Sorry I didn't update this weekend guys. I was on a different planet entirely. I pretty much gave up my New Years Eve to baby sit all weekend. (Which is fine because they pay REALLY well. I'm a high class baby sitter. Lawl.) But I just felt like I was playing Barbies and coloring and reading children's books and watching Yo Gabba Gabba all weekend. And I pretty much was until the night time (and even on some days, way into the night time.) So I didn't get much writing done.

Hrm, this chapter. What can I say about this chapter? I don't like it. I don't like anything about it. I feel like everything happens too fast here and it kinda does, because things happen too fast in real life too and then the next thing you know, your head is spinning and you just got mind fucked and you don't know what the hell is going on and I HATE that about real life. Thusly, I hate that about this chapter.

I also feel like Axel's been doing nothing but crying lately. What a puss. I mean, sure one of the people he loves most in the world is dying, and two of his best friends recently died horrible, gruesome deaths, but geeze man! Toughen up a little bit! Be cold and callous like Roxas was!

Sadly I don't think the crying is going to stop any time soon. I have two chapters after this written and he's crying in both of them. Lame.

Please enjoy!

"I'm glad you decided to come with us Lux." Roxas looked to the blond man in the driver's seat and forced a smile. "And not just cause we needed a ride."

Luxord grunted in response and glanced at the other blond in his rear view mirror. "And why is it that Saïx is driving the motorcycle?"

"He wants to impress his lady love." Roxas said with a wide grin. "He all but cried when he was begging Axel to let him borrow it."

Luxord cocked an eyebrow at the two in the back seat before turning his eyes back forward. "He doesn't know you're following him, does he?"

Roxas smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Not exactly. See, it isn't that we don't trust him. But if any harm comes to this girl it will mean all of our heads. She's the daughter of that mafia family we had after us the other day. Supposedly they agreed to let her do whatever she wants but I can bet her guards are following her and that means we can't let Saïx get himself into trouble."

"Very interesting." Luxord switched lanes quickly and pulled up to the grungy little hole in the wall where most of the local concerts took place. He parked a good distance from where Saïx had parked the motorcycle and cut the engine. "So, what does the little tart look like anyway?"

"Oh, you'll know her when you see her. She's this cute as a button little blonde girl, and she'll likely be at Saïx's side at all times." Roxas unbuckled and climbed out of the car with Axel trailing soon behind. "She'll probably stick out like a sore thumb."

"At least she'll be easy to keep an eye on, eh?" Luxord started toward the entrance leaving his two passengers far behind him.

Roxas turned to look at Axel and smiled at him in an attempt to lighten the mood. The redhead had been miserable since Luxord arrived at the apartment to pick them up but he'd made the choice to come along and so Roxas wanted to make it a point that he have a good time. "Come on, this will be fun if you let it be."

Axel trudged forward and stared at the ground. The last thing in the world he wanted was to be near Luxord when the only thing that had been on his mind was the suffering the man was going through. The cancer had spread further since the last time they saw him. It was now peeking out from the collar of his jacket and there was no telling just how far it had spread elsewhere. It was just a reminder to Axel that his former lover was dying and hurting and he hated it. He followed Roxas into the building and spotted Saïx nearly right away. As Roxas predicted, the teen had an arm wrapped tightly around Naminé and was pushing away anyone who might bump into the small girl. Despite what might be a terrifying situation, the girl seemed to be having a good time. Axel then scanned the room for the girl's two guards. He knew they had to be close, and sure enough, they were standing near the bar pretending to be invisible. He stood beside Roxas and motioned to the two massive men. They stuck out like sore thumbs. "There's the thugs!"

Roxas chuckled and nodded. "I knew they'd be here!"

"So we really didn't need to come after all!" Axel let out a long groan over the music and nudged Roxas. "Why'd you drag me out here!?"

"Even though they can protect Naminé, Saïx still needs our protection from them!" Roxas smiled and shrugged. "Besides, I thought it would be good to get Luxord out of that empty apartment!" He paused to look around for the blond man but couldn't find him. "Speaking of, where is he!?"

"What are you doing here!?" Saïx screamed over the music as he approached his brother and Roxas with Naminé trailing close behind. "Why are you here!?"

Roxas forced a smile and shrugged. "Oh, you know! Just hanging out!"

