A/N: Okay, so I've obviously had this on hold for more than a while. In my defence..I had a tragic case of "I'll-get-around-to-it-itus". Ever have it? It's awful. Anyways, enjoy! 3

Disclaimer: If I owned KH, I'd be the happiest boy on earth.

-CHAPTER 2: A misery which I can live with-

It was strange. As Sora walked alongside Kairi, he forgot every ounce of despair his heart had produced. It was as if being there with Kairi was his remedy—the only thing that could make things right. Sora was not one to complain, so as long as he could be with Kairi without actually BEING with her, he would be happy. Still, every now and then he would be harshly reminded of the depression he held in the back of his mind. He and Kairi were best friends, and because of this, Kairi was not afraid to tell various stories of her time with Riku. Each time Sora heard Kairi even utter the name 'Riku', he winced silently.

A mistake many teenagers will often make is feeling as if they are the lone soldier who has to fight the battle of a secret love. It's because of this that they often find difficulty in expressing their feelings, or coming clean to their friends. Although many other teenagers go through similar situations, the teenager in question can't come to terms with this and therefore fight the battle solo. They believe that their situation is unique and different from other loves. However, it all comes down to the same thing in the end: They all feel the same despair at one time or another.

Sora hated talking about Kairi's love life with her; but unfortunately, considering his extremely strong feelings towards her, it was nearly impossible to turn down. Everything about Kairi put Sora in his place: her smile; her eyes; the way she moved; how smooth her skin was; and above all, her voice. He could let her rant on for hours on end about nothing and would be perfectly happy so long as he heard her sweet, sweet voice. He never had to worry about her talking too much, as she was interested in HIS life as well. Sometimes Sora wondered how a girl like her could even exist.

Sora and Kairi walked inside their math class and took the first two seats in their line of vision. There was plenty of time before the class started, so for the time being they decided to relax and dive into conversation before having to write down a never ending series of notes. The two of them were completely unaware of the presence of someone in the classroom who absolutely hated Sora: Roxas.

Roxas and his friends Olette, Hayner and Pence shared their math class with Sora and Kairi. The six teens had never had an interaction with each other, and yet Roxas held such hatred towards Sora. It did not take long for Olette to notice the dirty looks Roxas was giving the oblivious Sora. Resting her elbow on her desk, Olette turned her head to look at the boy and girl who were far too deep into a conversation to notice Roxas's glare. The intelligent young lady cocked an eyebrow and looked back at her angry friend.

"Roxas?" no answer. "Hello? Earth to Roxas!" she began to snap her fingers in front of Roxas's face. Roxas shook his head and blinked a few times before smiling apologetically. "Who are you looking at?"

"Oh..." Roxas looked down at his legs as if he had to remember who it was he was looking at. Immediately, he looked back at Sora with a frown, pointing in his direction. "Him!"

"Sora?" Hayner asked in confusion.

"You know him?!" Roxas asked, almost offended. Hayner nodded with a grin.

"Yeah, he was in my history class last year." He explained briefly. "Great guy."

"He's NOT great!" Roxas spat. How could his friends possibly side with the one person in the entire world whom Roxas hated more than anything? And what's more, Hayner had some sort of friendship with him. The thought of it all made Roxas sick to his stomach. "Look at that!" he gestured over to Sora and Kairi. "Flirting with that girl—"

"Kairi?" Olette asked.

"Why does everyone but me know these people?!" Roxas grunted angrily. Olette let out a giggle.

"Kairi and I study together all the time."

"Whatever," Roxas sighed, "He's flirting with some girl—Kairi—while there are other…girls that are OBVIOUSLY interested in him…and they won't get a chance if he's not even respecting their…feelings…"

"What are you talking about?" Pence asked in confusion. The three friends looked at Roxas curiously. He did not seem to be making much sense. He hated Sora, and yet he knew nothing about the boy. Roxas shook his head in defeat.

"Forget it…" he muttered. He flipped open his notebook and impatiently waited for the class to begin.

