Chapter One
Why were they all staring?
Had they never seen a new kid before?
Surely there'd been others before him?
"Class, I want you to welcome, Roxas Kuro…Koro… ergh… erm…" Mr. Xaldin furrowed a brow, choking on the name, squinting at the introductory papers clasped in his hands, as he tried to comprehend the strange surname. 'Roxas Kuro13tashibashi'… was he supposed to pronounce the thirteen or? He sighed and decided not to bother; he wasn't paid to announce otherworldly names.
Roxas fidgeted in his position nervously, while many sets of eyes scanned critically over his rather unremarkable, yet secretly very attractive appearance. A few voices scoffed at his name, boastfully claiming their titles were in fact longer and contained more numbers.
He had blue eyes. Blue. Cerulean blue, sparkling oceans, swirling whirlpools and clear blue sky all rolled into one package with added aqua-coloured beauty… no, they were cobalt! Cold, aloof orbs of metallic secrecy, chillingly distant… or maybe they were the colour of midnight; as dark as the night sky, embedded in shrouded mystery and various other dark and gloomy things… his eyes were unmistakably blue.
His hair was magnificently golden - deliciously golden like honey, smooth and soft with the scent of butterscotch and lemon, spiked to perfection, reaching towards the heavens. His hair was indeed quite nice.
Several class members, namely female, picked up on these attributes immediately and stared in adoration and undying admiration at their new classmate, all of them hoping the conveniently empty seat beside them would be filled.
Mr. Xaldin paced the room for a few moments, seating plan in hand, seeking out the most advantageous partnership. Co-operation was crucial in his class, never before had he been wrong in his judgement of seating. His eyes swooped swiftly over each potential candidate in careful consideration, until finally a decision was made.
"It appears there's only one empty place left, Roxas," he began, earning a unified disapproving scowl from a small percentage of the class, which all looked towards the empty chairs in disappointed unison. "Yes, go to the back, next to… hmm…"
"A Certain Redhead," a certain redheaded boy, who looked far too old to be attending school, offered half-heartedly, unsure of whether to smile or smirk deciding to attempt both at once and hope for the best, consequently causing the approaching blonde to colour up.
He looks friendly… Roxas thought, feeling suddenly warm, gingerly setting his books down, while watching A Certain Redhead from the corner of his eyes, with utmost caution, he muttered a silent greeting.
"Sorry, did you say something?"
Inquisitive emerald eyes clashed against his oceanic blues, hovering in confrontation and scrutinizing criticism, it was then that Roxas realised his neighbour had a somewhat unconventional appearance… his hair was a towering inferno of wild and rampant flames, crackling aggressively in a vertical direction and his eyes… they were-
"Going to stand and gawp all day?"
His voice was so instructive, so powerful, so dominating, Roxas complied automatically, averting his eyes from his commanding neighbour, who appeared to be sufficiently pleased and gave a satisfied smile.
Mr. Xaldin watched the spectacle from behind his desk, rolling his eyes in despair; yet more sexual tension to merge with the current abnormally large amount floating around his classroom, just great. He sighed once more.
Roxas found great interest in the tabletop, how extraordinary it was with all its little cracks and pen scribbles and drawings of assorted reproductive organs – amazing. Though he was missing the point, he needed to say something, anything, to break the awkward silence he'd left brewing. Already, numerous ice-breaker questions leapt into his head, begging to be spat out; however, he kept his mouth closed.
"Not very accurate, are they?"
Roxas shook his head in agreement; unaware of the fact he was actually conversing with his neighbour. Discovery dawned soon enough and his body juddered in a shocked spasm, followed by his mouth falling open, and a flood of words clumsily spilling.
"They- nice-to-meet-and-I-didn't-mean-about-the-overly-large-manpart-I-mean-oh-I'll-shutup,"
A Certain Redhead laughed, "Yeah," he breathed from underneath his laughter, having to slump over the graphitised desk to support himself "nice to meet you, too,"
Roxas blushed, overwhelmed with humiliation, as another question slipped out without permission. "What's your real name?"
"I go by many names," A Certain Redhead said, straightening up and adapting a serious attitude, he gave the blond an intense stare. "Some call me The Flurry of Dancing Flames, one who is at peace while flailing and twirling amidst the flames, which sounds more like a dance number rather than a name" he paused to let Roxas digest the information. "Others know me as the Pyromantic, I think you can pretty much guess the gist of that one, hm? On occasion I've been referred to as Smouldering Flame of Desire, a bit too raunchy for my liking… and then there's Burn, Baby, Burn - that one's special request only." Another pause followed, and the boy with many names reached into his shirt pockets, withdrawing a small card.
"Most call me A Certain Redhead, but you can call me Axel," he said with finality, handing the card to Roxas, grinning.
