You guys have made me regret killing Vincent so bad. I am really sorry and I feel the pain as much as you do. Probably more. That's why I had to post that chapter so soon and it was so short with so many (well more then usual) grammar mistakes was because I would have talked myself out of it had I not.

I appreciate your continued support! I love you all.

"People who don't care have nothing to lose.

So either they started that way

or they've already lost everything...

Those are dangerous people."

As it would turn out, getting out of town would be the easiest part of our escape. The hard part was surviving each other for that first day. Well at least on my end.

I was trying so hard to not snap and grab Phystie and beat the shit out of him until he told me why. Why had he sent that picture to Axel? Had my presence around Variedy really been that unwanted? Had it been worth Vincent's life?

I was trying to deal with it.

We reached the first safe house 12 hours after the house had burnt to the ground. It was a small apartment on the ground floor of a rundown building in the middle of a town that I didn't even know the name of. There was no bed just a lumpy couch, a fold out chair and a floor.

"This is just for tonight. We move at first light." Variedy said as we moved into the dark apartment and dropped our bags down. Phystie shut and locked the door as I went to look out the murky window.

"I need to know." I said to the silent room as I twirled the bullet between my fingers.

"Let me see the phone." Variedy said. I slid it out of my pocket and handed it to him and then turned to face the room. He was staring at the screen and scrolling down. After a moment he turned the phone around and showed Phystie the picture. Neither Variedy or I said anything as Phystie saw the photo. His eyes went wide and shot up to Variedy then to me.

"I didn't send him that." he said his voice shaky. "Its in my phone but I never sent it." Variedy held out his hand and Phystie quickly dug for his own phone and placed it in the awaiting hand. The raven haired man went through the phone quickly.

"The picture is here but he doesn't appear to have sent it. Of course we'll have to check his phone records to be sure but I trust Phystie." he said to me as he handed us our phones back.

"Well then I guess we'll see." I said as I pocketed the phone and went back to the window. "Someone betrayed us. Someone sent that picture, someone pulled that trigger. Cloud, Leon, Demyx, Zexion, Riku..." I trailed off as my stomach clenched at the thought of having to hurt one of them.

"What do you want to do?" came Variedy's voice from behind me.

"I want to kill him." I said back, my voice empty. I pulled out the bullet again, running it over my fingers as I gazed out the window. "But I know that I can't."

"Why not?" he asked. I shook my head and gave him a shaky smile over my shoulder.

"He's Axel." I whispered as images of him came flashing through my mind. "I may not be in love with him the way that I once was but he is still something that I love."

"Then what do you want to do?" he asked.

"I want this bullet" I held it up to the little bit of light that was filtering through the grimy window. "To shatter his world the way it shattered mine. I want it to take away any potential for happiness" I whispered. "But I want him to live through it, I want to watch it break him apart."

"Where would you like to start?" He asked. My eyes met his and I knew I had an ally. With one look he told me he'd follow me into hell and back. I felt emotions rise up, threatening to spill out of my eyes but I fought it down.

"Thank you." I said.

"Vincent was my friend. I don't claim to have many of those, I never have, but he was one." he said and I gave a small nod.

"And I know you don't trust me Roxas." Phystie said from where he was standing. "And you have every right not to but Variedy and I are a package deal." I glanced to Variedy who just gave a bare nod.

"That's fine, but you're right, I don't trust you. Even if you didn't send that picture, you took it, you brought it into existences and that is something I can't forgive." I said, my eyes locked with lavender ones.

"I understand." he said.

"So where do we start?" Variedy asked again.

"We need someone on the inside. I need to know what happened, who was involved, who knew." I trailed off as I thought about the phone calls I had made the night before. "I have a feeling that every one knew."

"What makes you think that?" he asked.

"When you gave me my phone back I called my Mom, Sora and Cloud. I even tried Demyx and Zexion but they didn't answer. Cloud was pissed, told me my actions had consequences. Sora sounded scared, said Axel was angry but wouldn't say anything else."

"Sounds like our best bet in is through Sora." Variedy said.

"Sounds like a good way to get this Sora killed." Phystie said as he plopped down on the couch. Variedy looked at me, just the look told me he agreed with Phystie. I just gave him a calm face.

"Sora is our best way in." I said, my voice flat.

"I'm not one to usually state the obvious but I want to make sure we are all on the same page." Variedy said, his blank eyes locked with mine. "You're saying that you're willing to put your cousin into the path of a bullet just to avenge Vincent?"

