THIS IS MORE OF A SEGWAY INTO CHAPTER TWO THAN IT IS AN ACTUAL CHAPTER, BUT STORY DOES CONTINUE, AND A DEEPER DRAMA UNFOLDS!! PLEASE REVIEW AND GIVE ME AN IDEA IF (and maybe even HOW) I SHOULD CONTINUE THIS. THANKIES! LUFF ALWAYZ~Silly-emo-kun

***

Interlude: Then New School Year

Three weeks had passed since that first, sweet afternoon on Twilight hill. As Seifer had promised, that had not been the last day they met up with each other, but was rather the first of what some might call "a love affair". That label never occurred to the two boys, however. How they felt and what they did, it was mutually decided, was to remain a secret. They continued to antagonize each other in public, even more harshly than before. So harshly that Hayner, the more sensitive of the two, for whom the charade was much harder to maintain than it was for Seifer, would find a way to sneak away from Roxas, Pence and Olette and go off for a good cry…but later Seifer was always there, to kiss away the tears, and bathe him in bliss so total and mind blowing that painful memories dropped off of him like dead leaves from a tree.

Hayner and Seifer saw one another in private once every night, except when it was totally impossible. On those nights, each boys would toss and turn in bed, and never get to sleep, craving the release they now had become addicted to and needed so badly. When they could meet, it was at night, very late, and usually in Seifer's apartment. The D-Squader's parents had died three years ago, and his only supervision was an aunt who stopped by daily, but lived on the other side of town. Only VERY rarely, when they were absolutely sure that no one would be around, did they return to Twilight hill and reenact every succulent moment of their first encounter.

School added yet more strain to their relationship. Hayner, being a year ahead of his three sophomore buddies (he was their age, but had skipped kindergarden, and was thus in Seifer's grade), was usually found hanging out with his junior friends at school: Leon and Selphie. Leon had transferred to Balamb Garden High for his sophomore year, and had been "taken in" by the over-eager and über friendly Selphie (who was at the time Hayner's girlfriend). Around most people, he was boring, quiet, and somewhat cold and intimidating. About mid-year, however, Leon had gotten used to his new friends, and began to enjoy and interact with them more. They discovered he had his own sort of smug sense of humor, and the group of three became closer. Leon always remained aloof, however.

Over the summer, Selphie hung out with Leon only once, and never with Hayner, though she called him incessantly. Their break-up was perhaps the smoothest and painless break-up of the twenty-first century, simply because Hayner didn't care anyway and Selphie lacked the psychological ability to be depressed. She and Hayner remained friends and she transitioned to her new boy friend, Irvine.

Hayner and Squall, being boys, never called one another, but hung out a whole three times over the summer: the first time disastrously with Hayner's "sophomore buddies". The awkwardness was almost painful; Leon mercifully invented an excuse to go home early. The second time was a make-up for the first and went fairly well. Hayner found that hanging out with a guy his age was enjoyable, but in a different sort of way than with his other naive and happy-go lucky pals. The third time was a shocker: Leon actually invited Hayner to go see the newest action-thriller of the summer. Hayner had noticed Leon had acted somewhat uncomfortably and was exhibiting behavior that harkened back to the days before he came to Balamb High.

So three weeks had gone by, and everyone had settled back into the droning rhythm of school. Leon, Hayner, Selphie and Irvine (who melded into the group quite well) could always be seen together before school, during lunch, and at random times during the weekend. Roxas, Olette, and Pence had contact with Hayner over the internet but also called him frequently, Olette in particular (and she was always on the phone with what-most-people-assumed-was-her-boyfriend Pence; they chatted three way). Selphie preoccupied herself with Irvine, frequently affording Leon and Hayner more breathing room than before.

Seifer returned to school and was seen only with his bff/lackeys Rai and Fu. Unlike the summer months, during school Seifer mainly focused his antagonism on the new "trouble-maker", Leon, who was immediately suspect and a threat to the town, as no one knew where he came from, what his former life had been, anything about his parents (he drove to school, so no one had actually seen them) ect. Most of the time, Leon shrugged it off, though he would occasionally reply with a smart-ass remark that would leave Seifer and crew babbling.

And of course, amidst all this, the two secret lovers snuck into each others arms when they knew no one else would find them. Whatever drama, or stress or strife had tried them during the day, they could always hide themselves away in each other's hearts.

One night, when there were no clouds the obscure the sky, the full moon shone through Seifer's window, on a bed half concealing the raw young bodies twisting and writhing to join together as close as possible. The final moments were close. Hayner, on his back, sweating like mad, looked up at Seifer with the tenderest and most worshiping eyes, and opened his mouth to speak. But his eyes rolled back, and all that came out were weak, stifled whines emitted in time with Seifer deeper and harder thrusts.

Seifer nuzzled Hayner's face and they kissed. Seifer stopped for a moment, lost in the angelic lips of the blond underneath him. And he bent down and gently sucked on the side of Hayner's neck. Overwhelmed, Hayner found Seifer's ear and sucked on it and sighed into it. This was too much for Seifer, and after a few more impassioned thrusts he released inside an elated, whimpering Hayner.

Now they were lying with their eyes closed, but fully awake, trying to pretend like there was no difference between the two bodies lying drench in old sweat on that bed. Hayner slowly moved.

"I have to get going," he whimpered, "it's almost three."

"You're right," groaned the older boy and he stretched himself out, "you need your beauty sleep." He smacked Hayner on the butt, and the other boy made an mmmmm sound and moved up Seifer's body, slowly kissing him the way he had before.

When the released, Seifer whispered into his face, "I like it that way. You should… do more of that."

"Okee dokee," the younger blonde agreed, and nuzzled his nose with Seifer's.

As he got dressed, Seifer sat up and spoke in a troubled voice. "Hayner….?"

The boy looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"I know we pretend to go at it really hard," he closed his eyes. This was really weird to have to say, but he had to be sure; he couldn't risk losing Hayner, "but if anything in the lightest way, AT ALL, sticks in your mind and it bugs you, tell me. Please tell me. I…I had a dream, well, nightmare, and I…" he couldn't go on. He couldn't commit the horrible, horrible nightmare to spoken word.

"Promise," Hayner cooed. He was dressed now, all except his shirt. He sat down on the bed, and Seifer reached out to slowly move his palms along every inch of the boy's smooth, perfect chest. "I will always tell you everything. Always and forever," he said simply, and to the ears of both boys, every one of these words sounded like "I love you, I love you, I love you."

Hayner had gone out, and Seifer could still feel the warm places where their bodies had been together for their final hug that night. He tried to go to sleep, but without Hayner there to absorb his mind and relieve him of the gnawing that his nightmares had inflicted upon him. He didn't know how to handle all these weird, chaotic feelings at once; he had very little practice.

That night the dream repeated in hideous clarity. It rang through Seifer's head.

I'm lying on Twilight hill with Hayner, the best boy in the world, lying on top of me. But I'm starting to feel his warmth diminish and the closeness of our bodies decrease. I'm reaching out for him, and I hold on as best I can, but then the stronger force of pull fully removes him from me. I discover that I am naked, and I look up…and Hayner is curled in the arms of a tall, pale brunette with chiseled lips and expressive green eyes set in his impassionate angular face. Leon stares at my raw, exposed self lying shivering and defeated on the ground. His face contorts in a way I've never seen before. He now wears a wicked, gloatingly evil grin.

He throws back his head, and laughs.