Chapter 10

✧Sasuke✧

"So, do you have everything packed?" Mom asks as I bring the last bag downstairs.

"Yes, Mom, I have everything. I promise I'll be fine," I tell her.

"You know that you don't have to stay at the school; you can always come home whenever you want to," She said with tears swelling up in her eyes.

"I know, Mom," I smile as we walk out to the car and put my bags in the back.

"I know, sorry, sweetie, I don't mean to get so worked up. You've just never stayed out of the house for a long time before," She said, and I got in the passenger seat and buckled up.

It's Saturday morning, and Dad was already at the school and waiting for us. I'm not bringing a lot of my things because of being so close to home that I could just come back at any time. But we just took the car so we could bring everything at once. So it took all of a two-minute drive to the school. Some kids that live in the dorms walked around when we pulled in, and my Dad had us pull right up to the dorms' doors. I got out and garbed the majority of my bags so that mom and Dad wouldn't have to do as much.

"Do you remember where your dorm is?" My Dad asked me, shutting the trunk of the car.

"Yeah, it's on the second-floor room 201," I repeat and pull out the key that my Dad gave me earlier that week for my dorm. Even though I meant to go to see my dorm and who was going to be living with me, I just didn't have the chance to do it. I was actually doing most of my packing this week if that surprises you at all. I raced up the stairs and then walked down the hall until I found my room number. And decided to wait there for my parents, so I didn't have to prop the door open.

You would think that I would ask my Dad who I was going to the dorm with, but I never did. I don't know if it was because I wanted to find out for myself or if I was just lazy and didn't feel like getting yelled at by a teacher for being late to class.

"What took you so long?" I ask, as they finally got to my dorm room.

"We're not as young as you are, Sasuke," Mom smiled up at me.

"Well, you're still younger, then I am dear." My Dad chuckles a little, and mom pushes him a bit.

"Says the one that looks to only be in his mid to late twenties," Mom comments snickering as a playful smirk dance across her lips.

I laugh a little at them, bickering and open my door to the dorm. The room was clean, and my side of the room had nothing on it. I was given the bed by the door. My roommate's bed has a blanket with multiple shades of blue in a zigzag pattern. The window was open, and the morning sun was making it warm in the room for being September; it's a beautiful morning. You could wear a t-shirt if you didn't want to carry around a sweater for the rest of the day. You could definitely tell that it was cooling off, though. Though I didn't mind, I have a hard time sleeping with heavy blankets even in the winter I get so hot.

"Uh, it doesn't seem that he's here right now," My Dad said as he set down the duffle bag that he was carrying.

"Who is my roommate?" I ask curiously.

"You haven't asked me all week, and now that we've gotten everything in here, you're interested in who is your roommate?" My Dad comments with a bit of a smirk.

"Yes," I answer simply with a nod.

My parents laugh, "Why don't you try and guess," Mom smiles at me as she took my sheets out of my big bag and I took the duffle bag that Dad set down on my bed and helped mom make my bed.

"How am I supposed to know? I know my class is small, but you could have pared me with anyone in the school," I mention.

"Na, I wouldn't be that mean. I put you with someone you know," Dad responds, and I look over at him to see him smirking at me.

"Liz lives at home, and I know you don't allow girls and guys to dorm in the same room…" I thought for a minute as mom and I finished with the sheets, "It's not Sean, is it?" I ask. Would Dad have made him switch rooms after what happened? Of course, Andrew wasn't directly involved with it. Only Sam and Nick. And they were suspended for a week. They weren't even allowed on the school grounds till Wednesday.

Dad shook his head, "No, it's not Sean. Which reminds me, why were you two fighting a few days ago? I thought you two were best friends when you were kids."

"I think that it's more so just the people he had been hanging out with," I mutter, not even thinking. Though we bickered with each other even with him at our house for a few days. Dad just let him come back to the dorms yesterday. My knees were healing up just fine. They weren't hurting as much anymore, but there were some nasty scabs on them.

