A/N: Heya! Rexi here! Umm, I'm still new to writing fanfics and this is my first fanfic ever so I sure hope it treats y'all right. So, yeah, enjoy ^^

"…there isn't much a point in life is there?" walking down the school's corridors, the lanky boy's head remained in a downcast manner; his eyes darted side to side, absorbing glimpses of gleeful faces with mouths running on and on about boring, unnecessary details. A soft 'tch' escaped his lips. "Pointless. Everything's a waste of time. Everyone's a waste of space." The boy shook his head with muted annoyance. A sudden rough bump to his shoulders knocked him slightly off balance. His eyes widen momentarily in surprise before lowering back to their usual nonchalant glaze. Without as much as looking to see who was responsible for such a rude gesture, he continues walking on. The chattering that flooded the hallway mere moments ago suddenly ceased. Low murmurs echoed down the corridors and slow, uneasy footsteps followed. "Strange, why are these people suddenly so quiet?" Noticing the change in the supposedly bustling atmosphere, the boy lifted his head slightly and glanced behind.

"Ahh? You the one who knocked me, punk?" A much beefier looking boy, along with what seems to be two sidekicks, stood a few meters away from the lanky boy. The beefier boy's head was tilted in a taunting manner while his eyes rested condescendingly on the disinterested boy.

"Yo, if it ain't that loser Fushimi again!" Sneering, one of the sidekicks pointd a finger at the lanky boy. The second sidekick simply stood in a delinquent-like manner, slouched with a scowl drawn on his face, adding unnecessary jeers.

A flicker of fear crossed Fushimi's eyes. He balled his hands, digging them deeper into his pants' pockets before cautiously turning to face the three bigger boys. Fushimi bit his lower lip as he let out a soft grunt. Unpleasant memories related to the three who stood before him play in a fast moving montage sequence, complete with painful fadeouts and flashes of different scenes. Not too long ago, Fushimi was caught in an unfortunate situation with the same three delinquent wannabes which ended with him getting bruised all over. His pale complexion and stick-like frame make for an easy target for bulkier boys who want someone to pick on. Not to mention, the usual scowl he wore and the unfriendly eyes embedded in his face do not call for friendly gestures from passing strangers.

Pushing his sidekicks away in an act of assumed superiority, the bulkiest of the three swaggered towards Fushimi and grabbed the defenceless boy by the collar of his uniform. Pulling Fushimi's face close to his, the delinquent growled, "Your face pisses me off so much. You really like getting hurt, huh, punk?"

Hot breath bathed Fushimi's face as his eyes locked with the aggressive bully's. His hands shook silently by his sides as the bulky boy's words played in his mind on repeat. Students were surrounding the scene nervously, unsure of what they ought to really do; talk about a case of the bystander effect. "Hey, someone should help him right?"… "I don't wanna get beaten up for the sake of that sour boy."… "At least get the teachers or the council of something!" Hushed voices exchanged and flitted about the corridor as the student body remained spectators.

"You mute or something, Fushimi? I'm asking you a question, punk!" The leader delinquent shook the lanky boy hard as specks of saliva dotted Fushimi's face. His glasses slid off balance and hung by the lower bridge of his nose. With a rough thrust, the bully pushed Fushimi off his feet; a gruff blow against Fushimi's chest forced an "oof" as he fell painfully on the floor. Scornful words of rising intensity ricocheted within the walls of Fushimi's head but outwardly, his face remains frozen in fear. "Shit! These idiots are gonna beat me up again! I-I don't want that!"

The bully trio approached him again, this time with gestures of cracking knuckles and smirks. "You're gonna be in a world of pain when we're done with ya!"

The faint sound of an incoming set of wheels hid beneath the growing mutterings of the group of students who stood watching Fushimi's predicament. One of the sidekicks bent over and grabbed Fushimi's uniform, forcing him up on his feet again. The rolling sound of fast approaching wheels came in earshot of a student standing furthest away from the bully. The student turned around and whispered something quickly to her friend, pointing in the direction of the strange sound. An exchange of coarse language slaps Fushimi as the bullies flailed him about aggressively. A punch found its way to Fushimi's stomach; pain staggered throughout the lanky boy's body. The crescendo of wheels grinding on graphite and the echo of someone hollering some distance away reached the ears of the group of students. Everyone turned towards the direction of the sound, puzzled. Even the bullies craned their heads along with the others, unsure of what that noise is. Fushimi, however, was disinterested in the growing commotion. His shirt remains gruffly gripped by one of the bullies while he bent over slightly, clutching his stomach in pain.

"Tch! Who the hell's that?" The bulkiest of the trio spat angrily, unpleased that everyone's attention had shifted.

