Disclaimer: It's the same damn thing every time. I think ya'll have got by now that I don't own the dang thing. I don't even own a copy of KH2.

A/N: Still hoping that you're enjoying the slight changes. Hopefully it's easier to read, now.

Dedication: Rayne-chan, Riri, Ra'dee, and Crystal Royale, who really helped me during a trying time in my life.

Originally Published: 3/16/08. First copy was beta-ed by Serexion.

Edited Chapter Published: 08/08/08

Chapter Ten: Dealing With Being Apart

Myde couldn't concentrate. He was like a love sick puppy. All of his thoughts were centered on Ienzo and he hadn't heard from him in two days. Myde was beginning to worry and, as such, he couldn't concentrate on his usual day to day tasks.

He sat in his math class, not listening to the teacher or copying down the notes, not completing the class work he and his classmates had been assigned- not doing anything but staring down at his desk. His white, lined paper (meant for the class work he was supposed to be doing) was blank. If he were the type to draw, Ienzo's, and even Axel's (for some odd reason that he couldn't figure out, Myde actually liked the man- not as much as Ienzo, though), faces would have been doodled all over the page.

However, Myde wasn't the type to draw; whenever he tried, all that he managed to do were crooked stick figures. But, Myde was able to do something that could possibly take his mind off of his depressing thoughts. He picked up his pencil and began to do what he did best.

Another day without your smile

Another day just passes by

But now I know how much it means

For you to stay right here with me

The time we spent apart will make our love grow stronger

But it hurts so bad that I can't take it any longer

… Or maybe not. Myde sighed in disgust. He never used to be this sappy. Ienzo had changed him. Myde still wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He loved Ienzo, of that he was certain. Even though he had only known Ienzo for a day (in retrospect, it seemed like such a short amount of time), that blue haired man had wormed his way into Myde's heart.

Myde loved everything about Ienzo. The way his pale face flushed whenever Myde looked at him. The way he seemed to grow nervous when Myde started talking to him. The way he seemed like he couldn't stand Axel but, even so, they still seemed to share a camaraderie that Myde would probably never be able to understand. The way he acted cocky and thoughtful but seemed to turn into blubber around Myde. Even the way he had stalked Myde.

Myde still scoffed at that. Had Ienzo really thought that Myde wouldn't notice that he was being watched and followed all the time? Myde was flattered… in a strange way. And Ienzo's looks were nothing to laugh at. And he seemed to be definitely interested in Myde.

Myde didn't really understand that. What was so interesting about him? He was almost eighteen years old but he was still childish in many ways (he still called his mother mama, if that gave a clue to anyone), he definitely wasn't a looker in any sense of the word, and there was nothing truly different about him that deserved the attention that Ienzo had given him.

Still… Myde couldn't help but like how Ienzo made him feel as though he was the only one on the planet. The only one worth seeing, the only one worth loving. It was just a bit heady to Myde.

Yes, it was certainly true that the two young men felt something for each other. So it did not come as a surprise to anyone that knew of the situation (namely Mrs. Mizu) that Myde was worried and just a little bit depressed that Ienzo had not been seen or heard from in two days. Mrs. Mizu hadn't even wanted Myde to go to school that morning after it had become painfully obvious that Myde wasn't quite all there.

He'd had five successive accidents that morning, ranging from falling down the stairs (Mrs. Mizu wasn't worried about that; Myde wasn't the most graceful person in the world and often fell down the stairs and even, on some more memorable occasions, up the stairs) to squirting ketchup on his toothbrush instead of toothpaste to spacing out so quickly that the pancakes he had been cooking for breakfast that morning were turned into small, round, black and crispy disks that would probably have been put to better use as hockey pucks instead of his meal.

When he had proceeded to eat the hockey puck-like pancakes without even considering just how inedible they truly were, Mrs. Mizu had seriously considered letting Myde stay home from school that day. Her son was not happy, and therefore, neither was she. She feared that Myde would get lost or injured in his current state if he did not stay home.

Myde hadn't wanted to stay at home, though. He had hoped that school would be a good distraction, and that he would be able to take his mind of Ienzo. It wasn't working, though, as seen by the paper in front of him, no longer white or blank but filled with his pathetic excuse for handwriting. People had even noticed the change in him.

Myde was a bubbly, outgoing person who loved to talk to people. He didn't have many close friends (in fact he could say that he had no close friends because people found that they were only able to handle his personality in very small doses) but he was still well known in the school. His fellow students liked him and thought he was a nice person. The fact that they didn't hang out with him was not because he wasn't liked.