OOOOO

Axel was a senior at Kingdom Hearts high. He only had one more year to fulfill until he could go out into the real world and make some sort of name for himself. Axel only had a few select people he enjoyed the company of. He hated the rest of the student body. Axel was very sensitive, although he came off as an anti-social tough guy. Nobody talked to him and he was perfectly fine with that.

Axel remembered when he met Roxas. At first, he did not enjoy the kid's presence at all. He had been assigned to show Roxas around the school upon his entering highschool. During the tour, Axel had been very blunt. He had no desire to get to know Roxas, nor show him around the highschool. It all started out as an attempt to get extra credit…how did it end up the way it was now?

It was Roxas who had continued the friendship at first. Axel disliked seeing Roxas walk up to Axel's locker to chat with him during the fifteen minute break. Every day it was the same routine. Axel would reach into his locker to retrieve his biology textbook, and there stood Roxas—waiting for him to arrive. It was like having a pet…a very, extremely annoying pet.

Then, over time, Axel began to shoot Roxas a quick grin when he saw the younger teen walking to his locker. Now Axel would answer Roxas' stories with a comment, and every now and then a little bit of advice when Roxas had a dilemma. And there was chuckling. Normally, freshmen wouldn't be seen on a sophomore's floor. Yet it seemed like it was an enjoyable routine as time passed by.

Then…Axel found himself running to his locker to meet up with Roxas as soon as the bell rang. He was always the first out of his classroom, running across the hallway to wait by the lockers. His eyes beamed when they met with Roxas' and his smile was brighter than ever. It was around after Christmas that Axel finally realized he was bound to Roxas. It was no longer his choice to go to the locker and wait for Roxas. If he didn't wait for the boy any longer, it would be a matter of life and death. He helplessly watched as he began to fall for the boy…and that wasn't changing, no matter how hard he tried to think of other matters.

Axel sighed and began to stare at the clock. The sooner class started the sooner he could run home (or see Roxas. Both possibilities were sufficient). Rolling his eyes impatiently, the young man crossed his arms and scoffed under his breath. In walked Demyx, his only other known friend. Despite Demyx's arrival, Axel's eyes did not light up with happiness. Demyx had been his friend ever since they met in kindergarten. He sported punk-ish blue eyes and a spiked, blonde mullet. His smile was pearly white and sincere. Although Demyx had somewhat of a punk-rocker look, nobody could deny his sweet and sensitive kitten-like attitude.

Demyx didn't even have to meet eyes with Axel before sitting down in an empty seat beside him. The two of them always shared the same classes together, and talked about anything, ANYTHING that went on in their lives. It always had been like this ever since they were very young. And Axel had no doubt in his mind that it would continue until they were quite old. Demyx was the only friend of Axel's who knew of his secret love for Roxas. And Axel always talked with Demyx about his not-so-secret crush on sophomore student Larxene.

"Well, well, well." Demyx chuckled, "If it isn't Mr. My-hair's-the-size-of-my-temper!"

"Shut up."

"How ya been, Axel?" Demyx playfully punched Axel on his side. Axel dropped his guard and let his arms go uncrossed. A small smile played at his lips.

"Not too shabby." He nodded. He looked at his mullet-head friend curiously. "Where've you been all summer?"

"Rock star camp!" Demyx imitated holding a guitar and playing an intense solo.

"'Rock star' camp??" Axel cocked an eyebrow. It came as no surprise to him, although he'd never heard of such a camp nearby. Demyx always had been a self proclaimed rock star. Even in class that day, he had brought in his aqua blue electric guitar. Although he was self proclaimed, Axel had to admit it: Demyx had serious potential. His guitar playing skills were excellent, and he could read notes as well as tabs; But he scarcely played for Axel, and when Axel DID hear him it was while he had been jamming with his band.

"Got a chance to play alllll day ever day for a whole month!" Demyx winked. "And the parties were superb."

"Hmph. I wonder which you did more…party or practice." Axel muttered. Demyx shrugged.

