Know what fanfic? You fucking suck recently.

After a lot of urging and laughing on Ri's side, Riku finally just finished eating, ignoring all of his questions for now. Burying them deep down inside, letting them burn him up, he just ate. And when he leaned back, completely stuffed, he just watched the woman who was apparently his aunt. "You want coffee?" She asked, her owns hands cupped around a bowl-sized, black mug, filled to the brim with what she referred to as cafe au lait, half coffee, half milk, tons of sugar. He only shook his head, looking around the kitchen.

"Your house is..."

"Messy?" She asked with a grin.

"That wasn't going to be my first response, but yes."

"Messy is typically the first adjective people choose to describe my humble abode."

"It's nice though," he said, nodding in approval. "Lots of color."

"Well we do like color!" Ri laughed loudly, earning a slam on the ceiling from the sleeping man upstairs. "Sorry!" She shouted up at him, hanging off his bed, pounding his fist against the floor. "Artsy people tend to." She said, a little quieter this time. "Sorry about him, he gets grumpy when he loses out on sleep. He was supposed to stay the night in town then drive back today, which threw his schedule off anyways, so I don't know what he's complaining about." She prattled on, occasionally stopping to sip her coffee. "He typically sleeps during the day, works at night. He's pretty insomniatic."

"So what is he exactly?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just your roommate? Or something?" Riku asked embarrassedly, arching his eyebrow to suggest something a little less sitcom appropriate.

"Oh, Xiggy is just my roommate. He's my best friend, my roommate, a super fabulous artist...we've been friends since junior high." Ri nodded gently lifting her hands, tugging at her hair softly. "He was the only other person in that tiny ass town I ever met who wanted to leave as bad as I did! Your mom hated him, so did your dad."

"I can imagine." Riku said bitterly as he leaned down on the table. His aunt watched him, a gentle frown on her face.

"You wanna talk about it?" She asked, cocking her head to the side, but Riku only shook his head, staring at his hands, clenching and entwining angrily, nervously. "Hey! I have a great idea, why don't you go around town? Ya know, explore? What have you? It's a small town, but we've got the beaches and we're a twenty minute train ride from the city, and I mean we've got awesome coffee shops, independent bookstores and thrift shops and music joints. It's pretty much the perfect little town. At least I think so, Xig thinks so. Hopefully you'll like it!"

"How long am I gonna be here for?"

"As long as you want to stay." He was confused, so confused. This woman, some stranger that he just happened to be related to by blood, was just taking him in as if it was nothing. "You wanna see your room?" He shrugged as he stood to follow her, doubting the legitimacy of the whole situation, still trying to convince himself he was in some sort of comatose sequence. Ri tried to pick up both the bags, but she practically toppled over as she shuffled towards the stairs.

"Lemme get those." He said and grabbed them for her, easily lifting them up. It was his life after all, it was his heavy life that she would die trying to heave up the stairs.

"Such a gentlemen," she said and laughed melodically as she climbed the stairs ahead of him. "That's Xig's room," she pointed at the first door on the left, locked up tight. "That's my room," the finger waved over to the door right across the hall. "And this one's yours!" She yipped, laying her hand out to show him the open door. A queen size bed, a large bay window with a bench, more bookshelves, more paintings and a closet. "If you need a dresser, we can get one. We can move one of the bookshelves downstairs, but there's a small chest of drawers in the closet for, I dunno, underwear and crap I guess." Ri explained, rubbing the back of her neck, watching her nephew look around the room. It was bigger than his old one, more interesting, more colorful, brighter because of the window, more comfortable because of the cushy looking bed. "If there's anything you don't like, paintings or anything, ya know, get rid of it! Or rather ask me or Xig to move it somewhere else. You can do whatever you want in here, decorate however you want, just do whatever." She shrugged.

"I just...why? Why are you doing this?"

"Well, you need someplace to stay right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"And what's better than a beach cottage? Close to the city? Lots of really cool people around here?" He hated to ask, watching her smiling face, but he didn't want to feel like he was lying to her. He didn't want to feel as if he was deceiving her somehow.

"You know my parents kicked me out right?" Riku said, cautious, quiet, that's all he seemed to want to be now. The blonde sat down on the edge of the bed, the fluffed, white comforter trying to swallow her, and looked around the room, then back at him.

"I figured it was something like that." Ri nodded and leaned back on the palms of her hands.

"You don't even know why they kicked me out."

