Summary: When Axel is brought back to life to be with Roxas, they start searching for their other friends from the Organization. Through much difficulty they eventually achieve this goal, but what happens when the superior comes back mysteriously one day? How will Xemnas cope with having to live among normal people and being social? And will love find this man who seems to have a giant stick up his ass! lol. Yeah, better than it sounds. Eventual XemnasxSephiroth. Other pairings include akuroku, cleon, soriku, zemyx, and marluxiaxsaix.

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own kingdom hearts cuz if I did the organization would totally be a sex club.lol.i'm horrible. :D I also do not own some of the names of places in this fic. Some of them are the names of rural Japanese towns, but the attitude and description that I give the towns are all mine.)

Genre: Romance/humor/angst/action/tragedy

Rating: T(possibly M in much later chapters)

Warnings: Shounen-ai/yaoi, language. OC'S AND MENTIONS OF MPREG IN THIS CHAPTER AS WELL!!

Author's Note: Well this is chapter nine, which will be the last chapter that is placed in the past. Hope you enjoy this one!


End of Chapter Eight:

"Depends. If you think I'm just bending down to tie my shoe, then no. But if you think I'm asking you to marry me, then yes. So what do you think Xemmy, do you want to-

Zack grunted as he was practically tackled to the ground by a squealing Xemnas. Zack didn't get a chance to comment on the reaction, considering the next thing Xemnas did was practically smother him with kisses.

"I'll take that as a yes." Zack muttered against Xemnas's lips. He could feel the other smiling, and briefly wondered if he would live to see the future he wanted so badly with the man of his dreams.

Chapter Nine- The Ghost of You

(Don't just skim this chapter if you are one of those people that do that in long chapters. There's important stuff in this chapter that will need to be remembered for later chapters!!)

The end of summer was approaching, which meant that Xemnas was saying goodbye to many of the friends he had made through meeting Misa. Most of them were leaving because they were going to different Universities to pursue higher degrees, but there were still others who left because the fear the war had induced in them. Xemnas waved goodbye sadly as the last car drove off into the sunset.

"Don't worry, they'll be back. They all promised to come to our wedding, remember?" Zack said comfortingly.

"Yeah, I know." Xemnas said as he turned to Misa. "I guess we'll be seeing you off tomorrow Misa?" Xemnas knew what the answer would be, but he felt like he had to ask. Misa had gotten into the art school of her dreams. Xemnas knew that she would want to leave no matter what the circumstance was.

"No." Misa said unexpectedly.

"What?" Both Zack and Xemnas said in astonishment. Misa had been dreaming of going to a big art school since she was a little girl, so it was an odd occurrence that she was deciding against going.

"There's no way I could leave with the way the war is progressing. My parents need me here. Besides, art school can wait. It'll always be there and I'll be here for a long time as well. I have plenty of time to live out my dreams. My family is more important to me right now." Misa stated as she stared into the distance, her eyes glittering in wonder as she pondered what was laying beyond the horizon.

"That's very kind of you Misa." Xemnas said as he gave a sad smile, his tired eyes lighting up for a brief second, knowing that he wasn't alone in the world.

Six months later…

Xemnas walked through the streets carrying bags of groceries in his arms. Zack's friend Haydn was finally coming to visit. He had managed to get himself moved to Zack's military post, at least for the time being. Xemnas kicked open the front door, stepping inside the apartment and saying hello to Misa, who was also staying for dinner. As he sat the groceries down on the dining room table he sniffed the air and smelled something sweet coming from the kitchen. Xemnas looked towards the kitchen curiously, his nose following the scent.

Xemnas drifted into the kitchen to find Zack in a pink apron, complete with a chef's hat and baking mittens. Xemnas stared at Zack blankly, briefly wondering what the hell his fiancé was doing.

"Zack…what the hell are you doing?" Xemnas said aloud.

"Baking cookies." Zack said merrily as he practically waltzed around the kitchen.

"You never mentioned you could bake." Xemnas aid as he walked over to the oven and eyed the half baked cookies curiously.

"It's a hobby I haven't been able to pursue in a while." Xemnas snorted as Zack's appearance started to sink in. Seeing Zack in a pink, frilly apron wasn't something you came across every day.

"And I thought you said I was the wifey in this relationship." Said Xemnas teasingly as he wiped a bit of flour off of Zack's nose.

"You are! Can't a man do something nice for his wife every once in a while!" Zack said in his usual mock theatrical drama.

"You're such a drama queen. But I have to admit, you do look pretty cute in an apron." Xemnas said as he kissed Zack lovingly. When they pulled away from one another, Xemnas noticed that Zack still had quite a bit of flour on him.

"What happened? Did you get in a fight with a bad of flour and lose?" Xemnas asked jokingly as he tried to rub away the flour on Zack's face.

"Maybe…I might just happen to be flour challenged. But I think it would be better if you had some too." Zack said as he threw a bit of flour at Xemnas. Xemnas grunted indignantly as he tried to rid himself of the white powder. Zack took advantage of the distraction and cornered Xemnas into the side of the kitchen counter.

"You're just as cute covered in flour as you are without it." Zack said as he eyed Xemnas up and down, his eyes finally landing on the boy's neck. Zack leaned in, breathing hot air into Xemnas's ear, causing him to shiver, as he moved further down, finally biting the sensitive skin on Xemnas's neck. A groan escaped Xemnas's lips as he desperately grabbed the fabric of Zack's shirt, ultimately trying to decide if he should push Zack away or pull him closer.

"Ngh…Zack…stop. Misa's in the other room." Xemnas grunted as he tried to detach his fiancé from his neck. This only encouraged Zack to close the space between them.

