Disclaimer: After months of copyright battles, it was finally decided that I still have no monetary interest in KH. Ergo, I still don't own it.

A/N: My mother has a Facebook. My sister had a baby. My brother is getting married. My father retired. 358/2 days is coming out on the 31st. Wait, what? Oh, yeah, it's coming out, so much nicer than facts about my mundane life. Well, okay, the Japanese version is coming out in a few days, and the NA release isn't coming till September, but, hey, beggars can't be choosers. At least it's real. It's tangible.

I've also realized that I'm a terrible updater and a pretty bad friend in some cases. My life has been hectic and busy, and I think it's only now that I'm really learning that I need to just grow up.

Warnings: Uh... so, this is staying Teen, 'cuz I feel that you guys can handle what I put in here, but... just to warn you that there's something that might be considering pushing the boundaries. However, this is about the only time this'll happen in the fic. And it happened for a reason, and not just fanservice.

Dedication: To those 18 wonderful people that reviewed the last chapter. Wow, I never thought I'd ever get this many reviews so early in a story, and I really don't see what you guys like about this. But, either way, you all are wonderful guys and I love you all so much. Your words have really helped me through some hard times. Yes, I am one of these people that goes back and re-reads reviews that I recieved months ago because I'm that desperate.

Chapter Four: Oh, Such a Tangled Web We Weave

Axel

There's a buzzing near me, and while I want to get rid of it with everything in me, I just can't be fucked to move. So, I burrow down further into my sheets, and just let it continue, 'cause it's not really going to bother me enough to move.

I'm not thinking, obviously. Of course not.

"Axel, get your lazy ass out of that bed right now and turn off that infernal racket!"

Because even if I didn't make myself get up and turn it off, someone else would- make me, I mean.

I blink open an eye lazily, and, in my head only, of course, I curse my mother to every level of Purgatory. Damn bitch, waking me up like that.

I'm eighteen, for crying out loud! A senior! I should be allowed to make my own decisions.

I slam a button on my alarm clock, turning off that 'infernal racket' and my head crashes back onto my pillow.

I hate school.

"Axel, if you don't get out of bed and I don't hear the sounds of your humongous feet pattering around within the next two minutes, you can bet that you're not going to like what I do!"

Why? I whimper, shooting out of bed. No one should cross my mother. She's Satan when angry. I don't have to bet to know that I'm not going to like what she'd do if she had to come up and get me out of bed.

I stumble around my room, blearily choosing a jeans and top, and then down the stairs and out the door. So what if I could have stayed and had breakfast? I'd rather not face my mother. I'm not kidding when I say that she's scary.

I rake a hand through my hair, and then pull a piece of gum out of my pocket and start to chew on it. It's my secret towards having fresh breath. Okay, so it's not exactly secret, but we'll pretend, right?

As I walk to school, because I'll be damned if I take the bus, even though I don't have a car or a license, I turn my thoughts back to yesterday. It's a long walk and I've got a while to think about what happened.

First the talk with Demyx, who was obviously troubled about his difficulties in love, dealing with Zexion and all, and then that talk with the sophomore, Roxas. The first leaves me practically heart-broken, and this is not me being melodramatic. The second leaves me confused.

Demyx… well, really, what's not to like about him? He's a genuinely nice guy, and he's goofy in a way that's not irritating but rather endearing. And he's not completely stupid. But he's practically got 'Zexion's Property' stamped across his forehead, even though Zexion has no idea what he's got.

And, for all that I said to him yesterday that he should go after it, I honestly can't take the advice for myself. I can't hurt him. He likes Zexion, though I really have no idea why. I mean, really, Zexion's like a wet mop. He's boring. But, still, he likes Zexion, although it'll probably never go anywhere, so Demyx is officially off-limits. I suppose I should have tried something earlier.

Hind-sight's twenty-twenty, after all.

And then there's Roxas. Something about him is intriguing. His eyes yesterday… they were so big, and so angry. But if you looked beneath that, there was something there. Like maybe hurt, or sadness. And it's a little weird that I'm interested. I mean, he's a sophomore. He's too… blond. Too blue-eyed. Too small-statured. He's almost too girly to be a boy for my tastes. But at the same time, his eyes just seem to pull me in.

Perhaps I'll talk to him again today. Then again, perhaps he's not interested in guys. Or maybe he's not interested in me. I mean, he was pretty nasty yesterday; had that proverbial 'fuck-off' attitude.

Was that meant for me or for just anybody in general?

So, what do I do? I mean, the kid is pretty hot, and I'm obviously not going to get Demyx. So, do I just give up on Demyx and move to Roxas?

