───── ❝ MAKE PEACE WITH YOUR HEART ❞ ─────

I've been feeling terrible about it ever since

•

•

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈✁━━━━━━━━━━━

You were humming a gentle tune as you packed the freshly baked cookies and pastries inside the basket. A few days had passed since the kidnapping incident and since then you have been trying to live your life normally.

The incident had sent Mikey into a panic and was now always making sure to know where you were. At different times, you had different Toman members looking after you while Sanzu was in recovery. You tried to live your life normally, but you had to admit it was rather difficult when you get constant reminders that your life was in danger.

You perked up at the sound of a knock on your door. Quickly wiping your hands down on the towel, you rushed to the door. Before opening the door, you brushed your hair neatly down.

"Yo, [surname]!"

You smiled at the black haired boy in front of you, pushing the door fully open and stepping aside to let the male in. "Good morning, Baji-san. I want to thank you again for taking me today!"

"Yeah, no worries! I needed to get out of the house anyways..." Baji nervously chuckled, walking in your apartment as he scratched the back of his head.

"Just please give me a moment, I'm still getting some things packed." You told him, rushing back towards the kitchen, "Please make yourself at home!"

Baji's eyes widened as the scent of your chocolate chip cookies filled his nostrils, "Woah, that smells amazing..." He breathed out, his eyes looking around your small apartment.

Letting out a little chuckle, you looked over at him from the kitchen, "You think so? It's my own recipe~"

The male smiled and nodded his head, bearing his fangs, "It is!"

"Wanna try one?" You questioned as he entered the kitchen, standing next to you as you continued to place the cookies in the basket. Without letting him answer, you grabbed a hold of his hand and placed a cookie on it, not noticing the blush that quickly appeared on the boy's face.

"Th-thanks..." Baji mumbled before softly taking a bite of the dessert. As soon as he did, his tastebuds were filled with one of the most delicious sweets he's ever tasted, instantly sending tingles. "This is really good! What's your recipe?"

You laughed and shook your head, washing your hands as you did, "Secret~"

The boy pouted but didn't pry you anymore. Instead, he walked out the kitchen to look through your living room. It was very minimalistic decorated with accent accessories in the colour of [f/c]. There were a couple pictures on the wall of various people including yourself, your parents, Ryouta, Aiko and Hina.

"Who's this, [surname]?" Baji questioned, ignorant to the fact you couldn't see what he was exactly pointing at. You peeked from the kitchen and raised a brow at the photo to see him pointing at a picture of you and Ryouta, "I didn't know you had a boyfriend..." He quietly mumbled, intensely staring at the photo.

You stifled a laugh and shook your head, "Ryouta isn't my boyfriend! God no!" You walked over to stand next to Baji, "He's a childhood friend of mine. I've known him for years... since I was a kid!"

"I see..." Was all Baji mumbled before walking over to sit on the couch. You eyed him wearily before walking back in the kitchen. You finished with your business and cleaned yourself up before walking out to the living room with the basket looped in your arms, "Ready to go?"

Smiling, you nodded your head, "Yep!" The two of you made it to your front door and as you were putting on your shoes, Baji grabbed the basket from your hand and sent you a smile. Simply laughing at his antics, you locked the door and walked down your apartment building to his bike that was waiting outside.

"I'm surprised you didn't invite Matsuno-san to come along." You commented, watching as Baji took out the same helmet he made you wear the first time you rode with him.

"Yeah well... he's uh, busy." Was all Baji said as he placed the helmet on your head. He wouldn't say it out loud, but the boy made sure to cover your head just in time to not see the conflicted expression on his face. Once he was done, he gave the helmet a small pat before helping you on his bike.

"I see... well that's a bit unfortunate, isn't it?" You pouted, a slight sadness in your voice. Baji didn't say anything but nod as he got on his bike as well.

He looked back at you, sending you his signature smirk, "Hold on tight." He warned. You gulped and wrapped your arms around his waist, making sure to press yourself against him as much as you can to squeeze the basket between the two of you.

