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It all started with a Frappuccino.
Ever since he was introduced to the drink, Sakura had been frequenting the coffee shop more and more. So when he heard his order called from the counter, he walked up to it, hand out, ready to grab the cup, only for his hand to brush against another's.
"Oh, sorr—"
The apology died on his tongue when he looked up and saw fiery red hair tied into a long braid and bright gold eyes.
The two of them stared.
"You...!"
"Oh? Well, if it isn't Sakura!"
The recognizable voice came before the face, but Sakura already had the urge to punch something or someone in particular. But Sakura held back, relaxing his fist, and gave the taller teen with wavy black hair an incredulous but pointed look.
"What are you doing here?"
Endo grinned, gesturing with a tilt of his head to his red-headed companion. "Takiishi was in the mood for a Frappuccino! So of course I came with him!"
"But that was my—"
"One cup of strawberry vanilla Frappuccino!" the barista called out, placing the same drink on the counter with his name clearly on the sticker this time.
"...drink."
Endo’s grin grew irritatingly wider, his eyes crinkling into happy crescents. "Oho! So you and Takiishi like the same things! Isn't that great, Takiishi? This kid is the one I've been telling you about! The one who really gave me a good beating while you were fighting Umemiya."
Sakura swiped his drink—the correct one—from the counter.
“Shut up,” he snapped weakly, turning away from the two so they couldn’t see him blush at Endo of all people complimenting him, popping the straw in before taking a quick sip.
The sugary flavors immediately made his eyes light up like fireworks and the corners of his lips tugging up into a giddy smile, momentarily forgetting the presence of the other two dangerous people next to him.
For a split second, Endo stopped smiling.
Takiishi kept staring.
Sakura began walking away.
"...Your name."
Sakura halted his steps, the straw still in his mouth and his cheeks slightly hollowed.
Takiishi was still looking at him.
Sakura swallowed some of his drink before letting go of his straw with a pop!
"Huh?"
"Takiishi, didn't you hear me earlier?” Endo grabbed his Frappuccino from the counter, seemingly to have forgotten what they came here for in the first place. “I said his name is Sakura."
Takiishi ignored him, taking three easy strides closer to Sakura. "Your full name."
Sakura was forced to lean back as the older teen was right in front of him, his intense gaze unwavering and admittedly made Sakura want to reel back and run. As much as he could confidently say he beat Endo Yamato, even he knew deep down he was still not close to Umemiya’s level. And if he wasn’t close to Umemiya’s level, then he could never throw hands with the Takiishi Chika.
But if all he wanted was a name to put to the face that defeated his… friend? Boyfriend? Whatever the hell Endo was to him, then Sakura could at least give his name.
"...Sakura Haruka."
"Haruka."
Pink pooled onto Sakura’s cheeks.
"What's this, Takiishi?” Endo’s entire face lit up. “You've never called anyone by their first name before. Is it because Sakura is adorable? I know you have a fondness for adorable things!"
"Who you calling adorable?!" Sakura shrieked, the pink darkening definitely did not help his case.
“...Adorable,” Takiishi repeated the word, his tone unchanging, but his silence indicated he was mulling over something. “Interesting.”
Endo gasped. “Sakura, Takiishi just called you adorable and interesting! This is the first time Takiishi has shown interest in anyone! Well, anyone that wasn’t that jerk Umemiya.”
“Huh? M-Me? Why would he—”
Wait, this was bad, wasn’t it? He was told that catching Endo’s interest was bad, and it led to the whole war with Noroshi and him almost leaving Furin. If it was Takiishi this time, then that also meant Takiishi wanted to fight him, right? What other reason would the strongest man in Furin’s history call him—
“Haruka,” Takiishi called him again, suddenly very close to Sakura’s face.
“W-What?”
“I want to go shopping,” Takiishi simply said. “So, let’s go.”
“Huh?”
“Takiishi invited you to go shopping with us, Sakura!”
And that was how Sakura found himself in a luxury perfume store, trailing behind Takiishi and Endo who chatted with the sales assistants because it looked like they were regulars here. The entire store was brightly lit, with blown up photos of their bottles with beautiful models right next to it. The air smelled…good. Sakura, not familiar with the perfume world, couldn't describe the many things in the air, but he could tell everything smelled clean and most important of all, expensive as hell.
Sakura scratched the back of his head, feeling like a fish out of water. Him, with his simple black jacket and white shirt with jeans and worn-out sneakers, compared to Endo with his black turtle neck and pure white suit and slacks with matching white sneakers. Even Takiishi, with his red heeled boots, black overalls and high-collared silk dress shirt
“What about these scents, sir Endo? It's our newest releases!” one sales assistant asked, showing off two bottles. “It's called Lazy Sunday Morning and Never-ending Summer!”
