A/N: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, except my own legally bought copy of the game. Neither do I own the song Hate me by Blue October, nor Ohio is for lovers by Hawthorne Heights nor This Picture by Placebo.

Finally I do not own Perfect by Simple Plan or Shame on me by Marit Bergman.

I think that is everything but if I forgot anything; I probably don't own that either.

This chapter can be sensitive to some people since it is about the characters home lives and some of them ain't the best. Thought it be best to give a fair warning.

Chapter 3 Hate me

Make a porno feel like home

Darkness was falling over Hollow bastion. Everything was at peace. Or at least as peaceful as a big city can get. There was a few stray people out walking, searching for something that might make them find a meaning. Find thoughts that were long gone in a world without love. People who ran away from homes, lovers, parents, wife-beaters or robbers. It was a wicked world.

It wasn't as perfect and idyllic as people wanted to believe, and if they saw anything that didn't fit their world-picture, they turned their heads away; pretending not to see what was going on right in front of them.

They didn't want to see that they were wrong, even though they knew they were. Even if they pretended that they had happy lives, they still knew they all were alone in a cold, cruel hostile world, where everybody only looked out for themselves.

If a hobo almost choked on the street you could bet that no one would help him or her. They would just walk by as if nothing happened, as if no one, if fact, were almost losing their life just where they were walking.

Life; such a fragile thing, so easy to lose and only something you have once. So many people eager to take it before nature had its natural course.

If someone sat on a bench, crying, you could be sure no one would walk to that person, asking what was wrong, asking if something had happened. They would just look down at the person, with disgust in their eyes, on the fact that someone actually managed to show some real feelings in a plastic world.

Hate me today.
Hate me tomorrow.

Hate me for all the things I didn't do for you

Everybody lived stressful lives where they only had time to care about themselves, and if someone disturbed this, they were just ignored. Plain and simple.

(I wrote a poem that describe our world)

What's wrong with this picture?
What's wrong with this picture?

Some people are looking, searching for something. They want something to fill up the emptiness inside of them that someone or something caused. It may have been themselves, their parents, a friend. An old lover. Perhaps it was you who caused it. But you're searching as well so you don't remember it.

Maybe you don't remember that little girl you saw three years ago on the street, desperate for a few coins. Maybe it's the druggies at your school, desperate for something, but thinking they already found what they were looking for in drugs. Never knowing how wrong they were.

The night was falling, people settling down to have dinner, smiling and laughing at each other. Dinners: as normal families did.

Then there were those that weren't allowed to have dinners like normal families did. Some of them found love in other ways.

That makes a porno feel like home.

In the darkness that started to surround the world of Hollow Bastion, in the outskirts, on the border between Hollow Bastion and its suburbs Radiant Garden, Starlight High laid. From a window the lights were on, shining warmly, breaking the coldness of the night.

Lips smacked together, desperate for touch: longing for each other after being parted for all summer. His hands were all over her thin body, tracing kisses over her neck. The bruises covering her body seemed like there was more than usual, making him sad because he knew it was his own fault. If he only could be there for her when the school was out even though they both knew he couldn't. He couldn't protect her when she needed it the most, from the people who should be there for her and support her.

The teacher's lounge was empty except for the young loving couple. He knew that if anyone would enter the room he would be fried. Found in bed with one of his students and the fact that she was a minor didn't exactly make things look better for him. The only thing he could say in his own defence was that he loved her.

Not that her parents would care. They were the one who caused the bruises painting her body cascades of purple, blue, green and flesh.

Her lips played like butterflies over his bare torso, working their way up against his neck, face. Lips ghosted over his chin whispering a thin "I've missed you" in his ear. He knew that she meant it with every cell in her whole body. Everything in her screamed it to him, even if the words were just a mere whispering.

A hot water drop hit his shoulder and he stopped kissing her.

"Hey… How are you…?" The girl just shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I've missed you… so much.. I've needed you, and you weren't there. You're never there.. You're just here, and then I stay late and things get even worse." He gently stroked her silky hair.

