Chapter Three

Secrets

The long grass rippled in the slight morning wind. The sun gleamed down on the green hill from its position in the sky. The occasional lazy cloud drifted past, throwing the world into momentary shadow. The hill broke at the bottom into a long, fragrant field of flowers. It was filled with yellows, pinks, and blues that eventually melted into a vast body of calm, sparkling blue water.

No birds chirped merrily in the branches of the trees at the edges of the hill and meadow, no noises from a nearby town entered the area, and not even the soft shush of the breeze was present.

All was unnaturally silent.

Axel sat just below the crown of the hill, his knees drawn up and his arms loosely hooked around his legs, staring out at the expanse of blue. He wasn't sure whether it was the sky or the lake he was looking at; as far as he was concerned, as long as it didn't stop being pretty, it didn't matter which.

He had no recollection of how he'd gotten there, or why he was sitting on the grassy knoll, but if he had to slap an opinion on it, he wouldn't be able to. Axel had no opinion of the situation. He coexisted with it numbly, just accepted that it was there and everything else wasn't. He wouldn't exactly call it apathy, but the term cut close to just how different he always felt while on that hill. It was as if he was so entranced by the eternally calm, mute atmosphere that there was no need to feel at all.

Finally-- after what seemed to be hours of sitting and staring at the lake, perhapswaiting for something to breach its glossy surface-- noise. Slow footsteps through the grass came up from behind him, bringing the world of sound crashing back around Axel's ears. Birds chirped. The rustle of grass was light and pleasant. Somewhere not too far away, a bee buzzed, presumably collecting nectar from the wildflowers. Axel lay back on the grass and tilted his head to see who approached.

The boy seemed to be younger than he was. He had a baby face withbright blue eyes, and dirty blond hair that was spiked up into an odd faux-hawk. He smiled warmly down at Axel,gave a small wave, and then sat next to him on the hill. His legs sprawled out in front of him as he leaned back on his hands.

Demyx.

Demyx was here. Everything was okay again.

They sat in calm silence for a long while, like always, enjoying the quiet together time. Demyx was staring out at the lake. Axel was staring at Demyx. The boy had on that same serene smile he wore whenever he was with Axel. His warm-toned skin was smooth and healthy-looking. His fingernails were chewed down and his cuticles damaged. His fingers were slightly calloused from plucking the strings of his various instruments all day long. The thick red laces of his black shoes were undone. His denim shorts were baggy and worn; Axel knew this particular pair had a small hole in the back. His vintage bright blue t-shirt had a Jefferson Airplane logo plastered on the back, with a smaller version over his heart on the front. His arms were littered with beaded hemp jewelry. A single hemp necklace and a pair of gigantic, black, old-school headphones were around his neck, the cord leading to the white iPod in his pocket.

The numbness had left Axel when Demyx arrived. Just like always.

"The daisies don't stink this year," the blond noted happily.

"Yeah... It's actually pleasant for once," Axel grunted in response.

Demyx chuckled inwardly, his gaze trailing all over the field. Axel continued to watch him. It was idle chatter. And idle chatter with Demyx always meant something was bothering him. Axel furrowed his brow, wondering what could be disturbing this serene meadow-- a place that was quite possibly their last place of solace left on the planet.

Demyx sighed eventually, his smile faltering ever so slightly, but never removing itself from his lips. He turned to Axel, "...So," Demyx began lightheartedly, scratching the back of his head, "You've... You've found my replacement, huh?"

Axel stared at him a few moments longer, then shot back into a seated position, a hurt expression on his face. "No! It's not like that!" Axel replied frantically, leaning toward him. "You're July, not this brat!"

Demyx and his oddly content smile were focused on the ground between them. When he shook his head, Axel continued, his voice breaking slightly, "You're my July... And... Nobody can ever replace you."

Demyx gave another inward chuckle and turned his attention back out onto the lake as Axel cast around wildly for things to say. He needed something-- anything-- to prove to Demyx that he would always be the real July, not some annoying blond tripper.

"And what about the person who was July before me?" Demyx asked gently after a moment's thought. "What about him, huh? Wasn't he the real July, too?"

Axel didn't know what to say. Demyx was... well, right, but...

There was another silence in which Axel still racked his brain trying to figure out something to help his argument. There seemed to be a lot of silences between them lately, even if they all happened here, on this hill. Demyx spoke again, "I'm not as special as you think I was, Ax." He chuckled a bit tiredly, and then turned to his still-living old lover. "I wasn't as much of myself as you seem to think I am. You've already started to realize that, even though you don't know it."

