The pounding of the rain awoke you. It fell harshly, sounding like a far off applause in your ears as they returned to their senses—along with your other ones—and you sat up. You hadn't changed from your uniform, and looking at the clock, you saw that it was four thirty. Sighing, you got out of bed, shuffling to take a shower.
Coming back out at the accustomed five o'clock for school, you decided on wearing a plain dark gray shirt and sweats since neither of the boys seemed to be awake yet, leaving you to rest for just a little while longer. However, when you noticed that the rain had stopped, it was too quiet, and there still wasn't a knock at the door at almost five thirty when you finished with your hair and getting your backpack ready, you curiously exited the room and went downstairs in search of the twins.
To your surprise though, the two were sitting at the kitchen table, eating a meal that seemed to be dinner. You trudged down the stairs, catching their attention and noticing yourself that Kai's bottom lip was severely busted open; his top lip scarred and making it look like he had been sliced across the lips rather than punched. Kei stood swiftly, gazing at you with concern once your feet hit the kitchen floor.
"[Name]—"
You furrowed your eyebrows," It's almost six; why didn't you guys try waking me up to get ready for school?"
Kei shook his head," It's almost six in the evening."
"What!? I slept through the day!?"
"I had to take up your shift at the café," he nodded. "We tried waking you up princess—believe me, we even picked the lock of the door to get it open—but you wouldn't wake up. You seemed too tired as well, so we didn't want to force you either."
"Are you okay?" Kai asked with a mouthful of rice as you sat at the table, Kei getting you a bowl of rice and utensils
"I think you have it worse than I do," you sighed. "But yeah, I'm fine. Did I miss anything at school?"
"Not really," he shrugged. "I got called up to the principal's because some teacher was worried about my lip but I told them it was just a baseball accident. Kei has made enemies out of Axel, Zack, and kinda Rika and Demyx because of Chiyoko too. I also think Noa is on the verge of breaking."
"Breaking?"
"He sat alone at lunch today, despite our or anyone else's invitation for him to join a table," Kei said, sitting down and giving you the items he had gotten. "By the looks of it, I think he got in an argument at home with maybe Fai or Wasurete."
Sighing, you steadied your chopsticks and took a piece of meat from the platter in the center of the table. As you ate it, it got quiet again, until Kai spoke up with his signature grin. "How about I cheer you up?"
"I'm not in the mood," Kei rolled his eyes, picking at the chicken that lay on his rice.
"I wasn't talking to YOU," the younger twin huffed. "I was talking to [Name]! She could really use it. Like you always do, you can drown your sorrows in—"
"I think it's a good idea," the elder cleared his throat, silver eyes gazing at you. "You missed school, and you haven't been outside. Fresh air will do you some good, princess."
"Where will we be going?" you looked away from your food—which you were almost done with, eating it rather quickly—and towards Kai.
He hummed," Well...I know a few guys are meeting up to see a movie in about an hour; how about we join them? I was invited anyway."
"What movie?"
"Warm Bodies."
"Isn't that out in two months?" Kei scratched the back of his head. "Or is that the Earth standard?"
"Earth standard," Kai nodded. "Everything in this universe will be about two months prior for the most part. C'mon hyung—you know that."
"Yeah...I do," he sighed, continuing to pick at his food.
"I'll go get ready then," you announced, finishing your food and standing.
"Wait princess," Kei stood as well, making you turn to face him. "Your left eye is completely purple and it's slightly swollen. We need to cover that up, but using magic when you're still in ability recovery is harmful to you and um..."
"We don't have makeup either," Kai chuckled, pulling your hand so you now faced him. "Don't worry though, I think I can fix your hair so—"
"Oh, you are NOT cutting my hair," your hand flew to your head instinctively.
"I'm not cutting it off," the ravenette rolled his eyes. "I'll be trimming a few strands in the front—that's all. It'll give you bangs long enough to cup your face, but cover that...thing," he gestured to your eye.
