Misery loves its company. – by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

"Hey! Hey, Seifer!" Rai yelled from Seifer's living room at the other end of the house.

Seifer picked up his head from his pillow, growling at the annoyance that was his other friend. He looked at Fuu, who was sitting in his bay window, reading one of her books from her English Composition class at the Academy. "Can't you control his mouth?" He snapped at her.

She lifted her head from the book, as more, 'Hey, Seifer!'s came yelling from around the house. She listened to it as if it were the first time she had ever heard him. Tilting her heard a little, she moved her head from the first place she had been gazing at, the door, to Seifer, and shrugged. Heaving a sigh, she said, "No luck," before returning to her book.

Seifer scoffed, irritably, turning his head to stare at his door, which was about to bang open and probably leave a hole in his wall.

"Seifer! Seifer! You up?" Rai asked on the other side of the door.

Seifer didn't answer immediately, wondering if he wanted to be silent and pretend to be asleep or not, but Fuu looked at him, expectantly, her eyes narrowed in speculation. "He's shouting," She told him quietly, so that the person on the other side of the door wouldn't know they were in there.

He didn't know what it was about that simple statement that made him change his mind about letting Rai in, but it did, and he yelled, angrily, at the door, "Yes, I'm up! Stop yelling and get your ass in here!" He was glad that his parents weren't in, because with Rai around there was no curbing his language, and both of his parents were devoutly religious. They probably would have washed his mouth out with soap.

Rai opened the door, quietly, as if trying to sneak into his room. Looking up at the two of them, he shut the door just as quietly, before yelling, "Hey, Seifer! Hey, Fuu!"

Seifer rolled his eyes at the ogre's inability to use an inside-voice.

Fuu only inclined her head and replied, "Hello, Rai."

Rai smiled, stupidly at her, before he bounded over to Seifer. "You won't believe what I found out yesterday, Seifer!" He told him, plopping himself into one of Seifer's black bean-bag chairs. "I barely believe it, y'know?"

"What are you talking about?"

Rai made himself more comfortable in the bean-bag before continuing, only adding to Seifer's rage, but he started speaking directly afterwards. "Well, me and my brother's went to see this movie yesterday, y'know. It was pretty good, but there wasn't nearly enough action. It's the one with that guy, err, Setzer…something or other! I don't know, but he kicked ass! Anyway-"

"Get to the point!" Seifer snapped again.

Rai startled in his seat, fiddling under Seifer's agitation, before taking a deep breath and talking. "Yeah. On the way home, we have to walk down Hollywood, y'know, and we saw the Riku there. And my brother, the oldest one, Reese, he ran up to this him, y'know." Seifer could slowly see where this might go. "But, soon as Riku saw me, he started freaking out. Totally fucking ran away from my brother." Seifer nodded, crushing the bridge of his nose to stifle the roaring headache he was getting. "I asked my brother what he was doing, when he got back, y'know. You know what he said? Huh? Huh?"

Fuu looked up from her book, her eyes telling the room she was just as irritated with the this story as Seifer was. It relaxed from her face instantly though, as she patiently told Rai, "No idea."

Rai smiled, stupidly. "He told me that was his usual hooker. Riku is a prostitute!" He looked up at Seifer like a faithful dog. "You told me to get the scoop on Riku, and this is what I found! He's a hooker. His normal spot is Hollywood and 10th. My brother told me everything."

Fuu's attention immediately shot to Seifer, who was still sitting on his bed. Instead of irritation, however, being plastered all over his face, now a look was in its place. A look of the spurned finally getting revenge warped his face, making what could pass as handsome, sinister, and mutated.

&$&$&$&$&$&$&

"Hey, you major bum! Get up!"

Thus was the sound Riku woke to, instead of the inhumane buzzing of his alarm clock. Opening his eyes just the tiniest bit, he glared up at the pant legs he saw hovering in front of his face. He knew the jeans belonged to Axel, and he knew why Axel was waking him up.

School.

God, how he hated the thought.

School was going to be hell. He didn't know why he detested the thought, but he did more than anything in the entire universe! School, where his uncle was waiting for him, stalking him, practically. School, where the teachers would give him homework, and expect it done no less! School, where it was school! It was the most terrible thing he had ever thought about.

He groaned, looking up to Axel who was still toweling his hair, which was wet from his shower. "Five more minutes!" He snapped, sleepily, to his redhead. He rolled over before the other could actually accept or decline the notion. Half hoping his redhead would leave him alone, he held back a growl of frustration when he felt the bed he had been sharing with Axel dip.

