9:07 a.m.

High school. Hell, by any other name. School had only been in session for little less than an hour, but to one redheaded senior, every second was like an hour. Axel sat slumped in his desk, pretending to listen to the drawl of the male teacher at the front of the classroom. He cracked his neck and glanced at the clock again. '9:08? DAMN! This clock has to be broken.' He breathed out in what was the manly version of a sigh. His left hand subconsciously drew flames engulfing the bold printed letters at the head of his worksheet. 'Senior in high school, and I still get these damned things...' This action left the words, "Chinese Culture" looking like a fireplace log.

"Mr. Axel, since you seem so enthralled in today's lesson, maybe you can answer my question." The teacher looked at him from behind his thin, silver glasses.

Axel straightened up quickly. Too quickly. His knee collided with the metal part of the desk. He bit his lip, not allowing the curse to escape his lips. "Uh... "

"Well, if you're shy, I'll just read the answer off your worksheet." The teacher walked to Axel's desk, where the redhead sank deeply into his chair, his hand shielding his eyes from the rest of the class. The teacher picked up his paper. "Daydreaming again, Mr. Axel? Well, I suppose it's yet another detention for you."

Axel looked down at his hands, now folded on his desk.

"Right?"

Silence.

"Right?"

"Yes, Mr. Evan..." Axel said, his voice a low monotone.

"Good. Now, where was I? Oh yes..."

Axel looked down for a long time, feeling the eyes of his classmates burning into him. They were all too mature to laugh, but their eyes never lied. They were all laughing. Axel's foot began to tap on the floor fast, and the muscles in his leg twitched. His hands began to shake. Mr. Evan began talking about superstitions at the head of the room.

"...and so the Chinese lit fire pots to..."

Axel stood up and threw his desk across the room. "AHH!!" He turned around and ran out of the room, his red hair looking like a fireball as he bolted down the hall. He ran until he reached the outside, panting heavily.

Another boy from his class had followed him out. "AXEL!!!" The lilac-haired boy yelled, running after Axel. He stopped next to the redhead, barely sweating. Though Zexion wasn't an athlete and was wearing more black that a pagan occult, his breathing was normal, if not too calm.

Axel looked at him, his red spikes shaking with the movement of his head as he breathed. "Why'd you follow me, Zex?" He took out his lighter and stared at the dancing flame. Relief...

"Umm, isn't that what friends are for? Besides, Mr. Evan was givin' me that 'GET THE DAMN BOY' look. You know I hate it when he targets me out like that." Zexion rarely talked to other people for more that five minutes total in a week, so his sudden speech revolution surprised Axel. But not much.

"Go back to class and get your ass out of it," Axel said huskily, "you're better off without me."

Zexion put a hand on Axel's shoulder, pretending to focus on his chipping black nail polish. "I don't think so." Out of the blue, Axel stood up straight and kissed Zexion on the lips.

"Class. Now. Hurry up, emo kid." With this he ran, jumping the fence at the edge of the campus. Zexion just stood in his place, too confused to do anything but stare.

Roxas stared out the window of his classroom. He sighed. Suddenly, "What the..." A red-haired high school student jumped the fence across the lawn. What in the world... I have to see this one. He raised his hand.

"Yes Roxas?"

"May I be excused?" He asked, giving the substitute his 'Sweet little boy' look.

"Of course. Here's a hall pass." The elderly woman handed him a yellow slip of paper with his name and her signature on it. "There you go. Hurry back, now."

Roxas stood up and exited his study hall, resulting in his crash as he turned the corner. The black-clad high school boy stood up and brushed himself off. "Hey Roxas. We REALLY have to stop meeting each other this way."

Roxas forced a laugh. "No kidding... hey Zex, who just jumped the fence?"

Zexion looked at the blonde haired 8th grader and raised his visible eyebrow. "Who wants to know?"

Roxas looked at him. "Me, duh. Aren't you supposed to be the smart one?"

Zexion rolled his eyes. "Hm. It was Axel."

"Who's Axel?"

"A highschooler." Zexion folded his arms. He wasn't going to talk too much more. Talking REALLY wasn't his thing. "Why do you need to know, Roxas?"

Roxas looked down and stared hard at his shoe. He felt the blush creep into his cheeks. "No reason... just... wondering."

Zexion chuckled softly, a sound that was almost venemous, and a bit creepy. "Because you want to know if he's..." Zexion bent down and hissed into Roxas' ear, "single?" He stood up straight and looked at Roxas. "Hmm?"

Roxas looked guitily at the tile floor. He HATED how well the lilac-haired highschooler could read him. Zexion could read ANYBODY like a book, not to mention their 'scent' as the older youth so cryptically put it.

"Am I right?" Zexion chuckled again. "Of course I am. I always am." The taller boy turned and started down the hall to the highschool wing. "Better get to class, Roxy."

Roxas stood alone in the hall. "That guy..." Roxas had known Zexion for a few years, ever since he started hanging out with Riku, Zexion's younger brother, and Sora, his older brother's best friend Leon's younger sibling. (A.N. Oh, I see! Not...)

"Axel..." Roxas let the name roll off his tongue. "Axel..."

Ello friends and readers!!! Hope you like. I'll be getting chapter two up in a couple of weeks after I get back from camping.

-Suki-chan