The afternoon heat pounded down on the small frame standing outside blue gigantic gates. His short, straight orange hair sat still on his head, moving slightly as a weak breeze passed by.

"Asahi?" A woman's voice called out cheerfully. 

The orange-haired boy glanced back at the black Toyota Century parked along the road. Its driver's door was held open by the slender woman waving energetically at the boy. Just like him, her hair was bright orange, long, but curly. He held an uncanny resemblance to her, which always made him feel uncomfortable in public.

Asahi waved back, but less enthusiastic.

He tried to smile at his mom, yet the muscles of his face could not relax from all the tension swirling in his chest.

He was afraid. Troubled about this new school he was about to join.

Blue Raven Boys High School, a branch of an overseas school with high discipline records in the city.

This was Asahi's last hope of having a normal school life and actually getting to enjoy his studies. He did not want to be homeschooled anymore. He craved to have friends to talk to and friends to share a table with.

Which was why he did not want his mom to drive into the school and attract attention with her feminine charm and her expensive cars.

Asahi wanted to create genuine bonds with people who did not know him or his background.

He had chosen this school for two major reasons, one; it was known for its discipline, and two; it was an all-boys school, which would save him from embarrassing himself in front of girls or having them tease him about his girlish looks.

Asahi took in a deep breath and then released it. "This is the beginning of my senior high years," he whispered to himself as his right hand clutched firmly on his suitcase.

With a firm mind, he walked through the small gate, dragging his suitcase along with him and leaving behind his worries.

It'd be great. They would all welcome him...or so he thought.

************************************************

Aku sighed jadedly as he went through the details printed on the piece of paper on his desk.

"Asahi, hm! Looks like another spoiled brat. What's with all these preferences? Is he some kind of a delicate egg?" He complained in a murmur, mentally isolating himself from the rest of the class.

"Kato Aku, please report to the Principal's office," a feminine voice instructed through the intercom.

The announcement broke the silence in class B as teasing remarks rose in the air directed at Aku who sat at the back of the class.

"Your first school son is here!"

"Introduce us to him later on. I heard he's from a prominent family."

The other boys continued goading him, but Aku didn't breathe a word. He knew most of them were simply being their usual annoying selves and were mostly little wimps who cowered at the sight of a fist. 

The only person Aku saw as an equal was probably Hikaru, the school's vice president. 

With his right hand dipped in his hip pocket, Aku gracefully left the classroom, his shoulder-length purple hair held up in a half ponytail.

A pair of piercing black eyes escorted him from the blue-haired boy seated close to the exit door. Hikaru frowned as Aku disappeared from his sight.

His right hand balled into a fist, some anger surging through his entire arm and flowing to his chest. 

"Shut up!" He yelled, and the entire class fell into a grave silence with curious eyes shifting on him. But none dared breathe a word, they just went back to the self-study they had been doing before the announcement.

************************************

Asahi could feel the pounding of his very heart in his ears. Was it real or was his nervousness making him delusional? He couldn't tell.

But when a purple-haired boy walked into that office, he was certain that he heard his heart rip open. That face. Those eyes. He would never forget them even in the seven hells. The hair may have been dyed from black to purple, but he could easily recognize one of the boys who had made him drop out of school for years ago.

Asahi's breath immediately froze in his lungs, refusing to flow out so new oxygen could go in.

His blue eyes widened to their limit, leaving his eyeballs on the verge of popping out of their sockets.

"Kobayashi-kun? Are you feeling ill?" The principal enquired noticing how pale Asahi was growing as he stared at Aku.

"Huh? I...I'm fine," he replied, his voice fading to a whisper before he forced his eyes off of Aku.

"Okay. Kato-kun, this is Asahi Kobayashi, he'll be under your care. You're to guide him until he gets used to the school and settles down."

Aku's intent gaze took all of Asahi in. 

He looked different from the information they had given him three days ago. For one, he did not expect him to be that short. And why had he stared at him with such fear in his eyes? Aku wondered as he studied the terrified boy who sat opposite the principal.

"I'll do my best."

"That's good to hear. Now, Kobayashi-kun, you may proceed to your dorm, Kato-kun will show you the way. Once you're settled in, you may take a tour around the school and get to know some of the commonly used areas. Your classes will begin tomorrow, so do rest for the rest of the afternoon."

Asahi rose from his chair and bowed at the principal, half grateful that he was so considerate, and half worried that they had put him under Aku's care. 

Aku bowed as well before taking Asahi's suitcase and turning to leave.

Quietly and internally horrified, Asahi followed Aku along the lonely hallways. 

They left the building and walked eastwards till they got to another building.

After signing in at the dorm supervisor, Aku escorted Asahi to the room he'd be sharing with three others, including himself.

Aku abandoned the suitcase near the empty bed by the window. "Make yourself comfortable," he said without a shred of warmth or hospitality.

He hadn't volunteered to be a mentor and had no plans of being a good one.

To him, Aku was just another boy from some rich family who needed to grow up through hardships. But he was past his bullying era.

When he turned around, Asahi jumped to the side, hugging the wall and hiding his face from Aku lest he recognize him.

"Tha-thank you, Aku-senpai."

Aku walked closer to the timid boy who seemed to be avoiding him. It was normal for a newbie to lack confidence when facing their seniors, but why was he hugging the wall?

Aku's eyes were fully captivated by the orange hair. It looked fluffy to the touch, which made his hand tremble with the desire to feel it flow through his fingers.

Without giving it much thought, Aku's right hand reached out, sliding in Asahi's hair.

It was just as he had imagined, soft, cool, and calming. He wondered what hair products Asahi used as he unapologetically felt all of Asahi's hair and skull.

Reacting to the invading hand, Asahi went rigid with fear. He had to bite his lip to suppress the cry threatening to come out.