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𝟓 || 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐁𝐀 𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 ||

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The curly haired boy kept looking up from his coloring book, nervousness not once leaving his veins as he observed his surroundings.

    Takemichi sat at the table in the corner of the classroom, watching his new classmates run around, play games, and converse with one another. The soothing sound of the rain hitting the roof of the building was barely enough to distract the smaller boy from surveying the room, the grip on his colored crayon tightening every time a teacher or student got too close.

    Nothing bad has happened so far. His classmates weren't clawing each other over toys, or using the arts and craft supplies as weapons. His teacher wasn't standing by her desk watching the chaos from afar, but was instead interacting with the kids, making them laugh and giggle as they played a board game Takemichi once saw at a garage sale.

    Takemichi went back to coloring his dragon, the red crayon in his hand almost snapping with the hold he had on it.

    He was tense—anxious even.

    It was unnerving to the boy how calm his classroom was, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop his hand from shaking every time someone attempted to talk to him.

    It was frustrating; the boy wanted nothing more than to get up from his secluded area and join in on the games the other students were playing, but he just couldn't.

    He was scared.

    Terrified.

    Frightened.

    What if they suddenly got mad at him and used those puzzle pieces to gouge his eyes out? Or shove marbles down his throat till he couldn't breathe? Or slam his head face first into a pile of legos? Or forcefully shove chess pieces into his nose until he was a bleeding mess? Or—

    SNAP

    Takemichi flinched. He looked down to stare at the broken crayon resting in his hand, dread settling in his stomach.

    Uh oh...

    Takemichi quickly hid the broken crayon under the table, hoping someone didn't catch him and tattle on him to the teacher. The dragon he was coloring was almost finished too—all he needed to fill in was the tail and the fire that surrounded the mystical creature.

    He sighed tiredly, reaching into the crayon box to grab a color that was close enough to the one he was using (he ended up grabbing an orange-red color instead) and continued his work on the dragon's tail.

    Takemichi suddenly heard footsteps walking towards him.

    Snapping his head up, Takemichi was greeted with the appearance of the tallest kid in class (the one Takemichi was determined to stay away from). The tall kid was scary with his piercing indigo eyes, scarred lip, and intimidating presence. His head was shaved, leaving behind blue fuzz in its wake. Takemichi shrunk in his seat as the boy got closer, his eyes never leaving the curly haired boy for a second.

    What was he gonna do? Attack him? Bully him?

    Takemichi's hands began to get sweaty and clammy. Was there anything nearby he could use to defend himself? There was that pencil sharpener behind his chair, the pair of scissors on his left, the bucket of crayons on his right, magnets sitting next to the scissors, and—

    "...Hi."

    The stranger's voice brought him back to reality. Takemichi froze. Slowly—almost cautiously—Takemichi craned his neck up to get a proper look at the scary kid in front of him. Those Indigo eyes were staring down at Takemichi with some kind of emotion swirling within them. His face was mostly blank as he observed the curly haired boy below him.

    There's nothing Takemichi could do.

    Not wanting to offend the intimidating kid, Takemichi offered a wavering smile.

    "H-Hi..." Takemichi greeted back, his small voice almost being drowned out by the other kids in the room. The taller kid just stood there staring at him, shifting from foot to foot. Was he expecting something from Takemichi? His lunch money? His drawing? His backpack?

    Takemichi really hoped it wasn't his backpack; it was a pretty blue with purple frogs decorating the bag. When he first laid eyes on the item, he practically begged his mother for it—something he rarely did. He didn't want to have to give it up after only having it for two days; his mother would be really upset about it!

    "...I really like your shirt."

    ...Huh?

    For a second, Takemichi assumed he misheard the taller boy, but one look at the other kid's face was enough to cut off that train of thought. His cheeks were a little red and his indigo eyes were casted to the side, a hand reaching up to scratch the back of his nape.

    Does...does he really like his shirt?

    It was one of his mom's many band t-shirts she kept in her closet. They were in a rush that morning to get Takemichi to school on time after waking up late and she had accidentally given him one of her shirts. It was pretty long and earned him a lot of weird looks from passing teachers, but it was comfortable and smelled like home.

