Absolutely loved everyone's reaction to that last chapter. I was looking forward to it for so long and I was hoping that it would turn out great. Looks like it is Lea's turn to have people trying to take care of him for a change.

Just as Twilight Town didn't have a true night, their mornings weren't actual mornings. It was merely a brighter form of twilight. But golden sunlight was creeping through the window when Roxas felt the mattress shift. The arm slung over Lea tightened instinctively as he blinked his eyes open. But it wasn't Lea. He was still asleep. Instead, it was apparently Isa trying to ease off the edge of the bed after spending the evening sitting there.

When Isa noticed that Roxas was awake, he said quietly, "I will return shortly. We need supplies to fix the damage to the wall. And the ceiling. The landlady might complain about the scorch marks."

A quick glance towards the corner made Roxas grimace. The yellow walls now had a black patch with soot smeared around it. Impossible to miss in the daylight. And impossible to pretend that what happened the previous evening didn't actually happen.

"Please keep an eye on him until I return," he continued softly. "And let him rest for as long as he will. It might do him some good."

Roxas managed a small nod of acknowledgement. He didn't want to risk making a sound. But Isa seemed fine with that.

When Isa's hand left Lea's shoulder as he stood up, Lea frowned briefly and stirred as if he was on the verge of waking up. But Xion moaned quietly and snuggled closer to him. Which seemed to settle him back down, letting Lea's breathing even back out as his head shifted against the pillow. Isa took the opportunity to silently slip out of the room.

Which left Roxas alone with his thoughts. And all of them focused on recent events.

Nothing that had happened the previous evening had been good. Not finding Lea trapped in a nightmare as he tried to burn himself out, engulfed in his own flames. Not Xion getting accidentally burned when she reached for him, though they healed it when they'd left the room briefly. And not when Lea spilled out so much pain, guilt, regret, and self-doubt that none of them expected from him.

It reminded Roxas far too much of what they'd overheard while exploring the secret passages of the Land of Departure. What Lea had told Aqua while encouraging her to take care of herself. Roxas and Xion repeated it to Lea in the aftermath of his nightmare, but he didn't understand why Lea didn't follow his own advice already. Why was it so hard to let himself be helped? Why did he have to keep everything a secret?

Roxas tried to ignore the unpleasant twinge in his chest. He knew that Lea didn't mean to keep all of those secrets and that it wasn't like before. But it still reminded him too much of how everyone kept hiding things from him in the Organization. And those secrets tore them apart, leaving Roxas alone and unable to trust anyone. He didn't want to go back to that. Roxas hated secrets, especially when they concerned the well-being of his friends.

But that wasn't the important part. What mattered was what they did moving forward now that they knew what was going on with Lea. And who they would need to help him.

It was a lot. Everything that Lea had been hiding that was wrong turned out to be a lot. All that worry, fear, and stress that he'd kept bundled away. Going of world to earn munny without telling anyone. The scars of old wounds, both known and unknown.

He scowled darkly. Roxas didn't like the reminder of how many times that his friend was badly hurt. But he especially didn't like finding out that Saïx nearly killed their best friend. And maybe part of Roxas wanted to take a Keyblade to his head, but Isa wasn't the same as Saïx. He'd shown how much he'd changed and worked hard to be better. Roxas didn't want to go back to hating him.

Besides, Roxas had his own history of hurting his friends without meaning to or wanting to. When he attacked Xion when she was disguised as a Heartless by an illusion, the two of them barely stopping in time. And when the two of them fought at the clocktower. If Xion didn't blame Roxas for what happened that day, leaving her gone and forgotten, it was probably wrong to hold a grudge against Isa.

That didn't mean that he would be forgetting about it.

Suddenly rubbing at her eyes, Xion mumbled, "Roxas?"

"Shh…" He glanced at her on the other side of Lea. "Let him sleep a little longer."

"Mh-hm…"

She shifted slightly until her head was resting on Lea's chest instead of the pillow. Xion smiled drowsily, probably enjoying the warmth radiating off him. Lea always felt warm.

Except for the one time that he didn't feel warm. When Lea nearly died from Larxene's knives, when Roxas and Xion went to see him in the aftermath and he was lying in a bed while wrapped in gauze and bandages. He'd felt too cool and clammy then. Roxas never wanted to see Lea like that again.

Nor did he or anyone else want to ever see Lea wreathed in flames that were directed inwardly like the previous evening again.

