Author Note: Well, this story is getting started...I apologize to everyone if it's cliche or stupid, lol. Also, keep in mind that nicknames and real names will be used interchangeably, so I hope it doesn't become too confusing. Just remember that Rock, the main character of the story, goes by his nickname Ekkesu in addition to his given name. Sort of like real life, eh? Only the central characters will have this issue though, so side characters won't have much to worry about. I'm still having some issues developing the major plotline, but I figured I'd just get started and see where it goes from there.

Reploid High
Chapter 2
"Love Is In The Air? That Was Quick!"

After a long day of class and introductions, Ekkesu was getting worn out. Just about every teacher literally jumped out of their seat and freaked out when they heard his name. Some of the students even made a big deal about it. Heck, they even had a parade for him right in the middle of class! Ekkesu really didn't want that much attention, but he just thought he'd suffer through it for a few days, and everything would blow over. As for now, he thought he'd just have a bite to eat and get some rest.

"Man...what a long day...I'm starved," Ekkesu muttered to himself, rubbing his empty stomach.

Ekkesu let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. Life on campus seemed to be pretty hectic, at least for him. If everyday was going to be this exciting, he didn't know how much more of it he could take. He then glanced up and had a good look around. It was getting pretty late, and he remembered that he hadn't spent much time at all studying any of the new materials he had been given. The library was close by, so he decided to head on over there. As he was walking, Ekkesu took a certain delight in looking at the cherry blossom trees and well-kept campus buildings. It certainly was a beautiful campus, if anything.

"I hope I can get through this studying quickly...I don't want to spend all night here," Ekkesu thought aloud, walking into the library.

The building was definitely open, but there wasn't much going on. Ekkesu shrugged his shoulders, and just headed on in anyway. Having no one around was a nice change every once in a while. It was finally quiet, anyway. Just as he was beginning to take some books off of the shelves, Ekkesu thought he heard a noise. Maybe someone else was in the room?

"Is someone there?" Ekkesu asked, his voice relatively meek.

"Rock-san? Is that you?" a female voice responded.

Ekkesu peered around the corner to see one of his classmates sitting at one of the tables. She had shoulder-length blonde hair and deep blue eyes, and she also came off to Ekkesu as an intellectual. He didn't know her very well, and wasn't sure what to say, but he thought this might be a good way to start making friends.

"Yes, I'm Rock. And you are?" he replied, giving a smile.

"I'm Sakura. It's nice to meet you, Rock-san," Sakura replied, giving him a smile in return.

Ekkesu looked at the table to see that she had already been investing time studying some of the same subjects he planned to go over. He thought they could do some studying together, seeing as they are in the same class. He was a little nervous to ask, but he saw no harm in it.

"Would it be alright if I studied with you, Sakura-san?" Ekkesu replied.

"Sure, that sounds fine by me. Have a seat," Sakura answered, pulling out a chair for Ekkesu to sit on.

He calmly sat down, set his books on the table, and began to read. At first, things were awkwardly silent. Neither Sakura nor Rock had said anything for awhile, and they both just kept on reading the text books they had taken off the shelves. However, that changed when Ekkesu's stomach grumbled. His face quickly turned red and a dumbfounded smile appeared on his face. Sakura only chuckled and smiled back at him.

"Guess you're hungry, huh?" Sakura asked, sounding a little sarcastic.

"Yeah, I haven't eaten today..." Ekkesu replied, almost whispering.

"Nothing? At all? That's no good, come on. We can save the studying for another time, you should really get something to eat. I'll show you a pretty good place on campus," Sakura offered, extending her hand to help Ekkesu up.

Ekkesu blushed a little as he took ahold of Sakura's hand. They both gathered up the books they had taken, put them away, and headed out the door. Ekkesu was feeling pretty happy about his decision to go to the library at that time. Sakura seemed to be very nice, and he felt like he made another good friend. Not to mention he was happy to finally get something for his hungry stomach. Sakura led him to a nearby cafe, which served a variety of meals and drinks--a campus-exclusive place that Sakura particularly enjoyed. Upon entering, they both noted that the place was practically empty, save for the kitchen staff of course. The cafe was basically a few tables, in addition to a main counter with stools by it. The building was tidy, and the bulletin boards were filled to the brim with student advertisements. Just smelling the food make Ekkesu feel better.

"Hello there," said Sakura, scanning the menu. "I'll have some tea, please."

Sakura looked over to Ekkesu, and prompted him to go up and order what he'd like next. He quickly scanned the menu and ordered the first thing that came to mind.

