(Wind Breaker) The Green Rose's Thorns

Part 18

The next few days were relatively uneventful as each of the appointed representatives settled into their roles. Sakura was clearly stressed by his sudden responsibility, but Aoi kept their gaze on someone else in the room. A classmate, one who was generally a pretty chill guy, who kept coming in with more and more bruises and bandages. Some other guys who were closer to him kept asking what happened to him, but he just lied through his teeth. So poorly even Sakura wasn't fooled.

"We should do something though," Nirei was insisting even though they had no leads and Anzai clearly wasn't asking for help.

"What're you gonna do? He wants to do it alone, so let him," Aoi was colder than usual in his delivery. They weren't given any time to question that further, called out for patrol yet again. Aoi split off from the group at some point, after receiving another ping on his phone. He was being just as secretive as their classmate, but unlike Anzai he was able to actually keep a secret. Without having to outright lie, too.

Aoi wandered down the streets and alleys, making sure he wasn't followed. He spotted some suspicious blue and white jackets, but let it be and made his way to the little red dot on his phone's map. He got a text from the girl Kiryu had saved the other day, asking for help with something. What he was expecting when he made it to the empty park was not what he found though. There were two girls there, one with lighter hair standing beside the one he already had met.

"Is this really okay?"

"It is. They're Furin, just like Anzai. C'mon, you had me ask him all the way out here," the more familiar of the two coaxed her friend out from behind her back. Aoi felt his face flush, taking the Sakura approach to guessing what was going on. He struck out a second time, face cooling down as the new girl explained her situation and her request. It was directly related to Anzai, and a friend the two shared who had gotten mixed up in something bad. That something was the reason Aoi spotted strange hooded figures combing the back alleys, and made his skin crawl.

"Can you please help Anzai?," the girl pleaded, tears spilling over her cheeks. She flinched when Aoi moved closer, closing her eyes tight and bracing herself. Instead of something harsh, however, she felt something soft touch her cheek just under her eye. She blinked, turning pink with the realization of how close Aoi's masked face was to her own. Her trembling hand rose up to meet his, and she realized he was holding a handkerchief to soak up her tears and dry her face. He pulled his hand away slowly, leaving the handkerchief in hers and standing up straight.

"I can't promise anything. If he's determined to go it alone, we can't force him to talk," Aoi checked his phone, getting a text from Nirei. His features drew in tight for a second, startling the girl all over again.

"I gotta go. If you see any white jackets with a blue dragon, get outta sight-"

"Is that really all? I thought you guys were a team?," the girl was being stubborn in seeking something more concrete from Aoi to ease her anxieties. The other one, the one who called Aoi over and dragged him into it, rushed back over to try and dissuade her friend. Aoi turned his back to leave, then glanced over his shoulder at the two of them.

"If he needs help, all he's gotta do is ask. If he talks to you still, you can tell him as much," Aoi left with that. He ran into some more of the white-coats on the way to a restaurant Nirei had linked him in his panicked texts. Inside, several Furin boys were seated around low tables. Aoi ducked his head at the shop owner who stared at him with wide doe eyes, and Nirei dragged him toward the back corner. Anzai was laid out there, completely thrashed and just coming to.

"What happened?," Sakura asked, but Anzai flailed about for an excuse. Aoi knelt down in front of him, checking the damage and making him even more flustered.

"I, uh. A dog! Chased me-"

"Did it have anything to do with Keel?," Suo cut straight to the bone with his question. Anzai's face went a shade paler, and he jumped up to get away from the situation. His swift knee-jerk reaction caught Aoi in the crossfire, knocking him back before he could grab hold of his classmate. Before anyone could, Anzai had bolted out the door and left a chaotic scene behind. Sakura left after him, carrying some extra food the shopkeep had prepared.

"Aoi," Suo used that tone reserved for calming Aoi's worst outbursts, and the other three boys nervously looked over to where the boy had stood up and was clutching his face. Over his nose, where the gray mask was now soaked with blood. In his eyes was a quiet, raging fire that somehow made everyone feel cold as ice.

"Fuck this," Aoi ripped the mask off and fished through his pockets, realizing then that he had left his handkerchief with the girls he met just a short while ago. His expression flipped immediately from one of extreme outrage to one of mixed dread and embarrassment. Suo just handed over his own, and Aoi plopped down at the table beside him with the kerchief held over his nose until it stopped bleeding.

"So, where'd you go earlier?," Nirei needled Aoi for some answers, and just got a tired glance and a shrug as answer. Kiryu leaned over, posing a different question.

"Hey, you didn't bite your tongue did you?," he tried to steal a glance at Aoi's phone as another message came in.

"Nope," Aoi answered flatly, pushing his nosier classmate away by palming his face. Suo and Nirei exchanged glances at that, but didn't push Aoi any further.