Meeting with Friends

It had been a couple months since Kai had come back to Heaven Dou city, his routine helping him forget and push through what had happened in Gria. There were only a couple more days before intermediate academy started, and to celebrate some his friends had decided to have a little party.

Kai checked his phone, quickening his pace once he realized he was going to be late. Turning a corner, the male dorms to secondary academy appeared in the distance. It looked relatively old and run down, apparently the school had renovated the interior of one of the old buildings for the dorm.

As he made his way to the entrance, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Hey stranger!"

Kai jumped, startled by the sudden appearance of the voice. Turning around he was greeted with Sam's smug face, his lips pursed as he tried to hold back his laughs. Kai smiled and sent a light punch, striking Sam on the shoulder.

"When'd you get back?" Kai asked.

"Just yesterday" Sam said, wrapping his arm around Kai's shoulder as they continued to walk towards the dorm. "Ran into Jax and he invited me over!"

"How was your training camp?"

"It was ok I guess" Sam shrugged. "Training is boring, I'd much rather relax with you guys!"

Kai smiled wryly, not pushing for more. Sam had always been tight lipped about himself, he left every summer and never really told anyone about it.

"Did you make sure to bring some snacks?" Sam asked, raising one of his brows. Kai widened his eyes and hastily shook his head.

"No, was I supposed to?!" Kai spoke frantically.

"Of course!" Sam spoke grandly, bring his arms into the air as though speaking to the sky. "Didn't you get the memo?"

Kai could feel the sweat building up on his brow, he was already late and now he had forgotten snacks. Kai froze in his tracks, however, noticing a small smirk on Sam's face. Kai pushed Sam away and pouted, crossing his arms.

"I think I've come to a realization" Kai said coldly.

"And what's that" Sam chuckled as he spoke.

"I realized just now that I didn't miss you at all this summer."

The statement seemed to have struck Sam like an arrow. Comically grabbing his chest, Sam scrunched his face as he stumbled backwards.

"Oh, how you wound me Kai" Sam spoke with a weak voice, raising one of his arms to his forehead as he leaned back. "I don't think I'll ever recover, make sure to tell my parents how I died."

Kai just silently watched Sam's antics, a small grin returning to his face.

"And how did you die?" Kai asked sarcastically. Hearing this Sam seemed to have taken another arrow to the chest as he stumbled even further back, this time collapsing to the ground.

"Murdered by the man I called a friend" Sam slowly fell to the ground dramatically, slowly lowering himself to drag it out as much as possible. "His words like knives as they tore my heart apart."

Sam finally rested against the ground; his body sprawled across the ground as he closed his eyes. Kai was silent for a while, wondering if Sam had finally finished when suddenly Sam opened his eyes.

"But maybe there is a way to save me" Sam spoke, his voice a whisper.

"What would that be?"

"An apology from said friend, perhaps?" Sam said, his eyes pleading as he looked at Kai.

"I'll let him know if I see him" Kai said with a deadpan expression, causing Sam to choke on some of his own saliva. Sam quickly pushed himself on his hands and knees as he tried to clear his airways. Suddenly the door to the dorms opened as Jax walked out.

"What are you two idiots doing?" He looked at Sam who was on all fours, coughing one of his lungs up then back to Kai who stood by, unconcerned.

"Sam was just in the process of dying" Kai explained with a straight face.

"Well tell Sam to quiet down" Jax said, leaning against the door to the dorms. "Any louder and someone might call campus security on him."

"Screw… you… Jax!" Sam yelled out between coughs.

"You sure are talkative for someone whose dying!" Jax said sarcastically, a smile spreading across his face.

Hearing Jax's comments, a tear formed in the corner of Sam's eye. He forced back his coughs, his face going red from the strain. Kai and Jax watched on interestingly, a few veins appearing on Sam's neck and face.

Sonn Kai burst out into laughter, finding Sam's expression hilarious. Jax soon followed suit, laughed loudly at Sam's expense. Suddenly one of the nearby windows opened, a boy in pyjama's poking his head out and yelling for them to shut up.

Kai and Jax instantly put their hands to their mouths, muffling their laughs as they tried to calm down. Seeing this the boy closed his window. Moments later though, Sam could no longer hold back and let out one final cough. One so loud it seemed to echo around campus.

The three boys instantly went quiet as they stared at each other. They quickly dashed towards the dorm, the door closing behind them right as the window from before bursting open. The boy in pyjamas head poking out once again, red from anger.

The three didn't stop until they reached Jax's room. Entering they were greeted to a two-bed dorm room, it was relatively large and clean compared to what they had expected. There were two twin sized beds for sleeping at the end of the room, two desks and two wardrobes.

