Moving right along now! Enter another character. One of my faves in this story, honestly.

Woot! I appreciate all the reviews so far! Thanks for reading guys, seriously!

Not much else to say here…

ENJOY!

It was awkward at first.

Though everyone there was very kind, there was still an air of resentment toward me. I could feel it. The servants despised me, I could tell. They probably figured, why was I so lucky? I was a filthy prostitute from the streets. Why did I deserve to be taken in?

And really, I couldn't agree more some days.

Other days, I felt like I belonged. After all, none of them truly knew my past. They could make guesses and speculate all they wanted, but Marluxia told me that he'd never tell a soul how we met and he kept his word.

But even though his parents accepted me, they never truly let me be a part of the family. Whenever there was a dinner party, I was required to stay in my room. It wasn't as though I didn't understand. They could put me through all the etiquette courses in the world, but there was still that forth generation New Yorker charm to me that clearly wouldn't go over well with the dinner guests.

I fit in, but I never truly felt like I belonged to his family.

He however felt very differently about the matter. He would insist we were family, going so far as to ask me to call him "brother" when it was just the two of us. Despite that he said I could never replace his sister, I think that's exactly what he was wanting me to do. You could never tell just how much he was hurting in her absence by being around him. He always smiled and made everything seem so carefree. His eyes though, they told the truth about everything. Whenever I called him "brother," I could see how much it pained and pleased him with a simple glance into those beautiful eyes.

He would always insist we were a family, one way or another, even if I had to marry into it.

That was when he introduced me to a distant cousin of his.

… … …

Marluxia smiled brightly at Naminé and presented her happily as though showing off a piece of artwork. "This is Naminé. Naminé, this is my third cousin once removed, Zexion."

Naminé curtsied quickly to the boy before her. He was only a few years older than her from what Marluxia had told her, however his mannerisms as he approached made him seem three times her age. Already she felt inferior.

"It is a pleasure." Zexion bowed to Naminé and took her hand in his own to greet it with a kiss. "Marluxia has told me much about you within the past two minutes that I've arrived."

Naminé looked to Marluxia nervously as he shrugged and smiled. "Oh, he has?"

"Yes I have. Oh Naminé, would you be a dear and keep Zexion company for me? The rooms aren't quite ready yet and I must go greet the others." Marluxia waved to the young girl quickly and excused himself.

Naminé watched in despair as Marluxia ran off to abandon her. She turned her gaze back to the boy before her and forced a smile. "S-so…"

Zexion blinked at Naminé quietly. It was obvious the girl was nervous and felt out of place, but then again, so did he. "Would you care to show me around?"

"Oh." Naminé nodded quickly. "Yes, of course." She started off but stopped as Zexion let out a slightly confused grunt. She turned back to look at him curiously. "Yes?"

"I, uh…" Zexion looked at the girl queerly. "Shouldn't I take your arm?"

Naminé cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

"Well…" Zexion glanced back to his parents as they climbed out of the car and greeted Marluxia happily. "My mother would be terribly upset if she saw me accompanying you without taking your arm. It just isn't proper to treat a lady like that."

"A lady?" Naminé couldn't fight the smile blossoming onto her face. Despite that she now looked and dressed like a lady, she still didn't feel like one. She didn't act like one and she figured anybody could see right through her. Marluxia was truly the only person that ever treated her like a real lady, so this was surprising to say the least. "Alright, if it'll keep you out of trouble I suppose I'll take your arm."

"Wonderful." Zexion smiled and held out his arm for Naminé. Once she took it in her own, he let her lead him into the garden. "Where are we going?"

"I want to show you my favorite place. Marluxia and I come sit out here and talk for hours on end. It really is beautiful and when the sun is setting…" Naminé paused to sigh happily. "It makes you forget what an ugly place this world can really be."

Zexion furrowed his brow as the girl lead him along. He knew nothing of the girl, other than what rumors spread through the family. There were countless stories about her and just exactly what had caused Marluxia to invite her to live with him. One rumor was that he had gotten her pregnant, but now looking at her, it was clear she was not and hadn't ever been. Thinking about it now forced him to pry. "You and Marluxia are very close. Why is that?"

