Well this story is just writing itself! Hope you're all enjoying it as much as I am. Read and review, lovelies!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Kingdom Hearts.

Chapter 2

The first thing Roxas was aware of when he woke up was a dull ache in his torso. Gingerly lifting his sleeping shirt he was saddened to find a large foot-shaped bruise on his stomach, coupled with the pain triggered by any small movements. Roxas knew today was going to be a struggle and it wasn't even 8am yet.

Radiant Garden High didn't start classes until 9am, a welcome change from Hollow Bastion High's 8:15am starts. The extra sleep felt glorious. Roxas entered his bathroom adjacent to his small bedroom and started preparations for the day. After showering, brushing teeth and styling his hair into his signature peaks he descended the stairs, having to go slower than usual to ease his aching stomach. As Roxas was making toast his phone buzzed in his pocket.

Hey Roxas! Don't forget I'm picking you up this morning. I'll be at your house at 8:45am! You'd better be ready :)

Olette.

Roxas felt blessed to have acquired a friend like Olette. Not only was she a genuinely good person, which these days seemed rare, she went out of her way to make sure he had as smooth a first day as possible at his new school. The thought of not having to walk to school with a damaged chest only amplified the smile Roxas was wearing. Mornings were Roxas's favourite time of day. His father had left for work long before Roxas was up just as he did every morning. Although he was alone, he was never lonely in the mornings. It was a time Roxas experienced peace, and he cherished every second.

After packing his lunch Roxas heard a sharp honk from the street. Quickly grabbing his bag and blazer Roxas dashed out the door, locked it and made his way to Olette's car. "Good morning Roxas! Excited for another day at Radiant Garden High?" Olette's bright mood was infectious and Roxas couldn't help but share her dazzling smile. "Hey Olette. Sure am, thanks again for picking me up."

After putting his bag in the back with Olette's he opened the passenger door to get in and was quickly reminded of his stomach bruise as he tried to sit too fast. Inhaling sharply he hoped Olette wasn't aware of his current pain. "Roxas, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Roxas expected nothing less from Olette, her perception was on point. Trying to think of a response he replied "Sorry just banged my ankle on the door, nothing to worry about." Olette looked unconvinced but started the car anyway and rejoined the cars on the street.

After a few seconds of awkward silence Olette decided to spark up a conversation, sensing Roxas was unsure of how to do so. They started chatting about their classes, which teachers they loved or hated, Roxas relaying to Olette his distaste for his history teacher Vexen. "Oh I know what you mean. I had him back in ninth grade. He demanded I tell him in front of the class when the Battle of Hastings was. Who the hell knows that?" Olette vented. "1066?" Roxas replied. Olette's eyebrows shot up at Roxas's correct answer. "Yeah that's it. How did you know that?" Olette inquired. Roxas simply shrugged his shoulders and replied "I've always enjoyed history and dates. I have a good memory." Olette nodded in approval and pulled into the school car park.

Being one of the last cars to enter the school they had to drive to the end of the extensive parking lot and located the last empty spot on school property. Olette cheered and clicked her indicator on, starting her swerve in but was shocked to see a flashy black car pull into the spot moments before she could. Honking her horn she rolled down her window and yelled "Hey! That was my spot!" The owner of the car stepped out and Roxas was again surprised at the fashion sense of some of these students.

This guy was wearing a trenchcoat that only covered the back half of his body, a shirt that didn't fully cover his stomach and to top it all off, a black beanie. He seemed like a rough jock-type person, the kind that Roxas avoided like the plague back at Hollow Bastion High. He looked at Olette, switched to Roxas and a look of confusion was evident on his face. Locking eyes with Olette again he smirked, locked his car and proceeded towards the school gates. "Man, I hate him. Roxas, that's Seifer, a senior with us. Take my advice and avoid him at all costs. Him and his two goons Fuu and Rai think they run this school." Roxas was surprised to see Olette so riled up. She clearly didn't like this Seifer at all, although she couldn't blame her after Seifer's rude performance.

