Diana sighs heavily as girls whisper about her, wondering how someone of her caliber got into the training in the Salix building. She does her best to remain indifferent as she finishes putting on a long sleeve workout shirt and long pants. She ties her shoelaces tighter and then heads out of the locker room without sparing a glance to the girls who feel so superior for being advanced.

"Those idiots, being advanced doesn't do anything. What's impressive is being like Sean, the child prodigy." She thinks to herself and yelps as she nearly bumps into Dean. He grins and waves at her. She blushes a bit and casts her eyes to the side.

"Hey, you're gonna get sweaty, you know? Why don't you tie your hair back?" Dean questions Diana, who sighs and looks back at him.

"I don't have a hair tie. I like to keep my hair down." Diana says with a simple shrug of her shoulders. Dean nods and rips a piece of his sleeve. He ties it up and then gives it to Diana. She blushes and turns away to put up her hair.

"Th-thanks. Though, you really didn't have to do that..." She says quietly, and Dean chuckles before taking her hand and pulling her out to the training field. She yelps at the sudden action and ends up gripping his hand back. Her heart skips a beat, and she shakes her head, refusing to acknowledge what this insistent blond is trying to do to her.

"Yo, Professor Nikki! I brought our newest trainee, Diana!" Dean says as he leads them to the older woman who is marking off students that arrive. She looks up at them and smiles gently.

"A pleasure to have you with us, Miss Diana. I've heard some great things about you from Professor Rhodes, so I hope I can see your potential here." Nichole says to her. Diana nods her head and gives her a polite smile. Deep inside, she knows that Nichole probably has something to do with the fact that she is in the Salix building right now. Dean watches Diana's actions and smiles a bit, knowing she's faking that smile.

"I wonder if I'll see a real smile from you." Dean thinks to himself. Diana looks to the other students and notices they're all staring at her like as if she didn't belong there. She looks away from them, feeling her chest tighten and discomfort growing evermore.

"Don't look at me like that. It's not like I want to be here, I know I don't belong here." Diana thinks to herself as she pulls her hand away from Dean's and clenches them to keep from shaking in frustration. Dean looks over at her with concern as he notices her look of discomfort. Even Nichole sees it but keeps a neutral expression.

"Alright, everyone, we'll begin with a running exercise. Five laps around the track, no walking! Go!" She says, and the commanding tone in her voice causes everyone to start running. Dean grabs Diana's hand and starts to pull her into a run.

"Eh?! Five laps?! I can barely run half a lap!" Diana yells out, so Dean continues to pull her along.

"Then I will pull you along for the five laps! There are no rules against that!" Dean says to her and keeps pulling her along. Diana groans, feeling her legs already starting to ache.

"I'm so out of shape!" She thinks to herself as her breathing starts to speed up. Five laps feel like an eternity to her, so she doesn't notice when they finally stop. She drops to the ground and tries to catch her breath.

"Why am I here?!" Diana thinks to herself desperately, wanting nothing more than to leave the training ground and go back to the simple training of the DW section. Dean helps her sit up and gives her water. She drinks it all and leans back down on the ground.

"Looks like she's not going to take it easy even though we have a new transfer, huh?" Dean says, feeling a little bad for dragging Diana around. She glares at him, and he flinches a bit and puts his hand up defensively.

"I could have jogged. You're too intense!" Diana snaps a little. Dean just smiles apologetically at her, trying to settle her down a bit.

"Good, now that you're all warmed up, let us begin to spar. I have picked out your opponents of what I believe are your strongest opposition. I don't expect anyone to go easy on anyone." Nichole tells the group. Diana's gray eyes widen, and she is quickly becoming discouraged. If there were any plans to join this branch, it was destroyed by now.

"Just great, that means I could be facing anyone since I'm the weakest one here!" Diana thinks to herself in a panic. Even Dean is concerned about Diana's safety. He bites his lower lip and is about to protest Nichole's choice in starting fights so early in the semester, especially since Diana isn't used to the advanced courses.

