Petals of a Cherry Blossom - Chapter 1a

[atmosphere_zero]

Title: Petals of a Cherry Blossom
Chapter: 1a/??
Author: atmosphere_zero
Beta-Reader: misfitmisfit (Thanks a lot! <3)
Genre: (Lots of) Angst, Drama, Romance, School life, AU
Rating: R
Warnings: Abuse, Strong Language, Violence
Band(s): Alice Nine, Ayabie, Sadie, ScReW
Pairing(s)/Character(s): KazukixManabu, MizukixManabu, ToraxByou, KenzoxRui
Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the bands, people, artists, and musicians mentioned in the story. The story is a work of pure fiction and is in no way meant to represent or reflect the real bands, people, artists, and musicians mentioned in any way. Any similarities are pure coincidences. I do not make anything off of the story as this is simply meant for pure entertainment. No harm or disrespect in any way is intended.
Summary: Behind the fading color of the cherry blossom petals, the truth unveils.
Comments: Yay, I finally finished writing the first chapter for this story, lol ^^;;; The chapter is a little long so I split it up into two parts. Please read both parts! More in the author's note in the next part. Enjoy!

Previous Chapters: Chapter 1a/ Chapter 1b || Chapter 2a/ Chapter 2b



He slowly moved his head and tried to sit up, but a throb of pain pounded in his head. He cupped his forehead as he felt liquid bubble in the palm of his hand. He thrust himself upward and sat on his bed for a moment to recollect his energy. He noticed the red liquid trickle down his hand streaming all the way down to his wrist and continuing to flow to his elbow before dripping onto the creamy, white sheets.

“Nnngh…” he groaned in pain.

He squeezed his eyes shut as water collected on the brim on his eyes. Rivulets of salty tears streamed down his face as he opened his eyes. Ack… He had to get some tissues. God, if his father saw him like this… he would only criticize how much of a woman he looked. He couldn’t let his father see him like this…

He silently tiptoed across his room as he quietly opened the door. He didn’t hear anyone else inside the house. Great. It was a good chance to race to the bathroom.

He dashed inside the bathroom and breathed out a sigh of relief when he safely made it inside. God… he realized he was shorter than the sink… He needed a stool or something to elevate him. Hmm… He spotted a clean, fresh towel hanging on the rack. He managed to slip it off to cover the big wound on the left side of his forehead. As he held onto the towel, he used his clean hand to open the door and headed into the kitchen to find a stool.

He expected to find the house empty, but discovered his mother sitting at the dinner table. She was faced toward the window staring out into the nature while holding onto a picture frame of… the family. He noticed his father, his mother, a baby, which was him, and his older brother. He hesitated whether or not he should speak to her. Every time she looked at him, she always turned away crying silent tears. He didn’t know why. But he received a feeling of loneliness and regret every time she stared at him. What did she remind him of?

He studied the picture noticing his older brother. His father would spew on about how his older brother was a shame to the family. His older brother ran away from home before he even got to remember his presence. He wondered why his older brother couldn’t take him along. He had to live alone in this hellhole. Even though his mother was here, she wasn’t all that here. Most days, she would go out and never come back at night. He didn’t know where she was, but he had to bear the harsh, brute force of his father alone.

“Mom…?” he let his tiny voice escape from his mouth.

She gasped as if not expecting to find her youngest son behind her. “Oh… Manabu…”

He stared at her waiting for her to say something more as her gentle eyes gazed at him. He wondered… why wasn’t she saying anything about the blood on his hand… on his forehead? Didn’t she care about him?

“Mom… When did you come home?” he softly asked her.

She shifted her eyes away as her hand caressed the picture frame. He anxiously waited for an answer from her, but she kept on tracing her fingers over the glass. He noticed her eyes growing misty.

“Mom, I-” he was about to plead for an answer from her.

“Excuse me, honey. Your… your mother needs to go to the restroom,” she scooted the chair out and headed towards the bathroom.

He turned around unable to comprehend his mother’s actions. She just left him here… without even bothering to inquire what had happened to him. She didn’t even come over to hug him and ask him if he needed anything. Did his mother… not love him?

“Why the hell do you look like that?” a booming voice entered from behind.

Manabu’s entire body froze at the sound of it. Oh, no! It was his father.