"I'm saying that there is nothing I'm not willing to sacrifice to extract my pound of flesh from Axel for Vincent's death." I said, my face blank. "Axel has made the perfect monster."

"Okay, how do we get to him and how do we get him to talk?" Phystie asked.

"Give it a few days, let things cool down then I'll contact him. Get him to meet with me, I'll play the scared victim and if that doesn't work then we take him and make him talk." I said.

"We'll have to draw him out to a public place so that Phystie and I can watch from a safe distance. I want to be close enough to act if things get dicey. There is every possibility that they expect you to contact him and they'll waiting for it." Vareidy said.

"I hope they expect it, I hope Axel is tossing and turning at night wondering where I'll strike first, wondering what I'll take from him first." I said, and I could feel the evil smile curl on my face.

"For tonight, we rest. I'll take the first watch, you two get some sleep." Variedy said as he pushed the fold out chair against the wall next to the door and sat down. I took a seat on the couch next to where Phystie had curled into a ball on one end. I let my head fall back and stared at the ceiling but my eyes wouldn't fall close. I sat like that for a while just listening to Phystie's breathing evening out.

"Sleep isn't going to come easy for a while." Variedy said, his voice soft. I shifted a little on the couch.

"I don't want to see what my brain has to show me when I close my eyes." I said as I fought with my eye lids to stay open.

"You might as well face it in there because there wont be a chance to face it out here." he said. I shook my head but eventually couldn't fight it any more. My eyes betrayed me and so did my brain.

The hall way is longer then it actually was. It stretched out forever before me. I was running, running so hard, trying to get to him. I could see him at the end of the hall, his body surrounded my a faint glowing light as he talked to Phystie. I opened my mouth to yell at him, tell him to hit the fucking floor but nothing came out, my legs weren't working properly and neither were my vocal cords.

I wasn't going to reach him this time, suddenly the hall way ended and I was standing at the edge of the mat, my hand wrapped around his forearm. I looked up, expected to see the confusion that had been there seconds before the light had gone out behind his eyes, instead I found dead eyes with a hole in the middle of his forehead.

"You could have saved me." he said as he fell to his knees. I took a step back from the mat as he reached for me.

"I couldn't, I tried." I whispered. "I yelled your name."

"You should have let me go long before it came to this." he said, his dead eyes locked with mine. I knew I was crying but I couldn't feel anything else as I watched him collapsed onto the mat, his body dying with his voice still coming out of his lips. "Axel is a force of nature, he didn't kill me, you forced his hand."

Suddenly I was staring into acid green eyes and they were the ones I use to dream about. They were set into the face of the man I fell in love with when I was 16. He was smiling at me as he offered me his hand. I took it, without hesitation but tried to jerk back when I felt the wetness of his hand. I looked down to see our hands clasped together with blood oozing from between our clasped fingers.

"I love you Roxas." he said as he raised his other hand and it was then that I saw the gun. He pressed the barrel to the side of my head as he leaned in and brushed his lips across mine. "I'm the only one who loves you, the only one who ever loved you."

He pulled the trigger.

I jerked out of sleep, my heart pounding, my body covered in sweat. My eyes flew around the room, trying to take in my surroundings. My eyes met calm yellow and gold eyes across the room.

"You're safe." Came Variedy's soft voice. I nodded but leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, and my head in my hands.

"I just want him back." I whispered but I knew he heard me.

"There' something I think he would have wanted you to have." he said and I looked up at him. He had one of his bags opened at his feet but in his lap was a gun.

Gun seemed like such a tame word for the thing sitting in his lap.

"It's name is Cerberus." he said as he handed me the gun. "This was Vincent pride and join. He gave it to me to get it repaired a few weeks ago, it was dropped off yesterday morning but I didn't have a chance to give it to him." I held it in both hands and turned it over, it was so beautiful, the dark metal with the wolfs around the barrel.

"What is this symbol?" I asked as I cupped the dangling charm in my palm.

"A story I never got out of him." he said, his voice soft. I didn't even realize I was crying till I felt the tears on my cheeks. I took a deep breath and gripped the gun tighter in my palm.

"Thank you." I whispered and he simply nodded and reached down to grab the holster at his feet.

"It'll be big on you but we'll get it adjusted as soon as we can." he said. I handed him the gun and took off my over shirt and undid the holster I was already wearing. I pulled on Cerberus's holster and Variedy helped me adjust the straps so it fit a little better. I sheathed the gun and practiced drawing it out again. It was a down cross draw holster which would take some getting use to but not impossible. In Vincent's hands I'm sure the gun was one handed, in my hands it would take a two handed grip to use it.