"Come on! Get up, Sleeping Beauty." Axel said gently, rolling Riku over to his back.

Riku sighed, looking at the ceiling sullenly, "I don't want to." He told the man above him, looking at him hopefully, maybe to convince him to let him skip out on going to the first day back.

Axel was not so kind. He hauled in a deep breath into his lungs, and grabbed Riku's arm. "No, no, no, no, no!" He said in a sing-song voice. "We must get up! We must face the Vexen! We must escape the Hell of High School so we can get jobs, and aspire to be slobs who hate their jobs!"

Riku snorted at Axel's proclamation, before he rolled himself over to sitting position. He looked at the floor thoughtfully, trying to decide whether he should feign sickness to escape 'the Vexen'. It was clear Axel was going, though, and he didn't honestly want to be alone in his house without his redhead. In all honestly, he didn't want to be anywhere without his redhead. He had become completely and maddeningly dependant on Axel. Even Hollywood and 10th had lost its mind-numbing effect on him. It was only with Axel that his mind felt peace from his dying brother, and decaying family.

Looking up at Axel from under his lashes, he put the best pout he could onto his face. "Will you make me breakfast?" He asked.

Axel rolled his eyes, plaintively. "Whatever you want, darling dear of mine, object of my affection, and holder of my bedtime games."

Riku snorted as the other left the room to make something yummy for him. He rolled his head about on his shoulders, trying to work out the kinks in his muscles, mentally preparing himself for the travesties his day would bring.

&$&$&$&$&$&$&

The teachers of King Mickey High School sat in the staff room, supposedly discussing the plans they had for the upcoming semester. However, much to the dismay of the superintendant, as he was forced to conduct the meetings at the beginning of every semester, instead of the actual principle, most of the teachers had taken up mimicking the students. Some of them had their heads down on the desk, and the freshman science teacher closest to Mr. Cloris, the superintendant, was actually snoring. Most of the teachers, who were doing their damnedest to pretend they were paying attention were doodling their suicides into their planners, notebooks, and a few even went as far as doodling it on the table itself.

Vexen snorted, looking at Saix who was carving a body lying limply in a guillotine with the body's head unattached into the table they were at. It was a good likeness of someone, though this obviously wasn't a depiction of suicide. It was a homicide, and the person in the guillotine was quite obviously Mr. Cloris who was droning on at the head of the table, trying to rouse them, as he had done for the last ten years.

Saix exhaled crossly, glaring harder at the table as he obviously came to the end of this mornings carving session. Vexen half expected him to imitate the rest of the staff, put his head down, and drown out the rest of the world. But, Saix was a very odd creature, and on top of this, most definitely unpredictable.

"Mr. Cloris!" Saix snapped impatiently. He didn't look at the end of the table, only stared at the door that was across the room from him. He waited until Mr. Cloris was completely silent, and waiting on him to finish what had interrupted the superintendant's magnificent droning. Saix seemed to be in conflict with himself, deciding if what Vexen thought he was going to do would be worth the threat his job would be in afterwards. Of course, it was, because Saix was most absolutely Xemnas' favorite, no matter how much of an ass.

"Mr. Cloris!" He said again. "Get out!"

Vexen shook his head in complete amusement though his face was void of any emotion. It had been a long time since Saix had last done this, at least three years. Last time, Xemnas had almost been forced to fire him, due to all of Cloris' whining. Saix didn't seem to mind though, and seemed to revel in the fact that if he were fired today he would never have to deal with Cloris again.

Cloris seemed at a total loss as of what to say to Saix, having obviously thought he had beaten the Sexual Education teacher three years back, when Saix had actually gone as far as to literally throw the superintendant out of the board room. As Vexen would later come to relay to Cloris, that was a big mistake. One never knew what Saix was going to do. Thus was how Vexen, himself, had become head of the Axel/Riku campaign, landed himself as Santa at a party thrown by Saix at a retirement home, and was currently typing a Sexual Activity report over dolphins while Saix dictated to him.

Mr. Cloris didn't move, so Saix reiterated himself. "Mr. Cloris, leave the room!"

"You have no authority to tell me what to do." Cloris said attempting a calm appearance, but sorely failing. His fear at what the strange man would do to him this time, leaked out of him like water out of a sieve.

