You might have seen me post a preview of this fic on Tumblr, but just in case, the short version is that this is a crossover and a major AU, and it features the Juuni Taisen characters as members of 3E and eventually as contestants of the Juuni Taisen. Which means they're all the same age in this AU, and as such many things are different about them-for example, I've given Usagi a 'real' name, Hitsuji has a different surname in 3E, and I've modified abilities. To give an example of the last one, rather than having his 100 paths ability, Nezumi instead has total, perfect recall -he remembers literally everything that happens to him or that he witnesses. If you have any questions or whatever, leave them in a review, PM me, drop me an ask on Tumblr, whatever. I'll do my best to answer those questions
I don't know when I'll have the second part up, but I have about a scene and three quarters left of it so...maybe soon? Anyway, I hope you enjoy this weird idea of mine!
Toshiko got to the bottom of the hill, and felt her heart sinking as she looked at how far she had to go.
Damn it, I'm going to be sweaty by the time I actually get to the building, and that's not going to be a good look. Toshiko took great care with her appearance, always making sure she looked as classy and elegant as befitted the dignity of her family name and status as elder daughter of Kunugigaoka's headmaster, and it irritated her that her daily efforts were going to be undone for the next year and a bit. All thanks to her father, who couldn't even yield a little and allow their driver to drop her off where she was currently standing. Oh no, she had to 'face her punishment' and walk the entire way.
Well, she thought grudgingly as she started the dreary trek, at least this is a good sign that Father's angry. Just as planned. It serves him right, deciding that Kiyoko would enter the next Juuni Taisen instead of me. Toshiko was still steaming about that-deciding it would be right to send that unbearably innocent fourth grade squirt to one of the most elite battles in the world. Okay, so she'd be in her twenties by the time the next Juuni Taisen actually rolled around, but the point remained. It was she, Toshiko, who had the superior skill and experience and maturity to be selected. Kiyoko may have been put in training since she started elementary school, just as Toshiko had been, but she was still in elementary school. Still a kid. She didn't deserve to be awarded with such a honour. She doesn't deserve to be put through the ordeal that the next twelve years will inevitably be, either. But that was a thought that Toshiko squashed quickly. She was hardly going to get her father to reconsider his decision if she showed a trace of the mercy he'd been trying to beat out of her.
Feeling herself starting to get out of breath, she paused next to a tree (though she didn't lean on it, for fear of scratching her perfectly tended hands), and caught her breath, wondering what it was about this trek that made her so tired. She'd been through training exercises more gruelling than this. She looked up, and with some relief noted she could see the ratty school building. As she continued on her way up, she mentally went over what she knew about her new classmates.
She knew for sure that busybody Misaki Yuki from Class 2C would be there-after she'd ninja-kicked a group of 3A students for bullying one of the now-just-graduated 3E, there was no way she wouldn't, and practically everyone knew about Ryoka Niwa's tragic story, though only Toshiko knew just how uncaring her father had been about the mess.. Then there was Michio Tsukui from 2D, who'd been caught working two part time jobs, and the kid in her old class who'd slept his way through the year-though she couldn't remember his name. There were even rumours that Eiji Kashii, the school's genius, would be in 3E, but she was pretty sure those were just rumours. Apart from that, she couldn't think of who else would be there.
What she did know was that there would only be twelve of them in the class this year. Clearly, her father hadn't found enough people who fell short of his precious school's high standards. Meh, better for me, I guess. Only eleven losers to deal with. Or maybe ten and a half, since Yuki's not that bad when she's not harping on about helping others…
Finally reaching the top, Toshiko slowed her pace, and was about to make her way over to the discreet shade of the tree in front of the building, when she spotted Ryoka sitting in the branches, birds surrounding her, face unnaturally calm. Loser, Toshiko silently snorted despite the wave of pity that washed over her briefly. She just decided to stand by the building instead, and she put her bag down, and adjusted her skirt and blazer, smoothing out any creases. Then, she took her handkerchief out of her pocket and carefully mopped the sweat from her forehead, before bending down and pulling out her compact mirror and make-up bag from her school bag. Remaining kneeling, she flipped open the mirror, and studied her face and hair very carefully.
"No need to do that, dearie, you're pretty enough as it is."
The comment was followed by a wheezy laugh, and then a sudden burst of coughing. Toshiko didn't even need to look up to know who it was.
"Oh, you're in this class too, Yagi-kun?" she asked with fake politeness, continuing to adjust her hair.
"Eh. Unfortunately I missed too many days of school this year. Under the circumstances, it doesn't seem fair, but well, there's not much either of us can do about that, eh, dearie?"
"Why are you calling me 'dearie' like you're some old man?" Toshiko asked in exasperation.
She finally looked up at the unusually short boy-with her kneeling, they were now actually almost eye to eye-and glared daggers at him. He just smiled that sly smile and gave another wheezy laugh.
"I'll see you in class, Ino-san, dearie."
If Toshiko wasn't so refined, she'd have given Yagi the middle finger. As it was, she silently seethed as he sauntered in his odd way to the classroom.
"U-uhm."
Oh for crying out loud, what is it now?
This time, when she looked up, she had to crane her neck, because this new guy was exceptionally tall. Slender and youthful, but very tall. Since she'd managed to fix herself up, she quickly shoved everything in her bag and stood up so she wouldn't feel quite so dumpy.
"Yes?"
