Chapter 2

Cloud's POV

Yay, Physics! My second favorite subject, I always get A+ in this subject, as usual I sat at the furthest back, where no one will notice me. This class I am with the Prince of Darkness, he usually sits at the middle row or at the front where fans will surround them as usual. Speak of the devil, there he is now, thank goodness this prince didn't look my way like the Silver Prince did, ignorance is peaceful. Aerith is in this class with me, so as Reno. I wonder where they are. "Oof" someone put their hand around me, I looked up and saw red hair, Reno "Yo there Cloud, why ya at the back here acting all dark and moody, sooner or later you'll cease to exist if you keep on keeping to yerself, unless you want a colorful life then you best hang out more with me and Zack, you'll be colorful as a rainbow." Aerith is giggling to what Reno said " Yeah Cloud, Reno's right, after all your going shopping with me and Tifa remember?" Aerith smiled as her words made me remember that I had to go to the Halloween party tomorrow. "Yeah I know, guess I have no choice in this" I regrettably had to keep my promise since if I didn't she'll blackmail me. Reno grinned as he state the obvios terrors I'm going to go through " Wow, Cloud, you lost to another bet huh? Poor shadow boy here is unable to win when Aerith is involved" Both of them laugh at my misery and finally I noticed that everyone in the room was paying close attention to us. I pulled both of them to sit next to me "Sit, both of you, both of you are drawing too much attention" I glance around the room and noticed even the prince himself is staring at us, great another prince is staring at me. He seems to be interested to join our conversation. I had never spoke the princes before till today with Prince Sephiroth, now I guess even Prince Noctis is coming over to my table to talk. Now that I think about is, he usually talks to Aerith, guess that's not a surprise since they both had known each other since elementary school. But wait, why is he standing in front of my table instead, I looked up and made sure people can't see my eyes. My eyes some how glows and it's blue, so I tend to hide them. He is looking down at me with obvious curiosity in his eyes. Then he turned to look at Aerith "Hello, Aerith, I heard you were talking about the Halloween party, and something about darkness I heard coming from Reno's mouth, I am interested to know what you were all talking about" guess he heard about Reno saying about me being 'dark and shadow' he is totally interested because of those words.

Reno ignored all the gawking audience as the prince talked to us, well basically Aerith and Reno since I don't really respond when I talk to people I am not used to talking with, the only people I am used to be surrounded are; Zackary Fair, Aerith Gainsborough, Angeal, Geneses, Reno, Tifa, Yuffie, Vincent, Tseng, The principle, some of the teachers and my family members. "We were just talking about Cloud here who lost a bet with Aerith, now my shadowy dark aura friend here has to wear what Aerith and Tifa choose for him. Hey Aerith don't forget the camera." Reno you are going to die if you realize who I really am, okay calm down think about pianos and singing and swords, impaling it at Reno's heart watching him bleed to death. "Oh now that I think about it, both of you have not been introduced yet, well then, Prince Noctis this is Cloud Strife, Cloud this is Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum. Now shake hands and try to make eye contact for once Cloud" Aerith decided to introduce us well best to get this over with then. I reluctantly shake hands with him "Cloud Strife, nice to meet you" he shook my hand "Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, it's is my pleasure to have finally meet the Cloud Strife that Aerith usually talks about" once we've done shaking hands, he seems to take his time to hold my hand as he tries to make eye contact with me. I pulled my hand away from him, and listened as both Reno and Aerith starts to talk about their plans for tomorrow Halloween Party. The Prince is staring at me, why is it that people likes to stare at me as if I'm the most interesting thing in the world right now. "Hey Cloud, may I ask why you always wear that hooded jacket of yours, I am kinda curious on how your face looks like?" Noctis asked me the question that everyone has been dying to ask. I looked up and as usual my eyes can't be seen by people, and Reno had to put more oil on the fire "Yeah Cloud, I haven't seen your face before as well, you always hide your face, I think only the principle, your parents, Zack and Aerith had seen your face, why hide it?" Damn it Reno why did you have to encourage the question more "Come on you two, Cloud just doesn't want to show his face that's all, no big deal, plus he shows his face to specific and close people, and maybe you'll see his face one day Reno" thank you Aerith! "I just don't want people to look at my face, plus if one of our classmates sees me outside of school, they won't recognize me and I don't have to greet them, unless if they were the people you had just stated" the first time I spoke in the conversation seems to be about why I hide myself…