With little warning, Baji revved up the engine before driving off. Your grip on his waist tightened as you felt him drive faster, but the frightened feeling you had was quickly replaced my excitement as you felt the wind blow through your hair.

The ride to your destination was mostly silent - as silent as a motorcycle ride can be - but you enjoyed it. It was a peaceful yet exciting and memorable moment that you shared with the boy. He would never admit it, but Baji quite enjoyed it too. If he wasn't about to make the decisions he was going to, he would go to Chifuyu and tell him all about this moment in time.

But of course he couldn't do that anymore. Not that anyone else knows, of course.

Baji stopped his bike in front of the house, quickly pulling out the stand as he turned it off. "We're here." He announced, turning his head to look over at your smaller form. You lift up your head that you had unconsciously laid on his back as you looked up at the house in front of you.

"You think this is a good idea...?" You questioned, looking over at the boy as he got off the bike. He took your hand, helping you off as well before working on getting the helmet off of your head.

"What the hell? Weren't you the one who wanted to do this?" Baji chuckled as he put away the helmet. The ravenette looked at you, "What's gotten you so worried now?"

You turned red at his words, realizing just how silly you seemed, "Yeah well, looking back on it now he never really seemed like the affectionate kind... He might get more annoyed and weirded out than appreciative." You looked down at your feet, now unsure if you wanted to go through with your plan.

Meanwhile, Baji stared at you.

No.

It was more like, admired you.

The way your lips pouted or your eyes scrunched when deep in thought. How you look so worried and concerned — you always were, about everyone around you. He admired that about you. It made him want to be like you... always worrying and caring about those that mattered. But it wasn't just this very moment. Every time he would get the chance to during your walks to school together, he would always admire you.

How effortlessly your hair fell and blew in the wind. How melodious your laugh was. How beautiful you looked despite claiming to be incredibly tired (he would never admit that though).

Unlike Chifuyu who was more open with his thoughts, Baji admired you in secret. Hiding his feelings behind a facade. Maybe, just maybe, Baji might be developing feelings for you.

He would never admit it though.

The ravenette sighed before ruffling your hair, causing you to look up at him. "Just go in there and see what happens. I'm sure they won't kick you out." He assured you with a rare smile. "Go on."

You looked at him with doubtful eyes before turning around and making your way to the front door of the house. Taking in a deep breath, you knocked on the door. A short moment of silence passed before you heard footsteps approaching the door.

Looking up, you were met with an older looking man with a mullet styled hair. He had familiar looking eyes but yours were stuck looking at the scar that ran down his face and through his right eye.

"Huh? Who are you?" He questioned, leaning an arm on the door frame as he loomed over you.

You took a step back, feeling intimidated by his aura and brought the basket up to your chest to create some distance. "U-uhm, I'm [surname] [name]. I- I'm a frie- no, an acquaintance of Sanzu-san..."

The older man raised a brow and tilted his head in confusion. His gaze quickly left yours to look behind you and you noticed how a look of recognition grazed his face. "Oh? Oi, Baji, long time no see!"

The ravenette smirked and waved from his spot, "Yo, Takeomi!"

The man, Takeomi, looked back at you, "[name], huh? Well, come on in." He took a step back and held out his hand, allowing you to walk inside.

You smiled as a tiny bit of anxiety lifted off your chest. You quickly looked back at Baji and waved goodbye, which he returned, before walking inside the Sanzu Residence.

~

Going into this day-, you had no idea what to expect, but it wasn't this.

You pursed your lips and took a deep breath, your eyes travelling around everywhere. Your hands were folded neatly on your lap as you shook your leg up and down. Anxiety and nervousness filled your bones, only increasing by the second.

The reason for your current troubles? Well...

The white haired female stared intensely at you with her blue-green eyes. She sat on the couch opposite from you and was practically leaning across the table from how focused she was on you. She was unblinking, her beautiful eyes never leaving your form.

