Sorry to make you wait so long for the fallout of everything. Like I said, my original plan was for this to be part of the last chapter, but it was getting a bit long for that to be practical. But hopefully you won't be disappointed. This and the previous chapters are what I've been looking forward to for a while. Please enjoy the fallout of all the secrets being dragged into the open!

Lea did his best to keep breathing, trying to slow it down enough to think properly. That's what he tried to concentrate on. Focusing on shifting it to a slower and more even pattern. It was a struggle. It was as hard as it was to stop shaking. But he knew that if he could get his breathing back under control, everything else should follow.

So he tried to breathe. The cool breeze brushing across his face from the window helped a little. It made him feel less like he was suffocating. The sensation helped to settle him. His breathing finally began to slow enough that he could shift towards trying to fix things.

Swallowing hard, Lea muttered, "I'm fine now. It's good. You can let go."

"You're not fine," said Isa firmly. "You were using Fire magic in your sleep."

"Sorry," he muttered, shaking his head. "Didn't know that would happen. Stupid mistake. I could have burned the whole building down and hurt all of you."

While Lea was already against the wall, that didn't stop Isa from managing to slam him against it harder. Which immediately alerted him to the fact that Isa was glaring at him. And that he seemed to be barely restraining himself from giving into his Berserk Form. If it wasn't a new moon that night, Lea suspected Isa's eyes would already be glowing.

"Forget. About. The apartment," growled Isa. "You were burning. That's what we care about. You were trying to burn yourself to death, Lea. Do you have any idea…"

He trailed off, but the intensity of his glare didn't diminish slightly.

"Oh…"

Lea took a deep and shaking breath. If he wasn't still frazzled, he would have avoided saying that to Isa. He would have known that his friend would take it the wrong way. At least the half-pints were out of the room when he slipped up.

He needed to stop messing up. He had to fix everything before he made it worse. He couldn't keep making it worse. He needed to calm down enough to regain control of the situation.

Isa's grip on him shifted, pulling Lea into a hug. Crushing him against his chest. And Lea found out that he wasn't the only one trembling.

Yes, Lea had definitely made a mess of things. He had to fix it. He had to take care of all of them.

"You burned yourself out once. This time, I was here. I saw it almost happen," said Isa, his voice unsteady. "Don't do that to me. Please, Lea. Don't make me watch you die."

Letting his head fall forward to rest against Isa's shoulder, he mumbled, "I'm sorry."

He'd messed up. He was hurting his friends again. He needed to pull himself together and reassure them that it was fine. He couldn't let himself fall apart over nothing. It was selfish and stupid. Lea needed to shove it all aside and make sure that his friends were all right. Everything else could wait.

Just pull himself together. He could do it.

Isa forced himself to calm down, letting his anger and fear wash over him instead of consuming him. Letting his buried temper run free wouldn't do them any good. Not for him, not for Lea, and not for the stability of the building. But it wasn't easy.

When Axel had been destroyed, they only received reports from a few spying Dusks who stayed back to gather information and avoided the fate of the others. He'd only heard about Axel using all of his strength into a final fiery attack. He hadn't been there to witness the event. Just as he'd only heard about Lea's presumed demise before the Keyblade War as a second-hand story from Larxene and Marluxia. Though that turned out to be wrong and Lea survived it. He hadn't even seen the moment that Lea originally lost his heart since Isa lost his first.

But when he stumbled into the bedroom and saw his friend wreathed in flames and nightmares, Isa had been certain that he was about to watch Lea burn himself to death in front of him and the children.

That didn't happen though. Lea was alive and safe. A little shaken, streaked with ash and soot, and with some minor burns along his arm, neck, and probably on his chest under the ruined shirt, but clearly alive. That would have to be enough for now. At least enough for Isa to get his temper under control.

Thank goodness for the darkness of a new moon.

But they would have to worry about some other issues later. Issues like Lea apparently being more concerned about collateral damage to the building or the others than his own well-being. That was something that Isa would not be forgetting.

Lea lifted his head when he heard the children returning. Some of the anxiety disappeared the moment that he caught sight of them. He wasn't comfortable when the Keyblade wielders were out of sight. Isa had glimpsed it before, but he'd assumed that it was due to the children being late and Lea not knowing where they were. But perhaps it was something constant that he was simply better at concealing normally.