"My ass! You followed me here!" Saïx scowled and crossed his arms before turning to Naminé and pulling her close. "Well, since you're here do you think you could keep an eye on her for a minute!?"

Roxas looked to Axel who shrugged before turning his eyes back to his fellow teens. "Sure!"

"Good! I have to use the toilet but I don't want to leave her alone and I can't take her with me!" Saïx motioned to the two body guards sitting near the bar. "You know, those two!"

"Gottcha!" Roxas nodded and watched Saïx hurry off. Just as his blue hair disappeared from sight, the band stopped playing and Roxas smiled brightly at Naminé. "So, how do you like the atmosphere?"

Naminé dug a finger in her left ear and cringed. "I think I'm going def in one ear but other than that, its fun and exciting. There are so many interesting people here. Its unlike anything I've ever seen before. So loud and dangerous, but I like it! And can you believe my uncle agreed to it? Of course, I didn't exactly tell him where I was going. But my guards are here so I don't think he trusted Saïx too much."

"Nah, I think he just worries about you." Roxas laughed lightly and cracked his neck. "So, I don't suppose you'll be in the pit tonight."

"Me? In that big round circle? Oh, no!" Naminé giggled and shook her head. "No, Saïx won't let me anywhere near it. I tried to get a little bit close but he wouldn't let me. What a party pooper!"

"Its probably for the best. He doesn't want you to get hurt. These people can get pretty rough in there and sure, they'll help you back up, but could you imagine if you went home with a black eye or a busted lip?" Roxas snickered. "Your uncle would kill Saïx for sure."

"Yeah." Naminé nodded slowly and turned her attention to Axel. "How are you tonight Axel? You don't look like you're feeling too well."

Axel looked down at the blond girl and smiled softly in an attempt to hide his gloom. "Just tired, hun. That's all."

"Now don't go lying to such a lovely young lady." Luxord said with a smile. He scooped the blonde girl's hand up in his own and brought it to his lips. "You must be Saïx's lovely little lady friend. It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Luxord."

"A pleasure indeed." Naminé smiled and nodded her head to the tall man before her. "I'm Naminé. Are you a friend of Saïx's?"

"Well, not quite. I'm a friend of Axel's, but I've known the little runt since he was about this tall." Luxord brought his hand to level just under his diaphragm and chuckled. "Got yourself quite a little spitfire, miss. Hope you can handle him."

"He's secretly really sweet." Naminé said with a small blush before turning her eyes toward the direction the blue haired boy had headed off to. As she turned her gaze across the room she spotted him on the floor punching some seemingly random boy. "O-oh my gosh!"

Roxas' eyes flew to where Naminé was looking and they bulged as they fell on Saïx. He had some poor kid pinned underneath him and was wailing on him relentlessly. But just as he seemed ready to leave the boy be and return to them, another kid jumped in on him. This made it an unfair fight and at this, Roxas couldn't just stand by and watch. "Will you keep an eye on her for a second? I gotta go settle this." Without even waiting for Luxord to answer, Roxas rushed over to the forming group and pulled the stranger off of Saïx, only to receive a fist in the face from another person.

"Those two, I swear." Axel growled and clenched his fists. "Lux, please keep Naminé safe. I've got to go beat the hell out of some douche bags." He rushed over to where Saïx and Roxas were rolling around on the ground. The two were doing considerably well holding their own against the three guys attacking them. Axel stepped into the fray and instantly laid an elbow to the face of one of the taller boys. He felt a hand in his hair yanking and he spun around with a fist flying into the face of some girl who thought she'd step up and take a chance with the big boys. He pulled Roxas off the floor by the scruff of his neck and kicked the ribs of the greasy haired boy that had tried to pin him down.

Roxas flashed a bloody grin at his lover and then turned to punch an approaching boy in the face. He turned around to look at Saïx but the teen was now pinning two boys to the ground and alternating punches on both of their faces. He tugged at his arm and pulled him off of the two bleeding teens. "Alright, alright. Enough is enough."

Saïx snarled and spat a mixture of blood and saliva down at the two boys on the floor. As Roxas and his brother dragged him away he began to calm but his heart rate was still pumping. "Fuckers."

"What was that all about, man?" Roxas asked as he pulled Saïx back toward the bathroom. "Did he cut you in line or something?"