"A-X-E-L," Roxas read out loud, attempting to distinguish the meaning of the letters, what could it stand for? Angry Xemnas Eating Lexeaus? No, that was silly; those two characters had yet to be introduced.
"That's right, hope you've got it memorized," Axel said, scratching corrections into the abnormal anatomy scribbled on his desk. "I'll be testing you later…" he added, with a sly wink.
"I don't like tests…" Roxas muttered, studying the card meticulously, each letter embedding itself into his distracted mind.
"You'll like this one; it's requires physical activities," Axel smirked, subtly edging closer to the class' newest addition. "I'll show you all the ropes,"
"I was never good at gym," Roxas was beginning to feel awkward again, his imagination was leading him astray and he could feel the onslaught of many eyes burning through their seemingly private conversation.
They had an audience, apparently, the entire class and a reluctant Mr. Xaldin, who hadn't bothered planning a lesson and so just watched the chaos unfold without batting an eyelid, so long as he was getting paid for it…
A mischievous twinkle played in Axel's eyes, and he leant closer to the blond, tenderly whispering "A good teacher can change everything,"
"Really? Roxas asked in a hushed tone, feeling like he was performing on some kind of strange sitcom, with a live audience watching in wonderment, notepads out, jotting down notes.
"Oh yeah, you'll be a pro, once I've had my way…"
"Erm…"
"I'll make you jump real high,"
Ceaseless orbs of ocean blurred in confusion, what exactly was Axel getting at? Had the subject of gym-related subjects slipped out of the conversation long ago without him noticing? He gave the dangerously close redhead a questioning glance before descending into a realm of embarrassment.
"You!" Mr. Xaldin pointed towards a dozing boy sat beside window, who jumped in fright, knocking his partner from her seat, "Open a window; it's getting steamy in here…"
"Sir, with all due respect, isn't it time we left?" A silver-haired teen spoke up, who'd miraculously appeared in one of the many empty seats just moments ago. This particular silver-haired teen wanted escape to the cafeteria before everyone else, not because he wanted first dibs on the various gruel and sugar-coated goodies on offer, no, he had a different agenda in mind…
Mr. Xaldin grunted, eyeing his wrist-watch hopefully – wonderful, time for several cups of coffee and an intimate talk with the homeroom teacher from across the hallway. "Very well, class dismissed… apart from Riku," he added, frowning in the aghast teen's direction.
"But-but-" Riku gaped, shooting to his feet in outrage – he was going to miss out on prime stalking time. "You can't do this!"
Roxas watched on bemusedly as Riku went into a very detailed explanation as to why he needed to be let out on time – he was having counselling for anger management, supposedly . Mr. Xaldin wasn't buying it; he was far too preoccupied with the half-price sale on sexyness across the hall, currently leaving its homeroom.
Axel snapped his fingers sharply in front of staring blond, pulling him from out of his reverie "So, meet me in the gym hall after hours," he said silkily, putting extra emphasis on the words 'after hours,'
"Eh yeah," Roxas said, nodding, what exactly had he got himself into? Did he really want THAT kind of tuition? What was he even doing making sexual arrangements on his first day?! Shouldn't he just be trying to focus on settling in? Or getting to know new friends? Well, he'd certainly be getting to know Axel, in a way…
Smiling, Axel ruffled the smaller boy's hair, before heading in the direction of a ranting Riku. "Fancy a training session tonight, Riku?"
Roxas' eyes bulged dramatically, as his jaw hit the ground with almighty thud, and he opened his mouth to protest but words failed him.
"-and, that's why if you don't let me go this instant, the janitor will be mopping up blood strains for at least a week, you'd best believe it – training session?" Riku stopped mid-rant, momentarily intrigued. "Who else is going?"
Axel tapped his forehead in recollection, "Hmm... let's see… I invited that hyperactive music kid and the tough-looking burly guy – he's bringing a few friends from his crew… and then, those two guys who are always stargazing in the daytime and oh… there was another one…"
"Who – WHO?!" Riku demanded, frantically, his delicately beautiful hair splaying out in all directions.
"Ah now, that'd be telling, wouldn't it?"
To look on the bright side, it was a good way of meeting new people and making friends, Roxas pondered, still unable to voice his concerns. On the other hand, he wasn't particularly comfortable with the idea of engaging in such unexplored terrain with one guy he hardly knew, let alone a crowd. More importantly, was he even into guys? He'd been straight before entering the classroom, but now…
"Is he coming or not?" Riku snapped; the suspense was killing him.
"Why don't you ask him?" Axel teased, retrieving his belongings and getting ready to leave. He gave the dumbstruck a blond a sneaky wink.
"Why do you answer everything with another question?!" Quickly becoming enraged, Riku blocked the exiting redhead's path, scowling. He hated ambiguity when his favourite stalking object was the concerned.
Axel scoffed, pushing the other boy aside "You're just as bad, aren't you?"