"Hmm, that's alright. She'd probably enjoy the show." Zack whispered between kisses.

"What?! Misa's not like that!" exclaimed Xemnas. His attempts to push Zack away were becoming weaker and weaker by the second as teasing lips continued to torture the throbbing vain in his neck.

"Yeah, sure she isn't Xemmy. She acts all cute and innocent on the outside, but I bet she's a yaoi fan girl on the inside." Zack said as he moved his head slightly to lick the shell of Xemnas's ear.

"But what about Haydn? He could be here any moment!" Xemnas said as he struggled to not give in to Zack's temptation.

"No he won't. Haydn's always late." Zack said as his hands slipped down to Xemnas's ass, causing the other man to gasp in surprise. Zack took this opportunity to slip his tongue into Xemnas's mouth. A throaty moan emitted from Xemnas as his hands found their way under Zack's shirt, fingering soft skin. Xemnas's hands moved up, feeling Zack's hardened abs as he-

"Whoa kids, settle down." A voice unfamiliar to Xemnas said suddenly. Zack irritatingly pulled away from Xemnas as he turned towards the voice.

"Haydn, you're on time for once." said Zack. Xemnas took this opportunity to look up from where his head was buried in Zack's shoulder to lay eyes on Haydn for the first time.

Haydn was much shorter than Zack. In fact, he was a few inches shorter than Xemnas and much thinner. Xemnas vaguely wondered how someone that was so small could survive in a war, but speculated that he had his ways just as Zack did. Haydn's hair was a deep brown that would fall at his shoulders had it not been pulled back in a ponytail. His skin was fair, though not nearly as fair as Zack's.

"Well, I figured since I haven't seen you in a while, I might as well be on time." Haydn said, a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he spoke.

"Did Misa let you in?"

"Who? That girl with the sketchpad? Nah, I let myself in. The door was unlocked."

"Figures. And don't smoke in my house! You know I can't stand the smell!" Zack said as he took the cigarette from Haydn's mouth and put it out on his shoe.

"Sorry about that." Haydn said as he pulled out a chair from a nearby table and sat the guitar that had previously been on his back in it. He then walked up to Xemnas, locking his almond shaped, forest green eyes with the younger man's amber ones.

"So I take it your Xemnas?" Haydn asked curiously. Xemnas nodded quietly.

"Has he been treating you right?" Haydn asked as he pointed in Zack's direction.

"Yes, I think he's treated me better than I deserve."

"And have you been treating him right?" Haydn asked as his eyes narrowed suspiciously,

"What? Of course."

"Good, because if you weren't I'd have to kill you."

"Stop it Haydn, you're scaring him." Zack said as he hit Haydn over the head lightly.

"Excuse him, he likes to mess with people sometimes." Zack said to Xemnas as he slung an arm over Haydn's shoulders.

"Yep, I sure do. But don't worry kid, I didn't mean it." Haydn said playfully as he removed Zack's arm.

"Anyway, Xemnas? Why don't you start dinner? I have to talk to Haydn in private for a while. You don't mind, right? I haven't seen him in person for over a year." Zack said as Xemnas shook his head understandingly. Xemnas stayed in the kitchen as Zack and Haydn moved into the living room to speak in private. They both sat down opposite of each other.

"When you told me he was different, this was the last thing I expected." Haydn said as he eyed Zack.

"It's not like I could tell you what he really is, the phone lines could have been tapped." Zack argued back.

"True. It won't be long before we aren't able to talk in the privacy of our own homes." Haydn said calmly, as if he had known it would happen all along.

"I know. That's why we need to figure out what to do before it's too late." Zack said a bit furtively with a hint of on-coming panic in his bright, mismatched eyes.

"I fear it may already be too late for you my friend." Haydn said solemnly. Zack's eyes widened in shock at his friends words.

"What do you mean by that?" Zack's usually loving eyes had narrowed considerably.

"You engaged to one of them."

"That doesn't matter. You know that everything they've said about people like Xemnas is a complete lie!"

"That won't stop them from coming after him. And when they find him, they'll kill both of you."

"That won't happen."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I've been putting Rikiddo in anything he uses to bath and anything he wears to mask his scent. It's completely colorless and has no smell to him, but they wont be able to scent him for miles."

"True…my sensitive nose couldn't even detect him….but what about his blood Zack? It's miraculous that he hasn't bled once since his awakening, but what will you do when he accidentally cuts himself one day? He'll no something's wrong with him."

"That won't happen. I've been sneaking a potion very similar to Rikiddo into his food and drinks every month that turns his blood red."

"Well at least you've made some use of what you learned while we were on the other side." Haydn snorted sarcastically.

"That's not funny. You know very well that I'm doing this because I have no other choice!" Zack yelled furiously as he stood up and slammed his fists on the table.

"Calm down. You don't want him to hear us do you?" Haydn asked, keeping his face completely neutral to Zack's anger. Zack took a deep breath and sat down, trying to keep himself calm.

"That's better. It's things like that that'll get you killed. If they get close enough they'll be able to sense your vulnerability.

"I know I've become a bit more vulnerable Haydn, but can you blame me for that? I'm in love with him."

"And you should both give up your lives because of it?"

"Like you would understand anything about it!" Zack shot back.

"You act as if I've never loved before." Haydn said quietly, his eyes tinted with a kind of hurt that you could only see if you looked closely enough.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to say it like that." Zack said apologetically.

"It's alright, I know you must be stressed. Having to deal with the war and protecting Xemnas has to be tough." Haydn said understandingly. He didn't come all the way to Rokugo to fight with Zack, so he might as well get along with him.

