Hey there, welcome to the Nick and Alex version of School Days! Just a small warning, this one is a lot more serious than previous fics with them and it's not very comedy oriented at all. It's rated T now, but it will be M in later chapters. I'm going to tackle one episode per chapter, so each chapters going to be pretty long.

Nick hasn't really changed much from the transition, but Alex has changed immensely. He's definitely a more serious character this time around, so I hope you enjoy the change!

It was Nick Ecquins first day of Freshman year. He had unruly brown hair, and black eyebrows with expressive hazel eyes. His uniform was brown (He thought it clashed well with his brown hair.) as were his pants. He stepped onto the train, thinking about the situation.

The train stopped again, and a young man who looked drastically different stepped onto the train. He was dressed in his proper attire, yet something seemed almost sloppy about him. His outfit looked too small for his lanky frame. It seemed as though his body was too burly and tall for the schools biggest uniforms. He wore a thin fu-manchu and had messy sideburns. Even more bizarre than his attire, was rather his hair, Which was shaggy all around except for the back of his head, which went off in stiffened thick individual ropes of black to the small of his back. Everything save for his skin was black, including his eyes, which seemed void-like. If he went into a shadow, Nick was certain he would be invisible.

"Hello there." He said stoically to Nick, who was somewhat intimidated. The black haired man let out a small laugh. "Ahoho, that's the common reaction…" He smirked, sharp teeth shining through a thin smile. His voice seemed hollow. "M'names Alex. And I run the show around here…" He said. "…How do you know if you run the show if this is your first time at this school?" Nick asked puzzled. The young man let out a laugh that reminded him of a hyena: It was shrill, but intimidating and dark. Amazingly, no one stared at all; perhaps all of them were enthralled in thought. He'd like to get his mind off of the eccentric lad himself, but he couldn't escape.

"Eheheh. Knowing where you're going is preferable to being lost… And I don't need a weather vane to know which way the wind blows. I just… flow. The wind flows with my pace… It speaks to me." Nick didn't exactly know what Alex's damage was, but when he mentioned the Wind, his first guess was that he was a schizophrenic. And yet, there seemed to be more substance to his words then just babble.

"Knowing where you're going is preferable to being lost?" Nick thought. "Let your instincts guide you, and be resolute in your pursuit of the truth. The kingdom comes, Nick…" "How in the hell do you know my-" "The kingdom comes…" Alex said, before finally shutting up. At the end of his sentence, a young lady, not much older than they, ran into the train. She was wearing the same uniform as all of the other girls, but she seemed different. Her eyes were dark, but a darkness that exceeded warmth in contrast to the cold pits in the eyes of Alex. Her hair was black and it flowed down her back at the same length of Alex's dreads.. She also seemed very well endowed in the torso. "The kingdom comes…" Nick whispered to himself as the girl ran into the interior of the train, passing by Alex and Nick. She panted before sitting and picking a book to read out of her satchel. Nick couldn't stop his eyes from gravitating in that direction. Alex smiled with all of his sharp looking teeth, and couldn't prevent himself.

"You're interested in her…" Alex hissed rasply, reclining on the bench. "…Aren't you?" Alex finished, kicking his long legs up. "It's not like I'm going to go after her, or anything…" Nick tried to defend. "…Hm. H-Where's the fun in that?" Alex said cheekily. "She's on our train?" "Mm, evidently. I trust we're both looking at the same female black haired bookworm… Tell me, Nick, have you heard of the cell-phone charm?" Alex inquired. "Cell-phone charm." Nick repeated. "Yesss. If you take a picture of a girl you're interested in, and you keep it from everyone, your love will go unblemished and without conflict." Alex said, smirking.

Nick scoffed at first, but when he was certain Alex wasn't looking, he took a picture of the girl. Alex smiled as he noticed the picture before they got off the train.