One perfume bottle had clear white liquid, the other in orange. Both in similar sizes and labels in the front. The lady sprayed a small cut-out piece of paper with the white perfume and did the same thing with the orange bottle on another similar small cut-out paper, then gave them to Takiishi for him to take.
“Do you like it, Takiishi?”
Takiishi stared at the two fragrant pieces of paper in his hands, before turning to Sakura.
“Haruka, come here.”
With trepidation, Sakura came closer to Takiishi, ignoring Endo’s face that glimmered with joy.
“Which one do you like?”
“Wha-Which one do I like? I…”
Sakura looked between Takiishi and Endo, the latter one quickly being useless because he looked like he was close to crying tears of joy instead of being any help, and the sales assistant just maintained her polite smile.
“I don't really know anything about perfume…” he admitted, his embarrassment showing in the way he looked down at his feet.
“That doesn't matter. Just pick whichever one you like more,” Takiishi encouraged, placing the two perfumes closer to Sakura's face.
“Uhhhh, okay?”
At Takiishi's insistence, Sakura took a whiff of the scented paper on his left first, noting the fresh citrus-like scent that made him imagine an orchard of ripe oranges. When he sniffed the paper on his right, he smelled something musky but floral with hints of something akin to babypowder. It made him think of fresh laundry straight from the dryer.
“So?” Endo asked, leaning into Sakura's space. “Which one will it be?”
Sakura grumbled, staring at the two pieces of paper like they held the answers to life's ultimate question.
“Both smell really good…” he mumbled. “...I guess.”
“I’ll take both then,” Takiishi declared as simple as that.
“Okay!” Endo easily agreed, taking out a shiny black card from his wallet and handing it to the assistant who bowed and made her way to the cashier, her smile noticeably wider than before.
“Wait, just like that?” Sakura exclaimed. “You're just going to take my suggestion? Just like that?”
“Yes,” Takiishi said without missing a beat, turning his attention to the next row of perfumes on display. “Haruka, which scent do you like from here?”
“Didn't you just buy two?!”
Takiishi shook his head. “For Haruka.”
The blush returned. “F-For me?”
Endo gasped. “Sakura, Takiishi wants to know your preference for perfumes! He wants to buy you your own perfume!”
“Don't be ridiculous! I don't need fancy perfume! Besides, you're the one who's gonna pay for it anyway!”
“Haruka doesn't like perfume?” Takiishi was suddenly standing right next to Sakura.
As in very closely.
Up this close, Sakura could make out the subtle deflated look on the red-head’s face. It was in the minute details. The way Takiishi's slightly eyes dropped, the small tug downwards in the corner of his lips.
And as inexperienced as Sakura was when it came to friendships, even he could tell Takiishi was upset by the possibility that he didn't like perfumes like Takiishi apparently did.
“No, I—” Sakura’s mind raced to placate him. “It’s not that I don't like them. I just… I wouldn't know where to start. You don't gotta look so upset about it.”
Takiishi blinked twice, seemingly caught off guard. But he nodded and pointed at one of the perfumes on display, a pink one that read Spring time in a Park.
“Ah, that one!” the sales lady reappeared. “That perfume is actually one of our best sellers and great for perfume beginners!”
Sakura wrinkled his forehead. The name and description of the scent was a little too on the nose for him in particular—pun unintended.
But if both Takiishi and the sales lady recommended this, then who was he to judge?
The assistant did her usual ritual once Sakura gave the go and handed him the new scented paper.
When the smell hit his nose, Sakura was floating. He could imagine the fresh scent of spring, welcoming the warm weather, of ripe fruits on display, and the sweet scent of cherry blossoms dancing through the breeze, enveloping him in floral embrace.
“We’ll take one of that too,” Endo slipped his card back to the sales lady.
“With pleasure, Sir Endo!”
Both of whom were smiling from ear to ear.
While Sakura seemed lost in a the new world of beautifully mixed fragrances, Takiishi watched, fascinated with Sakura’s expressions that changed with each new emotion that came across his face.
…
“Hm? Sakura-kun, are you wearing perfume today?”
“H-Huh?” Sakura stuttered, freezing in place just as he was about to sit down at his desk.
Suo chuckled lightly at the sight. Like a criminal caught red-handed. “When you passed by me, I smelled something really nice.”
“Oh? Sakura-chan is wearing perfume?” Kiryu suddenly appeared beside Sakura, sniffing close to his neck.
“Gah! The hell!” Sakura flinched away from Kiryu, shielding his neck with his hand, his cheeks flushed. “Don’t just start sniffing people like dogs!”
He pointed at the two menaces of his class (read: Kiryu and Suo), who only giggled at his flustered state.
“Sakura-chan, isn’t that Spring time in a Park? From Maison Margiela?” Kiryu inquired innocently.
“How did you know?”
As soon as the question left his mouth, Sakura wanted to smack himself. He forgot Kiryu was rich. His friend was most likely more familiar with perfume than Sakura ever would be.
