how to save a life — one.

xxx

It was spring. Nice season, isn't it? My friend Marluxia said that you can see roses and trees in full bloom, and if you went on a date with someone on a full moon, it could be really beautiful and romantic. Or maybe that's the wrong season. Maybe summer is the better choice for romance. I don't know. Still, it's Marluxia who's the flower fanatic and not me. I really don't care about that kind of stuff.

It was spring. The Christmas holidays had just finished, and yet another term of school was starting. I mean, it isn't that I hate school, I don't; honestly, it's just that I'd prefer to play some of the musical instruments at home… rather than stay and learn unnecessary stuff at school. Besides, I get in trouble, even if I'm just an innocent bystander. My best friend Zexion told me I was one of those.

It was spring and like any other day, I was sitting at my desk, gazing out the window, slightly jealous of the clouds that manage to skip school. How cool would it to be a cloud? To fill up and then explode into water droplets – rain, if you prefer, then turn into a cloud once more via condensation. Then the process repeats, again and again… without school. Sadly, it's only because of school that I know this tidbit of information.

It was spring… when she came – the New Girl.

And like usual, I didn't know what I was getting into.

I mean, sure, I hang around with my friends, it's a cool gang. What also happens is that when they get into trouble, I get into trouble. And… I don't mind, not really, they're my friends and friends stick up for each other. Sometimes Zexion and Marluxia wonder why they're my friends, but… I don't think it matters that much, even if they get in trouble, they're still my friends. Right?

"Class, we have a new student. She transferred here from overseas. Make sure you make her feel welcome."

It just so happened… that she didn't get on well with the gang leader.

"Hey."

I swear, the moment that their eyes met, it was instant war. So, the minute that I talk to her, even if it's just a glance in her direction, I was dead meat.

Though, Zexion would prefer the word 'doomed'. Hey, he's a vegetarian, what can I say?

"I'm Larxene. I just got here. Nice to meet'cha all."

So… technically, if she got along with Zexion and Marluxia, and didn't get along with Sora and Roxas, where would I stand?

You can't blame me. I'm innocent… technically.

And I didn't know that she was going to be like that.

xxx

I love my desk in my class. There's a reason, too. It's not at the back, so the teacher doesn't have to keep an eye on me and it's not at the front either, so the teacher could automatically pick me for the question. It's in the middle, and it's by a window, so I could daydream and look outside whenever I liked. At least… that's what happened most of the time.

Okay, so you know that I hang around with Zexion and Marluxia, who often help me with homework. Not all the time, I'm actually pretty good at most subjects… in return; I help them with drama and other stuff. They usually sat at the front, while; my other friends… were at the back. So, I might as well pick the neutral place and sit in the middle.

Unfortunately, that's also where Saïx sits.

Who's he? Oh… you don't want to know.

So… the lessons passed by and finally, the lunch bell rang. Naturally, Miss. Gainsborough ran out the classroom, either to meet her lucky boyfriend or to steal some food out of the cafeteria, saint-like as she appears. Soon after that happened, the rest of the class flooded the door, like a storm. Couldn't help but say that I agree with them; it's a boring day, and nothing helped more than a good dose of food. Unlike them, however, I kind of prefer if they didn't make a scene or make so much noise. Be lazy and have a good snooze.

"Demyx, are you coming?" Zexion quietly asked, followed by Marluxia. "Where do you want to eat?"

That got me out of my daydream. Stretching as I removed myself from the desk, I looked at the door to see… it was empty. Finally.

"…yeah, I guess so." I nodded.

Oh! I forgot to introduce myself, didn't I? I'm Demyx, a prodigy at music. Zexion's the shy, silver haired guy with one eye, who is great at physics and chemistry. Marluxia's… well, while I'm tempted to say 'gay', he's not. However, he gets great marks at biology and art. Still, having a hairstyle like that…

"So, where are we going to eat? I can't stand the cafeteria, it's way too crowded." Marluxia asked, glancing at the corridor ahead of us.

"Why don't we just eat in your garden? It's usually empty around this time of the day, right?" I reply, stopping for a second, looking behind us.

Classmates had completely surrounded her, bombarding the poor girl with questions.

"Where are you from? How did you get your hair like that? What kind of music do you like?"

"What school did you go to before? What kind of food do you like?"