It would take time to fix everything. Isa might have his plans, but Roxas had a few ideas of his own. Mostly along the lines of making sure that someone was always around to keep an eye on Lea. And lots of slumber parties in the future. If knowing where his friends were made Lea feel better, then Roxas would try to help him with that.

The walk to the hardware store gave him a chance to clear his head. Moving gave him something to focus on instead of his thoughts, his worries, and his guilt. Isa needed that. But he stopped partway there, leaning back against one of the brick buildings as he dug out his Gummiphone.

As important as it might be to fix the bedroom, there were a few things that should take priority.

It took a few moments, but Master Ansem's face filled the screen. A confused frown greeted Isa. Most of his communications with the people of Radiant Garden since he'd left were with the man's apprentices. Not that Isa was purposefully avoiding Master Ansem or that the older man was avoiding Isa instead. It was merely how it worked out. Master Ansem certainly wouldn't be expecting a call from him this early in the day.

"Good morning, Isa," he said. "Is there something that I can help you with?"

"I hope so."

"Did something happen at the mansion?"

"No, things are progressing well on repairs, renovations, and research. Though I need to talk about Lea."

"What about him?" asked Master Ansem with a slight frown.

Taking a deep breath to preemptively calm down, because he knew going over it would be upsetting, Isa said, "After over a decade as a Nobody and not finishing school, apparently his career options are limited. He's been trying to pay rent, buy groceries, and run a household for himself and two teenagers using what he could collect fighting Heartless. That is not sustainable. And since you never officially fired either of us from the role of your apprentices, perhaps Lea could assist me in the renovations and repairs. If you would be willing to provide him with a similar stipend to what you provide me."

This was Isa asking nicely. Because this would be the simplest solution. It would provide a safe and stable source of income and would make certain that Isa could keep a close eye on Lea. He could keep watch over his friend during the day while Roxas and Xion could stay close at night. It was the ideal way to handle things.

If Master Ansem refused the nice version of the request, then Isa would have to move to the next strategy. He had several possibilities. Logical and rational reasoning. Invoking guilt over past mistakes. Maybe threatening the man with his claymore if he ran out of options and Master Ansem turned out to be stubborn.

"Lea has been without a reliable method source of income this entire time while taking care of Roxas and Xion on his own?" asked Master Ansem slowly. He reached up and dragged a hand down his face tiredly. "You're right. I took both of you on as my apprentices and I failed in my responsibilities towards you. In more ways than I can count. But I can meet that responsibility now. Give me a little time to make arrangements. Lea will start receiving stipend to provide the essential requirements and support that the young Keybearers in his care require. Along with payment for any work that he might do for us."

Breathing a quiet sigh of relief, Isa said, "Thank you."

"It is the least that I can do to help. And to make up for my mistakes towards the two of you and the children. I don't delude myself into believing that it repairs all the harm that I caused, but it is a start. And please keep me informed if there is anything else that I can do to help."

The call ended after that, a heavy weight feeling like it had been lifted from his shoulders. At least one problem had been dealt with. There were plenty of other issues to sort out.

Including the twisting and writhing guilt in his gut that Isa couldn't quite ignore. Because no matter how Lea might claim not to blame him and he might argue that it wasn't really Isa's fault what happened in his Berserk Form, that didn't erase the thick and ugly scar that cut deep into Lea's body. Or the damage that it must have caused.

But even if that guilt refused to be smothered, at least one worry was dealt with. At least one item was ticked off the list of problems to solve.

Next on that list of tasks to accomplish was to finish gathering materials to fix Lea's bedroom.

Lea couldn't begin to describe how much a truly restful sleep seemed to help. It had been far longer than he wanted to admit since he'd managed some proper sleep. He'd barely realized how utterly rundown that he'd been recently, the exhaustion ground deep into his very bones. It was only after some of that weariness was brushed back that Lea could truly comprehend the sheer extent of it.

He slept long after the sky turned gold and he should have been up. And he didn't want to get up. Lea felt perfectly content to stay there with a couple of half-pints. But unfortunately, he knew that he couldn't put it off forever.

Too much had been exposed to sweep it under the rug. And they would have to discuss it.

Lea waited until he heard Isa moving around the kitchen and he could smell breakfast. And the moment that he sat up, Roxas and Xion popped up on either side of him. They watched him closely as he scratched the back of his head and rolled of the bed. Then he managed to chase them off long enough to get dressed.

They were waiting outside the door for him afterwards though.