You changed your sweats to denim skinny jeans and tucked your phone into your pocket, as well as fifty gil in the other. Then, entering the bathroom, Kai gladly began his work on your hair. It lasted only five minutes—the teen cutting exceptionally fast—but once it was finished, it came out just as he said: covering your left eye, but slightly cupping the rest of your face in sharp layers. The rest of your hair stayed at its same length, and for that, you were glad.
Slipping on your boots, glasses, and a black long sleeved shirt, you and Kai waved farewell to Kei, going into the garage. It had already gotten dark outside, so the option of walking to the theater was out. The ravenette jumped onto the motorcycle eagerly, leaving you to hold on for dear life as the passenger when he began speeding off the quiet residential street.
Kai parked on the lowest level of the parking structure by the theater which was a parking lot away from the mall in the distance—an edifice of white marble and colorful lights. The theater itself was made of smoothed out beige tile, and had large metal bordered, automatic sliding, glass doors. In front, the canopy that shielded customers from the possible rain was held up by high white, square columns. In red, the name of the theatre flashed in neon lighting on the side sign.
The teen you were with led you into the lobby when you reached, and it was a dark gray carpeted area, with a high ceiling and large circular lights. The cashiers stood behind tan bodied and black counter-topped booths—behind them, a significant amount of food machinery. To your left from the main entrance of the building, there were bathrooms, and off to the side from the cashiers, there was a red carpeted hall that led down the viewing areas for the movies where a man and woman stood, checking the tickets.
Once you were next in line, you got your ticket and a medium [flavor] smoothie for the movie. When you were about to pay for it though, Kai insisted he do it instead, and in addition ordered himself a drink, hotdog, and large popcorn. The woman who was the cashier you had gone to looked between the two of you curiously, especially when you playfully punched Kai's arm at a remark he had made about you and [B.O.C]. She got you your food, and as she gave the change back to the teen that paid, she finally spoke.
"You're that boy I met at the skate park the other day."
"Hm?" Kai cocked an eyebrow, his lips turning up into a somewhat apologetic smile. "Oh, you're call me maybe."
"That's all you remember?" the girl frowned. "I gave you my number, why didn't you call me?" Her eyes shifted to you," Is it because you already had a girlfriend?"
You choked on the smoothie you began drinking and shook your head," He's not my boyfriend."
"Sure doesn't look like it from what I'm seeing," she muttered. "You're pretty masochistic huh? Biting your man's lips like that," she jerked her head towards Kai.
You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose," Please don't provoke me. I've already had a bad start for the week. I don't want to have anyone end up in the hospital."
"Oh, are you trying to scare me off?" she scoffed, closing up her stand and coming around it, making you notice her three inch height gain on you. "I'll have you know that I'm one the daughter of one of Hollow Bastion's prestigious couples. This job is nothing but stupid community service for school, so if I were you, I'd watch your back."
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Kai chuckled bitterly, shoving his things into your arms as he turned to completely face the girl, pulling you behind him.
'Oh no,' you thought, sighing.
"Did you really just threaten her? Do you HAVE a death wish? So you're family's prestigious—bitch please, like I care! I heard on the news your dad's gonna be facing ten years in prison for tax evasion, theft, bribery, and a whole lotta other shit! So if you're going to come after her with some goons, you'll be in for a bloodbath—and even THAT is an understatement."
"Kai, let's go," you whispered, tugging on his arm. Taking the things from your hands, the ravenette nodded, and you followed him away from the speechless girl. You crossed your arms as you both were waiting in line for the man to check your tickets," I've never seen you act like that before."
The teen sighed," I hate when someone does something like that: pushing around people because of their social status. It reminds me of Kei-seok before, and he never said a word about it... You weren't going to either [Name]—you know why? Because you know she's virtually powerless against you. You would have just taken it and it...bothers me."
"So you hate bullies," you nodded," that's reasonable."
