Chapter Four
Las Vegas Secrets

After Roxas showered, with Axel sitting in front of the bathroom the whole time of course, the redhead informed him that they had to wait for a friend. Axel told the blonde they'd be waiting, but Roxas never imagined the wait to last this long. It had been at least an hour if not more that Axel had called this man known as "Riku". The redhead himself seemed to be getting impatient, his left knee was bobbing constantly, giving Roxas something to concentrate on, rather than the fact that Axel had the gun in his lap and the switchblade dancing between his fingers. Roxas, clumsy as he was, had never been able to roll objects in-between his digits, and he'd never realized how it was usually criminals or villains who did those things. At least it seemed that way in the movies he watched. It was always the bad guy with a coin, saying his monologue of evil and such things.

"Riku is such a fucking idiot," Axel tossed himself onto the backrest of the couch, his body bouncing and jolting Roxas from his comfortable little nook. The blonde glared viciously at the man, though his look of poison went unnoticed by Axel as he continued twirling that God forsaken knife in his hand. Roxas didn't really much care what they were waiting for, he just wanted to get a move on again. He needed to find Sora because honestly, this was all too much for him. He was used to routine, quiet mornings and even quieter evenings. Sora was the one usually out and about, always ready for an adventure. Roxas had always been the calmer of the two. The blonde did not need to be trekking it across the country in search for his insane brother. Even less did he want to do this with some psychotic hit man and his assistant. All of Axel's comrades had been idiots, so Roxas was not too enthused to meet this new one.

"How long has it been?" It had been quite a while since Roxas spoke and his voice seemed to startle the hit man. Axel's body twitched slightly, and if Roxas thought about it, he would have realized it was a frightened little jump but he let it slide. All the man got as a response was Axel lifting his shoulders in a half-hearted attempt at a shrug. It wasn't even a full out shoulder lift, just a half-assed excuse of recognition. Roxas rolled his eyes, craning his neck around and looking at all his things. The brothers apartment wasn't too cluttered, but that was mostly Roxas' doing. Sora had always been a pack rat, which was why his room was No Man's Land. Suddenly, and with too much force a knock rattled the door on it's hinges and violently shook the blonde out of his thoughts. Roxas screamed, high pitched and girly, while Axel hopped off the couch, tucking the gun behind his back and waltzed over to let their guest in.

"About fucking time!" Axel shouted as another man walked in, he was tall but no where near Axel's height, or well not too far from the redhead. Roxas didn't know what hair colour to pin onto the man, it was anyone's guess. The closest Roxas could get would be silver, and even then it wasn't quite exact. He felt like asking Riku, because clearly that was who this man was. It was the only person Roxas was expecting, the only person he'd heard Axel talk to. When the silver haired man turned, Roxaswas taken off guard. He was actually very attractive and shared a strange similarity with Xemnas. It was almost as if they were family. "How long could it possibly take you, Riku? You don't even live that far," Axel was ranting, his voice becoming just an annoying buzz in the background while Roxas concentrated on the new member of their little Sora scavenger hunt ."It only took me like 2 hours to get here from Xemnas', and that is waaaay farther."

"That's because you're a speed demon," Riku's gaze was suddenly all over Roxas, examining the tiny blonde with a piercing stare. His eyes were like nothing Roxas had ever seen before, and to tie it all together he was dressed rather nicely. A clean pressed shirt with the sleeves rolled up and form fitting, worn out jeans. In that instant Roxas wanted to know just what his brother was doing with someone like Riku, what he could possibly have been involved in. The man was intriguing, captivating and Roxas had to internally slap himself a million and one times for even letting these peoples looks distract him for even a second. "Ah, so this is Roxas…you must be the younger twin," The man smiled at Roxas and the blonde just scowled at him. How many people that he'd never met knew all about him because of Sora?

"Who the hell are you?" Roxas was really getting fed up with all this. It was his life they were screwing around with, he felt as though he should have more knowledge of the situation at hand yet he knew close to nothing about what was going on. Sure, Sora owed money, but how much would have these people hounding you? His kidnapping had all been a mistake and he was supposed to help Axel locate Sora, but who the hell was Riku and why the hell did he have to tag along? The blonde crossed his arms angrily over his chest and Axel appeared in his peripheral vision. A shock of bright red was the first thing Roxas noticed, then the hands on his shoulders kneading the muscle and if Roxas would have loosened up, all the tension would have disappeared. Sadly he stayed just as stiff, stilling the redhead's movements.

"I'm guessing Sora never told you?" Riku seemed like he was going to keep talking but Axel interrupted him, and loudly too. His laughter almost leaving Roxas deaf, his eardrum throbbing after the ruckus was done. Riku was clearly lost, his light eyebrows furrowing and his lips scrunching together. Axel soaked all this in, feeding off Riku's confusion like some sort of sadistic sea sponge.

