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𝟏𝟓 || 𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐄𝐒 ||

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    After a long few months of endless snow, freezing weather, and catching colds, the sun finally decided to do its job and bring hot rays of sunshine all over Japan. 

    Takemichi has never been more delighted in his entire life! He's sick and tired of traveling through harsh winds and having his socks be soaked from the small bits of snow that would somehow find its way inside his boots. He's ultimately glad that he no longer has to worry about the chances of any of his friends catching a nasty cold; Talking to his friends on the phone while they're bedridden isn't nearly as fun as talking face to face.

    (Plus his mom has grown tired of Takemichi hogging the house phone.)

    The small boy is practically vibrating in his band t-shirt as he runs around the main room—jumping on the sofa and tumbling onto the floor in a gymnastic-like manner. He dances around his tired mom with a bright smile on his face as he hoots and hollers in excitement over the change in season. Takemichi's giggles bounce off the walls and fills the apartment in a pleasant atmosphere.

    Takemichi and his friends can do so many things now that the deadly snow won't hinder them anymore! They can spend as much time at the playground as they want, buy ice cream, play tag, go to the beach, and so much more!

    It's only because of his enthusiasm towards the weather change that he doesn't mind when his door is thrown open by his feral friends: Mikey and Keisuke.

    ...and Haruchiyo?

    "Hi Ms. Hanagaki~!" Mikey and Keisuke greet with excited smiles as they enter the boy's apartment like they own the place. Haruchiyo reluctantly follows after them, looking lost and a little nervous as he eyes Takemichi's mother with calculating irises.

    "Oh hi boys! Have you come to take Michi away from me again?" His mother asks with a smirk as she crouches down to hug both Mikey and Keisuke. The two boys gladly welcome the hug with open arms, causing a fuzzy warm feeling to sprout from Takemichi's chest.

    "Yeah, but we'll bring him back!" Mikey exclaims loudly once he untangles himself from the older lady's embrace. He holds out his pinky finger to the tired lady with a smirk. "Pinky promise!"

    "Yeah!" Baji says while also holding out his pinky finger. "Pinky promise!"

    Takemichi's mother giggles into the warm atmosphere before taking both her pinky fingers and interlacing them with Baji's and Mikey's. "Pinky promise—and you better not break it!"

    Takemichi, who wants nothing more than to crawl into his own skin with embarrassment, stomps his feet and points an accusing finger at his mom. He can take care of himself, thank you very much!

    "Hey! I can make it back on my own!"

    "Hm, I'm sure you can."

    "Why did you say it like that?!"

    Takemichi may not be able to use sarcasm himself, but he sure knows how to detect it!

    His mother laughs without a care in the world as she releases Keisuke and Mikey. "Like what sweetie? I'm agreeing with you!" Takemichi doesn't like the mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she says that...

    "Well it—"

    "Oh! Who's your other friend, Michi? I don't think I've met him before," His mother exclaims rather loudly, interrupting her own poor mistreated son, as she spots Haruchiyo lingering by the door.

    Takemichi can't help but feel bad at the sight of Haruchiyo tensing up once his mother's eyes land on him.

    He gets where Haruchiyo is coming from; his mother is amazing and he loves her with every ounce of his being, but she can be a little bit too much sometimes.

    Takemichi, like the natural born hero he is, runs towards Haruchiyo and comes to his rescue.

    "This is Haruchiyo Akashi—Takeomi's younger brother!"

    Careful not to startle his new friend, Takemichi slowly throws his arm around the boy's shoulder. The robotic boy doesn't move away from Takemichi's arm. Instead he stares at his mother very intensely, like he's trying to shoot a laser beam right through the older lady with his eyes.

   "I didn't know that bastard had a younger brother!" Takemichi cringes at the small strike directed to the oldest Akashi. To keep Haruchiyo safe from his mother's whims, Takemichi smiles and pats the boy on the head.

    "He also has a younger sister! Her name's Senju Akashi!"

    "Is that so?"

    His mother walks towards the green-eyed boy, causing the boy to tense up.

    She crouches down to meet his eye level and hums thoughtfully as she accesses the poor kid.

    The room was quiet. Not a sound can be heard. No one moved or said a word as Ms. Hanagaki stared at the trembling blonde.