Until I saw your blue eyes cry

And I held your face in my hands

"There there baby. You know I love you, even though I can't always help." It was true. He couldn't help her and he always felt so bad when she came to him after school hours, beaten and bruised.

She leaned her head against his chest, tears rolling off her nose and cheeks on him but he didn't mind. He gently stroked her back. This was the least he could do. She soon fell asleep and he smiled to himself. He would let her sleep there for a while, he knew when she had to get home but until then she could sleep. He pulled out a blanket and draped her in it before going back to the table and went through a few home works.

-Kairi's POV-

An ounce of peace is all I want for you
Will you never call again?

After waving a final goodbye to Naminé, I sighed and opened the front door. My house was one of the larger on the block, the off white exterior and blue shutters, the big tree in the front yard, the trimmed hedges fencing the yard in, it all seemed like the perfect dream house.

Inside though, it was anything but perfect.

I knew the before I even set foot over the threshold that nobody was home. It wasn't the empty driveway, or the lack of voices inside, but something deeper. I always knew the house was empty because my parents were rarely home. They never called, and they never left notes saying when they'd be back or where they went.

What little I did see of them, though, was anything but nice.

Mom was obsessed with her business career, hardly taking the time to say hello before she disappeared for days on end, and dad…he was always out with a new bimbo every night, coming home late, usually after I've gone to bed. I felt kind of bad since mom once told me that my being born had disrupted their lives and ruined the delicate balance of their relationship.

All I really wanted was for them to get along, and for us to be a normal family. Then again, what was really normal?

I shut the door on the streaming rays of sunlight from the afternoon. Radiant Garden, the suburbia of Hollow Bastion, was always beautiful, and I wondered wildly what other kinds of dark secrets the pretty sights covered.

I paused by the mirror in the entryway as I set my books down. My perfect reflection stared back at me. Rosy cheeks, bright eyes, fluffy hair, smudge-free makeup. I was still glowing over finally achieving my goal of making Riku mine, but that still didn't keep the quiet of the house, of my loneliness, from creeping up on me.

With a huff, I whirled away from the mirror, dismissing my thoughts with a wave. I prided myself on keeping things together. Just like mom. She always had a handle on things, and I always did my best to follow her example. Never take no for an answer, never back down, always go for what you want until it's yours…it was like my creed…

But I still wish that, just once, we could all three sit together for dinner like a real family…

Wish that, just once, my parents would say that they loved me…just so I knew they did.

And will you never say that you love me,

Just to put it in my face?

-Roxas' POV-

And with a sad heart

I say bye to you and wave

Standing in the empty kitchen, I started humming, trying to fill the void of silence. Other than my tuneless song, the soft crackle of something burning off the burner under the pan I had on the stove was the only sound. I'd come home after hanging out with Axel and the others. That had been the most fun I'd had in a long while.

I was a bit sad that my parents were still gone. They travelled a lot, and I hardly got to see them at all. The short times that we spent together were great, and I wished that they would last longer…or at least occur more often.

After getting home, I'd ditched my backpack in the hall and gone straight into the kitchen to make dinner for myself. After all, one couldn't concentrate and do homework on an empty stomach, right?

I switched the stove-top off and pulled the pan away. I poured the noodles into my awaiting bowl and sighed as I watched the steam curl into the air for a moment. I recalled the last time my parents had been home, just after we'd moved…

I'd made us dinner and had thought it was going to be a good night…but mom and dad had started fighting about the living arrangements and I'd gotten involved, saying I wasn't a baby and could take care of myself, and the night ended with us yelling at each other and storming away.

When I'd woken the next morning, they were gone.

And they hadn't been back since.

Kicking shadows on the street

For every mistake that I had made

I settled down with my meal at the long, bare dining table. I looked around the empty room, feeling a heavy weight on my heart, my chest getting tight. I didn't like the feeling, so I tried to distract myself by eating.

It didn't help.

Tears slowly dripped into the bowl, causing small ripples in the minute amount of broth cradling the pile of pasta. I missed my parents. I missed being around people period.

I missed being loved.

"I'm sorry…I was wrong…I'm not grown up yet," I murmured, choking a bit on a sob. I dropped my fork and leaned forward, covering my face, letting the tears come. I needed a good cry about now.

