"Requesting back up. There's been a disturbance call—"

Heisuke could hear the policemen who had broken up the street brawl he'd been balls deep in, the sound of his labored breathing and heavy footfalls hardly enough to mask the sound of his panicked, beating heart as he barely stumbled out of getting tackled by the neighborhood watch.

"—these damn kids—"

He had very nearly gotten caught, one of the men swearing as he managed to snag another stray punk that tried to flee the scene. It wasn't until that moment Heisuke was grateful for his smaller frame and height that allowed him to dodge being captured and cuffed.

The night air was muggy and suffocating to his overworked lungs while he blindly ran through the dark in an attempt to navigate through his town's narrow alleyways toward the way home. He knew that taking the main road that led to his neighborhood would make him a more obvious target to the patrol units that were no doubt on their way to the area, but it was too risky to cut through the back neighborhood in case he ended up getting injured worse or snagged on a chain link in the night.

Just as he rounded the corner and out of the alley, Heisuke's shoes scuffed against the gravel and picked up speed, he didn't make it far before his face hit something hard and the force knocked him backwards onto the road as he clutched his nose on instinct from the pain.

"Shit, that hurt!"

Whatever he'd hit had followed him down, Heisuke wincing at the aching throb that came from the collision before scrambling to pick himself up. It was just his luck running into someone on his way out, the grunt the stranger made indicating that it was no soft fall for them either. However, he didn't have the luxury of staying there to apologize, knowing that the cops could be just paces behind him.

He prepared to make another run for it when something had wrapped itself around his ankle and pulled him back down to the ground. Heisuke had caught himself that time, using his hands to ease the fall and brace himself from hitting his face against the surface. What the hell

"You've got some nerve." The deep voice behind him could have only belonged to the hand that had drug the boy down. The unnerving rumble that came from the stranger as he spoke sounded so achingly familiar but he couldn't recall where he had heard that voice before.

Heisuke knew that he was in for trouble now. If the cops wouldn't get to him first, he was sure to lose to the vice grip around his leg that held him there. He couldn't see, but he tried his best to shake himself off and pry away from his hold before it was too late.

Shit. Shiiiit.

His other leg was free to kick at the one anchoring him there until another cold hand had latched onto his thigh and pinned him to the gravel that was slowly digging into his skin the more he fought. "Let… go of me!" Heisuke could feel the weight and strength shift from where he was held captive, knowing that his assailant was moving in close. If it weren't for the position he was stuck in he would have already flipped the guy over and high tailed it out of danger by now.

"I saw a kid go in that direction, he couldn't have gotten far!" One of the police shouted before a flurry of footsteps followed, quickly closing the distance that Heisuke fought to keep.

"What the hell kind of trouble are you inthat has you in such a rush, Toudou?" The stranger had leaned in, his words biting with accusation.

Heisuke had shifted his body to try and pull his way free until he had heard his name, his mind finally connecting a face with the voice. Even without the aid of his sight, there was only one person he knew with a voice that nerve grating and haughty.

"Please," Heisuke tried, knowing that the other heard them approaching too, "you know as much as I do that if they find us both here we're going to get caught." Not only would they catch Heisuke, but the police would assume that anyone near Heisuke's age was a part of the riot that had taken place at the abandoned lot in the alley. "You know it's past curfew for students, Kazama."

The one above him had seemed to pause in consideration, Kazama giving an irritated sigh before the grip on his legs was released and Heisuke hadn't wasted the opportunity to get to his feet. Before he could take off, however, Kazama had him by the collar of his shirt.

"You're better off not going that way. There's one on patrol near the stop sign up ahead. It's too open for you to escape." Time wasn't on their side, but he was not about to let the other run into the trouble he was trying to avoid.

"So what do I—" Heisuke was immediately cut off by Kazama who had yanked his collar back, effectively strangling his words in the process. He was being pulled in the opposite direction and across the street to what seemed to be a myriad of shrubs from a neighbor's unkempt lawn. Heisuke had caught on quickly, knowing that hiding there would throw the police off their tail long enough for them to escape safely.

They used the camouflage to avoid being seen just as the men in uniform came around the corner they had met, Heisuke ducking around the only tree close enough to shield him while Kazama remained crouched in a tangle of azalea bushes.

The two watched from their hiding places for the next few minutes, eying the cops that had split up in nearly all directions to scope out any young strays that had ran from them earlier. None of them had wandered in their direction close enough to have found them. The two held their breathes, remaining quiet and holding their positions to keep wandering eyes away.

Eventually, after what seemed to be the longest twenty minutes of Heisuke's life, the police had finally regrouped and headed back towards the alley he'd escaped from. No doubt they were returning to their vehicles and taking in the kids they caught for questioning.

Kazama endured the cramped posture he'd been forced to hold until minutes after the coast was clear, signaling Heisuke's reveal by maneuvering out of the bushes once he was certain they weren't going to be seen. They quietly returned towards the road and Heisuke, in a moment of uncertainty, had awkwardly shifted his gaze from Kazama to the street as if debating on whether to leave him now that they were safe.

He knew Heisuke wasn't dumb, at least not dumb enough to ignore his warning from before. There were only a few excuses the boy had that kept him from hightailing it back home to safety, but his feet seemed to be glued in place. "What?"

His reply wasn't immediate, Heisuke seemingly looking out into the now-silent evening towards the sole streetlamp several blocks away, illuminating an outline to the patrol car parked by a vacant stop sign up ahead. Kazama hadn't lied to him earlier, apparently. "Um," Heisuke looked like he was debating on what to say first, "I think I can get by on my own from here now. Sorry for getting you caught up in that and… stuff."

