Disclaimer: Dun own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters!

I'd Die For You

It's safe to say that my life crumbled away to nothing, about two years ago. I remember each day, each struggle to inhale, each teardrop that left my eye, as if it were happening to me at this very moment. My heart was shattered by the only man I'd ever loved- Zexion. Eventually, he picked up the broken mess that he had made and helped me piece the reminants back together. My heart wasn't perfect, but it was better. Capable of loving once more, capable of compassion. Still, it was full of cracks that would sometimes pulsate in pain with each memory that I recalled, and it still hid shadows of fear and doubt. I'm not sure if Zexion knew that he hadn't returned my heart to the way that it once was, but I knew that the trust and the innocence that once lived there had escaped the day that he left me.

xoxoxo

We sat quietly in our favorite coffee shop, Zexion sitting next to me and drinking his odd-looking tea. Across from us sat Namine, Marluxia, and their baby daughter Kairi. Namine had her hair piled into a sloppy bun, her face tired yet lovingly aglow, in a beauty that only a mother could possess. Faint bags under her eyes bunched as she gave a warm smile to Kairi, who was sitting in a high chair close to Namine's thigh.

Marluxia emptied spoonfuls of sugar into his coffee, stirring it quietly and making small talk about the seasons changing. He sat closely to the mother of his child, glancing at her every so often and grinning softly, proudly.

I sipped on my hot cocoa, not saying a word, just observing and wondering how this whole situation made me feel. We'd been meeting at this coffee shop every weekend shortly after Kairi was born. Zexion and I had become close friends with Namine and Marluxia. We had all gone through hell thanks to one another, and having that much in common, it seemed like the only way to correct our mistakes and help heal each other's relationships.

Zexion was actually more open to it than I expected him to be. I'm the one who had reservations about this whole thing. Every weekend, I come and sit across from the woman who helped demolish my life for nine long months. I still have a burning grudge towards her. Even though Kairi turned out to be Marluxia's and not Zexion's daughter, she was still the one who he cheated on me with. She still had sex with a man who was supposed to be mine and mine alone. She still made me believe that life as I knew it was over. She put me through hell.

Marluxia was no better in my eyes. Kairi was his baby from the get go. Maybe if he'd worn protection, Namine would have never gotten pregnant and I would have never met either of them. Maybe if he would have just dated Namine instead of breaking her heart, she wouldn't have been drunk at the bar where Zexion was that night. Maybe their paths would have never crossed, and he would have never cheated on me. Maybe if it weren't for him, I would still be happy.

"Right, Demyx?"

I blinked harshly a few good times and popped myself out of my angry thoughts. I darted my eyes around the table, looking for an expectant face, trying to figure out who had been talking to me.

Used to this by now, Namine smiled and put down her cup. "I said, I'm sure you're happy that we've been having a good rain lately? You always seem happier when it's raining outside."

I swallowed, grateful that she was just talking about meaningless nonsense that didn't require much thought for me to answer to. "Oh yeah. I love the rain. It's so relaxing," I offered without missing a beat.

I glanced at Zexion from the corner of my eye and saw him watching me from his peripheral vision. Sometimes I hated how well he knew me. He shook his head slightly and returned his gaze to the book in his lap.

"I don't understand," Namine continued. "I don't like the rain. It always ruins my plans with Kairi when we want to go somewhere nice. I can't hang our clothes out on the line, we get drenched, and our shoes get so muddy."

"That's just a mom answer," Marluxia laughed as he ruffled Namine's wild blonde hair.

I grinned, more of a reflex than because it was genuine.

"Speaking of which, we'd better get going. Kairi's got an appointment with the photographer soon to get her fall pictures taken. We'll see you guys later."

We all said our goodbyes as they slipped Kairi into one pink article of clothing after the other, bundling her up as if there were a blizzard outside when in reality, fall had just barely kissed the earth. The bell hanging from the door jingled as the family walked out of the coffee shop, a crisp breeze making its way briefly to where we were still seated.

It was silent for a moment before Zexion finally said anything to me. "You're still uncomfortable about seeing them."

"No?" I lied with an eyeroll, which he didn't see because he was still staring at his book.

He lifted his tea up to his mouth and took a long sip. "I can tell that you are. You're never here, your mind is always somewhere else."

"Coming from someone who's always reading a book whenever we meet them here!"