"Yesss. If you take a picture of a girl you're interested in, and you keep it from everyone, your love will go unblemished and without conflict…" Nick repeated Alex's exact words in his mind as he looked at his cell-phone in class. "The pot of gold at the end of an eternal stream of spectrum is more real than that…" Nick mumbled as he was ready to delete the picture. "Hey! Whatcha looking at?" a dark brown haired girl asked him. Her hair was shoulder length, in comparison to Alex's or Katsura. Her eyes were large, and blue. "Gaaah!" Nick shouted. "Hm, the cell-phone charm? Interesting! Who told you?" "It has nothing to do with you!" Nick defended. "Why in God's name are you looking over my shoulder like that, anyway?" "Because we're seated together!" the girl said cheerfully. "Hreh. This school is strange. If it's not filled with black draped madmen it's worth it's weight in nosey people…" Nick said. "Hm." The girl said. "So, Nick, you like Katsura?" She asked. Nick pinched the space between his eyebrows. "Ugh… You saw the picture?" "I did!" she said, offering a warm smile. "Look, don't tell a soul about this!" Nick said as loudly as he could without interrupting the lesson.

"H-Why?" she asked. Shivers ran down Nicks spine as he remembered how Alex always pronounced the W's whenever he talked. "Just… Just, promise me…" Nick asked. He wasn't sure who was more perturbing, Alex, or this lady. At least Alex introduced himself, but this girl didn't and she knew his dirty little secret!

"Hm, interesting! I had no idea you were so cozy with Madame Saionji…" He heard Alex's voice hiss as he walked down the hall. "She engaged me." Nick said as Alex revealed himself from a dark corner. "She's high on the food chain…" Alex said. "Intriguing. I took her as a moron." "As did I. but very rarely do morons not have dense rule." "Truer and more hateful words have never been spoken." Nick said, crossing his arms. It was his turn to smile. "Truer, perhaps… Hateful? No. Just subtle observation." "So, where do you fit in?" Nick asked. "In the end, I'm a stronger force than anyone here combined…" "Ha! I'd like to see you prove that!" Nick scoffed. Alex glared coldly at him, and Nick shut up. "Maybe I shall…" He smirked, which put Nick out of it. The smirk turned into a grin before he disappeared into the darkness again. The girl named Saionji walked up to Nick. "Hey, I need to talk to you." She said. Nick looked puzzled. He scanned the surrounding areas for the dreadlocked enigma, but he vanished completely. "Here. We have to go to the roof." Nick followed the petite girl up to the roof and he could hear Alex's twisted cackle in his head as he went down the stairs.

"So, where did you get that key?" "I'm the head of the astronomy club!" Saionji said enthusiastically. "Hm." Nick suspected otherwise, as she was a freshman also, but he shut up about it. "So, what do you have to announce?" "Well, I made friends with Katsura!" "Oh Sh-" "She has a weak body." "I wouldn't have guess from the size of those mounds…" Nick thought to himself. "She's shy, and doesn't have much friends." Saionji added. "…Have you… told anyone…" Nick growled. "I won't tell anyone else!" Saionji said, smiling. "…Else?" Nick asked, angrily, grabbing the girls collars and shoving her against the fence. "N-Nick…" Saionji said, gasping a bit. "Ah!" Nick said, releasing his grip. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking!" "That's fine! You're quite apologetic and sensitive." Saionji observed. "So, do you want me to help you out? I'll turn your love for Katsura into a reality! Leave it to Sekai!" She said, nick-naming herself.

"Hm." Nick offered a hand, and Sekai shook it. "You trust me! Good! I can see this being a very fruitful partnership!" Sekai said, cheerfully. "Sekai?" Nick asked. "Yes?" "…Are you familiar with a guy named Alexander Noble?" "Noble?" Sekai asked, confused. "Yeah. Dread locks, really creepy stare?" Nick asked. "…No! I haven't even heard of him, even through the high school preparation programs they had to offer… Is he recent?" "Looks like. Keep an eye out for him, because I can't help but feel as if the guy's following me." Nick laughed nervously as he scratched behind his neck. He knew Alex didn't have the popularity to match his talk.

"Maybe he just doesn't have many friends?" Sekai suggested. Nick seriously doubted it. The guys aura was as dark as black ice. He was not sure what his motives were, but he doubted that Alex wanted to be his friend.

*****

It was sunset now. The sky was beginning to grow orange and pink as Sekai went to the locker room to change. "Sekai." "Setsuna!" Sekai said to the girl. Setsuna was much shorter than Sekai. Her hair had a red ribbon in it, and her eyes seemed to be fixed in a permanent glare. Her hair was black, and she was shorter than every other girl their age in the school. "Did I keep you waiting?" "No." She answered stoically. "What was the talk with Ecquin about?" "Nothing. So, where are we going?" "That place near the dumpsters. They've got some new dumplings." "Alright, let's go!" Sekai said as she ran out the door. Setsuna watched her as she ran out into the evening, pale light shining through the glass window of the door.

