Sora couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You have detention with her again? But, what if she uses that yardstick? I don't want you covered in bruises!" The first time had been bad enough—he'd wanted to find Miss Larxene and do to her what she'd done to his twin. Sora didn't know if he'd be able to hold himself back from doing just that if Roxas came back to their dorm with fresh welts all over his back for a second time.

Looking down at his shoes as he walked beside the brunette, Roxas nodded. "Me neither, but the detention's not even what I'm mad about. It's that Seifer guy who lied about me trying to cheat that's ticking me off."

"I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about that guy," Riku advised from Sora's other side. "He's been pulling stunts like that for years. He almost cost me my gym pass. Once."

"What did you do?" Sora asked, intrigued by the tone the older boy had used for the last word.

"Took him out behind the gym and beat him up until he promised to never even look at me the wrong way." He was so casual about it that Sora and Roxas couldn't help but exchange glances.

"Really?" the blond questioned.

Riku chuckled at the twins' wide-eyed expressions. "No, but I did threaten to kick his ass if he bothered me again, and he hasn't."

Sora and Roxas were silent as they thought about that, then Roxas slowed his walking.

"That's him." He was staring at the boy from his math class, Seifer, and had slowed down so much he had almost come to a complete stop. It didn't take more than a few seconds for Seifer to notice Roxas as well, and the older boy smirked as he began to move towards the blond. Before he reached him, however, another student tripped and fell against Seifer, causing him to stumble and almost fall.

"Whoa! Hey there, Seify boy! Sorry about that!" the stranger apologized cheerfully as he straightened and threw his arm around Seifer's shoulders in a friendly way.

"Get off!" Glaring, Seifer pushed the shorter boy away. "You're getting on my nerves, Hayner."

"I can't help it if I trip in a crowded hallway, Seifer," Hayner explained, widening his eyes at the angry boy and holding out his hands with his fingers spread apart.

Irritated, Seifer rolled his eyes and turned away, muttering, "Whatever," as he did so. The instant he disappeared down the hall, the boy who'd bumped into him turned to Roxas with a huge grin on his face.

"I'll never get tired of that."

"What?" Dumbfounded, Roxas and Sora stared at the stranger, taking in his short blond hair that was somehow wavy and spiky at the same time and his brownish green eyes.

Still grinning, Hayner reached out and shook Roxas' hand. "I'm Hayner, nice to meet cha."

"Roxas."

"You're the kid Seifer got in trouble with Miss Larxene, right? He's been bragging about it all morning."

Roxas groaned and let his shoulders slump. Did everyone know about that? "Yeah, that's me."

"Hey." He felt a gentle bump on his shoulder and looked up to see Hayner smiling at him. "Don't let him get to you. He's just looking to get attention and getting the new genius kid in trouble was the best way to do it. You let me handle Seifer. I've been getting in his way for as long as he's been getting in other kids' faces."

Smiling gratefully, Roxas nodded at the slightly taller blond. "Thanks."

"No problem. See ya around!" With a wave, Hayner turned and wandered off down the hall, his hands in his pockets.

"He's sure nice," Sora commented. "Why didn't we meet him sooner?"

"Hayner's a junior," Riku pointed out, "so we don't have any classes with him. Seifer's a senior, which means he'll be in P.E. with us, though I doubt he'll try anything. He's had his fun for today. Besides, he shouldn't come near you while I'm there. That is, if he's smart enough to figure out he shouldn't bother my friends."

Sora linked his arm through Roxas' and lifted his fist, a determined grin on his face. "Let him try! He won't get anywhere close to my brother!"

"You're an idiot," Roxas muttered, blushing because the brunette was drawing so much attention to himself, but he smiled and allowed himself to be marched down the hall to their next class.

XXX

"Keep up, slow poke!"

"You're the one who's going to eat my dust!"

As fast as they could, Riku and Sora raced around the edge of the gymnasium, lapping the other students again and again. Legs burning, arms pumping, they were neck and neck and striving with every step to pull ahead of each other. It was only the warm up jog for their P.E. class, but that didn't stop the two boys from treating it like the most important race of their lives. Today was the first time they'd competed in the class since the Masquerade and they were pulling out all the stops—it was remarkably similar to the first time Sora had challenged the older student.

The other boys in the class were certainly glad to see Sora and Riku back to their old selves, if not amused at the renewed sense of competition between them. Coach Xaldin especially was pleased with how hard they were working and could only grin as he watched them run.