"First up is Diana Green versus Rex Rune." Nichole says, interrupting Dean. The crowd gasps and looks over to the biggest and burliest guy in the section. Diana's jaw drops at the sight of him. She felt pretty tall for a girl of five feet and seven inches, but now she feels like she's only two feet compared to him. He grins and looks at her with the hunger to take her down even if the battle seems unfair.

"Nikki! Are you insane?! Diana has just started, and you're already pitting her against this guy?! I think he's way out of her league!" Dean yells out at the older woman as he stands protectively in front of Diana. Nobody else steps up to defend the newbie, and they watch the altercation.

"Dean, do not question my choice. I know perfectly well what I'm doing. Now step aside and back away so this battle may commence." She says to him with a frown. Dean looks at her defiantly, refusing to back down. Diana gulps and puts a hand to Dean's shoulder. He jumps and looks back at her.

"It's okay, Dean. I'll do it. I may end up getting hurt badly, but I might as well get this out of the way." Diana says, putting on a brave face, but her heart begins to pound, the hand on his shoulder shakes. He turns to her, but she shakes her head and walks past him towards the center of the battlefield where Rex waits for her, already licking his lips.

Diana's body trembles, and her breathing becomes more shallow as she walks up to Rex. Her "flight or fight" response is beginning to trigger as her pupils take up most of her iris, leaving a small circle of gray in her eyes.

"Diana Green versus Rex Rune. . . begin!" Nichole yells out. Diana stands in place with her head lowered while a few rude people snicker at the shaking girl. Rex chuckles and bends down to stand face to face with Diana, trying to look at her wide-eyed expression.

"Oh, come on, I'll be nice this once and let you hit me right here." Rex says mockingly as he taps his right temple. Diana doesn't respond, and Rex encourages Diana by lightly smacking her head around.

"Come on, do something, you scaredy cat!" Rex yells out at her. He raises his fist, but Diana puts her hand out, letting her hand take the hit, which barely budges her. The crowd goes silent, and they all stare at the scene with wide eyes. Even Rex is caught off guard by Diana's action. She raises her head and meets Rex's eyes, smiling at him.

"No, I'm not afraid. . . I'm shaking from excitement." Diana says to him before she jumps up and drop kicks him on the chest and barely catching under his chin. He ends up falling hard on his back. She manages a small back flip and lands on her feet in a squatting position. Diana still looks ready to attack instead of defending. Her face is calm. There almost seems to be amusement in her gaze.

Dean and the rest of the students stare on with shock. No one expected those kinds of moves from someone coming from the lowest branch. Now they see that with Nichole's amazing analyzing skills, Diana was, in fact, Rex's strongest opposition. In this moment, most of the students have gained a bit more respect for Diana.

"Whoa... she's more amazing than I thought..." Dean feels an excited chill pass through him as he watches Diana's calm expression twitch with the tease of a smile. It is not a joyful one, but the face of someone who is about ready to win.

"Shall we keep going, or do you want to quit now, big guy?" Diana question in a mocking tone. Rex sits up and glares at her as he rubs his jaw.

"Well, it looks like I don't have to hold back." Rex says angrily as he gets up and charges at Diana. She evades his punches with ease since he is less flexible and slower than Diana. Even Nichole's eyes widen a bit as she observes Diana. In all the time that she has been observing her, not once has she seen this kind of skill during her training and sparing matches in Dwarf Weeping Willow. Her face is free of any emotion. A smirk escapes her every now and again to show how easy she finds this.

"You were right, Headmaster... the fighting comes natural to her. Now, she just needs to harness this strength completely conscious. I will help bring out the best in her to save this place and the humans within." Nichole takes note of Diana's skills and moves to later report to Chandler.

"I wish you would have stayed down. I don't really like violence." Diana says to him, not bothering to strike him. She ducks down and quickly flings herself in between his legs before hitting the back of his knees with the heels of her shoes. His legs give out, and he falls to the ground hard and doesn't get up again to save himself more humiliation.

