Chapter Text
After living alone for months Sakura was used to slow, quiet mornings. His old apartment was always empty and cold. Sakura hated that place. Still, living there was worlds better than what his life was like before.
Sakura had always had to look after himself. Wake up and get himself to school on time. If he was lucky, Sakura managed to grab something to eat without anyone noticing. Most houses didn't care if he was fed or not. No adult in foster care wanted anything to do with a freak like him.
Fine. Sakura never particularly cared about them either. Sakura was used to having to take care of himself. Used to being alone and ignored. Only times he was spoken to, was when he got yelled at. People didn't care if he existed or not.
That was Sakura's life before he moved to Makochi. Before Furin.
Before the summer that almost ended his life.
"Mornin' Sakura."
"Morning."
Satou and Yamada greeted him as Sakura entered the boys bathroom, still half-asleep. The younger teens were in the middle of brushing their teeth. Sakura mumbled a greeting and splashed cold water on his face.
It was barely seven in the morning, and the Orphanage was lively as ever. People were going up and down the stairs, rushing from room to room while getting ready. Shouting loudly to ask if anyone knew where certain clothes or notebooks were.
While the teenagers took care of their own stuff, the staff members -Shitara and Mei- ran around making sure all the kids were dressed and remembered to brush their teeth. Yuta -the youngest of the group- threw a massive tantrum when he was told he couldn't wear a swimsuit to Daycare and Shitara was needed to defuse the situation.
When Sakura came downstairs he found Umemiya busy in the kitchen. He'd assumed that the third-year would've left already to check on his plants at the roof, but the guy was still here. Umemiya was helping all the kids get their breakfast, while Mei packed lunches for everyone.
The Bofurin leader was full of energy first thing in the morning. "Ah, Sakura! Good morning! You excited to go back to school?"
"Haah? What's there to be excited about?"
"Sakura! Sakura! Look!" Yua ran up to him, mouth wide open. "Look! My front tooth fell out this morning!"
"...Okay?" Sakura looked at the child confused. Why was she telling him this? What was he supposed to do with the information? "Erm... Good for you."
Yua grinned proudly and ran back to her seat at the table. She stuck her tongue out to Mitsuha who returned the gesture.
Umemiya piled food into a bowl and handed it to Sakura. "Here. Feel free to take more if you're still hungry." Umemiya returned his attention back to the table. "Ryuu, stop picking your nose. Eat your breakfast. Oh, Yamada! Don't forget your EpiPen."
"Shut up. You don't have to remind me," Yamada grumbled. "I forgot it only that one time."
"Shimizuuu!" Ao's voice echoed from upstairs. "My hair clip broke, so I'm gonna borrow one of yours!"
Mei clapped her hands together to get their attention. "Everyone, remember to take your bento with you before you leave! Now. Is there anyone left who hasn't put on any sunscreen this morning?"
"Where's Sensei?"
"Hey! Watch it! You almost knocked over my drink."
"Ume-nii-chan, I don't like this food..."
Too much was happening at the same time. Without a word, Sakura moved to sit down at the smaller table in the living room. Needing some distance from all the chaos. If school mornings were going to look like this, Sakura was going to go back to eating breakfast at Pothos.
Earlier -before he'd left his room- Sakura took a long moment to debate. Should he wear the uniform jacket or not? He did survive most of the summer with long sleeves (even though it had been hell.) And even before, when everyone else changed into their summer uniforms, Sakura always kept the jacket on.
He knew he would manage even if today was going to be hot.
But did he need the jacket? His classmates had already seen his arms at the beach, and no one made any comments. Everyone treated him exactly the same as before. Was there a reason to hide anymore?
Fuck it.
An hour later the first-year captain walked past the school gates with his scars out in the open for everyone to see. Sakura was done acting like a coward.
"Oh, Sakura-san! Good morning!"
"Morning Sakura-kun."
"Good to see ya Captain!"
"How's it going man? It's been a while."