But instead of coming over and pulverizing him, he heard his father’s footsteps stomp over toward the bathroom… where his mother was. Jesus Christ! This was his chance! He darted out of the living room and dashed to his room as quick as possible. He didn’t want his father to discover him out there looking like a mess.

He wasn’t sure what was going on with his parents, but he had to hurry out of here. Just as he was about to reach for the doorknob, someone from behind forcefully yanked on his hair.

“What the hell is this?” his father shouted in his ear as he ripped the towel away from Manabu’s hand.

Manabu whimpered at the sound of his father’s booming voice as he bit on his lips. He instinctively covered the wound on his head.

“You can’t face a simple wound like a man?!” his father seized onto Manabu’s arm and pulled it away from his wound.

He softly gasped as he felt himself breathing harder with his heart growing more painful. He didn’t know why it was becoming unbearable to even breathe air in and out.

“You better toughen up or else no one is going to like a man who looks like a woman!” his father caustically hollered at him.

Manabu pressed his lips together to prevent noise from coming out. God, why was he powerless to do anything? Why couldn't his father leave him alone?

“And I guess you can’t even talk since you’re mute half of the time!” his father carelessly chugged him against the wall.

“Ah!” Manabu couldn’t hold back his cry as the pain radiated across his back. His entire body shook as he held himself against the wall. God… He was scared, frightened, and terrified. How come there was no one who could protect him?

He was breathing heavily due to the intense sensation. His head was pounding as his back throbbed.

“So you can scream? Perhaps I should teach you a lesson!” his father raised his voice.

Before Manabu even had a chance to regain his strength, his father snatched the collar of Manabu’s shirt and launched his fist at his eye.

“Huh…” Manabu weakly gasped. He barely had any strength left. He had been losing too much blood to register the physical pain. Right now, his body writhed from the abuse.

He wasn’t sure what his father looked like at the moment, but he soon dragged Manabu away from the scene by grabbing the back of his collar. “I am not going to raise a son who is going to be a wimp!”

Manabu held back the tears and the sobs. He couldn’t shed tears in front of his father. It was considered to be a sign of weakness. Before he knew it, warm streams of tears spilled down his cheeks. He hastily wiped the tears away, but more kept on coming. Oh, no! Why wouldn’t they stop? Ach. Not to mention it was painful to open and close his eye. God, he was in too much pain…

“Huph.” Manabu loudly hiccupped.

He covered his mouth. Oh, no. He was crying. He was crying!

His father stopped in his tracks right in front of a closet door. Manabu held onto his breath in fear of his life. He expected his father to turn him around and start beating him, but instead his father irrationally flung him against the wall. Manabu squeezed his eyes shut as an instinctive reaction in order not to cry out in pain.

His father swung open the door and commanded, “Get inside.”

Manabu peered his watery eyes over. Huh? What? The closet? Manabu stared at it dumbfounded. Why…? Huh! No. It couldn’t be! His father was going to lock him in there?!

Without warning, his father’s pulled onto Manabu’s shirt and shoved him inside as he collided against all of the objects inside. “Ahhh!”

Items of all sorts came tumbling down inside on top of him, but his father slammed the door shut before he could escape the wrath of the heavy force. He crashed onto the floor unable to stand the weight of the objects.

“Ack… Ah…” Manabu weakly moaned.

He saw the shadows from the creak of the door highlighting the floor. He noticed his father’s footsteps fade away.

“No, please. Let me out!” he hollered from inside, but no one responded to him. He cried out several times and pounded on the door with his tiny fists, but there was no use.

He could hardly respire properly due to the immense weight. Not to mention that the blood was still gushing from his forehead. He managed to dig his way out of the heavy, messy pile and sit against the wall. He grasped onto his chest with his bloody hand. It hurt. It hurt a lot. It was almost unbearable.

The thought made him wonder if any other seven-year-old kid had to suffer the same treatment. Ah, probably not. Their parents always bought gifts and brought them on their business trips unlike his parents. Come to think of it, he never even had a proper birthday ever since he could remember. His birthday… was another day in the year.

Without warning, hot tears poured down his cheeks and onto his shirt. He curled himself up into a ball so that his father wouldn’t hear him sob. He wanted to tell someone and release his pains, but no one would listen to him. Rather… he couldn’t tell anyone…

He wished he could escape from this wretched his place. He thought about his older brother. Oh, it made him loathe himself. Why didn’t he have the guts like his brother to run away?