The crowd is silent as they stare at Diana, who doesn't look back at Rex as she stands back upright. She undoes her hair tie and leaves the training hall without looking back at anyone. Dean watches her and tries to go after her, but Nichole puts her arm out and stops his progress forward.

"Dean, your match is next. You are not permitted to leave until you win or lose." She tells him. He looks at her pleadingly, but she isn't moved. He sighs frustrated and waits for his opponent to be called forward.

His opponent walks forward. He is a guy who appears the same body type as him. Dean doesn't know anyone here in a personal sense, so he hasn't worked with any of these people since year one like they have with each other. He, too, is just as new to this as Diana is. He has to wing it and figure out how to beat this guy as they battle.

"Alright, this is your opponent, Adonis Rove. You may begin!" Nichole calls out. Neither man moves recklessly as they observe each other. Neither one makes a move towards each other. Dean knows that Adonis is also aware that he doesn't know how much fighting experience Dean has.

"Good luck, may the best man win." Dean calls out to Adonis suddenly. Dean smiles sincerely, but Adonis keeps his focus as his dark brows furrow a bit. He doesn't respond to Dean at all. "Alright, cool... I'll go first."

Dean walks towards Adonis. The way his feet move feel completely off to the way his upper half is moving. Like he is trying to look normal. He can't even tell if Dean is going for the offense or defense. Adonis is on alert as Dean gets closer to him.

Adonis decides to attack with a fake out knee kick that he expected Dean to dodge. He ends up bringing down his elbow to the top of Dean's head. Dean moves forward, allowing Adonis to elbow him full force on his dislocated shoulder blade. Dean seems to move and morph around to manage a direct hit to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

Dean backs up as he allows Adonis to catch his breath. He sits up and looks to Nichole. "Hold on! Magic is forbidden in this lesson!" Adonis coughs out as he holds his abdomen.

"There is no magic detected." Nichole assures Adonis. The students whisper amongst each other as they look at Dean.

"Not magic, I just have the ability to dislocate my joints and move my bones and muscle to a certain extent. So, wanna take me seriously now? I have a friend to catch up with, so I guess there's no time to decide." Dean rushes at Adonis just as he tries to get up. Adonis isn't having that and goes for another attack.

Dean recalls the way Diana managed to get Rex to drop his guard and drop kick him. Dean knows he can't be as graceful as she was and instead goes for his own fake out drop kick. He makes contact with an elbow to Adonis's temple, knocking him out.

"Dean is the winner!" Nichole calls out as she goes over to check on Adonis and holds a glowing finger to his injured body parts. Dean doesn't bask too long in his victory before he runs out of the gym.

"Dean! Dean! Honestly..." Nichole sighs frustrated as she is unable to stop him. She just continues her lesson with the remainder of the students. She feels hopeful with how strong the potential recruits are. She has fewer worries over the safety and prosperity of Artemia with people like Diana and Dean around.

"I know you said that Dean would bring out the best in Diana, but he is still a student here. He can't just do what he wants because of who his family is." Nichole shakes her head as she focuses back on her other students.

~0~

"Ow! Ow! Ow! It hurts so much! I'm almost there..." Diana stiffly makes her way up the stairs of the dorm building. Her legs tremble with each step she takes to get to her room. Each step receives a complaint as she finally reaches her room. Getting her key into the keyhole is another battle in and of itself.

"What is wrong with me? Why does it hurt so much? I can't be that out of shape!" Diana yelps and rolls around in pain once she gets the door open with her shoulder. Her weight tips forward, and she falls to the ground, and that really makes her ache. Diana writhes around in pain until it lessens enough for her to lie still. "Ow... help, help, it hurts so much... warm shower... maybe..."

Diana drags herself to the bathroom in her dorm until she can pull herself up on the toilet to sit on the closed lid. She groans and grunts in pain as she strips herself, barely being able to get her arms over her head and uses all her might to get her pants off.

