Kuro cleared his throat trying to ignore the strange atmosphere forming between him and Ren. “Ahem, we should get going. I gotta get your money from those two idiots before classes start.”

  Ren seemed weirdly happy, he was almost bouncing with joy. ‘No, he is actually bouncing up and down a little.’ He thought to himself.

  “You gonna beat them up some more?” Ren said while shadow boxing the air in front of him.

  “Honestly maybe.” He expected the two to have gone back to whatever group they had formed and he would probably have to make some people who thought there being a bunch of them gave them a chance against him.

  A delusion he was going to have to shatter eventually if things were gonna go the way he wanted. It might as well start today.

  Ren just gave him a giant cute smile. “Awesome. Can I come watch? It was kind of vindicating watching you give Itto his just deserts.”

  He wanted to tell him no since it would probably be a little dangerous but he could not force himself to say the words when Ren looked at him so expectantly.

  In the end he could only sigh. “Alright just be careful please.”

  The small guy rubbed his hands together. “This is gonna be good.”

  I finally noticed the way he occasionally glanced down at my arm, following his gaze I found what he was so distracted by. At some point I rolled my sleeves up revealing the bandages I had been concealing.

  Luckily Ren seemed to be fine not inquiring about it which I was thankful for.

  “We should get going.” I turned to leave with him when I felt a small snag on my shirt sleeve.

  I looked down to find him pinching the end of it next to my hand. He was blushing and waved me forward.

  “After you bo… um Kuro. Sorry this is new for me.” After a slight pause he added.

  “Should I let go?” He looked a little scared. I would say yes.

  I was not sure what he was talking about but I did not wanna upset him. “This is new for me too, it is fine I guess.” I said as my heart started to speed up.

  I looked away from him to hide my face starting to color. ‘Why is this guy so cute.’

  While leading us along the last couple blocks to school I failed to notice the happy smile Ren had while blushing. If Kuro knew the thoughts Ren was having about him he might have been far more embarrassed.

  When Kuro arrived at the gate to the school most people had already arrived by this time and were getting ready to attend classes in about 15 minutes. There were a few people hanging around in front of the academy's main building and there was more than one curious gaze that tracked Ren and Kuro as they made their way along.

  Kuro knew he was infamous already and had mentally prepared himself to be stared at in the days prior. He was surprised by how many people were looking at Ren though.

  “Do you know where Itto and Taka hang out?” He looked to Ren who had finally let go of his sleeve now that they were on campus.

  Ren coughed into his fist to hopefully clear away the embarrassment. He had not expected that arriving at school holding onto his new boyfriend's sleeve in front of everyone would be so embarrassing.

  “Yea, there is an empty art room on the third floor where they hang out with their “gang.” He said making air quotes. He seemed a bit hesitant to voice something though.

  “What is it Ren?” He lightly pressed.

  “It’s just there is gonna be a bunch of them, you sure about going in there?”

  “Worried about me?” He could not stop the small smirk forming onto his face.

  Ren scoffed at him. “No, just don’t cry about it when they beat you up and I have to take you to the nurse.”

  They had entered the main building and had started ascending the stairs to the third floor, some people eyed them strangely as they conversed.

  “It is not me who will be seeing the nurse today.” He said finally as they reached the third floor landing. He looked left then right, none of the rooms were labeled.

  He turned back to Ren a little sheepishly. “Which room is the art room?”

  Ren shook his head while rolling his eyes. “Wow the way you bounce from endless confidence to helplessness is weirdly attractive.”

  He blushed a bit at the backhanded flirty compliment. “Wha..”

  Ren interrupted him with a slap to his arm. “This way my little goth puppy.”

  He dressed this way because the look suited him but being called out on it irked him slightly. He was too embarrassed by being called a puppy to say anything about it though and just followed along obediently.

  Eventually after turning down the hall Ren stopped next to a set of sliding double doors.

  “This is the one.” He said pointing over his shoulder. “You got a plan or what?”

  He only smiled. “Nope.”

  Before Ren could say anything else he slid the door open and stepped inside. There were eight people inside including a recovered Itto and Taka. Everyone turned to look at who was dumb enough to enter but Taka was the first to speak.

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  “That's him boss.” He was talking to a really muscular guy with green hair and eyes. He had a well defined jaw and weirdly pointy chin. He was sitting on the teachers desk at the front of the room. He stood up slowly holding eye contact with me.

  “Kuro, good to see you again. To what do I owe the pleasure after you beat up one of mine.” He said while gesturing towards Itto.

  He spared a glance towards Itto. “He looks fine to me. Also beat up is a strong use of words, I only hit him one time and he crumbled to the ground.”

  The leader of this little group looked back to Taka and Itto. “Really just the one?”

  Itto looked ready to throw down again but Taka put a hand on his shoulder and answered for them. “Yea Resh, he only hit Itto the one time.”

  ‘So his name is Resh. That sounds familiar but it’s hard to tell if that familiarity is from. Before I became Kuro or something I knew as Kuro from before Saturday?’

  Resh nodded to himself. “I thought you were lying when you claimed Kuro beat you up. He usually does a lot worse to people; you got off lightly.”

  Itto didn’t seem to like that answer as he seethed clenching his fists.

