Forever Lullaby
IV PsychoLOGY
Chapter Rating E10+ mild language
Disclaimer Kingdom Hearts © Square Enix and Disney
000---000
"We depend on life's needs, its wants and craves, and without these, we shall fall. Blood flows through our veins, bringing us the life that causes us to thrive, survive, and live." The professor recited, licking his finger before carefully turning the worn page. "Nothing opposes the internal instincts to survive in our lowly life form." He paused, placing the book down on his desk. "What are your opinions on this thesis?" I'd hardly call it a thesis, just an obvious statement.
Kairi, as usual, was the first person to raise her hand, and the only one to wave it around enthusiastically. Professor Squall looked up at her with hooded eyes, calling on another student. "That is true." The mouse haired girl said dully, shoving her thick glasses up the bridge of her pudgy nose. "But, we must take into account that we do not rely just on instincts. Our emotions prove a stronger pull than the need to survive."
"Yes." Squall nodded, opening the book and skimming its fading pages. He closed it again, looking to the students for more opinions. Even though he taught Psychology, he didn't seem to have any life opinions himself. "Kairi, do you need to use the restroom?"
"No!" Kairi snapped, folding her previously flailing arms across her chest. "I was about to say: if you and your friend were trapped in a place without any food resources, would you resort to eating your friend, or would you let yourself starve to death?"
I timidly raised my hand, breath catching when Squall nodded in my direction, his eyes distinctively cold, but they were always like that. "It depends on who you like more, yourself or your friend. It's generalizing to say that one person would choose their friend and the rest of the world would do the same."
"Maybe you went crazy in there, what would happen then?" The mouse haired girl retorted, frowning.
"Who said you would?" I looked over at her, brows creased. "Even if you did, who said your friend wasn't crazy? Maybe you'd both kill each other. You can't analyze this like people are animals."
"Even animals have a sense of loyalty, but what if you don't?" She glowered at me through her glasses, apparently not used to be argued with, which she probably wasn't. Even after being in this class for a day, I already noticed she was like the alpha female. No one dared to argue with her, except for Kairi, who was shot down as soon as she spoke.
"You're being a hypocrite." I said, "First you said that emotions rule over instincts, now you're saying the exact opposite."
"You yourself said we can't generalize this."
"Then is this topic even relevant? It's true that we cling to life, and that we fear death, but we also fear for the people we love. It can't be said what a person would most likely choose unless we did a survey, but even that data would be incorrect, since it would have to be taken by every living person, and that obviously can't be done." I took a deep breath, surprised at my own lecturing. There was silence, and I noticed for the first time that all the students' eyes were on me, either looking amused, impressed, or annoyed.
"If you feel that way…" Professor Squall tossed the book at his unorganized bookshelf. "Then this discussion is over." Soon after he said this, Kairi and the girl opened their mouths to object, but the bell signaling the end of class stopped them.
I put my books under my arm, walking with Kairi up to Squall, who was trying to clean up his desk for the next class. "Hey, Leon." I greeted.
"Professor Squall, Sora." He looked up at me, putting his hands on his hips. He looked almost hilarious with his uptight black suit, something he'd normally never wear.
"I thought you hated that name, 'Professor Squall." Kairi sneered at him, adjusting the beige book bag to her other shoulder. We didn't have anymore classes for the rest of the day, and didn't intend on caring if that was the same for Leon or not.
"Yuffie insisted I call myself that." Leon sighed, flopping into his rolly chair. I want a rolly chair. "I prefer Professor Leonhart."
"So do I, but Yuffie's scary, so…" I stretched, leaning back and crossing arms behind my head. People tended to ask if I've ever fallen over in that position, and, as of late, I never have.
"Besides, when'd you decide to become Great Philosopher Sora?" A small smile graced Leon's lips – a rare sight.
"I've enjoyed months of enlightenment lately…so, of course, they were crushed by Kairi and her damn college offers." I groaned sadly, although I was glad we had loads of the same classes together, even with the classmen difference.
Before Kairi could make her brilliant retort, upperclassmen started filing in, giving us odd glances before filling in the seats. 'Professor Squall' waved us out of the classroom, starting up a discussion on mental diseases after we exited to the halls. We looked at him one last time and, making sure we were out of earshot, burst into hysterics.
"I…don't think anyone could ever make a suit look so stupid." Kairi leaned against a smooth wooden wall. "He usually looks hot and stuff, but...my God…Calvin Klein would have a fit."
I nodded, following after Kairi as she strode over to her dorm. The halls were rather nicely decorated, although all the beautiful paintings and portraits were most likely copies. Still, it was a pretty campus from what I saw of it.
Once we stepped into the dorm together, Kairi's roommate, Selphie, looked up from her yaio manga, blushing a little. "Hey you guys!" She greeted, her voice high and pitchy. I gave her a slight wave; afraid she'd tackle me and make me read her manga with her if I said anything. If you stay quiet, and not make any sudden movements, she shouldn't force you to do anything against your will. Usually.
I sat on the edge of Kairi's bed, on the other side of the two girls, and pulled out my cell, half expecting it to start ringing. It'd been a week since I last saw Riku and he still hadn't called me, even though he called Kairi a few days before to make plans with us and some of his friends. I fell backwards on the bed, head landing somewhere near Selphie. It was hard to tune out their giggles, but, once I did, it was hard to get the color silver out of my head. I tried to make up excuses for this, like how I always start thinking about people, boy or girl, I just met, but that didn't explain why I wasn't thinking about Roxas. I could hardly remember what he looked like, except for blue eyes that were eerily similar to my own.