Finally, she takes on the battle to get from the toilet seat to the shower. She finally gets the warm temperature she wants before she finally lets herself collapse on the ground. It feels uncomfortable, but she really can't move much right now.

Diana sits on the shower floor as water pours over her. She winces in pain as she rubs her arms and legs to help relax and soothe her muscles.

"I wish my dorm had a bathtub so I can relax and hopefully get this pain in my body to go away. What the heck did I do? I don't remember ever learning to fight properly like that. Just what the heck am I?" Diana questions herself, scared of the mystery of herself. Of the parts of her, she doesn't know because of her lack of biological family.

"I wonder if I can find out the true story of my family origin. I'm starting to doubt that I was just abandoned by my parents in front of the Green Orphanage. But it's not like anyone will tell me anything. I don't trust those people, and they don't trust me. Even the orphanage never gave me any clues about my family... if they're still alive." Diana winces as she stands up and shuts off the water. Her pain has lessened enough to be able to move again. She grabs her black bathrobe and wraps her hair up in a white towel into a turban like style, and goes to lie down on her bed.

"Ah, my bed feels so good." Diana thinks to herself as she lets her body sink down further into the soft mattress. She grabs her phone and a bottle of painkillers, and lets her music play, hoping to forget about the pain in her body as the painkillers take effect.

Diana closes her gray eyes and lets the music she listens to create scenarios in her mind. The usual romantic songs she has in her phone that usually show her the image of a faceless person become Dean. Her eyes snap open, and she sits up abruptly, putting a hand to her pounding heart. She quickly shuts off her music and lets the towel fall off her hair before she grabs some of it with her hands.

"No, no way! Nope, I will not think about Dean in that way! I barely want to think of him as a friend!" Diana panics to herself. She squeals in fright as her front door is burst open. Diana forgot to lock her door.

"Diana! Are you okay?!" Dean yells out as he looks around for the blackette. He notices her right across from him and blushes as he sees her robe is slightly undone, showing a large portion of her long leg and her shoulders. Diana looks at herself and quickly shields herself.

"S-sorry!" Dean quickly steps out and leans against her front door and hits his head with his fist, berating himself.

"Whoa, Dean, you perv." He jumps startled as he sees Lori peek out next door from her room.

"It was an accident! I got worried for her!" He tells Lori, who giggles and steps out of her room and closes the door.

"I heard. I mean the rooms are nice, but sadly the walls are thin. By the way, Diana makes such cute girly noises for someone so serious." Lori says with a teasing grin. Dean blushes and shakes away the sight his eyes feasted on. He quickly steps back as the door opens slightly, and Diana looks at them.

"Um, y-you can come in now. I'm dressed." Diana says softly before opening the door and letting the pair in. Lori looks over at Diana and gasps.

"Wow, that's a pretty nightgown!" Lori says as she looks at Diana in her dark red nightgown that goes right to her knees in length and has short ruffled sleeves. Diana blushes a bit and gives her a meek thanks before closing the door.

"S-sorry about the way I burst in before. It's just that you left so suddenly after your battle that I got worried." Dean says to Diana, who looks over at him.

"Don't worry about it, and I just couldn't stand being in that place anymore. Also, I started aching all over, so I came straight to my room. Luckily, the painkillers kicked in before I felt any real pain." Diana lies as she sits on her lounge chair while Lori and Dean sit on her bed,

"Battle?! What battle?!" Lori questions surprised. Dean and Diana sigh before telling her what had happened, but Dean shows more enthusiasm for the story than Diana does. Lori listens intently and stares at Diana in awe.

"Whoa, Chelsea is right. . . You must take the Branching Exams! You're wasting your talent in such a low-level branch!" Lori says as she hops off her bed and points at Diana. She stares at her finger, pointed right at her, and becomes a little uncomfortable in their encouragement.

