"Other things may change us, but we start and end with family." - Anthony Brandt

XXX

Izuru Kamakura stood from afar as his classmates laughed and talked. Ibuki, Mikan, Mahiru, and Hiyoko had grouped up together, of course. Fuyuhiko kept an eye on Kazuichi who chased Sonia who talked with Gundham. Nekomaru and Akane were doing exercises with Teruteru drooling over the pair. Chiaki gamed, Ryota drew, Nagito observed, and Peko was on guard. It was clear that everyone had found their clique; ones they fell into regularly with minor alterations.

For the Ultimate Everything, it scratched an itch. His classmates were the talented—the born lucky with gifts of tremendous skill. Yet, they could have a sense of normalcy. Under such a word, it sounds boring. Despite their ability to do anything they want; they instead maintain a regular comfort zone. However, for Izuru, it brought about a word that was very mutilated to him.

"What'll happen once all of this is done…? Ever put any thought into that…?"

Izuru rested his cheek in his palm as he stared at his free hand. He slowly closed it as his eyes drifted to the window. His gaze landed upon the facility building. Images flashed in his mind, and then he felt it. A piercing pain just above his eye surged. Then, a sound of a tapping; like a hammer hitting a nail rung in his ears. Tissue ripped and everything spun before becoming nothing.

He took a deep breath, shaking his head, "No… That doesn't matter… I'm just gathering my strength… Once they're dead… I'll finally be rid of this place…" His hand balled into a fist as his face darkened, "They'll be lucky if I don't burn this place to the ground…"

Akane's voice pulled him from himself, "Hey, Izuru, wanna spar?"

A part of his mind answered, "Yes…", but his mouth said, "No."

"Eh? Come on! You're a strong guy, I know it!" She waved her hand, "I'll let ya touch my boobs if ya win."

He shook his head, "Not interested." While his eye and hand twitched, his mind raced, "I'll beat you within an inch of your life… Leave you at their door…" He took a deep breath before raising his voice, "Koizumi."

"H-Huh? Yeah?" she uttered as her attention shifted towards him.

"You're having your lunch at the Reserve Course building, yes?"

"Yeah…?"

Izuru replied, "I'll be joining you today." Their eyes met and his head bowed slightly in response, "If you don't mind…"

"N-No, I… I don't mind."

Ibuki gasped, "Ooh! Ooh! Can I come?"

Akane nudged his desk, "Do they got a good cafeteria?"

"No, especially compared to this building's."

"What!?" She shook her head, "They even eating properly over there?"

"They get enough. Those who don't get it from the cafeteria, they bring their own."

Teruteru slithered up to the pair, "Well, you don't have to worry about that Owari~. Ya got me."

The Ultimate Gymnast put her hands on her hips, shrugging, "True."

"Oh! Praise me more!" cried the Ultimate Cook.

"Yo, I'm coming too," added the Ultimate Gangster.

Mahiru blinked, "E-Eh?" Fuyuhiko ignored the surprise, looking off to the side. Then, before any further conversation could occur Chisa entered the room, shifting topics immediately to Class Presidency.

-\ XXX /-

"I will now introduce a new transfer student," drawled the homeroom teacher.

Hajime Hinata was vaguely paying attention. An addition to the Reserve Course didn't peak any real interest as to him pretty much everyone there were quite similar. There were decent people, of course, but for the most part, they were all crawling after something. Even Sato, a grand voice of reason, was chasing after Mahiru. No one was here for the Reserve Course; they all wanted something from the Main Course. Even himself in that regard. It just felt pointless; more of the same—

She sneered, "I don't know why I've been put with trash like you, but… Well, nice to meet you."

The classroom was in stunned silence. A bellowing heat started from the ground, slowly rising to the air. Brows furrowed while frowns deepened. Knuckles whitened as grips were tested. Some bore their teeth slightly as their shoulders hunched and heads lowered. A weight landed on the shoulders of those untested by her words as the sensitive hearts of the desperate quickened and skipped.

A laugh flew across the room, piercing through the red mist.

"S-Sorry…" Hajime shook his head, wiping a nonexistent tear from his eye, "That was just so uncharismatic…" He let out a sigh, "Man, I needed a good laugh." Another chuckle pushed his lips as he rested his cheek on his palm, turning to look out the window.

The homeroom teacher sighed, "Well, do try not to insult your classmates, Ms. Kuzuryu." His hand lazily waved, "Take a seat over there, please." Kuzuryu let out a huff, rolling her eyes, before making her way to her seat. As she did so, she spared a glance to a certain greenette with smirk.