In only a matter of minutes, the two rivals finished the required ten laps and stopped, leaning against each other as they panted for air. Riku slung an arm around the brunette's shoulders and pulled him close, grinning. They were practically nose-to-nose, staring each other straight in the eye.

"Nice race, Brat. You might actually beat me one day. Maybe."

Out of breath but smiling and happy, Sora shoved the older boy playfully without breaking that eye contact. "Whatever, jerk."

"All right, ladies, quit flirting," Coach Xaldin interrupted, though he was still smiling and didn't really mind the banter that had been missing from his sophomore-senior class for the past weeks. Both boys blushed, embarrassed, and moved away from each other with awkward laughs.

Sora ran a hand through the spikes of his hair and snuck a glance at his friend as the rest of the class finished their laps. Flirting? No, they weren't flirting…were they? They were just good friends and liked to tease each other. There was nothing flirtatious between them. Besides, Riku was a guy, and Sora liked girls. At least, he assumed he liked girls. He'd never been very close to any before Kairi, and he knew he didn't like her as more than a friend. But he'd never been very close to any guys, either, since he and his parents had moved around so much. Before Kingdom High, he'd only had Roxas, and while Roxas was all the company the brunette had needed, he knew that he'd never willingly give up the friends he had now. Especially Riku, since he'd only recently gotten the silver-haired boy back.

But that didn't mean they'd been flirting. Sora wasn't even sure he knew how to flirt, so Coach Xaldin had to have been teasing them. They hadn't really been flirting.

"What are you staring at?"

Startled out of his reverie, Sora blinked and realized that his glance had turned into a blank stare and he'd been looking directly at Riku the entire time he'd been trying to decide if he'd really been flirting with the older boy. The blush that lingered on his cheeks darkened again.

"Nothing."

Riku gave him a strange look but shrugged. "If you say so."

Without replying, Sora moved to his usual place at the front of the group and waited for Riku to join him so they could lead stretches. There was no way he'd been flirting. The only person he'd ever even come close to flirting with was Kairi, and that was just because it was fun and silly. That wasn't the same as how he was with the silver-haired boy.

"All right, gather round!" Coach Xaldin called once the stretches and agilities were taken care of. "Would anyone like to guess what we'll be doing today?"

"Sprints?"

"Good guess, Rolfe, but no. Would anyone else like a try?"

The crowd of students was silent except for the anxious shifting of weight from foot to foot.

A grin spread over Coach Xaldin's face. "Dodgeball. Seniors versus sophomores." At this, several of the sophomores groaned while the seniors laughed and smirked at each other.

"Sophomores for the win!" Sora shouted, throwing his fist into the air, and a few of his classmates cheered.

Beside him, Riku rolled his eyes but lifted his own fist in silent agreement with the brunette. The other sophomores quickly followed his example, and soon they had begun to chant, "Soph-mores! Soph-mores!" They and their leaders moved to the far side of gym, continuing their chant all the way, much to the seniors' annoyance.

"You all know the rules," Coach Xaldin called over the voices of the younger half of the class, "so keep it clean or I'll have you wiping sweat off the wrestling mats. Rolfe, Smith, fetch the Dodgeballs from the storage room and set them out on the middle court line."

Shoving each other, the two Johns hurried to do as instructed. Moments later they returned with the specified items and quickly set them out, then returned to the sophomore side of the gym. Coach Xaldin took his place at the top of the bleachers where he would be able to keep an eye on the game.

"On my whistle!"

Every muscle tensed, knees bent in anticipation of the lunge forward as the boys waited with bated breath. Sora and Riku shared a glance and grinned, both determined to beat the seniors.

A moment of silence passed before the shrill scream of Coach Xaldin's whistle sounded, and the gym dissolved into chaos. Immediately upon hearing the whistle, every boy on the court sprinted forward in the hopes of snatching up one of the balls on the center court line, then back-pedaled rapidly to avoid being hit by the opposing team. All was quiet as the boys sized each other up, trying to identify a weak link to take advantage of.

Suddenly, a ball flew across the room, heading directly for Roxas, who froze like a deer in the headlights. With a yell, Sora leaped forward and used his own ball to deflect the other away from his brother. He landed and spun in one movement, balanced on his left foot, then launched the ball in his hands at the senior who had targeted the blond, nailing him in the chest hard enough for him to stumble back. The sound of rubber striking flesh echoed around the gym and the senior gasped from the force of the impact. As if that was some sort of signal, the boys began to attack without caution, throwing the weapons they'd been given with all the strength and speed they could manage while retaining some accuracy. Sora remained where he was, defending his brother with Riku's help while still helping his team to eliminate seniors from the game.