If only somehow… just for once… someone would love him…

XOXOXOXO

Ring! Ring! Ring!

His hand reached up for his annoying, digital alarm clock. He pounded his hand against it shutting off the alarm. He heavily breathed out knowing that it was the beginning of a new day. He lethargically slinked out of bed and dragged his feet against the floor. He robotically got ready for the long day ahead of him.

As he slipped on his jacket and grabbed his bag, he noticed how the top bunk of the bed was empty and the other desk was unfilled. Living in this dorm room alone was peaceful and tranquil. As long as no one came in here to bother him, he wouldn’t mind living him by himself. Besides, he lived through hell by himself for as long as he could remember…

He hurried off to class putting the thought behind him. He had more pressing matters to worry about.

XOXOXOXO

“Ahhh… I hate going to schooool.”

“Kazuki-sama, you have to show up to school.”

“Stop giving me orders, Kenzo.” Kazuki waved his statement aside.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. It’s just your father is quite unhappy about that art class.” Kenzo stated an indisputable fact.

“Bah humbug! I shouldn't have failed that class!” Kazuki pouted in disappointment. “Well, I’ll just find someone who can draw and do all of the work for me. Besides, the class is such a waste of time.”

“It stunk that we weren’t in the same art class. Then I wouldn’t have failed!” Kazuki determinedly declared. “Isn’t that right, Kenzo?”

“If you say so.” Kenzo simply agreed with him.

He wasn’t to go against the word… of his master. After all, he didn’t want to upset the son of the biggest mafia who controlled the whole city.

As they strolled to class, Kazuki was too preoccupied proposing ways to skip class and how not to fail again. Kenzo noticed that someone was rushing toward them. He wasn’t sure if it was someone out to get Kazuki, but he had to protect his master.

Manabu was already running behind schedule. He couldn’t believe he got side distracted by the beautiful art room that the school had. He was glad that he could take art class this year. Well, his major was art… Oh! Not to mention, the beautiful cherry blossom that decorated the entire school caught his eye. He had to-

“Oof!”

He bumped into someone who didn’t say anything. Luckily, he kept his balance as he took a few steps back. He peered up and noticed a cool, serious guy with a solemn face who seemed to be standing in front of some dolt with a confused face. If he wasn’t mistaken… were they… together? A couple? He didn’t think he would see one in college as well. Gah, what did it matter to him? It wasn’t as if he paid attention to other people. School was more important.

Kazuki immediately noticed this stranger’s melancholy eyes. Those chestnut brown eyes gleamed in the sunlight. There was something different about those eyes. Not to mention, this guy looked way too beautiful for a man. Almost like a doll.

“Sorry.” Manabu quickly mumbled under his breath as he headed forward in the same direction.

Kenzo breathed out a sigh of relief. It was his job to protect Kazuki no matter big or small.

“Are you alright?” Kenzo turned around.

“Hmm… Who is that?” Kazuki ignored his question.

“I’m not sure, Kazuki-sama.” Kenzo was puzzled as to why Kazuki was asking.

Kazuki stroked his chin. He had never seen that kid before… ever. Where did he come from?

Manabu entered the classroom to find a room of rowdy students who were horsing around or circled in their own cliques. He saw an empty desk located in front of the room and next to the window. He guessed no one wanted to sit next to the sunlight. Well… it was better than sitting in the back.

He mainly peered out the window examining the breathtaking nature in the morning. He noticed cherry blossoms as the main types of trees at school. There were out and about. He made a note to himself to spend some time on the weekend to draw some. He had to capture their beautiful essence.

When the bell for class rang, the students grew quiet and some even traveled back to their desks. The teacher immediately appeared inside the classroom to start the lecture. Manabu opened his notebook and slipped out a pencil. When he looked over to the desk next to him, it was empty. He didn’t mind. After all, everyone he was ever with never liked him. It was better to avoid-

“Excuse meeeeee!” someone slid open the door and hollered for his life.

Everyone stared up at the intruder in irritation.

“Haha, sorry. My flight from France was late. I apologize.” the super outgoing guy apologized in a humble manner.