"By the way, we're going to the movies tomorrow." I overheard Kairi tell Selphie, knowing the pause afterwards would be followed by a explanation of who we were going with, and then a fit of continuous giggles. "With these two really hot guys! I think one of them is interested in Sora." That last part I wasn't expecting, so I shot straight up, resulting in a severe headache that followed after smacking my head with Selphie's. Still, she gasped and giggled with Kairi, who was blindly groping at the bumps forming on our heads.
"What about me with who again?" I grumbled, hitting myself so I could look straight, but it only made my blurry vision worse.
"That Riku guy!" Kairi said, hurrying to the little fridge in the corner to get us some icepacks. "You should've seen the way he was looking at you!"
"I'm not queer!" I snipped, snatching the icepack from her hands. "Stop trying to pair me up with other guys!"
"Oh, please," Selphie said in that rich-snob kind of way, even if she was no where near to falling in that category. "Dear, you're as queer as they come."
"That's like calling the guy who plays James Bond queer!"
"…he is queer."
"THE OTHER ONE."
000---000
Needless to say, I refused to talk to Kairi and Selphie, less falling prey to letting them examine my 'queer-ness' by seeing how I reacted to makeout scenes in the manga. Instead, I lay in Selphie's bed, staring up at the ceiling. Multiple colors glowed on the dark walls, coming from the 'night show air freshener'. What happened to normal air fresheners? I didn't intend to spend the night here, but I preferred the cramped dorm over my even more cramped apartment.
I looked out the window, eyes drooping with exhaustion. I tried studying earlier, but Kairi and Selphie talking sort of made it impossible, even when I blasted my CD player as loud as possible, almost blowing out my hearing in the process. Instead of trying to compromise with my 'conditions', I gave up and let my aching bones rest, while I viewed the full moon and star studded sky. It was quieter now, with only the two girls' low whispers and sparse cars going by to interrupt the brooding silence. Even though you couldn't hear any parties going on, it was a common knowledge to know that there was at least one, even if you couldn't hear it. I had no intention to party this year, though I was envious of the ones having a great time while I did nothing but read fat text books. I had a theory that people who wrote these books failed at publishing their own books, so resorted to blandly talking about molecules, proper grammar usage, and complex algebraic figures. At least Psychology had a couple of interesting required reads.
"Sora, your phone's ringing." Kairi said, breaking my precious train of thought. I blinked, looking down at my pocket, and blushed at the muffled Fergalicious tone.
"Sora at your service." I recited after snapping open the warm phone. There was a short laugh on the other line, and I realized that it was Riku. I only said that to Kairi…and since she was the only person who called me, I never had any other greetings in mind.
"Oh, really?" He laughed, sounding far away. I could hear laughter in the background, and something like 'Axel at your service, got it memorized?'.
"Am I on speakerphone?" I asked accusingly, sitting up and glaring down at the phone, hoping that it would send a telepathic image to Riku. If it isn't too obvious to say, I can't afford a video phone.
"Maybe." He chided in a sing-song voice. 'Maybes' were echoed in the background, all of males sounding older and younger than him, and maybe one or two females. I couldn't tell.
"Alrighty," I said lightly, pressing a button on the side. It 'bleeped', a message needlessly announcing that Riku was on speakerphone proceeding. "Say hi to Riku."
"Hiiiii, Riku!" Kairi and Selphie hollered in highpitched voices. "We love you!"
"Who's the second one?" Riku asked, almost drowned out with a bunch of hoots and whistles.
"Selphie!" Said Selphie leapt from the other bed to mine, landing next to me and violently ripping the phone out of my hands. The glowing screen made her grin look maniacal. "I'm Selphie!"
"Hey, hey! Lemme talk Riku!" Another male said. A loud thud on the other line got me worried; two hyperactive people talking to each other never turned out very well. "You…eh…Sexy…NO...DON'T TELL ME. SELPHIE, right… Can I talk to Soda?"
"Sora!" I whined, taking the phone back from Selphie, who tried to take it back but was tackled by a determined looking Kairi. "Who's this?"
"Axel, A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?"
"…I don't remember names very well." "…Riku's been talking about you all week! I swear, he won't shut up. Soda this, Soda that!"
"SORA…and, wha-…?" Kairi was the one to take the phone away this time, her eyes bright and eager. I groaned, dreading whatever thing she'd say next, but, surprisingly, she said nothing.
"Ge…GE…GET OF…OFF…me…ROXAS, SAVE MEEEE!" Laughter and screams broke out, until I could heard someone's haggard breath blowing out of the speaker.
"…don't mind Axel, he's insane." Riku said, taking deep breaths between words. "Like I was saying, do we still have plans for tomorrow? And you can have any friends you like have tag along. I'm starting to regret ever inviting Axel."
"Yup," I replied, "And I regret letting Kairi invite Selphie."
"That's something we have in common, then."
"Insane friends? I'm inclined to agree." We both laughed that, falling into a comfortable silence. Kairi and Selphie held their breaths, both looking at each other with the sides of their lips tightening into smiles that would break into grins if they let them. I glowered at them in warning, which only made them fall over each other in a fit of giggles. I shook my head; girls were something I'd never understand.
I heard noises in the background, something that sounded like yelling, shouting, laughter, and worried nagging all blended into the same single word: SHUT UP! I assumed this was by Roxas, who blathered a rushed goodbye into the phone, then CALL ENDED flashed across the screen.
"Movies tomorrow!" Kairi exclaimed, unfazed by the abrupt departure.
"What're we seeing?" Selphie inquired, pulling her feet together and rocking back and forth.
"Either Epic Movie or The Messengers."
"How about Brokeback Mountain!"
000---000
…to be continued…
…I…felt like loading this with overbearing pop culture references, but, anyway, enough about me. More about you! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/faved/alerted! Makes me feel like writing and updating a lot…obsessively…