Noctis's POV

After meeting up with Sephiroth and telling him about the meeting with the blonde, I head towards my first class, Math, but during that subject I can't seem to concentrate as my mind kept on drifting towards the morning meeting with him… the blonde seems to intrigued me. As usual the teacher doesn't seem to care if I pay attention or not. When the lesson ended I walk towards my next class, physics, as more fans starts to surround me. They kept on chattering even as I entered my class, I oticed the guy who always sits at the back row as I glance around the room to find a seat where these annoying fans can't disturb him, then he saw Aerith and Reno put their hands around the black hooded man at the back, I noticed they began talking, then I picked up on the words, shadow, dark and Halloween. As people always call me The Prince Of Darkness, I am drawn to the words that they had just spoken. Seems like everyone in the room finally quieted down and tried to listen to their conversation. I decided to walk up towards them, I stopped just in front of the hooded man, no a young boy as I take a closer look, I noticed that he seems smaller than me, I can't seem to see his face. I am curios of this boy "Hello, Aerith, I heard you were talking about the Halloween party, and something about darkness I heard coming from Reno's mouth, I am interested to know what you were all talking about" of course Reno would ignore the other students as he reply the question I gave towards Aerith "We were just talking about Cloud here who losta bet with Aerith, now my shadowy dark aura friend here has to wear what Aerith and Tifa choose for him. Hey Aerith don't forget the camera." A bet, seems like the worst kind, I pity the boy. . "Oh now that I think about it, both of you have not been introduced yet, well then, Prince Noctis this is Cloud Strife, Cloud this is Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum. Now shake hands and try to make eye contact for once Cloud" Aerith decided to introduce us, hmm… Cloud Strife? A weird name, but it has a nice ring to it. I extended my hand and I realized that he is reluctant to shake hands with me…?"Cloud Strife, nice to meet you" he shook my hand "Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, it's is my pleasure to have finally meet the Cloud Strife that Aerith usually talks about" I can't see his eyes, I can only see his lips, I wonder why does he hide his face? My mind was wondering too much that I didn't realize that I was holding his hand too long. I pulled my hand away and went on auto pilot in our conversation, well Cloud doesn't seem to be talking much may I should engage a conversation to him first, simple questions. We are talking about Halloween right now, guess I should ask anyway "Hey Cloud, may I ask why you always wear that hooded jacket of yours, I am kinda curious on how your face looks like?" I think I just asked the wrong question…"Yeah Cloud, I haven't seen your face before as well, you always hide your face, I think only the principle, your parents, Zack and Aerith had seen your face, why hide it?" Reno seems to be as curious as me, so he hides his face towards everyone, but Zack and Aerith? That kinda made me more interested on his reasons. "Come on you two, Cloud just doesn't want to show his face that's all, no big deal, plus he shows his face to specific and close people, and maybe you'll see his face one day Reno" Aerith seems to be against our questioning. "I just don't want people to look at my face, plus if one of our classmates sees me outside of school, they won't recognize me and I don't have to greet them, unless if they were the people you had just stated" his first sentence in the conversation… this boy seems to be an interesting dilemma, a great puzzle, and I want to uncover this puzzle.

Cloud's POV

Why is everyone starting to give me questions that I don't want to answer? Never mind that now is recess and I'm at my usual spot, the bench under the cheery blossom tree, I like to sit hear cause not many peopleis out hear, most of them are at the cafeteria. I even sometimes raise my hooded jacket and just feel the fresh air at my face, Zack and Aerith knows that I'm usually here or at the music room, if they want to find me they know where to find me. I looked around the area and noticed that I was the only one there so I pulled my hoody up and let the fresh air hit my wild spiky hair. I looked up at the sky and noticed that it was a clear day, then I felt someone looking at me as I looked around to find the source, I noticed it was from the door where I saw the two princes staring at me, they can't see my face cause I'm too far, so I stood up and I walked towards the other entrance where no princes are standing in front of, then when I was finally out of sight I put my jacket back on and pulled on my hoody just before I entered the door, thanks to the trees that I hid behind just to pull on my jacket. I think I am getting paranoid. Just my luck, they could have caught me if my instincts didn't react fast when in the presence of other people. Guess I have to finish up today's school day and go shopping tonight with Aerith and Tifa, sad life of mine.

Sephiroth's POV

I told Noctis about the hooded boy and it seems they have already met, in physics. I realize that both of us seem to be interested towards the same boy, an interesting puzzle it is. We were walking towards the door that leads to the school's garden, I believed I had heard about a cherry blossom tree there. As we walked out the door I saw a boy sitting on a bench under the cherry blossom tree, he has blonde spikes, and his eyes they seem to glow as he looked up, blue as the clear sky, I am locked in a world where I can see blue eyes looking at me, then he looked our way and I could not move, I was paralyzed by the beauty, his hair looks like it was more like golden and his eyes looked like sapphire gems, and the background was a lone cherry blossom tree, he seems to see us, and usually people would try to get our attention but it seems the boy just stood up and walk away towards the other school entrance, I didn't see him enter the door because a tree was blocking the view. Seems like Noctis agrees with me when both of us just stood there and stared at where the boy was sitting at; the blonde was gorgeous.

Noctis's POV

Sephroth had already met the puzzle boy. Both of us seemed to be interested in him, we were going out of the door that leads to the school's garden, and when we were already out of the door, we were both paralyzed. Blonde spikes were swaying with the wind, they seem soft. Blue eyes, clear and innocent looking was staring at the sky, the he turned his head towards us. And I my breath was taken away as the beautiful art was in our presence. Seems like even Sephiroth was also taken away by the blonde beauty. It looked like a portrait as the blonde boy was sitting on a bench his hair swaying with the wind, blue eyes like sapphire gems staring at us with the cherry blossom tree to make the picture more beautiful and more innocent looking. But what surprised me and even Sephiroth the most was that the boy stood up and just left towards the school entrance, from our point of standing we can't see the door. Usually people would come towards us and try to get our attention, but this boy was different, more ignorant and disinterest towards us. I think I had found a perfect person to help me rule my kingdom with me. And I think I have a competition with my best friend on who will get the blonde beauty, but first I need to know who he was, is.

[TO BE CONTINUED]