(AN)-- Oh my. Talk about late updates. Shakes head. I think my muse is dead, along with my fizzed-out brain. Anyway, I'm considering some fluffy-yaoi somewhere in this story. It's an idea-in-progress but I think it will happen. Oh! Who to pick, who to pick… at any rate, sorry for the short chapter. The next one should be longer – hopefully by then my muse will kick in.

`p a n d o r a

s c h o o l b l u e s

ix. day two

"Absolutely not!"

Tifa sighed with hopelessness as she pulled on her shoes and jacket, occasionally looking at her bathroom door (with Yuffie right behind it) with a light tusking sound escaping her lips.

"Oh come on, Yuffie. It's spring, it's warm, and it's the right time to be wearing something like that! And," she added, "lavender is you."

"Skin, Tifa! Too much skin!" She wailed.

"It's not too much skin. It's what teens today would definitely call 'sexy.' Look at it this way, maybe you'll get a gaping mouth from Nanaki."

"That's positively disgusting! Nanaki and I are just friends. We don't look at each other that way."

Tifa laughed. "I'm sure you don't. But he is a male and males have hormones. So, Miss Kisaragi, if you don't drag your cute butt out of that bathroom then I'll have Reno carry you out of that bathroom. And, might I add, his hands tend to roam-

"Okay, okay, I'm out!"

The bathroom door flew open and out stomped an irate Yuffie, cheeks flushed rosily, hair slightly disheveled. The older girl shook her head, disapproving of her friend's appearance.

"We'll have to do something about that hair."

"You messed with it yesterday, you will not today!" She flailed her arms madly about her, apparently a little melodramatic over her situation. She pulled on her matching sandals and ran out the bedroom.

*

The black convertible slowed down at the back of the school and stopped, the driver turning off the engine and staring out at the expanse of blue cloudless skies. The young woman next to him touched his hand softly, expecting some sort of reaction, whether it was rage or her favourite – a look of pure affection. This whole predicament was wrong, she knew that much. But, it wasn't her fault. She didn't know. However, among the school of Northern Sphere this was blatant betrayal. Her usual mocking eyes of ocean-blue were soft and loving now, staring at the man beside her. He looked at her, eyes glowing with mixed emotions. She sensed a former love in those eyes; she could never compete. So, she slipped out of his car, picked up her bag of books and walked into the building, disappearing from his sight.

He rubbed his forehead with skillful fingers before starting the engine once more. This was wrong - very, very wrong. How did he get himself into this mess?

*

Time to be your other self, Miss Monthaven, she said to herself.

She straightened her shoulders and fixed her expression to a look of pure confidence and beauty and continued to saunter down the hall of lockers where she met up with her best friend and confidante, Aeris Gainsborough.

"Welcome back, Scarlet!" She greeted. "You know, you look different. Vibrant, maybe?"

Scarlet shot her a lopsided smile. "Summer can do that to you."

Aeris nudged her friend and gave her a wink, "You sure it's not some boy?"

The blonde remained silent as she busied herself with her locker, tossing books in, pulling them out – distracting herself from the brunette's cheerful disposition.

"Well," she harrumphed good-naturedly, "I guess I'll have to coax it out of you sometime, don't I?"

Scarlet nodded, avoiding eye contact.