"Umm...let's see...I'll have the miso soup and an order of tea, please," Ekkesu announced, feeling relieved already.

"You didn't order very much," Sakura replied, a smile on her face.

"I don't eat very much. Thanks a lot for showing me this place, by the way," said Ekkesu.

"Oh, it's no problem," Sakura answered, shaking her head. "You seem like a nice person, and besides, it was pretty obvious you were hungry, hehe."

"Yeah..." Ekkesu stammered, rubbing the back of his head in embarassment.

"I noticed that in class you go by a nickname...what was it? Ekusu?" asked Sakura, looking a little intrigued.

"Ekkesu. I don't really mind if you want to call me Rock or Ekkesu though, both are fine. That nickname just came from my old-school, it's kind of silly. It's just that it sounds close to "X" the variable, like I was some sort of science porject for my dad to tinker with..." replied Ekkesu, his voice trailing off near the end.

"Ok Ekkesu-kun," Sakura replied, still smiling. "I think the name is pretty interesting. But what do you mean by 'science project'?"

Ekkesus felt like he was getting into things that were a little too personal, but for some reason, he didn't seem to mind it at all. Again, she seemed like a very nice girl, and he felt like he could open up to her a little. He was just thankful that someone at the school was talking to him.

"Well, my dad thinks that I have great potential. I don't know, I don't think I'm anywhere near as great as he thinks I am. It's not like he pushes me hard or anything, it's just like I feel that he has very high expectations, and tries to get me to do something to show the world I'm so "fantastic" or something. To me it seems like I'm letting him down though..." Ekkesu answered, lowering his head.

Sakura looked at Ekkesu intently. She considered herself to be relatively intuitive, and she saw that Ekkesu was a nice guy. She definitely knew that he was smart, and aside from the obvious observation of calling him shy, she felt that he was a deep thinker and someone that would make a good friend.

"Well, I'm not too sure about your family, but it seems to me that you're a good kid. I mean, you got in here, didn't you? The entrance exam requirements are pretty rough, and you do seem to be pretty dedicated to studying. Your father probably just wants what's best for you--"

Before Sakura could continue, their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of their order. They both looked over, smiled, and said "thanks" to the waitress. The conversation then switched gears while they enjoyed their orders.

"So Sakura, do you like this school?" Ekkesu asked.

"Yeah, it's great," Sakura replied, taking a sip of her tea. "It's a nice community, and the classes are a nice challenge. I hope to get some job with computers, and this school has some excellent courses to offer for the careers I'm interested in."

"That's cool. It seems nice to me, I'm just a little..." Ekkesu began, having trouble finishing his thought.

"Shy. I can tell. It's alright though, you'll make friends in no time. You've already made one, anyway," Sakura replied, giving him another smile.

"Thanks...that means a lot to me," Ekkesu answered, now feeling much better than he did before.

Ekkesu thought to himself that maybe life at his new school wouldn't be so bad after all. It seemed like things were going welll now, so maybe things would continue to get better. Both Yuuki and Sakura were both very nice people, and he felt like he was beginning to make friends.

"Well, it is getting a little late. We should probably head back to our dorms for the night. It was a pleasure meeting you though Rock...oh, I mean Ekkesu, he he. I'll see you tomorrow," said Sakura as she was getting up.

"Yeah, it was very nice meeting you too. See you tomorrow, Sakura-san," Ekkesu answered, smiling again.

With that, both Sakura and Ekkesu walked out the door, said another short goodbye, and started walking separate ways. Before she got too far though, Sakura turned around and went back up to Ekkesu. She had a slip of paper and a pen out.

"Oh, before I forget..." Sakura began, scribbling down on the paper. "Here's my instant message handle and cell number, if you miss me at class. If you want to call me to study again or to hang out at the coffee shop, I'd be more than happy to do so."

"Oh, thank you!" Ekkesu replied, almost dumbfounded.

Ekkesu quickly regained consciousness and returned the favor by giving Sakura his instant message handle and his cell phone number. After another pleasant exchange of smiles, thank yous, and byes, the meeting was over, and Sakura was headed off to her dorm for the night. Ekkesu finally turned around and headed towards his own place for the night. He felt like today got a whole lot better in a short amount of time. He met another nice friend and it seemed as though his campus experience was beginning to turn around. Maybe things would turn out for the better after all. He wasn't sure of what tomorrow would bring, but he certainly hoped that Sakura would play a part in it...