"Was..was he bothering you, Ino-san?" the boy shuffled awkwardly, cheeks reddening.
What a loser…though he does have a nice voice, and he isn't bad looking either. She had no idea who this guy was, but was hardly surprised that he knew exactly who she was, so she didn't bother to ask for his name. He shuffled embarrassedly, and Toshiko realised he was a little awestruck. If she hadn't been annoyed from the trek she'd just had, she might have been flattered.
"Oh, Yagi-kun? He's nothing I can't handle." She replied airily, making a dismissive gesture with her hand.
"I..I see. That's good."
The boy hunched into himself, and there was a moment where he looked like he wanted to say something else, but to Toshiko's relief he instead bowed awkwardly and loped hurriedly away into the class. Toshiko watched as he disappeared, and then noted a few other students coming up the hill, and decided that she should finally make her own way into class and let the end begin.
…
Tsugiyoshi groaned as both his alarm clock and his phone started to blare at him-the former with insistent beeps, the latter with some stupidly irritating pop song that one of the Tsumita twins had programmed onto it for a prank. He decided to shut the alarm clock up first, slamming it in annoyance, before then sitting up and picking up the phone.
Rise and shine, Sumino-kun! The text from Misaki read, as it had always done every school morning for the past two weeks since they'd both ended up in 3E and they'd befriended each other. Though befriended was the wrong word, perhaps. It was more like Misaki had adopted him and he'd just…gone along with it? Tch, it's too early in the morning to think about this. Tiredly, he tapped out a reply.
I don't wanna.
Almost as soon as he'd sent it, another text from Misaki came in.
I'm making cheese rolls with melted middles for you.
Gimme proof.
A couple of seconds went past, and he looked out of the window. The moon was still the weird crescent shape it had been since it had mysteriously exploded two nights before. Nobody knew what had caused it, but Tsugiyoshi wasn't sure he cared about that so much as he was wondering why on earth the world hadn't ended as a result. He wondered if it mattered, but that wondering was cut short by the arrival of a message with a picture attached came in. He tapped on the picture, and was practically drooling at the image of the dough and the two different blocks of cheddar arranged on Misaki's kitchen counter, waiting to be turned into a cheesy, doughy delight. He was drooling just thinking about it.
Fine, he tapped, resigned to his fate. I'll get up.
Awesome, Misaki replied with a smiley face emoji, I'll see you at school.
Goddamn, I'm always a sucker for cheese. Yawning, Tsugiyoshi got up and went through the motions of washing, brushing his teeth, pulling on his school uniform, and shoving his phone, lunch and water bottle in his school bag while double checking the books and stationery he'd packed in the night before, though there really was no point in that last action. Considering the cheese rolls waiting for him, he didn't bother with breakfast, instead quickly making and downing a cup of coffee before dumping the mug in the sink, and then going to shove his feet into his shoes and setting off to school.
No matter how much he loved cheese, he couldn't muster up the motivation to walk fast to school. It wasn't a particularly riveting place at the best of times, but being in 3E was a new circle of hell. Okay, so Misaki wasn't that bad, and the antics of the brothers and some of the others were mildly entertaining, and their teacher seemed as unmotivated as he was most days which meant they were left to their own devices. But still, it was 3E, of all the things. Eh, I'll deal with it.
When he got to the top of the hill, Misaki was sitting under the tree with Ryoka, carrying on a cheery, mostly one-sided conversation, though Ryoka was at least paying attention to her, which given how spacey the green-haired girl could be, was definitely progress.
"Cheese rolls." Tsugiyoshi said the moment he reached the two of them.
"And good morning to you too," Misaki returned cheerfully. "Here you go."
"Good morning, Sumino-kun." Ryoka said quietly, clearly attempting to make her voice sound as cheerful as Misaki's, but not quite succeeding. Well, that's fair enough, it's not like she's got much to be cheerful about, does she?
Tsugiyoshi grabbed the bag eagerly and pulled one of the rolls out of the plastic bag Misaki had handed to him. It was perfectly round, grated cheese sprinkled on top, and it smelled heavenly. He took a huge bite and made appreciative noises as the combination of warm dough and melted cheddar hit his taste buds. Heavenly…
"Thwis ish amwayshing." He mumbled through mouthfuls.
"Don't talk with your mouth full, Sumino-kun." Misaki scolded gently. "But thanks."
Tsugiyoshi remained standing as he wolfed down the rest of that first roll, and then reached for the second one.
"Are we the first ones here?" he asked, pointing at the school building.
The blinds were still down, and the rooms that didn't have blinds were dark. There seemed to be no signs of life anywhere in the building. Misaki frowned as she followed his gaze.
"Yes, it seems like it. I know I make a point of being early, but even so, it's unusual for Hoshima-sensei to not already be here…"
"Maybe he slept in?" Tsugiyoshi suggested. He knew full well that if he didn't have Misaki on his back, he might not even bother coming in some days.
"Maybe, but everything's unlocked though. Right, Niwa-san?"
"Mhm."
"Oh."
Tsugiyoshi did not know what he should say to that.
"Oh no, what if something happened?" Misaki clapped her hands over her mouth. "What if he's collapsed or something, and nobody's come to help him?"
"That…would be bad." Ryoka sounded unsure. "Should we go check?"
"No we should not." Tsugiyoshi could not be bothered, not when he had a cheese roll. Naturally, he was ignored.
