*is stunned into silence, for once*

Oh. My. Holy. Cheese maggots.

15 reviews for my first chapter?! I feel unworthy. Here! *foists cookies upon her readers*

I thank all of you for commenting. As clichéd as this sounds, I'm completely in your debt. And I would seriously hug you if I could figure out where you lived. Man, that sounded stalkerish.

Anyway, my 750 word Geography position paper is done and over with, and March Break is approaching, allowing me to concentrate on that which really matters: writing and honing my skills.

And thanks again. By the way, I was in a funny post-Ice Cappuccino mood when I wrote this (you know, the type of mood that causes you to wonder about whether figs grow on bushes or vines), so it's kinda humourous. And insane. Well, maybe just insane.

CHAPTER TWO - - - - - - - - - -

Did everybody in this bloody school smile? As yet, Kai had been confronted by no less than two beaming secretaries, thirty-five grinning classmates (the tally should have been higher, but Kai was quite proficient at skulking-unseen-like-in-the-shadows) and, now, one laughing, yes, laughing, homeroom teacher.

The stocky man had introduced himself as Mr. Yagami and had by now established in Kai's mind that the only requirement at the job interview had been that the employee-to-be must be mentally unstable. And capable of arranging his hair in a physically impossible fashion. Exactly how many bottles of hair spray the cackling fiend went through each week would probably be equivalent to the number of pens Kai himself went through in a month.

In any case, with two minutes left before the actual start of homeroom, Kai was bored. It was apparent that Mr. Yagami hadn't been expecting any students to actually be on time for roll call from the way his eyes had widened in surprise a minute ago upon entering the aptly named Room 101. He had immediately strode over to where Kai sat with his mp3 player and notebook in the far corner and stuck out his hand in greeting.

Mr. Yagami was obviously very in-tune with his students to be able to recognize a new one.

Kai had very much wanted to ignore the gesture, but thought that doing so might cause the brunette to fall even further off his rocker and incite homicidal urges. So he'd reached across the wooden barrier that was the pencil, pen and white-out scarred desk and accepted the greeting, briefly taking the tanned hand in his own pale one before retreating to the relative safety of his personal bubble.

He had hoped that the bored indifference in his garnet orbs would discourage his over-enthusiastic homeroom teacher from pursuing further contact.

But Mr. Yagami had seemed himself either completely devoid of perception or insanely sadistic, because his grin had merely deepened and he had begun to blather about Bakuten's 'amazing co- curricular activities.'

His words, not Kai's.

Not to say that the slate-haired boy was actually listening, as he had turned up the volume of his music shortly after Mr. Yagami (or Taichi, as he had insisted on being called) had started his tirade. That was just what he assumed the psychopath was rambling on about, judging from the mimed basketball shot and soccer kick.

Kai kept his eyes locked with Mr. Yagami's nodding once and a while to convey feigned understanding, even as he felt his mind drift off to where ever minds go when not needed. He wished he could go with it. So it is understandable that the poor, tortured boy almost jumped in shock when his teacher's broad hand slapped him on the back. "Great to see new blood, Kai! Tryouts are after school on the field!"

The words were spoken loud enough to bring Kai's wandering mind back from its travels with an almost painful snap. It immediately strove to make up for last time, swiftly and efficiently running through the past two minutes. Tryouts. For some sort of sport. Wait.

Tryouts?! And how did the guy know his name, anyway?

His raised eyebrow must have registered in Mr. Yagami's decidedly addled brain as an expression of anxiety because the teacher then patted Kai, a little more gently, on the back again. "Don't worry about it, you'll do fine. The soccer team needs some new players, with the last year's seniors gone. I'll just go sign you up."

The word 'soccer' reverberated so loudly in Kai's skull that it managed to drown out even Incubus' Megalomaniac. His throat tightened, and his left eye twitched. Wonderful. He had just signed his own death warrant. Not because he hated sports (he actually quite liked the judo and kickboxing 'lessons' he had been taught in his old neighbourhood. He had paid for them with bruises and cuts.) but because he hated team sports. Depending on somebody else to win?

Please.

