A/N: I should have put this at the beginning of chapter 1, but it completely slipped my mind. If anyone is feeling suicidal, please seek immediate help. In the US (and I think Canada) please call the toll free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. In the UK and Ireland, contact the Samaritans at 08457 90 90 90 (UK) and 1850 60 90 90 (ROI) (call charges apply).

I'm sorry that I don't have the numbers for any other countries. Also, if anyone simply needs someone nonjudgmental to talk to, my inbox is open to you.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Square Enix.


I came to find out that Axel had frequent trips to the principal's office, mostly for being involved with fights that he may or may not have started. He was almost on a first name basis with Leon Hart, the principal whose family founded Fair Hart High School. He talked our way (or rather my way) out of trouble and a combination of his and Roxas' testimony ended up getting Seifer suspended for three days.

After Seifer stormed off, Axel and Roxas shared a quick high-five before Axel nudged me in the side and said, "Way to go, Zexion. Way to show that creeper who's boss. I wouldn't have thought you'd have it in you!"

"I don't really…" I said, hanging my head.

"Aw, don't go gettin' all shy on us now," he said as the bell rang for us to go to our first class. "Well, see ya later!" He waved as he and Roxas left the office hand-in-hand.

I sighed, adjusting my messenger bag as I left the office without really looking where I was going. I ended up running straight into a dirty blonde boy with a messy mullet. I tripped and fell flat on my face, my books spilling out of my bag for the second time in one day.

"Geez," he said as I saw him fidgeting out of the corner of my eye. "Sorry. Here, let me help you."

Before I could protest, he was down on his hands and knees, helping me pick up my books. I was careful not to touch him, but despite my best efforts, my fingers brushed his as I took my books from him. I winced at first, fearing what would come through, but then I stopped and just… stared. His heart was pure and free of any stain. This was a person who had never been truly hurt in his life. That wasn't what made me stop, though. What really shocked me was something that had never happened before. In that brief moment our skin was touching… I saw myself with him in my mind. I saw myself talking to him and I kind of looked somber. I began to run away from him when he grabbed my arm, pulled me back toward him and wrapped his arms around me.

When the contact ceased, the scene melted away. We both stopped and remained completely still for several moments, just staring at one another. I looked at him and he looked at me and I don't know how it happened, but we just… clicked.

"What…" I whispered, not really comprehending what had just happened.

"Hey…" he said in kind of a breathy whisper. "You okay?"

"Boys," someone said from the office as the hallway began to clear, "you're going to be late for class."

"Class!" he exclaimed, looking to me and asking, "Do you know where Mr. Stein's class is?"

"I think that's actually my first class too," I said with a nervous laugh. "It's down that way." I pointed to a classroom on the end of first hallway.

"Okay," he said with a smile, getting up and holding his hand out to me. "Come on."

I was reluctant to touch him again, but I took his hand and allowed him to help me up. The feeling I got from him was mesmerizing. I felt like I was picking up a piece of his very soul. Normally, I would have pulled away from such deep contact, but he was… different somehow. There was just something about him that I couldn't put my finger on. It made me want to be closer to him and I was actually more reluctant to let go of his hand and lose that feeling than I had been to touch him to begin with.

"We'll talk later," he said as we rushed to class, entering the room just before the tardy bell rang.

"Well, class," said Mr. Stein as he closed the door behind us. "This is something you don't see every day. We have two new students with us today. Boys, if you'd like to introduce yourselves."

"Ah…" I began, but the other boy beat me to the punch.

"I'm Demyx O'Donohue. I'm seventeen and I'm somewhat of a musical genius from what I'm told. I can play pretty much any string instrument you set in front of me from a violin to a zither, but I'm best at the sitar, guitar, and bass."

"That's very good, Demyx," said the teacher. "I'm sure Ms. Bates would love to have you in her music class."

He beamed and I stepped forward, uncomfortable with the way everyone was looking at me. "I'm Zexion Corazza. There's… nothing really special about me. I'm seventeen and I enjoy literature. That's… basically it."

"Hmm…" he said as he pointed to two unoccupied desks at the back corner of the class. "You can sit over there, then. It's the only place we have empty."

I nodded and Demyx smiled as we made our way to the back of the class. Demyx was waving to everyone as he passed them and I smiled at this. When we reached our desks, I sat with my head propped on my elbow while he sat with his legs crossed and his hands behind his head. It was hard not to watch him and I didn't know any plausible reason I would have to stare. I was just… curious about him.

"Psst," I heard him hiss from beside me. I snapped my head up, coming out of my thoughts to actually look up at him. He flicked a small triangle of paper off of his desk which then landed neatly in my lap.

I blinked a few more times before unfolding the paper. It read, "Wanna hang out after school?"

I began to simply shake my head, but then I realized that he would most likely think that meant I didn't want to and figured he deserved an explanation, so I wrote, "I can't leave the house. Sorry."

I handed him the note which he read and responded, "Grounded or something?"

I stiffened and took a deep breath as I wrote, "Something like that."

