Being accepted into Hope's Peak was supposedly the single most wonderful thing that could ever happen to a high school student. Chihiro was indifferent to the place.

It was nothing more than an elitist establishment that served to drive certain sections of society further and further apart. Although, he had been invited with such lovely letter that he couldn't refuse. Besides, being surrounded by the best of the best might be interesting...

Oh, how he was wrong.

The façade of a shy little girl who wouldn't hurt a fly was such a dull role to play, but he was in too deep by now to change it, even as he cringed every time someone called him 'she.' There were few who were worthy of Chihiro's time, few who he deemed interesting enough to give more than a moment's consideration. He had everyone twirled around his little finger. All he had to do was cry and people would rush to his side.

Every day was the same old boring high school drama and Chihiro just had to smile and pretend he gave a shit.

It was all so easy.

God, he was so bored after only a few months that he almost pushed someone down the stairs.

That is, until he noticed two boys in his class were not quite as they seemed.

Two people couldn't be more different than Oowada and Ishimaru.

One was a delinquent, leader of a biker gang, always getting into fights, most likely allergic to homework, and the very thought of handing in assignments on time would probably be enough to make him shrivel up like a slug bathed in salt.

The other was a hall monitor of all things, his voice alone being enough to terrify his fellow students into walking in the hallways, and a stick so far up his ass that Chihiro was surprised he hadn't seen it come out the other end yet.

Of course two people like that would collide and explode.

At first, Chihiro had dismissed them as nothing more than playthings. The only purpose they served was to pit one against the other and watch the fireworks.

'Oowada-kun! Ishimaru-kun was messing with your bike earlier!'

'Ishimaru-kun! I saw Oowada-kun starting a fight with another student!'

They didn't even ask for proof, they just saw an excuse to get in each other's faces and took it. It was entertaining at first, but soon faded into the background as nothing more than another piece of mindless drama that Chihiro didn't care for.

But then there were rumours, hushed whispers behind their backs that Chihiro had happened to overhear,

'Oowada killed the only family he's ever had without a second thought.'

'Ishimaru's family is in crippling debt because his grandfather was a corrupt politician.'

Chihiro was sceptical, of course, who wouldn't be? School was a breeding ground for baseless assumptions that could be mutated until the general population took it for fact.

So he decided to find out for himself.

Finding the two of them alone was a challenge. If they weren't in the classroom with other students, Oowada was with his gang and Ishimaru was with the student council. All Chihiro could do was bide his time and hope that one of them would ditch their normal schedule.

Unsurprisingly, the first was Oowada.

Chihiro found him in the locker room late one evening during the winter term. Ah, that made things slightly awkward. No one knew about that. Not yet. But people would find out eventually. It was inevitable.

Oowada was begrudgingly cleaning away the equipment, grumbling to himself. He didn't look up when Chihiro entered. Was he deaf or just ignoring him? Chihiro was ready to smack him over the head when he finally spoke,

"Didn't take you for the peeping Tom type, Fujisaki," he said with a grin that didn't reach his eyes. Oh yes, there most certainly wasn't something right with this one and Chihiro was ashamed that he hadn't noticed sooner.

Chihiro offered a sweet smile. "I just wanted to ask you something, Oowada," he said, "it was a tad personal and I had the feeling that you might not be here with Kuwata like you always are."

The larger boy grabbed the last weight from the ground, a dumbbell that Chihiro wouldn't be able to lift with both hands. "Sure, I guess, fire away," he said with a shrug.

"How did it feel to take a life?"

Chihiro wished he had a camera in that moment as all the colour drained from Oowada's face. His fingers tightened around the dumbbell.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" His voice was a low growl and Chihiro almost let out a groan.

"It was your brother, wasn't it?"

Oowada looked like he was going to throw up. Chihiro took a step closer, eyes wide like a child enthralled in a fairy tale.

"Was he everything you had?"

Oowada's expression darkened, his face twisted into a snarl. "Shut the fuck up, don't talk about him, I'll fucking kill you!"

Ah, there it was. Chihiro shuddered. "Then do it."

"What?" He didn't sound disgusted, more... thrilled.

"Kill me," Chihiro spat, making sure his distaste at being forced to repeat himself was clear. "We're alone, it's late, you could kill me and get rid of the evidence and no one would ever know."

The biker's lips twitched into a smirk. "I could crush your puny little skull until it's just a pile of mush and you wouldn't be able to do a thing about it."

