Chapter 8! YES! I'm making progress! I wish that I could say the same for FIW, but hey, that'll come up eventually in my long line of things to get motivated on.

Chapter 9 is done as well, and this writer is currently working on chapter 10. (9 will be up Monday, if all goes well and there's no snow day)

Warning: Swearing and that jazz, themes, and yeah. Just that.

Disclaimer: The characters and plot belong to me! . . . . *sigh* that's a lie. They belong to SQUARE ENIX, but hey, it's a nice thought that I could call them my own.

Read, review, and fangirl on!

Chapter 8-

As the glow fades he finally is able to speak, "What was t-"

"It shows power usage. It happens after I use my powers more than just a little."

He sits down on his bed while I explain, "What about the bandage."

"Power backlash." I offhandedly tell him, "It happens sometimes. Not much, but when it does it can be obnoxious."

". . ." He doesn't say anything. Just thinks. He's not sure whether to believe me or not.

"Didn't you want to play a game Neku?" I breach the subject to get him off this one.

He looks startled again, "Yes, I do. It's a lot like twenty questions. You answer 'yes', 'no', 'I don't know', or 'pass'."

"Yes, yes, you told me all of this earlier."

"And you have to be truthful. No lies. If you don't want to tell me something then you say 'pass'. Deal?"

I think about it for a moment, "Deal." I say with a smirk, "Go ahead."

"Have you been here for more than a month?"

"Yes."

His face lights up, finally he's getting somewhere.

"Have you kept me out of harms way?"

"Yes."

"Have you been here for more than a year?"

"Pass."

"Is Mr. H like you?"

"No."

"Have you taken much damage being here?"

I don't want to answer this one, but I agreed to a game where I can't lie.

"Pass."

"Does your name really start with 'J'?"

"No."

He pauses at this one, taking a contemplative look onto his face.

"Does your assumed name or nickname start with 'J'?"

"Yes."

"Have you known Mr. H for more than five years?"

"Yes."

"Have you known him for more than ten years?"

I know what he's doing, he's fishing for how we know each other.

"Pass."

Neku sighs, he really didn't expect that one to follow through.

"Was Rhyme onto something earlier at 104?"

"Yes."

"Will you tell me what that was?"

"I don't know."

Neku looks surprised at my answer, but it was truthful. I haven't decided how much to tell him.

"Do you have wings?"

My eyes widen at this. It was such a strange question in the field of the ones that he was asking me.

"Yes."

"Really?" He exclaims, clearly excited and curious, "Can I see them?"

"I don't know."

That doesn't seem to phase him too much, he just continues.

"Are there many Angels like you in Shibuya?"

"Yes."

"Are there others in my school with them?"

"Yes."

"Can I see them?"

"No."

His questions are winding down for the night, he knows that he has to do more to get inventive to get important information out of me.

He's silent for a few minutes, until, "Did you really get that cut from a backlash?"

He startles me, and the words are out of my mouth before I can think about them.

"No."

"I knew it." He gives me a strange look, "Was it from my parents?"

"No." I was taking the loophole he had given me.

He seems to realize it too.

"Was it from my mother?"

"No."

"Was it from my step-father?"

"Yes."

Neku sighs, "End of game. For tonight at least."

I look at him, pointedly, "I don't like this game."

"Yes, but it's interesting, and I get some information out of it."

My eyes narrow, "True."

"Now, will you remove yourself from my desk so that I can finish my homework?"

"Sure." I shrug, and manage not to wince. I get up and move over to the window sill. He looks at me.

"You can sit on the bed you know." He tells me, sitting down on his chair, pulling papers out of his bag.

"I'm okay here." I tell him. Neku keeps his gaze on me until I become uncomfortable.

"Fine, your majesty. Whatever you say." I mock bow and get up, moving to the mattress and propping myself gingerly on it.

"Better." He turns back to his work.

I watch him from my place on the bed. I feel my eyes droop. I can't doze off here. Those people are downstairs. Granted, they're both asleep, but still. . .

Against my better reason I fall into a slumber.

Neku POV

He doesn't talk the entire time I'm working. In fact he's been really quiet the entire day. Mr. H says that he can normally chatter your ear off, but ever since school evidence of that had not been present.

I'd gotten a little bit farther in my investigation today, he'd given me a bit more information- even if it was just in 'yes' and 'no' answers.

I stretch and stand, putting away my things I turn back to the bed. I stop at the sight and smile. He sits propped up against the wall, head resting on his shoulder, one hand on the bed and the other crossing over his stomach.

He normally has such a condescending face. He rarely smiles a real smile. Most of the time he's smirking or acting fake. He obviously doesn't act truthfully very often. Mr. H, did say that if you were to see him asleep you'd learn a lot about him, and I must say that he's right.

The peaceful look on his face makes him almost seem like an Angel.

I don't want to wake him up, he looks as if he hasn't slept in a few days- which is probably true. I move a blanket onto his sleeping figure, and silently thank my stupid parents that the bed they'd gotten years ago, when they still semi-cared, was too big for me, even if I stretched out all the way.

Laying down at the head I pull my blanket over me. He might be mad in the morning, but I can deal. I've been through worse than an angry Angel.

Yes, I snuck in a Neku POV. It makes me happy, and felt warranted! See you next time!