"I talked with Sean's foster parents, and they said that Sean is joining the swim team at this school, so the group he's hanging out with could just be teammates from the swim team," Dad explained.

I wonder how long Sean's been with his foster parents. I didn't even know that he was in foster care till Sean was in the hospital because of the concussion. I was nervous to ask him about it, though. I didn't want to upset him.

Mom and Dad help me get my bed set up, and the rest of my clothes put away in my dresser. I told them that I can find a place for the rest of my stuff.

"Alright, hon, you have a good time and get to know your roommate," My mom said and hugged me.

I followed them down to the car and gave them both a hug before they got in the car and went home. After they left the school grounds, I went back into the dorms and back to my room. I slowly put my clothes away on the side of the dresser that was empty. The breeze that was coming in the window was lovely. I got everything that I brought put away or in the right spot like under my bed. It kept the room clean, and what was left was in boxes, so it was organized under my bed.

"Hey, "I jump and bang my head on the bottom of my bed when I hear my roommate's voice.

"Ow…" I mutter, grabbing my head in pain.

"Sorry about that, Sasuke," He apologizes. Wait, I know that voice. I back out from under my bed. "T-Toshiro, y-you're my roommate," I stutter.

"Yep. I'm surprised that you never asked me what my dorm number was," He smiles and shut the door behind him.

"I should have figured that Dad would stick me in the same dorm as you. Other than Liz, you're the only other person that likes me here. That's what it feels like anyway," I sigh and hop up on to my bed. Considering that everyone says that I can get away with stuff because my father is the principal, for now, the principal comes back from having his knee surgery. "Where were you this morning when I got here anyway?" I ask.

"I went for a swim in the school pool," He answered. Now that he said something, I could smell a faint scent of chlorine on him even from across the room. But the room isn't all that big, so it's not surprising.

"Did you take a shower after you got out of the pool?" I ask, tipping my head a bit to the left.

"No, why can you smell the chlorine?" He asks, doing the same thing but to the right to copy me.

"Yea, I bit, but not much," I chuckle, putting up my left hand.

"I just kind of rinsed off in the locker room," He replies`.

"Did you forget your shampoo, and what not here?"

"No, I just don't like taking showers in the locker room," He brought his arm up to his nose and focused on his arm.

"Is that pool heated I haven't been in it yet," I sat on my feet as I looked over at him. It was actually closed off last year because they were putting the new pool in. The swim team had to use the local pool instead. But even when we had the old pool, I still got out of swimming.

"Yea, it's heated. That's probably what we'll be doing in the winter," Shiro smiles at me moving his arm to his hip.

"Is winter your favorite season?" I question, tipping my head to the left as I look at him.

It feels that being his roommate makes it actually a lot easier to ask him these questions then if we were sitting in my room at my house. It's probably because of having mom and Dad downstairs, they could easily listen in on our conversation.

"It is," He laughed a little, "You probably think it's stupid because I'm an elemental of ice," He rubbed the back of his head, and with his pale skin, the blush on his face really stood out as he looks away from me.

"No, it's fine, my favorite season is fall," I told him.

"That's interesting I thought it would be summer," He commented.

"I guess it's because I'm already hot and fall brings cooler weather. Though the heat doesn't bother me. I'm just tired of having to act as it does," I shrug and went back under my bed to finish pushing stuff against the wall.

"That's naturally from having fire as your base element. Can I ask you something?"

I came back out from under my bed, and Toshiro was sitting on his own bed. I sat on mine, "Shoot."

"What did it feel like when your abilities took in my ice element?" He asked.

I tipped my head, "But, you still have your element, don't you? I didn't take it from you, did I?" I asked, panicking in a little.

Toshiro laughed and shook his head, "No, no, you didn't take my powers."