He did look a little better though. He didn't look as pale anymore and he wasn't shaking as badly. But even if he was trying to look like he was in control, Lea couldn't hide the cracks in the façade. Not when Isa knew to look for it.

"I found some more sheets," said Roxas, holding them up. "I don't think we can really wash the old ones. They're pretty scorched."

Following after him, Xion said, "And I brought the water, but there wasn't much in the first aid kit. But I had a few potions in my room."

And hopefully used one of the potions on herself. Isa had vaguely noticed her clutching her hand earlier. If Lea accidentally burned her, they definitely needed to avoid letting him know. The guilt would be too much. It would be bad enough when Lea realized that Isa grabbing his shoulder while Lea was on fire was bound to have consequences.

Isa wasn't going to look at his hands yet. From the stinging pain and throbbing, he could already guess that they were burned halfway up his forearms and there were probably some blisters on his hands. He'd been hurt worse over the years, but it was still annoying. He would definitely need a potion later. It would heal, but a potion would speed it up.

"Thanks, half-pints. Sorry to wake everyone up," said Lea, trying to give them a reassuring smile.

Tossing the sheets on the bed, Roxas said, "You're not allowed to apologize for nightmares. That's the rule, remember?"

"Here," said Xion, moving around the bed and reaching out the glass of water.

He smiled and tried to accept the offering. Isa let go of him carefully backing up to let Lea move around him. Except Lea suddenly grabbed his wrist and Isa couldn't help the surprised hiss of pain. A dark look flashed across his face as he looked at Isa's burned hand.

"Did I do that?" he asked quietly.

"No, I did that by grabbing someone who was on fire," corrected Isa. "I knew exactly what would happen. That's why I had them bring some potions. There's no one to blame except myself."

"I'm still sorry," said Lea, sounding rather subdue.

"You heard Roxas. You're not allowed to apologize," he said.

Lea didn't immediately respond. He simply took a slow sip of water. It seemed to help steady him a little more. Not enough for Isa to let him keep the glass though. Once he seemed finished with the drink, Isa took it from his trembling hands and set it on the window sill out of the way.

"Didn't mean to cause such a fuss," muttered Lea finally. "Isa, you should use those potions and all of you should head back to bed. I can finish straightening up."

Clutching her hands gingerly in front of her, Xion said, "I don't know. Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," he said, giving a small shrug. "I can handle it. Besides, it's not my first nightmare. It'll be fine."

Isa was about to argue that no, Lea clearly couldn't handle what was going on since trying to turn his Fire magic against himself wasn't a good sign. It was hard to use your own magic against yourself like that. It was hard to hurt yourself that way. Summoning more than you could control was one thing, but turning it against yourself in such a direct method required more effort. It required focus and intent. The only reason that the damage wasn't worse, that Lea didn't succeed in burning himself to death in the throes of a nightmare, was because being asleep kept him from focusing enough to finish the job.

A thought that did nothing to help Isa's boiling emotions.

But he saw the frowns flicker across Roxas and Xion's faces, confused and worried. And Lea stiffened. As if he realized that he'd said something that he shouldn't have.

"What do you mean that this isn't your first nightmare?" asked Roxas suspiciously. "Are you talking about nightmares before we moved here or after?"

Lea hesitated. And that was enough for the Keyblade wielders to know the answer.

"How many nightmares?" he asked, the boy's voice shifting towards something darker and angrier.

Looking away, Lea mumbled, "Not that many."

"And you didn't tell us?" asked Xion. She shook her head. "But we're supposed to tell each other about nightmares. That's the rule, remember?"

"Yeah, that's the rule…"

"But you didn't tell us," snapped Roxas. "You didn't tell us anything. You just kept hiding everything until it all blew up on you. You promised no more secrets. You promised."

The worry and fear were still there. It hadn't disappeared. But now it was morphing into anger and frustration. The boy lashing out verbally because of his fear for Lea combined with old pain. And Isa didn't know if trying to step in would make it better or worse considering his own past with Roxas.

"I know," said Lea, "but—"

"But you're doing it again," he continued, growing louder. "The secrets and the lying. Something's wrong and you're hiding it. And now you're getting hurt, but you still don't trust us. You won't let us help."

