Chapter IV
Steam filled the locker room, coating everything with a thin layer of moisture and making it difficult to see more than a few feet. The only sounds were that of running water in the showers, the low murmur of voices and the occasional slam of a locker door. Timid, Sora and Roxas stood in the corner by their lockers and waited for their classmates to finish showering so as not to draw attention to themselves.
For Sora, the worst thing that could happen would be to have his towel stolen. He could stand being picked on or made fun of, but the idea having his towel stolen in front of two dozen other guys made him nervous. However, he did his best not to show it and put on a brave face. As for Roxas, well, he was convinced that if he so much as looked at someone the wrong way he was going to be bullied, have his clothes stolen or be made fun of. Therefore, his eyes were glued to the tiled floor beneath his sandal-clad feet as he clutched his towel to his chest and waited for his turn.
Don't notice me. Please don't notice me. I'm not even here; pretend I'm not here, he thought desperately. Some small part of him urged him to be braver, like Sora always was, but he couldn't, at least not yet. Once he got more comfortable with the school he would be fine, but until then he was content to be the meeker twin and let Sora do the talking.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the other boys started to gather their things and leave, until only one or two were left aside from the quiet twins.
"Let's go," Sora muttered, nudging Roxas and walking towards the shower. Just as he was about to go down the stairs that separated the showers from the rest of the room, the brunette boy's foot landed in a puddle and he slipped, falling over backwards.
"Sora!" Roxas gasped, reaching out to catch him. Before he could, however, a different boy turned and, faster than either twin would have believed, caught one of Sora's wrists and wrapped an arm around his waist.
"Careful." The stranger set Sora on his feet and released him as the two freshmen stared at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. "The floors get pretty slippery."
Blinking rapidly, Sora swallowed. "Th-thanks…" He had yet to take his eyes off the strange boy's silver hair and green-blue eyes.
"Yeah, well, don't make a big deal out of it," the silver-haired boy snapped, suddenly annoyed, "'cause I'm not going to bother helping you next time." With that, he picked up his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and walked out.
Speechless, Sora watched him go then whirled around to look at his brother. "What was that all about? Who helps a guy out then turns around and snaps at him?" Huffing, he turned again and stalked off to an empty shower, closing the curtain behind himself a little more aggressively than was necessary. Still shocked, Roxas shook his head and, careful not to step in a puddle himself, made his way to an empty shower. The idea of having nothing but a flimsy curtain separating his naked self from the rest of the world wasn't altogether comfortable, but at least there were only a few other boys left.
Nonchalant, Axel sat on a bench against the wall by a row of lockers, waiting until there was no one left in the locker room except for him, Roxas and the other boy, Roxas' brother. Moving as silently as he could, he crossed the room and slipped a folded piece of paper into the blonde's bag before leaving, his school bag in hand. He didn't say a word as Zexion fell into step beside him and the pair walked down the hall.
"I still think this is a bad idea."
"I don't remember asking for your opinion."
Narrowing his visible eye, the shorter senior glared at his companion. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a real ass sometimes?"
Axel laughed. "Yes. You tell me every chance you get."
"Yet you never listen to me. I wonder, are you that stubborn or just that stupid?"
"Naw, I'm just smarter than you."
The sarcasm loaded in Zexion's tone could have knocked anyone else off their feet when he replied. "Right. You're the smartest person in the entire school and I'm the has-been playboy who fooled around with the math teacher. How could I have forgotten? Obviously your test scores are higher than mine and you pay so much more attention in class than I do."
The redheaded boy almost stopped walking. "I thought I told you never to mention that again, Zexion."
"Not talking about it isn't going to mean it never happened. You need to figure something out to get over it, Axel, or at least do something to get Miss Larxene to leave you alone."
"Don't you think I've tried?" he demanded, his temper flaring. "I've done everything I can think of! She just won't leave me the hell alone!" His pace quickened and Zexion had to hurry to keep up with him. "The first time I turned her down do you know what she did? She gave me a detention. An hour-long session with just her and me in her office and the whore didn't give me a choice…" He cleared his throat so his voice wouldn't crack. Even talking to Zexion, his closest friend, about what had happened was difficult. "I won't do it again, Zexion. I was young then I didn't know what to do and she just…" Shaking his head, he let the sentence trail away.
Zexion hesitated then put his hand on the taller boy's shoulder and made him stop walking. "Axel." Despite his previous comments and sarcasm, it was clear now in his face and tone that he truly cared for the other senior.
"What?"
Before he could object, Zexion turned him around and looked up into his eyes. "We've been friends for years—you can tell me. You know that."
Axel sighed and managed a small smile. "Yeah, I know. But trust me, Zex, you don't want to hear this, especially not about Miss Larxene."
At the thought, Zexion shuddered and grimaced. "Good point. So, what are we doing today?" he asked, choosing to change the subject. The pair started walking again, making their way out of the building and crossing the school's campus towards their dorm hall.
"Videogames; what else?"
"You mean other than the homework you have yet to start on?"
"Right…not looking forward to that." Axel made a face and the two seniors couldn't stop laughing until they reached their dorm.