"It's actually pretty weird," he chuckled halfheartedly.
"Kai-seok, Amaya," a voice greeted in surprise.
You turned, immediately bowing," Ah, Tanimura-sensei!"
"How are you?" the brunette man smiled, showing his small dimples. "You were absent today."
"I just came down with a little something," you smiled, scratching the back of your head.
"Apparently she has a bad reaction with [least favorite food]," Kai nodded.
Once you gave the attendant your ticket, you found that Masayoshi was scheduled to see a different movie—Dark Skies—with a girl he had known for quite a while. Although you teased him about it being a date, he waved it off, telling you that he liked someone else. Then, as he parted with the two of you, you took a quick glance at the girl he was to meet, and by how attractive and immediately happy her features became when she saw him, it was evident they would be a good couple.
You walked with Kai to the end of the hall where there was a split in the red carpeting when you found the room for Warm Bodies. Standing in front of the door where the movie you had come to see was being shown, you spotted a group of boys—some of them familiar, and others not. They were loud, but as you both neared, they quieted down.
You recognized Vanitas, Demyx, Ven, Terra, and Zack within the group of boys. In addition to them, there was a blue eyed dirty blonde who looked similar to Demyx, a raven haired teen, and a shaggy, straight haired blonde. They greeted Kai easily, then turned to you curiously. As the boy who looked like Demyx was about to speak, the younger dragon beat him to it.
"No, she's not my girlfriend!" Kai rolled his eyes. "This is Amaya—she's a childhood friend of me and my brother."
"Name's Ace Luxord," the shaggy blonde smiled, hand outstretched—you shook it. "If the last name is familiar, Rould Luxord is my father."
"It's nice to meet you," you smiled back.
"That over there is Machina Kunagiri—he's in the same Wutian clan as Yuffie," Kai pointed at the raven haired boy who nodded curtly at you. "That's—"
"Jack," the dirty blonde winked. "I'm Demyx's older brother."
"Demyx has an older brother...?" you spoke the words slowly and skeptically. "Huh..."
"Hard to believe someone like ME is related to someone like HIM huh? I know," he chuckled, earning himself a glare from his brother. "If you're wondering though, I'm a senior. I decided to switch to the gifted school after messing with the regulars got kinda boring."
"Actually, he got caught and kicked out," Demyx corrected with a scoff.
"What about you two?" you gestured to the other boys.
"I was forced after Yuffie blabbed out my gift," Machina sighed.
"Dad made me," Ace shrugged. "I don't really mind."
"Can we go in now?" Zack asked irritably. "The movie already started."
"He's right, let's go," you nodded.
"Like he was talking to you," Ven hissed, following the ravenette in with Demyx.
"What the?" you frowned, gaze averting to the floor. "Great, just great."
"Ignore him," Terra sighed. "It's not worth ruining your day over."
"We're kinda caught up on gossip, so if you want, you can sit between us," Jack offered, gesturing to himself and Ace.
"Thank you," you smiled, trailing them into the room.
***
The two teens sat on the outside patio of the library, typing away on their laptops. One of their minds suddenly thought back to the unusual sight of Noa he saw during lunch, and with that, he sighed, running a hand through his hair as he leaned forward, hands keeping his bangs out of his eyes in exasperation.
"You know, this health project is due tomorrow," the boy across from him spoke. "We should get finished before it's too late."
"I know," the other nodded.
The first boy sighed," What's wrong?"
"...Don't you think it's a little odd that Zack, Axel, Rika, and Demyx suddenly dislike Kei since he apparently threatened [Name] yesterday? Not only that—Noa and [Name] fought as well. They always did, but never, EVER like this. Passing by Auron and Fai to lunch, I heard Wasurete got involved too, and he paid Kei a little visit after school."
"Wasurete is [Name]'s brother, and judging by his character, I'm sure he gave him a mouthful."
"I'd agree with you, however, there are two details I believe nobody else picked up."
"That is?"
