"Hey, Kayli," Alec said, moving over to stand beside her bed. She was glad he didn't look under the bed, but seriously, who would?

"What are you doing here?" she asked, flopping back against the pillow again. She was exhausted from having adrenaline pumping through her veins.

"Thought I'd come check on you," Alec grinned. "I mean, Gemma would want me to. How are you feeling?"

Kayli noticed Rex's eyes bulge and inwardly groaned. The poor boy had no idea how Gemma had anything to do with this so she could only imagine how he was feeling.

"I'm not too bad." Kayli shrugged.

"You looked horrible in the helicopter, no offence." Alec laughed.

"I'm sure I did. I felt it." Kayli nodded. "Hey, is this Rex? I remember you from the bar."

Rex shifted on his feet and nodded awkwardly.

"Um," he swallowed. "Has your cousin spoken about me?"

"Well, he told me he was rooming with three awesome guys. But he didn't talk much about the individuals." Kayli shrugged. "Why?"

"No reason." Rex looked away, relieved.

Kayli wanted to kill herself for making him feel so bad.

"So Kayli, what's this about you going to a bar? What's to stop me from telling your parents about this?" Alec teased.

"Alec, you wouldn't!" Kayli said suddenly, so suddenly that she sat up as well. Immediately her head spun and she groaned, flopping back down again.

"Of course I wouldn't! Don't stress yourself out too much." Alec said.

"Are you sure Roy is your cousin?" Rex asked quietly. "You look too alike to be that distant. You look like twins."

"Oh, we get that a lot. But yes, we're cousins." Kayli confirmed.

"What's the name of Roy's sister?" Rex asked.

"What sister?" Kayli asked, frowning in confusion. As soon as she said it though, she felt stupid.

That sister.

"Well, Davis and Roy were talking about Roy's sister. Davis thought she was hot and wanted to go out with her. I don't know how he met her though, 'cause I haven't." Rex explained.

"Oh," was all Kayli could say. She didn't know whether to say there was a sister or that there wasn't. She didn't know whether she'd be able to handle it if everyone thought there was yet another person in her family. "Roy doesn't have a sister."

Rex looked absolutely betrayed. Just minutes before he'd been fighting with Roy and now he finds out his best friend of a lot longer lied to him about something?

"Look, I'll talk to you later Kayli," Alec said. "I'll let you two catch up a bit."

Kayli stared over at him in shock as he walked to the door. Forcing herself to calm down again, she looked back to Rex. It didn't matter if Alec walked into their room and didn't find Roy. Who's to say Roy didn't run off angrily as well?

"Please don't take this personally," Rex sighed, grabbing a chair and sitting beside her bed on it. "But I hate Roy."

How is that not personal!?

"Rex," Kayli felt her heart rate speed up as she thought about what she had to do. "I have to tell you something."

"What, Roy did actually talk to you about me? Don't worry, I figured as much." Rex leant back in his chair and clenched his teeth together in annoyance.

"This is important, please listen." Kayli said, pretending Rex hadn't spoken at all. Slowly turning to look at her, he frowned slightly.

"What?"

He's going to hate me. Forever. I'm not even exaggerating.

"The thing is... well..." Kayli swallowed. "Rex, I'm-"

"I knew it! You're a girl!"

Kayli gasped and looked over at the door, seeing Reno standing there with a very triumphant look on his face.

"Of course she's a girl, you idiot." Rex snapped.

"Excuse me? That's no way to talk to your possible future mentor." Reno said as he walked over. Kayli rolled her eyes, wondering what on earth was wrong with Reno. Who said Rex was going to become a Turk anyway?

"Sorry."

Wait, did Rex just accept that?

"You're gonna become a Turk?" Kayli asked before she could help herself. Rex looked over at her and shrugged.

"I think so," he admitted softly. "But I haven't told anyone else because they're always going on about getting into SOLDIER."

"That's lovely," Reno said. "But oh my gosh, you're a girl!"

"Can we talk later?" Kayli asked, her eyes pleading.

"You mean you actually know him? Is there anyone here that you don't know?" Rex asked, standing up and glaring down at her. "You and your cousin, you're both hiding something."

"Sure, okay, I'll come back later!" Reno said, laughing nervously and walking out.

Poor medical staff.

"Rex, please sit down!" Kayli begged. "Just let me explain!"

"No thanks! I'd rather go yell at Roy for lying about even more. Maybe I'll even give Davis a call to yell at him. Because you say Roy doesn't have a sister, so why did Davis lie about that? And that also means that Davis must have asked Roy out."

Rex was freaking out. It was so painful to watch, but Kayli didn't know what to do. He didn't want to listen to her so how was she supposed to get his attention?

Feeling her eyes start to sting, she knew she'd have to do something extreme.

Kayli reached up and pulled her wig off.

Davis crumpled up the eleventh piece of paper and threw it into the bin, sighing. He didn't know how to word his apology to his friends.

SOLDIER had always been his dream, so what was he supposed to do with his life? Oh, that's right. His dad wanted him to get a better education and then start work in the family shop like everyone else in his family did.

Taking another piece of paper, he started again.