He scribbled something down and handed it to me, "How bout this: Join the art club. I'm already in and it has an after school meeting tomorrow. You can say you stayed for school."

"I'll have to ask," I wrote. I hesitated before writing, "My father's pretty strict."

He pouted as he read the note, scribbling something in response. He was about to pass it to me when Mr. Stein caught us and said, "No passing notes back there. I'll give you a warning this time, but the next time I catch you, I'll have you stand up and read it to the class."

I felt my cheeks flush as I meekly muttered, "Sorry."

"Pay attention, boys," he said as he turned his back to us.

Mr. Stein went into lecturing and for the first time in my life, I could not tell you what the teacher was talking about. My mind was racing and my thoughts were everywhere but here. I wanted to know if my vision had any weight to it. I never considered myself clairvoyant. I'd never had dreams about the future nor had I ever experienced any sort of future sight aside from being able to tell who was coming into a room before they did. It was bizarre.

After class, Demyx asked me if he could sit with me at lunch and all I could do was nod. As always when you're waiting for something, time passed so slowly until eleven. The boring plethora of information I'd taught myself years ago went in one ear as I answered a few questions, then went straight out the other. I couldn't concentrate on anything for any large amount of time and though I got my work done, I wasn't really paying it much attention, which wasn't like me at all. Usually, I gave every assignment my all and always paid attention in class, writing detailed notes and making the highest scores of anyone else in my classes. Today, I just couldn't keep my mind from wandering.

Lunch time finally came around and I was one of the first people in the cafeteria again, mostly due to my fourth period class being the closest classroom to the cafeteria doors. I went through the line and was amazed at the choices we had to make. At HBHS we only had one option, which was usually not very good, but here we had our choice of three different foods for each type and we also had a salad bar. I blinked a few times before choosing pizza, making myself a salad and going to the register. After receiving my food, I sat at the same table I'd sat at this morning at breakfast and waited for Demyx to arrive.

By the time he sat next to me, I'd almost finished my meal.

"Wow," he said with a small chuckle. "Hungry, are you?"

I let out a nervous laugh as the blonde sat mere inches away from me. If he were anyone else, I would have been very uncomfortable, but since it was him I actually had to stop myself from leaning into him. Who was this guy and why was he making me feel this way?

"So… you're Zexion," he said, running a hand through his hair.

I nodded and said, "And you're Demyx?"

He smiled and said, "Everyone has something special about them."

"Excuse me?" I asked, puzzled.

"In class this morning," he said, looking down. "You said there was nothing really special about you. That can't be true."

"It is," I said as I finished up the last of my food.

"Don't say that," he said with a frown. Immediately, he perked up and said, "I want you to tell me one good thing about yourself right now. Come on!"

I thought for a moment before saying, "There's nothing."

"Not one single thing?" he asked. When I shook my head he said, "You've got some self-esteem issues, don't you? Okay, I'll start. I'm good at music. Now it's your turn. One good thing."

I sighed, not wanting to disappoint him, and said, "I'm… intelligent."

"There you go!" he said with a big smile. "You see?"

"But no one really values intelligence anymore," I said as I glanced up at him. As soon as I met his big cyan eyes, I couldn't tear my gaze away.

"I do," he said. "I'm not really that bright, though. I make B's mostly. But I respect intelligent people a lot more than the stupid meatheads that think they're so great."

I smiled at him and did something I never purposely did to anyone. I laid my hand over his. There was something there this time, something I never expected anyone to feel toward me. It was clear to pick up on, faint but still there. It was affection and it scared the hell out of me to feel it directed toward me. I'd felt affection through touch before, but it was never meant for me. It was just a small feeling, and I didn't even think he knew it was there yet, but it was enough for me to pick up on and enough to make me wary.

As I pulled my hand away, Demyx asked, "Will you ask your dad if you can join the art club?"

"I don't think he'll let me," I said honestly.

"Doesn't he want you having any friends?" he asked with a grin.

Honestly… no. "I don't know," I laughed. "I'll ask him though."

"When will you not be grounded anymore?" he asked, unconsciously leaning toward me.

Never. "I'll have to talk to my father about it," I said with a small wince.

"What did you do to get grounded, if you don't mind me asking?" he asked, tilting his head.

"It's… complicated," I said, beginning to clam up like I always did when being asked about my father.

"Oh," he said with a shrug. "Sorry. But you know if you ever want to talk, I'm here."

"Thanks," I said with a partially fake smile.

"Well, if you ever get un-grounded," he smiled, "we should hit the beach sometime. It'll be fun."

"Sure," I said, nodding. Like that will ever happen.

He proceeded to talk about the beach until the bell rang to go to our next class. As it turned out, we had two more classes together: fifth period English and seventh period art. After school Demyx offered to drive me home but I declined, thinking about how bad it would be if my father saw me with anyone. He would most likely accuse me of trying to spread my witchcraft and never let me see anyone outside of school ever again. I sighed as I trudged the few blocks home from school, preparing myself for the onslaught until another day of school saved me from my own personal hell.


A/N: Thank you to all my readers and reviewers for your words of encouragement. I greatly appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy. :D