    "Y-You do?" Takemichi asked, still a little unsure if what he heard was correct. The other kid stiffly nodded his head, distinctly reminding Takemichi of a robot.

    "...um—yeah. My um...my mom plays their music around the house when dad isn't home..." the kid explained sheepishly, gesturing to the band logo printed on Takemichi's shirt.

    Against his own judgment, Takemichi found himself smiling. He never really paid much attention to the band logos on his mother's shirts or cared to listen to their music, but maybe he should give it a try. Afterall, this kid seemed to enjoy them—maybe Takemichi could too.

    "T-Thank you! It's—um—It's my mom's," Takemichi admitted, earning him a small smile from the taller kid.

    "Oh—cool. Do you um...listen to their music?" Reluctantly, Takemichi shook his head no, almost regretting it when he observed how the taller kid's mood deflated a bit; Takemichi was quick to correct himself.

    "No, b-but I will when I get home!"

    The taller kid's eyes lit up.

    "You will?"

    "Y-Yeah!" Takemichi answered as enthusiastically as his shaking voice could. He didn't feel as nervous as he did before talking to the taller kid, but the anxiousness was still there—haunting his mind and movements.

    (Takemichi hoped he remembered to listen to the album when he got home; he didn't want to make the other kid mad or something...)

    "Cool—um...my name's Hakkai Shiba," the taller boy known as Shiba introduced—his face no longer blank and emotionless, but expressive and full of unhidden interest. His smile was warm and comforting, causing the anxious feeling in Takemichi's veins to gradually vanish and disappear.

    Takemichi could finally breathe.

    Takemichi smiled back—confidently this time.

    "N-Nice to meet you! I'm Takemichi Hanagaki—"

    "I know your name...You said it in front of the class this morning." Takemichi flushes red in embarrassment, earning a half-hearted laugh from Shiba.

    "R-right! I knew that..."

    "...can I color with you?"

    Now it was Takemichi's turn for his eyes to light up.

    "Sure!"

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"Hakkai, that's not your assigned seat. You need to move."

    Shiba stubbornly remained in his seat next to Takemichi, ignoring the teacher's complaint. The curly haired boy gulped nervously, watching as the teacher started to glare at the taller boy.

    Oh boy...

    After play time was over, Shiba made it a point to follow Takemichi wherever he went. He loomed over the boy like a shadow as Takemichi traveled the room to help pick up. Shiba was either behind or beside the boy—never in front. Takemichi actually found the taller boy's presence reassuring; his hands weren't shaking nearly as much as they were before Shiba came over to color with him.

    But now it was a little bit of a problem.

    When it was finally time to return back to their assigned seats, Shiba stole the desk that originally belonged to the kid sitting to the left of Takemichi. The poor boy was obviously too scared to tell Shiba to move, so he called the teacher for help.

    Leading to the situation they were in now.

    "Hakkai, do I need to repeat myself?" The teacher started again, her voice getting more firm. "That's not your desk. You need to move back to your seat over there, ok?" Once again, Shiba ignored her.

    Acting like there weren't a bunch of kids staring at him, along with a glaring teacher, Shiba turned to Takemichi with his signature smile—the one that put the curly haired boy at ease.

    "Did you hear that, Hanagaki? I swore I just heard a fly or something." The class erupted into a fit of laughter, making the teacher seethe in anger. Takemichi couldn't find it in himself to laugh—the adult's glare successfully paralyzing the small boy. Shiba tilted his head confused, his indigo eyes boring into the smaller boy next to him.

    "Something wrong?" Shiba asked, acting like he didn't just insult the teacher. Takemichi didn't respond—too focused on the person past Shiba's shoulder.

    "Hanagaki—?"

    A hand is planted on Shiba's shoulder, making the taller kid noticeably flinch.

    "Hakkai Shiba, get up no-"

    "Leave me alone, I'm talking to my friend." Shiba forcefully shrugged the teacher's hand off his shoulder and turned back around to face Takemichi. The curly haired boy could do nothing but gawk at his companion's behavior.

