A/N:
Note: Change of P.O.V from Kaiyo's to 3rd person closer to the end. It will be differentiated with a line.
I walked into the school grounds with Sakura by my side. As we were switching from our outdoor shoes to the indoor shoes by the lockers, Amaro came in at that timing and greeted us.
When he had his eyes on my face, his cheerful character fell away and what he wore on his face was pity and gloom.
"Don't wear that look on your face. I'm fine. It's just a small bruise." I walked over to him and gave him a pat on his back, reassuring him I was fine.
"But..." Amaro clenched his hands by his side. "The teachers might misinterpret that you got into a gang fight again. They usually jump to conclusions without asking."
"It's not all of the teachers. Everyone would think I'm just clumsy as always." I shook my head, a smile slowly growing on my lips. "Even then, I have you and Sakura, I have those in my clubs as well. I didn't tell them the truth though. They thought I was training overly hard or I got them while I was working."
"But the teachers as well... When things had already settled down and they had forgotten about—"
"Don't worry! Come on, you have yet to change your shoes. Classes are going to start soon, Amaro." When Amaro was still wearing that sad look, I gave him a hard whack at on his back, causing him to stumble forward and almost crash into one of the passing female students.
"Hey!" He turned around and snarled at me, a bright blush evident on his face.
I laughed and waved my hand in a dismissive way. "Koraa, hurry it up!"
Amaro grumbled and complained about how harsh I was towards him, but the saddened expression was gone and replaced with a humoured look. With quick and swift works, he changed over to his indoor shoes and the three of us made our way to our class, the first lesson being homeroom.
'You're a very kind person you know, Amaro. I'm glad I had met you and Sakura. I won't admit it verbally, but the two of you are the best people I have ever met and befriended.'
.
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"Ahhhh...! It's great that today is a Thursday! It's club activities in the afternoon!" Amaro pulled over a chair from another person's desk and made his seat by my desk before laying his head on the table.
"But we would have to quit club activities soon because of the mid-term exams and the preparations for the final-year exams for graduation." Sakura came over to my desk as well and stood by my side.
"That's the saddest part!" Amaro wailed and slumped fully over my desk.
"Hey, this table isn't yours. Please show some respect." I pulled at his ear which caused him to flinch and leaned off my desk with a wince.
"Hey that hurts!" He covered the ear that I had pulled on.
"But what would you do with the tournaments? You said you would participate in them." Sakura cuts in with a question. "But the Kendo tournament is a week after we had to quit."
"There's no choice in that. I have to leave. But there's a sending off celebration before the seniors leave."
"Envy...!!" Amaro grained his teeth against a handkerchief he pulled out of the blue. "You get to have free food everywhere. And here I am, suffering in my studies."
"How about you actually study for the exams with the same amount of perseverance you put in gaming? Put all your attention off from gaming into the textbooks." Sakura chimed in. Amaru cried comic tears and pulled at his kerchief. "I have heard that many times before but hearing that from you is painful."
I stood up from my seat and stretched my hands up into the air. "Well! Since school is over except for club activities in the afternoon, why don't we go grab some food in the cafeteria?"
Sakura and Amaro nodded their heads in agreement and we made our way down the cafeteria. That was our plan; until Sakura phone rang and we were told that we were to meet someone outside.
"I can't tell you. It's a surprise." Sakura had this wide, grinning smile on her face, it was driving both I and Amaro crazy with the curiosity in both of us.
We made our way to the gates of the school after changing our shoes. My eyes saw no one by the gates. Sakura wouldn't lie to us. "Ne, Sakura. There's no one here."
"It can't be. I was told to meet them here."
I looked around once more before stepping past the gates and out through the school grounds. I turned my head to my right and my shoulders went slack. My spectacles slipped down my nose and I pushed them back up. "Oh..."
'What are they here for?'
Sakura appeared by my side and her smile beaming even more brighter. "Nii-san! There you are! Sneaky to stand on the outside!" She ran over to the blond-haired male and gave him a big hug.
"Mother texted me, saying you forgot to take your bento lunch with you. So, I was told to make one on my side and bring it to you." Kusanagi sighed out loudly. "I rather not do this for the sake of obliviousness, but she begged me to do it." He then held out a box-shaped item wrapped in a big cloth. "Here's your lunch delivery."
