The high pitched final bell rang through the school, signaling the end of the day. I get to look forward to going back to my dorm, eating, and going to sleep. The usual routine I adopted when I first came here. Of course you can add the constant ridicule and glares of fellow students as I walked through the halls. Usually Kazuya and I would hang out. What we did varied from absolutely nothing to the most random thing you could think of.

I gathered my books and walked out of my last class: English. As usual, Anthony was waiting for me after class. How he got there so fast every day is a mystery to me.

"Hey," his lips curved up into a cute, boyish smile.

"Hello," I replied. I walked to him and gave him a hug as best I could with books in my hand. I felt him laugh.

"You need a bigger backpack, miss," he smiled, taking the books from my hands. This happened every day, and every day I protested. It was bad enough I was ruining his social life by being his best friend; I didn't need people thinking he was my boyfriend.

"So, what's on the agenda today?" I asked him.

"I was thinking movies and popcorn in my room?"

"What movie?"

"Death Note. It just came out on DVD, so I bought it as a present to both of us."

I grinned, "I love that movie! I could watch it over and over and not get tired of it." We both laughed.

"That's why I bought it."

We took the path to the men's dorm and Kazuya held the door open for me.

"Quite the gentleman," I said as I walked in. He smiled.

Girls weren't allowed in the men's dorm, but I came here all the time. I never listened to the rules, so eventually they just gave up. Now everyone was used to seeing me here; even the teachers. Occasionally a teacher would try to get me to leave, and yell at us; it never worked.

While we walked through the lobby, I noticed the soda machine had gotten filled up again. I looked at Kazuya like a puppy dog, putting my hands up like a dog would when it begs. He laughed, "Alright, here, get me one too." He pulled out his wallet and gave me two $1 bills. I grinned and ran to the vending machine. I got a Mountain Dew and a Cherry Coke. There was a teacher standing by Kazuya when I got back. I rolled my eyes and handed Kaz the coke.

The teacher was Mr. Lanric; my 3rd hour poetry teacher. He was an average height, thin man with square glasses. He was garbed in his usual white button down shirt with a black tie and dress pants. Short brown hair barely covered his forehead. His eyes were a dull green.

"Kyoko, you know you aren't allowed in the men's dorm. Please leave." He said with a disapproving tone to his voice.

"Why?" I smirked.

"Teenage boys and girls cannot be together alone. They may make stupid decisions."

At first I was confused, but then I realized what he meant by 'stupid decisions.' "Do you seriously think we are going to do drugs and have sex?" I asked while laughing. "We are best friends, not a couple!" I was still laughing, but I got a brilliant idea. In a split second I had a seductive and mischievous look on my face. I walked to Kaz and wrapped my arms around him, leaning into him and putting one of my legs around his waist. Kaz knew what I was doing, so he played along and wrapped one of his arms around my waist, the other holding my leg up. The fact that I was wearing a skirt made the joke that much better.

"Of course, we could do that. I have had a rough week this week, and Kazuya is just so…mmm."

Mr. Lanric blushed and looked shocked and angry. I could feel it, but there was something else I could feel, and it disturbed me; he got aroused from this. That made me sick to my stomach. His voice was hoarse when he said, "Just be safe and go." I smiled and grabbed Kazuya's hand, walking towards the stairs leaving Mr. L there.

Once we were upstairs and in Kazuya's room, we both busted out laughing.

"That was great! We are pretty good actors," I winked and opened up my soda.

"Hell yeah," he said, putting the movie into his DVD player. "Turn off the lights please," he said. I nodded and walked over and turned off the lights.

The movie started to play and we lay down on his bed, a big bowl of popcorn between us. Before I knew it, the movie ended and we were watching Invader Zim on TV. My eyes drooped shut slowly, and before I knew it I was asleep.