"Kai's lips—did you notice them? They're completely busted; what if Wasurete mistook him for Kei and attacked him? We have both seen his temper firsthand—it's unstoppable."
"That's true, but Kei has that small scar under his right eye... But then again, Wasurete's temper..."
"The second detail: Amaya."
"What about her?" the first boy's eyes shifted to his friend.
"She wasn't here today."
"So? Neither was Hope."
"Amaya lives with the twins; what if Wasurete hurt her too?"
"He could have, huh?" he murmured. "Amaya was perfectly fine yesterday, and from what Rika told me, she has no family to discuss any matters with."
"Right," the second boy nodded. "But...Ryuushin and her...they became close rather quickly, don't you say?"
"Let's not jump to conclusions—we vowed to ourselves we wouldn't."
"I'll drop it for now, but if she's not back by tomorrow, something is definitely wrong."
***
"THAT was crap," Vanitas yawned, hands behind his head as the group exited the theatre room.
"I liked it," you shrugged, tossing away your empty cup. "It was cute—not to mention pretty funny."
"You're a girl—of course YOU liked it," Ven rolled his eyes.
"Stop giving her shit," the ravenette beside you spat. "I saw your eyes Strife—you were about to cry when you thought he died!"
"Oh you really wanna fight now!?" Ven whirled to face him. "C'mon then, let's go!"
"Break it up," Machina pushed the two away from one another. "That's no way to act in front of a lady."
"Amaya's not a lady!" Zack chuckled bitterly. "Are you freaking kidding me?"
"Please! You're not exactly a gentleman yourself either you gullible puppy!" Terra shoved his brother.
"You too!? Well—"
"Guys, let's not—"
"Shut up Demyx!" they yelled at once.
"Don't talk to him that way!" Jack growled. "He's trying to stop you two from picking a useless fight!"
"Yeah, why would you all hang out when you're so touchy towards one another?" Ace crossed his arms.
"I didn't count on HER," Zack pointed at you," being here! She's the reason—"
"Oh here we go—the puppy playing the victim—how unusual," Vanitas groaned sarcastically.
Kai sighed as several arguments erupted at once. Running a hand through his hair, he pulled Machina out of the way from being hit by Ven's arm that swung to gesture towards you. You, in return, were immediately annoyed, and on the verge of pulling your own hair out, you called for their attention as calmly as you could. When it didn't work after the third time, you couldn't handle it anymore.
"SILENCE!"
The boys all looked towards you, as did passerbys for the next movie screenings. You swallowed hard, unable to think clearly as you weighed your options on what to do next. Demyx opened his mouth to speak, but when nothing came out, he panicked—along with the other boys—in their lack of vocal sound.
"What the hell did you do to us!?" Zack mouthed angrily as he inched towards you.
Kai pushed him back from advancing, his voice also gone," Leave her alone—you brought it on yourself. If a power's emotions are high, their reaction can morph into a manifestation of their gift."
"Great, just great," Ven mouthed, crossing his arms.
"Do you even know what I said?" Kai frowned.
"What did you call me?" the blonde took a threatening step forward.
"How do I fix it Kai?" you asked, turning to him, frowning.
The ravenette smiled, hands on yours, mouthing the words," Say 'broken silence'. Say it strongly, okay?"
You nodded," Broken silence."
At this Kai smiled again, shaking his head," With intent--intent! Broken, silence!" he thrusted his palm to the ground, the other behind him.
Taking a quick breath, you swallowed momentarily, following his gesture, and speaking slightly louder," Broken silence!"
Following your words, a small ripple came from your palm--invisible, but noticeable, as if you were looking at a far off horizon in a heatwave. The distortion lasted a moment, everyone clearing their throats nervously.
The first to speak was Zack," You know what—"
"Don't worry I'm leaving!" you shook your head, cutting him off as you stormed off.