"Yes, I think we should." Misaki said decisively, getting up. "Right, Niwa-san, Sumino-kun, let's go and make sure our teacher hasn't befallen any harm!"
"Seriously? Have neither of you ever watched a horror movie before?" he whined half-heartedly
As they trooped to the classroom-why am I following them?-, Misaki turned and gave him an exasperated look.
"It's almost eight in the morning."
"But still…"
Oh, never mind. He concentrated on savouring the cheese bap as Misaki led the way.
"Hello? Hoshima-sensei? Are you in here? Did something happen?"
Misaki kept calling this out, along with variants of the same question, as they walked down the corridor leading to their classroom. Ryoka had the idea to poke her head into the store cupboards while Misaki looked in the staffroom, but he didn't seem to be there, and so Misaki kept calling, until they reached the classroom.
"Do…do you hear talking in there?" Ryoka said hesitantly.
Tsugiyoshi couldn't tell if the girl was talking to him or to Misaki, so he ignored her. Though, I think I do hear something…
"Yes, I hear it too," Misaki answered, before raising. "Hello, Hoshima-sensei? Is that you?"
"Nurufufufu, are you a student of mine?"
What?
All three of them stopped in their tracks, and exchanged looks. Tsugiyoshi swallowed his mouthful of bap, and he and Ryoka quickly scurried over to Misaki, who was standing by the door looking just as confused as they felt.
"Erm…We're all students of the class that studies here."
"Oh, splendid! Well-"
The unfamiliar, nasally, genderless voice was cut off by another new one, this one deeper and very male.
"How many of you are standing there, currently?" this new voice asked, brusquely.
"Erm…three of us. Do you want our names?" Misaki asked.
Apparently not having heard them, the brusque speaker had started musing aloud to who Tsugiyoshi presumed was the other person in the room, the one with the odd voice.
"I see some others coming up the hill, so I suspect the whole class will be here soon, so you might as well prepare yourself for the introductions, monster."
"Karasuma-san, you could at least give me a name." the nasally voice whined. "And aren't you going to invite the students in? If they're going to introduce themselves I want to see their faces."
"Yes, yes. Come in, students."
The three of them exchanged a look once again, and then Misaki did the honours of opening the door and leading the way in.
"Hello, do you know what happ-"
Misaki's question trailed of, and Tsugiyoshi could not blame her. For standing next to the blackboard was something that he had never seen before. It was a yellow creature thing with countless long tentacles with globby bits at the ends that looked vaguely like hands and fingers. It about ten foot tall, with a round face, beady eyes and a stupidly toothy grin that seemed fixed in place, and was dressed in the gowns that university graduates wore at graduation ceremonies, complete with a tiny version of one of those stupid hats. There was a human man standing next to him, looking as severe as his voice had sounded, but he faded into the background next to this…this thing, whatever the hell it happened to be.
Am I dreaming? Holding his bap in his mouth for a moment, Tsugiyoshi proceeded to pinch himself. No, I'm not dreaming. He took the bap back in his hand and just stared at the creature. He didn't need to look at Misaki and Ryoka to know that they were both stunned speechless, too.
"Nurufufufu." The creature laughed, and waved a tentacle. "Are you not going to introduce yourselves?"
"Oh!" Misaki coughed slightly. "Uhm, I'm Misaki Yuki, the Class Representative. This is Ryoka Niwa and Tsugiyoshi Sumino, two other members of this class."
"Oh, delighted, delighted. Well, I don't exactly have a name or anything, so feel free to come up with one, as long as it's not monster or creature or anything like that."
At this, the creature thing turned to look at the man, and though its expression didn't change, Tsugiyoshi could almost swear that it was glaring at him. This just keeps getting weirder.
"But anyway," the creature continued, turning away from the man when his pointed glare-not-glare received no response. "I happen to be the creature who was responsible for the moon explosion, and until someone can kill me, I am fully intending on doing the same to the earth at the end of this school year. But-"
It held up a tentacle to halt Misaki, who had been about to ask a question. She snapped her mouth shut abruptly, and for the first time this morning, started to look slightly scared, though the questions were still clearly in her eyes. Tsugiyoshi couldn't blame her, he had plenty of questions himself.
"But," the creature replied. "Until that time comes, I'm going to be your new class teacher."
What? The? Fuck?
…
Sensing the creature shuffling past the window, Eiji quickly flicked his anti-Sensei knife from underneath his textbook and flung it out of the open window. He was rewarded by a squelching noise and a loud shriek of surprise, but seconds later he noticed a yellow tentacle snaking back through the window to give him the knife.
"Nurufufufu, impressive, Kashii-kun, you managed to get one of my tentacles. As expected from the one they call 'The Genius'. But it's not quite enough."
"I'm aware of that, creature." Eiji snapped out, mildly irritated.
At the word 'kill', Eiji was up, swiftly pulling out the concealed weapon that he was made to carry at all times, and he lunged straight at the creature's tie, behind which he presumed its' heart lay. He was expecting to hit flesh, to feel a spray of blood hit his face as a final breath blew out of the creature's mouth and it slumped in a lump. He had his shoulders squared to allow himself to pretend that such sensations no longer affected him, and he was even ready to turn away and sit back down, mission over.
That was what he was prepared for, but that was not what happened.
Instead, he felt the knife get tugged gently out of his hand, and a tentacle press down on his shoulder. Wildly, Eiji looked up at the creature.
