�Hey�hey�hey, Laine�Lainy�Laine,� came a soft voice, obviously trying to avoid the teacher�s range of hearing.
�Hmm�Fire opposes Ice�what? Oh, Rosa, what do you want?� A girl, apparently Laine, replied.
�This is boring�anyway, where�s Chris and Leigh?�
�I don�t know, he probably was late and she waited for him again,� Laine said matter-of-factly.
�Well, would that explain where Ryan ran off to?�
�Signs point to no.� Laine realized that she wasn�t going to get any reading done so she went immediately to the answers in the back of the book for the homework. �I think he�s skipping.� Rosa put her books aside and started twisting her pencil in her fingers.
�With him, who knows?� It was true, Ryan was an enigma sometimes; one could neither predict his true feelings, nor could they explain his actions. A bell rang which signified that Magic Class was over and that the girls had five minutes to find their friends. So, logically, they sat down and waited.
�Argh! I�m going to kill you, Chris,� Leigh said a little on the annoyed side. Chris just smirked and threw her a look.
�Who? Me? You couldn�t bring yourself to do it.�
�Yeah, I�d give Rosa and Laine the chance to help.� At this comment, Chris faked a gulp. The two just looked at each other and started laughing. Chris looked at his friend again, and couldn�t help looking at her pretty face, red blonde hair to her shoulders�his mind started to trail off, and he mentally slapped himself. Just a friend, nothing more.
In his mental prison, Chris failed to realize a figure right in front of him. Needless to say, he was flat on his back fairly quick. �Get up man, you two are late as it is,� the boy said as he helped Chris off the ground whilst Leigh refrained from laughing. �I�ve been looking for you two, I bet Laine and Rosa are worried.�
�Hey Ryan, What�s up? Why the rush?� Chris replied once he was up.
�First off, call me Killa, it�s a code name. Second, the big guys called an assembly, they want all guys 15 or older to report to the Lecture Hall ASAP.�
�Why aren�t the girls invited? That�s not fair,� Leigh said in a joking voice.
�I don�t know, but you two lovebirds will need to separate for a little while.�
�What?! Lovebirds, what are you talking about Ry�Killa?� Chris noticed all too late that his voice was a little hysterical, but he played it off nicely. He could hear Leigh giggle�did that mean anything?
�C�mon, I�m pulling your leg. Now, hurry up and move!� Ryan was already yards ahead of him. He looked at Leigh.
�See you later,� he hurried to catch up with Ryan. In his hurry, he didn�t see the girl mouth the words, I love you.
Chris and Ryan, AKA Killa, took a seat in the bleachers inside of the gym and saw a stunning site.
�Wow, real knights�� Chris said in an awe-struck voice. Ryan chuckled at the look on his face.
�Not just any knights, the Hokuten, of Igros. I hear that-�
�Gentlemen, we have called you here today to explain the situation in the land of Ivalice. As you well know by now, the 50 years war is through, the Lion War won by King Delita. But a new danger threatens our land�s peace, a heretic known as Ramza Beoulve has started a revolt at Riovannes Castle and has succeeded in taking it. He has a force estimated to be 10,000 troops. How he amassed such an army is beyond me, but the fact remains that the Hokuten cannot tackle this opponent alone. The king is gathering the Nanten forces to ally with our knights, but the combined result still barely reaches 6000 men. The point is this: all young men 15 years of age or greater is required by law to join our ranks and fight.� The murmurs throughout the crowd grew into near shouts. The Hokuten present tried to calm the crowd and eventually prevailed. The administrator continued his speech; �You are to report to Magic City Gariland to begin your one week training in one day. After that, you are to be placed with a unit and sent into action. Good luck and good day.�
�One week! That�s insane, these guys can�t get into shape that quickly!� Ryan bellowed.
�Well, we�ll just have to show them how it�s done,� Chris retorted.
�What�s going on at that assembly thingy?� Rosa asked.
�I would like to know. What about you, Leigh, do you have any idea?� Laine inquired. Leigh didn�t seem to hear her as she just remained lifelessly still in her desk. �Hello,� Laine said waving a hand in front of Leigh�s face, �Anyone home?� Leigh blinked and looked at her.
�I�m sorry, what?�
�Do you have any idea what the assembly is about?�
�No idea.�
�Well, you three shouldn�t trouble yourselves too much; it was just a disciplinary issue,� Ryan said smoothly, masking his lie. Chris noticed that the girls accepted that answer as the truth and let out a breath of relief mentally. Good, no good-byes, he hated good-byes. He looked at Leigh�s face and found that she was studying him, she�s trying to read my eyes, he thought. She just smiled at him as the bell rang for last hour and picked up her books and fell in step with Laine and Rosa. Wait, was that important? Chris put a hand up to his head; fighting battles would not be easy with Leigh filling his every thought.