Hey guys,

I'm really sorry that I had to leave, but it couldn't be helped. I wasn't meant to be at ShinRa so it was bound to happen eventually. I hope you all have fun and

He threw that one out as well.

The house phone suddenly started to ring and he pulled himself to his feet, going to answer it since his dad was working in the shop.

"Hello?"

"Davis! It's me, Zack!"

"Zack who?" Davis asked with a frown.

"Zack Fair! From ShinRa! The SOLDIER!" Zack explained excitedly.

Davis blinked in shock. "Why are you calling?"

"To get you to come back, duh!" Zack laughed.

"Look, I didn't leave because I-"

"I know. Your dad came and got you and now you wish you could come back but your dad won't let you. Blah blah, etc." Zack took a breath. "But if you want, I can talk to him about how awesome you are and try to convince him that you're good enough for SOLDIER."

"You think I'm good enough for SOLDIER?" Davis gasped. From SOLDIER to grunt, that was an amazing compliment.

"Yes, I do. So can I speak to your dad?" Zack asked.

"He's working in the shop..."

"Oh okay, I thought he might be. Alright, I'll talk to you later then!"

Davis opened his mouth to speak but there was a click and he frowned. Had Zack just hung up on him?

Hanging up the phone, Davis walked back to his room and sat down at his desk. Maybe he shouldn't write a letter to his friends at ShinRa. Maybe he should call them instead. Well, he could call Rex and ask him to pass on some messages at least.

Pulling out his personal phone, he dialled Rex's number.

Rex opened and closed his mouth multiple times in a fashion that quite resembled a fish and made Kayli momentarily wonder whether he was somehow related to the species. Then he closed his mouth tightly, squared his shoulders and blinked.

"You're Roy's twin sister, aren't you?" he said.

Kayli truly wished she could hit him for that. Honestly, how thick could the boy possibly be?

"Rex, I'm-"

"Whoa!" Rex jumped as his phone rang and he quickly pulled it out of his pocket, shock still evident in his eyes as he continued staring at her even though he now had the phone to his ear.

Kayli lowered her eyes to the wig she was holding in her hands and sighed. She had honestly thought that taking it off would quickly and effectively show Rex what she had been trying to tell him – that she was actually Roy. But apparently she had been too convincing as her part as Roy and he had thought something else entirely.

"Davis! Why didn't you tell me you were gay?"

Kayli looked up again in an instant, pain in her eyes. Way to go Rex, shoot down the conversation before it's begun.

"I'm not stupid, alright? Roy doesn't have a sister so you must have been asking him out, which only leaves the explanation that you're gay and Roy isn't so he rejected you but to cover up the mistake he let you lie about him having a sister and-"

"Rex stop rambling and let the boy talk!" Kayli screamed, jumping out of the bed and walking over to him. Her eyes were blazing angrily and Rex's eyes widened as he saw her.

"Uh, actually, Kayli's here..." Rex said to a question Davis had asked.

What Davis said next was loud enough that Kayli could hear as well.

"YOU MEAN YOU KNOW ABOUT KAYLI!?"

"How on earth do you know about Kayli?" Rex asked, narrowing his eyebrows.

"Give me the phone!" Kayli suddenly begged. Sure, she wanted Rex to know who she was, but she didn't want this to be the way that he found out. If it was up to her, she'd be the one to say it.

"No!" Rex said to her. "I want to know how he knows."

"Please, Rex!" Kayli begged, reaching out and trying to forcefully take the phone from him. He stepped backwards away from her and she groaned.

Rex looked away from Kayli for a moment as his eyes widened at something Davis was saying. Kayli closed her eyes and waited, knowing that any minute now something bad would happen and Rex would start yelling again.

It was funny how Rex wasn't the kind of person to yell very much, but that he had been doing it an awful lot that day.

"You asked out Kayli and Roy? What, so you're bi?" Rex frowned as Davis said something else. "Duh, that she's Roy's cousin! That's what I know. Why, what do you know about Kayli?"

Kayli growled and lunged forward, managing to pull the phone from his hand and then running to the other side of the room quickly.

"Davis?" she asked.

"What's going on?" came his worried voice.

"I need you, that's what's going on! As soon as I somehow get you back I'm going to-"

"Don't worry, Zack called. He said he was going to talk to my dad. I don't know if he'll make any progress but it's worth a try, yeah?" Davis said.

"Um, wow, yeah." Kayli frowned slightly. How did Zack know?

"So you two are actually going out!" Rex accused, watching Kayli with sharp eyes. "What did Roy do when he found out?"

"Davis, I can't wait until you get back here. Rex is delusional. I'm standing here without my wig on and he called me Roy's twin sister!" Kayli blurted out.

"You have to admit, until it's shoved in your face it's hard to tell. You do an incredibly good job of pretending to be a guy." Davis said unhelpfully.

"So you're not Roy's twin sister?" Rex asked.

"Davis I'm sorry about not being here when your dad came. I might have been able to think about something to-"

"Would someone please listen to me and stop ignoring me so that they can answer my questions?" Rex yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Davis can we call you back? I really need to explain things to Rex." Kayli said.

