Disclaimer: It's been ten chapters. I don't own Kingdom Hearts any of it's characters. I am a smile fan boy who enjoys yaoi and torturing imaginary people for his own sick pleasure, and sometimes the pleasure of people on the internet.

Sora had checked into the hospital, momentarily occupying Zexion's bed. The nurse's hadn't wanted to spilt up the twins or Roxas, Demyx and Axel up.

It was odd seeing someone else in Zexion's bed. Almost as if Zexion was just a decoration, to be taken down and put up in accordance with the seasons.

Stranger still, was having Sora- even momentarily-on the ward. But Sora had wanted to stay with his brother, and no one could resist his big blue puppy-dog eyes.

If Roxas had that power he'd try to use it on God, if there was a God. Try to have him get rid of world hunger, and reality T.V., and cancer.

Somehow, Demyx figured no powers of cute would be able to persuade God otherwise.

Axel snorted, "Oh I get it. Sora. Roxas. Pretty funny."

"Hilarious." Roxas grunted. "You just figured that out?"

Axel rolled his eyes and returned to his magazine. It was obviously more interesting than Strife family naming schemes.

"So..." Sora fidgeted, "What do you do for fun?"

"We have a lot of free time." Axel replied dully, and flicked another page, "I leaf through magazines, Zexy reads, Dem listens to music, and Roxy glooms and dooms in his head."

Roxas glared, "I do not."

Setting down his magazine, Axel looked over at the younger boy, "I highly doubt you're thinking about sunshine and puppy dogs up there."

Roxas didn't have an answer to that.

XxX

Sora was taken away shortly.

The brunette was not relieved in the slightest by the mammoth anesthesiologist. Truth be told the man frightened Roxas too, with his large figure and long braids, but it was better than being conscious when the doctor inserted a needle into your hip bone.

Roxas could almost imagine the procedure, his imagination and medical drama knowledge running wild. At least Sora would be ok, he was a sturdy kid, he'd bounce back. Roxas wondered if the hospital gave out doughnuts after the procedure like they did when people gave blood. Sora might like that.

Absently, Demyx asked, "Does anyone know where my mp3 is?"

Roxas closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Getting no answer from either Axel or Roxas, Demyx voice his question again. Sensing Roxas was awake he asked, "Roxy?"

Angrily, Roxas sat up in bed, "No, I do not know where you damn mp3 player is." Feeling exhausted, he lay back down, eyes screwed shut.

"Oh..." Roxas could hear the hurt in Demyx's voice, but was too tired to feel guilty.

Axel sighed and set down his magazine, "Diddya check in your drawer, Dem?"

The blond answered in the affirmative, but got up to search around anyway. After a few moments there was a soft "Oh."

Roxas opened his eyes a crack. The older blond was staring at his sheets, the recently found mp3 abandoned on the desk. Apparently, Demyx wasn't in the mood to listen to music anymore.

Roxas should have felt guilty, but didn't.

He still didn't feel guilty when Demyx had yet another seizure. This one more violent and longer than the other two.

He pretended to be asleep when the doctors came in to talk to his parents.

"We'll have to operate soon." Lexaeus muttered.

Demyx's mother opened her mouth to object.

"The chemo isn't working as well as we hoped." The oncologists brutal honesty cut the woman, "We should act before he gets too weak."

"All right, if you're positive."

"Tch." The neurosurgeon- Roxas guessed cut her off. He was very different from Saïx. His hair was pulled back into a salt and pepper ponytail, and a large pronounced scar cut across his face. More worrying was the patch that covered one eye. Absently, Roxas wondered how he injured his eye, but decided he didn't care, "Come on. It's not like we're doing brain surgery over here."

There was a long silence following the surgeon's words, in which Roxas decided he hated the man, purposely choosing to forget about all the slips and badly worded phrases of comfort he and his friends had made. It felt good to hate someone intensely and this... Dr. Braig Xigbar was as good a man as any.

Lexaeus decided to ignore his colleague's badly worded statement. "It's the best chance he's got." Roxas noted his almost pleading tone. He wondered if that was something Lexaeus learned over the years, how to manipulate patients. The big doctor place an arm on the young woman's shoulder, "If we don't act... he'll probably die."

The words hung in the air, but despite Xigbar's words, and her own reservations the woman resented.

All because of a certain Dr. Lexaeus.

Demyx's mother left quickly when the doctor's were done. Probably off to phone her husband, and the rest of the family.

"Roxas?" Axel murmured. Roxas didn't answer, so the red-head called out to him again, "Roxas? Roxy, I know you're awake."

Roxas lay still, ignoring Axel. If he ignored the red head long enough he'd go back to his magazine, probably.

For a moment it seemed like he would.

"It's ok if you're scared, Roxas." He finally muttered, "We're all scared. You, me, Demyx, even Zexion. None of us want to die. None of us want to die. None of us want to see each other die. And it's sad but anyone of us could die. And... it's sappy, but we need each other now... maybe more than ever. And yeah, Dem can be annoying, but, still..."

"Shut up, Axel."

"Don't be this way, Roxy. Don't lose faith. Please, don't lose faith."

Roxas sat up in bed facing his boyfriend, "Faith? Faith in what?! In God?! Tell me what kind of God puts tumors in some guy's brain, or cuts off your leg, or gets Zexion sick, twice." Roxas fumed for a second before lying back in bed, "I don't have faith to lose."

Axel sighed, "I can't tell you about God, Roxy. I can't tell you why he does what he does, hell or if he even exists, but don't lose faith is us... in you and me."

Roxas eyes darted over to Axel. There was a look of agony on his face, that no drug, no surgery could produce. True agony.

The blond looked away. He was tired of agony. Tired of Zexion's aloofness, of Demyx's excessive sunshine, of Axel's pleas.

Bring on the bone marrow transplant. He was ready to get out of this place. Even if it meant he'd be doomed to Hayner and Pence's teasing for all time, and Olette asking to take pictures. Even if his entire family hated him. Hell, even if his entire school tortured him. Cloud himself could spray pain the word 'faggot' across his locker and Roxas wouldn't care. He was ready to be done.

Roxas trained his eyes at the blank space above Demyx's bed.

There was a small sigh. Axel'd be going back to his magazine now. Roxas thought he should be satisfied. He wasn't.

Five feet was a long way.

There was a soft weight on his bed, Axel. The red-head took Roxas' face in his hands, for a moment it looked like he was about to say something. Instead he lifted Roxas' face and brought it to his mouth. Just for a moment before he broke away.

Roxas looked away, at Axel's empty bed. He--the spunk and attitude of the ward--would soon be gone. And another body would take his bed.

The red-head kissed the top of Roxas' head, "We made a promise, right?"

"Yeah." Roxas muttered. A stupid promise, but still a promise.

"And we're going to kick Zexy and Dem's asses right?'

"Sure..."

"Oh come on, where's your team spirit?"

"... it has cancer."

"Oh..." Axel looked down.

Gently, Roxas kissed Axel's lips, "But who knows. It might get better.

A small warm smile came to Axel's face.

It was t hen the doctors came in. Sora's bone-- treasure-- in their hands. They'd set Roxas up with an IV of the stuff. It'd transfuse into his body.

And then he would be made truly alone.

I had the 'it's not brain surgery' joke planned from the begining :is shot:

And that just about wraps it up for today my lovely readers. Stay tune for the next chapter in which Roxas goes insane and gains future telling powers. But as it is just a dream. As always please review for they strengthen Zexion's odd sensations in his neither-regions when he thinks about Demyx's booty.