"What sports do you like?"

"Are you interested in kendo?"

"What kind of things do you like to eat?"

The class had her in a corner, so there was no escape. I could barely see her, although, those 'antennas' did help a bit. Among them was a girl from the gang, so if the new girl got on her bad side… she had the entire gang on her… she wouldn't survive.

Now that I think about it, those sound effects I heard as I was walking away probably weren't sound effects.

Well, it's not my fault if she dealt with them the wrong way.

"Demyx? Come on, we're leaving." Zexion softly called, catching my attention.

I shook my head, breaking free of all thoughts and followed them into Marluxia's garden, generously given by the school.

"Hey, Demyx, did you want to say hi?" Marluxia asked, once we were in his garden.

"What?" I blinked, totally not hearing the question right.

Zexion smothered a chuckle. Unbelievable. The guy is as silent as a rock and yet whenever I lose my concentration, he laughs at me. Well, at least he's gaining his confidence.

"I was thinking… that since you were looking at her for a while, I was wondering if you wanted to talk to her." Marluxia explained.

"Oh… no, not really." I disagreed, pulling a face, shrugging it off as if it was no big deal. "I was just thinking how… unlucky she is, since the class was surrounding her. You know, with no room to breathe?"

"Oh, so you don't like-like her, then?" Marluxia teased, his smile growing wider by inches.

"I forgot, our Demyx doesn't like being under the spotlight, does he?" Zexion added; a rare grin on his face. He always did enjoy picking on me…

"Guys!" My face reddened, much to my embarrassment. "No! I don't like her that way. Er… what's her name again?"

"It's Larxene." Kairi, the legendary redhead said, walking towards us. She's the girl I was talking about before – the girl from the gang. Not someone you want to get on the bad side of. "Demyx, stay away from her."

"Why?" I can't help but ask these things. Curiosity is like oxygen; I can't live without it.

"She broke Kai's wrist. Nobody does that to my girlfriend and isn't an enemy." Sora sighed, joining her, the short brunet, leader of the gang and Kairi's boyfriend. Not that I'm jealous… it's more like I didn't like to see their affections when everybody else weren't as lucky in love. Whistling, and placing a soothing arm around his blushing girlfriend, Sora got my attention. "So… just keep away from her, alright?"

"Alright." I shrugged, not too bothered.

Stay away from her. Well. That's fine with me.

So the days passed, and I couldn't help but wish for something to happen. Something exciting; something… different; something that seemed worthwhile. Life with Marluxia, Zexion and sometimes the gang was easy, but boring. Everything was meaningless, so dull and grey. But it was simple and peaceful and I didn't mind that.

xxx

How did it happen?

I still don't get that.

We never talked, never met, as if we were silently ignoring each other. Sure, I guess we shared a few classes, but we never sat next to each other and Marluxia and Zexion never brought her up. The gang either avoided her like the plague, or they were plotting against her. And we didn't go to any clubs together, so… how on earth did it happen?

Sometimes my eyes drifted to her, when she was furiously scribbling the teacher's notes, but still, they drifted back to the window, wishing to see something new or exciting. Even so…

I guess she did stand out, with her electric blue eyes and her flaxen hair, along with her delicate porcelain skin. And she did try to hide her antennas for a while, using hair clips to suppress her 'unnaturalness'. Marluxia thought it was cute. And sure, I suppose with the whiteness of her school shirt and the shortness of her grey skirt made her look like a ghost, but honestly, I didn't think it mattered that much.

Ah, but then I guess I always forget one minor detail.

Saïx.

But he was my problem, back then, not hers. She had nothing to do with the guy, and who could blame her?

If it was my choice, I wouldn't like to know anything about Saïx.

Sure, she got into fights, with cuts and bruises alongside Sora and Riku and Roxas. They all had their fair share of going to Matron, short and scary Miss Paine. Not to mention the daily arguments with the other classes, both older and younger than her. Most people, except Zexion, Marluxia and me were against the full extent of her terrible, terrible temper. I guess that was due to our natural charm; and my elusive parlour trick to fade away whenever I saw her.

