Mwaha. Chapter two! In which the mystery actually begins, Axel drives Riku up the wall, and Riku decides that he hates Tuesdays.

Disclaimer: If I owned it, Kingdom Hearts would be a musical. And there would be significantly more jazz hands.

Chapter Two: Surrender

Riku's Tuesday morning started out much like his Monday morning had. His cereal was still spread out across the kitchen floor, mostly because the broom hadn't come alive to clean up the mess, there still wasn't any coffee, and he wound up flat on his bathroom floor, tangled in the shower curtain again before he really knew what was happening. The only real difference was the fact that he now had both arms free, thanks to a rip in the God-awful floral curtain, which made answering his cell phone much easier.

The ease of answering his cell phone from his bathroom floor did absolutely nothing for his mood, however. "Why do you people keep calling me so early in the morning?" he demanded, rubbing his free hand at his soapy eye. "And why the hell is it always when I'm in the shower?"

"It's the image that the thought of you in the shower brings with it, baby. So did you call him?"

Riku scowled at the tile of his bathroom floor. "It's none of your business, Axel. Are you at work already?"

"Don't try and change the subject," his partner replied, somewhat testily, and Riku could vaguely hear Savage Garden and – he shuddered – Kairi singing along with it somewhere in the background. "So you didn't call him then?"

"No, Axel," he finally acquiesced. "I didn't call him. I just met the guy, I didn't want to sound… I don't know, eager or-"

"So give me his number."

There was silence as Riku took in what Axel had said, broken only by Kairi singing along with Darren Hayes, badly, and the shower running all the hot water down the drain.

"…So, dude…" Axel began nervously. "I didn't mean that the way that it sounded or anything. I meant that I could do it for you. 'Cause you're a coward."

"Axel." Riku said slowly, shifting. Thankfully, the shower rod was lying beside him, and not whacking him upside the head. "I will kill you. And I'll play Britney Spears at your funeral. Don't think that I won't."

He heard the redhead sigh softly, probably in relief that he hadn't incurred the full brunt of Riku's wrath. "And you'll hide my body near the Playboy mansion too, because you're a bitch like that, right? And, uh, Kairi says that you forgot to set your clocks back still, and it's eight o'clock. And that you're-"

"It's my goddamn office!"

Axel laughed. "Yeah, but she runs it. You just pay the rent on the building. And I swear to God, if you don't get here soon, I'm going into a coma or something to avoid any more of this crappy music."

He disconnected and Riku scowled at the phone before getting up. He stared at the curtain lying on the floor, decided it really wasn't worth the effort it would take to put it back up, and went and stood, shivering, under the icy spray until he was pretty sure that he passed as clean. As he wrapped a towel around himself, he glanced down at his hand and the Sharpie that still hadn't come all the way off, bright purple against his pale skin. Then, his not-quite-green eyes moved to his cell phone, lying innocently on the counter (how the hell did it keep getting in there, anyway?).

He walked out to go sit in front of the heater until he stopped shivering.

When he finally rolled into work, it was half-past ten, and he had, unfortunately, not been hit by any motorcycles as of yet. He slid his '98 Honda Civic next to Axel's much newer, much shinier, and much more expensive Firebird, and fought the urge to scratch just one little chip of the red paint off. Axel would kill him, he knew, and bury him in something ridiculous and probably frilled, just as revenge. Axel was a spiteful jackass like that.

The minute he opened the door, he was greeted by the not-so-amazing musical sounds of Kairi, singing along with… That was probably "Crash and Burn," but he couldn't be certain, because, frankly, he really didn't care. He spotted Axel slumped in one of the cracked leather chairs that served as a waiting lounge for their clients – when they actually had any – and thought for a fleeting moment that Kairi really had come unglued and just murdered the poor bastard.

A loud snore broke through the office, right in the middle of the chorus of the song Riku didn't care about, and Kairi shot a glare at the not-dead, possibly comatose redhead. Riku couldn't decide if he was disappointed or not.

Mercifully, because apparently there was a God, Kairi turned the stereo down to a normal level and pinned Riku with her infamous boy-do-you-owe-me-an-explanation look, complete with a caramel sweet smile and only slightly narrowed eyes.

"You know, Riku," she said, pulling the nail file out of her desk drawer and setting to work on her nails, a sign that Riku was in trouble. Those fingers were most likely about to be used as a deadly weapon. "Most people call in when they're going to skip work. Let me explain how it works, okay?" Riku opened his mouth, but she beat him to it. He gave up and took a seat beside Axel, who was still dead to the world, the lucky bastard. "This," she held up her cell phone, "is a phone. You can use it to call people, see? You type in these numbers, and everyone has their own number, so if you type in mine, you can call me." She held the phone up to her ear, holding out a hand as Riku opened his mouth to speak again. "If you call me, you can tell me that you're going to be late. Here's an example. 'Kairi,'" she mimicked a lower tone. Riku assumed that she was supposed to be portraying him. "'My dear, beautiful Kairi. I have fallen off the face of the earth, so I am calling to let you know that I won't be coming to work. Don't worry when Axel tells you that I got hit by a motorcycle!'"

