In this chapter: a bombshell is dropped.

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Ballad
Chapter Six
"Alien Summer"

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The bass was sickening, and so were the drinks. Roxas sat at the bar by himself while Namine frolicked with a girl she knew from her Painting III class back and forth from the restroom to the dance floor. Roxas could only decipher that the ladies had bladders the size of peas. Namine didn't seem to mind, but Roxas glared ruefully at the cup of water he swirled in his hand. The rainbow lights in the club reflected in his glass as he took another swig. Water was free, but the fun wasn't.

"Hi Roxy!" Namine giggled, dragging her friend close behind her. Roxas would have assumed she was the typical rebellious teenager, if she didn't have a fruity, spiked drink in her hands as she approached him. Her hair was a bleached blonde copper color, not as fine and natural as Namine, and her eyes were drowning in black eyeliner.

"Hey! You're her fiancé?" the girl asked. She thrust a small, boney hand into his face. "Larxene."

"Roxas Strife."

And then she gave him that look. He had been receiving it so much lately it wasn't that big of a surprise. "Is your brother Sora?" Roxas ignored the idea that this crack child knew his brother and instead turned his favor back to the rainbow lights swirling in his water. Namine and her little friend gal palled around the club for a moment. Roxas decided that he could really use a stronger drink.

He turned on his swivel seat at the bar, the hour still being young enough so there wasn't a huge crowd, and waved down the bartender. "ID?"

"Listen," Roxas drawled, "I left it in my girl's purse. Can I get a draft on tap?" He tried to wear his best 'please understand, we're on the same level, right?' face. The bartender looked skeptical.

"Sorry, we card under forty," he said, glancing around him to see if there were any other patrons worth his help. An underage brat wouldn't buy anything or tip him.

"Look," the blonde added, holding up his left hand. He showed off the engagement ring that matched Namine's resting peacefully on his ring finger. "I'm married already and everything. I promise you I'm twenty-three," he lied.

"Sorry, guy." The bartender shook his head and moved on to a man at the other end of the bar. Roxas stared enviously at the person who got to drink, his look perhaps remaining two seconds too long. The man turned to look at him, and Roxas thought he saw his lips move in the midst of the dim house lights. He glanced up at the man's eyes and instantly recognized that face. It was that punk from the grocery store!

"Demyx?" Roxas said out loud to himself, a look of horror stricken onto his face. The mohawked boy grinned widely and waved.

"Roxas Strife!" he shouted happily, graciously accepting his drink from the bartender and dropping a few bills into a glass jar near the register. Before Roxas could come up with a quick and clever escape plan, the punk had tracked him and caught up before he could get away. "Hey, man! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here with my fiancée, Namine," Roxas muttered. He never realized how much those two words rhymed. It was like she was made for that title. Roxas skimmed the throngs of people dancing on the floor, hoping to find her so they could leave.

"No shit!" Demyx cackled. "You're engaged? That is so fucking weird. I mean, I'm twenty-four and I wouldn't be caught dead with a ball and chain now. How old are you? Twenty-one? Twenty-two?"

"Twenty," Roxas seethed, hoping for some biblical miracle that would turn his water into vodka.

"AHW! No shit!" he cried. "Seriously? Namine must be a fucking bombshell to knock you out so early." Roxas didn't exactly appreciate everyone making it seem like Namine was trying to cradle rob him. She was younger than he was!

"Oh, hey, I wanted to thank you for passing my message on to Sora," Demyx said, taking a sip from his fruity pink drink. Roxas glared at it enviously. It even had a sword toothpick with a wedge of lemon drowning in sugar. Roxas would never admit it aloud but those types of drinks were the best. It's like a dessert that gets you plastered twice as fast as beer. "He called me back the other day. It was great hearing from him again!"

"Really?" Roxas asked, going from not really wanting to talk to him to dying of curiosity in record speed. "What'd y'all talk about?"

"Oh, this and that. College and life on Destiny Islands, you know?" he took another sip and cringed as it went down. "Ugh. These things are stronger than they look…" Sure, rub it in. "But it's such a small world to meet you here! And I had no idea you knew 13 Hearts!"

"You do?" It seemed like a stupid question. A punk like Demyx would obviously know someone like Axel and 13 Hearts. Roxas imagined it being like a secret organization and everybody knew each other. "A friend of Axel's?"