  Resh turned his attention back to me. “Why are you here Kuro, have you rethought my offer?”

  ‘So that familiar feeling is from old Kuro. He was trying to convince Kuro of something. Probably wanted Kuro as a subordinate or something. As if that would ever have happened.’

  “No, they took something from someone who is now under my care. I want it back. Now.” He did his best to sound threatening. Given by the way everyone shrank back and Resh had sweat starting to form on his forehead it worked a little too well.

  Resh turned back to Itto and Taka again scowling. “Who were you idiots messing with?”

  A voice came from the doorway and everyone for the first time finally noticed that there was someone behind Kuro. “That would be me.”

  Ren looked very pleased with the current course of events wearing a smug little smile as he stared daggers at someone across the room that wasn’t Itto or Taka.

  Kuro did not recognize who the boy at the back was, he was average height which did not mean much with how tall some of the people in the room were. The only people shorter than this boy with black hair and eyes was Ren behind Kuro and Taka next to Itto.

  He had a conflicted look mixed with disgust and embarrassment, when he looked from Ren to Kuro something clicked in his head and his look of disgust deepened a little.

  Kuro did not know what that was about but he might have to beat that guy a little harder than the others soon.

  Itto was the first to break the stalemate happening between both parties. “This is all because we swiped a little money from the faggot?”

  ‘Wait everyone in supernatural school days bullied Ren to suicide because he was gay? Are you serious, that is the only reason?’

  He could feel his blood begin to boil with rage but before he could move a single step towards Itto someone beat him to it. Resh had strode over and punched Itto so hard in the side of the jaw that he was sent crashing into the desks behind him and sprawled into the floor.

  Resh looked ready to gut Itto as much as Kuro did.

  “I thought I told you to leave him alone.” Resh said through clinched teeth as he looked down on Itto.

  Itto to his credit was still conscious after taking such a massive hit unprepared. He was holding his cheek in one hand the other outstretched to defend himself from another blow as he laid on the ground.

  “I’m sorry Resh, Taeyo asked us to do it. He said you gave the green light to rough Ren up before school today.”

  Resh turned his glare to the black haired boy at the back who Ren had been staring daggers at since coming in.

  “We will settle this matter here, everyone here will leave Ren alone. That is final. I don’t care if he is gay, I don’t care if you don’t like that. This shit WILL stop. ” Resh said in a cold tone that brook no argument from anyone in the room. Before finishing with. “Taeyo you are done here, get out.”

  Taeyo paled. “B-but you are supposed to protect me from…”

  Resh interjected. “Not anymore. Leave and pray Kuro does not add to your fears after today.”

  The boy paled further; he looked around finding no sympathy from anyone there. He stood from where he was seated and walked out on wobbly legs as everyone watched.

  Resh breathed out slowly, turning back to Kuro and Ren. “What did Itto take?”

  “He swiped cash from my wallet.” Ren said standing a bit more confidently now that more people were taking his side.

  Resh nodded, taking out his own wallet pulling bills from it. “I apologize for the way my group has treated you Ren, if I had known they went behind my back to continue harassing you I would have put a stop to this sooner. I hope a few hundred can settle accounts between us.” He said holding out a small wad of cash.

  Ren took it reluctantly then looked between Kuro and Resh. “Thank you.” he whispered and began to hold onto Kuro’s sleeve again.

  No one said anything for a few moments before Resh returned his full attention to Kuro. “Are we good here?”

  This had not gone the way he expected at all. For one he did not know the reason why everyone in the original story tormented Ren so heavily. He definitely did not expect the leader of this little gang to take his side once he learned his people were doing it behind his back.

  He had expected to come in here, demand answers, then beat everyone up, become their leader and force everyone to leave the guy alone.

  He furrowed his brow a little as he finally answered.

  “Yes and no. I am glad things between Ren and this group are settled. There are others who have been harassing him that I will be putting a stop to soon.” He looked down to Ren who was standing behind him holding his sleeve before looking around the room at the group that was now one member smaller.

  “I honestly did not account for things to go this smoothly here, I will be changing the way this school operates, starting here. I will be taking over this group, then all the other ones.”

  ‘There I said it, now to see if they will come under me willingly or if I have to force them.’

  He did not expect the answer he received. “I thought you said you did not come to accept my offer?” Resh said, his face a mask of confusion.

  A confusion he was sharing. “What?”

  He and Resh stared at one another for several moments before Resh continued. “Kuro, did you actually not listen to a word I said when I came to you last week?”

  He did not want to admit that he had no idea what old Kuro discussed with Resh but this was an opportunity to learn more that he could not pass up. So with his lips pressed into a dissatisfied line he took the out. “No I didn’t.”

  Resh sighed. “I was trying to convince you to become the leader of the gang I was putting together. I know the rumors you are from a Yakuza family are true. You have the strength to take the whole school if you wanted to. I have seen you fight and was trying to convince you to become the king here and wanted to be the first to throw my lot in with you.”

  By the time he was finished speaking in a rush he was almost out of breath. “So yea we are definitely in.”

  ‘Huh, that was really easy actually’

  He missed the way Ren was staring at him. A mix of excitement, yearning, and a little fear. Ren had heard people refer to him as being in the Yakuza but the certainty with which Resh said it made him think that it might be true.