    Sure, Takemichi was used to seeing students blatantly disobey their teachers, but to see someone act out in order to pay attention to someone else—to him—made something boil at the pit of his stomach.

    Was he nervous? Was he flattered? He couldn't tell. Probably a mix between the two.

    But, at that moment, What Takemichi was absolutely sure of, was the raging fire that exploded within the teacher's eyes.

    Takemichi finally snapped out of his trance and switched his gaze over to Shiba who was still staring at the curly haired boy with a questioning look.

    "You're gonna get in trouble!" Takemichi whispered hastily, hoping his friend would take the hint and go back to his original desk. He only furrowed his brow, a frown settling on his lips.

    "So? I just wanna talk to you..." Shiba trailed off frustratedly, his eyes casting down to his hands that were placed in his lap. Takemichi felt his heart squeeze at the expression Shiba was making, causing the smaller boy's mind to go blank.

    What on earth is he supposed to do? Takemichi didn't want to hurt his new friend's feelings by asking him to go back to his seat, nor did he want to see him get in trouble with the teacher over something that could've been prevented.

    Shiba just wanted to talk to Takemichi, right? So what can the curly haired boy say to get Shiba back in his seat—

    An idea formed in Takemichi's small, pea-sized brain.

    "W-We can talk to each other after school, Shiba!" Takemichi exclaimed, hesitantly resting a hand on Shiba's shoulder. This time the taller boy didn't flinch—instead, he leaned into the touch, an expression of doubt crossing his face.

    "...But I wanna talk to you now..." Shiba whined quietly, eyeing the teacher who was watching the exchange with a curious look. She no longer looked angry, just deep in thought.

    Takemichi returned his attention back to Shiba, a smile slowly forming on his face. "But we'll have more time to talk after school than in here, silly!"

    Shiba's frown changed into a pout as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, indigo eyes narrowing down at Takemichi.

    "But—"

    "Pleeeeaaaase Shi-chan?" Takemichi pleads, using his useful knowledge about nicknames to his advantage.

    It worked on Manjiro when Takemichi was at his family's dojo a few days ago; surely it'd work on Shiba, right?

    To Takemichi's delight, Shiba's pout deflated; a fond smile played at his lips as he stared down at Takemichi.

    "...ok, fine...I'll talk to you later then."

    Everyone watched as Hakkai Shiba, the tallest and the most intimidating boy in class, got out of the stolen seat and made his way back to his own desk (with a giddy smile on his lips, but people were too scared to comment on it).

    The class was rendered speechless.

    Takemichi, on the other hand, was trying to control his inner panic after suddenly remembering that his mother wanted to take him somewhere after school.

    Oh god, what has he done?!

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The rain had yet to let up once school was over. The soft pattering of raindrops mocked the two boys as they stood under the school awning, watching as parents came by to pick their kids up with umbrellas and raincoats.

    The weather sure was cruel...

    Takemichi glanced over at his new companion who kept staring at the school doors, like he was expecting someone to walk through them.

    Takemichi gulped nervously, suddenly hyper aware of the situation he had dug himself into. How could he have promised Shiba to hangout after school when he supposedly had plans with his mama? When it was still raining?

    He really didn't think this one through...

    ...or maybe he could just invite Shiba to hangout with him and his mom? Would that be ok or...?

    "Hey—"

    "There you are, Hakkai!" Takemichi was startled at the new voice. Looking over to Shiba's other side, Takemichi spotted a girl with brown hair and hazel eyes staring up at Shiba.

    Before Takemichi could ask who the girl was, he was interrupted once again by the stranger.

    "Why weren't you at our meetup spot? You didn't forget where it was, did you?" She asked tiredly as she placed her hand on her hip.

    Shiba gave the girl a reassuring smile all the while patting her head.

    "No way, Yuzuha. Me and Hanagaki are just waiting for the rain to stop so we can go hangout!" Shiba explained, receiving a confused look from the one called Yuzuha.

    "Who's Hanagaki?"

    Shiba finally gestured to the boy standing next to him on his other side with a bright smile. Takemichi tried not to fidget nervously under the girl's haunting stare, forcing himself to smile at the newcomer.