“That’s my older sister’s favorite one,” Kiryu answered. “She wears it almost everyday.”
“Sakura-san has developed a new interest in perfumes…” Nirei broke out his notebook and began scribbling away. “And a pretty expensive hobby too. When did this start, Sakura-san?”
Shit.
How was he supposed to explain himself?
Hey, so this was a gift bought with Endo Yamato’s money and chosen by Takiishi Chika. You know, the two greatest fighters in Furin’s history, leaders of the violent Noroshi, the shadows of Furin, and also the root cause of the whole war that nearly destroyed the town a couple of months ago? Yeah, those two. But not to worry guys, this wasn’t a bribe because we’re at peace with them now, right?
Yeah, no way in hell he could say that to any of them.
His friends had grown quite nosy (read: protective) over him after Suo and Nirei retold what went down in his fight with Endo. They still trusted him to hold his own in any fight, but whenever Endo in particular was brought up, his friends always casted this dark scowl that told anyone how they felt about the legend of Furin.
“It was just a gift…” he settled with because it technically wasn’t a lie.
He just hoped they wouldn’t ask from whom.
Tsuguera dropped from his pull-ups. “From who?”
Fucking hell.
“Does that matter? A gift is a gift,” he deflected, which he knew didn’t help his case. But he also didn’t want to lie to his friends either.
“Hm? Sakura-chan, do you perhaps have a sugar daddy?”
“Sugar daddy? What’s that?”
“Ah…”
His friends once again had this look. A shared look between them that always appeared when Sakura seemed to not know what something was.
“A sugar daddy is someone who lavishes you with gifts. Expensive gifts,” Kiryu emphasized. “Sometimes even just cash itself.”
Didn’t that mean Endo was Takiishi’s sugar daddy?
“If you’re the one receiving all those gifts, that would make you the sugar baby. But typically, in exchange for all those gifts, the sugar baby has sex with their sugar daddy.”
Sakura blushed a deep red.
“W-W-W-WHA?!”
“Wow, I’ve never seen Sakura-kun turn this red,” Suo commented.
“I guess that isn’t it then,” Kiryu shrugged. “Though I figured that was the case anyway. Don’t worry, Sakura-chan. I just wanted to tease you.”
…
The subject was dropped shortly after that.
Still, the topic lingered in Sakura’s brain like a pesky cockroach that refused to die no matter how many times he killed it.
What exactly were Takiishi and Endo? It probably wasn’t his place to question it, but he was curious. Even though Endo fit the bill of a sugar daddy, Takiishi didn’t do any reciprocating and just let Endo in his space, seeming to just tolerate his presence and use him to his own means. Endo had already admitted he knew his feelings would never be returned, because that was the price he was literally and metaphorically willing to pay for his infatuation with Takiishi.
For that alone, Sakura pitied him.
Endo could be at the top of the world, the most powerful man in the city, yet the one thing he wanted, the one person he made the center of his life, would never be his.
Bzzt bzzt
Endo sent a photo
Sakura frowned, but tapped on the notification on his phone anyway.
In his chatbox with Endo, a photo loaded to show a flustered Sakura being given the shopping bag by Takiishi from their shopping trip yesterday.
Sakura furiously started typing.
Sakura: what the fuck
Sakura: WHEN THE FUCK DID YOU TAKE THIS???
Endo: Don't you two look so cute together like this, Sakura?~ ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡
Sakura: im blocking you
Endo: WAIT WAIT WAIT
Endo: I have a reason for messaging you!
Endo: Hear me out
Endo: Before you block me
Sakura: …
Sakura: you have ten seconds
Endo: O K
Endo: So Takiishi really enjoyed hanging out with you last time
Endo: And wants to meet up again!
Sakura: ???
Endo: I’m serious!
Sakura: why couldn't Takiishi tell me this himself? You could have given him my number
Endo: About that…
Endo: Takiishi doesn't bring his phone with him
Endo: Anywhere
Endo: Like at all
Endo: So he keeps forgetting where he keeps them
Endo: Which is why he wants you to accompany him to the mall this Friday to buy him a new phone!
Sakura: ??????????
Sakura: you mean to tell me
Sakura: Takiishi keeps forgetting where he placed his phone
Sakura: so YOU end up just buying a new one for him everytime???
Endo: It just so happened that the newest iPhone is out now
Endo: Why not buy them for me and Takiishi? ヾ(≧∇≦)ゞ
As ineffable as the two of them were, Sakura ended up agreeing to the hangout (re: not a date no matter what Endo says). Which was how he ended up arguing with Takiishi and Endo because the two of them apparently also wanted to buy Sakura a new phone as well so all three of them could match.
“How am I supposed to explain to my friends why I suddenly got a new phone?!” Sakura complained. “They're gonna think I actually have a… a…”
Endo raised a brow. “A what?”
