A/N: Ah, the updates keep on coming, huh? 8D I feel accomplished that I've been updating alot, but sometimes I feel bad I don't update often enough. I wish my damn plot bunnies would populate when I actually WANT them to -puts plot bunnies in a cage to FORCE them to breed-

This chapter isn't long, so my apologies for that. I guess it's a bit of a filler chapter - something to put in between before the conflict. Yeah, more conflict. I'm surprised Zexy's head hasn't exploded literally.

Oh my moogle, Hybrid Theory just entered double-digits! (It only took two years...)

Enjoy -bows-

Fact: Everyone Carries Pain

Zexion opened his drawer and removed one of the many binders he had. Inside was a CD case that he admitted he never opened, mostly because he didn't think he would have much interest in the disc's contents. With a sigh, he opened the casing and removed the CD, placing it inside the player his laptop had.

Familiar electric beats poured out of the laptop and Zexion opened up his AP Government essay that he was already done with, but he figured a bit of proofreading never killed anybody.

"Everybody has a face that they hold inside

A face that awakes when I close my eyes

A face that watches every time they lie

A face that laughs every time they fall..."

Listening to the music brought back the memories of a month ago when Demyx had given him a ride home. It brought back those hands tapping against the worn steering wheel, and brought back the sound of his voice. It had been so soft, almost swallowed by the music, yet when Zexion listened to the exact same song now, it somehow sounded a little bit empty, like something was missing...

It'd be in his best favor for him to have completed his English essay by now, the slate-haired teen thought absently as he read through his own paper. Honestly, giving me an invitation to attend a social party. He needs to realize that academics come second to none priority-wise. In truth, Zexion was still dumb to the fact that he was going to the Halloween party Demyx invited him to – well, the one his uncle was forcing him to attend.

The day after the catastrophic agreement, Zexion came close more than once to denying his so-called acceptance to the social flocking. But every time Demyx brought it up in excitement or even just smiled, the slate-haired teen's words swallowed back down his throat and into his stomach – the same place it felt like his heart plummeted when he realized that he was a horribly irresponsible person for still having irrational, painful affections for the hyper, handsome blonde.

Zexion took a deep breath and stared at his essay without actually looking at it. The band Linkin Park continued to play from his speakers, unaware of his inner conflict. But at the same time, it was like each note and word came straight from the chaos of his mind.

"I find the answers aren't so clear

Wish I could find a way to disappear

All these thoughts they make no sense

I find bliss in ignorance

Nothing seems to go away

Over

and

over

again..."

The window open to his essay closed and Zexion instead curled himself up on his bed, staring at nothing in particular. He felt like he should be doing something – his scholarship essay (he was almost done with that) or reading (he started with the King novels) or homework (that's been done) or writing (he needed new notebooks – seriously). Not doing anything wasn't something that Zexion Anderson did. Ever. Just laying on his bed, letting his emotions catch up with him while listening to music was a first. Strangely enough, at the moment, Zexion didn't really care. Stranger still was that he was sure his thoughts would be on overload as soon as he let his close monitoring let up a little – but instead, his was met with numbness, like cotton balls had taken up the space in his skull and ears and everything was just the slightest bit muffled.

I suppose this is what they refer to as angsting, he concluded with a small chuckle. It seemed like hours had passed with him becoming more and more thoughtless. It was a bit...welcome. It was getting darker in his room, but he didn't care. He was sure his leg was starting to fall asleep because of the angle in which he was laying. The CD repeated once it had ended, but Zexion didn't stir. Songs played again, and this time Zexion murmured whole parts of them, not even realizing how much of the music he had already memorized, even though he only listened to them twice.

"Paper bags and angry voices

Under a sky of dust

Another wave of tension

Has more than filled me up

All my talk of taking action

These words were never true..."

Zexion paused. It was only when the words left his lips did he realize what he said. He got up and rewinded the song. "All my talk of taking action, these words were never true..." The teen frowned and flopped back down on his bed and let the song continue. He didn't need it sung to him that he was being so cowardly. He knew that he was slipping. Funny thing was, even though a few days ago he had been so obsessed with quashing everything, it left him drained. Numb. And a bit lazy.

He hugged his pillow to himself, taking a deep breath. It was still there, very faintly – Demyx's scent. He had never washed his pillow like he had sworn to. Small hints of pink blotched his cheeks as he continued to breathe in the citrus smell.

God, he was losing it. Angsting in his room while reveling in the fragrance of the one – he couldn't deny it anymore, only an idiot would continue to do so – he had feelings for. He didn't know whether to be angered at his pitiful state or peeved that he just didn't care what he looked like at the moment. Just an hour or two to not process anything – school, Demyx, getting money for college, his job – nothing! Was that so much to ask for?

