Gee, thanks for all of the reviews, guys! I was really excited to see all of them! I typed this up as fast as I could!
NOTICE: School starts soon... gasp.
:( Not ready to go back.
Here you go!
Axel:
I personally don't like Roxas Strife. Actually, delete the personally. I don't like Roxas Strife. Yup… that worked a lot better. Sounds mean, but I really don't like him. I mean, what kind of brother are you when you're hardly involved with your sibling's life? Your twin, for that matter? I'm best friends with Sora, and I can't help but care what happens to the guy. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to the little shrimp, and I'm just a friend! If he were blood related, it would probably be even worse!
So why couldn't his own brother act like he cared?
I mean, I've seen the kid from far away. He always looked sullen and distanced from everything, like he couldn't bring himself to care. Was he always like that? I'd never personally met him, but I knew he didn't care much for me. Or any of my friends, for that matter. Haha, what can I say? When I'm good, I'm bad, and when I'm bad… I'm good at being bad. Got it memorized?
So when Sora begs me all week to look after this guy who can't be there for his brother, I have to admit, I wasn't too enthused. Babysitting a kid with the sutas disease? What if it was contagious? I didn't want to be caught with whatever problems the kid had. And yet… because Sora asked me, I knew I had to. His own brother couldn't be there for him so I wanted to be.
So when that Monday rolls around, I'm ready to try and be nice, knowing he'll probably try to make life hell for my little group. I'm cool with that, he can try, but then again… he's never met Larxene, so that'll just be a crazy ride on its own. Of course, when we finally get to our spot, the only person there would be Yuffie, her legs folded pretzel style as she waited for me to give her the burned CD I'd promised. No Sora look-alike was to be seen. Great. Just great.
"Thanks a heap, Axel! This is going to make my day, seriously!" Yuffie jumped up and sprang, nearly toppling me to the ground as she gave me a great big hug. Laughing, I awkwardly pried her off and gave her a strange look.
"Why wasn't your day made in the first place?" I asked, fishing around my pockets for my red hot gum and ignoring Demyx's worried whispers about where we might find, "Sora".
"Well, I was looking for you, and Sora was sitting here all by his lonesome, so I decided to help! He kept ignoring me though, and when I finally flipped him over to get his attention, he glared at me and stomped off! I don't know what he did to his hair though, but I have to say, he should stay a brunette. I mean, the blonde looks nice but the chemicals must have done something to him because boy did he look pissed!" She pulled a face, probably trying to mimic what Sora' brother looked like, and then rolled her eyes, obviously not going to let his actions go.
"Wait… which way did our angry blonde Sora go!?" Demyx asked excitedly, peering into Yuffie's disgruntled face. Jabbing a finger towards the left wing, we gave her a much appreciate thanks and then took off towards the left wing hallways, hoping to catch him before he ran into somebody he shouldn't.
"So… how are we going to find him in a crowd? He's kinda short…" Demyx peered around, scratching his head in slight befuddlement as I looked for an angry, blonde version of my best friend.
"I don't know, I've never seen him up close before." I replied frustratedly, pushing through crowds of people who snapped at me for being rude. Not really listening (or caring, for that matter) I looked at my cell phone to see that we didn't have a lot of time to be playing hide and go seek. Sora's brother would probably skewer us if we were late for class.
Seriously, where was this kid?! Hadn't Sora told him to wait for us?! What would happen if Seifer ran into him? Or worse… Kadaj. The kid would be roasted for breakfast and devoured. I'm not one to judge based on how smart you are, but nerds generally don't last long in left wing.
"I like the hair, Sora." Ahha! Bingo! Excitedly, I peered around the crowd of students, jostling and meandering through their small circles and groups, trying to see who was talking to "Sora".
"Have you seen him?!" Demyx showed up worriedly, holding to blondes up by their torsos, their faces identically panicked as he swung them around, looking through the crowd. "Here are two suspects, but I don't know!" One of them was kicking, trying to get away from Demyx's worried stranglehold, and with an impatient sigh, I made him relinquish his hold on them.
"Sora's lookalike, not just any random blonde, Demyx!" I ushered the two slightly afraid blondies away, letting out a shout of pain as one of them stomped on my foot and scurried away. Jumping up and down in pain, I gave Demyx a withering glare.
"Sora with Blonde hair." I hissed between clenched teeth, rubbing my tender foot. Demyx sheepishly nodded and turned to leave, looking around frantically for "Sora". He slipped around a few different people, but I knew he'd show up in less than a minute with another poor, helpless blondie, saying he had Sora.
I had less than a minute to find "Sora".
"I've been… fine." His voice! It was Sora's voice! Bewildered, I looked up, trying to see where Sora was, but instead of Sora, all I could see what Kadaj, Yazoo, and Luz cornering some poor, helpless kid. Groaning, I looked around for Sora OR Roxy-what's-his-name, Demyx coming up and shaking his head to show his failure at finding the diseased sutas patient. Great. Now Sora was going to go crazy when I told him I'd lost his brother!
WHAM! Halfheartedly, I looked over to where Kadaj shoved somebody, roughly, and then moved back slightly to admire his work. In that glimpse of time, I was then hit with a ton of bricks to the chest. It was a blonde, helpless, angry version of Sora! I began making my way towards them, relieved yet concerned to see him collect himself easily and move forward like he was about to do something. Did he not know he was going to be decimated if he fought back!? The kid looked tiny! And then, it hit me square in the face. What it was, I don't know, but suddenly I couldn't continue walking towards them. Instead, I slipped to the side to wait, my heart thundering around my rib cage.