"Yeah, okay. I didn't mean to call at the most inopportune moment..." Davis sighed.

"It's not your fault. But I'll call you back asap, alright?" Kayli said. When Davis said yes again she hung up and pocketed Rex's phone, turning her piercing glare onto him and clenching her teeth.

"Kayli? Come on, we only just met... you don't have to get all angry with me for wanting answers." Rex said quietly, obviously frightened by the look she was giving him.

"Sit down, shut up and let me explain." she snapped.

Rex moved over to the chair he had been sitting on before and sat, gripping the edges tightly with his hands.

Sighing, Kayli closed her eyes briefly before opening them again.

"I'm Roy."

Rex grinned and said, "No seriously, just because you're a girl doesn't mean you can get away with joking like this. Hurry up and-"

"I am Roy and I'm not lying! I am a girl! Roy is a girl! I have always been a girl! I shut down the elevators so that I could get to the infirmary before you and Alec! For goodness sake, what do I have to do to make you believe me?" Kayli yelled.

Rex's eyes were the size of saucers as he stared at her. He couldn't quite get his head around what had been said, but for some reason he knew it was true.

"Why on earth would you pretend to be a guy?" he asked finally.

"Because I want to be a SOLDIER, you dimwit!" Kayli exclaimed. "But keep listening closely, alright? You can't tell anyone that I'm a girl."

"Does Sephiroth know?" Rex asked.

"Yes."

"Davis?"

"Yes."

"...Zack?"

"Yes."

"Alec?"

"No."

"Cloud?"

"No, he just thinks I'm gay."

"…"

"Apparently I haven't been very low-key about my-"

"You like Davis?" Rex interrupted her explanation. Frowning, Kayli nodded slowly.

"Yeah? I mean, he asked me out, remember? Come on, you can't be that slow. It's why he lied in the first place, because he'd made a promise but didn't want to look gay because he's not." Kayli shrugged.

"Right." Rex looked down at his lap and clenched his jaw.

"You don't... I mean, you don't like me too do you?" Kayli asked quietly and fearfully.

"No, not really. Not after hearing you're Roy, because that's just weird. But I just wish you'd trusted me enough to tell me. I mean, why'd you tell Davis and not me?" Rex asked sadly.

"Oh, Rex," Kayli said, dropping to her knees in front of him so they were at the same height. "I didn't tell him! Sephiroth did. I honestly hadn't been planning on telling anyone at all. The people who know... they all found out without me telling them."

"Who else knows?" Rex asked then.

"Reno, who just came in before. Edvard, Hojo and I think Nareau does." Kayli said softly.

"That's a lot of people." Rex murmured.

"I know, but for some reason Sephiroth wants to keep me here so he's been making sure no one tells. So, Lazard doesn't know." Kayli said.

"I can't believe you're a girl. What do I call you? Kayli or Roy?" Rex asked.

"Call me Roy, just so that you don't slip up some time." Kayli said.

"This is so weird." Rex shook his head.

"Can I call Davis back now?" Kayli asked cautiously. After Rex nodded she stood and pulled the phone from her pocket, hitting redial.

A moment later there was an answer.

"Hello?"

"Davis, it's Kayli."

"Hey! Did you tell Rex?"

"He's currently mulling over the information." Kayli nodded although he couldn't see.

"I hope you didn't kill him." Davis chuckled.

"Of course not! Rex is tough. Anyway, have you heard more from Zack?" she questioned.

"No, not yet. But if he called my dad he's probably still talking to him. My dad is a hard guy to persuade." Davis explained.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Zack will be able to do it." Kayli said reassuringly. "Oh my gosh! Wait a second- Rex, Alec doesn't know. So we have to try even harder to convince him Roy is a guy. I've known him almost my whole life! He's Gemma's brother."

"What's Gemma's brother doing there?" Davis asked.

"Long story." Kayli said breezily.

"No wonder you've been acting so weird!" Rex said, standing up. "But sure, I'll help you out. Sorry about being so difficult."

"Kayli?"

"Right, Alec joined ShinRa." Kayli said to Davis as way of an explanation. "He's now staying in our room as well."

"You really have been digging yourself a hole, haven't you?" Davis laughed.

"Definitely! Especially since I now owe Sephiroth my entire life." Kayli groaned. "He's helped me out so much I'm beginning to wonder whether he's got ulterior motives."

"I bet he does." Rex piped up.

"Oh, he definitely does." Davis said.

"Well thanks boys, it's good to know you're being optimistic today." Kayli said sarcastically.

The three friends continued to talk, with Kayli and Rex occasionally passing the phone to each other, for a long while. When they finally hung up with Davis, Rex was feeling much better about the situation. In fact, he had taken to joking about it with almost everything he said. Kayli was feeling a bit nervous that it would become habit.

"So Kayli, what was it like entering the world of hot guys?" Rex asked with a grin.

"For goodness sake, give it a rest." she groaned.

She picked up her wig, took off the white gown she was wearing and then pulled on her boots, grabbing her make-up box and walking with Rex towards the doors. She thought he was finally going to stay silent when-

"So Roy, when are you going to tell Cloud the news?"