    "Hm...you do have the same eye color as that Takeomi guy...what's your name again?" She asks with the gentleness of an angel.

    Haruchiyo is quiet for a few seconds before he hesitantly answers with a soft, "...Akashi Haruchiyo."

    "Think you can promise me something Akashi-San?" Everyone turns to the older lady with puzzled looks on their faces.

    What on earth could this lady want from Haru?

    Poor Haruchiyo begins shifting his feet and fumbling with the hem of his shirt in nervousness.

    "S-Sure."

    Everyone holds their breath, waiting in anticipation as Ms.Hanagaki parts her lips and—

    "Promise me to sucker punch the shit out of your brother the next time you see him."

    And just like that, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

    Guess Takemichi has nothing to worry about after all...

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    "...It's not that funny Baji—"

    "OH MY GOD IT TOTALLY WAS!!! YOU LOOKED LIKE YOU WERE ABOUT TO PISS YOUR SHORTS!!!"

    "Y-Your lying!!!"

    Instead of answering Haruchiyo, Baji throws his head back and breaks out into another fit of laughter as the four boys walk down the sidewalk. There isn't a particular destination in mind; they're just enjoying the nice weather after being stuck with the freezing snow for nearly three months.

    Mikey, the person leading their small group down the sidewalk, turns around and fixes Haruchiyo with a cat-like smirk.

    "Don't worry Haruchiyo, at least Mitchy was there to hold your hand~" Mikey teases, bringing a dark flush across Haruchiyo's face.

    From beside the flustered blonde, Takemichi tilts his head as he stares at Mikey's mischievous smirk. What on earth is Mikey talking about? Takemichi was just trying to comfort Haruchiyo, not embarrass him!

    An idea suddenly pops into Takemichi's head.

    The curly haired boy shoots Mikey a giddy smile.

    "Mikey, weren't you the one begging me to hold your hand the other day?" He teases back, watching with satisfaction as Mikey's face turns red in embarrassment.

    Takemichi ignores the look Haruchiyo's giving him from the corner of his eye and focuses more on embarrassing the black eyed kid.

    Baji, ever the instigator, points a finger at Mikey and cackles loudly.

    "W-What?! I would never—" Mikey's excuses were cut off by the feral black haired boy.

    "What's wrong Mikey? Can't go a day without holding mommy's hand?!"

    "HEY! THATS NOT TRUE—"

    "Oh look~ my name is Mikey and I have no idea what personal space is~ mwah mwah mwah~"

    "PFFFT BAHAHAHA!!!"

    "SHUT UP BAJI—STOP LAUGHING TAKEMITCHY—I SWEAR IM GONNA BEAT ALL OF YOU UP!!!"

    Takemichi clutches his stomach and giggles into the open air, relishing in the warm rays of sun that shine down on his small figure.

    He doesn't feel bothered by Mikey's threat in the slightest; instead, he takes a page out of Baji's book and continues to poke the bear.

    "Will holding my hand make you feel better?" Takemichi asks while striding up to Mikey with a playful smirk. Baji and Haruchiyo giggle from behind the two boys, completely unaware of the dark expression that begins to form on Mikey's face.

    The second Takemichi catches sight of his dark voidless eyes, he takes a step back, and immediately clamps his mouth shut.

    Uh oh...maybe Takemichi went too far?

    Mikey slowly turns to face Takemichi— a pleasant smile tugging on his lips— and tightly grasps onto Takemichi's hand with the strength of a gorilla.

    OH CRAP TAKEMICHI WENT TO FAR!

    ABORT ABORT!!!

    "Aww~ thanks for the offer, Takemitchy! You're so sweet!!!" Takemichi pales at the compliment knowing damn well Mikey means those words as anything else but a compliment.

    "Hey, do you mind if I hold your hand like this for the rest of the day?" Takemichi wants to say yes, he does mind, but the second those words pop into his head, Mikey's grip tightens ten-folds around Takemichi's hand.

    And this is why people should let sleeping dogs lie.

    Wincing in pain, Takemichi fixes Mikey with a strained smile and nods rapidly like a bobble head. "N-No! Not at all!!!" He exclaims a little too loudly for it to sound reassuring and casual. Mikey doesn't seem to mind. In fact, his dark grin only grows bigger.