You furiously glared at the ground as you crossed the main lobby and exited the building. The sudden cool wind hit your face ferociously, and you shivered from the extra coolness you felt against your cheeks. Sighing angrily, you wiped your cheeks and blinked numerous times to stop the tears from falling more as you leaned against the railing of the handicap accessible ramp.
"Amaya!"
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Results: A New Boy? Or a Moment's Boy?
Ace
Wiping your eyes once again, you turned slowly, sniffling and forcing on a smile when seeing the blonde approach you. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, hand dropping to his side when seeing the expression on your face.
"I'm sorry," Ace murmured.
You furrowed your eyebrows," For what?"
"I should have said something back there," he sighed. "So much for a good first impression... Trust me though, I'm one to speak up about things like that. I only wasn't sure if it was in my place to. After all, I'm still a new guy."
"You didn't have to do anything," you shook your head. "I'm just...overly emotional."
"Don't say that," the blonde frowned. "They were picking on you—don't act like it's your fault you were crying, because it's not."
Strangely, you felt better, and as Ace sighed, leaning on the railing, you gazed at his features—the softly flowing blonde hair, the hard blue eyes... Catching yourself staring, you blushed madly, and whirled around in the other direction. Seeing your movement, the blonde cocked his head to the side.
"Are you okay Amaya?"
"F-Fine! What makes you think I'm not!?" you cleared your throat, voice suddenly high. "Um...Ace...thank you for at least worrying—coming to check on me," you smiled unsurely.
He smiled back," We're officially friends since we hung out and all, right? That's what I'm here for."
Jack
You stayed facing the plaza in front of the theater, clearing up your face as fast as you could. When Jack approached, and you still didn't turn, he whirled you around by your wrist, making you face him. His blue eyes were concerned, and as he wiped a stray tear of yours, you looked up at him.
"Are you alright?" the blonde whispered.
You nodded," Don't worry about me, I've just had a long day—it's nothing."
He chuckled lightly," When a girl says 'it's nothing', it's definitely something."
"Well then nothing I want to talk about," you made a face, making him chuckle once more. This time, you also let out a small giggle—his laughter being contagious.
"Getting better already?" he smiled brightly, suddenly making your heart jump. "Laughter IS the best medicine after all."
"I guess you're right," you nodded.
"I AM right," Jack corrected. "On another note though, I hope you can excuse Dem from his...behavior."
"Demyx didn't do anything though—it was mostly Axel and Zack."
"I know, but him following their lead in giving you the silent treatment earlier still counts."
"I don't mind," you shook your head. "It's just—"
"High school drama," you both said at once, chuckling once again.
Jack ran a hand through his hair, smiling at you as he leaned forward against the railing," Don't cry okay? If you do, I can cheer you right up—remember that!"
"I will," you nodded, smiling back.
Machina
"Hey," you faced the ravenette, sniffling.
"Why would they do something like this?" he frowned, fishing in his pocket before handing you a folded white Kleenex. "I thought they were nice guys."
"They are," you smiled slightly, nodding in thanks as you took it from him and wiped your eyes," but I just happen to get on their nerves a bit."
"Isn't that a bit of an understatement?" Machina sighed. "They seemed a bit more than just irritated by your presence."
"Well if it's my presence that—"
"No—just no," he shook his head. "Don't go off blaming yourself at all. Otherwise, it'll be like provoking a monkey: they won't know when to quit, getting pleasure out of your pain."
"That's...a weird, understandable example," you giggled lightly.
Smiling sheepishly, the ravenette's emerald gaze shifted to the floor as he scratched the back of his head," I'm...not great with words—sorry."
"Don't be. You tried—"
"And succeeded—"
"At cheering me up," you nodded. "If anything, I owe you a thanks. That, and an apology for ruining the whole hang out thing."
"You say that like I cared for coming today," he rolled his eyes. "If Yuffie hadn't forced me, I wouldn't have. But honestly, I'm glad I did. I'm glad to have been here to cheer you up—despite the...awkward analogy."