"THAT'S IT!"
Without another word, Riku pounced forward, fangs bared, intent on inflicting large amounts of pain, however, Mr. Xaldin intercepted his battle lunge, pulling the snarling teen to an abrupt halt.
"Alright, alright, go see your shrink and ask for a sedative or something," he ordered, disposing the flailing Riku into corridor. "And don't come back till you've calmed down! Honestly, kids these days…" he rounded on Roxas and Axel suddenly, "what do you two want?"
"Oh, nothing, we were just leaving, weren't we?" Axel said to the muted blond, who was still coming to terms with the fact he'd be participating in an awkwardly large event of a sexual kind later on, without any previous experience.
Xaldin pulled an unimpressed face, tapping his foot against the ground in impatience "Hurry it up, I have… marking to do!"
Axel scanned the corridor warily, spotting a gaggling group of fan girls on the prowl, he gulped – they looked ravenous. He quickly pulled Roxas into close proximity, making sure they were out of squealing range.
"Be there for about eight, no later" he stated quietly, giving the blond an encouraging push in the opposite direction. "And be sure to bring some balls"
"Wha?!" Roxas spat, somehow regaining the ability to speak.
Axel titled his head, slightly taken aback by the response." The school can't afford new ones, unfortunately, so we've decided every new tryout has to bring their own equipment, just to keep things fair," he said casually, noticing the fan girls had caught onto their scent.
Panicking, Roxas groped for the right way to explain his assumptions." You mean… we're not going to be doing… the groovy stuff?"
"Doing what?" Axel asked, deeply confused, "you're trying out for the basketball team, kid, not a musical – shit, they've seen us – quickly; head to the science labs – they don't like there!"
Surely enough, a glass-breaking melody of shrieking could be heard from down the corridor, as the ground shook against the approaching stampede; they were on their way.
"Wouldn't I just be better going home?!" Roxas gasped, as they both sprung into an urgent sprint, narrowly avoiding several open lockers in the process.
"Home?" Axel repeated, half-laughing, half-panting, accidentally knocking over a younger student, who desperately tried to squirm to safety from the oncoming danger. "This is your home!"
"No, no, I live in a house, with a family and…," Roxas protested, attempting to recall his parents and siblings, however, much to his dismay, his memory eluded him, filling his conscious full of high-school related thoughts. "Oh, I see…"
Axel smiled sympathetically, knowing the feeling of vacancy all too well.
The herd of fan girls skidded around a sharp corner, arms outstretched desperately longing for any form of pretty boy they could sink their talons into. Their eyes bubbled widely, darting around the corridor in rampant hunger – they knew there was two of them, definitely, and they'd most certainly be indulging in acts of a sexual nature, no doubt about it.
"I've always had dodgy memory, but forgetting my family…" Roxas breathed, pulling himself to an abrupt stop.
"Yeah, yeah, it's all very shocking – now get a move on!" Axel didn't let him wander into heartfelt speech, reflecting on his diminishing memory or sudden lack of identity, he grabbed the pondering boy's arm and dragged him into a forced run.
"It's like everything I ever knew has diminished into nothingness," Roxas continued, feeling a sudden urge to collapse dramatically.
"That's right; from now on everything that matters in life is right here, anything outside of Sanctuary High is unimportant, unnecessary and definitely very uninteresting. Why bother with the shenanigans of the outside world when you've got school problems to worry about? These next few years are going to be the most crucial in your life, got it memorized?"
Blinking, Roxas shot an astonished look at the lecturing redhead running alongside, wondering how many times he'd given that speech to other new students like himself.
"I bet you're wondering about the name?" Axel asked, noting the silence "it's essentially due to the fact we're running rather low on originality around here, everything's been done more or less, but that's not to say it can't be done again, many times. I suppose you could say it's a relevant name too; the school itself is a kind of sanctuary for people like us - a place where we can all gather together and live through the same scenarios, time and time again, like a broken record"
"People like us?" Roxas repeated, as his memory discarded the first bit of information he'd been told. "What do you mean?"
"You'll find out soon enough," Axel replied grimily, "for now let's focus on ditching them,"
The fan girls had caught up and were now closing in for the kill, deciding on the most appropriate battle formation for the situation. Standing towards the front of the group, upon a platform, the leader held out its notepad, hastily taking down possible notes for its latest work of literature, which just so happened to include the two retreating characters they were currently tracking.
"Onwards!" She yowled, scribbling something down about the two boys exchanging affectionate words and confessions before they were captured. This one was bound to get hundreds if not thousands of reviews; whether they would be positive or not she wasn't entirely sure of, not that it mattered.
"C'mon, in here, they can't enter the science lab – they fear the geekyness… and Vexen," Axel shouted urgently, ushering the blond over to a large fortified door. Barbed wire had been spread along the perimeter in hope of keeping any unwanted pests out.
