Disclaimer: I don't own GS/GSD, but that means I get to play around with the characters, no? Please R&R!

Chapter 1

"I want you to calm down, Joule, and let go of Diesse now," his teacher said furiously, "Or I will tell your mother you broke another chair this afternoon."

That made him shut up and let go of the little jerk's collar and put his fist down although it was still curled tightly into a ball. That teacher was an idiot too; he'd get his revenge one day. He'd find some sharpnel and get to work on the car if he could spare the time. And Diesse was in trouble too,Yzak Joule wasn't the kind who'd take insults lobbed causally at anyone close to him, not least his mother.

"I know you've been home schooled on your life," the hapless man began slowly, trying to ignore the flash of rage that shot across Yzak's face, "But you've got to learn how to treat others properly-,"

"And make friends and not lose your temper so much," Yzak snapped at the same time as the teacher. Then he glared at the teacher and stuck out his chin obstinately.

The grown-up stared in surprise at the boy, had he really memorised whatever he always heard when he got into fights? Then he remembered that Yzak Joule always got into fights, so it wasn't a surprise he could duplicate the admonishing talks after that. After all, the boy had an excellent memory with a capability as a Coordinator to remember things repeated after the second time,and being scolded for fighting wasn't exactly Yzak Joule's second time either. More like the twentieth-thousand time actually.

"What did Diesse say to you that made you want to fight him?" he said carefully, thinking that Yzak was going to be a real problem if he didn't handle the boy carefully. Granted, the boy was a genius, a really fast learner and a whiz at his studies and sports, especially, physical ones, but his temper, oh that really turned him into a monster.

"I didn't want to fight him only," Yzak said angrily with a streak of pride flitting across his sharp features, "I fought him and I was going to win. Dare you deny that?"

"No," the teacher said helplessly again, "Alright, you were going to win in the fight, but why did you want to win the fight in the first place?"

He was trying to be patient with Yzak Joule, the boy was testing his limits without really meaning to, but that didn't make him want to throttle the boy as much as realising Yzak Joulehad so much going for him but could lose it so easily by simply flaring up. If this went on,Yzak would face some issues.

"Because I hate to lose," Yzak replied immediately, his blue eyes angry slits in his pale, handsome face. They looked like sapphire pieces placed in snow because of his silver hair too, nobody could say Yzak Joule or his mother didn't look like they were from noble lineage.

"No, not that," the teacher said tiredly, "Why'd you pick up the chair and bash it and then turn on Diesse?"

"Because-," Yzak began immediately, then a look of anger crossed his features again and he clamped his mouth shut determinedly.

"Yes?" the teacher prompted, praying that a miracle would happen for once.

"I don't have to tell you!" Yzak bristled furiously, then he stood his ground even though a ten year old like him only reached up to the teacher's waist.

"But then I won't be able to understand you," the teacher said again, wearily scratching his neck and feeling very sorry for Yzak Joule. He knew the boy adored his mother, perhaps his classmate had picked a fight and egged him by saying something bad like that.

"You don't have to, nobody said it was your bloody business anyway," Yzak snapped rudely, then he glared at the teacher with hatred in his blue eyes.

"Ah," the teacher said testily trying not to punch the child, "So maybe it had something to do with your mother."

And Yzak Joule stared at him, his eyes like daggers and he said in a low, angry voice that hid some pain in it, "Don't say anything to my mother."

"I won't," the teacher assured him hurriedly, he didn't want his car scratched and he didn't want his top student to become a demon everyday in class, "But I care for you and I want to make sure nobody bullies you."

"I'm not a princess," Yzak retorted brusquely, "And I don't need your help in protecting myself in case you haven't noticed. And if you want me to apologise for beating up Diesse, I will apologise for not bashing him up better."

And he scowled an ugly scowl that did no justice to his face and spun on his heel and left.

'Really', thought the teacher, mopping his brow, 'that was the problem with Coordinator children.'

They grew up so quickly that they were like teenagers by the time they were ten, and that meant angst and adolescent fights, something Yzak was quite splendid at actually.

Yzak Joule was the son of an important member of PLANT's Supreme Council, Ezalia Joule. The woman was very striking, beautiful really, with her silver hair and blue eyes, and very dynamic. Too dynamic and maybe that was the problem. She was so busy, Yzak probably had to fight for her attention, and he did, literally. But he wasn't a trouble-maker on purpose; he just got into fights very easily because he was quick to take insults and a very loyal child. Or youth. Or whatever.

The teacher sighed again and looked at the contact list with Ezalia Joule's name in a slot, a blank one next to it for the father's name. Maybe the lack of a father figure was the problem, no man-to-man talk or whatever people said worked for boys and their fathers. And perhaps that was another root of Yzak's terrible tendency to lose his temper.

Nobody in Yzak's class didn't like him, even with all his intense temper and unbridled ways, in fact, they adored him. His frankness, bordering on brusqueness, made him an instant hit with all his classmates, but then he was so talented and terribly liked that some were jealous. And it was well known that he had no father every time the parents were invited to meet with the teachers, and his mother couldn't come most of the time, so usually, Yzak would collect his report book with his perfect grades all by himself.

But then that day, he would be in an exceptionally good mood.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why he was so happy. It wasn't he grades or anything like that, it was the fact that he could bring home something for his mother and try to make her happy.

And all the teachers would discuss the silver-haired Yzak with his sharp wit but terrible temper. They would all feel sorry from the very queer background that he had, but then nobody would ever say he was a bad or horrid child, because he was always loyal and had pride and some kind of quality that made everyone love him secretly. He could be sly at times when he handled the questions they asked to find out more about him, but Yzak Joule wasn't without his honour and valour.

