Behind the school building , Minato led Koshiro to an isolated place . He wanted to set things straight between him , especially when he seemed to want to be his sister's boyfriend . Koshiro seemed casual about the situation , and he didn't seem bothered by Minato's intense glare .
" class is about to start soon , Obito " he shrugged " whatever business you have with me , it can wait until later , can it not ? "
" it's Minato , and no it can't " Minato said firmly " yesterday , you went on a date with my sister ... "
" oh , is this is what it's all about ? Listen here , Minato , that girl wants me to go out with her , so mind your territory ... "
" that's my line ! " Minato angrily clutched Koshiro by the collar " stay the hell away from my sister ! "
" what ? Don't tell me you two have a thing between each other ? That's gross , man ! "
" what ?! " Minato was so shocked by what Koshiro said he unconsciously let go of him " don't change the subject ! "
" I just wanted to lighten the mood , buddy " Koshiro laughed " listen , I asked her out , and she accepted . I don't know what that sounds to you , but it clearly seems like she is into me "
" dammit ! " Minato couldn't argue with that , since his sister accepted Koshiro's offer to go out , so instead he said " you'll make such a horrible boyfriend for her , you know that ?! What the hell kind of an asshole has his girlfriend pay for everything on their first date , and you call yourself a man ?! I don't care if it's your birthday or not , what you did was—! "
" ahahaha ! My birthday ?! " Koshiro erupted into laughter " my birthday was two months ago !!! I can't believe you both fell for it , guess you two are siblings , after all ! "
" you ... !!! I'll break that jaw of yours so you'll know better than to lie ! " Minato was prepared to duke it out at that point , but that's when he was struck from behind by a baseball bat " agh ! Wh—what ?! "
" I'm the son of Taketsuchi Auchi , the principal of this school , in case you forgot " Koshiro haughtily stared at Minato , as four musclebound seniors emerged from the bushed and began beating Minato up " this school bends to my will , and you're powerless to stop me ! Had you not been cooped up in that music purgatory of yours , you'd learned to respect me ! "
" you ... you rotten ... ! You're messing with the wrong twins !!! " Minato grumbled under the waves of punches and kicks he was receiving " I'll tell everyone about you , and then ... "
" and then they will believe a loner like you over such a respected figure in the school such as myself ... neat ... Alright , boys " Koshiro signed them to stop . He then approached Minato and clutched him by the hair , forcing him to gaze at him " I'll teach you that everything in this school , with its teachers , boys , girls , and staff all bend to my will ! Listen here , your sister believes me , and her glass heart is in my hand . Now I feel like crushing one of two things ... either your pride , or her heart . It's up to you ! "
Minako sighed as she stood in front of her desk , with scribbles drawn by a thick black pen , which included insults and profanities . Because she and Minato weren't in the same class , she had to face whoever did that by herself . She instead set out to wiping the mess , and behind her she could hear the whispers and giggles of the girls around her . The stress and frustration was welling up inside her , and her eyes began filling up with tears .
At that moment , the teacher entered the class , and the lesson began . Minako could only bury her head in arms and feign sleeping , as she wept silently , unbeknownst to anyone else in the class . Suddenly she jumped from her seat in front of everyone and screamed " what ?! Who said that ?!! "
" Arisato ... ? " the teacher and everyone looked at at Minako , in her teary mess and anxiety
" I ... I ... um ... I ... "
" sit down , and don't interrupt the lesson " the teacher sighed , and as he heard the students laughing he yelled " anyone who laughs will be writing a 1500 worded essay before going home ! " and the silence spread in class .
Lunch break came at last , and Minako told herself she would feel much better if she apologized to Minato , and maybe share her lunch with him . However , as she looked over her desk , she discovered that her lunch box was missing . The bad surprises were far from over , as suddenly a student called her to the classrooms hallway , where she found her lunch box on the ground and her food scattered all over the place , with students and a teacher at the scene . She could only brace herself for what was next .