"No," Roxas said stubbornly, spying the school's front doors at the end of the corridor; he was going to escape, regardless of the rules. "I'm going home,"
"Don't be an idiot, Roxas – going through those doors will just make things worse!"
Roxas huffed in disagreement. "Nothing could be worse than this!"
"Trust me, you'll regret it,"
"Charge!" screeched the lead fan girl, waving her pen in a menacing fashion. Her army shrieked in response, hurling themselves towards their two targets, notepads at the ready.
"You're making a big mistake!" Axel snarled, grabbing Roxas by the scruff of the neck and trying to shake some sense into him.
Roxas struggled against the vice-grip, managing with difficulty to struggle free, flinging himself towards the front doors" You can't stop me – nobody can!"
"That's true; and I will- argh!" Axel didn't finish his sentence; the rabid fan girl hanging around his waist made sure of that, as she slowly clawed her way upwards in search of possibly lustful expressions. The others followed suit, each attaching themselves to the staggering redhead's body and jotting down anything erotic they happened to find.
Roxas winced as his non-existent heart strings were pulled upon; poor Axel, he'd sacrificed his own dignity just to let him escape…what a nice guy. Despite feeling somewhat guilty, he wordlessly rushed towards the exit, while the over-excited fan girls ravished his saviour limb from limb.
Got to get out, got to get out, he chanted vigorously, without looking back; he wouldn't be able to stomach the sight.
"Roxas, you're going the wrong way!" Axel yowled in agony, bracing himself as another wave of screeching reverberated against his ear drums. "Science lab, now, you go!" Unfortunately, his words fell on deaf ears.
Door handle gripped, hands steady, Roxas took a deep breath, willing his feet to move just a few more inches forward, though it was far from easy. Maybe he should save Axel? He mulled the thought over for a few minutes, lending a notepad from one of the tamer fan girls to add up the pros and cons.
"Of course!" He proclaimed, thrusting the notepad away and grasping the handles decisively once more, "I must think only of myself and not others – cya, Axel!"
"Roxas, you fool!"
Axel's voice was quickly drained out, as the unsuspecting blond stepped blindly into the unknown, with only the thoughts of escape for comfort. Everything seemed normal for a few moments; he stepped into a regular school yard feeling rather smug with himself, though within seconds purple smog enveloped his figure, knocking him sick. He scrambled around, coughing and sputtering, desperately looking for anything to hold onto.
Abyss surrounded him, and he momentarily lost all his bearings, before darkness clouded his vision and an irritating buzzing noise sounded in his ears, forcing him into a whimpering mess. Closing his eyes and sinking to the floor, feeling his insides churn into a suffocating twist. Was he going to die? With that thought, he let go of consciousness, drifting away…
"Oi – new student!"
Light flooded into vision along with the grumpy face of Mr. Xaldin, which looked near explosion point - not the most welcoming of things to see after regaining consciousness, but Roxas was too perplexed to complain.
"What happened – where am I?!" He gasped, jumping to his feet in alarm.
Mr. Xaldin put a hand to his forehead despairingly, "You new kids, you're all the same – now get in there and introduce yourself – have you brought your introductory papers? Let me guess, you forgot them?"
"Erm, no, I've already been introduced actually," Roxas replied, immensely confused. Did Mr. Xaldin have short-term memory loss too?
"Oh, we've got a comedian on our hands, I see… very clever – get in there!"
Angrily, Mr. Xaldin shoved Roxas into the classroom, slamming the door, and snatching the papers from the bemused boy's hands. "Class, I want you to welcome, Roxas Kuro…Koro… ergh… erm…" he began addressing his class, before he was interrupted.
Surprised, Roxas snatched the papers away. "We've already done this!" he glanced around the class pleadingly, asking for assistance; they all remained silently puzzled, especially Axel, who was looking remarkably well off considering what he'd been through. "Axel, you're alive!"
"Who is this Axel you speak of?" Mr. Xaldin remarked, pulling on one of his braids in stressed query.
"Well, he's… he's…" the aforementioned Axel did not show any signs of friendliness, let alone response.
"Just sit down, before you ruin my well-thought out lesson plan!"
Roxas felt his eyes sting in a mixture of fury and distress – was this some kind of huge joke? Did they do this to every new guy?
"Go sit by A Certain Redhead; best to keep all the loonies together in one corner," Mr. Xaldin waved his arm dismissively, pointing out an empty place beside Axel.
Had he dreamt starting school before?
Classmates stared as he wandered to his desk, girls blushing, guys scowling. Axel remained indifferent.
"Well, hi again, I guess," he said in greeting, sitting down beside the redhead for the second time that day.
"Sorry? Did you say something?"
Would you believe that this was supposed to be an introductory chapter? Obviously not. More chapters coming soon, which will hopefully be the right length, hah?