Nakarugi Matsuki's Past - A few years ago....

Nakarugi Matsuki was somewhat of a delinquent before Chris.

He didn't give a crap about anyone, anything, but he did give a lot of crap about fighting. Truth be told, he yearned for love.

The love of the adrenaline.

But maternal love and physical were good competitors as well.

But one after the other, it all changed when they all left or betrayed him. Left him alone and after becoming so numb to friends, he decided that it'd be best if he'd be alone.

Can't miss what you never had....

But since school is the pinnacle of bullying, he almost got into a fight every other day.

Don't worry, he never lost. Just a few drops of blood.

*****

And just like normal, he found himself in a fight with three other guys.

" This is the last time you mock me!" The guy who looked like the leader smirked as he put up his hands in a stance and hopped on his feet.

He looked like a boxer. But Nakarugi didn't care. He looked at him, half asleep and half thinking whether he was gonna have ramen or something else tonight.

Well, his dishes were normally good.

But he didn't want her to exert herself.

" Hmm?" He yawned, nearly dozing off.

" Get HIM!" The guy charged, ready to murder anyone on his way but Nakaguri threw his bag in the air and shot his leg upward at the same instant, coming into contact with the guy's chin which sent him staggering backwards.

And to top it off, he grabbed the bag's strap and brought the weight down on his head, sending him on a facepalm with the dirt down below.

" OOF!" He throbbed and moaned, holding his chin in his palm, noticing drops of blood and the event of a tooth possibly plopping off.

Ow. That would be traumatizing.

Imagine an incisor looking at you and threatening you it'll kill itself.

The other guys were deciding if they should try to escape from his fangs or try to teach him a lesson.

The chose the latter.

They moved to the side and one of them charged.

Wrong move......

Nakarugi let down the bag, feeling a bit annoyed and decided to test out the moves he saw in a video.

Just that it was meant for instant near-fatal KO's

With a grin on his face, he sidestepped and dodged the punch the guy was supposed to aim at his face and grabbed his arm with his left and thrust his palm onto the guy's face, just below his mouth and with a bit of energy, flipped him to the ground.

And just as quick, he kicked the guy's nose with his knee, all within a matter of seconds.

It never really set off his adrenaline pulsing.

And all this time, the other dude was gaping at him decimating two of his teammates in their trio.

" If you're gonna attack, attack at once. Idiots....." Nakarugi mumbled and pushed the other two towards the remaining fella while they got up with a fazed look.

He caught them and sent a look of apology and rage mixed in together. Not even noticing he peed his pants.

I mean, really?

" We'll get you next time!" The leader shouted, holding his chin while the other victim held his nose with the other supporting them two.

" Um...yeah. I think the nurse's office is that way!" Nakarugi pointed to his left, picking up his bag and leaving the premise.

" And at least bring more if you're fighting me!" He chuckled, still yelling.

*****

He decided he should probably clean the blood on his uniform before heading home, to his grandma. And also that he would be buying ramen for both of them.

*****

" I'm home! Old lady Grandma! And I've brought ramen!" He yelled jovially, throwing his shoes to the side and running inside only to find a book flying to his face.

" Wha-TWACK!" It slammed him in the face as he fell down on the floor, rolling around and around in circles in pain.

Why was a thousand page book flying in the house was all he could think before he realised.

" You left the shoe in the wrong place again!" A very unimpressed voice echoed from the living room.

" Right, right. Leave the slippers by the side...." He mumbled.

" It's a shoe though."

Nakarugi said in a low voice, hoping she didn't hear this.

Wrong choice....

Another hundred page book curved around the edge, as if defying the basic fundamental laws of physics and hit him in the back of his head. Leaving him to bite the dust, again.

Well, the wooden floor this time.

The only one who could tame this beast of a kid, his 60 year old savage grandma.

" Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow" He moaned as he got up, only to get stomped by her, making him plonk his face yet again on the hard floor.

Almost breaking a tooth of two.

He played a smile on his face as she complained, " G-g-gah! This thing is so hard to open! MATSUKI! Open this for me! And prepare it while you're at it!"

And before he even noticed that she stole the bag he brought home and left him all alone in the doorway, she yelled again.

" Oh! N-nevermind. I got it. L-looks like I have some strength in this old bag of bones after all!!"

He stood up and rubbed his lower lips which were bleeding.

He took the privilege of freshening up while she prepared the ramen and he sat down on the table to eat.

" What happened at school today? Nothing much as always?" She eyed him with a bit of suspicion. Feeling shivers up his body like normal, he shrugged it of and told the truth, knowing damn well he would have to eat the ramen off his face if she found out the truth.

" Nothing much, yeah. But three boys wanted to fight me but as I was feeling generous, I let them off with a bit of a quarrel." Nakarugi said, pride drooling from his chin, rolling the chopsticks in his palms as he started to dig in to eat.

He got smacked in the head with the warning,"Pray!" which caused him to spill half the contents in his face.

"HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT!!!!! AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!"

" SHUT UP!"

" thank you for the meal, you good for nothing God....."

" Better" And that was when he believed in God, that she didn't hear that as well.

*****

A week after her trying to nearly scald him to death, he returned home as always, throwing his shoes off the side.

But something was off.......

The usual shoe or book tossing was missing and there was no yelling or shouting at him from inside. He entered the living room and saw his grandmother lying on her futon, as she's does on rare days and pressed his lips on the old lady's wrinkled forehead. "Good evening, ma"

Ever since his parents left the country on their honeymoon upon hearing that they were expecting a baby sister. They never came back.

Matsuki, expected a sibling about months ago, and had lost hope a long time ago. Now the only family he could love is his annoying but beautiful grandmother.

And she was an angel to him, taking him in when no one cared much about this little broken child whose parents had not yet returned.

*****

After doing all his school work and finishing up the dishes, he woke her up.

" Hey, granny! Wake up. It's dinnertime!" He poked her cheeks and she woke up with a yawn, covering it up and wiping off the drool from her face upon hearing a hint about food, to which her grandson showed a gentle smile of love as he helped her up.

" What's for dinner? Don't tell me that ramen again..."

" Udon soup. It's good for you."

" I hate that."

" You're gonna eat it or I'm gonna have to enima it into your system."

" You're gonna hurt your grandma?" Asked the old woman.

He just had the same smile.

" Never."

*****

After a quite successful dinner, before going to bed, she laid a firm hand on his, taking up his well built, smooth hand in her weak, wrinkled and shaking palms.

" You know, Matsuki, you need to look after yourself."

He still remembers what she said, with the utmost vividness one could remember.

" I won't always be here. Here to look after my grandchild."

Nakarugi Matsuki, was confused. Why would she bring this up out of all the times she could have? Yet, something told him this was true.

But he didn't understand the pain of being truly unloved and having no one to love yet.

Being the person to carry the burden of loneliness without no one to shoulder it up against.

" Get a girlfriend. I dragged your grandpa when we were at 15!" The aura changed drastically in a matter of seconds. She winked at him.

" Wanna hear it?"

There was no sound. No response.

" Oi, Matsuki? How does he fall asleep EVERY SINGLE TIME!?" She yelled but soon, took his face in her soft hands and gently kissed him goodnight.

" One final time, my dear"

" Promise me, you won't ever give up. Fight. Fight for the ones you love and fight them if they turn to the dark side." She slowly got up on her feet and looked at the Sakura trees, ready to bloom as Nakarugi Matsuki feigned sleep.

" Hmph, seems like this year's will be a nice blossom, huh?"

That year, the shrill snow of the winter felt colder than usual without Fuyuko Shimako .

*****

End of Part - 1