" that's you lunch box , isn't it ?! Why did you cause such a mess in the school ?! "
" my ... my lunch box was stolen ... whoever did this must ... " Minako tried to explain the situation
" and now you accuse your classmates of stealing , as opposed to coming clean and apologizing ?! I expect to see you in the faculty office ! "
Minako couldn't talk her way out of that , and she reluctantly went into the faculty office . However , to her shock , she found Koshiro in there , along with his father who was talking to another teacher . Minako wanted to say something , but the teacher who brought her angrily silenced her , before explaining the situation to the principal . Minako thought she was in trouble , until Koshiro vouched for her , saying " I don't think Minako would do that , she always puts her friends before herself , and she wouldn't do anything to impact them or her school negatively ... "
" well , off course ... but ... " the teacher tried to object
" oh , that's Minako? The girl you went out with ? " the principal's face beamed with a smile
" yes , father . I had so much fun going out with her " Koshiro nodded " I think the other students are bullying her because of it "
" I see ... " the principal nodded " we'll investigate this further . In the meantime , why don't you comfort her a little ? She seems quiet distressed "
" of course ... "
——————————
In the end , Minako couldn't get a chance to speak with her brother until she was on her way back from school . She saw him going up the stairs to their apartment , after he realized the elevator wasn't working . Minako called him , but he hastened his pace away fromher . She felt scared and distraught about it , as she thought Minato was so furious with her that he would never forgive her for what happened between them . She anxiously began chasing him going up the stairs . She managed to catch up to him just outside their home .
" stop running away , listen ! I ... I wanted to say that ... that .. I ... " Minako was in tears by the time she caught up to him , but as he turned slowly to face her , she was horrified to see his face covered in bruises " what ?! What ?! What happened to you ?!!"
" that ... that was ... " Minato felt suffocated to see his sister's distraught face soaked with tears " Koshiro ... "
" KOSHIRO ?!!! " Minako screamed " HE did that to you ?! "
" I confronted him about your date ... he lied about his birthday ... and he said you're like a glass in his hand that he could shatter in a second ... " Minato sighed " I guess I was faster than him ... "
" that ... that can't be ... " Minako felt conflicted between the kind Koshiro that she saw , and the cruel Koshiro that hurt her brother like that " Koshiro wouldn't ... he ... wouldn't ... "
" I guess he was right " Minato let a bitter laugh , as he turned his back to Minako and began walking away from her " if my own sister doesn't believe me , then nobody... "
" stop here ! " Minako held his hand " I ... I believe you ... "
" you don't mean it ... "
" shut up ... you believe that your sister believes in you ! "
" fine ... I believe that you believe in me ... "
" well I believe that you believe that I believe in you ! "
" uh ... what ? ... " Minato felt confused about what Minako said for a second , then he shrugged " never mind that ... grandma should wake up from her nap soon . I'd rather that she doesn't see me in this state , so we'll talk about this later ... "
With that , the conversation ended . As the twins entered their home , Minato snuck to their room , while Minako remained in the kitchen . Later when her grandmother woke up , she explained to her that Minato was tired from an intense soccer match and so he went to sleep early . Her grandmother was a little confused by that , but she decided not to press it anymore . Later that night , the twins sat in their room . The two of them talked about Koshiro , the girls from the student council , and Minako's feelings toward Koshiro .
" so you don't like him ? " Minato asked
" ' don't like ' is a little harsh " Minako mumbled " I don't ' don't like ' him , but I'm also not in love with him ... I ... I figured if I went out with him , I would develop feelings for him ... you know what I mean ? "
" no , I don't ! " Minato glared at her " but let me see if I understood you correctly , you're going into this train wreck of a rollercoaster of a relationship in hopes that maybe , possibly , you MIGHT develop feelings for him ?! Will you still be waiting for ' feelings ' to sprout by the time he pins you to a bed and spend the night with you ?!! "
" wh—what ?! What are you saying ?!! "
" I'm saying what's on the minds of many boys when they look for a sweetheart ! Don't tell me relationships are all about hand holding to you !!! "
" I ... I haven't thought that far ahead ... "
" it's crazy how strong you can be when you're worried about me , but when it's about yourself you don't mind people walking all over you ! Right now , you're too deep to get yourself out , but for your future you need to learn to stand up for yourself ! " Minato sighed , before seriously saying " that's why I'm gonna teach you how to refuse ... have you ever tried saying ' no ' to someone ? "
" no ? "
" for example ... " Minato took a deep breath , as if he was about to make an important request " sister , may I share your fanfictions and your OC with every relative we know ? "
" no ! Nope ! Never ! Nu huh ! Non ! La ! Mustallie ! Abbadan ! Zetai ! Hayir ! Asla ! " Minako blushed intensely
" how come you managed to say it in five languages ?! Including a FICTIONAL ONE from Eternal Crusaders ?!! If you have such a strong will , how did you get tangled up in this mess in the first place ?!! "
" my fanfictions are taboo , and my OC even more forbidden ! "
" I guess I went overboard ... " Minato sighed , as he took out his phone , he fumbled about it for second , before giving it to her " here , a message from grandpa . He's coming to the culture festival in Sevens , and I told him you'll be dancing to Lotus Juice's Pull The Trigger ... are you going to dance ? "