"Yeah! I met him through my buddy Marly. Oh!" He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, crumpled white envelope. Roxas noticed that his name was scribbled on the front in silver sharpie. "Fuu wanted me to give this to you. She said it's important."

Roxas flipped open the lip of the envelope and pulled out another issue of Magic Train. This time the cover was some sort of symbol that looked like a mix between a heart and a fleur de lis. Inside the heart were two strands of barbed wire making an 'X' pattern. Under the symbol was the text '13 Hearts: Their Epic First Album.'

This particular issue, number fifteen, was published about a year and a half ago, not long after the seventh issue. From what Roxas could make of the dates between issues, Fuu was releasing her music rag almost every week! He wondered how a girl in college could find time to do this. More importantly, he was under the impression that the album Axel was trying to push now was their first. If they had another one, wouldn't they want to sell it, too? It would seem that his economics class was starting to pay off.

"Thanks," Roxas muttered, placing the zine back in the envelope and putting it in his pocket. Demyx was busy looking around the club, like he was trying to find someone. Roxas took that moment to not-so-stealthily outright stare at him. He was slowly trying to connect the dots, because although Axel told him to talk to Sora about it, he'd rather find a third source to exploit. In Fuu's seventh issue of Magic Train, Axel had made it sound like she had a brother. Although she and Demyx didn't look anything alike, perhaps they were stepsiblings or one of them was adopted. "Hey, Demyx…"

"Hmm?" he hummed loudly. "Speak up, brah, I can barely here you!" Roxas sighed, realizing himself that his voice was getting lost in the heavy bass of the dance music.

"You have a sister, right?" he asked loudly. The blonde punk nodded in response. "Is Fuu your sister?"

Demyx's eyes crinkled as he smiled widely. "What? No, of course not!" he laughed. "Have you seen her? The genetics would make, like, Mendel turn in his grave."

Roxas laughed at the joke. Yeah, it was stupid to think that Fuu and Demyx were related. If Fuu was Demyx's sister, then that would mean that she had a baby recently, and it seemed highly unlikely.

"Besides, you've already met my sister."

Roxas blinked. "I have?"

"I think so. She was running around with Namine. They share a portfolio class together."

His mind was reeling once again. Glancing up, he caught a glimpse of the two blonde girls giggling and rushing in and out of crowds. "Larxene?"

"Yeah, totally! Isn't she a bombshell?" he grinned.

"But- but what about the baby?" Roxas asked, and he knew he should stop himself from sounding like an absolutely prick, but Demyx glanced down at him with a gentle understanding smile.

"He's with the daddy tonight. Larxene agreed to watch the baby on Halloween since dad's gonna be busy with- OH! No fucking way, I love this song!" Roxas' attention was suddenly taken from Larxene's baby daddy to the music blaring from the speakers above them. It was a heavy bass beat in a symmetric rhythm compared to the other songs from before. The melody of the song sounded like it was generated by computers and keyboards rather than guitars. Demyx bit his bottom lip and closed his eyes, a feeling of serious concentration tracing his brow. He bobbed his head to the beat and grinned wickedly. "Dance with me."

Roxas, who was halfway through swallowing a sip of water, nearly choked. Trying his best to save his tragically wounded pride by wiping his chin quickly on his sleeve, he sputtered, "I'm sorry, what?"

Demyx took two long, quick chugs from his drink, finishing it off quickly before slamming it on the counter. He took Roxas by the wrist and dragged him on the dance floor. The younger blonde's plastic cup of water was dropped on the floor to be crushed by the other patrons. Roxas tried to pull away, but Demyx had a surprising strong grip for such a skinny person. However, it didn't feel suffocating at all. "I don't think this is such a great idea." Dancing was always Namine's thing. She would always want him to go, which he appreciated, in a way, but he was terrible at it. Most nights would end with him sitting in a chair guarding purses while his fiancèe and her friends went out and had a good time.

Demyx just turned to him, the same smile plastered on his face. Roxas briefly wondered how many drinks the punk had before the glass he nearly shattered on the bar. The older man had the most crystal clear blue eyes that Roxas had ever seen. His eyes reflected the flashing lights almost exactly like his water. "I just want you to dance," he said almost calmly over the beat of his favorite song. "Dance, Roxas, dance!"

