Let's just say... This chapter was kind of hard to write, and kind of came from nowhere. My fault, since I've been planning Demyx's reappearance since chapter 3 and kept forgetting to foreshadow him. Oops, I spoiled a plot point for the chapter. It's kind of cliche and rough, so I don't blame you if you don't like, but just... review me anyway.

Also, for me, the closer it is to the end, the harder it becomes to write. I had a hard time getting my intentions across in every single section of this chapter. It shows. There are left overs. And let's just say I've adopted habits of ending stories like say... The Writer, seeing as reading all her KH fic has influenced this story... a lot. All lyrics were written off the top of my head. I think there's one chapter left, maybe two. I'll see you then!


Carry this Picture for Luck

Chapter the fifth


Roxas was able to sneak into the dorms after a pair of half-drunk and flirting students, following Axel's instructions to room 306. It was Saturday, in the dead of night; there was almost no one around. He knocked on the door softly and Axel admitted him almost immediately. Axel's expression lit up, but Roxas ignored him, pushing past into the cramped double room. "How's Riku?" he wanted to know.

"Shh," Axel hushed, closing the door quietly. "He's sleeping." The only light came from the street lamps outside the window, illuminating the small space and Riku, curled in black and red bed sheets, exhausted and puffy eyed, like he cried himself to sleep. The other side of the room boasted a poster of a blond with long hair and a one-of-a-kind instrument.

"You like Melodious Nocturne too, right? Sora told me," Axel said. "Zexion's a huge fan. He's camping out for Melodious Nocturne's show tomorrow. Sora and I are interviewing him for the campus newsletter. Are you going?"

"I've got tickets," Roxas told him. Demyx's solo career had skyrocketed since high school, and even though their on and off relationship hadn't worked out, Roxas and Demyx were still close friends. He'd supplied the Hikari twins with premium seating tickets for them and their significant others for his stop in Hallow Bastion. "Can you tell me what happened with Riku?" Roxas' attention shifted to the light haired boy again. Roxas sat gingerly on the edge of Zexion's bed.

"I thought you could tell me," Axel said, settling next to him.

Roxas shook his head. "I don't know what's going on. I mean, I talked to Sora this morning, after he found me in Riku's room. He seemed shaken, but not like he'd kick Riku out for something like this."

Riku stirred. Roxas was up in a heartbeat, moving to sit with Riku before the other could fully sit up. "Are you okay?" Roxas asked. "Riku, I am so sorry…" He placed his hands over Riku's. Riku stared blankly at it.

"No, it's my fault." Riku shifted his eyes to meet Roxas'. "I shouldn't have made a move on you. I mean, I'm such a jerk. I've been a jerk this whole time, for years…"

Roxas cut him off. "Riku, what did Sora tell you?"

"You're in love with me, aren't you? Or you were, for a really long time, and even when you were with Demyx… I don't know why, I didn't see it…" Riku's eyes were tearing now, and he looked away. "And I was such a jerk about it. I couldn't see… I wanted you, I did. But not so badly that I tried to piece it back together, and I hung around with Sora, because I wanted to see you, and somewhere along the lines it changed, but you knew about me before I did, didn't you?"

"Riku, I don't understand what you're trying to say…" Roxas breathed desperately.

Riku laughed bitterly. "Sora yelled at me, telling me that I'm the worst ever. That I've been playing with your heart for years, to get to him. He was so angry, he was crying, Roxas, and I didn't know what to do. And he is so right it hurts. Right here…" Riku clenched a fist to his chest.

There was quiet in the dorm room. "I don't get it," Roxas finally said. "If you did play with me to get to him, how does that make sense? You didn't even know Sora until we got together. And after we broke up, nothing was ever the same. I got over you, didn't I? And when we kissed, I didn't feel a thing… So why is Sora so indignant? Unless…"

"Unless Sora feels something for Riku?" Axel continued. "He was obsessed with Riku in senior year."

Riku perked up at this. "Really?"

"Doesn't mean a thing," Roxas snapped. He stood up and paced the floor space. "Sora would have told me."

"Not if he thought you were in love with me too," Riku pointed out, his hopes rising.

"There's no proof!" Roxas was raising his voice now, pacing and pulling at his hair. "He would tell me."

"So, let me get this straight, pun intended." Axel scratched his head and looked back and forth between Riku and Roxas. "Riku loves Sora, Sora might like Riku. But Riku never told Sora because he thought Sora would hate him, and Sora might not have told Riku because he didn't want to hurt Roxas? That is rich," Axel laughed.

