Hellllllo! This is a Zemyx/Dexion (i prefer calling it Zemyx) pairing story. Chapter 26. ther shall be typos, a poor writing style, and laughing in this chapter!

NOTE: We only have a few chapters left to Broken Promises. I know, it's a shock! How can, in so few chapters left, can I wrap this whole story up? But don't worry, there shall be an epilogue to cover up some things.

Enjoy.

Serena's POV

Something about the way Zexion moved around this morning... was odd. He kept glaring at the cat a lot too, which was even stranger. For a long while, Zexion had been leaving the house in the middle of the night apparently. And his mother was not too happy about that. She did on the other hand, hear that he was visiting his supposed girlfriend in these night visits. I think she cared more about the fact he was going to see a girl rather the fact he could be having unprotected you-know-what.

Like it matters. In fact if Zexion got some teenage girl pregnant, his mother would probably praise him, as sick an awkward as that thought may be. You'd have to live with her to see. See how she looked down at her one and only birth-child, with the most disgusted, unimpressed look in the world. My dad didn't even care about Zexion. It was like that one random toothbrush in the bathroom that no one ever uses. You don't toss it, or clean shoes with it, it's just there. Ugly and over-used by some one, but no one knows who.

Did I seriously just compare my brother to... a toothbrush? I wondered, brushing the last knot out of my hair. I picked up my gorgeous cellular phone that I didn't really deserve, seeing as, the money should have been used on say, Zexion. I have everything in my room. A flat-screen T.V., a wii (not that Zexion would have enjoyed a wii system...), a 350 dollar phone, lots of shoes, clothes, make-up, piggy-banks, a desk, lamps- I am living the good life.

Zexion, on the other-hand, has a cheap pay as you go phone, a book-case, a book-shelf, a desk, a bed, some curtains, some books, an ipod shuffle, an mp3player, and a laptop. But not the good kind. I'm talking about the stuff that was probably made in 2005 or older. My stuff... My stuff has been getting updated every holiday since my dad got engaged.

That's not all, Zexion's mother... I can't even call her my mother, with my real one being dead, and not being able to accept this woman as my new "mom". She takes me on these occasional 'mother-daughter' outings. We shop for things, eat cool things, do fun things... It's not right.

I mean yeah, since when is there any real mother-son bonding when that son is a teenager? But still. I'd known his mother for a long time, and she was ashamed to even say she had a son! Zexion doesn't know it, but I feel guilty for spending time with his mother. Does he care? Does he wish he could be close to his mother...?

They argue more and more every week. Just this morning, Zexion was shouting at her, and she was shouting right back. It was easy to see where Zexion got his extreme stubborn, angry, annoyed attitude from, but it was still an intense sight. When I lost my real mother I blamed myself. I had been singing in the car really loud, and she had told me to quiet down so she could drive. And the next thing I knew...

Did Zexion feel like he lost his mom? Did he blame himself at all? Or was his attitude really just as is; hating his mother with great passion. How could anyone hate the woman who gave birth to them? But I cast the thought aside. Zexion remembered perfectly clear about how he used to have a sweet and caring mother. He told me so, it must mean he can't hate her. Even though he says it.

"Serena!" I nearly threw my phone. I turned around and waved, "Er, hi!" It was my step-mother. For some reason, her face became unreadable after she interacted with Zexion. Whether it was an argument, a simple question, or even being in the same room for too long. The mask of no expression would be on her face.

"Do you know who Zexion's so called... 'girlfriend' is?" She sighed. Why would I know? I wanted to say that. But honestly it sounded rude. "Uh..." I started with a little laugh, "I'm not friends with his friends. I don't really... uh... know." I laughed in answer. My step-mother smiled lightly and left.

But I had to be honest, I was curious too. If Zexion was seeing someone in the night, who was it? Demyx? Xion? Who else could it be? I wondered, searching my contacts. I tapped Xion's name and waited for her to pick up. Why was Xion in my contacts? Because being technically a freshman, it made me not only cool, but I felt awesome to befriend a well-known and liked senior.

"Oh hello Serena... Why did you call this early? Did Zexion do something..." Xion's tired voice asked. It was eleven o'clock on a Saturday, you'd think she would be awake by now. But I remembered how tired Xion looked in school yesterday. Maybe something happened?