He was grabbed by the wrists again, this time placed fully on the dance floor amongst the crowd of other sweaty people. Around him, bodies slowed and eyes started to stare at him. Roxas stuck out like a sore thumb while he stood still with Demyx dancing in front of him. He took Demyx's shoulder and pulled him closer so he could shout in his ear. "I don't think this is such a good idea!" he nearly screamed. The music was so loud he wondered if the punk heard him at all. He continued to dance with his eyes closed, seemingly not noticing Roxas' unease.

Roxas rolled his eyes and turned to go back to the bar. Maybe if he asked nicely again, the bartender would finally give him a drink. His great plan was foiled when Demyx wrapped his arms around his shoulders from behind. The hair on the back of Roxas' neck froze like an ice cube was dropped down his back. "Dance with me, Roxas," Demyx repeated, a hot whisper into his ear. Under the heavy rhythm of the club music, Roxas had absolutely no trouble interpreting the punk's tone. Demyx started swaying to the beat again, this time hugging Roxas and forcing him to dance as well.

Roxas felt his pulse quicken. The punk's grip was too confining. He was suffocating. The blonde pulled on Demyx's hands, trying to stop them from being wrapped around him. While he successfully pulled Demyx off of him, the punk refused to release Roxas' hands, and instead turned him around so they were facing each other. He still had that stupid smile on his face.

"Let me go!" Roxas shouted.

The taller boy just shook his head. "Dance!" As if it were that easy.

But the music was intoxicating. It wasn't like the fast-paced garage band sound that Axel seemed to have perfected. Axel's version of 'dancing' was moshing. He lived and breathed for his audience crushing themselves with punching and kicking. This kind of dancing was a lot gentler. Roxas remembered when he and Namine were finally old enough to go to clubs like this, they would dance together under the flashing lights and bob their heads to the pace of the music. Even if they did dance together, it usually ended with Namine ignoring him to dance by herself or with a friend she had found. When she did this, Roxas didn't feel like dancing, and he usually would slink back to the bar and wait for her to be finished so he could drive her home.

With Demyx clinging onto him, it was reminiscent of the old times he had with his fiancée. It seemed ridiculous to be so nostalgic over feelings that happened just a few years ago. Roxas couldn't help but let those feelings take over when Demyx pulled him back into the dance circle. Dancing could be fun, it could be a team sport. The punk's smile, although muddle with the effects of the alcohol, was awfully inviting. "Dance with me," he repeated for the third time, and that was the charm.

Roxas wasn't an amazing dancer, and in such a confining space it was impossible for anyone to be. The music was hardcore techno, something that Roxas rarely listened to. Namine had a penchant for synthetic music and the disco while he never really gave it a second thought. But watching the way Demyx would dance to the music was like a completely new experience. He would jump to the pulse of the music and reached down into the very soul of a song. He made it seem like the cold computer generated rhythms had a vision and voice and a meaning, even without lyrics to tell how to feel. The music was like Pachelbel's Canon in D, or Orff's O Foruna.

Was it possible to get drunk off of a sound? While Demyx had the help of three or four mixes and shots, Roxas found himself letting loose in a way he hadn't done since Sora first introduced him to Queen in the sixth grade. The music was uplifting, and Roxas wanted to fly with Demyx and share the punk's contagious sense of encouragement and exhilaration. Demyx still held on to Roxas' hands, and the younger boy let him, in fear that letting go would be like losing his only lifeline. He grinned at him, and Roxas soaked up the vision like sunlight.

The song ended and bled seamlessly into the next. A girl's voice echoed through the song, whispering promises of love and broken friendships that came with it. "This is a good song, too. Wait for the chorus." Roxas barely heard what Demyx said over the music.

No matter how much you tried
You could never make me cry
So now I hope you'll always know
You are my Oblivion Show.
Maybe one day you will see
Just how much you mean to me
I won't ever say goodbye
So brace your fears, give love a try

Demyx's hand moved from Roxas' wrist to his hand, gripping it tight and swinging it around as he started jumping. The music started to speed up and everyone on the dance floor started jumping with Demyx.

It was a happy sounding song, but Roxas knew what it meant. Oblivion was just a kinder word for death. Whoever she was singing about was going to be the death of her if they didn't realize her true feelings. In the haze after the song, he felt Demyx wipe his fingers across his forehead, moving his bangs so they wouldn't block his eyes. Roxas looked up at him, noting the look of worry on his face.