"What's been even harder is trying to get Dr. Eiji to take his family and leave town." Zack said earnestly. Just as Zack said this, Xemnas walked by the door. He stopped in his tracks at what he heard.

'Trying to get Dr. Eiji and his family to leave town? But why?' Xemnas thought as he quietly pressed his ear to the door. He wanted to respect Zack's whished and give him and his friend time to talk alone, but his curiosity was getting the better of him.

"I tried to do the same thing when I was in the hospital. He refuses to leave. Says there's too many people that need his help at the hospital.. It's just plain selfless stupidity. He'll let them kill him before he gives them information about his experiments." Haydn said.

'This is silly. I'm sure they're talking about a different doctor. I shouldn't invade Zack's privacy like this.' Xemnas thought as he went to move back to the kitchen, but something Zack said caught his attention again.

"This is what happens when humans get involved in affairs they don't fully understand. There are a lot of people just like him. But what makes his case even worse is that his baby had to die because of his mistakes." Zack stated solemnly, his eyes cast down at the table.

'The doctor's baby? They are talking about Dr. Eiji! What do they mean by experiments?' Xemnas thought as he anxiously pressed his ear against the door.

"I know. But soon enough they'll all be dead because of his mistakes." Haydn stated bluntly.

"I don't want it to come to that!" Zack said through clenched teeth. "They're good people; they don't deserve to die!"

"But you know he won't tell them about his findings or give them Xemnas's location. They've been protecting him like he's their own son since the day they found him."

"It's funny. All this time they've been fighting to keep him alive and he has no clue. And even if he did, he wouldn't know why they have to fight for his survival.' Zack said bitterly. Xemnas raised a shaky hand to the door, not wanting to hear anymore of what Zack had to say.

"Zack? Haydn? Dinners almost ready." Xemnas tried to keep his voice steady. Something about Zack and Haydn's conversation made him uneasy.

"Alright Xemmy, we'll be there in a minute." Xemnas heard Zack say from the other side of the door. Xemnas nodded although he knew the two men on the other side couldn't see him and had no clue that he had just overheard something they had never intended him to hear.

Dinner went by smoothly. Xemnas acted as he normally did. He figured he shouldn't give off any body language that suggested that he might have heard anything. Haydn and Zack were being themselves as well. It was like the argument they had had earlier had never existed.

"I'm glad you're both vegetarians. That made it easier for me while I was cooking." Xemnas said as he cleaned up dishes. Zack helped him clean up along the way.

"That's so odd. You two are best friends and you both don't eat any meat?" Misa said.

"Yep. When you grow up in an orphanage you aren't too keen on eating the meat, even when you're starving." Haydn said.

"Why?" Misa asked.

"…The meat was just a little too fresh for my taste."

"You mean undercooked?" Misa asked uncertainly.

"Yeah…sure. So, Zackary. When are you two planned on getting hitched?" Haydn asked curiously, apparently not wanting to talk about his past experiences with meat any longer. Xemnas laughed at Haydn calling Zack by his full name. It was something he didn't hear very often.

"Don't get any ideas Xemnas. Haydn's known me his whole life and he's barely allowed to call me Zackary." Zack said. "We planned on getting married in about two months."

"I'll have to be there." Haydn said. "Is that your sketchbook?" Haydn asked as his eyes fell on the sketchpad that was lying innocently on the dining room table.

"Um, yes."

"Can I see it?" Haydn asked. Misa stretched across the table to hand Haydn the sketchpad.

"I've always been interested in art, but unfortunately I've never been very good at it. That's why I stick to music." Haydn said as he flipped through the book, examining each picture carefully. His eyes seemed to light up a little bit more with each sketch that he looked at. "You're quite good. You'll do well in art school." Haydn said, sniggering as he fell to one sketch near the back of the book.

"You're quite the pervert." Haydn said with a smirk. "You look cute and innocent, but you're not." Haydn said teasingly.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Misa suddenly looked very flustered. "Oh, look at the time! I have to go now!" Misa said as she grabbed her sketchbook and practically jumped out of the front door.

"…What just happened?" Xemnas asked curiously.

"She's got some very detailed shounen-ai and yaoi drawings in the back of her sketchbook. Most of them are of you two." Haydn stated simply. Xemnas blushed and Zack let out a bark-like laugh.

"Told you she was a pervert." Zack threw in Xemnas's direction.

"It's always the innocent looking ones you've got to look out for." Haydn said as he raised an eyebrow at Xemnas. "Watch out Zack, this one might cause some trouble." Haydn said as he pointed at Xemnas jokingly. Xemnas turned even redder as Zack and Haydn continued to laugh until the sound of a cell phone broke through the noise. Haydn pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and answered it.

"Hello? Yes, this is he. What? But why-okay. I understand." Haydn hung up his cell phone and slung his guitar over his back as he headed towards the front door.

"I've been called in for a meeting. Seems like my captain developed a new battle strategy that we need to go over."

"We understand. Just make sure you come back to visit, okay?" Zack said gently, putting a hand on Haydn's shoulder and squeezing it tightly.

"Of course. I have to come back. Your wife's a pretty good cook." Haydn grinned playfully in Xemnas's direction as he waved goodbye, acting as if he didn't detest the war for taking away his life.


One month later…

The last month had been bittersweet. Most of Xemnas's friends that had left town had already been killed because the war had taken an unfortunate turn that had cornered all of those who had evacuated. Although death surrounded him, Xemnas had never felt more content in his life. The people that were the most important to him were always beside him and his job was going well. Less soldiers were being brought in, and the ones that were brought in had a larger chance of surviving because they were granted more individual attention. It seemed like they were winning the war, which made Xemnas feel a bit more at ease. He still worried about Zack and Haydn's safety, but he felt that they were both close to escaping unharmed. So far, Haydn had been lucky and had been able to stay in Rokugo. Neither Zack or Haydn had had to fight very far away, so Xemnas was able to see both of them quite frequently.