"I agree! With your butt kicking power and smarts, you'll probably skip over to the very top!" Dean says, also jumping off the bed and pointing at her as well. Diana looks between the pair and starts to laugh from the heart at how ridiculous they are being. She laughs to the brink of tears and wraps her arms around her stomach.

"Oh, ow! It hurts!" She cries out through her laughter. She takes deep breaths and wipes at her tears. Dean and Lori stare at the blackette with wide eyes. They blush and hug her.

"So cute!" They say happily, making the blackette jump and blush at their touch. Her cheeks puff a bit as they keep holding her, and she remains still waiting for them to release her.

"Hey, are you guys going to let go?" She questions them, and they sigh content and shake their heads.

"You smell nice." They say, and Diana's brow twitches before she pushes them off, making them fall side by side on the bed. They smile at the ceiling and sit up to look at the flustered blackette who brushes her fingers through her humid hair.

"Wait, how'd your battle go, Dean?" Diana questions as she remembers that he was called right after her. Dean grins and puts his fingers up into a victory sign.

"I won!" He tells her. She smiles a bit in relief and then blushes as his smile triggers her memory of what she had imagined when listening to the romantic music in her phone. She looks away from him and stares at her dorm door instead.

"That's good. Anyway, I'm getting kind of hungry. Do you guys mind take out?" Diana questions them. The duo shake their heads and smile at the blackette. She grabs her phone and steps out to make her order while Lori and Dean wait for Diana inside.

"So, so, so, how are things going?" Lori questions happily. Dean sighs but maintains his smile as he lies back on Diana's bed.

"Well, I think we're growing on her. I mean, she's talking to us more, and she even laughed in front of us. It was a real laugh, and it was so lovely." Dean says with a light blush. Lori giggles and looks at the ceiling.

"Dean, I don't think you want to be her friend." She says to him, and Dean sits up abruptly.

"What?! Why would you say that?!" Dean says offended. Lori sighs and pets his shoulder.

"Let me finish, man. You don't want to be her friend, you want to be her boyfriend!" She says with a grin. Dean opens his mouth to argue, but his words don't come. He closes his mouth and then lies face first on Diana's bed and says nothing.

"Oops, I think I broke him." Lori says just as Diana steps in. She looks at the scene before her, very confused.

"Uh, guys? Are you okay?" Diana questions the pair. Lori nods her head and pets the back of Dean's head as he tenses up at the sound of Diana's voice. He sits up, not facing the girls as they look at the back of his head.

"Yeah, but I just remembered that I have to see my father about something, excuse me!" Dean says as he rushes past Diana, taking her by surprise. She watches her door close and then looks over at Lori, completely confused. Lori grins and motions Diana to come closer so she can answer her unasked question. Diana comes closer and looks Lori in the eyes.

"Dean just realized that he wants to be more than just your friend." Now it's Diana's turn to blush brightly. She turns away from Lori and puts her cool hands to her burning cheeks. Lori feels a sense of satisfaction at making her two friends blush so brightly.

"Well, he shouldn't waste his time on me. The two guys who approached me for a relationship were instantly discouraged by my indifference and obvious disinterest in them." Diana says to her as she stares at her lap. Lori smiles and leans back on her hands to stare at the sad girl.

"But you said it, you were indifferent and cold with them because you didn't like them back, right? Is Dean really the same?" Lori questions, making Diana's eyes widen.

"Well?" Lori pesters her. Diana gulps and casts her eyes to the side, letting what Lori said go through her head.

"I didn't like them back, but Dean is different?" She thinks to herself, putting a hand to her heart. Lori watches and waits for Diana to say something, but before she can say anything, a knock at her door startles them.

"Looks like my delivery is here. Do you want to stay over and have some pizza with me?" Diana questions Lori, sounding a bit flustered. Lori nods her head and reaches for her wallet, but Diana shakes her head and goes to the door. She pays the man and goes back in. She places the pizza on her desk and looks for paper plates.