I woke up to Kazuya lying next to me, looking at the alarm clock. "Kyoko, wake up; class starts soon." "Class can go to hell," I mumbled, rolling over and covering my head with a pillow. I was vaguely aware of him laughing, making the bed shake. "Nope, you're not failing this year. I'm not letting you." The covers were yanked from over my head, revealing a brightly lit room with a cool autumn breeze. He had the window open…great. Might as well get up; he won't leave me alone till I do… I thought, sighing. "Wait a second…" I said, "I'm in your room…" Kazuya laughed, "Yes you are, smart one." He touched her forehead with his pointer finger. "You fell asleep when we were watching TV, so I let you sleep. I picked up some clothes and your backpack from your room." The thought of him going through my clothes, including underwear and bra was extremely embarrassing; a slight blush crept to my cheeks. Why? He's my best friend; I've never felt uncomfortable with him about anything before; including this stuff. Why was I embarrassed now? "Uhm…thanks," I said, grabbing the clothes he handed to me. He picked my black skinny jeans and Avenged Sevenfold t-shirt. I guess he figured I'd just wear my old converse shoes and purple socks; he was right, I had no problem with that. It didn't take long before we were both ready and left for class. "Should I just leave my old clothes here for now?" I asked, stealing one of his cereal bars for a quick breakfast. "Yeah, that's fine. You can come get them after school." "Alright, let's go then. Another day of….well… just another day…" I sighed. Kazuya laughed and opened the door for me. We walked down the hallway and down the stairs to the lobby; Kazuya saying hi to people as we passed. Of course, I got glares from everyone; it was normal for me, so I ignored it. I opened the door and a cool breeze blew, making my hair go wild. The trees were shades of red, orange, and brown. The green grass had just been cut for one of the last times until spring and the scent permeated the air, making me smile. I hadn't realized I'd stopped till Kazuya was standing about ten feet ahead of me. "Kyoko, come on!" he shouted. I quickly caught up with him and we started walking again. "Sorry, I just love that smell." He smiled, "Its fine." He walked me to my first hour class, which was Art. "I'll see you in Poetry," he said, hugging me tightly before he walked away. Once he was gone I sighed and walked into my class. Not even a minute had passed before kids were throwing paper balls at me and just annoying me in general. It stopped when the teacher came and class started. Today we were starting a painting assignment. We had to paint whatever came to our minds, just paint what your heart told you too. There was no criterion other than that. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths. With my eyes closed I grabbed the paintbrush and started to paint. Without thinking or opening my eyes I painted. It was like I was in a trance; unaware of everything going on around me, only vaguely aware of the paintbrush moving smoothly and swiftly along the canvas. I set the brush down just before the bell rang and opened my eyes, staring in disbelief. What I had painted was a boy wearing a dark red shirt with sleeves that stopped at his elbows and black pants. He had stitches on both of his forearms and he was biting a knife. His black hair was a little longer than normal, spiky, and came down to his nose. He had hypnotizing red eyes and a tattoo on his left cheek. Why did I paint this? I have no idea who it is or what it means…he looks so familiar though… "Kyoko! Get going, I'm not writing you a pass to your next class!" My teacher's shouts broke me from my thoughts. "Yeah yeah, I know." I muttered, grabbing my stuff and walking out. Kazuya was waiting in his usual spot; across from the door, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, one ankle crossed over the other. I walked up to him silently and poked his cheek, "Wake up sleepy head, we have to read our poems next hour." He opened one eye to peek at me, "Did you actually do your homework this time?" I laughed, "Of course. How could I not, with you standing over me yelling at me to do it all the time?" He grinned and patted my head twice. We had second hour together. It was Poetry with Mr. Lanric. As we got closer to class, Kazuya turned to me and grinned, "How much you wanna bet Mr. L thought we actually did have sex or something?" I couldn't help but laugh, "A soda from the vending machine?" "Deal." He said, shaking my hand. The bell rang again, signaling the beginning of the next class, but no one was in their seats yet. Teachers almost never arrived on time. It was almost three minutes into class before Mr. L walked in. "Pull out your poems, class!" He said, sitting in his desk. Everyone rushed to their seats and pulled their peoms out. I was not looking forward to this; I hated getting up in front of people and talking. "Who wants to go first?" Mr. L asked, immediately staring at me. Normally, I would get angry, but this time I got unconfortable. The look in his eyes was creepy, perverted. "How about you, Kyoko?" I rolled my eyes but smiled sweetly, "Of course." I slowly walked up the aisles, to the front of the classroom and closed my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before beginning: Don't do things for old times' sake, you cannot raise the dead. You're never going to get it back, or change things you have said. If the past was good then feel it quick and let it go. If it was bad, you'll make it worse so leave it left alone. Memories are building blocks you're made of nothing more. No matter if they're painful, or the ones that you adore. You grow with every passing summer's heat and winter's cold. Don't think too much, don't analyze, DO NOT F WITH YOUR SOuL! I looked up at the class when I was done reading. Kazuya was smiling, giving me thumbs up, Mr. L was looking at me, but his eyes were down, I didn't even want to think what he was looking at…and the rest of the class clapped. Thank god that's over, I thought as I walked back to my seat. As more kids got up and read their poems, I zoned out, waiting for the bell to ring so we could leave. Mr. L kept his eyes on me almost the whole time and it was starting to creep me out. I guess I forgot something, I'm not normal. I have the gift of magic. I sometimes have visions of the future and I'm great with emotion. The moment I walk into a room I can feel everything that everyone is feeling. It gets annoying sometimes, but it also comes in handy. I don't know much about my past or my family, but I know that magic runs in my blood. Perhaps I'll explain more later… Kazuya walked up to the front of the class and smiled sadly. He looked at me for a long moment and then looked away, at his paper. When he began reading, his voice was filled with a deep emotion. I could feel mixed things coming from him: love, sadness, honesty. All were painful emotions for me, so I shut it out. His voice rang like velvet; deep and smooth and perfect. "Sitting in the dark tonight alone in my corner of the world I can't see the light I want to be your guy Or do I? I don't know... I really have no clue I feel like I have nowhere to go Because I'm so in love with you Miles separate us And so I thought I didn't have to yearn I thought I could escape the lust God, I have so much to learn I've been living a lie I wish I was yours, still I pretended I haven't wished that, by and by But in my heart I know I always will I can't come out and tell How I dream about you every night My life seems like a living hell Because without you it isn't right I want to just call you mine And let you hold me close But I've got to give this time I want your love the most You seem so angry sometimes And I wish I could kiss it away But to my morals that would be a crime Yet I wish it every day It seems like you are so distant I want to tell you how I feel But it's impossible, I can't You wouldn't take me for real So I sit here in the dark Quiet but screaming inside On my heart you've left your mark My heart backs down to my pride Someday I'll let you know That I hold this secret within But now I'll let our friendship grow Then with that we can begin Tonight I'll simply dream That you are mine to be I'll smile at us as a team Then wake to reality Where nothing is going well Where I'm lonely without you I caught you when you fell Now I fall... what do you do?"

