Pairings: Riku/Sora, Leon/Cloud, Axel/Roxas, Tidus/Seifer more pairings later?

Warnings: AU, I guess spoilers or something for people who haven't seen all the way through the end of the game, medieval stuff, possibilities of violence and bloodshed and sexiness

Author's comment: Argh all these songs stuck in my head now! But they're good songs so that's ok. And yay for my new separators if they are working like I hope they are. x.x

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Princely Garbs 53

Before Zack had went back with the news of Leon's kidnapping to Sora and Roxas, he was talking with Mickey and Seifer about what had happened on the mission. They hadn't found Xehanort's location. Hadn't even come close. Instead, Xehanort had come to find them looking for two unique people with very unique powers. He'd obviously accomplished one of his goals since Leon was now a missing person.

"So…that's what happened," Zack said sighing as he looked over at the small mouse to gauge his reaction. He seemed to be thinking the same way about the information Seifer just told them. They needed to find a way to keep this from Cloud. If the blond found out about the fact that Leon had been taken, he'd do everything in his power to go after him. If that was what Xehanort was expecting to happen, then they had to do everything they could to stop it.

"So what's the plan?" Seifer asked, looking between the two men. "He's eventually going to ask where Leon is. We'll have to say something to him."

"...Magic Kingdom," Mickey said in his high pitched voice then looked up after he'd said the words. "We'll tell him that Leon's gone to Magic Kingdom to take care of some things for me."

"I think that should work," Zack said in agreement and reached up rubbing at his chin. "Still, I wonder what Xehanort wants with Cloud."

"Nothing good obviously," Seifer said then snorted as he headed for the door. The kid was always so quick to try and run away. In some ways he sort of reminded him of Cloud but with a little bit more impatience.

"Ah before you leave," Zack said causing Seifer to stop in place. There was something else bothering him, something that involved the dark spot on his neck. He hadn't had that mark before he left and it didn't look like a normal scratch. So where had something like that come from? "Did anything else happen?"

He saw the younger male's shoulders tense up and knew he was dead on. Seifer had told them about how both Zexion and Xaldin had been controlled. He'd told them about Xehanort and the mysterious hooded person with him and how Leon had been controlled and kidnapped. But he knew Xehanort enough to know he wouldn't have let Seifer go without some kind of mark on him. He especially didn't like how the dark spot seemed to get darker the longer he stared at it.

"Nothing you guys need to be worrying about," Seifer said looking at them over his shoulder. Zack nodded his head as he walked over to him and reached out resting a hand on the young man's shoulder. He felt the other's tenseness through his fingers but he didn't relent, instead gripping hold a little tighter.

"There's a saying someone once told to me," Zack said tilting his head back and staring up at the ceiling. "Something about pride getting in the way of ones best intentions. Pride," he said then gave pause as he looked down at the watchful eyes, "can cloud one's judgment." He laughed then letting go of the shoulder. "Not that I'm saying you shouldn't have any pride but…argh what is it I'm trying to say!"

Zack rubbed at his hair with both hands thinking before the light bulb came on in his head and he looked at Seifer confidently. "Don't let your pride get in the way of asking for help," he said and beamed. "Because there's no shame in being helped by your friends, just like there's no shame in helping a friend in need." Seifer just stared at him and he cleared his throat stepping back. "Just remember that constantly relying on your pride might make you lose something important to you."

"Yeah, sure. I'll keep that in mind," Seifer left them there, leaving the room as if he'd never been there.

Zack sighed then smiled a bit as he turned around finding Mickey looking at him with a sort of strange look on his face. He found himself chuckling anxiously as he walked back over taking a seat at one of the chairs before the fireplace. This was Zack's old room before the whole being king thing came around. So he felt most comfortable talking about stuff here and just thinking in general. He also had a few hidden escape routes here too if he needed to get away quickly.

"You look like you want to say something," Zack said looking down at his old friend. He could literally sit the king in his lap without a problem for the size he was. But Zack knew how strong this little mouse could be from personal experience. Dare he say he got his fair share of defeat thanks to the training he received from the old mouse? How old was Mickey anyway? He looked the same as when Zack had been a kid.

Mickey seemed to hesitate, opening his mouth and closing it again. Nothing was really betrayed by his facial expression though. Nothing a normal person could see anyway. They were kings, they were good at hiding emotions to protect the peace, including to other kings. "Nothing...just that those words just now-"

"-Made it sound like something happened to me?" Zack interrupted then shook his head with a smile as he saw the mousey king nod his head. "I know how much trouble pride can cause someone."

"Because you had that problem before, correct?"

"…." Zack's lips lifted in a rueful smile as he gave a slight nod. "Yeah…because of my pride…my foolishness, I lost a lot of things important to me, including the one I was trying to save to begin with. Because my pride told me not to ask for help, told me I could do everything by myself. My pride is the reason why we're in this situation from the start."

"No." Mickey walked over to him and rested his hand on his knee looking up at him. "Xehanort is the reason we're in this situation. You have no one to blame for this but him." Zack stared down at him. The words ebbed some of the worry in his heart, enough that he could smile genuinely at least.

He cleared his throat then, rubbing behind his neck as he looked towards the door Seifer left out of. "So…about that one there…"

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At the words of Seifer's return, Tidus had excused himself from the courtyard moving quickly to where Seifer was. At the moment, he was meeting with King Mickey and King Zack privately. Tidus planned to meet him as soon as he came out. The others weren't with him this time. He was going alone.