When Axel gave him a completely bemused look, Demyx snickered.

"You were never good at reading yourself, Axel. I personally think you're your mind's biggest mystery, you know? You understand other people... so why not yourself, huh? But don't answer that." He turned back to the ocean. Axel was, unfortunately, still groping about for a response, albeit a different one.

What was Demyx talking about? Of course Axel knew himself. He knew his favourite breakfast food was cold pizza, that he preferred cloudy or rainy days to sunny ones, that he enjoyed experimenting with clothing, that he hated rodents, that he had no fully-formed political opinions, but rather just passing thoughts and weak stances on various issues. Hell, if anything, Axel thought he knew himself pretty damn well. Demyx must have been blind as a bat.

But not only that, Demyx was being... cryptic. About everything. And that was very much unlike him. Regardless of whether he was right or wrong, was it customary for the dead to taunt the living in such a way?

"Hey... Dem, are you okay?" Axel ventured softly, scratching the back of his neck and shifting awkwardly into a more upright seated position. Demyx looked as if he were about to say 'yes, everything is perfectly fine' with that fake zero-smile he always used when telling a white lie about his mood, but faltered at the last moment.

"Well... No."

Axel's face fell. That crushed him. Just as he was about to say something in return, Demyx held up his hand to shush him.

"But I will be, soon," Demyx said in a more lighthearted, hopeful tone, looking up at the sky. "I know it, man. I just know it."

"But HOW exactly do you know that?!" Axel burst out suddenly, his eyes burning and his fists clenched and making Demyx jump in alarm. He could taste of blood in his mouth; he'd bitten on the inside of his cheek to keep from crying a bit too hard. And it wasn't helping much. "You don't... KNOW that! You're fucking DEAD, Demyx, how will you be okay? How will ANYTHING be okay?!"

Axel hunched over in a cross-legged position, resting his head and hiding his face in one hand, the other balled into a fist on his knee. It... He felt ashamed, for Demyx to be seeing him when he was in such a state. But then again, nobody else needed to.

Demyx cringed painfully and scooted up close to Axel, wrapping his arms around him in a half-hug and rubbing his back in a soothing manner. The redhead forced back sniffles for a few minutes, and then inhaled several deep, calming breaths, the wind catching in his throat occasionally. Eventually, he found himself able to talk again amidst Demyx's pacifying cuddles.

"I'm falling apart at the seams without you, Dem," Axel remarked thickly, his voice sullen and carrying a twinge of something that resembled embarrassment. "I wish you'd come back."

Axel wasn't one to readily admit he couldn't do something, or that he'd failed. Such things weren't within his scope of abilities. And he felt like he was failing without Demyx by his side. Demyx sighed and gave him a squeeze.

"I can't, Axel. Even if I could, I wouldn't want to."

Axel froze. Did he just say--?

"What do you mean, Dem?" Axel asked slowly, turning around to face him through slightly puffy, red eyes, expression hesitant. What was he talking about? Why wouldn't he want to come back? Unless... Oh god...

Demyx clamped his hands over his mouth, his eyes widening at a snail's pace, as though horrified by what he'd just said. They stared at each other.

"Look, I've said too much already," Demyx replied hastily, jumping to his feet and glancing around nervously. He dragged Axel to his feet and brushed him off while the redhead stood there like a lump, gazing off past Demyx's shoulder. Axel's mind was buzzing with horrific what-ifs. What if Demyx didn't really love him? What if he'd found someone else in the afterlife? What if he had been contemplating suicide anyway? Oh god... Even a single one of those thoughts was enough to make him feel sick, but this... this might be the one thing that could possibly make losing his lover all the more terrible.

"Anyway, it's late, and you need to wake up. Kairi's coming," Demyx continued as he straightened Axel's clothes. That done, he reached up and gave Axel a quick peck on the cheek before turning to hurry back over the crest of the hill...

"Dem...?" Axel called out miserably after him, looking like a lost, kicked puppy and not quite sure if he could believe what was happening.

"We'll talk later, Axel!" Demyx called back as he started the descent down the other side of the hill. Axel watched his retreating form, stunned, until the boy was completely out of sight.

The sound had crept away with Demyx. No birds chirped, no bees buzzed. There was no gentle whoosh of the breeze flowing through the long grass, or the calm sloshing of the lake waters against the rocks on the beach.

Axel suddenly felt terrifyingly alone.