The bell to 2nd hour rang and I grabbed my stuff to walk with Kazuya to my next class. "I liked that poem you wrote, it was very beautiful," I said, feeling slightly tense.

He half smiled and glanced at me but then looked back forward and walked a little faster than his usual pace. "Thanks, I wrote it about someone I know." As he said that, the feelings became stronger. A wave of frustration and love washed over me, making me grab his arm and pull him to the side of the hall.

"Kaz, are you alright? Something's wrong…" I looked him straight in the eyes.

He scowled at me. "What would you care? You just don't want to feel those emotions anymore. Isn't it such a curse to be able to have powers like you?"

Surprise coated my face. "Kazuya, what's wrong?"

"It doesn't matter. Nothing you and your stupid powers can do about it. You're just a freak aren't you? How does it feel to be an outcast? You don't even feel anything, do you?" his words stung. He was the one person I thought would never treat me this way, and here he was, lashing out.

I dropped all my things in surprise. Tears started to form in my eyes, but I failed to keep them there when they spilled out and rolled down my cheeks. Ignoring my dropped books and backpack, I turned around and ran away.

Teachers shouted at me to stop running and students tried to trip me and yelled at me. I didn't hear any of it; all I heard was Kazuya's words replay over and over in my head. Eventually I stopped and leaned against the wall, letting my tears lose as the betrayal set in. I'm not sure how long had passed till I heard something I didn't want to hear right now…

"Look, vampire girl is crying. What happened? Did someone refuse to drink your blood?" The boy's voice was mocking. I didn't even need to look up to see who it was; I already knew. It was Aki, an honor student in 12th grade. Of course he had his little minions with him; I could hear their footsteps.

"Leave me alone, Aki, just do this some other time." I said. My voice shook, which didn't help.

"Don't be so disrespectful to me. I'm your superior."

"Maybe in age, but not brains," I said, glad my sarcasm didn't disappear yet.