The game of Dodgeball was as brutal as war. Headshots didn't count for points, but anyone struck in the head by the rubbery projectiles was usually so dazed that he had to sit out for a few minutes until the ringing in his ears faded. Balls bounced off the floors and walls, struck bodies and flew through the air with intimidating velocity. Riku and Sora were seemingly unstoppable, guarding for each other and moving almost as if they were one person. They made sure to target Seifer early on and took him out of the game as revenge for getting Roxas in trouble that morning.

"On your left, Riku!"

"Oi! Take this!"

"Ha, missed!"

"Is that all you got?!"

"Nailed it!"

"Sora, duck!"

Finally, there was only one senior left. He was one of the most athletic boys in the class, but he was lanky and clumsy and didn't put his strength to its full potential, though his speed was incredible and his thin frame easily dodged anything thrown at him. Thus, he'd managed to stay in the game longer than the other seniors.

Drawing close to the older boy, Sora crouched to provide a smaller target for the senior and held his ball in front of his chest as a shield. "What do you think, Riku? Divide and conquer?"

"No, he'll dodge us both and I don't want anything he throws coming towards me. We need him to make a mistake that we can take advantage of, or trick him."

Sora glanced around at the few sophomores who were left standing, all of whom looked exhausted except for Roxas since he'd been behind the shield of Sora and Riku for the entirety of the game; his only job had been to collect ammo for the two athletes.

"Roxas, c'mere."

Hesitant, the blond moved to stand beside his brother, never taking his eyes off the enemy. "Yeah?"

"I need you to do me a favor."

"I'm not gonna like this, am I."

A grin was the only response he got.

The senior rolled the ball he held between his hands in a nervous fashion; sweat dripped down his back and darkened his reddish blond hair. He couldn't believe he was still in the game, since usually by now he'd have injured himself or someone else and would be sitting out. Apparently, Dodgeball was a game that his strength was perfect for and his lack of coordination didn't interfere as much as it did with other sports. His blue eyes darted from sophomore to sophomore, watching for any sign that an attack was coming.

"Come on, Herc!" one of the seniors on the bleachers yelled. "Put that canon of an arm to use and sink 'em!"

Nodding, Hercules straightened his spine and pelted the ball he held towards one of the sophomores, catching him in the shoulder as he tried to dodge and therefore eliminating him from the game. He smiled in modest triumph, then movement drew his attention to the right. One of the sophomores, the blond twin, was inching towards the center court line with a ball in his hands and a terrified yet determined expression on his face. Hercules watched him with curiosity. The kid couldn't possibly be planning on trying to take him out—he was an even worse athlete than Hercules himself and hadn't thrown a single ball the entire game.

As quickly as he could without fumbling, Hercules snatched up one of the many balls that littered the gym floor and took aim, closing one eye as he did so. It would be a light throw that wouldn't hurt too much or bruise. At the same time, Roxas drew his arm back and threw the ball he held with all his strength, his aim and speed surprisingly good for someone who had seemed completely helpless. Hercules stepped to the side to avoid the ball and whipped his arm forward to send his own speeding towards the blond, and pain suddenly exploded on his left shoulder and right side. He was knocked to the ground, a look of shock plastered to his face. What on earth happened?

Triumphant woops echoed through the gym as the sophomores on the bleachers leaped to their feet and cheered. Hercules managed to sit up in time to see Riku and Sora, the leaders of the sophomore team, high five each other, and he realized what had happened. The blond had been a distraction, and while he'd been focused on him, the other two had crept to the far sides of the gym and thrown at the same time, hitting him from both sides. It was a good strategy, and Hercules laughed breathlessly.

"Nice teamwork," he called.

"Thanks! And not so bad yourself," Sora responded, his arm now around Roxas' waist in an attempt to comfort his apparently traumatized twin.

"Don't you ever use me as bait again!" the blond was saying as he glared at Sora, though he allowed himself to be pulled into the mob the sophomores were forming and joined in when the chant of "Soph-mores! Soph-mores!" began again.

The seniors, though unhappy to have been defeated, helped Hercules to his feet and congratulated him on his efforts, making him beam.

"All right, all right, get to the showers!" Coach Xaldin's voice was somehow loud enough to be heard over the celebrating sophomores. "That's all for today!"

Still chanting, the sophomores made their way to the locker room with Sora, Riku, and Roxas at the front of the group.