And like a baby boy

I never was a man

-Sora's POV-

There's a burning in my pride

The second I walked in the door, I heard the familiar call.

"Welcome home, Sora."

I grinned and carefully set my texts and notebooks on the entryway table, leaning down to untie my shoes and set them neatly next to my mom's. I skipped down the hall to the kitchen and smiled at my mom. Her back was to me as she stirred something that smelled really good in a bubbling pot. Her long chestnut-colored hair was tied back, the ends just barely brushing her lower back as she turned around to face me. Her dark brown eyes were warm and welcoming.

"You have homework to do, don't you?" she asked as she bent down to kiss my forehead before returning to dinner.

"Yeah," I answered, grabbing an apple out of the bowl we kept on the counter. "I just wanted to grab a snack before I go up to my room." I took a big bite, chewing thoughtfully before swallowing. "We got a new kid, today."

"Hm, that's nice. What's he like?" she asked absently, reaching into the cupboard above her head to pull out some seasonings.

I shrugged and took another bite of the apple, pausing to wipe some of the juice off my chin. "He's cool. Kinda funny. He's always making a fool of himself. He's so clumsy." I laughed at the memory of Roxas running into everybody, tripping over his own feet and so on.

My mom sighed. "You'd better go on and get your homework done before your father gets home." She added something else to the brewing pot before continuing. "Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes, and that's plenty of time for you to get done."

I nodded and tossed the core into the trash before returning to retrieve my books and climbing the stairs to my room. I lay on my bed, spreading the papers out in front of me. Not only did I have my own homework to do, but I had everyone else's to do too. I sighed. Oh well, might as well get started and stop complaining.

A knock on my bedroom door brought me back to the real world and I sat up, hearing my back and neck pop. My dad pushed the door open. He stood tall, a bit on the slender side, but he always said that brains counted more than brawn. He was still dressed in his dress shirt, tie, and black slacks he wore to work every day. With his index finger, he pushed his glasses back up his nose and stared at me with remonstrating blue eyes.

"You're going to fall behind in your studies if you keep up this lazy pace, Sora." He informed me quietly. I nodded.

"Yes, sir."

He watched me for a moment before sighing. "Come on, dinner's ready. You can finish later." The disappointment in his voice made me shrivel a little on the inside. My pride hurt. And worse, my dad disappointed in me.

A nervous bleeding in my brain

Sitting in my usual spot across from my mom, dad on my left, I listened to the quiet chatter between the two adults about some upcoming experiment. I spooned another mouthful of the delicious stew mom had prepared and sighed in contentment at the warm, tasty dish.

"Sora, I gave you plenty of time to finish your homework." Mom interrupted my thoughts and I felt my face grow hot in embarrassment. Obviously, dad had told her about my folly.

"Ah, yeah, sorry I…spaced out a bit." I offered lamely, swirling my spoon around and around the thick concoction sitting before me, slowly sinking lower and lower into my chair. I hated it when they got like this. Usually we had a great time, talking about all kinds of interesting things at dinner, watching the Science Channel afterwards and having a great time doing that…

But sometimes, when I fell behind, even the slightest bit, like today, they got on my case. It made me feel like disappearing. Made me wish my amazing brain would just explode and leave me a vegetable, ridding me of all expectations.

They continued to stare me down, mom's eyes darkened and dad shaking his head slightly.

I pushed my bowl away from me and asked to be excused. Their shared sigh made me wince visibly, but they let me go, and I ran up to my room, no longer hungry. I eyed the stack of papers I had yet to do, but I wasn't in the mood for that right now either.

Fisting my hands in my blankets, I buried my face in my pillow, wishing I could be a normal kid for one day. Just one day. Instead of the genius son of two accomplished scientists.

It was I that wanted space

Demyx's PoV

So I'll drive so fucking far away that I never cross your mind

And do whatever it takes in your heart to leave me behind.

I and Zexion broke up by the river, walking our separate ways to our own homes. It was late and I was probably late for dinner too, but hopefully no one would care. I walked the short way to the house that I lived in with my parents. The door creaked silently when I opened it. It needed some serious amount of oil but my dad had never bothered to fix it.