"Hey, have you seen Larxene yet?" he asked his red headed (and tempered) friend. Axel groaned and rolled his eyes. Demyx had been crushing on Larxene ever since she arrived at Kingdom Hearts High. She was constantly shrouded in a seductive aura, bearing deep blue eyes and fine cut blonde hair. The girls' body was perfectly shaped. Her skin was a perfect peaches n' cream tone, and her cheeks were always a rosy pink. The only problem was…to put it frankly, she was quite possibly the biggest bitch ever to walk the halls of KH High. Despite all this, Demyx continued to crush on her as if blinded by his own affections.

"Stay away from her."

"Come on, she could have changed over the summer!" Demyx defended. Axel was somewhat happy with this reaction. It indicated that although his feelings continued, he was more or less aware of her…inappropriate behaviour.

"Changed??" Axel spat. "I heard she made a girl cry already within the first five minutes of her walking through the doors!"

"Well…"

"And no, that girl didn't have it coming." Axel shook his head, grumbling. He turned over to his books and muttered "I'm almost positive of that…"

"Yeah, but, maybe she still changed with…her feelings for me." Demyx wondered out loud. "Maybe she can tolerate me now." Axel glared at Demyx and pointed at him accusingly.

"You're the one who let her crush that box of chocolates you gave her last year on Valentines day, and with the locker door!" he growled, "You thought she would tolerate you then and now you're gonna set yourself up again!"

Demyx was silent. Axel turned back to his books in a huff. He knew that Demyx's thoughts remained constant. Axel could lecture and lecture and lecture; but it wouldn't change anything. Demyx was destined to be shot down once at least every month. Finally, after an awkward and uncomfortable silence, Demyx spoke up. "How's the Roxas thing…?"

Axel didn't turn away from his books. "What do you think…?"

"Yeah, well…" Demyx hesitated, "Maybe you should just get it over with and tell him."

"I can't!" Axel turned abruptly from his books. "You know why I can't do that! I've told you countless times! If I let Roxas know how I really feel, I'm fine with him not feeling the same way, but—"

"'He'll feel awkward and never talk to me again.'" Demyx finished off Axel's predictable sentence. Axel sighed, annoyed. "Sure. But you don't KNOW that! And if you don't tell him now, it might be even more awkward if someone else tells him first. Someone like, oh…say… Naminé???"

Axel grunted once more and waved his hand as if dismissing the possibility. "She's completely fallen for that Sora kid…I made sure of that."

Demyx's eyes widened and his brow formed into a frown. "Axel, what did you do?"

Axel let out a sheepish grinned and chuckled slightly. "Don't worry about it. I didn't do anything that wasn't going to happen already." He assured. Although Demyx wasn't put at ease, he shrugged it off nonetheless.

OOOOO

Math class was the most hated classes in highschool, Sora thought. If math class had manifested itself into a human being, the entire student body would immediately run to the occasion to beat the shit out of it. Of course, Sora wasn't terrible at the subject. Not that he was a genius or anything, but it didn't take him long to finish the work in front of him. He found this strange, considering the girl portraying everything he could ever want was sitting right beside him. Speaking of which, the object of his affections had just passed a note to him ever so discretely.

When Sora read the note, he was surprised it actually had a point to it. Most of the notes he and Kairi exchanged consisted of pointless jibber jabber to pass the time. This note actually had a question. 'Are you going to the welcoming dance?' Sora stared down at the note in his hands and his heart rose out of his chest. While he knew the chances were low, he couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if she asked him to go with her to the dance. It was one of those odd situations where you know the answer is absolutely one hundred percent opposite of what you're hoping for, yet you still hope.

Alas, after a few more note coming and goings, he discovered that her intentions were only to make sure he was attending "even though he didn't have a date". Ouch. That surprisingly hurt. Grin and bear it, he thought. Sora assured Kairi that being dateless never stopped him before, and he wasn't planning on letting it now. That ended the note. Is that all she wanted? Just to ask him that stupid little question? What happened to talking about nothing? Sora looked at the clock. Ten minutes left. Ten minutes of boredom in the absence of Kairi's jibber jabber. Sighing, he began to scratch at the dents of the desk with his pencil.

