thanks so much for the reviews you guys! i'm glad i haven't lost ya :)

"Hey guys! Wanna let me in to see Sora?" Axel asked cheerfully, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Again? But-but—" the guard started.

"C'mon! You let me see him before!" Axel whined, knowing this would work. The guards were foolish in thinking that if you fed the alley cat once, it would go away. They were learning awfully quickly that it would just come back and rely on you to feed it once again.

Grumbling and whining, the redhead eventually managed to get past the guards into Sora's room. The prisoner was dozing, his body shivering as he slept. Axel gave him a worried look before proceeding to wake him up.

"Sora . . . Sora . . . wakey wakey . . ." he said, shaking his shoulder.

"Mmwhad? Axel?" he said wearily, yawning as he sat up. His body still shivered, but Sora didn't even seem to notice his quivering limbs. "What's up?"

"A few things," he answered.

"Give the worst first," Sora replied automatically.

A smile pranced upon Axel's lips. "But what if there isn't any bad news to tell?"

"There isn't?" Sora checked, surprised. At Axel's nod, he said, "Then . . . I dunno, whichever you wanna tell me first."

"Ok! First, Roxas gave me directions to Riku's house, so I dropped by to see if he had another letter for you." Sora's eyes lit up anxiously as Axel mentioned stopping by Riku's home.

"D-did he?" Sora found himself asking even though he knew Axel would've said so shortly.

"Yep, here it is," Axel said, presenting the envelope to his friend. Said friend couldn't keep a smile off his face as he accepted the letter. Sora was eager to read it, but he knew he should save it until Axel left. Once Axel left, he'd be bored; best to save it 'til later.

"Thanks, Axel, really," Sora said gratefully, clutching the letter as if it were something very precious.

"No problem, but that letter won't compare to what I have to give and tell you next. You know Larxene? Well, she gave me this jug to collect clean blood for you," he said, triumphantly bringing out a full milk jug of blood. Sora's blue eyes widened at the sight; his mouth instantly watered at the sight of it, but then something Axel said came back to him.

"Wait . . . clean blood? Does that mean the reserves really are toxic?" Sora inquired.

"Yup, I went down to the infirmary and visited Marluxia—remember him?"

Sora nodded. Marluxia had been a friend of his for a while when he and Leon first arrived at Castle Oblivion. The vampire had actually been very knowledgeable in his kind, so Sora had spent a great amount of time with him, learning about Organization XIII's history and the competition going on between it and Heartless as well as other things. Before he'd been condemned to his room, he'd made it a point to visit him once a month. From the looks of things so far, he wasn't going to make it this month.

Axel continued. "Well, he really isn't doing too good down there. Larxene was there, too, and they both said that the blood was poisoned. Larxene insists it's Kairi's fault and that Kairi only feeds the reserves to vampires she wants out of the way—but not dead. I guess you're on the list. Anyway, Marluxia had Larxene give me her jug to fill with healthy blood. He said something like "Sora can't get to such a weak state." Any idea what he meant by that?" Axel interrogated.

Sora let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, I know why he said that. Don't worry about it."

Axel raised an eyebrow questioningly, but let it go. "You know, according to Larxene, it takes about a month for the reserves to make someone sick enough to be sent to the infirmary. I asked Larxene if giving you good blood would heal you, but she said it wouldn't; however, it would keep the poison at bay long enough for you to get out of here without having to go to the infirmary. If Lulu says you aren't sick enough, you won't have to go. Kairi can't do a thing about it," he said, grinning.

Sora returned the grin. "That's awesome, but Axel?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you give me the blood now?" he whined. Letting out a small laugh, Axel obliged and handed it over.

Clumsily unscrewing the cap, Sora clamped his lips onto the opening and drank deeply from the jug. Warm liquid fell down to his stomach and seeped through his organ's walls into the blood vessels. With red running through his veins and arteries, Sora relaxed as his flesh was coaxed from its cold state. His head tingled a bit as his brain soaked up the nutrients from the juices greedily. Lowering the now-empty jug, the full vampire gave a sigh of contentment—a satisfied smile gracing his face.