I closed the door behind me and looked up. My parents were sitting in the living room watching TV. I kicked my dirty shoes off as I greeted them. My mom answered me with a curt "Hello Demykins. Dinner is in the kitchen, it's just to reheat it" to caught up in her game boy game. My dad didn't answer me, but that didn't surprise me. He hardly ever did.

But then just as I walked into the kitchen I heard him from the other room.

"I'm happy that you remember that you have a home." His voice was cold, screaming of irony and I had to grit my teeth at the pain the words brought me. Of course I remembered I had a home, but how fun was it to be home when nobody cared what I actually did? My dad was always stuck in front of his computer and mom never had time, always working, making dinner, cleaning, sleeping or playing video games of her own.

Couldn't he be happy for me that I actually had friends that I liked to hang out with now, knowing I went through a hard time in middle school, always being bullied and nobody that liked me?

It never mattered what I did, no one had time to care anyway. It was with a heavy heart I remembered that time when he totally ignored me for three days, not talking to me at all what so ever, ignoring everything I said, and if I started saying something to mom, he interrupted me and started to talk about something else.

He wasn't always like this. I could remember when I was a kid and he used to play with me, calling me his big boy.

And it feels like you don't care anymore.

Did you know you used to be my hero?

I took a deep breath, trying to ignore his stinging comment and headed of to the kitchen, prepared some dinner on a plate and shoved it into the microwave, warming it for two minutes before heading off to my room, turning on my laptop. Hopefully someone would be online that I could talk to.

I didn't bother to check my homework; I almost never did. It's funny that I got so good grades having that in mind. I just didn't have the energy for it, physical or mental. The microwave oven beeped and I went in, grabbing my plate and headed back to my room, leaving the door open behind me.

I like my door. When we repainted my room one and a half years ago I got to paint the door and write on it too, so now I have a bunch of song lyrics and other things like that on it.

The memory made me smile and I went through my messenger list, finding no one to talk too. Fuu was online, but I got the impression that she didn't really like me. I turned on some music and ate my food while I stared at the computer screen waiting for someone to get online. My dad walked up to my door, closed it with a band and a sigh and I heard his footsteps head back into the living room.

I sighed sadly, not feeling hungry anymore so I left my place and seated myself in front of the TV, turning on a video game.

You could screw your whole life up

And I would still love you to death.

(Not really)

I just wanted my dad to show me some kind of affection, instead of the ever-present coldness he showed. To other people he played a role, pretending to care and all that, but when it was just the three of us he couldn't care less.

He used to work with kids who had a hard time is school earlier but his contract ceased. He really liked that job. Too bad he didn't care as much about me as he did with the kids he worked with, not seeing how I felt. He walked around unemployed for two years before he got a new job. He was a real pain in the ass as unemployed but he was even worse when he actually had a job.

I missed my dad as he used to be when I was a kid. I can't remember the last time he said that he loved me.

My mom is nice, I can talk to her, but I still missed him.

"I'm here for you if you'd only care."

(No. You're not. You've never been there.)

I became so caught up in my video game I totally forgot about the clock and soon my mom knocked on my door, telling me that she were heading of to bed. A quick glance at the clock and I realised it was really late. I told her goodnight and decided to call it a night too.

I took my plate to the kitchen and then made myself ready for bed. Before closing the door and turning of the lights I bid my father goodnight, as always. And as always all I got was a short cold un-interested "Goodnight."

Hate me today
Hate me tomorrow

Hate me for all the things I didn't do for you.

Aerith's PoV

In a sick way, I want to thank you, for holding my head up late at night,

While I was busy waging wars on myself, you were trying to stop the fight.

Aerith walked the short way from the school home. She liked her job as a nurse on the local high school. The students were nice, some of them just dropping by for a chance to talk, others that had hurt themselves in some weird way. Any way she liked them, always had a few nice words to exchange.

She fished her keys out of her small bag and unlocked the door to the apartment, opened it and walked inside. A chubby white and grey cat walked towards her and started to walk around her legs, purring. She smiled.