"That's different," he retorted very matter-of-fact like. "I can multi-task. You, on the other hand, have never been able to handle more than one thing at once. You can't even eat and walk at the same time."

I glanced down quickly at the jelly stain on my shirt from this morning. I shot Zexion a glare, which in turn made him smirk. Why did he always have to be right?

"You don't have to come, you know. I'm not forcing you to."

"Yeah," I sighed, finally giving in. "But I feel like you want to be in Kairi's life. Since you thought she was yours throughout the whole pregnancy and everything."

Zexion shook his head. "Not at all. I was so happy when I found out that she wasn't mine, that I cried. Remember? I don't care for children, let alone want one. I just think that it's practical for all of us to maintain a friendship with one another. We're all connected in that horrible mess that happened, so it makes sense that we need them to help untangle it and get us back to the way that we used to be."

I tapped my fingers on the table anxiously. "Oh, so you don't think we're back to the way we were?" I don't know why I sounded so offended, I knew just as well, if not more, than he did that we were far from normal.

"If we were, then you wouldn't be so uncomfortable by the mere sight of them," he murmured as he turned the page in his book.

"I don't know, Zexion, it's just hard..."

I blushed as I felt him take my hand in his, a rare move for him to make. He was no longer staring into his book, but gazing intently into my eyes. "I understand, Demyx. I've hurt you badly, and I would never expect for you to take me back or love me again. But you have. And I'll be eternally grateful for that. I want you to be able to trust me again, I want you to stop being afraid of every possible negative situation that might unfold. Your imagination is really a curse, sometimes.. But I can't really blame you. If it weren't for me, it wouldn't be running as wild as it is. I'll set things right, Demyx. Believe me. It's just going to take time."

He leaned forward and gave my lips a soft peck, then went back to skimming through his book. I leaned back in my chair, eyes scanning the floor, searching for answers that weren't there.

xoxoxo

Sunbeams danced through the house as another chilly morning yawned and stretched over the planet. My eyes followed the tiny specks of dust dancing in the air, small spots cluttering my vision from the lack of sleep. I rubbed my eyes roughly, trying to get them to stop playing annoying tricks on me.

I heard Zexion's breathing change in rhythm next to me. He rolled over slowly and set his gorgeous teal eyes on my tired face, staring quietly. I offered him a sleepy smile, but he didn't return it.

"You didn't sleep well last night."

"Insomnia, it gets to me," I chuckled.

Still, Zexion stared at me with no amusement. "You used to sleep like a baby. You were never awake before noon, I was always the one to wake up first."

I chewed my bottom lip as I thought back to how things used to be. How I used to try to cuddle up next to him at night, only to be pushed off and cussed at. Since I took him back, he'd stopped being so critical of my affection and learned to have a lot more patience with me. But then again, maybe it's only because I haven't been as affectionate as I used to be.

I didn't know what to say, so I just sat up and shook my head a few times to try to get rid of the tiredness that always plagued me. I felt a soft hand gingerly rub my back a few times before Zexion sat up as well and began getting dressed.

It's funny how things work. All I ever wanted was affection. Before this whole ordeal, if Zexion had done something as simple and meaningless as rubbing my back, my heart would have skipped a beat and I would have a beaming smile on my face. But now that I actually have what I want, my reaction isn't the same. Any form of affection he shows me.. For some reason, it makes me incredibely sad.

And he knows I'm not the same. He comments on it all of the time.. I don't want to hurt him, having him know that I'm still dying inside. But I can't help it. He was all I ever wanted, and why did it have to take him cheating for me to finally get it? It's just not the same. It's not how I wanted things to happen.

xoxoxo

I pulled my tee shirt over my head and went about my morning routine, feeling Demyx's depressing aura all the while. I sighed quietly and snuck a quick glance at him. He was hunched over the side of the bed, elbows propped up on his knees and his head in his hands. He turned his face slightly and gave me a grin when he noticed that I was watching him.

I smirked back slightly. This whole relationship is a huge mess now. Anything we do is forced. Our smiles are fake, our laughs are fake. Our whole life together is awkward. I don't understand why he even took me back if he wasn't going to be able to forgive me.