Class 1-1 was happy to be back. People wanted to know what their friends had been up to during the time they'd been apart. Anzai had visited his grandparents and spent a lot of time with Nagato and Tsuchiya. Kiryu said he spent most days relaxing inside, playing video games. Meanwhile Tsugeura kept flexing his muscles to show off the results of his training.
Most of all, class 1-1 was happy to see their captain. The summer had been rough for all of them, but especially Sakura. The group of boys truly hoped that the worst was behind them. Either way, everyone in the room was determined to continue being there for their friend. Ready to do whatever needed to support him, just like he'd done for them.
Still. Seeing their captain walk in with his head held high allowed the class to exhale.
Sakura returned the greetings and sat down at his desk. He'd never admit it out loud, but it felt good to be back.
"Sugishita-san!" Nirei ran over to his friend who was sleeping at his desk. "How was your summer break? Did you do anything fun?" Slowly, Sugishita lifted his head to look at Nirei. "I went... to Umemiya-san's garden..."
Nirei nodded along, writing everything down. "You did, huh? How was it? Did you learn anything new- "
"GOOOOD MORNING! THE SECOND SEMESTER HAS STARTED! HOW WAS EVERYONE'S SUMMER BREAK? DID YOU HAVE FUN?"
Everyone's hands flew up to protect their ears as Umemiya's voice screamed from the broadcast without a warning.
"THIS EVENING WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LITTLE MEET-UP AT THE ROOFTOP! COME SWING BY AFTER CLASSES IF YOU HAVE THE TIME! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! Okayyy, I think that was it. Let's go Hiragi!"
"The mic is still on you idiot!"
"Oh, you're righ- "
"Fucking hell! Someone seriously needs to ban that guy from that room!" Sakura grumbled as everyone lowered their hands. Nirei chuckled a little, but wisely kept his mouth shut while Sugishita was within earshot.
"What do you say Sakura-kun? Shall we go?" Suo asked.
"Oh. Uh..." There was something he needed to do after school. But... if the meet-up won't last too long, then it should be okay. Besides, he should probably start getting to know the rest of the first-years. Making friends outside of his own class was essential if Sakura wanted to reach the top.
"Yeah. We're going."
The rooftop was full of people when they arrived. Students from all classes were interacting with each other, sharing the latest news and gossip around town.
Getting through the summer without any major incidents allowed Makochi's citizens to finally relax. Things had been tense for weeks as the town's atmosphere changed after the war. The people were used to gang fights and the property damage that came with it. Here, it was another part of life.
But the Noroshi war had been a whole different story. People had been warned of the danger as soon as Bofurin got the word. Many families with young children decided to evacuate for the night and absolutely no one was allowed outside past ten o'clock.
The biggest defensive battle in Bofurin history left the town badly damaged and its people on edge for weeks.
But now that summer was slowly behind them, the town was returning back to normal. Couples could be seen walking around late at night and parents allowed their children to play outside more freely.
The students of Furin were relieved to see their beloved town healing.
"Ugghhh it's so hot... I'm melting..." Kiryu groaned, trying to fan himself. "I can't believe I forgot my umbrella at home..."
"The heat is quite intense today for sure," Suo agreed. "Let's get something to drink. We need to stay hydrated."
"Let's get to the shade first," plead Nirei. After couple steps he quickly realized that someone was missing. Sakura was no longer with the group.
Nirei turned around and saw his friend still standing near the door. It looked like Sakura was searching something with his eyes. His head kept snapping around randomly. "Is it just me or does Sakura-san seem more antsy than usual? He's always a little awkward in these situations, but not like this."
Suo hummed thoughtfully. "Something does seem to be on his mind... Sakura-kun!" he called, but there was no reaction.
"Sakura-saan!"
"Sakura-kun!"
Still nothing. The vice captains decided to leave Kiryu and Tsugeura to get the drinks for everyone, and went to check on their leader.
Sakura almost jumped out of his skin when Suo tapped him on the shoulder. "HUH!? WHAT!? What?"
