Breakable Prodigy

Breakable Prodigy
By: K. Raine
Breakable Prodigy K. Raine
“Violence is never the answer, until it's the only answer.”

~ Derek Landy
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Chapter One : “Move” 3

Chapter Two : “You’ll See” 19
Chapter Three : “Indulge Me” 29
2
Chapter One : “Move”

The gates of Demai High School had a close resemblance to a stone wall. They were a bit
cracked and the paint had worn off, but they stood strong. Rather than fortifying the school from
outsiders, there was something about it that gave the feeling that the wall was in place to protect
the outsiders from the school.
Demai High School was in no way a central building, but it did happen to be in the more
populated side of town. The school was rather large itself, having a few acres of property to
separate it from its building neighbors. The apartments that surrounded the school were split by
several small businesses. Across the school, on the other side of the residential road, was empty
land. It hadn’t been bought yet, but many residents speculated that it would either be more
apartments, a business or another park.
The nearest park was a couple blocks away from the school to its right, southward. The
park was mostly just grass, there being a single playground off in the corner for the children. The
park itself was a usual hangout for the younger kids of the neighborhood, while middle schoolers
and elder kids steering clear of the park - in search of more secluded places.
Some hung out in the overpasses. There were three in total in the district. North of the
school, down a block was a rather popular overpass where many lurked. Around the area were
various entertainment businesses. The most common hang out was the arcade place which was
on the opposite side of the overpass, directly overseeing its entryway.
Clean, pristine white shoes stepped in the entryway of the gate, the owner either ignoring
the suffocating pressure that came from the atmosphere or flat out ignoring it. The footsteps were
light as he walked forward. There was no uncertainty, no hesitancy as he moved into unknown
territory. Akio Zahir set foot upon the school ground, eyes that were wandering, finding him and
latching onto him like leeches.
The plain uniform that all the students wore fit Akio’s image like a glove. It was a long,
white, non-see through dress shirt. It had a light gray collar that was generally folded over. The
undershirt, pants, socks, shoes and other accessories were adjustable. He wore plain clothes as
well, a simple white t-shirt underneath tucked into dark wash jeans held up by a black belt. It was
different from the name brands or exotic pieces the other students flaunted around. The only
thing different was his bag. It was like a long purse, easily strapped over his shoulder and always
at his hip level.
He strode across the concrete to the school, seemingly oblivious to the eyes that latched
onto him. Some were predatory, searching for his weak points. Others were curious and others
were puzzled - put off by his physical appearance.
Akio was probably the shortest student at the school, standing at 5’3. That alone would
put him barely near other students’ chests. To go along with his height was how light he was. He
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only weighed a measly 110 pounds, his body small and thin. He looked like he could fly away
with the light touch of wind.
Many students double checked Akio, his physical features playing with their mind. His
hair was more on the long side; a light, shiny silver that looked to be smooth as silk. It swept
across his face and gleamed in the sunlight. He had a narrow facial structure; with high
cheekbones, a smaller nose and rosy lips set on porcelain skin. His most prominent facial feature
was his eyes. They were teal, light, cold and surrounded by long eyelashes. To put it plainly, he
looked like a girl.
Akio passed through the courtyard with nothing but eyes on his back.
The highschool itself was rather impressive. It was tall, having three levels. The top floor
was dedicated to the seniors, the extra classes on the second floor and the main classes were on
the first floor. It was an enclosed high school, no lockers, but had hallways lined with large
windows. There were multiple staircases in the school. On the first floor, there were two sets on
opposite sides of the floor. There were also two staircases that lead from the second floor to the
third floor. However, there was only a singular staircase that led to the roof.
The roof was a common place for the students to hang out - talking, smoking and even
drinking during the breaks. It was mostly the juniors, the seniors hardly ever seen despite having
the whole floor to themselves. There was rumor that spread that the seniors had less classes than
the younger students, so far it had yet to be proven or busted.
Akio pushed open the double doors to the school, already met with an annoying
commotion in the hallway. There was a line of students in a plank position in front of two other
students. It was obvious what was happening. Akio knew that the school was known for its
delinquent record, no matter how much the staff of the school despised it.
The line made up of nerds, geeks and other pitiful looking students were trembling - most
likely from exhaustion, fear, pain, or all three. The two students up at the front had begun
laughing, mocking their prey and grinning as they periodically stepped on hands. The line of
students could do nothing but endure it. Especially since the two students could easily throw
them around like ragdolls, standing tall and strong.
Akio didn’t bother to stand around and stare at the scene happening only a few feet away
from him. He made his way behind the forced line, taking a steady pace so he could get to his
first class. Unfortunately, since the space behind the line was unoccupied by other students, he
was spotted.
“Hey! Shortstack!” The voice belonged to the brown haired one of the duo. He had tried
to grow out facial hair, the pathetic excuse of a mustache barely noticeable.
The other part of the duo, with a face like a horse and dyed blond hair, followed up with a
louder call, “Yo, get your skinny ass over here.”
The grin was wiped off his face as Akio kept walking, nothing even akin to a reaction
coming from the petite male. The dyed blonde clenched his teeth, getting annoyed at being
ignored by someone who looked like a wimp. He moved quickly, pushing through the line and
blocking the way.
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Akio stopped in his tracks, just a few inches away from the muscled teenager. Even
though he wasn’t exactly tall, the dyed blonde easily towered over Akio - who only barely stood
to his chest. Akio could feel the teen’s gaze on the top of his head, demanding that he act how he
looked and meet his gaze.
“Didn’t you hear what I said, bitch?” He spat, stepping closer and allowing Akio to get a
whiff of his disgusting cologne and a close up view of his greasy shirt. “Get in the line.”
“Move.”
That one word cut through the noise of the other students like a hot knife through butter.
It wasn’t loud, nor did it hold anything remotely threatening. But it was devastatingly cold and
bit at the large male. It was vicious and he felt as if he had been thrown out into a blizzard naked.
Akio may have not said anything that was threatening, but his tone was a clear warning.
Now recognizing the commotion, the small crowd of students that were lounging around
the hall looked towards the source of the voice.
The student shook himself out of his stunned silence, wary of the new eyes that watched
them. He puffed himself up, using his height to tower over Akio. His voice came out deeper as
he glared down at the top of Akio’s head. “Didn’t you hear what I said? Get on the ground.”
Akio tilted his head, finally getting a view of something other than the student’s
disgusting smelling uniform. He looked past the student, scanning the hall past the crowd’s faces
to see if his homeroom was one of those classrooms. He knew the bell was due any second, he
couldn’t be bothered to waste time on the stupid teen in front of him anymore.
The student’s brown eyes narrowed and he raised his right arm, his hand flat and
prepared to strike Akio’s cheek. There was no way he was going to be dismissed by this piece of
trash like he was nothing more than a pebble on the road.
Akio saw the hand raise out of his peripheral vision. He also saw a hand clasp the taller
teen’s left shoulder. Despite the height difference between the student and Akio, Akio could
clearly see the newcomer. The teenager clearly towered over the idiot in front of Akio. If Akio
cared about appearances, he might have been irked with how tall everyone was.
The new face was probably around six foot, close to - if not - 6’2. He had long pink hair
with his bangs pulled away from his eyes with two white barrettes. Around his neck was a set of
pink and white headphones and on the bridge of his nose was a pair of white rimmed glasses. His
aqualine blue eyes were friendly, standing out against the overall bright theme of his look. He
had a rather sharp jawline, making him seem more masculine even though his body type was a
bit lanky.
Spread across his lips was a smirk as his hand clamped down on the bully-wannabe's
shoulder. The fake blonde turned violently, ripping himself away from the uncomfortable grip.
His hand, still suspended in the air, curled into a fist. Akio stepped back, avoiding an arm to the
nose as the horse-faced blonde looked at the pink haired newcomer.
He froze halfway through, his body turned sideways. Akio could clearly see the full
image of the tall teenager. The school uniform is neatly tucked in, each button closed and his
collar neatly folded. However, he wore ripped black jeans, holes and rips littered across his
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thighs and knees. The regular old shoes Akio saw everywhere were replaced with black, high
laced boots.
Akio blinked as he caught his name from the blonde.
“Mykel Beau . . .”
Mykel tilted his head a few degrees, the smirk still plastered on his face. The dark eyed
teen sighed amusedly, “Do you plan on standing there looking like an idiot forever?”
Mykel’s voice was deep, raspy and carried his emotions like a sponge soaked water. The
smirk dropped from Mykel’s face and he leaned forward towards the frozen student. “Hey,
scram, you idiot.”
Akio’s eyes followed the student as he obeyed Mykel like a well trained dog. He moved
through the line, a low and steady stream of curses following behind him. His partner, the other
ugly brown haired one, dismissed the line. The student’s that have been tortured for who knows
how long immediately scrambled, mumbling and muttering as they shakily pushed their way
through the crowd.
The crowd that had formed, interested in seeing the outcome of the commotion,
dispersed. Soon, everyone moved on, leaving Mykel and Akio standing across from each other in
the hallway. All that was left in the hallway were distant groups of students and the occasional
student moving to get to their class.
Akio’s attention turned to Mykel, the smaller male staring up at the pink haired teen.
After a brief moment of silence as the two sized each other up, Mykel decided to speak.
He leaned against the wall, giving a warm smile to Akio. “You’re a new face around
here. You’re a transfer aren’t you?”
Akio nodded.
“Ah, well, let me be the first to welcome you to Demai High. Properly, at least,” Mykel
pushed himself off the wall, pulling out his phone and looking at the time. “Hm, well, the bell
should ring soon. Stay safe alright?”
Akio nodded once more.
“See you.”
Akio brushed past Mykel, leaving the tall teen behind him. He reached a hand in his bag,
the contents shuffling a bit before a paper was pulled. He opened the folded piece, his eyes
scanning the blueprint. As he passed a classroom, he checked the number planted above the
doorway. He did this for each classroom down the hall until he hit his classroom number.
His hand closed around the door handle, quickly adjusting to the slightly cool metal and
pulled the door open. He stepped out of the hallway and stopped at the doorway.
For the reputation that the school had, the classroom was rather clean. However, there
was a sense of intensity that lingered in the air, like a faint smell left behind by a candle. He
scanned the room, the faces of most of the students blending in with each other. Yet, almost
immediately, there were two people that stood out.
Akio recognized that one of those was the moron who blocked his way earlier. He sat in
the back of the classroom, his desk in the middle of the room. He was stiff, glaring down at the
wooden table. The other person was seated at the front of the room and directly in front of the
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teacher’s podium, his acute quietness practically radiating negative noise. Compared to the chit
chat of his classmates, there was a certain silence that hung around him. He sat alone, the seat
next to him empty and his head turned towards the window - opposite of the classroom door.
There were three windows along the classroom wall, the curtains all drawn back to allow
sunlight to flood the room and light it up. A piece of that sunlight hit the quiet kid, his dark hair
seemingly giving off a shade of deep blue. Akio admired how it added to his almost peaceful air.
Akio took a moment to observe the classroom instead of the people. The sunlight that
was filtered in gave a gentle sort of aura to the classroom. It was nearly dreamy, the sun rays
bouncing off each object with a colorful vibrancy. The desks themselves were paired for two
seating. It was a medium sized, mahogany, rectangular table with two chairs per table.
Akio finally walked in fully. At the sound of new footsteps and the flash of an image out
of the corner of the student’s eyes, they turned towards him. Surprised murmurs broke out, the
familiar chit chat concerning his appearance reaching his ears. There were other whispers of
recognition - those that saw him in the hallway. The words were accompanied by stares, a glare
from a particular ugly blonde and watchful predatory gazes from others.
The only one not staring at Akio like he was either a mouse, an alien or a piece of stray
trash was the quiet male in the front. Not particularly caring to sit next to imbeciles and partly
due to curiosity, Akio strode over to the empty seat next to the dark haired mystery.
The first thing Akio noticed was a black mask covering his nose and mouth. The second
thing he noticed was how tall he sat. He was nowhere near Mykel’s height, but he was at least
five inches or so taller than Akio. Even if he was hunched over, a lifetime of observation allowed
Akio to see through normal obstacles others would have trouble deciphering through.
His cheek was resting on his hand, which also cupped his earring against his palm. The
earring was long, having a short silver chain that connected to a silver crescent moon. His eyes
were closed and from up close, Akio could see that the male’s own eyelashes were rather thick,
dark and long themselves. His uniform had the top button undone - his skin peeking through the
open part in the uniform.
Akio rounded the corner of the desk, catching the rest of his appearance. He only had one
part of the uniform tucked into his dark wash jeans. His white high tops were crossed beneath his
chair. To anyone who saw him, they would say he looked rather peaceful. Akio would have said
he looked bored.
The silver haired male took the empty seat. The action prompted Akio’s new seatmate to
lazily open his eyes. Akio could feel his eyes assessing him. Instead of offering a greeting, Akio
dug in his bag and pulled out a few school books. He sat them on the table, ignoring the silent
male’s watchful eyes.
As Akio took off his bag, his seatmate observed his new items. There were five books
total; one college level, two third year curricular and the other two were the normal books. He
never got to see which subject the upper level books were as Akio put them back in his bag.
Deeming Akio worthy of a greeting, the dark haired teenager parted his lips to speak. He
never got to offer a word as a person stood in front of Akio, their shadow looming over the two
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boys. The shadow belonged to the muscled idiot from earlier. He took his chance while Akio was
getting settled to stalk up and finally show Akio who he was messing with.
“Fancy seeing you here,” he slammed his hands down on Akio’s desk. The dramatic
effect had everyone flinching but Akio and his seat partner. “Do you know who you’ve been
messing with punk? The great Ryan Choi, that’s who.”