I frowned at myself as negative thoughts swarmed through me. I had no right to be angry at Demyx, he had every reason to be depressed and unforgiving. This was all my fault, I'm the one who hurt him. I broke his heart, I was unfaithful. So why does it make me so angry that he can't just go back to the adorable, silly Demyx that I've always loved?

Maybe I messed up too badly. Maybe I killed him...

xoxoxo

The next weekend, we sat quietly in the car as we made our routinely trip to the coffee shop to meet with Namine and Marluxia. I stared out the window as Zexion drove, my shoulders tense and my mouth set.

To our surprise, Namine and Kairi were alone when we walked into the shop. Namine sat in the chair with her leg bouncing, her eyes cast out the window and Kairi fussing in the high chair beside her. She didn't even look at us when we took our usual seats.

"Where's Marluxia?" I asked, my soft heart and curious personality overpowering my grudge.

She wouldn't answer at first. After a moment, she sighed heavily and looked at me with worried eyes. "He's... He's started hanging out with his friends again."

I raised an eyebrow, as I didn't understand why this would cause her such distress. But beside me, Zexion put down his menu.

"The old ones?"

I bit my lip, angry that he knew more than I did. While they were living together throughout her pregnancy, he apparently wasn't too miserable if he remembered the conversations that they had discussed.

"Yup," she peeped quickly, turning her ocianic eyes back towards the window.

"And this is an issue because?" I questioned impatiently.

Namine didn't say anything, and neither did Zexion. They just let the tension fill the air, and that was the last that I heard about it.

xoxoxo

A few days passed and suddenly Namine arrived at our doorstep, bags in tow and Kairi hanging off of her hip. Zexion let her in with no questions asked while I brooded on the couch, glaring at the woman who stole him away from me. And now this life ruiner was going to sleep in my house tonight? Wonderful. Just fucking wonderful.

She placed Kairi on the couch next to me. Apparently Namine's blonde hair made her not only immune to common sense, but unable to sense auras and take small hints to the fact that I wanted nothing to do with her or her child.

Namine plodded up the stairs with Zexion behind her, dragging luggage and a playpen as they went. I sat next to the red-headed little baby, confused as to what I was supposed to do.

Kairi looked at me with wide blue eyes, the same shade as her mother's. Atleast they weren't teal like Zexion's eyes. Her hair was done up in a spout of red tussles upon her head, tied with a pink ribbon. She was adorable, I'll give her that much.

But the damage that her mother and father had done to me had turned my heart cold. Even to this innocent child, who had done nothing to me, I felt a burning hatred towards. I wanted to push her away from me, maybe pinch her and make her cry like her mother made me cry before. And it made me so unbelievably sad that I had these terrible, negative feelings towards an innocent baby, but I just couldn't help myself.

I heard shuffling upstairs as Zexion helped Namine get situated in the guest bedroom. She was only staying for a few nights, but I still wouldn't be able to even take a piss without realizing that a home wrecker was in my house.

xoxoxo

Several days passed and, as promised, Namine left the house. Zexion insisted that she was welcome to stay longer, but she declined. As her car pulled out of the driveway, he closed the door softly and came to sit next to me.

I stared at him, expecting some sort of explanation, but he wouldn't say a word about it.

xoxoxo

Weeks passed by and we had all stopped meeting at the cafe. Namine told us that Marluxia wasn't feeling well, but one night, I finally got fed up with being left out of the loop. As Zexion slept soundly next to me, I quietly took his phone off of the nightstand and began reading his text messages.

"It's starting to get really bad," Namine confided. "He's using again. He's been coming home with new things and getting angry when I ask him where they came from or how he got the money to buy them."

"Bring him to the cafe and we'll all sit down and talk to him about it," Zexion replied.

"No, he won't go anywhere. He's barely even home. He's either out with his shitty friends doing dope or he's nodding out on the couch. He's starting to yell at Kairi, too."

"Leave, Namine."

"I'm scared. I'm used to him screaming and fighting with me, but now that I have Kairi, I'm afraid for her.."

I closed the phone. Half of me wanted to shake with anxiety for her, yet half of me wanted to smile. Maybe this was some sort of karma. Maybe this was payback for what she'd put me through. She made my life a nightmare, and now her own nightmare is awakening.

