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𝟕 || 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑 ||

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Don't mess with the Shiba siblings.

    It was like an unspoken rule among the elementary schoolers who knew of the imposing taller kid with a scar across his lip along with his intimidating smaller sister.

    Keisuke and Manjiro have always been aware of this rule; they're in the same classroom as the older Shiba sibling after all.

    (Other kids also tended to stay away from them as well.)

    If there was one word to describe the older sister, it would definitely be possessive. Manjiro's older brother taught Keisuke the word when he was struggling with studying for his vocabulary test and, upon hearing the definition, he immediately thought of Yuzuha.

    She barely lets anyone close to her younger brother and she never hesitates to beat up anyone who talks trash about him.

    Manjiro once called her cool, but Keisuke still can't really see the appeal about her aside from being annoyingly protective.

    He never once messed with her and she never once messed with him—that's the way it should be. They were never paired up during group projects, never mingled, never talked, never sat next to each other, but they still steal glances from each other every once in a while.

    He never once saw a reason to get mixed up with her—she was just some random protective older sister who just so happens to know how to fight.

    But...that was before Keisuke found out that Michi befriended her.

    Hell, Keisuke didn't even know he went to the same SCHOOL as Michi till he accidentally bumped into him in the hallway on their way to lunch. It probably had something to do with their one year age difference, but still! How did Keisuke not know that they've both been going to the same school?!

    (Manjiro straight up laughed in his face after hearing Keisuke's rant and the black haired boy immediately lunged.)

    Keisuke grumbled under his breath as he watched Takemichi talk animatedly with the taller Shiba sibling from one of the other playgrounds across from the one Keisuke's class was playing on. Manjiro's sitting next to him with a pout on his face as he too stares at the younger boys from afar.

    "This is soooo not faiiiir~" Manjiro whined while leaning his head on Keisuke's shoulder. Keisuke huffed in agreement and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

    "I know right..."

    "I wanna play with Mitchy..."

    Keisuke scrunched his nose up in frustration.

    "Me too..."

    It was silent for a few moments before Manjiro perked up from his spot, nearly giving Keisuke a heart attack.

    "Let's just sneak over to their playground!" Manjiro declared with a mischievous glint in his dark eyes. It was times like these that reminded Keisuke of just how amazing his blonde friend was.

    Keisuke smiled at the suggestion. "Good idea, Manjiro!" He praised, laughing childishly as the blonde boy puffs his chest out in triumph. Manjiro reached his hand out for Keisuke to take and pulled the black haired kid up.

    Sure, it would be easy to just walk off the playground and onto the one Takemichi was on, but...

    Keisuke turned his head to eye the teachers who, for some reason, were already staring at the two boys. How annoying. They couldn't do shit without getting in trouble with the teachers.

    Manjiro seemed to have noticed it too by the way his face grimaced. "We need someone to distract the teachers," Manjiro declared as his eyes met Keisuke's. Thank god Keisuke was best friends with someone like Manjiro—a mischievous thinker with a brain that was in sync with his own!

    Keisuke smirked. "Yeah...let's ask someone to distract them," Keisuke added, observing the way Manjiro's eyes scanned the rocky playground they were on. Keisuke knew exactly what Manjiro was searching for.

    An obedient servant.

    Like the Shiba siblings, Keisuke and Manjiro also had a hidden rule that all the kids were aware of: don't say no to the troublemakers. It's not like other kids had to follow the rule, but it was definitely better than sporting a broken nose. Everyone was at least smart enough not to deny the two best friends of anything—well, the teachers being the only exception. Stupid adults and their stupid glasses...

    It didn't take long for Manjiro to choose a classmate to distract the teachers with. Once they threatened and gave the small boy a rough punch to the shoulder, he ran to the teacher, successfully taking the adults' gaze off the two boys.

    With a smile plastered on both the boys' faces, they quickly snuck their way over to the other playground.

    They failed to notice a young girl watching from the shadows—a frown very evident on her face.

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"—And then my big bro reached into the water and grabbed a huuuuge fish with his bare hands!" Hakkai exclaimed with stars in his eyes, causing Takemichi to oooh and ahhh excitedly.