"Then throw you in the mix," Roxas muttered, rubbing at his temple. His head was aching. "Stop laughing! This isn't laughable."

But as Axel continued to laugh and Roxas began throwing things at him until the student in the next room began pounding on the wall, Riku found himself even smiling a little. There was hope on the horizon.

--

"I'm so sorry Riku. I didn't mean what I said. I don't hate you, I'm not mad. Just please, come home." Sora hung up with a growl, slumping into the chair across the table from Kairi.

"You haven't reached him yet?" Kairi asked softly. Sora shook his head.

"I tried calling Roxas too, but he didn't pick up his cell and Hayner doesn't know where he is." Sora let his head drop to the table, reaching out his hands and taking Kairi's for comfort. "You think they're…?"

Kairi shook her head quickly. She asked, "Sora, what did you even say to Riku?"

"I… You know, Roxas was in love with Riku? For years, even. Roxas isn't so good at hiding his feelings. Even when he was with Demyx, he looked at Riku in this sort of heartbroken way. And when Roxas told me about Riku this morning, everything clicked. So when Riku came out of that room, I dunno. I just snapped." Sora stared down at the table, looking up at Kairi when she squeezed his hands.

"But why, Sora?" she asked him.

"I don't know! I just panicked, I guess." Sora was finding it hard to put into words his reasons. "Riku's hurt Roxas so much…"

"But that's not it, is it." Kairi's question came as a statement.

Sora swallowed, but found that her eyes were demanding that he tell the truth. "I felt so… used at that moment. I felt like it was me who hurt my brother."

"Because you love him back."

Sora acted as if he had just been electrocuted, jumping to his feet in shock. "No!" he exclaimed. "No Kairi!" He fell to his knees and grabbed her hand, bringing the ring he'd given her to his lips. "Kairi, I love you. I love you, and I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you."

Kairi sighed, wrangling her hand free of Sora's. "I'm sorry Sora. You're a wonderful guy, really. It's no wonder a Riku would fall for you." She loosened the ring from her finger and set it on the table, before reaching around her neck for the clasp of her gold locket. "I wish you the best of luck." She set that on the table too, before walking out.

"Kairi!" Sora called after her, clutching at her wrist. "Kairi, I love you."

She smiled sadly. "I know. But Riku's more important, isn't he?" She gently pulled away from Sora and walked away, leaving Sora in tears.

--

Roxas came home and shut the door gently behind him. He shrugged off his jacket and hung it in the closet. Just as he tiptoed through the main room on the way to the bedroom, the lights came on. "Hay-Hayner," Roxas stammered. "I was just out, on a walk, see…"

"It's Riku isn't it?" Hayner cut in, leaning forward on the edge of the armchair he was seated in. It was barely dawn, but Hayner was already dressed. A packed suitcase sat by his feet. "You were always going to choose him."

"No, it's not Riku," Roxas snapped. "If I was going to choose Riku over you, I would never have left him in the first place."

"Axel then," Hayner amended. "Leonheart. Anyone else."

"Axel?" Roxas voiced incredulously. " Leon"

"Yeah," Hayner affirmed, " Leon. I found out why you like his coffee place so much."

"Oh come on!" Roxas exclaimed exasperatedly. " Leon was my boyfriend in high school. Six freaking years ago. Can't I be friends with an ex? Can't I?"

"How about Melodious Nocturne?" Hayner waved a paper around. It was a set of lyrics, a love song. How could Hayner know that Roxas helped Demyx write his songs? That half of this song was a regurgitation of things Roxas once told Demyx about him, Hayner?

"It's about you, Hayner," Roxas blurted. "That song's about you."

"What," Hayner sneered, "Melodious Nocturne 'Waits until the night to ask what it is you have'?" He picked another line to read in that same, horrible tone: "Do you love me, like I love you/ Do you love at all?"

Roxas tried to snatch the lyrics from Hayner, succeeding in only tearing off a corner. "It's about you! Demyx took the words right out of a letter I wrote him a year ago, and the way you're acting now, I'm not surprised why I wrote it at all!"

"How else should I act when I know you still fraternize with all those men you've slept with!" Hayner exclaimed.

"For one," Roxas gritted out, "I didn't sleep with any of them in high school." He completely ignored the fact that he'd lost his virginity to Demyx the night after graduation and had a drunken affair with Riku the night before. Leon was the odd one out, as it had been illegal for them to have sex when Roxas was fourteen and Leon was twenty, and Leon was now miserably in love with one of his patrons. "Secondly, Demyx still happens to be my best friend, and Riku still happens to be my twin brother's best friend. Do you even think for a second I'd screw up everything over a failed relationship?"