The two of them had never got along well, especially when they were alone together, Kazama's overbearing attitude and narcissism had always struck a nerve with Heisuke, and in turn Heisuke had never bothered giving him the luxury of his kindness because of it. Now with Chizuru attending classes at their school, Kazama had become a regular nuisance between the two of them, and his teases were relentless as Heisuke was often the target of them.

It wasn't that Heisuke wasn't grateful, not at all. What had him confused was that Kazama helped him avoid the cops, though he merely believed it was for his own sake. Had the older boy been found with him, both of them surely would have been turned into the station like the rest of those caught. All Kazama really needed to do was hold him down and turn him in himself once the police had gotten there, if Kazama wanted to save his own skin. He was wealthy, and his family held some level of influence; the cops would have overlooked him breaking curfew, he was sure.

Heisuke wasn't sure how to properly thank him now.

"Isn't your home in that direction?" Even in the dark Heisuke could see Kazama motioning his head towards the cop car, which had been parked just a block before his house. The arrogance in his voice laid proof that he knew he was correct.

The car was parked at a four-way stop on the vacant street surrounded by stone walls fenced around neighboring houses. It would be a challenge to climb over them, let alone to not be seen doing it, before he could even reach his home. He briefly thought about sneaking through Chizuru's yard, except her house was next to his on the opposite side he needed to hide on. Unless he could manage to successfully remain undetected, he didn't have much hope that he would make it without the police spotting him.

Kazama had quietly watched Heisuke mentally fight with the odds, the older boy observing the way his face scrunched as he worked to solve his dilemma. He knew he probably didn't have many options outside of trespassing at that point, but the idea of Heisuke being forced to break even more rules in order to escape didn't settle well with him. If his friend, dear little Yukimura, ever discovered that he was out late running from the law, he was sure it would break her heart.

Why make it worse when there were alternatives?

The third year reached into his pocket and fished out his phone, dimming the screen low enough so he could text without squinting. "Hey." Kazama's voice snapped Heisuke out of his own thoughts. Within seconds he had finished typing, keeping his words brief to save them some time. "I don't normally offer help to people—"

"—That's hard to believe—"

Kazama's words faltered at Heisuke's sarcasm to keep himself from retorting something unsavory back, "… However. I'm willing to negotiate a deal with you."

Heisuke knew that any kind of bargain made by Kazama was certain to be unfair on his end alone, the older student known for his ridiculously higher expectations and an outlook revolved around personal gain. Still, knowing that, there wasn't much else he could do besides hear him out. "What is it?"

After earning his reluctant agreement, Kazama revealed a crooked smirk. "I'll help you get out of here without a chance of getting arrested." He held a hand up to stop Heisuke from cutting him off too soon. "In exchange, you keep this whole thing a secret. From everyone. I imagine even you can manage to keep your mouth shut about something like this, right?" He knew Heisuke well enough to prepare having his offer rejected, but not without serious consideration.

Kazama's offer had been sketchy to say the least. He'd been expecting something more outlandish required for his cooperation alone, something that could possibly humiliate Heisuke in the process or compromise his situation even further. What did Kazama have to gain by privacy? "What's the catch? That seriously can't be it."

The other's smirk had dropped into a small grimace, the student obviously growing impatient by Heisuke's expected suspicion. "There isn't one, it's just a simple agreement: you do as I say and no one has to know what happened here tonight."

"Why keep quiet?"

"Because—" Kazama tried to keep his voice in check, "—you wouldn't want Yukimura to discover what you had been doing earlier, would you?" He placed a hand against his chest to mock her hurt expression, which Heisuke hadn't found too amusing. "You're not stupid. If you take a second to actually think, it wouldn't be difficult to realize why I need you to keep this under wraps."

Heisuke never did like lying, not to anyone and not even to himself. Yes, he did run from the scene, he didn't want to be caught up in anything that severe in the first place, but was staying quiet really any better? He could rely on Chizuru to that extent, as a confidant, but even Kazama didn't want her to know.

Kazama came from a prestigious background and his family was well-known for their tea houses and strict tradition. While his money could keep others silent about him breaking curfew, if his family found out it would no doubt be difficult for him to earn back his trust.

"It would be too much trouble for you." Heisuke had come to that conclusion, at least. Chizuru's peace of mind for Heisuke, and Kazama's pride would be tarnished.

Heisuke was dwelling on his options again, weighing out the worth of Kazama's offer before a thought struck him. He looked up at the other, who had been staring off into the distance, presumably at the lone police car ahead, when he spoke. "Why were you out past curfew, anyways?"

Kazama hadn't even flinched at the question, probably expecting it, and he simply shrugged.

Just in that moment, the sound of a car pulling up and the blare of headlights shining down on them had nearly startled Heisuke into bolting from the street. It was only Kazama's hands that had stopped him completely, holding him in place while his strange sense of calm alerted the shorter boy that something was amiss.

Expecting the cop from down the street to have appeared before them, a different figure emerged from the driver's side of the vehicle, Heisuke barely recognizing him until he spoke.

"Get in."

Those two words were all Heisuke needed to identify him as Amagiri, one of Kazama's… friends? Heisuke wasn't sure what their relationship was to begin with, but he always saw him and the other one—

"Hurry it up, would you? If you get caught standing around here we'll all get busted." The second voice came from the front passenger's window of the car, which Heisuke realized was Shiranui. It seemed as though the two of them were the ones Kazama had texted earlier about their dilemma. How they somehow found them so quickly in the matter of minutes was something Heisuke did not want to dwell on for long.

Even in the dark he was certain the windows were tinted to hide their faces, and vehicles running this late at night didn't stand out as much as two teenagers did out in the open. So he took a deep breath, and as he felt Kazama's hand guide him to the back seat of the car, he hoped his decision won't come back to bite him in the ass.