"Hey Furrball, how was your day?" Not that the cat would answer her but if offered some kind of company. She left the keys in a small key house, hanging her coat on a hook and walked into the kitchen.

"Come on Furrball; let's get you something to eat." She stopped by living room, looking at her goldfish that swum around in a glass bowl. She smiled and dropped some fish food in the bowl. Furrball's meow brought her back to reality and she smiled towards the cat.

"I know. You're hungry too... Come on then…!" She walked to the kitchen, picked up the deep plate she used for Furrball's food and filled it before picking up the water bowl and filled it as well with fresh water. The cat purred happily and she leaned against the counter, crossing her arms.

"This is nice Furrball, but something is really missing. It feels so empty in here." The cat just ignored her, happy to have food and she smiled and shook her head before she started to prepare dinner for herself.

A few hours later she sat down on her queen-size bed and looked around. The apartment really was too big for her alone. She used to live with her old boyfriend, but when they broke up he moved, leaving her alone with a big two room apartment.

She wanted something to fill up the space the he'd left. She thought Furrball and Clown would do the trick but she was so wrong.

She kicked off her slippers, sinking down between the heavenly soft sheets and it didn't take long before Furrball jumped in too, cuddling up next to the back of her knees and she soon fell asleep.

-Fuu's POV-

You never doubted my warped opinions

On things like suicidal hate

I slammed the door shut with an ugly curse, glad that dad wasn't home to lecture me about letting my temper get away with me. Stupid Demyx, being all fun. Stupid Zexion, being all sweet to him.

Stupid me for keeping all my feelings to myself.

I threw my backpack in some random direction, uncaring of the crash that sounded behind me as I stalked down the hall to my room. I kicked my door open and sat heavily down at my desk, booting up my laptop.

Once it was on, I signed on, wondering if anybody was on, but not really caring. I sat, browsing through random websites until I saw an alert, saying Demyx of all people had signed in.

"God, why is it always him?" I turned the laptop off and slammed it closed in disgust. I was in a nearly homicidal state of mind. And that only irritated me more because a small voice in the back of my head told me that Demyx would never get so worked up about something so small.

I stood and kicked my chair over with a frustrated cry.

My anger spent, I fell face first onto my bed with a sigh. I was sick of hiding my feelings, but I just didn't have the guts to confess to Zexion, and risk losing him as a friend. Why did life have to be so complicated? Why did I have to be such a coward? Such an angry person, whereas Demyx always had a ready smile and a laugh.

"Gah, I need to quit comparing myself to him!" I mussed my hair with both hands, hearing my dad come in and call my name.

I jumped out of my room and met him in the hall, giving the burly man a brutal hug, inhaling the smell of sweat and soap. He was tall, stocky, dark-haired and had kind, if weary, violet eyes.

He was quiet for a moment, holding me close before pulling away. "How you feel about going out to eat?"

I smiled up at him. "Really? We haven't gone out in a while! That'd be cool."

"Consider it a congratulation for surviving the first day of school." He grabbed my sweater hanging on the wooden peg jutting out of the wall. "C'mon, I have to get to work at my second job at eight, so we'll have to make this quick."

I didn't care that he would have to go to work immediately afterwards, I was just glad that we got to spend time together. Going out was a special treat, since money in our house was tight, what with dad being a single parent and working two jobs.

You made me compliment myself

When it was way too hard to take

"Dad…do you think I'm a coward?" I asked as I stared out at the houses and street signs whizzing past as we drove to a local restaurant.

He gave me a strange look and laughed. "Of course I don't, sweetie."

"Do you think I'm a…cold-hearted bitch?" I forced out.

"Fuu!" my father said in an appalled tone. "Why ever would you think that?"

"But do you think it's true?" I asked.

He was quiet for a moment, staring ahead as he continued driving. Finally, he said quietly. "Fuu…cold-hearted people don't hug their fathers when they come home. They don't smile, laugh, or cry. They just hate. And you don't do that."

I sat back and closed my eyes, feeling a soft smile tug at the corners of my mouth.