The bell rang. Sweet freedom. And yet another class with Kairi. He stood up, slinging his book back over his shoulder and walking the short distance to Kairi's desk. The two of them smiled and made their way towards the door. "Work on the first day." Kairi rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Yeah, really." Sora shrugged. "I doubt we'll have many laughs in that class." Sora mentally slapped himself. That statement had been followed by a nervous and nearly creepy laugh. Kairi hadn't responded to the giggle, and Sora prayed that it was only due to the loud chatting among the students walking the halls to the next period. "So, we have English now." He stated. Kairi was silent. "Kairi?"

Kairi looked as if she had just woken up, looking at her surroundings in a daze. "I'm sorry, what was that? I'm sorry, Sora, I've been thinking about what to wear to the dance." Sora did a little victory dance in his head. She hadn't heard the creepy nervous laugh that slipped out of his mouth. This was good. The less creepy Kairi saw Sora as, the more chance he had getting with her in the near future. He shook his head violently, dismissing his previous embarrassment. "It was nothing, I guess I was dazing off too."

Kairi gave a small and gentle smile, barely noticeable. "Thinking about what you're gonna wear at the dance?" she asked sympathetically. Sora was silent for a moment, looking down at his walking feet before nodding. Kairi let out a small giggle. "Sora, it's okay." She assured, "With or without a date, you're gonna have fun. And you can play the floor!"

"Yeah." He sighed heavily. "I guess so…" Through the corner of his eye, he witnessed Kairi flashing him a toothy grin. She grabbed onto his arm, causing his face to be washed over by a deep shade of red.

"Come on," she laughed, "let's go to English now."

OOOOO

Although the day seemed to drone on into eternity, lunch had finally arrived and the students flailed to the cafeteria, their stomachs shrunken and empty. Roxas stared down at his somewhat disgusting looking vegetable soup, stirring his spoon slowly but playfully. Beside him, Naminé was slowly munching on her sandwich, giving it the same apathetic stare. Roxas looked at her through the corner of his eye. He knew he should have asked her to the dance long before she had gone to talk to Sora, but surprise, surprise: he backed down. Now was his chance. They had the lunch table all to themselves (Axel was nowhere to be found), and what's more…they had nothing better to talk about!

Roxas put down the spoon, causing it to "clank" against the stiff bowl. He opened his mouth to speak to Naminé. "Roxas?!" Naminé said somewhat urgently, turning to Roxas (and causing him to jump back a little). Shit. She talked. Roxas watched as his plan sunk into oblivion.

"Y-yeah…?" Roxas asked nervously.

"I think I've done something bad!" she buried her head into her folded arms. Roxas, uncertain of how to treat the situation, shifted his eyes, cautiously patting Naminé's back.

"There..there…"

"I think I lied!" Naminé sighed. "And not a small lie…the kind of lie you can get hated for…"

Roxas cocked an eyebrow, curious to find out what exactly Naminé had gotten herself into. She wasn't the type to get into huge amounts of trouble, if any trouble at all. Fortunately for her, Roxas was there and NOT SORA. This was a great opportunity to show Naminé how much he cared about her. "Naminé…what did you lie about?" he asked softly, slowly rubbing her back.

"I can't tell…" Naminé sulked. "Because if I tell you, you might not know what exactly is the truth and what's a lie, and if you think more is the truth than the lie, you could be mislead, and then I'll have lied again!"

Roxas stared down at the blonde for a moment in utter confusion. What had she just said? Despite Naminé's confusing statement, he continued to pursue his goal. "Oh…" he started, "Well, is there anything I can—"

Naminé wiped her tear stained eyes, sniffing for a moment. "It's times like this when I wished Sora was here…he has such a nice way of talking…it's like I'm the only one who matters when I talk to him…" she set back down her head into her arms, unaware of Roxas' mouthing curse words upon hearing Sora's name.

"Yeah, that Sora…" Roxas gritted his teeth. "He sure is somethin'…"

----

A/N: K so I shorted this chapter compared to the other one. I know Namine is majorly out of character at the end of this XD but I'll work on that. I tried my hardest to capture Kairi's character, as I know she can be difficult to portray. Review and you get an A!