"DEMYX?!"

"AXEL!"

Axel jolted upright in the hotel bed, panting and shivering. Sora was hovering over him, his hand on Axel's shoulder, shaking him. The boy had deep, purple circles under his eyes. He looked as though he hadn't slept a wink. Not that it was much of a sleep anyway; a quick glance at the digital clock said it was 4 AM.

"Sora...? Fucking hell, what--?" Axel murmured groggily, but he was cut off.

"Roxas is waking up and I don't know what to do!" Sorra hissed, throwing an alarmed look behind him at his stirring brother. Axel cursed under his breath and ripped the covers off himself, rubbing his arms in an attempt to warm himself up. A normal person's body temperature dropped when they slept, but his, unfortunately, dropped more than normal. And he hated it. He didn't mind the air being cool, or it being cold outside, as long as he wasn't chilled through.

Roxas pushed himself up groggily, still half asleep and groaning in discomfort. Sora winced and ducked behind Axel, who grabbed his collar and thrust him toward Roxas' bed.

"Idunnowhattodo!" Sora breathed, immediately scurrying away again. Axel clenched his teeth and breathed in deeply, rubbing his face with his hand. Gah, Sora-- fucking pansy. So Axel had to get the damn kid AND give him the rundown, too? The redhead grumpily shoved his hands in his pockets and watched Roxas rubbed his eyes.

"Wh--" Roxas started, throwing a ridiculously perplexed look at his surroundings, trying to remember just what the HELL had happened the night before, when his eyes fell on Axel. He stared. There was something about that tall guy he knew he should be remembering, but... Axel rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Morning, sweetie," Axel exclaimed in a falsely motherly tone, "Sleep well?"

It was the voice that jogged his memory. Roxas jumped and pushed himself farther away from Axel with an almost fearful shriek, falling off the bed and landing painfully in the small gap between the bed and the wall.

"YOU FREAK! YOU TAZED ME!" Roxas screamed, struggling to both get out of the awkward position and check himself for injuries at the same time. He'd-- oh god, this was a hotel room, and... Ohgodohgod. Had this guy RAPED him?! Oh no. Oh shit. Oh fuck.

Axel, meanwhile scoffed in resentment, crossing his arms and glaring off at the sliding glass door that led to the balcony.

"You fucking rubbed yourself on me," Axel grumbled, not bothering to give Roxas a hand-- not that Roxas expected it, or wanted it for that matter. As far as he was concerned, anything that brought the possible rapist closer to him was something he was better off without.

"So you tazed me?!" Roxas repeated in disbelief as he finally got to a standing position. Suddenly, he felt a tight pain in his leg, causing him to lose balance in surprise and nearly topple over as a result. He looked down; bandaging was falling loose, revealing a rather nasty wound. Roxas laughed in disbelief. "AND YOU RAPED ME?!"

"What the hell?!" Axel demanded in alarm, holding up his hands and taking a step backward. "Look, kid, I did NOT fucking rape your--"

"OH MY GOD WHAT WILL MOM SAY?!" Roxas panicked, pressed up as best he could to the wall while favouring his hurt leg. Axel threw Roxas a dirty and look and hissed at Sora behind him, who was now making a break for the door. Upon finding he was caught, the brunette sheepishly turned around, thought did his best to keep his face hidden.

Axel rubbed his hands again, but Roxas took no notice. Oh god. He... He'd been raped, and it was all over because he was obviously pregnant, but-- wait, no, that wasn't right, he wasn't a girl, and... Oh god, he only knew this bastard's first name, and nothing else about him, and he wasn't sure if the cops would even be able to catch him for it, and...

"I'm SO going to bring you down for fucking—what the hell's it called-- statutory rape!" Roxas moaned agonizingly, feeling incredibly violated. Even if he wasn't sure if he'd be able to catch Axel for it, the threat would... Well, do something, he hoped...

"Whoa-ho-ho, SLOWthe fuck down, kid! You told me you were legal last night!" Axel yelled, obviously taken aback by the statement. After a split-second's thought, however, he wore under his breath and ran a hand through his hair. "FUCK, that sounds bad, but I SWEAR I haven't touched you-- SORA get your ASS over here and talk to this damn nutcase!"

Roxas stopped his frantic screaming and whining at the mention of the name Sora. Once Roxas took a better look around the room instead of immediately focusing in on his possible-rapist, he noticed a short guy with spiky brown hair leaning against the wall opposite him, half hidden behind Axel and turned away. Roxas stared at the guy as Axel argued with him. Sora... that was his brother's name. His goddamned bastard of a brother's name. If...