   
    And just like that, the dark expression disappears.

    "Yay!!! I get Takemitchy all to myself today!" Mikey cheers excitedly with a closed eye smile, oblivious to the baffled looks of betrayal he was receiving from Haruchiyo and Keisuke.

    "Eh?! Hana—I mean, T-Takemichi only said you could hold his hand, not—"

    "The hell are you going on about, Mikey?!" Keisuke shouts over Haruchiyo with a furious look on his face.

    "You heard me!" Mikey exclaims loudly for the two other boys to hear. "Mitchy's mine for the day. If you got a problem with it, then fight me."

    Takemichi watches in horror as Haruchiyo and Keisuke go quiet, both of them shooting wary looks at eachother like they're trying to see who's gonna step up to face Mikey's wrath.

    In the end, Keisuke pouts and crosses his arms in front of his chest—his brow furrows in frustration as he glares at the concrete beneath his feet. Haruchiyo seems to be doing the same thing as well, except his glare is pinned to the street light across the street.

    Takemichi breathes a sigh of relief; the last thing he wants is his friends to fight over something utterly ridiculous on such a beautiful day.

    "Jeez, you're so annoying Mikey..." Baji mutters out loud. Takemichi half expects Haruchiyo to whisper something similar, but nothing falls from his lips.

    Rather than pouting at the small insult, a bright smile spreads across Mikey's lips.

    "Hmm yeah, maybe I am!" Mikey exclaims as he turns back around to lead the three boys down the sidewalk. "But you guys are still here, following me and loving me even though I'm 'so annoying', so who cares!"

    No one has anything to refute Mikey's words with, mostly because he's right.

    And Takemichi's not quite sure how to feel about that.

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    The high pitched cries coming from a nearby tree draws the four boys' attention like a moth to a flame.

    "What's that sound?" Mikey asks, his brow furrowing in frustration as he snaps his gaze to the loud tree. Takemichi copies the older kid and peeks over the blonde's shoulder, hoping to see what the fuss was all about.

    "I dunno," Haruchiyo says as he eyes the tree with disdain. "But whatever it is needs to shut up. It's giving me a headache," he complains with a grimace.

    Takemichi turns around and shoots the slightly taller boy a half-hearted glare. How can Haruchiyo be so heartless? Someone's obviously in pain and the first thing Haruchiyo does is say it annoys him. How rude!

    "Hey! You shouldn't say that Haru-"

    "I know right?" Keisuke pipes in, earning an offended gasp from Takemichi.

    "Oh cmon! You too Kei-kun?!" Keisuke only rolls his eyes at the smaller boy before going back to staring at the crying tree.

    "It...it kinda sounds like an animal..." Mikey mumbles in thought, gaining the three boys' attention.

    An animal?

    Takemichi really doesn't like the sound of that.

    The curly haired boy goes back to listening to the loud cries and his eyes widen once he hears the resemblance. It does sound like an animal.

    In fact, it sounds alot like a cat—

    Takemichi's blood runs cold.

    With his hand still stuck in Mikey's, Takemichi drags the blonde towards the source of the sound, hoping with every ounce of his heart that he's just imagining things. He ignores the confused shouts of his friends and continues to run like his life depends on it. Well, more like someone else's life, but you get the gist.

    It isn't until he's a few steps away from the tree does Mikey finally gain Takemichi's attention by tugging him backward with the strength a normal eight year old shouldn't have. Caught completely by surprise, Takemichi stumbles backward, steps on Mikey's shoe, makes the blonde loose his balance, and before either boy could shout, they fall to the ground with a thud.

    "What's gotten into you Takemitchy?" Mikey grumbles while tightening his hold around Takemichi's hand.

    "That—That animal needs our help!" Just as the words fall from Takemichi's lips, Keisuke and Haruchiyo reach the two fallen boys. Keisuke's eyebrow raises up at Takemichi's exclamation, while Haruchiyo remains robotically stoic, albeit a little frustrated if the crease in his brow is anything to go by.

    "What animal?" Keisuke asks, sounding a bit more concerned than he did a few seconds ago.