I saw a flash of red, and then Reno and Rude made their appearance, their smirks identical as they calmly stopped the bloodshed that would have been. Demyx stepped up behind me, peering around my shoulder as I watched them interact, Roxy-whatever-his-name-is staring with barely concealed annoyance building up in vividly blue eyes.
"Hey, that's Ro-!" I clapped a hand over Demyx's mouth as he excitedly turned to me to point and shout and exclaim. Giving him my best death glare, I motioned to them and put a finger to my lips, Demyx nodding slowly and slinking down to peer around the trashcan and watch.
Meanwhile, I only had eyes for the blonde.
I don't know why they instantly referred to him as Sora. He looked nothing like Sora. Sure, they were similar, if I had to say they looked alike. Similar. That's all. Similar skin tone, but Roxas (that's what his name was!) had a lighter shade like he stayed mostly indoors. Even from where I was standing, he looked so different from his brother. His lips were fuller, his eyes an icier blue. His stance was not the relaxed way Sora stood. He was straight backed and confidant like he knew what he wanted and what he was doing, even pressed against a locker with random people flying at him. His hair was obviously different… blonde with light streaks running through it naturally. It seemed almost messier than Sora's, but it was styled the same. It looked thicker… run your hands through it thicker…
"Hey Axel, dinner this weekend still going on at Aunt's house?" I jerked up from my peeping tom stance and blinked owlishly at my cousin, Reno. He raised an eyebrow and chuffed me on the chin, smirking. Nodding to the blonde, he raised his eyebrows.
"Didn't know you had it for Sora. Isn't his hair awesome? Jump on it later though, dear cuz' of mine… he seems touchy." Reno paused for a second while Demyx straightened up and proceeded to examine Rude's stiff stance beside his best friend. "And I don't mean the good kind." Reno corrected himself, slinging an arm around Rude as Demyx clicked the stoic baldy's glasses. Demyx had a fascination with trying to get Rude to react to him, but so far all Demyx had succeeded in was making Reno laugh and Rude raise an eyebrow.
"Dinner this weekend… mom's making lasagna." I replied, ignoring the way he was laughing as Demyx made faces at the glass reflection. Rude stared back, arms folded.
"Awesome! I haven't had lasagna in forever!" Reno moaned, putting his hands to his stomach and leaning against Rude. Turning away, he lifted his hand up in a two finger salute and walked away, leaving Demyx and me to catch up to Roxas who was making his way down the hallway, back looking like it was forced into a slouch. Hmm… from behind it did look like Sora with different hair… maybe this could work… wait, what was he doing?!
"Four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten…" Was this kid counting his steps!? I blinked in surprise and tossed Demyx a confused expression while Demyx just stared with wide eyes. Wait… oh no. We were tailing the guy and he was doing something weird. I just knew Demyx was going to ask. I just knew it. You know how you know when your friend is about to do something stupid? Or when you just know that the old lady is going to drive fifteen miles under the speed limit because she's just old? You just know things. Just like I knew Demyx would ask. He always asks. Can't be helped.
"Is he counting his steps?" Ouch! There it was. See, I told you so. He always asks. Wincing, I watched as the boy's back straightened ever so slightly, the Sora walk leaving.
"Yeah… I think he is…" I didn't want to answer, but Demyx would continue to pester until I could shut up him.
"Twenty one, twenty two, twenty three, twenty four…" Seriously!? He really was counting!
"What did we get ourselves into? He just tried to stand up to Kadaj's group!" Demyx gestured to the locker area behind us like I hadn't seen what had happened. The kid glanced up at something before his back straightened even more and his neck went stiff.
""Nothing big… yet. Sora's done that before… just with bad results!" I tried to be cheery to shut Demyx up, but all it succeeded in doing was making the kid's ears turn a bright shade of red and his left hand clench slightly before it relaxed again.
"Thirty three, thirty four, thirty five, thirty six, thirty seven…"
"Axel, he's counting his steps." The kid clenched his hands again, and I let out a soft sigh.
"And you're obsessed with playing instruments that no one in this country plays." I replied, referring to his obsession with sitars. He had so many different instruments but his passion had to be the indie based guitar-looking thing he strummed religiously.
"Yes, but I don't count my steps." I watched with slight amusement as the kid clenched his hands into fists before he turned around with a flesh eating glare. Demyx froze in shock at his random about face, but I froze as his icy blue eyes turned to me and fixed me with a stare that was blank at first, and then turned quickly to disgust as it clicked in his mind who I was. Now that I was closer though, it became even clearer to me like I'd been slapped in the face. He looked nothing like his brother. Apart from the annoyed expression marring his features, he had me hooked with his features alone. Did he look like Sora? Hell no. He looked better.
And I was so screwed.
Sora:
I wasn't really sure that this was a good idea.
Why? Because I could practically smell that I was in the AP wing. It was the way that the kids wore their uniforms the correct way-the left wing had their own fashion sense with clothing-and that they wore them with style. It was like stepping into a manga with a private school… everyone was classy and cool looking… it was almost unfair! They all seemed sophisticated and relaxed with themselves whereas my side of the school was… kind of crazy. They were loud and pushy and… well, kind of like me. This side seemed like a different life entirely with the way that their chattering wasn't like monkeys… it was like collected adults or something!
And it smelled like books. Weird, right?
