The Broken Ones

Chapter 1: A Fresh Start

The green trees on the passing sides of the road molded into blurs of green and brown, the sky a perfect shade of blue and void of any silver clouds. The rattling of the car as it made its way down the highway and the blaring sound of music was the only thing keeping him from falling asleep to the peacefulness of it all. But aside all the peacefulness of the world, he was rattling inside, stomach clenching from under his seatbelt and hands playing nervously with his broken phone. New town, new school, new people. A chance to start fresh. And this time, he swore he wasn't going to blow it. Gradually, the trees outside his window faded to rolling green and brown fields dotted with buildings that grew more and more populated as they drove further into town. He pressed his head against the cool glass of the window, hoping to quell the nausiating feeling that was rising in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't moved in years. Would it ever get any easier? He guessed not, since he had known plenty of people who had moved every 2 years and they had never said it got easier. Still, he supposed, it could have been worse. Getting as far away from his mother as physically possible had been one of the things that made him willing to cross an entire country in the back of an extremely crowded mini van. But it didn't keep him from wanting nothing more that to be out of this stupid car before he went stir crazy.

The car pulled to a stop along side a small diner and he pulled off his headphones, leaving them to hang round his neck. "This where we're getting lunch?" He asked the two figures in the front. The one in the passengers seat turned around to flash him a smile, setting identical blue eyes on him. "Yeah Ryuu, if Hakuyuu can find his wallet that is." Hakuren laughed at his light joke and Hakuryuu smiled, glancing at his oldest brother who was stuggling to pull his small wallet out of his jacket pocket. "I haven't lost it Ren, it's just stuck." Hakuyuu's voice was as it always was, calm, deep, and full of patience, it was so polar opposite from Hakuren's that Hakuryuu sometimes wondered how they were related. Then again, he was related to them too. And at first glance, it was difficult to say there was any difference between the three of them. They all had black hair that was cut to similar lengths, bright blue eyes, and a mole in the exact same spot on their chins, but there were differences to their appearances as well. Differences that were so obvious and so painful that they hardly ever brought up how they had got them. Hakuyuu had a large burn scar running from one side of his face to the other across his eyes, Hakuren's entire right cheek and right side of his neck was covered in the same scarring, as for Hakuryuu, his left eye was covered in an oddly shaped scar that streched across his nose and ear at some places. Really, with those physical abnormalities, it was hard to say they looked very much alike. Infact, the only thing that kept many people from mistaking Hakuren for Hakuryuu was the fact that the youngest brother had two different coloured eyes. But underneath all those scars, Hakuryuu thought, they really did look almost identical. When Hakuyuu had fished out his wallet they all piled out of the car. Greatful for fresh air, Hakuryuu stretched his arms and took in a breath. "Please tell me we won't be back in that van for long." Hakuyuu chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Only a few more minutes bud, then we'll be there." Scowling, Hakuryuu fixed his hair before hurrying into the diner after his brothers.

They ate quickly, hurrying back to the van so they could continue their journey, much to Hakuryuu's annoyance who'd wanted to stay out in the fresh air for a while longer. They agreed to roll down all the windows in the van to keep the youngest from complaining. With Ed Sheeran blasting in his headphones, the wind gusting over his face and through his hair, and full of burgers and milkshake, it wasn't hard for Hakuryuu to feel at peace for the first time in hours. He could only scarcely imagine how rattled his brothers must be feeling. Hakuyuu had to move jobs, and Hakuren had to finish his last year of University in a completely different place than where he started. Honestly, a new highschool was nothing in comparison. Knowing that even his strong and level-headed brothers were nervous made Hakuryuu feel a little more confident in himself.

The brakes on the van screeched as it pulled up alongside the sidewalk and Hakuryuu wasted no time launching himself out of the van to look at the house that lay in front of him. It looked like a portrait. Bright green grass splashed across the front yard, a walkway of stones leading to the front porch, there were brillaint white fences wrapping around the porch and a hammock swinging to and fro with the slight breeze. The house itself was painted a grey-blue colour and had a balcony jutting out of the second floor. All in all, Hakuryuu thought, it looked like a farmhouse. And he loved it. "The house is to your liking your majesty?" Hakuren said teasingly as he appeared to the right of Hakuryuu, carrying a box of kitchen supplies. Hakuryuu rolled his eyes but smiled. "Its absolutely beautiful." "You think it is outside, wait till you see the inside." He pulled a key out of his jacket pocket and moved to the door, Hakuryuu trailing behind him. As he looked along the porch he had to resist the urge to plop down in the hammock with a good book. The front door opened with a slight creak and they stepped inside, propping the door open for Hakuyuu. The door opened up to a large open space, with a wall and a door about a metre or two away to the right side, beside the wall was a large spiralling staircase that lead to the second floor. On the left was another open space with a large window and some soft couches and rugs sat on the floor. Ahead of them was another door set to the right, propped open by a rock, and around a slight corner was a dining room with wooden chairs and a wood carved table. Hakuren grabbed him by the arm and led him through a small archway. "And this is the best part Ryuu. Close your eyes!" Hakuryuu raised an eyebrow but listened to him all the while as he let himself be led over cold flooring. "Okaaay...now open them!" He opened his eyes and a noise of suprise left his throat. Smooth and polished wooden countertops and dark oak cabinets, two ovens and a gas stove sat before him. He gaped and ran his hands along the counter space. "One of the best selling points of the house." Hakuren said, moving forward to open a window and bathe the kitchen in a yellow light. "Course it could be bigger, but there's only three of us so I didn't think it should be too extravagant." Hakuryuu just stared open mouthed at everything, opening cupbords and peering into the pantry. "...Do you like it?" Hakuren asked, fiddling awkwardly with his hands as he watched his younger brother. It was quiet for a long moment and Hakuren thought he should say something, but couldn't quite figure out what to say. "I love it." It was such a quiet reply that he thought he had misheard. "Huh?" "I love it!" Hakuryuu turned and flashed him a positively glowing smile. "I absolutley love it!" Hakuren smiled lightly, it was rare to see Hakuryuu so happy. "Well if you're done showing him the key feature." Hakuyuu grunted and he carried two more boxes into the kitchen and dumped them on one of the counter tops. "Maybe you could come and give me a hand." He crossed his arms at his brothers. Hakuren laughed awkwardly and hurried outside, and Hakuryuu shrugged and gave him a sheepish grin. Hakuyuu smiled at him. "Well, it's practically all just boxes of stuff, so while we bring them in could you unload them and put the kitchen stuff away?" Hakuryuu nodded. "When's the rest of our stuff coming?" "A couple hours, got held up at some break check thing on the way here." Hakuyuu mumbled something under his breath and left the kitchen. Shaking his head amusingly, Hakuryuu looked out the kitchen windows to the bright blue sky and fluffy white clouds. This was a nice place. He would be happy here, they all would. He was not going to mess up this fresh start.