The smile he had died once his gaze fell upon the main building, turning neutral, "First thing you do when you enter a room is pick a fight with everyone in it…?" His mind then wandered for a moment, "Wait… Favor for Fuyuhiko… Signed album… Gift for little sister…" He immediately straightened, turning to look at his new classmate, "Shit."

-\ X /-

Hajime hopped up on his desk and pushed open the vent above. He reached within and pulled out a wrapped-up box. With the vent closed, he dropped to the ground before taking a seat upon his desk. A knot became undone and his lunch was revealed: Jelly-filled do—Err… rice-balls.

The newest student walked up to him; hands on her hips, "Why the hell was your lunch up there?"

"I like hiding food in places and surprising people with them."

"Really?" she asked with a cocked brow and incredulous look.

He picked out a rice-ball, "No, that sounds exhausting."

"Hm… You know, you look kinda… familiar."

Hajime teetered his head, "I get that a lot. Curse of being plain looking."

She laughed, "You call yourself 'plain looking'?"

"You know, gotta be honest with yourself. Otherwise, you could miss a lot in life."

She leaned against the table across from him, tilting her head, "Eeh?"

"Want one?"

"No-" Her stomach growled for a moment before she coughed, "What's in them?"

"Three choices: pork, chicken, and vegetable."

"Vegetable?"

"Just roasted stuff, really," he replied with a shrug.

Kuzuryu waved her hand, "I'll take one of those." An exchange of food later, she raised her chin, "I'm uncharismatic, huh?"

Hajime popped a brow, "With a 'Hello' like that? Oh, yeah."

"Well, what I said was true. I'm the Ultimate Little Sister, after all!"

"Oh?" he murmured between bites with a flat stare.

"Don't look at me like that!" She gestured to herself, "My brother is the heir apparent of the K—"

He grabbed another rice-ball, "Kuzuryu Clan, an organized crime family with over thirty thousand members." He pointed, "Making you, Natsumi."

"You… know me?" asked she as her face contorted.

A shrug followed, "I know your brother—or rather, my brother knows your brother." He jerked his chin towards the view of the Main Building, "Same class."

Natsumi blinked, "Eh?" Her eyes trailed onto his face, narrowing, "Ya know, something's off about you. Compared to everyone else, it's like your above 'em."

"I'm not nor do I think that."

"Then what are you then?"

"A third party." He teetered his head, "I'm only at this school to keep an eye out for my little brother. In the same way, he's looking out for me."

"Little brother?"

"By like a minute."

Natsumi made a face, nearing a smirk, "Must suck to have such a talented twin—looks just like you but better in every way."

Hajime replied frankly, "Rice grain on the right side of your face. And some green on your teeth."

"Eh? No way." She panicked slightly, meddling with her teeth underneath her hand.

His eyes narrowed at her for a moment before tilting his head, "You don't have a lot of friends, do you?"

"W-Where did that come from?"

He shrugged, "People who are lonely got an air about them." He murmured, "Seeing it a lot lately to be honest."

"Don't you go and start pitying me!" She crossed her arms in a huff, "I'm not lonely!"

"Didn't say she had friends…" his mind commented.

She shook her head, "Whatever! It's not like I'll be here long anyway!" She scowled, "I'll do whatever it takes to get into the Main Course." A smirk graced her face, "I'll bet if someone in the Main Course quit, I could fill their open space. Like a certain girl with freckles who I hate, maybe…"

Sato stomped forward, glaring at the blonde, "Natsumi!" "You'd better not be planning anything weird, okay?"

The blonde's frown shifted into a smile as she spoke with a teasing edge, "Hey, it's Sato… Long time, no see." Her brow furrowed, "What? Were you eavesdropping on us?"

The greenette's scowl worsened, "Just answer me! You're not plotting something weird again, are you?"

"Eh? What do you mean by, 'something weird'?"

Hajime looked between the two, "You know each other?"

Sato shouted, "Yes!" while Natsumi waved, "Not really."

The greenette explained, "We were in the school last year in the photography club." She shook her head, "She was jealous of Mahiru's talent and bullied her for it. Not to mention threaten her!" Her arms crossed, "And when I defended her. She started targeting me too!"

Natsumi shouted back, "Don't you just strut up and start spewing! And don't get so familiar with me, you Plain Jane!"

"Natsumi!" shouted Fuyuhiko, pulling the trio's attention to the doorway.

Mahiru cautiously questioned, "Sato?"

Izuru maintained his stoic expression, merely waving his hand, "Hi."

Natsumi stumbled back, "Big-Bro?"

Sato blinked before exclaiming, "Mahiru!"

"Sup," said Hajime with a wave of his hand.

The greenette and blonde asked, "What're you doing here?" before glaring at each other.

The twins spoke in-sync, "Lunch./Lunch?", Izuru and Hajime respectfully.