“Nevermind!” Sakura turned away, blushing. “Anyway! You are not buying me a new phone! Got it?”
“You don't want to match with me?”
Takiishi’s sudden question made all of Sakura's previous bravado wash away like a storm.
“No! That's not… I-I just…” Sakura scratched his head.
Why did the toughest fighter he knew have to sound and act like a kicked puppy when he didn't get what he wanted? And why did Sakura easily fold to it? But he couldn't give in. He could get away with perfumes, but he would have no excuse for a new phone that just so happened to be the most expensive and latest one on the market.
Sakura's eyes drifted to the side of the wall of the store, his eyes catching the colorful displays that hung behind the glass case.
“Phone cases!” Sakura pointed. “We can match with phone cases! If… that will make you feel better?”
Takiishi glanced at the glass case, then went back to Sakura.
And nodded.
But Sakura would come to slightly regret his rash decision that day.
Because when Tsubaki invited him, Suo and Nirei to watch Shizuka perform a new song at her bar the following night, he tried very hard not to bring out his phone that now had an obnoxiously shiny holographic diamond pattern as his phone case. Which was actually the lesser of two evils because Endo's initial suggestion was a leopard print phone case and Sakura adamantly refused it and Takiishi just wanted a phone case with a strong pattern but left the decision to Sakura.
Suo definitely wasn't sipping his tea while staring inquisitively at Sakura when his captain silenced his phone despite it buzzing a lot, and Nirei definitely wasn't writing something new in his little notebook when Sakura refused to bring out his phone when Tsubaki wanted to take a photo together and Sakura asked to use his senpai’s phone instead.
Totally not suspicious.
…
“Haruka is getting stronger.”
Sakura panted on the grass, his chest heaving up and down, his face feeling swollen all over and his legs felt like jelly. Sweat stuck to skin all over and seeped through his white shirt and black sweatpants. Despite all that, the adrenaline coursing through his veins sent a rush of excitement that Sakura had not experienced before. This rush was different from when he was training with Hiragi and his class, and was a far cry from his final battle with Endo.
After their little phone case excursion, Sakura ended up meeting with Takiishi and Endo every Sunday. Sometimes, they would just hang out at the mall or wherever Takiishi wanted to eat that day. But slowly, it began to morph into spars with Takiishi and sometimes with Endo where Sakura slowly started to feel himself improve in speed, acrobatics and reflexes.
Those three things were what Sakura had to improve first because he could not dodge any of Takiishi's attacks at first.
“You actually managed to land a hit on Takiishi, Sakura! Impressive! Ah, the favoritism is so apparent though,” Endo pretended to weep, stepping into Sakura's view. “You get compliments from Takiishi almost every time now.”
Sakura scoffed from where he laid, his view of the orange sky now blocked by a treacherous snake.
“Whatever. I still haven't beaten him.”
“See! Favoritism!” Endo whined. “When I compliment you, it's ‘shut up,’ or ‘fuck you, Endo.’ But when it's Takiishi, it's always a cute ‘whatever’ or a ‘it’s not like I like your praises or anything!’”
Sakura immediately shot up, pointing an angry finger at the taller teen. “When did I say any of that?! You wanna go for another round, jackass?!”
But his flushed cheeks betrayed him.
“As much as I would like that, it's getting pretty late,” Endo gestured to the setting sun behind them. “We can continue this next week. Right, Takiishi?”
A flash of disappointment, but it was gone before either Endo or Sakura could verify it.
Sakura pursed his lips thinking deeply while looking at Takiishi. “Maybe, next week, after our sparring session… we can get Frappuccinos?”
Takiishi's eyes lit up.
That was enough to confirm their plans.
…
The next day, Sakura looked himself in the mirror and wanted to punch himself. But that would do more harm than good because he looked like shit.
Bruised eye, a bloody cut around his lips, marks around his neck and a particularly nasty one on top of his shoulder. When Sakura tried touching that bruise, pain shot through his body like a bullet and a hiss left his lips before he could stop himself.
This was what he got for being lazy and only icing his wounds for a few minutes before falling asleep.
“For crying out loud…” Sakura groaned. “Those guys are not gonna leave me alone if they see me like this. Bandages won't be enough either.”
He could just skip school today.
But then Nirei would call him. And he’d have to come up with some lame excuse.
Then, he remembered something.
Sakura dragged himself to his closet and sifted through the shopping bags he had stored there. His eyes zeroed in on a small, pink shopping bag that was a gift from Tsubaki. Opening the bag, he took out a small, cylindrical, glassy object and rolled it in his palm.
It's called concealer, Sakura, Tsubaki explained to him. When my injuries from fights haven't completely faded yet, I use this to hide them so I can still dance with confidence!
Sakura made a mental note to thank Tsubaki later.