Axel just stared. The change was just so obvious. Before, Sora had been shivering and sickly. Now, he was slightly pink and he wasn't shaking at all.

"Thanks Axel, I needed that," Sora said, handing the jug back to him.

"Yeah, I can tell. I'll get you some more next time I go out, ok?"

"That'd be great! Thanks! You're the bestest friend ever, Axel!" Sora declared loudly.

"Don't mention it, Sora, but I better get going before those two pathetic guards of yours wet themselves," Axel said, standing up.

Reluctantly, Sora nodded. As soon as Axel's presence was gone from the room, he turned his attention back to Riku's letter. He'd been dying to open it ever since Axel had held it out in front of his face.

Ripping open the envelope, he read the contents.

Sora,

Of course I want to know what's going on with you! You have no idea how boring my life would suddenly seem if you were cut out of it. By the way, just in case anybody ever asks, I told Wakka at the church thing that you had to leave because of a family emergency. No one questioned further, but I just thought you should know.

And you think Axel might like Roxas? That's probably a good thing because I think Roxas likes Axel, too; he's just unsure of his sexuality. He's open to experimentation now though, so he'll give Axel a chance. He just won't guarantee anything.

Maybe we should be their relationship counselors or something?

Anyway, if we're going to keep sending letters to each other, can you do something for me? I don't really want my parents to know about our relationship, so do you think maybe Axel could just stick the note in my mailbox? I'm always the one that checks the mail, so it's unlikely my parents will get it instead. Just make sure to put my full name on the outside (just in case). It's Riku Saiki. (You have no idea how many times Selphie's told me my last name almost sounds like the Japanese word "sake" which is ironic because it's an alcoholic drink and my parents are so clean it's almost funny.)

Who are Zexion and Demyx? Your guards? Why can't they just lock the door? Does it have anything to do with your vampire abilities? Speaking of which, what exactly are your vampire abilities? I know you can travel through shadows, and you have to be in good athletic shape. But what else? Good hearing? Eyesight? Can vampires really turn into bats or is that just a myth? I'd ask about the affects the church has on you, but you kinda went to my church camp with me so that'd be kinda dumb. What's true about vampires and what isn't?

Sorry if I'm annoying you with all my questions, but surely you can see where I'm coming from? I mean, you were human, too at one point, right? Or are vampires born from other vampires like any other species?

Well, it's getting late, so I better get going to bed. Even though it's summer, my parents make sure I'm up before 8:00 every day. It sucks! I can never sleep in—even on Saturdays! But I guess that's just 'cause they want their son to be perfect. Too late though since I'm gay and all (but they don't know that yet).

…And now I'm complaining about my life when you're a prisoner inside your own room. Sorry, it's just that my parents aren't exactly the most attentive to me and now I'm whining again like an attention-deprived baby…

But I gotta get going, goodnight!

Looking forward to your return letter!

Riku

Sora couldn't help the relief that flooded through him when he read that Riku wanted to stay in contact with him. Humming to himself, he brought out the paper and ink to write the letter Riku claimed to be looking forward to.

-

"My Queen, I have done what you asked of me."

"Thank you, Saix," Kairi said as her subordinate handed her a few photos. "Will you be as kind as to point them out to me?"

Saix nodded, light blue hair falling from his ears to his face—hiding the X-shaped scar that ran over the perfect skin of his vampiric face. Pointing to each in turn, he said, "The two blonds are brothers. The younger is Roxas, he's the one Axel is pining after. The other is Cloud who's been seen repeatedly with Leon."

The queen pursed her lips. "I see. And the other boy?"

"That is Riku, and I have suspicions that he was the one who kept Sora out after curfew that one night."

"Interesting . . . but the issue with Sora worked out in my favor after all, so I suppose I can't complain," she said flippantly.