But still, people liked her. She was pretty and clever and witty, always knowing what to strike back with, and when. I wonder if I cared about her, in a platonic way. She seemed friendly, because she didn't get into a temper without a reason, no, there was always something behind her temper, and people could easily approach her, making her popular. And yet… she refused to cross the line of classmates and friends, as if she didn't want anyone to get close to her.

She gave strange smiles, puzzling the class. Still, no one could completely hate her, because she apologized to them and gave them different sugar-coated grins. But still, she kept her distance. So no one would become too attached to her. She was odd, but not bizarrely; and she fit in with everything just fine.

It looked that way from a teacher's point of view, I think.

Then, that happened.

xxx

Zexion was ill, and Marluxia wasn't in this class. That was fine. Still, I couldn't help but feel that something was going to go wrong today…

It happened at lunch, when Roxas and Larxene were, yet again, fighting. Bring on the melodrama.

"Hey, Demyx." Kairi waved to me, wearing that sunny grin that she often had on her face.

"Fighting again?" I sighed, raking my hand through my hair. "When will they ever stop?"

"Hmm… that's kind of hard to say…" The redhead mused, drumming her nails on her arms. "Oh, I reckon it's going to stop… now."

And just like that, Larxene decked Roxas, giving him… a nose bleed.

"Ah, I gotta go, kiddo." She stepped back, her eyes widening. She began to run, twisting and turning, lost in the corridors. Interesting to note that when the time came, that girl was extremely good at being miles away when she should be caught at the scene of the crime; maybe she's related to Macavity the Mystery Cat. You know, if it was possible.

"Bitch." Roxas mumbled, as he tried to stop the blood flow, his hand covering his nose.

Slowly, one by one, the corridor emptied and then there was just me, walking away from the scene.

Unfortunately, as I was moving away, guess who I bumped into?

That's right. A platinum head named Saïx decided that today was the day, which he was out for revenge.

Damn him and his long hair. I didn't mean to snip it off with some scissors. His long hair… was… just… in the way…

"Demyx. What a pleasure it is to see you." He glided smoothly towards me, pinning me across the wall.

If there was anything that I despised, it's him and his articulate sentences. How could a bully speak so grammatically correct? That's stereotypical, I know, but still. It's not cool, and it's not fair.

"S-Saïx… l-likewise…" I mumbled, not daring to meet his eyes, despite the fact that he was trying to choke me.

"Now, I realize that you might want me to stop choking you, and I will…if you beg…" A sadistic smirk slid onto his twisted face. "… like a dog…" Oh, right, I get it: Doggy Demyx. Alliteration. Ha ha. What a riot. It's terrible, I know, but everybody used it for some reason.

"Er… I don't want to—" I began to protest.

"Shut up!" Snarling, he interrupted me, fangs visible.

"…"

"Beg, Demyx. Fucking beg for me!"

Well, when you put it that way…

"… bite me, jack ass." Karma kill me now, I did not just say that.

Oh yeah, I forgot about the fact that his hand was still on my throat! Damn…

"Oi. What the hell are you doing?" Someone called, chucking a rock at Saïx… or something at him. Excuse me for not knowing the details, I was a little preoccupied. You know, choking and recovering from the assault. If it was you in my shoes, I'm sure you'd do the same.

Thud!

And down went Saïx. I gasped, quite breathless. One doesn't get strangled and still is able to breathe properly immediately afterwards.

"Hey, Demyx. What ya doing, letting a creep like him do that to ya?"

Oh god. Please don't tell me it's—

"Larxene." I groaned, grabbing her hand to pull me up. "I could have handled him on my own."

No, I couldn't, but I wasn't going to let her know that.

"Pfft." She snorted. "Sure, you let him take advantage of you and call it 'handling him on your own'. I don't know, a few more seconds and you could have passed out."

Mm. Maybe. It wouldn't have been the first time that happened…

"Then I thank you for today… but in the future, please back off."

First mistake.

"Is that right? Well, next time you want your butt saved, don't come looking for me."

"Hey, if I wanted help, I'd have asked."

Second mistake.

"Sure, because you can ask when you're being strangled."

"Just… bugger off."

Third mistake.

One of the first things I quickly learnt about the new transfer student was not to mention, or anything remotely similar, bugs or antennas to her. Then she had the excuse that you were insulting her hairstyle. Like I said, there was always a reason why she did things: sometimes the reason wasn't obvious.

"Bugger off?"