It was like a completely different world. Once we reached the double doors where the classes began lining hallways instead of the lockers, the atmosphere became hushed and relaxed, a couple of teachers walking the hall with students, talking in low, subdued tones. Eyes wide, I numbly followed Naminé, hardly noticing the people that called my brother's name. Why wasn't he answering them…? I mean, he probably never did, but why would he ignore that many people? He's nice… sometimes…
"Nice hair, Roxas! I like the color!" Wait… what did Roxas do to his hair? I looked around curiously to see what he'd done, but Naminé tapped my side to tell me not to say anything. It then hit me, and I felt really, really dumb. Not even the dumb like, "I just walked into a wall," or the dumb like, "I can't walk, talk, and chew gum at the same time." It was the dumb that could make pregnant pauses and awkward turtle babies all at once.
I was Roxas.
Well, not really Roxas. But, enough Roxas to seem like Roxas. I was wearing his clothes, walking like him, and walking next to my little sister. I was the one ignoring people. Probably the same way Roxas did. Er… not the same way, but still ignoring people! Well, at least I was fitting that category! Er… right?
"You're going to AP literature, ok, Roxas?" Naminé gently tugged my wrist to get my attention, and I snapped to it, eyes wide and mouth hanging open slightly. Nodding dumbly, I was about to walk away from her when she let out a quiet laugh and softly closed my mouth.
"Straight back, closed mouth, hostile glare." She reminded me and turned me towards the hallway I was supposedly supposed to go to. Nodding confidently, I began walking towards the long stretch of hallway, fists clenched to fight away the nerves in my stomach. That first stretch really made me nervous. It was no wonder Roxas was so… so, so blergh all the time! These people seemed so boring!!
Walking down the hallway, I tried to act like my brother. I tried to keep my back straight and my face set in a mask of no emotion. And it worked!
I think…
But once I reached the end of the hall, I realized something that was probably really important. I couldn't say anything about it though, or it would raise questions, and then the whole, let-Roxas-live-my-life-to-get-back-to-normal plan would be an utter failure! And then I wouldn't be able to put dashes in between so many words anymore. Either way, I realized something that was really important.
I was kind of… you know, just a little bit… lost?
Yeah…
I didn't recognize any of the people around me, either. Most of them gave me a glance before they kept walking, not realizing that I wasn't who they thought I was. They just thought I was Roxas… a very different looking Roxas. Panicked, I looked around for a sign that I was close to where I was supposed to be, but there was nothing! There was no teacher that I'd recognize, and there were no students I knew. I even tried looking for Zexion, but there were no slate haired sulking boys running around in the hallways. Lucky me.
Glancing at a clock I saw that I had only a few minutes to be to class before the bell rang. Biting my lip worriedly, I began walking a little faster, trying to find a clue. The teacher's name was Dr. Yensid… something like that. Roxas said he had a grey beard and dark, beady little eyes. Ah… great description. Now I just had to find the guy.
I looked from face to face, ignoring the way people were starting to give me funny looks as I made my way down the hallway, back the way I'd started. My palms became a little clammy and I let out a huffy breath of frustration that I couldn't find Dr. Yensid. Who named their kid Yensid anyway?! Too short, too fat, too young… too girly, too sporty… I let my eyes wander, and I didn't realize that I'd come to a complete stop in the hallway until someone promptly ran into me, bowling me over and landing me on Roxas's book bag, slightly dazed. I stared up at the ceiling in a weird comatose state, the person who'd run into me stumbling around like a funny, enraged bull as they blustered out angry words.
"Why do you have any business stopping randomly in the hallway like there isn't a flow of traffic going in either direction? Honestly, can't you- oh… hey… Roxas." I continued to lie on the floor, staring up at the ceiling as the rant that had just seconds ago been going at full force stuttered to a stop. Curious, I looked up over my now rumpled shirt to see a slightly shocked boy with strange, silvery hair leaning down towards me with a slight frown on his face. For a moment I worriedly thought it was another one of Kadaj's brothers, but when I blinked and looked again, it hit me that this guy didn't really look like Kadaj. He had really pretty aquamarine eyes that peered down at me with shock and suspicion, and his skin had the sheen of someone who played outdoor sports. He wasn't tan, but it wasn't computer glow pale.
Wait… I was supposed to know this guy… right? Something told me I should know him, but I couldn't think of a reason why. Who was he? Scrambling up from my sprawled position on the floor, I leaned forward and stared at him right in the face, trying to figure it out. Who was he?!
Whoever he was, he obviously didn't like me leaning in like I was. Leaning back, he stood up straight and offered me a hand, head tilted and eyebrows drawn down in thought.
"Roxas, are you ok?" He asked me slowly, pushing his bangs slightly out of his face so that his eyes stood out more against his dark lashes. Reaching down slowly for my book bag, I fumbled with the strap and then yanked it up, eyes still locked with his as I managed to nod slowly, dumbly. Who was he?! His name was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't seem to remember it! What terrible timing!
"Uh… right… I'll take that as a yes." He stuffed his hands into his starched straight dress pants and nodded down the hallway, raising an eyebrow as he began to walk. "You're going to class, right?" Nodding dumbly, I began following him as he cut through the crowd, his name on the tip of my tongue and my jaw slightly slack from shock. Why was I supposed to know him!?
"So what were you doing down there? You don't have econ until 6th period." He turned to look at me, and as if I just now realized that my jaw was open, I snapped it shut and continued staring.