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"There you are!" You both turned to the two other boys you had met today—both of them slightly huffing and a little irritated by their countenances. "Why did you have to go and ditch us like that?"
"Amaya only needed one person cheering her up," [B.O.C] shrugged. "Besides, I lost you two in the crowd that came out from the Dark Skies entrance."
You smiled as the bickered childishly, noticing Kai exited the theater in search for you. Calling him over, he smiled at the trio as he approached," Thanks for keeping Amaya company guys."
"No problem," [B.O.C] shrugged. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."
"Bye guys!" you waved.
"You're in a good mood," Kai noted once you were far enough.
You smiled slightly," Today wasn't a total loss—I made a few friends."
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Zoom: The Proposal
The movie attendant glared at your and Kai's figures speaking with Masayoshi. Kai, she didn't have a problem with—he was innocent. But you, you were the reason that she couldn't get to him, the reason that he had snapped at her; and Masayoshi—a friend of yours—was the stupid detective she remembered cuffing her father before he was sent off to prison. A blonde teen chuckled, and she whirled to face him, eye twitching in annoyance. As she opened her mouth, he held up a hand, stopping her as his black eyes shifted to meet her gaze.
"Listen, I want to get back at her too," he jerked his head towards you. "You got beef with the detective right? How about we kill two birds with one stone and play a little game?"
"And why should I listen to you?" she sneered. "I don't need you! I have my own—"
"Darling, bodyguards won't work in a situation like this. I'm a professional, and trust me, you won't have to pay a cent. This is for my pleasure for the girl."
"...When do we start?"
He smirked," I'll give you the details over dinner."
Zoom: Behavioral Problems
"That's right, walk away!" Zack called after you.
"Yeah, run from your problems—see if we care!" Ven added.
"I think I'll go check up on her," [Result B.O.C] murmured, the other two boys following him.
Kai exhaled slowly," What...what's your guys' problem with Amaya? Don't you know how hard of a time she's been going through since she got here?"
"HARD TIME!?" Ven laughed. "Oh you're kidding right!? She's having it so easy! Guys hit on her, AND she has a boyfriend! On top of that, she doesn't live with any damn adults around. The only thing she should be worried about is [Name] beating her up!"
"First of all, you guys have a serious behavior problem," Kai crossed his arms. "Second, Kei is NOT—I repeat—NOT Amaya's boyfriend. She's having family issues and you're bullying her! Don't you know how hard that is!? Her own brother doesn't even recognize her! Let alone, is nice to her either! How would YOU KNOW the difficulty of that? You're NOT Amaya! You wouldn't!"
Demyx spoke after a long silence," Is that why she didn't come to school today?"
"She was sick, idiot," Kai spat harshly, surprising the blonde. "Besides, what do you care?"
"Where are you going?" Terra asked.
"Home," he called back. "I'll see you tomorrow."
P.O.V
Demyx
I wonder...if Amaya knows anything about what happened yesterday. She didn't look sick like Kai told me, earlier, and her hair looks different too... Jack warmed up to her easy though—maybe he'll know.
Terra
Zack has no right—NO RIGHT—to go and be a...a douche to Amaya like that! Just because you don't like someone doesn't mean you have to be a downright jackass—the same goes for Ven too! Geez...
Vanitas
If Strife wants to pick a fight he can damn well go ahead. I'm not going to stand for him being a jerk. Sure I'm an ass too, but at least I have SOME boundaries.
Ven
Someone please explain to me when Vanitas actually CARED to stand up for a girl other than [Name]—let alone Amaya out of all of them!
Zack
Kai really knows how to guilt trip someone... I should just shake it off—Amaya's just another girl who ended up being great in the beginning, then the total opposite after. Maybe it's just the guilt right now but...I feel kinda wrong being mean to her...
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Author's Note: Warm Bodies wasn't a terrible movie. It has it's own version of... teenage cheesiness. That being said, watch it! xD