Welcome to Chapter Thirteen! The last chapter ended with the idea of a sleepover, so I decided to follow up with said sleepover in this one, along with some Joshua time. Thank you for reading Origin Story, guys.

Kirigaya Residence, Kawagoe

Japan, Real World

June 28, 2022

Ian Becker

Now that they had decided on it and gotten a thumbs-up for it, the children were now going to have a sleepover in the Kirigaya residence. Of course, they had set some ground rules before starting, with no big messes being prime. At that point, Ian and Suguha ventured into the kitchen to begin making food for everyone while Kazuto and Sophia set up other things, talking about Ian.

"Seriously, how does he not have that many friends?" Kazuto asked.

"Most of the people he's met are liars and have stabbed him in the back, that's why." Sophia replied rather angrily. "You better not stab him in the back, Kazuto Kirigaya."

"I'm not going to. You know, he's been trying to help me with my issues, so wouldn't that be a crappy way to repay someone?"

"Hey, guys. This is a sleepover, so let's just enjoy the party." Ian said while he cut carrots up for a salad.

"Right."

"Yeah."

"Suguha, how's it going on your end?"

"I'm doing fine." the girl replied, making sandwiches and stuff like that.

"That's good to hear, but we're going to need to think of some activities to do, so could you lend a hand?"

"Sure." Suguha finished making a sandwich and looked at her brother, who had successfully set the table all nice and neat with Sophia and was now trying to think of activities to set up while the other two made food that would end up being dinner to some extent.

Chuckling to himself, Ian looked back at Suguha and back at his decent-quality salad.

"I wonder what Jaymes is doing this time around." he said to himself.

Joshua Hardin, one hour earlier...

Suzaki Hardin's Aston Martin

If there was anything he hated more than going to parties hosted by other businessmen, then Joshua would have been surprised. Unfortunately, Kirito was caught up in a thunderstorm and Possum was at Kirito's place.

Sitting in the backseat of an expensive as hell Aston Martin, the boy was secretly planning something within the Hardin household that held the purpose of getting his parents to realize his frustrations. He was a human being, damn it, not a machine! But once again, he couldn't afford to lose his only anchor to sanity from being grounded, so he was in a tight spot.

"Is there a problem, sweetie?" his mother asked, noticing his scowl.

"Nothing." he lied, not wanting to vent his frustrations in the backseat of his father's Aston Martin. "Where are we even going again?"

"The Yuuki residence." his father, Suzaki, replied. "I've got a partnership to propose to Shozou Yuuki and he wants to talk about it at his place."

Screw me.

As far as he knew, the Yuuki family's business, RCT. Progress, was a multibillion dollar company that specialized in technology. This was the first time he would ever go to the Yuukis, so he had no idea what that would mean.

"Um, why am I coming with you?" Joshua asked.

"We, me and Shozou, hoped that you could meet their daughter, Asuna." Suzaki replied.

Well, screw me twice.

One of the reasons he hated parties like this was because he had to meet the other rich kids there. He wasn't sure how Asuna Yuuki acted, but he had a pretty good idea of how it would go down.

"Eh, okay." he awkwardly said, sinking further into the seat he occupied. "That's fine."

"Are you anxious or anything? It's my first time meeting them, too, so it's fine." his mother said, tried to console him.

I'm not anxious. I'm mutinous. the boy thought menacingly.

Ian Becker

Kirigaya Residence, Kawagoe

"Alright, guys!" Ian called out to his friends, who were watching a movie on the couch. "I think I know something we can do."

"What?"

"I know what we're going to do." Ian said, speaking every word slowly as to avoid going unnoticed.

"What are we going to do?" Kazuto asked, still feeling awkward around his sibling and trainer.

"Pause that and come here."

The others complied, walking over to the older boy and sitting down at the table.

"What is it?" they asked again.

"We should do some kind of game, maybe a board game or something." Ian said thoughtfully.

"Oh, yes." Sophia chimed in, mischief in her eyes. "And when something bad happens in the game, we have to do something we don't like. Maybe something a little... embarrasing."

"NO!"

"NO WAY!"

"YOU'RE KIDDING ME!"

"Maybe not, then." Sophia said with a low chuckle.

The sound of a lightning bolt striking the ground jolted the teenagers, with Suguha being the most noticable in her jump.

