It was just Demyx's luck that Zexion was gone on a mission. He would have loved to have the excuse of lessons to stay out of his room all day. The idea of going back and having to face Axel again was just...unbearable.

He didn't mean to do it. he tried to reassure himself. He was too drunk to know what he was doing. If he'd known what he was doing, it would never have happened.

His eye still hurt. So did his arm, and the lump on the back of his head - where Axel had grabbed his arm and thrown him against the wall. And he still remembered what Axel had said to him.

"Fuckin' worthlesh runt...the fuck'd they letcha in for?"

Dammit, he was crying again. He scrubbed angrily at his eyes, ignoring the pain.

He didn't mean to say that. He was too drunk to know what he was saying.

Talk about thin comfort. He felt like he was going to be sick to his stomach - it was probably just as well he couldn't bring himself to eat breakfast. There wouldn't be much left in there.

He finally looked up and saw that his aimless wanderings had led him to the Hall of Empty Melodies. A safe haven, was his first thought, but - no. If Axel came looking for him, the Hall would be near the top of his list of places to check. He needed to find some place where Axel would never think look for him. But he couldn't think of anywhere in the castle where Axel wouldn't look for him and no one else would accidentally find him.

Then how about outside the castle?

It was as good an idea as any. He opened a portal to Twilight Town, to the deserted alley he and Axel always started out in, where no one could see the portal. No one liked to think of Twilight Town having a bad side, but every city did, including the most beautiful and charming, it seemed. Though, granted, it wasn't nearly as ugly as where he'd grown up. He stared up at the clear blue sky - something he was no longer used to, but it always seemed more right than the endless darkness of the World that Never Was - and decided he didn't really feel like heading downtown to all the bustling shops and confronting all the cheerful, charming people. What he really wanted to do was sit down right where he was and cry.

He'd never felt so low in his existence. He was living in a castle, never wanted for food, clothing, medical care, or spending money, had more than adequate time to play and compose - hell, if he didn't have a mission for a few days, he could spend them all composing or playing nonstop if he cared to go without food or sleep for that long - and yet here he was, still the lowest rung on the ladder, still being turned on by "friends" and collecting bruises and insults from drunks, still crying his eyes out in a back alley. Even now that he lived in a castle, he was still a little piece of street trash. Unwanted, unneeded, unnoticed. When the weather mysteriously turned to rain, he welcomed it - it suited his mood. Not even the odd rumble of thunder could shake him out of his depression.

"There you are, dude - way to disappear and not tell anyone. Come on, let's get back home before Axel flips out completely. Damn, how can you stand being out in this crap?"

Demyx looked up at Xigbar in complete confusion, scrubbing at his eyes again. "What?"

"Axel's freakin' out - he's convinced it's his fault you ran out and didn't tell anyone where you were going. I think he's chewed all his fingernails off by now." Well, it was his fault, and Demyx still didn't feel like going back to the castle. But he couldn't bring himself to struggle at all as Xigbar hauled him to his feet. "Dude, your hands are freezing. I think you need some hot chocolate - come on."

Lacking the will to argue or even protest, Demyx let Xigbar lead him downtown, to the hot chocolate shops that hadn't yet been converted back to ice cream shops. The one they eventually stopped at wasn't the one he and Axel usually went to, which was all to the good, to his mind. "No whipped cream," was all that he said.

"You trying to burn your tongue off, kid?" Demyx just shrugged. "All right...whatever you say..." Xigbar went up to the counter, and returned in a few minutes with two cups of hot chocolate. "So, ready to explain the logic behind your disappearing act?" Demyx shook his head. "Does it have anything to do with that shiner?" Demyx froze instinctively at that question. "Axel give it to you?"

Demyx tried to deny it, but he was forced to nod. "Last night. He was drunk," he murmured, feeling helpless. He took a drink of the scalding hot chocolate, to try and take his mind off it.

Xigbar's eye narrowed. "Is that so." Demyx was forced to nod again, taking another drink to try and conceal his distress, even though he had the feeling it would all come back up later. "Well. I think someone's been on his last night out for a while. Fuck, I knew he'd find a way into any bar brawl once he'd had a few, but I didn't think he'd bring the habit home. I think we need to find him something more interesting to do on bar nights."

Demyx wasn't quite sure what to think. "Oh...um..."

"By the way," Xigbar continued, "he won't be allowed to keep alcohol in his room for a while. I dunno whether he does right now or not, but I'm gonna tell him tonight, and if you catch him with any starting tomorrow, tell me right away. Okay? Also tell me if he tries to get rid of it by drinking it all." Demyx stared blankly in confusion, and Xigbar cleared his throat hesitantly. "If he tries to...get back at you for ratting on him, tell me that too, okay? You haven't done anything wrong so far but get in the way, and you don't deserve any punishment for it."

Demyx could feel his face turning red. "I will," he murmured, wondering if he actually would or not.


AN: The author is waiting for reader comments.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, got it memorized?