If you couldn't struggle to the top on your own, you were obviously undeserving of victory to begin with.

Kai opened his mouth to protest this gross misunderstanding, but closed it immediately open noting two things. One, three students had just entered the room, and two, Mr. Yagami had headed off to greet them. Kai allowed his shoulders to slump forward imperceptibly.

Somebody would die. Oh, yes.

- - - - - - - - - -

The morning hazed by in a grey mist, clouding Kai's mind and overwhelming him with its surprising weight. He hadn't yet decided upon a mind game to play with his new instructors (he had to analyze them and his classmates first) and so he spent the first half of his first day at Bakuten performing the part of the wary disinterested 'lone wolf' newcomer.

It wasn't a role he had much experience with, but Kai was always ready for a challenge, and he had long since perfected the art of putting up masks and acts.

As he was a new student enrolling in the middle of the year, Kai hadn't had much choice in the way of electives, and as such had been stuck in Physics, Computer and Information Science, Latin, World History and Visual Arts. His compulsory courses were, of course, English, Mathematics, Phys. Ed. (here, Kai had glared quite venomously at his timetable) and Guidance (another scathing glower).

He didn't mind, though.

He would have willingly given up gym and guidance for two more interesting subjects, but they were compulsory and he would have had no choice anyway. It was a shame that he had had both this morning, followed by math.

Kai now paused momentarily before the cafeteria doors. He didn't particularly want to enter, as that would mean being mobbed by fellow students eager to meet the 'new kid.' But it was raining outside, and eating was not permitted in the halls. So the teenager squared his shoulder in an unconscious show of confidence and strode in to the stuffy, over-crowded room.

He almost immediately retreated. The smell was that bad. A strange, pungent mix of sweat, plastic rubbery food and garbage. On second thought, maybe getting a little wet was worth saving his nose.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Hey! Hey, that's him!"

Rei Kon winced at the over-zealous and piercing voice of his best friend. Takao was waving his arm wildly, index finger extended in the general direction of the front of the cafeteria. Max was busy attacking a bar of chocolate, and, as such, was ignoring all that was not sugary. That left the raven-haired Chinese junior to deal with his psychotic comrade.

"Takao, you're making a scene. Just like yesterday. And the day before. And the day bef—You know what? Just sit down."

The baseball-cap bobbed once as the irrepressible sophomore glanced down from his perch on the table. Pouting slightly, he slid back down to join his friends on the bench. "Well, it's not everyday a new guy comes to the school."

"Maybe so, but you might as well retain whatever dignity you have left."

"What dignity?" Kyoujyu looked up from his laptop just long enough to fire off the affectionate barb. Sighing, Takao flopped dramatically on to Max's shoulder.

"I am unloved and misunderstood." The blonde paid no heed to his boyfriend's (fake) plight. Seeing that his performance was wasted on such an audience, Takao opted instead to stand up again, this time on the cafeteria's adjoined bench.

"Get down!" hissed Rei, knowing full well that nothing short of death, Max, and a concussion could pry Takao from his perch once he'd settled on it. Besides, the younger boy had already opened his mouth to speak. Stubborn idiot.

"Oi! New guy! Come on over!"

- - - - - - - - - -

Kai recognized the voice at once. It was hard not to, seeing as it was the same one that screamed incessantly in the hallways, usually about inane things like, "Does anybody know how to get cheese off the classroom ceiling?" and "I swear, Ms. Azuki, the Bunsen burner just turned on by itself!". It was the voice of Takao Kinomiya, some kid a year younger than himself, though from his behaviour, you'd be reminded more of an exuberant child than a high school student.

"Oi! New guy! Come on over!"

'New guy' most definitely referred to him. Kai briefly considered his choices. Then he turned on his heel and strode out the door.

- - - - - - - - - -

To be Continued.

Hah. Kai's a bit of a loner, ain't he?

Anyway, expect sporadic updates from me. My attention span is that of a ferret, and as such, I have no control over when my muse possessed my body. If I have a muse. Which I don't think I do.

Feh.

Anyway, if anybody could tell me how to bold words and italicize words and such, please, do so. My inability to put stresses on certain syllables is driving me insane.