"Roxas, I—"

"Why? Why are you doing this again? What other secrets are you keeping from us?" There was a glint in Roxas's eyes that might be a hint of frustrated tears. "Why is it so important to keep everything to yourself, even when it hurts you? Why don't you tell us anything? Don't you trust us even a little bit?"

"It's not—"

"Then what is it?" he demanded, his anger building to a terrified and hurt inferno. "Why won't you tell us anything? Why didn't you say something was wrong? Why are you pretending everything is fine? Why don't you trust us to help? Why—"

"Because I can't be selfish again!" shouted Lea suddenly.

The outburst silenced the boy. And everyone in stunned silence of their own. Lea's arms curled around himself and his eyes fell to the floor. Isa saw him shiver again. Clearly regretting what he'd said, but not knowing how to take it back.

"I can't… I can't…"

"What do you mean?" asked Xion quietly. "Did you think… telling us what was going on would be selfish?"

Shaking his head, Lea said, "You shouldn't be worrying over me. I'm supposed to take care of you. Keep you safe. Keep you happy." His eyes flickered up to Isa. "All of you. I have to do things right. I can't make the same mistakes again."

"What mistakes?" Roxas still sounded worried, but concern was winning out over his previous anger. "Because keeping secrets… Axe— Lea, please talk to us."

"I don't understand," said Xion. "You have taken care of us. You've always looked out for us. Even in the beginning."

"Lea." Isa kept his voice firm, searching his friend's face for clues. "Nothing that you've done for us could be considered selfish."

The rough and broken laugh almost sounded like a sob. Lea shook his head sharply before dragging a hand through his hair. Isa suspected that he would be pacing if he wasn't trapped in the corner. Words started tumbling out of him, like he couldn't stop himself.

"I've been nothing but selfish," he said. "Selfish and stupid, ruining everything. I failed to do anything right." Slumping back against the corner even as he curled in on himself, Lea whispered roughly, "I messed up so many times. I can't mess up again. I can't make any more stupid, selfish mistakes. I have to get it right or…"

"Or what?" asked Isa carefully.

"Or I'll lose everything again."

Isa took a deep breath. He was starting to get a clearer picture. But he was also realizing that the problems that led to the events of that night ran deeper than he expected. And had probably been festering for a long time.

"Every selfish and stupid mistake I made as Axel… Lying, manipulating, letting one friend slip away while hurting the others by trying to keep them in the worst possible ways… Hurting everyone… So many times…" Lea took a shuddering breath, eyes pressed closed. "And because I was selfish, I lost everything. I lost all of you. One way or another, I lost all of you because I failed. I was selfish and failed you. And I can't… I can't be selfish because… Because I can't lose any of you again. Not again."

There were tears on his face. And Lea's voice was low and rough. Whatever he'd been using to hold himself together for the last several months was clearly crumbling apart. Breaking under the pressure.

"If I make a stupid, selfish mistake… If I don't keep everyone all right… If I fail… If I mess up this second chance, I'll lose everything again. You'll be gone because of me. And I… I can't bear it… Not again. Not again."

Ignoring his burned hands, Isa pulled Lea away from the corner and into a hug. Holding his friend close. It was as easy as when he used to do it when they were both small and Lea ended up in tears. Roxas and Xion scurried over to join in, wrapping their arms around Lea. Trapping him in the group embrace.

"I'm sorry we disappeared," said Roxas. "We didn't want to leave you. It wasn't your fault."

"Lea." Isa kept his voice gentle, yet firm. "You can talk to us. You can talk to me. You can ask for help. You don't have to be responsible for everyone. Not at the expense of yourself like this."

Because that was what Lea had been doing. Isa could see that now. Not just raising and supporting Roxas and Xion on his own, but reaching out to everyone. He was there for Isa whenever he needed support from his friend, night or day. Promising to come whenever Isa asked for help or needed to reassure himself after a nightmare. And he tried to do the same for everyone else. Making the same offer to Kairi, to Ventus, to Naminé, and even to Aqua. Volunteering to be their emotional support and to be there for them. Offering to carry the weight of everyone's various traumas. Ready to give them pieces of himself to each one until there was nothing left.

But while he was prepared to serve as the metaphorical rock to support and steady all of their friends all by himself, Lea never asked for help. He tried to carry it all alone. Trying to bear the weight of it on his own.