" well ... uh ... " Minako was really bad at dancing , and she could imagine herself embarrassing herself in front of everyone , and still she mumbled " if ... if he's coming ... I guess I ... I will ... " she stopped as she saw Minato slap his forehead with his palm , and realized that she failed " ... sorry ... "
" let's try something else ... " Minato began doing something in his phone , looking frustrated
" by the way , I was in the faculty office at the time , so I didn't get assigned to do anything for the culture festival . What about you ? Did they ask you to do something ? "
" well I was asked to ... " Minato suddenly stopped , and his face turned completely red , and a puff of smoke erupted from his skull . He immediately covered his head with his bed blanket and yelled a hoarse " goodnight !!! "
" what ? ... um ... okay ? Good ... uh ... good night ... I guess ... "
———————————
The day of the culture festival came , and Sevens was erupting with excitement . From food stands , to love clubs , to horror themed labyrinths and more . Minako found herself lost in that crowd , and amidst the excitement she found herself looking for her brother , but she couldn't find him . Last night , he told her that he would teach Koshiro a lesson for messing with them , but when she woke up in the morning , he had already left for school . Even when she arrived , she couldn't find him .After some time , it was announced through the intercom of the school that a special event will he held in the school auditorium . From the gossiping of the students , Minako came to learn that it was a play . The student council walked up to her and gleefully said " the school is preparing the play of Romeo and Juliet , the famous play by William Shakespeare "
" um ... okay ? "
" and I'm going to be Juliet for my darling Romeo , who will be Koshiro ! "
" I ... I see ... congratulations ... break a leg ... "
" hmph ... you'd better be watching this ! I'll show you what me and Koshiro mean for each other ! "
Minako had more pressing issues to be bothered with . Hours have passed and no sign of her brother anywhere were apparent , Minako was starting to panic , but against her will to continue searching , she found herself in the school auditorium . She arrived late , and by the time she was there , most of the students , teachers and parents were seated . She could hear the boys commenting on a certain girl being ' so beautiful ' and ' cute ' , and some where wondering how come they've never seen that girl before . Minako's eyes darted toward the stage . There , she saw a girl dressed in a maid outfit standing before the spectators . The maid looked very rigid and embarrassed to stand there , her muscles were tense , and she was blushing and sweating , to the point where Minako felt sorry for her . However , when the girl held her skirt to preform a curtsy before the crowd and say , in a forced feminine voice , " welcome home ... master ... " ... it was then that Minako , and many other students , teachers and parents realized the horrifying truth . That was a boy standing before them , clothed in a maid outfit , and it was none other than Minato Arisato .
" n—no way ! Arisato senpai ?!! "
" Arisato-kun ?! I can't believe you did this ! " several of the girls from various classes said disgustedly
" man ... is that the boy with the headphones ? " some boys whispered
" headphones ? He is the soccer star player of Sevens ! Our ace shooter is reduced to a freaking CROSSDRESSER !!! "
" Looks like your appearance has shocked our guests , was it your choice to make this appearance ? " the guy at the microphone asked daringly , as he brought the mic closer to Minato
" the one who asked me to crossdress as a maid ... " Minato said " it was Koshiro Auchi "
" what ?!! " the crowd erupted " Koshiro senpai ?! As in the son of the principal ?! "
" Minato ... is this ... your plan ? " Minako stared at her brother from within the crowd
" ah ... haha ... How ... how daring ... " clearly the guy at the microphone wasn't expecting that " the crossdresser of Seven Sisters High school is accusing the princpal's son of ... "
" give me that dildo ! " Minato snatched the microphone from his hand before shoving him aside " do you hear me , Koshiro ! This maid that you wanted to be the laughingstock of the entire school , would instead be your waking nightmare ! That's right , I'm not just accusing Koshiro , I also have a damning evidence of my accusation! Everyone , listen to this !!! "
Minato unplugged his MP3 player from his headphones and brought it closer to the microphone , and from it he played a recording of what Koshiro said to him behind the school that day . He began with " hahaha ! My birthday ?! My birthday was two months ago !!! I can't believe you both fell for it , guess you two are siblings , after all ! " he then fast forwarded slightly to " I'm the son of Taketsuchi Auchi , the principal of this school , in case you forgot . This school bends to my will , and you're powerless to stop me ! Had you not been cooped up in that music purgatory of yours , you'd learned to respect me ! " Minato fast forwarded one last time to " I'll tell everyone about you , and then ... and then they will believe a loner like you over such a respected figure in the school such as myself ... neat ... Alright , boys ! I'll teach you that everything in this school , with its teachers , boys , girls , and staff all bend to my will ! Listen here , your sister believes me , and her glass heart is in my hand . Now I feel like crushing one of two things ... either your pride , or her heart . It's up to you ! Now , I'm not asking for much , only that you appear before the entire school in a maid outfit , and to welcome them as if you were an actual maid . I'm sure that I don't need to explain that to you , right ? "
Silence spread in the room like a plague . Everyone was robbed of their voices as they stared at the stage in disbelief , with the exception of Minako who stared at Koshiro in disbelief . He was as white as a sheet , and his eyes were wide open with both shock and fear .