    The two boys, wearing matching band t-shirts (they coordinated shirts for the day), sat on the swing set; the taller one with the buzz cut sharing his recent camping experience with Takemichi who could only listen in fascination.

    Takemichi would love to go camping someday! It probably won't happen anytime soon though, especially with his mom being deathly afraid of bugs and nature itself, but he can still hope!

    "Wow Hakkai!!! You're brother's so cool~" Takemichi complimented, earning a bright laugh from Hakkai's lips.

    "I know right! I want you guys to meet—he's so strong and amazing!" Hakkai gushed, his arms shooting up towards the sky to better express his admiration. "He's a little scary, but I'm sure you'll warm up to him pretty fast!" Hakkai reassured, idly swinging his legs back and forth. Takemichi had no doubt in his mind that his older brother was terrifying, but Takemichi's been getting better with hanging around scary people, so he'll probably be fine!

    ...probably.

    "Camping sounds so much fun, Hakkai..." Takemichi sighed and stared at the rocky soil beneath their feet.

    "...You should come with us next time!" Takemichi snapped his head up at the suggestion. Hakkai's indigo colored irises were shining with determination and his smile was all teeth.

    Why was he...inviting him? They barely know each other...

    "Is—Wait, can I?" Takemichi asked hesitantly, not quite believing the offer being presented to him. In the small amount of time that Takemichi has gotten to know Hakkai, he can conclude that the taller boy is by far the nicest kid he's ever come across. He wasn't rough around the edges like Kei-Chan or Manjiro, but instead radiated a comforting presence that never failed to put Takemichi at ease.

    Hakkai jumped off his swing and giddily ran behind Takemichi with a pep in his step. For a split second, the curly haired boy tensed upon feeling Hakkai grab hold of the chains of his swing. He quickly relaxed when he realized Hakkai was just trying to push Takemichi on the swing, helping the smaller boy get better height.

    "Of course! My mom really wants to meet you!" Hakkai exclaimed while pushing Takemichi on the swing. The breeze traveled softly through his hair, giving the small boy the feeling of flying in the air.

    He felt so relaxed...

    So free...

    So—

    "Sup Takemitchy!" Eh?!

    Takemichi's eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets at the sight of Kei-Chan and Manjiro standing at the edge of the swing sets. The hands that were once pushing Takemichi were removed from his body, leaving Takemichi to slow down his momentum on the swing by himself.

    "What are you guys doing over here?!" Takemichi exclaimed loudly from above, observing the way Keisuke and Manjiro shared a look with each other before breaking out in wicked grins.

    Oh no...did they—

    "We snuck away, duh!" Keisuke said while rolling his eyes at the curly haired boy.

    "We got bored and wanted to see you," Manjiro explained while flashing the smaller boy a smile.

    Takemichi couldn't help but feel flattered by their efforts to hangout with him. If the other teachers were to find them, they would get in a lot of trouble! Was Takemichi really worth getting in trouble for?

    He never dared ask the question, but instead smiled happily down at his two older friends.

    The swing finally reached a speed in which Takemichi could safely get off at. After stumbling a bit, Takemichi finally found his footing and turned around, ready to introduce his new friend to Keisuke and Manjiro.

    Takemichi froze in his spot upon seeing his face.

    Hakkai was glaring daggers at the two boys; Takemichi swore at that moment that if his indigo eyes were laser beams then Keisuke and Manjiro would already be piles of ashes on the ground.

    The smaller boy gulped.

    "U-Um...This is Hakkai! My fri-" Takemichi didn't get the chance to finish his sentence when Manjiro grabbed him by the wrist. He was quickly yanked away from the swing set against his freewill.

    "You don't need to hangout with that Shiba anymore, Mitchy! You've got us now~" Manjiro sings pleasantly while pulling him away from his classmate.

    "Let's go Mitchy—" Keisuke was suddenly cut off by an intimidating shadow that looked over the three kids. Before Mitchy could get his wrist out of Manjiro's grip, he felt arms wrap around his waist and—

    Was he in the air?!

    Mitchy looked back and felt a chill run down his spine. Hakkai had picked him up. Those arms were his. He was off the ground. He was levitating. Flying. Ascending into the air.