"You okay, Sugu?" Kazuto asked his sister.

"Y-yeah. It was just, all of a sudden, that's all."

"Let's go with a game. But with normal rules, Sophia." Ian said.

"Yeah, let's do that.

"Alright. Is Jaymes going to be fine, Kazuto?"

"He's got family stuff to do. Besides, I don't think he's in the mood for this kind of stuff."

"Uh, physically being around others?"

"Yeah. Let's hope he survives his family affairs."

Joshua Hardin

Yuuki Residence, Setagaya

The Yuuki family definitely liked to showcase their wealth, Joshua could tell. The mansion in the center of it all was large, boasting two or three floors with a white paintjob and the large yard was perfectly managed with meticulously trimmed shrubs on it.

Well, this is it. What others would consider an amazing place to be at and what I consider to be a testament to untold sins. Joshua thought bitterly.

Getting out of the Aston Martin, Suzaki led his wife and son through the gate and the yard, stopping at the front door and knocking on it. A few seconds later, a middle-aged woman opened it and led the family inside.

After following her down an expansive hallway, they found themselves in a huge room that was full of small tables and the elites of Japanese society. Of course, this was nothing new for the heir, but it felt a bit more... exotic to him. Maybe it was a bit fancier than usual, with how the room was arranged, or the fact that it was a black tie affair, and everyone wore suits, dresses, and in one case, a yukata.

"We've been to a lot of parties like this, but this feels a little more... aristocratic." Joshua commented.

"Well, the Yuukis aren't exactly afraid to show their wealth." Suzaki explained.

"I can see that."

Following the maid again, Joshua walked with his parents until he found himself standing in front of an aristocratic-looking family of four. He had a pretty good guess who these people were, and sure enough...

"Shozou!" Suzaki said, catching the brown haired, middle-aged businessman's attention.

"Oh, hello, Suzaki." The men exchanged bows while Joshua scowled. "I'm glad that you made it."

"Shozou, this is my wife, Natalie."

Joshua watched as his mother exchanged bows with the other man, and then after some unheard words, she proceeded to give the other Yuukis a bow. He heard Shozou's wife say something under her breath after bowing, but he paid no mind to it. As much as he was irritated by their ignorance, he still appreciated them for trying to help him out, so he wasn't accepting any remarks about his family.

He didn't hear his father address him, so he was a bit confused when he was pushed forwards.

"This is my son, Joshua." Suzaki told Shozou.

"I'm honored to meet you, Mr. Yuuki." Joshua bowed, hiding his displeasure behind a false look of reverence.

"As I am, Joshua." The man straightened up. "This is my wife, Kyokou," he indicated the tall, elegant woman with short brown hair, "my son, Kouichirou," he indicated the young man who resembled him ih so much, "and my daughter, Asuna." he indicated the yukata-wearing girl with very long chestnut brown hair and hazel eyes.

Each bow yielded something different. The one with Kyokou resulted in a rude but whispered remark about his ethnicity (that was expected, as African Americans don't typically live in Japan), the one with Kouichirou was brisk, but lacking any racial remarks, and the one with Asuna? He could tell that she didn't want to be here as much as he didn't, and they both expressed this.

"Well, now that the introductions are over with, I think it's time for us to discuss that partnership." Suzaki said. "Be good, Joshua."

"I will." the heir said, groaning in frustration. Even now, after not misbehaving at the many parties he went to with his parents, his father still told him to be good.

"No misbehaving, Asuna. You know the consequences." Kyokou said, giving her daughter a serious glare before she walked off.

"Understood, mother." the brunette said. "Not that it'd matter, anyway."

After the parents left, Joshua found himself in a curious mood. If Asuna lived in such a prestigious family, then why was she acting like him?

"Um, hi, Miss Yuuki." he said awkwardly.

"I'm a human being, Joshua, not a machine. My mother should know that by now." the girl added, thoroughly frustrated, by the looks of it.

"Your parents have the same issues mine have?"

"Do you get a ton of academia forced onto your head with no hobbies to have between the work? Do you only have getting married to someone you completely and utterly hate to look forward to? Tell me, because I want to know." she asked him angrily.