"We need to get moving, I'm going to wake Phystie. If you want to wash up now would be your chance." Variedy said as he stood from his chair and moved toward the couch. I didn't move from where I was standing, my hand on the butt of the gun now snug under my arm.

How fitting it would be to use Vincent's gun to extract my revenge. I felt a smile curl on my lips as I traced the outline of the gun in its holster.

"Roxas did you need to the bathroom?" Phystie asked me. I turned to him, the smile still on my face and I saw him visibly flinch.

"No, you go ahead." I said. He glanced to Variedy before he turned for the only other door in the room besides the front door.

"Where are we headed now?" I asked Variedy as he bent down and zipped up the bag that he had had Cerberus in.

"We're going to talk to an old acquaintance of mine. He may be able to offer us shelter and whatever else we may need." he said.

"Who is this friend?" I asked, and yeah, I was suspicious.

"His name is Sephiroth. He's a bad guy, and an enemy of Axel's so I'll be leaving both you and Phystie hidden while I go speak with him." he said. I opened my mouth to argue but was cut off with a look.

"You've witnessed his work before." he said. "From what I understand you were kidnapped by him a while back but Axel managed to intervene before you got to him but not before you got shot."

"And you want to go to this guy for help?" I asked.

"The enemy of my enemy." was all he said as he hoisted his bag over his shoulder. "Lets get these down to the car." I grabbed a bag and followed him out of the room.

"What if this guy decides I'd be a better bargaining chip for Axel then an ally for him?" I asked as we loaded the bags into the trunk of the car.

"That's why I'm going alone." He said as he closed the trunk. I turned to walk away but he grabbed my arm. Our eyes locked but he didn't let go of my arm. "I know this is hard on you but Roxas, you can trust me. I know I don't have a very loyal personality but Vincent's death changes a lot of things. I trust you. I don't trust people besides Phystie and it took him a long time to earn that. I trusted Vincent to an extent but his loyalty to Axel made that a dicey trust most days. I trust you but I need you to trust me as well." he said, his eyes barring down into mine.

"I trust you." I said and I was surprised by how true that statement was, how absolute my trust was in him. It was such a pure, undoubted thing that it made me feel a little lighter to think about it. He let go of my arm with a nod.

"Good." he said and walked around me and back into the room. I leaned against the the car and crossed my arms. It was dangerous to have that kind of trust in one person but if ever there was a person, Variedy was it.

"Excuse me?" Came a voice from much too close. I had my hand on Cerberus, going for the draw when a strong hand on my right hand had me frozen. I looked up into Variedy's eyes and felt my heart rate clam a bit. I turned to the man who had almost died for no reason.

"Yes?" I snapped at the blond that had walked up to the car.

"Are you Roxas?" He asked, his eyes were shifting around, not meeting mine. I felt my eyes go into slits.

"Who's asking?" I said, as I flexed my hand to keep if from going for the gun under my arm. I felt Variedy shift behind me but I didn't risk looking back.

"I...uh, I don't know their names. They just told me to deliver a message to the blond that was in this car and that his name was Roxas." the blond said as he shifted, clearly agitated.

"What's the message?" I asked.

"It was uhhh, We're on the run too." He said, his face scrunched up as he tried to remember what was said. "We won't risk speaking to you out right, its not safe and boss is still on our tail. When we lose him, we'll be in contact." He gave a shaky smile but I was still glaring.

"What did they look like?" I asked and he started to fidget again.

"I don't know man. The one that spoke was wearing a hat, the little bit of hair I saw was blond. It was dark in the ally but the blond was taller then the other guy. They paid me cash and then disappeared after I could repeat the message back twice." he said.

"Thanks." I said and he turned and walked away. I turned to Variedy and found Phystie behind me as well. "What do you think?" I asked Variedy.

"I don't think its Cloud and Leon." Variedy said. "You said Cloud was angry with you on the phone?" I nodded. "He wouldn't have run off. You said that Demyx and Zexion didn't answer, maybe its them." I felt my heart clench.

"I guess we'll find out eventually." I said.

"More importantly, whoever it is knows what car we're in which means Axel might. I think its time to switch it up." Phystie said. Vareidy nodded.

"I'll go scout out the parking lot. Be ready when I get back." He said before he turned and disappeared around the building. Phystie and I got to work on emptying out the car of all evidence and personal belongings.

I was hoping it was Demyx and Zexion that were on the run but at the same time I was hoping it wasn't. I wanted to think that they couldn't stand to hurt Vincent, that they ran when the orders came in. We'd also be able to leave Sora out of it if Demyx and Zexion could answer my questions. And then I didn't want it to be true because that meant I would have more blood on my hands if Axel caught up with them.