"Isn't it too big for one person?" Sakura poked at the cloth.
"It isn't just for us. I made some for you guys and us as well."
" 'Us'?" I questioned him. "That counts them as well?" I pointed my thumb in the direction of the other two people standing behind Kusanagi. A red-haired male and a white-haired female.
"Of course. The more the merrier." Kusanagi laughed whilst he smiled from ear to ear. A somewhat happy-go-lucky character he was. "We graduated from here years back. Good to say that we know the Principal well enough, so we won't have too much trouble being kicked out as intruders."
"Sneaky." Sakura grinned before she took the cloth bag into her hands. "That being said, let's go! I'm hungry!!" She turned and strode her way back into the school grounds. "I will meet you guys at the usual garden area!" She called back, directing her words towards Amaro and I.
I glanced at the brunette male, seeing him shrug his arms with a nonchalant look. "The more the merrier I guess."
"You as well...?" A sigh escaped my lips in response. I turned back around, only to have Anna grabbing onto my right hand and pulling me downwards, which made my shoulder move along to the sudden pull and ignited a small wince on my face. I wiped it off as soon as I could.
--That hurts...
"She seemed to have taken a liking to you." Kusanagi pointed out as he patted the head of Anna.
"I can see that..." I paused, my eyes moving to glance at the short female who was still hugging my arm to herself. 'Those eyes and pouting face would be the death of me one day.'
"...Alright alright..." I sighed, gesturing for her to let go of my hand. She did so unwillingly.
I pulled my arm to my body and turned around. "Let's go?" I nudged my chin in the direction of the school grounds and so, two happy person and a grumpy looking person followed Amaro and I past the gates.
I stretched my right arm slowly, rotating my shoulder to ease off the pressure as much as I could.
"Is your shoulder okay? The way she pulled at your arm so suddenly, I would have felt the pain as well."
My right hand dropped to my side as I stopped my actions. "Well, it's not as bad as yesterday. It's sore and bruised, but it's better. Give it two more days and I'm back up and punching people with ease."
"And how many people would be in your list of getting your beating?"
"As many as you want to think. I leave it to your imagination."
Amaro let out a laugh.
When we have met up with Sakura at our usual lunch area, she had already laid out the thin layer of plastic that serves as a seat on the grassy patch.
"You chose a nice area to eat lunch in." Kusanagi commented and Mikoto tilted his head to a side to agree.
"Kai-chan chose it. It has a nice view of the school and the scenery, right? The gardener didn't mind us sitting here, so Kai-chan took the opportunity. And we have the big tree here to act as the shade from the sun." Sakura pointed to the big tree behind us. The leaves above us that fanned out from the tree was covering most of the sunlight at our spot.
All of us took up a bento box and we started digging in.
"By the way," I took up a conversation, feeling the quiet atmosphere between us uncomfortable and wary, "why did you come all the way here for? I don't think it's just to bring Sakura her lunch."
"We had a hunch that you wouldn't have lunch as well, so I made one for you altogether. Home cooked food is healthier than the food from the cafeteria. It always has a homey feeling to it." Kusanagi answered. I felt a tug on my sleeve and I turned my head to my left to see Anna grasping onto my uniform. Her face was holding an unreadable expression; as if she had something to say but she couldn't say it out in words.
"And Anna-chan seems to have taken a liking to you as well, so we thought why not."
"It's a first." Mikoto added in after Kusanagi, implying that it was rare that Anna finds someone she would want to stay around with other than themselves. I stared at him impassively. From the time I saw him till now, he had only talked a few words or a short sentence. Other than that, he kept quiet, watching from the side-lines with that bored and unredable look on his face.
'He's a really quiet and expressionless person. I wonder how he would react in other situations.'
"Demo, what do you even find interesting in me?" I asked the female in question.
"Your red is as pretty as Mikoto." She answered almost immediately.
"That again?" A tired sigh left my lips.
"What do you mean by red?" Sakura joins in the conversation, which I was thankful for.
"Her aura."
'Is she talking about the colours that coats around people?' My brows frowned together before I gave up and continue eating the bento lunch.
