Wasting Your Love on Me(Sanegiyuu)

Sixteen

Shinobu remembers the day she met Giyu and Sabito almost as clearly as she remembers what she had to eat that morning.

She was thirteen when she met the men who'd ultimately become her best friends. Newly transferred and in the throes of puberty, she was as moody as they came. Her father had died just 6 months before, her mother forced to relocate her and her sisters to a small, dingy apartment, and she was stuck looking after her baby sister while her mother and older sister, Kanae, took on multiple jobs.

Needless to say, she'd been an angry teenager. Entering this new school, she immediately established herself as someone the other kids didn't want to be around. She'd snap at them when they tried to approach her, eating lunch alone in the back of the library to avoid her classmates.

She didn't need anyone in her life besides her sisters and her mom, what she needed to do was focus on school, work towards a scholarship, and maybe pick up a job when she got old enough to help foot some of the bills.

However, she hadn't managed to scare everyone away, because one spring day during recess period, one of the boys approached her. Her class size was small, only about nineteen kids, so she knew the boy well.

He was well liked, with unnatural peach colored hair and shiny purple eyes not unlike her own. A long scar ran over the left side of his cheek, and he wore a large smile as he stood next to the picnic table she sat at. He took no notice of the book she was reading, or the fact that she was clearly uninterested in him, instead he stuck out his hand for her.

"Hi! I'm Sabito! What's your name?" He had asked, although most likely well aware of her name.

Obviously, she'd said nothing, not looking up from her book. She heard him huff out an annoyed breath, and saw him shift in her peripheral vision, moving away from the bench. Her mouth curved up into a small smile, assumed he'd left, but as she felt a presence leaning over her shoulder, she tensed, her amusement fading.

"What's so important that you gotta ignore me for it? That's pretty rude." He says, but there's no hint of malice in his voice.

She remembers how startled she'd been when she'd heard him so close, so startled that she'd brought her hand up and punched him away from her, hitting him square in the shoulder and standing from her seat as he fell to the dirt, glaring up at her. She had returned the glare just as fiercely, putting her hands on her hips and narrowing her eyes at him.

"Don't get so close to other people's personal space! it's weird and creepy!" She scolded, watching him as he stood up, patting the dirt off his pants. He frowned at her, crossing his arms and taking a step forward.

"It is not! I just wanted to know what you were reading!"

"Yes it is!"

"You-!"
She remembers the way he'd stopped suddenly, and then a hand grabbed his forearm from behind him.
She hadn't noticed the other boy walking up to them, this one shorter than the peach haired one. He looked much more reserved, a nervous expression on his face, and his clear blue eyes reflected worry.

"Sabito, why are you yelling?" He had asked, his voice soft. He looked at Shinobu and gave her a meek smile, and something in her told her to go easy on him.

He reminded her of Kanao in a way.

The louder boy opened his mouth to retort, but no words came out, and he grumbled before turning away from her. The shorter boy smiled softly at him, then gave him a sad look. It was almost like they were communicating telepathically, and then the louder boy turned around again to face her, refusing to meet her eyes.

"I'm sorry for getting in your personal space." He mumbled. The shorter boy frowned, elbowing him in the side. The former glared at him, scoffing. "And for yelling at you." He added, and the other smiled in response. The peach haired boy continued to pout though, closing his eyes in irritation.