"No." Saïx scowled and wiped his bloody lip on the back of his jacket sleeve. "The fat fucker was talking about Naminé, and he was saying some pretty nasty shit. So naturally, I had to shut him up."

"Naturally." Axel rolled his eyes and turned on the water in the sink for the boys who had both sustained worse injury than he had. "I'm sure Naminé will be thrilled that you're defending her honor."

Saïx paused in swishing around a mouthful of water to stare at his brother wide eyed. He spewed the water onto the floor and grasped Axel's sleeve. "Wait, where is Naminé!? Please tell me Demyx is here and she's with him! Tell me you didn't leave her out there alone!"

Axel raised his hands in defense and forced a chuckle. "Relax, she's not alone! Besides, her guards are out there too. She's fine."

Saïx cocked a skeptical eyebrow at his brother and clutched his jacket tighter. "Is she with Demyx? Or even Zexion or Lexaeus?"

"Well, not exactly." Axel ran his hand through his hair, stopping to rub the sore spot where that bitch had tugged a handful. "See, Dem just hasn't been himself lately and he's been really out of touch. And Zex and Lex are busy with school so we didn't want to bother them."

Saïx grit his teeth and scowled at his brother. "Who is she with?"

"Nobody of consequence, really." Axel smiled sheepishly and looked away from his brother. "Just, Luxord."

"Luxord!?" Saïx's face paled. "You left her with the slimy limey!? That smooth talking, skirt chasing, thinks he's God's gift to the fucking world British bastard!?"

"Relax!" Axel caught his brother by the arm and pulled him back as he started to storm out the door. "She's fine. I've got a feeling that Luxord isn't going to bother trying to woo her. He's got a lot else on his mind besides tail."

"Still, I don't like it." Saïx tugged away from his brother and started out the door. "You had better come with me or else I'll end up killing the fucker if he so much as looks at Naminé funny."

"Alright, sheesh." Axel followed his younger brother back into the dark, smoke filled room. He couldn't help but grin as he spotted a couple of the kids they'd just fought kneeling on the ground picking up teeth. His eyes scanned the room but he couldn't spot Luxord or Naminé anywhere. The girl's guards were also no longer sitting at the bar. "Oh my god, please tell me he didn't…"

Roxas looked to Axel curiously as he rejoined him. "Didn't what?"

Axel turned to Roxas with concern now seeping through every bit of him. "Luxord and Naminé are gone, and so are her guards. And do you remember what he said that day? About getting our mafia friends to help him?" He bit his lip, tears rushing to his eyes instantly. "He wants to die and he wants to disappear. Roxas, they can do that!"

Roxas looked to the ground in thought before shaking his head slowly. "No. That's a little far fetched Axel. Do you really think Luxord would try to hurt Naminé in hopes of being killed?"

"What would he have to lose!? Nothing!" Axel grasped his head in his hands. "Roxas, I can't go out there and look for him. I can't!"

"I don't want you to. Saïx and I will go. You stay here and just relax. Have a drink. We'll be right back." Roxas yanked Saïx by his sleeve toward the exit and once they were outside he let out a heavy sigh. "Luxord is going to die tonight."

"Yes he is because I'll kill the fucker." Saïx started toward the street. "Where did you guys park?"

"By the motorcycle, but…" Roxas hurried after Saïx but froze as he heard a loud squeak that sounded eerily familiar to Naminé when she was excited. It was followed by three of those distinct noises, the kind you pray you'll only hear in movies, of a silenced gun shooting bullets. He turned back toward the alleyway next to the building and ran over. He arrived just in time to hear a few tiny sobs but it was so dark he couldn't see much more than a mass of silhouettes. "Naminé!? Is that you!? Are you alright!?" It was silent, save for the sound of footsteps rushing toward him. He cringed, just knowing it was one of the guards coming to kill him. But the figure came into the light and slammed against his chest. It was Naminé and she had obviously been crying. "Naminé! You're okay! What happened?"

Naminé buried her face in Roxas' chest and cringed. "I did a good thing, right? I did the right thing?"

Roxas pulled Naminé back from him and looked down at her worriedly. "Naminé, what are you talking about?"

"Y-your friend! He…" Naminé wiped her eyes as tears kept coming forth. "He told me about his illness, about how he wanted to die and just disappear. He asked if I would help him."