"Yo! You guys're clogging up my way, damnit!" A crude yell boomed. Frantic waving from a chestnut haired boy cruising on his skateboard followed as he shouted for everyone to get out of his way.

"Uwaa!" The skateboarder yelled in shock as the students clumsily cleared out of the way. Then, with an impromptu kickflip, the boy sailed across the air; his skateboard rotating a full 360 before he caught the board back with his shoes. But as the skateboard touched the floor, the chestnut haired boy's shoes stomped carelessly on the tail of the board. Balance tilting over, the boy lost his footing and fell back with a loud thud. The skateboard half skidded towards the bully trio, hammering one of them in the shin. The grip on Fushimi was quickly released, sending him staggering back.

"Gah! Fuck damnit!" The unlucky delinquent winced as he squatted down and squeezed his injured leg. The other two immediately snapped their attention at the skateboarder who was rubbing his back while muttering a stream of curses.

"Hey kid! You wanna die too, huh?" The leader of the trio growled while waving a threatening clenched fist at the boy.

"Oi…Who the hell're you calling kid?! I called for you guys to scram!" Ignoring the bully's question, the boy stood up hotly, dusting his uniform. Glancing to the side, the boy caught sight of Fushimi and his eyes narrowed. "What, are y'all picking on that guy there?"

"What's it to you, huh?! You his friend or something?"

Fushimi's eyes widened at the bully's words. His eyes darted from the bully towards the skateboarder; tinges of fear remain evident in the lanky boy's eyes. The skateboarder glanced at Fushimi again. Their eyes met briefly. Walking towards Fushimi, the boy made a rumbling noise and shook his head. "Tch, you guys are such losers, picking on someone like him. And no one fucking helps? The hell's wrong with all of you?!" Standing in front of Fushimi, the boy set his feet apart and adopted a crouching stance. Raising his fists at the bullies, a smirk spread across his face. "I'll play with y'all instead!"

The bullies glared at the chestnut haired boy in half astonishment. Even Fushimi stared at him, mouth slightly agape. "What's this guy doing?! Who am I to him anyway? And he's even smaller than I am! At this rate, we're both gonna get beaten up!"

A sudden gush of laughter ripped across the air as the bullies point at the boy who was defending Fushimi, slapping each other in amusement. The sight of a smaller looking boy trying to stand up for a relatively taller boy proved hilarious to the trio. Crunching his fists, the leader of the trio shouts, "You're the one who's picking a fight. You're gonna be crying home once we're done with ya!"

"Oi, stand back. You don't wanna get involved in this." The boy tilted his head back slightly and cautioned Fushimi. Turning back to face the bullies, a grin replaced the boy's initial scowl as he clenched his fists tighter in anticipation. "You're gonna regret messing with me, Misaki Yata!"

With a loud battle cry of sorts, the three (including the one who was wincing before) charged at the lone boy, Yata, arms flailing about. At the first hook from one of the bullies, the boy dodged to the side before making a quick duck, sweeping the bully's feet off the ground with a smooth arcing kick. The remaining two rained an onslaught of unprofessional punches while their partner remained sprawled on the floor, groaning painfully from his fall. Yata flowed with their unsynchronised flails, easily dodging them with seamless form, all while wearing a playful grin. Then, spinning around, he sent a roundhouse kick which landed squarely in the two's stomach. "Oof!" A gush of wind was knocked out of the delinquents' lungs as they reeled back from the boy's attack in agony.

"Hah! You guys suck!" Yata gave a haughty laugh as he cracked his knuckles tauntingly. "Who're you calling kid now, huh?"

Fushimi stared in half shock, half admiration at the skateboarder who had single-handedly dealt with the bullies without sustaining much damage. But more importantly, Fushimi simply couldn't fathom why a random stranger would put himself in potential jeopardy just to defend someone like himself; someone who had pretty much given up on ever being protected by anyone. Shaking his head, conflicted thoughts ran through Fushimi's head again "Agh, why would anyone even bother with me? They don't need to; there's no point in doing so. Why then?"

"Hey! What're you dazing for?" Fushimi's senses were jerked back to his current situation. Yata was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Tch, these guys are weak! You shouldn't be so easily picked on by 'em!"

Fushimi blinked a few times in surprise. Uncertain of what to reply, he averted his gaze and shook his head stiffly. Grunting sounds rose from the seething bullies; they had never imagined that a puny-looking boy like his was able to stand his ground so easily.

"Fucking kid! We're gonna kill you!"

The bullies charged forward again. Yata turned and regarded them fiercely; a protective arm stretched out before Fushimi. Two fierce jabs lunged at the boy who swiftly repelled the blows with his arms before crunching a hooking punch in one of the delinquent's faces. But as Yata pivoted his front leg on the ground, ready for another series of punches, one of the bullies locked him in a heavy bear hug, rendering the boy incapable of making any more moves.