As if afraid, Ryan shot a nervous look over to where Akio’s partner sat. When the teen
made no move to stop him, Ryan boldened. He used this as permission to shove Akio’s two
books off his desk.
Instead of cowering or even exploding from the obvious act of disrespect, Akio looked at
the door. He wondered if any teachers would show up soon, the bell supposed to ring any
minute. Deciding they wouldn’t be coming any time soon, Akio bent over in his chair. He
outstretched a hand to pick up his fallen books.
Ryan clicked his tongue in annoyance. Even if the pipsqueak was ignoring him, he would
establish himself as higher than the petite boy. The blonde grabbed a fistful of Akio’s uniform.
He lifted Akio from his seat with ease, the male dangling from the back of his shirt. Ryan tensed
up and pivoted his foot to throw Akio into the wall.
Akio’s seat mate leaned forward a bit, his eyes glinting as he watched Akio - seeing
something Ryan wasn’t.
Before Ryan could follow through with throwing Akio, he felt a sudden weight on his
arm. Akio had wrapped his legs around Ryan’s arm. It looked a bit weird since Akio wasn’t
facing Ryan, but it was highly effective for throwing the blonde off balance.
Ryan began to fall forward, teetering over from the unbalance. Akio suddenly twisted,
breaking the grip Ryan had on his shirt, and grabbed onto Ryan’s arm, pulling the blonde to the
ground. He faced Ryan, his eyes artic cold as he allowed the both of them to succumb to gravity.
Halfway through the fall - only a second after his last move - Akio unwrapped his legs from
Ryan’s arms and used the gravitational force to help land his feet on the ground.
Ryan crashed to the ground face first. A muffled curse escaped his lips, filled with
flashing pain. Akio didn’t bother to wait and watch Ryan push himself off the ground. The teal
eyed boy picked up his books off the ground. He left one on the table and carried the larger book
in his hand.
Akio turned and faced Ryan’s back - the muscled blonde finally on his feet. With no
delay, Akio moves forward swiftly without waiting for Ryan to turn around. One second, Ryan
was standing, next his knees slammed to the ground harshly with the back of his knees stinging
from being struck.
“What the-”
The sound of Akio’s book hitting the back of Ryan’s head caused a few student’s to
wince. No one dared to step in. The force of the impact sent Ryan’s face sailing forward. His
nose collided with the floor with a violent ‘crack’ and immediately tears pricked at his eyes. At
the same time, his anger flared. How dare he break his nose?
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Ryan growled and tried to push himself up off his stomach. His face hit the ground again
as Akio kicked his arm out from underneath him. The spot where Akio’s shoes hit left a numbing
sensation.
Ryan tried again, only to be kicked in the ribs this time. Pain flared all throughout Ryan’s
body, spreading like a fire and stabbing him like a thousand needles. The force of the kick
pushed the brown eyed male’s body to the desk behind Akio’s.
Ryan put a hand to his side, whipping his head to glare at the tiny silver haired teen. “You
little-”
‘SLAP’. The book Akio had hit him with made contact with Ryan’s face. The immediate
sting brought a whole new wave of tears to Ryan’s eyes. He had been hit with a hand before, but
a book? It was like comparing an ant to a truck.
Ryan didn’t get a chance to regain his bearings before he was hit again. Both of his
cheeks were flushed and stinging. Ryan looked up at Akio, who through his blurry eyes had the
silhouette of a demon.
Both hands were on the book as Akio repeatedly slapped Ryan with the hard cover. The
silence in the class was from both shock and slight fear. The sight of blood appearing on the
book was a chilling sight. It was hard to process for most of the class - how a small, feminine
looking boy could be so ruthless.
After what seemed like eternity, Akio stopped. Someone would suspect the person would
be slightly drained if not more by the amount of energy spent, but Akio seemed unaffected.
Seeing the blank faced teenager stand over Ryan with a bloody book in his hands sent chills
down the observing student’s spines. The boy was an absolute demon. A monster.
Ryan’s face was nearly unrecognizable. Besides being severely puffed up, it was heavily
bruised. Tears, snot and blood ran down his face. Despite being knocked unconscious, the
multiple liquids streamed down his face and dripped onto the floor.
Expressionless but seemingly satisfied with his work, Akio returned to his own desk. He
slid into his seat calmly. He reached behind him and into his bag, coming out with a light gray
handkerchief. All eyes were on him as he nonchalantly wiped his book. This sight only further
ingrained into the student’s just how dangerous Akio Zahir was.
The only student who wasn’t chilled to the bone was Akio’s no named seat partner. The
dark haired male - who had yet to even have eye contact with Akio, had an eyebrow raised.
“Kaito Aracana.”
Kaito’s voice prompted Akio to finally make eye contact with him. The first thing that
struck Akio was Kaito’s eyes. Everything about Kaito was dark except for his ivory skin and his
eyes. Surrounded by those dark eyelashes, the honey gold stood out like a sore thumb. The next
thing that Akio noticed was his voice. It was higher than Mykel’s rumble, but lower than the
average male teen’s. Instead of being gruff, it was soft with a constant tone of monotonous lack
of emotion.
“Akio Zahir.” Akio responded, his own voice monotonous but with a cold, sharp edge.
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Suddenly, the classroom door opens just as the bell rings. Their teacher finally enters the
classroom. He is rather plain, with balding, short cropped, black hair and beady dark eyes. His
eyes land on Ryan, who is passed out on the floor.
“The hell?! Who did this?” He glared at the students.
Ignoring the teacher, Kaito leaned in towards Akio. His voice dropped to a whisper,
“Perhaps we’ll continue this later.”
Mykel fished a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. The roof was rather quiet, with the
distant sound of city life opting as a background noise and the light breeze off putting the
humidity of the air.
His headphones were still wrapped around his neck, finding it uncomfortable if they
weren’t. The school uniform - previously tucked in and neat - had become unbuttoned and
untucked. His white shirt was tucked into his pants, acting as a belt he didn’t have.
Mykel felt a sense of untainted peace as he leaned against the wall next to the roof door.
One of his feet was helping support him by pressing against the wall. The only thing disturbing it
was the pack of cigarettes in his hand. The other hand had found a way into his pocket, his
uniform behind his arm.
The pink haired male looked down at the package, having a silent debate. He sighed -
ultimately choosing his health - and stuffed them into his back pocket. He really should throw
them away. Smoking was no good, even if it relieved some stress.
He didn’t get to torture himself over his decision before the door opened beside him. The
sound of energetic footsteps drew Mykel’s attention. The newcomer held the door open,
probably looking around. A face peeked out from behind the door and a grin spread across their
face as they spotted Mykel. Their random peach painted fingernails became visible as he let go
of the door.
Neo Ritsu, a deeply tanned, young teenager who was more childish than you would
suspect from a supposed genius. He had spiky, dark silver hair that shot out in angles like an
explosion. He had unique aquamarine eyes, almost like a mix between a life green and a bright
blue. Infuriatingly enough, they were surrounded by pretty eyelashes - the only thing Mykel
didn’t have in his group of friends.
Neo was a unique kid. He stood out from the get-go, his dark skin already unique.
Adding the contrasting colors of his hair and eyes, he was like a car in a motorcycle lot. He stood
several inches below Mykel, reaching about 5’7.
On his left wrist was his signature black bead bracelet. Seemingly obsessed with the
color, he wore two cartilage piercings and quarter inch plugs in both ears of the same color. His
sleeves were rolled up on his uniform, showing his toned, tanned forearms. His uniform was also
fully unbuttoned and untucked, his red tank top on full display.
That was pretty much the only speck of color from the kid. He wore black cargo pants
and black shoes with red liner.
Mykel didn’t even have a chance to even think about speaking when the excited teen
burst out, “Mykel! Did you hear? Did you?”
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His black bead tongue piercing flashed as he talked. Sometimes Mykel wondered how
high Neo’s pain tolerance was to get something like that. Mykel didn’t even try to respond,
knowing the dark skinned kid would go on a ramble either way.
“There’s this rumor that Ryan Choi got absolutely destroyed by this new kid. They say
he’s an absolute demon when fighting,” Neo’s voice was loud, but it wasn’t annoying. It had this
warmth and brightness to it that reminded Mykel of a little kid. “Can you believe that? Ryan was
always talking shit and started acting like he was a big shot or something. Man, I really wish I
was the one that put his ugly ass in place . . .”
“Neo,” Mykel cut in. The silver haired kid stopped his rant, looking at the taller male.
“Did you hear what class he was from?”
“Class 3,” Neo responded, his eyebrows pinching together before a smile spread across
his face. “He’s in the same class as Kaito! Imagine that!”
Mykel registered the last two sentences, but he was drawn back to when he first met the
icy eyed teen. He let a low sound escape his lips, “Huh.”
Neo’s eyes lit up and he took a step closer to Mykel, bending over and looking up at the
pink haired teen. A mischievous grin was plastered on his face. “You’ve already met him?
Haven’t you?”
Mykel didn’t answer.
“You have!” Neo’s grin widened. “C’mon, tell me what he’s like! Does he look like a
demon? How’d you meet him?”
Mykel released a breath, rolling his eyes with the barrage of questions. He decided to
give Neo a little taste, “He doesn’t seem like much if I’m being honest. Still, the kid has a gut of
steel.”
Neo straightened out, wiggling his eyebrows. “Don’t hold out on me now.”
“Alright, alright.” Mykel pushed up his glasses, watching as Neo bounced on his toes in
anticipation. He explained the scene at the hall earlier that day. Neo’s eyes would gleam
everytime he brought up an unexpected act that Kaito’s new classmate would do.
“Did you talk to him?” Neo clasped his hands together. “What’s he look like? Did you
hear his voice? Give me some details!”
Mykel gave a slight smirk and pushed himself off the wall. The sun was directly above
the overhang - which extended from the tiny structure of the roof door and out to the railing that
surrounded the roof. The railing came a little above three feet, so Mykel hunched over it to quell
the fear of him falling over it.
Neo followed him, his curiosity placing him next to Mykel. He leaned against the railing,
facing inwards instead of to the city. Both of his arms hooked around the railing. He looked over
at Mykel expectantly.
“You know,” Mykel began, his voice drawing out. “I was just going to sit back and see
what happened at first. It wasn’t like it was any of my business anyway. But something about the
kid interested me. Maybe it was this gut feeling I had whenever I was around him. I couldn’t
exactly place it, but I just knew something bad would happen if I let it go on. I don’t even know
if stopping the fight was a good idea or not.”
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Neo let out a hum.

“I thought that the gut feeling was warning me that Ryan would mess this kid up, but
when I finally talked to him . . . there was this look in his eyes,” The taller teen snorted. “I don’t
know if I saved the kid from a beating or if I saved Ryan Choi from getting his ass kicked right
there in the hall.”
Neo’s head rolled backwards, the dark skinned boy looking up at the sky. “It doesn’t
really matter now since Ryan got his ass kicked to the moon and back anyways. Moving on, you
still haven’t told me what he looks like. I want to meet him too!”
Mykel paused for a moment before answering, “He’s incredibly short.”
“C’mon, Mykel! That’s not an answer!” Neo protested, his face scrunched up in
displeasure.
Mykel chuckled in amusement. He looked over at the silver haired male, “You’ll know
it’s him if you ever run into him. He’s got this icy presence about him that’s hard to replicate.”
A few seconds of silence laid between them.
“What is he, a snowman? Short and icy?” Neo joked.
Mykel sent Neo a blasè look, “Real mature.”
“You can’t tell me it wasn't funny,” Neo complained, getting off the railing just as Mykel
did. “It makes sense with what you’ve said.”
“No,” Mykel walked towards the roof door, ignoring the younger teen who chased after
him. “This is you being an idiot. I thought you were supposed to be smart?”
Neo let out a huff of indignation, opening the door instead of Mykel. “I am. You’re just
stupid - which is why you didn’t get the joke.”
Mykel waved him off, stepping through the roof door, “Only a child would come up with
that argument.”
Neo chased after him, “Really now?”
The banter between the two was cut off as the door shut behind them. All that was left
was the tranquil silence that lingered in the afternoon air and the light breeze that flowed
peacefully through the roof top.
Kaito distantly watched as the broom swept across the floor, picking up the collective
dust that had accumulated over the day. His main focus was his cleaning partner. Akio Zahir. The
man of the hour.
The small teen was spraying down the blackboard as Kaito brushed the floor. To say
Kaito was curious about him was an understatement. There was something about Akio that set
him apart from the rest of the savages at Demai High - something other than his physique.
“So why did you draw the fight out?” His voice wasn’t particularly loud, but he knew
Akio heard him.
The male didn’t pause in his cleaning, wiping down a section of the blackboard for a few
more long seconds. He set the rag down, picking up the spray.
“If I had made it short,” Akio sprayed the next section of the blackboard. “I would not
have gotten my point across.”
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Silence fell upon the room as both boys turned to their thoughts.
Akio knew that even if he had made it very clear what would happen if they wanted to
test him, many wouldn’t believe what they saw. He needed to reaffirm himself multiple times for
them to get it. Their eyes saw it clear, but their brains were stuck on his appearance. In order to
beat the demons, he had to be worse than a demon. He’d have to be prepared for those who
would come at him like a pack of hyenas.
Kaito watched as Akio absentmindedly cleaned the board, his face betraying nothing but
the intensity of his thoughts. They both knew what was bound to happen in the next few weeks.
