The sun shone brightly through the large windows as Roxas was lead through the halls by one of the guards on his way to meet up with the queen in the court room. He'd just finished explaining to Saix about the trial and how he was to attend, and the man looked none to pleased by the news. He'd given Roxas a lecture on the importance of training and sticking to his proper schedule, but in the end, he simply sighed and told him to be on his way. And on his way he was.

He was rather anxious to see the outcome of this trial, he just hoped he could keep Riku from losing his head. Figuratively and literally.

Though Roxas was more over concerned about the literal loss of his head.

He didn't deserve it, and neither did this country deserve to lose one of their most powerful attributes. The queen may have been nice to him so far, but he saw the way she treated everyone else, the punishments that she dealt out, and they didn't deserve such treatment.

"Ventus, darling! You made it just in time! The trial was just about to begin!" Larxene said happily as Roxas entered the court room. Zexion stood beside her, they'd been going over something in regards to the trial until Roxas showed up, effectively pulling the queen's attention away from him.

"I have a special place for you to sit and watch the trial! Zexion, show him to his seat!"

"But majesty the-" Zexion started, only to be interrupted once more.

"No lolly-gagging Zexion! Now chop chop!" Larxene said snappily.

Zexion sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation, but he held his clipboard to his chest as he moved between the two blonds.

"This way Ventus." He said, his tone thick with aggravation.

Roxas blinked, then quickly followed after Zexion. The mouse lead him to a door way off to the side that was covered by a large red curtain hanging from the ceiling. The door way lead to some stairs, and at the top of said stairs was a small room with a nice red couch with two lounge chairs off to the side. Two side tables sat beside the couch with small heart shaped lamps. There was a thick red curtain on the other side of the room, pulled back and leading out to a balcony with more chairs.

"You can watch from the balcony there. If you need anything, there will be a guard right down the stairs." Zexion explained. Roxas nodded in understanding.

"Thank you Zexion. And I apologize for pulling you away from your duties for something so trivial." Roxas said a bit guiltily.

Zexion simply waved him off though as he shook his head in disagreement.

"It's quite alright Ventus, after all, it's not your fault now is it? Now, I must be off to finish preparations. So go ahead and settle in, the trial will begin soon." Zexion said as he made his way to the stairs. Roxas nodded as the mouse started to hurry down the steps, leaving Roxas by himself.

He sighed as he looked towards the balcony. He didn't really want to go sit out there just yet, so he took a seat on the plush couch, resting his head against the back of it and staring up at the ceiling.

"You look rather bored." A familiar voice purred into the empty room, making Roxas grimace. He didn't want to deal with this right now. Deal with him.

"Piss off Axel." Roxas bit out in a calm yet sharp tone.

"What? Still mad at me?" His voice rang out in a pouty tone, though his physical form had still yet to appear.

"Yes! Very! Now leave me the fuck alone before I call Zexion back up here!" Roxas snapped, looking around the room, but all he received in return was a light chuckle.

"As if Zexion could do anything to me?" He responded snarkily.

"Fuck off Axel." Roxas spat once more before crossing his arms over his chest and looking up at the ceiling once more. He heard a light hum before Axel responded once more.

"I don't think so." He said, now appearing above Roxas with a wide grin. Said blond's scowl tripled in power at the sight of the feline.

"That's one sour puss ya got there cutie. What's say you turn that frown upside down." Axel said, turning himself upside down as if to prove his point. Though Roxas held firmly onto his anger. He refused to speak though, he would not give him the pleasure.

Axel caught onto this rather quickly though.

"What? Ignoring me now? Doesn't that seem a bit immature?" Axel questioned, though Roxas just continued to glare. Axel sighed as he turned back over, moving mere inches from his face as he placed a hand on his cheek.

"Oh Roxy, your anger at me pains my heart." Axel said sadly.

"Good. Now leave." Roxas replied simply, seemingly suddenly satisfied with himself. Axel simply smirked in response.

"I can't do that." Axel said, rubbing his nose against Roxas', though the blond suddenly turned his head away from the cat to halt the intimate contact.

"Why not?" He snapped, now looking off at the balcony.

"Roxas, do you know what it means when a cat rubs up against you?" Axel asked as he leant down farther and nuzzled into Roxas' neck. Though Roxas was silent once more as he didn't want to continue this pointless conversation.