Saix smiled. It was not a pleasant sight, and as Vexen hitched an eyebrow, Cloris paled considerably. The, admittedly, insane teacher lifted from his seat, stalking over to the superintendant with a predator's grace. Cloris dared not move. To make Saix chase you was not a wise thought to pursue, as they had all found out Cloris' second year here when he had actually run out the door.

His car still wasn't the same.

Saix grabbed the man's ear, never breaking his stride. Cloris yelped as he was jerked, none too gently, from his place at the head of the table, passed the several sleeping teacher's, though a few had woken to watch the ordeal. Finally at the door, Saix opened it harshly, and led Cloris out. He paused when he noticed two students standing in the doorway, looking at Saix curiously. Vexen had to lean over a bit in his seat to see who they actually were.

Axel and Riku…how pleasant. The two of them stared at their Sex. Ed. teacher, looking between him and Mr. Cloris who was straightening his mussed hair. The teacher just smiled, graciously at them and said, "Morning, gents," before shutting the door in their face.

However, it was not before Vexen noticed the rather intimate way Axel had his arm draped around Riku's shoulders.

Leaning back against the door, Saix turned his attention to Vexen smirking, evilly. "You didn't say they were all cuddly-like." He told him, only earning him a shrug from the unique blonde. Saix took a deep breath, not even trying to conceal the triumphant look on his face as he looked to Xigbar and snapped, like a child who had just retrieved the last cookie from the cookie jar, "I'm winning," before he resumed to his seat.

&$&$&$&$&$&$&

Larxene stepped into the hospital room; still painfully cold, even with the tacky wallpaper they had put up to make it seem homier.

It had been a long time since she had been into a hospital. Sixteen years to be exact, and, damn, she remembered why she hated them so badly. Her skin rose at the beeping noise in the room, and the hollow sound of breathing. It was painful to be around the dying. Even at six she wasn't comfortable here, she sure as hell wasn't comfortable now.

Stepping further in, she dropped her parka-like coat by the door and toed off her pretty black high heels, so her clicking didn't disturb the room's occupant. She held her hands tightly against the fabric of her sweater, holding her hands stiffly against her chest as if she were in prayer. And she might as well be praying. It would take all of her strength not to run from this confrontation. She should have done this so long ago. Damn her cowardice. Damn it to hell.

She pressed her hands to her forehead, begging any deity that would listen to give her power she had to have somewhere deep inside her. When finally she felt she could do this, she walked into the view of the occupant. She was taken aback by the prone form lying on the bed, hooked up to several machines she couldn't even begin to imagine the use of. His eyes were open and staring at a television that hung suspended from the wall, but he was skeletal. His, once long, beautiful silver hair, was cut just above his shoulders. His eyes were bleak, as he stared at the television without taking notice of her. Even his beautiful tan skin was bleach of its glow.

He was dead. His mind just hadn't figured that out yet.

"Jesus, Sephie. What have you done to yourself?" She breathed, her glittering green eyes widening in disbelief.

His face turned slowly toward her, his sunken eyes, like pits in the human skull, glaring at her coldly. "I really do doubt that this is the time or place for a 'booty call'." He wheezed, still somehow managing to sound just as fearsome and cold as when they had actually been dating.

"Okay." She said reasonably. "I deserve that." She stepped closer to Sephiroth, the tiles freezing her feet through her panty-hose. "But if you get to dole out insults and throw below the belt references to lifestyles, so do I." He glared at her daringly at her, and she smirked at him. "I mean, honestly, love," She continued, crossing her arms over her chest. "You had second stage Angel's disease and you were so pissed off at me you thought to torture yourself, to kill yourself! You didn't seek help!" She glared angrily at him. "You could have been cured! You could have had a happily ever after and you didn't even try…because you were upset that I left you!"

He looked away from her, and she lost her glare, instantaneously. "Had I known you were going to do this to yourself, I would've left you sooner."

He closed his eyes, breathing in painfully at her admittance. "What do you want?" He sighed.

Larxene shrugged, apathetically. "To say I'm sorry, I suppose. Maybe give you the goodbye I was too cowardly to give when I originally left." She looked at the floor, realizing what she was saying was probably the weakest thing she had ever said. "I don't know, really." She said with a small laugh. Tears began springing to her eyes as she did laugh though, knowing this was all her fault. She had let him get too attached! Holding back her sob, she got around the lump in her throat to tell him, "I guess I just wanted to see you, honestly. My brother told me you were here, and I felt as if I should come see you."