But… urrgggh, this is complete bullshit. Why the hell am I even thinking like this!? I can't just go from one guy to another. I'm not… some… some… oh, what's that word!? Slut, there we go!

I'm not a slut. I don't switch affections that quickly. So, therefore, I cannot give up on Demyx.

No, of course not. But… still, well… I mean, it's not as though Demyx gives two shits about me. But that doesn't mean that I have to move on so quickly! I can stay single. I've been single for a while. It won't hurt to stay single a little longer and nurse this aching heart of mine.

Of course, I ignore the little voice in the back of my head that says that my heart isn't aching as much I'd like to think it is.

That voice has never done me any good anyway. It's always lying.

"…Xel. Axel!"

"What!" I yell, irritated at the person who pulled me away from my contemplation.

"Now is that anyway to speak to me?" a contrite voice snapped back at me.

"Oh, Naminé," I said, looking over to the girl standing next to me. "I didn't know it was you."

Naminé rolled her large eyes at me, a small smile creeping across her face. She wasn't really mad at me. She never really got mad at anyone, though I'm sure that she might eventually, and that I'll probably want to be far away when it happens.

It's always the quiet ones, you know?

"What ch'ya doing, Nami?" I asked, turning towards her.

She slowly closed her eyes, cradled her notebook to her chest, and brought one finger up to her mouth.

"Not gonna tell me," I whined. "Well, that's not fair. I'll bet you're going to tell Reno, though."

"Perhaps I might. Perhaps I won't."

I scoffed. "Psh; you tell him everything," I said, waving a hand through her half-truths.

She shrugged, a small smile still on her face, and said, "Well, he is my boyfriend."

"And he never lets me forget it," I muttered to the side.

Naminé just kept the smile on her face. It used to be awkward that she was dating Reno. After all, he is my cousin and Naminé and I have been friends now for quite a long time. Now, though, even though I still wonder about her taste in men, I've accepted their relationship. He seems to treat her well, and that's all I need to know, for all that I don't really like him. But so help me, if he ever hurts her, I'll shoot him. Family bonds my ass.

"You're contemplating again, Axel. You know it's not a good look for you," Naminé said, interrupting my thoughts once more.

I pulled a face, and she smiled quietly. Naminé really wasn't the type to truly giggle. She was too calm for it.

"There's a reason you're contemplating, Axel. Wanna tell me about it?" she softly asked.

I looked ahead, uncomfortable. We were coming up on the school now- I could see the brick façade in the distance. How to tell her?

Naminé knew I was gay, but she didn't really know about Demyx, or Roxas, for that matter. Then again, nobody knew about Roxas. I didn't even really know about Roxas. Why was I even really thinking about Roxas? I met him for all of two minutes! Ugh, my mind is just going around in circles and I don't know what to do.

"Axel?" Naminé put her hand on my arm, the small fingers delicately wrapping around. Her eyes were inquisitive and slightly worried. I was never usually this silent.

I looked at her, a frown settling on my face.

Things really aren't supposed to be this complicated.

Zexion

I fully admit that my actions yesterday might have been a little out of line. I've never reacted so strongly to anything before. I don't even remember what exactly Demyx was talking about. Everything is just a hazy blur, unfortunately. Well, everything before yelling at him, throwing a book at him (I think it was an Encyclopedia Britannica), and storming out of the library.

Not only did we not get work on our project done, but I also made a complete mockery of myself, Demyx, and probably incited the ire of every librarian working during that shift.

How fortuitous.

I suppose there's nothing else for it but to apologize. After all, my actions were unjustified and not at all like me. I may hate people, but I'd rather avoid them than pick fights with them.

And, I must admit something else… Demyx's face as I left was horrible. He was crushed, I know. It's quite obvious of the crush he has for me, especially after the conversation I had endured with Tifa. I don't know why, though, since I haven't done anything to encourage him. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if those feelings were no longer there, after the stunt I pulled yesterday.

Nevertheless, I must apologize. My mother raised me correctly, and I doubt that she'd ever like me intentionally hurting anyone, especially someone like Demyx. And he just looked so hurt. In my defense, though, it wasn't as though I went to the meeting with him with the purpose of hurting him in my mind.

Now, all I have to do is wait for him to come to the library. Once he's here, I'll apologize, and then all of this will go back to normal. I'll be my old self, he'll be his old self, and nothing will be anything different. He'll still like me, I'll still resist, and- wait.

What did I just say?

Preposterous. I don't want him to like me. He's nothing but a nuisance. I do not like him. I do not want him to like me. I do not want him to be anywhere near me.

Yes, that's it. That's all it is. This is just me wanting normalcy, that's all.