“Take the empty seat, please.” the teacher sternly commanded.

This outgoing guy who Manabu swore was half-crazy guy took a seat next to him. Manabu sighed as he focused his attention back to his belongings. He didn’t want-

“Hiii! I’m Mizuki! What’s your name?” the guy happily introduced himself.

“Manabu…” he hesitantly responded to Mizuki’s weird behavior.

“Coool! I’m excited for this school year. Aren’t you? I think this is going to be a great year!” Mizuki excitedly stated.

Manabu rolled his eyes and turned away. How could he be stuck next to this crazy guy?

For the whole entire day, Mizuki stuck next to Manabu without letting him take a breath. He didn’t understand why Mizuki was dying to hang out with him.

“Hey, hey! Let’s eat lunch together!” Mizuki suggested after their history class.

“No.” Manabu immediately declined.

“Aww, why not? We can sit under the beautiful cherry blossom trees. The school is famous for them.” Mizuki tried to persuade him.

“Cherry blossom?” the words peaked interest in Manabu.

“Yeah! Let’s go!” Mizuki dragged him along.

“Ahh! Dammit! Let go of me! I didn’t consent!” Manabu vehemently disagreed with him.

The two of them ended up eating lunch together in the cherry blossom parkway in which Manabu mainly gazed at the cherry blossom petals floating on the tree branches above them. He was in awe of its light pink shade. He had to capture its essence in picture… But how could he ever capture something so beautiful?

“Hey, are you listening me?” Mizuki’s annoying voice rang in his ears.

“What?” Manabu returned his attention to Mizuki.

“It seems we have every class together. I’m so excited! What’s your major?” Mizuki eagerly asked him.

“Why do you care?” Manabu was suspicious of his intentions.

“Because we’re both freshmen so we should look out for each other.” Mizuki earnestly stated.

Manabu was wary whether he should tell Mizuki or not. He didn’t sense any ill intentions, but he was usually wrong about these things.

“Art.” he decided to answer Mizuki’s question.

“Whoa! You must have some real art skills!” Mizuki gasped.

“What about you?”

“I’m economics.” Mizuki depressingly sighed. “But I guess because we’re both first years so we’re taking the same beginner classes. Hey, I wonder…”

As Mizuki jabbed on and on, Manabu studied the scenery around him. Here was peaceful and quiet. He could come here to escape after school. Yes… He could have time alone here by himself. When he stared behind Mizuki, he noticed the same dolt and serious guy that he ran into this morning sharing a bench. But they didn’t seem to be lovers. He wondered what they were doing there.

“What are you staring at, Manabu-san?” Mizuki broke his attention.

“Nothing.” he calmly lied.

Toward the other side of the cherry blossom parkway, Kazuki and Kenzo sat next to each other. Kenzo was reading a book while Kazuki dazed at the cherry blossom petals.

Kazuki wondered why the color of the cherry blossom petals was so beautiful yet they easily withered away when fall and winter came around. They lived and died. Why couldn’t their beauty stay? Ah… It was just like him. Everyone he ever got close to distanced away from him after they got sick and afraid of him whenever they saw or heard about his father.

“Aye… School is so boring. Gah... aaand I have art class next. How lame.” Kazuki whined trying to get his mind off of his depressing thoughts.

Kenzo peered up from his book and found the guy they ran into this morning.

“What are you looking at, Kenzo?” Kazuki faced the direction that Kenzo was staring.

For as long as he could remember, the only person that had stayed with him was Kenzo. But Kenzo was taken in from an orphanage and didn’t have a choice whether he wanted to stay or not. If anything, Kenzo was the only person who could outsmart him. He always had to be on his guard around Kenzo…

Kazuki noticed the same beautiful guy this morning. “Ooooh, that reminds me. Did you find out any information on that guy?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you say anything? I want to know.” Kazuki kept his eyes glued on the stranger.

“Manabu-san. First year. Art major. Here on scholarship. Both parents passed away. Lived in another city with grandparents and moved here for college. Grandfather passed away a year ago. Grandmother passed away two months before school started.” Kenzo stated the facts in a dry tone.

“Is that all?” Kazuki stroked his chin.

“Well… I thought you might be interested in knowing that he had an older brother.” Kenzo directed his attention back at his book.

“Older brother?”