Xemnas was currently at the hospital. He was working overtime because he needed the extra money for the rent on the apartment. Everything was quiet at the hospital; the staff was preoccupied with their patients and the patients seemed to be pleased. Xemnas looked at the clock hanging on the wall and smiled as he realized his shift was almost over. Haydn and Misa would be having dinner at his apartment tonight, which always proved to be fun. Xemnas's thoughts were interrupted as he heard screaming a few feet away. Xemnas was about to run towards the screams when there was a loud noise that sounded like an explosion and smoke filled the halls. Xemnas looked around wildly. He couldn't even see a foot in front of him.

Zack and Haydn were on the outside of Rokugo Hospital. They were planning on picking Xemnas up from work when they saw something whiz past the roof. Zack and Haydn saw several flashes and then an explosion that must have taken out a large portion of the hospital's top floor.

"Those bastards! How could they sink this low?!" Zack yelled as he ran forward, fully intending on going into the hospital.

"Wait Zack! What do you think you're doing?! We can't just run in there! We don't know what their battle strategy is!" Haydn yelled after his friend.

"We don't have a choice! They may be here for Dr. Eiji, but if they sense Xemnas's presence they'll kill him!" Zack yelled frantically as he drew his sword. Haydn followed, pulling out his gun at the same time.

Xemnas was still lost in the smoke. From what he could hear going on around him, other sections of the hospital had been blown up as well. Xemnas wandered through the smoke, not able to see more than an inch or two in front of him. He heard a distant voice calling his name. He looked around, not sure which direction the voice was coming from. A hand suddenly grabbed him and pulled him in the other direction. Xemnas was thrown into someone's chest, which he quickly realized belonged to Zack. Even through the smoke, Xemnas could make out Zack's one blue eye and his other green eye. Haydn came in to view seconds later, oddly undaunted by the amount of smoke in the room or the hysteria around them.

"Come on. We need to get you out of here." Zack said as he pulled Xemnas, keeping him as close as possible. Somehow, Zack managed to find a section of the hospital that wasn't covered in thick smoke. But, instead of being greeted by smoke, they were greeted by a group of frightened looking, crying nurses and doctors. They couldn't see what was going on because the people were so densely packed. Xemnas moved to go see what the trouble was, but he was roughly yanked back.

"Don't go over there." Zack said as he eyed the group of people warily.

"Why not? Someone could be hurt!" Xemnas said as he tried to free himself from Zack's grip.

"No! Please Xemnas, just don't go over there!" Zack yelled as he gripped Xemnas's wrist sharply. Xemnas yelped in pain as he tried to pull away from Zack's painful grip.

"Zack, stop it! What's gotten in to you?!" Xemnas said as he wormed his way out of Zack's grasp and ran through the mass of people.

"Xemnas! Wait!" Zack tried to get Xemnas to come back, but it was too late. Xemnas was pushing his way through the crowd, finally arriving at the front of the horrified looking group. Xemnas screamed as he took in the gory sight before him. Dr. Eiji was lying in his own blood with several stab wounds and half of his limbs ripped off. His wife and Misa were right beside him. His wife was also covered in blood and many stab wounds. Her dead, surprised looking eyes glared up at Xemnas as if she had been taken to death by surprise. What scared Xemnas the most was Misa's condition. Her wounds were much like her parent's, but one side of her face was completely torn off, the skin pulled back so much that the bones on her dead face were showing. One of here eyes was missing entirely while the other one was practically hanging out of its socket. Zack rushed to Xemnas, pulling the boy into his arms as he wailed loudly. Before Zack could do anything to comfort him, the section of the hospital directly behind them exploded, filling the room with more smoke. The large group of people who had been standing around the Eiji's started screaming, pushing each other out of the way to try and get to the exit at their right.

"Xemnas! Get down!" Haydn shouted as he pulled Xemnas to the ground. Xemnas landed on the tiled floor with a heavy thud as Zack and Haydn stepped over him. It looked as though they were trying to shield him from someone's view.

"So you're the one that did this? No surprise there." Zack growled.

'Who is he talking to?' Xemnas asked himself as he squinted in an attempt to see what was going on. As the smoke began to clear a little bit, Xemnas caught the glint of an object. Xemnas realized it was a sword dripping with blood. Xemnas looked up through his bangs in order to see the face of the person that had killed the closest thing he had ever had to a family. A chill ran up Xemnas's spine as he saw a pair of blood red eyes. Xemnes strained to see the person's face, but the smoke was too thick to see more than the being's outline.

"Xemnas, I need you to leave." Zack said. Xemnas could barely hear him.

"What?! But what about you?!" Xemnas said as he stood up. Zack moved quickly to cover Xemnas with his own body so that he wasn't seen as Haydn moved to distract the anonymous killer.

"Listen to me Xemnas. I have to stay here and fight. You go with the others and evacuate. Someone will be there to direct you to our new house." Zack said quickly.

"Our new house?! Why do we have to move?!" Xemnas asked. Everything was happening too fast.

"Rokugo isn't safe anymore! Now go!" Zack said as he pushed Xemnas into the crowd of people.

"Zack!" Xemnas yelled as he extended his arm to grab the other man, but it was too late. He was already being dragged away by a current of moving bodies. He had no choice but to follow.

In the distance, he swore he could hear Zack yell, "Don't worry, I'll be home soon."