I calm down, breathing through my nose and out my mouth. I pat my hair, smoothing the blue fringe over my eye, gulping quietly.

Disaster averted, thankfully.

Where is that boy? Demyx should be here by now, if his past record is anything to go by. So, I look around the library.

There're only a few people in here, and none of them have blond, Mullet/Mohawk styled hair, sea green eyes, and a tall build.

So, there is no Demyx to be found. There is that brunet over there with some guy with silver hair. They were here the other day, too. I've never seen them before, so why are they showing up so suddenly? It's only the beginning of the semester: there shouldn't be anyone here yet for anything school-related.

Not even Tifa is here. She's always here at this time, too, just to aggravate me more.

So, I guess I really do have to wait for Demyx to come. He is going to come, right? I don't know much about him, but he doesn't really seem the type to give up so easily.

He'll come. I'm sure of it. I need to apologize to him, after all.

So, I'll just wait.

As the minutes tick by, and the time for first period steadily creeps closer, I begin to doubt myself. Demyx wasn't coming. I exhale in frustration. The one day that I actually want him to be here, and he decides to not show up.

I suppose I have no choice but to wait for Mrs. Belle's class to see him.

I walked into Mrs. Belle's class, my eyes instantly searching for Demyx. I have to talk to him in the five minutes before class starts. I need to apologize, because, by now, I'm starting to really feel guilty.

I see him, sigh in relief, and make my way over toward him, hand tightening around the strap of my back pack. He hasn't seen me yet, since he's beside the window, looking out it, instead of in his regular seat by the back.

I come to a stop behind him, and my grip tightens further. Talking is not a specialty of mine, so this will be difficult.

"D-Demyx," I say, cursing the stutter. I don't stutter, I never stutter.

His head whips around, beautiful eyes widening in surprise. Wait, beautiful? Why would I think that? Yes, they're unusual, but beautiful? I must be sick or something.

"Zexion," he whispers, moving slightly back. There's a flicker of surprise and panic in his eyes, and I'm beginning to really think that I hurt him with my words the day before yesterday. I didn't know that I have such an effect on him.

I sit down in the seat beside him, keeping my eyes trained on his.

"Demyx, I wanted to… to…," curse me and my social awkwardness! Oh, look, he's starting to raise an eyebrow. This is not good, "to… apologize… for my behavior on Wednesday. It was… entirely uncalled for, and really is not… a normal activity of mine."

Demyx merely stared, surprise burgeoning further in his eyes. "You're… apologizing?" he asked.

Irritation is starting to set in. Yes, I apologized; hence why I said, "I wanted to apologize." Is there any other way that "I apologize," can be interpreted?

"Yes," I say. "I don't know why I did what I did. I just came over here to apologize to you, because, one, a book should not be used as a weapon- at least not physically-, two, you didn't deserve my ire, and three, because we weren't able to even begin work on our project, let alone finish it."

Demyx nodded, lips closed, eyes pensive. Then he smiled.

"Okay, Zexion, I accept your apology."

Oh, thank you, this torture is over! Thank you, thank you, thank you-

"On one condition."

Thank… What?

"What?" I splutter.

"What, did you think it would be that easy?" Demyx said, smirking slightly. Actually, yes, I did.

"Well, to be quite frank, this wasn't exactly that easy for me," I say.

Demyx shrugs. "Well, it's not over. I will accept your apology if… you go out with me."

"What?" Yes, this is me repeating myself. It seems to be happening more often lately. "As in… a date? I pick you up, we go to a restaurant and perhaps a movie, have civilized and fun conversation?"

Demyx nodded. "Pretty much, though our plans don't have to be that set in stone."

"But… I'm not a homosexual."

Demyx grinned. "We'll see. I've never seen you any more interested in girls than boys. So, either you're waiting for some reason, or you're not as hetero as you seem to think. I'm going to go with the latter, simply because that helps me more."

"But-."

"But nothing. Those are my terms. Take it or leave it."

I fumed. Why, that cheeky little…. He's backed me into a corner and he knows it! I'll bet he was never really hurt by what happened. This is just a way to get back at me. But I don't have much of a choice, do I?

"When and where?"

"I thought you might see things my way." He smiled, eyes twinkling. "How about we meet after school in the library and pick a place to go from there."

I sulked. "That's alright with me," I say, getting up and walking away. I don't need to sit next to him during class, and on that he can't make me!

"Oh, Zexion, why don't we sit together? It'd give us a chance to talk on our project," Demyx called out to my back. I could practically hear the grin in his voice.

I stop, and stand, thinking on it. Now, I don't want him to make me do anything- once was enough- but the project is important to me. Oh, he has me backed into another corner.

