Disclaimer: We do not own Kingdom Hearts, nor any of the characters! They are all respectively copyrighted to Disney and Square Enix!
All's Fair in Love and Suburban Warfare
Chapter Two
Subtitled: You've Got to Be Kidding Me!
A/N: This was co-written with cloudrunner64.
Cloud yawned and blinked drearily at the clock that cheerfully blared its eerie oh-so-bright green light at him. It read 5:30. Then what had woken the spiky-haired blond? He heard the soft footfalls of over-sized shoes and shot up out of bed, into the hallway with a bat in hand. Unknowingly to Cloud, he had misjudged the distance ran directly into the (possible intruder) and both had tumbled down the stairs in a tangled mess. Cloud blinked and looked down into startled blue eyes, "Sora?" He croaked. "What the hell are you doing up at this hour?"
"It'll be time for school soon, Cloud," Sora whined at him, shoving at the larger boy. "I know you're excited to see me, but would you get off?" His eyes landed on the bat and widened. "What's that for?" His fingers twitched as though he was going to call his Keyblade into it. "If you were going to kill me, you could have waited till after school, couldn't you have?" Sora asked, a pained note in his voice.
Cloud blinked once. Twice. Three times then stood up brushing himself off. "School...right." He muttered and ambled back up the stairs and flopped onto the bed, welcoming sleep.
Sora huffed and got to his feet as well. "Geeze. I thought you didn't like me there for a minute." He shook himself like a dog and ambled off again, already forgetting the incident. Well, as well as the bruise on his hip would let him, that is.
Kayleigh groaned and was dragged from the unconscious state of dreaming to hear the ever-so-annoying high-pitched beeping of her alarm. She gave a pitiful whimper and buried her head under her pillow. After another ten minutes of annoying beeping the brunette drug herself from her bed and smacked the innocent clock off her nightstand where it finally shut up. Kayleigh grumbled all the way to her closet, back to her bed, down the hall, and into the bathroom where she profoundly slammed the door.
Kira walked further, her eyes on the ground. She hadn't slept much, and had started walking at about two a.m. Now she wasn't really sure where she was and it was incredibly cold. She paused on a still-darkened street corner, shivering. Staring into the darkness, the girl gave up and sat down on the curb, crossing her arms over her knees and laying her head on her arms. It was a little warmer, but she didn't care much about the cold anymore.
Roxas noticed the outline of someone not far from where he sat—on the curb as well. Considering all of his options, the blond finally arrived at the idea of spontaneous persuasion. He stood up and made his way rather slowly to the figure before he noticed it was a girl. Scuffing his feet lightly to announce his presence he ventured closer, "Hey." He called softly.
I must still be asleep, Kira thought, lifting her head and squinting at the shape. "What." Her voice was quiet, not snappish, surprisingly. It was far too early to be biting people's heads off. Or was it? It was easier to be snappy in the morning...but not when you've been reflecting on your crappy life for the last several hours.
Roxas recognized Kira immediately, "Uh, hey, what are you doing out at this hour? Do you mind if I sit there?" He asked, pointing to the curb in the general area of 'next' to her.
She blinked at him. Once. Twice. Three times. Her eyes flickered and she lay her head back down, facing away from him. "Go ahead." Kira ignored his first question, closing her eyes again.
Roxas sat down quietly and studied the asphalt, remaining silent for quite some time. The blonde had no idea how to talk to Kira and no brilliant conversation starters were occurring to him. For now, he was happy to be allowed to sit within range of her.
As the silence stretched on...and on...and on...Kira's thoughts wandered. She touched on someone's face, visibly flinched, and then got up. "Where are we?" she asked, a touch of her snappishness coloring her voice.
Roxas gave a slight shrug, "Outskirts of the city. Home is a few miles back that way." He jabbed a finger behind him and looked around. "In fact, I think we're pretty close to Axel's house." He offered as a way of escape.
Axel's hand shot out from under his covers, grabbed the clock, and threw it out the half-open window. It beeped in protest; it was battery powered, not plugged in. He sat up and yelled a curse word after it, his red hair flopping over his green eyes. Needless to say, the pryo was NOT a morning person. The clock beeped again, faintly, from it's spot on the grass. Leaning out the window, Axel glared at it. "You..." He muttered angrily. Turning to get out of bed, he tripped over his covers and landed--rather hard--on his side on the floor. He glared at the door. "Today already sucks."
The clock beeped. Again. And again. Then louder. Axel leaped to his feet, tripped over his bed, and ended up halfway out the window, which was where he wanted to be anyway. Or so he thought. Leaning further, he yelled a few unkind curse words at the clock, and then...
Promptly fell out of the window.
"Ow." The clock's green numbers flashed. It beeped. Again. Axel swore. Was it...laughing at him?! "Argh!" Flames consumed the little machine, and the pyro leaped up again, hands on hips and a glare on his face. Except...the grass caught fire. The glare vanished and his eyes grew wide. "No!" Throwing himself on the flame, the redhead began cursing up a storm, grass blades flying. The clock beeped.
Tilting her head, Kira listened a moment. Another curse echoed through the air. "Indeed. I hear him. What'd he do, fall out a window?" Turning on her heel, she started in the general direction of "home." "School...right." She muttered to herself, crossing her arms.
Roxas nodded and followed slowly behind Kira. After a few minutes of awkward silent walking he caught sight of the red head and a faint grin touched his lips.
Kayleigh had finished getting ready for school and now sat glaring at her clock—which was now back on her nightstand—impatiently waiting for her impending doom. She had tried to take as much time as possible, and yet she was still early. A plus for any guy that wanted to take her on a date, she got ready fast. She double-checked her reflection in the mirror as well as her books, binders, and other school necessities. When her green eyes wandered back to the clock she gave a self-suffering sigh. Still at least a half hour to go!
Kayleigh sighed and shouldered her bag. She'd walk to school this morning. At a 'leisurely' pace so as not to arrive too early and look like a morning person; where she would then be driven insane to join early-morning activities to help promote 'school spirit,' which everyone knew was dead anyway. The thought made her cringe and she quietly tip toed out of the house. The brunette inhaled the morning air and shifted her bag more comfortably, then started down the sidewalk at a slow pace.
Bounding happily out of the house, Sora caught sight of Kayleigh and scurried over to her. "Hey!" He called cheerily. He was such a chipper little brunette; it wasn't exactly easy to be mad at him. But being a morning person brings a lot of hate, so Kayleigh might have managed it. He fell into step with her, found her pace too slow, and hooked his arm through hers, tugging her along. "So did your schedule make the cat attack?" he asked her, eyes glowing.
Kayleigh gave a surprised squeak as Sora latched onto her arm and forced her to walk faster. Normally, under other circumstances as well as other people, she would have been mildly angry, but as Sora was, well… Sora, she allowed it. Kayleigh laughed, "Unfortunately, it didn't." She turned and smiled up at Sora.
Realizing she'd probably eat him if he wasn't oh-so-adorable (not that he knew that), Sora slowed down a little. "So are you going to get another when we get to school or something?" he asked curiously. Realizing he was still holding onto her arm, he blushed lightly and slowly let go. She was so...warm...and comfortable...and beautiful...and nice...and...well...wonderful.
Kayleigh nodded solemnly, only slightly disappointed that the boy had let go of her arm. It was sort of chilly. Sort of. "Yeah, I'm going to have to. It doesn't help any that I couldn't piece together my old schedule to get an idea of what classes I have and with who. I hate being unprepared." She replied glumly and immediately shrugged away her moodiness. The brunette turned and smiled at Sora again, "Hopefully we'll have some classes together, then I won't feel totally unprepared." Kayleigh beamed.
"Sucky," Sora said, sticking his lip out a little. "Want me to come with you to the office? There's bound to be a million people there today. You know how they are..." he smiled slightly; thinking about the mess school always was the first week.
Kayleigh shrugged and situated her bag once more, "Sure. Yes, unfortunately I do." She admitted in a desperate tone.
"Unfortunately?" he asked, tilting his head to the side slightly. He wasn't quite sure what she meant by that, but he WAS pretty sure she'd just said yes to his coming with her, so he didn't care what the unfortunately applied to.
Kayleigh laughed, "Unfortunately as in, I do know what the school is like for the first week. My guess is I'll only miss two classes for the wait to get my schedule." She added with a playful grin.
It was a bedraggled and slightly damp—and green—Axel that joined them on their walk, giving Kira a wide berth. She shot him a glare and took off at a run, wanting to get home and get out before her mom woke and started singing something unseasonal. Axel lifted an eyebrow at her disappearance and brushed soot off of him. He gave Roxas a glum look as his mother's voice suddenly shot through the morning air. "YOU SET THE LAWN ON FIRE?!" Throwing an arm around Roxas' shoulders, the pyro hauled his friend forward. "On we go, shall we?" he said charmingly.
Roxas allowed Axel to haul him forward. He was most definitely not one to go around bothering Axel's mother when she was in one of her tempers, which, was almost always. "Bad morning?" Roxas asked as they picked their pace up to a jog.
"Erm. You could say that," Axel said, casting a glance over his shoulder. "I sorta fell out the window. Then I sorta set the lawn on fire. And the car sorta isn't fixed. If you never see me again, I'm sure you know what happened. I don't like daisies, by the way. So my grave will most likely be unmarked. Don't know who's sick joke it was to put a demon in a human's body and call it 'mother,' but whoever it was..." his voice trailed off into angry mutterings.
Kira made it home in record time, grabbed her things, brushed her hair, and ran out the door again.
Riku leaned casually against the school wall, ignoring the large crowd of teenagers pushing past him and into the hallways hoping to find friends, boyfriends, and all other assortments of relations.