"Uh… I was looking for… Lulu." I blurted out the first name that came to mind, the scary girl's face popping into my head. Then, I remembered that she was the stalker. Oh, crap! Why would I be looking for her?! Sure enough, the guy turned to give me a disbelieving face, and I tried to correct myself.
"She… has something. Of mine." I cleared my throat to sound a bit more like Roxas, praying the guy that I was supposed to know didn't notice that my voice was higher. Roxas had warned me. Too many differences and we were done for. Voice and hair were unlikely to change in one week. Greeeeeeeeeeat.
"Oh, that makes sense." The guy gave me a sidelong glance and I hastily looked away, trying to see if Zexion was in the hallway. I desperately needed his help. I continued following the kid that I was supposed to know, him glancing weirdly at me every now and then and me twitching away and staring at something else as he did so.
So… this was so far going badly. I'd not only gotten lost, but now I'd run into someone I was supposedly supposed to know. That couldn't be good, right? Not only that, but he'd noticed that I was different, and now he kept looking at me! Roxas was going to kill me. I mean, it's one thing for a random smart kid to be suspicious, but for Roxas's competition to realize that there was-
WAIT!
"RIKU!" I blurted out, stopping mid-step and clapping my hands over my mouth as I realized just what I'd done. Sure enough, the boy in question stopped and gave me a quizzical gaze, eyebrow raised in surprise and-I suspected-fear. Yeah… I was sure Roxas didn't shout random names out. Right.
"Yes…?" He let the word drag out as he turned towards me head on, waiting for an explanation. Burning red in mortification I brushed past him, trying to get away. Roxas said stay away. Great. Juuuuuuuuust great.
"Where are you going?" I heard Riku catching up with me, and I willed my feet faster.
"I'm going to class, dammit!" I cried, pushing around a couple of students and trying to get away. I didn't have any such luck though as Riku simply grabbed my shoulder and held me firmly in place, his gaze dark and his tone smug.
"Um, Roxas? Hate to break it to you, but class?" He pointed in the opposite direction, "is, uh, that way… for you." I felt my eyes pop out of my head and I blindly tried to put them back so that I could ogle this Riku guy some more. I looked in the direction that he was pointing, and then I looked back at him, frustrated and a little worried that I'd been caught.
"Right," I said defensively, pulling my shoulder from his grip, "right… I knew that." Squaring my shoulders, I gave him my most impressive Roxas face before turning and heading towards the door with the name, Dr. Yensid, plastered across the top next to the room number in white, block letters. I didn't look back to see if Riku, my new competition, was still watching me with the same baffled expression, and I didn't stop when people called my name, saying random things about my new hair and that they'd see me in class. When I reached the door I peered around the room before I spotted a slate haired emo-looking kid reading a book in a chair towards the far back of the room. Putting on a burst of speed I raced towards the seat next to him and slumped into it, giving him a withering glare as he let out a polite cough and turned the page.
"Almost late for class, Roxas?" The boy asked in a monotone voice, not even looking up from the page he was reading as he spoke. I stared at him in slight shock, eyes wide.
"Why weren't you out there in the hallway?! I was looking everywhere for you!" I pointed back outside comically and then back to him, eyes wide and mouth gaping as he lightly pursed his lips and kept reading.
"Because I get to class and then I read. I wouldn't want to ruin your façade by my being out of class and in the hallways when I'm quite clearly always in the classroom. Merely looking out for you, I assure you." Another page turned and I gaped.
"So you were keeping suspicions down by abandoning me to the mercy of Riku?!" I spluttered, the bell letting out a piercing shriek as a five minute warning for all students to get to class.
"Precisely." A small smirk appeared on the boy's face, and he glanced at me for a moment before his smirk grew just a little bit. Confused, I looked at my clothing to make sure it was still put together, and then looked at him in confusion. Seeing my lack of smarts in the situation, he let out a soft, impatient sigh, and gestured to my face. "You look like him." He explained, looking back to his book, his one visible slate colored eye roving across the words at super-human speed.
"Oh… is that… bad?" A girl passed us and let out a small giggle, waving shyly before reaching her seat and collapsing into it, her friends leaning in and glancing at me impishly. Oh. Oh, no. That had to be that Kairi girl that Roxas had warned me to ignore. Giving her my best unhappy face, I turned back to Zexion and waited for him to answer me.
Another page turn, and then another soft, barely noticeable cough.
"You look like him, but your facial expressions and word placements need work. He would not rush into a room, panicked and angry. He would sit down and silently seethe. The voice is… adequate, but better than I thought. The tone, however… needs work." He glanced up and fixed me with a blank, bored stare.
"Oh… so I should shut up?" I guessed, eyebrows raised. I had the urge to scratch my hair and fix my spikes, but I resisted. Roxas's hair style was touchy and easily messed up. I had to be very, very careful.
"It would be helpful, yes. It would be best not to speak unless wholly necessary." There was another smirk, and I knew something was off. I watched the way his finger roved the line he was reading, and then I watched the way his gaze didn't leave the page. Letting out a soft sigh, I saw his finger pause briefly before his eyes stopped moving and they concentrated on the page. Another second, and then he continued reading, his jaw a little tight.
"Hey, wait a minute!" I exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You just want me to shut up so that you can read!" Zexion stopped reading and then there was the smirk again, his lips pursed in anger and slight, begrudging amusement.