The dark haired teenager picked up the broom pan, slipping through the desks with the
pan held high. He moved the broom behind his back. He stopped by the trash, dumping the pan’s
contents into it. The hook near the storage closet was then used to hang the dust pan. He opened
the storage and placed the broom inside - his mind whirring with things to say to his new seat
mate.
Turns out, Kaito didn’t have to say anything, Akio speaking up from behind him, “Your
hierarchy . . . who’s top dog?”
Kaito raised an eyebrow in surprise, his eyes flashing over to Akio. He was cleaning the
desks, effectively moving from one table to the other.
“Let’s start with the basics,” Kaito hums, going back to the windows. “There’s the main
hierarchy - which judges the school on a whole compared to fellow schools, there’s the school
hierarchy - based on the top dog in the school and there is the class hierarchy - naming who the
top dog is in the different classrooms.
“I’ll skip the main hierarchy for now, it doesn’t have much to do with you anyways,”
Kaito murmured the last part. “The school hierarchy has three main top dogs. Outside of them,
you may have a few to look out for. These are the top dogs in each individual class. They fall
under the top three, but they’re freaks in their own right. Most of the others had ruled their
middle school, but found out they weren’t shit when they came here. The school is full of
dangerous dudes, but they’re mostly small fry now.”
Akio took it all in stride, staying silent as Kaito warned Akio about the different people
he should probably steer clear of for the moment. His mind kept flashing back to the main
hierarchy, which - for some reason - Kaito wouldn’t divulge him in. He wasn’t about to pry,
however.
Kaito glanced at the light silver haired male a few times as he talked. Akio Zahir was
clearly more than capable of taking care of himself. He hadn’t seen him take on a crowd yet, so
he wasn’t sure where to place him quite yet. But, of the things he had witnessed from the petite
male, the hierarchy would be thrown into quite the disarray. He looked harmless - like a
porcelain doll - but underneath was the demeanor of a devil.
A smirk came over his face. Can’t wait to see what you do, Akio Zahir.
Akio wiped the last desk, scrunching up the paper towel and tossing it in a nearby trash
can. He moved to the storage closet, putting away the spray.
“You can leave,” Kaito called out. “I’ll finish this up by myself.”
13
Akio’s eyes flickered over and locked with honey gold orbs for a few solid seconds. He
looked away, nodding in acknowledgement. He picked up his discarded bag near the front of the
classroom, strapping it over his shoulder. He didn’t offer a farewell as he moved to exit the
classroom.
Kaito watched as Akio made his way to leave, about to look away when the downing sun
rays of golden orange hit the petite teen. The colorful light from the sunset filtered through the
windows and onto Akio with a sort of paranormal beauty. The teen’s skin gleamed and his hair
glittered as he walked. He nearly had a halo around his head. Kaito’s breath paused as Akio
looked at him for a brief moment - one that seemed to be in slow motion. His eyes were so cold,
so mysterious and sparkled with a freezing intensity.
Then he was out the door, leaving Kaito staring dreamily after him. He snapped out of it
after a few seconds. Unconsciously, a few words passed softly through his lips, “How
beautiful . . .”
He combed through the rest of the classroom in an attempt to rid his mind of that
moment. After there was nothing left to do and the classroom was left spotless, he pulled out his
phone from his pocket. He undid his mask, leaving it hanging on one ear as he dialed a number.
He put it to his ear and registered the faint, gruff ‘hello’ from the other side.
“Let’s hang for a bit,” Kaito turned his head to look out the window. He was faintly
itching to flip his switch. Akio and his peculiar and puzzling actions had really messed with his
head. “Bring Neo too, I have a new face to show you.”
“Alright,” Mykel’s voice sounded on the other side of his phone. “Seems like the kid’s
everywhere today.”
“Why am I the only one who hasn’t met him yet?!” Neo’s voice reached the receiver,
annoyance leaking through his voice.
“Have you seen him fight yet?”
There was an explosion from Neo only milliseconds after the question. “You have?!
What’s it like? Is he ruthless? Was Ryan Choi really destroyed? Details Kaito, details-”
“Neo, shut up.”
Kaito’s lips twitched into a small smile as he heard a small smack and an ‘ow’ from Neo.
“Let’s go to the arcade, I’ve been dying to play some air hockey.”
“See you there.”
He shut the phone off, sticking it back in his pocket. He went to the teacher’s podium
(which had been shivers to a corner of the classroom) and picked up his bag. He tugged it over
his shoulders as he strode to the door. He hit the doorframe and paused, looking around the
classroom once more before heading out. The door closed behind him with a soft ‘click’ and the
classroom was empty.
Akio set a foot out of the school gate. The sun was nearly almost a quarter behind the
horizon. Then suddenly a blur and a gust of wind passed an inch from his face. He paused,
hearing the sound of skateboard wheels moving across the ground. Instead of looking at his near
assailant, he turned right to head home. He wasn’t interested in prolonging his trip home.
14
As he continued to walk away, he heard the distinct noise of the nose of the skateboard
hitting the sidewalk to bring the board to a halt. Hurried footsteps followed after, getting closer
and closer to his position. The person finally falls in step next to Akio, slowing down to match
his pace. The newcomer tilts forward, getting a better look at Akio.
“Wow! You’re actually shorter than me!” The boy straightened out. His voice was a bit
higher than average and held a tone of childish glee. “Hmm, you aren’t exactly like Kaito.
You’re both quiet, though.”
Akio quietly stored the information that this new face knew Kaito in the back of his mind.
“You know, I was planning to catch Kaito out here, since I was already in town,” His
tone of voice changed into lighthearted disappointment. “I even was hoping I could catch him off
guard. But no matter, I met you!”
Akio didn’t respond, but he looked over at the boy. He stood no more than two inches
taller than Akio, around 5’5. He was eccentric, with half white, half black hair and teasing, large,
light gray eyes. Akio’s eyes trailed over the tremendous amount of bandages and light gauze that
covered the teen in various places. There were at least more than ten piercings in each ear, all
silver. Akio’s eyes caught a glint near his collarbone. He blinked, seeing a piercing on his left
collarbone, a piercing in the middle of his collarbones and a piercing near the top of his shoulder
- next to the thick black choker that wrapped around his neck. He was a bit feminine in his
features - much like Akio - with a slim and lean body. Yet he still retained more muscle than
Akio. Below his piercings was the collar of his low cut white shirt. He could see it was a long
sleeve from the way the shirt was poking out from his oversized black jacket. He wore black
designer pants and white brand name shoes. He held the skateboard in his left hand, which Akio
noticed that his middle finger had a piercing as well. The board itself was worn, but didn’t seem
to be abused.
When Akio met his eyes again, the boy smiled, “The name’s Jet. Jet Skalen.”
Akio noted the silver tongue piercing and the glinting of metal on teeth. He looked away,
his voice curt, “Akio.”
He could see Jet pout from his peripheral. The slightly taller teen spoke again anyways,
“That’s cold of you. Not even a last name . . . afraid I might stalk you?”
Jet let out a giggle. Even when Akio didn’t react, he seemed undaunted - continuing to
have a one sided conversation with the silver haired teen.
“I actually live in the Aamin District,” Jet continued, his voice full of mirth. “I go to
Ariyoshi High, but I go to the cram school in Lovushi District - so I was in the neighborhood.
I’m actually a first year, but people still think I’m in middle school. I mean, I already spent my
three years there!”
Akio’s eyes flickered to Jet, storing the information away to his new box in his mind. A
light buzzing noise filled the air and Jet stuffed a hand into his pocket. He took out an old phone,
a flip phone, and looked at the screen. Akio noted the frown that overtook his face as his gray
eyes moved to check the time.
“Aw, damn. I didn’t think we would get cut short so soon. Stupid metting,” Jet pouts
again, his voice full of heavy, blantant disappointment. Jet looked back at Akio as he put his
15
phone back in his pocket. “I really hope we run into each other again. I bet we could learn so
much about each other given enough time. See you later, Akio!”
Quicker than Akio thought, the multicolored haired teen was already on his skateboard
and heading back the opposite way in which Akio was walking. Akio didn’t start to think until
the sound of the skateboard wheels moving across the sidewalk was long gone.
His mind drifted over to Jet and his connection to Kaito. It was obvious the two knew
each other. But when did they meet and how? While it wasn’t common to know people from
other districts, it was usually when the people went to the same middle school. From the little
information he had about Kaito and Jet, he thought it was more likely that the two hadn’t gone to
the same middle school. So Jet, from two districts over with his eccentric personality and Kaito,
the quiet teen, knew each other well enough for them to tease each other behind each other’s
backs. It was a bit peculiar, but Akio was sure he could figure it out if he was given enough
puzzle pieces.
Akio turned the corner of a business, heading to the overpass across from the arcade. It
was the quickest way to get to his house - his apartment located along the street at the end of the
intersection that was formed from the road of the overpass and the main street. Akio’s gaze
immediately sharpened as he saw four people standing in the overpass. He recognized Ryan and
Ryan’s buddy from the hall scene but he didn’t recognize the other two meatheads. He felt a
twinge of satisfaction as he saw the gauze and bandages that covered Ryan’s face. The bruising
and puffiness was very much visible from where Akio was.
He continued walking towards the tunnel, garnering the attention of the quad. Ryan saw
him first, a harsh flinch racking through his body as his earlier beating flashed through his mind.
He seemed to snap out of it however, his eyes going to the other three people next to him. It was
for reassurance that the same thing wouldn’t happen again.
Too bad.
Ryan’s buddy stepped up and Akio decided he would name him Brownie, based off of his
hair and eyes. “Hey, pipsqueak. I remember you. You think that you can just mess with
someone’s face and act like a hot shot? News flash, bitches like you that win off of luck aren’t
shit.”
How vulgar . . .
Akio looked over at Ryan, his head tilting and catching the last remnants of sunlight. His
eyes trailed across the blonde but he didn’t speak. After his assessment, he looked away, sighing.
One of the meatheads, with an ugly yellow Mohawk - which Akio named Spike - cracked
up. His disgusting snorts filled the air. Meathead two, with a bowl cut - in honor of that Akio
named him Bowl Head - decided to speak up.
“What? This little girl beat you up that bad, Ryan?” Ryan chuckled uncomfortably,
rubbing his neck. Bowl Head continued. “You know . . . you don’t look half bad, if you were a
girl, I might even just take you out.”
Akio murmured something, too low for anyone but himself to hear. Brownie grabs his
shirt, his fingers curling into a fist. Akio’s face was staring at his chest, and he said it again,
louder. “. . . disgusting.”
16
Brownie gets pissed, dragging Akio closer and putting them both face to face. “You
wanna say that again?”
With a chilling, piercing look, Akio grabs his wrist. “You are absolutely revolting.”
His opposite elbow smashed into Brownie’s jaw. Brownie’s head snapped back in a daze
and his grip loosened. Not wasting a moment, Akio used the same elbow and chopped it into the
crevice of Brownie’s outstretched arm. Brownie let go of Akio’s shirt, his arm red and throbbing.
Brownie’s head comes forward again but is met with Akio’s palm. It smashes into his nose and
falls back onto the ground - passed out.
Bowl Head and Spike jolt out of their shock. Spike comes at Akio first, his face full of
rage. “You little shit!”
Akio faced him, ducking out of the way and not bothering to watch Spike’s meaty arm
swing at empty air. Akio raised a mental brow as he came face to face with the yellow haired
teen’s pants. He grabbed the edges and yanked them his way. Spike’s footing slips and he falls
backwards - right into Bowl Head. Spike is promptly pushed away.
“Hey!” Bowl Head growls as he glares at his fallen companion.
By the time Bowl Head turns to look at Akio, the small teen’s elbow is buried into Bowl
Head’s diaphragm. He bends over and wheezes, his breath knocked away. Before he could curl
in on himself fully, Akio’s knee collided with his nose. Blood spurts out and onto the ground.
Bowl Head’s head snaps back and he crumples to the ground, blood and drool piling around his
face.
Akio turns to Spike, who is on one of his knees, his arms bent and ready to push himself
off the ground.. Not wanting to prolong the fight any longer, Akio moves quickly. He stands
behind Spike, his arm raised. He chops down on Spike’s neck, cleanly hitting a pressure point.
Spike falls to the ground, joining Brownie and Bowl Head in the state of unconsciousness.
Akio sighs, brushing off speckles of dirt from his otherwise clean uniform. His eyes flash
to Ryan, who stands off to the side. Ryan shivers and shrinks back under the indifferent gaze of
the 5’3 teen. The blonde doesn’t dare move as Akio stalks towards him. The glacier blizzard in
his teal eyes pin Ryan to his spot. His face throbs as he remembers those eyes staring at him
blankly all the while swinging the book at him like a sledgehammer.
Almost unknowingly, Ryan’s hand goes to his bandaged cheek.
How sad, he didn’t even help his so called ‘friends’.
“I thought, I made it clear to you,” Akio stopped a few feet away from Ryan. His voice
was cool steel, immovable and full of authority. He pointed to the ground near his feet. It left no
room for argument, his posture of an absolute monarch. “Come here.”
Ryan instantly obeyed. He shuffled closer to Akio, his head hung low as Akio looked up
at him. His shoulders were hunched and shaking from fear. He didn’t dare look at Akio, opting to
meekly stare at the ground instead.
“Get on the ground, peasant.”
Slowly, Ryan bent over. He got on his knees, his hands barely touching the dirt before
Akio’s foot came down on his head. His forehead hit the dirt and he winced, feeling the blood
flow from his forehead and onto the dirt.
17
“Be faster next time. .” Akio lifted up his foot. “Get down on your stomach like the worm
you are.”
