Kingdom Hearts - Saix/Aqua, Set A, Theme 08
Title: Ten Minutes to Forever
Author: monmoncandie
Pairing: Saix/Aqua
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Set: A
Theme: Inappropriate Feelings
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own the material from Kingdom Hearts, but this AU story.
----------
He met her during the opening ceremony. She was the first thing that caught his eye and it wasn’t because she had hair of blue too (although hers was a much brighter shade than his). No. It was because she had magnificent blue eyes that matched her hair and complemented her pale skin. She was practically a jewel in the desert; a diamond in the rough. However, he decided to push her to the depths of his mind. After all, he wouldn’t see her again anytime soon.
…How wrong he was.
The second time he saw her was in the classroom; his classroom. Whatever god was out there was toying with him now. Still… He was intrigued with this new development and decided not to question it. But despite being in the same classroom during the same lecture, he couldn’t keep her off his mind. She would listen intently with concentrated effort to the material learned in class, but his mind was only ever filled with her. Her every action, every expression upon her face, and every breath she took he committed to memory. She was corrupting him in a way that he shouldn’t be experiencing. And he only knew two things about her:
Her name was Aqua and she was his student.
:: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::
“Excuse me sir!”
Saïx turned around, spotting familiar blue hair entering his peripherals. He trained his face into his usual stoic expression and waited for the girl to catch her breath.
Aqua pushed back stray bangs to the side of her face before finally standing up straight and looking at him with blue eyes. He was figuratively swimming in them the longer she gazed at him. Smiling, Aqua spoke with her ever appropriate manners, “Sir, I was wondering if you could go over the exam with me? I'm still a little stumped as to what it was I did wrong.”
He replied, hiding behind a mask of indifference, “Aqua, you are at the top of my History class and yet you want to go over the little mistakes that you wrote down on your exam paper despite the fact that you still managed to get a ninety-three percent?”
“With all due respect, sir, I was aiming for a ninety-five percent,” Aqua informed without breaking away from her stance.
Saïx merely stared at her; scrutinizing her stubborn demeanor. No matter how much he tried to send her away without breaking the boundaries that a teacher must uphold, Aqua still found a way to get him alone…and he rather hated that. He didn't like being alone with her; especially since his mind had a tendency to wander such…dangerous territory.
“Were you not paying attention in class when I went over the exam?” Saïx questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“I was paying attention, but,” she cleared her throat and looked down with a small blush, “I still wasn't able to understand why I was wrong in my argument.”
He wanted to roll his eyes, but refrained from doing so. Perhaps ten minutes was enough to appease her. Aqua only did get one or two questions wrong. He would quickly go over them and then send her away. Ten minutes… Saïx would still be sane enough within a ten minute timeframe. With a nod, he appealed her request, “Would the beginning of lunch be alright?”
She smiled at him, “That would be fine.”
“Then my office at lunch. If you aren't there in the first five minutes, then I am not going to give you another opportunity,” Saïx warned in complete seriousness.
Aqua merely laughed at his threat, raising a hand to her mouth, “Sir, you're really funny… But alright, I'll try to be there five minutes before lunch.”
Saïx frowned, watching as she skipped away with hands behind her back. He commented in a scolding manner, “Skip class five minutes before and consider the deal revoked.”
She merely raised her hand and waved at him, continuing on her way. They both knew his comment was irrelevant and wouldn't hold water. Why he even mentioned it, he didn't know. Saïx sighed and made to walk forward when he caught movement honing in on his blue haired student.
Looking slightly over his shoulder, Saïx noticed that Aqua was now surrounded by her friends. Saïx looked on, watching how she smiled and laughed with them. She was so carefree… He was jealous of her friends. They could easily go around and joke with her, connect with her on similar things, and get together outside of class time. He envied them…
No one could understand how much he wanted to be with Aqua, the student to his teacher.
:: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::
Once the bell rang for lunch, Saïx made his way to his private office. Knowing Aqua, she would be right by his door eager to learn. He had to smirk; her thirst for knowledge knew no boundaries and he was pretty sure each of her teachers had the same opinion of her on that.
“Saïx, a word?” intervened a voice.
The blue haired teacher looked to his right, spotting his superior - a snowy haired man dressed in a modest black suit - walking from the hallway adjacent to Saïx.
To say the least, Saïx was surprised. He stood erect, holding his coffee in one hand while tucking his books and notes under his arm, “Principal Xemnas.”
The other man turned his lips into a half-smile, locking his hands behind him. Looking out the window before turning to face him, Xemnas began, “I wanted to discuss a matter concerning your promotion to vice principal in the coming year. Do you have time?”
“Actually, sir, I have an appointment with one of my students,” he explained with respect, “She wants to go over her History exam.”
“…This wouldn't happen to be that Aqua girl is it?”
“I'm afraid so,” Saïx sighed. It was never a mystery; every teacher knew of Aqua's tendency to bother her teachers when it concerned her grades. She was…quite the overachiever that even the principal knew of her.
Xemnas hummed before a low chuckle escaped him, “Well then, you shouldn't keep her waiting. This school hasn't had such a student willing to learn so much since…well, since you became a teacher here.”
“Please sir. My first year here wasn't exactly my finest,” Saïx groaned. He could remember the first time trying to teach a class… The students were noisy, rambunctious, and they willingly got on his bad side. Well it worked and he ended up going berserk on his students. Had the principal not persuaded the Parent-Teacher Association about Saïx's otherwise excellent teaching methods, the blue haired man would be out of a job…
“But the first year is always the amusing step,” Xemnas chuckled again and walked away, “Carry on, Saïx. I'm sure Aqua wouldn't want to think you changed your mind.”
Saïx merely watched his superior leave before sighing in exasperation. Too many things happening at once. What a career. Shaking his head, Saïx resumed his walk. He was greeted formally by some of the students to which he nodded in return before finally reaching his office. It was no surprise that Aqua was already there.
She was leaning with her back against the wall listening to her music player. Aqua was completely unaware of his presence and Saïx took advantage of this just to stare at her. Even spaced out, he thought she looked rather serene and calm. No trace of that smiling facade on her; she merely looked like a porcelain doll…
He immediately screwed his eyes shut and reprimanded his way of thinking again. Such inappropriate thoughts; she was a student. He'd do well to remember that. Shaking his head, he walked up to her with a frown.
“Wait long?”
“Oh gosh!” she gasped, pulling the ear buds of her headphone off. She smiled at him sheepishly, “You scared me. I didn’t think you were coming.”
“I keep my word,” he deadpanned, walking around her so he could unlock the door to his office.
Saïx held the door open for her to enter. Aqua muttered a quick thank you and entered, adjusting the hold she had on her bag. Closing the door behind him, Saïx quickly turned on the lights and placed his coffee mug on his desk after taking one last sip.
Offering her a chair, he requested, “Sit.”
Aqua didn't hesitate to do what she was asked. She smoothed the length of her blue plaid uniform skirt and sat down, placing her bag on the floor near her feet. She waited patiently as Saïx walked towards his filing cabinet. He collected the exams for filing purposes knowing firsthand that his students wouldn't bother to look at them again…with the exception of Aqua of course. He looked through his files and, unbeknownst to Aqua, Saïx already had a separate folder with all her assignments. Neither her exam papers nor the essays she's handed in to him were ever alphabetized with the rest of the class. Saïx knew that favoring certain students was silly, but with Aqua, he allowed himself this little pleasure.