"Oh, I can't get anything past you, can I?" He murmured, snapping his book shut and fixing me with a stare that kind of made me nervous. It was a steady, I-eat-idiots-like-you-for-breakfast kind of glare. Yay, more hyphens! Anyway… I shifted uncomfortably and tried to stare back, but it was a little unnerving. "Make me wonder how you got into AP classes… oh, wait, you didn't." His eye narrowing in annoyance, he jerked his head around and opened his book back up to the page it was just on, leaving me feeling like I'd just been insulted blatantly.
"Er, no… I didn't." I agreed, not seeing where he was getting at. So what if I wasn't in AP classes? I knew smart kids out of AP… I mean, there was that senior, Rufus. He was really smart with sciences but didn't want to bother with the college level classes until, well, college.
"My point." Zexion found his place easily, and then continued reading, leaving me to my own thoughts. As the bell rang my new teacher swept into the room and fixed us all with a beady stare, his lips pursed. Then, I realized why Roxas had said such a short description of him; that was all that was needed. The guy's beard was long, nearly hitting his waist in a solid, steely grey color. He had beady dark eyes that bore into every student's face before he turned to the board and instructed in a wizened, old man's voice for everyone to pull out their homework. Fumbling with the binder for AP lit, I looked at the pristine pages and dividers and was almost nervous to touch anything. I had a habit for destruction.
Looking under the homework tab, I then flipped to the Thursday tab and then the tab for first quarter work. Wiping away the imaginary perspiration at having to work so hard just to find one homework piece, I almost shat a brick when I saw that there was an essay there next to a three lined poem.
"Your haiku's should contain denotation, connotation, allusion, or paradox, and should have a very specific tone. Do not mistake paradox for irony, and your explication should state clearly which one of the two it contains and why it is detrimental to the haiku to have either or. If there is enjambment, be sure that your motive is clarified and there should be no anaphora in your haiku. It is a haiku so there should be no stanzas unless you're looking for an incomplete grade. In other, words, an F. The explication should be at least two pages, double spaced, and if it is not, do not proceed to turn in utter garbage to my desk. Your next assignment is on the board, please pick one partner and begin working." The man's voice abruptly cut off and he began taking up papers, stepping slowly and saying a few words to students as he walked. Instead of pulling out my paper though, I simply stared, slack jawed at him and then at the essay my brother had done. Three lines… he'd done a four page essay on three lines!?
"Have you never seen a poem explication?" Zexion asked with a dry laugh under his breath, barely glancing up from his book as he set his work onto the desk.
"No… in my class, we write poetry… not this." I pointed to the monstrosity that was an "explication." I mean, really!? Poetry was something that our teacher had so that we could be creative for a little bit, and even then some of us had trouble! And yet… as I read some of the things that Roxas had to say, I couldn't believe it-though the fact that I couldn't understand half of it was probably a reason why. I mean, it took all the creativity from a poem! It made them seem like any regular book or something where everything was explained. The "deepness" of a poem was gone. Zilch. Nada. Kicked in the face.
"He thought we'd enjoy the challenge." Zexion informed me, making me shake my head. Pulling the papers out carefully, I put my head in my hand and morosely held the papers up as Dr. Yensid came to our seats to collect the homework.
"Well, Mr. Strife, you've once again out done yourself. I will enjoy reading this." Picking up the paper, he gave me a knowing look that I returned weakly. This was the first teacher run-in. Roxas said that if I could fool him, I could fool any other teacher simply because he was the wisest. Nervously, I gave a Roxas smile-looked more like a wince-and forced myself to sit up straight.
"Though, I'd never expect you to fall into the fad of chemically altering your hair." He gave me a disapproving look and then turned to Zexion, his eyes falling on the book that the boy continued reading, oblivious.
"The Forgotten Realms, Zexion? A good book… over a thousand pages, I presume?" Zexion looked up and gave the fleetest of nods before handing the teacher his essay and giving a slightly easy smile.
"It also contains the historical background as well with the extended addition." Dr. Yensid gave an approving nod before giving me a slightly disappointed glance and moving on.
"What's up with him?" I asked curiously, leaning over to where Zexion was pulling out a sheet of paper and giving me a sour look. I don't think he liked me much. Actually, I'm positive he hated my guts.
"Roxas and I are his favorite students. You've conformed to what's popular, dear Roxas." He smirked and gestured towards my hair. "By dying your hair, it shows you're concerned about fitting in." Raising an eyebrow, he shook his head and began studying the assignment on the board, ignoring me completely as I gaped at him.
"But- but I can't help but have brown hair!" I blustered, pointing towards my hair dramatically and jabbing towards the general direction of brunette spikes. "I was born that way!" I tacked on lamely, lowering my voice so that no one heard that statement. Roxas would burn me slowly if that rumor spread. People already thought his, Cloud's, and Naminé's hair was straight from a bottle. Poor guys…
"You'll just have to live with the idea that a teacher you've just met thinks you're superficial." Zexion informed me with no comfort in his voice whatsoever. In fact, if I focused on his face long enough, I could almost see an evil, sadistic smirk gracing his face as he began making an outline of whatever was on the board for us to do. The smirk was gone though, and his one eye glowed with contentment. Whatever the assignment was about, it obviously was something he enjoyed doing. Maybe he was just an awkward, nervous and shy guy who hid behind his cold shell so that he wasn't hurt. Maybe he was actually a nice and kind person who was really helpful once you got to know him! I smiled at the thought, lost in the idea that my brother's friend was nicer than he seemed.