"I'm constantly forced to undergo training to inherit a company I don't want to inherit, I never get humane treatment at the hands of others, and my parents don't understand my frustrations. But by the sound of it, you've got it worse."

"You don't want RoboTelligence?" Asuna's mood shifted to curiosity in an instant.

"No, I don't. I hate everything about A.I.'s and the company. If I could, I'd give everything I have to become a lower class citizen."

"That's a surprise."

"Yeah. It is, to most people."

Joshua's eyes landed on a shady-looking man with slicked back hair and glasses who was headed to Shozou and Suzaki, by the looks of it.

"Um, Asuna?"

"What?"

"Who's that man over there?"

When Asuna looked at the man, she immediately hid behind the heir, her features displaying such an intense hatred that it bordered on loathing.

"Sugou." she growled venomously, digging her nails into Joshua's shoulder.

"Sugou?

"Sugou Nobuyuki. He's the son of one of my dad's business partners, a liar, and a pervert of the highest order. Words aren't anywhere near enough to describe how much I hate him."

Exhaling, Joshua kept his eyes on this man, watching him smoothly lie to his father and Shozou like it was nothing.

"I can tell. Tell me if he comes here." Joshua finally stopped staring at Sugou to look around the rest of the room. While the two teenagers talked about subjects the one percent considered heresy, they didn't want to be heard by anyone else.

"So... any other heretical thoughts to share, Joshua?" Asuna asked.

"Um, I'm not sure. I'm not an anarchist."

"If I had it in me, then I'd probably do something pretty bad here. But, I think my mother would tell Miss Sada to avoid giving me food or something like that."

"She sounds like a real tyrant."

"You have no idea." Asuna gripped Joshua's wrist with alarming strength and her face shifted to a look of loathing; Sugou must have decided to harass the poor girl. And sure enough...

"Hello, Asuna..."

The voice was silky and laced with the venom of a liar, and the owner definitely looked the part. With small, beady eyes and a smooth face without any signs of masculinity, this man looked like the king of all thieves.

"What do you want, Sugou?" Asuna growled, and if looks could kill, then she would have bore through his skull with those eyes.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. We don't get to see each other very often, and we've had so many fond memories together."

"And what makes you think I want to see you?" Asuna stood straight up, looking the scumbag in the eyes. "All I remember is you trying to molest me or hit on me when Mom and Dad weren't looking."

"You really are stubborn, Asuna, I'll give you that." Sugou sighed, setting his hand on the table they were at. "You just won't accept it, but we're destined to be together."

"You will never win my heart, Sugou." Screw that gaze just killing Sugou. The fire in Asuna's eyes could wipe out the entire nation.

"Oh, time will tell. And things will change, including your opinion on me." Sugou lifted his hand, securing a few strands of chestnut hair and bringing them up to his nose, only for a much more masculine hand to grab his wrist with tremendous force.

Now irritated, Sugou looked up to see Joshua holding his arm in place, a scowl on his face as the two stared each other in the eyes.

"Her opinion on you will never change, you son of a bitch." the heir said, wishing he could break the arm he had seized.

"And who are you, boy?"

"The heir of RoboTelligence Industries. I've barely known this girl for five minutes, but I can tell that she hates every fiber of your being. You might be a friend of the Yuuki family, but I don't care. As far as I'm concerned, you're no better than the scum on the streets, stealing and lying your way through life rather than being a real man. Leave. Her. Alone, and scram." he finished, venom lacing his voice.

Begrudgingly, Joshua let the man go, watching as he tried to straighten the wrist cuff of his fancy suit.

"You have a lot of nerve, Hardin, but delinquents like you have no place in our society. Don't try and burn me again." Sugou left, leaving Asuna confused, but proud of the boy standing beside her.

Joshua didn't like the emphasis on 'our society.' If his society was filled with scum like Sugou, then he didn't consider himself a member of the one percent. He was the ninety nine percent.

"You... stood up for me." Asuna quietly said, watching Joshua slowly relax his muscles. "But why did he call you a delinquent?"

"I don't know. Maybe he did it because I have more balls than the average one percent and I stood up to him."

"What about your parents?"

"I'll explain. They might not listen to my complaints, but they trust me enough not to believe scumbags like Sugou."

"Mom's gonna kill me."

"Well, let's just talk about some stuff before our actions' consequences find us."