You're a psychotic stalker, he scolded himself, pretending to look a little longer for her exam paper. Finally spotting it, Saïx pulled it out and looked it over. Yes, the only mistakes on this exam were wrong figure heads in certain time periods and her arguments in some paragraphs were a little flat. Putting on his reading glasses, Saïx turned around to meet her anticipating blue eyes. He willed to conduct himself properly with a student in his office. Sitting down at his chair, Saïx slid the paper over to her and asked, “What exactly about this did you want to talk about?”
Ten minutes. He reminded himself that he only wanted to give her ten minutes before shooing her away with an excuse.
“Well,” Aqua began, scooting closer to the desk and flipping through her paper. She stopped at a particular page, “It's this. How is it that my argument was invalid?”
“You’ve made an observation that is neither fact nor proven. You gave out an opinion without any backbone,” Saïx retorted calmly. He pointed down to one of her statements and recited, “‘…The Keyblade War was a result of the calamities between two distinct groups of warriors in search of the fabled X-blade…’ Aqua, if that isn't myth, then what is it?”
She furrowed her eyebrows and argued, “But it's not a myth. There's scientific evidence that supports the theory that the X-blade could be made in practice.”
“Perhaps so, but you'd do well in remembering that we are arguing history and not science,” Saïx reminded, tapping down on her paper, “Your arguments may be valid to yourself, but remember that people reading this in the field may not know of those facts. Stick to what you have learned, and if need be, ease into mentions of the scientific discoveries, but not so much that it derives from the main point of focus.”
Aqua merely frowned, looking down at her paper and trying to find some leeway around her argument. Saïx sighed again. Always thinking so hard; he didn’t really know why she did. It wasn’t like she was going to use all of her classes as prerequisites for post-secondary. Sure the grades would look good on an application, but Aqua didn’t have to try so hard in a class she probably wasn’t going to use. She was smart enough as it was.
“…What is it that you plan on being, Aqua?”
“Huh?” she was snapped out of her train of thought and looked at him dumbfounded.
Saïx resisted the urge to smile at such a cute expression, “After high school. What do you plan on doing?”
Aqua blushed at the simplicity of the question, brushing back her bangs, “Well I plan to enroll in a university and maybe get a degree in health sciences…”
Hmph. Vexen would like that, Saïx thought. That old fool probably thought highly of Aqua just for applying into a science degree of all things. He replied, “If you’re going into the sciences, why are you trying so hard in a history class?”
“I like learning,” came her response.
“Everything? I was sure history would be boring for your generation,” Saïx responded, resting his head in one of his palms.
Aqua smiled honestly, “Well, I don’t think it’s boring anymore. Maybe I did during my first year, but I actually like your class. You make history sound…interesting.”
He blinked. A compliment coming from her? How silly. He hummed, looking down at her paper. Aqua was an odd person, but that was what made her intriguing in his eyes. Someone so different… Why in the world did she have to be ten years his junior? She was already so mature for her age. She was killing him.
“Sir?” Aqua cut through his thoughts. Saïx dragged his golden eyes in her direction to show that he was listening. The girl fidgeted in her spot before finally speaking up, “I heard…you’re going to become vice principal starting the next year. Is that true?”
“…Why do you want to know?”
“Just wondering if that means you won’t be teaching the History class anymore,” Aqua blushed.
He had thought about it. Although his appearance spoke otherwise, Saïx rather enjoyed history. The foundation of knowledge learned from the past evolving into the future. It was quirk he liked, especially when it concerned cultural traditions. It was history that bound everything and everyone together. But he needed to move up in the world too and becoming vice principal was just the way to do that. Still… His interest in history tore him from completely wanting to become vice prinicipal.
Looking at Aqua again, he also remembered another reason why he didn’t want to “move up.” Aqua was still in her sophomore year and that meant he wouldn’t see her every day. That little fact made his heart feel heavy. He wouldn’t see her every day in his classroom and she wouldn’t ask him questions regardless of how silly he thought them to be. Aqua would simply become a thing of the past for him.
…And yet he didn’t want her to be part of the past.
“Sir?”