There was only a few inches between them now. If Oowada actually went through with it, Chihiro wouldn't have had time to react.

What Oowada said next amazed him, "How would you kill me?"

A harsh, genuine laugh teared from Chihiro's throat. "A worthless delinquent such as yourself? I wouldn't dream of wasting my time with something so trivial."

Oowada watched him thoughtfully for a moment, his expression unreadable. Maybe he'd given up? As soon as things don't start going his way he just shuts down? How utterly-

There was a sudden bang as the dumbbell was dropped to the ground, narrowly missing the biker's foot. Chihiro was about to comment on his carelessness when the taller boy spoke first,

"His name was Daiya."

"Excuse me?"

"My brother. The bastard basically raised me all by himself. Parents didn't give a shit. The gang was the only reason we survived out there. I caused the accident that killed him. He was everything I had. It destroyed me," Oowada's voice was almost wobbling by the time he had finished, his eyes burning with an emotion Chihiro couldn't pin. Hate? Idolisation? Perhaps somewhere in between.

"And yet, despite that, people still act as if he was nothing but some rotten criminal. I bet some even say he deserved it."

Oowada almost looked like he was in a trace, nodding along to every word, "Yeah..." his voice was dangerously low, "he wouldn't hurt anyone who didn't deserve it. They act like he was some fuckin' threat to society or some shit when it was their goddamn fault we were stuck there in the first place."

The excitement bubbling up in Chihiro chest was almost enough to make him faint. "Wouldn't you like to show them how cruel life can be?"

Oowada visibly shivered, but answered him regardless, "Yeah, make 'em fuckin' pay. Show 'em hell on Earth." He looked like a puppy eagerly doing tricks in the hopes of his master paying him treats. Perhaps he could be trained into a loyal hound to sit at his feet and tear apart his enemies.

Chihiro leaned forward with a wide grin, "Would you like to join me then? We can show them something to be really scared of."

He had to stop for a brief moment, but he recovered just as fast, "They'll never know what hit 'em."

Chihiro smirked. "I'll see you around then, Mon-chan,"

Before Oowada could respond, the smaller boy turned on his heel, leaving the locker room without looking back.

Locating Ishimaru was another case entirely. There was no chance of making him divert from his usual routine; he was dedicated to his time-keeping Chihiro could give him that much credit. The sun would probably implode before Ishimaru slipped up.

His best bet was to watch for a few days and pick the perfect moment to spring out on him.

At exactly 5:30pm each day, give or take thirty seconds, Ishimaru would leave the school without speaking to anyone and begin the walk home. Somehow, it was the only time of day when he wasn't surrounded by other people.

While Chihiro had planned out almost every other detail, the approach was not quite as smooth as he would've preferred. He caught up to the taller boy, walked behind him silently for a few moments, debating how exactly to initiate contact. He then decided 'fuck it,' opting for overtaking and planting himself directly in front of the other boy. Ishimaru nearly jumped a foot in the air, letting out an unmanly yelp in the process, though quickly recovered.

"F-Fujisaki-kun! What a surprise… I didn't know you walked this way?" he asked, subtly coughing in an attempt to lower his voice down to a more suitable volume. Chihiro could help but notice this, barely able to contain his grin.

"Oh, I usually don't. It's just such a lovely afternoon, I felt it would be a waste," he said, offering a bright smile, "Although... you must forgive me for prying, but I'm surprised. You're not staying back for more study sessions?"

Ishimaru shook his head. "No, I have finished all that I can do there. I can continue my studies at home."

A frown of feigned concern crossed Chihiro's features. "Really? I wouldn't thought a genius like you would've stuck around all night"

All of sudden, Ishimaru went still, his features darkening considerably as said through gritted teeth, "Do not call me that…"

Oh, now wasn't this an interesting development… "Hm? What do you mean? There's no need to be modest. You really are a genius," he said, stressing the last word as if it were a taunt.

"Stop, just… stop, are you trying to insult me?" Ishimaru glared for the briefest of seconds before shaking his head and letting out a deep sigh. "Don't say that... I'm no genius. I'm a normal person, just like anyone else."

Chihiro fought every muscle in his face to stop himself from smirking. "I'm sure any normal person with a family history as disastrous as your's would take being called a genius as a compliment," he said with a small shrug.