…
“Sakura-kun, are you wearing concealer?”
Of course.
Of course Suo fucking Hayato would be the one to notice him wearing makeup.
“So what if I am?” Sakura looked away, lips slightly protruding. “Got a problem with that?”
“Oh, no! Not at all!” Suo waved off easily. “I’m happy to see you trying on the makeup Tsubaki-san gave you. I just noticed you didn't blend it properly.”
“Huh?”
“It looks like you applied too much concealer in certain areas of your face and forgot to blend it to prevent it from looking patchy.”
Sakura squinted at his vice captain. “Why do you know so much about makeup? Last week, you noticed Tsubaki changed her shade of lipstick.”
Suo just smiled his usual enigmatic smile. “I merely observed and saw some differences. But back to the subject, we can go to Tsubaki-san later and ask her to even out your concealer for you.”
If he did that, Tsubaki would definitely crush him with a bear hug again and might reveal his shoulder injury.
“Nah, it's fine,” Sakura dismissed. “I, um, wanna learn how to do this on my own, ya know? So I gotta—”
“Look out!”
By instinct, Sakura turned to the voice of his classmates who called out in distress. But in doing so, he was met with a flying water bottle with no lid on it.
Which led to its contents spilling all over Sakura’s face while the plastic bottle smacked him right on the forehead.
“Sakura-kun!” Suo was at his side in an instant.
“Oh no, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Anzai ran up to his grade captain. “Are you hurt, Sakura?”
“Fine, I’m fine,” Sakura said while wiping the water away from his eyes and blinking the rest of the water away.
Suddenly, the class turned eerily quiet.
Sakura blinked a couple more times, taking in his classmates who were all looking at him like they couldn't believe what they were seeing.
“What? What are you all looking at—”
He looked down at his hands.
Blotches of what looked like wet powder were smeared onto the sides of Sakura's index fingers.
His concealer.
A gentle hand on his shoulder made him turn to the owner.
Suo’s lone eye shook with various emotions, almost too fast for Sakura to properly label.
“Sakura-kun…”
But his voice.
Suo’s voice was nothing but heartbroken.
His legs moved before he could say anything and Sakura was running. Away from his classroom, past Nirei and Sugishita who had just returned, and past a confused Kaji, Kusumi and Enomoto. He ignored the voices that called after him, the ones that shouted his name and the pounding footsteps that hoped to follow him and talk to him, to get the truth out of him.
But he couldn't.
Not right now.
…
At last, Sakura collapsed onto the grass, realizing he found himself in the familiar spot on the outskirts of Makochi where he, Takiishi and Endo would train.
He stared up at the bleeding orange sky, a feeling of deja Vu resurfacing.
“I overreacted,” he sighed.
Sakura shouldn't have run away. He should have stayed and tried to assure his classmates that he was okay, that these injuries weren't from anyone they should worry about—even if they're talking about Takiishi—but he was pretty sure he escalated the situation and got his upperclassmen involved now.
Bzzt bzzt
Taking out his phone that buzzed incessantly in his pocket, Sakura wrinkled his brows at Nirei’s name flashing on the screen.
“I should go back,” Sakura said to himself.
But what was he supposed to say to them?
Finally, the call dropped.
Then, it was replaced by his screen full of notifications from worried messages of his classmates and many more missed calls from Nirei and some from Tsugeura and Kiryu.
But his thoughts drifted to a dysfunctional pair of fighters who had more than a few screws loose, but had undeniably influenced him greatly.
Making up his mind, Sakura began typing out a text.
Sakura was so preoccupied, that he failed to notice the man that sneaked up on him, his steps silent, and his presence barely there.
And when Sakura turned around, it was too late.
…
Bzzt bzzt bzzt bzzt…
A phone with a holographic diamond pattern as its phone case continued to buzz on the grassy ground. A name flashed on the screen, the owner of it seemed to be desperate, because the buzzing lasted long.
Then, a man with various tattoos on his hand and along his arm picked up the phone, his thumb hovering over the swipe to accept call button as he read the name on the screen.
But the call dropped before he could answer the call.
In the upper left corner of the phone, splatters of red could be seen. On the ground, where he found the phone, was a small patch of matching scarlet.
The man gripped the phone, almost enough to break it.
Behind the tattooed man, an impatient redhead wanted answers.
And when he got them from his black-haired companion, his fury threatened to boil over and burn everything to the ground.
Because Takiishi and Endo were going to make sure whoever took Sakura was going to pay dearly.
…
"This is stupid. An awful..." Sakura yawned as he laid his forehead against the back of Takiishi's shoulder. "...Idea. Why the fuck did I agree to do this?"
"Because you can barely move with your injuries, Sakura!” Endo reminded him a little too enthusiastically. “That, and you lost to rock, paper, scissors.”