"Ah, I see you want to get to business straight away. I'm very pleased, Kashii-kun. However,"
At this point, the creature's face suddenly changed from yellow to purple with a cross in the middle, and its' grin seemed to widen.
"However," he repeated for emphasis. "I was not built to be killed quite so easily. And besides, your human weapons do not work on me. Trust me, these guys have tried it plenty of times."
As the creature pointed at Karasuma and the other government officials who had gathered, he used his other tentacle to flick the knife back at Eiji. He caught it without thinking, and then just stared at the creature, not sure what to do.
After all, it was the first time he'd failed at a killing.
"It's Koro-sensei. Don't be like that grumpy fart Karasuma-san."
"Sorry, Koro-sensei." Eiji apologised, slightly chastened. However annoying this yellow abomination was, it was still his teacher, after all.
But still, Koro-sensei. The pun was mildly clever, he had to admit, but still. Why had they all decided on that name? As the creature said something about trying harder next time (as he always did, every time Eiji or any of them made a failed attempt on his life), Eiji returned to his studies and thought about this. It was Misaki who'd pointed out that the creature not having a name could be confusing, and it had invited them to pick one in response. And it had been sleepy Tsugiyoshi, the kid he veered between admiring for his perfect memory and despairing at because of his lack of drive, who had come up with the name in the end. Nicknames seemed to be a thing in this class, with Kanae casually shortening most of their names and the way Rei and Ryoka were sometimes called The Rabbit Whisperer and The Bird Whisperer respectively (though recently, the former had been shortened to just 'Usagi'). The Tsumita twins seemed disinclined to remember everyone's names and came up with new nicknames for everyone almost every day, too. It was kind of annoying, but also…also..
…I'm glad of it.
He'd been so angry the day Koro-sensei appeared in his life, so, so angry when he'd stated what he was there for. And not because he hadn't been able to strike him down then and there as he'd tried to that day (though the humiliation of that stung), but because of the sheer audacity. How dare the rest of his life try to intrude in on his school life, the one place he'd carved out as a refuge from it all? How dare it? That's what he had thought, and even though he could dull his anger a little by reasoning that at least there was a righteous reason behind this killing, having his sanctuary defiled…
…I don't really know how I stand it.
Sighing, Eiji looked up and back out of the window. I'm not concentrating anymore, he acknowledged grimly. He needed to focus, but his mind was swirling with feelings, so it was not as easy. Sighing, he leaned back in his chair a little, closed his eyes and let the summer breeze tickle his face. And then he heard it.
"I'll go get him!"
Kanae's voice, instantly recognisable to him. He opened his eyes, and sat up. He wasn't sure whether to be irritated or pleased as he watched Kanae bound across the grass and to the window. He noted how bright and clear her eyes were as she propped her arms against the window frame and leaned in to yell at him.
"Yo, Kacchon! Come join us over there on the grass! We're chilling and annoying Koro-sensei!"
Even her voice was bright and clear. At the start of the school year, she'd been droopy and sluggish, made dull by alcohol and all the things that she was trying to use the alcohol to drown out. He could hardly give her the 'you're too young for this' argument considering his own background, but when they'd met and she'd taken a shine to him, he'd tried to use that to help her. And for all its faults and for all it had ruined the safety of education for him, Koro-sensei and the very fact of this class had also managed to help Kanae. She wasn't cured, or free, not by any means. But the happy girl grinning at him now was the person she was meant to be, he was sure of it.
"Oi, what're you staring at? Did Take and Yuki draw on my face or something?" Kanae said, pouting and blushing slightly.
"…no?" Eiji blinked. "Sorry. I was studying, but I think now's a good time for a break. I'll be there in a moment."
"YESS!" Kanae punched the air, grinning, before turning around and yelling. "GUYS, HE'S COMING!"
"Oh, that's excellent!" he heard Misaki call back.
"Yay!" he heard Rei say.
Shaking his head and allowing a small smile, Eiji got up and quickly put his things in his desk, before taking out his lunch and exiting the classroom. He followed the laughter to where Kanae and his other classmates were sitting, and sat down to join them, taken aback by how enthusiastically they welcomed his presence (even though it was not the first time he'd seen them be like this).
And as he got caught up in their carefree chaos, he realised that this was the reason he could stand it. That this was the reason he was glad to be here, despite everything.
…
Having knocked the man out cold, Kanae quickly reached for her roll of twine so she could tie him up and leave him before fleeing the building, when suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. Using her training, she instinctively kicked out behind her, but it seemed like whoever it was had anticipated that, because her kick was met with another, and the next thing she knew she was knocked off balance, her arms pinned behind her with an iron grip.
"You…fucking bastard," she swore.
Desperately, she ran through her repertoire of martial arts strategies and tried to work out which one to use. Damn it, damn it, damn it. Kanae wriggled and writhed and hit out as much as she could, even hoping to shatter his jaw using the force of her head and failing. As the person started to try and drag her, she called out, hoping for help.
"GUYS! GUYS, I NEED A LITTLE HELP HERE!" she screamed, still writhing, still trying. "KACCHON? MISA? ANYONE?"
No, it's useless. They're probably all fending off enemies themselves, or they've managed to escape and get to the meeting point. Dammit, someone help.