It had been hours since the evacuation and there were still no sign of Zack. One of Zack's friends in the army had managed to find him and had driven him out to the countryside of Rokugo, just outside the city of Kinosaki. They were supposed to be safe there, but so far, Xemnas didn't feel very secure. It was much too quiet and dark. He tried to fix this by turning on several lights in the house and turning the TV up as loud as he could to fill the empty space. Even with all of his efforts, nothing worked. Xemnas was too worried about Zack to relax. Amber eyes looked out at the darkened backyard. Goose bumps ran up Xemnas's arms as he looked at the large, eerie oak tree that occupied the yard. Xemnas ran to the door as he heard it open. Zack was standing in the door with bags in his hands. He sat them down, immediately holding his arms out to Xemnas. Xemnas took his offer, throwing himself in Zack's arms and sobbing deeply. He hadn't had time to think about the Eiji's death, and now it was all catching up with him.

"Shhh, Xemmy, it's okay." Zack said as he rubbed Xemnas's back soothingly. He went to grab Xemnas's hand, but accidentally brushed against his now badly bruised wrist. The bruise was in the same place Zack had grabbed him earlier. Xemnas gasped in pain and jerked away.

"I'm sorry about that." Zack said as he examined the wrist carefully. "I was way out of line when I did this. I can't believe I hurt you…"

"It's alright." Xemnas said as his voice cracked. He found himself crying in Zack's arms again.

"Why the hell would they do that?!" Xemnas yelled tearfully. "What did Dr. Eiji and his family ever do to deserve being killed?!"

"I don't know Xemnas, but they're safe now. No one can hurt them where they are." Zack said as he wrapped his arms around Xemnas protectively.

"Zack…I don't want you to fight anymore." Xemnas said quietly.

"I wish I didn't have to, but…I can't just pull out of the war now." Zack said.

"Why not?! I don't want you out there! It's getting too dangerous!" Xemnas yelled as he pushed himself away from Zack's embrace to look at him disbelievingly.

"I can't pull out when they need me the most…"

"Who's they?! The government?! I don't give a damn about them Zack! I only care about you!" Xemnas yelled angrily.

"Damn it Xemnas, would you just listen to me!" Zack yelled and paused before continuing. "Think of how selfish you're being. There are people out there who need protection, and you're one of them. I'd give my damn life to make sure you're safe and happy. I hate our government, but if being one of their slaves means that I can keep you out of harms way than I'm willing to do it!" Zack said loudly, but then added softly, "You're what I'm fighting for, and you will be the only person I will ever genuinely love in the way I love you." Zack took Xemnas's hands gently into his own. "So please, let me do this. It'll all be over soon. I can feel it." Zack said pleadingly. Xemnas nodded uncertainly.

"What happened to Rokugo?" Xemnas asked apprehensively.

"…It's probably just a giant pile of rubble by now…" Zack said hesitantly.

"…What's all that stuff you brought with you…" Xemnas forced himself to ask. Zack raised an eyebrow at the sudden curiosity, but quickly realized that Xemnas wanted to change the subject and turned towards the bags.

"I managed to get to our apartment. I grabbed everything of importance." Zack said as he started emptying the bags. Many of their personal belongings fell out, including Zack's diary and a photo album that they started creating when they first started dating.

"You even got the photo album?" Xemnas asked as he flipped through the photo album, painfully turning the page when he saw a picture of Misa's face smiling back at him.

"Yeah, I think that our memories are important." Zack said as he dug through more bags.

"Memories?" Xemnas repeated questioningly. For some reason, that word triggered a feeling in him that he couldn't place.

"Yep. Memories are a precious thing Xemnas. No matter what happens, never let go of them."

'Never let go of my memories…' Xemnas thought as he held a hand to his head. He felt like he was supposed to remember something, but every time he tried to remember it, it slithered away from him as quickly as it had struck him that there was actually something to remember to begin with.

"Hey Xemmy, come over here. There's something I want to show you." Zack said. Xemnas's train of thought broke as he walked over to Zack, who was bent over and looking at the floor.

"What is it?" Xemnas asked as he bent next to Zack. The raven haired man lifted the rug on the floor, revealing a trap door.

"I'm putting everything important to us in here." Zack said as he opened the trap door which revealed another trap door that was built straight into the dirt under the house. "If anything bad ever happens, the things most important to us will always be here." Zack said as he threw the photo album, his journal, and a few other items down the trap door before shutting it and placing the rug back over it. Xemnas as Zack turned as they heard someone knock on the door.

"Who would be knocking on our door at this hour?" Xemnas asked.

"Maybe it's one of our neighbors. A lot of people from Rokugo were brought to this area." Zack said as he opened the door. Instead of finding a new neighbor, he found Haydn standing in the door, looking like he had been completely drained of energy.

"Haydn? Did you just get here?" Zack asked as he moved aside to allow Haydn entrance.

"Yeah, they've gotten stronger Zack." Haydn said as he stumbled inside.

"Damn. Have the captains given any orders on what to do yet?" Zack said as he gave Haydn a chair to sit in.

"No, they're still discussing it." Haydn said as he put his head in his hands.

"Where are you staying Haydn?" Zack asked, concerned about where his friend would be living.

"Zack…I don't think-

"You're more than welcome to stay with us if you like." Zack said. He knew that Haydn probably hadn't come up with a plan in case something like this happened.

"As much as I would love to do that, I can't." Haydn said solemnly.

"Why?" Xemnas asked.

"…They've moved me to the front lines." Haydn said hesitantly.

"What?! You can't possibly be thinking of going there! You know how many people have died in the front lines!" Zack yelled as he grabbed Haydn's shoulders to emphasize what a huge mistake he was making.

