Author's notes: So here I am with a new story, my first attempt at an epic in the KH fandom. I've written a couple of drabbles before, played the games and so forth, but this is AU. So forgive any liberties taken.

Warning: YAOI: We all love yaoi. If you don't, please press the back button.

Pairings: Welll... If I relayed that this early in the story, it wouldn't be as much fun... So I'll have you teetering on the edge a little longer. Be free to make guesses, though.

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, own Kingdom Hearts. I wish, though. I wish, I wish, I wish. And if I did, Xemnas would be tied to my bed, wearing a pink boa. Just because I could.

Rating: For this chapter, T, but throughout... M. Disturbing so and so, humor and lots of sex (If the muses cooperate)

Further Notes: If you find any errors, pwease tell me. And also, this is the first chapter, so forgive me for the choppyness! It'll get better, I promise!

Now, on with the story...

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Chapter one: Drapes, carpets and withdrawal.

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Xigbar watched the thrashing body on the bed with silent regret, viewing the sweat glinting on exposed, pale skin, red velts from clawing nails sickeningly visible as the lithe body arched into a bridge, and a bloodcurdling scream rang through the air.

Xaldin had tied her up earlier, securing her wrists and ankles to the four posts on the bed, to keep her from harming herself. Withdrawal was never a pretty sight. Especially not on such young people. She couldn't have been more than 16, maybe 17. Much too young to be doing what she had been doing for who she had been working under.

Scrye. His reputation was frightening, and his actions more so. He was one of the most dangerous druglords in Midgar, and he obviously had no objections to hiring young girls to do his dirty work.

In front of him on the bed, writhing in the pains of withdrawal, was the widely feared assassin of Scrye's court, his right hand man –girl- Swiftblade. She was dangerous, accurate with her blades, and known for her penchant for torture.

Xigbar and Xaldin, as mercenaries, had been hired to kill her by the WRO. The TURKs couldn't get close to her, and so they were the next choice. The commisioner had given them strict orders, but when they looked into her eyes, and she pouted, Xigbar had cracked completely.

Another bloodcurdling scream tore from her throat, and she collapsed to the bed and vomitted rather unattractively all over the sheets, some of the white fluid also flowing over her black hair. Her breath was ragged, and she was obviously exhausted. He cursed silently and went to wipe her clean, drying some of the sweat away from her face and neck at the same time.

Her grey eyes were glaced over, her full lips parted and chapped, she was trembling all over and her nose was bleeding. Xigbar wasn't a doctor, and he wasn't an expert on withdrawal from drugs, but he had a fair amount of experience with pain, and he could see that she was suffering. He had a kind heart, and he hated to see people suffer like this.

A large shadow entered behind him, and he turned to look at his companion through many years and hardships.

"How is she doing?" His soft voice was silent, and the large healer stepped closer to the bed.

"Not good, man. She's exhausting herself, straining her muscles and vomitting all over the place. Got anything alternative that might remove some of the pain?" His yellow eyes narrowed slightly as he cringed in sympathy when she arched once more, screaming bloody murder.

Xaldin gave a curt nod and went out into the small kitchen of their apartment to cook up some of his herbal mixes against pains. They tasted like shit, but they did work, and they most definitely did the trick against muscular pain. Maybe they'd be able to get something sensible out of her, or perhaps they could have her sleep through the ordeal. The latter would probably be the best choice, as he doubted that her brain was working properly at the moment.

He went back to his silent vigil, waiting for his good friend to re-enter the room.

When Xaldin came back with a mug of some horribly smelling liquid, their charge had somewhat calmed. She was still twitching and thrashing against her bonds, but she seemed to lack the energy to scream and vomit.

Xaldin seated himself at the edge of the bed and released the bonds around her wrists, gingerly enveloping her in his large arms and holding her up, helping her drink it all down. She was obviously thirsty, as she drank it all without complaint. Soon after, she was sleeping soundly.

"What do we do now?" Xigbar's voice was silent, questioning and pained. He could sympathize with the kid, really, but he'd never been into drugs himself. For which he thanked all gods this side of the world.