“Yeah. The one who took down that ‘drug lord’, sir.” Kenzo sarcastically stated.

Kazuki’s eyes widened as his immediately stared at Kenzo. “Whoa! I think I just found my jackpot! Hehe.”

“Your jackpot, Master?”

“Hehe. You’ll see soon enough, Kenzo. My plans have never failed!” Kazuki snapped his fingers together.

All he had to do was to get Manabu to like him… That wouldn’t be too hard, now would it? As long as he didn’t fall in love with Manabu, then everything would be okay.

Manabu and Mizuki headed to art class together after eating. Manabu was looking forward to the class since it was his best subject. It was his haven. It was his solace. Any time anything went wrong, he grabbed his art book and pencil and dived into the world of his imagination… All to escape the harsh reality.

Mizuki found Manabu to be one of the quietest people that he met. But he didn’t mind. Even though Manabu acted mean and evil on the outside, Mizuki sensed a gentle and lonely person on the inside who wanted to be accepted for who he was. Well, he would do just that!

“Wah, you must love this next class! Maybe you can help me!” Mizuki giddily clapped his hands.

“No.” Manabu refused his request.

“Whyy? We share all of the same classes. I think we’ll be good friends!” Mizuki pleaded with him.

Manabu didn’t bother answering his question as they entered inside of the classroom. They saw a seating chart where everyone would sit next to their partners.

“Noooo! We’re not together!” Mizuki cried out.

Yes. He could finally get away from Mizuki. He wouldn’t have to put up his talkativeness.

“How sad, I suppose.” Manabu dryly agreed.

Without waiting a response from Mizuki, Manabu headed toward the seat where he was supposed to sit without knowing who his partner would be. He didn’t bother taking a second look at the unfamiliar name since he doubted it was anyone important.

Mizuki crossed his arms. Getting Manabu to open up was going to be tough… No doubt! He never failed at making a friend! He couldn’t let Manabu’s cold attitude hinder him.

When Manabu sat down on the high chair, he grew excited and elated inside. This was where he belonged. In this art chair, he-

“Hellooo!” a voice greeted him.

He swore it was Mizuki, but he saw it was that dolt he ran into this morning instead.

“Oooh, didn’t we bump into each other this morning?” the dolt asked him.

Manabu didn’t get a good look at him this morning, but staring at his face so close, he noticed that this guy had multiple piercing on his ears and on his face as well… including that lip ring. Not to mention that he was kind of handsome.

“Yes.” Manabu nodded.

“I’m Kazuki. What’s your name?” he introduced himself.

“Manabu.” he had no reluctance spitting out his name.

God, what the hell was wrong with him? Why was he was falling head over heels for this guy just because he looked handsome

“Cool! Looks like we’ll be working together for the rest of the semester. I’m looking forward to it.” Kazuki handsomely smiled.

Manabu shyly nodded his head in concurrence with his opinion. But he noticed the tension in the room was high. Everyone carefully eyed them, but didn’t dare to peep a word.

“Okay, okay, class. Let’s get started.” the teacher began class.

As they got started with class, they were assigned to draw what happiness meant to them.

“Oooh! Happiness means… food and money!” Kazuki childishly commented.

Manabu gazed at the easel wondering what he should draw. Happiness. When was the last time he felt happiness? After his father had gone to prison… nobody wanted to take him in. His relatives shunned him away. Only after a long time did his grandparents, his mother’s parents, take him in. His grandfather always looked at him in sadness and disgust, but his grandmother treated him as if he was her own child. For him, she was like a mother he never had.

“What are you going to draw, Manabu-san?” Kazuki broke his thoughts.

“I… don’t know.” Manabu answered.

He didn’t know what he was going to draw. What could he draw? Ah, maybe he could draw… the first time he ever celebrated his birthday…

“Oh. Well, you can always draw food. That’s what I’m going to draw.” Kazuki nonchalantly stated. “It always fills me-”

Suddenly, a girl bumped into Kazuki smearing his white uniform shirt since she was carrying a tray of paint. Everyone in the room froze, as time seemed to stand still. For some reason, Manabu felt as though he was being suffocated at this very moment. Why was this room full of tension?

“I’m sorry! I’m very sorry!” she deeply bowed several times.