He grabbed my hands and held them together by the wrists, pulling me up to stand straight. Slamming me against the wall, he held my hands above my head. "You want to say that again, you little freak?"

"Alright, but I'll make it so you can understand. You. Are. A. Moron. There, was it comprehendible that time?" I smirked. I was not going to let them win by having me break down. I'll just wait till I'm alone to do that. Rage flew at me and I knew he was fuming.

"Haru, hold her wrists. Dai, hold her ankles." He commanded. The two other boys did as they were told and held me there. Their grip was strong, and I couldn't move. Great… I thought, This isn't going to go well…

Aki brought his fist back and punched my stomach with amazing strength. He repeated that until I was coughing up blood. Of course, he made that my fault.

"Don't bleed on me, scum!" he shouted, punching my face. The force caused my nose to start bleeding and I could feel a long gash across my cheekbone. I sat there and let them have their way with me until they finally started to laugh and let me go. My body fell limp on the ground.

"Maybe you should think before opening your mouth again, vampire girl." Aki laughed as him and his posse walked away.

"At least it's over…" I mumbled weakly to myself. I heard more footsteps. This time, I opened my eyes a little to see who it was. Great, it's Kazuya…

"Kyoko!" he shouted, running up to me. I stumbled to my feet, holding my stomach while my other hand was holding the wall for support.

"Get away from me." It came out harsher than I had intended, but whatever; he hurt me.

"What happened?" he asked, reaching out to touch my arm. I slapped his hand away.

"Why would you care? I'm just a freak, remember?" I finally looked up at him. He frowned, and a wave of sorrow sneaked to me.

"Kyoko, look at you. You look horrible. Let's talk about this in my room, after you've rested and been taken care of."

"I…don't want…to go anywhere…with…you…" I panted, starting to lose consciousness. Still holding my stomach, I slipped to the ground and fell back against the wall. I heard Kazuya sigh and was vaguely aware of him putting one arm around my shoulders and the other under my knees; picking me up.