I bit my lip hard and shook my head. What happened to me? Why would I even think things like that? No... No matter who the person is or what they've done to me, I shouldn't feel that way. Drugs and violence have no place around a woman, let alone a baby.

xoxoxo

The next morning, our doorbell rang early. It was Namine, not to my surprise, but the cuts on her lip did shock me a little. She had her head lowered, her bangs almost covering the puffy redness of one of her cheek bones. Her eyes were swollen from crying.

Zexion stood aside, neither of them saying anything. She set Kairi next to me on the couch again and plodded up the stairs, her shoulders shaking slightly as quiet sobs escaped her.

Finally, Zexion decided to come to me and let me in on the secret. "Look," he started, running his hand through his hair. He sighed heavily. "When I moved in with Namine, her house was riddled with holes in the walls. Half of her decorations were clearly glued back together. Picture frames were cracked."

I listened carefully and just blinked back, pretending that I didn't know anything.

"The whole reason that Marluxia wouldn't date Namine is because he was really bad into drugs. When he found out that Kairi was his, he got away from that crowd and got his life together. Did a complete 180."

He stole a quick glance towards the staircase to make sure that she wasn't coming back downstairs. "But when she first told us that he was hanging out with his old friends again, I knew why she was worried. He's hooked back on dope, bad, and now he's starting to hurt Namine again and destroy the house. He's dangerous.. He was locked up before for aggravated assault, domestic violence, all kinds of shit. He's a loose cannon when he's strung out. And when he's with his dumb ass friends, he's even worse."

"So Namine is going to stay with us for a while, okay, Demyx? Just until she can get back on her feet and afford to take care of herself and Kairi on her own. You're okay with that, right?"

I just nodded my head. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead, then went upstairs to help Namine get situated. My leg bounced with anxiety, and I just stared at Kairi.

xoxoxo

Day after day, the same things happened. We all sat in the living room together, Namine a nervous wreck. Whenever she would set her phone on the coffee table, it would vibrate and play its haunting tune. At first, she would answer it. But after all of the screaming and threats, she decided to just let it ring.

And it would ring and ring and ring. She would stop and stare at it, her blue eyes wide with fright, almost as if she were afraid that Marluxia would jump out of the phone and grab her. Eventually she started turning her phone off and hiding it in her purse, too nervous to even look at it.

Sometimes we would see the same car circle the neighborhood, driving slowly past our house. Namine stayed glued to the windows, halfway hiding behind the curtains as she peered outside, just waiting to see what she feared the most.

It wasn't long before Zexion's phone started ringing throughout the day as well. Being the intellectual that he was, he first attempted to answer the calls and talk rationally with Marluxia. To no avail, unfortunately. He had to start turning his phone off, too, once the threats began to increase.

"We need to call the cops," I finally groaned one day, sick of living in fear in my very own house. "This is getting ridiculous and obviously he isn't going to stop until Namine goes back home or he decides to follow through on all of the shit he's talking."

"Demyx," Zexion started in a stern voice, but Namine quickly cut him off.

"You know what," she said in a wavering voice, the first time she'd spoken in days. "Demyx is right. This isn't fair. None of this is your problem, and it was selfish and careless of me to drag the two of you into all of this. It's getting too serious."

She stood from the couch and russled her hair, anxiety clearly adorning her face. She stared out of the window for a few moments before averting her eyes to us, the blueness in them piercing with determination. "It isn't fair. None of this is fair. I'm going back home, and I'm going to handle this."

"Namine, really, think about what you're saying. You don't need to do that. Demyx is right, it's time to get the police involved."

"Ha," she retorted, shaking her head. "You think the threats are bad now? They're just threats. Try to file charges on him and they'll become a reality. Luxord learned that the hard way."

Zexion crossed his arms and glared at the floor. I raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"He was bad into gambling," she explained to me as she began to gather a few of her things that were lying around the living room. "He was a con artist. He knew how to fix every game and used the money to buy more dope."

Namine quickly started shoving items into her purse. "Luxord used to be really close with Marluxia and his little gang. He was a valuable tool, basically the main source of their drug money. But Luxord started to wonder why he should have to share his money with the rest of them."

"Once Luxord tried to distance himself from Marluxia's crew, he jumped through the ranks on his own. He had drug runners making him extra cash and got to keep all of his gambling winnings to himself," Zexion added in.