" you lie ! " the principal furiously yelled at Minato " my son would never do something like this , and you'll he expelled for your baseless accusations ! "
" baseless accusations , huh , old man ? Take this " Minato glared at the principal aith disgust , as he played the recording back " I'm the son of Taketsuchi Auchi , the principal of this school , in case you forgot . This school bends to my will ! "
" stop ! You'll regret this ! " the principal yelled at Minato , before turning to the teachers " don't just stand there , stop him ! " but they were all too shocked to do anything , no one has recovered from the sudden and fierce exposure to the truth
" here ... " Minato played another part " I'll teach you that everything in this school , with its teachers , boys , girls , and staff all bend to my will ! Listen here , your sister believes me , and her glass heart is in my hand . Now I feel like crushing one of two things ... either your pride , or her heart . It's up to you ! "
" stop him ! Stop ... him ... agh ! " the principal suddenly collapsed on the ground , promoting everyone , to circle him to make sure he was okay
" see that ? " Minato said as he glared at Koshiro , as he played a part of the recording that said " you're messing with the wrong twins !!! " , he said with a cold glare " I warned you ... "
" Minato ! Stop ! This is going too far ! " Minako yelled at her brother as she forced her way through the chaos onto the stage " I didn't want this !!! "
" but I did ... this is personal between me and Koshiro . Nevertheless , I'm done here ... " Minato dropped the mic on the ground and walked away .
———————————
As Minato's exposé of the conversation between him and Koshiro happened before the entire school , as well as the parents , the school couldn't just pretend nothing happened . So under pressure from the parents of every student for answers ( at least half of which were parents to girls that Koshiro was multi-timing ) , the school decided to cancel the play and the rest of the culture festival , and to conduct an investigation under the supervision of the M.E.X.T . Later that day , the twins chose to take the crowded monorail as opposed to the school bus , as the last thing they needed was students whispering and gossiping around them . Minato sat in the monorail wiping his face , and specifically lips , over and over . He was still worried about the remnants of that show he pulled off . Minako stared at her brother , somehow despite how humiliating he seemed then and even now , the idea that he put up with the whole situation for her made her feel both proud and guilty .
" okay ... now there's no more makeup on my face ... I think ... " Minato grumbled , before turning to Minako " let's keep what happened a secret between us , okay ? "
" nope ... "
" what ?! " Minato was startled by his sister's refusal " my reputation has already sunk into the deepest depths of ... of ... deep ! If anyone else ... ! "
" relax , I'm not telling anyone about what happened ! " Minako giggled " I just wanted to practice saying ' no ' for once , so you wouldn't have to go through so much for my sake again "
" sheesh , way to give me the scare of a lifetime ... "
" but I'm a little worried about the principal ... " Minako seemed to think deeply about what happened that day , she then asked anxiously " don't you think you went just a little bit overboard ? "
" let's see here ... he lied to you about his birthday , had you pay for every single form of entertainment during your date on the assumption that it was his birthday , threatened to crush you emotionally , called up boys to gang up and beat the ever living soul out of me , and the straw that broke the camel's back was using you to force me to crossdress as a maid ... I actually think I went easy on him "
" remind me to never trigger the vengeful side of you again "
Minako rolled her eyes as she and her brother exited the monorail at their station . Nevertheless , Minako was glad that her life with her brother was back the way it was , and the strain that was between them was gone . She could finally get back to her carefree happy life with her brother and her grandmother . So she decided to think ahead and wonder when they will go to meet their grandfather again .
" grandma ! We're home ! " Minako cheerfully called , as she entered the house along with her brother .