"Are you feeling okay? You shouldn't dance with a jacket on." Even though it was cold outside, inside on the dance floor with the body heat the temperature was scorching like summertime. Roxas hadn't even noticed how sweaty he had gotten and how red his face was until Demyx brought it up. "Let's get you water."

Roxas was led by hand out of the dance floor and back to the bar. Demyx waved his hand and called the bartender over. He ordered himself another drink and two waters, one for himself and Roxas. Bartenders at clubs like these tended to not pay attention to customers who only requested water. When the drinks came, Demyx held the shot in his hand limply. "Man, what was I thinking. I don't even want this…" Without waiting for further invitation, Roxas snatched the glass from his hand and downed the shot in one gulp before anybody around to know he wasn't twenty-one noticed.

"I thought you were the DD," Demyx mumbled, taking small sips of his water. Roxas shrugged.

"One won't kill me." Famous last words, but Demyx chose to ignore him when he saw Larxene and Namine approaching.

"There she is," he said happily. Larxene walked right up to Demyx and kissed him on the cheek.

"Abyssus, meus frater!" she said happily, looping her arm around his neck and attempting to wave down the bartender. "Ego reputo Ego diligo Nami!"

"Oh, okay, someone's a little drunk…" Demyx laughed, turning around and noticing that the bartender was waiting for Larxene's order. He waved him off. "Es vos sensus bonus?"

"Etiam! Ego sentio superus quam caelum!"

"Quis did vos imbibo?"

"Vinum!"

Roxas felt a little dizzy trying to keep up. He turned to his fiancée and tried not to cry. "Namine, what are they saying?" he whined. She just shrugged and sipped from her virgin bloody mary.

"No clue. I know Larxene took Latin classes at the community college before transferring to Bastion U."

"I didn't think Larxene went to college," Roxas said aloud, but mostly to himself.

Namine scoffed. "Did you even know Larxene before tonight?"

"I knew of her," he shrugged. Seeing Demyx and his big sister standing next to each other, it was really easy to see the family resemblance. "Did you know Demyx?"

"I knew of him," she sighed. "Larxene talks about him a lot. I only really see her in class…"

"Animadverto sit?"

"Nimirum! Sit Sora's frater! Sit malum."

"Non exsisto iratus. Roxas est bonus alio."

"I swear to God they're talking about us," Roxas whispered to Namine, shaking his head. The young blonde girl smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"You're being paranoid." She finished her drink and placed her glass on the bar. "I saw you dancing with Demyx. Did y'all have fun? It looked like you did."

"You think?" Roxas asked. He never really thought about dancing being fun or not. It was usually something he did for Namine, but he always had fun with her. He found himself with the same feeling of enjoyment when it was with Demyx. Of course, he would never tell her this. "Do you want to dance?" he asked, trying to take the topic away from the blonde punk.

Namine shook her head and yawned. "No, it's past one and I'm getting a little worn out." She smiled at him. "And you must be exhausted! Thank you for taking me out tonight, I had fun with Larxene." Roxas wasn't expecting to have as much fun as he did, but dancing with Demyx really made the night for him. Originally they set out in celebration for Namine's finishing her mid-terms. He failed most of his tests, so there was little want for Roxas to celebrate. However, teaming up with Demyx really helped get his mind off school for a while.

His fiancée linked arms with him and turned to Larxene and Demyx. "We're heading out!"

"Bye bye!" Larxene said with a cheshire grin.

Demyx gave a mock salute. "See you tomorrow, Rox!" So Roxas assumed he would be seeing him at 13 Hearts' show on Halloween. Leaving the club hand-in-hand, Roxas and Namine returned to their apartment in north campus.

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

Namine collapsed into bed and hugged her pillow tightly. She cracked open one big blue eye to glance up at her future husband taking his shirt off and replacing it with a white undershirt with holes in the armpits. "I have no idea why you still wear that shirt," Namine sighed.

"I sleep in it, Nams, I'm not meeting the president in it." He exchanged his black slacks he wore to the club with a pair of disintegrating pajama bottoms. The lights in the bedroom were turned off, save for Namine's bedside lamp, and her lap was covered with the comforter as she read from a novel for one of her classes. Roxas had placed the manila envelope Demyx had given him earlier on his spot on the bed. Before crawling under the covers, he pulled out his newest issue of Magic Train to read before going to sleep.

