Your Final Fantasy/Kingdom Hearts/Others Experience

Chapter 118

Zack took you into the cafeteria and got you a pudding cup and a sandwich, then he lead you over to a vacant table where the two of you sat.

“Hey, do you know that guy?”

“What guy? Noel? Not well. He never really talks to me, but we have English together. He’s a bit of a wise guy, but he’s smart.” Zack shrugged, poking his straw into his capri sun juice. The straw stabbed straight through to the back, and he sighed a quiet “goddamnit” as juice began to spill everywhere.

“He said he was an exchange student, when did he get here?”

“I donno, beginning of the year, I guess. Why the sudden interest? Did he say something weird to you? He does that. I swear he’s from another universe. Pulse is a weird place,” He said all while using a nearby napkin to clean up his mess.

“No, nothing like that…he just…” you trailed off and sighed, then decided maybe some pudding would help you think.

“What? What is it?” He asked, looking away from his mess up to you. “Did something happen?”
 “No…He just…He said he knew Caius. A lot of people have said that recently.”

“He what?” Zack asked, getting a bit of an agitated tone.

“I donno, he just said that he’d met him in Cacoon, and that Caius was telling him about me. I don’t know what to do with myself.” You rested your head against your palm and played with your pudding by scooping some up then letting the spoonful of goop fall back into the container.

“What can I do to help you? Do you want me to beat him up for you?”

“No! Just…shut up, let me think…Do you see him around still?”

“No, but I do see your cousin.”

You turned around, and sure enough there she was, finally coming to meet up  with you.

“Hey, why do you look so glum?” She asked as she sat down next to you.

You shrugged an answer and ate your pudding.

“≈≈≈≈≈’s head’s in a different place right now.” Zack answered for you, seeing that you were content with staring at the table while eating.

“It always is. I’m just trying to find out where,” Renee said, ruffling your hair.

“Renny, do you know anything about where Caius is? Or what he’s been doing?”

She glanced between you and Zack for a second, then answered your question with one of her own, “Did that Noel kid say something to you?”
 “What? No, don’t change the subject.” You finally looked up from the table to meet her eyes. Rather than look back at you, she was fixing her makeup in a small compact case that fit in her pocket.

“I can’t say that I know anything about him. I thought he was dead, same as you.”

You put the spoon back in the pudding cup and stood up, alarming Zack and causing Renee to clamp the makeup set closed and look up at you. “Where are you going?”

“Why do all these other people know more about my own family than I do? I’m going to go get some answers.”

“You can’t just go bullying people into answering questions for you.” Zack said, standing up as well.    

“Yeah, besides, you don’t know that Noel kid, who’s to say he isn’t a stalker that’s followed your life story and is just trying to mess with your head, like some kind of pervert.”