"Here they are. Here are some plates for your pizza." Diana says, handing the red head a plate. She takes it, and they each grab two slices and a drink before sitting back down and eating. They chat about school no longer going back to the talk about Dean.

"Thanks! Oh, smells so good, I love this pizza place. It's run by some really kind fox shifters, right?" Lori takes a bite of her pizza and hums in delight. Diana smiles and nods as she, too, takes a bite.

"Yeah, it's been my go-to place since I first started going to Acacia Academy. The owners are very nice. It's been a while since I've gone to their restaurant, though." Diana takes a sip of her drink as Lori listens to her.

"We should all go soon! You must know all the good dishes there after all!" Lori suggests. Diana smiles and nods in agreement. Lori cheers before going back to enjoying her pizza. Diana also goes back to focusing on her food, but her mind starts to wander back to what Lori had said earlier.

What she said about Dean will bug her all night. She is sure of that.

~0~

Later that night, Diana lies back on her bed, staring at the dark ceiling as she listens to her music. Her eyes become sad, and she reaches her hand up to nothing.

"Even if I feel differently for Dean than any other guy I have ever met. . . I have made up my mind on leaving Artemia. This place is not my home, I don't belong here. I don't belong with. . . With Dean." Diana thinks to herself and gasps as she feels tears roll down the corners of her eyes, dropping into her hair and ears.

"That's nothing to be sad about, so why are you crying?!" Diana mentally scolds herself. She sits up and wipes away her tears before getting off her bed. Diana finds her slippers in the darkness as well as a black zip-up sweater and steps out to get some fresh air. She walks to the metal balcony of the second floor and looks out into the darkness.

"Dean. . ." Diana whispers softly as she closes her eyes. "No, I have to remember my resolve!" Diana says aloud before running towards the stairs and heading down. She runs away towards the entrance of Acacia Academy and doesn't stop until she comes near the first gate of The Wall. She knows not to get close or the soldiers will see her.

"There, through there is where my heart leads me. I can't be held back by the chains of friendship or. . . Or love." Diana tells herself as a cold breeze blows her hair back.

"It's a little late to be out here, isn't it, Miss Green?" Diana yelps and turns back to the sound of the male voice. Her eyes widen as she gets a good look at him.

"Professor Crowley?!"

~0~

"Oh Lori, why?! Why did you say that?! Why?!" Dean rolls around on his bed, hearing over and over how Lori just said he wanted to be Diana's boyfriend. He yells into his pillow.

"Dean! It is bedtime. Stop making a ruckus!" Dean keeps his face on the pillow as his mother bursts into the room, very angry that he is messing with her bedtime routine. "Dean!"

"I'm sorry, mom..." His muffled voice comes through the pillow. She frowns a bit and looks to the room a few doors down where Chandler looks out, giving her a questioning look. She shrugs in response.

"What is the matter with you?" His mother questions him. Dean groans into his pillow again as she brings it up again. That just makes her frown deeper. "Did something happen at school? See, this is why I told you to keep learning with your Aunt-" Her red painted nails run through her blonde hair as she begins to braid it.

"It's not about school. I don't want to be a government official like Aunt Caroline." Dean finally lifts his head from the pillow. "Lori just said some stuff that has me thinking. I'm sorry, I'll be quiet now. Goodnight, love you, mom."

The older woman sighs and puts her hands to her hips. "I love you too, goodnight, son." She heads on back to her shared room as Dean is left alone again.

"Ugh, this is your fault, Lori... Now I don't think I can face Diana all of a sudden. Ah... Diana." Dean curls up on his bed. He points a finger to the light switch across the room. There is a hanging plant near it, and he maneuvers one of the vines to switch off the lights before he lets the vine drop back in place.

"Just stop thinking for tonight... I still have school tomorrow..." Dean forces his mismatching eyes closed, and he tries to shut off the thoughts in his head in order to get some sleep for the night. He is unsuccessful until his own tiredness finally wins out.