A damp warm feeling on my cheeks made me wake up. I was crying. I didn't want to open my eyes but something felt different. There was an air of overwhelming sorrow corrupting my senses. A groan escaped my mouth as I sat up, noticing for the first time how sore I actually was. I glanced around the room; it wasn't mine, it was Kazuya's. I could tell by the dark blue electric guitar leaning against the dark green wall. There was a hole above it that wasn't there before. He must have gotten mad again… I thought, standing up. This was the last place I wanted to be right now. The moment I stood up I was overcome by dizziness and I had to grip the wall to stay standing. I lifted up my shirt to reveal my stomach; it as wrapped in a bandage, and the parts that weren't were covered with dark black and blue bruises. I sighed, putting my shirt down again. "Kyoko?" I heard the painfully familiar voice say. "S**t," I mumbled, looking over to see him sitting in his computer chair. He was listening to Change the world by Finger Eleven. His eyes looked red and tired, as if he hadn't gotten any sleep. But they were also a little damp. Was he crying? No, I don't care…I don't care… "You shouldn't be moving yet, you're going to hurt yourself even more," he said softly, standing up and taking a step toward me. "No! Leave me alone, I'm going back to my dorm." I hissed through clenched teeth. Another dizzy spell washed over me and I fell back against the wall, struggling to stay standing. "Kyoko, please; just listen to me." "Why? So you can call me a freak again? How could you do that?" tears began to form in my eyes. He walked towards me and when he got closer I tried to move away but he put his hands on each side of my head, blocking my path. I looked at the ground, not wanting him to see me cry. "Kyo, I'm sorry…" he whispered, "Please, give me another chance…" "No! Why should I? You were the one person I thought would never say things like that! I trusted you! I guess that was my first mistake…How could betray me like that? Because of you Aki and his little puppets-" His lips crushed against mine passionately, interrupting my rant. My eyes widened and he wrapped his arms around me gently. In his embrace, the feeling of pure love was overwhelming. My cold heart softened and I melted into his arms. He pulled away and looked at me, still keeping me close to him. "I'm sorry Kyoko, I was frustrated. I didn't realize what I had said until I saw you running away. You know I love you. You've got to with that little gift of yours. Please, forgive me." It seemed as if all my anger had washed away. All those years, I could feel everything he felt; why did I ignore it? Without giving my body permission, I began to cry, letting lose all the tears I've hidden throughout the years. Each sob sent a wave of pain through my body, causing me to cough. Kazuya caressed my cheek and sat down on his bed, pulling me into his lap and hugging me close. Once I had calmed down, I sat there in his arms, not wanting to move. He picked me up and laid me on his bed, pulling the blankets over me. The urge to sleep was strong; I was barely aware of him lying down next to me. Within moments, the darkness of sleep covered me. Kazuya waited a few minutes to be sure that I was asleep, and then he slowly stood up, careful not to wake me. The sweet, caring look in his eyes had turned to pure hatred and rage. He grabbed his coat and opened the door, shutting it as quietly as he could. "Aki, you're dead." He growled, storming down the halls.

~~~~~~Kazuya~~~~~~ I was seething with rage as I quickly walked down the hall. Aki was a dead man. No one touches Kyoko without paying for it. I was looking forward to this. Aki had done many things to more people than Kyoko, and now he had went too far. He was about to get his punishment. The cool evening wind blew softly, making my hair sway. The sun was just beginning to set in the sky. I followed my instincts and smirked when I was right. Aki and his puppets were playing cards at one of the picnic tables by the basketball court. "Hey Aki, look, it's Kyoko's freaky mate," laughed Haru as I approached. Aki turned around and grinned, standing up. "What do you want, freak?" "Revenge," was all I said. He laughed. "And how do you expect to get that? You couldn't beat up a fly." Him and his whole group of morons busted out laughing. I smirked; clearly they underestimated me. "Wanna bet? 100 bucks I can beat the sh*t out of you and your whole gang. I'll even let you get first punch." Aki smirked, "A foolish gambler, huh? Alright, you got a bet. I hope you like hospital beds, 'cause you're going to be in one for a long time." All I did was laugh. The look in his eyes was anger. Good, it's more fun when they're angry. He pulled back his fist and took the first shot. He almost fell over when I easily dodged and smacked the back of his head. "You little punk!" he shouted. "What's wrong? Am I not as weak as you thought?" I grinned cynically. Aki stood up straight, scowling. "Lucky shot, punk." "Oh really? Than why not try again?" My voice was mocking and cold. I spread my arms out, welcoming his attack. Aki made an attempt at a growl and tried another time to hit me, but this time I grabbed his fist and pulled him closer to me as my other fist shot out. I hit my mark and he staggered back. I had hit him directly in his face. Blood trickled from his nose and I laughed again. The look in my eyes wasn't normal, it was thirsty. For their blood and pain. "Alright, enough messing around. Haru, Dai, let's go! Don't hold back on this bastard!" Aki shouted angrily. He had let go of his nose and glared at me. I laughed again, but it didn't sound like me. "Bring it. I'll show you just how weak I am." My voice rang colder than the breeze. Dai came at me from the left and Haru came at me from the right. Aki had disappeared. I cracked me neck and grinned wickedly. The two boys charged at top speed, ready to attack. When their fists were within an inch from my face, I jumped up high into the air, doing a back flip and watching them hit each other. "Haven't you ever seen the movies?" I pretended to sigh in disappointment. They scowled and stood up. A twig cracked behind me and I sighed. "Aki, you should work on sneaking up on people, you're not very good at it." I dodged his attack easily, hitting him smack in his stomach. He coughed and doubled over. After a few moments he stood up. To my surprise, his little puppets had managed to sneak up on me. They grabbed me. I smirked. "Alright Aki, let out a little steam. Bet you hit like a little girl." My plan had worked; that only made him angrier. Perfect. I figured that he could have his way with me for a little while, and then I would unleash my full strength on them. As I thought he would, he punched and kicked me as hard as he could. "Gotta give you props, Aki; you're stronger than you look." I said. He grinned angrily and only made his moves quicker. I had a sore stomach, and a bunch of gashes on my face and chest. Stop toying with your prey, Kazuya. Just get it over with. A voice in the back of my head said. It was a voice I heard only a few times in my lifetime. It sounded like a boy around my age. I sighed. "Alright, playtime's over kitties." I easily broke Haru and Dai's grasp and dodged Aki. I picked him up by his throat and threw him against the nearest tree. The other two stared wide-eyed. "What's wrong? Scared that someone can actually stand up to you?" Get it over with, you stupid boy. I listened to the voice and walked slowly towards the two boys. Dai gained some courage and ran at me. I brought up my leg and kicked him in his lower stomach, making him cough up blood. One clean punch to his temple and he was out cold with a concussion. Haru's gulp was audible as I approached. He seemed to be calculating whether he was better off fighting back or running away. Before he could make up his mind I was behind him, putting him in a choke hold. Don't kill him, you idiot. I had to fight off the strong urge to tell that voice to shut the fuck up. I let him go and he brought his arm around to try and punch me, but I easily grabbed it and snapped it. He screamed in pain and clutched his broken arm. I brought my hand down quickly and knocked him out. "I'll leave you for the school to find." I laughed then walked over to Aki, who was getting up. I grabbed his arms and stood behind him so he couldn't move or get up from the ground. "Never underestimate me, freak. And keep away from Kyoko, or you will have a worse punishment than your friends." I said, getting off of him and walked away. Good job, now get back to Kyo. "Alright, who the fuck are you?" I asked the voice out loud. You don't need to know. "Oh yeah? It's my mind. Now tell me who the hell you are." I heard the voice sigh. I'm surprised you didn't think you were insane. Very well, my name is Alexander. "Ok, now why are you in my head?" I said, annoyance in my voice. In time, Kazuya. Be patient. I sighed in annoyance and opened the door to the dorm. I walked back to my room and opened the door. Kyoko was still asleep. I went in the bathroom and started the shower. I had to clean up before Kyoko saw me like this.