"I know, but I don't have a choice. My captain said if I don't fight in the front lines then I don't fight at all."

"Well maybe we can reason with him. Your captain and my captain are good friends right? I'll talk to my captain and see if he can-

"Zack, stop it." Haydn said. "I can't do that. They need me out there."

"I don't want you to fight out there. Every single one of my friends that have in the front lines died within a few weeks of arrival! I don't want to lose you too!" Zack said frantically.

"I'm sorry Zack, but I have to do this. Please try and understand." Haydn said imploringly.

"…Alright then, if you've made up your mind…the least I can do is give you a place to stay until you have to leave."

"…I'm leaving tonight…"

"You can't be serious?! After the day we just had they want you to leave tonight?! You'll all be killed if you're beyond exhaustion!" Zack said pressingly.

"We don't have time to rest. If we do that the enemy will take advantage of us. I shouldn't even be here right now. I only came by because I wanted to say goodbye. I have to go now; I'm supposed to leave in an hour." Haydn said as he got up and headed for the door. Once he was outside, he planned on leaving without looking back, but Zack called to him.

"Haydn…maybe I should go with you." Zack pronounced.. He didn't like the idea of his best friend fighting alone.

"Don't be stupid. You have your own little family to protect, I don't. That's what makes all the difference here." Haydn said as he turned to leave again. Zack opened his mouth to say something, but Xemnas cut in instead.

"You are apart of our family Haydn.! The Eiji's were too, but they're all dead now. Please be careful…we don't want to lose anyone else that we love." Xemnas said. Haydn turned to eye Xemnas softly before turning to Zack.

"Hey Zack, promise me something okay? Promise me that when all of this is over…we'll meet on the other side." Haydn said quietly. Zack searched for the right words to say, but could only utter one sentence.

"Don't worry, we'll meet again." Zack said reassuringly. Haydn nodded as he walked away. Zack and Xemnas stood in the doorway as Haydn disappeared into the night.


Two weeks later…

Xemnas and Zack were lying on their bed together. Xemnas was spooned against the raven haired beauty.

"Hey Xemmy? What do you think about kids?" Zack asked suddenly.

"Kids? I like them." Xemnas replied with a shrug.

"What do you think about the potion Dr. Eiji created that allows men to become pregnant?"

"The Dansei Kainin? I think that the majority of the world isn't ready to except something like that yet, but I thought it was a great idea. A lot of people in the scientific community looked down at him for it though."

"Did you ever get a chance to see how to make it?"

"I've made it a few times. The men that used it had a good pregnancy and their babies were healthy."

"…What would you think about using the Dansei Kainin on yourself after we get married and the war is over?" Zack asked uncertainly. Xemnas turned to smile at Zack sweetly.

"Well, I don't see any problem with that as long as you're willing to be the father." Xemnas said. Zack was overjoyed to hear this and latched his mouth to Xemnas's immediately. After a few seconds he pulled away and pulled an arm tighter across the smaller man.

"Mmm, Xemnas. I can't wait until we can do this every day." Zack said as he snuggled against Xemnas.

"Me too." Xemnas said as he turned for a second time to kiss Zack tenderly. Xemnas deepened the kiss by slipping his tongue into Zack's mouth. Zack rolled over on top of Xemnas, allowing the amber eyed man to wrap his arms around his waist. Xemnas quickly unbuttoned Zack's pants and stuck his hand down them. Zack pulled away, Xemnas pouting as he did so.

"Don't give me that look. We agreed to wait until we got married. Don't worry, you only have to wait for two more weeks love." Zack said as he buttoned his pants and kissed Xemnas's cheek.

"Fine." Xemnas said as he snuggled against Zack again. Xemnas looked out of the bedroom window to be greeted by a sight that had been disturbing him for the past couple of weeks.

"That tree's so creepy looking." Xemnas said as he stared at the tree in their back yard. He could see it perfectly from their second story bedroom window.

"The oak tree? Why's it creepy?" Zack asked.

"It just doesn't fit in with everything else around here. The countryside's so beautiful, but that tree's so eerie and gloomy looking. It's like it represents all the death that's been going on recently. I know it sounds morbid, but it just seems like it's a sign that something bad is going to happen." Xemnas said in discomfort.

"Don't worry fair maiden! I'll protect you from that big scary tree!!" Zack said jokingly in a mock, hero-like voice as he threw his arms around Xemnas protectively.

"Shut up!" Xemnas said as he hit Zack's arm playfully. "I don't need protection from a tree."

"Well it sure seems to disturb you pretty bad." Zack said as he rubbed the arm that Xemnas had just punched. "I'll tell you what, if it bothers you so much, I'll cut it down tomorrow."

"A little tree hugger like you would do that for me?" Xemnas asked jokingly.

"As much as I detest cutting down trees, if it would make you feel more comfortable in the house, then yes." Zack said.

"I love you." Xemnas said as he kissed Zack.

"And only two more weeks until we can make it official." Zack broke away from the kiss as Xemnas buried his face into the nape of Zack's neck. He took in the scent of the raven colored hair that cascaded down Zack's shoulders and back. Xemnas and Zack sat in comfortable silence until Xemnas remembered the conversation between Zack and Haydn that had troubled him so much.

"Zack? You remember the first time Haydn came to visit?" Xemnas started hesitantly.

"Yeah, what about it?" Zack said as he sat up and looked at Xemnas peculiarly.

"I know that I wasn't supposed to be listening, but, I overheard you talking about Dr. Eiji. You know why he's dead, don't you?" Xemnas asked quietly. Zack stared at him with wide eyes.