"Well, you're screwing this up." Hayner got to his feet and picked up his suitcase. "I'm going to be staying with Tidus for a while. I'll pay rent for this month, but you better find a place to live. Since Sora and Kairi are moving in together, why don't you stay with Riku?"

Roxas gave a frustrated yell at the closed door and threw his jacket at it. Hayner was the must frustrating man he'd ever been with. He was so jealous, felt so righteous in his jealousy. No wait… Both Riku and Demyx had been jealous, and ironically enough, of each other. But he'd broken up with Riku because, even if Riku hadn't started seeing it until a long time later, he was falling for Sora, fast and hard. And Demyx was rightfully jealous of Riku, as Roxas had still been burning the candle for him throughout their whole on-and-off relationship.

And really, Hayner's jealousy wasn't all too irrational. There was always something scary about when a relationship, your longest, strongest relationship, fails. The fear drives you to denial, and drives you to another man's arms.

Only in Roxas' case, he wasn't sure this other man was Riku.

--

Sora was supposed to pick him up for the concert, but instead, Axel's truck sat outside the complex, honking. Roxas moodily stepped out the door, fingers grasping the tickets in his pocket. He didn't feel like going, but he'd made a promise to Demyx.

The ride was a little awkward. Mystery Boy, Melodious Nocturne's first indie album, blasted loudly from the speakers as Roxas sat between Sora and Axel at the wheel. It was made a million times worse because no one was singing along, and Roxas could hear clearly Demyx's lovesick voice from three years ago. Lovesick over him. How Roxas wished that any of the seven happy-go-lucky tracks were playing rather than the one hyper-sad song.

Axel tried to break the silence. He sang along to the title track.

"Who's heart is next to break?
I've got to keep my eyes on you.
A dangerous dance on a dangerous day,
What's that Mystery Boy gonna do?

You're here in my arms, but
Your heart isn't mine.
Your eyes are on him, but
You're my Valentine.

Oh ohh… Mystery B-!"

"Where's Kairi?" Roxas asked, turning to face Sora, away from Axel singing a song about him. "I thought she was coming. She loves Nocturne, doesn't she?"

"Where's Hayner?" Sora countered bitterly, not taking his eyes from the window. His empty ring finger sent a chill down Roxas' spine. "I just want to get this interview over with. I don't even care about the concert anymore."

"What are you going to do with the extra ticket? I've got one too, so…"

"You can pawn mine off too. I don't need to be in the front row."

"Front row?" Axel exclaimed, car screeching as he made an exaggerated stop at the traffic light. "For one, you've got to stay there! The pictures, Sora, the pictures! And you've got extras? You know who'd die to get front row seats?"

"Didn't know you were that much of a fan," Roxas muttered, strapping himself in. The abrupt stop had caused him to jolt forward in his seat. Luckily, he caught his hands on the dashboard before his head crashed into the windshield. He pointed at the light, which had changed five seconds ago. "Green light says go."

"Zexion rubbed off on me. Hey, you've got front seats too, Roxy? Since you've got extra, do you think me and Zexion can move up with you guys?" Axel asked excitedly. "And since I'll have my ticket left over, maybe I'll call up Riku and ask him to come?"

"Riku hates Melodious Nocturne," Sora cut in. "And it has nothing to do with the nasty lyrics about him in Mystery Boy or Photography."

"About him?" Axel asked curiously. "Why would he write lyrics about Riku?"

Sora shut up, returning to gazing dolefully out the window. Axel called anyway.

--

"Hi, I'm Zexion. Thanks for the seats," greeted the slate haired man. He already had a tour t-shirt pulled over his other clothing. Roxas smiled and shook his hand.

"No problem," he said as Axel took up the seat between the two of them.

"Front and center! How did you get such good seats?" Axel exclaimed.

"Friends in high places," Roxas shrugged. Over there, Sora was busy taking pictures of the excited crowd, a great many of them HBU students. When the lights dimmed, Sora packed up his camera and shoved the bag under his seat.

The opening band's set lasted half an hour as people continued pouring in. It wasn't until the lights dimmed after the first intermission that fans really started screaming. Roxas was one of them, whooping loudly, getting infected by the energy of the crowd. Sora was even getting into it too, though his smile seemed more like a grimace and he continually disappeared and returned.

The lights lit up on a lone figure, with his modified guitar and a wide pose. Striking a chord, all Melodious Nocturne had to do was raise a hand in greeting, and the crowd went wild. Then in struck handsome Saix on the other guitar, then wild Xigbar on bass, and finally Luxord joined in with drums.