No wonder it ended in disaster.

Lea managed to hold himself together for a moment longer. Then his control slipped and he collapsed against Isa, hands grabbing at the loose shirt that Isa wore when he slept over. The tired and exhausted sobs were silent, but they shook Lea's body. Which only made his friends tighten their embrace. Holding him close as if they would never let go. And Isa suspected that the children might be in tears as well. It had been a long and stressful night for all of them.

"You went through a lot," said Xion slowly. "No one would ever deny that. Sometimes that means you aren't fine. And that's all right. There's nothing wrong if you have some problems after everything. It just means that you might need a little support."

"I get it." Roxas spoke just as carefully as she did. "You need to be the strong one for the others. You can't have any weaknesses or vulnerabilities because you need to be there to support your friends, right? But sometimes you need help too. Sometimes you might need support as well. Otherwise, you won't be in any shape to take care of us."

For some reason, Lea gave a very weak laugh. Almost as if he recognized the words.

"You don't have to be perfect," added Xion shakily. "And you don't have to do everything by yourself. We just need you to be all right."

Isa lost track of how long that they stood there. But eventually Lea started to relax in the group hug. His grip loosened until it felt more like he was returning the hug instead of clinging desperately to avoid being washed away by overwhelming emotions. His breathing evened out as he calmed down. Simply letting himself enjoy being surrounded by the others.

"I'm sorry I got mad," mumbled Roxas.

Pulling away enough to turn and ruffle the boy's hair, Lea said, "Can't blame you. I didn't mean to keep secrets again. It just sort of happened." He was calmed down, but still subdue and probably exhausted by everything. "I… I might not be fine."

"We can try working out the details moving forward and what needs to change sometime in the morning," said Isa. "But let's start with just the basics tonight. How long have you been having nightmares?"

Not meeting his eyes, he said, "A while. They weren't that bad at the start. Just every now and then. And I was busy enough not to worry about it much. But they've been happening more often lately and they're worse now."

That answer didn't seem to comfort the kids much. Xion reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze, trying to comfort Lea.

"Is there anything that we can do to help?" she asked. "Something to help with your nightmares?"

Lea hesitated a moment. Then he swallowed hard and closed his eyes.

"Could… Could you," he asked, the admission made reluctantly, "stay… with me? I… I sleep better that way. When you're here… and I know you're safe."

Smiling, Roxas asked, "Slumber party? I think we can manage that."

Lea didn't know what he felt as he watched his friends pull the bed back together, putting on the sheets and straightening the blankets. Uncomfortable that so many things that he'd tried to hide was now exposed? Relieved that so many things that he'd tried to hide was now exposed? Both? He couldn't tell. Between the nightmares and the confession, he felt emotionally drained and exhausted.

But the panic attack had passed, the pressure in his chest had loosened, and the shaking had stopped. The stinging from his minor burns had lessened because they forced him to use a potion, though he also managed to get Isa to use a couple of them too. And his heart seemed a little lighter; he hadn't realized how much it had been weighing him down until that point.

He didn't know how he felt, but mostly Lea would have to say that he felt better. Tired, but better.

"This should be a sufficient number of pillows for everyone," said Isa, returning to the bedroom and dropping two more pillows on the bed. "Lea, do you want to get rid of your ruined shirt? I don't think we can salvage it."

Lea nodded wearily. It was barely worth calling it a shirt, scorched and burned through in places until it was better to describe it as a collection of tattered strips of fabric that barely connected and just so happened to drape on him. And there was no need to smudge soot and ash onto the clean bedding. It would be better to take it off and use the bathrobe as makeshift pajamas with the intact shorts he was already wearing. Then he could try sleeping some more.

Sleep would do him some good. And with the half-pints there, he should be able to rest. No more nightmares. At least for now.

"Could you grab my bathrobe from the wardrobe?" he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Trying not to wince at the motion as it made his minor burns sting despite the potion, Lea pulled the ruined t-shirt up and over his head. He was about to let the scorched fabric drop to the floor, but a sudden gasp made him freeze. Freeze and realize what he'd done.