Is this how it's always going to be?

Ah, get those thoughts of out of your head right now, Zexion! You are not with him. He is not with you. It is one date, coerced out of you.

That's all.

I backtrack, and sit in the seat that I had just vacated, slipping my back pack on the ground and ignoring Demyx next to me. And yes, this is me sulking.

"I thought you'd see things my way. After all, you are a smart person," Demyx whispers into my ear.

I should not have attempted to apologize to this ingrate.

Interlude

His mouth sucked at a pressure point, open and wide, tongue flicking lightly at the pulse beneath his teeth. His hands were roaming down a broad chest, slick with sweat and rapidly rising up and down in ecstasy. His knees were clamped on either side of quivering legs, and this was just pure pleasure, he knew.

Axel lay beneath him, mouth open wide and eyes glazed in lust. He was putty in Roxas' hands, arms raised above him, clenching at the air, and his hair, and the bedpost, and the sheets, and anything else he could within his reach.

Roxas slowly moved down, laying open mouthed kisses anywhere his lips came in contact with, hands dragging down skin, nails lightly scouring the flesh.

"Ngh," Axel moaned, hands grasping for something, anything. "God, Roxas…."

Roxas chuckled lightly, loving how Axel was reacting. Oh, this was delightful. Axel was a quivering mass of jelly, practically, and it was all because of what Roxas was doing.

Roxas slowly moved down, laying a few kisses at Axel's wide hips, licking at a freckle that was peeking out of the top of his boxers.

"Roxas… s-s-stop te-he-easing me…." Axel groaned, hips arching up slightly, seeking gratification for the ache he could feel spreading all over his body.

Roxas grinned, hands coming down to the boxers and slowly pulling them down….

Roxas

It is a truth universally known that teenage boys have a sex drive the size of Texas… or larger. But even so, it doesn't mean that said teenage boys like waking up with a morning wood, and without enough time to actually take care of said problem before they have to go to school.

I woke up Friday morning, with a slight recollection of what exactly I had been dreaming about, and what my alarm clock had so rudely torn me away from, my body tangled up in sweat soaked sheets, and a huge problem between my thighs.

I groaned, shivers left-over from the wet dream running down my spine, and opened one of my eyes, looking for the time on my clock. I groan again, and fight my way out from the covers and pillows I was wrapped up in. Sora hadn't come in, for once, to wake me up, so I was a little bit later getting up than I usually am.

Ergo, I didn't have enough time to fix my problem the… natural… way. Blurgh, cold shower here I come.

There is only one really good thing about my shower. The water pressure is to die for… literally. Okay, well, not literally: there have been no reported cases of my water pressure via my shower causing any actual deaths.

Headaches are a completely different subject, on the other hand.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love my water pressure. It's great; better than having pressure that lets out water in a trickle. But sometimes, I think it's a little too much. If I don't get the spigot positioned at exactly the right angle, it'll come down so hard that it can, and will, give me a headache. Prior experience has taught me a lot.

But if there has been one thing I've learned through my experiences, it's that the water pressure is so hard, that no one can hear anything above the pounding water… including me… doing… you know.

When I'm done, both with relieving the pressure and washing, under ten minutes, I step out, sighing because I know that no one was able to hear me. This isn't exactly the kind of thing that you want anyone to hear, you know.

However, when I go downstairs, dressed in the usual, I find that my being worried about anyone hearing was unnecessary.

There was no one there.

I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering where the rest of my family was.

My mother was supposed to be at the refrigerator, digging out milk for cereal, talking to her employer. My father was supposed to be at the stove, attempting to make pancakes and failing, yet again, waiting for my mother to just hand him the milk and say, "Honey, I think you need to just eat cereal today." Sora was supposed to be at the kitchen table, inhaling his own bowl of instant goodness, jabbering away to the air, because it's not as though anyone in the kitchen actually really pays attention to what he's saying.

Instead, the stove is clean, no pancake batter drippings splattered across its surface. Mother wasn't at the refrigerator, and Sora wasn't at the table.

There was no smoke, no talking, no joking, no nothing.

"Where the fuck is everybody?" I wonder aloud. Silence just isn't my thing at home. There is no such thing as complete silence. Sora and Mom wouldn't allow it.

They're never not here. So where was everyone that they couldn't even tell me? I scan around the area, thinking that perhaps they were just hiding, waiting to jump out at me or something. Maybe I'm on Candid Camera or some shit like that. I wouldn't put it past Sora to do something like that.