"What do I do to ignore them behind me?

Do I follow my instincts blindly?

Do I hide my pride from there bad dreams

And give in to sad thoughts that are maddening-?"

"Fuujin Anderson, get down here!"

Zexion nearly jumped at the sound of his father's voice, followed by the harsh slam of the front door, echoing in the empty house – always empty house... His sister wouldn't be able to NOT hear him. Still, the teen knew this routine well. Obviously, Fuu had gotten into another fight – a serious one. Fuu wouldn't ignore him, surprisingly; she would always answer to his call, as she was doing now. Over the moderate volume of the music, Zexion heard his sibling's door creak open then slam closed.

"What?" he heard her call over the banister.

"Get down here, young lady," Zexion's father said with uncharacteristic firmness. It was like this often enough. The Anderson children could only get noticed by flaunting – Zexion with his smarts, and Fuu with her attitude.

"Staying," came the placid reply.

"Fine! Stay up there then!" His voice was getting louder and his footsteps slammed up the stairs. They somewhere halfway, and Zexion gently lowered down the music to listen. "But you tell me what you're going to do about the two boys from your school you sent to the hospital today!"

Zexion widened his eyes. That was a first. Seifer and his gang of Fuu and Rai had a reputation of getting their fists dirty while into random brawls with other students, other gangs. If Fuu had ever sent a person from another gang into the ER, he certainly never knew about it. He supposed damn hooligans like that didn't care about stuff like that. They'd just take care of themselves.

Given that, no wonder Fuu was such a good gang member.

But back to what his father had said... His younger sibling had never hurt anyone in school so much that they had to be sent to the hospital.

There's no way she could have gotten away with this...

"Already discussed," Fuu said, and her voice still contained that air of someone who could care less.

"I know that you already talked about it with your principal! He called me and has set up a meeting for us and the other kids' families tomorrow morning! Do you have the slightest idea of what could happen to you?"

There was a pause. Fuu might have been considering. "Not really," she finally replied.

"Well, it's going to be damn more than a week of detention!" shouted Mr. Anderson. There was a resonating boom as he stomped down on the step he was on. "Jesus, Fuujin, you could get hauled to juvenile court before we can get a word in! Not that you'll even speak in defense of yourself; too damn proud in the fact you nearly killed students! Killed them! They are at a hospital in critical condition! What the...what the fuck is wrong with you!"

Zexion froze at the curse that left his father's lips. He had said little to them throughout their years, everything very insignificant and wouldn't be remembered. This was the first time, Zexion knew, that their father raised a tone like that; that Mr. Anderson seemed to notice his daughter...and was incredibly disgusted by what he saw. Zexion didn't dare to breathe, but instead moved his finger over to the volume of the laptop and turned it up louder.

It didn't help. When their father spoke again, it was a shaky bellow, "What the hell made you think this was okay AT ALL? Fuujin, what is wrong with you? Can't you see the trouble this is going to cause; the problems that are going to befall us because of this?" There was a disgusted snort and a small slap – Zexion guessed palm-against-banister. "Fuujin, is this all you think you can do?"

Fuu didn't answer, didn't reply in her usual sarcastic way. It was obvious the statement had bothered her greatly.

Zexion breathed harder, and his heart was beating faster. He didn't know why his body was reacting this way – this whole situation had nothing to do with him. He closed his eyes, trying to focus entirely on the music playing...

The phone rang, and that ended the tense silence. Mr. Anderson said nothing in dismissal, but the phone stopped ringing, so he must have answered it. A few seconds later, Fuu's door slammed shut. Zexion let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding.

Father yelled at Fuu... She'll be suspended for sure... It's quite plausible that she will...be taken.

Ever since their mother left, tensions had been high between the two siblings. The words exchanged were few without the help of Fuu's faltering speech. But there had always been some sort of understanding. An understanding that they were alone.

She...almost killed two people...

What will Mother say? Will Father even tell her?

Zexion got up and went to his bookcase, picking out a volume of the judicial system. She was going to court anyway, right? It reminded him that he might as well brush up on the facts surrounding it. Besides, it's not like anything in the books could help her. Fuujin was a hardcore delinquent. She had nothing to show that she was a person who could be accepted by society. And now, she and her gang had sent actual students to the hospital.

The fact of life was to blend in and follow the route laid out for everyone. Go through school and don't get distracted by anything – it was the only way to keep your grades up and get into a high-class college. Study a profession that will keep you in great success. Get a job, white-collar mostly, and provide for a family.