Ryan obeyed, significantly quicker than before. He waited, his eyes closing and his body
tensing to prepare for any oncoming pain. He tried to calm his trembling hands, but to no avail.
He hoped to god he never would come across the demon after this.
The silver haired teen stepped on his back, his light weight barely making an indent in
Ryan’s skin. Akio crouched low and grabbed a fistful of dry, dyed blonde hair. Ryan’s head
tilted back painfully. Akio placed his mouth next to his ear, his voice cool and sharp.
“Did you think I would let you go?”
Ryan was silent until Akio pulled, hard.
“Argh!”
Ryan’s eyes were squeezed shut and he wished the burning pain on his scalp to go away.
“Answer me.” Akio commanded.
“N-no,” Ryan whispered, one eye half lidded as he tried to open them. “I didn’t.”
Akio pulled away from his ear, tugging once more on his hair. One of Ryan’s hands shot
up to his hair. He grabbed the roots as the other hand curled against the ground.
Akio gently took Ryan’s hand, grabbing onto one of the fingers and prying his hand away
from his hair, “If you want me to stop, get on your knees and beg.”
He slammed Ryan’s forehead against the ground, knocking him out. He stood up,
stepping off his back. He looked at the four unconscious bodies, his tongue clicking the roof of
his mouth. “Pathetic.”
He adjusted his bag, looking away and walking towards the exit. It was a minute before
he vanished from the sight completely, leaving his trail of destruction behind him. The light hit
the four unconscious boys and covered them in a warm orange glow. They wouldn’t wake up
until long past the setting of the sun.
18
Chapter Two : “You’ll See”

The classroom was rather peaceful. The fresh morning light from the rising sun gave the
room a bright aura. There were already students in the classroom, blissfully chatting and ignoring
everything around them. Seated in the front was the talk of the school.
Akio had pulled out his textbooks, the higher level problems being worked out on a
blank, lined paper. As more people began to file into the classroom, the background noise faded
out and a tension filled the air. The only sound that was heard clearly was the scritch-scratch of
Akio’s pencil against his paper. Slowly, it became silent, the only noise heard was the sound of
lead on paper. Yet, their stares and glares shouted louder than any words.
One of the last to arrive was Akio’s seatmate. Katio walked through the door,
immediately noticing the glares from everywhere in the classroom that were directed at Akio.
Some of the students weren’t too busy trying to pin Akio with their gaze that they noticed the
dark haired male. Kaito sauntered from the doorway, around the top of the classroom and to his
desk. Kaito made pointed eye contact with some of his classmates, making them uncomfortable
enough to look away.
Kaito took a seat, giving a piercing stare to anyone who was still preoccupied with
glaring at the icy eyed teen. After staring down one more person, he turned to his backpack and
unzipped it. He placed a notebook on the wooden table and laid his pencil on top of the cover.
Out of the corner of his eye, Kaito caught a glimpse of the paper Akio was working on. His
eyebrow raised nearly automatically.
“Why is it, everytime I see you working on something school related,” Katio adjusted his
mask. “It’s something that’s not even part of this curriculum?”
Without looking up, Akio responded. “To keep my mind sharp. I can’t afford to fall
behind.”
Kaito blinked, his mind whirring as he read between the lines. He watched Akio
carefully, seeing him in a newer light. “Do you even need to be here?”
Akio finishes one of his problems, his blank eyes quickly scanning the next problem in
his advanced text book before his pencil scribbles against the paper once again at an ungodly
speed. “No.”
Kaito searched Akio’s face with his golden eyes. He was anticipating an elaboration on
Akio’s answer. After the silence stretched a few more seconds, a smile stretched across his face
underneath his mask. He conceded that the petite male wasn’t giving an explanation anytime
soon and gave up on waiting for one. On one hand, he wasn’t used to not getting the information,
but on the other hand, he admired that particular aspect of Akio.
To brush someone off with ease, to not even waste a drop of energy. How delightfully
cold.
19
Kaito looked away from Akio, making time to observe the classroom. He immediately
picked up on the few people that dared to eye Akio like he was a piece of meat to scavenge. The
look in Kaito’s eyes sharpened, flashing with a warning. His intense gaze drew his classmate’s
eyes. Once their gazes connected, Kaito made sure his message was passed along, pleased when
they looked away in submission.
Kaito’s eyes wandered over the rest of the classroom. He doubled back when he realized
that the back seat was empty. Ryan’s seat was painfully empty.
Kaito’s eyes snap to Akio. He witnessed the beat down that the teal eyes boy gave Ryan.
It was nowhere near enough to make him stay out of class for two days straight.
Perhaps it’s the embarrassment. If I got my ass kicked like that, I wouldn’t want to show
my face either.
His thoughts were cut short when a cold voice cut through them like a knife. Kaito turned
his full attention to Akio, a flash of surprise coursing through him as he realized it was one of the
few times Akio was willingly speaking up first.
“Do you know Jet Skalen?” Intelligent, calculating eyes stared straight through Kaito’s
eyes and into his soul. They picked him apart, exposing him to the world. It was a cold process,
but Kaito reveled in it.
He took in the question with graceful ease, nothing changing in his posture or tone of
voice. “I do.”
Kaito couldn’t help but let a wave of satisfaction wash over him. This was another trait
that Kaito admired about the closed off teen. He was brutally blunt and didn’t beat around the
bush. He was agonizingly straight to the point.
So very, very cold of him.
Akio continued his line of questioning, his eyes switching between his work and Kaito,
picking up everything and missing nothing.
“How?”
The corner of Kaito’s mouth quirked up. How allusive.
“We’re friends. Occasionally.”
Akio caught onto the underlying message. After searching Kaito’s face for another
second, he received his answer and looked away. He nodded.
Silence laid between them one again. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but Kaito felt an itch to
soothe his curiosity. Not to mention, he wanted the silver haired male to keep speaking to him.
There was something about the way he talked - and the nature of his voice - that held Kaito
captive.
“You know Skalen?” Kaito rested his chin on his palm.
“Only from yesterday,” Akio replies smoothly. He doesn’t look at Kaito this time. “He
was waiting for you.”
Kaito hummed, his fingers drumming against the wood for a brief moment. “I see. What
do you think of him?”
Akio seemed to think before replying. “He’s eccentric.”
20
“Yeah . . .” Kaito agreed. His mind was running over the information he just received. He
allowed himself to collect his thoughts, organizing them. Ultimately, he decided he would go
over to Jet himself and ask his questions. He doubted he would get anything from Akio.
His train of thought changed and inside his mind, he saw the empty seat of Ryan Choi.
“Did something happen with Ryan Choi?”
Akio gave a quick, sharp nod. There was silence once again as Kaito waited once again
for the elaboration that wasn’t going to come. The masked boy internally sighed, thinking back
on his earlier statement. He really did admire this cold trait, but sometimes it hindered things.
“Is that so?”
Kaito’s prying question was left unanswered.
“There’s no need to interrogate,” Akio stated coolly. Kaito’s conversation gate was
closing. The silver haired teen was closing up again, his walls firmly raised. “You’ll see. Lunch
break.”
The window to talk to Akio closed. The boy’s aura was cold and closed off, a warning to
leave him alone. Kaito hadn’t noticed it as clearly as he did yesterday, but Akio had a very low
tolerance to interactions with people. He would make his point and then leave them in silence. It
was clear making friends or familiars was low or absent from his list of priorities.
His vague answer, however, only left Kaito with a burning curiosity. However, trying to
press Akio on the matter would get him nowhere. The golden eyed boy was certain that if he
even attempted to interact with Akio, the male would shut him out for good.
Only for you, Akio Zahir.
Kaito tore his eyes away from the captivating teen as he felt his phone buzz in his pocket.
He fished it out, pulling it up to look at the notification. A message from Mykel flashed across
the screen. Kaito opened the group chat.
‘don't wait 4 me on the roof’. Another message followed suit. ‘I’m not there today’.
Kaito quickly typed out a response. ‘Ur delusional if u think I wait 4 u’.
‘LOL’. Kaito could imagine Neo actually laughing like the dimwit he was.
‘Hahaha’.
Kaito left Mykel’s text, shutting off his phone. He stuck it back in his pocket, mere
seconds before the bell rang. The annoying ringing sound filled the hallways and signalled the
start of class.
As Kaito was busy putting his phone away, Akio had moved to clean up his area. He
closed his books softly and stuck his paper in one of the pages. He stuck them in his bag with his
pencil. He reached into a side pocket of his bag, pausing when he didn’t feel the familiar feel of
silk beneath his fingertips. He blinked with faint confusion before remembering that he left his
handkerchief at the cleaners.
He turned to Kaito, his voice polite but clipped. “Do you have a handkerchief I can
borrow?”
Kaito didn’t give a verbal response, opting to dig in his bag instead. His hand came back
up with a smooth cloth, the light gray handkerchief sitting delicately between his fingertips.
Kaito handed it over to Akio, “Please wash it before you return it.”
21
“Okay.” Akio took it from Kaito, missing the way the corner of Kaito’s eyes crinkled as
the dark haired male realized his handkerchief was pretty much the same color as Akio’s hair. He
wiped his hands with it, the material gliding over his hands smoothly, picking up anything that
was layering his hands. Akio silently approved, setting it in the side pocket of his bag.
The door opened and their plain looking teacher walked in. Even with no one talking, he
called out to the class. “Alright, settle in you brats.”
He sets his stuff down next to the teacher’s podium and grabs a paper from a folder. A
smile graces his face and most of the students have to blink or rub their eyes. Disbelief was
clearly visible on some of their faces as they stared shamelessly at their teacher. The staff at
Demai High never smiled.
The class dazedly watched as their teacher strode over to Akio and Kaito’s desk. He came
to stand in front of Akio, the paper in one hand and the folder in another. He holds out the paper
to the small teen, his smile widening as Akio takes it.
“There are some things you need to know that aren’t on there. Please drop by the office
during one of your breaks one of these days so we can fill you in. If you have any other
questions, please feel free to ask.”
Shock rippled through the students like a wave. They had never heard anyone on the
staff, let alone their teacher, speak so politely to a student before. A single question wormed a
way into their heads.
What is it about him . . ?
“Okay, thank you sir. I shall drop by as soon as possible.” Contentedness flashed through
their teacher’s eyes and he left Akio. The polite response was as cool as ever, but it lacked his
usual vindictive bite. There was no mockery in his tone but there also wasn’t any honey to it. He
wasn’t sucking up to the plain man, he was simply showing respect.
Kaito was pretty sure half of the class would ignore those little signs though.
Akio pulls out a folder of his own from his bag. He puts the paper in it, allowing enough
time for Kaito to catch a glimpse of the title written in bold lettering on it.
Olympiad. I wonder . . .
Their teacher stands behind his podium, the smile wiped off his face as he stares blankly
at the rest of the class. His gaze rakes over the rest of the students with obvious dislike, save for
Akio and Kaito - although he only tolerated the golden eyed teen.
“If you have not paid your lunch fees, you better start now.”
Akio’s eyes snap to the teacher before moving elsewhere, as if in thought. Kato caught
the movement, but didn’t react to it. If Kaito knew anything about Akio, it was that he was
mysterious but when he wanted someone to know something - he would reveal it himself.
Bodies pressed against each other, pushing and shoving playfully.The cafeteria was more
relaxed than the classroom, giving Akio a break from the hard tension that wrapped around him
like restraining coils. Sometimes it was a bit suffocating to be in the classroom. More so for the
other students than Akio, but the small statured boy could feel everyone’s stress.
22
Akio’s eyes trailed across the lunch menu. He had leaned to the side to see around a
particularly broad shouldered student. He was only a few people away from reaching the counter.
His mind quickly went through all of the items on the menu and he decided to get the cheapest
meal. He was sure the third years working the lunch line would understand.
He had just looked away from the menu when a hand grabbed his uniform. They took a
fistful of the front of his collar, yanking him out of the line. He wasn’t much heavier than a
feather and the owner of the hand practically dragged him from the line.
However, Akio didn’t struggle. He was relaxed, calm even. He did take a look at who
was ripping him away from the lunch line, though. He observed their appearances quietly as his
eyes sharpened and his mind began calculating.
He recognized his captors. The three of them sat in the back of the classroom near the
window. One of them had reddish brown hair and hazel eyes, walking on the left side of the guy
who was dragging Akio. The one standing on the right had dark blue hair and equally dark blue
eyes with a stormy expression on his face. The student that had Akio’s uniform in his hand had
short, cropped black hair with dark eyes.
The peaceful atmosphere of the cafeteria was shattered as the commotion drew the
attention of the first year students in the cafeteria. The first years were a somewhat large class,
but barely filled up the space in the cafeteria. It would have been more full of all the students had
the same lunch period, but every year had a different lunch period. When Akio first learned
about this, he had made a quiet deduction that it was to keep the students from different years
from fighting with each other. With how well the schedule worked out, Akio could only guess
about how long the school had been doing this.
Eyes were watching the new commotion with anticipation. Some even recognized Akio
from the previous commotion with Ryan Choi in the hallways. Others were waiting to see a beat
down. One pair in particular were watching with a certain expectation.
Kaito was seated only a few tables away from the scene. He had his mask off and his
lunch in front of him, already half eaten. He only saw the silver haired male enter the cafeteria a
few minutes ago. By the look on Akio’s face, Kaito could safely assume that the teen was
expecting this - waiting for it.
Seated across Kaito was Neo Ritsu. The dark skinned male scrutinized the bland look on
Kaito’s face as he watched the petite teen. His eyes then flicker between Akio and Kaito, his
mind running as he slowly puts the pieces of the puzzle together.