In my scan, though, I did find that there was a note on the stainless steel door to our fridge: a note that wasn't there the night before. I scurry towards it, unnerved about the unnatural silence echoing throughout the big room. I rip the paper off the door, and scan its contents. Three different sets of handwriting fill the page, three different inks.

Sora was first, in a sparkly metallic gray that was a little hard to read, especially when coupled with his spastic handwriting.

'Rox, I gotta go to school early. I won't be the one waking you up. Yeah, yeah, I know, you're cheering on the inside. Finally, you'll say, I get to wake up at the time my alarm clock dictates! Yay! Well, anyway, I had to go early, so I'm not going to be there. Have fun with the 'rents. – Sora'

And he felt me the need to tell me this because…? Aw, I didn't know he cared so much.

'Roxas, remember how I told you last night that I had to leave for a business trip for the week and how you weren't paying any attention because that's just you? Well, anyway, I had to leave this morning, so you'll have to deal with cereal. Not that you… never have to deal with cereal, since it's physically impossible for me to actually cook pancakes. One of these days, though, all of you will see! I'll make them, and you will all be stunned! Your ever-trying dad'

Uh, no, I don't remember, Daddy-dearest. Was this during dinner, when it was so clear that I was drooling over thoughts of Axel, or during our nightly ritual of watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, when it was so clear that I was still drooling over thoughts of Axel? Hmm….

'Roxas, I hate to do this, but I also had to leave. I've got to take your father to the airport, and then I have to go to work. You know that project of mine that I've been calling Titanic simply because of how important and big it was? Yes, well, apparently there was a set-back and only I can fix it, according to my brain-dead boss. So, really, don't freak out when you see that no one is in the kitchen when you come down. We're not dead and we're not playing a trick on you. Love you, sweetie, don't forget to eat something, and go to school, okay? You're up anyway, might as well go. Matilda S. Kiran'

Only my mother would sign a note to her son using her full name. I roll my eyes. I wasn't panicking. I don't know where she'd get such blasphemous words from. And I wasn't thinking about skipping. Sora would know if I wasn't in school anyway.

I dropped the note on the counter next to the fridge, and then just looked around. I had about five minutes before I needed to get out. I sigh and then decided to just get a Nutri-bar. Easier to deal with than getting cereal.

But… why isn't Sora here? What was so important that he had to go to school so early? He doesn't even like school!

Something about this just seems so suspicious. What is Sora doing? And why do I feel like it's not going to end well for me?

As I leave my house, backpack on my back and skateboard in my hand, I ponder this fact. Am I just being overly paranoid? I mean, Sora wouldn't do anything that would… well, intentionally hurt me. Sure, he's the reason I broke my collar bone when I was three, since he's the reason I fell down the stairs, but hey, that was an accident. He didn't mean to push me. And, okay, he's the reason I fractured my wrist when I was eight, but that was only because he fell off the back of the balance beam, instead of off the side, like normal people, crashed into me, on the bean bag waiting to get up on the beam, and then… accidently pushed me off.

Okay, so, around him, I'm pretty accident-prone, but that doesn't mean he'd ever do anything intentionally.

So, I have no reason to be paranoid.

…Right.

Sora

Aha, he suspects nothing!

He'll never figure out what Riku and I are planning.

"That's because we don't know what we're planning," came a voice right next to me. Oops, did I say that out loud?

I turn around and smile at Riku, who's looking rather irritated today. Hmm…there's no hair out of place, so it can't be that… and his clothes aren't rumpled, so it's not that, either. What's got him in such a bad mood?

"Hey, Riku," I say, smiling brightly. "What's up with you?"

He smiled tautly, shaking his head. "Nothing's wrong, just not feeling too great today."

I nod, worried. That didn't sound all too truthful to me. Riku has been acting so strange lately; almost as though he doesn't want to be near me.

I may be somewhat oblivious, but I know when someone's hurting. Roxas and Riku are. That's part of the reason why I came up with this plan. It's not only to help Roxas, but also to scout out what's wrong with Riku. This just isn't natural for him.

"Well, alright then."

"Don't worry about it, Sora, I'm fine," Riku asserted again.

I smile, and reach out to pat him on the arm. "Anyway, actually, no, I don't have a specific plan… yet, but that's why we're meeting here."

This time, Riku nodded, and his body seemed to sag. "Do you know what getting up this early is doing to me? I need my beauty sleep," he whined.

Snickering, I say, "No matter how much beauty sleep you get, it's never gonna help."

He looked offended. And I just broke down, laughing. Riku offended is just such a funny look.

But, anyway, to get back to why we're here.

"So, Riku, on to the library?"

Riku rolled his eyes, but nodded anyway. "See, I knew you'd see things my way," I say, grinning and linking our arms together, pulling him onward.