Kira somehow magically (Just because she's cool like dat) found a way to school without running into anyone she knew. Stopping in front of the building, she paused, her head tilted to the side, looking at it. Then she straightened, let her hair fall over her face, and walked inside. Almost immediately, she spotted Riku—how could one miss that hair, that face, that body?!—but ducked her head. She wasn't in the mood for a smartass.
Riku bowed his head, allowing the silken hair to fall into his own eyes. This sucks. Where's Sora? He asked himself mentally. He looked up and surveyed the crowd of students, his eyes honing in on a girl with her head bowed but thought nothing of it and continued his search for someone he knew.
Kira saw him turn away and her head popped up. Boys were already looking her way, the nuisances. She thought to make a break for it, past a gaggle of cheerleaders and past Riku. Except...she didn't know where she was going.
Riku shifted then pushed himself away from the wall, keeping his head bowed. He heard the squeal of the cheerleaders and visibly flinched as they surrounded him. He quickly pocketed his hands so the girls wouldn't try to sneak a hold. Giving a self-suffering sigh he continued down the hall, figuring he wouldn't see Sora until later. "Riku!" The boy looked up and finally smiled, in a not-so-annoying manner for once. "Kairi! Hey." He approached the red headed girl and the flock of cheerleaders dissipated.
Kira resisted a small laugh at the cheerleader flock. Dumb girls...seeing Riku head in another girl's direction, she pivoted, thinking maybe to catch Kayleigh in front. No telling, though, for the mass that was the student body was growing.
Riku glanced back at the girl who was Kira, but still had yet to recognize her. Turning back he continued his conversation with his other best friend, Kairi.
Roxas grimaced and looked up at his friend, and he thought he was having a bad morning. He sighed, "Maybe...Kayleigh will be in one...of...your...uh...classes." He said through gritted teeth. As much as he hated the idea, he felt bad for the pyro and thought he deserved something to look forward to on this already doomed day.
Axel's green eyes brightened. "Maybe! I hadn't thought about that." He sighed happily, his doomsday brightening some. "At least if I die," he said with a sigh, "I'll have seen Kayleigh first. Oy, check it out...they're here." They referred to two things. One, Kayleigh and Sora were close, two, the group of boys they always butt heads with was lounging outside.
Sora laughed. "Okay! Missing class would suck, though..." He said with a slight pout. Catching sight of Axel and Roxas, Sora heaved a sigh. And here comes Axel to steal my glory, he thought glumly.
Roxas' eyes narrowed dangerously and he clenched his fists. His hopes would be that the group of boys would leave them be, for today, but his hopes would soon be shoved back down his throat.
Kayleigh laughed, "I was kidding Sooora!" She drew out his name and jabbed an elbow at him playfully. The brunette caught sight of Axel and Roxas and waved, pushing past the group of boys without a second thought. "Hey!" Kayleigh halted mid-stride and turned to face a boy with silky blonde hair. He was glaring at her as if she had committed first-degree murder. "Um? Yeah?" She asked a nervously.
His dark green eyes narrowed as Kayleigh stopped. Giving Roxas an encouraging pat, he swept forward and draped an arm over Kayleigh's shoulders. If nothing else, the tall hottie was good for protection. "Have a problem?" He asked silkily, glaring at the other boy.
Sora followed, but stopped beside Roxas as Axel moved. "Them again," he sighed, wishing that he had been able to defend her instead of the pyro. But then, perhaps it was better. Axel was meaner than he was.
Roxas inclined his head towards Sora in greeting and sighed, "Someone's gotta put them in their place one of these days..." He said darkly. "Maybe if they pissed you off enough, you could take 'em all." The blonde gave a malicious smirk.
Kayleigh flinched at Axel's touch but gladly accepted his protection, if that's what he was aiming for. Otherwise, he'd be suffering from a few mild injuries after they escaped the group. "That bitch shoved past us without so much as an 'excuse me'." The boy growled. Another boy that looked like he did weight lifting for a hobby and any other spare time he had. "Vexen." He rumbled quietly. The apparent 'Vexen' ignored the body-builder.
Axel's eyes flashed and he opened his mouth to speak...but Kira got there first. "Excuse me." Her voice was sweet and kind...until she pushed him. With her knee. Hard. In the groin. "Polite enough for you, jerkoff?" She asked kindly, moving to Kayleigh's other side.
Axel gave a smirk. "Apologize," he advised the kneed Vexen. As Sora, beginning to get angry, shot Roxas a look and came forward, Axel grinned. "Might want to do it quick," he advised. His fingers twitched, ready to call flame.
Sora folded his arms, seconding them all. Then Kira said what they all wanted to. "Apologize, you prick, or I won't be so nice again."
Roxas stifled his amusement for as long as he could but when he heard the other boys laughing at Vexen's writhing form he erupted into laughter. He had to hand it to Kira, he was loving her more and more as time went on.
Kayleigh sniffed and tried to blink the tears away angrily. She was glad she had such great friends to defend her, but what Vexen had said still hurt. The dirty blonde that writhed on the ground only groaned in pain and seemingly refused to apologize. His accomplices only laughed. The body-builder dragged Vexen to his feet and the group made their way away from them, obviously respecting Kira on a whole new level. Kayleigh wiped at her eyes and smiled gratefully to her friend. "Thanks." She said in an almost inaudible tone.
Axel hugged her closer to his side, then pulled away. Wiggling his fingers, the pyro sent a little flame scurrying after the group. "Jerks. Don't bother with them. They trouble you again, call one of us," he told her. "Or kick them. Which, as we've just had proven, is quite effective."
Kira hissed after them and yanked her friend over into a hug. "Some help y'all were," she grumbled. "Jerks." Letting Kayleigh go, she looked at Roxas. "Breathe," she reminded him dryly.
Sora gave the retreating gang a dark look and pat Kayleigh's shoulder. "We'll get even with them." Normally he wouldn't have considered that, but he loved this girl. And they were jerks.
Kayleigh sniffed and wiped her eyes once more. "Thanks guys." She gave a small smile. "Come on Sora, I thought you were going to escort me to the office to reclaim my schedule? I'll catch the rest of you guys at lunch, or in one of my classes when I find out what they are." She added sheepishly. The girl bit her lip slightly, "Oh...Won't Riku be waiting for you Sora?" She added as an afterthought.
"Shoot! Sorry Kayleigh!" he hugged her tightly and then ran off. "Sorry! I'll see you later promise sorry sorry sorry bye!" His sorries were audible even after the door shut.
Roxas regretfully gave the pyro credit for attempting to protect Kayleigh even though Kira had got there first. Maybe his player days were over. For comfort, he decided to still keep a close eye on his friend and wait for things to pan out. He looked at Kira, "Need any help finding your classes?" He offered quietly.
Kira watched Sora spazz away and turned to Roxas. "Uhh...yeah. This school is huge," she grumbled, digging through her bag and offering her schedule to Roxas. Apparently, kneeing someone had put her in a better temper.
Axel sauntered back. "I'll go with you, Kayleigh," he said. "No reason to give Mrs. Daw a heart-attack the first day."
Kayleigh rolled her eyes and laughed as the last echo of Sora's sorries were heard. The brunette stuck her lower lip out rather poutily at Axel, "I just don't like being called such derogatory names. Don't make me smack you." She threatened mockingly. "But sure, company is always nice in those over-crowded offices." Kayleigh smiled up at Axel.
Axel just smiled. "I know. That's what you have me for." He stepped forward and opened the door for her. "C'mon. Better get in there before someone else figures out a screw-up."
Kayleigh gave him a strange look but entered the building nonetheless, giving him a soft thank you for opening the door for her. After she knew they were clearly out of earshot she turned to Axel, "Hey, thanks for back there. Even though Kira took over for you, it was really nice of you to stand up for me like that." She smiled and shifted her bag once more.
He laughed, scratching at his hair. "Wasn't nothing. And besides..." Axel suddenly grew quiet. I'm in love with you...not gonna let anyone say things like that to you. He thought. A gaggle of screaming ninnies distracted him and he quickly opened the door to the office.
Roxas gave a somewhat relieved smile and gently took Kira's schedule. He looked it over briskly and grinned, "Hey, we have Photography and English together." He remarked quietly.
Kira tilted her head, shifting her body to read the schedule with him. "How about that. Where are they?" She thought about moving away, but hey...one more friend wouldn't go amiss.
Roxas blinked. Was he having trouble breathing? Probably just the smog. Yeah, that was it. "Fourth and Eighth period, so last period together everyday." He shrugged. "I'll show you where they are after lunch. Let's see, you've got Physics first period with Mr. Baskerville. I'll show you where his class is then I'll meet you there after to show you where your next class is if you'd like?" He looked up from her schedule and at her. When their eyes met, Roxas all of a sudden felt extremely nervous and timid. He quickly lowered his eyes to the ground. "It's this way." He mumbled and opened the door for her.
"Hmm. Sure." Kira noticed his sudden shyness and lifted an eyebrow. She was pretty sure she knew what was up with him. "Roxas, you know you can't really love me, right?" The words slipped out before she could stop them, and she hoped he wouldn't inquire about them.
Roxas stumbled but regained his balance quickly. 'What? Love her? Who said anything about loving anyone?' He thought to himself, totally perplexed by Kira's remark. He considered asking her about it, but they had already reached the classroom. "Here it is." He stated obviously.
"Thanks." Kira brushed past him lightly and claimed a desk. In the back. In a corner. In the dark. "Shroom," she muttered darkly.
Roxas watched Kira go then sighed quietly to himself. He didn't quite understand what she had meant, and yet it hurt. He ruminated on the subject as he ventured to his own first period.