The black haired student stops suddenly, satisfied with their distance. He holds Akio up
on his toes, pulling him close so that their faces were only mere inches apart. He was already
annoyed, the lack of expression on Akio’s face hitting a nerve. So, he lashed out.
“You think you’re a hot shot now that you beat up a bitch like Ryan Choi, huh?”
Silence. Bored, icy silence.
As the stormy expression on his face gets darker, Akio decides to name his nameless
classmate Stormy. Stormy gets pissed by his silence, roughly pushing Akio as he releases the
male’s shirt from his grip. Akio doesn’t fall as Stormy expects, instead uses the momentum to
take a step back. His cold eyes are calculating at a sub zero temperature.
23
Stormy’s friend puts a hand on Stormy’s shoulder to calm him down. In honor of his red
hair, Akio named him Red.
“No need to get so riled up man,” Red gives Akio a once over with his eyes. “Look at
how frail he is. Take it slow, it looks like he could break any moment. Peep those noodle arms.”
Stormy and Red’s other friend laughs and takes a threatening step towards Akio. Deciding that
nicknaming him Brownie 2.0 was acceptable, Akio watched the teenager draw another step
closer.
As per usual, Brownie 2.0 towers over Akio. He sticks a hand on his head, his fingers
gripping at the silk that was Akio’s hair. He turns back to his buddies, an ugly smirk on his face.
“Even taking it slow, he’d probably fly away from a breeze.”
For the first time since the beginning of class, Akio speaks. He lets out a bored sigh,
gazing up at the trio. The words are soft, but sharp. “Are you done yet?”
The three take in the words in silence. Then Brownie 2.0 looks at Red and Stormy and
the three of them burst out laughing. In response, Brownie 2.0 starts to pat Akio’s head harshly.
He looks down at the silver haired teen, “Let me hear you sigh again. C’mon, do that little sigh in
the distance for me.”
During Brownie 2.0’s little speech, Akio turned his head and looked at Kaito. Kaito
doesn’t know when Akio took the time to figure out where he was, but he wasn’t going to waste
time thinking about it. Not when this was a clue that Akio was hand feeding him.
His sleek eyebrows raise and his spine straightens. Neo - who was looking at that brief
interaction - comes to a realization that this was the new student. He didn’t know him personally,
and the rumors still didn’t hold a name to him, but at least Neo knows what he looks like now.
Mykel was right, Neo decides. You just know when you see him. So, Neo looked away from
Kaito with excitement visible on his face.
How much more lucky could I be? He’ll fight.
Nonchalantly, Akio reaches up and grabs Brownie 2.0’s wrist. He tugs it off his head, not
wasting a moment before he twists it. Utilizing the pressure points, he watches with something
akin to an unimpressed look as Brownie 2.0 lets out a yowl of pain. Brownie 2.0’s other hand
reaches out and grabs his wrist to somehow null the pain. Akio glances at Brownie 2.0’s legs,
unsatisfied with how much they were shaking. Brownie 2.0 was already halfway down on his
knees, but they were suspended in the air.
With little effort, Akio twists his wrist even more - his eyes freezing as he watches the
taller teen collapse to his knees. He speaks up, throwing them into a snowstorm. “Are you stupid
or are you just ignorant? They say seeing is believing and yet, you still don’t think I’m capable
of kicking your pathetic asses.”
Unsure on how to deal with what they were seeing, Red and Stormy stared at Akio. The
petite male made use of those free seconds and caused some damage. A loud snap was heard as
Akio broke Brownie 2.0’s wrist. A guttural groan tears out of Brownie 2.0’s lips and he curls in
on himself in pain.
A grin overtakes Neo’s face as he watches the apathetic teen stare down the three
students. He, along with Kaito, are fully invested in what Akio was doing. Without taking his
24
eyes off of the scene, Neo leans over to Kaito and talks lowly. “Is this what you were blessed
with in the classroom?”
Kaito puts a finger to his lips and Neo’s eyes only look at it for a second before his eyes
travel back over to Akio.
Interestingly enough, Red and Stormy had the audacity to look horrified. It was quickly
masked, so only Neo, Kaito and Akio saw it. Akio ignores the red faced teen on the ground -
who was whimpering like a pathetic puppy - and stook a step forward. His eyes were hard as
metal and cooler than ice as he stared at Red and Stormy.
“You could come at me now, and end up like your friend,” Akio’s cool voice holds a sort
of sadistic tone - mocking them. “Or you could walk away like the cowards you truly are and
leave your friend to suffer his fate alone. Either way is a terrible outcome for you.”
Stormy and Red share a look. It was evident that they decided for an early grave as they
charged towards Akio.
“You bastard!” The angered redhead yells.
Stormy growls out, “You think you’re better than us?!”
Akio knew they were scared but were expecting some kind of contact. Always turning
expectations upside down, Akio easily sidestepped Red’s fist - watching as the hand slid past his
face. Smoothly, he stuck out a foot and tripped Red. He landed face first on the ground.
Stormy, trying some dirty fighting, grabbed Akio from behind and took him in a
chokehold. He grunted, “How do you like that, you bitch?”
Akio leans back, his head tilting and his hands latching onto the meaty forearm. Stormy
grins, positive that the scum was in a bind. The grin was quickly wiped off when Akio pushed
off the ground and suspended his legs - pushing himself into Stormy. Akio then threw himself
forward, landing in a half crouch and using his momentum to throw Stormy over his shoulder.
After his short flight in the air, Stormy hit the ground harshly. Spittle flew out of his mouth as
the breath was knocked out of the dark haired male.
Pain spread through Stormy like a wildfire. Suddenly it erupted in his arm. He looked up,
seeing Akio with his arm. The five foot three male had twisted his arm, causing a noise of pain to
erupt from Stormy.
At this act of skill and ingenuity, Neo stands up. His hands land on the table and his face
is painted with admiration. His eyes were wide, trying to take in every little detail. Neo’s eyes
landed on Red, who had gotten to his feet and was making his way towards Akio’s back.
“Did you forget about me, you little shit?”
Before Red could take another step, Akio lashes out with his foot. It connects with Red’s
stomach firmly. The taller teenager gasps and doubles over from the influx of pain. At the same
time, Akio puts his foot on Stormy’s shoulder. He uses his foot as a weight and pulls, popping
Stormy’s shoulder out of his socket. A shudder runs through the downed teen and another pain
filled sound travels through the air.
Silently, Akio stalks over to Red. Everyone in the cafeteria can’t help but feel
intimidated. The power the petite teen’s walk held was like a monarch taking the throne. They
25
could practically see the crown on his head and the ice that trailed him whenever he stepped. He
was all regality, fluidity and savageness.
He raises his elbow high and brings it down on Red’s back. The force sends Red crashing
to the floor. It was almost like the other first years were watching a movie. Seeing Akio stand
amongst the fallen bodies of those he had crushed mercilessly. At that moment, he looked like a
god. Akio then brushes his hands together, taking out Kaito’s handkerchief from his pocket and
wiping his hands. He dabbed his face, making sure none of the spittle that was sprayed had
landed on him.
Neo metals back into his seat. His aquamarine eyes were lit and filled with hero-worship.
The fellow silver haired teen had surpassed God in Neo’s eyes. In a way, Neo wanted to achieve
the fluidity in which Akio moved. Although he excelled in fluid movement and flexibility in his
fighting, the way Akio fought just looked smooth. He wasted no time, no energy and he spared
no mercy or grace. He was ruthless and Neo was enamoured with it.
Akio stared down at the three of them, his head tilted as he wiped his hands once more
before putting it back in his pocket. Then he speaks, “Do you know who left Ryan Choi and
those other three meatheads unconscious at the overpass?”
A ripple of short murmurs went through the crowd. He had done that? It was a brutal
sight. It wasn’t gory by any means, but everyone could discern how much pain had been given.
Kaito understood that as much as this was a statement, it was also a warning. A warning to those
that wanted to challenge Akio. If he could easily beat four people, then what made them think
they could take him on one on one?
Brownie 2.0, Red and Stormy tearfully look up at him from the ground. Like a tyrant,
Akio points to his feet.
“Come here.”
None of them move, stunned and in pain. Akio goes over to Brownie 2.0, who
unfortunately was the closest to the monster. Akio picked up Brownie 2.0’s head by his hair.
‘SLAP’.
Brownie 22.0’s head whipped to the side and the sting on his cheek brought a fresh wave
of tears. Akio tilts his head to the side and looks at the teenager at his mercy. He speaks again,
directing the question to all of them. “Do I not make myself clear enough?”
The trio shake their heads. Red is frantic and Stormy holds fear in his gaze as he
stares at Brownie 2.0.
“If I have to repeat myself, I won’t be so forgiving,” Akio states, roughly letting go of
Brownie 2.0’s hair. He stands up and takes a step back. He repeats his earlier command, his
voice authoritative, cold and sharper than a blade. “Come here.”
In fear, they immediately crawl to him. It was a humiliating act, watching as they obeyed
the command of the small teen. They were only mere slaves in the face of their master. Yet, this
is exactly what they brought upon themselves. If the roles were reversed, it would have been
Akio crawling on his knees to the three of them. It was kill or be killed. The trios’ heads were
hung as they sat on their knees.
“Beg for my forgiveness.”
26
Shakily, the three of them press their foreheads to the floor. They speak in trembling
voices in unison. “We’re sorry.”
“For what, peasants?”
Red squeezed his eyes shut as he answered first. “For pulling you out of the line.”
Stormy adds on quickly, “For disrespecting you.”
Brownie 2.0 cradles his wrist, “For attempting to attack you.”
Akio’s eyes flash as he looks down at them and he asks icily. “Since you pulled me out of
the line, who is going to pay for my lost meal?”
The three of them look at each other, their heads turning to decide who it would be.
Before they could come to a conclusion, Akio spoke again.
“Why don’t all of you pay, to atone for your sins,” Akio holds out his hand as he speaks.
The three of them slowly raise their heads from the floor. As they sit on their knees, their
hands reach in their pockets to pull out money. Akio waits only a couple of seconds as each of
them place a few dollar bills in his waiting palm.
Nothing changes in Akio’s posture. No victory in accomplishing his mission, no sense of
pride in his eyes as he sees his beaten down foes serve him. Nothing but that same icy look.
“Scram, shitheads,” Akio dismissed them. They stand up, wobbling. Akio’s eyes flash
and he leaves them a message. “But, if I find myself having to deal with you again, I would be
very . . . displeased.”
The three of them swallow harshly before nodding their heads in agreement. The other
watching students doubt that the three of them would ever be able to look at Akio properly again,
let alone try to fight him again.
Akio turns on his heel, stalking off with the grace and finality of an emperor. Students
parted like the Red Sea as Akio walked towards them. When the silver haired male reached the
lunch line, the students opened up - frightened. He moved forward, sparing no glances to the
speechless students that were stepped to the side. Only when Akio stepped to the front of the line
and had placed his order did the students fall back in line.
Neo didn’t speak until the students had returned to their places and the tension had slowly
dissipated as Akio walked out of the cafeteria with his lunch. Still in awe, Neo’s voice came at a
whisper, “Mykel’s such an ass for not telling me about him. He’s so edgy, my god.”
Kaito shoots him a look and Neo grins. His aquamarine eyes glaze over as he goes back
over the relative short fight. Then his mouth starts moving.
“The way he fights is so smooth. He’s literally royalty and his voice is just so cold,” Neo
blabs. “I’m so mad that you guys met him first. I want to talk to him too. I wonder if he shows up
here everyday, maybe I could talk to him then-”
Kaito put Neo’s voice in the back of his mind. He goes back over the fight, his mind
flickering between what Neo is saying and Akio. He knew that Neo was just as enamoured with
Akio as he was. Kaito didn’t think Mykel understood what the two of them saw in Akio quite
yet, but when the time came and he saw Akio in action - then the bubblegum tree would come to
understand. Katio’s already sure that Mykel had a feeling of what Akio was capable of, if his
conversation with Neo (which Neo blabbed about to him) was any indication.
27
Occasionally Kaito would catch something that Neo was saying and find himself
agreeing with the younger teen.
“He’s a demon. An angel but a demon, you know?” Neo was using hand gestures to get
his point across.
“Yeah, I know.” Akio looked at Neo, a thoughtful expression flashing across his face. “If
you really want to meet him that bad, why don’t you just drop by the classroom?”
Neo perked up like an excited puppy, “Can I really? You messing with me or are you for
real?”
Kaito shrugged, “Sure.”
A grin split Neo’s face near in half and he happily agreed, “Yes!”
And if Kaito felt a flare of excitement flash through him, he sure didn’t show it.
28
Chapter 3 : “Indulge Me”

It was rather early, the morning sun barely peeking through the windows in the
classroom. Unlike the past week, Akio had arrived early - setting up his schedule earlier than
normal in preparation. He scanned the room, as per usual, as he stood at the doorway - stopping
when he saw the teen sitting casually at Akio’s desk. His mind flashed to the cafeteria and he
placed the male, remembering he was Kaito’s lunchmate.
He moved silently, his steps graceful and without hesitation as he strode towards his seat.
As he passed by him, he took in his appearance - from the dark, spiky silver hair to his white
high tops. He had a unique shade of aquamarine eyes, standing out against his dark tanned skin.
The male yawned, his tongue piercing making itself visible as well as his peach painted nails
when he raised his hand to his mouth. As expected, his ears also held piercings - but insead of
the regular cartilage piercings that Akio had seen so often, there were plugs. On his wrist was a
bracelet, which he fiddled with absentmindedly.