Suddenly, Axel grabbed Sora and dragged him forward by his jacket, thrusting him onto Roxas' vacated bed. Sora immediately flinched away, a nervously uncertain look on his face, keeping his eyes fixed on the blond's.

There was a short silence in which Roxas's stomach started bubbling with a hot fury. There was no mistaking it. This was his brother. His goddamned bastard of a brother.

"You," Roxas growled, eyes widening and fists clenching in rage, trying to keep his temper even. The-- the nerve of him, even coming back--

"Roxas, I can explain-- Dad, he was--" Sora tried hurriedly, waving his hands.

"I know what the hell 'Dad' was doing," Roxas bit, his teeth grinding together harshly. No... He wouldn't get like that, it'd be just... No, just stay calm... "I know all of it. You fucking pussy. You abandoned me. You abandoned Mom!"

"No, Roxas, I really didn't! If you'd just listen--"

"If I'd listen?! No, you're the one that needs to listen, Sora!" Roxas coughed a little, his voice becoming hoarse from all the yelling. Nevertheless, he continued to send Sora the dirtiest looks he could. Axel was watching the scene apprehensively. Two cellphones chimed their text alert jingles, but they went ignored by both their owners. Axel fingered his in his pocket, but did nothing more than that. After several moments of heavy breathing on Roxas' end, the boy continued.

"After you left," he began, his voice quavering, "That man started beating mom again. Worse than before."

Sora's face mutated into an expression of horror.

"But-- But he said--"

Roxas scoffed derisively.

"And you believed him?" he asked with a sneer, his fists tightening. "After all those goddamned lies?"

Sora gulped. Axel and his possible-rapistness was out of Roxas' mind now. All he could picture was his poor slip of a mother lying on her bedroom floor, covered in bright red weals and a dark rainbow of bruises. But never blood, and never on her face or anywhere that might be visible.

He recalled one occasion when he'd found her nearly unconscious, draped over the side of the bathtub. Roxas had gotten off of his youth struggle practice early and wandered into the bathroom to take a piss, and there she was. Her shoulder-length blond hair was completely messed, her clothes were disheveled-- and some of them were half off. Her makeup was smeared and mascara ran down her face in thin trails.

And, of course, she'd told Roxas in a weary, pain-ridden voice that everything would be fine and he should go outside to wait for Sora to come home. The corners of her mouth cracked into an exhausted smile as she said it.

The memory only fueled Roxas' rage.

"All those promises he made," Roxas continued as Sora eyed him tentatively. The brunette's mouth kept opening as if he were trying to find an opening to say something, but nothing ever came. "All those promises he broke. And you believed him that time?!"

"But you don't understand, he--"

Snap.

Roxas tackled Sora down onto the bed, one hand grabbing a fistful of his brother's hair and the other clamping onto the front of his shirt. Sora screeched in alarm, flailing around in his attempt to get away. Roxas started shaking him violently, whipping him back and forth as fast as he was able to.

"YOU FUCKING LEFT, YOU BASTARD, WHAT'S MORE TO UNDERSTAND?!" Roxas snarled viciously as he thrust Sora down onto the bed as hard as he could. Sora yelped in pain, trying to pry his hair away from Roxas' hands. Axel was too stunned by the outburst to move.

"ROXAS, STOP!" Sora shrieked, twisting and turning and trying to knee Roxas where it would hurt. Roxas yanked him up and shoved him back down again.

"HE BEAT HER AND RAPED HER AND THEN HE FUCKING STARTED ON ME, YOU BASTARD!" Roxas choked, beginning to become blinded with tears of rage. Axel's brain seemed to have kicked in, as he dove for the two on the bed, sliding his arms between the two and attempting to separate them.

"GET THE HELL OFF, KID!" Axel roared, his nails gripping into Roxas' chest and trying to push him away. Roxas hissed in pain and removed the hand he'd been holding Sora's shirt with, balled it into a tight fist and swung it at Axel, who hollered in pain as it connected with the side of his head in a crack. Axel stumbled backward, making repetitive use of his favourite word as his hand shot up to cover his injury.

"ROXAS, NO, STOP! YOU'VE GOT IT WRONG!" Sora cried, thoroughly terrified and trying to get Roxas to release his grip on his hair.