Blueberry pancakes were already on the table when they made it out there. Isa's mother used to have a great recipe for pancakes, though she liked to use a variety of different berries and fruit depending on her mood and what was in season. Of course the careful and meticulous Isa learned how to replicate it. Lea knew they would be delicious. But the breakfast would come with a lecture and more guilt. That lessened his enthusiasm for the meal slightly.

As soon as everyone was seated, Isa said, "Let's start with the basics. For now on, we do not hide it when someone is having nightmares. Because keeping quiet to avoid worrying everyone clearly doesn't work."

"You're supposed to get someone when you have a nightmare anyway," reminded Xion. "That's the rule. There aren't supposed to be exceptions, Axel."

"Sorry," he muttered, poking at his pancake with his fork.

Shaking his head, Isa said, "As long as you don't do it again, I believe we'll forgive you. But no more hiding your nightmares. Or anything else that's hurting you."

"And me and Xion are staying in your room," said Roxas firmly, glaring at Lea to make it clear that there would be no arguing.

Lea smiled faintly. He still wasn't comfortable with everything being dragged out into the open and having everyone know exactly how badly he'd messed up. But they seemed determined to take care of him. And that was a little heartwarming. Not to mention that he was rather looking forward to being able to sleep through the night. Keeping them close and knowing that they were safe helped.

"You might need to choose a different bedroom for a while," said Isa, gesturing towards a few pieces of drywall and cans stashed next to the front door. "I don't know how much damage there is under the soot and scorch marks, but your room needs a few coats of paint at a minimum."

"We'll need to open a window when we paint." Lea shrugged briefly. "The fumes can mess with you more than you'd expect." Scratching the back of his head, he added, "And yeah, I'm sorry about the damage."

Shoving his shoulder, Xion said, "No apologizing for nightmares, Axel. That's one of the rules, remember?"

"And that includes for the damage that the nightmare caused," added Roxas. "But you can apologize about keeping secrets from us and not letting us help take care of you."

He did feel guilty about that and how it unfolded. Lea tried to keep them from worrying and only ended up worrying them even more. Maybe it would have been easier to bring up some of his issues a little sooner. To avoid the dramatics of the night before. It wouldn't be easy for him either way, but maybe it would have been simpler for the others. Or at least less stressful.

Offering the syrup, Isa said, "And because fighting Heartless is not the best or safest way to make munny, I think it might be best for you to assist me at the mansion instead. I'm certain that Master Ansem will be willing to pay for your help the same way that he does me."

"You've already talked to him, haven't you?" he asked suspiciously.

"After everything that happened," said Isa, "it is certainly not too much to ask that he help his former apprentice. Consider it compensation for his past mistakes if you like."

He chuckled quietly. It was probably the least that the man could do. Considering how much guilt that he carried around for what happened to his apprentices and his behavior as DiZ, Lea had to admit that it was surprising that Master Ansem wasn't already throwing munny at them.

Thinking for a moment, Lea said, "Wait, you're going to make me sort through paperwork and stuff, aren't you? I'm going to be bored out of my mind."

"If the other option is last night's excitement, I think we could use some boredom," said Isa.

Xion climbed up to the roof, biting her bottom lip as she went up. Everyone else was currently working on fixing Lea's room. And she'd been helping for a while. She was simply taking a short break from the task. She'd claimed that the reason was that she needed to water her plants. Which was true. But she also needed a moment alone. There was something else that she needed to take care of.

She watered her rooftop garden and looked over a few new flowers. Then Xion tucked herself among the greenery, slightly hidden from sight. Giving her a little privacy in case someone came looking for her.

Xion pulled out her Gummiphone. A few rings later and Aqua's face appeared.

"Oh. Xion?" she asked, blinking in surprise. "Is everything all right?"

Not an unexpected question. They weren't the closest of friends yet. They didn't usually call each other and they'd just seen Aqua and the others the day before.

And to be honest, things weren't all right. They hadn't been all right since Roxas woke her up last night and they checked on Lea. Actually, things hadn't been all right for even longer. Lea had just been hiding it before then.

Xion hated that none of them realized it before. Maybe she and Roxas noticed that something was off with him, but not enough to know for certain. And even his peptalk to Aqua wasn't enough to figure it out before everything fell apart. Why didn't any of them put together the clues sooner?

But she couldn't change the past. All she could do was try to prevent it from happening again. Which was why Xion was calling.