I shook the thoughts off as a black impala pulled up behind our old car. We quickly threw the bags into the trunk. Phystie took the front seat and I got in the back.

"How long of a drive are we looking at?" I asked as we pulled out of the complex and onto the main road.

"About two hours to the next safe house. I'll drop you two off and I'll make another hour drive to see Sephiroth." he said.

"I still don't like the idea of you going alone to see this bastard." Phystie said from the front seat. "The last time we dealt with him we damn near didn't walk away."

"I always walk away Phystie." was Variedy's only response which seemed to shut the other man up pretty well.

I could have added to that but he'd asked me to trust him so I kept my mouth shut. Phystie turned on the radio after a while and let the music fill the strained silence of the car. I let my head fall back as I stared at the ceiling of the car while the woman's voice on the radio sang me into a state of calm.

"I don't know how you convince them and get them, but
I don't know what you do, it's unbelievable
And I don't know how you get over, get over
Someone as dangerous, tainted and flawed as you

One for the money, and two for the show
I love you honey, I'm ready, I'm ready to go
How did you get that way? I don't know
You're screwed up and brilliant,
Look like a million dollar man,
So why is my heart broke?You got the world but baby at what price?
Something so strange, hard to define"

As soon s my eyes drifted close I was running again, down a too long hall way toward a dead man.

I was shaken awake sometime later by Phystie.

"We're here." he said before he disappeared out the passenger seat. I shook my head a bit to clear it before I followed him out side of the car.

We were in the middle of what appeared to be swamp land, well if the smell and noise were anything to go by any way.

"Wheres Variedy?" I asked as I stretched my arms out in front of me.

"Checking the house, making sure its still secure." He said as he leaned against the car. "I really didn't send that picture Roxas." I glanced over at him but said nothing. Variedy came out of the house a few moments later and I was spared from this conversation for now.

"Its clear. Lets get set up and then I'll head out." he said as he popped the trunk open. It took us all of one trip to dump all the bags into the run down house. It was bigger then the apartment and slightly more furnished. "There are two bed rooms and a bathroom up stairs. The kitchen is through there along with the second bathroom. I'll be back in a few hours and I'll bring supplies."

"As far as security what have we got?" I asked eying the uncovered windows of the living room. Vareidy moved to a panel on the wall and pulled it opened he flicked all the switches on and the building began to hum with life, lights blazed on around us.

"The only real security is the swamp that surrounds us, no one knows about this safe house but me and Phystie. At night the entire clearing around the house is lite up by flood lights. Other then that just keep an ear out of noises that don't belong in a swamp." he said as he picked up one of his bags and carried it into the living room. "Phystie you know where the gun cabinet is here, its stalked." Phystie nodded.

I moved to the window and gazed out side. There was about a five hundred yard clearing between the house and the tree line which meant that anyone approaching the house would be seen pretty quickly.

"Alright I need both or your cell phones." Variedy said. I turned back to him, my eyebrow raised in question.

"They can be traced." he said. I took out my phone and powered it off and handed it to him. He slid it into his pocket and handed me another phone. This one was an old nokia phone, all the numbers were rubbed off and the screen was only black and green.

"It's a ghost phone. It can't be traced. I've got one and now you two both have one. Speed dial 1 is me, two is each other." he said as he took Phystie's phone and handed him one of the ghost phone. "If I'm not back by night fall, assume I am compromised and can't return to you. If that happens lock down the house and wait out the night. If I'm still not back by daylight, Phystie you know what to do." He said as he locked eyes with the smaller man. Phystie was fighting down emotions for a moment, I could see the fight on his face before he threw himself at Variedy, his arms around his neck and his lips against the taller mans. I looked away, giving them some privacy for a moment.

"You'll be back." Phystie whispered. I looked back to find their foreheads pressed together, Variedy's hand on Phystie's face.

"I'll see you both soon." Variedy said as he stepped away from Phystie. I nodded and he was out the door before either Phystie or I could say anything else. We heard the car start up and then listened to it disappear down the road.

"I'll go see what we've got for food." Phystie said as he headed toward the back of the house. I stayed staring out the front window for a while, just letting my mind stay blank for a moment. I wasn't entirely sure how this was all going to play out but the more I thought about it the more I realized I didn't care.

No matter how this all ended, no matter who else had to take a bullet, I didn't care. Vincent was gone and that was the only thing that mattered, he was gone and someone was going to pay for that.