He gave her a placating smile as she stood, her explain-bitch face morphing into her you-asshole expression in record time. The redhead stomped over to him and stood frowning down at him, hands on her hips. Before Riku could do anything to defend himself, one recently sharpened nail shot out, jabbing him right in the ugly – and extremely painful, might he add – bruise on his cheek.

"Ow!"

She huffed, crossing her arms. "Why didn't you call me?" she demanded, and her you-asshole face took on a pouty element. "Axel called me at ten last night and told me you'd been run over by a motorcycle! Not to mention the fact that you basically disappeared for the entire day, not only just letting me sit there and worry, but leaving me alone with that," she jabbed a thumb in Axel's direction, "all day!"

Axel snored. It was his only defense against a similar lecture. Kairi spared him a withering glance before returning her gaze to Riku.

"Well? Explain!"

"I, um…" Riku was off to a spectacular start. "I really did get hit by a motorcycle."

"And that robbed you of your ability to dial my number, which, by the way, is on speed-dial and only really takes the push of one button?"

Now really, how was he supposed to explain that he ditched work to go hang out with the guy who, while he was admittedly unbelievably cute, had run him over with a motorcycle? It sounded ridiculous in his head, so there was really no telling how it was going to sound aloud, and if it sounded too stupid…

Of course, he could always just throw Axel's sleeping body at her and make a run for it.

"Well," he said, trying to choose his words carefully as that sharp little finger drifted dangerously close to his bruise again. He pressed himself against the back of the chair, inching away from the finger. There was nowhere to run. "I… Evidently, I went on a date."

She paused, studying at him as though deciding whether or not he was serious and whether or not she should prepare his headstone to go along with Axel's. Then, slowly, a smile spread across her face, sending chills down Riku's spine, and she gave a little laugh. It wasn't quite enough to be called a chuckle, but Kairi simply didn't giggle.

"You…" She carefully poked beside the bruise on his face and he sighed in relief, forgiven. "…went on a date."

Suddenly, Axel jumped up, and Riku realized that the asshole hadn't actually been snoring for the last half of their conversation, and probably hadn't actually been asleep at all. He grabbed Kairi's arm and swung her around, the two of them chanting at the top of their lungs in a sing-song voice, "Riku went on a date! Riku went on a date!"

Riku sighed, pretending that the heat rising on his cheeks and spreading to his ears was a result of gravity or some other undeniable force at work, and not because he was blushing. Riku did not blush.

"Aw, he's all grown up!" Kairi cooed, slightly breathless from… well, Riku thought it was supposed to be dancing. "So what's his name, Riku?" She sat down on one side of him, and Axel reclaimed his place on the other. He was trapped. There was no choice but to surrender to them.

"Sora," he muttered. "His name is Sora. He drives a motorcycle. He hit me with it, he bought lunch, I bought dinner, and I don't think he knew that it was a date. Now please shut up about it and leave me alone." Kairi and Axel just grinned. Riku then realized the mistake that he had just made, but it was too late to save himself from the torture he'd just talked himself into.

"Soraand Riku, sitting in a tree!"

He sighed. Really, he should have known better than to fall for that trick.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"This is real mature, guys," he said, rolling his eyes. "Aren't you two supposed to be adults?"

"First comes love…" They grabbed at each other, batting their eyes at Riku, holding each other tightly. Riku personally thought they looked like twins who were just a little too close. "Then comes marriage…" Kairi's singing transformed into a startled yelp as Axel swept her up like a bride, but, sadly, she recovered in time for the final line. "Then comes a baby from the adoption fairy!"

Riku considered invoking his license to kill.

"Alright, torture over," Kairi said, hitting Axel lightly on the shoulder. "Put me down, you pervert." Axel dropped her, smirking. She landed, surprised, flat on her ass on the ugly brown carpet of the office.

"Sweet thing," Axel replied, "nothing you've got does anything for me. Now, Riku on the other hand…"

If only his gun weren't in his office, all the way across the room. "Any part of you that touches me gets chopped off."

Axel shrugged. "Your loss, man," he said, winking. "I'll have you know, I'm a god in bed."

…Screw the license to kill, he was using the gun on himself just to wipe that mental imagery out of his head, permanently.

"Funny, Axel," Kairi piped up from where she had perched on top of her desk, legs crossed and a bottle of pink nail polish in one hand. "That's not what I've heard."