The first song was a wordless composition, setting up themes and motifs for the rest of the show. It sampled everything from pop rock to a riff of tango to classic rock and back to European influences, even touching on the main theme of Final Fantasy VII, which Roxas knew to be Demyx's favorite videogame and doubted that anyone else could make a connection. After almost ten minutes, the introduction came to a close. Melodious Nocturne waved at the crowd, causing an avalanche of cheers.

"I know, usually an emcee would come out and give a speech like this," he began. "But I'd like to thank you all for coming today. It really means a lot to me and my band." He made a gesture to the men onstage with him. "As you fans know, this is my first headlining tour, and just, wow. It's been amazing so far, and I'm so glad I was able to fudge Hollow Bastion onto the tour list. Do you want to know why?" A resounding Yeah echoed from the corners of the hall.

Demyx smiled. "Sure? Okay. See, I started out as a nobody. Literally. My high school band was named the Nobodies. I made my best friends for life there, and when I decided to pursue my life as a solo artist, my best friends went on to go to college. Here, actually. At Hollow Bastion." There rose a murmur from the crowds looking left and right, wondering who among their peers was lucky enough to be Melodious Nocturne's best friend. "So I'd like to call up, my bestest friend in the whole wide world, my muse, my unwitting poet… Roxy, get your ass up here!"

Roxas was already ducked out of his seat, trying to sneak away when the spotlight hit him. A tumult of applause, and Roxas waved shyly. "Demyx, I'm going to skin you!" he shouted over the roar. He looked over his shoulder to see Axel's dumbstruck face and Zexion's envious one. "Rox!" A security man helped Roxas up to the stage via side stairs, and walked up to the center stage with Demyx, who slung his arm over Roxas shoulder and pulled him close, rubbing his cheek on Roxas' like a kitten for a moment.

"I'm going to kill you," Roxas said murderously, his voice echoing through Demyx's microphone attached to his headset.

"All in due time, Roxas. All in due time," Demyx chuckled. "So I've brought him up here to sing a song with me!"

"You're kidding me! No, no, no I'm not!" Roxas struggled to get away, but his superstar best friend kept him by his side.

"Yes you are. You know this song, right?" And lyrics were thrust under his nose. "This is from Roxas, to the guy he loves!" Roxas was horrified when the crowd beyond the stage lights began chanting his name.

"Rox-as! Rox-as! Rox-as!"

He couldn't even hear Axel above the din, and automatically looked front row and center, where Axel was sitting. Where his boyfriend, Hayner, was supposed to be sitting. Demx was looking straight at him too, knowing he had given Roxas tickets for his significant other. And he thought Axel was-!

Without warning, Demyx stepped away and strummed on his guitar, leaving Roxas in the middle of the stage at the microphone stand, holding lyrics he helped write about a boyfriend who wasn't there, and Roxas really couldn't sing this song to Axel, so he'd have to make it up as he went along, and damn it, there was his cue!

"How can love be everything you want?
When we love, do we love, or are we faking?
Is this new? Is this old? Have I been waiting
All this time, just for you ?

So I wait until it's dark to ask,
What is this we have?
Is this love like me and you?
Or is this love at all?

Because I could die, just by knowing
This kind of happy."

Crap. Roxas had screwed up the whole song. It was short, it was sweet, it was supposed to be bitingly sarcastic at Hayner, and what had Demyx wanted to do? Tell the world he was unhappy with Hayner? But here he was, standing on stage, changing every single line while looking straight at Axel who had green eyes like Envy. And the song made even less sense than the fact that Hayner had left him just that morning, that Kairi and Sora had broken up a day after their engagement, and that he knew right then, that Axel loved him so much he was there and not storming off because Roxas had more than one ex-boyfriend, and that for some reason, people were clapping wildly for him. It did not, however, eclipse the fact that he loved Axel right then, more than even Sora, returning to his seat with Riku.

Demyx gripped his microphone in his hand so that it wouldn't pick up his words when he said in Roxas' ear, "I was hoping that you'd roast him and get out of that fucked up relationship thing."

"I'm not even with that guy yet!" Roxas replied, but he was so light and in love that he couldn't wipe the smile off his face, and Demyx didn't say anything about it, and just ushered him off the stage.

"Now lady and gents, after that amusing interlude, let's get this concert rocking!" The crowd went wild as Demyx gave his Chesire grin.

"The next song: 'The Most Genuine Thing.'"


chapter end