"Xemnas I-

Zack's explanation was interrupted when they heard a crash coming from downstairs.

"Stay here, I'm going to go see what that was. Don't come down there no matter what happens." Zack said calmly, though Xemnas could clearly see fear in his eyes. Zack quietly left the bedroom, taking his sword with him.

Xemnas should have felt safe in the comfort of his own bedroom, but he didn't. He felt as though he were being watched. Xemnas looked around cautiously, and when he looked out of the window, he swore he could see something moving in the shadows. Xemnas decided to disregard it, thinking that his mind was just playing tricks on him. Xemnas was starting to get worried about Zack and turned to look at the bedroom door to find yellow eyes starting right at him. Xemnas jumped back a few feet, putting himself in the corner. In front of him was an odd looking creature with yellow eyes and antennae on its head. Xemnas was frightened. He could unknowingly sense that the creature was composed completely of darkness.

'Heartless…' Xemnas thought to himself, though he was surprised when the word seemed familiar in his mind. He didn't understand what made the word "heartless" pop into his head when he saw the creature, but something told him that it was very important for him to remember. Behind the Heartless was another creature that Xemnas felt like he had seen somewhere before. It was a silvery being with a swaying posture and an odd symbol on its forehead.

'A Dusk.' Xemnas thought. This time his head began to pound fiercely. Xemnas began to get scared when he realized that there were several of both creatures surrounding him, all trying to drown him in darkness. Xemnas resisted by getting up and running out of his room. As he made his way down the stairs he vaguely noticed that Heartless and Dusks were engulfing the entire house, slipping in and out of walls as they searched for their next victim.

"Zack!" Xemnas yelled for help, but Zack wasn't in the house. He looked around frantically and noticed that the front door was open. He ran towards it, knowing that Zack had to be outside.

"Zack?" Xemnas said uncertainly. Zack had his sword drawn and was encircled by was looked like over a hundred soldiers from the other side. Though something was wrong with them. They no longer looked like ordinary human soldiers, but demon-like beasts from the pits of hell. Their eyes were blood red, their teeth elongated, their nails sharpened to deadly claws and their ears pointed.

"Damn it Xemnas! I told you to stay inside!" Zack yelled. The panic in his voice startled Xemnas a bit.

"Did you really think you could hide him from us forever?" One of the soldiers growled in a low voice. He appeared to be the leader of the enemy soldiers. He drew his sword, quickly running straight towards Xemnas. The tanned body froze as amber eyes closed shut, waiting for the impact of the blow.

"No! Leave him alone!" Xemnas heard Zack scream. Xemnas opened his eyes to see Zack running towards him as well. What happened next happened much too fast, but at the same time occurred at a painfully slow rate. The enemy soldier came at Xemnas with all he had, aiming his sword straight for his heart. Xemnas closed his eyes as he waited for it to make contact, but instead felt a strong pair of arms wrap around him protectively. The tip of the enemy soldier's sword barely touched him. Xemnas slowly opened his eyes again and his face contracted in horror as he realized Zack was the one who had stepped in front of him.

"Zack…why?" Xemnas whispered feverishly with wide, horrified eyes as Zack's grip on his body slipped and he fell to the ground. Xemnas knelt next to Zack shakily. He had never seen so much blood in his life.

"Xemnas…" Zack said with bleary eyes. Xemnas gently picked up Zack's head and put it in his lap as he ran his hands through Zack's hair.

"Looks pretty bad, doesn't it?" Zack said in a raspy voice as he coughed up a bit of blood.

"It's okay Zack, I can fix this!" Xemnas said as he placed a hand over the bleeding, gaping wound in Zack's chest.

"Stop Xemnas. You know that a doctor can only do so much. Even with all of the medical knowledge in the world, there's some people you just can't save." Zack said. His eyes were starting to lose the life in them and his skin was becoming a sickly white color.

"No Zack! Listen to me! You can't die here! We're getting married in two weeks, remember!? You can't die Zack…I need you." Xemnas pleaded as tears began to spill from his amber eyes. Zack's hand went to Xemnas's face and wiped the tears away, only half smiling as he did so.

"I love you…" Zack whispered as a single tear rolled down his cheek and the last bit of life left his eyes. His hand fell to the ground and his body became completely limp. Xemnas stared for moments, his pupils growing smaller by the second. As Zack's death sunk in, Xemnas began to cry like he had never cried before. He momentarily forgot that he was encircled by enemy soldiers and just sat there sobbing into Zack's chest and shaking him as if he believed there were still some life left in the dead body. Xemnas suddenly became aware of a shadow looming over him and slowly looked up to see a pair of glowing red eyes and sharp fangs. Xemnas screamed and threw his arms around Zack's body defensively. The man's hand came towards him and Xemnas had every right to believe that the soldier was going to kill him, but he didn't. Instead he placed a hand firmly over Xemnas's head, keeping a strong grip even as Xemnas tried to free himself. Xemnas suddenly stopped struggling. His head started to pound painfully. The memories that had been so foggy before were starting to come back piece by piece. In his head he could see a man named Ansem sitting behind a desk and a younger man with silver hair mere feet away from him.

'That's…me…' Xemnas thought as the silver man's face became clearer.

'Xehanort…' Xemnas suddenly knew who he really was, but not exactly why he had changed his name, or why he looked do different back then. Although, he did feel like this man named Ansem disapproved of something he was very eager to do at the time. Five others were very foggy in his mind as well. He felt like he had worked with these people before, but he couldn't place it. There was something about Heartless and experiments….and…Nobodies…

'Nobodies…I know I'm supposed to remember something about them.' Xemnas thought to himself. The enemy soldier gave him a sinister smirk, his sharp fangs becoming more noticeable as his red eyes glinted.