"Are you some sort of criminal?"

"What?"

"Have you been doing anything illegal?"

"I mean, I'm not an angel."

"Well, hardcore illegal. Have you killed someone?"

"What? No!"

"Ok, are you an arsonist?"

"No," Riku said, shaking his head, his lips twitching again, still cautious of his fragile facade.

"Any big, drug deals in the works right now? Like blow, go, snow?"

"I don't even know what any of those are." He said, watching her in confusion. What the hell were these drugs and why did they all rhyme? And she just laughed.

"I'm not worried about it then. And when you wanna talk about it, we can." She stood, resting her hands on her hips, her elbows pointed out. "I'd be happy to show you around, but unfortunately I have to work today. Like a lot. But I know the perfect person for the job." Ri clapped her hands and practically leapt out of the room. "Wake up wake up!" She yelled as she pounded on the fourth door, and finally, it cracked open. A short girl, messy hair framing her face, tired, blue eyes staring out at them.

"Is this him?" A hoarse voice asked, the eyes shifting quickly over to Riku, looking him over, up and down.

"This is him!" Ri gleefully sang out and the door closed. Rustling, shuffling behind the door, something falling. "She's a tad messy..." Ri said as she pressed her ear against the door, jumping back once it swung open. "Morning!" The same short girl with those bright blue eyes stood before them, her hip pushed out to the right, one hand laid on it, the other swung limply at her side. Her thighs were wrapped in a gold, lamé skirt, a large black tee shirt hung off one shoulder, showing her milky, white skin. Bright red fingernails tapped on the edge of the door, bright red toenails poked out from black, leather gladiator sandals. Dark, black hair mussed up, bed head all over the place, hot pink wayfarer sunglasses pushed up her forehead. Rings lined up her ears, a ring in her nose, rings on her hands. This girl was all metallic and 'who-gives-a-fuck' with her tried eyes, lined with black, eyelashes long and thick.

"Mornin'," she said and she smiled, the corner of her mouth turned up gently. "You must be Riku." She said and nodded at him. "I'm Xion, and I will be your gracious tour guide for the day." Riku only nodded and looked between the girl and his aunt. Was this her daughter? Besides short, lithe figures, they didn't seem to have much in common physically. "Your hair is shorter than I expected." Xion said as she let Ri wrap her arms around her, kiss the top of her head, press her cheek into her messy hair. What an odd, out of place thing to say.

"My sister likes men with short hair." Ri grinned as she watched the young man watch them. It was something he did a lot, and Ri simply put it up to being raised to be quiet, obedient, observant. "But if you like short hair, there's nothing wrong with that!" She added quickly and Riku aimed his eyes upward, as if he could see his hair. About an inch long, slightly spiked up from natural volume. He'd always had short hair, his mother made sure of it. He looked back at the two women quizzically.

"I guess I just assumed someone related to Ri would have longer hair, but maybe that was silly. I mean, I have short hair." She said and started tugging at her own locks, cropped close to her head, looking like a cut for a boy, maybe just a tad longer. "Coffee?" Her head twisted as much as it could with Ri's face still pressed against it.

"Downstairs! Be quiet though near the basement, miss Fabu didn't get in 'til about six this morning."

"Jesus, she's been out late as hell recently."

"Well, early as hell?"

"Whatever works." Xion said as the older woman's arms slid off of her. "I'm gonna get some coffee and then we can hit the town and ya know, meet some people or something." She continued talking as she dredged down the stairs, dragging her feet along the tiny staircase, narrowly avoiding more piles of books, high heels, piles of clothes.

"How many people live here exactly?" Riku asked as he stared at his aunt, her hands placed back on her hips.

"Four! Well, five now! I mean, if you're staying. I don't wanna pressure you into doing anything you don't want to." Riku was silent momentarily, looking behind him back at the empty room he could now call his own. He looked around the smallish house, all the colors and busy-ness. And then he looked his aunt up and down, looking like some sort of hopped up hippie who rolled around in a tub of thrifty picks and paint. She looked hopeful, honest-to-god hopeful that he would just stay there with them. Riku still couldn't understand it, but he figured right now, this was probably his best bet.

"I'll stay," he nodded and looked down the stairs.

"Good!"

"Just until I can afford someplace on my own, I mean I don't wanna put you out or anything."