"It means they accept you as one of their family." Axel said with a light purr.

Roxas was instantly infuriated by this. After his conversation with Riku the night before, he couldn't help it. Riku basically told him that he was a mere toy that Axel would toss to the side the moment Roxas angered him. He couldn't stand for this obvious act to worm back into his good graces. So Roxas shoved the red head away from him, getting off the couch in the process, and after shooting a glare at the infuriating feline, he stormed off to the balcony.

Axel was stunned for a moment, only slightly shocked by his behavior. After all, he'd been simply taking Axel's advances moments prior, simply ignoring his actions, so he wasn't really expecting the sudden outburst. He quickly followed Roxas onto the balcony though, leaning against the railing and staring at Roxas.

"Come on Roxas, what did I do to deserve this treatment?" Axel asked, keeping his voice low as his inquiry only further angered Roxas.

"You know damn well what you did." Roxas growled out. Axel sighed, rolling his eyes.

"So what? You've only known me for two days, this can't be any kind of surprise that I have a bad past." Axel said as though it were nothing.

"You know how many people have suffered because of what you did?" Roxas countered quickly.

"They deserved it."

"They did not!"

"You don't even know any of them."

"I don't need to know them to care."

"Why does this even matter?!"

"Because you lied to me!"

Axel paused, staring wide eyed at the blond as he simply looked away in irritation. It was silent for quite a bit after that as the two simply stood there, Roxas watching everyone below scurry about as he tried to calm himself down, while Axel simply stared at the wall, thinking over everything.

Suddenly though, the trumpets sounded and Luxord's voice rang out loudly through the large room.

"Hear ye hear ye, her majesty Larxene presiding!" He called out as Larxene stepped up to her seat at the podium.

"Good afternoon all, please be seated and we shall begin the trial." Larxene announced. Everyone scurried to their places, while Axel let out a sigh.

"I better leave you be now." Axel muttered, and Roxas couldn't help but look at him. He appeared thoughtful and depressed, and Roxas couldn't help the look of pity that crawled onto his features at the sight. He kept his mouth shut though as Axel disappeared.

Roxas sighed, taking a seat and mindlessly began watching the trial begin.

"Bring in the accused!" Luxord called out, the entrance to the court room immediately opening as a group of guards carried Riku into the room. They brought him to the front, placing him on his knees then chaining him securely to the floor. Though Roxas knew now how pointless such a thing was.

The only thing they removed from the silveret was his gag.

"Riku Hatter, you have been accused of bringing a boy from the surface to aid you in the assassination of her royal highness, the Queen of Hearts. How do you plead?" Luxord said rather boredly.

"Innocent." He said simply, sounding bored already, and Luxord nodded slightly. Though Larxene seemed to snap at this.

"Liar! You are as guilty as ever!" She raged, though Marluxia quickly appeared by her side to calm her.

"Highness please, settle down. We shall expose his crimes very soon and he will be seen as the liar he is. Just calm yourself and be patient." Marluxia said soothingly. Larxene sighed, appearing to agree with her right hand man as she took a couple of breaths to calm herself.

"Continue Luxord!" She commanded, and the rabbit nodded his understanding.

"Bring in the first witness!" Luxord commanded, and the doors swung open once more as a frightened looking Demyx slowly walked in with two guards following closely behind.

"Demyx..." Roxas breathed out in bewilderment, though Zexion couldn't stay as quiet as the blond. He stood off to the side of the witness stand, clipboard in hand, but the moment he laid eyes on Demyx, his eyes widened considerably as he dropped his clip board in surprise.

"Demyx!" He called, rushing over to the hare, who immediately brightened at the sight of his counterpart.

"Zexion!" He cheered happily.

"Jesus, are you alright? They didn't hurt you did they?" Zexion inquired worriedly. Demyx shook his head and smiled.

"No, 'course not. They wouldn't dare cross you." Demyx said amusedly.

"I should think not." Zexion said, glaring at the guards behind Demyx, who suddenly seemed interested in any direction that didn't lead to looking at Zexion.

"How did they even find you?" Zexion asked quietly so no one could hear.

Demyx pouted at this, looking at the floor.

"Mean old Marluxia made Saix puppy sniff me out." Demyx explained sadly in a soft tone, following the shorter man's example.