"I was hoping that you could do me a favor," she said.

Smiling encouragingly, Aqua said, "Of course. What can I do for you?"

"Can you teach me Water magic? Sora learned it after Roxas and I came into existence, so we didn't learn those spells from him the same way that we did the others. Even being back in his heart for a while wasn't enough. Well… Roxas was 'back' in his heart. It was my first time there, even if I came from his memories."

Aqua's expression briefly flickered. The smallest frown of confusion. As if needing a moment to remember Xion's unique situation and origins. As if Aqua barely remembered that she, Kiru, Naminé, and Roxas weren't normal people. It was nice to imagine that someone could know all of the truth and still forget that Xion wasn't like everyone else.

"I would be happy to teach you Water magic. Or any other spells that you want," she said.

The only spells that Xion needed to learn would be Water magic. Because she'd felt helpless last night. Fire wrapping around Lea, trying to consume him as the nightmare trapped him. One of her best friends had been in danger and there had been nothing that she could do to stop it. Even trying to help had only gotten her burned. She never wanted to feel that helpless again.

Lea specialized in Fire magic. It came to him naturally and she had never seen him use any other form of magic. If something else ever happened, it would probably involve fire. And the best way to protect him would be to learn how to cast Water.

"Would you be more comfortable coming to Radiant Garden for the lessons on Water magic," asked Aqua, "or would you prefer for me to come to Twilight Town?"

"Could you come here?"

While Xion could easily travel between worlds through dark corridors, she didn't think it was a good idea to leave Twilight Town for now. She didn't want to worry Lea. If he was more comfortable with everyone piled together in the same bed at night, letting him keep an eye on his friends and know that they were safe, then she would try to stay close. At least for a while.

"Then let me know when you would like me to come over. We're still trying to help find Sora, but there is time in the day to do both," said Aqua.

Nodding, Xion said, "It might take me a few days to figure out a good time. But we could train in the woods outside of town. Sometimes Heartless still lurk there. They should be good to practice on."

"I look forward to it."

"Do you still get anxious when you're away from them?" asked Isa softly, nodding towards the two sleeping figures nestled around them on the couch.

Lea stiffened slightly at the question. Not enough to disturb Roxas and Xion though. But then again, they'd had a stressful night and they were bound to doze off the moment they all decided to take a break while the fresh paint dried. The four of them settling on the couch with some cartoons. Low stress and relaxing. Lea could almost pretend everything was normal. At least until Isa started asking questions again.

He knew that there would be more questions. He knew that he'd given all of them plenty of reason to worry and wonder. And Lea knew that he should be honest. Hiding things clearly always made it worse. Lea could agree with that. But it didn't mean it was easy for him.

Vulnerability was not something that was safe to admit. Not when he was in Organization XIII and certainly not when he was their assassin. Vulnerability was a lot like weakness. And weakness in those circumstances was dangerous.

A decade of habits was hard to break. It was why he had so much trouble not keeping secrets even when he promised.

Not to mention that overwhelming urge to keep everyone from worrying about him. That was another reason to keep quiet. At least, it was before it became clear that he was only worrying them worse.

Lea knew that he should answer honestly. But his first impulse was to deflect.

"What would give you that idea, Isa?"

"When Roxas and Xion were late getting home that one time and you could not contact them with the Gummiphone, you were… extremely distressed," said Isa carefully. "At first, I assumed that it was a one-time event. But after everything that has occurred recently, I am reconsidering that assumption. You've proven that you can hide your problems quite well. It may simply be the only time that you let that mask slip."

Breathing out slowly, he admitted, "It's not as bad as it used to be. There maybe have been… panic attacks… when they were out of sight. At least at the beginning. I guess part of me was… afraid that they would disappear again the second that I take my eyes off of them."

Another painful admission. Hearing it out loud made that fear sound so childish and dumb. Like a small child frightened of monsters lurking under the bed.

But there were monsters that dwelled in the dark. And there was always a chance that something would happen to drag them back into Sora's heart. Though Lea would resist it with every fiber of his being. He wouldn't let that nightmare come to pass.

"An understandable fear after everything that's happened," said Isa gently. "You lost them once and I know how far that you had to go to get them back."

"I would have gone just as far if… It was different with you, Isa. You were with Xemnas or under Xehanort's control, but you were still there. I knew you were there and that I could get you back. I… I hoped that I could get Roxas and Xion back, but I didn't know. I didn't know if it was possible. But if it had been you that disappeared where I couldn't reach you, where you might be gone forever, I would have gone just as far to bring you back."