Suddenly, there was a dull thump somewhere above her, and the sound of something falling to the ground and shattering. Just like that, the grip on her arms loosened, and she was able to pull them forward and turn around, but not before the heavy man swayed and toppled on top of her, pushing her to the ground, right on top of a tentacle. Koro-sensei, of course, did not react to this.
Because he can't. Oh fuck, this makes me want a drink so bad. Koro-sensei…
But Kanae was not that girl anymore, she was so much better than that. So she focused what was more important-getting this person off of her so she could get out of there and find the others. Heaving, she edged him off, and then a pale pair of arms joined her, and between them they managed to push him away, enough that Kanae was able to spring up-somehow, miraculously, he had not broken her legs-and she stared at her rescuer.
"Hey, thanks, Ryo." She said.
"Mhm. Did I kill him?" Ryoka replied.
The two of them looked down at the man, unmoving and with a gash on his head. Then, Kanae looked over at Koro-sensei, cut to pieces in the same room. Who are we talking about, here?
"Yeah." Kanae breathed out eventually, still not sure who she was referring to. "Anyway, we should get out of here."
"At the meetup point, right?" Ryoka asked, tucking a stray lock of green hair behind her ear.
"Yeah. Let's go."
For whatever reason, Kanae found herself holding Ryoka's hand all the way there, and though it was a little weird, it was also kind of comforting, especially since she wasn't actually sure where everyone else was. As quickly as possible, they stumbled and navigated their way through the wood, Ryoka occasionally calling to the owls for assistance when the darkness proved too difficult for them, but eventually they found the two low trees which lead to the clearing that their meetup point was there.
"Aira-san, Niwa-san!" Misaki hopped up immediately to greet them. "You're okay!"
"Yeah, yeah. "
"Oh, Niwa-san, you're injured! Come here, come here."
Kanae blinked at Ryoka, who seemed equally confused as Misaki wrapped an arm around her and steered her to where a number of bags and a first aid kit was. How the fuck did I not notice, she wondered as she catalogued the number of bruises and cuts on Ryoka's body.
Well, at least we're safe now.
Kanae went and sat herself down, and looked around at who else was there. Misaki, obviously. Then Tsugiyoshi was curled up by a rock, fast asleep, using his old P.E fleece as a pillow. Misaki had contributed hers as a blanket, as had Sumihiko, who was sipping carefully from a cup nearby. Toshiko was also asleep, though Kanae couldn't figure out whose jackets she was using as a pillow-and she couldn't work out why she was sleeping until she noticed that the taller girl's middle was completely bandaged, her top cut away to showcase this fact.
Rei was a little further away from the munching on a carrot, while Michio was standing off to the side, staring into the distance. There was silence as they all did their own thing, and Kanae wondered what to do. The plan is for one of us to make contact with Karasuma-sensei once we've all gathered back here safely, but when are they…Kacchon…
Just like that, Kanae turned right back around to the two trees. She was sure that Eiji would not have met with any harm, not least because he was literally a genius at everything, but all the same, she knew she wouldn't be able to feel calm if she wasn't at least doing something.
"Watching out for the others?"
"Holy crap! Yags, you've gotta stop doing that materialise-out-of-nowhere thing."
Sumihiko put a finger to his lips, and Kanae cringed, remembering the two who were sleeping. Sumihiko smiled at her, and plopped down next to her.
"It's a good idea. May I join you, Aira-san?"
Kanae gave a flippant gesture, and the two of them continued to watch the clearing in a silence only interrupted by Sumihiko coughing occasionally.
"Hey, Yags, this didn't cause a flare-up, did it?" Kanae asked as concern dawned on her.
"No, no, this is nothing." Sumihiko reassured her in the middle of the next coughing bout. "Trust me, dearie, I've had worse."
"Well, if you say so-"
Kanae paused as the sound of footsteps and heavy breaths approached them, but in the next moment arms pushed aside the branches and Eiji and Nagayuki appeared, half-carrying Yoshimi between them. All of them were blood-soaked. Instantly, Kanae jumped up.
"Kacchon!"
"It's not mine." He told her, shortly. "Yuki-san, could you help us please?"
"But of course. Niwa-san, get something to eat." Misaki came over to them, and helped Eiji and Nagayuki lie Yoshimi down.
"I….couldn't…..sorry…." Yoshimi murmured as Misaki got to work in tending him.
"Shh, don't talk. You'll be fine." Misaki soothed in her motherly way.
"Listen to Yuki-san. You did what you could under the circumstances." Eiji stated.
With that, he walked over to Michio and started to talk to him. Idiot, couldn't you say something like 'I'm alright, you don't have to worry?' Idiot, idiot, idiot. Harrumphing, Kanae made a point of not looking at him.
"So, young man, where's your brother?" Sumihiko asked Nagayuki, who was getting something to eat.
"Oh, he'll be here soon." Nagayuki said, looking more than slightly devious. "Just tying up loose ends…"
Almost as if he had summoned him, Takeyasu came bursting through, grinning broadly.
"It's over!" he crowed jubilantly. "It's over."
"Well, yes, we killed him, didn't we?" Michio turned around, baffled. "Of course it's over."
"No, it's really over."
That's when Kanae realised that Takeyasu was waving a box of matched around.
"You burnt the place down?!" she shrieked.
"You did what?!" Misaki gasped.
"Well, that's one way of making extra-sure." Eiji shrugged. "Though it strikes me as reckless."
"What's going on?" Tsugiyoshi had sat up at some point, and was now rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Why's everyone screaming about fire?"