"Senju, take a picture if you like to look at her so much." To your relief, Takeomi walked in the room holding a tray of three glasses filled with [favourite juice].

"Uh, th-thank you." You mumbled shyly as Takeomi handed you a glass.

"It's not like that, Nii-chan!" Senju defended, finally leaning back and taking her eyes off of you. "It's just hard to believe Haru-nii knows someone like her."

A sweatdrop fell from the side of your head as you looked at the girl. I don't know if I should take that as an insult or a compliment...

"Oi, don't just say things like that, dumbass." Takeomi scolded, smacking Senju lightly on the head as he took a seat next to her. "That's rude and not lady-like."

Senju simply pouted and crossed her arms, turning away from the male. "You're rude and not lady-like..."

Takeomi looked at Senju as if she grew two arms on the top of her head before sighing and shaking his head. He looked back over at you who have been quietly watching the siblings bicker as you sipped on your juice. "If you really wanna see him, your best chance is to go up to his room and visit him there. He doesn't really like coming out."

You blushed at the thought. Me? In a boy's room? With said boy? ALONE?! You instantly shook your head and waved a hand, "Oh no, that's not really necessary." Awkwardly patting your hands on your lap, your eyes looked at everything except the siblings in front of you, "I don't want to intrude. I just wanted to say thank you to him and drop these off."

Pushing the basket of pastries closer to the two, you smiled at them. You held back a chuckle as you watched them peer inside the basket, their mouths turning into 'o's as they saw and smelled the contents inside. You found their actions quite adorable.

"Well then, I'll be on my way!" You quickly announced, stiffly standing up.

"Oh, are you sure?" Senju questioned, looking up at you, "You can stay! I'd love to —"

"Stop being annoying, Senju." The new voice surprised everyone in the room and the three of you all turned to face the owner.

Sanzu stood at the entrance of the hallway, his arm on the wall to keep him propped up. He had bandages all over him, reminding of just what happened to the two of you a few days ago.

"Haru-nii! You shouldn't be out of your bed!" Senju scolded, standing up instantly from the couch.

The white haired male simply ignored his sister and looked at you, "I thought I heard your voice. What're you doing here?"

"I - I just came over to drop off some pastries for you." You told him, your eyes scanning each and every injury on his body. Gulping, you forced yourself to look at his face, making eye contact with his droopy, blue eyes. He had his mask on like always, but you could still somehow tell his pained expression. "And... I wanted to properly thank you for that day."

At your statement, Senju's eyes widened. She let out a loud gasp and pointed a finger at you. "You! You're the girl that he -"

Before the girl could even finish her sentence, Takeomi placed his hand over her mouth,"Okay, that's enough from you. Let's give them some alone time." He said as he dragged Senju away to the kitchen, his hand over her mouth the entire time.

Sanzu and you watched as they disappeared before looking back at each other. You gulped as he slowly approached you, plopping himself down on the couch where his siblings were just were. You sat yourself back down as well and awkwardly stared at him.

Without even noticing, you caught yourself admiring Sanzu. It was hard to notice when he's always wearing the same uniform around you, but Sanzu was a really good-looking guy. The male had his long white hair tied in a pony tail with a few loose strands. He had on a simple pair of black sweatshirt and sweatpants. Although he was covered in bandages and was wearing such simple clothing, he looked like a model.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." Sanzu said, catching you off guard.

You turned beet red at the fact you got caught, and you instantly turn your head away from the male. "I- I don't know what you're talking about."

"Your pictures? Those photo things you always like to take?" Sanzu raised a brow at you, leaning over as he placed his elbows on his knees. "Anyways, what's in the basket?"

"Oh! There's a lot! I didn't know exactly what you would like so I just baked a bunch of my best treats!" You gushed, watching as Sanzu brought the basket close to him and opening it to look inside. "Oh, I also brought you some [f/d]! I noticed how you drink it sometimes so..."

Sanzu was quiet as you spoke, his eyes looking down at all the things you had given him. When you were done talking, he looked up. "Why?"