"One word, woman, and I'll-"

"You'll what, Axel Rose Kearney?" She looked up at him, that terrifying sugary sweet smile in place. Riku shuddered slightly.

"I'll…" Axel faltered. He huffed and scowled, plopping into the chair beside Kairi's desk. For some reason, they had a strange collection of chairs spread out through the office, as well as a fake plant that was as tall as the ceiling. The plant was Kairi's. "…Damn it. It's chicks like you that made me gay, I hope you know. You scarred me for life."

Kairi hummed, still smiling that evil smile. "And it's chicks like you that remind me how much I like being straight, Axel."

Luckily, Riku was saved from further suicide-inducing banter by the rustling of the blinds on the door, signifying a – gasp – client. Suddenly, Kairi was sitting in her chair, tap-tapping away at her keyboard, her wet nails not slowing her down in the least, a talent she prided herself in. Axel had somehow obtained a manila file folder and was flipping through it, as though he actually worked on a regular basis. It was then that Riku was struck with a revelation.

They were actually capable of working.

He looked toward the door as he heard it close, where a petite blonde had stepped inside and was glancing around curiously. "Hello!" Kairi said from her desk, putting on her polite smile, which was much nicer than the smile she often sent Riku's way. She was, after all, a woman of many faces. "How can we help you?"

"I'm here about a case." The young woman's voice was surprisingly firm, though quiet, and she looked Kairi straight in the eyes as she spoke, returning the polite smile. She wasn't nervous, Riku thought, but if the crease on her forehead was any indication, she was very worried about something.

"Well, you've come to the right place." Axel closed the file and stood, holding a hand out to shake hers. "Axel Kearney, detective. And that lump over there is the other, less cool detective. Feel free to point and laugh at him."

Riku stood and shook her hand as well. "Ignore him. He's just my pet monkey. Riku Ito."

She smiled, but it seemed strained. "Naminé Martel. I've got some people for you to find for me."

Riku nodded, motioning to the door of the office that he and Axel shared. She led the way, hopefully oblivious to Axel flipping Kairi the bird as he passed her, and Kairi returning the gesture in kind. Axel closed the door behind them and leaned against it, pulling out his trusty Memo pad and a pen. In spite of his many annoyances – many, many annoyances – Axel could be trusted to take damn good notes. They often came in handy later on, Riku would admit on occasion… meaning when he was drunk out of his mind. That didn't happen very often.

The blonde sat, smoothing out her white sundress as Riku leaned against the front of his desk. "Who are we looking for?" he asked.

Naminé sighed softly. "My brothers," she began. "They were supposed to come home last night, but they didn't. And this morning, I got a strange phone call."

"Start from the beginning, sweetheart," Axel said, already writing and not looking up from his notebook. "Names would be great."

She nodded, taking a deep breath, the worry line on her forehead deepening. "Roxas and Sora Martel," she said. Axel paused in his writing, glancing over at Riku, who held his gaze for only a moment. "Sora didn't have class yesterday, so he went riding… He really loves that bike Rox got him for Christmas. Anyway, he called in the morning and said something had happened and he'd be late."

Riku knew what had happened. Apparently, Naminé didn't.

"He said he'd bring dinner. He never came home." She paused for a moment, as though trying to collect herself and get everything straight in her head. "Roxas works at a delivery company. He left around ten that morning. He was supposed to be in by eleven, but the company called at noon and asked where he was. I waited up for them for most of the night; I tried their cell phones… Nothing. It went straight to voicemail." She looked up at him, and Riku realized that her eyes were the same deep blue as Sora's.

Riku rolled his eyes mentally. They were related, after all.

"What company does Roxas work for?" the redhead asked.

Reaching into her bag, Naminé pulled out a business card and handed it to Riku. "EXP," she said as Riku read the same letters on the card. EXP. Somebody called Tifa Lockhart listed as the main number. They'd pay a visit to them later. "Roxas works there full-time. College wasn't his thing."

"About the phone call," Axel prompted. "What time was that?"

"Around eight this morning," Naminé said. "It was creepy. I've heard the voice before, I'm sure of it, but I can't place it. She asked for Rox first, then Sora, and when I told her they weren't home, she got angry. She said something about something being stolen, and…" Her voice broke and she closed her eyes, losing her composure for only that moment. "…And… explained exactly what would happen to us if they didn't get it back."

Riku's mouth thinned to a grim line and Axel's face darkened. Neither of the two wanted to imagine the rest of that conversation. After a long silence, in which Axel continued to jot down notes, Riku went on.

"Is there any reason why someone would be after your brothers?" he asked, after giving her a moment to recollect herself.