Within seconds, the pretty blonde girl had narrowed her eyes…

… and I had just become her new target. Except, I didn't know that.

What I also didn't know, was that Kairi was there, watching the whole thing.

All I can say, for the things that happened in the future, I didn't start any of it.

A spunky girl with a nasty temper did.

I… had nothing to do with it what so ever. I'm just an innocent bystander…

That hung around with the wrong crowd.

xxx

The minute I woke up, I knew that today was not going to be normal.

It was the day after I got Larxene, the new girl, mad.

Mental note to self: don't do it again.

So… could my life get any worse? Apparently, the answer was 'yes'.

Actually… Zexion was there too, but still, it didn't answer the main question:

Why was she here?

I get why Zexion was here; we live near each other, so we walk to the bus stop together, talking about trivial things like why we can't have chocobos as pets. Whilst we could do the economically environment-healthy thing and walk to school, the both of us were lazy. Zexion blamed me, I think, had we not met, he'd be walking. Damn me and the 'easy, lazy way out'.

She's smiling, isn't she? She's getting all these evil ideas in her pretty blonde head and she's thinking of using them. I knew it; she's going to use these delightfully crafty ideas on—

"Hi Demyx!" Said school girl leered at me, her blue eyes sparkling. She's up to something, I could feel it.

"Er…" I froze, wondering what to say, before smiling and settling with a simple: "Hi. Zexion. Larxene. What are you guys doing here?" I hoped that he didn't get the wrong idea of that. I didn't mean to imply that I didn't like him, it's just… complicated.

And I'm not supposed to interact with her in the first place!

Zexion gave a small cough, but truthfully, I think that he's laughing at me. Again. He knew what she's thinking, right? There's got to be a reason that he's so quiet, right? He knew about the evil plan in her head which all include—

"Well, I met Zexion on the way and he wanted to show me where you live." Larxene smirked, brushing the subject away with another perfect wave, flawlessly careless.

I knew it! I just knew it! Zexion had joined her, together those two are unstoppable! Brains and beauty unite. Damn…

"Oh, that's great." I said tonelessly, not really that interested in her explanation. Why should I care? I don't care. However, I did have to get away from her and her fearful wrath. "Well, I think I'll walk to school, instead of taking the bus. Later!" I hastily say, marching away quickly.

Please understand Zexion, it's not you, it's… her.

At this point, I thought that I had successfully ditched Zexion and Larxene. Sure, I did feel bad for Zexion, but on the other hand… I had escaped the fiery temperamental lady.

That was what I believed, until I heard footsteps behind me, and my head turned to look. And with that one motion, my hope of getting away scot-free drowned, there and then. And there she was, smiling like a Cheshire cat, her satchel flying in the air.

"Are you mad about yesterday? I said I'm sorry!" I walked faster, in a vain attempt to outpace her.

Sadly, the blonde new girl managed to catch up with me. I really did need to practise running, that way I could run away from Saïx…

"Nah, I'm alright with that." She snorted, shrugging as best as she could, while running, which was a pretty odd sight to see. In fact, I'm not entirely sure if it was possible. Maybe I was seeing things. I guess I'll never know.

She wasn't alright with it. I'm sure about that. It's not her style.

Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she's still thinking of revenge.

"Then… why are you stalking me?" I raised my voice, as I began to run. Far, far away from her.

It's such a shame I forgot one minor detail.

"Who said anything about stalking? We're going the same way!" She shot back, easily running beside me.

One very crucial detail.

"No, we're not!" I sped up.

Which she just happened to remind me.

"Of course we are! School!"

And I just coincidently managed to forget. Fortune really isn't in my favour.

I fell silent, fuming. Larxene kept smiling and giggling alongside me until I snapped and made her giggle even more. That's pretty much what happened until we reached the dreaded school. It's not so bad, its food is better than my cooking… well, sort of…

I think I prefer my cooking.

"That was fun!" She smiled, that weird grin stretching across her porcelain face. "We should do that again sometime." Larxene laughed, stretching. I stared at her. Something passed in her eyes, but I didn't know her that well to recognise it, or what it meant. "Oh, I guess Kairi wants to talk to you, later!"