Xaldin heaved a great sigh and popped his neck, making his companion wince at the sickening sounds. "Now, we wait. The herbs will have her sedated and out cold for a couple of days, and she'll be over the worst part by then. That's best, anyway. We'll just stay with her and make sure she doesn't croak in her sleep. We need the info she can give us if we want to take down this bigshot bastard."

Xigbar gave a curt nod in reply and silently settled with his friend's wise orders. Xaldin always knew best. Well, almost always, anyway.

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"Where'd ya put the eggs?"

"In the fridge, as always. Why?"

"Pancakes, Xaldin. There is no breakfast without pancakes. And I need fucking eggs-" Xigbar interrupted himself to sniff a carton of milk. "Guh! This shit's outdated, by millions of years, I swear!" He scrunched his nose in disgust. "It stinks."

Xaldin sighed and rolled his eyes, returning his attention to the paper he was reading. The night had gone quite well, if he could say so himself. The girl had slept, was still sleeping, and no more thrashing and vomitting had happened. The only problem was that they hadn't gotten any sleep. And he was worried about what comissioner Tuesti would say about them not killing the assassin.

He looked up again to see Xigbar's narrowed eyes scrutinizing him. "You're worried about the mission, eh?"

Xaldin gave a curt nod. "Yes. Could you be so kind as to stop prodding my brain for information? It counts as intruding on my privacy. Not polite, Xigbar. Didn't your parents teach you manners?"

Xigbar snorted. "I should say they did, but you're keeping things from me. Using my... gift to figure those things out isn't wrong. I'm worried about you, Xal."

With a slight smile, Xaldin stood up, towering over his companion. He grabbed his jacket and shrugged it on, pulling his dreads to hang around his shoulders as he headed towards the door.

"Where are you going, man?" The question was slightly frantic, curt, gruff. Trademark Xigbar, really.

"To get milk, Xig. Weren't you making pancakes?" Teasing. As always. Xaldin opened the door and walked out into the not-so-fresh morning air of Midgar city.

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He rolled around in bed. Not comfortable. Too much light, too much sun, and somebody was tickling his toes. He rolled around again, and with a startled sound he found himself sprawled on the floor at his two best friends' feet, looking up at them with bleary eyes.

"Dem... We're going searching today. Remember? Your aunt's made breakfast. It would be rude of us to decline her kind offer."

Demyx sat up with a groan and rubbed his eyes with a tired yawn. Xemnas was expected to be grown up, but couldn't he have waited to grow up until he turned... Twenty? He was one year younger than Demyx, and already acted as if he was much older. Demyx didn't like that at all, he was eighteen, damnit, and he was supposed to be the one acting mature in the group.

"We know you're an adult, Dem. Really. Stop ranting." Zexion's voice was teasing, low and silky.

Had he really said that out loud?

"Yes, now get some clothes on and take care of your morning wood. Then you'll come down with us and have breakfast and we'll go search for Arrow. She has to be here somewhere, right?" Xemnas was way too cheerful in the morning.

Zexion simply gave him a peck on the cheek and walked out the door. Not too soon after his head popped in through the doorway again. "Oh, and your cousin, you know, the tall, handsome, utterly sexy one named Leon?" At Demyx's eyeroll, he continued. "He said he'd help us get jobs. He's got this friend who works at a music store, and he might be kind enough as to let us work there as well. Maybe he can help us search?"

Demyx smiled. Zexion was easily excitable, upbeat and happy, most of the time, at least. When he wasn't, he was whining, bitching and moaning, and a brat to boot, showing just how evident it was that he was the youngest of the three. Formerly, they had been four.

As Xemnas joined Zexion to walk downstairs, Demyx stood, while idly listening to the chattering of the two younger ones. "-d'you think that Leon's friend might be this really hot blonde who'll be totally into me and proceed to swipe me off my feet and make hot love to me all night long, Xem?"

He didn't hear Xemnas' answer, as he tuned them out and headed for the bathroom. Zexion was usually much too imaginative.

Demyx himself thought that it would be nice to get out there and get some searching done, at least. Or so he should think. After all, they hadn't heard from her in over four months...

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Zexion, to say the least, had been disappointed when it came to Leon's friend. He was hot, alright, but he was also cold, had a nasty temper and a slightly vicious streak.