~~~~~~Kyoko~~~~~~

The irritating alarm clock buzzed, waking me up. It only went on for a little while before I smacked the snooze button. Looking around, I noticed Kazuya wasn't in the room anymore, but the bathroom door was closed and the shower was running. A soft sigh escaped my lips and I stood up. I didn't have any clothes to change into because it was Kazuya's room, and we had class in a half hour. I had two options: wear what I had on yesterday, or steal some of Kaz's clothes. I went with option two.

His dresser was fairly organized, so it was easy to find something to wear. I chose his 7 Fatal Mistakes t-shirt and some shorts. Of course I needed my belt; his clothes were baggy on me. I looked around his room, gazing at each tiny random thing. I was scarcely aware of the sound of the water stopping and moments after the door opening. I didn't bother turning around; I already knew it was Kazuya. My eyes were fixed on a 7 Fatal Mistakes poster, zoning out slightly.

"You should ask before you take someone else's clothes." My favorite voice said from behind. I turned and smiled innocently.

"I figured the owner wouldn't mind. Besides, I have no clothes here and there's no time to go back to my dorm and get some clean things." I turned to look at him and gasped. His torso was covered with cuts and bruises. There was a long gash across his nose and one going down his cheek and he had a black eye. "What happened?"

He sighed, "I had a run in with Aki."

"Oh my god! Are you alright? What did he do to you? I'm going to kill him!" I stomped to the door, but Kazuya grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Relax, there's no need to worry; I took care of it. I don't think he will be bothering you again, at least for a long time." He smiled confidently. I looked at him for a long moment, debating whether or not to ask him more about it. I sighed and decided against it.

"Well I guess we had better get going then. Don't wanna be late." I picked my messenger bag up and then turned to him again. He laughed.

"You actually want to get to school on time without me bugging you? Who are you and what have you done with the real Kyoko?"

I laughed, "Oh shut up. Let's just go." A grin spread across his face as he grabbed his keys and backpack and we walked out of the dorm. Luckily today the teachers didn't bother us as we walked outside.

The morning was crisp and clear, but it was getting colder and colder each day. The sun had raised just enough to be annoying on my eyes. The wind was just starting to pick up. The sky had few clouds corrupting the purity of the flawless orphan blue and the trees had lost all of their leaves except for a few and the pine trees. Other students passed without glancing at us; a few said hi to Kazuya but most just passed by.

I saw Aki with a few of his friends talking outside of the school. When me and Kaz walked by, the two of them exchanged a long glance. One of Aki's friends smiled at me, "Hey, freak, want to have some fun?"

Kazuya and Aki shared another look and then Aki turned to his friend. "Enough." The boy reluctantly backed down after a glaring contest with Aki and we walked away. We still had five minutes until class; it was just enough time to get to our classes. As usual, Kazuya walked me to my class.