"Speaking of aura," Amaro turned to face me, "you said that every time you took care of your little brother, your hands would be covered in this yellow-coloured air."
For some weird, unknown reason, Kusanagi and Mikoto's eyes widened and they stopped eating their food to look towards my direction. I raised a brow at their strained expression. "I can't really explain that. It's not as easy as you—"
I cut myself off when I saw a familiar face running out from a corner and dashing straight towards us. "Ah." I pointed a finger to the approaching male. In before the others could turn their head to the direction I was pointing to, I saw the figure jump off from the ground and kicked out his right leg. My mouth dropped open and I pushed myself backwards, doing a backwards roll before springing onto my feet. My spectacle just then slid down my nose and I faintly saw an outline of red from the corner of my peripheral that wasn't covered by my glasses.
--It can't be...
The new figure took the others by surprise when he appeared from over their heads and kicked at the space where I was at before; landing perfectly on both of his legs.
"Kora! It's lunch time you idiot! You can't just jump kick me out of the blue when I'm eating! Also, what if you had missed and kicked one of my friends?!" I yelled, fixing my glasses without completely seeing what I had saw for a brief second. It might have been my imagination.
The male let out a hearty laugh. "But you said I can ambush you at any time, Captain!"
"That doesn't necessarily mean you can do that when I'm eating!"
"Let's get to—Wuah!" The male had his legs swept from beneath him and he fell on his side with a harsh thud. It was Mikoto who had kicked his legs with his own. He then sat back at his seat like he hadn't done anything in the first place. He ignored my stare and continued eating his lunch.
"Hey!" The male stood back onto his feet and turned around to face the red head. "How could you—"
Kusanagi threw out a hand in the male's direction, yelling at him to not make a move from his spot. "If you dare take another step closer to the food," his shades blocked the sun from shining into his eyes, giving him a darker and apprehensive look, "I will kill you." He held out the fork he was holding, showing his seriousness in both his actions and tone.
The male shuddered visibly and he backstepped a few times, stepping off from the plastic mat.
I walked up to him from behind and tapped at his shoulder, earning his attention. "Why are you here?"
"To finally beat you and have you acknowledge my strength." He grinned happily like a child.
"I do acknowledge you. You're a strong person who can take down anyone in your path."
"But I can't take you down!! You're the one I need to beat!"
"Ano ne, Gabriel-kun." I sighed for the umpteenth time in the day. "You can't just appear out of nowhere and attack me." The corner of my lips pulled downwards into an upset frown. "If you were to kick my lunch away during the scuffle, I wouldn't guarantee your life."
Gabriel paled significantly and bowed his head a low ninety degrees. "Sumimasen!" With another curt bow, he took a turn and sped away as fast as he could run.
The others stared at his retreating figure, which was gone as fast as he appeared out of the blue. I sat back at my seat and picked up my half-eaten lunch that I had placed away at a side before I rolled backwards.
"What just happened?" Kusanagi was still staring at where Gabriel had left by the corner of the school building.
"Kaiyo-chan usually have people coming to her to get her to fight. Because if they won over her, they would have a chance at getting the Captain's position. But there are some who comes because they want to see how far their strengths are. They see Kaiyo-chan like a big hurdle of inhumane strength, so they thought about overcoming that big hurdle." Sakura explained. "Gabriel-kun is one of the latter."
"I'm purely human." I picked up the tea that Kusanagi had brought along and poured it into a cup before taking a few sips of the tea.
"Taking on two black belts at the same time? Isn't that inhumane?" Amaro snickered.
"If you can see their habits and use them to your advantage, it makes things easier." I gave him a sharp look. "And I didn't get out unscathed. That fight took longer than usual because it was hard finding their weakness and protecting my own."
"But you did manage to fend for yourself no? Isn't that amazing in itself?"
"I'm not that great. It takes a lot of hard work and determination to reach where I am." I laughed feebly.
--It took a lot to get by.
And I got by as much as I could.
*RRRRIINNNNNNNGGGG*
The lunch bell rang, signalling the end of the usual timing of lunch break. It was now club activities, depending on what time your club starts.
"Well, I have to go off first. My club is going to start soon." Sakura took her last gulp of her drink before she started packing the bento box she had used.