    How—just HOW does someone react to this?!

    Well, there was nothing to do with Hakkai's arms lifting him up and away from Manjiro so he allowed his body to go limp.

    "You guys tryna kidnap Takemichi or something?!" Hakkai accused, holding Takemichi away from the two seething boys. The taller boy must have noticed Takemichi's discomfort with being held and quickly sets the smaller boy down behind him. Hakkai shielded the curly haired boy with his tall stature and intimidating figure. One look over Hakkai's shoulder had Takemichi's blood run cold.

    Keisuke and Manjiro looked like they were out for blood.

    "Move it lanky! Takemichi doesn't want to hangout with someone like you!" Manjiro shouted while walking straight up to Hakkai.

    "And how do you know that?!"

    "Cause we're his best friends! Right Mitchy?" All eyes were suddenly on Takemichi's shaking form.

    Were they really gonna make him choose?!

    Takemichi held onto the back of Hakkai's shirt with a tight grip. "I-I mean...I wanna hangout with all of you!" Takemichi exclaimed with a tremor in his voice. His response earned many eye rolls—well—eye rolls from Keisuke and Manjiro; Hakkai was just staring down at him with a blank expression.

    "Cmon Mitchy—You gotta pick! It's either us or...him," Keisuke sneered with venom dripping from his tone. "You've known me and Manjiro waaaay longer than this toothpick!" Takemichi watched with fear as Hakkai's hands bunched up into fists at Keisuke's words.

    "You don't have to play with this loser, Takemitchy! We'll save you!"

    Just as Manjiro took another step towards Hakkai, a rock came out of nowhere and slammed right into Manjiro's arm.

    Everyone gasped in surprise.

    W-Who just—

    "Get away from my little brother!"

    Wait! That voice...was that—?

    "Y-Yuzuha! What are you doing here?!" Hakkai asked, his voice filled with shock. Yuzuha was standing off to the side with a very prominent frown etched onto her face as she glared at Keisuke and Manjiro.

    In her hands were a pile of rocks waiting to be thrown at the two mischievous boys. Her brown eyes narrowed in anger and—

    ...she looked a little different.

    "Hi Yuzuha!" The older girl turned to face Takemichi, the frown on her face not as evident as it was before. She then pursed her lips together and—since when did she have bubble gum in her mouth? She blew a bubble and popped it, licking up the remains from her lips before answering Takemichi.

    "Hi Takemichi. Are you ok?" She asked while eyeing Manjiro and Keisuke from the side.

    Takemichi immediately threw Yuzuha a thumbs up. "Yep—also did you get a haircut?" He questioned with a tilt of his head. Her brown hair was no longer long and blowing in the wind, but rested at her shoulders. Her eyes widened at the sudden change in subject.

    "Um—yeah..."

    "Cool! It looks really cute!" Takemichi complimented nonchalantly, blind to the way her face turned red.

    She relaxed her defensive stance and turned her head away bashfully. "...really?" She asked quietly, barely loud enough for anyone to hear.

    Takemichi threw Yuzuha a smile. "Yeah!" He reassured, watching with fascination as her ears turned red. The smacking of bubble gum grew louder.

    "Oh...thank you..."

    "No problem!"

    "Ooooh? Is Yuzuha blushing?" Manjiro teased while nursing his injured arm. Everyone turned to stare at the boy with an incredulous look before glancing over at Yuzuha who, in fact, has turned her head away from the spectators.

    Was she just not used to getting compliments? Takemichi remembers his mom telling him how people can turn red upon hearing someone praise them, so maybe that was it?

    "N-No! It's just—It's just hot out here!" She defended while hugging the rocks closer to her chest. A loud boisterous laugh caught everyone's attention.

    "BAHAHAHAHA!!! LOOK GUYS! YUZUHA HAS A CRUSH ON MITCHY!!!" Keisuke exclaimed loudly while cackling at the brown haired girl. Mitchy's face suddenly felt warm and hot.

    A crush?! Why would Yuzuha have a crush on him?!

    Hakkai turned to his sister in surprise and gaped at her. "You have a crush on him?!" Hakkai asked, his eyes wide and surprised.