She looked up the tiles to his face laughing as she had to wipe her eyes from her tears. He still didn't look at her; he was staring up at the screen watching some cheesy action movie, with lots of explosions. "I apologize. I shouldn't have bothered you." She took a step back from him, moving gently back to her coat and shoes. Throwing the coat over her arm, she looked back over her shoulder at him. "I'll come to your funeral."

Sephiroth smiled, though to her it looked like a painful grimace. "I'll look for you," He told her, his eyes never leaving the screen of the television.

She nodded solemnly, leaving Sephiroth, with his machines that were hooked into his body. And just in time too, her daily nausea caught up with her. She leaned over, sickly, trying to will it away, because sometimes she could get it to stop for another hour or so. If she couldn't get it to stop though…

She really wondered what they had put in the food for that god damn trip. Jiminy Christmas, it had stayed with her for more than two weeks. She tried to remember how long food poisoning lasted, she had heard something about it from her cooking classes in high school…She gasped.

Maybe she had salmonella!

Oh. That was a bad thing. She headed towards the front desk, her nausea barely subdued, to see if there was a doctor who could test her for the sickness. Surely there had to be one about here just walking around and singing Christmas songs. There always were. But as she reached the front, watching the signs overhead to make sure she didn't stumble into a place she didn't want to be, she read a sign that made her sick to her stomach.

In a very, very literal way.

Pediatrics.

She looked down at her stomach, covered by her heavy black sweater, as another wave of queasiness hit her.

"You have got to be kidding me!" She groaned.

&$&$&$&$&$&$&

At the mention of Sora being at school, the ominous air of school suddenly didn't seem as bad, though they still had to go at an ungodly hour. Riku was actually excited for the first time in the last two weeks Axel had been with him. He wolfed down his pancakes, which Axel had made dutifully for him, making sure Axel ate as well before he stormed off down the hall and up the stairs to ready for his day at school.

The walk to school was content, but he could see a little bit of extra bounce in Riku's step, looking eager to get to school for once in his life. And his mood was contagious. Axel could help the grin that slowly formed on his face as he and Riku talked about nothing in particular.

It eased Axel's mind, to know that Riku hadn't had another episode since the third day of his arrival. He hoped maybe it had been a fluke. Maybe Riku had just been really stressed that day and as a result his mind had gone haywire. Or maybe, just maybe, Axel had fallen asleep just a little. Maybe he had dreamed it all up, because Riku ever since then, had been his normal, snarky, even sometimes asshole self.

But somehow, he didn't think that was it.

"Axel, are you listening to me?" Riku asked, pushing into Axel harshly enough to move him from the sidewalk.

Axel stepped back onto the sidewalk, wrapping his arm around the other as he said, "Tell me what you were talking about and I'll pretend like I was."

He smiled as Riku rolled his eyes. "You're exasperating!" Riku said turning into the High School entrance. "You didn't forget your paper did you?" He asked, looking at the other's bag.

Axel smiled. "No. I didn't forget my paper. Why did you?"

"After all the hell I went through?" Riku asked incredulously. "I'd be more likely to forget my pants at home."

"You mean my pants?" The redhead asked looking down at the jeans Riku wore, which covered his feet and hung loosely from his form.

"What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine." He said smugly.

"Cute. Tell me, have you been talking to my sister?"

"Don't even joke."

They entered Vexen's room, after a brief and awkward confrontation in front of the Teacher's Lounge involving Mr. Saix, Mr. Cloris, and a rather disturbing shriek of, "I'm winning!" Setting their papers on Mr. Vexen's desk they headed to their table to speak quietly amongst themselves. By the time Vexen entered the room after the teacher's meeting, they had compiled a list of the things they needed to pick up from the grocery store, which they had stowed safely in Axel's jacket pocket. Vexen graciously told the two of them that since they had nothing to do they could help him set up some of his special projects for the advanced chemistry class he was teaching.

Which, of course, was hazardous to their well being.

At the end of it, Axel estimated the two of them were lucky to be alive. There was this green goo and the two of them nearly dropped it. It was only afterwards that Vexen felt to mention that it held explosive ingredients and had they dropped it they would have been exploded into millions of little Axel's and Riku's. The thought was not something that entertained the two of them.