I tilted my head in the opposite direction. Ah, the gang. Oh, they saw me, and yes, they wanted to talk to me. Whether it's a good thing or bad thing, I'm not exactly sure, but I'm opting for the… latter option. I turned to face Larxene to thank her, but she wasn't there. Shame. Actually, judging by the expression on Sora's and Kairi's faces, it probably wasn't a good thing that they wanted to talk to me. And it was a good thing that Larxene had left the area.

Sighing, I jogged towards them, and put an easy smile on my face, acting as if nothing was wrong. "Hey guys! What's up?"

Unfortunately, the ever-calm Kairi, often depicted as a nice girl with a personality of a plastic chopstick, chose this moment to snap.

"What's up? What's up? I'll tell you what's up! What were you doing with her?" She demanded, a fiery light burning in her eyes. Scary…

By 'her' I'm guessing Larxene…? And I'm guessing that she didn't like her?

Oh yeah? You think? The sarcastic voice of Zexion whispered in my ear.

That's just brilliant. My friend was moody, and I had to imagine Zexion talking to me, like some sort of conscious. What a fantastic life I have.

However, that being said, Zex would be an amazing conscious. Provided he didn't get corrupted or something.

"She… was stalking me." I flatly said, knowing that it sounded lame. As if Kairi was going to believe that. But… you never know until you try, right?

"And yesterday?" She narrowed her amethyst eyes. If I didn't answer correctly, well… I didn't really know what might happen.

"I… got into a fight." I hesitated, admitting the truth reluctantly, not sure if she really needed to know that, raking my hand through my sandy-brown hair. "Yeah, somehow… she got involved."

"Oh… she ended it for you!" Sora exclaimed, the obvious answer quickly realized.

"Sora!" How did he know? "Well, yeah… but… you know… I didn't ask her to!" I need some sort of dignity! He made it sound like we're a couple or something! Which was obviously not true, seeing as I'd never talked to the girl before yesterday.

"I suppose so," Kairi, the redhead girl nodded, accepting my explanation. Internally, I relaxed. Nobody really liked to be on the receiving end of her temper. Well, those who knew of it, at least.

"Just remember, Demyx: without us, you're not a Somebody, you're a Nobody." She warned me.

"What's up with you, Kairi?" I asked quietly, wondering where all this was coming from. She'd never snapped at me before. "Are you jealous or something? Of me? Of… Larxene?"

Technically, I didn't exactly mean to say her name. It just happened that she literally broke the classroom by climbing up and entering through the window. A feat that I'm still not sure is possible today. On the other hand, I had just spoke the name that Kairi hated, so I think I'm fairly certain that today was not the best of days. If you didn't know that already. Or… I have a special talent to make girls mad.

Previous mental note to self: broken.

Kairi froze, anger radiating from her pale skin. I'm a dead man.

"No, no!" Riku cut in, swooping in to save me, giving me a noogie in the process. "She just cares about your wellbeing, Demyx! Sorry Kai, it's just that Demyx hasn't seen you so… fiery before." His knuckles rub furiously at my hair. Stay quiet or die is what I think he's trying to say.

Understatement of the year. Still, thank God Riku saved my butt. My hair however, is a different story…

"I understand," Kairi smiled softly, her cheeks reddening; calm once more. "Besides, I have Sora. I haven't got a reason to be jealous."

Is… that fiery light… in her eyes… dying? Score!

"No," I shook my head, "it's alright, Kairi." I finally got out of Riku's noogie.

"I think it's about time Miss Gainsborough should be coming…"

xxx

The week that followed was… interesting, to say the least.

Mainly it was this:

I ran.

Larxene chased.

Zexion laughed.

Kairi seethed.

And Marluxia took photos.

For whatever reason, that crazy girl was determined to get me in trouble. Actually, that's not true. She got in trouble, and was determined to drag me with her, through no fault of my own. I was innocent. The teachers didn't believe me.

So… I ran.

And she caught me.

Consequently, we suffered many detentions. I hate that girl.

xxx

There's a place that in school that I liked to be by myself. Just to think or to get away from everything.

No one knew about it. Not even Zexion, my best friend. I'd tell him, except that might destroy the 'secret' concept.

"Hey, I thought I might find you here." An all-too-familiar voice said, calmly opening the door to the roof.

Alright, maybe this place wasn't so secret and someone did know about it. Besides me.