Sora nearly slammed into Riku. Did, actually. But the brunette was much lighter than Riku, and so ended up on his rump on the floor. "Hey!" He said. "Sorry. Vexen called Kayleigh a name and Kira kneed him." He summarized, scrambling up.
Riku gave Sora a startled look. Kairi had only left just moments ago, "Sounds...fun? Vexen's still going around with that attitude? Might have to put him in his place again." He grinned wickedly but a normal smile took its place quickly, "Where were you this morning? I was starting to worry." Riku laughed, "Hey, sorry about the other day, I was only joking." He added softly.
Sora laughed. "Yeah. She got him good. And I got caught up...talking to her..." At the apology, he waved a hand. "I forgot about it, no worries."
Riku cocked an eyebrow at Sora, suspicious of his hesitation. "Talking to Kira or Kayleigh?" A small smile played around the corners of his mouth. "You forgot all about your best friend?" He added dramatically with a note of mockery in his voice.
Sora shook his head violently. "I could never!" He said indignantly. "You're the greatest anyway." The bell rang and he squeaked happily. "So I'll remember you in first period, see you later, bye!" He ran off happily, eyes shining.
Kayleigh cocked her head to the side curiously; "Besides wha-" She was roughly cut off as a boy with strange colored hair shoved past her and into the office. Taking a deep breath, she swallowed her anger, "Hate school..." She muttered.
"Right," he observed.
Kayleigh stood up on her tiptoes to get an idea of how long the wait would be. From her view, they had quite a ways to go. Kayleigh sighed and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. She turned to say something to Axel but the bell rang. Almost all of the students scattered, in search of their first period. Kayleigh, Axel, and the boy who had pushed past her were the only ones left. "Uh, Axel you don't want to be late for class do you? I think I can handle it from...here..." The boy from earlier caught Kayleigh's eye. She couldn't help the small blush that crept to her cheeks. He was extremely cute, who cares if he was a little rude earlier? Forgive and forget right? The other teen looked down shyly and approached the school's secretary about his schedule.
The pyro grimaced. "I guess," he said reluctantly. Noting her blush, Axel glared at the other boy. Sora he could handle. Unknown competition was another thing.
Kayleigh smiled up at Axel. "Do you know who he is?" She whispered secretively. But the brunette caught sight of Axel's glare and immediately shut up. "Thanks for the escort. You should get to class. I don't want to get you in trouble the first day," she said quietly.
"I don't," Axel growled, his eyes on the boy. "Sure. As though trouble doesn't follow me around?" he asked her, his voice lighter as his eyes found hers. Ah, she was so beautiful...so glorious...why oh why did that other boy have to be here?! Shoving his hands into his pockets, the redhead reluctantly headed for the door.
Kayleigh caught Axel's arm before he could leave, "Hey, I'll see you at lunch?" She asked quietly, trying to keep her eyes from wandering over to the other boy that was conversing quietly with the school's secretary. "If you don't get suspended for lighting something on fire first." She grinned and turned on her heel to ask the secretary about her schedule as well.
Axel gave her a nod and a smile and vanished. Set something on fire indeed...he looked at a nearby trashcan. So tempting...nah. Not on the first day. Tomorrow, however, that trashcan would be fair game!
Kayleigh had been able to retrieve her schedule, and peer over the boy's shoulder at his schedule to catch his name. 'Zexion, sounds totally foreign and hot.' She thought to herself as she searched the school for her second period class.
Riku rolled his eyes as Sora vanished. Glancing down at his schedule, he heaved a sigh. It only took him about three minutes to find his class. He headed for his usual dark corner to find one of the desks already occupied. He glanced through the strands of his silver hair, "You!" Riku snorted and made an act of looking extra confident and took a seat nearest the window, allowing Kira his corner. This time.
Kira gave him a dark glare. "Got a problem, prissy?" She snapped at him. Here was an excellent reason to hate the school. And the town. And Riku.
All surrounding students that knew Riku well enough were shocked to see the usually very defensive and prideful boy make no retaliation of any sort towards the new girl.
I guess that was just a little uncalled for... Kira thought, lowering her head again as he didn't respond. Her hair falling across her face left her free to think. Until the teacher walked in and the last bell rang.
"Hmm, let's call roll, then.." He lifted a piece of paper to the end of his nose and squinted. "My glasses have vanished," he told the class around the paper. "Hmm...new student?" Heads turned as he lowered the paper and squinted in Kira's direction. She sat back, eyebrows lifted as the student's gazes landed on her. They all turned back relatively quickly. "Name?" He asked kindly. She gave it. "Tell us about yourself?" She glared. He nodded and turned to the board. "Well, Class, we'll begin with..."
Riku gave any other students that gave him a curious look a frightening glare and returned to quietly taking notes as the teacher ambled on about what they'd be learning for the year.
Her mind wandered...and wandered...until the bell rang. Again. She was up and out of the class before anyone else could blink. Kira took one step, then paused as someone stepped into her way. Lifting an eyebrow, she gave the cheerleader a "What-the-hell-do-you-want" look. The girl looked her over. "Hmph. So you're the new girl." Her tone was more than a little snotty.
"It was appear so," Kira said dryly. "Did you figure that out all on your own?" The girl sniffed.
"Well, I guess you just, like, blew your chance to like, be cool. You could almost be pretty if you like, dressed like a girl."
"And you could almost be smart if you had a brain." Kira retorted, then shoved past the gasping, empty-headed freaks to search for her next class. Finding it with only a little trouble, she chose a desk one away from the one in the corner. God forbid she scare away another corner-dweller.
Riku entered the classroom and had to refrain from turning back around and skipping the class altogether. Kira was in his second period class too?! He bowed his head and let his hair fall forward, hoping to mask his visage so she wouldn't recognize him (fat chance with that body). He picked a desk towards the back and kept his head down, ignoring all activity around him.
Kira's head snapped up as he walked in. Him AGAIN?! "You have got to be kidding me," she muttered, staring at her desk. Sure, she'd live, but come on...did the guy really have to be in all her classes? Why couldn't he stalk someone else in his spare time? She stayed that way until the bell rang. Then she was out of the class and down the hall. By the time she found her locker, the halls were empty. Or so she thought. The girl shoved her things inside the fickle metal trap, slammed the door, turned around, and almost ran into the chest of a rather large football player. He glared at her, she glared back.
"Heard you were rude to my girlfriend this morning," he growled.
"Ahh, so she'd be the stupid cheerleader I met?" Kira asked him sweetly. That was probably when she was the most dangerous--when she was sweet. He moved closer and she instinctively took a step back, her back touching the lockers.
"Don't talk about her," he snapped. Kira was about to reply, but before she could, the boy grabbed her wrists and pinned her against the lockers, his body so close to hers that a kick would be ineffective. "You're only the new girl," he said, "which means you aren't anything."
"Oh, but I am," Kira said, glaring at him and tugging at his hold on her.
"What?" he asked, confusion in his beady little eyes.
"Well, if I'm the new girl, I am something," she told him slowly, trying to work her arms free. He slammed her against the lockers, effectively knocking the air out of her.
"Shut up." Oh, that was eloquent, she thought past the stars.
Axel immediately went to find Kayleigh, wishing he had a girl-honing device. There were far too many people in this school.
Sora sighed and left his class, almost not wanting to go. He liked it...well, he liked all of them. But...lunch! Which meant...Kayleigh! He sprinted for the cafeteria.
Kayleigh waded through the wave of students and was able to deposit her belongings in her locker and head back towards the cafeteria. By then, the students amongst the halls were beginning to thin. She hesitated and glanced around in hopes of seeing Zexion again. Instead, she saw Sora sprinting towards her from one direction and Axel coming from the other direction. 'Oh no...' Her thoughts echoed.
"Hey Scott. When your girlfriend's IQ reaches 50, she should sell. It's impossible to believe that the sperm that created you beat out 1,000,000 others..." That oh-so-familiar sultry male voice echoed from not far down the hall. Riku casually walked over to the football player. "I suggest you let the student go. Now. I don't want to put your poor mother through all that trouble again."
"Whut?" Scott turned his head to look at Riku, his grip on Kira tightening. The bones in her wrists creaked and she squeaked, the sound being a product of a half-strangled whimper. Her hair fell over her face again and she was grateful. Otherwise Riku would have seen the grateful look on her face. "My mother? Shut up. You don't know anything."
"So..smart, isn't he?" Kira said, trying not to laugh. The football player leaned against her and she fell silent, wanting to breathe more than talk.
Riku's expression only hardened. No smile. "I told you to let her go." He stated in a dangerously quiet tone of voice. He made no move to physically remove the over-sized football player. "Move." He uttered in almost a whisper.
Scott snorted, pushed Kira a little harder, then swung her around and quite literally shoved her into Riku's arms. An effective way of making sure he could get away before the other boy ate his soul. Kira, having no choice in the matter, stumbled, trying to regain her footing with little success.
Riku caught Kira and righted her, "Sorry." He muttered and turned on his heel, heading towards the cafeteria, without waiting for any response or insult uttered from the dirty blonde.
The two were only looking at Kayleigh, not at each other. So it was no surprise to anyone else when they slammed together. "Ow!" Giggles echoed down the hallway as Sora staggered backward, nearly falling before Axel grabbed his arm and kept him upright. They both glared at each other. "Ow!" They said in unison. Sora rubbed his shoulder, Axel his elbow, where Sora's head had connected. They both turned toward Kayleigh with pained smiles. "Hey," they said, again at the same time. "I—" Axel glared at Sora. "Stop saying—" Their glares intensified. "I'll go first," Axel growled at the brunette. He looked at Kayleigh. "Hi. Your turn." Sora looked at her with a dreamy smile, now. "Hi..."