"How do you burn things with a box?" Rei asked at the same time.
That paused the conversation completely, as Rei's random interjections tended to do. And as usual, it was the twins who recovered, going over to grab him in a headlock and taking him over to a side to explain things. Ryoka went over to Tsugiyoshi, and the two started to talk to talk in quiet tones, and just like that, the moment was over.
Well then. What am I supposed to feel right now? Kanae had never had to really think about that sort of thing, not for a good few years since she'd discovered her parents' drink stash and discovered how perfect it was at dulling everything. She knew it was better for her to not be drinking, to be aware of everything, but at times like this, it was so hard. So hard. How on earth am I going to survive when we go back to our old lives? How?
"Right, I presume I'll make the call, then?" Eiji asked.
Jolted out of her self-pity for a moment, Kanae watched Eiji talk with Misaki.
"Oh, no, I-"
"Yuki-san, you're busy."
"Ah…" Misaki sighed. "Yes, you're right. In that case, we're counting on you, Kashii-kun."
Eiji simply nodded at that, and he went over to a discreet corner to do just that. At a loss as to what to do once again, and not wanting to think too much and fall down the same old spirals, Kanae wandered over to Misaki, and crouched down on the other side of Yoshimi. At first, more absorbed in what seemed to be pretty serious injuries, Misaki didn't appear to notice her. But then, she spoke.
"It's really over, huh?"
"It sure seems like it." Kanae replied dumbly.
"Well…." Misaki let out a breath, and her hands stilled. "In that case, I'm going to make a promise."
"A…promise?"
"Yeah."
At this, Misaki looked up, her eyes glittering and lips trembling. Startled, Kanae reached out, thinking to pat Misaki's shoulder or something comforting, when unexpectedly, Misaki smiled at her.
"I'm never going to kill again."
"I..what?" I'm so confused.
"Never again. I'm not killing again." A tear escaped. "This is the last time. I swear it."
"Oh, crap, Misa!"
Awkwardly, Kanae reached over and hugged Misaki as best as she could. Misaki let out a strangled breath, and put a hesitant hand on Kanae's back in return.
"I'm never going to kill again." Misaki repeated, through what was now a steady stream of tears. "Never."
"Mhm." Kanae murmured.
It was inadequate, oh so inadequate. But it was all that she had, now that everything was over and her old life was beckoning.
Because I can't make that promise myself.
…
As Rei walked out of the main school building with his friends, they were discussing celebrating their graduation.
"We should totally hit the town!" Takeyasu proclaimed.
How do you hit a town? Wouldn't that hurt your hands?
"It would certainly be nice to celebrate, all as a group." Misaki agreed. "What should we do?"
"As long as it's halfway decent, I don't really care." Toshiko said, sticking her nose up in the way Rei now knew to describe as 'snooty'.
"I do know a couple of restaurants that would fit the bill…." Eiji suggested thoughtfully. "Let me think…"
"This would be the last thing we do together as a class, so I guess I'm okay with it." Tsugiyoshi said.
"This is the last day we'll all be together?" Rei asked, blinking. No, it can't be.
"This is our graduation, Usagi, that means we're finished with this place!" Takeyasu said. "That's why we're celebrating."
"But…if this is our last day…." Usagi stammered out.
"I know, Usagi-kun, it is kind of sad." Misaki said kindly, seeming to read his mind. "But, you know, even though we'll be apart, we'll keep in touch and stuff, so it's okay. After all, we're friends."
Rei stared at her, feeling his eyes go wide.
"We…we're friends?" he asked.
"Duh!" Kanae sneered at him. "Course we're friends! We went through hell together, right?"
Rei was pretty sure they hadn't gone through hell, as hell was for dead people and none of them were dead. On the other hand, he'd been around them all long enough to know that this probably meant something else, so he just nodded.
"Yes, if I really have to say it, we are definitely friends. However," Toshiko sniffed. "That doesn't mean I like you."
"But I thought friends meant you liked each other." Rei pointed out.
"Ignore her, she's an idiot." Nagayuki pronounced instantly.
This made Toshiko glare viciously at Nagayuki, so Rei decided the best thing to do was not say anything, and instead he turned back to the others.
"Yeah, we're all friends alright, Usagi." Michio said. "So, where're we going? Only, I can't stay too long, I have to get Mayuri from day-care."
"And I have a doctor's appointment, so I regretfully would not be able to make it to any celebrations."
"Oh, that's a shame." Misaki said, looking sad. "Well….we should take a photograph, right? Of all of us, just for a memory."
"That…that seems like a good idea to me." Yoshimi said quietly.
"Sure, whatever." Michio agreed flippantly.
Misaki smiled at that, and took out her phone, tapping at it a few times.
"Ah, the only thing is, who's going to take the photograph….."
"Perhaps someone with long arms." Tsugiyoshi suggested.
"Do I have long arms?" Rei asked, wanting to be helpful. Nobody answered him, and this made him a little sad.
But, it's okay, right? Because we're friends. And we're going to celebrate.
"Karasuma-sensei's over there, let's ask him!"
Kanae ran off to get Karasuma before anyone could answer, and Rei watched curiously as Kanae said something in a very animated way, and eventually got him to come over. Misaki then approached Karasuma and showed him how to use the phone, before returning to the group. For some reason, Rei felt a warm feeling in his stomach as he watched them. It took him a moment to identify it as 'happiness'.