Ian Becker

Kirigaya Residence, Kawagoe

Having decided on a board game, Ian and the others were huddled in the living room, a makeshift board game in the center of the circle of friends.

They incorporated some of Sophia's idea, but instead of possibly NSFW or risqué punishments for bad rolls, they instead had to play truth or dare if the roll was bad. It sounded like a bit of a joke at first, but when the teens found themselves sharing some really embarrasing secrets and daring each other to do silly or embarrasing things, they really hoped that they rolled well.

"Well, that's a bummer." Kazuto said, pulling a "truth" card from the stack.

"What is it, Onii-san?" Suguha asked.

"I don't want to know." Ian said.

"Truth."

"Kazuto, would you date Suguha if she wasn't your sister?" Sophia asked, a mischievous grin on her face. Ian was really unaware of the fact that his friend had such a devilish side. If one of the siblings got a bad roll, then he was going to show mercy on them.

"Uhh... no. I can't even imagine that, because we're family, and there's no way in hell that I could imagine Sugu not being my sister."

"Wow." Sophia said, impressed at the response. "Ian, your turn."

Picking up the dice, Ian shook them in his hands and rolled them, grinning when he landed on a tile that let him truth or dare someone.

"Hey, Soph." he started, handing Sophia a card. "What does it say?"

"Dare."

Ian was originally going to dare the girl to do something embarrasing, but because she was his closest friend, he showed mercy.

"You can't use any weapons for the next five Crucible matches."

"Deal."

"That was merciful." Kazuto commented.

"Well, I couldn't bring myself to make her too uncomfortable, so yeah..."

"Well, if it comes back and bites you in the butt, don't come to me complaining."

"I won't."

After Suguha, Sophia, and Kazuto rolled the dice and managed to avoid a bad roll each, it was Ian's turn again. Holding the dice in his hands, he made a silent wish for a good roll before he rolled his dice.

"Aw, damn it."

He got a bad roll, landing on a card space. Pulling a card from the deck, he looked it to see the word "truth" written in his own stellar handwriting on it.

"What is it? Did it bite you in the butt?"

"Truth." Thinking of what to say, Ian made a gamble.

"What are you going to tell us?" Suguha asked.

"Um, this happened around two years ago, but we were in camping in a forest that day..."

The three teenagers stood next to a tall tree, wondering what to do while their parents were away. Without a way back, they were lost until their parents returned.

"So... what are we going to do now, Ian?" the shortish, brown haired girl, Nikki, asked.

"We could climb a tree." the girl's twin brother, Ian, suggested.

"Are you sure any of them are okay to climb?" the girl asked. "I don't want to fall."

"You'll be fine, I found a good tree for it." a voice stated, alerting the twins to the redheaded girl standing behind them.

"Sophia, you scared me!" Nikki said, her hand over her heart.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"It's okay."

"Anyways, you found a good tree?" Ian asked.

"Yeah. Over there." Sophia pointed at a medium sized tree standing some meters with sturdy low-hanging branches on its trunk.

"Nice tree for it." Ian commented, walking over to it.

"Yeah, I can't wait to climb it!" Nikki followed her brother cheerfully, making sure to avoid fallen twigs, branches, or exposed roots.

Rolling her eyes, Sophia followed the twins.

"Alright, I'm going to go first." Ian said, feeling for the best place to grab to begin his climb. A few seconds, he felt a nice handhold and gripped it, pulling himself up to one of the branches and standing up on it.

Giving a thumbs up to the girls, he resumed his ascent, taking hold of numerous branches and handholds, slowly but surely reaching the top.

Fourty five seconds later, Ian reached the top, exhaling as he took in the view. Along with an unobstructed view of the sky, he also had a view of the same path they used to get here.

"Score."

Slowly climbing down, the boy kept his view on the tree and its holds, waiting for the right moment to safely drop to the ground.

However, something landed on his head and upset his positioning, causing the boy to lose his hold and fall. Expecting to hit the ground and possibly break something, Ian was confused when he landed on a much softer object.

Stunned and aching from the fall, Ian tried to feel around, only for his hand to settle on a soft, round object.

"What is this thing..." the boy asked, now squeezing on it. "It's soft, and it's certainly squishy, but I can't place my finger on it..."