It was a fact. And Fuu had tried to avoid it.

And now she's paying for it, thought Zexion. He went back to his bed and placed his book on his bed. He reached to turn off his laptop, but then just let his hand fall limp at his side.

Most mornings before first period, Zexion enjoyed the silence of the library. Shelves were tall and stacked, a surpassing labyrinth of a library for a high school. It was within the enclosed spaces that Zexion found solitude and peace. It was true that nowadays he spent his mornings with Demyx when the swimmer ate breakfast with Roxanne and her friends. The slate-haired teen found them tolerable classmates to be around. At least, a lot more so than Demyx's friends. Zexion hadn't met any of them yet, but he didn't necessarily want to, either.

That morning had been a day when Demyx went off with his swim team buddies, and Zexion did not want to get caught up in it, so he left towards refuge as soon as he saw where the blonde was sitting.

A girl behind the check-out counter smiled at him when he came in. "Hey, Zexion," she greeted. Her eyes looked up at him from behind her glasses. "It's been awhile since you've stopped by. The books and I were getting lonely."

"Don't banter, Quistis, you know I'm not fond of teasing."

"Ah, yes, you're celibate to smiling," Quistis said, hitting herself on the head. "I forgot. My bad!"

Even as she continued to joke, Zexion couldn't help but cracking the smallest of smiles. "See that you remember it well next time."

Quistis began to swirl around in her chair. "Oh, and if you get curious, Ms. Schultz told me that we've got new books under the science category. Maybe you'll find something you like?"

"Ah, yes, thank you, Quistis." Zexion turned away from the counter and began weaving through the towering shelves of the library. Nonfiction science was in the center of the library, where the fictions and nonfiction wings met. The center was also where tables and chairs were laid out – a place for students to study. Except, as expected, the teenagers there weren't studying at all, but engaging in conversation too loud for Zexion to take in the morning.

Not today. I just need quiet. I need no one to be around me. Yesterday, even after night had fallen, the argument between Fuu and her father continued. Zexion couldn't drown it out, but at the same time, couldn't bring himself to tell them to shut up. The slate-haired teen turned tail and trailed through the shelves again. The area furthermost from the entrance and any windows was the poetry section. Zexion walked through it until coming to a corner sandwiched between the wall and a bookcase. Zexion plopped down on the floor with a sigh, putting his binder to the side.

I can't believe I'm thinking this, he thought wearily, but I'm anxious for this school year to end. He leaned his head against the wall with a small thump, his eyes traversing aimlessly over the books filling the shelves.

Winters...Shakespeare...Poe...Dickinson...Baudelaire... The teen started at that last author's name.

"Got it! He's a writer form back in the day; he writes poetry! One of his collections was called 'The Flowers of Evil,' right?"

"Demyx...that's Charles Baudelaire."

Zexion reach out to the shelf and grabbed a copy of Les Fleurs Du Mal. Sitting back down, he brought his knees close to his chest as he opened the book and read silently. It was only after a few poems that Zexion chuckled to himself. He looked up at the books next to him. "I seem like the poetry-appreciator, do I?" he said softly, remembering what Demyx said to him over the phone. He stood up and picked up another book by Baudelaire and then another by Emily Dickinson. He'd check out some other selections another time.

Gathering his binder and three books, he began his journey back to the –

"Oh my!"

"Roxanne Keyli?"

Wide azure eyes framed in glasses stared in surprise at the slate-haired teen before them. "Oh, Zexion! I-I'm so, so sorry, I really didn't mean to bump into you!"

Zexion adjusted his stack of books that had become askew in the collision. He gave Roxanne a pointed look. "First it was your cousin," he sighed, "and now I find myself accidentally meeting you at every turn. Please inform me if more of your family decides to become my stalker. I should like to know beforehand."

A light shade of pink tinted Roxanne's cheeks at Zexion's words. "Wh-what? N-n-no, I'm not a stalker, I-I swear! I was just going to the cooking section to pick up a book for Olette! Honest! U-um, do you maybe want to come with me?"

"There's still time before first period starts, so I don't see why not..." They wordlessly walked down the aisles until Roxanne found her book and they made their way to the check-out counter. Zexion looked over at the girl next to him and frowned.

"You're wearing the THS uniform assigned to males again, I see," he noted, glancing at the black pants that should have been a skirt, and the tie that should have been a bow. "It's labeled as a uniform for a reason, you know."

"I-I...I know," replied Roxanne, hugging the book to her. "I, um, really am trying to stop it. I've done it all through high school, but I know I need to start dressing more like a girl. Hayner and...Axle tell me I should."