But, thankfully, they were free now, on their way to the entrance, where Axel knew both of their friends to hang about before school actually started. With a quick parting peck on the lips, Axel went off to find Namine who had been texting him non-stop over the winter holidays about problems she was having with her family.

Riku spotted his spiky haired friend in no time, with his red hoodie brighter than the sun sometimes it wasn't that hard to find. With a content sigh, he ambled over to the short brunette.

"Sora!" He yelled, giving him enough time to turn around before Riku had captured him in a bone-crushing hug.

Sora was, to say the least, startled. Riku had all but been cold after his mother's death, wanting to have nothing to do with almost anything. How he had managed to keep hold of Sora as his closest friend, he wasn't sure, but now he was so glad he had. He wanted nothing more than to take the startled midget over to his house and tell him everything! They hadn't spoken, really spoken, in two years. God, it felt oppressive knowing that, and he wanted nothing more than to rectify that.

After regaining his composition, but still in the tight clutches of his taller friend, Sora began speaking, "It looks like Riku…It sounds like Riku…" He patted him down, including the well worn yellow backpack Riku carried everywhere. "It feels like Riku…The only conclusion there could possibly ever be is…body-snatchers!"

Riku let Sora go and he stumbled back a few steps, smiling as he moved to the tree he had been standing behind, where unsurprisingly Roxas was resting. "What got into you?" Sora asked with a grin, grabbing his messenger bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

"I had an interesting holiday."

&$&$&$&$&$&$&

"Saix, read this." Mr. Vexen demanded, without so much as a 'hello', walking through his office door without even knocking. Honestly! One would think that the strange blond owned the place!

"What is it Vexen?" He asked, not looking up from the papers he was grading. When he did look up he saw papers in the other's hands, he smiled. "Did you finish my paper? Make it sound pretty and everything?"

"No. This is the paper from Axel. I made them both write papers about each other to make them get to know one another." Vexen said with a sigh. He threw the essay on the desk, covering all of Saix's grading to surely get his attention.

"Clever." Saix said sardonically, slipping on his reading glasses. "What am I supposed to be looking for?"He asked as he skimmed through the pages, finding nothing of any significance.

"Read the last line." He told Saix as he took a seat at the other's computer, pulling up a game of Hearts.

Saix sighed and flipped through the pages, glaring at Vexen over his glasses. Turning back to the last of the pages he cleared his throat and read out loud. "'Strangely enough, with everything I have mentioned previously, with every oddity and flaw, I find myself falling in love with Riku Dante Melosine.' Did he write a love story?" Saix asked with a look between happiness and disgust at the sappiness. He started flipping the pages back over, but Vexen put his hand on the paper, rolling over from the computer to do so.

"There's more, dogbreath!"

Saix scoffed at the nickname. "I was merely curious." He said with a sneer. He turned back to the essay. "'I hate you for making me do this, Mr. Vexen. Not because I love him, not because I actually had to write something down, or that it took us three weeks to do this, but because I'll love him to his death…'" Saix looked taken aback as he skimmed through the very last line of the paper, his face twisting grimly. "'And his death is something I fear may come sooner than I'm prepared.' Vexen what do you think he means by that?" Saix said, taking his glasses off to stare at the taller man inquisitively.

Vexen bit his lip. "His older brother, Sephiroth—you remember him. He gave you hell in your class. Always knew more about sex than you did—he's in the hospital with Angel's disease."

"Right." Saix said, unemotionally. He didn't like it when his students were more knowledgeable than he was.

"It's a hereditary disease. He got it from his mother."

"You think Riku has it?"

"I couldn't be sure." Vexen admitted, finally returning to his game of Hearts.

Saix turned his attention back to the paper, beginning to actually read it from the beginning. "Should Xemnas see this?" He asked off-handedly.

"I don't think he'd be thrilled to see us meddling in his nephew's life."

"So, why did you bring this to me?" Saix screeched, irritated that the man would interrupt his irritating grading which he was only in the mood to do once in the irritating day. It was the end of day one, and damn himself for actually assigning homework!

"I wanted someone to commiserate with me."

Saix looked over the paper at him disapprovingly. "You've really grown attached to the twerp haven't you?"

"To both of them unfortunately. It's hard not to. Really next year you do the same thing, see what happens to you."

"No thanks. Watching you is sad enough." He sighed, squeezing the bridge of his nose to stifle a headache. "What a terrible way to die."

&$&$&$&$&$&

School had been taxing on Riku. More taxing than he had remembered it being. He was physically and mentally tired and all he had done today was hear a few lectures. He scooted along with Axel passed the High School buildings, nearly half asleep. Axel!