Sakura pouted, lifting his head to shoot Endo a glare. Well, as close to a glare as he could manage with his one bruised eye that was wrapped in a bandage.
“You know Furin won't just let you guys walk out of this with me looking like this."
"Haruka, don't move," Takiishi gently admonished. "Your ankle might get worse."
Sakura obeyed, putting his head back down, but the pout stayed.
Endo laughed, shoving his hands into his pockets as he leaned into Sakura’s space. “You can complain all you want, but Takiishi isn't going to let you walk with your ankle all twisted like that anyway, so why not have some fun while we're at it?"
"You're really fucked up in the head, you know that?" Sakura mumbled.
Endo noticed Sakura’s blinks getting slower and slower, and his eyelid staying closed longer and longer.
The painkillers must be slowly working their magic. That or the exhaustion from the fight must finally be catching up to Sakura. Either way, Endo was grateful that his angel could finally get the well-deserved rest he needed, especially after confronting over fifty men on his own before he and Takiishi got there. There was still work to be done, but that was for Endo to worry about.
"Oh, and while we're at it, you gotta keep your mouth shut,” Endo reminded him, waving a finger. “Or else you'll blow our plan before it even starts."
All Sakura needed was to sit all pretty and rest, and Endo wouldn’t ask for more than this.
Sakura looked at him through one bleary eye. "Ha? You're telling me I gotta play dead too?"
"No, no. We don't gotta knock you out or anything. Just let the painkillers do their thing. Besides, Takiishi wouldn't like me knocking you out anyway."
"Try it and I will knock you out, Endo Yamato," Takiishi threatened.
"Kya! Takiishi said my full name again!” he squealed. “See, Sakura? You really are the best! If you weren't here, then I might not have been able to hear it."
"Why are you even going along with this, Takiishi?" Sakura grumbled.
"Haruka's ankle is broken."
"Not that! I mean the prank! I thought you don't care about this kind of stuff."
"I don't. But this 'prank' involves you, Haruka. I heard pranks are a good way to learn about people. This is also a good test."
"Test?"
"To see how far Bofurin will go for you. It's not the prank I'm interested in, but I'm more interested to see if Furin deserves you."
Sakura was confused. Well, as confused as his mushed brain could get. People caring about him was still something he was getting used to. He could admit Furin was protective of their people, and he could easily say the people in town were much too kind for their own good. So kind, to let an outsider like himself in and treat him with generosity and respect despite only meeting him for the first time.
To Sakura, it was him who felt like he didn't deserve Makochi or Furin.
On the subject of caring, why did Takiishi care so much?
"Deserves me? What kind of bull—"
"Ssh! We're close to the school!” Endo raised his finger to his lips, his smirk deviously wide. “Remember, Sakura. Stay quiet."
Sakura really wanted to punch Endo, but seeing Takiishi oddly interested in something that was somewhat childish (childishly insane) prank, made Sakura close his mouth and hide most of his face by burying it in Takiishi's shoulder, the familiar scent of that perfume, Lazy something something, filtering through his nose, lulling Sakura to a peaceful state of calm.
Because if Sakura was being honest, a part of him was also curious.
How would Furin react?
His mind wandered, until the sleepiness took over his mind and his eyelids became too heavy for him to keep open.
Finally arriving at the gates of the graffiti-fied school, Endo took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
"OI! UMEMIYAAAAA! ARE YOU THERE?! "
Like Endo expected, most if not all of Furin's students suddenly crowded the windows to see who had the guts to call for their leader out in the open.
He scanned the windows in all directions of the classrooms. He couldn't get a clear view of all of them or of any of their faces, but he could see silhouettes moving.
"YO! UMEMIYAAAAAAAAA! WE HAVE SOMEONE THAT WE THINK YOU'D LIKE BAAAAAAACK!"
Endo continued to yell mockingly.
"THAT IS... IF YOU CAN GET HIM BACK!"
To add extra fuel to the fire, Endo inclined his head to the right, where Takiishi stood stone-faced and apathetic to the eyes on them. He was pretty sure with this many eyes on them, the observant ones of Furin would be able to see how Takiishi held Sakura. Firm, but not enough to hurt. If Endo could, he would have paid an exorbitant amount of money just to see the bemused looks of everyone in the building, particularly the Four Kings, upon seeing Takiishi and Sakura together like this.
"Endo."
There he was.
Umemiya appeared, hands in his pockets, striding towards Endo, his eyes pinched into a fiery glare, no light to be found at all in his eyes.
Oh? He’s even more pissed than when he and Takiishi met again during the war.
By the main entrance of the building, Endo spotted the eye-patch-wearing kid and the blonde freckled kid, giving Endo death glares. And it was not just them. Hiragi stood in the middle of the crowd that had gathered by the main door, his vice captains by his side. Around them and next to the eye-patch kid, was a pink-haired kid with piercings, a tall slouching kid with long dark hair and a muscular ginger with curly hair. On the other side of Hiragi, Kaji and his vice captains, Kusumi and Enomoto, were at his side.