At the mention of Axle, Zexion recalled what he had seen between the two of them at the store. He tried not to remember too much of it, and talked to keep the memory away. "Well, for now, I won't report your violation of school conduct," said Zexion as he settled his books on the check-out counter.

"Are you talking about little Roxanne here? She's harmless," Quistis suddenly piped up, leaning over the counter. "Boy or girl, she's cute either way. She has boyish features, but one look into those big blue eyes and you know!"

Roxanne backed away, holding her book tighter to her. "Wh-what? I-I don't think I've ever m-met you before," she said shakily, cowering behind Zexion.

"Oh please, don't be alarmed, I wouldn't harm a fly," Quistis reassured as she took Zexion's books and processed them.

"She's just a fanatic about what she decrees as cute," the slate-haired teen explained. "I blame all the Japanese comics she insists upon reading."

Roxanne relaxed and set her book on the counter as well. Zexion looked at her. "So, what do you need the book for?"

"For cooking, obviously, Zexion. Jesus, I never knew you of all people were thick," Quistis said with an exaggerated sigh.

"It's nothing, really. Some of my friends and I are having a sleepover and Olette wants to try out a bunch of new recipes. She likes cooking and baking," said Roxanne with a small smile. "She said it's for Hayner asking me out, and now she's making a huge deal out of it."

"No way, Roxanne, you've got a boyfriend now? For how long?" exclaimed Quistis.

"Um, j-just a week. It's really not a big deal," she said hurriedly, looking away. Tucking some hair behind her ear, she said, "But I heard you're up to something this weekend too, Zexion. You're going to that Halloween party, right?"

"How do you-?" Zexion stopped and then shook his head. "What am I asking? Demyx told you, didn't he?"

"He's really happy about it. He kept saying things about how you don't get out a lot," Roxanne agreed with a bigger smile. She thanked Quistis after the assistant gave her her book. "Are you going to dress up?"

"Demyx told me it's not a prerequisite to come in costume." Zexion shrugged. "So I see no reason why I should. I barely see enough reason to go in the first pla-"

"Zexion, are you serious!" cried Quistis, her eyes wide in appall. She was leaning over the counter again, towards the two of them. "It's practically your first party, isn't it? You have to go dressed up!"

The slate-haired teen fervently shook his head. "I am most definitely not wearing one," he said firmly, warding off any possible objections that either of the two girls would say to him.

"Demyx said he was going in costume. He already bought it and everything," Roxanne said lightly, pushing her glasses up. "Axle's doing his make-up."

"Make-up? No, I'm not putting any cosmetics on. Unless you've forgotten I'm a boy," he snapped, suddenly recalling when Demyx had called him cute like a girl. He was boy, a male, dammit! Why did the world insist upon the opposite? "I know it's customary to dress all willy-nilly while observing this holiday, I have no intention in being apart of that affair."

Quistis raised a brow, her eyes looking him up and down intently. "Well, if that's the case, how about I make your costume?" Her gaze suddenly lit up and she clapped her hands together. "That's it! I can make it for you! I've made many cosplaying outfits before, so I am quite good with the needle-!"

"What, are you insane, woman?" Zexion said, backing away. "Did you not just hear my last statements at all?"

"Oh, it's a good thing I carry my measuring tape wherever I go!" Quistis reached into her bag and pulled out a roll of orange tape. A chill ran down Zexion's spine at the sight of it, because oh shit he knew she was serious. A scene like this had played out once before when Quistis and the teen first met. Her fetish with "cute" things came along with a huge desire to dress them up.

"When I'm done with this, you'll be the most adorable boy in THS!" declared Quistis. And after that, Zexion knew it'd be pointless to struggle, because then only great pain would come to him.

If it was one thing the teen had learned under his employment with Selphie, it was this: A woman bent on a mission wasn't a wise thing to intercept.

Ending A/N: Sorry about randomly adding Quistis, but I needed an otaku this chapter to be able to make the costume for next chapter. It might be over-the-top for Zexion, but when I was reading the series Kuroshitsuji, I just couldn't resist x) My mind...she is becoming polluted with Kuroshitsuji... I just finished the Noah's Ark arc and I'm just traumatized on so many levels... -weeps-

Well, next chapter is the Halloween party, and Demyx is going to do the unforgivable! -gasp- What will Zexion do? Are the feelings he's finally letting in just going to be shut out once more? Only my plot bunnies know! ...Because they don't tell me shit.

Reviewers don't get nom-nomed on by my bunnies 8B