Oh, damn it! He had only asked Axel to stay for the winter holidays. He was probably going to go home now. He was going to pack his stuff and, poof! No more Axel. He mentally kicked himself. He didn't want to be alone. He glanced up at his redhead, who didn't look back at him, but kept his gaze on where he was walking. Fish paste! He really didn't want to be alone. More importantly, he didn't want to go back to living without Axel constantly being around. "Are you still going to stay with me?" He asked in a voice more timid than he meant to sound.

Axel looked at him dubiously. His obvious answer was going to be yes, but this was also the perfect time to bring up the only problem he had with the arrangement at Riku's home. Something he wasn't sure he could handle much longer without becoming homicidal and killing some poor unsuspecting pig-like men. "Are you still going to Hollywood?"

Riku hesitated.

Not the way he thought this conversation would go…

"Maybe every now and then…a few bucks here and there…" He said with a grimace.

"I don't like it." Axel said, shaking his head. Riku knew he was disgusted with the very thought of him going out to Hollywood and 10th, and it was getting to the point where Riku was too.

But at the same time…"It's money."

Axel scoffed. "Riku, you have half a million dollars. Money is not an issue for you."

Damn Axel and his reason. "I don't…" No, wrong way to go about this. "I want to stop! I do…but it's…" Riku didn't finish; he only looked away.

They slowed to a halt in the middle of the sidewalk, with Riku still looking away from his redhead, and Axel turning to face him fully. After a few moments of being totally ignored by his lover, the taller hooked his fingers under the narrow jaw, encouraging Riku to look his way, which, thankfully, he did. "Why do you feel the need to do it?" He asked softly, never breaking contact with the mint coloured eyes that stared right back at him with fear, defiance, and an emotion neither of them could begin to fathom.

It was nothing. Nothing at all, that's what Riku thought hesitantly. Yet, at the same time it was everything. It was useless, occupying, blissfully, totally without a doubt, sickeningly enough, wonderfully numbing! The routines were thoughtless. The positions came with very little variation. The men had faceless qualities that blended them into one, big haze of thoughtlessness. And all he had to do was stand there. He just had to stop thinking.

When he had first signed up for this gig not thinking had been like music to deaf ears. It had been so wonderful, even if the constant feel of self-degradation wasn't exactly great. But as the disgust with himself had eased over the months, so had the wonderful feeling. Now, he was to a point where the only reason he could imagine going was because…because…hell, because he could. He felt cold inside at this realization. He only went because he fucking could?

Exactly how far away was that from jumping off a bridge because it was there?

He was so tired of thinking this non-thinking way. This non-thinking way was getting him into a hole he couldn't get himself out of and he had never sought to question it until now.

Hollywood was the reason he had been gone. In turn, he had never appealed to Sephiroth to get better. He had gone to get 'numb' while Sephiroth was left to mourn for his dead mother and inconsiderate bitch of a girlfriend. He had left Sephiroth alone with a disease that had just taken their mother not even a year before. Had he been there for his brother perhaps there could have been some semblance of recovery for him.

Maybe Sephiroth would be sane, and healthy. Maybe he could have met a nice girl, maybe Aerith! And with no need to go out every night, Riku could have had healthy friendships, not the fragile glass that he and Sora danced on. Riku probably could have found faith in Axel a little sooner—not by much, his sister was a slut who he didn't trust at all.

Maybe there could have been no secrets…

Had he just hesitated when dick-sporting shoppers walked by him on the street.

Because now he was just so confused!

His realization cost him more time that Axel was willing to give him for answering his question, and his redhead said with a deep sigh, "Riku, if you can't answer that question then, please! Please, stop." He put his hands on Riku's shoulders, and squeezed affectionately, willing him to give into his will.

He huffed, trying to look annoyed with the fact that he had this severe disability in saying 'no' to Axel, but in the end all he could do was stare into Axel's eyes and ask, hopefully, "Are you going to stay with me if I do stop?"

"Until you change the locks," Axel smiled, loving the way it felt when Riku gave into him. Wrapping his arms around Riku's waist, he stood straight, and the other's feet barely touched the ground. Riku, grudgingly, after murmuring something that sounded an awful lot like, 'show off', wrapped his arms around his bony shoulders leaning in to rest his forehead against Axel's.