"Yeah," Namine continued, "and Marluxia didn't like that. Luxord turned into a threat, he was too powerful and he was quickly claiming all of the territory that Marluxia and his friends used to deal at. So one day, Marluxia robbed Luxord. They shot up his apartment and stole his money and his dope, left Luxord paralyzed."

Namine sat down next to me for a moment as she recalled the eery story. "Luxord ratted them out.. he told the cops everything. Not only that Marluxia and his friends were the shooters, but he gave away their hideouts, their drug spots, the locations of their stash.. everything."

"So they retaliated," Zexion finished in a solem voice. "They found him, and they shot him point-blank. Dead."

I swallowed hard. I can't believe that we somehow managed to get ourselves mixed up in this entire charade. I glared at Namine quickly, all of my hatred for her returning. She stood up again and began packing her things once more.

"Still," Zexion interrupted, standing to place his hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to go back and do this alone. We can handle it. Just stay here."

I could feel my teeth grinding as he made attempt after attempt to make her stay and continue to put our lives in danger. She placed her dainty hand on top of his and smiled. "I'll be okay. I'm a pretty tough cookie."

My stomach turned as I saw her skin touching his. Her situation was definitely unfortunate, but she was right. This wasn't our problem, and it was careless of her to drag us into it. I just couldn't wait for her to go.

xoxoxo

"I haven't heard from her in a week," Zexion growled as he flipped his phone over and over in his hands.

"I'm sure she's fine," I muttered, becoming increasingly aware of the fact that our roles had seemed to change. Here I was, being the apathetic one, and Zexion was the one showing emotions.

"Demyx, you know very well that she's far from fine. Let's ride down to her house, just to make sure she's alright."

I moaned and heaved myself off of the couch, my arms crossed like a child. I made sure to slam the door as I made my way out to the car, plopping into the passenger's seat and glaring out the window.

"How do you know we won't just get shot for going back there? We're really playing with fire and I don't like it."

Zexion didn't respond, he just started the engine and began backing out of the driveway. We rode quickly down the city streets, navigating our way to Namine and Marluxia's house. The carride was silent and filled with sickening tension.

When we arrive at the house, neither car was in the driveway. Windows were shattered and the front door leaned propped up against the porch, pieces of wood splintering out from a hole in the middle.

We both left the car and ran inside, but the house was completely gutted. There was hardly any furniture and only trash lay spewed upon the floor. A few things were broken and others were tipped over, but the house was mostly empty.

"Do you think they got robbed?" I blurted out, my eyes darting around the space, confused.

"No," Zexion answered in a rough voice. "They were in a hurry to pick up and leave. They abandoned the house."

I didn't know what to say. I stared at two little blocks that were laying on the ground by my feet. I couldn't believe that a little baby was being put through all of this.

"Namine's phone has been off for days," Zexion groaned as he began pacing.

"Do you still think we shouldn't involve the police?"

"What would they do?" he barked at me as he turned on his heels. "Namine is an adult. Marluxia was her boyfriend. They had a child together. The police will think she left of her own free will, all of them as a family. They won't file a missing persons report. Not yet, anyways. They'll take far too much time to do anything useful than Namine has left."

"So then what do you want to do, Zexion?" I yelled back, wishing he would have just kept his dick in his pants all that time ago so we would have never even met Namine and been forced into her dangerous life.

"We're going to go back home and come up with a plan."

xoxoxo

Over and over again we racked our brains and pitched ideas, but it was pointless. How do you find someone who picked up and moved, turned their phone off, and just disappeared? You don't. That's the entire point of it all. Still, Zexion was intent on doing something, and I was growing increasingly worried for Kairi.

"We need to go to sleep, Zexion, it's getting late. We'll think about it more in the morning."

He nodded his head and rubbed his tired eyes, the dark bags beneath them making him appear sorry and defeated. His shoulders were stiff as he stomped up the stairs with me quietly in tow. We laid in the bed together, neither of us saying a word, just basking in the agonizing stress that filled us both.

xoxoxo

I don't know when I finally nodded off, but I woke up to our doorbell ringing. I shot up out of bed in a tired, frantic daze. "Zexion," I coughed in a gruff voice.

Zexion sat up as well and readjusted the clock. It was about four in the morning. We stumbled downstairs and he shoved my hand away from the doorknob as I tried to open the front door.

"Wait a minute," he hissed icily, glaring at me. "It's four in the morning, you don't just go opening the door up like that."