Kayleigh stared and blinked a few times, ignoring the last echoes of the giggles from the other students. "Um. Hey?" It took her a few moments to recover from her state of shock, "Are you guys okay?" The brunette asked in concern.
"Yeah—" Two more glares. Axel tried a different approach. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, gave her a brief hug, then asked, "Where are you eating?"
Sora resisted the urge to pout. "Yeah...where?" he asked, glaring at Axel for asking the fundamental question.
Kayleigh quirked an eyebrow inquiringly at Axel's hug. She wasn't against PDOAs, but it was slightly awkward when others made the first approach for a hug. She was usually the giver of hugs, not the receiver. She blinked and rubbed the back of her head awkwardly, "At a table?" She suggested lamely.
Riku noticed Sora and Axel ogling Kayleigh and felt the slightest bit bad for the girl but shrugged it off. He brushed past all three of them, giving Sora a curt hello and continuing on his way down the hall and out the doors. He didn't even know that Kira was following him.
"Sounds good," Sora said quickly, before Axel could open his mouth. He moved into the cafeteria, waved at the people yelling "hi" his way, and picked an empty table. The little brunette didn't even notice his best friend, too absorbed with Kayleigh's presence.
Axel followed more slowly, his hands in his pockets. "So how's your schedule so far?" he asked her, walking close enough to her to hear her but not so close he'd be uncomfortable.
Kayleigh followed Sora slowly, "Um, it's okay. I was hoping I could transfer out of my Interior Design class and try to get into Astronomy." She admitted quietly. "How about yours? We could all compare schedules and see what classes we have." She said cheerfully and loud enough so that Sora would know that he was included in the schedule comparisons.
The tall redhead nodded. "I didn't like that class either. The teacher never was sure who set her chair on fire," he added thoughtfully.
Sora gave her a smile. He was devising a plan...a plan to win Kayleigh and effectively shove Axel out of the picture.
Kayleigh blinked, "YOU took Interior Design?!" She blurted as she sat down at the table Sora had picked for them.
Axel grimaced. "I thought it'd be easy! But noooo, somehow Maslow's Hierarchy fits in with whether or not pink goes with red!"
Sora continued scheming.
Kayleigh couldn't help but laugh. "I had no idea. Umm, did you guys know what happened with Riku and Kira? Er, unless you were too busy running into each other." She added with a playful smile.
The pyro blinked. "Too busy looking at you," Axel purred. "What did you notice?"
Sora shot him a glare.
Kayleigh cocked an eyebrow at Axel, "Too busy looking at me, hm?" She hesitated then began to answer his question warily. "Well for one, Kira was chasing after Riku—which is totally unlike her—and, Riku seemed a lot less snobby..." She gave a nonchalant shrug.
Axel cocked his head to the side and Sora suddenly perked up. "I better go find him." Getting up. Sora smiled at Kayleigh and wandered off, looking for Riku.
Kayleigh blinked several times, "Bye Sora?" She gave the pyro a questioning look.
Axel shrugged. "Just seems odd, that's all."
"Hey hey hey waaaaait a minute." Kira turned on her heel and followed him, tossing her hair out of her eyes. She threw a "Hi" at the mini-group standing with Kayleigh and half-tackled Riku as he went out the doors. "Would you just WAIT five seconds?!"
Riku froze with the contact but didn't remove his eyes from the ground. He waited but said nothing.
Feeling him freeze, Kira stepped back, suddenly feeling awkward. Her own eyes fell to the ground and she took another step back. "Uhm...I.." She blinked, not used to the feeling. "Thanks." Fairly sure he wouldn't respond, she started moving away again. Not toward the doors, she didn't want to go back in there.
Riku half-turned, "Don't worry about it. Just let me know if Scott and his slutty girlfriend bother you anymore." He said quietly and turned to leave, but found that he should probably stay to avoid running into Kira again. The last thing he wanted was for her to think he was stalking her. And he preferred to go without the name-calling for a while.
Kira gave him a pained glance and then kept walking.
"Run away run away!" That voice could only belong to one person. Demyx. The blonde came running up to Riku, panting. "Geeze," he gasped, "who put Scott in such a bad mood? Hi Riku."
Riku blinked, "Hey Demyx. Sorry, that was probably my fault. What's he griping about?" He tilted his head to the side curiously.
"Demyx!" Zexion approached the two boys. "Why is Scott after you this time?" The slate-haired boy inquired of the blonde.
Demyx blinked, catching his breath. "Your fault? Why? He was saying something about putting some new kid in her place. What did you do?" He turned to Zexion. "He thinks I'm a punching bag!"
Riku shook his head. "Never mind. I, uh, have to speak with one of my teachers. I'll catch you guys later." He effectively lied. Without waiting for a response he turned back around and re-entered the school reluctantly.
Zexion sighed and rolled his eyes. "Don't let him push you around Demyx. He's lost enough intelligence as is. He doesn't need to waste his muscle on you." Most would have been unsure how to take comments like so from Zexion, but Demyx had a talent for figuring the strange boy out.
"I guess," Demyx said with a sigh. "Erm...bye, Riku?" He looked back to Zexion. "Next time he jumps me, I swear..."
Zexion nodded thoughtfully.
Kira began wandering the halls, her arms folded to hide the bruises appearing on her wrists.
Riku had unknowingly followed Kira. He made a quick turn-around, only to run into Sora. "Sora! What are you doing?" He asked, suspicious of the excited brunette.
"I was just looking for you," Sora said. "Are you okay?" He asked, a concerned look on his face.
"I'm fine." Riku replied and cast a glance in Kira's direction hesitantly.
The brunette turned his head, saw Kira, and smirked. "Uhuuuh..." He walked over to her. She only glanced at him. He frowned and drew out her hand, and to her own surprise, she let him. "What happened?" He asked. She shrugged and he slowly let her go. "Riku helped." Kira said softly. Sora sent Riku a meaningful look.
Riku returned Sora's look and shrugged loosely. "Someone had to tell Scott to play nicely." He approached Sora and Kira hesitantly. The silver-haired boy noticed the newly formed bruises on Kira's arm and his eyes narrowed dangerously. "How badly did he hurt you?" He asked as he examined her arms with a surprisingly gentle grip.
Kira flinched, but she let him look. "It's fine," she told them both. "Nothing to worry about."
Sora huffed. "Nothing to worry about? How bad is your eyesight?"
"Yeah, I guess." Kayleigh nodded. "Maybe we should go check on Kira. Besides, I haven't seen her all day. Roxas either." She stood up and quickly exited the cafeteria, knowing they didn't have much time left before class started.
Axel got up and followed Kayleigh. "Yeah...where did Roxas go?" He wondered aloud.
Kayleigh nodded solemnly, "Why don't you find Roxas and I'll find Kira, then meet up later?" She suggested of the redheaded pyro.
Axel inclined his head and left reluctantly.
Riku shook his head in exasperation, "Sora's right. I'm sor-" The boy was cut off when a squeal was heard and a familiar brunette more or less tackled Kira. "Kira! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I heard what Scott did! Are you okay?" Kayleigh's bright green eyes searched her friend's face worriedly.
The blonde yelped in surprise. "Ow! Hell, Kayleigh! Get off," she growled at her friend staggering into Sora, who deviously moved aside so Kira fell against Riku. Again.
Kayleigh gasped and did a repeat of Sora's sorries from earlier that morning.
Riku unconsciously caught Kira again. Although, this time he wasn't so quick to release his gentle embrace. Kayleigh glared and opened her mouth to say something, but instead turned to Sora expectantly.
Muttering, Kira slowly pulled away from Riku. Why did he have to be so warm? "Ugh. It's okay and yes I'm okay thank you." Glancing at Riku, she muttered an apology for falling into him. Again.
Sora gave her a goofy smile. He moved closer to her, giving the other two some space.
Riku shook his head, "There's no reason for you to apologize." He muttered quietly. "I'm sorry that you got mixed up with the likes of Scott."
Kayleigh had to keep from beating her head against the lockers and with much effort, returned Sora's smile.
She gave him a startled look. "I don't care. I just seem to keep falling on you. Which doesn't look good when I've spent most of my time yelling at you." Wtf? Where was the urge to lean against him coming from?! She shifted and winced as her wrist twinged.
Sora apparently didn't notice her strained look. "What?" He asked, thinking she had a question.
Riku returned her startled look and his eyebrows drew together in mild confusion. "It's okay..." he stammered, "I probably deserve it."
Kayleigh sighed and gave up. Stupid boys. And WHY was Kira insisting on apologizing to Prissy Boy? All questions remained unanswered for the brunette.
"Well, maybe..." She allowed him a small smile. "But I guess you're good for more than just venting." The girl gave him the tiniest nudge with her shoulder, looking almost like her old self, the shadows gone from her eyes and a trace of a smile around her lips. Then she caught Kayleigh's exasperated look and straightened.
Sora shifted, a little awkward. "So...when are you changing classes?"
Riku only slightly lost his balance as more of a shock to what Kira said and meant than what she did. He returned her small smile with one of his own.
Kayleigh shrugged, "As soon as possible." She replied, not quite sure why Sora wanted to know that.
Axel didn't have to look long to find the moody blonde. Roxas sat just outside the school, on the steps with a thoughtful expression on his face.
Axel flopped down beside his friend. "Alright, what has you so moody?" He asked, stretching.
Roxas glared at Axel, "Moody? I'm not moody." He snapped in a more pissy tone than normal.