"What is it?" I tiredly asked, not even glancing in her direction. Why bother when she's just an eyesore? "What do you want?"

"Wow! This is such a great view!" The petite blonde glided over to the banister, blissfully ignoring me. "I figured you were one of these guys," Larxene leaned on the frame. "You just had one of those… vibes, I guess."

"Excuse me?" I blinked, unsure of what she was talking about. It's not every day that someone interrupted me finding my 'inner peace', and then ignored me. "One of those… guys? What guys?" I slowly repeated her words.

"I've been to a lot of schools. I've known a lot of guys, so…" she vaguely said, trailing off, and still had that insane smile of hers on her face. "Don't worry, I won't tell anybody about this place—"

And just when I'm about to say 'thank you'.

"—because there's nothing for me to gain," she finished, a satisfied smirk on her face.

Damn her, damn Larxene. Just when I think she's nice, she just had to pull out her unpredictable streak. And ruin my lovely, fortunate morning.

"You know," she spoke again, and I listened. There wasn't much else I could do. "I bet the view would be even better if you could feel the wind on your face. Great view, great everything!" She laughed, lifting her leg.

At this point, I was kind of confused. Why would a student lift their leg up to the banister? Unless they wanted to… jump? Or climb on top. "What the hell are you doing?" I strode towards her, a mild panic attack running in my mind.

Apparently, the new girl did not know the word 'danger'.

"Stop that! Hey!"

She smiled at me and for some reason, that single smile, seemed more natural than before.

"I knew it! It's great! Join me, Demyx, get up here!" Larxene said, grinning, standing on top of the banister. Her eyes closed for a second.

"Get off that!" She's not listening…

"What? Why?" Damn, Larxene just has to protest about her safety. "Before I fa—?"

And suddenly—

… she's falling.

And for that single second that the world slowed down before my eyes, I swear I saw her mouth curl.

Move! Move! My mind cried out to me, almost begging me to do something. But I… I couldn't move. For some reason, I froze.

I want to help – I do! I want to reach out, but… I can't! Why?!

… why?

… am I too scared?

"Ha."

I heard a quiet chuckle.

—she's laughing.

Suddenly, I could move again, and with haste, I grabbed her wrist. Before it's too late and she fell to her unfortunate doom. Letting out my breath, I pulled her up, and allowed her to jump off the banister to the ground that I was standing on. I wasn't going to let her go just so she could plummet to her death. I'm not that idiotic.

"What the hell? Why'd you do something like that? Are you stupid or something?" I yelled, furious at her.

She fiddled with her collar, pulled her skirt a fraction lower than before, before meeting my eyes. Her face was expressionless, her eyes cold and hard.

… out of curiosity, did you know that her pretty eyes resembled the celestial blue sky? Er… I'm sorry, that thought just randomly came up.

"It was fun." Larxene said, grinning like an idiot again.

"Fun? You could've died." I replied angrily. How could she be smiling when she might've died!

"Yeah, I guess so. But, I didn't." Larxene shrugged, still smiling. It didn't reach her eyes. "So it's okay."

Then it hit me. She didn't care. She didn't care about her life.

She shut her eyes, tensing. When she opened them, the shiny sparkle was back in her eyes.

Or… was it just an act?

Her smiles, her fights, her temper tantrums… were they just a lie?

Did she… not care…?

"Demyx," she softly brought me back to reality, her voice quiet, controlled. "Just chill. Live a little, have fun, relax. It's okay, I'm okay. Don't sweat it." Larxene said as she walked past me, clapping my shoulder. A cold front, the distance further than ever… I could feel it.

Her footsteps stopped, but I couldn't think why, or turn around to face her; the door still hadn't opened.

"Oh, and Demyx?" I could sense a smile to her voice. "Here." She tossed something on the floor. "Try a Mullet with it. I'd bet it would suit you."

The door opened and closed, and once again, I was alone. Larxene gave me what I wanted.

This was what I wanted… right?

Sighing, I glanced at the object left on the floor.

The corners of my mouth began to curl.

Mullet, huh?

She just gave me hair gel.

Picking up the gel, I already knew that she expected me to use it by tomorrow. Want to know how I knew that?

Because whatever Larxene wanted, Larxene got.

xxx

Disclaimer: kingdom hearts, not mine.