Zexion grimaced, but something else ticked onto his expression that Roxas couldn't quite make out. Though, before he could say anything more, a loud, frustrated huff came from Larxene.

"Enough already, I want to get on with this trial and cut off his head already!" Larxene exclaimed snappily. Zexion sighed, but lead Demyx to the witness stand, not wanting to further anger the queen.

"Demyx, do you swear to tell the truth?" Luxord asked gently as he stepped up to the witness stand.

"Sure do Luxord!" Demyx said chipperly as he tapped his hands against the wood of the podium in a rhythmic beat.

"Stop it." Larxene scolded at the tapping. Demyx shrunk into himself as his hands quickly recoiled.

"Yes ma'am." He squeaked out.

"Demyx, where were you two days ago?" Zexion asked, knowing exactly where the male had been the whole time, but asking regardless.

"Well," Demyx started, little did they know that he was about to launch into a rather lengthy story about his day. Zexion stood there amusedly through the whole thing, knowing full well how much of a chatter box Demyx was.

After some point, Roxas fell asleep listening to Demyx's never ending tale, and he was awoken almost two hours later as Larxene barked for him to shut up.

Roxas blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the light, then he slowly rubbed the sleep out of them.

"Dear God, it's like you just recounted every minute of your day! Do you never stop talking?!" Larxene snapped, making Demyx shrink into himself once more.

"But you wanted to know where I was that day." Demyx said quietly.

"It's alright Demyx." Zexion consoled.

"Majesty, what do you say we take a small break and come back to this?" Marluxia offered in hopes of calming the blonde once more. Larxene sighed then reluctantly agreed, slamming her mallet against the podium and calling for a half hour break. Demyx practically squealed with glee and jumped out of the witness stand, immediately launching himself onto Zexion.

"Zexy I missed you so much!" Demyx cheered happily, his ears twitching as he nuzzled his nose into Zexion's neck, a sight that brought up very recent events for Roxas. Though a faint smile was placed on Zexion's lips rather than a scowl as he half returned the embrace.

With a sigh, he stood from his chair and made his way down the stairs to reenter the large court room. He glanced around the room, making sure there was no one around that would possibly stop him to chat, then quickly made his way over to where Riku was still chained to the ground, two guards standing beside him.

"Can we help you Sir Ventus?" One of the guards asked, and the blond looked up curiously.

"Um, I wanted to speak with the prisoner for a moment if that's alright." Roxas explained. The guards shared a look as they silently tried to figure out if this was a good idea. Finally, they seemed to come to their conclusion and nodded in agreement.

"Just no funny business got it?" One of them clarified, and Roxas nodded in agreement, the two walking a little ways away, out of ear shot, though they could still see Roxas and Riku.

"Roxas, a pleasure to see you once again." Riku said politely, confusing the blond.

"Can you... Actually see me?" He inquired, and Riku nodded.

"I can mostly see just fine, it's kind of like a bat with sonar. I see shapes, and my senses fill in the rest. This blindfold is actually completely pointless." Riku responded exasperatedly. "Anyways, what did you want to talk about?"

Roxas paused, looking down as his brows pinched together in thoughtful irritation.

"Axel came to see me before the trial started." He said quietly.

"And?"

"Did he hear our conversation last night?" Roxas inquired curiously, sounding a bit guilty for some reason.

"Oh he heard the whole thing." Riku admitted easily without a moments hesitation.

Roxas' eyes widened considerably.

"What?"

"Yeah, he was there the whole time, heard every word and attacked me the moment you were gone." Riku explained nonchalantly.

"Oh god." Roxas groaned, rubbing his temples as he squeezed his eyes shut. "I can't believe this."

"What's the problem? It's not like he's going to do anything to you. If anything, I'm the only one he wants to kill at this point. Though he knows he can't do shit to me. Just go on back to the balcony, enjoy the rest of the break and don't worry about any of this." Riku said.

"I feel bad though." Roxas said, his tone slightly desperate.

"Don't. It's his own fault, he's the one that fucked up, that betrayed everyone in this country. You shouldn't feel bad for his wrong doings."

Roxas shook his head, dismissing the silveret's words.

"It's not that. I think... I think I hurt him." Roxas said, looking at the floor pensively. Riku snorted, an amused smirk spreading across his face as he tilted his head curiously.