Akio slid into his seat, aware of the bright eyes that followed his every movement. The
petite teen couldn’t be sure from his quick glance, but he was sure there was some type of
admiration that showed in the other teen’s facial features. He made a note to examine the teen
more thoroughly later as he set down his bag. He reached with both hands into his bag, pulling
out different high level books since he had finished the others yesterday during his last class.
The male rested his cheek on the palm of his hand and opened his mouth, “My name’s
Neo. Neo Ritsu.”
“Akio Zahir.” Akio greeted back, his voice detached and his eyes still glued to the books
in front of him. He pulled out a pencil and a piece of paper from his bag, his ears picking up on
the low, warm voice of the bubbly teen next to him.
“Huh, Kaito was right. So cold . . .”
There was no malice in his tone and he grinned brightly after his murmur. He spoke up
louder this time, his bright smile leaking into his voice.
“Do you think I could come around here more often? In the classroom, I mean.”
Akio’s focus sharpened on the seemingly harmless teen beside him. His mind whirred as
he tried to figure out the male’s motive for asking. Does he think that I . .?
“There’s no need to ask for my permission.”
Neo was quick to reply, his voice sincere with a hint of something else behind his words;
“On the contrary! You’re a literal king, you should act like one! You outrank most of these
chumps here, so it’s only natural for me to ask.”
How strange. Akio’s curiosity spiked a bit. He seemed like a puppy, but there was
something a bit sadistic underneath the grinning exterior. It was most likely a front - nevertheless
a convincing front - that he put on to put off his adversaries. It worked quite well, but Akio could
easily pick up on the hidden clues he left about his true strength.
29
“You know, ever since you came here, you’ve thrown a huge wrench in the hierarchy.
You’ve messed up this school quite a bit! Might even topple it if anymore people come at
you . . .” Neo drummed his fingers along the desk with a hum.
Akio’s eyes snapped over to the dark skinned teen. He quickly scanned his body
language - searching for his intentions. It was entirely possible that he wanted to test Akio
himself, maybe try to put Akio in his ‘place’, or perhaps he just wanted a fight. If anyone of
those was the case, Akio would think he was either dense or stupid. The multiple messages he
sent with the fights should have been enough so the idiots at the school would understand where
they stood.
Recognizing the assessing look, Neo lifted his head off of his cheek and held up his
hands to placate the short statued boy. He leaned back in Kaito’s chair, stretching out in one fluid
motion. “I’m not here to fight. Anyone who challenges you now either has to be a complete idiot
or extremely dense. I’m just here to enjoy the shit show you’re about to put on. I can’t wait to see
just how much chaos you cause. It’ll be really funny to watch all of the other guys scramble with
the shake up in the system.”
Akio let out a breath through his nose, a small sigh. His eyes were no less cold or sharp,
but the threat he was showing Neo faded away. Having Neo’s intentions be cleared a bit -
although no less vague - put Akio on a sort of peaceful guard. There was no threat and therefore
no need to act uncivilized.
The silence was cut when Neo spoke up again - having no problem in carrying the
conversation with the less talkative teen. “Do you mind if I get your number?”
Akio’s mind began to work again as he stared at Neo for a few seconds. His eyes flashed
as if he had found out something and his hand slid in his pocket. A few moments later, he handed
Neo his unlocked phone. He had formed a sort of plan, taking every opportunity to satisfy his
curiosity and questions. Even if that meant getting amiable with a few people.
Neo lit up, taking Akio’s phone. “Oh, Kaito and Mykel are going to be so jealous when
they learn about this. Hah, take that you bastards.”
Neo’s nimble fingers flew over Akio’s phone as he quickly typed in his contact
information. As Neo was busying himself with Akio’s phone, Akio himself had more questions
that he wanted answered. He had already stored the information that Neo had spilled in the back
of his mind. Maybe . . .
Akio blinked in mild surprise as he got his phone back. Neo had taken a childish picture
of his face to put as the picture for his contact. Akio supposed Neo underplayed his intelligence
with playful childishness. He was one more puzzle that Akio had yet to piece together.
Neo grinned as Akio put away his phone, “Go ahead and text me sometime, yeah?”
There was a brief pause and Neo seemed to be thinking over something.
“Are you planning anything for lunch?”
Akio’s lips parted. To have the opportunity so soon . . . The light silver haired male
wasn’t stupid. He knew something was off with Kaito, Mykel and Neo. He doesn’t have all the
puzzle pieces yet, but he knows there was something that Kaito wasn’t telling him when Akio
had asked about the hierarchy. To hold back information on the top dogs was pretty much a
30
giveaway to their ranks. Akio wasn’t exactly sure, but Neo seemed the perfect opportunity to
exploit the information from. He was talkative and Akio was determined to use that to his
advantage.
“I’m free.”
Neo gave him a thumbs up, holding true to his childish nature. “We’ll be going off
campus for a bit. There’s a gem around the block from here. Best. Food. Ever.”
The teen was practically drooling as he reminisced about the restaurant. He suddenly
snapped out of it, blinking and his expression returning to a neutral state. He pulled out his phone
and looked at the time. His lip curled and he groaned loudly, over exaggerating the motion.
“I totally forgot that I have cleaning duty today,” He pouted. He got up from the chair,
pushing it back so the chair let out a low rumble against the ground. He pocketed his phone and
shot Akio a warm grin. “At least I get to see you later. Don’t forget to text me, okay?”
Akio watched him leave, his eyes flickering over to the doorway as he caught movement
from his peripheral. Kaito stood in the doorway of the classroom, his eyes on Neo. Akio couldn’t
see his whole expression, the mask he always had on blocking half of his face. Neo practically
bounced Kaito’s way, a teasing smirk on the spiky haired teen’s face as he passed by the golden
eyed male.
During that time, Akio had pulled out his phone to send a text to Neo’s phone. He
messaged his full name before pocketing it once again.
Kaito’s eyes lingered on Neo for a few more seconds before shifting over to Akio. His
curiosity was blatant but he didn’t act on it. He shouldered his bag and slunk towards his seat. As
he sat down in his seat, the heat left over from Neo traveled through his clothes. Kaito blinked,
looking over at Akio in an attempt to figure out what could have possibly happened. His
thoughts were interrupted by his phone buzzing in his pocket.
He opened the message, his phone going straight to the group chat. Neo had sent a
message - a screenshot of his screen.
‘U losers. I hit the jackpot’.
Kaito could feel a vein on his head pulse as he glared at the picture that showed Neo’s
conquest of getting Akio’s number. Kaito knew that Neo put a heart in Akio’s contact name just
to piss Kaito off, but Kaito still got annoyed despite knowing this. He furiously typed out a
message back to the younger boy.
‘U conniving little shit’.
Mykel sent a message in reaction to Kaito’s outcry; ‘LOL’.
‘don't even try 2 deny it, ur jealous 2 down deep inside Mykel’. Neo retaliated.
‘. . .’
Kaito could feel Neo’s smirk through the screen at Mykel’s text.
‘HAHA! Both of u should wallow in jealousy 2gether. I get him at lunch’.
The dark haired male clenched his teeth, the vein on his forehead probably protruding
angrily. Neo had a way of ticking off the both of them in a way no one else could and he knew it
too. Cocky bastard.
Mykel typed out a response quickly, ‘not cool bro’.
31
‘BAHAHAHA’.
Kaito should remind Mykel later to get back at Neo for this betrayal. He pocketed his
phone with a sigh. Silence filled the room with the only noise being the noise of lead scratching
paper. Kaito looked over to Akio, debating whether or not to ask the working teen. As he thought
about it, he noticed that the books were totally different from the past few days.
Well he moves quickly.
Kaito decided to ask anyways, “Did you really give him your number?”
Akio didn’t look at him nor did his pencil stop it’s lightning fast pace across the paper.
His voice was blunt and detached, “Yes.”
“And lunch . . ?”
The petite male nodded absentmindedly.
Kaito was going to give Neo hell for this later.
The water was cold, running over his hands in a soothing waterfall. Pulling his hands
away from the sink, he shook off the water in the air before grabbing a rough paper towel. The
calluses on his hands dulled the sensation of the thin paper pressing against his skin.
He turned on his heel, tossing the crumpled towel in the trash can on his way out of the
bathroom. He pushed open the door with little difficulty and stepped out into the empty hall.
Class was still in session and the halls were lit with a sort of outlandish peace. There was no
tension, no lingering danger that lurked behind plastered smiles.
Akio began his slow pace down the hall, wanting to keep the tranquil feeling around him
as long as possible. It was broken when footsteps were heard from around the corner of the
hallway behind him. The footsteps weren’t rushed but by the distance between each step meant
the person had a long stride. A long stride that brought the person closer to Akio with each step
until eventually they were in step with him.
Akio saw a flash of pink and a set of white headphones appear in the corner of his vision.
Akio’s eyes flashed over to take in Mykel’s appearance before moving back to the pathway in
front of him. The question he didn’t voice was clear in the air. Mykel quickly answered.
“The head office wanted me to see if you could come over.”
His raspy voice held sincerity but Akio could hear another layer undertoning it.
“Only by the office?”
The corner of Mykel’s lips curled up at the insinuation. It seemed that Akio had seen
through a bit of his façade.
“Perhaps it was also the fact that the other two idiots would not shut their traps about you
and I wanted to see why,” Mykel confessed, his lips upturned and his eyes alight with humor.
Akio’s eyes flitted down to the floor at the revelation. The smaller male hadn’t even
known Kaito for a week and yet the silver haired male was a main topic of conversation within
the other teen’s friend group. Akio was also curious about Neo, his admiration was clear and his
reasoning seemed sound - but it didn’t make sense as the dark skinned boy hadn’t laid eyes on
him until yesterday. It was possible that Kaito had spoken of him (he doubted that Mykel had
said very much to either of the other two).
32
Their quiet obsession with him confused Akio. It was another piece to the overall puzzle.
Going back over Kaito’s brief conversations with him, Akio didn’t think the golden eyed male
thought that much of him. It seems he was wrong, considering that Mykel had gone out of his
curiosity to meet Akio. He didn’t know when he had become a main topic of conversation in
their trio, but he wasn’t going to let it go on without finding out how and why they obsessed over
him. Especially if it had to do with certain . . . people.
“How long have you all known each other?” Akio let his eyes travel to Mykel’s face. The
pinkette had his lips parted in faint surprise. It wasn’t exactly out of character for Akio to speak
up - but Mykel hadn’t expected him to continue the conversation.
“A while back,” Mykel mused, his eyes leaving to look up at the hallway ceiling. “We
didn’t all meet at once. Huh, I haven’t really thought about how long I’ve known those dorks.
Perhaps it was back in grade school . . ?”
Mykel seemed to get lost in memories before he shook himself out of it. He let out a
slight sigh, a small smile growing on his face.
“You’re not really curious about that though, are you?”
Akio didn’t seem to react as badly as Mykel thought he would to being found out. Instead
Akio shook his head, his icy gaze never once leaving Mykel’s face. “No.”
Mykel hummed with appreciation for his blunt honesty, “I don’t know you well enough
to guess what you might be after - but I’ll sedate your curiosities.”
The petite male merely tilted his head, “I’m not digging for unwanted secrecies.”
Mykel raised an eyebrow - adjusting his glasses. The pair slowed down, the few
classrooms they passed by seemingly fading as they zeroed in on each other. It was the second
time that they sized each other up. There was no hostility towards each other, but mere curiosity
and caution - more of a scan to try and dig behind the masks they each put up.
“Alright,” Mykel conceded, his small smile spreading across his face. “Indulge me.”
Akio took the lead with the walk, setting a slightly faster pace - still a cake walk for the
giraffe standing next to him. “Do you often talk of everything between each other?”
Mykel blinked, taken aback. He had thought the smaller teen was going to dig around
their positions. He hadn’t thought about his curiosities about why he was being discussed so
heavily among Mykel and the other two. It was true that Mykel brought him up to Neo first, but
Kaito had fanned that spark of conversion continually - especially after the little shows in the
classroom and the cafeteria.
Akio watched as a multitude of emotions flashed through the deep blue of Mykel’s eyes.
He knew that Mykel was expecting him to ask about their standings - but that was clearly a
secretive if not sensitive topic. Although his main goal was to find out exactly what they were
hiding from him - he wasn’t so dense as to straight up ask about it. He knew using Mykel’s lack
of knowledge about his personality was a bit risky - but so far it had worked in his favor. While
distracting Mykel away from his main goal, he was also assuaging his burning curiosity. He
really was interested in why he was such a main priority.
“Ah,” Mykel scratched the back of his neck with a slightly crooked smile. “Yeah. I
suppose it would be a bit confusing if people you barely know talk about you so fervently.”
33
There was a slight pause as Mykel thought out his next words. He wasn’t exactly sure
how to put Neo and Kaito out there without ruining whatever image they had built up with Akio
- but what else were friends for if not to ruin their reputation with someone they liked? Cheeky
bastards, heh.
“Well, Neo is pretty much a little kid - I guess you could say you’ve gained hero worship
from him,” Mykel snickered as the kid’s excited face flashed through his eyes. “He tends to get
excited really easily and that little show you put on in the cafeteria definitely sealed the deal for
him. You’re pretty much a god in his eyes.”
Akio’s mind brought him back to the earlier conversation with Neo. The words he had
spoken were beginning to make more sense and his earlier premonition seemed to be correct. It
was hero worship. ‘On the contrary! You’re a literal king, you should act like one!’
He was thrown from his thoughts when Mykel spoke again. His voice seemed to carry a
fond tone of amusement as he talked about his two friends. “Kaito, on the other hand, is a bit
different. You’ve really only seen one side of him, so I suppose that’s why. He is quite taken
with you . . . you’ll see once he flips his switch.”