Sighing heavily, Olette drove out of the car park and parked much further away on a side street. "Sorry Roxas, looks like we're gonna have to walk a bit." Roxas had no problem with that and went to get out of the car, once again forgetting his current predicament with his stomach. He lurched up and was halted by a familiar sharp sting in his chest. Trying to stifle his groan, Roxas's eyes teared up slightly at the pain. "Roxas, what's happening? Why are you having trouble getting in and out of a car?" Roxas cursed Olette's observational gift. "It's nothing Olette. Really." Not wanting to speak about it anymore Roxas headed for the large steel gates.

Olette quickly locked her car and jogged up to join him. "Something isn't right, Roxas. Please tell me if something's wrong." Roxas turned to Olette to berate her for her persistence but was disarmed by Olette's look of genuine concern. He sighed heavily and told her everything was fine. Realising she wasn't going to get any more out of him Olette returned to her bubbly chatting, saying something about going on a dinner date with Hayner tonight. Roxas was only listening half-heartedly. His mind was focusing more on the fact that he had PE today in fourth period. Roxas hoped that whatever they were doing would be gentle on his tender stomach. Suddenly, an image of Axel flashed through his mind and Roxas was overcome with uncertainty. Axel's note yesterday was heavily suggestive and poor Roxas was at a loss of how to respond or act. Deciding it was a matter for another time, Roxas resumed listening to Olette's elated albeit one-sided discussion.

Entering the gates, Roxas and Olette found their group at one of the long tables in the gardens. Roxas was happily reminded of the school's beauty, the table his friends were sitting at was surrounded by a myriad of colourful flowers and plants with the occasional stone fountain to add extra elegance. Roxas and Olette were greeted by everyone and the bell rang the second after they'd taken their seat. Cursing their tardiness, ultimately by Seifer's doing, they regrettably stood up again and made their way to Mathematics with Luxord. Roxas had enjoyed meeting Luxord the day before. They both seemed to share a deep respect for math and knowledge. Luxord had quickly become Roxas's favourite teacher.

The first three periods passed by quickly and uneventfully, as did lunch. Next, however, was fourth period, PE, which Roxas had been dreading all day. Luckily he also had Sora and Naminé in his class as well as Olette. The four of them made their way to the colossal gymnasium, Sora and Naminé discussing what they hoped would be chosen for sport today. "Man, I hope it's lacrosse again! Remember last week when I hurled it at Rai and almost broke his nose!? Damn, that was a good day." Sora was very similar to Olette, being a very bubbly, extroverted person. Naminé, however, was almost identical to Roxas. They both preferred a more quaint, peaceful atmosphere compared to Olette and Sora's boisterous alternative.

Roxas and Naminé took this opportunity to get to know each other further. Naminé happened to have her birthday on April 1st only two days before Roxas's own. She also had an older sister named Kairi who graduated last year and was now studying to become a veterinarian. They got onto the topic of their post-school endeavours and Roxas was surprised to hear Naminé was striving to become a proper artist. She took out her sketchbook and presented it to Roxas who was thrilled to see what masterpieces she'd created. Each sketch seemed better than the last until Roxas reached her most recent sketch. There on the page was an incredibly realistic drawing of himself. Naminé giggled at Roxas's gobsmacked appearance, taking his silence as a compliment. "I drew this yesterday at lunch while you were meeting everyone in the group. I hope you like it." Roxas thanked her profusely, even more so when she offered the drawing to him to keep.

The group of four reached the gymnasium and Roxas was overcome with a wave of anxiety. Filing in after Olette and Naminé they all approached the steel bleachers and waited for Cid the gym teacher to reveal today's activity. "Shut yer yaps, kids! Today we're doing laps around the school. Get changed and get goin." The students collectively groaned at Cid's choice of activity. Roxas's anxiety levels lowered slightly. Running wouldn't be too bad on his stomach. If they were doing swimming or football then he'd be screwed but running was manageable. He could go slow and play it off as being unfit.

After changing into their sports gear the class assembled outside the large gymnasium. "Five laps around the school. If I hear any complainin' you'll be doin' ten! Go!" Cid's booming voice jolted Roxas into action and he began a gentle jog. Feeling slight discomfort Roxas began to worry about doing five whole laps but noticed Olette and Naminé didn't seem to be fast runners at all. In fact they were doing more of a leisurely pace that Roxas could keep up with. Of course, Sora was leading the class, having sprinted the second Cid had given the command.

