I smiled when Ryu slouched his way to the car, his backpack slung over one shoulder and his hood up. He climbed inside, slinging his bag onto the floor and closing the door firmly. 
    "How was your first day?" I asked with a wide smile, beginning to drive back towards the house. Ryu shrugged, looking out the window and ignoring me. 
    "Do you have much homework?" I asked. Ryu shrugged again and I frowned, reaching out to pull his hood down. 
    Ryu turned his head towards me and I gasped, my eyes widening. There was an ugly split on his lower lip and a bruise on his jaw, marring his creamy skin. Ryu looked away and I pulled the car over to the side of the road, putting it in park and turning towards him. 
    "What happened to you?" I demanded. Ryu crossed his arms, pulling his hood back up and scowling. 
    "I ran into a pole." Ryu said quietly. I reached out, seizing one of his hands and yanking his sleeve down. The skin over his knuckles was torn and still colored with dried blood, rusty powder coating his skin. 
    "Who were you fighting with?" I demanded, pulling a small package of disinfectant wet wipes from beneath my seat and carefully wiping his hands. 
    "I ran into a pole." Ryu said stubbornly, finally meeting my eyes with a look that challenged me to disagree. 
    "Does this pole have a name?" I asked. Ryu shrugged, wincing slightly when I dabbed at his split lip. 
    "Does count?" Ryu snarked, running his hand through his hair in a way that was pure Kris. 
    "Ryu, this is serious. Tell me his name, and I'll talk to your principal." I said firmly. Ryu's eyes widened and he shook his head, holding his hands out.
    "Don't do that!" Ryu ordered. I sighed, turning the car back on and beginning to pull back into the lane.    
    "Why not?" I said, watching Ryu slouch in his seat and drop his hands.
    "I'm not some mama's boy. I can fight my own fights." Ryu said stubbornly. I looked over at him, my thumbs tapping out a quick rhythm on the steering wheel, and I nodded slightly. 
    "Okay." I said. I swerved, pulling a fast U-turn and then flooring the gas in the opposite direction. Ryu squeaked and clung to the handle of his locked door, thrown against his seatbelt. 
    "What are you doing?!" Ryu snapped. I smiled slyly over at him, shaking my head. 
    "You'll see." I said. Fifteen minutes later, we pulled up in front of a martial arts supply store and I got out of the car. 
    "Come on." I called, opening Ryu's door and then closing it firmly when he climbed out. I closed it and clipped the keys to my belt, motioning him forward. 
    "What are we doing here?" Ryu asked. I walked through the doorway, strolling over to the walls of practice pads and wooden bokken. 
    "We're getting some equipment." I said, picking out a few pads and then finding a wall of bō staffs. Ryu followed me hesitantly, stopping in front of a case of knives and leaving me to pick out a padded pair of practice nunchucks. 
    "Oh great, I've got my very own Mr. Miyagi." Ryu rolled his eyes, but he still helped me carry the pads to the checkout counter. 
    "Does that mean you'll wax my car?" I teased right back, paying for the new equipment and then making him carry everything to the car. 
    Once everything was inside, Ryu climbed in and I looked critically at his split lip. 
    "Okay, so now that I've promised not to storm into your Principal's office and get this creep expelled, who beat you up?" I said, ducking under the sun visor to make sure the road was clear for me to pull forward. 
    "He's the quarterback for the football team, and he's a senior." Ryu said quietly. I hit my steering wheel in protest, rolling my eyes. 
    "Oh come on, how much more cliche could your school get?" I exclaimed, picking up speed along the roadway. A red car appeared suddenly from a side street, speeding forward and I braked hard, my arm flinging out across Ryu's chest. 
    "Holy !" I yelled, looking over at Ryu. "Are you okay?"
    "Did you just soccer-mom me?" Ryu asked, his eyebrows raised. I nodded, looking over and flipping off the driver of the red car. 
    "Learn how to drive, !" I yelled. Ryu chuckled next to me and I began to drive again, rolling my eyes. 
    "You're sounding more like me every day." Ryu smiled. I rolled my eyes, grateful to reach the side streets that led to our house, and enjoying just cruising with Ryu. 
    "Okay, so this quarterback. Any particular reason he's been picking on you?" I asked. Ryu shrugged, pressing the remote that opened the gate and getting out of the car once it was parked. 
    "He's not a nice guy." Ryu supplied, picking up his backpack and some of the pads, waiting for me to pick up the staff and bokken I had bought. 
    "Really?" I said sarcastically, leading Ryu through the house and down the to the basement.     