"Nice room" Sam mumbled as he looked around. Jax jumped on to his bed as he responded.

"Thanks!" He rested his two arms behind his head as he looked to Kai. "Where's Emma and Ashe?"

"Well…" Kai hesitated for a moment. "Ashe didn't want to come once she found out you were hosting, and Emma didn't want to come alone."

Jax's face immediately become ugly as he turned to face the wall silently. Sam looked to Kai curiously.

"They got into another fight the other day" Kai sighed as he responded, sitting down on the desk. Sam nodded as he sat down at the foot of Jax's bed.

"So how was your summer, you went back to your hometown right?" Sam asked curiously. Kai gave a wry smile, turning to look towards the ground as he began explaining.

He told Sam about returning home, the show he had given with Charles and Sandra and how he ran into Draven. He continued to talk about breaking through to rank 21 and got his second spirit ring, then onto the events at the Draken Clan. By the end the room was silent, no one really in the mood to talk anymore.

Feeling the change in atmosphere Kai decided to speak up, hoping to switch things around.

"Jax, you didn't bring us here just to chat right?" Kai called over to Jax, who was still facing the wall. Jax quickly sat up, an excited look on his face. He rushed to his wardrobe and began rummaging through it as he spoke.

"I got this the other day!" Jax said as he re-emerged from his closet, in his hands was a portable projector. Kai widened his eyes seeing this, before he could ask anything Sam spoke up.

"What movie!?" Sam asked excitedly, jumping to his feet in hopes of finding Jax's movie collection somewhere. To his disappointment Jax only had one movie available. "Why is the only movie you have 'Invited by the Storm'? It's terrible!"

Jax snatched the movie back from Sam defensively, looking at the cover he answered.

"Because I thought the heroine looked cute…" Jax whispered under his breath. Both Kai and Sam whipped their heads and looked at Jax incredulously.

"Now those are words I'd never think to hear from your mouth!" Sam joked, patting Jax on the shoulder. Jax blushed a deep red as Kai chuckled lightly.

"What's her name then?" Kai asked, getting up to take a look at this so called 'cute heroine'. Jax handed over the movie box, letting Kai and Sam get a better look at the cover. Kai had to admit the girl was quite pretty. She looked to be around 13 or 14 and had red hair tied into a ponytail, her eyes a stunning forest green.

"Her name's Anna Morozov" Jax said bashfully, taking the movie back once again. Kai and Sam sat back as Jax began to set up the movie, making sure to poke fun every once and a while. Just as the three sat down together, the movie ready to go the door opened.

In entered a small man, easily a foot shorter than Kai. The boy had dirty blonde hair with a long ponytail and shaved sides. Kai could swear that he saw stubble growing on the kid's chin. The kid was quite thin but carried himself with confidence.

"Bjorn?" Jax spoke up confused. "I thought you weren't going to be back until tomorrow?"

The kid, Bjorn, sized up Sam and Kai before looking back to Jax.

"My parents decided to go back early" Bjorn said. He had a strange accent Kai couldn't quite put his finger on. Sighing Jax got back up and began to introduce everyone.

"Kai, Sam, this is my roommate Bjorn" Jax motioned to the short boy. "Bjorn, these are my friends from Primary Academy."

Bjorn nodded and stuck out his hand for a handshake. Kai looked down, feeling somewhat strange with how short the guy was, but still reached out and shook his hand. Bjorn had a firm grip and didn't seem to want to let go. Just wanting to watch the movie and relax Kai squeezed his hand tightly, causing Bjorn to let out a grunt and let go.

"You are quite strong" Bjorn said, nodding in satisfaction. "Like a true man!"

He then turned to Sam, repeating the process and finding Sam to be a true man as well. Seeing all this happen Jax rolled his eyes, he leaned towards Kai before whispering into his ear. "Sorry about Bjorn, he's… weird."

Kai shrugged hearing this.

"I don't think either of us are able to judge someone for being weird" Kai whispered with a light chuckle.

Eventually the group got back to watching their film, Bjorn sitting on his bed. It didn't take long for Bjorn to let out a groan.

"This movie again?" Bjorn complained as he put his pillow over his face. "I don't get it man! What's so good about this Anna girl that you watch this movie so much?"

Kai and Sam gave Jax a curious look, wondering just how often he had watched this movie for Bjorn to complain like this. Jax quickly became red in the face. Stammering he spoke up, hoping to divert the attention away from him.

"What type of girls do you like then, huh?" Jax said, almost yelling.

Bjorn's face became serious as continued to watch the movie.

"Like any other man's" Bjorn spoke slowly, enunciating each word carefully. "One with lots of muscle!"