Steam from the showers wafted about the locker room as the boys showered and dressed, still exhilarated from the game. They chatted amongst themselves, taunting the seniors and bragging about who they'd managed to hit and dodge.

"Wait, wait, wait." Wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, Sora held up a hand to keep his blond twin from saying another word. "You mean he interrupted class and cursed at Miss Larxene and you still don't want to give him a chance?"

Roxas looked down guiltily. "Well, when you say it like that…"

"Roxas, that's terrible!"

"I know…"

"You at least have to thank him for standing up for you. If he," he jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Riku, earning a playful punch on the shoulder from the older boy, "can apologize to me the way he did, then you can man up enough to say thank you. Lend him that book he wanted to borrow, at least. He's earned that much." The brunette put his hands on his hips and stared at the other boy until Roxas sighed and nodded.

"Fine."

"Good. Now, get dressed. You'll only get in more trouble if you're late for your detention." Sora turned just in time to see Riku putting his shirt on and froze for a moment, temporarily stunned by the older boy's physique. Then he shook his head, turned towards his locker, and began to dress, Coach Xaldin's comment about them flirting echoing in his thoughts once more.

XXX

Hands shoved deep in his pockets, Axel stood outside the door to the locker room, waiting as his classmates left in twos and threes. His detention with Larxene was supposed to start in only a few minutes, but he saw no point in walking to her classroom alone when Roxas had to go, too, and the since the blond was in P.E. with him, they might as well walk together.

Finally, the familiar mass of spiky blond hair appeared through the heavy door, and Axel stepped up to walk beside the younger student.

"Walk together?" he asked by way of greeting, doing his best to sound friendly and casual. Roxas jumped slightly, startled, then nodded.

"Sure."

The only sound was their footsteps as they made their way towards Miss Larxene's classroom. Just as they reached the door, Roxas stopped and opened his bag, searching through its contents. Axel waited, curious, and blinked in surprise when the shorter boy held something out.

"Here."

Taking his hand from his pocket, the redhead accepted the object and looked at the front. "Pride and Prejudice."

"You said you wanted to borrow it when I was finished."

Oh, right. "Yeah, thanks." Axel offered a smile and carefully slipped the book into his own bag. "I'll take good care of it."

Roxas nodded, not meeting the senior's gaze. "I also wanted to thank you. You know, for standing up to Larxene like that. It was really brave of you, and I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate it. You didn't get into a lot of trouble, did you?"

Surprised but pleased to hear that Roxas was actually concerned for him, Axel smiled and shook his head. "Naw. Though I do have all these detentions with Larxene to look forward to."

Roxas winced. "Sorry…"

"Hey, it's no big deal. I know you weren't cheating, and somebody needed to say something. I'm just glad I got to be the one to do it."

Unsure of how to respond to that, Roxas simply nodded and reached for the door handle. His hand landed on it a moment before Axel's, causing the older student's hand to overlap his own, and the two froze for a moment before Axel jerked his hand away with an embarrassed laugh.

"Sorry. Go ahead."

With a curious glance at the redhead, Roxas pulled the door open and went into the classroom as Axel followed.

XXX

Zexion looked up as the door opened. "Where have you been?"

"Detention." Axel dropped his bag next to his desk and flopped down onto his bed.

"You didn't tell me you got another detention."

"I'm sorry, Mother," the redhead teased, making the other senior glare. "I cursed in Miss Larxene's class today because she gave Roxas a detention he didn't deserve."

"You did what?"

Axel shrugged. "It's not a big deal, Zex. Headmaster Xemnas didn't even care when he found out what happened. All he said was that I had to go to the month's worth of detentions Larxene gave me. That's going to suck, but at least the one I just had was with Roxas, so it wasn't that bad."

Curiosity made Zexion turn away from his desk. "What happened?"

"Nothing. We just sat there and graded the pop quiz we had today while the whore did who knows what at her desk. But he talked to me, Zexion. I mean, he finally lent me that book I asked him about back when he had to work with us in that chemistry lab. I'd forgotten all about it, but he remembered, and he thanked me for standing up to Larxene for him."

"That's certainly a lot of progress," the blue-haired senior commented, sounding genuinely glad that his friend was on better terms with the sophomore boy.

Axel grinned, pleased with himself. "Yeah. Speaking of progress, did you talk to Demyx yet?"

Zexion turned back to his desk and picked up his pencil. "Not yet."

"Better get a move on, Zex."

"Yeah, yeah."