"YOU WANTED MOM TO TAKE ALL OF IT, DIDN'T YOU?!" Roxas bellowed hoarsely, his nose running a little. He slapped Sora across the face as hard as he could muster. "YOU KNEW SHE'S HAD A HISTORY OF DATING ABUSIVE MEN, AND YOU KNEW THAT THIS ONE WOULD LET UP OCCASIONALLY BEAUSE YOU WERE THERE!"

"SO YOU WANTED HIM TO BEAT ME, IS THAT IT?!" Sora replied hysterically, tears trailing down his face, too.

"WE SWORE TO PROTECT HER!" Roxas coughed, his voice cracking as he gave another sound smack to Sora's face. Shit... Shit, he was doing it. No, he... He couldn't be like that... He had to stop, but... "EVER SINCE THE SECOND GUY, WE SWORE WE'D DO ANYTHING WE COULD TO KEEP HER AS SAFE AS FUCKING POSSIBLE!"

"BUT SHE WOULDN'T WANT US TO GET HURT IN THE PROCESS!" Sora pleaded, having stopped most of his squirming as Roxas' grip on him had loosened somewhat. "And he-- he told me he'd STOP if I left!" Sora whimpered, unable to yell any longer.

"And you believed him?!" Roxas choked again, his complete incredulity inhibiting his ability to yell. It was probably a good thing, because he'd be less inclined to... To hurt him again. Roxas sniffled and put his hands down on the bed to support himself, then hung his head and let it rest on his brother's shoulder. "You... You believed him? After all the other times he's promised to stop?"

Sora looked away ashamedly, not saying anything. They all sat in silence for a good long while; Axel felt it was no longer necessary to intervene because the hostilities, as it seemed, had ended.

"I'm sorry," Sora muttered miserably after a while, sniffing and rubbing his red, puffy eyes with his fist before tentatively wrapping his arms around Roxas. Shaking, Roxas returned the gesture.

"I hate you Sora," Roxas whispered as they clung to one another, keeping his face hidden. "I hate you so much."

Sora's face fell a little, but it looked as though he didn't expect anything else.

"... I know."


Well, that had been a trip and a half.

Marluxia sighed as he and Neku disembarked one of the crowded city buses they'd taken from the airport. They were trying to be courteous and not hit anyone as they passed down the narrow walkway, though crammed as it was, it was proving to be quite an endeavor of its own.

The kid they'd been after-- someone named Ronald Hampton-- had been hit by a train mere hours after they'd landed at the airport in Billings. Once they'd gotten to Phillipsburg, they'd traced the dot to the nearby hospital, where their mark had been in critical condition. How he'd survived getting hit by a train of all things, Marluxia didn't know, but apparently he did. For a while, at least.

After loitering around in the waiting room and trying to figure out what they were going to do for a good few hours, the screens of their phones flashed a message.

TARGET DECEASED

And then, of course, the hysterical family members came out of the hospital room, and tried to tell everyone else who was waiting the terrible news. But judging by their expressions when they appeared, the people who were anxiously awaiting some shred of good news began bawling their eyes out.

So he and Neku left the hospital, booked a hotel room for the night, and decided to catch a flight back to Chicago in the morning.

The hotel was decent. It was clean, though the furniture, aside from the beds, was all rather old and in need of replacement. The bathroom, thankfully, was fairly new and sparkling white, but the view from their window was horrid. Hello construction. Normally, one wouldn't quite think the view from one's hotel window was ranked up there on the list of 'Is This Hotel Decent Or Not', but as an avid and true appreciator of beauty, especially natural beauty, Marluxia would have preferred a dumpier room with something prettier to look at out the window.

Neku had been rather quiet since his initial pissiness at having their mark die had worn off. Marluxia wouldn't have thought it was anything out of the ordinary if he hadn't found Neku's blue headphones lying on the bathroom floor, forgotten, after Neku had taken a shower.

Now, Marluxia wasn't particularly close with anyone in Sunrise. He got on with Luxord rather well, and quite enjoyed the long, intelligent conversations he had every once in a while with Vincent, but other than that, he stayed detached. However, even he knew that Neku, who he'd barely said anything to at all to since the boy had been admitted to their ranks, cherished his headphones and iPod like they were his own child. They were his coveted treasures, and the fact that he'd randomly left one where it could possibly get broken pretty much told Marluxia quite clearly that something was wrong.