“Flips his switch?”
A smirk passed through Mykel’s facial features - like he just heard a joke. It was a
knowing look, one that Akio hadn’t seen since he came to Yeoshi Island.
“Ah, right. You’ve never seen him in a fight,” Mykel mused. “Well, you’ll know exactly
what I mean when you see him mess some shitheads up.”
It wasn’t like Mykel was holding back on him on purpose, it was simply that there really
wasn’t a good way to describe Kaito’s “flip” rather than to see it firsthand. Mykel wasn’t sure
how Akio was to react, but from the tid-bits that Kaito and Neo had fed him - he didn’t think it
would be an adverse reaction. If anything, Akio would probably take it all in stride, ignoring a
reaction in favor of analyzing it. Or he could be wrong and Akio would freak out, but that option
was highly unlikely.
“Let’s just say he is where he is for a good reason.”
Akio nodded, his eyes catching onto the office door only a few feet away from him. The
dark mahogany double doors contrasted the stark white of the trim on the walls. It looked like an
office to a business and not a school - though Akio supposed that they could afford some bigger
luxuries since the island was so small.
“Looks like you’ve made it to the destination,” Mykel stopped before the door. Akio
raised an eyebrow and the pinkette smiled. “I already have a note, so the teacher can’t bitch to
me about being abominably late. I’ll see you later, perhaps.”
With a wave, Mykel turned and strode off. Akio’s eyes lingered not even a second after
him. He turned, opening one of the double doors and striding into the room. It was pretty plain
for the grand entrance it had. It had the same off white walls as the classrooms, but it was a bit
fancier with the reception desk being made of the same dark mahogany as the doors. The stark
white trim on the walls matched the floor.
With his eyes on the receptionist’s desk, Akio moved to stand in front of the chest high
wood. The name plate of the receptionist was clean and gleamed under the window light. The
34
woman sitting behind the large computer on the desk was focused on typing. She had rather long
nails - painted red - that matched the frames of her thin glasses. She had platinum blonde hair
that was pulled tightly into a bun on the top of her head and behind those red frames were
shallow brown eyes and dark eyebrows. She had a thinner build, but Akio could say she was
attractive.
“Hello, Ms Emery.” Akio peeked over the desk coolly, startling the woman. She looked
up, blinking fast to rid herself of her surprise. She looked up - did a double take at the polite tone
and his appearance - and smiled politely, sparing him no warmth in that smile.
“Hello,” she greeted back, her smile still in place. “How can I help you?”
“I’ve been told that I’ve been asked to come here.”
Either not put off by the permanent chill in his voice or simply used to it, she merely
nodded. She looked back to the computer screen, typing away something before asking,
“Name?”
“Akio Zahir.”
As soon as the last syllable exited his lips, the smile on her face warmed up considerably
as her face brightened at his name. She looked back up at the boy, the polite smile a pleased grin
- her brown eyes chocolate pools of melted sweet sugar.
“Ah! We’ve decided to move ahead and tell you about the Olympiad sooner rather than
later,” her voice was as thick as honey, sticking onto him like nectar on a flower. “We thought to
give you ample time to study since you’ve already completed all necessary classes.”
Akio nodded, “Okay, thank you.”
Her smile widens a bit, “There are some chairs over there if you wish to take a seat while
waiting.”
Akio looks to where she gestures with a smooth, manicured hand. There were about three
to four seats placed against the wall near a door. It reminded him of a doctor’s appointment. His
eyes shift back over to the blonde receptionist.
“Thank you very much for your help, Ms Emery.”
He moved away, catching her last words before he was out of earshot.
“So polite . . . what a promising student.”
He takes the last few feet in stride. He chooses one of the middle chairs close to the
receptionist’s side and slides into it softly. He doesn’t have to wait for more than a minute before
the door in front of him opens. Polished black shoes stepped from the door frame. It was
followed by the rest of a gray suit with a striped light blue tie. The body build was on the broader
side. His facial features were sharper, tribute to his youth. He had longer dark hair pulled back
into a sleek ponytail that reached below his shoulders. Akio thought he fitted the look well, both
of their eyes meeting. Blue clashed against green and Akio found himself recognizing the steel in
those eyes.
“Hello, Mr Zahir,” he smiled, his teeth a pearly white and his cheeks carrying dimples.
Both his smile and tone of voice was friendly. “I’m the Vice Principal of Demai High, Kyo
Yang.”
35
Akio stood up, his lithe form relaxed but carrying his own icy steel. He walked over to
the Vice Principal, the bottom of his vision catching the calloused hand that lifted forward. He
stuck his noticeably smaller hand within his grip. A firm handshake was the result of the greeting
and Mr Yang pulled away with a smile.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr Yang,” Akio’s voice was a smooth, cool breeze. It
wasn’t his usual cutting tone, but the freeze remained as it was. “Thank you for seeing me.”
Mr Yang’s smile widened, “The pleasure is all mine. Please, let us chat in my office.”
Mr Yang gestured to the office behind him - the door still open and giving way to a bright
room. Akio nodded, following the tall man to the large desk in the room. He stepped within the
doorway, his eyes adjusting to the sudden influx of natural light caused by the bay windows
behind the desk and chair. Mr Yang strides around his desk, pulling out the chair and sitting
down smoothly. At the hand gesture to the two chairs positioned in front of the desk, Akio sat
gracefully down into a chair as well.
“I apologize for the sudden call, I’ll inform your teacher of your whereabouts.” Mr Yang
pulled out a drawer in his desk, his hand grasping a paper as it came into Akio’s view.
“It’s no trouble,” Akio’s eyes read over the title written boldly on the paper as the long
haired male slides it over to him. “I appreciate your foresightedness.”
He took the paper, sliding it closer to himself and looking back up at Mr Yang. The
man’s fingers were interlaced, a faint closed lipped smile gracing his face. His voice was a warm
tone, like a warm blanket on a cold day.
“That paper has all the information you should need. The subjects you need to study as
well as the date and times for the events are all on there,” The Vice Principal took a pen from his
breast pocket and clicked it before handing it over to Akio. “I took the privilege of signing it
already. All you need is to sign it and hand it in at the sign in station at the Olympiad.”
“Okay.” Akio took the pen gently between his fingers, his eyes scanning over the
information presented to him quickly before spotting the line where his signature was supposed
to be. The ink scrawled across the page elegantly - poised words appearing on the previously
blank space.
“On the specified date, we’ll be pulling you from third period. Since you’ve already
completed all the courses, we don’t need to worry about homework from other classes.” Mr
Yang continued as Akio finished off his signature. “The competition will be held in the Sovieshu
District. It’s the farthest from us, so you’ll be put in a bus with other competitors from the
Lovushi and Aamin District. There aren’t many competitors to start out with, so it won’t be
crowded on the bus.”
Akio gave the pen back to Mr Yang, who stuck it back in his breast pocket with a final
‘click’.
“You don’t have to worry about lunch. Food and any other needs you might have will be
provided for you at the competition.”
“Okay.”
“If you require anything to help you with your studies or have any questions, please feel
free to ask for assistance.” Mr Yang gave Akio another full smile.
36
Akio tilted his head forward, “Thank you very much for your assistance and guidance,
Mr Yang. I’ll be sure to remember your words.”
“You’re free to leave if you wish.”
Akio nodded, bowing slightly towards the friendly mannered male, “Thank you.”
He turned, sauntering towards the mahogany door. He passed by the receptionist, giving
her a farewell nod as she smiled at him. He slipped between those double doors like a ghost and
his footsteps echoed lightly through the hall. As the door closed behind him with a soft ‘click’,
he let out a faint sigh. There was a lot of interaction today and Akio was on the fence on whether
or not he minded. He still knew that there was more to say later, but the Vice Principal was a bit
unexpectedly rough. He could feel the small sliver of appreciation for the inner strength the man
showed him.
His mind shifted, changing from his brief interaction with Mr Yang and onto the letters
and numbers that were on the paper he was given. He specifically focused on the date, mentally
clearing and adjusting his schedule to properly fit the event into his personal calendar. It really
wasn’t until a week or two away, but part of being ahead and preparing ahead.
As his mind made a new plan to help with his studying, he caught a flash of gold out of
the corner of his eye. His mind sputtered to a stop, the flash of gold forming into a person.
“Hey, Akio . . .”
He turned abruptly, his head whipping to the side. He searched around the area for where
he saw the gold. His eyes caught onto the sun slipping onto the frame of one of the windows that
was in the hallway - flashing gold at just the right angle. He let out a breath that he was
unconsciously holding, the rigidness that had stolen his fluid form melting away.
Ah, that’s right . . .
It was only his imagination.
The bell rang, cutting off Akio’s scribbling. He smoothly put his pencil away - closing
his notebook and stacking it with the book he was reading and sticking it in his bag. He didn’t
stand up immediately, waiting for the rest of his classmates to pass before scooting back his
chair. He grabbed his satchel with one hand and pushed his chair with the other. He took a glance
at Kaito next to him as he pulled the strap over his head.
The dark haired male was already leaning against the desk behind them, his arms crossed
and his posture relaxed. His golden eyes slid over to Akio and his head dipped in a greeting and
farewell before moving to the doorframe. Akio let his own eyes travel to the exit - watching as
the students lined up to move out the door.
“Have a good lunch, Akio.” Kaito’s quiet voice tickled the silver haired male’s ears and
he nodded in response. He walked off, joining the line that was moving out the door.
As Kaito filed out, the teen’s head tilted slightly to the side before he stalked off towards
the direction of the cafeteria. The cause of Kaito’s fiery glare turned the corner of the door frame
with a large grin on his face.
“You ready to go?” Neo’s grin was bright and he had grabbed the edge of the doorframe
to lean into the classroom.
37
Akio nodded once, moving around his desk to reach the dark skinned male. Neo moved
back and allowed Akio to walk out of the classroom easily before stepping to stand next to him.
Without any more words, he walked forward - knowing that Akio would follow behind him.
“There’s a side door that’s a couple hallways down,” Neo began, moving to the side so
Akio could walk next to him. “It’s a bit faster than going out the front and you don’t have to
walk under one of the overpasses.”
Akio remained silent. Neo was undaunted by the lack of speech from the smaller teen,
already used to his cold personality. He strode through the slightly crowded hallways - students
parting for them as recognition passed through their facial features. There was no staring nor
talking to them, but the silent obedience told Akio everything he needed to know about Neo and
his own ranking.
True to his word, the side door was only a few hallways down - approximately seven
classrooms away from Akio’s homeroom. Neo pulled ahead from Akio’s side, pushing open the
door and holding it so that Akio could pass through easily. The door shut behind Neo with an
audible ‘click’, the teen coming to stand beside Akio with an easy going grin.
The side of the school was pretty barren, the only things to see was the transition of
concrete to blacktop to grass. The wall surrounding Demai High was visible from where they
were standing and off to the right seemed to be a gate.
“If you think that it’s a gate, you are correct,” Neo cut into his observation. “It’s unlocked
all the time so it’s easy pickings.”
Neo strode ahead, letting Akio fall in step behind him. There was no reason for Akio to
step up next to him when he didn’t know the way. The taller boy’s stride was a couple inches
longer than Akio’s but he moved slower than the smaller boy. As they reached the gate, Neo
moved to the side to allow Akio to watch him unlatch the small hinge from the lock and push the
gate open. Neo walked out first, holding it open for Akio and closing it after he had stepped clear
of the closing range. After reversing his previous work, Neo turned to Akio with an audible sigh.
“You know Welshin Street?”
Akio nodded.
“It’s on the corner next to that two story apartment that always smells like old lady
perfume,” Neo scrunched up his nose at the memory. “Luckily, you don’t really smell it unless
you’re close to the apartment. The smell of food covers it up.”
Akio was silent for a few seconds before he opened his mouth, his voice not holding his
hard edge as his feet crossed the sidewalk, “What’s the place called?”
Neo hummed happily as he began to lead the way, “Hank’s.”
A comfortable silence followed and neither felt the need to break the tranquil peace. The
sun was partially hidden by clouds, casting a warm - but not uncomfortable - heat on their skin.
The road was quiet, allowing the faint tweeting of birds to reach their ears. Accompanying the
vocal signs of life was the soft patter of footsteps against concrete. They didn’t pass by many
people the first minute, the school property still within sight distance. As they drew towards
Welshin Street, the busying people became more frequent.
38
They stuck to the right side of the sidewalk, close to the short openings that lead into
enclosed alleyways. Some shady looking people eyed the two teens curiously - but decided they
weren’t worth the energy and looked away once they had gone. As the two came upon a
crosswalk, they heard chuckles behind them.
“Nah,” the voice was annoying, full of confidence and had a slight rasp most likely due to
a smoking habit. “You should have seen the look on that fucker’s face. He probably pissed
himself.”
Already familiar with how lowly street thugs - normally high school dropouts - act, Akio
ignored them in favor of watching the street lights. Neo’s hands twitched, but otherwise he didn’t
make a move.
A different voice spoke up this time, “Hey, you think that’s a chick or a dude? The one
standing next to the pencil over there.”
Ah . . .
“How the hell am I supposed to know?” The first voice grumbled. “Why don’t you find
out yourself you lazy fuck?”
Akio could see the look that Neo threw him out of the corner of his eye. Akio shrugged,
his eyes trained on the crosswalk sign - waiting for it to turn white to signal the go-ahead to start
crossing. The corner of Neo’s lips pulled up and he shook his head.
Of course . . . Neo stuffed his hands in his pocket, ignoring the moving thugs only a few
meters behind them. If Akio didn’t think it was worth his time then he wouldn’t act.