" be quiet ! It's her nap time ! " Minato hissed at his sister
" oh ! Right , sorry ! " Minako said as she made her way to the kitchen " in honor of you exposing the school biggest con , let me cook you a ... a ... "
" what's wrong ? You bite your ... tongue ... ?! " Minato stared at what Minako's gaze froze on , and he was horrified to see their grandmother lying on the floor of the kitchen
" Minato ... what is ... is this ? " Minako stuttered as her eyes began gushing tears like waterfalls " tell me ... tell me there's an explanation for this ... "
" an explanation ... no ... that didn't ... " Minato uttered , before rushing to his grandmother and trying to shake her awake , he turned to Minako and screamed at her " go call our aunt or someone ! Hurry ! "
" huh ?! What ?! Ah ! Oh right ! Yes ! Yes I will ! " Minako was so dazed and frantic she tripped and fell on the ground as she hurriedly made her way to the phone .
After a short while that felt like an eternity , an ambulance arrived and took their grandmother away . After a few hours that passed by like years , their aunt arrived all the way from Inaba to their home . She cuddled Minako who was crying and Minato who was shocked beyond words . At that moment, the only thing they could do ... was wait .
After some time , the phone rang , and their aunt quickly picked it up . As she talked on the phone , her expression changed , and her eyes quickly began welling up , before she began crying . At that point the twins realized that the worst happened , and that their grandmother had passed away .
" what are you talking about ? " their aunt said between her sobs to the person on the phone " she was perfectly healthy ! Why would she ... ?! ... but ...... "
" it happened ... again ... " Minako whispered quietly as she wept by her brother's side
" okay , no ... you're not going to make the assumption that ... " Minato started
" yes ! I will ! " Minako yelled back between her tears " face it ! It's our fault ! It's all because of us ! "
" okay ... I'll talk to you later ... " their aunt realized from Minako's scream , that she had to compose herself and comfort the twins , who found their grandmother before anyone . She turned to them and said " Mi-chan ... whatever you're thinking isn't true , okay ? You were at school the whole time , there's no way you could've caused anything "
" but ... but ... but ... ! "
" tell you what , after all of this , what do you say we go back to Inaba ... ? "
" no ! I don't want to cause any more suffering to those around me ! Just stay away from me ! I'm a harbinger of misfortune ! I'm cursed !!! I bring death wherever I go !!! "
" Minako , that's not true ! " their aunt was horrified by those words , apparently she had never thought of her niece that way , not even once , and she compassionately hugged her to calm her down " don't say such horrible things about yourself , sweetie ! Just calm down and think rationally about all of this , okay ? "
" but ... but I ... " Minako sobbed weakly in her aunt's embrace
" auntie ... is it ... is it possible for us ... " Minato hesitantly started " is it possible ... for us ... to continue our school life in ... in ... Iwatodai ? "
" Minato ?! Don't tell me you believe in what Minako just said ?! "
" no way , I don't buy into superstition ! " Minato exclaimed " I just think that ... maybe now me and Minako ... need some time for ourselves "
" it ... it's too early to decide any of this " his aunt said hesitantly " we'll discuss this later when we all calm down ... in the meantime , let me fix you something to eat "
" Mi—Minato ... what ... happened ... " Minako sobbed as her aunt left for the kitchen .
" we are not cursed , sister ! " Minato said quietly , but decisively " if it makes you feel better about it , we'll go back to where it all started to go wrong as you put it , the city in which our parents met their end ... this was the first of many unfortunate events that happened to us and those around us , so we're going back there , just so I could prove to you , that there is no curse . Okay ?"
" r—right ... "
—————————————
I'm such an idiot ... it turned out she was right all along . The Dark Hour , the shadows , Aigis . We are cursed , and the curse is definitely related to the Dark Hour , and I brought her back to the abyss of the Dark Hour , the place where it all started ... thinking that maybe .... I could ' prove her theory to be wrong ' . In the end she was right , and she paid for my stubbornness ... with her life ...
Maybe I'm the cursed child ... after all ....
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MEXT : ( Ministry of Education , culture , sport , science and technology ) in Japan , also known as Monkashō
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And that marks the end of the backstory for the twins , there are more things I would have liked to show , but at the moment I don't feel like I can , and I probably won't be able to , but I guess that's enough for now . Anyway , at least you all got to see Minato crossdress one last time , right ? This time I managed to find the right photo in time .
This part has a little of everything ... comedy , villainy , suspense , dark moments and sadness . I really hope you enjoyed this part and the entire backstory saga as a whole . It was really tasking to write , and I definitely don't plan on doing this again anytime soon . Anyway , starting from the next part , we're going back into the present , where SEES are preparing themselves for the final full moon battle , and with it comes back the older formula of shorter parts , because ... my God ! Writing long parts is exhausting !
If you enjoyed this part, consider voting and commenting on it , and I'll see you in the next part . Stay safe .