"So what? He's hurt plenty of people in his time, he deserves a little pain in his life." Riku said, though he seemed to quickly catch on to the look of worry on the boy's expression.

"Don't worry Ventus. You're not going to get caught. Axel's not going to tell on you or anything. Now, you better get back to your seat before someone realizes that this exchange seems far too friendly and familiar." Riku said seriously. Roxas sighed, but he nodded in agreement and bid fairwell to Riku.

Roxas made his way back up to the balcony and sat himself down to watch the people in the room till Larxene came waltzing back in, calling everyone to order as she took her seat so they could resume. Though, she let out a loud groan as Demyx took the witness stand once more, the woman having forgotten over the break that Demyx was under questioning for the time being.

Before Zexion could continue from where he'd left off though, Luxord approached the stand, baffling everyone in the court.

"Where were you on the night of the fourteenth?!" He snapped as he slammed his hands onto the hard wood surface. Demyx jumped, startled by the sudden out burst.

"W-what?" He squeeked out as he looked at the older blond with wide, fearful eyes.

"Answer the question!" He snapped once more.

"B-But, today is the fourteenth Lux." Demyx defended as he scooted back in his chair to avoid the man.

"I call a mistrial!" He yelled as he slammed his fist on the wood, making Demyx jump in fear once more.

Larxene sighed in exasperation as she rested her forehead in her hand.

"Good lord, who in the name of Hearts gave Luxord alcohol?!" She groaned as she slammed her fist against the wood of the podium.

"Your mother!" Luxord snapped, looking very seriously at Larxene as a small hiccup escaped his lips.

"Oh my god. I can't take anymore of this. Guards! Escort Luxord to his chambers! And as for this horrendous excuse for a trial, we shall resume tomorrow morning after breakfast! That is all!" Larxene announced as her irritation got the better of her. Once done speaking, she stood from her seat, calling Marluxia to her side as she headed for the doors. Roxas watched everyone disperse for a moment, the guards ushering both Luxord and Riku out of the room before it slowly started to empty.

Roxas sighed as he made his way down from the balcony. He was one of the last one's out of the room as he made it down, the only one's left being a couple of random servants.

He quickly made his exit, pushing through the large double doors and entering the empty hallway.

"How was I, Zexy?" Demyx asked chipperly as he came up behind his counterpart, craning his neck slightly to look downwards at Zexion's face as he sorted through some books. It was late at night now, and they were completely alone in the large castle library.

A faint smile crossed the shorter males features as his tired eyes read through the titles of the books quickly while simultaneously placing them on the shelves.

"You did fantastically Demyx. An absolutely superb job." Zexion responded quietly in a calm tone. Demyx couldn't help but grin widely as he wrapped his arms around Zexion's waist and pulled him into a hug, nuzzling his face into his neck. Zexion's smile widened slightly as Demyx started to hum into the silence.

"Why don't you leave that for tomorrow and go to bed with me?" He asked after a moment, making Zexion chuckle.

"So you want me to stop work so I can continue to not sleep?" Zexion questioned in amusement.

"Oh Zexy, you wound me. I just wanted you to come cuddle with me." Demyx responded in a pouty voice as he looked at Zexion's soft expression.

"Is that so?"

"Of course!" Demyx said, squeezing the mouse as he nuzzled his neck a bit more.

When Zexion didn't respond though, Demyx sighed.

"Please Zexy? I know how little sleep you get, I just want you to get some rest."

"And you want to snuggle with me some more right?"

Demyx chuckled, nodding against his neck as he hummed.

"I always want to snuggle you Zexy."

Zexion chuckled then let out a small sigh as he realized that Demyx wasn't going to let this go.

"Okay, let me put up these books real quick then we can go to bed, alright?" Zexion suggested, making Demyx grin widely.

"Thank you Zexy!" Demyx said, squeezing him a bit tighter and pecking him on the cheek, making Zexion chuckle once more.

Ehhhh I couldn't resist that little but of Zemyx, it was just too cute in my head to pass up X3. And yes, I know this is beyond over due, I sincerely apologize, but I've been so swamped, I'll try to get the next one up faster, I promise! Anyways, I don't have time to read this over for mistakes today, so if you spot anything, let me know. And as always, thank you so much for all the love and support, it really helps to make me feel guilty about not updating and gets my arse in gear to write! So thank you again, I love you all and I'll see ya next time!