"Thank god." I sigh in relief. "But, how it felt…it felt like there were icicles that were running up my arm and then spread through my body."

"Oh, wow. Do you think that every time you get a new element, it'll feel different?" He sounds so interested in my abilities.

"I'm not too sure. Since I'm not actually a moon elemental, but now I have to figure out how to deal with being a moon elemental on top of a prodigy," I sigh. My shoulders slump, and I look up at Shiro, "But, when I focus, I can feel the ice with my fire. I just don't know how to switch to my other element."

"We could go for a walk and go talk with your dad about how you can switch between them." Toshiro offered as a suggestion.

"We can go tomorrow. I'm sure that mom and Dad would like some time to themselves. It's been a while since I've been out for a night," I chuckle, shaking my head.

"Alright," It fell silent between us and me laid down on the bed but continued to look at Toshiro.

"Can I call you Shiro?" I suddenly ask.

Toshiro blinks at me, surprised, and then a smile spread across his lips, and he laughs a little, "Sure, that's fine with me."

"So how long have you been at the academy in Amoura?" I ask, not wanting it to become quiet between us again.

"Oh, you're not allowed to start in the academy until your sixteen, but I was brought to Amoura when I was like five or six. The Grim family took me in, and that's where I became friends with Kyo and his little brother Jason."

"Is it common for people who already live in Amoura to take in other kids who are brought here at a young age?" I question, slipping my arm under my head.

He nods and leans back on his hands, "It is yes. There are foster homes for kids, but there are families that will take kids home, so they don't have as many kids to deal with. I was one of those kids who was quickly taken in by another family. Mostly because of being the ice prodigy, many of the kids were afraid of me," He explains.

"How did you find out about your powers?" I wanted to know more about him. If we were going to be roommates, we might get to know more about each other.

"That's the weird thing. My parents both had dark hair, so they were confused as to how I had white hair. So I must have had my abilities since I was a baby. My first time, I actually found out about my powers was when I was picking flowers with my mom, and I just froze the flowers that I was holding. That's when my cold body temperature really kicked in, and I was frosting pretty much everything I touched," Shiro said. "I wasn't allowed to even touch my baby brother when he was born. My parents didn't want me to hurt him. And well, you know the rest."

"Oh, wow…that really sucks. That's no way to treat your son," I mumble my face, clearly showing how I'm not happy with what he told me.

"Well, both my parents were human, so I don't blame them for being so scared of my powers," Shiro sighs a little depressed.

I throw my pillow at him, and it hit him right in the face, "Cheer up. It's not the end of the world. You're here now, right. You've grown up so much since then that I'm sure that your parents would be very proud of how well you can control your abilities." I told him. My pillow falls down to his lap, and he blinks at me, "You're not being depressed on my watch. That's the past. Don't live in it. If we all lived in the past, we wouldn't get anywhere. You're here because Dad trusts you and believes in your abilities to help him." I continue and couldn't help but smile at him and run my fingers through my hair to pull some of my bangs out of my eyes just to have them fall back in pace once more.

Toshiro finally smiles and looks down at the pillow on his lap, "Thank you, Sasuke…You seem to know what to say when I need it."

I roll onto my back and look up at the ceiling. Tucking my hands behind my head, "Well, someone needs to kick you in the ass from time to time." I comment, chuckling a little.

"The kicking in the ass part is usually Kyo's job," He laughs lightly, "Kyo's not all that great at giving advice. He means well but, sometimes he just says things wrong or at the wrong time. You can be blunt and very straightforward when it comes to a thing, but you mean well, and you have a caring nature with the words you choose. You want to help, and I really thank you for that," He smiles wide at me with pure happiness in his expression, "Thank you, Sasuke. I don't think I could ask for a better friend than you and Kyo."

I smile back at him as I sit up, "You're welcome, now give me back my pillow."

We both started laughing, and he tossed my pillow back over. Shiro and I decided to go for a walk on the cross-country trail to get some fresh air.