And right behind Umemiya, walking right behind him, were his three other kings and their respective second-in-commands.
So he ordered Hiragi to keep Sakura’s class in check? Smart.
"My, my," Endo’s eyes narrowed. "What a welcoming party!"
"Give Sakura back,” Tsubaki growled.
"Hey now. You aren't even going to ask how he came into our possession? Aren't you even a little curious?"
Umemiya took one step closer. "Endo, I thought we had an agreement. Do you intend to break it?"
"Why does no one listen to what I say? Won't you at least listen to my explanation before you start accusing me of shit I didn't do?"
"What else would there be?!” Tsubaki yelled. “You and Takiishi clearly ganged up on Sakura and intend on taking him with you! Just like that time you tried breaking Sakura down so he would willingly leave Furin and come with you to Noroshi!"
"You're still not over that?” Endo deadpanned. “That was months ago, you know?"
“What exactly are you here for?” Umemiya cut in. “Knowing you, you wouldn't be here to just return Sakura to us. Though, I would prefer it if that was the case."
"I have some things to clear up. First off,” Endo raised his index finger. “We're not here to break the truce. Second…” He raised another finger. “Those injuries on Sakura are not our doing. Third…” the third and final finger. “What I'm really here for is to share some words of advice. You got a real good kid under your wing, Umemiya. He caught my eye and it took only a couple of minutes for him to also catch Takiishi's interest as well."
"Takiishi Chika is interested in Sakura-san?!"
"This is bad, isn't it?"
"If it's Takiishi that wants Sakura..."
Like a lit match to dynamite, Endo's revelation caused a chain reaction of fearful murmurs from the peanut gallery. He reveled in the unease his simple announcement caused, the simple shifts in their footing, their badly-concealed whispers of apprehensions, the growing agitation of the Four Kings, and the best sight of them all… Umemiya’s burning aggravation.
"But like I said,” Endo shrugged before any of them lost their patience. “We're not here to cause another war. What I want is to impart some worldly wisdom. You Bofurin spout all this protection this, crush the evil in people’s hearts that, but look at what someone managed to do to one of your strongest fighters.”
Then, all traces of merriment were erased from Endo’s face, staring down Umemiya with pure ice in his eyes.
“Tell me, Umemiya. If it wasn't us, if another group had intervened, where do you think Sakura would be right now?"
His question hung heavy in the air, allowing all of Bofurin to sink in all and every implication of his words.
Mizuki was the first to break the silence. "Are you saying someone tried to seriously injure Sakura?"
“Not just injure…” Endo paused, intentionally dragging out the seconds to watch Bofurin squirm in anticipation for what he was about to say. “...they wanted to kidnap him.”
Several noises and reactions followed.
Sakura’s closest friends looked downright distraught, Hiragi gritted his teeth, Mizuki stared at the ground, Momose whispered something to his two vice captains whose faces were crinkled with confusion, and Tsubaki fists trembled so badly her perfectly manicured red nails drew blood that matched her polish.
But Umemiya's expression was by far the most entertaining.
Umemiya looked ready to murder someone.
“How do you know that?” he asked, his voice unusually quiet.
"Sakura told us himself. I'm still not clear on the exact details myself, but from how we found him, Sakura was surrounded by at least fifty guys and close to passing out. All of them seemed to be skilled in some martial arts, which was how he ended up like this. Don't get me wrong, Sakura is strong. He beat me, after all. But Sakura is still human. And humans are fragile creatures. All it takes…”
Endo traced his neck tattoo by habit, before grazing his neck in a slicing motion.
“...Is one fatal blow, you know?"
Suffocating.
There was no other way to describe the atmosphere. Heavy was ironically too light of a word to describe the tension between three of the strongest fighters in Furin's known history. There was also a silent understanding that whatever came next, only Umemiya's words would determine their next course of action.
"First off,” Umemiya held out his hand. “Would you kindly return Sakura to us?"
"Ah-uh!” Endo wagged his finger, his tone short of scolding, like a teacher telling off a naughty child. “I'm not finished. I have a question of my own to ask. Tell me, why should Sakura stay with you if you couldn't even save him when he needed you most?"
Everyone waited.
The attention was now on Umemiya, as an uncomfortable silence followed.
"You're right.”
Several heads snapped in surprise to their leader.
“We weren't there when Sakura needed help,” he reaffirmed. “That's our failure. My failure as a leader."
Endo tilted his head.
"But whether or not Sakura stays or leaves Bofurin, that is up to him. Not me or you."
Umemiya's words and emphasis filled his friends with hope. This was their leader. The one that always gave people a choice.
"And what if..." Takiishi suddenly joined the conversation. "I can't trust that you'd prevent what happened to Haruka today from happening again?"
