Aw, man. What a drag. Summer vacation's finished already. Roxas trudged up the vermilion hill, his school bag bouncing heavily on his thigh. Well, I only have to endure this year- my last year. Oh...I'm a senior now aren't I?

"It's so high."

Huh? Roxas halted in his tracks and turned to the direction the voice came from. A petite, bleach blond girl stood a good ten or fifteen feet away from him. She wore a black skirt, white collared shirt, and yellow jacket. The white socks she wore hugged her small ankles and complimented her black school shoes. From her uniform, he knew right away that she went to the same school as him. Who is she?

The mysterious girl didn't even notice him. She kept her gaze fixed on the large building ahead, petals of cherry blossoms floating past. "I wonder if I'll be able to make it this year..." she continued to think out loud.

"Oi."

The girl jumped a little in surprise and looked at the blond boy across from her. Who...?

"I know it's a real drag to have to go to school after summer vacation has just ended," Roxas told her, a scowl on his face. "But if you don't move from that spot, you'll never know how this year will turn out."

Sunlight seeped through the cherry trees, brightening the girl's flawless, pale skin. Her eyes widened at his statement, her voice fell silent.

Oh boy...I think I scared her.Roxas sighed in exasperation. "Look, it's too early to argue. Let's just go, okay?" He left her brilliant blue eyes and continued to make his way up the hill.

The girl stared after him, his back to her. Is this person...a bully? She remained in place, clutching tightly on to her school bag.

Roxas stopped and turned around. "Are you coming or not?" he asked, annoyed.

"Oh...umm...yes!" the blond girl replied weakly and ran up beside him. As soon as she arrived, she felt herself walking alongside him, unable to pull away from his aura. He doesn't seem like a bad person after all. She looked down, staring at her feet as she walked.

"Roxas!"

Roxas looked up as he closed the classroom door behind him. The voice belonged to his best friend- Hayner. "Yelling already?" he mumbled. "You've got some energy there."

"C'mmon, dude, it's our third year!" Hayner grinned widely and gave the blond a good noogie. "We're seniors now! It's totally different!"

Roxas shoved Hayner off and dusted his own yellow jacket. "I told you not to do that anymore!"

"Roxas!" A brunette girl with emerald green eyes entered the classroom and gave Roxas a big hug. "It's so good to see you again! Can you believe it? We're seniors!" She pulled away from his, fixing his jacket and looking up at his face with a big smile.

"Olette,, we all know we're seniors," Pence stepped in. "Yes, even Roxas." He flashed a smile and chuckled.

This remark managed to curve Roxas' lips into a grin. "Hey, watch it," he joked. He looked at Olette and placed a hand on her shoulder. "And yeah, we're seniors. It does feel great."

Olette nodded and giggled.

"Hey, now there's the Roxas we left last month!" Hayner winked. "Good to have you back, man."

"Heh, thanks."

"You seem different, Roxas," Olette pointed out, placing a finger on her chin. "For some reason, your eyes seem brighter. The way you smile, it seems more of heart and joy. Your posture is also quite relaxed rather than stiff like before."

Roxas rose an eyebrow in confusion. "Stiff?!"

"Where are you getting at, Olette?" Hayner and Pence asked.

"Could it be...you're in love?" Olette smirked, her eyes glinting.

Roxas shot her a death glare. "How in the world did you get to THAT conclusion? Ever think that maybe I just got a really good night's sleep?"

Olette waved a finger at him and pulled out a deck of cards. Looking through them, she said, "These cards say that you had a romantic encounter with a girl- a senior- just today. That meeting was fate. Your destinies are now connected." She smiled and put the cards away. Seeing his troubled expression only made her smile even more. "Looks like I pegged it!"

"Eh?" Hayner made a face. "Roxas in love? With who?"

"I'm not in love with anybody!" Roxas assured them, "You're jumping to conclusions too fast!" It's so high. I wonder if I'll be able to make it this year... He felt his ears heat up at the memory of those words. That faint voice.

"Then why is it that your face is all red?" Pence sneered.

"I-it is not! You're imagining things, Pence! You know what, I'm gonna go take a nap!" Roxas pushed his way out of the group, found and sat down in a seat by the window, and put his head down, grumbling.

"Looks like you relaly DID peg it, Olette," Hayner gave the brunette a thumbs up.

Olette nodded and hid a small blush. It would seem so. "We'd...b-better get going," Olette stammered. "C'mmon, Pence. Classes are about to start. We can't be late on our first day of the last year."

"Alright." Pence exited the classroom first.

Olette stepped out after him and closed the door half way. "See you guys at lunch," she said and looked at Roxas- who still had his head down. "Bye, Roxas." She saw him wave, giggled, and closed the door.

The students began to take their seats. Hayner took his next to Roxas and nudged the teen. "So who's the lucky girl?" he asked slyly.

Roxas picked up his head and rest it on his hand. "I told you already...it's nobody."

"Roxas."

"What?"

"Dude, I know when you're lying. You get this weird twitch in your brow. Now who is she?!"

"Twitch?! Urrgghh.... Look, I don't like anyone, okay? This is the first day after all. Don't go poking your nose into things that you don't know the full story of! Just...shut up."

"Story? Ahhh..."

"...Shut up!"

"Hahaha, sheesh. Tou-CHY."

"...."

All of a sudden, the door slid open. "Excuse me."

That voice...HER voice. Roxas snapped his head towards the person by the door, his sapphire eyes wide with interest. It's her!

The same blond girl he met that day stood by the door, her posture timid. "Excuse me," she repeated, speaking to the teacher. "Could you please tell me where class 12-B is? I can't seem to find it no matter where I look."

"Take the small hallway here," the teacher explained. "Keep walking and it should be the third room to your right. Are you new here, young lady?"

"In this school no. In this building, yes. Don't worry, I'll find my way. I best be going now. Thank you." The girl bowed modestly and left, closing the door quietly behind her. "At least I hope I do..."

"Hey, she was cute," Roxas heard one guy say.

"Who was that girl?" another commented. "I sure would want to know her."

"Talk about sexy. Innocent, too."

He placed his head down, arms underneath.

"Totally vulnerable and helpless."

His brows furrowed.

Hayner leaned over to Roxas, laughing to himself. "That 'new girl' sure got popular pretty fast. It's no wonder. She's got looks."

"Is that all you people care about?" Roxas groaned, rolling his eyes. "Talk about shallow."

"Whoa, why are you getting mad all of a sudden? Oh! She's the one you like, isn't she?!" Hayner jumped out of his seat in excitement and began to shake Roxas' shoulder rather roughly. "C'mmon, Roxas! What's her name? I gotta know!"

"Ugh..." Roxas buried his head deeper into his arms, blocking the noise of the outside world.