At first, there was no response from the giddy Kazuki. Manabu, for some reason, was afraid that Kazuki would do something horrible. He didn’t know why he had this feeling, but he just did.

“I’ll buy you a new uniform shirt by tomorrow. I deeply apologize.” she kept her head down.

Kazuki smiled and laughed. “Goodness! No need to grovel to the floor.”

There was an odd tinge of relief. But Manabu’s instincts told him that everyone was still very alert. Everyone slowly returned back to their work and softly chattered among themselves.

As she was about to walk away, Kazuki seriously said, “But I am expecting that new shirt tomorrow. I hate to wear this kind of tainted shirt to school.”

Her face was pallid ridden with fear. Manabu wondered why. She immediately disappeared back to her station within a flash. Manabu peered back at Kazuki who happily continued with what he was doing. Odd. Everyone was treating him like a king. Something wasn’t right. He sure was handsome, but that was no reason to treat him like royalty.

“Geez, Manabu-san, now my shirt is ruined! Can you believe it?” Kazuki disappointedly sighed.

Manabu wasn’t sure what to say. He was never good at conversing with people.

Kazuki peered up at Manabu. There was something peculiar about him. Ah, well. What did he care? He just had to get the guy to like him.

“I guess you’re the shy type, right?” Kazuki changed the subject.

Manabu looked at the guy’s deep, chocolate-colored eyes again. It was filled with mysteriousness… and sorrow. He had such a sad pair of handsome eyes. How could someone who acted so happy have such melancholy eyes? If anything, it was as if the fear that Kazuki struck into everyone was like a protective barrier.

“Hello??” Kazuki waved his hand in front of Manabu.

Why didn’t Manabu feel… afraid of Kazuki? He was frightened Kazuki might do something to that girl, but when he was alone with this giddy guy… He felt only great sadness, regret, and a bit of anger. Why? Why? Especially when everyone treated him like a king…

“What?” Manabu snapped back to reality.

“Awww, I knew it! You’re kind of like my brother… except much more beautiful.” Kazuki complimented.

Manabu immediately blushed hearing those words. “Please don’t say things like that.”

He hardly knew Kazuki… So why would Kazuki be trying to court him? This was nonsense!

“Why not? I only speak the truth.” Kazuki scooted his stool closer to Manabu’s.

Manabu grew uncomfortable with Kazuki getting so close to him. This was crazy. He knew lots of guys back at his high school did this to girls they liked. The ones who could sweet talk were the dangerous ones.

“So what’s your major, Manabu-san?” Kazuki casually asked as he grabbed his pencil.

“Art.” Manabu said without even thinking.

“Huh. So you can teach me how to draw?” Kazuki’s eyes glowed with joy.

“What? You don’t know how to draw?” Manabu was perplexed by Kazuki’s words.

“Nope! Teach me!” Kazuki demanded in a childish tone.

“No. Go learn yourself.” Manabu refused to help someone who would simply use him as a means to an end.

For the whole class period, Kazuki bugged Manabu the entire time about teaching him. He wouldn’t leave Manabu in peace… dammit. Kazuki was surprised Manabu wasn’t afraid to rebel against him. He gladly gave Kazuki no for an answer. Maybe he was an idiot or a fool. Or perhaps he really wasn’t from here and had no idea who he was. Still. Even people who didn’t know him were afraid of his presence. Why wasn’t Manabu scared of him?

As classes ended, Mizuki was eagerly looking forward to hanging out with Manabu. He wanted to get to know Manabu more. He got the butterflies in his stomach being around Manabu. He wasn’t sure why, but he knew it was a good feeling. Before he had the chance, he noticed Kazuki talking to Manabu. Oh, no! He had to save him! He couldn't let Manabu be alone with the mafia kid!

“Hey! Are you doing anything after class?” Kazuki causally asked him.

“I-”

“Manabu-san! You seem to be really familiar with Japan and a kid like me, who’s from France, doesn’t know where he is going. So you can show me around the place, right? Yay! Let’s go!” Mizuki snatched Manabu right out of Kazuki’s hands.

“Ah! Wait!” Manabu cried out, but Mizuki didn’t seem to be listening to him.

“Damn. Who the hell is that kid?” Kazuki cursed under his breath as he clenched his fist.