Ishimaru's eyes widened in shock as he stared down at the other boy. "H-how would you know-" he began, but quickly stopped himself, his expression shifting to a forced, painful-looking smile. "I appreciate the sentiment, Fujisaki-kun, but it is a word I do not approve of. 'Genius' is more of an insult. It implies that you haven't even tried to earn your success for yourself! Geniuses don't deserve to be placed on such high pedestals. It's the ordinary people who accomplish their goals through their own sheer willpower. So don't call me a genius. Don't lump me in with those lazy clods who don't put in any effort!" He almost looked like he was on the verge of tears. "I'm not like them! I'm not like my grandfather!"

And with that, the final puzzle piece fell into place. On the inside, Chihiro was doing his little victory dance. On the outside, he put on his best concerned face, taking Ishimaru's hands in his own.

"Those geniuses," he began, running a thumb over the boy's knuckles, "they shouldn't just be handed what you've worked so hard for. They should pay for forcing the rest of us to work on and on for nought in return."

Ishimaru slowly nodded, but said nothing, clinging to Chihiro's hands like a lifeline. His palms were clammy, but he could pay him back for such discomfort later.

Chihiro leaned closer, lowering his tone to a whisper, "I can help you."

The taller boy froze up, a wary look crossing his features. "What... did you have in mind?"

A smile spread across Chihiro's features. "Oh, I have a few ideas..."

"Is there a problem?"

The two who stood before him remained silent, sharing only a brief look before both glanced away. They apparently found the walls or ceiling to be significantly more interesting than the other boy.

The student council didn't meet on Fridays, leaving the room empty and unlocked between the hours of four and five o'clock. It was Ishimaru's idea to meet there, though if he had been told that Chihiro was bringing a guest he wouldn't have been so eager to share the space.

The hall monitor now stood straight, his shoulders back, head held high, hands curled into tight fists at his side. He looked like a tin toy solider, ready to obey any command fired his way. Oowada looked as if every muscle in his body was ready to snap at any given moment. He was restrained only by the presence of Chihiro, perched on a nearby desk and swinging his legs to a silent rhythm.

It was Ishimaru who spoke first,

"With all due respect, Fujisaki-sama, you cannot expect me to work with someone who has such a blatant disregard for the rules-"

"Hey, fucker, I'm right here," Oowada rumbled, though hardly moved from his spot.

Ishimaru huffed, "I was hoping I would forget."

A harsh bark of a laugh tore from Oowada's throat, "I can help you with that, you bastard." He raised both hands in front of his chest and cracked his knuckles.

The hall monitor seemed unperturbed. "Go ahead. You'll get yourself suspended."

"Like I give a shit-"

All Chihiro had to do was raise a hand and the two went still.

"Please," he began, a sickeningly sweet smile forming across his face, "calm yourselves. We'll get nowhere by bickering amongst ourselves like children."

Oowada opened his mouth but a cold stare from Chihiro was enough to close it again.

"The two of you can accomplish so much more if you choose to set aside your differences and follow my guidance. I don't expect you to be best friends, but I at least expect that you will be able to work together for a shared goal, yes?" He was surprised that they hadn't ripped each other's throats out.

Ishimaru actually rose his hand. It was almost cute in some bizarre way. Chihiro nodded in his direction.

"Excuse me, Fujisaki-sama, but I fail to see how someone such as myself and..." he shot a glare in the biker's direction, "him can share the any of the same motivations."

"Hate to admit it," Oowada grumbled, "but the guy's not wrong, Fujisaki."

The temperature in the room suddenly plummeted. The dark expression that fell across Chihiro's face was enough to make both boys shudder.

"I don't appreciate your lack of confidence,"

"I just-"

"We didn't-"

Chihiro abruptly stood and cut their arguments short. "The three of us wish to punish those who believe they can treat us like dirt. Since we share the same goal, it only makes sense that we join forces," he paused for a second in consideration, "or should we just allow them to continue to rule us?"

He took the look of fear and admiration in their eyes as agreement and warmth returned.

"I'm glad we're on the same page," he chuckled, "I assure you, against the three of us, they won't stand a chance."

"This world will learn what true despair feels like."

A/N: First things first, thank you to NinjacookieXD for basically writing the Ishi scene for me and helping with editing and just generally putting up with my bullshit. You're a cool bean. :o

Second, Mon and Kiyo are referred to as Oowada and Ishimaru because Chihiro sees the relationship as strictly business. [meanwhile the other two are hella gay but shush...] I'll probably do more with this au because i'm chishimondo trash.

Third, I think I've proof-read this thing about five times so if there are still errors I'm just gonna lie down for three years.

Reposted from AO3

- Ria -