Author's Note: Sorry for the delayed update; the laptop I had been typing on stopped charging correctly so I had to wait for a new charge cable to ship.

Thanks again for your continued interest.~ Here's the next chappie. It's a serious one this time. I'll just warn you that Yuj's dad has a bit of a dirty mouth...! Please let me know what you think.

Rekkia-chan

Chapter Three: Unexpected Answers and Unwanted Opinions

"Alright everybody, it looks like it's time to pack up for today," Gadot announced to the small group of socializing teens. The next week's NORA meeting had come to an end. Yuj, Maqui, and Lebreau started pulling things together as Gadot added, "I heard things are really progressing over there." He jerked his head in the direction of the group of adults. "They're already talking to a few middle schools about making presentations to the students. And you know what that means, don'tcha?"

"ROAD TRIP!" Maqui shouted, thrusting his fist in the air with an excited grin. Gadot crossed his arms and smiled. "Seems like it," he agreed. The excited blonde responded with a few enthusiastic whoops while Yuj laughed and Lebreau shook her head, smiling. Their excitement buzzed in the air around them as they packed up, and the group harnessed this energy to clean up quickly, especially Maqui. His area of the table was spotless before Yuj and Lebreau were halfway done.

"I'll see ya around, guys! Have fun cleaning!" The blonde practically skipped out of the community center. Yuj directed a questioning look at his back and wondered aloud, "What's he so worked up about?"

"I'll take one guess," Lebreau offered as she piled a handful of markers into a small supply bucket in the middle of the table. "Snow. You can't have a proper NORA trip without our proper NORA leader." Gadot made a face at this, but let the remark slide by unchallenged. "That's classic Maqui for you. He's been Snow's number one fan since practically the time he joined." She glanced up, seeing Yuj's still-puzzled expression, and continued. "I guess it's hard to understand since you've never met him, but before Serah and Snow had their daughter, Snow used to do all sorts of things with the teens of NORA. The group was a lot more active while he was around."

Looking a little grumpy, Gadot told the two remaining teenagers that he was heading out and that he'd see them next week. Yuj waved and called out, "I still think that you're a great leader, Gadot, even if Lebreau doesn't think so!" Simultaneously Gadot shouted "Shove off, blue-head!" and Lebreau protested with a "hey!" and playfully shoved Yuj, knocking him off-balance. He laughed, rubbing him arm where she hit him, and then shoved a few remaining supplies into his backpack. Lebreau leaned on the clean table and thought for a moment before she spoke again.

"Even more than that, though, Snow just has this...this air about him that makes you want to fight for what you believe in, you know? His personality is full of energy, and always optimistic. It makes sense that somebody like Maqui would be really inspired by him."

"I could see that," said Yuj, sitting on the table next to Lebreau. "Maqui sure is one interesting guy." He was smiling, looking across the room with misty eyes.

Lebreau shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, I suppose so...Listen, Yuj, how long have you known Maqui?" She looked him in the eyes with her knowing stare, and Yuj started to feel equally uncomfortable. "Uh...since I joined up with NORA, I guess. That makes a year or so. Why?"

"Sorry to ask you out of the blue, it's just...I was wondering...if you knew something about Maqui."

"Knew...something? Like what?" Even though Yuj maintained his cool expression, his mind was racing to the worst possible conclusions. Is he a juvenile delinquent? An illegal immigrant? Is he an orphan? His heart twanged painfully at the thought. He knew what it was like to have issues with his parents, and he would never wish it on another person. Especially not on Maqui.

"Well, I don't really know how to say this, but...Maqui...he's gay. And I think he might have a bit of a crush on you, Yuj."

Yuj's first reaction was relief. He let out the breath he had been holding in a relieved sigh, and Lebreau looked confused and a little frustrated. "You scared me, Lebreau! I thought you were going to say that he was a murderer or something."

"But really, Yuj, did you hear what I said? Maqui is gay. He came out just a few months before you joined NORA." She must have been waiting for some huge reaction, but it never came. Yuj sat in front of her calmly and turned what she had said over in his mind.

I can't say I'm too surprised that he's gay, he thought. But...what is this lifting feeling in my chest? ...Hope? Hope for what? Not for...he angrily shoved the thought out of his mind. He couldn't possibly have feelings for that dumb blonde. Not for Maqui, and not for any other guy. It just couldn't happen. Not the way things stood now, at least.

Slowly, he spoke again. "Yeah, I heard you." He deliberately avoided Lebreau's searching gaze, directing it instead towards the floor. "So...why...?"

"Well," she began again. It was strange for Yuj to see her so out of her element like this. "I was just wondering...if maybe...you weren't totally straight either?"