"Oh my god." Roxas put his hands on the girl's shoulders and steadied her as she swayed like she would pass out at any moment. "Just calm down Naminé, tell me what happened!"

Naminé sucked in a quick breath, her bottom lip trembling violently. She felt on the edge of hyperventilating. "Wh-while you three were fighting those kids, your friend pulled me aside and told me about how sick he was. He showed me those horrible sores on his body and…" She shivered and shook her head as the image of the cancer on the man's neck came rushing back to her. "It looked so terrible, and I felt so bad. He told me that he was suffering and that he was going to die. Then he told me that he knew I was the daughter of a mob family and that with my help he could…" She swallowed down a sob and bit her bottom lip. "He could end his suffering. He told me if he disappeared, like my family could make him, that his family wouldn't have to know he died. He wanted me to help and pretend like he was kidnapping me and hurting me. At first I didn't want to. I was worried you'd all hate me but he told me you knew about his condition and that you wouldn't be angry. But now I'm not so sure what I did was right. I mean, I just helped a man commit suicide. I-isn't that murder?"

Roxas shook his head and pulled Naminé into a hug. He felt bad for her, this was not something she should have to have on her conscience. "Shh… I think what you did was a very brave thing Naminé. You helped a very sick man end his suffering and I don't think there is anything wrong about that."

Naminé turned away from Roxas slowly. "I've never seen a dead body before, let alone someone killed in front of me." She looked down at her shoes to see a small splatter of blood. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"I think you need to get home, Nam." Roxas sighed sadly and patted her shoulder. The poor girl was damaged, but she was still taking this situation better than most would. He knew though, if he made a big deal out of this, that Naminé would never get over the guilt. And really, what she did wasn't all that terrible, at least, not in his eyes. It was unfortunate that Luxord had to die, but at least this way was quick. At least he wasn't suffering, physically or mentally, anymore. And this was what he wanted, but Naminé seemed unsure of that. Distraught as she was though, she still remained calm. "Saïx will probably come back this way looking for you soon. He'll take you home if you want him to. You should probably get some rest."

"No." Naminé shook her head. "No, someone needs to go with that poor man's body to his final resting place. Someone should say a prayer for him and be there for him. Its only right."

Roxas nodded slowly. "I agree." He sighed as he saw Saïx rushing back toward them with a somewhat relieved, but still perturbed look on his face. Roxas took this as his cue to exit. "Don't go anywhere yet Naminé, I'll be right back. I wanna go with you." He stepped away from the girl and watched as Saïx pulled her into a hug. The boy's eyes flickered to him as he shook his head and Roxas knew exactly what Saïx was saying no to but he couldn't comply. He had to tell Axel what had just occurred. This was something he couldn't just leave his lover in the dark about. He headed back into the building and spotted his redhead right away at the bar. "Axel!"

Axel looked up from the bar to see Roxas only a few feet away at the door. He stood worriedly and rushed over to the boy. "Did you find Naminé?"

"Yeah." Roxas swallowed hard a nodded. "Yeah, we did. She's good and safe."

Axel looked to Roxas quietly a moment expecting him to say more but when the teen declined to speak he decided to probe. His stomach was in knots as he spoke the question he feared the answer to. "And Luxord?"

Roxas looked away from Axel sadly. "He didn't hurt Naminé in any way. In fact, she made it seem as though he was kind to her. So kind, in fact, that she wants to go with him."

"Go with him?" Axel's face paled and tears began swelling in his eyes. "Go with him where?"

Roxas fought his own tears at hearing and seeing the destruction of Axel's hope seep through his composure. He grabbed the redhead's hand and pulled him toward the door. "Come with me. You should be there."

Axel shook his head violently and pulled away from Roxas. "No! No, I can't. I can't Roxas!"

Roxas sighed and looked sadly to Axel. "I won't make you. But I will go because I think that is the least Luxord deserves. And it may be hard for you because you loved him so much, but Axel, I think you'll regret it the rest of your life if you don't go to say goodbye."

Axel let out a low whimper and cringed as his tears and sobs erupted from his body all at once. He collapsed to the floor and grasped his head in his hands as the band in the background took the stage and music flooded his senses. He couldn't hear himself crying over the music but what he could hear was the sound of his heart pounding in his ears, and then silence.