The small male moved forward, letting Neo know it was time for them to leave the idiots
behind them. A car honked as it passed by, obscuring the sound of feet moving towards the duo.
It wasn’t until one of the thugs had stopped Akio by taking a firm hold on his wrist did the two
notice that the trio of thugs had snuck up on them.
“You know,” the elder teen cocked his head and pulled Akio away from the crosswalk.
“It’s not nice to ignore people.”
Akio blinked, his frigid stare boring into shallow brown orbs. The teen stood at least half
a foot taller than Akio, if not more. He was stocky, but he had a pork belly - which protruded at
least two inches from beneath his chest. He had cropped dark hair and wide lips that pulled into a
sneer.
“He’s pretty docile, he might really be a girl.” A third, new voice resonated from behind
the small silver haired male.
Neo turned, catching a glimpse of bright red hair that laid flat against a sharp face. He
could count three people total. His eyes slid over to whom he assumed was the owner of the first
voice - white tipped auburn hair protruding from his head at every angle.
“Only one way to find out.” The teen holding Akio’s wrist pulled the petite male closer to
him with a toothy grin. Akio’s eyes flashed at subzero temperature but he didn’t act. He didn’t
need to.
Neo’s hand gripped the pork bellied male’s wrist in a vice-like grip, a sharp smile
appearing on his face. His bright aquamarine eyes seemed to glow poisonously and he stood into
the front side of Akio. He tilts his head slightly, his free hand sliding into his pant pocket.
39
The thug opens his mouth to object before it flops like a fish - his eyes finally caught in a
bind with Neo’s. Akio’s dark skinned companion tightens his grip on the guy’s arm. As the thug
tries to pull away, he realizes that Neo’s grip is far stronger than it looks. Neo’s eyes bore into
his brown orbs, poison crawling through those neon eyes like a snake around a branch - ready to
strike. He no longer looks like the laid back, careless teen - but a predator, ready at any sign of
movement to devour them.
“Hey,” his voice was the same as always, except for the usual childish energy it had. The
energy was warm - a little too warm and seemed to get hotter as it traveled to the surrounding
ears. The tone was electrical, sending shivers up the thugs’ spines. “Piss off, unless you want to
see some blood.”
Neo’s smile widens a fraction, his teeth looking more like fangs with each passing
second. The pork bellied thug slowly lets go of Akio’s wrist and tosses his own arm aside. Neo
allows him to break their contact, letting his arm down as the thug looks away with a click of his
tongue. His other two buddies move to stand by his side, feeling that a group would feel more
threatening to the predator in front of them.
“Whatever, you guys aren’t worth it anyways.” the leader spits on the ground, his eyes
still averted. With one last flash of courage, he glances up to meet Akio’s eyes as he throws out
one last jab. “Keep a leash on your guard dog, who knows what might happen if he goes.”
They three thugs turn around, sulking off back to their alleyway. Neo’s eyes watch for a
few more seconds before the threat dissipates off of his face. His shoulders slump a bit and an
easier look enters his features.
Akio can’t help but agree with the name they gave to the spiky haired teen next to him.
He was like a guard dog, protecting his master from harm. Akio’s eyes watch the street light
again and sees its about to turn to the walk signal once again. He looks over at Neo, who is
already facing him, and spurs him to life by moving forward.
As the white painted lines pass under their feet, Neo speaks up - his tone apologetic. “I’m
sorry for letting it escalate to that point. I didn’t mean for them to touch you like that.”
Akio waves his apology off, the arm that was held captive under the thug’s grip put into
the air. Neo’s eyes catch the porcelain skin of Akio’s wrist - where the sleeve had slid down -
feeling a twinge of surprise and a fair amount of relief to see it unblemished. A genuine smile
enters on his face and he doesn’t mention it again for the duration of their journey to the
restaurant.
About three minutes later, they stood in front of the restaurant. In bright scripted neon
lights, the word “Hank’s” is scrawled. Akio noted that if he really tried - he could pick up the
scent of ‘old lady perfume’ as Neo put it. The front of the building was friendly yellow, not a
bright, blinding yellow - but a mellow color that reminded him of summer. There were large
rectangular windows on either side of the door, opaque in allowing passersby to peer into the
building.
Neo stepped ahead, letting out a happy sigh, “Hello, heaven.”
40
The taller teen pulled open the glass door for Akio. The air caught the faint sound of a
bell jingle and comfortable cool air breathed onto Akio’s skin. His eyes scanned the area for a
brief moment as he moved to the side to allow Neo to step through the doorway. The door
slowed down to shut with a soft hissing sound.
The restaurant had a few people littered about in separate booths and bar stools. A couple
waiters flitted about, a smile on their face as they wrote orders on a yellow notepad. The orders
travelled across the plastic wooden floors, through a break in the counter and were hung on a
string by clips. The order would be taken by a hand and an array of food items would replace it
some time later.
“They’ll come to us,” Neo piped up from behind Akio. “So you can pick a booth if you
want.”
Akio gave a slight nod to show that he had heard the fellow silver haired teenager. His
eyes caught onto a corner booth and his feet moved towards it. Neo followed behind him silently,
not commenting on the choice of seating. Akio suspected that the childish teen wanted a bit of
privacy if his attitude towards Akio was anything to go by. He suspected it was like a fan
hanging out with their favorite celebrity.
The cool plastic of the table seeped into his palm as he lowered himself on the red leather
of the booth seat. It was continuous but Neo slid into the other side of the booth, keeping a fair
amount of distance between them. The restaurant wasn’t chilly but the air was cool and it took a
few moments for the seat to warm up from Akio’s body heat.
He picked up the menu stacked at the table already, flipping through it and looking over
the food items and drinks listed. He didn’t really care what he got, already planning on letting
Neo choose for him. Since Neo seemed to be a regular, Akio didn’t doubt that if he let the teen
choose something for him to eat, it wouldn’t be disgusting.
He leaned back against the plush leather, watching as a waiter made way to their table
quickly. The same genial smile was plastered on his face as he pulled out a yellow notepad from
his apron and a pen from his uniform breast pocket.
“Hi! Welcome to Hank’s,” the pen clicked as he prepared his notepad. “I’ll be serving
you today. Can I get you anything to start out with or have you already decided what you want to
order?”
Neo smiled back, “I believe we’re ready.”
He looked over at Akio - who merely gestured with his hand about his intentions.
He looked back up at the waiter, “I’ll take a Double Bacon Cheeseburger Special with
Sweet Potato Fries and a chocolate shake.”
“Okay, and for you?” The waiter finished scrawling down the last letter, looking
expectantly at Akio.
“Ah,” Neo cut in with a smile again, catching the waiter’s attention. “I’ll be ordering for
him.”
“Oh, okay.”
“He’ll have a Sweet Pork Rice Bowl with a glass of water.”
41
“Okay then,” the waiter smiled at them, clicking the pen and putting it in his breast
pocket once again. “We’ll be back shortly with your meals.”
He turned, haste nipping him in the heels as he ripped out the page in the notepad and slid
the notepad back into his apron. Akio’s eyes didn’t stay on him for long. He looked at Neo, who
looked as if he wanted to say something. Akio waited.
“You know,” Neo began, shifting so that his cheek rested on the palm of his hand. “I
don’t think you realize how much influence you have over the school population already.”
Akio quirked a brow with a slight hum leaving his vocal chords.
“Everything about you is soft. Now don’t get me wrong,” Neo lifted his other hand in a
placating gesture as Akio raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “I don’t mean that in a bad way. I
mean that it really is such a surprise to see you beat the living shit out of someone. You just
don’t expect that from an angel look-a-like.”
Neo lowered his hand with a slight amused huff coming through his nose. “I’m pretty
sure that the whole school knows now that you’re exactly that. Just an angel look-a-like. I’m
positive your Lucifer’s spawn - a little devil he set loose to bring about chaos.”
The corner of Akio’s mouth quirked up in amusement before dropping after a few
seconds, “Little devil?”
Their drinks were dropped off quickly, no conversation added between their waiter and
them. With the flash of “thank you” from the both of them, the waiter hurried off once more.
Neo nodded solemnly, taking a sip of his shake. “Yep. A little devil - or demon, whatever
you wanna call it.” A little sigh escaped him. “Honestly though, I can’t decide if I want to stick
with that title. I think there are more parts to you than just that. I know the way you fight is like a
demon, no argument there . . . but I think that your attitude is more towards a reigning emperor
than a devil. You aren’t exactly mischievous, you know?”
Akio nodded, his eyes fluttering closed for a brief moment at the truth ringing in those
words. He didn’t disagree, he really wasn’t the type to cause trouble for his own amusement.
Neo continued, “At first, you seem silent and kind of meek. But that's to be expected at a
first glance. But the more people look, the more you feel untouchable. It’s like you met God and
weren’t impressed - which is literally impossible.”
Neo snorted while taking a longer sip and Akio held back the noise threatening to come
out of his throat. There was a longer pause as Neo thought about his next words. Akio waited
with cool silence, leaning forward to rest his upper half on the table. He placed his arms down,
the slight coldness seeping through his uniform and settling against his warmer skin. His
fingertips rested against the side of his biceps as his forearms rested fully on the table. He
decided that it wouldn’t be worth the effort to hold his head up and allowed the weight of his
head to rest on his arms. His chin pressed into his forearms - but he hardly felt the pressure as he
focused his wintry gaze on Neo.
Neo was already looking at him, his lips slightly parted and his pupils blown wide to
match the fraction his eyes had widened. The darker skinned teen snapped his mouth shut,
blinking and clearing his throat. He lifted his head off of his palm, shaking it with his eyes
closed. He leaned back, slouching back as he looked at Akio.
42
“This is exactly what I’m talking about,” his voice was a bit lower as he spoke and he
opened his eyes. “Everything you do is so . . . so ugh.”
The abrupt end of his almost-tangent finished with Neo’s forehead softly hitting the table.
Akio allowed a small smile to flash across his facial features while Neo’s head was down. It was
gone as quickly as it came but his amusement with the fellow silver haired teen lingered. Neo’s
perception of him was as amusing as it was confusing.
He couldn’t help but think about his two friends. Mykel and Kaito had grown just as
absurd about Akio as Neo. Akio didn’t think it was possible for people to grow so attached in
one week. While it stood true that Akio spent at least six hours a day with Kaito - he had briefly
met Neo and had only talked to Mykel twice. He assumed, however, that Kaito and Neo had
talked about Akio enough for Mykel to be familiar with him.
The hush that fell over the table was interrupted when footsteps came this way, hands
holding onto a bar of a rolling tray that held steaming plates of various foods. He stopped by
their table, a smile on his face.
“Your food is ready,” he grabbed a larger plate that held a large cheeseburger with fries
on the side. He set the plate down in front of Neo. “One Double Bacon Cheeseburger Special
with Sweet Potato Fries . . .”
Neo shot up, his eyes alight and his mouth forming into a grin, “Ah!”
He shifted the plate in front of him, his mouth open slightly as he practically drooled over
the food. He shifted the chocolate shake to the side of the plate in an attempt to organize the
plating. Akio watched for a moment before the movement of the waiter snagged his attention
away from the childish teen.
“. . . and one Sweet Pork Rice Bowl,” the waiter finishes as he sets down a bowl about as
wide as Akio’s face.
“Thank you,” Akio’s voice is cool, but his tone is genuine. “For the food.”
The waiter smiles as Neo voices his thanks after Akio, the sound recognizably bright and
warm. The waiter waves it off and leaves with the trolly. Neo is already focused on his food,
stuffing fries into his mouth unceremoniously. Akio doesn’t touch his food for a moment, caught
on the monstrous appetite that the silver haired male across from him has.
He looks down to his own food and picks up his preferred utensil. He was a bit curious
about what kind of restaurant carries both American and Asian dishes. He supposed it could just
be a food mosh pit. He thinks back to the menu and his mind flashes with at least three different
titles of foreign culinary items. He takes the steaming, breaded pork and brings it to his mouth
before biting it.
It’s not bad, he decides, finishing it off. Not bad at all.
Opposite of him, Neo takes a long sip of his chocolate shake to clear away the remaining
sweet potato in his mouth. He lets out a happy sigh and picks up his burger, “Hey, Akio.”
Akio looks up, the pork a few inches away from his mouth.
“Mykel, Kaito and I are going over to the arcade by the overpass,” Neo lifted the burger
to his mouth, his eyes bright as he looked at Akio with a sort of shy warmth. “You should come
hang out with us.”
43
Akio sticks the pork in his mouth, his thoughts running as he chewed. Neo doesn’t look
nervous but the burger pulls away from his mouth a little.
“If you don’t want to that’s fine too.”
Akio swallows, “Okay.”
“Yeah, I totally understand,” Neo pauses as he registers Akio’s answer. A smile lights up
on his face. “Wait, really?”
“I’ll be there,” Akio repeats and takes a sip of his water. His eyes were connected to
Neo’s as the teen took a large bite out of his burger in extended joy.
“I’ll text you the time,” Neo says happily, the sound muffled by the food that filled his
mouth.
Akio nods, continuing to eat his meal. It was the perfect opportunity to figure out exactly
what he was missing. If there was one thing Akio could do, it was observe and analyze. A group
outing was the best chance for him to inconspicuously dig for the answers he needed.
“Okay.”
44

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“Violence is never the answer, until it's the only answer.”

Chapter One : “Move” 3

Chapter One : “Move”

Neo let out a hum.

Chapter Two : “You’ll See”

Chapter 3 : “Indulge Me”

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