Takiishi joining in was not something they had expected. Though the sight of him carrying Sakura on his back was equally unexpected, none of them were thinking Takiishi would be so concerned over Class 1-1's grade captain.
"Did Takiishi just call Sakura by his first name?"
"What's going on?”
“When did they get so close?"
"In that case,” Umemiya smiled, but it was tight, too tight to be genuine. “There's not much I can do, Takiishi. It's you, after all. Even back when we were first years, if you disliked something, you'd throw it out or ignore it. If you liked something, you'd keep it close to you and fight anyone that tried taking it from you. Not that anyone succeeded since nobody back then could defeat you. And while I'm glad you're taking my advice and showing interest in people, we're going to have a problem if you're going to just take what belongs to us."
His voice dipped dangerously low, making it clear to everyone that this wasn't a threat anymore.
This was a promise.
"Now, I won't ask a third time,” Umemiya held both of his hands out. “Give Sakura back."
Takiishi seemed to think for a moment, attention flickering to the sleeping Sakura on his back for a moment, contemplating. The crowd had to wait again with bated breath, some even wondering if another war would break out. Some were already prepared to face that scenario should it come to pass. After all, they almost lost Sakura once, and they silently vowed to never let that happen again.
Finally, after what felt like several minutes, Takiishi walked.
Step by step, his feet hitting the dirt, the only sound that could be heard. Anticipation hung in the air, as if everyone was expecting something to happen before he reached Umemiya.
But when the two leaders finally stood in front of each other again, only a foot apart, the tension heightened.
Slowly, Takiishi maneuvered Sakura's body into his arms. Umemiya took a step forward with his arms out to cradle Sakura's neck with one hand and under his knees in the other.
"Guh!"
A simple twitch and a single sound of pain was all it took for two of the strongest fighters in Furin's history to freeze in place, both of their hands still on the boy.
"Hurts..." Sakura mumbled, his bleary eye fluttering open.
"Sakura!" Umemiya exclaimed, worry filtering in through his voice.
His exclamation caused several of the students of Furin to tense up, the class of 1-1 in particular were bristling with anxiety, seeing their beloved Grade Captain quite literally in between all of this.
"What the hell..." Sakura slowly focused on the faces in front of him, registering the clash of blue and white on one side and red and yellow on the other. "...is going on?"
"Haruka, I'm handing you off to Umemiya," Takiishi explained, his tone seemingly indifferent and unchanging, yet Umemiya and the other third years who knew him could sense there was a distinct softness in his voice they had never heard before. "You still can't move around with your injuries, so you have to bear with the pain a little bit."
"Handing... Off?"
"Yo, Sakura," Umemiya greeted when Sakura's eyes turned to him. "I'm sorry. You must've been through a lot, huh?"
Sakura blinked.
"Haruka, you can't get hurt like that again,” Takiishi told him, his tone firm and left no room for argument. “I don’t like it.”
Takiishi doesn’t like it? Sakura’s sleepy mind registered. If Takiishi doesn’t like it, then I need to go along with it. Or else, Takiishi will be sad again.
"...Okay,” Sakura nodded once, weakly. “You… still owe me a Frappuccino."
Takiishi’s lips parted slightly. It was small. Anyone could miss it. But this close, Umemiya saw it and it for some reason, made Takiishi’s expression soft. On any other occasion, Umemiya would have been happy for Takiishi finally caring about someone else, letting another into his world.
"Mm. Next time, we'll order one together—"
Umemiya grabbed the rest of Sakura and pulled his limp body close to his chest.
That forced smile returned, directed at both Endo and Takiishi. "I believe you two have overstayed your welcome. Leave."
Not waiting for another word, Umemiya turned his back and walked back towards his school. His home. Sakura’s home.
Behind him, he could hear Takiishi’s footsteps fading behind him, presumably back to Endo’s side and hopefully away from Furin forever.
"If Haruka ends up like that again,” Takiishi spoke one last time, his voice even, but loud enough for everyone to hear. “I'm never giving him back.”
Umemiya did not stop walking.
Neither did Takiishi.
Endo casted one last glance at the Four Kings over his shoulder, waving his hand dramatically goodbye before he followed Takiishi out.
When Umemiya reached the main doors, he kept moving, letting the first years follow him, their worried faces all on the young boy in his arms who had fallen back asleep.
Hiragi was the only one brave enough to fall in step with his leader. “Umemiya—”
“I know.”
Those two words sent chills down everyone’s spines.
Umemiya was pissed.
Had Sakura not been peacefully returned to them today, then they had a feeling that it would not just be another war they had to worry about.
One thing was for sure though as they neared the infirmary of their school and the slumbering Sakura was gently laid on the bed.
Sakura had a lot of explaining to do, but…
They weren’t going to let him leave their sights ever again.