"You still don't remember, do you?" The soldier growled as his gripped tightened around Xemnas's head. Xemnas became scared again and began to struggle harder than he had the first time. The red eyed man leaned next to Xemnas's ear.

"You're one of them! One of those filthy Nobodies! I'd start running, because I intend on killing you and will do anything in my power to see you dead!" The red eyed soldier yelled as one of his claws dug into the side of Xemnas's head. Xemnas grunted in discomfort as he felt a sharp pang from the man's claws. Xemnas felt something wet running down his face as the soldier released him from his clutches. Xemnas touched his face gingerly and felt the wet substance on his face. His eyes widened as he looked at his hand. The research and experiments he had conducted were forced back into his mind. Black blood was the ultimate sign of a Nobody, and that was exactly what was flowing down his face. Xemnas remembered that the enemy soldiers wanted him dead and used what little energy he had left to hoist himself up and throw Zack over his shoulder. Even if Zack was dead, he refused to leave him there.

"Run you damned Nobody! You can't avoid us forever! You'll be dead soon enough!" The enemy soldier said with a deep chuckle as he watch Xemnas stumble away with sick amusement.

Xemnas ran as fast as he could while he carried all of Zack's weight. Tears ran down his face. He had never been this scared in his life. Xemnas was tiring out fast. He couldn't carry Zack much further and he could feel that the enemy soldiers were catching up to him. Just as he was about to give up and let them kill him so he could be with Zack, he heard a voice calling to him in his head. It sounded exactly like Zack.

'Just leave me here Xemnas. There's nothing you can do for me now.' The voice said gently. Xemnas continued to run, his pace becoming slower and his breathing extremely irregular.

'Please leave! You have to keep living without me!' The voice said a little more urgently. Xemnas stopped to look at Zack. His dead, open eyes were staring out in to vast nothingness. A choked sob escaped Xemnas's throat when he realized that there was only one thing he could do. Xemnas sat Zack against a building, closing his open eyes.

"I love you." Xemnas said as tears rolled down his face. He kissed Zack's cheek gently, shivering as his lips made contact with Zack's cold skin. He then took Zack's sword, knowing that he would need something to defend himself with as he ran away forever. He didn't look back. He didn't want to see what happened to the dead body he left behind.


Xemnas eventually stopped running because he thought he had lost sight of the enemy soldiers. He soon found out that he was horribly wrong. The Heartless caught up with him first and started swarming him immediately. Xemnas swung Zack's sword and struck one of the Heartless. It vanished into thin air at the contact, and Xemnas finished off the rest of them easily. After he had gotten rid of all of the Heartless, he thought he would be safe. Sadly, he was mistaken. A swarm of Dusks emerged shortly after and tried to attack him. When Xemnas went to hit the first one, Zack's sword stopped mere inches from the Dusk's skull. Instead, the symbol on its head began to glow brightly. When he tried to move the sword away, it wouldn't budge. The sword started glowing as well. Even though he didn't know what was going on, he didn't feel like he was in any danger. The sword began to morph. The hilt became shorter and darker and the actual sword became dull and started glowing red. Xemnas stared at the sword with an open mouth until it was fully transformed.

By the time it stopped morphing, it was no longer a sword, but a saber of some sort. Xemnas rotated the saber in his hands inquisitively, not understanding why the transformation had occurred. Xemnas remembered that the Dusks were standing less than a foot away and looked up at them suspiciously. He was surprised to find that they were standing completely still as if they had no intent on attacking him at all. Xemnas wondered why they weren't trying to attack him when he heard a voice in the distance.

"Hey boss, I think he's over here!" Xemnas heard an enemy soldier yell. He began to panic when he could see them coming into view. As he looked back at the Dusks, they nodded at him as if to say that they would meet again. The Dusks disappeared as Xemnas continued to run, eventually finding a good place to hide amidst the rubble of the destroyed city of Kinosaki.

"I could have sworn I saw him run through here." Ansoldier said. Xemnas held his breath as the soldier's feet stood only a few inches away from his hiding spot.

"Well keep looking, he has to be around here somewhere." Another voice growled. Xemnas clenched his fists as he realized it was the voice of the man who had killed Zack. Xemnas remained completely silent as he watched the men's feet shuffle away. He was too scared to move, even hours after the soldiers were long gone.

Four weeks later…

Xemnas walked across the rubble with hard, cold eyes. The war had come to a complete halt. The enemy soldiers had apparently been overpowered and had either been killed or gone missing. Zack and Xemnas would have been married for two weeks. If the enemy soldiers hadn't found them, they would have survived through the war and would have been living the happy life they always dreamed of. But none of that mattered now. Xemnas had completely blocked his life with Zack out of his mind. A trail of Dusks followed Xemnas through the broken city, glad to have found somebody who wished for a heart as much as they did.


Author's Note: Wow. That was a long one. Anyway, I know there is still a lot of unanswered questions, but they will all be addressed at some point in this fic. I also realize that if Xemnas was only seventeen when he conducted his experiments as Xehanort then Zexion would only be like eight or nine years old at the time.(Or at least that's what I suspect.) That will also be explained. Also, I know some of the terms I used for the army were not correct, but I made them for the purpose of this fic. Now go leave reviews!! I'm addicted to them!! And feel free to ask me any questions if you are confused about anything that happened in this chapter.

As a side note, this chapter was influence by the song The Ghost of You, by My Chemical Romance. I do not own the band or their songs, I just used it as inspiration. I was listening to it when I killed Zack. TT