Namine stopped reading for a moment to look at the stapled together flyer Roxas was reading. It looked like those conspiracy theory pamphlets the junkies liked to pass out in south campus. "What is that?" she asked, putting her book down for a moment and reaching over for Roxas' zine. He let her have it and she flipped through the pages quickly.

"It's a music rag that one of 13 Hearts' groupies makes. Demyx gave me that copy tonight." Namine continued to turn pages, slowing down slightly to look at pictures and read captions and quotes. She turned to the inside front cover and noticed that Fuu Kuroyama did all of the writing for it.

"This is extremely well put together for just one person," she complimented, handing the zine back to Roxas. "Should we invite her?"

"Who?" Roxas asked, turning to the first page to read the letter from the editor. Thinking about it for a moment, he added, "To what?"

"Should we invite the lady who makes that flyer to the wedding?" Namine asked. "And maybe we should invite Larxene and Demyx. We had fun with them tonight."

"But we don't even know them that well. At least I don't know Demyx that great, and Fuu seems like a nice girl, but we can't just invite people just because they're friends of the band." Namine sighed in contempt. Roxas tried to think of a way to explain it in a way she would understand. "Besides, each extra person would be another sixty dollars for food and invitations have already been sent out…" It wasn't that Roxas had an issue with three extra people at their wedding; it was more that those three other people would probably come dressed in black leather jackets with sterling studs. They just wouldn't match with their aesthetic at all.

"I guess you're right," she resigned.

Roxas sighed gratefully, happy that Namine didn't try to push her way. He looked down at the faded, tanning pages of the zine and read the first page.

'I'm going to share a very personal story with you. When I was young my brother was the only one I had. My mom and dad had split and I was by myself. He was my family. But he got a new family when he created the band, 13 Hearts. The band let me in like their own. I had gained four brothers the day of their first practice. This band means the world to me, and I am overjoyed to announce that the fifteenth issue of Magic Train will be all about this amazing band!

- Fuu Kuroyama

A whole issue about the band! He was in luck. The first few pages seemed to be littered with member bios and interviews. It was perfect material for fanning the flame of any sparking obsession.

The first interview was with Luxord the bassist. It had a picture of him standing with his bass strapped on, fingers placed on neck to form a c-note, and his right arm raised high above the body. The look on his face was of absolute domination as his brows furrowed and his teeth bared. Inside the interview, all the important questions were being asked.

F: So, is it true that you are on the run from the Vegas law enforcement because you were caught counting cards?
L: Now darling, you know that counting cards isn't a crime in Vegas. But some casinos do reserve the right to kick you out if they catch you counting. And it's definitely illegal to use an outside source to help you.
F: Outside sources being…?
L: Being an imbecilic Uncle Vexen who doesn't know when to shut up.
F: So how did you find your talent for the bass? I hear you at practice and anybody who's heard you live will know you're wicked fast.
L: Well, when one has to hitchhike in the desert down south, there really aren't that many drivers who will pick up strangers in that environment, right? The bass was a good ice-breaker.
F: So how did you find your way in Bastion?
L: Axel and Riku were in Vegas celebrating a 21st birthday. They were on their way home when they noticed me hiking on the side of the road. With all the time I spent on the road with professionals like them, I think it's easy to assume that one would pick up some new pastimes.
F: Like picking up a bass?
L: Uncle Vexen wasn't completely helpless. Before he was arrested again he built me a new machine. It's the same one I've used for all of our practices up through recording.
F: What are your opinions about your new album?
L: It's marvelous! One of the most amazing things I've ever had my hand in creating. Please help us out and buy it!

So this opened up Luxord's personality a little bit. He wasn't as humble as Roxas thought he was. He seemed to genuinely appreciate the band, but he didn't seem to be as close to the band as Fuu was. To Fuu, the blood of the band was thicker than the water of the womb. Luxord seemed to have fallen into 13 Hearts by circumstance, but stayed because he got along with everyone so well. Roxas appreciated that Luxord was able to get out of his situation in Vegas and find a good support group along the way. However there was one person in that support group he wasn't familiar with. Who was Riku?

