Hey there, everyone! Chapter 1, as promised. Not much happening, just scene setting.

Ruan: It's pure boredom, trust me.

-_-; Meet my muse, Ruan. His only use is for action; he's no help when it comes to the in-between stuff.

He was surrounded by darkness. Shadows clung to his skin like black velvet, enveloping his body. Consciously relaxing, he allowed the insubstantial mist to wrap around his limbs, holding him immobile. He knew better than to fight.

He squinted suddenly. A tiny, orange-coloured light had appeared to his left. It grew larger, advancing at a tremendous speed. The shadows tightened, curling around his arms, chest, thighs.

He knew instinctively that this light brought danger. His entire being rebelled at its approach. He struggled vainly against the chains binding him, to no avail. He was trapped. Arching his back, he attempted to tear himself away from the shadows and escape the light.

But nothing he did could stop that glow. It grew, brightened, until he was nearly blinded with its intensity. He registered a throbbing scarlet colour, before everything went black.

Heero's eyes snapped open. They were immediately drawn to a flashing red light. Heero blinked, gazing at his alarm clock as the numbers came into focus. 6:16 am. He had slept in, again.

Sighing, he rolled out of bed. Another dream to add to his collection. He hadn't got a decent night's sleep since his sixteenth birthday. And they always ended like that.

Heero shaded his eyes from the sunlight pouring through his open window: It made sleeping late in the summer a nightmare, but he couldn't stand the filtered, circulated stuff that was pumped through his apartment. He needed to breathe fresh air. Security wasn't really an issue, as he lived twenty feet from the ground in one of the safest towns in the history of the world.

He dragged himself into the bathroom, mechanically brushing his teeth and waking up a bit after a quick shower. He ran his fingers through his hair a couple of times, not bothering with a brush. As long as he looked presentable, no one would care what he did in the morning in the way of personal hygiene. He doubted anyone would care if he went to school in his birthday suit wrapped in a giant pink bow. That wasn't totally true. He'd probably give Quatre a heart attack. Though Trowa would easily be able to calm him down. If 'calm' was the right word.

Heero walked into his living room, stretching his arms above his head leisurely. Dressed in his usual attire, black spandex and a green tank top, he was ready to face the sweltering heat in the world outside his apartment. For cold weather, he upgraded to a green tank top and blue jeans, and was often called a snake by his classmates for his immunity to temperature.

He grabbed his backpack, already containing the lunch he had made the night before, and secreted his house keys somewhere on his person. Stepping into the hall, he made sure the door locked behind him, then turned away from the elevator in preference for the stairs. Heero took exercise whenever he could, and the one-mile walk to and from school usually made up for his non-activity on the school teams. Of course at the weekend he jogged, swam, and did almost anything he could with only one person. Sometimes he and Quatre would get up a game of tennis or something, but his friend was usually involved with Trowa, or his sisters, and didn't have much time free.

Not that Heero was lonely. Nothing of the sort. He sighed as he left the tall building, accidentally bumping into some woman who probably lived right next to him. He had thought, when he moved out here a few years ago, that this was exactly what he had wanted. To get away from his loud-mouthed, over-ambitious parents, and his uncle J, who, he swore, looked at him like some interesting specimen he would like to examine closely. Now that he was out here, and living his 'dream'…well, it wasn't what he had expected. If he hadn't made friends with Quatre and Trowa, he probably would have gone insane, and start randomly blowing things up.

He trudged wearily gown the street, ignoring the glare of sunlight in his eyes. The media had this season pegged as one of the hottest in this town's history. People were already up, driven out of their stuffy homes to their front lawns, either mowing the grass or lounging around on deck chairs. He envied them their carefree existence. They knew where they were going, what they were doing with their life. Heero had no idea what he was going to do after school. He was equally good at almost all subjects, and didn't really have a preference. He'd probably end up as a low-paid bodyguard or something.

"Hey, Heero!" A shout pulled him from his thoughts. He looked up, and was greeted by the sight of a small blond, waving enthusiastically from across the street. His lips turned up in a half-smile, the closest thing to a warm greeting Heero would express. Quatre didn't seem put off, braving the nonexistent traffic to join him. He smiled brightly, turquoise eyes overflowing joy and peace. Heero blinked reflexively to shield his own eyes from the glow. "Morning, Heero. How did you sleep?"

Heero glanced at him quickly, but Quatre's eyes were free of guile. "Fine," he answered gruffly.

"That's good. We've got double P.E. today, you'll need your strength." He didn't notice Heero's snort, but went on. "Trowa's going to meet us at school, he had something to do this morning." Quatre seemed to be waiting for some kind of response, so nodded. "How did you find that maths assignment? The first couple of questions were okay, but then the others had this…"

Heero tuned out, letting Quatre prattle on unheeded. His school was in view, perched unhappily in the centre of a small cluster of residential buildings. His steps slowed automatically as they approached. He dreaded school. The way the teachers ignored him because he was so far above anyone else, and therefore didn't need their help. The way the pupils stared through him as if he was another piece of furniture. The way he felt so trapped when he passed those doors. Just like he felt in that dream.

"TROWA! OVER HERE!" Heero winced at the volume of Quatre's voice, right next to his ear. Looking at him, you wouldn't believe that such a small, innocent little thing could be so…loud.

The reason for Quatre's shout, Trowa, had noticed them (surprisingly) from his spot by the front doors, and was moving swiftly in their direction. The auburn-haired teen was two years older than he and Quatre, but still spent as much time with them as he could spare from his studies and job. Although he seemed to be able to find much more time spare whenever the small blond had a problem. Heero wondered whether Quatre had realised just why Trowa was always so eager to be of assistance. Then Trowa reached them, interrupting his thoughts. He greeted Heero with a nod, and Quatre with a small smile.

"Morning, Trowa." Quatre's voice dropped a little on his friend's name, displaying his feelings even to an emotionally stunted boy like Heero. "What's up?"

"Morning, little one." Trowa's green eyes hovered on Quatre's face, then flickered about the grounds outside school, observing the unusual crowd of students. "Travis Westbridge is planning a party at a club in town. His lackeys are handing out invitations." He nodded to where a group of kids had gathered, and were listening intently to another, slightly older boy, clutching brightly coloured fliers.

Quatre's features lit up. "A party? When?"

Trowa looked back at him, his face blank as usual, but his eyes showing amusement. "I thought you'd say that." He handed Quatre a yellow flier. Heero identified it as one of the posters being handed around.

" 'Saturday night at the Black Rose club, 7.00pm'," Quatre read. Something flickered in his eyes, and he looked at Trowa. "Black Rose club?"

"Yes." Trowa's expression was unreadable. "It's on the other side of town."

Heero watched as Quatre hesitated, then jumped a little as he suddenly turned to him with a smile a demon couldn't resist. "How about it, Heero? Are you free Saturday?"

A party, exciting! R+R please.