Axel lifted an eyebrow. "Oh really? What was that tone then, oh-not-moody friend of mine?" he asked dryly.
Roxas shot Axel a warning glare, "Look, I'm not feeling too grand. Go back to your precious Kayleigh before Sora runs off with her." He said coldly and stood up, preparing to take his leave.
"Oh, no you don't. Sora isn't going to run off with her." Axel got up and yanked Roxas over. "So tell your buddy what's wrong with my adorable friend and we'll both go rescue Kayleigh from Sora's cluelessness. How about that? What's up."
Something similar to a growl erupted from Roxas' throat as he pushed away from Axel. "Kira said something weird. I haven't felt good since. Now, will you leave me alone?" The blonde asked almost pleadingly. "Go rescue your damsel in distress." He muttered darkly.
Axel frowned. "What'd she say?" He asked scowling slightly. "I mean, you already know not to try and think while walking, so it couldn't have been that...now really. I'm your best friend. Spit it out. You know it'll bug you otherwise."
Roxas sighed and half-turned, all traces of his anger gone. "She said that I couldn't love her..." He murmured as the bell rang.
He sighed. "So we'll shoot her imaginary boyfriend in the head and all will be well. Come on."
Kira looked up as the bell rang. "Ew." Was all she said. Then she turned, looking for her next class.
Sora gave Kayleigh an impromptu hug before racing off. "See you after school!"
Riku gently caught her arm, "Next class? I mean, what is it?"
Kira paused. He smelled good too?! This boy was dangerous. Somehow, she made her lips move. "Photography. Yours?"
Kayleigh rolled her eyes, "Finally!" Checking her schedule, she headed for her last class period of the day, Photography. Which she unknowingly had with Kira, Riku, and Roxas.
A small smirk became evident on the silver-haired boy's face, "Same." He said quietly, unsure where to go from there. He considered offering to walk with her to class but decided against such a desperate move. "I guess I'll see you in there." He said simply and brushed past her, headed in the same direction Kayleigh had gone.
Roxas snorted, "Whatever," he followed Axel back into the school, "I don't love her, Axel. I'm not sure where she got the idea..." He commented.
"Ah, Axel said wisely, "Of course you don't. You won't mind how friendly Riku is getting with her, then." He rolled his eyes and ruffled his friend's hair. "She probably just meant that she doesn't want to get hurt. Or something. Who knows how female minds work these days? If it bugs you that much, check your horoscope. Or ask her, whichever make you happy." With a wave, Axel sauntered off to his next class, which he was fairly sure he would enjoy. Blowtorches were always fun.
Kayleigh glanced around the classroom trying to decide on a good spot to sit at. She didn't want to sit up at the front and become a teacher's pet, nor in the back where the shy as well as troublemaker kids sat. Biting her lip she chose a desk near the edge and towards the middle of the room and dumped her bag on the floor.
Roxas noticed Kira and Riku and he felt a sudden wave of jealousy. Stomping down on it, he turned and took the scenic route to class, only to end up entering the classroom just behind Riku.
"Okay." Kira took off for class, nearly running into Roxas at the same time. "Hey. Kayleigh! Why are you sitting there? Has your training worn off?" Kira teased, sitting in the back with a thud. She was feeling more and more comfortable with her old friend.
Kayleigh blinked and turned to see Kira, a smile immediately took the place of her previous scowl. She grabbed her bag and went to dive into the desk next to hers but froze as a certain very familiar, yet oh so attractive, slate-haired boy seated himself next to her. She dropped her bag again and righted herself in the desk, staring straight ahead.
Of course, what would a friend-reunion be without Demyx? The blonde ran in and dove into a seat. He had left a trail of water behind him. A very angry football player stomped by, yelling about getting even with everyone who had pissed him off that day.
Roxas cast Riku a benevolent look before choosing a desk a few seats away from Kira, positioning himself effectively between the two.
The smallest of smirks graced Zexion's lips at Demyx's entrance. "Very nice, Demyx." He commented intelligently.
Noticing Kayleigh's sudden change of heart, Kira sat back again. Seeing Roxas' placement, she gave Riku a "I won't-eat-you-if-you-sit-by-me" look and then half-closed her eyes.
Demyx flopped down beside Zexion. "Gee, thanks. I warned him!" The blonde growled, shaking his head. The motion sent water droplets flying.
Kayleigh quietly listened to Demyx's and Zexion's conversation, willing the butterflies in her stomach to stop fluttering about so much. The brunette semi-wished she had gone back to join Kira, but it was too late now.
Zexion laughed quietly, if one could call his form of laughter actually laughing. "Tell me why you took photography again, Demyx? I do recall every picture you've ever taken to have a finger or two in it." He commented quietly with no trace of mockery in his tone.
Demyx wrinkled his nose at Zexion. "That's only because I was trying to keep the icky people out of it!" He said slyly...one of his pictures had been of Zexion and Riku. Zexion's entire body had been missing, courtesy of Demyx Fingers Inc. He was particularly fond of that picture, actually.
Kayleigh couldn't help but laugh at the blonde's statement but she quickly tried to stifle it behind her hand.
The blonde gave Kayleigh a smile. "Yeah, laughing at something funny isn't a crime. We laugh at Zexion too. He's naturally funny. Just look at him. Ha!" He teased, flicking water at his friend.
Zexion rolled his eyes and glanced at Kayleigh, who was trying to muffle her laughter. "Uh, you can laugh at him. Everybody else does, no need to hide it." He commented quietly. Kayleigh blushed and turned her head slightly.
Kayleigh flushed when Zexion returned her gaze but smiled, nodding in agreement with Demyx. She told herself that she owed this Demyx kid a few million hugs for the boost of confidence. After school. She nodded to herself.
Demyx laughed and hugged Zexion. "Look! He's huggable too! D'aww. You try!" Demyx was a wee bit sneakier than he looked. Giving Kayleigh a wink, he nudged Zexion at her. "You could be a teddy bear, Zexy!" Demyx said, trying not to laugh.
Riku caught Kira's subliminal message and returned with one of his own "Is-that-an-invitation?" looks. He ignored Roxas' infuriated glares, though how he could recognize the mental hatred shot his way one would never know.
She snorted and tilted her head. "Yeah, but it'll be retracted soon if you don't move." She eye-messaged him again, oblivious to Roxas' evil glares.
Riku rolled his eyes and casually got up and seated himself next to Kira, lounging in the seat rather comfortably. His body language seemed to communicate the message; 'Happy now?'
Roxas gave a self-suffering sigh and sat forward, making an act of looking like he was excited for the class.
"Yes," Kira said aloud, nudging him with her leg. Darn these boys...she turned suddenly toward her desk, ducking her head. I can't like him, she reprimanded herself. Remember... She caught herself from the full memory. The fragment brought a flinch, which she blamed on her wrists.
Riku watched Kira out of the corner of his eye, noticing her sudden change in demeanor. He decided not to pursue the matter for fear of going back to their previous relationship. He was plenty happy with this comfortable yet slightly intimidating connection. "You much of a photographer?" He inquired in an attempt to make small talk with her.
She was slow to look up at him. Shifting, she deliberately knocked her wrist against the desk corner. "A little," she then admitted after the pain cleared some. "It'll be interesting. you?"
Riku nodded slightly and cast her a worried glance as she bumped her wrist. "Some. Zexion is the real photographer around here," he inclined his head in the slate-haired boy's direction. "Should be." He nodded in agreement to her comment.
Kayleigh giggled and flushed deeply, "I think I'll pass. Thanks though." She added timidly. The teacher entered the classroom; only a few minutes late and immediately started the class. Kayleigh tried to discreetly turn around and catch Kira's eye.
Demyx immediately dropped his head to the table and proceeded to fall asleep. Which was probably the reason he couldn't take a decent photo unless Zexion taped his fingers to the appropriate places.
Zexion sighed and kicked Demyx's shoe in an attempt to wake him up.
Demyx twitched, jerked his head up, and asked blearily, "Whut?" Which sent the teacher right back into the dull lecture which, in turn, put Demyx right back to sleep.
Zexion smacked his forehead and shook his head, giving up on the blonde.
Demyx twitched, not waking up even as a fly landed on his nose.
She might have responded, but the teacher chose that moment to appear. Crossing her legs, Kira half listened, massaging one wrist lightly, morbidly amused that some places hurt more than others. Still fairly observant of the class, she looked at Kayleigh and raised an eyebrow. Zexion was quite attractive...and she'd passed up a hug! How odd of her.
Kayleigh promptly beamed when she knew that she had caught Kira's attention. She motioned a rough subliminal message to the effects of, 'You. Me. After school?'
Riku watched Kayleigh's motion of waving her hands and making different facial expressions with a look of amusement. He looked at Kira through his peripheral vision.
The eyebrow rose higher. After Kayleigh's one-girl show ended, Kira shrugged and messaged back a wee bit less obviously. She wrote, "Doing WHAT?" on a piece of paper, balled it up, and threw it at her friend's head the moment the teacher wasn't looking. She accompanied it with a "we aren't in the circus, don't dance for me." look.
Riku snickered quietly which earned him a glare from Kayleigh. She stuck her tongue out at Kira and scribbled her own message on the paper and tossed it back at Kira. 'Whatever you want, you know you want to tell me all about your lovely day with Riku.'
Kira looked around, found an eraser someone had left, and threw it at Kayleigh. "Whatev," she mouthed at her. The teacher shut up and the class broke into discussion. "Oh yeah?" Kira fired back aloud. "What about your day with Axel, hmmm? I'm sure you'll want to tell me all about that. And what was with you and Sora at lunch? He looked like he wanted to kiss you and you looked like you wanted to kick him."
