Author's Notes: Decided to test Reeve in high school situation, put him in my own shoes so to speak. Dedicated to Lemur-boy. Oh, this is A/U, mainly focusing on reincarnation. Yay.

Theme: Passing

Mistreated

Things had always been harder than needed, but he'd accepted that. The teasing had been common, but he could understand why. It was a classic kind of teasing. Males of an age would always look down upon those younger than them who proved to be intellectually superior. Reeve was one of these people. Whereas the other in his grade level, junior that is, ranged in age from 16 to those held back and already 18 or 19, Reeve was merely 13 years of age. Last year he'd been a freshman, bumped up from his previous station as a seventh grader. For some reason he'd made less of a target as someone two grades ahead than he was as someone three grades ahead. And since the word had gotten out this week that he was going to be considered a senior after the end of the grading period, thus meaning he was graduating this year, things had gotten bad…

Things had escalated. First it had been only words and mumbles as a freshman. Halfway through last year, when he'd officially been moved up to sophomore status, they had started to 'accidentally' bump into him in the hall and block him from his classes. When he became a junior the words were louder and the treatment rougher. Yet now that they knew…

He was glad that the school day was over, because they would all leave. Reeve remained in the boy's bathroom, holding the cold pack from his lunch bag over his lip. One of the senior football players had given him that lovely busted lip, yet Reeve didn't intend to thank him. The young teen looked himself over in the mirror about the sink. It was bad really, and his mom would be worried about how injured he was. With a sigh he picked up his book bag, sent on e last look at the weak kid reflected in the smudged mirror, and headed out of the bathroom.

He only covered half of the distance from the restroom to the door before he found himself accosted. A strong hand descended upon his shoulder. It squeezed him hard, and Reeve whimpered in pain.

" 'Bout time. We've been looking for you kid," the male, a senior named Emmanuel spoke.

Reeve could not help but to flinch. This was the guy and his friends who had beat him up this afternoon. Now he was alone with no hope of anyone finding him.

Before he could comment (which was probably good because he'd wind up saying something that got him in trouble) he was slammed against a locker. The first punch caught him off guard too, so it hurt a hundred times worse. The second and third, delivered in the same region of the stomach, made Reeve want to cry, but he refused them that victory.

"What is going on here?" a voice says at a point Reeve would count as halfway through the beating.

The seniors dropped him to the floor, startled. Emmanuel turned to regard the newly arrived tri. A smirk touched his lips.

"Putting a kid in his place Tseng."

Reeve groaned. The name was not promising. Tseng was the most popular and influential senior in the school, and he ran around with these two guys, Reno and Rude. The three were the school's most dangerous students for people like Reeve, and they only listened to one person, Vice Principal Veld.

"And why is that?" the red-haired Reno asked.

"He needs to learn his place," another senior said, one of Emmanuel's bunch.

"I think you need to learn yours," Tseng said. Before anyone could get over the shock the asian male had grabbed Emmanuel and slammed him into a locker away from Reeve. A few seconds later Reno and Rude were in a fight with the others of Emmanuel's group as Tseng mumbled some things in the ear of the incapacitated leader.

There was maybe another two minutes before Tseng released his prey and they let the group harassing Reeve to flee. Reno chuckled to himself and gave his two friends a thumbs up. Silently the asian sent the other two seniors off, leaving him alone with Reeve.

"Thanks, but I could have handled it," Reeve groaned as he stood. The older male helped the teen stand.

"You did handle it. We were just passing by as the guys left," Tseng said, his voice suggesting that he was not to be argued with.

Reeve nodded and looked up at the taller senior.

"Next time they give you trouble, make sure to pass by the Vice Principal's office. They won't follow you there."

Again Reeve nodded, still awed that the most popular male in school would do anything to help him.

"Come on Tseng, Veld's waiting," Reno called, already heading towards the office of the Vice Principal.

"Watch out for yourself kid," Tseng said before taking off after his friends.

And like that three of the most infamous killers of another lifetime passed in and out of Reeve's life once more, saving it for maybe the hundredth time over all, and the first time in this new world.