She was looking at him with those oceanic blue eyes. Aqua was drowning him. He couldn’t stand to look at her anymore.
Picking up the exam paper, Saïx stood up and turned around, “I'm sorry, Aqua, but time is up. I need to be somewhere else now.”
She stood up in surprise, “But it hasn't even been ten minutes yet.”
And I'd like to keep it that way, Saïx filed away Aqua's exam paper, “I have an appointment with the principal and I don’t want to keep him waiting.”
That was a complete lie and Saïx was sure Aqua saw through it. Her demeanor never changed as she levelly looked at him with a pursed lip. She looked down at the floor, pointing out, “So it’s true. You are going to become vice principal after this year.”
Another passage of silence ensued between them before he finally sighed. Rubbing his temples, Saïx sat down at his seat not bothering to face her. He tiredly murmured under his breath, “Always the difficult one…”
He heard Aqua shifting in her spot and Saïx assumed she was going to leave. That was most certainly welcomed because he didn't want to deal with her; not like this anyway… He was very much aware of how much he would miss her once he became vice principal.
Opening his eyes, Saïx realized Aqua was no longer standing in front of him…but beside him. Surprise was the only word to describe the look on his face. Aqua’s hands were together as she gazed at him while he sat in his chair. They had another staring contest and Saïx wasn't sure what to say. Why was she being so persist with him? He wanted to question her, but something about her now made him much too curious. Saïx merely studied her, waiting for what she would do.
Aqua, from what he could see, was willing herself to stand perfectly still. However, she started to twitch slightly from his scrutiny and her eyes quickly darted away from his face for a moment. His lips twitched, but he managed to refrain from smiling as he leaned back in the comfort of his seat and continued to watch her.
Finally, after a minute or two of staring, Aqua started to move. She stepped towards him very carefully and he could tell that she was nervous. Slowly, her hands reached up towards his face and she took hold of the frames of his reading glasses. Saïx closed his eyes for a moment to savor the touch of her fingers brushing against his face. She pulled the glasses off the bridge of his nose, Saïx opening his golden eyes again. When he did though, she was now leaning towards him so closely that he could feel her breath against his skin.
His gaze never wavered, but he could feel his heart beating much faster than before. Saïx locked eyes with Aqua for a second before she closed the gap and dare press her lips against his. He went numb, focusing all his attention on the feel of her lips. They were soft, delicate, and he could tell Aqua was unsure in her actions. Then he realized something new about her: Could Aqua be in the same boat he was?
Saïx didn't have much time to ponder the thought when Aqua pulled away, backing up in her steps. She covered her mouth with her hands. Aqua quickly apologized, bumping into his desk, “I-I…! I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me!”
He watched her scrambling, his face as calm as ever. Aqua began performing very animated gestures and she forgot that his reading glasses were still in her hands. Aqua noticed his staring before finally remembering the glasses. She squeaked in surprise, inadvertently throwing the item in the air. Saïx's instincts kicked in and he easily caught his possession in one hand. Aqua muttered another apology, Saïx simply standing up to place his glasses on top of the filing cabinet.
Looking at her again, Aqua glanced away in embarrassment. Saïx had never seen her so flustered, but it was quite amusing. Speaking evenly, he asked, “…What was that?”
“I-I…! Oh!” she covered her face in shame. “You would willing kiss a teacher for what, Aqua?” he questioned some more, standing before her.
Aqua shook her head, pathetically attempting to defend her action, “T-That's not it! I just… I…I'm not sure why, but it isn't for what you think! I'm not like that!”
“…I know you're not.”
She stopped her movement and slowly looked up to face him. Her eyebrows were furrowed with worry and she nervously asked for confirmation, cheeks flaring some more, “You…You do?”
Saïx stared at her vulnerable state. She was innocent, but it was because of her innocence that he couldn't hold back anymore. His eyes darted towards the clock in his room, …Time's up…
“Um…” she murmured, looking at him timidly.