Naminé didn't answer for a long moment. "…It was a long time ago," she said slowly. "And I don't know much. Sora only said that Rox got into some trouble. We moved, and nobody worried about it anymore…Or if they did, they didn't tell me." She shrugged. "I'm sorry, that's all I know."

Axel nodded, more to himself than to everyone else. "Anywhere they could be heading? Somewhere they'd feel safe?"

"Leon's. Sora's brother lives in Springfield," she replied. "I'll write down the address for you."

Riku handed her a pen and a piece of paper. "Just Sora's brother?"

"Technically," she passed the paper back to him, "Sora's my half-brother. Leon's his older brother. They aren't as close as Sora and Rox, but Leon wouldn't turn him away. Oh!" She reached into the purse that she had set at her feet and pulled out a pair of photographs. "This is Roxas."

Taking the photo she handed him, Riku looked down to see a blond with Sora's blue eyes – once again, they were related – scowling back at him, as though royally pissed that his picture was being taken. He passed it to Axel after studying it for a moment, taking the next one she passed.

"And this is Sora."

Yep. That was Sora.

He was grinning at the camera, flashing a peace sign and dodging Roxas, who was trying to hide behind him. Riku passed it on to Axel without a word, keeping his face as emotionless as possible, reminding himself that he barely knew the guy.

"Anything else you can tell us, Miss Martel?" Axel asked, taking the picture and sparing it a glance before jotting something down in his Memo pad. Naminé shook her head and stood, taking the piece of paper that Axel handed her. "If you think of anything else, call us," he said, and she nodded. "And here's a little suggestion." The redhead patted her gently on the shoulder. "If they left you behind, they probably think you're safe, but I'd recommend taking a little vacation for the time being. And investing in a gun might not be too bad of an idea."

Naminé paled further, making her look almost ghostly. "Oh…" she murmured. "…But Rox took his gun with him…"

Axel flipped open the notebook again, scribbled something, and dropped it onto the desk. "So Roxas has a gun?"

She nodded. "It slipped my mind, I guess… I'm just so used to him carrying it."

Axel shook his head slightly. "Kids these days," he muttered, as though he weren't just a few years older than the apparently armed blond runaway. "Don't worry about it. We'll have those boys back safe and sound in no time." He gave her a grin and Riku attempted a smile, shaking her hand before Axel showed her out.

When the door had closed behind them, Riku sat down behind his desk, spinning slowly in his desk chair, picking up the Memo pad that Axel had left behind. He flipped through it, going over the conversation again. As the seconds ticked by, his thoughts grew gloomy.

Suddenly, he stopped, a strange look crossing his face.

The door opened again and Axel strode in, his nervous habit having already kicked in, as there was a lighter in his hand and Riku could already hear the sound of it flicking on, then off, then on again. It was a remnant of when the redhead still smoked, because, though he had vowed never to pick up a cigarette again, lighters hadn't fallen under that promise. Riku held up the pad.

"What the hell is that?" he asked, pointing to a drawing. Axel glanced at it.

"Um. A phone." The redhead gave him a look that clearly said that it was obvious. Riku, on the other hand, wasn't so sure.

He studied the drawing again. "Axel, it looks like a…" He looked up, and was very clearly deeply disturbed. "What are you on?"

"It's to show that the caller's a chick, man! It's like… a hybrid of the two. It's creative."

Shaking his head, Riku dropped the notebook as though it might burst into flames in his hand, and wiped the Axel-cooties off on his pants.

"Aw," Axel cooed, sitting in the chair Naminé had recently vacated. "Someone's depressed."

"I am not," Riku replied, glaring at the innocent pen lying on his desk.

"Poor Riku's got the worst luck!"

Riku decided to glare at his coffee mug instead. The coffee mug had been there for two weeks now. It had never actually had any coffee in it.

"Let's see!" Axel rocked back in the chair, propping his feet on the desk and giving Riku something new to glare at. "First, you get hit by a motorcycle."

"I was there. I remember."

"Then you can't work up the courage to call the guy, you coward." Axel gave him a condescending look. Riku glared harder at Axel's shoe, willing it to burst into flames or something. "And now he's missing with his gun-toting brother. Congratulations, man. Your life officially sucks."

Riku huffed, practically throwing himself against the back of his chair, weighing the pros and cons of reaching for the handgun in his desk drawer. "Axel, I'm well aware of how pathetic I am, thank you, and I really don't need you to remind-"

"Aw, man!" Axel suddenly groaned, putting his head in his hands. Riku had the decency to look slightly concerned, for a split-second. Thankfully, Axel missed it. "With the way your life's going, I'm gonna have to put up with your bitchiness until you die! You're never getting laid!"

Riku had always hated Tuesdays.

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