"Hello?" I almost forgot I was on the phone! "Oh, yeah! I'm here!" I laughed. "Is something wrong?" Her voice sounded monotone through the phone. "Well... Zexion's been leaving his house in the middle of the night for a while, and I was wondering if he was seeing you. He told his mom that he was visiting his girlfriend. And well... you're his girlfriend." I explained quietly, not wanting my step-mother to hear. There was a pause, but Xion finally answered, "N-no. He's never visited me, not at night anyway. Ask Demyx." *click*

She hung up on me! I thought with my mouth open, staring at the phone screen that had the words "CALL ENDED" in bright red letters. But before I had the chance to call back, or think of where Zexion's phone was for Demyx's number, I heard a door shut. The back door, to be exact. I know because it has a weird squeak that sounds like a duck.

Zexion's POV

I hate everyone. And is that such a crime? Everyone's done something I can use as a good excuse for hating them. My mother abandoned me, my father beat me, Demyx lost faith in me, Melody screwed me over (literally), Serena pestered me into dating Xion, Xion keeps trying to prove her love to me, and I hurt myself. I let all these things happen. Now I had to go tell Demyx that... I fucked his ex girlfriend?

"Hey Zexion where do you think yer' going?" Serena's high-pitched voice called after me, and I could hear her getting louder. "What is it with you people? Can't I take a walk?" I scoffed at her. "Who's the secret girlfriend?" Serena was having one of her childish moments again. "Look, I'm not your girly sister I'm you're emotional step-brother. Did you not wake up this morning?" Sure reacting like this wasn't exactly nice but she annoyed me.

"I know that, but who's the girlfriend? It isn't Xion." Serena was starting to sound more serious. "It's Demyx." Lie. "No it isn't!" Serena laughed. She wants to laugh? I'll give you something to laugh about! I thought bitterly, whipping around to glare at her. She stopped in her tracks, looking at me with eagerness and curiosity in her eyes. "Melody." I spat the name like it was the taste of her lips in my mouth. Serena burst into more laughter, "Oh yeah, that's funny! Come on who is it?"

I only stared at her. I'd wait. Wait for her to stop laughing and realize I was serious. It was embarrassing, to be laughed at for this. But it would be nothing compared to what Demyx would do when he found out. He would giggle a bit, and then, he'd go off on me. That would be horrible.

Serena looked up for a split second, and that was all it took for the laughing to die down. She stared at me with a look of confusion and... disgust. "You're kidding me. You... I mean I know I said to find a distant cousin... but... Zexion! She's... She's... Why would you do things like that with your own cousin?" She looked repulsed. And I wasn't blaming her. I had no answer for my step-sister. I was a whore, really. I wanted something and Melody certainly had it...

"Oh my god... did you like... have sex?" That was the first time Serena ever referred to it as 'sex'. I couldn't help but smirk, "Don't tell mom." Serena looked utterly repulsed. "She's you're fucking cousin! You can't go screw your cousins! Especially the ones that fucked the love of your life for three years and, and... What the fuck! It's incest you little fuckin creep!" Serena babbled, her hands moving around in the air like crazy.

I shrugged, looking away, "I know it's not exactly... legal, to do that. But whatever. I don't need to explain myself to you of all people." I sneered, turning and beginning to walk away.

A few hours later

My phone rang, and at first I hesitated to answer. But it was Xion. "...Hey." Was all I said in answer. At first all I heard were muffled sounds, and then I heard Xion. "I... it all came back, you know?" Was she laughing, or crying? I couldn't really tell. "My life is just so..." She paused for a while. "Fucked up!" She was definitely crying.

She couldn't be talking about what I think she was talking about. "Xion, what are you saying? Are you crying? What happened this time?" I know how horrid I must sound to her. But I wasn't in the happiest of moods. "They can't fix it this time, Zexion." Oh god.

"Wait a second, Xion, calm down. I don't understand what you're talking about!" Did it really come back? At one point, Xion had cancer, but, they got rid of it. "And I guess I'm not good enough... if you screwed that whore before you even got to Demyx..." How the hell did she know about that? "Or even,... me." *click*

"Hey! Xion! Wait how-..." She had already hung up. What the hell. My thoughts were all jumbled. My fucking step-sister must have told her, that's the only explanation. I never wanted Xion to find out about it. She... she knew things about me that Demyx didn't even know. Things... things my own parents never found out about me. Xion was not the person I wanted to know that I lost my virginity to the city whore.