So, when Myde no longer chattered inanely in class to everyone and only stared at his desk or out the window, a somber expression on his usually upbeat and sunny face, people noticed. Some had even commented on his lack of interest in life. It was like the spark that made Myde, well, Myde, was gone. No one liked seeing him like this.

It was bothering Myde even more. They had never paid attention to him before so he didn't understand why they were doing so now. Was he really behaving that differently? Was Ienzo's disappearance really affecting him that much? How had he gotten so involved in such a short amount of time with someone that he didn't really know? He didn't even know Ienzo's last name. Hell, he didn't even know if Ienzo was his first name.

Myde didn't really like thinking that Ienzo had lied to him, though. That was no way to start a relationship. Of course, the way their relationship had started was quite unorthodox and any conventional rules that were used in most relationships were thrown out the window quite early, if they had ever been there in the first place.

And exactly who was Axel to Ienzo? It was obvious that they knew each other. Ienzo had never denied that he knew Axel. It was all just a confusing mess and it was starting to make Myde's head throb and pulse in pain.

Myde dropped his head in his hands and sighed yet again. He ran his hands through his hair, not noticing that all the teenagers around him were staring at him with puzzled, concerned, and worried looks on their faces. A small girl came up to him and was about to ask him if he was all right when the bell rang and class ended. Myde jumped almost a foot in the air and looked around him wildly.

He hadn't noticed how much time had exactly passed since he had started ruminating over the facts of his now complicated life. He sprang out of his chair and grabbed his belongings before sprinting out of the class, never noticing that the girl, who had come up to him, was still standing there with a bemused expression on her face.

Myde just couldn't do it, anymore. He was incredibly exhausted, having had next to no sleep since Sunday morning and he just wanted to go home. Ienzo had changed him so much. And with Ienzo's disappearance, things were not looking up.

Myde stopped by his locker, and was trying to open the combination lock (the locks at his school were temperamental and seemed to especially hate Myde for they never worked. It took special finagling to get the lock to open), when he suddenly stopped.

'What if I just went home? Mom was perfectly fine with letting me stay home from school. I don't think she would mind if I went home. I just can't concentrate and school isn't making it any better. The others are noticing.'

Myde nodded his head. He didn't want to stay there any longer. He stopped fiddling with his locker and left the school.

He needed a change of scenery. If only he could actually go and find Ienzo. But, with how little Myde actually knew about Ienzo and his life, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Myde would never be able to find Ienzo. It was probably best to just wait for him to come back.

Ienzo would come back to him… right?

A trickle of sweat rolled down his forehead and Zexion's hand lifted up and swiped at it before it could roll into his eyes and sting them. It did not do any particular good, seeing as how his hand was just as sweaty as his forehead and he only managed to smear the nasty, viscous liquid around. He scoffed in disgust and brought his hand down, sneering at it. He jumped back, suddenly, his attention brought back to the situation at hand.

Several Heartless were moving slowly and steadily towards him. He gulped and got back to work.

He opened his lexicon and sent it whirling through the dry air towards one of the shadows of darkness. The book stopped in front of the Heartless and, when the Heartless raised its face towards it in curiosity, it snapped shut, effectively trapping the Heartless within its pages. Zexion lifted his hand, palm facing outward, and the lexicon floated back to him, shadows of the dead Heartless leaking out from its pages. Zexion quickly sent his weapon back out again, repeating his last motions until the Heartless were defeated.

He stumbled over to a low wall and dropped to his knees. He placed his hands on his thighs and panted in exhaustion. He felt like he was going to suffer from a heatstroke soon. The hot, dusty, and dry air of Agrabah was sapping him of all his strength and dealing with the countless Heartless did not help. Zexion set his back against the wall and leaned his head back, neck raised, Adam's apple raising and lowering with each gulping breath he took.

Zexion conjured the bottle of water he had bought earlier and greedily sucked it down. He nearly threw it back up when it hit his stomach. He could feel it churning, his stomach protesting the invasion. He grimaced and put the water down, holding his hands over his abdomen in hopes that it would soothe and calm his stomach down. Zexion refused to release his lunch and stomach acid in the middle of Agrabah's bazaar.

Zexion licked his parched and cracked lips and sighed as his stomach settled down. Well… his job on this particular world was done.

Now he had to finish his mission with Myde.

He had seriously fucked up things where Myde was concerned. He wasn't supposed to have gotten interested in his subject. He most definitely wasn't supposed to have been caught by his subject. And he most definitely wasn't supposed to have kissed said subject… twice. But… he couldn't help what had happened. And he didn't regret it, either. Myde made his life better. Well… his non-existent life. Zexion was not able to forget that little fact; the fact that his heart had stopped beating a long time ago and Myde's was still going strong.