"Um, Ian?" Nikki asked, shaking her brother's shoulder while putting her phone away.

"What is it...?"

"Your hand is on a very off-limits area."

"Wha--?"

Suddenly, the boy snapped to, and indeed, his hand was sitting directly on the bosom of an unconscious redhead.

"WAAAAAAAAA!" The boy abandoned ship, hopping off of the girl and landing on his bum as he freaked out, a bold shade of pink coating his cheeks. "I'm sorry, Sophia, I didn't see you there and when I fell on you, I ended up messing with your chest and I didn't know until it was too late!"

"What...?" the girl mumbled, slowly coming to. After recovering, she saw a slightly damp handprint on her chest and processed what her friend just told her. Squealing, she immediately brought her arms up to cover her chest and stared Ian down, whose face reflected guilt and fear.

"I'm super sorry, Sophia! Please don't hurt me!" the boy yelled, getting on hands and knees while he pleaded with her.

"You're okay. Just... be more careful from now on, okay?" Sophia smiled, putting Ian at ease.

"Yeah! Oh, I found the way back!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! Follow me!" Ian got up and motioned for the girls to follow him and began to run down the path that took them back to camp, making sure he was being followed. Granted, he had a lot of explaining to do, but he was able to get back now. No more being lost in the woods for the whole day...

However, he never noticed the sound of a camera going off during that embarassing moment, which would definitely come back to bite him in the bum.

"And that was probably my most embarrasing story to tell you guys." Ian said, now embarrased to hell and back and guilty feeling.

"You... did that?" Suguha asked, a bit horrified.

"I was concussed, and I didn't know it until it was too late."

"Yeah. I've forgiven him anyways." Sophia said.

"Oh, okay. How close are we to being done?"

"I'm at the last roll." Kazuto said, taking the dice and rolling them. Just like he said, he hit the finish line and he won.

"There. No more embarrasing stories for us to tell." Ian said, relaxed.

"Well... we could play again, if anyone wants to..." Sophia smirked devilishly.

"NO!"

"NOT GONNA DO IT!"

"NO WAY!"

"Wow, I'm getting a lot of negative feedback."

"Let's just do something else, okay?"

Joshua Hardin

Yuuki Residence, Setagaya

"It was nice meeting you, Asuna." Joshua bowed at the girl, feeling quite strange.

"You, too." Asuna bowed back. "I hope your parents don't give you a hard time."

"Same goes. See ya!"

Despite the weird sense of accomplishment in meeting someone who was a lot like him, he was still wary of his parents, who would surely question him because of his actions against Sugou; the man had probably told on him like a little kid.

He was still confident in the trust his parents had for him, so when Suzaki called him to the car so they could leave, his stomach didn't churn, and he didn't feel a cold sweat on his forehead.

After clearing the gate to the nauseatingly grandiose mansion, Joshua reached the Aston Martin and opened the driver side back door, stepping into the high-end vehicle while his father watched with the rearview mirror.

"Joshua, I have something to ask you." the man said, a grim expression on his face.

"Fire away." the heir said casually.

"While I was talking to Shozou, the son of his business partner approached us and claimed that you attacked him. Is this true?"

"He was molesting Asuna and I couldn't stand there and do nothing, so I grabbed the offending arm and told him to back off." Joshua replied cooly. "That man is a liar and a pervert, and Asuna hates him with every fiber of her being."

A short pause...

"I see. In that case, I'm proud of you, son, for standing up to him. He did seem to be a little off, though, and how Shozou didn't notice anything..."

"He was putting up a front."

"Obviously. Oh, did you enjoy yourself?"

"For once, I actually did." Joshua smiled. "Asuna was very kind, and we ended up agreeing on a lot of things."

"That's nice. The partnership went off without a hitch, so RoboTelligence and RCT. Progress are now working together."

"That's nice." the heir said, a little less fondly. He didn't want RoboTelligence to fail, but he still didn't want to inherit it.

Joshua's phone rang, alerting the boy to a call. Checking the device, he saw the name "Kirito" on the screen, along with the Discord call notification.

"Um, I've got to take this."

"Okay."

Answering it, Joshua put his hand over the camera to hide his face from view. It seemed that Kirito did the same thing, as all he got was a black screen.

"Hello?"

"Jaymes, it's good to see you." Kirito said. "How'd that family business go?"