How could some dork face steal Manabu right out of his grip? Grr, he had to make sure it wouldn’t happen next time.

His first meeting with Manabu was interesting, though. Manabu was shy and quiet, but he wasn’t scared in voicing his opinion. Not to mention that there were something peculiar and stunning about Manabu’s elegant brown eyes and lustrous black hair. He needed to get to know this guy more. What was this Manabu’s story?

Manabu was breathing heavily as they sped far away from the art room.

“Let go of me, Mizuki-san!” Manabu ordered him puzzled by Mizuki’s actions.

“Haha, sorry.” Mizuki stopped as he released Manabu’s wrist.

“What the hell was that for?” Manabu inquired.

“You don’t know who that kid is?” Mizuki incredulously asked him.

“No, why?” Manabu asked.

“Ah. Gosh, Manabu! What century do you live in?” Mizuki loudly gasped.

“Hey! I’m not old!” Manabu threw at him.

“I was just kidding.” Mizuki chuckled. “Well… Let me explain to you. This mafia called Red Blood controls the whole city. Simply put: they mastermind the people in the government and those in power.”

“Huh? And what does this have to do with anything?” Manabu was baffled by the information Mizuki was feeding him.

“Well, Kazuki-san is the son of the boss in charge of the whole mafia group.” Mizuki shockingly revealed to him.

Manabu blinked his eyes. Was this really true?

“It’s true! I’m not making it up. He’s a dangerous person to be around. I don’t know what business they do exactly, but I heard it’s not anything legal.” Mizuki shook his head.

Manabu could hardly believe this. It was like he was in a drama television series. This situation seemed almost unreal. His art partner was in the mafia? God… Now it made sense. No wonder why everyone got scared when that girl bumped into him.

“Anyway, you need to get less involved with him.” Mizuki warned him.

“How can I? He’s my partner for art class.” Manabu reminded him.

“Oh! You should just switch art partners. With me!” Mizuki crazily suggested.

“No.” Manabu refused.

“Ahh… But it’s for your own goood.” Mizuki pouted.

“Anyway, what’s with this whole deal about you being from France?” Manabu switched the topic. He didn’t want to argue with someone he hardly knew.

Mizuki explained how he was originally from Japan, but moved to France at a very young age. He had been living there for most of his life, but wanted to go to college in Japan so he convinced his mother to send him here. Manabu didn’t understand why Mizuki came to this school where the mafia existed.

“It’s one of the best schools. It’s prestigious and famous.” Mizuki answered. “If you graduate from this school, lots of people will want to hire you no matter what. It’s a gateway to the job market.”

The reaction of his teachers back in high school made more sense now. They couldn’t believe he received a scholarship to come to this famous school for his art. He wouldn’t have done it without his grandmother. She forced him to apply for this school and made him turn in his art portfolio, in which he received an interview. He remembered the interview trip he made here with his grandmother. It was something he could never forget…

“How about you? What are you doing here at this school?” Mizuki curiously inquired.

“I…” Manabu was hesitant in answering Mizuki. This guy didn’t seem bad, but why did he want to know?

Mizuki could tell right away the fear and uncertainty in Manabu. He didn’t want to come off as a pushover and scare Manabu away. He wished to be good friends with this quiet guy.

“If you don’t want to tell me, then that’s fine. No rush. I’ll wait.” Mizuki kindly said as if he read his mind.

Mizuki didn’t want an answer right now? He was certainly different from all of the other people he had met. Maybe he could trust Mizuki.

“What time is it?” Mizuki covered his mouth as he yawned.

“Five.”

“Huh! Oh, shit!!” Mizuki gasped. “I have to find out where I’m living and who my roommate is! Oh, goodness! I’m so scared… Ahhh! I’ll see you later!!”

Mizuki dashed away at the speed of light. Manabu didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to him. Would his school life this time around be different?

Manabu decided to head to his room to get some peace and quiet. He needed to relax and rest after a long day. He realized it was almost time to eat dinner when he heard his stomach grumble a little. Perhaps he should go eat. Hmm. What should he do first? Eat or go to his room?

He chose to eat first. He could bring some food to his room and eat there. Good idea since he didn’t want to eat in the cafeteria.