Mahiru nodded, "The others are waiting for us."

Fuyuhiko jerked his head, "Come on, Natsumi."

The Reserve Course students moved after the Main Course, leaving the classroom, "Eh? Don't just say, 'Come on'. Where're we going?"

"Just come on," he tucked one of his hands into his pocket.

Natsumi tilted her head, "Eeh? Why're you acting all weird?"

Sato pulled the redhead's sleeve, taking her aside, "Mahiru, are you sure about this?"

"It-It's fine," she replied. "With Kuzuryu here, I'm sure things won't get… weird…"

Hajime nudged his twin, "You don't usually come visit me. What's the change?"

Silence filled the air for a moment before a murmur, "Nothing in particular."

"Hm…" was the response with a keen glance towards his twin.

-\ X /-

"This view's awesome! You could totally have a rock concert up here!"

Ibuki wobbled as she balanced upon a desk and a chair. The area while open was still covered with similar objects and the machines that ran the ventilation system. The edges of each floor were lined with chain-linked fences. The floor was cracked and dirty while the walls were aged and slightly damaged.

Mahiru made her way to the rocker, "That's dangerous. You should get down from there."

Natsumi sneered, "Don't crap on her fun, Two-Shoes."

"Oi," snapped Sato.

"What?"

Fuyuhiko's voice cut between the two, "Natsumi, here's your lunch."

The blonde stuck out her tongue at the greenette before making her way to her brother, "Thanks, Big-Bro!"

Sato's eyes followed her, narrowing, while her hand balled into a fist.

Hiyoko turned to the swordswoman, "I'm surprised you came… You're usually so awkward and quiet…"

"I just wanted to see what this place was like," replied Peko.

The dancer scowled, "Pretty crappy place. It's so gross~." A smirk slowly replaced her expression, "But…" -she stomped her foot with a dark gleam in her eyes, "There's a lot of bugs to squish, so it's not that bad."

Izuru and Hajime stood afar from the group, framing themselves against the fence. "They're having fun…" commented the brunet.

"Indeed."

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I didn't-"

"Izu."

Izuru took a deep breath, "Right…" He gritted his teeth, "I thought about them today… Those old bastards…" His jaw loosened before he slowly sighed, "Then Owari challenged me to a spar and…" His hand balled into a fist, "I thought taking out my anger on her and sending a message. Hurting her to get to them…" He shook slightly, "It was a firm thought… like another voice in my own head…" He let out a shaky breath, "It was… disturbing…"

A memory flashed in Hajime's mind of an event in the lobby of a hotel. It was an art competition with the judges being mostly aging men with egos and disturbing 'locker-room talk'. The room arranged was on the same floor as theirs. Their talk was loud, slurred, and about taking advantage of certain prodigies. The hotel's walls were thin and Izuru's ears were excellent.

It was the first time Hajime ever heard a bone forcibly crack. The first time he saw Izuru's rage in action. The first time he figured out what a hall stained in blood smelled like.

The brunet took a deep breath, "That's good."

"Good?"

"You found it disturbing. I'd be worried if you didn't. More worried if you acted on it." He shook his head, "But, you didn't, and that's what's important here."

Izuru scowled, "The fact that I had it-"

Hajime interrupted, "Is tied more to your repressed emotions than who you are." He teetered his head, "It's a type of intrusive thought. It was something that popped into your head because you relaxed your usual filter. I know you know it doesn't define you." He put his hand on his twin's shoulder, "Instead of beating yourself up over this, you should vent. Your anger is a hot coal right now and you need to learn how to let it go."

"And how would you recommend I do that?" asked the ravenet.

"Well, it just so happens that you have a classmate who may or not know a thing or two about repressed anger. You know, I feel like athletes get pretty angry."

"Nidai…"

Hajime smiled, "I'm sure he knows plenty of methods to help you out." He smacked his twin's shoulder, "Hell, he might even give ya a massage that'll finally knock the stiff out of you."

"Do you really think that'll work?"

"It's worth a try, right? Better than letting the pressure build."

Izuru slowly nodded, "I suppose… it's… worth a shot."

A voice pulled their attention elsewhere, "Zu-Zu! Come on, bandmate! We gotta plan our concert here!"

The brunet smacked his twin's shoulder, "All I ask, brother." They began to make their way over to the group before he added, "Now, go to talk to your girlfriend."

The ravenet came to a stop, spinning on his heel, "She's not my girlfriend."

Hajime grinned, "Sorry, of course not." They began to walk once more before, "Unrelated note, it's fine to invite her for dinner tonight."

Izuru shook his head, "I hate you."

"No, you don't," he laughed as he wrapped his arm around his twin's shoulder.