"Hey!" Kayleigh yelped and dodged the eraser that was thrown in her direction. She gave Zexion and Demyx a sideways glance then hurried over to the seat opposite Kira's other side. "That, I shall tell you when there aren't people whom I don't want to hear what I have to say! Besides, we still need to do some catching up." She shrugged innocently.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kira said dryly. "In case you forgot, I still have things to unpack. And crap. And...no homework. I would have spazzed if homework had been given out the first day. Mom won't be home until really late, though, so I've pretty much got free reign with it. You live...like...next door?" she asked, wanting clarification. "And really. Sora adores you. It's obvious. But honestly, I'd go with Axel. Sora is...really really cute and seems nice, but..." she shrugged.
Riku grinned slightly and made his way to where Zexion and Demyx sat, "Didn't know you guys would be taking Photography this year." He said as he plopped into Kayleigh's seat, allowing Kira and her friend a bit more privacy.
Zexion inclined his head towards Riku and kicked Demyx's shoe again, "Hey. Lecture is over." He said dryly.
Demyx jerked away. "3.14!!!!" He yelled at the ceiling. The teacher glared and he gave a sheepish look before turning to Riku and Zexion. Who's name will probably be misspelled many more times throughout this story, for one of the writers cannot remember that it is "Zexion," not "Zexicon." So one will have to forgive Cloudrunner's mistakes. "So Riiiiku," the blonde began, a devilish look on his face, "What's up with you and that girl over there, hmm?"
Kayleigh pursed her lips thoughtfully then rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "I don't know what to do. I dunno, I'm going to try and get my schedule changed after school, then I'll meet you up at your house, and yeah, next door." She rolled her eyes and laughed.
Riku rolled his eyes. "Scott was giving her a rough time." He answered simply. The rest of the class period was given to the students thankfully, and went without incident. The final bell rang and all students rushed for the exit.
Kira yawned and waited for the class to empty before moving. "Alright. Come on. If you want to help me with my room and crap, you can. I have a lot of stuff thought. I should probably paint it and stuff first but Mom hasn't left me money for it yet." She got up and headed for the door.
Kayleigh nodded and decided to attempt a class change after the first week.
Demyx shot from the room like a horse from the gate, glad to be free.
Sora trudged outside with a long sigh. He looked positively dreary. That is, until he remembered his master plan. A grin spread over his face and he began walking rather fast...toward Axel's house.
Axel walked out of class with a decidedly unhappy look on his face. He was dreading going home. His mother would be sure to murder him in a slow and painful way. Who could look forward to THAT?
Sora snuck into Axel's home as silently as possible. Creeping into the kitchen, he began messing with...things.
The second Axel stepped into his home, he knew he was in trouble. The smell of smoke wasn't the tip-off...it was his mother's infuriated gaze that met him. "Axel." He gulped. "You are hereby punished. Forever." The pyro blinked, and when his eyes opened, found himself duct taped to a wall. Yes. Duct taped to a wall. "I swear the kitchen isn't my fault!" The door slammed and he glared at the opposite wall. "Day one of purgatory," he growled. "I'll kill whoever decided this would be funny!"
Roxas pushed past all the other students forcefully and out the doors to his freedom.
Riku was a little slower than the normal crowd, which saved him a lot of pointless injuries. Although, Demyx's comment had bothered him, which could be cause for his...slowness. He wasn't sure if he liked Kira in that way. Roxas did, why should he get in the way?
Zexion watched the rushed students with an icy gaze, despising anyone who crossed his path or came too close. Most students knew to stay away from the strange quiet boy.
Demyx came back with a slightly annoyed look. Hooking his arm through Zexion's, he began towing his friend outside. "Come on, Mr. Evil-Eye. Time to go home!"
Zexion rolled his eyes for the millionth time that day, but allowed the blonde to drag him out of the school. The slate-haired boy would never admit it, but he was grateful that the blonde was willing to deal with his quiet and sometimes overly intelligent attitude.
Demyx let him go as soon as they were out of school-range. "Whatcha rolling your eyes at me for?" he teased, giving Zexion a look. Spotting Scott walking home as well, with a few of his buddies, he ducked around to Zexion's other side. The football player was angry enough at him already.
Zexion gave Demyx a curious look before noticing the football players. A look of pure hatred made its presence known on Zexion's visage. "My turn." He walked confidently towards the hateful group.
"Gah! No! Bad Zexy!" Demyx threw his arms around Zexion's waist in an attempt to hold him back. "At least let me provoke him first!"
Zexion halted, more because Demyx's arms around his waist was just a little uncomfortable than the fact that Demyx was bigger than he. "Demyx! What are you doing? Get off of me." The boy tried to break free of the blonde's grip. "I'm sick of them, they need to be put in their place," he muttered in defeat.
"Now look," Demyx said, pulling Zexion along. "We all love your gorgeous face, and you know it'd be hard for me to save it from a group of guys bigger than you AND me." As soon as they were out of sight, he let go. "I'm sick of them too," he admitted. "You can probably beat Scott up better than me, but don't be dumb. I'm the dumb one. Stop trying to steal my title."
Zexion sighed, "Your intelligence never ceases to amaze me." He commented dryly as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Now, pray tell me what exactly were you saying to that girl in Photography?" He quirked an eyebrow suspiciously.
Demyx grinned. "Saying what to whaaaat girl in Photography?" He asked devilishly.
Zexion hesitated and rolled his eyes, "You're impossible. What do you say to stopping by Riku's and getting an update on his social life, hm?" Zexion asked of his blonde accomplice with a look of total innocence, which, mind you, suited him very well.
Demyx laughed. "Riku has no social life. But he might have one soon, what with the new girl and all..."
Zexion inclined his head, "Precisely. I do so wish to visit our dear friend and hear of his adventures." The boy smirked knowingly.
"Hehe. Alright. Let's go then." Demyx made a sharp turn, heading for Riku's house.
Zexion grinned and followed pursuit.
Kira went home another way, trying to get to know the neighborhood a little bit.
Kayleigh was able to get home in record time and dump her school things on the floor. She called her brother a name and ran out the door before being called something in return. She jogged next door and knocked on Kira's door lightly.
"In here!" Kira hollered, nearly tripping over a box as she turned toward the door. "Erm...yeah."
Kayleigh smiled, "Hey! So, do you like Riku or what?" In Kayleigh's mind, formalities were by all means banished when guys were involved in the current topic of discussion. She picked up a box and looked at Kira expectantly.
The girl laughed. "Whatever. If I weren't anti-boyfriend maybe. What about you and Axel? And Sooora?" She asked, moving back to her room. "Where-" the doorbell rang. "Get that, would you?" Kira called, balancing a box on her hip.
Sora stood all-too happily on Kira's doorstep, a grin on his face. He knew quite well that Axel wouldn't be around for a while.
Kayleigh nodded and bounded to the front door and flung it open. She unconsciously uttered a squeak-like noise. "S-Sora!" she stammered, "Uh, hi! What are you doing here?" She cocked her head to the side curiously and stepped aside to let him in.
Sora grinned at her and edged inside. "Hey! Oh, I thought you guys might want some help. Or something like that," he chirped at her.
"Is that Sora?" Kira's voice held a smirk.
Kayleigh gave Sora a smile, "Sure, yeah it's Sora." She called back to Kira and led Sora to Kira's room where she shot her friend a warning glare.
"Aha!" Kira grinned. "Where's Axel? Isn't he normally following you around?"
Sora smirked, then smiled softly. "Oh, he's...busy. Very busy. Probably will be for a while, actually."
Kayleigh raised an eyebrow suspiciously, "What did you do?" She accused immediately.
Sora blinked at her. "I didn't do anything. His mother has probably killed him by now." 'Of course, with my addition...' He grinned.
Kira's eyes narrowed. Even she could hear the glee in his voice. She shot Kayleigh a look.
Kayleigh folded her arms and gave Sora a dangerous look, "Sora? I'd prefer not to get the information from you the hard way."
The brunette cleared his throat. He shifted uncomfortably. "I...well I didn't do anything..." He lied, shifting some more. He never had been a good liar.
You're not lying to me, are you Sora?" Kayleigh smiled sweetly at him and took a measured step towards him.
"Of c-course not," he stammered, taking a step back. Where he ran into the door, which Kira had closed behind him. "Riiight," Kira said dryly, watching his face. Sora gulped, sensing a trap.
Kayleigh leaned forward at the waist so only a few inches separated her from Sora. "What do you think we should do, Kira?" She asked in that same sweet tone.
"Torture him?" Kira suggested, grasping the brunette's shoulders. He squeaked and ducked. "I just fixed the kitchen some!" Sora cried, giving Kayleigh a positively terrified look. "Axel might not be dead, you never know, I don't know!"
Kayleigh groaned, "You're killing me, you realize that?" She inquired of the brunette opposite her. Kayleigh rubbed her temples, trying to figure out what to do next.
He sighed and began to edge away. "I'm sure he's fine," Sora mumbled.
Kira opened the door, pointed, and said, "Out! Come on Kayleigh. Let's go find Axel."
Kayleigh nodded and exited the premises without giving Sora a second glance.
Axel jerked at the tape. Then squinted at the wall. Someone had written "Duct tape fixes everything." A light bulb went off. "Sora, you are DEAD!"
Axel kept muttering curses, trying to get free. Not that it did him much good—his mother knew how to tie somebody when she didn't want them to move.
Roxas, after a few agonizing hours of wallowing in an over-sized pit of self-pity, decided on paying a certain redheaded pyro a visit. The blonde happened to glance through the window to find said pyro duct-taped to the wall. "Axel?"