Roxas turned the page and was greeted with a large picture of a hand flipping him the bird. If he looked close enough, he could see the small head of Xigbar from behind with a glower that could liquefy the icecaps. Roxas always thought that Xigbar was kind of an asshole…

F: That's a pretty impressive scar you have. It's really big.
X: I can show a few other impressive big things.
F: Xigbar. Really?
X: Haha, sorry, habit.
F: I just wanna set the record straight, how did you get that scar? I mean seriously. It's hideous.
X: Aren't you just cute? Alright, well I was dating this girl, yah see? She was really into this freaky shit, right? Like body modification, you see. And she had a thing for vagina dentate.
F: Oh, my.
X: I'll let you do the math.
F: I'm not sure I want to. Let's just skip all the superficial bull and go straight into what everyone hopefully cares about more – How did you get your start playing guitar?
X: The same way almost every dude gets started. I saved up my allowance and bought a cheap-ass guitar from the pawnshop.
F: Are you self-taught?
X: I learned from these old videos I got at a garage sale.
F: So you managed to get as good as you are by studying from VHS tapes with pawned axe?
X: Totally.
F: You're a god in my country.
X: Your country needs better gods.
F: So what about this new album coming out soon? Can you give us any hints about it?
X: What do you mean hints? They're the exact same songs we play in our shows.
F: Well some people may not have had the privilege of making it out to the Organization.
X: Then I can tell you it's going to be wicked hardcore. My solos are fucking boss and Luxord is just perfect. Marly and Axel know what they're doing and Riku's fucking flawless.

That was the second time Riku was mentioned, but Roxas had never heard of him before now. Although Xigbar did seem arrogant, at least he carried respect for his band mates, which Roxas admired. He was surprised that the guitarist was as modest about the music he played as he was. Roxas wondered if Xigbar would let him borrow those tapes he used to practice.

Turning the page, there was a picture of a girl dressed up like a hooker facing the back of the camera. The outfit she was wearing gave it away, with the miniskirt so short that it revealed no underwear under her torn fishnet stockings and the sparkling sequined top. She was yelling at a car and pumping her fist as it drove away. Reading the story next to the image, Roxas had to perform a double take. Wait, that was Marluxia?

F: Good evening, ma'am.
M: Good evening, sir.
F: So, I wanna ask, when did you first discover you like women's clothing?
M: Well, it always seemed soft when I touched it, but I never had the guts to actually wear it. My first girlfriend really had a kink for a guy in chick's clothing, so I sort of did it to impress her. It worked.
F: So is she the girl you're seeing now?
M: Oh, hell no. She dumped me a week after my junior prom and I never saw her again.
F: Then why did you still dress up like a girl after that?
M: Women's clothes are comfortable. Plus, my drumline conductor would give me free lessons if I blew him.
F: Wow. Okay, so that's how you got to play drums so well, huh?
M: And it was pretty easy going after that. I knew Axel and Riku from high school, and they didn't really give me trouble with my ways. 13 Hearts was real small at first. We didn't even really have a band name until we picked up Xigbar and Luxord a couple of years later. For the longest time it was just me on drums, Axel on guitar, and Riku on bass and vocals. It was like a real punk band.
F: How did the band change after Xigbar joined?
M: The sound changed, definitely. We had a chance to add more melody with Axel on rhythm and Xig taking the lead. And once Luxord joined Riku finally got to expand on his vocal work without have to exhaust half his talent on bass. After we started practicing and playing free shows, we finally got the Organization to back us a little bit and let us use their indoor stage for profitable shows. We're hoping to make more profit with the album.
F: Things seem to be going great for everyone. That's good to hear.
M: It's a blessing, really. I'm simply thankful to be a part of it.

Roxas was pleasantly surprised by Marluxia's interview. If he ignored the first half of it, it'd seem the drummer was an almost decent human being. He couldn't believe that the boy would trade sexual favors for instruction. Nothing should be worth the cost of losing your pride in such a degrading way. However, the nagging voice inside Roxas' head kept prying, what if Marluxia wanted to have fun with the drumline conductor and his pride had nothing to do with it? Plus, if he didn't give the conductor blowjobs for lessons, he may have never been picked up for the band. So Roxas forced himself to try to be a little more accepting in that Marluxia's immoral ways led to the creation of something amazing.

Turning the page, he was greeted with an image that almost warmed his heart. It was Axel and some other boy, their arms wrapped around each other's necks. Axel was holding up a 'one' and the other boy was holding up a 'three' with their free hands, and their faces had a faux look of power and supremacy. It was the kind of picture one would take with their best friend.

Axel's look had changed from the last picture that was taken of him. This one seemed more recent. His hair was starting to grow out, and it seemed lighter than in the previous image. Although the photo was still printed in black and white, it seemed that it was a lighter color other than black. The style of labret piercing had changed into something a bit more gauged. He was still missing the tattoos under his eyes, but Roxas could tell that there were some on his shoulders and chest, although the picture was too blurry for him to make out exactly what they were.