A short distance away, Larxene caught everything they said. She knew it would be beneficial to her if she could see those pictures; she wasn't sure how, but better safe than sorry, right?

As Saix left the room (bowing as he left, of course, the suck-up), Larxene found her chance. Walking up to him, before he could put them in his pocket, her hand easily snatched the photos from his hand.

"What're these, Saix? Pictures of humans you're stalking for later?" she teased, backing away a little as her eyes scanned the photos—matching names with faces according to what she'd overheard.

Saix growled, "No, I don't plan who I prey upon, Larxene. It's spur of the moment. Whoever's unlucky enough to be there is chosen. Now will you hand me back those photos?"

"Why should I? So you can have wet dreams about them?" provoked the girl. Staring hard at the pictures a few seconds longer, she declared them memorized.

"Larxene! Give them back!" he roared.

"Whatever!" Larxene said, tossing them into the air and allowing them to fall unceremoniously upon the cold floor. As she left, she heard strings of curses uttered under Saix's breath and her name occasionally mixed in with them.

Quickly, she returned to the infirmary. Lulu almost never paid her any mind anymore since she visited so often. The smell of paint was still in Marluxia's room, but it wasn't near as strong as it had been some of the previous days.

Namine was waiting inside with her sketchbook and a sharp pencil ready instead of her usual paint can and paintbrush. A pencil sharpener was placed nearby as well. Marluxia himself was snoozing in his bed; it almost made Larxene smile, for when he slept, he almost looked untroubled.

"Did you get their names and faces?" Namine asked.

Larxene nodded, sitting in a chair across from the artist. "There are three of them. The first is Roxas . . ."

And so they began. Larxene would say the boy's name before going into an impressively detailed description of him. This way, in case any of the three boys got caught inside Castle Oblivion, the girls could at least know whom they were to help.

Honestly, neither girl was sure why Sora or who he hung out with was of any importance. Kairi was the one they needed to worry about. Since she was the one in power, it only made sense for them to be concerned about what she did and ordered. But Marluxia insisted Sora and those near him had to be kept safe, and even though the girls didn't quite know what was going on, they knew that Marluxia did and that was good enough for them.

-

A few days later, Roxas was on the phone with Hayner. It was about eight at night; Cloud would be home soon from work. He'd landed a job at the library as an all-around helper. He mainly shelved books, checked books in and out, and fetched coffee for his superiors.

"How's your leg, Hayner?" Roxas asked.

"Oh, that? It's fine—should be gone in a few days," reassured Hayner. "My mom's not so thrilled about it though. I'm surprised she didn't kill me when I walked in with bloody toilet paper wrapped around my leg!"

Roxas laughed at the memory. He had almost forgotten that he'd used toilet paper to stop the bleeding. A click from the door brought him back to reality.

"Ah I gotta go, Hayner, Cloud's home," he said into the receiver.

"Right, see ya later, man," Hayner said, hanging up on the other end as Roxas hung the phone back on the wall.

"Thanks, but you really didn't need to drive me home, Sephiroth. The library isn't that far from here," Cloud said to someone outside the door. From Roxas's position, he didn't know who it was, but it was obvious Cloud hadn't been with walking home with Leon.

"It's fine, I only live a few more blocks down," a deep voice said. Ok, so Roxas had narrowed it down to a guy named Sephiroth who'd been at the library. He must've been a friend, or Cloud wouldn't have trusted him to give him a ride home. But how close were they? Stealthily as he could (not very), the brother peeked out the hall to see just who Cloud was speaking to.

"Still, you didn't have to walk with me up to my apartment," Cloud said. "It's not as if you're dropping me off from a date or something," he mumbled. Sephiroth's eyes flashed, but he stayed quiet as if he hadn't heard.

"Hey Cloud," Roxas said as casually as he could, walking into the room.

"Oh, Roxas, this is Sephiroth—he works with me at the library. Sephiroth, this is my little brother Roxas," Cloud introduced. Roxas nodded curtly, muttering a "nice to meet you" under his breath. It didn't take him long to take an instant dislike to the man. Sephiroth was tall with long swishy hair pulled back in a low ponytail. A turtleneck covered his upper half while black jeans hugged his legs.