"Nggh! Get the fuck off me damnit!" Pushing against his captor, Yata struggled with all his might though to no avail. In the end, the sheer size of the bully placed him at a disadvantage. The leader of the trio picked up the skateboard that laid aimlessly on the ground and walked up to the chestnut haired boy.

"You asked for this, y'know? You fucking asked for this."

The leader delinquent raised the skateboard above his head; his eyes wild with anger and embarrassment from being pushed around by a scrawnier looking boy. The students by the side started screaming; some students had finally decided to hunt for persons of authority. Fushimi's eyes widen at the sight of the delinquent whose face was starting to contort with lunacy. "He could get killed with this…killed! Because of me!"

With a roar, the bully plunged the skateboard towards Yata. Throwing all hesitations aside temporarily, Fushimi bolted forward, pushing against the delinquent who had locked Yata in an unfriendly embrace. Taken by surprise, the delinquent staggered forward slightly. Bam. The full brunt of the supposed attack was minimised but the side of Yata's head was still bludgeoned by the skateboard.

"F-fuck…you!"

Yata spat curses as the impact of the skateboard on his head caused his mind to go temporarily blank. Specks of blood marred the edge of the skateboard. The leader delinquent took a stunned step back before dropping the skateboard on the floor. The wild look in his eyes was replaced with fear almost instantaneously. Blood trickled down the side of Yata's face as he stood unmoving. The bullies backed off, alarmed. While they certainly had threatened to kill the boy, to actually carry out their words was a completely different thing altogether. Yata groaned softly and reached for the bleeding part of his head. Rubbing his head softly, warm liquid smeared his hands.

"Nngghh…D'you know…what you just fucking did?"

Yata raised his head and glared straight at the bullies; the side of his face was dripping with blood. The intensity of his glare was piercing; burning with unholy anger. Hurried footsteps were approaching. Loud chatters started flooding the corridors again. A teacher quickly broke up the exchange of words rounded up the bullies before another fight took place. Another gasped at Yata's injury, insisting that he heads to the nurse's office immediately. Yata grumbled an objection as he picked up his skateboard and wiped the blood off with his uniform before turning to face Fushimi.

"You're okay, right?"
"…Yeah." Fushimi mumbled, almost incoherently. He stared at Yata and immediately, his attention was forced to the uneven strip of blood that marked the side of his face. Racked with guilt and confusion, Fushimi shifted his gaze away from the boy.

"Why would you even try and defend me like that? Look, no one even bothered. Why did you even bother?"

Yata raised his eyebrows and gave Fushimi a strange look. "Huh? You mean you wanted to get beaten up by them? You stupid or something? Hey, look at me."

Fushimi looked straight into Yata's eyes again. Despite having been dealt a terrible impact to his head, Yata's eyes remained sharp and alive, unlike that of Fushimi's who only see the pessimism and glumness in the things around him.

"I hate it when people gang up on someone who's obviously not even intendin' to fight. That's a fucking cowardly way to do things. And c'mon, those three were useless. You really shouldn't be giving up before a fight, y'know?"

Hands still trembling, Fushimi reached for Yata's face and gently swabbed the blood that was starting to dry. Yata flinched slightly from Fushimi's cold touch, before rubbing off the blood that smeared his face himself.

"…Thanks."
"Tch, you really should liven up a bit! You look like a depressed mess!"
"You're bleeding a lot."
"Hmph, no problem, I'll just head to the nurse's office now. No big deal…ahh…" Yata's voice suddenly dropped in volume as weakness swept through his body, causing him to falter on the spot. "Ughh, I'm feeling lightheaded…"

Grabbing Yata before he keeled over, Fushimi sighed. "I'm sorry to have gotten you into such a state."
"…What're you talking about?" Yata's voice was waning as sleepiness crept into his system. "Not your fault…Just wanted to make sure you didn't get beaten up or something." Hanging his arms over Fushimi for support, he continued, "Hey…what's your name?"
"Ah? There's no need to know."

"Don't be stupid…ngghh…ah, my head fucking hurts. Friends should know each other's names, right? I'm…Misaki Yata and I love…my skateboard." Yata's words were slowly washed in a sheepish and almost drunk-like tone as his eyelids fought to stay open at least until they got to the nurse's office.

"Friends? But we—"
"Agh, you're annoying…what's your name already?"
With a faint smile Fushimi hesitantly replied, "Fushimi…Saruhiko."

"Just maybe…to at least find some meaning in this existence of mine…Misaki Yata, huh?"