And the boy standing next to Axel looked completely foreign and like nothing he had ever seen. His hair was white and paler than his skin, and his almond eyes looked clearer than water. Everything about this young man was perfect. His face was the perfect shape, without a trace of acne or scars, and the perfectly symmetrical lips placed under his perfect nose smirk despite the macho-ness they were trying to achieve in the photo. Although he wasn't wearing a shirt, and his body was covered with a large tattoo, Roxas couldn't help but state the obvious.

"He's beautiful."

"What?"

Roxas glanced over to Namine, brow raised. "What?"

His fiancée shrugged and looked at him in the eyes. "I don't know. You mumbled something just now but I didn't catch it."

He shook his head and returned his eyes to the picture. "Nothing, it was nothing."

Comparing Axel and the boy next to each other brought up some things in the redhead that Roxas had never noticed before. The boy had an almost angelic look about him while Axel had a rogue devilish appearance. He was sure the hair color helped, but there was something about the glint in Axel's eyes, the curve of his nose, the shape of the shoulder blades that all added up to mesh with the boy's looks flawlessly. They looked amazing together, like real rock stars. Roxas couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of the platinum blonde band mate, though he couldn't press his finger on exactly why.

After a few minutes of silence, Namine finished the chapter of her book and found a good stopping point for the night. She closed her book and placed it on her bedside table and switched her lamp off, turning to look at her fiancé.

"Hey, Roxas, are you busy?" she asked.

Roxas glanced at the clock, realizing it was already after two in the morning. He was exhausted and he just wanted to read the zine really quick before sleeping. He looked over at Namine and smiled. "No, what's up?"

"I was just thinking… I know we've been really busy with school and all, and I've been with Tifa and Kairi planning the wedding and you're keeping busy with your… music stuff."

"A-huh."

"And I was wondering… when was the last time we had sex?"

Roxas was at that point in his relationship with Namine that their sexual exploits didn't embarrass him, but the idea that he had to actually think of the last time they made love was nothing short of humiliating. All last week Namine was at school until late getting her portfolio ready for review, and for most of the week prior Roxas was kept up late dealing with 13 Hearts business. All this coupled with the looming stress of midterms didn't leave them in the mood half the time. It had been almost two weeks.

"I feel stupid for asking, but…?"

The look on her face made Roxas' heart melt. Her face was bright red and her eyes were downcast to the sheets of their bed. Roxas should have picked up on this when Namine dressed in her nice silk nightgown in the evening instead of her usual oversized t-shirt. He placed the zine on the bedside table and turned off his lamp. His bride was absolutely beautiful in the moonlight.

"Namine, you are not stupid. You're perfect."

Her round face looked at him, a relieved smile gracing her features as she reached up and brushed her fingers across his cheek. He leaned in closer and kissed her on the lips chastely. Namine was past the point of formalities and willingly opened her mouth to allow Roxas to deepen the contact. Roxas leaned over her and pressed her into the bed sheets.

"Roxas," she panted between gasps as her fiancé moved to ravish her neck. He hummed in response, expecting her to continue. "I love you so much."

"I love you too. You know that."

Namine didn't have the heart to stop him with her reply. However in all honesty to herself, no, she didn't feel like she knew well enough.

xxxXXXxxx

I am sooooo sorry guys! My usual routine for updating Ballad involves me copy/pasting the story from my computer onto ff dot net before I leave for work and I completely forgot to do that this morning, so all day at work I had the looming guilt that I forgot to update…

I have some cool news though! I made an 8tracks playlist with music that inspired me or reminds me of Ballad. There's a link in my profile, so go check it out! (I edited in a note about it in the previous chapter, but in case y'all read it before I posted it, I figured I'd let you know…) I have a couple fanmixes planned, but I gotta wait until we get to certain chapters so a song won't spoil anything…

Like always, I love it when you guys follow/fav and leave reviews! Even if it's a simple "keep up the good work" or "omg I can't believe that thing happened" or "whatevs we still hate you for wiping your account" each time I get an email notification that I got a review, it makes my heart race. Also, if you're leaving a review that's asking a question, be sure you're logged in so I can answer it! Thanks guys, and I'll see you next Monday!