    The curly haired boy points to the tree in distress, wincing as the cries of terror got louder and louder. "There's an animal crying in the tree! We have to help them!"

    "What animal? I don't see anythi—"

    Haruchiyo is abruptly cut off by Keisuke's obnoxiously loud gasp.

    "THERE'S A CAT STUCK IN THE TREE!!!" He shouts while copying Takemichi and pointing a finger at one of the branches.

    And sure enough—when Takemichi follows Keisuke's finger—he spots a small kitten crying for help.

    Takemichi feels his heart strings being pulled and ripped apart with every meow that reaches his ears.

    "CMON! WE GOTTA SAVE IT!!!" Takemichi cries out as he scrambles back onto his feet, roughly tugging Mikey along with him. Mikey doesn't protest or stop Takemichi from dragging him around; instead, he follows Takemichi with a pep in his step which the curly haired boy can't be more grateful for.

    Once they reach the tree, the four boys stop to stand underneath the branch the poor kitten is crying from. Takemichi's insides squeezed and tightened the more he stared at the adorable bundle of fur squealing for help.

    Gah! He can't take it anymore!

    With a deep breath, Takemichi steps forward and eyes the tree in disdain.

    "It's ok guys—I'll save the kitten!!!" Takemichi exclaims as he proudly places his hands on his hips like a stereotypical superhero.

    "How? By climbing the tree?" Keisuke asks with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Takemichi scrunches up his face at Keisuke's tone of voice and glares at the teasing boy.

    "Uh yeah! Got a better idea?"

    Takemichi instantly regrets asking that question the second Keisuke's wild smirk appears on his face.

    Uh oh.

    "Of course I do!" Keisuke proclaims with the confidence of a champion. The overly confident boy crosses his arms in front of his chest and disregards Mikey, Takemichi, and Haruchiyo with a smug smile. "I'm not sure if you know this Michi, but I'm actually a master at saving cats!" A master?

    Takemichi sends Keisuke a confused look.

    "So you've done this before?"

    "Yep!"

    Takemichi's admiration for Keisuke just shot up past the clouds.

    Just as Takemichi is about to ask the cat lover more questions, he feels a slight pressure being applied to his hand. Whipping his head around, the curly haired boy catches sight of Mikey staring holes into his soul with an unreadable expression plastered on his face. Chills instantly run up the boy's spine.

    "You need to stop believing everything Keisuke says, Takemitchy!" Mikey lightly scolds. "He's only done this once and it took him three hours to get out of the tree!"

    Keisuke immediately splutters at Mikey's words.

    "Don't listen to him, Michi! He's just a jealous pip squeak who—"

    "Yeah, Mikey's telling the truth," Haruchiyo says out of nowhere while smirking at a seething Keisuke. "Keisuke started screaming like a little baby when he couldn't find his way back down."

    Before Takemichi can stop himself, he snorts at the image of Keisuke—the feral boy who lit a bunch of trash bags on fire—whining and screaming his head off for help.

    Keisuke doesn't seem to find it as amusing as Takemichi though.

    "Don't listen to them Michi! They're trying to make me look bad!" Keisuke shouts with his hands balled up into fists by his sides. His face is completely red and Takemichi can practically see the steam pouring out of Keisuke's ears in anger. Now that Takemichi thinks about it, Keisuke kinda reminds the curly haired boy of a bull...well, more like a small angry bull.

    A sharp pitiful cry cuts through Takemichi's thoughts.

    Right! The cat!

    "We don't have time for this! We're the kitten's last hope of making it out of that tree!" Takemichi exclaims in frustration as he glares at the three boys.

    Haruchiyo just rolls his eyes and glances up at the cat still crying its poor little heart out.

    "...a human tower..."

    Wait what?

    Everyone turns to look at Haruchiyo who now has a thoughtful look on his face as he continues to stare up at the crying kitten, oblivious to the weird looks he's getting from his three friends.

    "A human what?" Mikey repeats with a raised brow. Haruchiyo snaps out of his trance at the sound of Mikey's voice and finally turns to look at his friends. A proud smile pulls at the corners of the robotic boy's lips.

    It's at this moment that Takemichi begins seeing a common trait among all his friends.

    They were all utterly, completely chaotic in their own way.

    (Including Takemichi.)

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