You blinked, surprised by his question. "Why? What do you mean why? Like... why did I give this to you?" You tilted your head in confusion. Sanzu nodded, not saying anything more. Scratching the side of your cheek, you chuckled nervously, "Well... like I said earlier, I wanted to thank you properly for the other day..."

A weird feeling began to form in your chest as you spoke and remembered what happened. You tightly held your hands together on your lap, your grip getting tighter with each second that passed. "I... I don't know what could have happened to me if you weren't there. You got beat to hell and back protecting me and..." A stinging in your eyes told you that you were on the verge of tears, so you took a deep breath to calm yourself. "I couldn't do anything for you."

"I've been feeling terrible about it ever since. I just felt so useless... you were fighting for our lives and I couldn't even get up from the ground on my own." You grabbed the cloth of your shirt by your chest as you reminisced the moment Oda nearly got his way with you. "I know this isn't anything compared to what you did for me, and I promise I'll make it up to you somehow another day but-"

Before you could finish your rant, you see a tissue paper being held in front of you. You look up in surprise to see Sanzu handing you the tissue, "Here." Confused, you grabbed the tissue and raised a brow at him. He placed a finger under his eye and dragged it down his face. Your eyes widened and you instantly dabbed the tissue on your face, noticing how it quickly became wet due to your tears.

"Sorry, I... I don't know." You let out an exasperated laugh, as you dried your tears. You felt so pathetic in front of the male. You came here to try and make up for your lack of help that day and instead he's here once again picking you up.

Sanzu stayed quiet the entire time, watching you as you gathered yourself. Only when he heard you let out a breath did he open his mouth to speak. "Are you done?"

Your eyes widened. "O-oh yeah, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to break down like that..." You shook your head and kept looking down, refusing to look up at the boy.

You heard him sigh, "There's no need to thank me. I was just doing my job as your bodyguard. It was a task given to me by Mikey and I would rather die than disappoint him."

"Oh uh... right..." You chuckled nervously, averting your eyes to the side. Of course he would say that...

"Going past that though..." Sanzu looked over at you seriously as he took a pause in his sentence. "I may have also... wanted to keep you safe."

Hearing his words, you took in a deep breath as you felt your heart begin to beat faster and faster.

Hold up. Wait a minute... He doesn't mean anything by that, right?! He just means that because he's nice, right?! Wait... is Sanzu-san really all that nice? NO! He is! He's just... a tsundere... right?

Sanzu stared at you, waiting for your reply, but you seemed too caught up in your thoughts to even notice. Instead, the boy sighed and stood up. "Don't think too much about it. I just said what I felt."

"Oh, uh, r-right," You chuckled nervously.

"I'll be heading back into my room now. You're free to stay and socialize with them if you'd like..." Sanzu turned but stopped in his tracks. He gazed at the basket on the table, then back up at you. You looked up at him expectantly, waiting for what he would do.

The boy internally sighed before grabbing a cookie from the basket and turning around. He was about to walk away once again but he stopped and turned to grab the [f/d] that you put on the table for him. "Thank you." He mumbled before disappearing back up the stairs and what you assumed was his room.

You stared at where you last saw the boy, an unknown feeling bubbling up in your stomach. Excitement coursed through your veins and you hopped up and down to release it. "Yes! I did it!" You happily declared to no one in particular — at least that's what you thought because the second you turned around, you see Senju and Takeomi peeking from the kitchen doorway.

You instantly turned red, embarrassed that they had witnessed what you had just put on display. However, they had rather different expressions. While Senju had a look of excitement and happiness on her face, Takeomi looked like the disappointed friend who got dragged into his fellow peers chaos.

Before you could even say anything, Senju ran up to you and took your hands in her own, "Oh my goodness, you are her!" She exclaimed, leaning close to you.

You blinked at her, confusion etched onto your face, "H-her? Who's her?"

The girl seemed to ignore your question as she sat you back down on the couch, her hands still holding on to yours. "Anyways, I didn't get to properly introduce myself to you! I'm Senju, by the way!"

