well, both, actually—and I wanted to make sure you found your way to the orientation courtyard okay because everyone's heading that way right now and—"
"Shut up," Sakura snapped instinctively, a scowl flashing across his face as he stepped back. "I’m not lost. And I don't need your help."
Nirei flinched, shrinking back just a fraction, but to Sakura's absolute bewilderment, the kid didn't run away. Instead, Nirei’s eyes lit up behind his round glasses as he stared at Sakura's face. "Whoa! Your eyes and hair... that's so cool! Are you naturally like that, or—"
"Are you looking for a fight?" Sakura growled, fists balling up in his pockets, heat rising to his cheeks. People didn't look at him with wide-eyed curiosity and praise. They looked at him with fear or disgust. This Nirei kid was throwing his entire internal compass completely out of whack.
Before Sakura could figure out whether to yell or walk away, a soft, melodic chuckle drifted over from the alleyway wall beside them.
"Now, now. The poor kid is just trying to be friendly, and you're already threatening to chew his head off. That's not very becoming of a new Furin student, is it?"
Sakura whipped his head around, his hackles instantly raised.
Leaning casually against a brick wall, his arms folded loosely over his chest, was a boy who looked entirely too relaxed for a neighborhood notorious for brawls. He had neat burgundy hair, and a striking dark-red eye patch covered his right eye. But what caught Sakura off guard wasn't the eye patch or the immaculate way his uniform fit—it was the tassel earrings swaying around his ears.
"Who the hell are you?" Sakura demanded, narrowing his eyes at the newcomer.
The boy smiled. It was a smooth, easy expression, though the visible left eye held a sharp, glittering depth that felt entirely too observant.
"Suo. Suo Hayato," the boy introduced himself, tilting his head slightly. "And you must be Sakura-kun, right? You've got that delightful 'stay-back-or-I'll-bite' aura floating around you. It's hard to miss."
"I don't have an aura!" Sakura barked, his face flushing hot. "And stop calling me by my name like we're best friends! Who gave you permission to—"
"Oh, nobody did." Suo stepped forward, closing the distance between them with a fluid, effortless grace that made Sakura’s instincts flare. Suo paused just a fraction closer than social norms dictated, peering down at Sakura with an amused, lopsided tilt of his head. "It just feels right off the tongue. Besides, Nirei here was about to burst into tears, and someone needed to intervene before you punched a sophomore."
"I wasn't going to punch a sophomore!" Sakura lied, though he definitely had been considering it five minutes ago. He tried to step back, but his heel caught on a crack in the pavement.
A warm, steady hand suddenly caught him by the elbow, stabilizing him before he could stumble. The touch was brief, but it sent a weird, jittery jolt straight up Sakura’s arm, locking his jaw shut.
Suo didn't immediately let go. Instead, he lingered for a heartbeat too long, his thumb brushing lightly against the fabric of Sakura’s sleeve before he withdrew, smiling gently.
"Careful, Sakura-kun. Makochi has a lot of hidden bumps in the road," Suo murmured, his voice dipping into a cadence that was entirely too smooth, entirely too warm. "Come along. Let's get to orientation together. You wouldn't want to be late on your very first day protecting the town, would you?"
Sakura stood frozen for a second, his heart hammering against his ribs in a way that had absolutely nothing to do with fighting. He opened his mouth to tell Suo to go jump off a bridge, but the words stubbornly refused to come out.
Instead, he just gritted his teeth, yanked his jacket tighter around himself, and stalked forward—muttering curses under his breath while Nirei scrambled to keep up and Suo strolled behind them like a cat taking a Sunday afternoon walk.