"What do we call this?" He asked, subconsciously rubbing the back of his redhead's neck.

"Skin." Axel told him with a knowing nod and a sarcastic wink.

"That's it! Put me down!" Riku said, pushing away and off of the taller. Unwrapping himself from the long arms he began walking in an opposite direction, yelling, "I've decided you're sleeping on the sofa."

Axel caught Riku's hand and pulled him back to his chest. "I'm sorry. I'm kidding. I'm kidding!" He kissed Riku's cheek. "I don't know what to call this. What do you feel it is?"

"Insanity?" Riku asked, pulling them in the direction of him. Axel hummed in agreement. "I…I suppose I want to have this as…" He took a deep breath. "As a relationship?"

"Don't sound so unsure of yourself. I'll tell you the truth. I'll be the last one in this gig to say 'no'." Somehow Riku doubted that. "As a relationship, hmm? Good. Now, what do you say to a trip to the Hospital?"

"Throw in spaghetti and that Murder, She Wrote marathon, and…and then yeah. Why not?"

&$&$&$&$&$&

"Aerith?"

The nurse turned around to see Riku and Axel heading towards her. "Boys! Oh, I'm so happy you two are here…and fully clothed…" She said with a kind smile that made the both of them blush. Her smile widened at the sight of their discomfort, but quickly turned back to business. "Are you here to see Sephiroth?"

Riku rolled his eyes. "Nope! We're here selling chocolate bars. The students wanted to sell pornography, seeing as it sells better, but the uncle smooshed that quickly!"

She heaved a dramatic sigh, and shook her head. "Room 413, Riku. Down the hall, on the left."

Riku started off instantly, his face painted in uncertainty. He had only gotten a few steps underway, when he looked back at Axel, expectantly. Axel smiled, and waved at him. "You go ahead. You need some time alone with him," He told his younger counterpart encouragingly.

He looked back at the end of the hall, then to Axel again. "But…"

"I promise I won't run off without you." Axel joked. "You have the keys to the house."

The lunar-haired man slumped his shoulders in exasperation, then stalked off down the hall, grumbling something he couldn't hear. Axel waited until he had turned into a doorway, before he turned back to Aerith who was watching him too, with a look Axel couldn't discern in her eyes. She watched as the door slowly swung shut, hanging her head low after he was in.

"You're fond of him, aren't you?" She asked, and to Axel it sounded like she had developed a lump in her throat, and was trying desperately to speak around it.

"Yeah." He said with a nod, even if she couldn't see it. "Unfortunately." His joke was lost, however, as soon as she looked up at him, and he could see tears swimming in her valley green eyes. He sighed, painfully, breathing feeling more painful than he thought it should. There had been a reason he stayed out with Aerith, instead of going in with Riku. He wanted to ask her about Riku, to see if se thought it was possible that he might actually have the disease that had captured Sephiroth.

Suddenly, a lump was in his throat too, and he had to swallow it down, which wasn't nearly as easy as it sounded. With a shuddery breath, he shot the lump back down to where it had come from, and said, "Look, I…" He paused, trying to think of how to phrase this. Somehow, saying, "Yeah, I think Riku has gone slightly loony," would work. So he rethought his plan of procedure. "Have you noticed something off about Riku? I mean do you think there's something weird?" He sighed. He wasn't asking what he wanted! There was nothing off about Riku. There was nothing weird about him…nothing serious anyway. He had only seen him wig out once and…and he just didn't know. He didn't know nearly enough about this damn disease to actually ask what he should be asking, and he felt stupid sitting here and trying to figure out how to voice his question. But he wouldn't be deterred! "Do you think there is some chance that Riku…that Riku…" Damn that lump! "That Riku has Angel's disease?"

She peered at him sadly, her face contorting into sharper lines of grief, as tears actually fell from her eyes. "It's almost guaranteed," She admitted painfully, hugging her arms around her. "I think he's had it in a developed form for almost a month now. I haven't been sure…" She looked down the hallway, sobs wracking her small form. "I should have seen this coming!" She cursed herself, more than anyone else. "I shouldn't have gotten so close to him!"

Honestly, Axel shouldn't have either…

But it was too late now.

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A/N: Pbbbt! I don't know what to say. Other than…

HERE IT IS!

Damn…Oh! And hey! I nearly have 300 reviews! I'm so happy. I was almost in tears when I saw that.

But anyway…here it is.

Love and hugs to all who review.

InnocentGuilt