It was easy to see that he had a kind heart, though. And he was silent and pleasant, but never abandoned that sense of coolness completely. It was pointless to say that Xemnas and this guy were instant friends, never mind the age gap of two years or so.

Saix, as was his name, was a tall, blonde, slightly tanned 19 year old who seemingly ran this music shop by himself. He explained that he was the manager, but wouldn't explain anything further. He had a nicely built body and a cross shaped scar across the bridge of his nose. While that might have been enough to ensnare or scare away anyone in and of itself, his looks had to be topped off with startlingly yellow eyes, and Demyx found himself wondering whether or not this guy wore colored contacts.

They'd been granted jobs there, and would be working in shifts. They'd also been offered a place to stay, since Saix lived in a huge apartment with his best friend, and there were quite a lot of vacant rooms.

Demyx already felt quite a lot more certain that this might work out well, and he had confidence that somehow, somehow, they'd find their missing friend. It might take time, but Demyx had his determination, Xemnas had his fierce protectiveness and Zexion missed someone to have girltalks with. Demyx was too butch, he had explained.

As of yet, they hadn't gotten much searching done, and Demyx pondered their options as they ate dinner in the apartment they now shared with Saix.

"What're you thinking of?" Zexion curled up in the corner of the couch and watched Demyx pensively. It was clear that he was worried, but right now he seemed calm. Demyx liked him best when he was that way, because sometimes, with his bouncy attitude, he could become a bit much. He loved him though, as if he was his brother.

"Just pondering our options, where we should search, how we should go about it... I was thinking maybe posters and such? That'd be a good way to look for her, I guess..."

"No. I don't think so, with how she was back in Gongaga, I think she might've gotten herself into trouble once she got here and we couldn't watch over her. If her drug abuse was bad back home, it might've escalated immensely once she got here." Xemnas, the voice of reason within their group. He always managed to put a damper on their mood.

Demyx, however, had several options in mind. "We could try asking around with a picture of her, you know? To see if anyone recognizes her? Maybe she lives on the streets or something?"

Xemnas nodded silently. "That might work, Dem... Though I'm not sure we'll find her easily. She's always been good at hiding. I can't say I blame her."

Demyx heaved a great sigh. It was easier said than done to look for a not-too-noticable black haired girl. Sure, she was cute enough, but she wasn't breathtaking in any way. Her charm came mostly from her quirky, upbeat personality and weird sense of humor. And her undeniably cute clutziness. This would not be easy, in any way.

"Maaaan, this'll be like finding the needle in a haystack!" Zexion flopped back onto the couch with a whine, covering his eyes with his arm in a rather dramatic way.

"You guys searching for someone?" The voice of their new housemate tore through the silence like a knife with it's calmness. Demyz turned to look at the tall blond who was now leaning against the wall behind the sofa.

"Yeah... Our friend. She moved to Midgar a while back, and we haven't heard from her in four months."

Saix frowned, making his scars crinkle slightly. It looked a little odd, but it didn't marr his handsome appearance at all. Just made him look a little more sinister. Demyx wasn't afraid at all. Right.

"I might actually be able to help you. That is, if you have a picture of her."

At this, the trio on the couch perked up, all turning to look at him with excited faces.

"Don't get your hopes up, though. This depends on whether my friend will be able to persuade his brother, which might be difficult, since the fucker is damned stubborn."

Their shoulders slumped again as Saix calmly tore down all hopes he might have built up.

Saix gave a quirky smile. "Hey, wouldn't hurt to ask him, would it? He'll be back soon, and then we might be able to talk to his brother tomorrow, if he isn't too busy." With that, he turned and walked into his bedroom, leaving the three in the livingroom to think about what he had said.

Zexion sighed dramatically and nearly slid off the couch as he slumped in his seat. "Man, he's so hot. Why does he have to be so damn unattainable?"

"Because that's just the way he works. He doesn't easily let people in, and he's a loner by nature." The voice didn't belong to Demyx and Xemnas, so Zexion turned to look at the new person standing in the doorway. He was tall and gangly and his eyes were the most startling shade of emerald green. Underneath those eyes were triangle shaped, black tattoos and his hair was a spiky mop of bright red. He entered and closed the door behind himself, eyeing the three teens in his home with poorly veiled curiosity and suspicion.