Who wore turtlenecks in summer? Freak, Roxas decided.

Sephiroth returned the nod in his direction before saying to Cloud, "Well, I should probably get going. Don't want to take away time for you to study for that history test."

"Yeah, see you later, Sephiroth," Cloud said, shutting the door as the tall man left. It didn't take long for Roxas to get on Cloud's case.

"Who was that?" the younger one questioned.

"I told you," Cloud said, placing his bag on the floor and kicking his shoes off. "That was Sephiroth—works at the library with me. That's all."

Roxas raised an eyebrow at this. "Are you sure that's all?"

Cloud glared at his brother. "Yes, Roxas,that's all. He's my friend—nothing more, nothing less."

"If you say so," Roxas said, rolling his eyes. "But have you told Leon about him yet?"

". . . Not yet," Cloud admitted. "But it's not that big of a deal. I mean, we're just friends."

"Not if he has his way, you won't," muttered Roxas.

"What was that?!"

Sighing, Roxas said, "Nothing . . ."

"It wasn't nothing!" Cloud insisted. "Tell me what you said!"

The brothers stared each other hard in the eye before Roxas said coldly, "Fine. You wanna know what I think? I think that Sephiroth is going to try to separate you and Leon so that he can have you for himself. And you'll be too boneheaded to see that until it's all over and you're crying because Sephiroth hurt you and Leon never did. That's what I think."

"Well guess what, Roxas, you're wrong," Cloud replied just as harshly. "Sephiroth would never hurt me and I'd never leave Leon. And I don't cry."

Roxas snorted. "Cloud, if you don't lay down the rules quickly with that guy, he's gonna walk all over you, and you won't realize it until Leon's gone and you're being treated like shit."

"Sephiroth isn't a bad guy and I'd never leave Leon! I love Leon and I'm not stupid enough to give his love up! STOP THINKING I'D CHEAT ON HIM!" the blond yelled furiously. The room was silent for a moment as both stood their ground.

Finally, Roxas broke the quiet by turning away to head towards his room. Before he entered his bedroom, he whispered, "Cloud, please don't be blind to how he looks at you. Don't get tricked by his words—whatever you do, don't get tricked by him. It'll hurt Leon just as much as it'll hurt you."

Cloud sighed and dropped onto the couch. Leaning his head on his hands, he considered all that had just gone by and wondered if Roxas was right.

Then he shook his head, Roxas didn't even know Sephiroth, but Cloud did. And Cloud knew Sephiroth would never do anything like that to him. . . . Right?

Letting out another frustrated sigh, he turned on the TV and watched a mindless program—allowing himself to put the drama away for later.

-

Leon, meanwhile, was bristling outside. He'd seen and heard everything that had gone on between Cloud and Sephiroth since the latter had parked outside the apartment building. Curiosity getting the better of him, he'd also heard the fight between Cloud and Roxas—fully siding with his boyfriend's brother.

Maybe Cloud hadn't seen it—heck, even Roxas hadn't seen that much of it, but Leon had certainly caught the way Sephiroth had been eyeing his boyfriend as well as the small touches here and there. Like a hand accidentally brushing his arm. "Accidentally" my ass, Leon couldn't help but think.

He felt somewhat guilty himself for not trusting Cloud even though the blond had insisted he wouldn't cheat on Leon, but that alone wouldn't stop the knives of jealousy and betrayal that stung deep. Cloud's outbursts of saying he loved Leon helped, but that Sephiroth being anywhere near him irritated Leon like no other.

Upset, Leon couldn't quite bring himself to visit Cloud like he'd planned. Turning away, he left to return to Castle Oblivion. Curfew would end in a few hours anyway.

foreshadowing is so much fun :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR! reviewers get party poppers (cuz they're fun even if they aren't related to Kingdom Hearts)