"Hello, Setsuna…" A figure drawled as he revealed himself from on top of a locker. "Alex-tono…" Setsuna said, bowing. The ribbon in her hair bobbed down as she turned over. "Mmm." He said, smiling as he descended. Setsuna remained undeterred. "That seemed a rather pathetic attempt at pressing her for answers, I must say…" "I… apologize, sir. It didn't seem like the time." Alex smiled. "Not the time…" he repeated to himself. He spun around in place and roared at her. "Goddamnit, Setsuna!" Alex shouted, punching the locker to his side. "If now is not the time, when shall it be?!" "I'm sorry… Alex-tono…" Setsuna said, backing away scared out of her wits.

This did not stop Alex, rushing forward to grab Setsunas throat and lift her into the air. "Did you not forget my plan?! Are you actually competent?!" Alex said firmly, his deep eyes blazing with rage. "Al-Alex… Step One… is already in effect…" "So, you decided to let Sekai sit in your designated area allowing her to become closer to Ecquin... Bravo. Just like I told you." Alex said, releasing his grip on the tiny girl. She dropped to her knees, hacking and coughing. She threw up onto the stone floor. Alex stared at the watery vomit intensely. "Ah, what a fine mess you've gotten us into… Don't worry, with some… persuasion, we'll be able to fish ourselves back out. Sekai obtained the key to the roof that I left for her. We'll see how things advance from there." With a laugh he walked out in the opposite direction. Setsuna watched as her master slid out as she rubbed her throat.

What the hell was he trying to do?

*****

The next day Nick arrived at lunchtime. "Nick, it's a good thing I caught up with you!" Sekai said as she noticed the brown haired boy in the hall. "Oh? And what is it…. Sekai?" Nick asked, having difficulty remembering her name. "I told Katsura that she could eat lunch with us!" "WHAT?! Sekai, didn't I tell you to advance this slowly?!" "No…" Sekai said, in remembrance. "Well, I should have! How did this happen from a span of a few hours?!" Nick asked loudly. "We talked over the phone last night, and this is the result!" "Ugh, I forgot to count out that possibility…" Nick said, facepalming. "I know who she likes!" Sekai said. "Well, looks like I'm fried." Nick said, sighing. "She's single, as it turns out. There's someone that interests her, but no one that she likes… If you try hard enough, you have a chance!" Sekai continued. "Hm. Well, alright. I suppose I don't have much of a choice in the matter." He pulled his arm back away from Sekai, giving her a bit of a glare before walking up with her to the upstairs floor.

"Hm." Nick walked up to the roof, strutting a little bit. He closed his eyes as he cracked his neck, adjusted his brown tie and observed the hem of his jacket. He sighed as he opened his eyes, and he couldn't tear them away from the young woman who was standing in front of him.

"Umm…" She said, in a weak voice. "Hello, Madame Katsura, I apologize if we kept you waiting." Nick said, coolly as he bowed. "No, I just got here…" She said, quietly. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Katsura Kotonoha…" She said. "Nick Ecquin, at your service…" "Ah, let's not be so formal! Onto lunch!" Sekai said, pushing away at the lethargic greeting between the two.

"Ah, Katsura, that looks good!" Sekai observed the girls food. "I'm not very good, but please try some." She said. Katsuras voice seemed to be quiet by nature. "Yes. Since you went through enough trouble to invite me, I figured I'd do something special…" "You didn't need to bother… Here, Nick, have some!" Sekai said. "If you'd like, Nick…" Katsura said. With eyes and a gentle smile such as that, how could he refuse? "Mm, it's my pleasure." Nick said, reaching for a sandwich. "Thank you very much, Katsura." Nick took a bite into the food.

It tasted as if she had left the sandwiches to congeal in her refrigerator for months. Nick was a gentleman, and ate the entire thing. Sekai also seemed to have trouble. "How is it?" Katsura asked timidly. "It was good… Something… I don't think I've ever eaten before…" "Was it not good?" she asked. "Oh no, it was nice! Mm." he said. He could practically feel it weighing down in the pit of his stomach. "Guh." He grumbled. Sekai too finished with difficulty.