"I know, Lea," he said. "I believe you." Smiling faintly, Isa added, "I am not jealous that you worry about them. I have been working on that and I rarely have that problem now. And when I do, I'm better at recognizing what's happening."

Xion shifted slightly, not quite waking up. The television had switched from cartoons to a black-and-white movie at some point during the conversation. Roxas had drifted off first and Xion took a little longer. They looked so peaceful. But Lea would need to interrupt their nap soon or else they wouldn't be able to sleep once the sun set.

For the moment, however, he just reached over to brush back her hair. Xion's hair might be shorter than Kairi or Naminé's, but a few strands could still manage to end up in her face. Lea moved them out of the way. He didn't mind letting her drowse a little longer.

"It is getting easier," said Lea quietly. "Letting them out of my sight. Most of the time, at least. As long as I know where they are and when they'll be back. I still have nightmares about losing them, but I don't panic when they aren't with me and I don't have to try so hard to keep myself distracted."

"You know they would stay with you if you asked them, right?"

"They have school, Isa. They have friends. And you know how independent they are. Roxas and Xion were running around on missions on their own for ages. I can't smother them now."

"Then I suppose we shall need some form of compromise. We'll work on something where you aren't as stressed out and they can still maintain their freedom," said Isa. Standing back up slowly, he said, "In the meantime, I should apply the second coat of paint in your room."

"Do you want some help?"

Shaking his head, he said, "I can handle it. Besides, you would disturb the children if you move."

"Not to mention that you get to start your exciting new job, helping me over at the Old Mansion. Lots of renovations and going through old files."

Grimacing, Lea complained, "Ugh."

"Don't be like that."

"I warned you. I'll die of boredom, Isa."

"You will not. You're too skilled at surviving."

"Not a single hint of sympathy from my oldest friend. That's just cruel."

In the driest voice possible, Isa said, "Yes, because paperwork is the pinnacle of cruelty. Everyone knows that."

Pizza for dinner simplifies things. No cooking. Minimum clean up. Roxas went out to pick the food up, but he also took a short detour to grab a few surprises.

It wasn't the same as sitting up on the clocktower. But the four of them sitting on the roof with ice cream, enjoying both Xion's garden and the view of the neighborhood, was pretty nice. The sunset looked different from that angle, but they still ended up watching it. It was relaxing. Even with the differences, watching the sunset together was something familiar and comforting.

Roxas wasn't certain who made the decision for Isa to stay. It didn't even seem like an actual decision. Everyone seemed to just assume that he would be staying. Just like Roxas and Xion knew that they would be piling into the big bed with Lea again.

But there was a short and quiet conversation between the two on a different topic. One that ended with Roxas and Xion coming to a decision that would have seemed impossible a few months ago. Things had changed. Some of those changes happened slowly. Others happened instantly the moment that they asked Isa for help and the man didn't hesitate.

"Come on," said Roxas, grabbing Isa's arm as he automatically tried to head for the couch. "You're not sleeping sitting up again. Or scrunched up on the couch."

Letting the teenager pull him along, he asked, "And where are we going?"

It wasn't the frantic race down the hallway like the previous evening when Lea was trapped in the fiery nightmare. They moved at a calmer pace to the room at the end of the hall. The one next to the roof access that had been sitting unused since they first moved in. The blue bedroom that they'd always known the purpose for. Roxas almost shoved him through the door.

"Here," said Roxas. "It's yours."

Despite getting along better with Isa, Roxas didn't want to talk about why they were comfortable with letting the man stay there now. He didn't want to explain how Isa's help last night with Lea shifted the balance. He didn't want to talk about gratitude and trust. He didn't want that awkward conversation. It would be too uncomfortable for everyone involved. He just wanted to let Isa know that he was welcome and wanted there without needing to say the words.

"Good night," he continued quickly, heading back towards his room to change clothes before joining Xion and Lea.

That didn't prevent Roxas from overhearing Isa's bemused words. Or the wild cackling from Lea in his own room that followed.

"Why are there glow-in-the-dark stars in here?"

It might be a bit rough and awkward, but they are working on how to handle things moving forward. And it looks like someone is a bit more of an official member of the household now.

I'm glad that everyone seems to be enjoying this fic so much. I've really appreciated all the comments and support. This story and this series has been a lot of fun to work on and I hope it continues to be entertaining.