"I had a good time. How're you doing?"

"Eh, I'm playing host to our drill sergeant and Possum."

"Heh, drill sergeant."

"Yeah, he's a bit hard on Autumn." Possum's voice stated.

"Well, aren't you too soft on her?"

"No. Anyways, we dared her to not use weapons in her next five Crucible matches and she's gonna do it."

"Oof. That'll be easier to handle."

"Yeah, it will." Kirito said.

"Anyways, is the storm clearing up yet?"

"No. It's like Florida here, minus the mosquitos."

Joshua laughed at Possum's remark about Florida. To be honest, he grew up around the Midwestern states, so he didn't know too much about Florida's climate.

"Wow. Does it really rain that much over there?"

"If you were to compile every storm that hits Florida in one year into a single storm, then you could drown the whole world with all the water."

The heir gulped. It would be scary if that much water flooded the earth.

"Don't listen to the big bad Possum, Jaymes." Kirito said, taking the spotlight.

"Um, possums play dead when things aren't in their favor." Joshua stated.

"Right. Anyways, we've got to go."

"Yeah. See you in D2, dude."

"Bye." Joshua hung up, storing his phone in his pocket as he waited for the car to stop at home.

Today was a weird day. First off, I get taken to yet another party, then I learn that the girl I'm supposed to be socializing with hates her life as much as I do and I end up getting along with her. Oh, and to top it off, I ended up fending off a pervert that is obsessed with said girl.

"Well, this was probably one of the most eventful days of my life."

"I'm glad it had such an impact on you, Joshua." Suzaki said.

"Yeah."

Kazuto Kirigaya

Kirigaya Residence, Kawagoe

After having dinner, doing a bunch of activities, and other things, the teenagers were bum tired and ready to just pass out. However, with limited bedspace, they were trying to figure out where to sleep at.

"I think we should just sleep on the couch." Ian said.

"But wouldn't it better if you two just stayed in our rooms?" Suguha asked.

"I'm not sleeping in your room." Ian said firmly, yawning. "What if your parents saw me in your room?"

"Right. Hey, Sophia-chan could be in there!"

"You sure?" the redhead asked.

"Yeah! Ian could use Kazuto's room!"

"Uhhh..." Kazuto trailed off, now confused. "Maybe? Eh, actually, screw it, let's do it."

"Seriously, we should just use the couch." Ian echoed his past sentiment.

"Ugh. I'm trying to be a good host, damn it!" Kazuto growled, his temper reaching its limit. "So could you please just use our rooms?!"

"Uh, yeah, if you insist..." Ian chuckled nervously; angry Kazuto was a bit scary.

"Alright! Come here, Sophia-chan!" Suguha grabbed Sophia by the arm and led her to her bedroom.

"Hey, Ian, come here." Kazuto motioned for Ian to follow and set off for his room.

"Yeah, I'm coming!" Ian bounded up the steps after Kazuto, the last of his energy being used up as he did so. After getting through the younger boy's door, Ian simply dropped to the floor and passed out.

"Wow, you passed out real quick, dude." Kazuto commented, pucking his friend up and placing him in his gaming chair, setting up his palette in the process.

Seriously, how much practice did he do with Sugu? he thought, applying the last layer of the palette and transferring Ian to it.

He laid a blanket on the boy, making sure it was snug in place before he climbed into his own bed. Stretching out, the boy thought about what had gone down since the twenty eighth of May.

Only one month ago, he had been the ultimate loner, staying shut off from even his family, but ever since he met Ian Becker, his life did a one eighty. He still had issues with his family, but he was a lot more open now. Thanks to the kid he hit in the back of the head, he was now on the road to recovery.

Yeah, I really owe that guy.

Kazuto yawned, pulling the blanket over himself and after a few minutes, passing out.

Wow! That chapter was a lot of fun to write, and I hope you guys enjoyed it. Anyways, the part involving the social gathering is a canon thing in the Crimson Warrior Chronicles, and that turned out to be my favorite chapter segment to cover. I'm not sure if Sugou was meant to be there, but once again, I'm trying to be unique as well, and since Sugou was a friend of the Yuuki family, it made sense that he'd be there. Finally, I'm glad to announce that this chapter is 5179 words long. Until next time, then.