"Are you going to continue gawking at me like a slightly deranged, hormonal adolescent or are you going to at least attempt to pretend to participate in the assignment that your low IQ will never be able comprehend?"
Or maybe he was the spawn of the devil. Yeah, that sounded right.
I followed Demyx around to the next class, AP Government. The teacher was a loud, harsh man who seemed to boom, bellow and shout whenever he spoke, no matter what. He had thick dark hair covering most of his arms and face, and his dark eyes bore into everyone's face as he spoke. As I walked in, trying to get around him spotting me, Zexion slipped in beside me, his nose in his book as he walked, not looking up as he agilely moved around the kids crowding the general area. Nobody tried to talk to me, thankfully, and I just followed Zexion to the back of the classroom where he seated himself in his seat and then motioned for me to take the seat in front of him.
"As a pre-terror warning, Lulu is in this class, and Dr. Kerchak favors her disregard for the rules. There will be no escaping." His monotone voice sounded strange from behind, and turning around I faced him with slight confusion, waiting for him to notice the lost look on my face.
"I didn't see Lulu in the hallways." I said when he continued ignoring me, his eye racing across the page he was reading.
"She's rather good at popping up unexpected." A page turned, and he coughed lightly.
"Unexpected ho-"
"You've got three seconds to tell me what you've done with the real Roxas." A cool and gleeful voice intoned gravely behind me, and I felt the point of something sharp dig into my neck. Freezing, I knew my eyes were bugging out my head, and staring at Zexion, I waited for him to come to my rescue, but the sadistic guy just let out a soft sigh and continued reading. Who was behind me!? I started to turn around, but the sharp, pointy thing jabbed me, and I flinched.
"Start talking, Roxas knockoff." She commanded, and I imagined the random stranger stabbing me with a kunai. Would she have a kunai at school? Or maybe she sharpened a pencil and was going to give me lead poisoning? Would dying of lead poisoning be dreadfully painful or painfully dreadful? Or what if I didn't die? What if I lived the rest of my life infected with lead with no way to get it out of my system!?
Wait, did she just call me a Roxas knockoff?
"I'm hardly a knockoff!" I objected, but whoever it was didn't like that answer. They gave a low, unhappy chuckle and let the pointy object (kunai was never ruled out) glide over my neck, making my hands clammy and my stomach flip flop. For any of you who have never experienced their stomach detaching itself from their digestive tract to jump around, it's really, really uncomfortable.
"Hardly a knockoff? Then what did you do with your hair, I wonder?" The voice moved closer, and cool breath slid over my ear, making me shiver unpleasantly. "Don't tell me dear old Roxas finally submitted to peer pressure and dyed his hair?" She pinched my cheek, and I let out a squeak, terrified for my life. Zexion looked up for a moment, grey eye glancing fleetingly at us for a moment before he continued reading, letting out another cough. I wondered vaguely if I was ever going to be let go, and I began counting in my head when either the bell would ring, the teacher would yell, Zexion would save me, or the girl would leave.
One, two, three, four…
The bell rang, but the girl didn't move, waiting for me to speak.
Five, six, seven, eight…
The teacher began yelling, but still the girl didn't move, waiting for me. I gulped, but didn't say a word. Maybe she would shank me? Could you shank someone with a weapon that was not a shank? Shanked with a shank… wouldn't that be a repetitive sentence? You could say someone was cut, but you never said cut with a cutter… you were cut with a knife, a pencil, or a stiletto heel…
Nine, ten, eleven, twelve…
"Not going to talk?" The girl purred, and I shook my head slowly, trying to mind communicate with Zexion. Would he really leave me to the rabid dogs?!
Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen…
Another page turned. Yes, yes he would leave me to the dogs.
Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty…
Another soft cough, and then an annoyed sigh.
Twenty one, twenty two, twenty three, twenty four…
"Lulu, sit down." Zexion finally spoke, voice morose and annoyed as he glanced up again, and then back to his book. The girl beside me gave a bitter, "Hmph!" before I felt the pointy object leave my prickling neck and the girl who attacked me setting in the chair next to me. Eyes wide, I sat down the correct way, relieved to be alive.
The girl beside me was simply… scary. The weapon that had been pressed against my neck was actually a strange, pointy nail file that she scraped across one nail slowly, eyeing me with a weird look on her face. She wore something that was nothing like the uniform, a gothic Lolita dress that looked half kimono as well. Big, thick boots that laced up to her knees looked leather and hid black, lacy stockings that stopped just above the boots she wore. The dress was big, poofy at the waist, and had lots and lots of black lace at the edges. A big ribbon was tied up in her hair that was pulled away from her face, revealing pale white skin and scary, laughing gold eyes. Beside her was a lacy umbrella and a chibi skelanimal purse along with a book bag that was also lacy and overdone.
Scary.
"What do you do when it rains?" I blurted out, eyes trained on the umbrella that wouldn't be able to do its job right. I heard an impatient sigh from behind me, and I was given a really weird look from Lulu as she raised an eyebrow and glanced down at the umbrella before smirking and shrugging slowly.
"I open it up and stand under the part that covers the most of me." She replied with heavy sarcasm, dragging her nail file across her thumb nail and grinning wickedly.
Right… Roxas wouldn't ask that. Oh damn.
The teacher began shouting in a booming voice, pulling out a projector that had a lot of notes written all over it. Kids began copying down the work obediently, some of them talking quietly as they did so, and I was about to join in, not wanting Roxas to be left behind.
