Chapter VI

"Come on."

"We're going to get in trouble…"

"Will you shut up?"

Small circles of light bounced along the ground ahead of a group of students as they made their way across the school grounds. The moon and the stars were the only other source of light, as students were not supposed to be outside their dorm halls so late.

"Guys, let's go back, please?" a quiet voice from the back of the group pleaded. "We're going to get caught."

"If you don't shut up we will!" a different voice hissed, silencing the first. "The activities hall is just ahead."

Running as quietly as they could, the group of students crossed the main courtyard and reached the side door to the activities hall.

"Did you get the key?"

"Of course I got the key!" A quiet jingling was the only sound, then a barely-audible click as the lock gave way and the door swung open. Their shoes made hardly any noise on the carpet as they ran down the hall towards the pool room. Without a word, bags were dropped to the tiled floor as the intruders got to work. Just as the first packets of Kool-aid were dumped into the water, the lights came on and the students froze.

"Well well, what do we have here? Students out of bed, it seems." The voice echoed around the room.

"Run!" one of the students shouted, and, grabbing their bags, they bolted for the door. They raced down the hall, burst through the door and scattered across the grounds, splitting up to avoid being caught together. Two of the students ran in the direction of the obstacle course in the hopes of losing any pursuers among the shadows.

"Kairi, wait up!"

"Come on, Namine!"

The blond girl stumbled to a halt, her sides heaving with every breath she took. "I can't…I can't…" She was completely winded and couldn't have taken another step even if she wanted to.

Doubling back, Kairi grabbed her cousin's hand and dragged her forward. "Hide in the bushes," she whispered, and pushed the other girl to the ground, "I'll lead them away, then you get back to the room." With a wink, she ran, half crouching, to the edge of the obstacle course then took off at a dead sprint towards the senior dorm hall.

Still out of breath, Namine watched from her hiding place as two of the night guards chased after her cousin. She waited until the shouting stopped and there was no one left outside before cautiously edging her way along the edge of campus until she reached her own dorm hall. Once there, she slipped inside and let out a sigh of relief as she began to climb the stairs to the room she shared with Kairi. With any luck, Kairi would already be there, waiting and gleeful in her triumph.

Her chin lifted defiantly, Kairi stood before her capturer's desk and waited for her punishment to be announced. She had been passing the junior dorm hall when a night guard caught her, and though she'd struggled she hadn't been able to break free and escape. Now she was forced to wait for the goateed professor to decide what her punishment was to be.

Peering at her, the teacher seemed to size her up before leaning back in his chair and stretching. "You troublemakers never can resist the temptation, can you."

She didn't answer.

"Who else was at the pool tonight?"

No answer.

"Ah, protecting your little friends, are we? Trying to play the hero? Do you really think they would do the same for you?"

Narrowing her blue eyes, Kairi glared at the teacher. If he was trying to goad her into reacting, he was wasting his time. She wasn't about to betray her friends and she knew any others who had been caught would also keep quiet.

With a sigh, the man stood and walked around his desk to stand in front of her, looking down at her disdainfully. Stubbornly she met his gaze, although his piercing blue eyes seemed to look straight through her. They were nothing like her own—not soft or friendly, but cold and uncaring. Yet she refused to look away when most other students would.

"You're wasting my time, Kairi." He glared. "If you refuse to speak then I may as well decide on your punishment. Detention with me every day after classes for a month. Skipping a detention will result in a make up to take place after the original end date. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now get out."

Turning on her toe, Kairi walked with a stiffened spine all the way from Professor Luxord's office back to her own dorm hall and up to her room. Namine was waiting up for her.

"Oh, my gosh, are you all right? How much trouble are you in? Did they get anyone else, Oh, I knew it was a bad idea!" she fussed, rushing over to her cousin. "Your cheek is bruised—did one of them hit you?" The thought made genuine anger rise up in her.

"I'm all right, Mi-Mi," the pinkish-haired girl assured her, touching her sore cheek gently. "I fell when the guard grabbed me and didn't have time to catch myself."

"Oh." Relief was clear in her tone. "How much trouble are you in?"

"Detentions." Kairi made a face. "Every day with Luxord for a month."

"Oh…did they catch anyone else?"

"No, I don't think so. At least, he didn't tell me they did. But he tried to make me tell him who else was involved. Don't worry, I didn't," she added quickly, seeing the horrified look on her cousin's face. Kairi didn't care about something like this on her record, but she knew a clean slate meant the world to Namine.

Sighing, the blond girl collapsed onto her bed. "Well, it could have been worse."

Kairi didn't reply as she changed from her black clothing into her nightgown and got into bed.

"Hey, Kairi?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

The light clicked off and the two girls settled onto their mattress, ready for a few hour's worth of sleep after their midnight adventure.

Fog drifted over the campus, muting the sound of Sora's footsteps. The sun was barely up and it was too early for classes to start, not that he would ever have gotten up at dawn for the sake of class. No, this was a morning ritual he refused to violate with schoolwork. He wanted to see the field covered in dew and fog in the weak morning light.

Cresting the hill, he looked down into the small, bowl-like valley that sheltered the school's sports field and took a deep breath. It was beautiful, full to the brim with opportunities to make a name for himself, to show his skill. Roxas could have the classroom glory. Sora would take the field any day.