“…Ten minutes are up,” was all he said before quickly leaning down and seizing Aqua's lips with confidence. Aqua flinched in response by his sudden approach and she backed into the desk some more, unsure of how to react. Saïx merely continued to kiss her feverishly.
Too long.
Too long has he suppressed his urges for her. He needed her more than she knew. Saïx pulled her closer to him with a hand around her waist and he could feel her heart beating against him. Her figure is an amazing fit against him and Saïx liked the idea of holding her so close.
Aqua soon started to loosen up and gave in. She slowly began to reciprocate his kiss, pressing her hands against his chest and dragging them up around his shoulders. He's entrapped with her and he knew that what he felt for her is real. Yes, it was wrong considering that she was his student, but that didn’t matter. As long as Aqua could be his and his alone, he didn't care for consequences. Saïx was in love with her.
He kissed her once more, gentler and loving before slowly pulling away and resting his forehead comfortably against hers. Aqua's eyes were closed, most likely making note of this moment in her memories before her eyes fluttered open and she gazed at him with a smile.
Saïx sighed contently, kissing her forehead before hugging her closely, “I'm afraid I’ve been too direct.”
“Please don't apologize,” Aqua pleaded in a whisper. She buried her face against his shoulder and held him tightly, “I don't want you to regret it.”
At that, an arrogant smirk crossed his face. He rubbed circles on her back and admitted, “Surprisingly, I don't regret it. Contrary to what you think, I like kissing you.”
Saïx felt her blush burning his shoulder and he chuckled. She groaned a little bit before pulling away and sneering at him. Aqua looked down in thought, muttering, “We'll get in trouble…won't we?”
“If someone finds out, then yes,” Saïx answered, tilting her chin up so she was facing him. For once, he truly smiled for her, “But I'm willing to keep this a secret if you are.”
Aqua slowly brightened up and nodded. She giggled, “I guess crushing on you did have its merits…”
“Well, you're lucky you're not like most students otherwise I'd brush you off,” Saïx added. Somehow…he felt lighter; there were no burdens resting on his shoulders now that he knew that Aqua shared mutual feelings with him. Nonetheless, he knew there were limitations to them for now. Looking at her, Saïx began, “Aqua?”
“Hmm?” she looked at him curiously, allowing herself to hold his hands.
“Even though I want this - and I know you do too - we can't let this become too big,” he stared at her confused face, caressing the skin of her palms with his thumbs affectionately, “Not yet anyways. I want you to still succeed in school. I don't want this relationship destroying your future.”
Aqua shook her head, glancing at him in determination, “It won't. I'll still work hard. Even when you won't be teaching me History anymore…”
“Stubborn girl,” he sighed in amusement, “You'll still see me. I'll make sure of that.”
“You will?” she tilted her head confused.
Saïx smirked and Aqua flinched at little. He leaned towards her, gazing at her teasingly and whispered, “Of course… I can't let my precious ‘student’ make progress without me there…”
She immediately blushed and narrowed her eyes at him, “…You're already taking advantage of this…”
“I'm a teacher,” he chuckled, “I'm allowed to.”
Aqua rolled her eyes before allowing herself to kiss him lightly. He happily gave into her request, locking their fingers together. As he kissed her, Aqua spoke between breaths, “Since we're…already like this…can I call you by name?”
Hmm… he never thought about that. Brushing his lips against her ear, he whispered, “Then call me Saïx.”
“Saïx…” she tested and he adored the way she spoke his name. Nodding with a smile, she reintroduced herself, “Alright then. Saïx.”
Perhaps it was the little things about her that got to him. But then again, he could still remember the first time he met her. Blue hair, pale skin, and magnificent blue eyes. She was entrancing in more ways than one, but she was finally his. Even if he would have to wait two more years for her, he would. If that would allow him to love her openly and freely, he would wait for her.
She was worth it.
END