"And besides, a bitch is a female dog, and dogs bark, bark is found on trees, trees are nature, and natures is beautiful." I blinked over at my dad as he laughed, pounding his fist on the side of the steering wheel. "So, you just complimented yourself, sweetie."

Shaking my head, I joined in with the laughter. My dad was the best. He always knew what to say to take the weight off of me. He wasn't just my dad…he was also one of my best friends.

Riku's PoV

I have to block out thoughts of you so I don't lose my head
They crawl in like a cockroach leaving babies in my bed
Dropping little reels of tape to remind me that I'm alone

It was with heavy steps Riku walked his way home. He hated his home. His dad always pushing him, wanting him to be the best in everything and if he failed, things got bad. It was not like his dad hit him or anything. He didn't abuse him. Not physically anyway.

No, this was another sort of abuse; the verbal kind. And sometimes he wondered if that wasn't worse, but it probably weren't. If he failed getting first place on swim practise, or if he didn't beat his personal record or lost a contest, if he failed to get an A on a test or an essay, his dad would just look at him and say "I'm disappointed with you Riku. I thought we raised you better."

It always made the silver haired teen feel horrible. His father really knew how to wear him down. What child would want to make their parents disappointed? He knew he didn't, it really cut his conscience to little pieces. The problem were just that his dad always were disappointed; whatever he did to please him, it just ended up wrong.

His mom didn't really care about what happened to him. She was to busy making sure her tan and looks were perfect.

When he came home he noticed that nobody was in, so when he closed the door he leaned over and just screamed; screamed out his agony and pain. There was a moment of silence before running steps where heard in the stair and Riku's younger brother Mickey showed up.

"Riku… What's wrong…?" Riku quickly looked at his brother and smiled. He liked Mickey… he was the only one it this family that wasn't completely out of his mind, except the fact that he desperately searched for their parents attention, wanting them to notice him, when they only cared about Riku's fails and success.

"Nothing. I'm fine. I'm sorry if I scared you, I thought no one was home." Mickey raised an eyebrow and Riku smiled before ruffling his brother's light blue hair.

"Common, let's get something to eat."

(To remind me that I'm alone)

-Namine's POV-

Farewell the ashtray girl

Forbidden snowflake

"Hey, sweetie, have a good day at school?" my mom asked the instant I came down for dinner. Only to find that none had been prepared.

After parting ways with Kairi, I'd come home and found a note on the counter from my mom saying that she'd gone out for a bit and would be back. So, I'd taken my homework upstairs and did that, then drew in my sketchbook idly for a good hour when I heard movement downstairs.

"Yeah…it was okay." I answered, opening the fridge and pulling out lunch meat and cheese for a sandwich. It was better than nothing, and I didn't feel much like cooking. Especially when I was the only one who would be eating.

"Well, I'm glad." She patted her blonde hair, checking her face in the reflective surface of the kitchen window. She was dressed in a tight, short black dress that showed off her pale, shapely legs and a generous amount of cleavage. I looked down to the floor, not wanting to stare and saw that she was also wearing six inch heels to compensate for her height deficiency. A deficiency I shared.

I watched her primp and preen for a few more moments, pulling out two slices of bread and assembling my simple meal. "You're going out tonight?"

"Like every night." She answered with a smile, gently ruffling my hair a bit. "I'll be home before midnight, though, so don't wait up for me."

"Okay," I turned to leave the room with my sandwich, pausing in the darkened hall to hear my mom sigh, then gather up her things and leave the house.

Beware this troubled world,

Ever since my parents got divorced, mom had been desperately searching for someone to fill the empty place my dad had left. He had already remarried and was happily settled down. I guess mom couldn't handle him being happy while she was miserable, when he was the one who had cheated and ruined our lives.

I suppose I couldn't really blame her for wanting someone of her own…but I hated it when she brought strange men home with her. They frightened me, all of them. And most tried their best to be nice to me, while others, once they saw that my mom had me, became uncomfortable and left as quickly as they could.

Finishing my dinner, I went into the living room and sat on the couch, staring at the blank screen of the television and thinking. Mostly about how well the first day of school had gone. I got to spend more time with Kairi, not that we didn't spend plenty of time together during the summer, and all the others in our group. School was home to me, not this place where strange people came and went, my mother among them. Don't get me wrong, I love my mother, she's all I have, but I just don't understand her sometimes.