"So why'd you dye your hair, Roxas?" Lulu asked me curiously, her cat-like eyes turning to study me with a smirk. I cleared my throat awkwardly and then glanced up at the teacher that was still booming in his big voice, but Lulu waved a hand impatiently, rolling her eyes.
"He doesn't care what I do." She explained, rolling her eyes. Unable to help myself, I leaned in, curious.
"Why?" I asked, looking back to where the guy didn't seem to care that Lulu was talking. Her grin grew into more of a smirk, and I feared for my life. Behind me, Zexion gave another cough, and I wondered if he needed a fruit breezer or something. He was always coughing!
"He's the AP gov. teacher… but he supports my lack of uniform." She patted her dress happily, her lips curving up like a predator's. "Honestly, he used to be part of anarchy… but he'll never admit it. I saw the tattoo on the back of his neck once, though." Eyes wide, I looked back at the teacher like I was trying to see his tattoo, but she rolled her eyes and tapped my nose.
"You can't see it now, duh. He showed me because I asked him why he supported my rebellion." She leaned back in her chair, impressed with herself while I merely gawked at her. This… was the problem Roxas was telling me about? She seemed scary, yes, but in a good way! I had a hard time believing that this was the person Roxas was talking about. I mean, Zexion was scarier than she was! As if on cue, he let out another soft cough, and I flinched. The coughing was the worst part.
"So why'd you dye your hair?" She asked me, back to filing her nails.
"Rebellion?" I answered weakly, and the booming in the room stopped as the words slipped past my lips. Dr. Kerchak frowned from underneath his bushy eyebrows and found me slightly cowering in my chair, his lips pursed in thought. Everyone glanced back to where my seat was, saw me, and then turned back to the teacher, waiting for him to speak. Dr. Kerchak looked from Lulu to me before a sudden grin broke over his face, the thick black beard hiding it. Why did Roxas's teachers all have beards anyway?! I barely had any peach fuzz!!
"Roxas dyed his hair?" He boomed, looking over my hair and then back to my face. I nodded slowly as he stared at me with an unreadable, scary face, and my stomach detached itself to jump around again. Painful. Very painful. What if this was the guy to find me out? Why would Roxas think Dr. Yensid was the one to worry about!? This guy was scrutinizing me within an inch of my life here!
"You dyed your hair to be rebellious?" He demanded, folding his arms over his barrel shaped chest. I shrunk into my chair and nodded weakly, waiting for him to find me out. Oh, Lord, my face was wider than Roxas's! What would happen if we were found out because of my too wide face?! Doomed to failure from an accident of running into a door as a child! Sweat bloomed on my forehead and I stared wide-eyed at the teacher in front of me.
"Rock on, freaky bro!" He crowed brightly, laughing as the class traded looks of confusion before looking back to me and laughing. Eyes rolling into the back of my head, I slumped out of my chair and onto the floor, a nervous wreck.
"So what can Roxas tell me about the Xin dynasty?" Dr. Kerchak boomed. Lulu leaned over me and prodded me experimentally with her silly little nail file.
"Uh… Kerchak? I think he fainted."
Sora:
So I wasn't going to live down my embarrassing fainting maneuver. When we were walking down the hall towards my locker, the red headed girl with the bright, happy grin giggled and pinched my cheek as she went by, earning a shocked stare from me and a glower from Zexion and Lulu.
"You're so cute, Roxas! I don't know what happened over the weekend, but whatever it is, keep it!" She made a peace sign to me and kept walking with her friends and giggling as they all turned back to me to see my reaction. Realizing that I needed to glower, I gave my best impersonation of the sutas disease. I think it worked because her friend (Yuna?) winced and turned away from me, whispering to the red headed girl.
"Yeah, Roxas, keep the change." Lulu sarcastically stated as we walked, and Zexion gave a low growl of annoyance when she spoke. Lulu flipped him off, and I sensed some tension between them. How? I don't know.
"Dim-witted." Zexion murmured to me, leaning in slightly in a natural movement like he was simply stepping a bit too far. I turned to look at him questioningly, but his nose was back in his book and he looked like nothing different had happened. Wow… he was good. Like, stealthy-ninja-throwing-kunai good. Maybe he was a ninja in a past life? That would be awesome!
I saw a few familiar faces in the hallway from regular classes and turned to look out of the window where people would gather for lunch. I tried to see if Roxas was down there, but there was no flash of red to indicate that Axel had pulled him unwillingly to the gathering of the rest of the school. How was Roxas doing? Was he hating life, or had Axel gotten him to loosen up yet? I sighed and continued walking, eyes on the growing lunch room with the smiling people. To be Roxas, I'd have to miss out on happiness for awhile.
Suddenly, I was grabbed and reeled back like a fish on a line, slamming against the lockers painfully as I looked up to see an annoyed Zexion, his book shut and eyes murderous. Well, eye murderous. I don't know if the other one was murderous, but maybe it was? Or maybe it was a happy eye, bright and sparkling?
"Mind elsewhere, Roxas?" He asked in a deadly tone, nodding to where Lulu was grabbing her books from her locker, humming a scary song under her breath that reminded me of the song Larxene sang when she was mad at Marluxia.
"So I'll bury you,
I'll bury you slowly,
You asked for it,
And I'll deliver,
Don't worry baby,
I'll cut you deeper-
Than you ever cut me-"
Shuddering, I looked back up at Zexion and gave a weak smile, awkwardly turning so that I wasn't flat against the cool metal. Zexion gave me a withering glare before he closed his eyes (eye?) and then let out a slow breath, releasing me and gesturing to Roxas's locker. Luckily, I remembered the combination and was able to get what I needed before we began heading towards the AP lunchroom in the back of the library, Zexion turning me forcefully in that direction so that I didn't run to freedom.