Outside, Yzak sat at the stone ledge facing the field where his schoolmates were either eating their lunches or playing ball games. They shouted to him to join in, all but a sulky Diesse, but Yzak shook his head and didn't go over. He wanted to check if she was were he thought she would be.

And when nobody was looking, he snuck to the laboratory he had almost blown up last week because he wanted to prove the potassium had to be stored under oil unlike what Diesse had declared when he said the oil was useless, and then he peeked into the window and saw Shiho at the side, staring out of another window.

He wondered if he should talk to her after the quarrel they had a month ago when she came to his house with her father. Yzak didn't really see her often at school because they were in different classes in different forms, she was about a year younger than him actually, and she didn't accompany her father to visit her mother all the time either.

But a month ago, she had arrived, and he had been trying to fix his QUINd, a sort of laptop, when she had suddenly materialised out of nowhere from behind him in some sort of flowery dress.

He had screeched and dropped the QUINd, and it had broken apart, and then he had lost it and yelled furiously at Shiho, "Why'd you appear like a ghost and make me drop it? Now it's broken!"

"Sorry," she said, not looking sorry at all, 'But maybe if you weren't so jumpy then you would have noticed me standing behind you for a while."

"Are you saying it's my fault?" he hissed, shoving the broken pieces aside.

"Isn't that obvious?" she said emotionlessly, and he had to take a step back to see her properly instead of merely seeing a head poking over his shoulders and her violet eyes looking straight at him. He felt like stamping on the violets the gardener had planted again.

Shiho Hahenfuss had grown a little taller since the time he had mother, which was about a year ago anyway. Her hair was long too, and she had tied it neatly in the same style as he had seen when they first met with a black chord, but her dress had become more flowery since then. She looked very pampered in the blue silk with the square pattern around the hem and waist, but then he could see a tear in the side and something that looked a little like engine oil. So she wasn't that well-brought up after all, he had decided.

"You tore your dress and spilt something on it," he said nastily, gesturing carelessly at the abysmal state when he looked at it closer.

"I did, didn't I?" she said coolly, not even bothering to look where he pointed, and the way she had stood still and not bothered with even looking embarrassed made him curious why she was so strange. Some other girl might have squealed in horror that he noticed or tried to be bashful, but she just did what she had done and stood there looking at him.

And Yzak was unsettled, and he had quickly left, and when he peered over his shoulder, she had been standing where he had left her, thoughtfully staring back at his retreating figure.

He had been so creeped out that he had ran off, and he hadn't seen her again, well, not up to now, where she was, tinkering away in the laboratory.

"Do you want to come in?" she said suddenly, turning around to look at him through the open window.

"No," he snapped hastily, "I'm not going to."

"Alright,' she replied without any emotion in her voice, and then she turned back to where she had been sitting and carefully poured something into a tube.

Yzak stared for a while, quite fascinated by the chemicals she was mixing together, and then he hesitated for a bit and finally asked, "What are you doing?"

"Mixing chemicals," she said in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Don't insult my intelligence," he growled impatiently, "I asked, what you are doing?"

"Stirring chemicals," she said in the same tone and proceeded to do so.

He was quite startled by her impersonal manner, especially when his other classmates would have eagerly explained everything to him and tried to get him interested in what they were doing. But she simply ignored him like he was of a lower degree than her, and that riled him up instantly.

So he hopped in through the window and landed neatly in a sort of crouch near the benches, but she didn't bother even looking at him, she only furrowed her brow in concentration and continued to stir the liquids together, and he realised from the odious smells that she was mixing fuels.

And quite forgetting to be angry with her for being so hoity-toity, he made his way over and peered curiously over her shoulder.

"Why are you mixing fuels?" he asked abruptly.

"Finally," Shiho replied in a different tone altogether, eventually looking up at him and startling him with her violet gaze, "A question worth answering."

And her sureness and deft fingers annoyed him tremendously and he barked rudely, "You aren't so smart yourself, Hahenfuss!"

"No," she said very guilessly, "But you are, and that's why you shouldn't waste your time with worthless questions that ask the obvious."

And she turned back and poured everything into another flask and bottled it securely. Her answer stumped him, and he was silent for a few moments before he managed to find his tongue and say something again.

So he stared at her, dressed in a simple white shirt and the customary navy pinafore all the girls wore, and he noted how it had faded a little unlike the same navy jacket he wore. Perhaps she spilled things on it too often and the pinafore had to be washed so much that it had faded.

And when Yzak spoke, his tone was awkward, something very strange since he had been so sure of himself previously. But Shiho Hahenfuss was going to give him a run for his money, and that was why he spoke again.

"Why don't you come over more often?" he asked, cursing the strange flush he knew was on his cheeks. She looked up at him again and smiled very suddenly, and he was surprised how carefree and child-like she was when she smiled, a whole difference to her serious eyes and unsmiling mouth, really.

"Because I'm not invited," she answered simply, "My father doesn't ask me to go much to meet the children of his colleagues anyway."

"Why?" Yzak interrupted eagerly; keen to keep the conversation flowing now that he had loosened her tongue.

"I don't know, I'm not him," she said quietly, although it wasn't a bitter tone or anything like that. And she fiddled with the label and wrote something on it, and then she pressed I securely to the glass and stood up.

And without another word, she left, and he stood staring at the flask she had left, and when he looked up, she was gone.

Yzak knew better than to run after her and try to egg her into talking more to him, because he knew Shiho Hahenfuss only spoke when she was ready too. And he was more eager to befriend the only child of the Hahenfuss family, not because his mother would have liked him to, but because he wanted to make Shiho a friend for his own sake.

But the next time he met Shiho Hahenfuss, it would be the last meeting they would have in a long time to come.