"Oh no Ku-ku. Before you shoot off into some ridiculous introduction, let me show you what I called you here for," Axel jumped over the couch and headed straight towards the picture of Sora and Kairi. Roxas simply watched all this take place and Riku seemed to be watching the redhead also, wondering just what the hell the man was doing. When Axel was beside Riku again, he handed the picture over and Roxas stood from the couch, only to have Axel tug the gun out and point it right at the blonde's head. "Stay sitting Blondie, no funny business." Roxashad forgotten he was still being held captive and dropped onto the couch with an annoyed huff. Riku, however was just staring at the photo in his hands.

"Okay…Sora and some chick…" Even though he still looked confused something in his face and voice told Roxas he already knew who Kairi was, or at least he knew she was Sora's girlfriend and that information appeared to be causing the man a lot of distress. Axel frowned and took the picture from Riku's limp hands and held it in front of his face, pointing the gun at Sora, then at Kairi.

"Yeah that's Sora alright, and that chick? She ain't no random broad. She's his girlfriend," Riku's eyes suddenly became five shades darker, his face taking on a dark, shadowy look and his hands, which had been flax at his sides suddenly clenched into tight, trembling fists.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Riku didn't sound so friendly anymore, and his voice scared Roxas quite some bit. "Axel, this better not be some fucking joke or else I'll break your fucking nose clean off your face," Riku flung himself around, a fist ready to cause major damage, cocked back and another fist tangled in Axel's loose shirt. The redhead was however, completely unfazed by this and his face stayed completely blank while Riku shook him furiously.

"Ask Blondie over there, this chick, her name's Kairi and she's Sora's girlfriend," Riku let go of Axel's shirt and covered his face. Roxas by this point was beyond confused and venturing into bewildered. He felt the questions bubbling in his throat and he was tempted to raise his hand, just to see if it was finally okay to ask about something. Axel tossed a carefree arm over his friend's shoulders but the man wasn't crying.

"I feel like an idiot," Riku's voice was muffled but Axel nodded along, listening closely. Roxas too was listening with interest, his slow brain trying to connect everything but he felt like he was missing a vital piece of information to tie everything together. Axel caught his eye and grinned at the blonde, letting go of Riku and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Roxas, I know you've got questions so ask 'em."

"Who exactly is Riku?" Roxasasked quietly, afraid that if he asked too loud, the silver haired man would get that dark look in his eyes again and would go for his jugular or something. Axel rolled his shoulders and took a deep breath, looking like he was about to take a very high dive.

"Riku is Sora's Las Vegas secret," The loud smack startled Roxas, and Axel stumbled forward from the force of Riku's hand. The silver haired man was scowling but his eyes were back to normal. While Axel rubbed viciously at the affected area of his head, Riku took a seat beside Roxas, getting himself comfortable against the arm rest before lifting his shoes up onto the coffee table. Roxas glared at his feet before deciding that he'd rather not say anything and risk ruining his chance at finding out who the hell Riku was.

"Alright…from what Axel told me on the phone, you're completely in the dark about this whole mess. Well, seeing as I'm Xemnas' brother, I have the authority to tell you, unlike my fickle assistant over there," Axel was about to say something, no doubt nasty and crude but Riku stopped him when he continued to speak, not even giving the redhead a chance to fit in a few words. "Sora borrowed about 20k from my older brother to pay back Luxord, this big casino owner. He owed Luxord money because, well, your brother's got a little bit of a gambling problem when he drinks," So, Sora was in all this mess because he was a horrible drunk gambler? Roxas could not describe the rage he felt as it consumed his insides, it felt like hot magma slowly coating his veins and the urge to strangle his brother was almost frightening. He was in all this mess because Sora made stupid mistakes in Vegas? Clearly his brother had never heard that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. The blonde could barely contain the urge to scream, luckily Riku continued. "Well, I met him while he was talking to my brother and…uhm…" Suddenly Riku got awkward, his pale cheeks gathering a reddish tint and his eyes would no longer meet Roxas' stare. The blonde turned to stare at Axel and the man groaned before pushing himself off the wall he had so casually leaned up against.

"They decided to do a little gambling together, which turned into drinking which turned into hotel bed busting. Badabing, badaboom, you get Riku falling in love and chasing Sora all the way back to this city and there you have it. A wonderful homosexual relationship, all because of roulette," Axel fluttered his eyelashes before making exaggerated gagging sounds and Riku glared at him. Roxas didn't see any of that however, his mind was still stuck on Axel's first words. Hotel bed busting? Surely that didn't mean Sora and Riku…no, it couldn't mean that because that would mean Sora was gay and Roxas knew for a fact his brother was straight. He would have told Roxas something so serious, he would have trusted Roxas like he had done so many times. Sora would have confronted their parents along side Roxas when the blonde bravely came out of the closet and withstood their screams and hurtful words. Sora would have never let Roxas suffer the confusion and pain all alone.