My first class was Art II, a follow-up of Art I. We stopped in front of the door and he gave me a big hug.

"I'll see you in Poetry. Try not to get into too much trouble."

I laughed, "Easier said than done." He smiled and walked away. The bell rang just as I got to my seat. The teacher, Maeko Toki, stood in front of the class.

"Alright everyone, just one announcement before you can work on your paintings! Tomorrow we will be getting a new student, so I expect you to all be on your best behavior and make him feel welcome." The class nodded and then got to work chatting and finishing their paintings. I stood up and walked over to Maeko.

"I finished my painting already. What should I do now?"

She smiled, "Go ahead and paint whatever you want." I nodded and walked back to my seat. The first thing that came to my head was a graveyard at sunset, with bats flying in the sky.

I had just gotten an outline in light pencil on the canvas when the bell rang, signaling the end of my favorite class. I gathered my things and left the classroom, meeting Kaz in the hall.

"Hey, did you hear about the new student?" I skipped up to him.

"I heard someone talking about it. I guess there's someone coming tomorrow." He hugged me and then looked at me. "You're a little happy today." An eyebrow raised in suspicion. I shrugged and we walked to our next class; Poetry.

The halls were fairly peaceful today. Everyone was so caught up in gossip about the new kid that they didn't pay attention to me. Though I wasn't looking forward to seeing Mr. L, I was looking forward to poetry. Writing poetry was easy for me, so I was able to spend most of the class time talking and doodling.

We got to our seats and Mr. L stood in front of the class. "Alright everyone, today we start a new assignment. Write a poem about your favorite season and what you like about it or why it's your favorite season." As he talked, he passed out the rubric. Within seconds of sitting down in his chair and turning on his laptop, everyone stood up and walked to their friends. Kaz came over and sat in the desk next to me.

"You'd better do this assignment." He said like a father. I giggled.

"Yeah, yeah, alright dad. I'll get it done." The rest of the day passed by quickly. I have no idea why, but time just wouldn't stop. After school, I picked up my things from Kazuya's room and went back to my dorm. I figured I would do my own thing tonight instead of hang out with Kaz. Ayame would be coming over tomorrow night anyway, so I had to get my homework done.

I had turned on my ipod and started my homework. Before I knew it, everything was done and it was 9:00 pm. "Wouldn't Kazuya be proud." I said sarcastically as I stood up. I walked over to my dresser and changed into a black tank top and black fuzzy pajama pants with skulls and roses on them. I turned off the light to my gothic room and climbed into bed. I was actually a little excited for tomorrow; I wanted to see the new student. I wonder if he would be a rich snob like everyone else here but me…. It wasn't long before I had fallen asleep.

At 7:00 in the morning my alarm clock shrieked. I set it for 6 every morning because I usually hit the snooze button for at least an hour. This time, I decided to get up, though I wasn't happy about it. My hair was a mess, but I didn't want to take a shower; I took one last night. So I just threw it up in a ponytail and put on a spaghetti strap tank top that had 7 Fatal Mistakes across the chest. I dug through my dresser and found a black pleated mini skirt. I slipped on some thigh-high lace leggings and my high top converse. All that was left to do now was put on my make-up, and I had plenty of time.

I had finished my make-up with enough time to actually eat something this morning. I had only done some eyeliner that curved up into a point, like a cat's eye. Some mascara and black eye shadow and lipstick complimented me perfectly. I packed up all my books and went through my fridge. I grabbed a breakfast bar and headed out the door.

Kazuya caught me at the front door in a hug. I smiled and hugged him back.

"I'm actually excited to see the new kid, even though he might be a total wreck like Aki." I laughed. Kaz smirked.

"Let's hope he's not. Now let's go; though you did get here on time, you still didn't leave any time to chat." He held the door open for me.

"Always the gentlemen, aren't you?" I smirked and walked in. We walked to my first hour class and said goodbye. Everyone was already in their seats when I walked in, so I sat in mine silently. The room felt anxious. It must be the new kid, I thought. When the bell rang, Maeko stood in front of the class.

"Class, please welcome your new classmate." She said. As she said this, the new boy walked in. Everyone gasped as if they had seen something terrifying. I beamed brightly.