"It looks like all we've got is some ramen." came Physties voice. I turned around to find him holding too packs of ramen noodles.

"I'm not hungry." I said before going back to the window.

"Well you need to eat. I'm going to make both packs and leave yours on the stove for you." he said and I heard him leave the room.

I wanted to hate Phystie, I really did but Variedy had said that he trusted him and I trusted Variedy. It didn't stop me from thinking about how the picture got sent though, or why Phystie would have even taken the damn thing.

I drug one of the chairs in the room so that it was facing the window and I sat down, my eyes scanning the yard every now and then. Some time later Phystie came back in to tell me the soup was ready if I wanted it before he disappeared again. I didn't move from my spot and felt my eyes starting to betray me once again by trying to fall close. I stood from the chair and went through the door that Phystie had come through to find a small, half usable kitchen. On the stove was a sauce pan with the soup in it and a spoon next to it on the counter. I picked it up and sat at the rickety table and tried to eat some of it.

A bang from some where else in the house had me on my feet, Cerberus out and pointed at the ground as I moved quickly toward the door. I pushed the door opened and made sure it made contact with the wall before I moved into the living room, my eyes scanning the room.

"Phystie?" I called out, my voice cautious as I moved toward the door way to the entrance area. Phystie appeared with his own gun out and his eyes a little to wide.

"That wasn't you was it?" he asked, his voice low. I shook my head and motioned him to get behind me. He did as he was told as I moved toward the door way and ducked around quickly, gun trained at chest level. The hall was clear. Another small noise from up stairs and I made sure a bullet was in the chamber before turning to Phystie.

"Stay down here, make sure no one comes down or goes up after me." I said. He nodded and I headed up the stairs, my steps careful. I made it to the top without to much noise. I paused for a moment before going to the left quickly, scanning then the right. Clear again.

I went left and quickly checked the two doors there to find the two bedrooms that Variedy had said were here empty I started down the hall way again and paused at the stairs to glance down at Phystie, he gave me a nod and I continued toward the last two doors.

The first door was the restroom and it was empty, which added up all the rooms that Variedy had said were up here, so this fourth door was a mystery as I approached it.

I heard a soft squeak of the floor from the other side of the door. I pressed myself up against the wall next to the door and raised Cerberus. I took a deep breath and reached for the door nob. I twisted and pushed it opened, making sure it banged on the wall behind it and rolled into the door way, gun ready.

"Don't shot damn it!" I heard as I took in the scene before me in just a few seconds. Demyx and Zexion were in the room, it looked as if they had just climbed in through the window, Zexion was sitting on the floor beneath the window and Demyx was crouched next to him. I didn't lower my gun.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice empty. Demyx looked up at me, confused but when he saw that I hadn't relaxed my stance he stood slowly and moved in front of Zexion.

"We're all in the same boat here Roxas. Zex has been shot, and I couldn't afford to try and get through the swamp with him like this." Demyx was saying, his hands out in the 'I'm unarmed' gesture. I could see Phystie approaching in my peripheral vision.

"Friend or foe?" Phystie asked but stayed out of the door way.

"I don't know." I said and I caught the flash of hurt on Demyx's face. "Demyx get over here." I said waving Cerberus in the direction of the far wall. He kept a blank face but did as I said. "Phystie keep him there." I said as I stood and moved toward Zexion.

"Nice to see you Roxas." Zexion said through clenched teeth. I just gave him a blank face as I examined the shot in his upper arm.

"Through and through?" I asked and he shook his head. "The bullet will have to come out but it'll have to wait for Variedy to get back." I said as I stood. "Until then we'll be moving the both of you down stairs where I can keep an eye on you.

"Roxas!" Demyx said. "We're your friends!" he said as Phystie stepped in between him and me, his gun on Demyx's chest. I looked at him over Physties shoulder.

"I don't have friends. Not any more." I said. "Probably not ever." Demyx opened his mouth to argue but Zexion cut him off.

"Leave it alone Dem." he said and I turned my attention to the wounded man. "He doesn't know who to trust and I can't blame him. Vincent is dead and he doesn't have any answers, I wouldn't trust us either."

"Demyx help him down stairs." I said, gesturing toward Zexion. "Phystie grab their bags." I cocked Cerberus and pointed it at Demyx after he got Zexion to his feet. We stared at each other over the gun for a moment and I knew he was seeing dead eyes. I knew he was seeing the truth in the pointed gun, if it came to it I would pull the trigger.

"We were nothing but friends to you." Demyx said.

"I don't care." I said back, and gestured with the gun toward the door. "Move."