He waited sitting down beside the door looking up at the two recently hired guards, aka Luxord and Xigbar, the latter chattering while the other appeared to be listening while not listening. Neither paid much attention to him even though Tidus was almost certain they were still watching him. They knew why he was here. Probably everyone in the palace knew. Tidus had a buttery tongue afterall.

So when the door finally did open close to an hour later, Tidus perked up like a happy puppy waiting for his master to come home. Seifer stepped out and looked shocked to see Tidus there.

"Seifer!" Tidus jumped up quickly. "Seifer, I-"

"What are you doing here?" The words didn't sound happy. He looked frustrated, angry. Honestly, he looked completely unapproachable. Tidus was at a loss of words staring at Seifer, only briefly looking to the hand resting over the older boy's neck. Did he get hurt?

"Seifer…" He moved himself closer, forcing his body to drag his legs forward. The other was avoiding his eyes now and Tidus found his teeth biting his lips as he reached out to touch the hand. "D-did something happen?" When he came close to touching the hand, Seifer seemed to flinch before smacking the hand away.

"Don't touch me," Seifer said to him. "Don't even come near me. You're a nuisance." He seemed to hesitate a moment before he moved brushing past Tidus roughly. Tidus didn't even bother to look back, instead staring at the wall with more than a little bit of shock. He didn't know what just happened. He couldn't even process the actions in his thought.

He could feel the eyes of Xigbar and Luxord on him but he didn't say anything to them, walking away down the hallway. Seifer hadn't been like this before he left. Why…why was he acting like this now? Tidus felt like his heart wanted to be wrenched from his chest but his mind focused on Seifer's actions. He inspected them, remembered Seifer's hesitation, the lack of eye contact, the hand on his neck. What was Seifer hiding from him?

Pain in his chest turned to frustration as he turned around walking past the two guards that were probably looking at him like he was crazy. He didn't care though, he was going to find out why Seifer was acting like this. What made him think he deserved to be treated like he was nothing just because he wanted to hide something? He saw Seifer's back up ahead and took cover hiding behind a large flowerpot in the hallway peeping around it.

Seifer was standing there, his hand still holding his neck. He grunted out and leaned against the wall beside him panting heavily. Tidus bit his lip, clutching the corner of the wall beside him. He was about to rush out to see if Seifer was ok when he paused hearing the other talking. There wasn't anyone there for him to talk to though.

"Stupid…get out of my head!" Seifer yelled out glaring at nothing. There was no response but Seifer continued to talk anyway. "You're starting to get on my nerves. Whatever it is you have planned for me to do, I ain't gonna do it. So you might as well quit being annoyi-Nnnngh!" Both hands went up clutching at his head.

"Seifer!" Tidus didn't hesitate any more, running around the corner to get to Seifer. He dropped down when Seifer went to his knees and reached out grabbing hold of his shoulders shaking him slightly. "Seifer, what's the matter!"

"Idiot…" Seifer looked up at him past his fingers, his eyes looking pained even as Tidus saw darkness crawling along the skin of his neck. "What are you doing here?"

"Seifer…what is…" He should have been recoiling away but instead he reached out towards that darkness.

"Stop that!" Seifer smacked his hand away roughly glaring at him. "Didn't I tell you to stay away? Are you too dumb to listen to that too?"

"Why should I listen to you?" Tidus said glaring at him in return. He was already tired of this, of Seifer pushing him away. "Just because you're a year old and you're bigger and probably only a little stronger doesn't make you my boss." Tidus stuck his tongue out at him for extra effect even though it only made him look even more like a two year old. Not that he'd admit that to himself.

"Idiot…gah…" The darkness was slowly being drawn back into the scratch on his neck. Tidus could easily see the wound now that didn't bleed but still looked very fresh. He didn't understand where this darkness was coming from though or why he felt drawn to it whenever he looked at it.

"…So what happened?" Tidus asked again staring at Seifer, the other too put out of it to actually avoid his eyes this time.

"Nothing," Seifer said defiantly. He smacked the hand away again when Tidus tried to reach for the wound. "And quit trying to touch it, stupid."

"Why?" Tidus poked his lips out still eyeing the cut. "What's wrong with touching it?"

"….." Seifer didn't say anything, instead reaching out and gently resting a hand on Tidus's head. "If…I do anything stupid or I start acting really strange…you need to get as far away from me as possible, you got that?" When Tidus didn't respond, Seifer rapped his knuckles across the top of his head.

"Ow!" Tidus reached up rubbing it and frowned at the older boy. Seifer didn't budge this time even with Tidus looking up at him with his lips poking out. "Just because you tell me that doesn't mean I'll do it. I'm not just going to leave my boyfriend behind to suffer, you dummy."

"…" Seifer chuckled slightly though his eyes seemed to distance themselves from him. "Guess I am the dummy this time," he mumbled under his breath just barely loud enough for Tidus to hear it. He ignored the muddled look on Tidus's face at the words though. "Fine. Then you better take responsibility for it." Tidus grinned at that, and reached out hugging Seifer tightly. He didn't know what was wrong with Seifer but he was determined to find out.

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TBC….

And so ends another chapter. One more upload to go for today!