Yeah, it's okay.
"Right, everyone, let's line up!" Misaki ordered.
There was more fussing and shouting as everyone tried to arrange themselves in front of the metal railings. Usagi found himself squashed between the twins and in front of Toshiko and Yoshimi.
"What do I do?" he asked Nagayuki.
"Look at the camera." Nagayuki responded, pointing at Misaki's phone.
"Alright, ready?" Karasuma called.
"YES!" everyone chorused, Rei included (though he only did it because the others were).
"Alright then. Smile!"
And Rei smiled.
…
Takeyasu counted out the bills in his wallet. Eh, it's a decent amount, but I feel reckless today, he decided after a moment. Putting the wallet down on his bed, he listened out for a moment to see if Nagayuki was in his room. When he heard only silence, he zipped out of his own room, stepped into Nagayuki's and opened his wardrobe. Pulling his wallet out of the pocket of the trousers hanging in the cupboard, he quickly discovered there were only a few coins in there. Nothing worth snaffling, in any case.
Sighing, Takeyasu left his brother's room. After going back to pick up his own wallet, he went over to the safe room, which also happened to be where Nagayuki was, typing busily at the computer, different things showing up on the various monitors.
"What do you want, little bro?" Nagayuki asked without looking up.
"I'm going to the casino, I want a high stakes game." He said. No other explanation was necessary between them.
"Take what you want. I haven't found a cause interesting enough for the latest haul, anyway."
"Cool!"
Takeyasu walked over to the nearest safe, keyed in the code, pressed his finger to the fingerprint reader, then stepped back to allow the two doors to open. Then, he reached in, ready to grab a bundle of notes, when his fingertips brushed smooth metal. Blinking, he leaned in and stared at the smaller safe that was nestled within this one, and then rested his hand on top of it, thinking. Remembering.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Karasuma came in and held the door open. They all watched curiously as a couple of his subordinates came in behind him, wheeling in a trolley that held a number of locked briefcases. Once they were in, Karasuma quietly closed the door, and then he and the two subordinates started to hand out the briefcases, one to each of them.
As Takeyasu received his from Karasuma, he exchanged a look with Nagayuki, who grinned jubilantly. It couldn't be…
"Excuse me, what is this?" Ryoka asked politely, her voice trembling just slightly.
"This is your reward money. It has been divided evenly between the twelve of you. You may check if you so wish-the code on the padlocks is 0000 by default, though I recommend you all change that."
"It would be unwise not to." Eiji said in that bland, know-it-all way he had.
"Indeed it would, Kashii-kun. We'll leave you be for now-we still have to make arrangements for your accommodation and eventual return to your homes, so we'll leave you be for now. Yuki-san, you can come down to the office if anyone needs us."
"Got it!" Misaki smiled, saluting him and the subordinates. "Thank you!"
Takeyasu had already opened his briefcase by the time the door shut behind Karasuma, and he laughed at the stacks of crisp, green notes. There had never been a more beautiful sight in all his life. But…what's this? Frowning, he picked up the small velveteen pouch in the corner of the bag, and turned to frown at Nagayuki, who'd also picked up the bag, examining the contents with some puzzlement.
"It's money." Nagayuki told him abruptly.
Sure enough, it was. Notes in smaller denominations, and a variety of coins.
"Hey, what's with the pouch?" Kanae asked. "I thought reward money was just notes like the rest of it is."
"If you don't want it, I'll have it." Tsugiyoshi commented sardonically.
"Oi, shut up!" Kanae said, affronted.
"It's been divided exactly equal." Eiji explained. "Thirty billion yen, between the twelve of us. You can't get the precise amount in just 100yen notes now, can you?"
"Ah, that's certainly true." Misaki agreed philosophically.
"Ehh, guess so." Kanae shrugged.
Takeyasu frowned at the pouch, then quickly did the calculations in his head.
"Yeah, Kashii's right." Nagayuki pronounced before he could say anything.
Eh, money's money. At least we weren't swindled, Takeyasu thought, shrugging it off. He closed the pouch, put it back in the briefcase, and locked it, quickly setting a new code and then putting the briefcase down and leaning back in the chair to see what everyone else was doing.
"…Usagi, what the hell are you doing?"
Both his money and Nagayuki's money from back then now rested in the safe, the smaller denominations in their pouches, everything in the briefcases. Untouched. Even before they'd built up their name as the infamous Tatsumi Brothers, even before they'd got to this point to be going through money like water, they'd never touched it. Instead, they'd stashed it away, along with a copy of the photograph they'd taken on graduation day, with the unspoken agreement that it would always be there, no matter how far they drifted from the others.
And we drifted pretty damn far, didn't we?
"Sentimental fool." He muttered to himself.
"What was that?" Nagayuki asked.
"Nothing, nothing."
Abruptly, Takeyasu moved away from the small safe, picked up a bundle of notes from the main safe, then locked everything up again. Sentimental fool he might have been, but he'd be even more of one if he stood here reminiscing all evening. It was a long time ago, anyway.
"Got it!" he said, waving the money even though Nagayuki wasn't looking, and then shoving it in his wallet before putting said wallet in his purse and starting to leave.
"Cool, don't stay out too late, don't kill anyone without me, don't get arrested, blah, blah."
The reply came just as he was near the front door. Takeyasu rolled his eyes, but smiled as he turned to shout his reply:
"Sure, Aniki."
