Xion stared uncertainly at the ice cream Saix held before her. "Take it. Go on." He prompted.

"I'm good, thank you." She took a step back.

"I bought it for you." He persisted, a frown of inquest pulled at the edges of his scared forehead.

She stared at her shoes, boots with cartoonish teeth lining the ankles in an open mouth of layered leathery plastic. "…Give it to Roxas."

"Roxas already has his; I gave one to Axel and am holding mine in my other hand, as I said not two minutes ago."

Axel's expression was uncharacteristically steely as he observed them, the way Xion hunched her shoulders forwards, playing with her fingers and examining the floor while Saix stood tall, naturally intimidating, persistent but most of all, confused.

He had been watching them for five minutes now, his ice cream finished, Xion's dripping steadily onto the stones of the clock tower.

"It's not like you to turn down ice cream," Axel commented, "you feeling alright?"

"Maybe I'm not well…? Yes! That's it! I'm not well!"

Saix frowned and lowered his arm, the ice cream, ready to slip off the stick, was caught by Roxas' eager tongue and hand, delving into what Xion wouldn't. "You look perfectly fine, Xion." Axel didn't miss her cowering wince when Saix pressed a hand to her forehead. "You don't have a temperature."

She stepped aside, remaining hunched, head lowered. "I'm going home."

"Xion?" Axel called.

"Xion!" Roxas got to his feet. "Xion wait!" He chased after her as she disappeared around the corner, headed for the steps. "If you wait a minute we can all go back together!"

Saix was silent, the sound of Xion's footsteps disappearing. Hed sat beside Axel, staring the long way down as Xion and Roxas emerged from the clock tower, walking home. Xion obviously quiet, Roxas chatting; exaggerating with his arms. She shook his hand off her shoulder as she walked, beginning to regain her posture.

"Xion doesn't like me."

"Well there's a shock!" Axel exclaimed. "I'm surprised she didn't jump off the tower!"

"You really think she's that desperate to get away from me?" He crossed his legs.

"Hey, don't shoot the observer!" He chewed his bare ice cream stick. "C'mon man, how did you expect her to act? You gave her a really tough time in the Organization."

"Things are different now."

"Yeah well, she's got the old you memorized." He flicked the stick over the edge of the tower and leant back on his hands, ignoring Saix's glare for his littering. "I guess that must be scarier somehow… Isa's a stranger to her, she can only judge you by Saix's actions… you must seem really unpredictable right about now."

"What should I do then?" He snapped, scowling at Axel as the sun faded from deepest rust to purple twilit haze. "Go back to my heartless ways or force her to put those days behind her?"

"To be honest man, I really don't know…"

The four of them had decided to live together; it had been a big decision but a simple one, the cheapest and most convenient.

They had chosen the cheapest accommodation, a three bedroomed, ready-furnished flat. It was snug. Xion and Saix had their own bedrooms, all that could be heard at night was Axel and Roxas' snoring… and the occasional threat to place a pillow over the others head depending on who woke first…

So Saix was surprised when running water roused him from quiet sleep.

He followed the sound to the kitchen, bare feet padding on the rug they'd set in the open plan living room, separating it from the kitchen.

Xion had her back to him, muttering under her breath, her hands scrubbing beneath the tap. Her long dressing gown, untied, shook at the skirt as she aggressively scoured.

"What are you doing?" He exasperated, drawing his brows together, staring with bleary eyes.

Xion jumped a little but didn't turn. "I'm so sorry! It's late so the laundrette's closed, I'll be done soon, I promise! Oh… what am I going to do? What am I going to do?"

He huffed and walked closer, hearing the fear in her voice he noticed her trembling knees. "Are you going to tell me what this is about?"

"I can't!" She held her face in her hands, leaning on the counter. "I can't believe this is happening! Human for a week and my time's already over! There must be something wrong with this vessel; there are so many things I never got to do! Roxas…! What am I gonna tell Roxas? He'll be so sad!"

Saix noticed the red stain on the cotton pyjama pants in the sink. He groaned and crossed his arms, leaning back against the kitchen counter. "Why did I have to be the one to wake up?" He whispered as Xion ranted, in the throes of panic. "Xion! You are not dying and, for once, you are not defective."

"B-but!" She dared to look up at him with big watery eyes. He noticed the red stain growing at her crotch and looked away; sure his blush glowed in the darkness of the kitchen. "What do you mean? I'm… I'm…"

"Growing up," he choked.

"I know dying is part of growing up but I'm so young!"

"Xion, you have in fact reached maturity. This is…" he dared to look at her; he had never felt so abashed, "your beginning as a woman…"

"A WOMAN?" She shrieked. "I'm too young to be a woman! I've barely lived! I've only existed for a week and now this? How could this happen to me? Why?"

"What's going on?" Axel yawned, obviously worried.

"Lea! Excellent! You can handle this!"

Axel's eyes widened when he saw the red staining Xion's pyjamas and turned on his feet. "Nope! No way! Goodnight!"

"Lea!" The door slammed and clicked. Xion hiccupped behind him. "Xion, calm down! You survived the dark apocalypse! You can handle a little blood!"