    There was already a small section of the basement that had workout enjoyment, and a large punching bag hung in one corner. I set down the staffs and bokken I was carrying, motioning for Ryu to drop the pads. 
    "Okay. You see those stairs?" I asked, pointing to the stone steps that led down to the basement. Ryu nodded, a slightly confused frown on his face, and I smiled. 
    "Start doing frog jumps up them." I ordered. "10 sets, run on the ways down."
    "Excuse me, do what?" Ryu said, his hands on his hips. I eyed his jeans and t-shirt, then surveyed my own work clothes. 
    "First go get some work out clothes on. Then, do frog jumps. You know, squat jumps." I said, walking up the stairs and going to my bedroom. 
    By the time I came back in basketball shorts and a tank top, Ryu was dressed similarly and was busy jumping up the stairs. I picked up one of the bō staffs and began running through one of my old routines, my muscles remembering the patterns even when I didn't. 
    "Okay. I did ten." Ryu panted, sitting down on the bottom step and pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes. I nodded, putting the staff over and walking over to the hanging punching bag. 
    "Get over here." I said easily, picking up a long roll of padded fabric from the bin next to me. Ryu walked over hesitantly and I coiled the hand wrap around his knuckles, securing the fabric in place with a Velcro patch and then wrapping his other hand. 
    "Okay. Punching. You punch with the bottom of your fist, not the top, or you wreck your knuckles. And tuck your thumb over your fingers so it doesn't get broken." I said. Ryu made a fist and I checked it, nodding slightly. "Remember, open fingers are broken fingers." 
    "Now what?" Ryu said. I motioned to the punching bag, standing behind it and reaching out to support it with firm hands.
    "Hit it." I instructed. Ryu drove his fist into the bag and it shuddered from the force, making a surprised smile cross my face. He was stronger than I thought. 
    "Nice!" Kris exclaimed from the stairs, and we both looked up. He was standing with his arms crossed, watching us with a smile. 
    "Thanks." Ryu said quietly, hitting the bag again. Kris nodded, turning and beginning to creak back up the stairs. 
    "I'll make dinner!" Kris called. Ryu and I yelled back an affirmative, continuing to practice for another hour and a half until dinner was ready. 
    We ate and showered, Ryu finishing up his homework while Kris and I read books. Kris would occasionally lean over and help Ryu with a math problem, and I smiled softly when I watched them together. 
    "Okay, I finished my homework." Ryu announced finally, closing his books and shoving them back into his backpack. 
    "You can do whatever you want for a few hours." Kris smiled, slowly turning the page of his book. 
    "Can I go out with Snake?" Ryu asked. Kris looked over at me and I frowned, nodding slightly after a few seconds. 
    "Alright. Go get changed out of your pajamas." I said. As soon as Ryu was gone Kris turned to me, and I set down my book. 
    "Okay, pros and cons..." I said. "It's still light, and he has about an hour and a half before curfew. Besides, he actually asked us instead of just sneaking out like last time."
    "True. Snake seems okay to be around." Kris said, waiting a few more seconds before calmly picking his book back up. 
    Ryu came down the stairs a few minutes later, wearing familiar ripped jeans with jingling chains. His t-shirt was black and there was heavy liner around his eyes. His black guitar case was slung over one shoulder and one pale hand rested on the strap. 
    "Where are you going to be?" I asked. Ryu shrugged, pulling on a pair of socks. 
    "We'll probably just wander around the town a bit. Maybe stop at the park." Ryu said. "I've got my phone, so don't worry." 
    "Get out of the park before dark, okay? The weirdos hang out there at night." I said. Ryu chuckled, a real grin parting his lips for a fraction of a second, and the doorbell rang. 
    Kris let Snake in and the older boy slouched inside, toeing off his boots and looking Ryu up and down. 
    "What happened to you?" Snake said, raising one eyebrow. His black hair was perfectly spiked up, the sides buzzed to create a rather impressive mohawk that displayed his incredible eyes. Steaks of his hair had been dyed electric blue and green, heavy black liner around his eyes helping him pull off a perfect punk look. 
    "Ran into a pole," Ryu said, a sarcastic smile edging his lips. Snake nodded knowingly, giving Kris and I a faint smile. 
    "Ready?" Snake asked. Ryu nodded, tugging on his own shoes and waving at us briefly. Snake and Ryu walked out the front door, and I looked over at Kris. 
    "Why do I feel like they're going to a club?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. 
    "Because Snake hasn't ever looked like that before." Kris answered, glancing up at me over the