…
Nagayuki wasn't particularly looking for anyone or anything as he flew home with Takeyasu, but all the same, the flash of what looked like someone running for their life made him pause.
"Huh, what is it, Aniki?"
Nagayuki ignored his brother at first, swooping down just a little bit, and frowning at the barefooted, terrified woman running towards an alleyway and trying to shake off her pursuers. Takeyasu grunted, and his face almost squashed Nagayuki's as he tried to look. Nagayuki decided to let it go, there were bigger things to deal with.
"Oh shit, that's Niwa, isn't it?" Takeyasu realised suddenly.
"Yes, it is." Nagayuki said, neutral though inside he was seething. "Those bastards are still after her."
You wannabe bastards. You don't get to mess with one of us and expect not to pay.
"Damn." Takeyasu summed up the situation in that single word.
Nagayuki moved them closer, so he could work out where Ryoka's pursuers were. Though relatively quiet at this time of night, the area was public, a combination of shops, restaurants and high rise flats, which probably explained why she wasn't using her birds to try and fend them off. Still, he thought, girl's never been one to want to bring too much attention to herself. Luckily, we don't have such issues.
"So, little bro, how about we go after them? It can be our good deed for the week."
"Do you even need to ask? Do I get to burn him?"
"Do you even need to ask? Let's do this."
Nagayuki flew closer, then shot right down as fast as he was able to go, aiming to block the men's path as they entered the alleyway. As the men noticed something hurtling for them, Takeyasu unhooked his arm from around Nagayuki's shoulder, dropped down, and aimed his fire tank at them, and fired. Nagayuki shot at them for good measure, too. It was over before the men had a chance to react. Nagayuki used his dry ice machine to put out the fire, and then he and Takeyasu pulled them closer to the bin bags, and heaped some of the rubbish over them. Then, Nagayuki turned.
"Oi, Bird Whisperer, you there?"
Ryoka peered out from behind a bin, and her eyes widened at the sight of them. Slowly, she stepped out. Her hair was matted and dirty, no longer in the style he remembered her adopting during their 3E time. Though she had always been a skinny little thing, she looked nearly skeletal now. Her feet were bare, as he noted before, and she looked to be wearing little more than old underwear.
"Fuck me, Yuki would weep if she could see the sight of you!" Takeyasu exclaimed. "Plus, you stink."
"It's not as if I can help it." Ryoka said, sounding slightly peeved, even as she wrapped her arms around herself helplessly.
"Yes, well, it's true." Nagayuki said bluntly.
There was no reason to sugar-coat it, after all. He was not some kind fairy godmother, his heart did not hurt at the sight of vulnerability or innocence or any of the things that so-called good people tended to be motivated by. Ryoka was definitely all those things in this moment, but that was not why they had helped her. They had helped her because she had been one of them, and because she was in trouble, and even if she had secretly been Wonder Woman, she would have still been one of them, and they would have done the exact same thing. And she was still in trouble now. There was no dilemma.
"So," he asked. "Where's all your things? Where are you going to go now?"
"I had to leave most of everything behind, though I have money."
To Nagayuki's surprise, Ryoka lifted up her vest, to reveal a few banknotes tucked into the waistband of her underpants, probably enough for some snacks and a night at a cheap motel. He also noticed what looked like a small photograph tucked in there too, but he decided not to ask.
"And, what about where to go?"
"A motel, maybe? Or a doorway. Possibly even a tree, the birds would help me build a nest or something." Ryoka shrugged. "Just the usual."
Nagayuki blinked, imagining a human size nest in a tree. That's…not a strategy I'd take. Then again, Niwa's always been as weird as Usagi, so I guess it makes sense she'd think like that. Still, it simply won't do.
"You'll come with us, then." He decided.
"Eh?" Takeyasu squawked. Nagayuki gave him a look, and they held it for a moment, before Takeyasu sighed in resigned understanding.
"Yeah, sure, you'll come with us."
"No, it's okay, you don't need…"
"Trust me, those people won't be able to trace you to us, and we'll be flying, so they won't spot us on the way there. Though I dunno how Aniki's going to carry both of-."
"I'll figure it out," Nagayuki interrupted swiftly. "Anyway, they're just small time criminals trying to be big-shots, they'll be screaming for their mamas if they encountered actual big shots. So you'd be safe with us."
"Like you, you mean?"
Ryoka delivered that question neutrally, but the small smile on her face and the slightly raised eyebrow told another story. It was good to see her not looking so scared, so Nagayuki grinned.
"Exactly like us-we're the infamous Tatsumi brothers, don't you know? Anyway, it can only be for three or four days at the most-we've got lives, you know. Plus, he has reptiles."
"Reptiles are the least of my worries." Ryoka shook her head. "And three days is fine. Settling isn't safe, anyway."
If you settled with us, it would be. But it was as he'd said-they had a life. And besides, they weren't good people. Only good people would invite homeless girls to stay with them indefinitely. They were just helping out a former comrade in a pinch and letting herself clean up a little before moving on with her life. This was their good deed of the week. That was all. If she wants charity, she can go to Yuki, anyway.
"Good. Well then, let's go. Takeyasu, hold onto me like you usually do."
"Got it."
Takeyasu put his arms around Nagayuki's neck, and then Nagayuki scooped up Ryoka in an embarrassing bridal-style carry before returning to the heavens.