Lea reluctantly looked up at them. All three were staring at his bare chest with varying levels of horror, worry, and guilt. Staring at the scars that he normally kept hidden. Roxas and Xion's eyes briefly landed on the starburst burn scar near his sternum and the thin lines on the upper left part of his chest. From his final attack in Betwixt and Between and from where Larxene's knives nearly killed him. But eventually their eyes moved down to join Isa staring at the thick, ragged, and long scar that wrapped around his right side at the bottom of his ribcage, cutting about a hand's length into him. The one that none of them knew about or expected to see.

He especially didn't like Isa's expression. The slowly dawning realization. It made something in Lea's stomach squirm. And when he tried to lunge for the bathrobe in Isa's hand in order to hide everything away again, his friend pulled it away.

"What happened?" asked Roxas.

Not wanting to talk about it and trying to delay things a little longer, Lea said, "Well, some of them came from Larxene. And then when I burned myself out as Axel…"

"And that one?" asked Xion, pointing towards the thick and ugly scar that he was trying to avoid.

Trying and failing again to snatch the bathrobe, Lea said, "Just an old scar from a fight. Nothing to worry about."

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to reassure them. Not after how much he'd hidden from them lately. When it came to his own well-being, they clearly weren't going accept his claims to be fine without further proof. He'd scared them too badly.

Stupid nightmare. Lea might be willing to admit that he wasn't quite fine, but letting everyone else know that had certainly complicated things.

Though, after it really started to sink in what exactly happened during that last nightmare, it was a little scary for him as well. They were right. He couldn't continue the way that he had been going.

"And that fight," said Isa unsteadily, his tone making it clear that he already suspected the answer, "when was it? Who were you fighting?"

"It doesn't matter," he said without hesitation.

"It does, Lea. Answer the question."

Staring down at the clean sheets and blankets, Lea said reluctantly, "It was back when I kidnapped Kairi and then Organization XIII took her. I tried to get her back. It went badly. I was hurt in the fight, but managed to retreat to Betwixt and Between. You know what happened after that."

"I'm the one that prevented you from retrieving Kairi. I fought you. I did that," he said quietly. "I didn't remember. Not what I did to you."

"What?" asked Roxas sharply.

Keeping his voice firm, Lea said, "That wasn't really you, Isa. Xemnas had his claws in you and you were in your Berserk Form. We both know that you aren't yourself when you fight like that. I shouldn't have turned my back on you when you were in that state. I should have made certain that it was safe. That was my mistake. I knew better. And you wouldn't hurt me normally. I don't blame you. Never did." He gave Roxas and Xion a quick look. "And I don't want you two blaming him either."

"But I could have killed you," said Isa shakily. His eyes refused to leave the large scar, undoubtedly thinking about how deeply the claymore must have buried itself into his friend's body. "That should have killed you. How did it not… Was I the reason you faded?"

"No." Lea surged back to his feet, grabbed the bathrobe, and yanked away as he glared down his oldest friend. "I survived that fight. You landed a pretty bad hit, but that wasn't what destroyed me. I destroyed myself by putting my entire non-existent being into a powerful attack when I didn't have the strength to pull it off. That's it. You had nothing to do with it, Isa. Got it memorized?"

None of them looked entire convinced. But Lea didn't have the energy to argue further. It would have to wait until morning when he was hopefully less emotionally drained. Assuming that he didn't sleep the entire day away. He was exhausted.

Pulling on the bathrobe, Lea said, "I think we've had enough uncomfortable reveals for one evening."

"Right," said Isa quietly, subdue even for him. Gesturing towards the bed, he said, "You need your rest."

Lea settled back into the middle of his large bed. The open window had cooled the room off while clearing out most of the burnt and smoky scents, which helped more than he could describe. Roxas and Xion crawled in next to him on either side. Lea pulled the blankets over them. He could feel the tension melting out of him as they buried themselves into the spaces against his sides.

Safe. Alive. Real.

Everything was all right.

Sitting on the bed and leaning back against the headboard, Isa said slowly, "I doubt that anyone is going to be in any condition to go to school tomorrow, but one day off won't hurt anything. Do you think your boss will let you miss a day of work, Lea?"

He stiffened briefly. Oh, right. Another secret. Another issue that his friends wouldn't be happy about. And another discussion that he didn't have the energy for that night. Isa was being practical and sensible like always, trying to work out the logistics, but it was approaching another conversation that no one was going to enjoy. Maybe Lea could delay it for at least a little longer.