He was tall; maybe 6'2" and he had skin as pale as mine. His eyes were a dark, bloody red and his midnight black hair was long and spiked up. He was wearing a black zip up hoodie with white stripes down the arms and studded black skinny jeans tucked into combat boots. He was muscular, but still thin. By every definition, this boy was sexy.

"I am Kiyoshi Minori." He said to the class. Something must be blocking my powers, because I wasn't getting any sort of feeling from him.

"Kiyoshi, you can take the seat next to Kyoko." Maeko directed, pointing to the only empty seat in the class. I tried to not look at him when he sat down next to me.

"Konichiwa. Anata no o namae wa nani desu ka?" *Note 1*

"Youkoso irasshai mashita. Watashi no namae wa Kyoko." Was my simple reply.

"Hajimemashite."

I turned to look at him, "Doko no shusshin desu ka?"

"Watashi wa Amerika. Anata wa eigo?" He asked curiously.

"Hai."

"Good. Most people here don't know English. My, aren't you a cute one?" He smiled charmingly. I blushed. "So, what are we doing?"

"Well, our assignment is to paint whatever we want. Whatever comes to our hearts is what we paint. I already finished mine, so she told me to just do whatever I want until everyone else is done." While I was talking, I was painting the ground and the gravestones.

"I see. Mind if I borrow a brush?" I glanced at him, there were plenty of brushes, but I handed him one of mine anyway. "Arigato, Kyo-kun."

For the rest of the class period, his eyes stayed glued to me and my painting. I felt a little awkward, but also happy. I wasn't used to this kind of attention from any sort of guy except Kazuya.

"Mind walking me to my next class?" he asked, putting the unused paintbrush back.

"What class do you have?" I saw him pull out his schedule. When I saw it my mouth dropped a little in shock. We had all of the same classes except for one. The only class that was different was our second hour. I had poetry and he had wars.

"Uhm…wow. We have the same schedule except for wars. Yeah, I guess I can walk you to your class."

Kazuya was waiting for me in the halls, as usual. I hugged him and then smiled. "Kaz, this is Kiyoshi. He's the new student."

Kazuya looked at Kiyoshi with distaste. It was as if someone was telling him to dislike this new boy. After a long stare, Kazuya finally said, "Hello Kiyoshi."

A smirk was playing on Kiyoshi's lips; his eyes had a gleam. The two boys stared at each other; Kazuya looked as if he wanted to say something, but he probably didn't because I was there.

"Kyoko will be walking me to my next class. She's a very sweet girl, helping the freakish new student and all." To normal ears Kiyoshi would have sounded innocent, but because of my experience in observing people, I could hear the hint of teasing that was barely noticeable. The moment he said that, Kazuya tensed.

"Kyoko, stay away from him." He said, glaring at Kiyoshi.

"Why? He's harmless."

"Just stay away from him." He commanded. I scowled. Kazuya knew how much I hated being bossed around.

"I'll be fine, Kaz. Come on, Kiyoshi. Let's go." I grabbed Kiyoshi's hand and led him away. He glanced back at Kazuya with a cocky grin, as if he'd won. While we walked through the halls, I was still angry about Kaz trying to boss me around. I was so lost in thought that I hadn't even noticed Kiyoshi was still holding my hand and people were staring.

"You seem upset," Kiyoshi said, breaking me from my own little world.

"Oh, uh, yeah I am."

"Why?"

"I hate being bossed around. It makes my blood boil."

"I see. So when Kazuya told you to listen you got mad." It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

"Hm…" he seemed to be in thought. We approached the door to his classroom. The halls were starting to clear out.

"Here we are. This is the Wars classroom." I stopped in front of the door.

"Arigato. So, Kyoko-kun. What are you doing tomorrow night?"

I looked at him, confusion clear on my face. "Nothing that I know of."

"How about you spend it with me? We could go to town."

"Like a date?" I tried to fight a blush.

"Yeah, like a date." His smile was scintillating.

"A-alright." I've never been asked out on a date before. Especially not by a hot gothic angel.

"Alright then. I'll pick you up tomorrow night at 8." He leaned down and kissed my cheek. Before I could react he was inside the classroom. I could no longer fight the blush, and it turned my cheeks cherry red.