He moves so slowly.

We sit down in the squashy armchairs ,and I pull out a notebook that I had designated for the Operation.

"Okay, Riku, so, we have their schedules. The next step would be to either find out if Axel might be at all interested in Roxas, or to set up a meeting, preferably during their music class. Which should we do first?" I ask him, turning towards him and settling my legs up underneath me, the notebook balanced on my knees, open to the page with their schedules copied.

He only shrugs.

"Riku," I whine, "how is that going to help me? I thought you wanted to help: that includes giving ideas!"

Riku sighed irritably, and then shrugged again. "It'd probably be a better idea to figure out if Axel could be even the least bit interested in Roxas in the first place. Why set up a meeting if Axel isn't interested? It'll just fall apart."

I nod. "Good point, Riku! Okay, so, wanna talk to him during your class together, get a scope on what his preferences are?" I started rummaging around in the notebook. "Here, take this," I say, handing him a picture of Roxas from last year. He looked at it askance.

"You're carrying a picture of Roxas around? And you want me to use it on Axel?"

I nod. "Pretty much."

He shook his head, rueful. "Now how'd I know that I'd get dragged into the next part of this set-up?"

I grin, then bound up and hug him tightly. "Because you're such a great friend who knows that I can blackmail you with photos of last Christmas." I snicker evilly.

"Ah, that'd be why," he intoned dryly, eyes dancing in mirth.

I'm probably the only person Riku has ever gotten close to. No one else has seen his smile but me. There's something special about that.

Since I'm the only one who has ever gotten so close to Riku, beyond his mother (he's such a mama's boy), I'm probably the only one that can tell that something's wrong with him. And I'm also the only one who'll be able to help him with it.

I just wish he'd tell me what it was. We don't keep things from each other. So why would he keep this from me now? It's almost as though he's doing it deliberately.

Was it something that had to do with me?

"Riku," I blurt out, "I know something is wrong." I clamber off his lap and sit down in my chair, deciding to ignore the sharp edge of the notebook jabbing me in my side.

He rolls his eyes. "There is nothing wrong-."

"Don't lie to me, Riku! You're hiding something!" I interject. I'm just so tired of this. He's hurting, and he won't tell me. "How can I fix what's wrong if you won't tell me!"

"I don't have to tell you everything that happens in my life," he hisses, eyes narrowing in anger.

He's angry with me. Riku's never angry with me. "No, you don't, but you always have before, so why not now?"

"Because I don't want to, that's why!" He's sitting up in his chair, and I'm sitting up in mine, and now that notebook is really jabbing me in the knee, but I couldn't care less, because this is Riku, and we never argue.

"But what if I could help!"

"This…," he sighs, and sits back, eyes dejected and forlorn, "this is not something that you can help with, Sora. I'm sorry, but you just can't."

My ire is also gone, so I sit back down. "Why not? Why can't I help?"

"Because… you just can't," he says, hand coming up to massage his forehead.

I sniff. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep from hitting you right now?"

I grab the notebook and my back pack and I leave.

"Sora!" he called out. "Please don't leave me!"

I stop, because Riku never says please, and I can't just leave him.

I turn around, watching as he comes up and hugs me. The fact that this is the library does entire my mind, but no one is here right now, besides the blue-haired librarian, and he looks so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he hasn't even noticed any of our conversation so far.

"Please," he whispers in my ear. "I promise, that one day, I'll tell you what's going on. But… not right now."

I close my eyes. "Do you absolutely promise? Cross your heart?"

He sniffs, and nods. "Hope to die."

I nod, too. "Okay, then. I don't like you keeping something this important from me, but… okay. I… don't fully understand why you can't, but I guess a promise will have to do for now."

Riku shivers and grips me tighter, and then I return the hug. I've always liked his hugs. "I'm sorry for yelling at you," he whispers.

"I'm sorry, too." I grip him tightly. "Let's not fight, okay?"

A nod from both of us and that's all we need.

"Okay, so," he says, moving away from me. "How are we going to go about finding out if Axel would like Roxas or not?"

"Talk to him in your class together, give him the picture, and gently coerce him into saying yes," I say, grabbing his hand and pulling him back to the chairs, where his stuff still was.

I dropped my stuff on the table, and laughed as Riku looked put out.

This isn't over by a long shot, but… I'll have to deal with what I can get for now.

I just wish that he felt confident enough to tell me. There's nothing that he can't tell me that I wouldn't care about.

But just this once, I'll respect his wishes. I don't want to lose him.

Hayner

He's staring at me, and it's really starting to fucking piss me off.

What does that idiot think he's doing, looking at me like that?