    "No I don't!!! He's lying!!!" Yuzuha screamed, her face red from...Takemichi couldn't really tell if it was from blushing or shouting.

    "YOU-YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON MITCHY~! YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON MITCHY~!" Keisuke mocked, walking over to Yuzuha with a predatory look on his face.

    Takemichi, with his face red and heated, finally found the strength to speak up. "She-she doesn't have a crush on me Kei-Chan! W-were just friends!" Takemichi tried to correct him, but the feral boy just shot him a fanged grin.

"I know you only see her as a friend! But what about her?" He questioned while getting in Yuzuha's personal space. "What does she see you as?" He asked with a quirked up brow.

    "Takemichi's my friend!!!" She shouted while taking a few steps away from Keisuke. He only stalked closer to the girl, his smile turning more sinister.

    "Then why is your face so red?" He snarled back, making Yuzuha seethe in anger.

    Before anyone could react, Yuzuha launches herself at Keisuke with a scream.

    W-WHAT JUST—

    Yuzuha got on top of Keisuke and slammed his face into the ground multiple times, making everyone wince at the scene. Kids from around the playground started gathering around the kids, cheering the brown haired girl on while some taunted and pointed at Keisuke.

    Takemichi finally stepped away from behind Hakkai and stared at the two kids in horror. His hands began to shake and he felt beads of sweat roll down his face.

    Takemichi stole a glance at Manjiro who—WAS HE EATING DORAYAKI?! AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!

    (AND WHERE DID HE EVEN GET IT FROM?!)

    The curly haired boy openly gawked at the blonde who caught Takemichi's gaze.

     "What?" Manjiro asked, like his best friend wasn't brutally getting pounded into the ground.

     "Y-You're not gonna do a-anything?!" Takemichi questioned while gesturing towards Keisuke getting obliterated by Yuzuha.

    He only shrugged his shoulders. "It's not my fault he teased her too much," he then took another bite from his dorayaki. Takemichi stared wide-eyed at Manjiro's answer and then glanced over at Keisuke.

    His face was already beginning to get bloody and bruised by the amount of times he was slammed into the dirt. He kept struggling from underneath Yuzuha's weight, but the grip she had in his hair was downright monstrous.

    Someone needs to do something!

    He—He needs to do something!!!

    "I—" slam! "DON'T—" slam! "LIKE—" slam! "TAKE—" slam! "—MICHI!"

    Just as she was about to put Keisuke's face into the dirt again, Takemichi ran up to Yuzuha and tried pulling the girl off Keisuke. His arms were wrapped around her stomach and he tugged in hopes of setting his friend free.

    Yuzuha thrashed in his hold and knocked the back of her head into Takemichi's nose, almost making the curly haired boy lose his grip around the girl. He could faintly feel something dripping from out of his nose, but he ignored it.

    (It was a feeling he was all too familiar with.)

    He tightened his hold around her stomach and stuffed his face into her shoulder and pulled. He barely got her to move, but it was enough to give Keisuke enough room to escape. Just as Keisuke was about to flip around, probably to smack the crap out of Yuzuha, she hit the back of his neck.

    Hard.

    What does Takemichi do in this situation?! What can he...

    An idea popped into his mind.

    He squeezed his arms around Yuzuha and closed his eyes shut.

    "YUZU-CHAN!!!" Takemichi screamed among the shouts and cheers from the rest of the children gathered around the four kids. He was prepared to get thrown off and brutally beaten himself. In case such a thing occurred, he tightened his hold around Yuzuha.

    Silence.

    No one spoke, not even the kids surrounding the four uttered a word.

    Takemichi hadn't been thrown off yet—or punched.

    He hesitantly opened an eye and—

    Yuzuha had finally stopped beating Keisuke. Takemichi sighed into her shoulder.

    Thank god...

    Yuzuha didn't say anything as she slowly got off of Keisuke. Once she took a few steps back from Keisuke, she finally turned her face to get a good look at Takemichi.

    "...Your nose is bleeding," she commented offhandedly with her brows scrunched up.

    "I-I'm fine! Don't worry Yuzu-Chan," Takemichi