"A little? This is not a little! It's still coming out of me! Oh no… oh no…! I don't know how this vessel works! What if it runs out of blood? What then? What if I'm breaking? Just like before?"

"Xion, this body is superior, functioning perfectly as an ordinary human, that's why this is happening to you." He crossed his arms again.

She gripped her bedhead of black locks. "I have to call Vexen! He can make it stop! But it's all so embarrassing!"

"Calm down, we need to talk. Lea!"

"I'm asleep!" The upset growl barked through the door.

"You need to go to the store for Xion, she and I need to talk."

"I wouldn't know what to get!"

There was the muffled sound of a pillow hitting the door. "Axel shut up!" Roxas barked.

"Unless you want me to go and you can talk to her." Saix bargained.

"I'm going! I'm going!" Axel hurried out, not stopping even as he stepped into his shoes and pulled his jacket from the hook to cover his dark pyjamas as he fled the apartment.

"Why is this happening to me?" Xion sobbed into her hands. "This is a bad dream for sure!"

"It certainly is…" He muttered. "Xion, have you ever heard of PMS?"

"Yes." She squeaked. "Xaldin told me."

He raised an inquisitive blue brow. "Xaldin?" He was shocked. "Then why are you crying?"

"Because I'm bleeding and my stomach hurts!" She dropped a hand to her gut and gasped. "I must have a tumour! Why would you tell me this is part of being a woman? I don't even have boobs yet!" She gripped her chest, only making Saix' blush deepen.

"You obviously don't know what PMS is."

"I do! Xaldin told me! I saw it in a magazine once but the page was torn!"

"And what did he tell you it meant?" He chided, scowling the whole time.

"Potato Mashing Season!"

His mouth fell open and he couldn't speak for several moments. "Potato… Mashing… Season…" He slowly repeated.

"But Demyx said it's actually a sign in Christmas Town for the Penguin Marching Space… where he saw penguins marching and sliding once…"

"It has nothing to do with potatoes or penguins," a sentence he never imagined he'd say, "they lied to you."

She wiped her eyes, devastated. "Why would they do that?"

"Read the thesaurus's synonyms for 'embarrassed.'" He confused her; she tilted her head, swollen lips quivering. "I'm really the wrong person, gender… to explain this…"

"Please! Do your best Saix, please!"

He closed his eyes, grimacing. "If I remember correctly, PMS is an abbreviation of Premenstrual Syndrome, some girls call it a period, ever heard of it?" She shook her head. "Of course not… The important thing is that it happens to every developing woman, is perfectly normal and will stop in a few decades."

"DECADES? This will go on for decades?"

"…It's called a period because it comes every month… you'll have to ask Olette how long it lasts."

"But WHY? WHY is this happening to me now?"

He forced himself to reply. "It's your body preparing for… pregnancy."

Her eyes widened and pupils shrank. "No! I don't want a baby! I'm not ready for that!"

"This is not an immaculate conception!"

"Oh no! Oh no! A baby?" She pulled at her hair, beginning to pace. "But I'm supposed to start school! Where will I get the money to buy baby clothes?" She gasped dramatically. "How will I get up the clock tower steps? And my clothes won't fit!"

"XION!" He stopped her rant. "You are not having a baby this just means it is now a possibility!"

"So I could just suddenly get pregnant one day? How will I prepare?"

Horror spread across his face when he realised she had never had the talk, which probably meant Roxas hadn't either. "That's not how it happens… But Axel is going to explain it to you later," he almost smiled, "he said he's looking forward to telling you all about infants and where they come from. But this… this just means your insides are growing up too, you just can't see that."

"Oh…" She calmed. "It's just my insides growing up? Like when Roxas gets taller?"

He nodded. "Exactly. You should talk to Olette about it tomorrow, I'm sure she'll explain it better."

"…You're really good at explaining things, Saix. Not great like Axel, but good!"

It was the first compliment she'd given him. "You really think Axel is better than me?"

"You'll' catch up." She wiped her eyes.

The door opened and Axel hurried in, clutching a carrier bag as if it were full of robbed banknotes. "The girl in the shop gave me this," he outstretched it, desperate to be rid of it, "she put a leaflet in there about… everything."

"Thank you Axel," Xion took the bag and looked inside, pulling out a large purple packet, "what are these?"

"It's all written in the leaflet… thing! Just… go into the bathroom and look at it!"

She nodded. "Ok." She turned to Saix, not as intimidating in his dark blue pyjamas. "Thank you for being so nice, Saix."

The corners of Axel's mouth picked up. "You two getting along now?"

"He was really nice Axel, almost as nice as you." She passed him. "Oh! Now you're awake you can tell me all about where babies come from," Axel turned white, "Saix said you can't wait to tell me, and, I think, while my insides are growing up is the best time!" She hurried into the bathroom, leaving Axel white and trembling.

"What did you tell her Isa?" He barked.

"More than your mother ever told you, goodnight, have fun. You should probably give Roxas the talk too." He passed him, a wicked smile on his lips.

"Get back here! Isa!" He balled his fists.

Saix closed his door as Roxas opened his, stood wide awake and grumpy. "Talk to me about what? What's going on?" He growled, unhappy to be awake.

Saix pulled the covers over himself; he could hear the panicked slap of Axel's hand against his forehead.