What's he planning? I know he's up to something, I can see it in that calculating gleam in his eyes.

Whatever it is, it can't be good for me.

What is that bean wearing dick head thinking?

It's driving me nuts. I can't take it anymore!

"Seifer!" I yell out. "Why are you staring at me?" I continue as I stalk over to him, who's leaning against the wall next to the lockers, just staring at me.

He smirks. "What makes you think that I was looking at you, chicken wuss? Because, as far as I can tell, the clock behind you is much more interesting to look at than you."

I glare, a snarl coming from my throat.

"Ooh, feisty," he says.

"Look, dip-shit," I snarl, "stay the fuck away from me, and stop staring."

He rolls his eyes. "You know, you have a rather over-inflated ego. Everything just has to be about you, doesn't it? Look, shorty, I'm not here to ogle you, since you don't have anything to ogle at."

I roll my eyes. "You're one to talk about over-inflated egos, Mr. Self-Appointed-Head-of-the-Disciplinary-Committee." I shove him up against the wall, thinking he'd retaliate. "Just stop staring."

He only smirks, and I'm left puzzled as he, instead of punching me or having Rai punch me, as I rightly deserved, walks away. Even Rai looks puzzled, following after Seifer, throwing over his shoulder, "Seifer don't have time to deal with losers like you, y'know!?"

I shake my head, seeing Fuu smirk as she walks past me, in no hurry to catch up to the rest of her posse.

"Clueless," she says as she passes me by, pressing something in the palm of my hand as she does so.

Now I'm really puzzled. What did Fuu mean by that? Why would Seifer just walk past me? He never passes up a chance to use me as a bean bag, and I was practically begging for it.

Great, now I have extra adrenaline and no way to expend it.

I open my palm, and find that what Fuu had put in there was a note.

'Seifer wants to meet up with you in the gym after school. Be there, or face the consequences.'

What? Is that why he didn't fight? What, we'll go at it after school? Ugh. I crumple up the note and throw it at the wall, watching as it bounces off and falls flat to the floor.

"Smooth move, Hayner. Now you'll have to pick it up."

I sigh. Great, my very own personal Jiminy Cricket has come to scold me for my wrong actions.

I turn around. "Olette, hey there."

She smiles, eyebrow raised and a mischievously amused glint in her eyes. "Littering, I see. Well, now you'll just have to pick it up. Think of our poor janitors. Think of how old they are. They shouldn't be stooping down to pick up your trash."

No never mind that our janitors are all in their thirties.

I glare, and bend down to pick it up, throwing it away in the trashcan off to the other side of the hallway.

"Good boy," Olette says, smirking even more. "So, did you do the homework in Math class?"

I scowl. "Yes, I did, Mom." And for once, I wasn't actually lying.

"What was in the note?" she asked, head cocking to the side, all traces of mirth gone from her face. "I saw you antagonizing Seifer."

I bow my head in shame. With a few words, she's able to make me feel like a heel. How can I help it if I have a temper and he was staring at me, dammit?

"What else was I supposed to do?" I ask. "He was looking at me funny."

She raised that imperious eyebrow again, and I felt like scoffing. I didn't, though, knowing that that would piss her off. "So you decide to pick a fight with him in the middle of the hall during the middle of school?"

Well, when she says it like that, it sounds so logical. Damn it, why does she have to always make the most sense?

"So, uh," I search around for anything to divert the topic away from me, "uh… how's Pence?"

She melts like butter in a microwave and chuckles lightly. I can't call it a giggle, because Olette just isn't that type of girl. "Pence is fine. He e-mailed me last night. He's settling into that art school he just had to go to. Didn't he send you the e-mail?"

"Yeah, he probably did, but I haven't checked my e-mail in a few days," I answer, inwardly groaning because I was sure to have a lot of spam cluttering my inbox by now. What a chore it'll be to sift through everything.

Pence had been given an exclusive scholarship to a prestigious art school, where he could study his photography with professionals.

While we were all ecstatic for him, since photography is Pence's on true passion, it did come with a heavy price. This prestigious art school is all the way in Atlantica, while we're in Twilight Town. They're on opposite parts of the country.

Therefore, we will only get to see Pence a few times this year. Thankfully, the internet was invented and we can keep in relatively easy contact while we wait for the few holidays that Pence can come back for.

It's quite a bummer, since Olette really misses him, Pence being her boyfriend and everything, and Olette can be really boring when she goes on and on, extolling his every virtue.

And no, I don't miss him, either. Guys don't feel. At least not mushy feelings like that.

"… But I just miss him so much, and he misses us all, you know?" she said, her voice slicing through my thoughts.