"So, where's that brown haired kid that comes up to you every lunch period?" Lulu asked curiously, craning her head around and waving with a smirk as a few kids called her name and nodded in our direction. Lulu must be pretty popular to hang around my brother and still have other friends. Though, my brother seemed to get a lot of attention from random girls too. The one in the morning that called his name? And then the harpy gang he always talked about… yeah. I wish I was that popular with the girls in the left wing… I might actually get a date once in awhile!
"What do you mean?" I asked, using his perfect tone and wording. Zexion glanced up with what I hoped was approval before he looked back to his book. How did he walk without running into anything?! I was just a little jealous. I could hardly walk and talk at the same time…
"You know, the brown haired kid that always wants you to eat lunch with him?" She asked persistently, a knowing gleam in her eye. It hit me that she was actually talking about me, and I forced a dry chuckle, not entirely sure that I should be happy that she knew about me. What did Roxas say about those failed attempts?
"I don't know." I lied, frowning. "What do you know about him?" I asked curiously, wondering what Roxas told his friends. Did this stalker Lulu have any solid information about me?
"He wants you to eat lunch with him. Persistent little blighter. You always turn him down though… why?" She asked as she waved at another group and gave an air kiss.
"Wish I knew." I muttered to myself.
"What was that?" Lulu asked sweetly, and I forced an awkward grin in return. It would be terrible if she heard. Zexion turned another page to his book and I shrugged with little commitment. Maybe if I looked annoyed, she'd shut up? But I was already supposed to be annoyed looking, so what was I supposed to do?! Roxas was limited in ammo here!
"Nothing." I replied curtly and she shrugged, nail file back in hand as she inspected her nails.
"Feel bad for him. Maybe you should eat lunch with him one day. Then you wouldn't be so surly when we eat." She gave me a disapproving glance but I ignored it, trying to be brave. I couldn't change anything that my brother did, why try!? "You probably took him aside and said he was annoying and needed to stop pestering you." She tacked on, smirking as I nodded again, stomach dropping. Did they really know nothing about me? Did Roxas really not mention me as his brother, but as the kid that asked him to eat lunch all the time? My heart panged a little and I sadly bit back the reply I would usually make, opting for silence. Behind me, Zexion made a noise in the back of his throat like he was disappointed about something, but I didn't have the heart to ask what. He hated me anyways, right?
Lulu continued humming, the tone changing as she swung her chibi purse and smirked sadistically. I knew the lyrics to her new song, too.
"Dirty little secrets,
Pried from lying mouths,
Stole from stupid imbeciles,
Find what they're about,
We're going on a lying hunt,
To see what we will find,
To my surprise we pulled the stunt,
Left your deceit behind-"
We managed to make it across the library without me ruining anything else, but there was a somber way that Zexion appeared that made me uneasy. Well, more somber than before. He was already somber, but now he seemed really, really somber, like someone had run over his dog. Did he have a dog? No… he seemed more like a cat person.
The "cafeteria" was a small room that seemed like it'd been fashioned to resemble one with circular tables and then one long table. I followed Zexion to one table and sat down next to him, pulling my lunch bag out and staring distastefully at the food Roxas had prepared. Doritos, really!? Lulu sat her stuff down slowly but didn't make any move to sit down with us. She stood above her chair, the funny look on her face again. I set my stuff up all neat and orderly like Roxas probably would, but didn't want to eat it. It looked… icky. Zexion wordlessly reached over me and plucked the Doritos from my little creation, earning a scowl from me and an eye roll from him. He handed me a twinkie that I gladly accepted instead, devouring it mercilessly. Oh synthetically textured poofy, creamy goodness, you will soon be mine.
Lulu reached around me as well, plucking the apple from my small creation, earning another glare. What was she going to give me?! Seeing the look on my face she let her lips curve up in what was supposed to be a smile, but it chilled me. Zexion gave a small sigh and a slight cough, and as if that was a signal, Lulu made her way over to the door, giving a speculative glance around before she closed the door slowly, making my pulse thud as she locked it as well.
Turning to face me, her golden eyes flickered dangerously before she crossed the distance and lifted me up, slamming me against a wall as the nail file was once again pressed against my neck. Pushing feebly against her I made a half strangled noise but Zexion ignored me and continued reading, munching on my Doritos. Lulu leaned in and smirked again, raising an eyebrow and pushing the nail file against my adam's apple and letting out a low chuckle.
Terrified out of my mind and not exactly sure what the hell was going on, I gurgled pathetically and contemplated a quick will in my head for who would what my stuff when I died. Maybe this was why Roxas wanted me to get rid of her? If she pulled nail files out on him all the time, I understood!
"Mind telling me why you're impersonating my best friend?"
Oh... shit.
:) So what do you think? I personally lurve Lulu... she makes me smile :3
Reivews are loved and cherished!
Roxas: I can't believe that you did Axel's pov in here... he doesn't deserve it.
Axel: I'm a better actor than you! I deserve it more than you do!
Roxas: Oh, really? Is that why you were looking at me like you wanted to devour me?
Axel: ... we don't discuss this.
Roxas: Oh, whatever, just review, yeah? I like seeing what the public has to say about me.
Axel: Trust me, they can't stand you.