Naminé shrugged. "I suppose I don't really know. He's told me from the moment I met him that I remind him of his sister. I think he's lonely." She turned her eyes up to Zexion and smiled sadly. "He doesn't think I notice. He doesn't think anybody notices. But when anything reminds him of her he gets this sad, far off look in his eyes. Even if he's smiling and laughing and having a good time, you can still see it and you know he's thinking about her. He told me that I could never replace her, but I think that's exactly what he wants me to do. I think he just wants the pain to stop."

Zexion nodded slowly. "I understand. When she died it seemed to hit everyone really hard. Just the simple manner in which she died was horrific, and Marluxia really does blame himself."

Naminé looked to Zexion with wide eyes. She'd never known really anything about Marluxia's sister. Not even the girl's name. That's just how taboo the subject was around his family. She was never spoke of and so Naminé never learned of her. Now was her chance. "What happened?"

Zexion glanced at the girl beside him. He was uncertain if he should tell her considering she didn't already know. Telling her, however, was better than her asking Marluxia and digging up old and painful memories. "I'm sure you know Marluxia's father does a lot of business in New York. He owns a printing company there."

Naminé nodded slowly, eager to hear more.

"I'm not sure if you know this, but Marluxia's mother has very bad health. She's always ill and because of that she tends to stay home regardless of how well she is feeling." Zexion sighed and stopped walking so that he could face Naminé. "It was around Christmas time and, well, Marluxia's father is Jewish so he celebrates something called Hanukkah. He wanted his children to visit him in New York and then return in time for Christmas to their mother. Marluxia convinced his mother to let them go, that he would keep a watch on his sister. So they went, just the two of them."

Naminé stared at Zexion as he grew quiet a moment, seemingly unsure if he wanted to continue.

"I'm not really sure what happened. The details were scarce and understandably, Marluxia didn't want to discuss it. All that I know is that they were attacked. Mugged by a couple of low lifes. Marluxia tried to fight back but it only resulted in his sister being knocked into the street. A car hit her. She didn't survive…" Zexion placed his hands in his pockets. "By the way, you and I never had this discussion."

Naminé looked to Zexion sadly before nodding. "Of course, I understand. But, that's just so sad. I mean, no wonder nobody ever talks about it. She must've been a really sweet girl, and to die so tragically. Poor Marluxia." She paused and bit her lip nervously before deciding to press on for information. "What was her name?"

Zexion froze and stared at Naminé with wide eyes. "Th-they never told you?"

Naminé furrowed her brow and shook her head. "No. Nobody tells me anything at all. The way everyone acts around here, you'd think Marluxia never had a sister at all.

"I would have thought somebody would have said something. A servant at the very least." Zexion sucked in a quick breath. "Her name was…"

"Hey you two, what are you over here talking about?" Marluxia smiled brightly as he approached the two youngsters, knowing full well what they'd been discussing. "The rooms are ready now, Zexion. One of the servants will show you the way."

"Oh. Yes, of course." Zexion nodded and bowed to Naminé. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Naminé."

Naminé nodded and curtsied. "A pleasure." She watched the boy hurry off in the direction of the mansion before turning her eyes to Marluxia. "Should we head back too?"

"I suggested to my mother than we invite them because I wanted that boy to meet you." Marluxia turned his gaze to Naminé with a smile. "I intend for you to marry him."

Naminé stared up at Marluxia in shock. "Marry him?"

Marluxia nodded. "He's handsome, only about two years your senior, he has a good head on his shoulders and stands to inherit his father's business. He's everything a young lady could want. Not to mention, he's obviously already taken with your charm."

Naminé blushed lightly and shook her head. "What makes you say that?"

Marluxia continued to force his smile and looked off at Zexion's figure fading into the house. "He opened up to you about something he had no business telling you about. Only a real charmer could convince someone to speak about things they shouldn't. I'm a bit disappointed in him, honestly. Though I'm sure he saw no harm in it, given the circumstances of things."

Naminé crossed her arms and huffed. She was just about tired of all this secrecy. "And just what are the circumstances of things, Marluxia? I'm honestly tired of being kept in the dark. What happened was sad, yes. But that doesn't mean…"

"Nami…" Marluxia looked to the girl, for the first time letting his pleasant demeanor drop. "Shut up."

Naminé stared at Marluxia in confusion. He'd never talked to her like that before and it honestly hurt. But just as quickly as his smile fell, it returned to his face and he was off walking toward the mansion.

"Come, Nami. Dinner will be ready soon."