The pyro's head shot up. "Roxas?" He snarled at the window. "Your little brunette counterpart is dead, Roxas, dead!" He longed for his chakrams. And a nice long day or three with Sora. With no interruptions. When he got his hands on that little scheming brunette twit...
Roxas cocked his head to one side in puzzlement. Rolling his eyes, he opened Axel's front door and approached the duct tape prisoner. "Do I want to know how you managed this one?" The blonde ripped a chunk of the duct tape off.
"OW! GREAT HELEN MOTHER OF TROY! ROXAS!" Axel glared at his friend, flames sparking in his eyes. "What. The. Hell. Are you doing?! That's DUCT TAPE! And it's ATTACHED. To ME!"
Roxas only raised a blonde eyebrow innocently at his friend. "Your point is?" he asked with a cruel smile as he took hold of another strip of duct tape.
Sora lowered his head and followed them, looking at the ground. Kira looked to Kayleigh. "I'm not sure where he lives..." But as she paused, she heard a snarl that could only belong to Axel. She blinked. "That way."
Axel glared at him. "Do it, Roxas, and I'll kill you." His fingers twitched, wanting a weapon. Or just something to bludgeon Roxas with, either way would satisfy him.
Roxas grinned and prepared to rip the piece he already held in his hand. "Roxas!" The sound surprised the blonde and he ripped the duct tape from Axel's form. His eyes widened in horror and he whipped around only to be stopped by Kayleigh, Kira, and Sora standing in the doorway.
Axel yelped, then directed a brief, grateful glance to the group in the doorway. Then he ripped himself away from the wall, a positively murderous look on his face. Slowly stripping the duct tape off his arms, he glared at Roxas. "I. Am going. To kill you. And you!" Axel swung to glare at Sora. "You're next!" The redhead was far beyond furious. Catatonic might have been a better word. He was so furious that his hands were shaking as he pulled tape off.
Sora ducked his head, hiding behind the others. When Axel was this angry, no one wanted to be in the way.
Kira gave Roxas a cold stare. "You know," she said, her voice frigid, "I can get teasing. Ribbing. Practical jokes. But what you just did..." She glared at him again. Cruelty wasn't something she did widely approve of.
"Oh. My. God Sora! What did you do?!" Kayleigh said with shock and moved out of Axel's way. Roxas whimpered, "Come on Axel! You know I was joking!" Kayleigh sighed, "Wow. I am SO sorry Axel." She considered giving him a hug, but quickly discarded the idea for fear of getting any and all sorts of burn scars.
Roxas yelped and dove behind Kayleigh, "That last one was an accident! You don't really think I was going to continue doing that!" He cried accusingly while he huddled fearfully behind Kayleigh and gave Sora—whom was also hiding behind the girl—a dirty look.
Kira gave Roxas a scathing look. "I really think you would have," she told him, then paused as Axel swung around, chakrams in his hands. "No need for you to apologize, Kayleigh," he said. Using the flat end of one of the chakram blades, he moved her gently aside. Flames sprung up around Roxas and Sora as they began backing away. "Perhaps Sora would like to tell you just WHY he sent my mother into a murderous rage," the pyro said silkily, fire blocking off the brunette's exit.
Sora looked at Kayleigh pleadingly. He knew she wasn't going to help him, though. "I j-just wanted...you out of the picture so maybe Kayleigh would talk to me for a while without you hanging off her!"
Axel gave him a disgusted look. "You got me duct taped to a wall and sicced Roxas on me for THAT?" He deadpanned. "I wasn't even planning on going over there today!" His flames began to lower. He was still angry, but added to that was confusion and, not that he would ever show it, a little hurt that Sora would do such a thing. They all knew the brunette wasn't as sweet as he looked, but surely he knew this would call for revenge..
Kayleigh watched helplessly. Finally, she stepped forward, with an aura of command about her, "This is so stupid! I'm flatter that you guys...well...like me so much, but this is taking it to the extremes. God, I can't deal with this." Kayleigh gave each boy a glare before turning and angrily blinking the tears that had built up away. She cast Kira a sad look then took her leave for home.
Sora trembled and seemed to become smaller as Kayleigh left. "Sorry," he mumbled at the floor.
Kira gave Axel a light pat and chased after Kayleigh. "Wait up. Why are you so upset?" She asked. Of course, she knew why, but venting often made people feel better.
Axel watched them go. Then his gaze snapped to Roxas and Sora. He waved a hand and the fire disappeared. "Get out." They pyro turned on his heel and walked out, spinning his chakrams on his fingers.
Sora gave an indignant squeak. "I wasn't the only one!"
"Good luck trying to win Kayleigh over now!" Roxas called bitterly over his shoulder and stomped home.
Sora glared. "Yeah, well, Kira doesn't like you much now either!"
Kayleigh sniffed and rubbed her eyes. "I'm fine. Ugh, all I do is cry lately." She gave a bitter laugh that held no humor. "I can't believe Sora did that! Boys are so stupid!" The brunette sighed, "You're lucky to have Riku..."
"That's okay. Here." Kira pulled her close and started toward her house. "Here's what we'll do. We'll set up my TV., open a bow of movies, order pizza, and pretend boys don't exist. How's that?" She asked cheerfully.
Kayleigh shook her head, "Think I'll pass this time. Gonna hide away in my room until school tomorrow. Who knows what Sora and Axel are going to come up with next." She gave her friend a quick hug. "Thanks for the offer, though. I'll come help you unpack tomorrow. Just me and you. Promise! I'll keep an eye out for Riku!" She called as she turned homeward.
Kira made a face at her and turned away as well, but not toward home. She decided to go for a walk instead.
Riku was sitting on his porch with his head bowed, his silver hair creating a makeshift curtain between him and the world. So it was no surprise that he didn't notice the other two boys approaching him.
Demyx crouched, and started sneaking toward his friend. When he was close enough...he pounced. "Riiiiku!"
Riku merely flinched and looked up. "Hey. What are you guys doing in this part of town?"
Zexion shrugged loosely, "Demyx was having Riku withdrawals. I figured the best cure would be to bring him here. What's up? Saw you talking with the new girl. You going out with her?" Riku shook his head, "She had a run-in with Scott."
The blonde sniffed and gave Riku some room. "Oh, yes. I would have just died without you!" At Zexion's question and the answer, Demyx snorted. "So just because Scott annoyed her, you're talking to her and brooding over her?"
Riku gave them both a deadpan look. "I don't know where you got that idea. I don't do the love and relationships stuff, remember? She's cool. But I hardly know her." He shrugged as if that explained everything and anything. Zexion remained silent, configuring a flaw in what Riku said.
"Riiiight." Demyx gave Riku a smirk. "I'm sure your tune will change soon...maybe after she kisses you," he teased. "Or if you go play gallant knight again.."
Riku raised an eyebrow, Gallant knight? What are you talking about?"
Zexion cleared his throat. "I believe our young naive Riku has yet to learn. He must figure this out on his own." The slate-haired boy winked at Demyx slyly.
Demyx grinned. "It's true. You're very right, Zexion. Poor young one of ours...so wonderful, but innocent." He smirked.
Zexion nudged Demyx, "Pushing it. Come on. I've got an idea." He straightened and his voice returned to a normal tone. "I suppose we'll leave you to your thoughts then. Don't think too hard." Zexion gave a wave and dragged Demyx away.
"Gah! But-alright smarty," Demyx said with a sigh, letting Zexion drag him off. "Gonna tell me what you have in mind?" Demyx asked dryly.
Zexion smirked, "Two words; pool party. If we plan this just right, the new girl will fall into Riku's arms without fail. Metaphorically speaking of course. What do you say?" He turned to the blonde.
The blonde's eyes lit up. "What's wrong with literally?" he asked slyly.
"All the better, after all. Don't you agree?"
"Indeed." Zexion agreed. "We need to do a bit of planning. Riku will thank us after all this is through. Come on." With that said, Zexion turned on his heel, with Demyx in tow.
He nodded and bounded after Zexion, just a little too eager to begin.
Riku stared out his window at the setting sun, casting the suburbia into twilight. The silver-haired boy returned his gaze to the project he had been working on as a means of keeping his mind occupied. Another hour passed unnoticed by Riku. The sun had already set and the sky was darkening. Riku pushed away from his project and quietly crept outside for some fresh air.
Kira was running. And she was fairly sure someone was following her. But that was at the back of her mind. Too many other thoughts were racing around. Of her father, of the last boyfriend she'd had, the one that had made her determined to never have another. She paused, panting, looking at the night with teary eyes. 'Just...not good enough...' Her stomach heaved and she took a long breath. So when someone grabbed her from behind, she shrieked louder than she might have otherwise. "What-" Scott covered her mouth and growled. "I told you not to mess with me." Kira bit his hand and he cursed, shifting his grip to pin her against him. "Screw you!" She called him a few names, then snapped, "Let me go." He caught one of her wrists and she froze. "Listen. You are a NOBODY! Got that? Which means you do what I say, when I say it." He twisted her wrist and she yelped, kicking at him. Scott merely repeated the motion, smirking. Kira yelped. "Whatever, you stupid, stuck up-" he hit her upside the head and shoved her to the ground. Blinking through the stars, she half lifted her arm in defense as he took a step toward her.
The moment Riku stepped out onto his porch he knew something was amiss. He heard Kira's shriek and before any conscious thought entered his mind, he had cleared his yard and was sprinting in the direction of the scream. Riku skid to a halt when the shadows of the two figures registered in his mind. Riku's eyes narrowed dangerously, "Hey Scott!" he barked curtly.