"So, I'm going to go to the bathroom!" Sekai said, standing up. Nick gave her a look, as if to say not to leave him alone with her, but Sekai simply winked as she walked down. "Umm…" Katsura began once she was sure Sekai was gone. "Yes?" Nick asked, a little taken aback. "Nick, you're an interesting person…" She said, looking at him. "Did you expect me to be very strange?" Nick immediately thought of Alexander Noble when he said strange. He looked around, just to be safe. It was noon: broad daylight. Alex didn't usually come out to prowl until around evening. He was certain that, wherever he was, it was not on the roof. "No, just someone with a calm atmosphere." Katsura said, smiling a bit. "I apologize…" he said. "But, I suppose it is a special circumstance… I wonder where Sekai is…?" "A special circumstance?" Katsura pressed, quietly. "Certainly. I did, after all, make your acquaintance today…" Nick said. Katsura giggled. Nick could feel himself blush. "Nick, you're much different than what I heard!" "Oh? You've heard of me?" "Um, No! That is, I only heard what I've been told by Sekai!... You seem different that what she told me of!" Katsura replied, much more quickly than anything she had said before. "I have a feeling you're hiding something, Katsura… I wonder what…"

****

Nick returned to his flat and called Sekai when he got home late at night. "Sekai, thank you… I'm very grateful for what you did." "Really?" Sekai said over the phone. "Yes. Now I have the leeway to talk to Katsura all I want." "Good. You would never have accomplished so otherwise." "Sad, but true…" Nick mused. "I'm going to ask her out tomorrow… I'm probably gonna get rejected, but if it means properly conveying my feelings, then it's going to be worth it." "…Nick." "Yes, Sekai?" Nick said, sitting up in his bed. "If it's you, you'll be just fine." "Thank you…" "Good luck." The two people hung up.

****

Sekai lay in her own room, wearing naught but her pink pajamas. Her cell phone was still to her ear, even after hanging up. "Good luck, Nick…" she whispered quietly. "You like Nick Ecquin!" A voice said from beside Sekais bed. She screamed and raised the covers to her midriff. "Ah!! Who are you?!" "If things go according to calculation, I'm the Ghost Of Christmas yet to come." The fiend said. His skin had a tanned complexion, and thick eyebrows were concealed under black bangs of hair. The back of his head went down in ropes that descended down his back. He was wearing all black. He was filing his nails on a chair, his legs were crossed. Despite the restless gleam of his dark eyes, he seemed perfectly relaxed.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Sekai said. "Ugh. Do people always have to be this loud…?" Alex questioned no one in particular. Sekai all of a sudden had a flashback to a couple of days ago.

"…Are you familiar with a guy named Alexander Noble?" "Noble?" "Yeah. Dread locks, really creepy stare?" "…No! I haven't even heard of him, even through the high school preparation programs they had to offer… Is he recent?" "Looks like. Keep an eye out for him, because I can't help but feel as if the guy's following me..."

"You must be Alexander Noble." Sekai said firmly. "Mmm, you've heard of me. That could put a dent into a few of my plans…" He grunted, seeming displeased. "Nick told me about you." Sekai said. "Oh, never mind. Things are progressing smoothly then." He said, cheering up. "What do you mean?! Why are you here?!" "I'm old, alone… thought you might appreciate some company…" Alex said, sulking, as if to garner sympathy from her. Sekai wasn't buying it. "What does that matter?" "Birds of a feather flock together, my dear. I couldn't help but notice that you're trying to get my good bud Nick set up with Katsura Kotonoha. I expect you're getting compensated in your own little way…" He said working on his nails some more. "Well, I…" "Save it, Sekai... I know that you're doing this to spend as much time with him as you can before the inevitable occurs." "And that is?" "The inevitable? Oh, Nick hooking up with Katsura." He shrugged. "What else?" He asked, cajolingly.

"What do you have to go on?" She said, squinting. "Your increased time together, conversations on the phone… Oh, and you coerced that little girl to switch spots so you could be next to Ecquin. What was her name again…? Setsuna?" Alex said, mockingly. Sekai looked at him, horrified. A wolfish smile crossed his face. "You say it's out of entertainment, but you and I both know that deep down inside, you love him. Human devotion at it's finest! But! That's alright, heehee! I won't tell as long as you won't spill the beans about our little meeting tonight, or about me." He said, rising up out of the chair. "I…I…" Sekai tried to object. The black shadow strolled out into the kitchen.