"It should be fine," he said evasively.

Eyes narrowing, Isa asked, "Where do you work? I don't believe you've ever said."

"I don't know either," said Xion, rubbing at her eyes drowsily. 'Did you tell us and I forget?"

"Ax— Lea?" asked Roxas.

"You can still call me 'Axel' if you want. It's fine. I'm calmed down now," he said.

Not accepting the distraction, Isa said, "You haven't answered my question."

Wishing that he could burrow into the pillow under him and disappear, Lea mumbled, "Don't have a boss. Sort of… self-employed?"

"Lea," he said sternly, "what exactly have you been doing for munny?"

And there went any chance at avoiding the topic. Lea cringed into the bed, trapped under Isa's firm gaze. His friends were not going to be happy with him. Not as mad as the "hiding his nightmares and then almost burning himself to death while asleep" situation, but definitely not happy. But he couldn't lie. And he couldn't' keep any more secrets from them.

"I've… been fighting Heartless. For munny," he admitted quietly. "That's about the only thing I'm good at. Fighting and destroying something. Takes a while, but I head off world all day and try to collect everything possible. Not that different from the old missions. Some days I make more munny than other depending on what I fight. But I've been managing so far."

"You've been going off world and fighting Heartless alone?" asked Roxas, sitting back up again. "What if you got hurt? We wouldn't know where you were or how to find you."

"We wouldn't be able to come get you if that happened," added Xion.

"It was fine. I've been taking care of myself for longer than you two have existed."

Isa took a deep breath and pressed his eyes shut, visibly struggling not to say something. Forcing himself to keep silent Then he breathed out slowly and shook his head.

"We will add that to the list of future topics to discuss further," said Isa wearily. "Needless to say, there will be some changes around here. For now, I recommend getting some rest. It's been a stressful enough evening already."

Everyone except Isa settled back into bed, trying to get cozy and relaxed. He remained sitting up against the headboard. He tucked a pillow behind him to make it more comfortable and let one hand rest on Lea's shoulder, but Isa was acting more like he intended to keep watch rather than get any sleep. Lea would have tried convincing his friend to rest, but he could recognize a losing battle when he saw it. And having all of them close, having undeniable proof that they were safe and with him, was as irresistible as the familiar lullaby that Isa's mother used to hum. Lea's eyes were too heavy to keep open. It didn't take him long to succumb to sleep.

Isa was used to going without much sleep, though it was mostly on the nights of full moons. And when the moon was less distracting, it gave him time to think. And he currently had plenty to contemplate as he sat there, keeping watch as Lea and the children slept.

The obvious anxiety that Lea had been hiding… The amount of pressure that he had been putting on himself… The guilt and self-loathing that must have fueled his nightmare in order to turn his Fire magic against himself… The scars that Isa caused Lea during the middle of his Berserk Form… Lea believing that the only thing he was good at was fighting… Lea throwing himself into countless fights against Heartless in order to keep a roof over their heads…

How could they have missed all the signs? How could no one have seen that something was wrong? That it had been building and building until it reached an ignition point? Lea tried so hard to save everyone else, but no one had saved him from drowning under the weight of it all. He'd been trying to handle it alone and failed.

They wouldn't let Lea continue like that. Not alone.

Isa would have to make some plans on how to keep this from happening again. Steps that they could take to help Lea and watch out for him. Isa could work out the details while they slept.

Though he had an idea for the munny issue. Isa knew how much munny that a Heartless could provide and it wasn't nearly enough to cover rent and the various necessities for three people. Not without exhausting him and running far too many risks. Lea needed a steady and safe source of income. And Isa knew how to get him that munny. It would only require a short phone call.

Fighting the urge to tighten his grip of Lea's shoulder despite the remaining pain from his healing burns, Isa watched his oldest friend sleep with Roxas and Xion wrapped around Lea like he was an oversized teddy bear. Lea helped them build new lives after the Keyblade War. It was time to repay the favor.

And so all the major secrets have been dragged into the open and Lea's friends know what he's been hiding from them. Which is what he needs in order to get help. Because what he's been doing prior to this was clearly not working. It was just turning his emotional and mental well-being into a pressure cooker. But not anymore! Time to start helping Lea.