And Rai…Rai had been so nice to me today, walking with me, the two of us just talking. He was so handsome. And the thought that he might be interested in me made me blush even now.

Even if we ended up dating, which would be nice, having someone there for me when I needed them, I swore to myself then and there that I would be cautious.

After all, I didn't want to end up like my mother.

Watch out for earthquakes.

Zexion's PoV

We know we miss her, we miss her picture.

Zexion walked the road towards the buildings where he lived with his foster parent. The foster parent, James, was a nice man in his late 30'ies, a single man who had adopted Zexion, feeling sorry for the young boy that had been abandoned by his parents at the age of 4. They had lived together ever since, having more of a friend relationship than a father/son one.

The slate-haired teen unlocked the door and entered the small apartment. James looked out from the kitchen, smiling at the sight of him.

"Hello Zexion. Did you have a good day?" Said teen nodded.

"yeah. It was a good one. We got a new guy in our class, he seems like a nice guy, even though he's a little clumsy and maybe not the brightest but he still seems nice. After school we hung out at Axel's place. That was also fun, but Fuu acted a little weird. She seemed sad for some reason." James nodded.

"Well, come in to the kitchen. Dinner is almost ready. If you have any homework you can do it while waiting for dinner to get ready." Zexion nodded and seated himself on a chair by the kitchen table, taking out some books from his bag.

James danced around in the kitchen fixing with pots and pans, making the table, mixing a salad and a bunch of other things while Zexion did his homework in silence.

He closed the book at the same time as the egg clock rang, signalling that dinner was ready. A usual routine at its best.

They settled down and ate their dinner, joking and talking. Zexion liked his life with how it was. James was a really nice man and they had fun even though he sometimes missed his parents. He couldn't remember how they were or how they looked like. But the feeling on having real, biological parents, a real mom and a real dad.

It was thirteen years ago since they left him as an orphan and James picked him up. He liked James, it wasn't that that was the problem; he just wished he could get a chance to meet his real parents.

If he could remember what they were like to save his life. No faces, no voices, no nothing. And it made him sad that he couldn't remember the people that he lived with for four years, the people who had raised him. It made him sad that he couldn't even remember their names.

Sometimes it's faded, disintegrated.

After dinner, he helped James to wash the dishes and take things away before they went into the living room. James smiled towards the teen.

"I've rented a movie if you're not too tired?" Zexion smiled and nodded.

"A movie sounds good. I'm just gonna call Fuu and see how she's doing." James nodded and Zexion went to his room.

("Hi Justin, this is your mother, and it's 2:33 on Monday afternoon.
I was just calling to see how you were doing.
You sounded really uptight last night.
It made me a little nervous, and I... and... well... it made me nervous, it sounded like you were nervous, too.
I just wanted to make sure you were really OK")

Zexion sat down on his bed and browsed through his phone book, reaching 'F', finding Fuu's number and hit the dial button.

One signal… two signals… three sign…

"Hello?"

"Hi Fuu, it's me."

"oh… Hi there."

"Hi.. How are you? You seemed sad earlier.. Is there anything you want to talk about..?" The line was quiet for a while before the answer came.

"no.. I'm fine."

"Are you sure…?"

"…" Silence was so thick you could almost taste it and he couldn't stop it. Him waiting for an answer and Fuu refusing to give that answer. In the end Fuu soon had enough.

"Good bye Zexion…" She whispered voice so incredibly thin and hung up. Zexion looked at the phone for a long while before slowly closing it and walked out into the living room again.

"Hey James..?" The dark haired man looked up from the movie he was holding in his hands.

"I'm gonna go to sleep anyway… I'm tired and I'm not feeling so well." James nodded.

"Alrighty then. Sleep tight." Zexion nodded back and turned around and went back into his room.

If you're sleeping are you dreaming?

Fuu's PoV (again)

Because you kill me.
You know you do, you kill me well.

"Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself?" her dad asked as he always did. Every night.