He went over to the window and peered through the cracks in the curtains, straining his sleepy eyes to glimpse at the person ringing our doorbell. "It's Namine!" he halfway shouted, running over to unlock the door.

As soon as it swung open, we saw Namine standing on our doorstep. She had tears bursting from her eyes and her entire body was shaking.

"It's okay, Namine, come in," Zexion started quietly as he stepped forward to herd her into the house.

"I'm so sorry," she breathed, almost too quietly for us to hear.

"Sorry?" I asked, completely puzzled. I looked over at Zexion and my heart dropped. Although I was confused, he seemed to pick up on what was going on. His eyes were wide and his mouth was set. Whatever was about to happen, it wasn't going to be good. The look on his face scared me senseless.

xoxoxo

"Back in the house!" a familiar voice demanded. Zexion backed up hastily, his hands in the air. Namine came stumbling forward as someone pushed her through the doorway. She sobbed uncontrollably.

Marluxia came swaggering behind her, two characters emerging from the shadows to follow him. Moonbeams bounced and glimmered off the barrel of his gun, which was pointed at my boyfriend.

"Larxene, Xigbar," Marluxia shouted at the people flanking him. They stepped further into the house. The person to Marluxia's right was a woman, tall and slender. Her eyes were huge, to say the very least, pupils almost non-existant from the drugs pulsing through her veins. Wild, blonde hair bolted like lightning from her scalp. The man to the left was also tall and skinny, scars decorated his face along with a creepy, evil smile.

"I knew this little whore would be the perfect bait," Marluxia scoffed as he shoved Namine again, this time sending her to the ground.

"Hey!" Zexion growled, earning him the haunting sound of a gun being cocked.

Namine laid in the floor, looking broken in more ways than one. She cried to herself, huddled there in a heap with her knees pulled to her chest. "I'm so sorry," she whispered again.

"So you thought you could get to her, huh?" Marluxia belowed, his sights set on Zexion. "First you fuck my girl, make her think that she's pregnant with your kid. You come into her house and live with her, you filthy little fuck. Then you want to bring her back to your house now, let her stay here for days on end? Is the pussy really that good? Or am I just missing something?"

He inched closer to Zexion, ripping pictures off of the wall and smashing them to the ground as he went. "And then," Marluxia laughed, throwing his hands into the air. "When the little skank finally does come back home, lo and behold, she wants to leave me!" Another picture shattered to the ground.

"Where the fuck do you get off, filling her stupid head with all kinds of shit? Before you came around, she never wanted to leave me. Before you came around, she would never have been stupid enough to try to dial 911. But here you are, trying to fill my girl's head with all kinds of bullshit!"

A fist flew through the air and caught Zexion in the jaw. "What, you think she can do better than me? You think anyone else will want this cheap ass slut? You think you're what she wants?"

"Marluxia, you know I'm gay," Zexion responded, but he received another right hook to his mouth.

"Yeah, you're gay and yet here we are. You were fucking my bitch. You've probably been fucking her this whole time."

Suddenly Marluxia's crazed blue eyes settled on me. He smiled and chills ran down my spine. He turned back to Zexion.

"You know how it feels? To have another man fuck your bitch?" He made his way over to me and grabbed the hair on the back of my scalp, making me yelp out in pain. "How about I show you? What if I fuck your bitch right here in front of you?"

Marluxia put one hand on my shoulder and shoved me to my knees. Zexion began running to me, and Marluxia aimed the gun at him again. "Don't you fucking move."

"Larxene, Xigbar, make yourselves useful and take whatever you can find in the house. Dead men don't need possessions," he smirked. The two followed orders and began ransacking the house, Namine was still laying on the floor, too afraid to move. Zexion stood frozen and I was shaking on my knees.

"Now then," he continued, his right arm still outstretched and aimed at Zexion and his left hand digging painfully into my shoulder. "You should be good at this."

He removed his hand for a moment to unbutton and unzip his jeans. He started rubbing his dick a few good times and pulled it out of his boxers. "Suck it," he barked.

I closed my eyes and turned my head away, biting my lip to hold back the sobs that I could feel trying to emerge. I felt a painful thunk against my head as his pistol made contact with me.

"I know you heard me, you little faggot, I told you to suck it! Your little boy toy over there was man enough to fuck my girl, now you get to be man enough to get me off."