She sighs. "You weren't listening to a word of what I was saying, were you?"

I shake my head. "Nope, completely blanked out."

She closed her eyes in defeat. "Pence is just fine. Is that short enough for you?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

She nodded her head, lacing her hand through mine and leading us towards our third period.

"Did you notice how Roxas was acting during lunch yesterday?" she asked me, forcing me to plow through the crowd of kids hanging in the middle of the hallway.

"Like a love-sick boy with no way of ever figuring out how to fix his problems?" I answer, too busy with keeping my arm on my body to really care about Roxas' problems right now.

"Exactly. There must be some way to figure out what exactly Roxas is having difficulties with, and fix it. Perhaps we should talk to his brother," she continues on in a murmur, a contemplative look cast in her eyes.

Either she was unable to see the damage that she was doing to my arm, or she was just ignoring my whimpers of pain. Knowing Olette, it's probably the latter.

"That sounds like a fine idea to me. How about we do that at lunch today?" I say, trying to wrest my arm from her grasp.

"Hmm… we just have to find out where Sora is."

Is she even listening to me? Hello, I have a major problem here!

"Olette!" I finally decide to yell.

"What!?" she answers back, turning around to stare at me, slight anger showing in the contours of her face.

"Would you let go of my arm? You're gonna wrench it out of its socket soon enough."

She looked down at my arm, which was turning slightly red near the wrist, where she had ended up grasping me.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she says, letting go of my arm. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

I don't know, Olette. It might have had something to do with me being too busy fighting for my life, being buffeted back and forth between the kids, and having to listen to you figure out how to help Roxas.

I just scoff. "So, anyway, Roxas," I mutter, beginning to walk again, rubbing my wrist.

"Yes, Roxas," she says, coming up beside me and motioning to take my hand. I oh-so-subtly move it out of her way.

She's must like holding hands or something. But I'm not going to fall for that… again.

"We need to find Sora and talk to him about Roxas and his problems. I mean, Sora's his big bro, he'll know what's going on with Roxas, right?" she asks, turning to me.

"Uh, yeah, sure," I say, though I'm not too sure at all. I mean, I don't know if Sora and Roxas are close. It's not as though I go delving into Roxas' private life.

Sure, I care about Roxas, and I want him to be happy, but right now, my wrist is my priority.

Maybe I'll pull Roxas aside and get him to spill what's going on during lunch. Yeah, maybe....

A/N: Yes, I know! That ending sucks, and perhaps I'll go and change it one day, when I'm not ready to pull my hair out in chunks. Anyway, I'm so sorry for the horrifically long delay. It was never meant to take this long, but I'm just not very good at updating on time, am I?

Anyway, because of how long I take, I've been thinking... I want a beta for this story. So, in order to get your attention, here goes I WANT A BETA. Is that big enough? I hope so.

I would like my beta to be someone I haven't worked with before- which shouldn't be too hard, since I've only ever had a few betas in my time here. Reason? I would like to see someone elses style of beta-ing.

While grammar is not a big thing, since mine isn't too horrible, I would like it if my beta had correct grammar, in order to fix the stupid mistakes that I know I make and that I just can't find myself.

It would be nice if you had prior experience, as well, though it is not necessary. Since grammar isn't my primary reason for wanting you to help me, I do have a reason. I want you to be able to push me. Push me to be better, be there to bounce ideas off of, and to contact me and ask me why I haven't updated with anything every once in a while. I'll want you to have a fairly active part in getting me to work. Once I'm done with a chapter, while I don't expect you to finish it immediately, I would like it if you would be able to finish it within a week or so. I understand if you're busy, believe me, I get that, and I'm terrible at doing my own beta-ing in a timely fashion, but if you can't beta it within a week or so, then perhaps you might be too busy to be able to work on it. I finally had to admit that I was too busy to beta, since I couldn't do it in a timely fashion.

Of course, this is all flexible, and while it seems like a lot, it really isn't terribly specific. If you can't do everything, that doesn't mean that I won't pick you. Of course, then again, who'd want to be my beta, really?

Reviewers from Chapter Three: DearlyBeloved-13, TheaBlackthorn, Aindel S. Druida, SarahXxUnlovedxX, BloodAndDiamonds, Riku-stalker, 13loves8loves9loves6, aydlee, Hatching Manialoll, fullofmisery, Sadist-Schemer, Snickerdoodles4u, Erithel, Sonreya, Lords of Defenestration, MeltedxCrayons, Sky Baby Blue, and emorocks91.

Thank you all for your lovely comments. I realize that a few of these I have not replied to, and I promise that I will get to them soon. I'm sorry for not having replied immediately.