"That's not true," The voice didn't seem to belong to Roxas, but the blonde knew it was his because that was what he had been thinking. Axel and Riku stopped arguing, which they appeared to have been doing for a few minutes. They both looked over and Roxas shook his head a few times, his bottom lip quivering. "You're both lying to me…Sora…he…he's not…He's with Kairi." This wasn't true…it couldn't be. If it was, Roxas didn't know what to do. He didn't even have Sora in front of him, he couldn't scream at the brunette, he couldn't ask him these questions himself. He couldn't because Sora was fleeing, like a coward, he was running away from this hurricane of lies he left behind. As much as Roxas didn't want to see it, this was the last piece of information he had been missing. After Sora returned from Las Vegas his relationship with Kairi had slowly begun to fall apart and no one ever knew why. This was why Riku had responded so strangely to the fact that Sora had a girlfriend. It was because…they had something.

"It's true Roxas…I'd come over every night, sneak right in through the balcony…you know, the wiggly screen comes right off," Riku's voice might have sounded mocking, like he was making fun of Roxas for not seeing what went on right under his nose, in his very house, but the man's face was pained. It was like those nights had once been a pleasant memory but now it ached to recall them. Roxas could no longer deny the truth that had been splayed right before him. Riku knew about the wiggly screen and only he and Sora knew about that. Riku must have been in his apartment plenty of times, and only at night. If Sora would have wanted Roxas to meet him, they would have had him over for coffee or something, but clearly Riku was not a friend and clearly, Sora had never wanted them to meet. "It sucks that we both had to find out these things about Sora, huh?" A low chuckle escaped Riku's lips but there was no humour in it. Roxas just licked his dry lips and stared up at Axel. The man was leaning against the wall again, picking under his nails with the tip of the switch blade. Suddenly Roxas remembered why they were at the apartment. They were here to get some clothes for the blonde then set off to find Sora.

Sora…he had betrayed Roxas' trust. The blonde tried not to feel hurt but it was near impossible. He had trusted Sora with everything, from the tiniest detail to the most vital of information and yet, his twin had kept so much from him. It was then the blonde decided he would actually help Axel find his twin, it was the least that backstabber deserved. Roxas needed to find Sora for himself too, he needed to ask him why he never told him any of this, he needed to know why he never even asked for help.

"Axel, the first place we should go look for Sora would be at Kairi's. She lives an hour away on the University campus," the words came out before Roxas had a chance to even reconsider his decision to help Axel. The redhead lifted his gaze from his fingernails to Roxas and the blonde stood up, picking up his duffle bag and popping his back. He wasn't ready for another hour in Axel's oven of a car, nor was he ready to start this mission to look for Sora, but he wanted all this to end already and he really wanted to slap Sora across the face. The blonde knew his brother wouldn't bother going too far…but then he realized he probably was wrong about that too and he wondered just how much he really knew about his brother. The more he thought like this, the angrier he became and the more he wanted to find that traitor.

"Oh, the girlfriend's place…Sure you wanna come Riku?" Axel looked over his shoulder as he led the other men out of the apartment. Riku said something but it was mumbled and instead dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. Roxas gathered his keys from their hanger and locked the door, as he turned he smacked into Axel's chest and the redhead placed his hand on the small of the blonde's back. Roxas was about to complain when again he spotted his neighbour was out. She watched as Roxas shuffled over to the small set of stairs leading towards the elevator with Axel right behind and the blonde became nervous quickly.

"I'll see you soon Mrs. Esmeralda, going camping with these two," Roxas tried to sound joking, tried to smile and seem like he was going camping with his two best friends in the world rather than Riku, his brother's secret gay lover, and Axel, someone sent to capture his brother and "remind" him about his debt with a mobster. All the old woman did was wave weakly and smile back at him, she was probably still a little blown away by Axel, or better said "Lea". Before Roxaswas able to wave back, Axel tugged him away and down the steps towards the elevator where Riku was holding the door open and waiting for them.

"Well, we're off to find Sora…" Axel was the only one who was in a chipper mood. Both Roxas and Riku were scowling, lost in their own worlds. Roxas was thinking of different ways to beat Sora for lying to him. It hurt that his twin, of all people, lied to him. That Sora, who had said he would never keep anything from Roxas, had kept all this hidden for so many months. Roxas was beyond furious. Axel cleared his throat, and Roxas looked up. The redhead just smiled.

"So…if you wanna come find him, does this mean you aren't my prisoner anymore?"

"Shut up."

"Watch your mouth, I still got the gun."

"Both of you just be quiet. I can already tell this is going to be hell. It's bad enough Axel's too cheap for A/C."

"I like the heat!"

It was a little disturbing but Roxas found that he couldn't agree with Riku more. This was going to be hell.

A/N: *For Author's reason for being so slow, see profile*

What? Roxas is going to help Axel! Well, can you blame him? Sora is a traitor. Our favorite little blonde feels betrayed and back stabbed, totally not cool ):
What craziness will they all get into? Buahaha.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this little installment and I hope you'll be eagerly awaiting the next.

Thank you all so much for being so damn great (:

-Love, Sharmander.