Natsumi's voice pulled their attention, "Wait… Oh my god!" She squealed, "I recognize you now! Both of you!"

The brunet's eyes widened, "Oh, crap…"

"Yin and Yang!" shouted the sister. "I can't believe it!"

Sato blinked, "Yin and Yang?"

"OH, come on! They were the opening to Black Cherry way back when!"

The greenette pointed at the brunet, "W-Wait, that… that was you!?" She then rubbed her chin, murmuring to herself, "You did act a little weird back then…"

Hiyoko blinked, "Yin and Yang?"

"Nope! No! We're not talking about it!" stated Hajime, waving his hands. "It's not a thing!"

Natsumi laughed, "We totally have to go to karaoke!"

"No! We totally have to not!" He blinked at himself, "What just came out of my mouth?"

Natsumi reached in her skirt, "Ooh! I have one of their album's actually!"

"Just in your pocket?" wondered Mahiru.

"Please stop sharing..." groaned the brunet.

The dancer held the album, "Eeh?" She looked between the image and the twins before laughing into her hand, "You look awful. What were you leather gimps? Is this what you thought girls liked or something?"

"Oh, thank god."

She blinked, "E-Eeh?"

Hajime rubbed the back of his neck with a smile, "I would've been more worried if you said I looked good." He sighed, "It's nice to know you won't be swayed by leather gimps."

"We weren't leather gimps," commented Izuru.

The blonde shook her head, taking the album and shoving it elsewhere, "What? Come on, Peko. What do you think?"

"Uh… Well… It's fine?"

The ravenet stepped forward, "It's nice to know you're a fan, but you should know that we always had a limited audience. It's not too surprising to find that we're not that well liked or well known."

"T-True…" The sister smiled, "I still can't believe I'm talking to you two!"

"I'm honestly surprised how long it took you to realize who I was," commented Hajime. "When we reached this point, I thought you wouldn't."

Natsumi nodded, "Seeing you with Yin was the trigger."

"Kamakura."

"Ah, sorry, Kamakura."

He waved his hand, "Hinata Hajime—Hajime will do."

"Hi." She shook her head, "I'm just really… Wow…"

Sato stepped forward, "Why didn't you mention this?"

Hajime shook his head, "I just don't like talking about it."

"Why?" asked Natsumi.

The brunet spoke calmly, "We stopped being a band because our fanbase was obsessive. Break into your hotel room—obsessive."

Izuru nodded, explaining, "At some point, being a popular band became its own prison. We had started to shift our choice in music towards more popular songs and that brought upon an entirely different wave of fans. Ones who were insulted by our takes on their favorites and others who were so obsessive they wanted to steal our…" He shrugged, "Well, anything."

"The corrupt melodies of showbiz," commented Ibuki.

Hajime shook his head, "It wasn't the best time for me. Hell, I had rough time sleeping in hotel rooms for a while. Booking on higher floors and propping a chair against the door were my comforts before I got over it."

Natsumi's brow was raised, "I'm so sorry for bringing it up. I didn't realize..."

The brunet shook his head, "Well, you didn't know. And... you're apologizing so..."

The ravenet nodded, "So, you're forgiven."

Natsumi let out a breath of relief.

Hajime then took a deep breath before clapping his hands together, "Okay… Can we actually eat lunch now?" The group fell into some conversation as they arranged themselves, desks, and chairs. Reserve sat amongst the Main Course students as they delved into their meals. The brunet looked over at the dancer's meal, "Is that just candy?"

"Problem?" she wondered aloud.

"You know if you eat like you'll stunt your growth," advised Fuyuhiko.

She smirked, "Bet you know all about that, huh?"

The Yakuza's hand smacked against the desk, "The hell you said to me!?"

"I'm sorry I asked…" murmured Hajime.

XXX

AN: Hello. Okay, I'll admit I feel like I lost this chapter at some point. I wrote it and it was good. But then, I realized there was a bit of a huge character jump in it so I rewrote it. Then I kept rewriting the final third portion of this chapter. I read it to myself I think its good, but I'm just not sure anymore.

Chapter-wise, we get more Izuru and more into his head while seeing Hajime fulfill his older brother status. We also get an introduction to Natsumi and some Yin and Yang talk.

Chapters 1-8 were a sort of introduction arc that builds the setting of this world and certain important areas. I'm not locking myself into an arc just yet. I still want to build some stuff up before launching in.

The world's a mess out there. I'm scared to be honest. I'm sure a lot people are. If you're going to protest, do your best to stay safe. Donating, spreading the word, and stopping misinformation can help just as much as protesting. I myself have made some donations to NAACP and Campaign Zero. But, I'm sure no one comes here to read that. Just stay safe. Stay indoors when you can.

Criticize away and thank you for reading.