He was also not able to forget that Myde was slated to become a Nobody. If that happened, Myde would no longer be Myde. He would have a different name, a different personality (he wouldn't have a personality), he would be… different. He wouldn't have a heart. He would have no emotions. The smile that always graced his features, his determination, his stubbornness… it would all be gone.

Zexion couldn't let that happen. Myde couldn't be turned into a Nobody. Zexion wouldn't allow it.

Myde would not share his fate.

Zexion's mind raced with thoughts of what to do.

How would he be able to keep Myde from turning?

But… he was working with little information.

The only thing that Zexion did know was that Myde would turn. He would lose his heart and become a Nobody. Zexion didn't know when he would turn, how he would lose his heart, or why he would give up.

It wasn't enough to go on.

How could Zexion keep Myde from his fate?

Axel was not particularly happy at the moment. He was a pyrotechnic in a water filled world. He was weak, unable to use his powers, and he had a fin. The fact that he was relatively calm considering the amount of travesties he'd had to deal with made Axel very proud. Unfortunately, staying calm was only partly useful at the moment.

Axel stared down in disgust at the blood red fin attached to the bottom half of his body in lieu of his normal legs.

Xemnas was going to pay.

Axel was a merman.

How was he going to be able to steal the Trident when he couldn't really move? He had no idea how to use this new fin.

Axel sighed and began to move forward. He quickly stopped, though, as his hair tickled his shoulder blades, causing Axel to shiver and convulse violently. Axel was somewhat ticklish. Not that he would ever tell anyone this.

He shivered once more and began moving, trying to learn how to use his newly acquired transportation device.

He, unfortunately, had to stop once more as his hair brushed his back again.

Axel was now in a bit of a dilemma. He couldn't move without his hair tickling him and he couldn't deal with that.

"Oh, for the love of the Gods, I am not in a good mood."

Axel turned his head this way and that, trying to find something to tie his hair up with. He spotted a small string of kelp floating nearby and quickly snagged it.

He turned it around and around in his hands, wrinkling his nose in disgust. The thing did not look particularly clean and he really didn't want to put it in his precious hair. But… he had to be able to move.

Axel sighed and, with his nose still wrinkled in disgust, quickly tied the piece of kelp in his hair, making an effective ponytail. Hopefully it would work.

Hopefully.

Axel started forward once more, sighing in relief as his hair stayed away from his sensitive flesh.

Now, what to do.

He had to steal the Trident without getting caught or using his fire powers. Axel figured that Xemnas was probably laughing his head off right now.

There was absolutely no way he was going to be able to steal the Trident. No way in Hell.

Axel cursed, a stream of bubbles escaping from his mouth and rising up to the surface far away. How was he going to do this?

Perhaps the easiest way would be to get someone else from this world to steal it.

The only hard part was finding someone who was dumb enough to steal from King Triton.

And that person had to be a descendent of King Triton.

This was impossible.

Zexion returned to the Castle That Never Was later that day after he had recuperated from his arduous mission.

He didn't particularly want to be here. He would rather be with Myde, but he had to report to Xemnas.

He walked to Crooked Ascension (Xigbar's humor was not particularly funny) and the elevator quickly took him up to the as yet unnamed hall. He walked up its path and then decided to portal to Xemnas' office.

He got tired of walking.

Of course, he regretted this decision when he accidently portalled into Xemnas' office instead of outside it, and came upon Xemnas and Saïx in a rather… compromising situation.

"Gah!"

Zexion felt as though his eyes were burning. He pressed the fleshy part of his palms into his eyes, wishing that he could pour rubbing alcohol into them in hopes of getting rid of the images now burned onto his retinas, and quickly backed his way out of the office.

Seeing his Superior and his underling in… that position had scarred him for life.

He heard rustling from inside the office and the effusive cursing of Xemnas and his cheeks burned red. And he had thought that Nobodies weren't able to feel. He sure felt embarrassed.

The door to the office opened and Saïx rushed out, glaring at Zexion. Oh, Zexion was going to have to watch his back now.

"You may come in now, Zexion." Zexion could hear the anger seething in Xemnas' voice.

He was in for it.

Damn.

A/N: I will not ask, nor demand, reviews from you. However, if you do decide to review, do know that they are very much appreciated.

Lifes.Lover

Reviewers from Chapter Nine: Riku-stalker, 13loves8loves9loves6, Serexion, Sora17, Midnight Storm the Hedgedna, Crystal Royale, Mizu Hoseki, youkai chick supreme, sorakairi forever, DearJamie.