    "Yuzuha—this is Takemichi Hanagaki, Hanagaki—this is Yuzuha, my older sister!" Takemichi's eyes widened in surprise.

    Older sister?! But they look nothing alike!!!

    Takemichi kept his thoughts to himself and smiled warmly at the older Shiba. "Hi! It's nice to meet you Shiba!" Takemichi greeted, watching as the haunting look on her face began to fade into a tight-lipped smile.

    "Yeah...you too," Yuzuha greeted back. "Also you can just call me Yuzuha."

    "Y-You sure?"

    "Yeah—you're Hakkai's friend after all...and you're nice," Yuzuha explained, causing Takemichi's face to redden.

    "Oh! T-Thank you Yuzuha!"

    "No prob-"

    "Hakkai! Call me Hakkai!!!" The taller boy interrupted, indigo eyes twinkling with excitement as he reached down to grab Takemichi's hands. The curly haired boy was stunned for a second before quickly recovering and giving Hakkai a shy smile.

    "O-Ok Hakkai!" Takemichi exclaimed, his name falling awkwardly from his tongue. Hakkai visibly lit up like a Christmas tree, making the smaller boy laugh softly.

    "Is it ok if we call you 'Takemichi'?" Hakkai asked, his brow raised in question as he stared down at the smaller boy. Glancing over at Yuzuha, Takemichi saw the same expression plastered on her face.

    They're asking for his permission? That's weird...normally people would just go ahead and use his first name, not that Takemichi really cared if people used it or not.

    Takemichi couldn't help but compare the two Shibas to Baji and Manjiro. The two boys, who had met Takemichi on the playground with bruises and scabs, were a bit violent. Takemichi isn't bothered by it in the slightest, not as much as he thought he'd be (that's probably thanks to the old school Takemichi used to attend).

    The Shibas, on the other hand, were a lot more hesitant and less confident than Takemichi's other friends. Hakkai, who had shyly walked up to Takemichi just to compliment his shirt—and Yuzuha, who appeared to be quiet and cautious except to whoever was friends with Hakkai.

    'This' Takemichi wasn't used to. If anything, the Shibas were a little too nice, not that he's complaining or anything! It was just something he had to get used to.

    Hakkai waved a hand in front of Takemichi's face, effectively waking the curly haired boy up from his inner thoughts.

    "Uh...you still there?" Hakkai asked worriedly, a sheepish smile resting on his lips. Takemichi felt his face redden in embarrassment, making him turn his face away from the two siblings.

    "Y-Yeah! I'm awake!" Takemichi exclaimed a little too loudly, grabbing the attention of both students and parents. Upon realizing this, his face got more heated. Determined to not make a further fool of himself, Takemichi shook the embarrassing moment out of his head and turned to face Hakkai and Yuzuha who were stifling their laughs with their hands.

    "A-Anyways—you guys c-can call me Takemichi!"

    Both the Shiba's lit up at the smaller boy's response. That was a good thing, right? Hopefully those smiles were real and not filled with devious intent. Hopefully they wouldn't find him annoying and abandon him. Hopefully the Shibas will continue to look at Takemichi like he was the brightest star in the midnight sky.

    Feeling much more confident in himself, Takemichi moved to the spot in between Hakkai and Yuzuha. They didn't glare or push the boy away from separating the two siblings; Yuzuha just tilted her head confused while Hakkai continued to stare at Takemichi with adoring indigo hues.

    Well, here goes nothing!

    "Um Hakkai?" The taller boy in question hummed at Takemichi, beckoning him to finish his question. "...I forgot that me and my mama had plans today after school—" Takemichi watched with dread as Hakkai's expression fell, but the curly haired boy was quick to complete his sentence. "But do you guys wanna join us?"

    Hakkai's face lifted in surprise along with his older sister's.

    "You're inviting us to hangout with you and your mom?" Yuzuha asked, disbelief written all over her face.

    Takemichi gulped. "Um—yeah! T-That way we can all hangout!"

    The two siblings traded a look with each other, their expressions changing every now and then like