Disclaimer – I don't own this, which explains why I have to beg my mom for allowance.

October 21, 2009 – I've revamped the S-TU and have made edits to fix things accordingly. I'm also using the Sygnus Figment Registry to help me keep track of my characters/world info/various other stuff, so go check that out if you want to know more about the Student-Teacher Universe.

Now, onto the story.

Enter the Student

The twelve-year-old redhead peered out at the world from behind a curtain of wet hair. He felt incredibly stupid, standing there in the middle of the forest at night in a thunderstorm.

Zelos privately admitted that he was rather hoping that lightning would strike him then and there. It would be simpler for him and likely cause a hell of a lot less pain. In order to understand that line of thinking, one must first comprehend his current situation and the thoughts he had – which he now deemed pure idiocy – that got him into this position.

It had started with his having the bright idea of running away. People would eventually think he was dead and make his sister the Chosen. She'd be a little sad that her brother was dead, but ultimately happy to be the Chosen One in his place. The only problem with that thought bubble was the fact that he had no idea where he'd go or what would happen if he was seen and identified to the Church.

Plan one was shot down in less than five minutes. It had merits, though, and the Chosen's ever-logical mind pointed out the creditable bits and latched onto them.

Plan two was quickly devised.

He'd run away to the angels and ask them to make Seles the Chosen because she was far better suited. Then, he wouldn't have to deal with the Church trying to reinstate him, no one would think he was dead, Seles would be happy, and she might even learn to love her older brother as well.

That one lived a short life, too. Zelos didn't believe in happy outcomes. They simply didn't occur.

It was around that time when Zelos realized that he was simply going to have to tell the pragmatic little voice in his head to kindly sod off. He was going to the Tower of Salvation to talk to an angel about his problems and if they killed him rather than listen… well… they wouldn't be his problems anymore anyway.

Thus the whole standing in the forest, staring at an angel, and wondering what in Martel's name he was doing there.

The tower was tall. Stating the obvious, yes, but he'd never seen it up close. It always looked so small from a distance. Seeing it from vantage point was awe inspiring to the twelve-year-old. Despite himself, Zelos found his mind calculating the mathematical computations that must've gone into the architecture of the immense structure.

He also found himself wondering if someone was subconsciously making up for some… interesting shortcomings.

Zelos turned his attention back to the angel. He was dressed in an archaic styled outfit with a cape that had a slit down the middle of it. Long blue hair was tied back into a lose ponytail. Pink wings fluttered faintly, seemingly possessing a life of their own.

He kind of felt sorry for a guy who had to live with pink wings.

Zelos rolled his eyes as expressively as possible. He was delaying himself and needed to stop. So, putting one foot in front of the other, he walked out into the open.

"Who the hell are you?" the angel demanded, not bothering to turn around to face the boy.

"I'm Zelos Wilder, Chosen of Tethe'alla."

"What do you want?"

I guess that small talk is out of the question… "I want my sister to become the Chosen."

"Why should I care?"

"I dunno… She want's the job anyway. She's better suited for it. I am an official screw up." Zelos had no idea why, but he found himself telling the truth as he saw it, something he'd never dreamed of doing before.

"Aren't you a little young to be considering yourself a waste of effort?" The angel turned around and Zelos found himself staring into aquamarine eyes that matched his own in color, but beat him in intensity.

"Maybe. I hear depression knows no age limit, so we might be wrong on that count."

"And why should you be depressed?" The angel looked amused.

"That requires a lengthy answer, mister… uh…"

"You may address me as Lord Yuan."

"Thanks." Zelos grew silent for a moment. "I suppose you want to hear the lengthy answer."

"One might assume that."

He's definitely amused. His eyes are sparkling… though that might be all the rain reflecting strangely in the light of his funky wings… "My mother made it perfectly clear to me when I was six that I should never have been born. I didn't catch on at first; I kept trying to get her to love me. It took her saying it out loud in her last moments before dying to get the point across. My father never took any effort to get to know me. I still doubt the he even realized I was his child. He died in a fire when I was ten."

"My sister, Seles, hates me. I'm the Chosen even though she's better suited."

"Why isn't she the Chosen, then? Shouldn't the Church have made her one when she was born, since she is a girl and you aren't?"

"She's a fourth elven. For some reason, the Church considers that a good reason to keep her from her rightful place. I think it's stupid. Half-elves wouldn't exist if the Goddess hadn't wanted them here… but then, I'm preaching to the choir on that subject I'm sure."

"You don't approve of the subjugation of half-elves." It was definitely a question.

"No. They're sentient people, not cattle. Though perhaps having a fourth-elven sister leaves me biased."

"You love your sister even though she hates you?"

"More than anything," Zelos replied immediately, surprised by his own vehemence.

"Why?"

"I don't know why. All I know is that if I lost her too, I'd die inside."

"Interesting. Cruxis, however, doesn't care about what happens to you."

"I know," he said softly.

"If you knew that, why did you come here?"

"I had to try something."

Yuan's wings flickered and then disappeared, his Cruxis Crystal flashing with the small amount of mana it took to affect the change. "You amuse me. I should not intervene in your life… but I think I will anyway. I shall be sending you back home, after I've taken you to a place I think you might be interested in. There are a few things you should know as well."

"What's that?"

"I'll tell you when we get there." Lord Yuan pulled out a Wing Pack and produced a strange flying device. "This is a Rheaird. It is faster to fly using this. I'll be taking you to a base near Flanoir." He pulled off his strange cape and handed it to the young human. "It'll be cold. You might want to use this."

Uncertainly, Zelos wrapped the cape around his shoulders and stepped onto the Rheaird. As he did so, Zelos felt as if everything he knew was melting away.

Okay, so his plans had been botched, he'd known that was going to happen from the beginning. Zelos just had the strangest premonition that nothing in his life would ever be the same again and that… that he'd just signed onto something bigger than himself, whether he wanted to be a part of it or not.

Destiny called and it apparently liked pink, cosmic jokes.

A/N – The pink, cosmic joke thing is my favorite line because, what child-Zelos doesn't know is that he'll be spending his time helping to reunite the two worlds stuck in a pink outfit because he lost a bet shortly before meeting Lloyd and the gang.