I started to walk in the direction of Xion's house. I had spent too many afternoons there... too many nights, weekends, mornings... with Xion, in that house of hers...

Flashback

"Mommy, let go." I tugged my arm away from my mom's grip. "Have fun, okay?" She bent down and kissed my forehead. I snorted, "Moooom!" Xion's mother laughed. I hated it when they did this. Laughing at me for no real reason! "Stop laughing at me!" I stared up at my new friend's mom. Why did everyone look at us like we were fuzzy cats wanting to be played with? I'm not a fuzzy cat! I don't wanna be a joke!

"Let go let go let go let goooo!" I complained, still tugging my arm. Finally, my mom let go. I looked at her with a sour expression, "Mo-" "Be good!" My mom patted me on the head and she turned to leave. I heard thumping and all of a sudden my new friend was running to the front door. "Mom mom mom mom mom!" But she stopped to look at me, "Hey! He's from the... the... slide, mommy!" She kept pointing at me.

"You're weird. I don't like you." I said, crossing my arms. My friend's mom laughed again, "Oh Zexion your mother said you were quiet on the phone but it seems like you like to talk!" I shook my head, "No." I didn't like talking. I liked reading. "He said he reads, he's so weird isn't he mommy?" My friend started to laugh too.

"Xion, that's not very nice. Not a lot of kids can read so young." Xion's mom shook her finger at her. I stuck my tongue out at her and let my arms drop to my side. Xion stuck her tongue out at me, and then I stopped and resisted a laugh. I settled with a smile instead. Then Xion laughed and poked my shoulder, "We're playing tag, and you can be it first."

My smile disappeared, "No. I hate that game! I wanna read." I ran past Xion and her mom. I ended up in the basement, glaring at the books that were too easy to read. "Hey! I wanna play a game!" Xion found me, coming down the stairs slowly, holding the railing tightly.

"Like what?" I sighed and close the boring book. Anything but tag would be better than reading those dumb things! "Uhh... Hide and seek!" Xion jumped off the second to last step, landing perfectly on the stone floor. "My mommy says that jumping off the stairs will get your knees broken." Xion looked scared, "Really?" She looked down at her knees. I laughed, "Yeah. She doesn't lie to me. Hey, maybe they're already broken."

Xion started sniffling, "I don't want broken knees!" I shrugged, "Okay then don't jump off the stairs. Count to ten, you're it!" I said as I passed her, returning up the stairs. Xion stopped sniffling and I heard her try to count, "One... two... nine... four... eighty-billion, seven..." She can't count very well. I mean even I know how to count to ten. One, two, three, four, eight... Whatever.

I hid underneath a table in the living room. Xion's mom looked over at me, "What are you doing under there, Zexion?" I snapped at her, "SHHHH! Hide and seek." I explained shortly. Xion's mom laughed a little bit and then walked away, "Oh, okay." What was so funny? "Forty... ten!" I heard Xion yell.

After we played for a long time, my mom came to Xion's house to bring me home. Xion cried, "Why does he have to leave? Mommyyyy!" Xion was sitting on the floor. My mom pat Xion on the head, "Don't worry you both will be at the same school tomorrow." Xion stopped and looked up, "R-really?" I rolled my eyes, "My mommy doesn't lie!" Then she started crying again, "But I want Zexion to stay!"

Xion's mom smiled, "I'm surprised you don't think he has the cooties." Xion looked up, "What are those?" I shrugged, "I think she meant cookies." My mom and Xion's both laughed. I crossed my arms, "Why do you keep laughing at me?"

"Oh nothing Zexion. Well... I guess if you're okay with it, Zexion can sleep over." My mom was talking to Xion's. "Hey! I asked a question!" But they kept ignoring me. "That seems like a fun idea, right Xion?" Xion looked up at her mom, "What? Oh, yeah!" She nodded.

No one even asked me if I wanted to stay! "Fine." I crossed my arms. Xion smiled and grabbed my arm, "Come on!"

End Flashback

I knocked on Xion's door, hoping someone would answer... Xion swung the door open, her eyes full of tears. "Xion-" "Don't even try to give me that shit all over again!" She interrupted as she stormed off. I walked in and closed the door behind me. Xion's mother was in the living room, staring down at something. A picture? "Uh... what happened?" I asked cautiously.