He didn't press anything when he returned Neku's headphones to him, but apparently there was something about spilling all your woes to someone who was practically a stranger (pushing aside the fact you lived with them) that had Neku babbling on for nearly a half an hour about how Demyx's death made him think about some pretty frightening things. Nothing out of the ordinary there, either. Marluxia listened, for the most part, just to be polite. Neku just honestly needed someone to talk to. He, like Marluxia, didn't do a whole lot of that. Part of him was rather interested on hearing how Neku had took the death of their comrade, but the other part of him was still rather irritated from flying all the way out to Montana for nothing. (Not, he noted, that he'd wasted any of his own money on the venture, as the plane tickets and money for return trips were provided by Galileo.)

What really caught his attention, though, came at the end of all of Neku's emo whining.

Now that was interesting.

Neku had a deliciously dirty little secret, and Marluxia was the only one that knew it. Of course, Neku hadn't meant to tell him and had made him swear a vow of secrecy. But Marluxia still knew. And if Marluxia had to have one defining vice, it would be his absolute love of gossip.

That, or his willingness to do nothing at all and watch everything unfold from the sidelines if it so pleased him.

He didn't really spread any rumours or what not, but he was still addicted to being in the know, no matter how trivial or false the bit of information was. After all, gossip was gossip and had a tendency of being table-ready lies. But perhaps the second was a far darker quirk for him to have. Marluxia wasn't quite sure whether or not he'd have helped the kid who'd gotten hit by the train, because a large part of him would have wanted to see how long he'd survive past impact.

He'd been called cruel in the past, but he didn't see it as cruelty. The thirst for knowledge, however macabre or bizarre, was never cruel to him. He could attribute that thought process to the teachings of his old mentor.

In any case, the trip back home had been fairly silent between the two of them. Neku was still lost in his pondering mode, and Marluxia had taken the time to entertain himself with different scenarios in his head, all of which being possible outcomes of what would happen if he were to slip and tell the rest of Sunrise just what Neku's secret was.

Luxord would be terribly offended, of course. It probably had something to do with his whole military background. Xigbar would snicker and make snide comments. Kairi would be worried, and Yuffie, amused. Albel would avoid the subject, Riku would have no voiced or known opinion, and Vincent wouldn't say much on the matter, though he wouldn't approve. Axel and Sora, sympathetic and empathetic respectively, would try to comfort him as best they could.

It was a hazardous secret Neku kept, not only to himself but to them all.

"Well... We're back," Neku said dully as they approached Station 516, his eyes barely leaving the scummy sidewalk. Marluxia sighed and looked up at the balcony. His flowers weren't dead. He'd only been gone a day or so, but he didn't know what to think about them leaving Paine in charge of the house while they were out. She might have watered them and taken care of them like he'd asked her, or she might not have. If they weren't on their regular watering schedule, they became hard to work with. But they were as bright and perky as ever, and looked a bit wet, so perhaps she had watered them.

"Yeah," Marluxia replied distantly, continuing to gaze up at his precious plants. Yes, everything seemed to be in order.

"You... You think Kairi will be angry with us for coming back early?" Neku asked a bit hesitantly, scratching the back of his orange-haired head. Marluxia shook his own.

"No, I don't think so. It's not like we offed him, right? But we should probably text her and tell her what happened, though."

Neku nodded and Marluxia turned the worn brass doorknob and pushed the scuffed, off-white door to the station open wide.

"And we should also probably--"

"Do you hear that?" Neku asked in a low voice, nudging Marluxia and frowning as he gazed around the entrance hall. Marluxia paused to listen.

"That's just Paine, she's house-sitting, remember?" Marluxia reminded him, dropping his duffle bag off on his left as Neku walked around him on his right.

"No, it's... More than one person," Neku frowned, setting his own bag down gently and tiptoeing down the rest of the entrance hall, looking at the entryway to the den.

"Sure it's not the TV? It's up really loud," Marluxia shrugged. Neku shook his head.

"No, seriously, just... listen," he said, in a whisper barely audible over the blaring television. Marluxia stopped and listened again. After a moment, he frowned. Neku was right. It wasn't just Paine's voice. Yet they were all familiar to him, somehow. He caught up with Neku silently. Why they were being silent, he hadn't the foggiest, but he was curious, and generally when you sneak up on someone, there's a greater chance you'll see them than if you make a lot of noise.

When they finally rounded the corner, they stopped abruptly and stared, dumbfounded.

Paine had jumped up immediately, her entire being projecting the reaction of someone who was caught completely off-guard with their pants down. But Paine wasn't the reason for their gaping. It was, rather, her guests: Rikku, lounging in Luxord's favourite red armchair, and Yuna, clinging to herself and wrapped in a blanket on the couch opposite her. All three women had frozen in their tracks, and Yuna and Rikku were giving Marluxia and Neku rather pendulous looks. There was a long, tensioned silence before anyone spoke.