"How long has your dad been the principal here?" Shiro asks as we entered the trail.

"Just this year actually. Principal Wolfe had back surgery in July. Since Dad was qualified for the position and Wolfe and he are good friends, he asked Dad to take his place till he was allowed to come back to work." I explain.

"That makes sense. It also kinda explains why he wanted me to come with him," Shiro answers crossing his arms over his chest.

"What is it exactly that Dad wanted you to come here? Don't you have schooling that you're missing at the academy?" I ask, tipping my head a bit at him.

"I am missing some work, but it's not as much as you would think. Doing something like this is called a mission on Amoura. When you're given a mission, you are excused from your classes and given an extension on whatever work you may miss while you're away. This counts for if a loved one that's here on earth has passed, and you need to go and be with your family." Shiro said shrugging the smile never leaving his lips.

"But if it's a mission, can't those take weeks or months to finish?" I ask a bit confused, "That's a lot of school work that you'll have to make up."

Toshiro, though, shakes his head, "There's a time difference between here and Amoura, actually."

"Really?" now he lost me.

"Mhm," Toshiro nods as we round a turn on the trail, "For every five years that pass here, only one pass in Amoura."

"Why is that?" That's downright confusing. Why would there be such a massive difference in time between the two realms?

"It's actually explained in the history of Amoura. There's a history class that everyone has to take at Elemental Academy," Shiro stated.

"On your left," I look behind me when I hear a voice. It was from Sean. He was in gym shorts and a tank top with running shoes on.

I move closer to Shiro, so Sean has plenty of room to pass by us. Sean nicks my arm with his fist. It stings slightly, but it's probably from the momentum that he had when he passed by. I could have sworn I saw a slight smirk on his face, "Thanks," He said simply and continues running past us. He was going slow at least, so I'm not going to chase after him and tell him that he had to slow down.

"I didn't know that he ran on the trail," Shiro comments as we continue our walk.

"Dad said he's joining the swim team, so he's probably running to make sure he stays in shape. Before he left in middle school, he would always drag me to his swimming meets, and a few times, he tried to get me to join the swimming club he was a part of," I answer, smiling at the memories. Though I've never been a good swimmer. In fact, I can't really swim at all. I just can't really get everything to function right so I can go forward in the water. I can sink quite well, though.

"So what happened between you two? You two don't seem to really enjoy each other's company anymore by its looks," He mentions.

"Yeah. For some reason, Sean had to move away in middle school. He never told me why he just told me he had to go. We didn't talk or try to get in touch with each other after leaving, so we did what anyone does when they move. We drifted apart…I just didn't think that we would have drifted so much." I reply, rubbing my left arm and looking down at the ground.

"That would make sense, but if you two were good friends, then I feel like the two of you shouldn't have drifted so far apart. Even with physically being apart from each other." Shiro said.

"I'll see if I can't get him to talk with me and see what's up." I sigh, giving in.

"Good. That would really suck if you two lost what sounds like a good friendship." Shiro smiles down at me a little as we exited the cross-country trail.

"So, can I help you out with your mission?" I ask a bit curious.

"Of course. I'm supposed to be on the lookout for elementals. So any elementals that may not know they are elemental. There are usually certain signs that people give off when they are elemental. Like if they are trying to pull themselves away from others because they don't want to hurt them or be considered a freak. They are small hints, but not everyone's the same," He explains.

"Okay, hopefully, I can be some help with that then," I nod, taking mental notes on what Toshiro told me.

"Thank you for helping me out. With another set of eyes, that will be very helpful," Shiro said.

"Friends help friends out. Your welcome, Shiro," I nod with a smile back, and then my stomach growls really loud, and I felt my face heat up as I grab my stomach.

Toshiro laughs lightly, "I'll take that as let's go get some food."

"That's embarrassing," I mutter sheepishly as we head to the cafeteria to get some food.