As Manabu headed toward the cafeteria, he saw the billboard with a ton of postings. He halted in front of it. He saw flyers to join certain clubs and job offers. Seeing the signs reminded him that he needed to find a job to earn some money. Now that he was an adult with no one to support him, he would have to pay for everything. But where would he work and how would he even get the job?

Kazuki was disappointed that he didn’t get the chance to ask Manabu out. If it were any other person, Kazuki wouldn’t really give a damn about them. But this was Manabu. That guy’s little brother. He had to treat Manabu a little differently. If he wanted to get Manabu to genuinely like him, he had to pretend he was a good guy.

As he strolled around school planning his next move, he spotted someone at the billboard. Some black-haired- Who?!

Kazuki stopped in his tracks. It was Manabu! Perfect chance. He quickly smoothed out his hair and casually approached him.

“What are you looking at?” Kazuki stood next to Manabu.

At first, Manabu didn’t take notice of who was standing next to him. “The flyers.”

“Ooooh, what for?” Kazuki inquisitively asked.

Hmm? That voice… Manabu shifted his eyes over and gasped as he was taken by surprise.

“Hello!” Kazuki waved.

“What are you doing here?” Manabu was stunned by his presence.

“I go to school too. What’s wrong with me being here?” Kazuki stroked his chin.

“Nothing.” Manabu was highly embarrassed. Gosh, he needed to think before he spoke.

What was with this guy? He didn’t expect to see this guy outside of class. Mizuki’s words about Kazuki echoed in Manabu’s mind. He should be cautious around this guy. He was the son of the man in charge of the whole mafia running this city.

“So why are you looking at the flyers?” Kazuki transitioned the conversation to the original question.

“No reason.” Manabu lied. He wasn’t comfortable around this guy… unlike with Mizuki.

A smile crept up on Kazuki’s face. Manabu strangely stared at him wondering what was hilarious. Kazuki snickered covering his mouth. “Do you know that when people lie they blink a lot and they start to become nervous?”

Manabu unconsciously blinked his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“Just like you are now.” Kazuki pointed out. “You’re blinking your eyes a lot.”

Goddammit. He was. He felt his eyelashes hit against each other several times. Dammit.

“What’s the real reason?”

Damn. Kazuki couldn’t let the matter go.

“Well, I wanted to find a part time job.” Manabu decided to give in. He figured Kauzki wouldn’t stop annoying him until he told him the truth.

“Ooooh. Any reason why?”

“Obviously to earn money.” Manabu didn’t feel the need to explain the real reason.

Manabu needed a part-time job. Hmm. Ooh! Kazuki knew the perfect solution to Manabu’s problem. Hehe. This would force Manabu to be in debt to him.

“Well, I know a few people who need helpers.” Kazuki pretended to think hard by tapping his fingers against his cheek.

Manabu was about to jump at the opportunity, but he remembered Mizuki’s words. Kazuki, technically, controlled the city along with his father, the mafia boss. Was it even safe to be dealing with him?

“And?” Manabu said instead.

“And they want to hire college kids!” Kazuki widely smiled as he patted Manabu’s back.

Manabu was skeptical of Kazuki. He barely knew this guy. Why would he want to help him?

“Why would you want to help me?” Manabu inquired.

Manabu was sharp, but he was better. He had been dealing with people more cunning than Manabu. He was smart enough not to fall for this trap.

“Well, I need a job, too.” Kazuki lied.

“Are you sure you don’t work for your mafia father?” Manabu bluntly asked him.

Kazuki was taken by surprise. Manabu dared mention his father in front of him.

Manabu expected some witty answer out of Kazuki, but he turned speechless. So it was true. He must have worked for his father…

“Anyway, I have to get going.” Manabu decided to end the conversation. He didn’t want to have any dealings with the mafia. He wanted his life to be in peace.

No, he couldn’t let Manabu walk away. He had to coerce Manabu to work with him! But he already knew…

“Uh… wait! Are you going to eat?” Kazuki chased after him.

“Why do you care?” Manabu raised one eyebrow.

“Me too! Let’s go eat together!” Kazuki gleefully grabbed Manabu’s wrist and sped all the way to the cafeteria.

“Ahhh! Let me go!” Manabu protested against his idea. He did his best to wriggle his hands free, but Kazuki was much stronger than him. Goddammit. Why was he always getting stuck with this guy?

Part B