"...They... said that she's got her skin cancer again, and that the last time they thought they got it, they'd read off of some other girl's files. And that's why they took her off treatment... and because she hasn't been taking it..." Her words trailed off into sobs. So Xion's cancer did come back. Or, it never went away.

I knew this house like the back of my hand, even if the furniture and decorating had changed completely since I was last in Xion's house. I was going to say something, but Xion didn't want to hear it the first time around either. She didn't want to hear me say I was sorry, or that she would be fine, or that I'd always be there for her...

Because last time, it was just a waste. It didn't make her feel better, and it didn't make me feel better. "Why are you even here?" Xion sobbed as I walked into her room. There was blood on her sheets and pillow... and her wrists. "Does everyone cut, now?" I sighed, sitting next to her. "I have three years god damnit!" Xion shouted at me.

"That's longer than the first time, though, isn't it? Last time they said you only had two years. And that was, what? Five years ago? Six?" I muttered, examining Xion's wrists. I'd cut myself enough time to know what was bad and what was nothing. Xion hadn't cut all that deep, but she didn't cut shallow enough to just not put bandages on it.

I was going to go get a first aid kit, but Xion wrapped her arms around me and sobbed some more. So I stayed put. And the day went by, slowly. I missed this... this feeling. Something my mother never gave me even when she still loved me. Something Demyx couldn't even offer... There was nothing like spending time with Xion.

She'd always, in some weird way... understood me better than anyone. "Zexion..." Xion whispered. "Stop it." I demanded, refusing to let her get any closer to me. We'd been pretty much just sitting in her room, with her mom bringing us lunch... just like when we were kids.

I'd called my mother, and told her I was spending the night with Xion, and made sure that she trusted me by letting Xion's own mother confirm that I was in the house. Xion pressed her forehead to my back, "Why don't you love me? Why do love Demyx? Why... why did you sleep with Melody?" She hissed. "I'm gay, for one. And I only slept with her because... Demyx only wanted to have sex with me because he was trying to get over Melody. And..." I trailed off, staring at Xion's wall.

There were pictures of things... I even saw a few with me in it. Like our graduation from pre-K... And the time my mother took us both to Florida. I got a horrible sunburn, in the picture that was on the wall. "And what?" Xion sat up, and I guessed she was also staring at all of the pictures. "I knew that if I just slept with her then I wouldn't be giving anyone some false message. Melody knows I hate her." What a shitty explanation I had.

"So what? False messages my ass, Zexion! You slept with Melody before Demyx! Do you even get that you both lost your virginity to the same damn girl?" Xion snapped at me. I nodded, "I never said the reason was a good one, did I?"

"Why not me? Why... I've spent my entire life with you almost. And you... choose them over me?" Xion got up and went over to her door, locking it. "Xion..." I sighed. "I'm gonna die, right? I mean we all are, right? I'm just gonna die sooner than you and everyone else." Xion whispered. "Xion, stop it."

Xion started to cry again, and she got back on the bed, crying into the blood-stained pillows. "You want me to make you feel better, or something?" I asked. Xion nodded. "Well what the hell am I supposed to do? You always tell me to shut up with stupid words." I growled.

"You don't... have to say anything." Xion whispered, her hand making its way to my pants. Of course. I realized, staring at a picture of Xion when she was fourteen, and in a bathing suit. "I don't have any-" "I do." Xion said. Then I remembered how she'd called me when she first got nailed by Axel. Of course she would own condoms.

"Your mom-" "My mom didn't hear a thing when Axel and I did it, and I highly doubt you'll be as violent with me as he was... So no, she won't hear. And she won't come knock. My door doesn't come with a key, so she'll just think we're sleeping or something." Xion leaned over me and opened the top drawer of her desk, grabbing out a box of condoms.

"Why?" I muttered, wondering what the outcome of this would be... "Demyx isn't going to be happy about this." I sighed. "You said it yourself... Demyx just wants you because he wants to forget about Melody."

"But I love him..." I protested, thinking of how hurt Demyx would be by the time he actually found out... Though it didn't matter, now. All that mattered to me tonight... was getting Xion to feel better.

WOOOOOO! Two girls in the same 24 hour period! Zexion is such a dog! LOL! I made this chapter super long for you guys. Are there any typos? I'm too lazy to check right now so screw all of you little perfectionists who think everything should have blood and sweat put into it. This site is about fun, not best-selling novels.