"Hey, Roxas! Sora!" a familiar voice called, and the two fifteen-year-olds turned in unison to see Namine running after them, her cousin Kairi in tow. They were on the sidewalk out front of the school and had been on their way to their room when they heard her.
"Hi, Namine," Roxas greeted her shyly when the two girls reached them and stopped to catch their breath. "What's up?"
"Well I was going to go hang out with Tifa and Yuffie in their room until someone decided that I had other plans today," Kairi replied before Namine had the chance to speak, giving her cousin an irritated look.
Roxas grinned and shifted his bag strap more comfortably on his shoulder. "Well, Sora and I were heading to our room, if you want to come with us.
"Sure!" Namine agreed excitedly then blushed at her own enthusiasm as Kairi rolled her eyes.
"Great. We aren't fully moved in yet but that's okay." Still smiling, Roxas turned and led the way to the dormitory he and Sora were living in.
"You guys are in the freshmen hall?" Kairi asked, raising an eyebrow in a criticizing way when she realized what building they were walking towards.
A slight blush colored Roxas' cheeks and he opened his mouth to answer but Sora cut in before he had the chance to say anything.
"Only for the first semester." The brunette's reply was short and monotonous, completely opposite of how he normally was. Roxas quietly followed him up the stairs towards their room; he could feel the tension coming off of his twin in waves but wasn't entirely sure what was wrong. Not until the four students were settled into the dorm did he decide to draw him out of his funk.
"So, Kairi and Namine, since Sora and I are new here, do you have any advice for us?"
Thoughtful, they were quiet for a few minutes as they contemplated his question.
"All of the teachers are pretty strict," Kairi commented, tapping her chin. "Mister Marluxia is usually pretty patient but once he loses his temper he's pretty scary."
"Whatever you do, don't get sent to see Principal Xemnas," her blond cousin warned them in a dark tone. "The kids who are sent to his office never tell what happened but you can tell just by looking at them that it isn't good."
The look on Roxas' face was horrified. "What does he do to them?"
"No one knows," the redheaded girl replied ominously. "They refuse to talk about it but everyone has their own ideas about what happens. No one is brave enough to get sent to see him on purpose just to find out, though."
Swallowing hard, the blond boy loosened his tie. "Remind me to never get in trouble. What about students? Are there any we should avoid?"
"Well, there is Seifer," Namine said quietly, glancing at Kairi, "and his group of friends. They like to bully other students but they're a lot of talk, mostly." Roxas nodded and smiled, leaning back in his chair more comfortably.
"Thanks."
"No problem." Pleased, Namine blushed prettily and looked down at her feet.
Stretched out on his bunk, Sora scowled at the bottom of Roxas' bunk with his hands tucked under his head. "So what's that silver-haired guy's problem?" he asked, obviously still upset with his early encounter with the strange boy.
"Riku?" Kairi asked, tilting her head. "Silver hair and teal eyes? Tall?"
"Yeah," Roxas answered, nodding. "That's him. He's in our P.E. class."
"He's a jerk," Sora interrupted, his scowl fading into a slight pout.
"What did he do?" the redheaded sophomore questioned, shifting forward onto the edge of her seat.
"Sora slipped in the locker room and almost fell. Riku caught him then suddenly seemed really mad at us for no reason," the blond twin replied, his puzzlement at what had occurred showing in his expression.
"Oh." Waving her hand, Kairi stretched a little. "That's Riku. He's really athletic but his social skills could use some work. Don't worry, though; he's like that with everyone, not just you guys."
Still annoyed, Sora turned onto his side so that the three other students could only see his back. "Yeah, well, he's still a jerk."
"That's not nice, Sora," Namine admonished him. "You don't even know Riku. I bet he's really nice once you get to know him." The brown-haired boy chose not to answer.
Roxas sighed. "Just leave him alone. He'll be back to his old self when he's ready." The two girls didn't look convinced, but decided to drop the issue in order to avoid upsetting Sora any further. Instead, they helped Roxas finish unpacking his things, laughing and joking the whole time.
"Vice Principal Saix?" a voice purred from the doorway. The scarred man looked up from the papers he had spread over his desk.
"Yes? What is it?"
Slowly, Miss Larxene approached him and sat on the edge of his desk, crossing one slim leg over the other so that he had a clear view. "I was just wondering if I could, by any chance, borrow the key to the records closet." Her finger traced the X-shaped scar that stretched across his forehead and cheeks.
"What for?" he asked, unaffected by her advances.
"Oh, I just wanted to look at Roxas Strife's records from his previous school; I don't want to move too fast for him or assume that he knows something he doesn't," she lied smoothly, running her fingers through the vice principal's blue hair.
"Very well." Sighing, he took a ring of keys from his desk drawer, selected one, and handed it to her. "Just be sure to give it back when you're done, Miss Larxene." He looked back down at the papers, clearly dismissing her.
Smiling, she stood. "Thank you ever so much, Vice Principal." And, swaying her hips, she strode out of the room, the key held tight in her hand and a triumphant smirk curving her red lips.