"I as well." I briefly spoke, packing up my finished bento box and disposing the plastic cup into the extra plastic bag.
"Aren't you feeling unwell? You're still attending practices?" Amaro was staring at me with a frown.
I understood what he spoke of when he said 'unwell'. I then shook my head. "I'm not going there to do any physical practice. I'm going to ask if I could sit out for today. There's a lot you can learn just by observing you know? Not everything is implementation and execution. Surveying is essential as well."
"Wise words." Kusanagi commented with a brief nod of his head and having a knowing smile plastered on his face. "You're quite a perceptive fellow."
"It's something you will learn after a while." I responded to his remark. "Well, I will be going off first." I stood up onto my feet, only to stop when Anna grasped onto my uniform's sleeve. She tugged onto my sleeve, her face already showing what she wanted to ask.
"Will you come over to HOMRA later on?" She asked, anticipation shimmering in her red eyes.
'What should I do?' Looking down at her, I was contemplating my timing wise.
I gave her a sad smile and placed my right hand on her head. "I'm sorry. I don't have the time for that. I apologise." My hand slid off and held onto her hand, unlocking her fingers that was holding tightly onto my sleeve. "I will visit when I have the time, alright? I bet Sakura wants to drop by and see her Nii-san occasionally." I looked over to the blond-haired female, in which she grinned happily before jumping onto her brother to give him a big hug.
I looked back to see her putting on a sad, disappointed smile. She understands why I couldn't stay or make it but is disheartened at that fact.
--So innocent.
"Don't be too saddened. I will come by when I have the time." I smiled down at her, patting her head once more before I picked up the bento box I had left unattended and returning it to Kusanagi. Amaro and Sakura did the same and the three of us bid the two males and the female goodbye before leaving to our classrooms to grab our belongings ahead of heading to our own club activities.
As Kusanagi was cleaning up the area, Mikoto and Anna stood by the side, helping him to fold up the plastic mat into a more carriable size.
"She would make a fine informant if she actually wants to take that path." Kusanagi chuckled as he tied the four corners of the cloth bag. "It would be interesting to watch her grow." He looked up and face Mikoto, who had pulled out a cigarette and lit the end to start his smoke. He shrugged his shoulders in return. "If only it could be that easy." Mikoto stated in a gruff voice.
"But I wonder what they meant when they spoke about the yellow aura." Kusanagi's grinning face fell into one of caution. "It can't be, can it? Is she related to a clan? But there's no yellow clan. The closest colour to that is gold."
"No, she's not." Anna cuts in the conversation. Both males turned their heads to stare at her.
"What do you mean, Princess?"
"Her colour is a pale yellow. It looked far different from the Gold Clan members' aura. And her aura didn't look like it has the properties of the Gold Clan's abilities."
"Well, if Princess says so, it must be true." Kusanagi breathed out through his nose.
"She... looked... to be hiding something." Anna looked dejected in the two males' eyes. They haven't seen that look in a while. "I can't perceive it. So I might be wrong." Sorrow slowly turned into happiness. "But she wasn't lying when she said she would come and visit. Ne, Mikoto?" She turned around to face the red headed male.
He caught onto her stare and he sighed out in response. "Don't get your hopes too high. We might not even see her anymore." Mikoto's eyes were hard and holding a grim gleam in them. "If she's hiding something, that means she doesn't want us to know. Don't overstep your boundaries, Anna. Sometimes, stepping over that line would pull you into something you don't want to associate with. It would not do you any good, especially if she's actually part of another clan." He turned on his heels and strode his way towards the school's exit. "I will be going back first."
Kusanagi glanced upon Anna's figure to see her slouched shoulders and dejected look. He picked up his items from the grassy ground and took a stand beside the white-haired female. "Don't look so down. I'm sure King has his own reasons to act this way. He's just looking out for all of us. If she is indeed part of another clan, then it would pose a threat to all of us."
"But... she has a pretty red..."
"Then we would just have to look out and see, when she comes another time." Kusanagi nudged her lightly with his arm, signalling her that it was time that the both of them go back to the bar as well. "Totsuka and the others are waiting for us. Wouldn't want to keep them waiting right?"