He turned his aim from Zexion to my temple. "I'm not gonna tell you again." I squeezed my eyes shut even tighter, frozen with fear.

xoxoxo

My entire body twitched as I saw Demyx on the floor, sitting on his knees with a gun to his head. He was crying so hard, he was shaking with fear. And this man in front of him... with his dick out, trying to scar Demyx for life.

No. Demyx has been through too much already, and all because of me. If it weren't for me, we wouldn't even know Namine. I'm the one who opened the door. I fell for the trap. I'm the one who dragged him, kicking and screaming, into this fucked up friendship with them. There's no way I'm going to let him get sexually assaulted because of me. Not Demyx. Not tonight.

I really didn't think about it, I guess because I really didn't have to. In an instant, I was over to Marluxia. I heard his gun go off and I felt my body jolt as the bullets pierced my skin. Everything was a blur, I don't even know how many times he shot me. It was all happening so quickly.

Namine leaped over the couch and hit the floor, covering her head with her hands. Larxene and Xigbar bolted out of the front door as soon as they heard the shots ring out. Demyx jumped to his feet, the only one who didn't try to run and hide. His face was.. I'll never forget that horrified, heart-broken expression.

I didn't feel the pain from the gunshots, thank God. My heart skipped a beat as my body went numb, and it was such a terrifying feeling. It was the kind of pain that's too unbelievably intense for your body to register right away. I knew that it was there, but I couldn't feel it yet.

I seized the opportunity of adhrenaline and shock and jumped forward, grabbing the glock and pulling as hard as I could possibly pull. The gun broke free from Marluxia's grip and I fumbled with it in my hands, trying hard to fight the shock that my body was going through and get my hand/eye coordination back under control.

I saw Marluxia turn towards the front door and try to follow Larxene and Xigbar, who were readying the getaway car. I closed my eyes hard and squeezed the trigger.

The gun clapped in my hands several times, and I kept pulling the trigger until the only echoes were those of the empty ammo clicks. And still, I pulled the trigger a few more times just to be sure. I never did get to look and see if I hit Marluxia at all. When I opened my eyes again, everything was at ground-level.

I still couldn't feel the pain from the gunshots, but now I could feel the warm, thick blood covering my body. I couldn't tell where it was coming from. Demyx was next to me, his face dirty with tears and his mouth open wide as screams must have been escaping from him. The only noise I could hear was a loud, obnoxious ringing in my ears.

Suddenly I felt lightheaded and like I needed to puke. My mouth was watering and my vision began to tunnel. I was either about to pass out or I was going to die. That was the scariest thought..knowing that, either way, I was losing consciousness and I had no idea whether or not I would ever regain it. I had no idea if I would ever get to see Demyx's face again, or if my last memory of him would be that haunting, terrified expression..

Finally, blackness engulfed me. But everything happened in one big whirlwind, and I saw a bright, blinding light. My entire body grew warm and happy. I felt like everything was so much better... so this is what it's like...

xoxoxo

My heart pounded as I drove up to the cemetery, flowers in hand. Dark clouds loomed in the sky as fat raindrops came crashing down on fresh mounds of dirt and shiny, new tombstones. Tears rolled down my face as I gazed at the gnarled, dead trees and old, black gates that boardered the graveyard.

I slowed the car down to a stop in front of the main gates. The tears kept coming and I gripped the flowers tighter. "I can't believe him," I uttered to myself. "Why would he take a bullet for me. Why would he disregaurd his own life like that, just to protect mine. Why?" I shook my head vigerously.

"I'm not even worth it."

Finally, enough was enough. I couldn't waste any more time putting off what had to be done. I wiped my eyes roughly and pressed the gas pedal to the floor. I sped away from the cemetery, flowers in hand, with an eery feeling in my stomach. I thanked God that Zexion wasn't there as I proceeded to drive down the road towards the hospital, leaving the scary thoughts of "what could have been" behind me at the graveyard.

xoxoxo

I opened my eyes and strained to adjust them to the painfully bright lights of the trauma center, morphine coursing through me and bathing me in euphoric feelings. "Am I dead?" I heard myself mutter, though my mind was halfway gone from the drugs.

"No," I heard someone answer. A girl. It was Namine. "No, you're not," she laughed, though I could hear that she was crying at the same time.