Radiant Garden High was a big school. Running around the entirety of it took a solid 10 minutes. So far Roxas had managed two laps and was barely holding himself together. What started as slight discomfort had now evolved into a sharp stabbing pain that seemed to worsen with every breath. Olette and Naminé had decided to do a fast lap and catch up with Roxas again, both noticing Roxas's struggle. It pained Roxas to have them think he was just terribly out of shape. In normal conditions he'd be up there competing with Sora, who'd actually lapped Roxas twice already.

Needing a break, Roxas found the nearest bathroom and thought to try and refresh himself with water. Anticipating the cool liquid, how wonderful it would feel on his blazing face, he was about to push open the bathroom door but stopped himself as he heard what sounded like pained cries. Confusion etched all over his face, Roxas opened the door and was horrified to find a boy no older than fourteen being punched by someone whilst two people were restraining his arms behind his back. The boy was sobbing uncontrollably and begging for mercy. Having heard the door open the abuser stopped himself and turned around to see who'd intruded on his session.

Roxas was alarmed to discover it was Seifer. Looking to the two others, Roxas deduced that these must be Seifer's companions, Rai and Fuu. Both of Seifer's friends were intimidating but for very different reasons. Whereas Rai was a typical meathead jock that would seem to use his fists before his wits, Fuu was a cold, calculating girl seemingly devoid of emotion or empathy. Of the two, Roxas would've been more afraid to confront Fuu then Rai.

Taking the rare opportunity, the young boy fled the bathroom, silently thanking Roxas in his head for distracting Seifer long enough to secure his escape. Seifer locked his gaze on Roxas, who squirmed under its scrutiny. "Look what we've got here, guys. Another lamer that just took the other one's place." Rai grinned maliciously at Seifer's news. Fuu maintained her indifferent glare. Roxas started to panic, his breathing becoming shallow and high. "P-please, I'm sorry I interrupted you, I-I was just looking for some water." Roxas's voice had become high-pitched, his fear painfully evident on his face. "Grab him."

Seifer's command consumed Roxas in fear. Rai and Fuu lunged for Roxas like cobras, each securing an arm and holding it very tightly behind Roxas's back. Roxas began thrashing around, desperate to escape their iron grips on his arms. Realising his futility, Roxas looked at Seifer who was approaching him slowly. "Listen up, new kid. We run this school. Everyone answers to us, everyone obeys us, as you will too." Seifer brought his fist back, poised for a strike. A single tear cascaded down Roxas's cheek as Roxas closed his eyes and waited for the brutal punch to connect. Seeing the tear, Seifer hesitated for a micro-second, then began his attack.

Seifer punched Roxas square in the stomach where his father had abused him the night before. Roxas screamed bloody murder as his body was assaulted with waves of agonising pain. Rai and Fuu, alarmed by Roxas's extreme outburst, unwillingly let him go as he sunk to the floor in more pain than one would expect from a single punch. Seifer raised an eyebrow, realising something wasn't right. After seeing Roxas's tear slide down his face, Seifer decided to lessen the blow, yet Roxas's scream made it sound like he had tripled his force.

Poor Roxas was clutching his stomach and trying to concentrate on breathing in and out, but the pain was too overwhelming. Every intake of breath amplified the pain he was feeling. Seifer, who was undeniably confused, decided to investigate Roxas's agonising cry. Walking over cautiously to the quivering boy on the floor, he pried Roxas's hands off his stomach which he was clutching protectively, and proceeded to lift up his shirt. All three bullies gasped sharply at what they saw on Roxas's stomach.

A multi-coloured bruise in the clear shape of a foot was on display on the poor boy's stomach. An overwhelming wave of guilt tore through Seifer, realising he had just assaulted the poor boy directly where the bruise was. Seifer began to panic in his mind, but with his well-constructed mask of indifference he stood up and walked out of the bathroom. Rai followed swiftly but Fuu hesitated. Her mask of apathy had also been broken upon seeing the condition Roxas was in. Seeming almost tempted to help the tormented boy, Fuu shook her head and recollected her thoughts and exited the bathroom as well.

Dark spots began to invade Roxas's vision as the pain was pushing him towards unconsciousness. The last thing he heard and saw before going under was a single voice crying out in shock at seeing his condition, and a beautiful shade of red.