"Sweetie, trust me, you're not gonna be putting us out." She laughed lightly, as if something was oddly funny. He didn't get it, the way she laughed at silly little things. She really was nothing like his mother, he couldn't remember ever hearing her laugh. "You stay as long as you want." His bare feet padded down against the stairs, following hers.

~0~

"So how was the drive?" Xion asked as they walked down the empty road, the waves crashing only yards away from them.

"Uh I slept the whole time, but I'm alive, so I assume it went well." She smirked, still staring straight ahead.

"I'd hate to even say it, but you're lucky. Xig can be a crazy driver."

"I'm sorry, but I have to ask. Are you someone's daughter?"

"That seems like a silly question, everybody's somebody's daughter. Or son, I mean if you have a dick and all."

"I mean, Ri's or Xigbar's? Are you one of their daughters?" She chuckled, as if it was a joke, just the same as Ri. What was it with these people and laughing at simple questions? Deductions? Everything seemed wrong, everything he thought seemed wrong for some reason.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. But no, they uh, neither of them are one of my parents. But they're like my parents, better than my parents." Xion said, her brows furrowed behind her sunglasses.

"So you just live with them?" She looked over at him, the corner of her mouth turned up again.

"They saved me," she shrugged and looked back at the road, focusing on what was in front of them. "I was homeless, sorta I guess. I lived in a shelter up in the city and then I met Xigbar outside his gallery one night and he asked if I was hungry and if I wanted to get something to eat. And of course, I assumed he wanted sex from me, he just looks like the type of guy who's gonna pay for some teen hooker, ya know? I mean, I love him to death, but he's sort of a terrifying looking dude." And Riku laughed despite himself, earning a surprised smile from the girl beside him.

"It's just...I'm sorry, I thought the exact same thing." Who would've thought the shared idea of Xigbar being a sexual predator would be the thing to finally make him crack, make it past that lip-twitching into actual laughter? Look, no broken face Ma, I'm laughing for real.

"Right? Is he not, like, scary?"

"He pulled up next to me in his car and told me I should get in because it was raining." He noticed the prominent aching in his cheeks as he let his laugh shrink into a small smile.

"See, he needs to learn he can't just do that ya know? I mean, he's sweet, but it's the eye patch I think. And the scar. He looks...menacing." And she smiled at him, no half-smile, no turned up corner, a full blown smile. "But anyways, he took me back to the cottage, and I met Ri, and I knew I wasn't going to be raped or slaughtered or anything. And I completely stuffed myself and told them my story and cried...and uh, they let me stay the night, and the next day, they asked if I wanted to stay. So I did."

"Do they do this sort of thing a lot?"

"Well, for me, and after me, miss Fabu."

"Miss Fabu?"

"I can't describe her, you'll have to meet her." She only shrugged again, halting, jumping up when a scream interrupted them. "Oh jesus! What is your problem? You scared the shit out of me!"

"I'M SORRY!" A man screeched as he ran towards them, waving his hands in the air as he tried to get their attention. "I WAS AFRAID YOU WOULDN'T STOP!" He yelled again as he finally got there, panting and smiling as he stopped. "Hey!" He said, his chest falling down, rising up, dramatically with each breath. "Who's this?" He asked, bopping his head towards Riku, a grin plastered on his lips.

"This is Ri's nephew, Riku."

"Oooh, so you're the little man with the silver hair! Well, not little I guess right? Sorry, I've only seen a few pictures from when you were like, I don't even know, in kindergarten I think? Maybe up to seven." Xion rolled her eyes as she slid her sunglasses up again, squinting against the sunshine.

"Perhaps you could manage to introduce yourself."

"Oh geeze, I'm sorry! I'm Demyx!" The man said, sticking his hand out, but Riku only looked at it. While most people would get uncomfortable, withdraw their hand, try and talk to Xion again, Demyx was none of these. His grin widened and he took the initiative, gripping Riku's hand and shaking it. "May as well get to know you now, you'll be seeing tons of me." He added, still grinning.

"Why's that?" Riku asked, his brow arched.

"I'm Xig's boyfriend!"

"Oh," he said, his eyes widened. "I didn't know Xigbar was gay." Xion and Demyx simply waited for some other sort of response. As if it was shocking he didn't know, shocking that he couldn't have figured it out by now. "What? It's not like he wears a sign or something." He said and shrugged, digging his hands into his pockets out of sheer embarrassment. Was it really supposed to be that obvious? He apparently wasn't very good at this.