"Zexion!"

I snapped myself out of my trance and tried hard to focus my eyes on Demyx. I wanted to see a new expression on his face so I could get rid of that terrible memory. His blonde hair was splattered across his forehead with sweat, and his eyes were shimmering with tears. "Zexion, you're awake!" His smile was the widest that I'd ever seen it.

I didn't say anything, because honestly I was a little confused. My eyes wandered around the room, taking in all of the flowers and cards. They came back to settle on Demyx again, who was now right next to my face. He was touching it like he couldn't believe it was really me.

"I'm awake?" I echoed, blinking sleepily. I could tell that I was looking at him through half lidded eyes.

"You're in the hospital," Demyx breathed, still too excited to control himself. "The doctors had to induce a coma to keep your body from going into shock. You weren't asleep for too long, only about a week. But it was the longest, most torturous week of my entire life."

Demyx squeezed my hand and kissed me hard on the lips. I smiled through the kiss and giggled when he pulled away, the medicine had me loopy. "I needed my beauty sleep."

"Don't you ever scare me like that again," Demyx scolded, whiplashing through laughter and tears like a crazy person. "Nobody told you to be a hero, damn it. You almost died for me."

I sat quietly for a moment as I finally recalled the events that had put me in the hospital. That's right.. I'd been shot. "Oh, Marluxia?" I slurred as soon as the thought popped into my head.

"He's gone," Namine chimed in, relief lacing her voice. "You.. you got him, Zexion. You saved Demyx, and you saved me. He can't control me anymore."

"Yeah, but do you know what I would have done if you would have died? Over something as silly as me?" Demyx sobbed, burying his head in my chest.

My hands lazily played with his messy hair. "And I'd do it all over again if I had to," I whispered to him as I rubbed his back. "You're everything to me, Demyx. I didn't want you to have to go through that, especially if I could stop it. So I did."

"You took a bullet for me, Zexion. Why would you value my life above your own?" He almost sounded like I'd done something wrong.

"Because I love you?" I shrugged, giving him an incredilous look. "Why else? I know that you would have done the same thing for me. You always wondered... if I still loved you or not, when I made that mistake. When I left with Namine. After I came back. We weren't the same. There was that doubt. But I'd take a bullet for you, Demyx, I'd die for you." I smiled warmly. "I love you. And don't you forget that. Fucker."

Demyx laughed and shook his head in agreement. "I love you, too."

xoxoxo

A few months later, Zexion and I stood on our porch together and watched Kairi running through the yard with a pink ball. Namine was loading bag upon bag into her small car, shoving things where they wouldn't possibly fit and slamming the trunk down to no avail.

After the car was finally packed, she came up to give us both a peck on the cheek. "I'm going to miss you guys. I can really never repay you for what you've done for me and Kairi. I love you both, and I'll come visit soon. Thank you so much for letting me stay."

We both returned her hugs and kisses and waved her goodbye. "Be good, Namine," Zexion lectured as she buckled Kairi into the carseat. "Call me when you get there."

Namine lifted her head up and smiled, the first genuine smile I'd seen on her in a long time. "I will," she laughed.

We waved Namine off as her little car backed out of our driveway and she putted down the road to go stay with her parents, who live a few hours away from here. I turned and hugged Zexion close. "She'll be fine," I uttered as I nuzzled my head into his neck.

"Yeah, I know," Zexion answered blankly, his mind still occupied. He stroked my hair gently as she still lingered in his mind. Then he looked down at me.

"I love you, you know that?"

I beamed a huge smile. "I love you, too," I laughed, surprised at how wonderful he'd been since that whole incident.

"Let's go in and watch a movie, yeah?"

"Sure," I answered, kissing him gently on the lips.

We went inside our house and closed the door. Closed the door on all of the demons that had entered with us over the years, closed the door to the drama and the stress and the tears and the blood. We closed the door on what our relationship was like before the shooting, and opened the door to a place our relationship had never been before. Even before Namine ever came around, before Zexion cheated on me. What we have now is so much better than anything we ever had before.

I stopped on my way to the couch and turned around to lock the door. Just in case. I wanted to seal in all of this incredible love that Zexion and I had for each other so that it could never escape again, and I locked out any of the hardships that would try to tear us apart in the future. Things were finally safe and sound.

End