Riku: I am sleepy but here finally after a long wait is the next chapter. Hikari is still all good and well just off in space in her own mind.

Chapter 39

Within the coming days Riku was texting and talking with Sora more frequently than before. Though it was still hard for them to have enough time to properly talk and hangout. As much as Riku wanted to spend time with Sora, he wasn't ready to fully switch his sleep schedule to be awake in the daytime like Zack. Only a couple days here and there was all that he could manage for the time being.

Saruhiko on the other hand seemed to also text more, but he didn't talk about it as much as Riku did. He still stayed quiet about a lot of it, preferring his own time and space to text with Yata. Yet also in that time he had not spoken again with Riku, not since he bluntly told him off about who he would prefer to about his feelings with.

But eventually Riku came over to him one evening and let out a long sigh. "We have no reason to let this bother us right?"

"If you're bringing this up, then it's bothering you. I have no such qualms."

"I think it was… I was just overthinking it before. All of this, you know dating and stuff, is new to me. I thought it was new to you as well, so I was just assuming we could talk about it."

"And that would be productive to our lives, how?"

Shrugging Riku took a seat on the couch. "I don't know… just maybe to help us through it? I know we can ask Zack, but you know Zack… being himself. I am sure you have had enough earfulls from him already."

It was true, Saru could not deny that. Zack had been all over the place with both him and Riku, asking countless questions about Sora and Yata. He was almost relentless about it, but in a kind caring way that only a brother could give. Thankfully Cloud stuck around more to try and make sure that Zack didn't go overboard, and also to try and help distract him so he wouldn't be as nosy as he was trying to be.

"Hmph, well while I have had enough of Zack for a while, I will say that-"

Saru was interrupted by the front door swinging open abruptly. The boys turned to see Zexion walk in, looking more tired and worn out than usual. He staggered into the kitchen area and quickly fumbled one of the kitchen cabinets open.

"Zexion? What are you doing back so early from work?" Riku asked, taking a good look at his brother's expression. "Something happened?"

"Just a small attack today while at work. My medication over there was empty so Vexen drove me home and let me off early. It's died down since then… just still need to take something." Filling a cup of water he took the small pill and let out a sigh before going to sit down at the kitchen table.

"And you're all right? I mean like, it's nothing major is it?" Riku asked carefully.

"I normally would say it isn't important, but…" Zexion paused. "I believe that we should end our era of keeping secrets, wouldn't you too agree?"

"We each have our demons, and you want us to dig them all up now?" Saru asked.

"You two have dug up your own recently while I stayed in the shadows. I found myself to be a coward when it came to my own past. But I feel that you guys deserve to hear it," Zexion relied.

Riku tilted his head slightly. "So you really wanna talk right now? Are you sure you feel up to it?"

"I am sure of it," Zexion answered before walking over to the couch where the other two sat. He brushed his hair back before letting out a short breath of air. "Today was my mother's birthday, and still to this day I still mourn."

Riku and Saru looked to one another, both with the same worried and sympathetic look. They had expected anything, but for some reason the subject being about Zexion's mother. Quietly they continued to listen on to their older brother and wondered just what his story would be.

"As you two know, I am the second oldest of the four of us, still makes me pretty old. When I was born, the subject of supernaturals cross breeding was still taboo. It only made it more complicated that my mother was a witch. That would be why I excel at magic more than the rest of us."

"Oh," Riku whispered. "I guess that makes sense now that I think about it. You've always been quick to learn new spells."

"Yes. When I was young my mother taught me the three main basic elements by the time I was ten. She was already quite the prodigy so teching me was an easy feat. But I guess to make things simple and not dive too much into my past… after my thirteen birthday my mother began to grow sick. She still pressed on as she could, but there was clearly something plaguing her. After the year we discovered that her illness was something thankfully noninfectious, but without a cure."

"What was it?"

"Doesn't matter at this point. It was cured only a couple decades later anyway…" Zexion muttered. "But I was helpless… standing there attending to my mother to make her feel better, all while she was slowly slipping away from me," Zexion replied. He lowered his head, letting out a long exhale.

As an attempt to comfort his older brother, Saru hesitantly placed his hand on Zexion's arm. In the youngest's eyes, one could see a swirl of sympathy, sadness, understanding, and even a hint of regret.

The tense muscles lightened up in Zexion as he gave the slightest glance to Saru. He nodded his head, giving the indication that he acknowledged the comfort. A silence stare with eyes that were thankfully was all that was needed.

"After that…" Zexion finally continued. "Zack showed up, he had been trying to find me apparently once he managed to find out, well you know… He managed to make it just before my mother slipped away from us. Having nowhere else to go, I went with Zack and you both can figure out the rest."

"I find it surprising how Zack came to find each of us when we needed him most." Saru voiced his musings aloud.

"I guess he just has good timing?" Riku offered.

"His timing being impeccable is something noteworthy, but I wouldn't have any idea in the slightest what it would mean," Zexion replied.

"He came to us either right when or shortly after we awoke. Knew exactly who we were and where to find us. It's as if Zack knows all too well our father's whereabouts and who he's been with," Saru said.

"He may have been trying to keep tabs on him after he left the first time," Zexion stated.

"But why didn't he come sooner?" Riku asked.

"Perhaps because it was more beneficial once we had awoken, given that our mothers were not vampires. Though I must say I can't speak for you Riku since you're a pure blood."

"I… My family was on the strict side. Zack wouldn't have been able to find me anyways if I had stayed at home instead of running away," Riku answered softly.

Zexion hummed for a moment before he continued. Regardless of all of that, Zack managed to find us and take us in when we needed him most."

"Yeah, can't really complain about that."

"Only complaint I have is that it wasn't our father that came for us. I think we all agree that Zack's basically our dad."

The air in the room became very quiet as Riku and Zexion turned to look at Saru. Both boy's expressions were unreadable and it seemed Saru's was as well. It wasn't something they really thought about before, or really wanted to think about. But somehow it was always there in the back of their minds.

Saru was correct though. Zack was the one who had come for them. He was the one who took them in and raised them all these years. While he was energetic as he was, he still did what was best to help raise the boys.

"Right," Zexion finally said, trying to clear away the uncomfortable silence. "He does fill the role for us, and I can't thank him enough for it."

Riku nodded in agreement. "Even if he is a bit strange at times, he was there for us."

All three of them were nodding now. Zack… well he was Zack in the end of everything. Strange and quirky but still Zack throughout it all. Though sometimes the years had been rough with him trying to manage his three younger brothers, they knew Zack was trying his hardest. That was what matters most in the end, and what all of them were most thankful for.