As he stood drinking in the view, movement on the track caught his eye, a flash of silver and green in the fog. Someone was out for an early morning run. Intrigued, the brown-haired boy began the descent into the valley, disappearing into the fog. Who else had bothered to wake so early?

He could hear the runner's footsteps approaching as he stopped at the edge of the track, and looked to his right expectantly. Any moment now the figure would appear out of the fog and fly past him. The first thing to become visible was the green of the runner's uniform moments before the rest of him appeared. Sora barely had time to react before the other boy passed him and vanished back into the fog. It took less than three seconds, yet the uniformed boy had turned his head and looked Sora full in the eye as he passed.

Sora could feel the heat in his cheeks as his face reddened. He knew he had looked like an idiot, standing there with his mouth hanging open, and by the look on the runner's face, he thought it, too. Even worse was who the runner had turned out to be. Not wanting to embarrass himself further, he turned and walked back up the hill. At the top, he took one last look at the field then turned to go back to his dorm and sleep until classes started.

"You aren't supposed to be out here."

Startled, Sora jumped then whirled around. "What?'

With his jacket hung lazily over his shoulders, the runner stood just behind him, looking down at the brunette boy with no discernable expression. He had caught up with Sora a little less than halfway across the courtyard, and the brunette teen hadn't even heard him coming.

"Students aren't allowed out of the dorm halls this early unless they have special permission." Now Sora noticed the lanyard and I.D. that hung around the taller boy's neck, along with a card stating that Coach Xaldin had given him twenty-four-hour access to the field, gym, and equipment. Sora thought he might turn green with jealousy.

"How can I get one of those?" he asked, pointing at the card.

The other boy smirked. "Well, for me, all I have to do is ask. You couldn't get one even if you paid."

Anger flared. "And why not?" Sora demanded, glaring. "What makes you so special?"

Still with his smirk in place, he walked past the younger boy towards his dorm. "Special? No…I'm just better than you, over all."

Spinning on his heel, Sora shouted at the other boy's receding back. "Whatever, you jerk! We'll see who's better! Just you wait, I'll show you!" And, fuming, he stomped off back to the freshmen dorm hall.

The slam of the door jerked Roxas out of his dream.

"Wha's going on?" he mumbled sleepily, sitting up half way and staring at his twin through unfocused eyes. "Sora?"

The brunette didn't appear to notice his brother. He moved around their room, muttering to himself, opening and closing drawers as he dressed in his uniform and packed his bag. How dare that jerk say he was better? He didn't even know Sora—who was he to judge? The other boy's dismissal ate at him like acid, burning into his brain and infuriating him.

"Stupid jerk…who does he think he is?...not better than me…I'll show him…"

Utterly confused, Roxas watched his agitated brother. What the heck was going on? It wasn't even six in the morning yet! Normally, Sora slept until 7:30 then got up for classes at eight, and only after Roxas pestered him non-stop. So what was the brown-haired boy doing up so early?

"Sora, what's going on?" the blond boy asked, yawning and stretching. "Why are you awake?"

"That jerk," Sora growled, glaring out the window. "That jerk from the locker room."

"Riku?" Roxas frowned. "What about him?"

"I saw him this morning and the guy had the nerve to say he's better than me!"

"Better than you at what?"

"Everything! 'Better than me, over all!'"

From his tone and posture, Roxas could tell that his twin's pride was hurting from the insult. Sora was far from conceited, but that didn't mean he wasn't proud of his abilities as an athlete. Abilities that had just been insulted.

"Sora," Roxas began gently as he climbed down from his bunk and approached the fuming boy, "don't listen to a thing Riku says. You're a great athlete and friend—he was just trying to get a rise out of you." Cautious of his twin's anger, he slipped his hand into Sora's and squeezed a little. After a moment of internal battle, the brunette boy sighed and squeezed his hand back. All the anger left him; only the sting of Riku's words remained.

It wouldn't have bothered him so much if he hadn't seen the older boy running. His form was smooth, flawless, more practiced than Sora's had ever been. And he was fast—Sora wasn't sure who would win in a race. It made him doubt himself. What if Riku really was better than him? If Sora didn't have the field, he didn't have anything. What would he do if he lost it?

Smiling and oblivious to his brother's worries, Roxas let go of his hand and got back into bed. He had an hour more to sleep and wanted to get back to his dream. Namine was in it, along with a shadowy figure that was supposed to be whoever was sending him the notes. He wanted to see how it was going to end.

Sora stayed where he was, looking out the window without really seeing. He could only picture the way Riku had looked in that moment when their eyes met on the track. His silver hair was pulled back and he wore a sweatband. The shirt of his track uniform stuck to him, damp with fog and sweat, revealing how fit he was. His face was smooth and relaxed, although the corners of his mouth had been lifted in a slight smile and his eyes shown with determination to improve and the joy of running, the pure exhilaration of it. Sora knew the feeling. It was why he had gotten into sports in the first place and something Roxas had never really understood, much the way Sora never understood the pride his twin felt in his grades. Grades were just a letter or a number on a piece of paper. But doing well in a race or game was more than that.

Riku knew it as well as he did, and part of him wanted to share that experience with the older student. He got the feeling, however, that the silver-haired teen wasn't interested in making friends. He hadn't exactly been friendly so far, but that didn't mean Sora couldn't be. And, he decided, he wasn't going to let Riku get to him. But he wasn't going to let him win, either. The silver-haired teen had just become part of a competition to be the school's star athlete, regardless of if he wanted to be.