The football player squinted. "Keep out of this, fairy boy," he spat. Kira flinched back as Scott hauled her up. "We're just talking." He added. Apparently he wasn't smart enough to realize he'd contradicted himself. Kira glared at him. "You are such a-" his hand moved and she flinched, hardly feeling the slap. 'That's it. If he doesn't break my neck, I'm carrying my knife after this.' It wasn't the pain that bothered her as much as the helplessness. She hated it. And hated that Riku had to come save her because she couldn't do it herself.
Riku reacted once more before any tangible thought made itself known to him. He blinked and realized that his hand hurt. 'Why?' Then it hit him. He had just cleared about twenty feet and slugged the jock with what appeared to be an uppercut from the bruise that was forming on Scott's jaw in the span of who knew how long it had taken him. He blinked again and flexed his fingers as the pain began to increase in his knuckles. Shaking his head to clear the momentary befuddled moment he glared up at Scott. "Don't. Touch. Her." He growled.
As Scott staggered backward, Kira, who was crouched on the ground with her arms over her head, thanked the gods she still knew how to duck. "You're gonna pay for that!" Scott yelled. Except it sounded like "Yur gonnaf payf fer tharf!" He, however, was acting like a drunk. The punch had apparently knocked free whatever brain cells he had had. He staggered, then fell onto his rump, glaring at Riku. Reaching for Kira, he ended up falling over again, and sending her scrambling behind Riku. "I don't know how you always manage to show up," she muttered in his ear, "but I owe you. Again."
Riku gripped his shoulder and rotated it a few times to loosen it, "You and me both..." He muttered in response to her first comment. The silver-haired boy bent and hauled the large football player to his feet with amazing strength. His eyes searched Scott's face then narrowed, "If I catch you bothering her again, you'll be sporting bruises in whole new areas." He whispered darkly and released his grip. Taking a step back, he stood to his full posture—amazingly sexy for him if he'd actually stand upright more often—"Move." He ordered of the confused jock.
The boy staggered off, wavering. A little pathetically, really. Kira watched him, half-amused, half-angry still. "Well...that was only a little retarded," she muttered. Noting the way he was standing, the girl coughed out a laugh. "You oughta stand like that more often..." Her lungs ached from the run, and now her head hurt. Not to mention her wrist was throbbing. Again. She didn't even notice that she was swaying slightly. It was only a little anyway. But the lightheadedness she did recognize. "Um...Ri..ku?" Kira blinked, pretty sure he was still in front of her.
Riku exhaled, allowing the anger to dissipate. Truth be told, it had exhausted him, those that knew him, knew that he was not one to be angered. Shaking his aching hand loosely he looked at Kira, noting her bleary-eyed look. Taking the initiative he gently steadied her and turned her towards his house with a protective arm around her shoulders, "Come on, we should get you fixed up." He stated more to himself. "Unless you'd prefer I take you home." He offered in understanding.
She leaned against him more than she meant to. Oh, curse you, good smelling boy, she grumbled. Privately, of course. At his question, she choked. "And listen to my mother singing—no, make that screeching—Jingle Bells? Do you want me to die?" she gave him a pleading look. Girl! She reprimanded herself. What are you doing?! You can't be acting like—like I used to be? she interrupted herself. Yeah. Right. This is only a little confusing.
The smallest of smiles broke through the mask Riku had so effectively been keeping. "No, life wouldn't be as interesting if you died." He said in a deadpan tone. He helped Kira to his doorstep and opened the door for her. "At the moment, what hurts most?" He asked quietly as he shut the door behind them.
Well...I could either start calling him names again...or...SHUT UP. Maybe I could just not worry about everything for like ten minutes, she thought, and then banished the thoughts from her mind. "You're right. You'd have to actually NOT hurt yourself keeping some stupid girl out of trouble," she said, her voice carefully blank. She would have smiled, but that would have given it away. In response to his question, she sighed and looked around the house before answering. "Nice place...I don't know, it's all screaming at me," she said dryly, looking down at her wrist and then reaching up to touch her forehead lightly.
Riku cast a secret smile her way. "Consider it my heroic duty." He stated simply. He shrugged at her comment on his home, "Folks like a neat home." He said quietly. Glancing down at her wrist he inclined his head slightly. "Hm..." He gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders again and led her towards the stairs, patiently helping her up them. He opened the door to his room and sat her down on his bed, "Hold on," the silver-haired boy vanished and arrived a few minutes later with a glass of water and first-aid kit in hand.
If he had been gone for even a second longer, Kira would have curled up on his bed and gone to fantasizing--sleep. But unfortunately, he re-appeared. "Careful," Kira warned him, "make a habit of saving me and I might end up living under your bed." She glanced around the room and sighed softly. It reminded her of something... An image flashed into her mind—of her and an incredibly handsome boy, curled up together on his bed. His black hair, streaked with vivid blue, covered his face. But they were both relaxed, both happy...Kira clenched her fists, shaking the memory away and increasing her headache. Her shoulders shook slightly, then she snagged the water from Riku and used it to hide her expression.
Riku chuckled softly, "That would be an interesting convenience." He gave a surprised blink as the glass of water was snatched from his hands. "Breathe. It's useful." He commented and opened the first-aid kit, shuffling through the different assortments of bandages and medications. He took a bandage-wrap out and gently took one of her wrists, carefully examining the bruises.
"Not really," she mumbled into the glass, ignoring the "convenience" comment. Shifting slightly, Kira watched him look at her wrist, and watched her fingers shake in his hold. Wimp. Wimp wimp wimp. Oh, forget it. Not like anything will ever be the same. No more boyfriends. So why does it feel so good to have him touch me? The shaking intensified a little bit and she looked away. Two phrases jockeyed for positions on her tongue, one of them being 'let go' and the other being something along the lines of 'never let go.' Neither won.
Riku noticed her shaking and quickly finished, removing his hands from hers. "Sorry," he mumbled apologetically. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I can walk you home if you like." He suggested carefully and took the glass from her hands, setting it down on the floor next to him.
Kira locked her hands together and stared at the carpet. "Not your fault," she told him, working rather hard to keep the shake out of her voice as well. Why couldn't everything have turned out differently? She thought, her eyesight blurring. Why did everything have to fall apart? Why'd we have to move here? Why do I already like this kid so much? Why am I wallowing in self-pity? She didn't want to go home, but she did. She wanted to stay with him, but she didn't. Remember what happened last time, a voice warned her, it'll happen this time too, and you know it...it was your fault the family fell apart, and you know that too. A single, silvery tear slipped from her eye and splashed, glittering, onto the carpet. She didn't even notice it, too busy trying to stop the rest of them from attacking Riku's floor.
Riku gave her a startled look and immediately berated himself. Harshly. He thought he were the reason she was crying now. He gently closed the first-aid kit and swallowed, hating himself for making her cry. "I should take you home. It's late." He muttered to the floor.
She mentally cursed and rubbed at her eyes, hard. Turning to him suddenly, Kira glared at him, wanting to swat him. "Look. I'm a stupid emotional girl and it's NOT your fault I'm crying like a ninny, got it?" Feeling the spell break, she got up. "I can find my own way home. Thanks." I want to staaaaay she cried inwardly. Oh, shut up, she told that voice. What she really wanted was a hug. A thirty-minute hug with no interruptions and someone who smelled good. Like him. Gah! Stop it! Stop it stop it stop it! She turned and face the wall, resting her forehead against it a moment, resisting the urge to attack it. With her face. That wouldn't look good, after all.
Riku watched her for a moment then cast his eyes downward, letting his silken hair to fall into his eyes. Taking a deep breath he stood and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "I'll walk you home if you'll let me. It'll help me sleep better..." He murmured, voicing his concern of Scott going after her again.
Kira whirled, shrugging his hand off. Staring at him a minute, her hand twitched as though she wanted to brush his hair out of his eyes. She didn't move, though, only stared at him. Then she blinked. Sniffed. "One condition. Then maybe I'll let you walk me home. Where ever that is."
Riku tilted his head to the side curiously, "What's that?" He asked, taking a step back. 'What are you getting yourself into Fairy Boy? That's right, I said Fairy Boy! It should drag your head back down to earth. You can't do this, you're going to hurt her.' He buried the mocking voice angrily, 'I swear. I won't EVER hurt her.' He retaliated, 'She needed help. It doesn't mean anything...' His last thought received no answer and echoed back at him. 'Does it?' During the whole session of mental argument, Riku was careful to keep his expression blank.
Noting the step back, she wavered a moment. He's not going to be comfortable with this, a voice warned her. Kira hesitated a little longer. "I..." She paused, looking at him. Can I just have a hug? The plaintive thought went unsaid. "Just...never mind." She shifted and then turned to the door. I'm screwing it up, she thought, resigned. Just leave. Get home. Leave him alone. Opening the door, she headed for the front. "See you. Thanks. You don't need to walk me home. I'll be fine." The night air kissed her cheeks as she opened the front door. His scent was burned away from her nose as the crisp air replaced it.
Riku gave her a measured look and ignored the image of his hope careening out of control, crashing, and burning. Morbidly. 'It's only right to walk her home, why won't she let me?' He asked of himself. He considered of pushing the subject, he hated to see her leave. Alone. The silver-haired boy finally gave up and the faintest of defeated looks crossed his visage but it was quickly replaced with one of neutrality. "Okay. Be careful. Please?" He asked her almost pleadingly.
Taking a step outside, Kira shook herself. "What? Oh. Sure." Turning, she looked at him, her gaze measured. "Oh...forget it." She threw her arms around him, buried her face in his neck briefly, then leaped back. Sprinting to the end of the walk, she stopped, looked back at him, and then took off down the sidewalk, glad the darkness hid her blush. Don't hate me, Riku...