"You the new roomies?"

Zexion nodded mutely, Demyx gaped and Xemnas cleared his throat. "Uh... Yes. Are you the best friend?"

The tall redhead nodded with a wide smirk. "Uh huh... Name's Axel. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?" He sauntered towards the couch and plopped down next to a very fascinated Zexion.

"I'm Xemnas. These here," he pointed to his friends, "are Demyx and Zexion. Demyx is a teensy bit scared of everything and worries a lot, and Zexion will attack anything that is remotely attractive and has a penis attached to their person."

Axel gave a hearty laugh, eliciting a smirk from Xemnas. Demyx simply eyed him as if he was going to sprout tentacles and tear his clothes (and possibly, head) off at any given moment.

Zexion, who didn't seem to notice what Xemnas had just said to him, poked Axel's head gently. "I just can't help but wonder... Does the carpet match the drapes?"

This earned a groan from his two friends, and a surprised snort from the redhead. Axel reached up with a long, thin hand and tugged at one of his red spikes. "You mean, is my hair really this color all over?"

Zexion gave a quiet nod, wide-eyed with fascination.

Axel smirked. "Why, I couldn't possibly tell you that, could I? Wanna come check...?" He arched one eyebrow suggestively, causing Zexion to give a quiet half moan, half squeek.

Xemnas cleared his throat. "Zexion, if you please..." He then turned to Axel. "We have a problem that you might be able to help us with. Our friend has been missing for several months, and we know for a fact that the last place she visited was Midgar. Actually, she lived here." His brow furrowed and he scratched his forhead, weighing his words, before continuing. "We heard from Saix that if we had a picture of her, your brother might be able to help find her...?" He trailed off, looking at Axel with some form of childish hope in his eyes.

The redhead observed them for a moment, giving them all a once-over before turning back to Xemnas. "Uh... I could ask him, but I wouldn't know if he'd be able to, or if he'd even agree to do it..."

"But it's worth a shot, right?" Demyx piped up, his voice near frantic with hope.

Axel nodded slowly, hoping to all deities that his brother would agree to this. "Yeah... Listen, I'll just call him right away, sound good?"

He had to surpress a chuckle at the three eagerly bobbing heads directed his way. With a slight smirk, he dug his phone out of the right pocket on his jeans and flipped it open to dial his brother's number. Pressing the phone to his ear, he waited for the line to connect, and for his brother to pick up.

After a moment of silence, there was a click on the other end. "What the hell do you want, Ax?" His brother drawled snappily, sounding slightly frustrated.

"Hey, Reno... Listen, I have a favor to ask you." Axel bit his lip, waiting for an answer of some sort before continuing.

"I'm listenin', yo."

"Okay, great. Look, there are these kids that moved in with us a little while back, today, actually, and they're here in Midgar to look for a friend who's gone missing. Is there any chance you might come over and talk to them?"

"Er... I guess..? Look, do they have a picture of him or anything?"

"Yeah, they've got a picture of her. Or at least, so they say. Can you come over?"

Axel's brow crinkled with worry. He hoped his brother would agree to this.

A moment of silence. "...Yeah, sure. I'll be over in a couple hours. I've got some... matters to attend to first."

Axel heaved a great sigh. "Thanks, man. Now go back to fuckin' your boyfriend or whatever the hell you were doing when I called."

"Actually, we hadn't gotten quite that far just yet."

"Maaaan, too much info, bro!" With a groan of agony and embarassment, Axel hung up the phone and turned to the other teens in the room.

"Well, what did he say?" Zexion's voice was breathless and slightly shaky.

"He said he'd look into it. He'll be over in a couple hours. D'you guys wanna rest up a little, or something?"

At the simultaneous nods, Axel stood and led them to their respective bedrooms. "I'll wake ya when he arrives, though he's noisy enough to wake a sleepdeprived bear if he wants to."

Saying their thanks, Demyx, Zexion and Xemnas went to bed.

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A/N: I think I'll just cut it right here for the moment. This chapter was a serious bitch to write, and I honestly spent nearly 2 weeks on finishing it. I've polished it over and looked for errors, and I hope that there were none. However, if you found any, please inform me!

As a sidenote: Review! Cookies will be given and helping hands will be appreciated.