"We've been calling your name for a while now. What's going on?" Nirei asked sincerely. "You've been all fidgety since we got here."
After a bit of internal struggle, Sakura managed to admit that he wanted to get to know all the first-years, but had no idea how to do that or where to even start. "How am I supposed to make... friends? Just... walk up to someone and ask if they wanna fight?"
"No. I'm afraid that would have the opposite effect." Suo shot the idea down without hesitation, while clearly struggling to keep a straight face. Sakura's cheeks turned red from embarrassment. "What's your plan then, huh!? Let's hear it!"
"Don't worry, Sakura-san! I'll introduce you!" said Nirei, full of confidence. The freckled boy was already going through his notes. "I know everyone's name and faces! Leave this to me!"
"Hold on Nire-kun. Let's come up with a plan first." Suo grabbed his friend before Nirei could run off. "We don't want to accidentally scare people away, do we?"
Sakura stayed silent and let the two came up with a plan. He'd never made a friend by himself before. Nirei -and everyone else Sakura now conciders his friend- just kind of... stuck around and kept talking to him after they first met. Becoming friends with them wasn't a conscious decision on his part. Sakura didn't really do anything. It just happened, and now he has a whole group of friends who refuse to leave him alone.
Nirei and Suo's plan to have someone who already knows people from another class introduce them worked. They were introduced to the first-year captains of both team Jikoku and team Komoku; as well as their vice captains. Zojo team was currently on patrol duty.
With so many new names and faces to remember, Sakura started to get overwhelmed. Not to mention he was completely out of his element and had no idea what he was supposed to say. Luckily, Suo and Nirei were right next to him and able to keep the conversation going.
Not wanting to be left out, more people from all classes joined in to introduce themselves. Kiryu and Tsugeura showed up as well. Eager to meet everyone.
Nirei's pen was flying through the pages of his notebook. Writing down anything and everything he could. Suo smiled silently at his friend's enthusiasm.
Suddenly the people behind them all went silent. The lively chatter that'd filled the air died down in an instant and was replaced by quiet murmurs that spread around. Confused as to what was happening, Sakura turned to see what everyone was looking at.
A student he'd never seen before was standing by the entrance to the roof. He was tall and had short black hair. Sakura tilted his head. Was the guy another first-year?
"Wow... He actually showed up..." someone whispered, as if they were afraid to break the silence.
"...Is that who I think it is?"
"Yup. That's him."
"Would you look at that."
"OH, hey! You made it!" Umemiya grinned, waving his hand excitedly. "Momijikawa!"
Momijikawa. Why did the name sound familiar? Sakura could've sworn he'd heard that name before.
Everyone kept their distance as the guy silently stared at the people in front of him. Then his head turned slightly to the side and his eyes locked on Sakura. For two seconds the guy glared directly at him, then he turned around and started walking towards Umemiya.
Both first- and second-years quickly moved out of his way.
"I-It's really him! He's finally here!" Nirei gushed, cheeks red. "He's in class three, part of the Zojo team... I was wondering where he's been!"
"Our generation's big shot is finally making his appearance, huh?" Team Jikoku's grade captain, Azusawa, let out a low whistle. Suo nodded in agreement. "Many call him the number one of our generation."
That caught Sakura's attention. "So, what's this Momijikawa guy like then?" Next to him, Nirei gasped. "OH! RIGHT! You wouldn't know! Okay, so, Momijikawa-san is super famous for many reasons! Like Suo-san said, he's overwhelmingly strong. Not only that... he... he's currently walking towards us. Oh god! He's walking right towards us!"
The group of first-years fell silent as Momijikawa approached them. Without a word he walked straight up to Sakura and stared down at him. Eyes calculating. Momijikawa was almost a head taller than him. Nirei hid behind Sakura's back.
After a long silence Momijikawa opened his mouth.
"So you're Sakura."
Sakura looked the guy in the eye. "And what if I am?" He wondered what the guy's deal was.
Immediately, Momijikawa's eyes filled with anger and disgust. He clenched his fists.
"What's an outsider doing here?"