"Oh! I-I'm [name]..."

"Ah, I knew it! You're really pretty, by the way!" Senju suddenly announced, causing you to blush, "We should hang out sometimes! Like, go shopping at the mall or something!"

"Senju, you're overwhelming the girl again." Takeomi sighed, walking back in the room.

"But! But she's —"

Takeomi sighed, "Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't scare her so much though that she doesn't want to come here again."

The younger girl pouted but nodded her head anyways. She looked over at you with a smile and you quickly returned it.

~

Without noticing, a few hours had passed and it was time to go home. You enjoyed your time at the Sanzu Household — if you could call it that. After talking to the two siblings for a while, you learned all three of them went by different last names, but it seemed their true last name was Akashi.

Sanzu had come out a couple of times to talk for a moment, surprising both of his siblings. However, he seemed to ignore them and had only focused on you as he spoke. It made you wonder why there seemed to be such a divide in the family, but you didn't think it was an appropriate thing to ask.

Oh well, another time I guess...

"Here!" Senju announced, handing you back your phone after she had finished typing in her number. "We should totally hang out sometimes!"

You smiled and nodded your head, "I agree! I have some friends that I'd love for you to meet as well!" The girl's face brightened at this as she vigorously nodded her head.

"Yo!" The two of you turned your head at the sound of the new voice to see Baji at the front on his bike, "Sorry for making you wait." He said as you and Senju approached him. "Just... had to meet with a friend."

You smiled at him reassuringly and shook your head, "No worries, you're already doing me a favour by dropping me off."

"Oi, Baji! You better take care of her while driving, okay?!" Senju cut off, getting in front of the ravenettes face, "She's precious cargo!"

Baji looked at her incredulously, "Huh?! You don't think I know that already?!"

Your eyes switched back and forth between them as you watched them bicker. When you realized they were getting heated, you decided to butt in and stop them, "Well, anyways, we should get going." You turned to Senju and took her hands in yours, "It was so nice meeting you, Senju-san! Please say my goodbye to Sanzu-san for me." You looked past the girl and waved at Takeomi. "Thank you for the hospitality, Takeomi-san!" You yelled out to him, bowing. He replied with a lazy goodbye as he raised a hand.

You looked back at Senju who you noticed had been staring at you the entire time. With no warning, you pulled her in for a hug, "Let's plan that hangout soon, okay?" You pulled away without letting the girl reply and made your way to Baji.

The second you got near, he placed the helmet on your head and helped you up on the bike. He got himself on and turned on the engine, "Good to go?"

Smiling, you nodded your head. You looked over at Senju one last time and noticed she had stood frozen in her spot, "Senju-san?" You questioned. This seem to finally get her out of her state and she shook her head, looking at you.

"Y-yes?"

You smiled and waved, "See you later!" And with that, Baji drove off, leaving the girl alone.

From behind you, you could hear Senju yelling her goodbye's. "Make sure to text me!" She yelled, causing you to laugh.

"Seems like you had fun." Baji started.

You smiled and nodded your head, even if he couldn't see you. "The Akashi's are nice. I didn't get to see Sanzu-san that often but Senju-san and Takeomi-san were very kind and fun to be around!"

Baji smiled as you spoke, feeling happiness at your own happy tone.

After a while of chatting, you realized that the route you were taking did not lead home. "Baji-san? Where are we going?" You turned to look at the back of his head, and only then did you notice he was wearing his Toman uniform.

"Sorry, there's been a change of plans."

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈✁━━━━━━━━━━━

A/N: MERRY LATE CHRISTMAS AND EARLY HAPPY NEW YEAR

I really wanted to write a special chapter but I've just been so caught up in holiday preparations u.u

I hope you guys enjoyed the holidays ^^ 

Anyways, with this chapter comes the Akashi siblings :D damn even they got introduced before Kazutora, Inui and Koko... oh well :P

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Votes and comments are highly appreciated <3