"Oh, and by the way, you need to get a new lock. That last one broke after I punched it once."

****

"Sekai, Nick confessed to me." Katsura said the next morning once Sekai approached, deciding not to walk on eggshells. "Hm. He's pretty straightforward!" Sekai said, putting a finger to her lip. "And, I gave him my okay." "Ah, that's good!" Katsura blushed darkly. "Do you remember when I told you someone interested me?" "I remember, but don't think of him when you date Nick. That's immoral…" "The person who interested me was Nick… Everyday, whenever I was on the train, it always felt as though someone was watching me… I always believed it was pure paranoia, but when I realized it was him, I began to become more interested… So, I was very happy when he confessed to me. I am grateful to you… You set us up. I don't think I could have made his acquaintance without your help."

"Well, Nick is a nice guy, and he really likes you, so… good luck." Sekai said. "Thank you!" Katsura said, smiling and blushing as she got up, her chest heaving as she ascended. "See you!" She said as she ran off. "Bye…" Sekai said.

"Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match…" Alex sang dementedly as he revealed himself from a bush. "Ugh. It's you again…" Sekai said as she saw the black dressed boy. "So, looks like you sealed the deal, girl. No turning back. Looks like you screwed up your last chance… Aha." Alex said, happily. "You son of a…" "Oh, and don't worry about a thing. I made sure that Ecquin and Katsura hooking up wasn't kept a secret… Looks like you'll have to throw in the towel on Nick." "I'm not done with him yet, Noble!" Sekai said as she stormed off angrily. "Good. I'm counting on it…" Alex said. "How can we win, if fools can be kings? Don't waste your time, or time will… waste… you…" Alex sang as he disappeared again.

****

Nick waited at the train station after school. "I didn't say anything about it at school, but it's weird. Everyone's talking about it. Ironic, wouldn't you say?" Sekai said, smiling. "Are you waiting for Katsura-san?" "Yes." Nick said, adjusting his tie. "Katsura has a student council meeting. She'll be late." "Pity." Nick said as he looked at the ground. "Don't do anything perverted too quickly!" Nick gave her a quick glare. "Sekai, thank you for the company, but if you're here to simply harass me, I suggest you take your leave." Nick said, angrily. "Idiot! I'm on this line too." Sekai said. "I've never saw you on the train…" Nick said, putting a finger to his lip. "My house is in the opposite direction." "Oh. Sorry." Nick said. The couple looked away, and Nick was the first one to turn back. "Sekai?" "Yes, Nick?" "Why did you go to this much trouble? I mean, people who peek at my cell phone wouldn't do so much." "Because it's fun!" "…Is that really all?" Nick said, squinting at her. "Sure! What other reason could there be? There's nothing more interesting than watching the love of others." "Matchmaker, Matchmaker, make me a match…"Alex's sing song voice played like a cassette in her head as she said that, and it took all of her energy to prevent her from recoiling.

"…Fun is fun, but I suppose I owe you one." Nick said. "You owe me so much you'll never be able to pay me back in a lifetime!" Sekai teased. "Well, I'll try." "You'll try? Just try?" Sekai asked, standing up. "I'm not fond of making promises I can't keep..." Nick said, adjusting his tie. "Hm, in that case, I wonder what I'll ask for…" Sekai looked deep in thought. "I'll do just about anything." "Well, then…" Sekai said, approaching. "Well, just think about it I guess. The trains coming, anyway, so-"

Sekai softly wrapped her fingers around Nicks red tie and pulled him into a kiss. She slipped her tongue between his lips as Nick sat still, surprised. Sekai pulled out, smiling as she looked at Nicks face in utter shock. "Good luck on your date!" Sekai said as she walked onto the train.

Nick still looked shocked after the train left, and on the bench some thirty feet away from him, a black clad student watched and laughed as everything went according to his scheme.

END OF EPISODE 1: CONFESSION

Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! And, in case you were curious, the song that Alex was singing after he taunted Sekai is called "Knights Of Cydonia" and it is by Muse.