"What are you guys doing back here?" Paine demanded, taking a fearless step forward. She was obviously trying to divert their attention away from the refugees. It wasn't working. Suddenly, Neku cursed.

It happened in the space of five long seconds. Neku's hand shot into his pocket and withdrew his cell phone; Yuna and Rikku jumped to their feet and scrambled away from the men and in the direction the TV set in alarm, and Paine, snarling, made a violent move toward Neku, her eyes fixated on the phone. But Marluxia was closer. Coming to an immediate decision, Marluxia grasped the back of Neku's jacket, pulled him closer with one hand, and used the other to wrench the phone out of his grasp. He chucked the phone across the room; it hit an end table, causing a small picture to topple off balance and fall to the floor, the glass of the frame shattering on impact. He immediately wrapped his now-free arm around Neku tightly and hugged him to his own body, locking the boy's arms down. Marluxia's other hand darted up to cover his mouth. Paine stopped mid-lunge, outrightly bewildered by Marluxia's actions.

Neku, though stunned at first, was now struggling to break free of Marluxia's grasp as the pink-haired man and Paine stared at each other. Paine bore an expression of deep, distrustful confusion, and Marluxia, one that someone might don while in intense thought. In Marluxia's case, his speculations were reflecting his face. What-ifs and possibilities were flooding his mind, and while they weren't there long enough for him to really consider them as much as he was able, there was, without a doubt, one overriding connection between them.

They were interesting. And that was all Marluxia needed.

Suddenly, pain erupted in his hand and he yanked it away from Neku's mouth as quickly as he could. The little bastard had bit him!

"Let me go!" Neku growled, jerking around and trying to get away again. "We need to call Kairi!"

Marluxia scowled at him and tried to shake off the pain while tightening his grip. He might not have been as muscular or sturdily built as a situation like this might have called for, but he was still a good deal bigger than Neku was, in both height and frame, and he hoped that would make up for him. Still, despite the slim boy's size, Neku was putting up a better fight than Marluxia had thought.

Once the sting of the bite had worn off, Marluxia slapped it back over Neku's mouth and gripped his jaw firmly, making sure he wouldn't be able to bite him again. He bent his head over close to the boy's ear.

"You make any move to tell anyone about this," Marluxia whispered dangerously, keeping his eyes fixed on Paine, "I will tell everyone your little secret."

Neku's escape efforts almost completely halted. He kept repeating a muffled 'no' over and over while shaking his head, and his attempts had dropped down to a pathetic, halfhearted level that a spaghetti noodle might exhibit if it was given free mobility. Marluxia glanced at Yuna and Rikku, who were eyeing him as equally suspiciously as Paine had been previously, and then returned his attention to the greyish-haired woman in front of him.

"Get out of here."

They didn't need to be told twice.

Yuna, moving a bit awkwardly as though injured, and Rikku, nearly tripping over an armchair in the process, scrambled around the den and collected their small assortment of belongings. Paine helped them, though she didn't bother giving the objects to their correct owner. She just shoved them in the pockets or the small backpacks of whoever was nearest. Within moments, they were all packed up (there wasn't much to collect, though Paine had secretly slipped them some of the fruit for the road), and were making a dash for the door. Yuna paused and gave a slight bow to Marluxia as she passed, but kept her head down as she followed Rikku down the hall and out the door. Predictably, Paine stopped in front of Marluxia on her own way out.

"What the hell are you thinking?" she asked in an incredulous growl, her teeth gritted together. Marluxia didn't answer.

"Paine! Come on!" Rikku called anxiously from the doorway. Paine gave him one last bewildered look before turning to jog down the entrance hallway, giving him glances over her shoulder until she exited and shut the door behind her.

Neku wrenched himself away from Marluxia the moment he heard the door close. He backed away from him, creating a moderate distance between the two. He was being wary now, it seemed. Neku gave a loud 'tch'.

"What the... what the hell?" Neku breathed, sending him a what-the-fuck-you-idiot kind of look. "We can't... There's no way we can keep this a secret!"

"And that's where you're wrong," Marluxia replied disdainfully, looking at the remains of breakfast that was scattered about the den. Oh, lovely. He knew right away who would be cleaning that up.