"No, it's not that, it's just...I mean, you were in the car with him all night. And sleeping. And you don't have a problem with that?"

"Why would I?" He had to ask.

"Well, we've heard stories." Demyx said, exchanging a slightly worried glance with the younger girl at his side. "About your mom, your parents rather. They seem to be sort of...uh.."

"They're kind of homophobes." Xion said, ripping the band aid right off.

"Xi! I was trying to be sensitive about it!"

"I'm not a homophobe." Riku rolled his eyes, grunting in frustration at the idea of being anything like his parents, especially at this point.

"Sorry for assuming," the blond said, tugging on the ends of his hair, grinning unabashedly, his eyes closed, teetering on his heels. "Usually when someone gets raised like that though, it just tends to stick out with them."

"No, it's fine. I'm the farthest thing from a homophobe." Riku added, beginning to walk forward, leaving the other two to quickly glance between each other and the slowly escaping new comer.

"What's that mean?" Xi asked, engulfed in her own curiosity. She had been told, asked really, to not push him, to not prod him, but she couldn't help herself. He had just left a cliffhanger dangling in the air and she absolutely appalled cliffhangers. Demyx nudged her side, but she only shooed him away. "What is the farthest thing from a homophobe?" She continued probing him, without shame.

"I got kicked out because I'm gay." Riku said without really thinking about it, not bothering to stop in his tracks when he truly realized what he's said. That was too dramatic for his tastes, he was however thankful they couldn't see his flushed face. It was odd how easily it had come out of his mouth, just escaped his lips, no struggle. He had internally fought with himself on this for years, ignoring it, bringing it up again only to shove it back down. And the words, he'd only said it once before and look how that turned out. He wasn't worried this time around though.

"You're gay?" Demyx asked excitedly, trotting up to him, laying both hands down on his shoulders. "That's exciting! There are so many cute gay boys out here your age! You are gonna love this town."

"Hey, you whore, don't crowd him." Xion called after them, keeping her distance, a gentle smile persisting anyways.

"Oh shut it you dirty carpet muncher."

"HEY!"

"She hates it when I call her that." The blond whispered into the boy's ear next to him. "Oh sweetie, you have no hair." He noticed, his blue eyes set wide as he plucked at the short tuffs of hair atop his head, silver threads poking up.

"Man that is a big deal for you people out here isn't it?"

"Of course I hate it! It's gross and offensive!" Xion argued from behind them.

"Whatever, your girlfriend thinks it's funny."

"She only thinks it's funny because it annoys the shit out of me."

"You're gay?" Riku asked as he turned back around, gaping at the girl in the short skirt, painted nails, pink sunglasses, imitating Demyx's question perfectly.

"No," she rolled her eyes, though it was barely visible through her lenses. "Well, I mean, kinda. I'm bi, so half gay I guess."

"That's her fancy explainin' for she's dating someone with a matching hoo-ha." Demyx grinned as they halted in the middle of the street, seeing the main road before them, passing out of the neighborhoods of houses and beach and into the location of coffee shops and more beach. "I'm gonna go back, I was busy, but I saw you guys and got distracted."

"Whatever, I'm sure you'll be by later."

"More than likely." The blond sang out as he started running away from them, waving as he galloped backwards.

"How old is he?" Riku questioned as he disappeared behind a dune, quickly keeping pace with Xion.

"Demyx is twenty seven."

"And how old is Xigbar?"

"Year older than your aunt." Xion teased with a grin.

"How old is Ri?"

"Man, you are behind. Do you know how old you are?"

"You make things difficult, don't you?"

"You'll learn to love it." She smiled wider at her new companion. "Ok, Ri just turned thirty six last month. Xig is gonna be thirty eight in November. So yeah, him and Demyx have about an entire decade between them, but hey, can't help who you fall in love with right?" He wasn't sure what to say so he just didn't say anything, instead choosing to focus on his newest surroundings. It was still so much to take in, he'd never seen anything more interesting than a cornfield before. Even the stores in his town were dull, but in this town, everything, just like his new home, was popped with color. Riku couldn't be sure if it was his memories being tainted by anger, or if his hometown really was as dull as he recalled now, only a day later.

So yay for new characters! Right? Also, I'm super excited to FINALLY be writing XigDem even if they are just a side couple. Let me know if you like it thus far, hate it, whatever. Anyways, like I think I said, this story's just for fun for me, it's not one of my super-drama-llama ones, so I hope you guys can dig it.