Fuu smiled at the man over her shoulder as she headed up the short walkway to the front door. "I'll be fine." She assured, giving a small wave as her dad nodded and backed out of the drive, disappearing down the street.

She wandered into the house, patting her stomach. She'd just had dinner with her dad, but something was missing. Feeling peckish, Fuu went to the kitchen and rooted around in the icebox, pulling out a small carton half-full of melted, and refrozen, ice-cream. Dessert! That's what was missing!

Running her spoon under the hot water tap, Fuu started tapping her foot, eager to dig into her treat. After she'd served herself a heaping bowl, she tossed the empty carton and made her way back into the living room.

"It's always so quiet..." Fuu mumbled, sitting back in the couch, spoon hanging out of the corner of her mouth. The bowl cradled in her hands was cold, and she alternated hands to keep them both from being frozen as she thought about the lingering silence.

It wasn't an uncomfortable silence like one would think when faced with an empty house alone. Instead, it was…nice. She had some time to herself. Sometimes that was a good thing. Especially when she had a lot to think about.

She'd calmed considerably from her fit this afternoon, and now felt drained and sheepish. Fuu prided herself on remaining distant and cool. She'd lost it today, in front of everyone. What must Zexion think? She'd just run away.

Spooning more ice-cream into her mouth, Fuu sighed. It wasn't like there was anything she could do about it now, it was over. Done with. No reason worrying over something you can't change.

The phone rang, startling her out of her inner monologue, and Fuu stared at the handset for a moment. Curious as to who was calling at this time of night.

She took another delicious bite of ice-cream before bringing the phone up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hi Fuu, it's me."

The dull sound of her bowl hitting the floor as it fell through her suddenly numb fingers hardly registered in Fuu's stunned mind. Zexion.

She slowly sat up, pulling the spoon out of her mouth. "Oh…Hi there." Why was Zexion calling? Not that Fuu minded all that much…she liked the sound of his voice. Especially when it was laced with concern, as it was now. Concern for her.

At the same time, Fuu wanted to just hang up; wishing that she'd never answered the phone.

"Hi…how are you? You seemed sad earlier…is there anything you wanted to talk about…?"

Fuu felt her throat close off at those words. So, Zexion had noticed something was wrong. How well he knew her indeed. But…but this was her chance. He'd given her the opportunity to confess. She could just come out and say it, say how she felt. It certainly explained her actions earlier today.

But…

"No…I'm fine." She lied.

"Are you sure…?"

No. But it was the only answer she could give.

Silence stretched on between them as Zexion patiently waited for Fuu to speak. She shifted uncomfortably where she sat, waging an inner battle with herself. Her rational half told her to keep her mouth shut, just leave things be. But her heart was demanding that she release the load of held back feeling that had been weighing it down for the past three years.

Finally, there was a winner. Her rational half.

Though her heart screamed not to, Fuu forced the words out. A single tear slid down her face as she whispered, "Good bye, Zexion…" then hung up, one hand coming up to cover her mouth and stifle the building sobs.

She cried.

That was the first thing Fuu did after she hung up on Zexion. She cried. Cried like her heart was breaking, which it essentially was. Why couldn't she just say it? Why did she have to hide? Her feelings were bottled up inside, growing in intensity until she felt she was ready to burst at the seams.

Her unspoken love was slowly eating her alive. It would be so simple to say it aloud…and yet, it would be so hard. What if Zexion didn't return her feelings? A confession would forever ruin the special bond they shared.

Fuu sank down into the couch, staring at the abandoned phone on the coffee table, debating on calling Zexion back and pouring her heart out. Of course, she wouldn't do it. And so she would remain, slouched in the living room in the small house, alone. Not even daddy could fix this with kind words and silly jokes. No, this was something she had to handle on her own.

But how?

Sighing, she fell onto her side, staring out into the rapidly darkening room. She couldn't keep it to herself forever…but it would have to be that way for now…she had to somehow gauge how deep Zexion's feeling ran before she made any move to confess.

She would die a little on the inside every day, but however long it took, she'd wait.

After all, only fools rush in.

You like it too, and I can tell.
You never stop until my final breath is gone.