Yuj should have seen the question coming, but it hit him completely out of the blue. He blushed as if she had just asked him whether he was wearing ladies' underwear, but answered quickly. "No, of course I'm straight! Why...did you think that I wasn't?"

"Oh, it's just...the way you look when you're around Maqui. So happy, all the time. And just now when you were talking about him, you got all misty-eyed...I mean, it's totally okay with me if you are -"

"Well, I'm not. Maqui and I are just friends, and there's nothing more to it." The strength of his own voice surprised him. Why it did, he wasn't so sure, but he couldn't look Lebreau in the eyes as he spoke. He made to stand up and end the conversation there, but Lebreau grabbed his sleeve.

"Look," she said. "We're an anti-prejudice group. We don't want anybody to feel ashamed of their religion or race, but that's not all. We don't want anybody to feel ashamed of their sexuality, either. I just wanted to remind you that it's okay, and that we'll all be here for you if you come ou-"

"Knock it off, Lebreau! I'm not gay. End of story." Yuj shook his arm from Lebreau's grasp and stormed across the room.

"It's not your father's decision to make, Yuj! Remember that!"

He hesitated for a moment, but continued out the front door, leaving Lebreau alone in the community center behind him.

Waiting for him out front was a black car. Speak of the devil, Yuj thought. Sure enough, sitting in the front seat was his father wearing a disheveled suit and slightly beery expression. The teal-haired teen slouched into the passenger seat next to the scruffy brown-haired man, knowing what he would say before he even opened his mouth.

"So, ya came to another one of these meetings again, hm?" A slight southern accent could be heard in his voice. Yuj nodded slowly, staring straight ahead. "I'll never understand why ya do. What're a couple of teenagers really goin' to be able to accomplish anyway?" Yuj's father snorted and muttered something like "waste of time" while his son clenched his teeth. A dozen retorts buzzed in the teen's mind, but he shooed them all away, knowing that saying one of them aloud would only make things harder later on.

He resolved instead to say "How was work today, dad?" but the businessman ignored him and continued on with his bashing. "Anti-prejudice, your mother's said...well, no matter how many signs or presentations ya make, you're not going to change my mind. Niggers deserve no place in this town, same with Jews and fags. Them last two are a disgrace to the Christian bible. That's the way I was taught, and it's what I live by." Yuj flinched at his harsh language, but said nothing. They were still sitting in the parking lot, and Lebreau emerged from the building as Yuj's father spoke. She cast Yuj a meaningful glance before looking away and retreating to her car.

Yuj's father noticed the look. "She's a pretty one, ain't she?" When Yuj didn't respond, he continued on. "All real men deserve a woman like that. It's the girly men and their boyfriends that I can't deal with. It ain't right. I mean, just look at that blonde kid you're always hanging out with." Yuj clenched his fists. "Do ya notice the way he looks at 'cha? I wouldn't be surprised if one of these days he just showed up wearin' a dress and expected you to run off with him to who-knows-where -"

"Shut up." Yuj's father turned towards him, taken aback.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, shut up. Don't talk about my friends like that." His face was flushed from the anger that had been slowly accumulating inside of him as his father spoke.

The man grabbed Yuj's upper arm roughly and leaned closer. "I don't really think it's your place to tell me what to do, son. You'd better quit while you're ahead."

"Don't touch me!" Yuj tore the violating arm off of his own, but immediately received a slap across the face. He grimaced in pain and gingerly touched his throbbing cheek.

"You ain't the one who makes the rules while I'm around."

"Why should I be around you any longer than I have to?" Yuj shot back, and climbed out of the car as quickly as he could manage. As he stormed away down the street, he heard his father yell out the window "Don't expect a warm welcome when ya get home!"

But Yuj wasn't worried for his own safety. As he watched his father drive past, swerving occasionally, he could think only of his mother. He knew full well that if his father couldn't take out his anger on his son, he would take it out on his wife. I'm such a coward, he thought. A girly man. That's all I am. A real man wouldn't let his mother take the blame for his actions.

He fell to his knees on the sidewalk, ignoring the pain. He had been through worse, after all. The sun was setting behind him, and he needed to find somewhere to go for the night. He couldn't face the consequences. Not yet.

A/N: And so the plot thickens...dun dun daaaah. I hope you guys didn't mind how much the story changed this chapter (and how bad I am at writing southern accents)...! I apologize for the lack of Yuj and Maqui goofiness. I honestly thought there would be at least a couple more chapters of that before Yuj's father made an appearance, but it just worked out this way.

Review or I'll follow this with another depressing chapter! (don't make me do that!)

Rekkia-chan