"No, I mean we literally can't keep our mouths shut about this!" Neku protested. "That damn bond thing... It won't let us keep a secret from him!"

"And yours?" Marluxia raised an eyebrow and brushed himself off a little. Neku looked away, his cheeks reddening somewhat.

"That's different," Neku grumbled, scratching the back of his neck. Marluxia shook his head.

"I don't see how. They're both issues that could be a danger to not only us, but Galileo as well. And if he knew about it, he would have remedied it already."

Marluxia watched Neku as the boy fidgeted in thought, his back turned to the older male.

"You wouldn't really tell them though...?" Neku asked, something resembling hope apparent in his tone. "That was just a bluff, right?"

"No, it wasn't," Marluxia replied bluntly, crossing his arms and snorting in mock amusement. "You mention they were here, or that you know where they are, or that Paine knows, or anything that could possibly get them found out, and I will personally tell the rest of Sunrise that-- What, don't want to hear it?" Marluxia smirked. Neku had covered his ears with his hands and had his eyes shut tight.

"Just stop! I won't... I won't say anything, damnit!"

Marluxia smiled at him briefly, then looked back out at the food mess. Suddenly, he had an idea.

"... Also, go clean up the den. If you want your secret to be kept safe, that is," Marluxia snickered. Neku turned around and glared at him.

"Don't be a jackass," he warned. Interesting. He didn't seem threatened by that statement. Still, he had a valid point. Exploiting it to that extent could rightfully earn him the title of jackass (or douchebag, bastard, or other such names), and as petty as being called a name was, he'd still prefer to avoid it.

"Fair enough. But you're helping," Marluxia decided, stretching and walking into the dark red-themed room. Neku grunted in reply and shoved his hands in his pockets, but started walking the other way.

"Bathroom first," he muttered, pointing up the staircase he was about to ascend. Marluxia made a noise of acknowledgment and walked around the den, considering where to start first when he noticed Neku's phone and the broken picture frame lying on the ground. He walked over and picked up the photo gingerly, being mindful of the pieces of glass lying about. He flipped it over, looked at it, and let out a chuckle.

Oh, the irony.


A/N: I deeply apologize for the long wait. I was stuck in a rut, and then I was in the hospital (no worries, I'm fine, it was a false alarm), and then school started. But all the while, this was weighing heavily on my mind.

And it's been completely written for a month.

I apologize for that too. When Ed had beta'd it, she said she'd done a TON of work on it, which made me panic and feel completely and totally ashamed that I hadn't been up to par with my usual standard.

In a way, I guess you could say I was afraid of what she might have said, because writing is one of the only things on the planet I'm sensitive about. So I kind of ignored her edited bit until tonight, whereupon I revised and submitted it.

Another thing you might notice is... Marluxia is different than many interpretations make him. I personally don't think he was gay in the game at all. I think he was a creeper who molested Naminé routinely. But seeing something different usually makes for a refreshing change, which is something I had hoped to bring to the table. You might think he's being OOC, but OOC-ness is relative, especially when relationships with others come into play. Don't worry. I have a why for everything.

Also, you might have noticed the writing style take a sharp turn when it was from his point of view; that is him speaking. Some of the characters will have similar inner voices-- and others will be something else entirely. I haven't been able to finalize some of them yet, which is cause for it being perhaps a bit too similar, but starting very soon I hope to give a recognizable voice to each of them to the point where you wouldn't have to have it told to you to know whose point of view it's coming from.

Also, this chapter is a lot shorter than the last ones and coupled with an overly long Author's Notes section. I would have added another section, but the lovely Ed told me flat out that what I had in mind would deter from the impact I was trying to leave with chapter three. But you can rest assured that there will be a fairly amusing conversation (in my opinion) between Axel and Riku in the next chapter.

The last thing I apologize for is this: I still haven't told you damn near anything. I'm cursing myself. And here I was worried I wasn't fit enough for long-term storytelling.

In any case, I appreciate you taking the time to read this, and any comments or constructive criticism/critique are welcomed. Groundless flames, however, aren't. They make me a sad Paradox. :C

Ed's Character Tally for Fangirl Moments

Marluxia : 70 points for being fucking win

Riku: 50 for existing

Roxas: 25 for being a retard + emotional breakdown

Demyx: 20 for being sexy and mysterious

Axel: -5 for just being fail

"Back in my day, we didn't have fanfiction. We had rocks."

-PxC

EDIT: Godfuckingdamn, I always forget to delete at least ONE section of Ed's beta notes. /kills things