ONWARD.

-----------

Roxas was halfway home when he finally realized what had just happened. He stoped, bent over with his hands on his knees panting and thought about it.

Then started running again.

They were friends. Of course they were. Roxas KNEW that, what part of him honestly-- Axel and Demyx. Well, this was fantastic. He ran all the way home and promtply collapsed on the couch. Well, today officially sucked. He sat there, heaving breath into his lungs and absently poked himself in the thight. He was getting kind of chubby-- that short run really shouldn't have winded him.

He leaned back for another couple of seconds before he heard the door open and close again, a soft rustling and-- great.

"Hey Roxas!" Sora beamed, plopping down next to him. He absently wiped some sweat off his brow with the back of his hand, smelled it and went back to his cousin. "Whats up?"

"Oh, you know," Roxas said in the most monotone voice he could musted while still out of breath. A fraction of his brainpower went to hating Sora for not getting winded running all the way back. Fag. "Just waiting for Nancy to get home. Thought I'd throw that roast in the oven for when the kids get home from school. Long day at the office." he finished sarcastically, still staring blankly at the wall.

Sora blinked.

"That Demyx kid doesen't like me much," Roxas said, sighing. "Why, I'm not sure."

"You're kind of scrawny and dorky. And the only time you go to parties people try hurting you? I also heard you started crying at school last week in the bathroom," Sora said, his expression growing thoughtful and putting his index finger on his chin. "Oh, and you hang out with that one asian chick -- Mulan? And she's like. A freak. She totally beat up that Cloud kid once and--"

"Where," Roxas said, getting his teeth to stop gritting together long enough to form words. "Did you hear all that?" Mulan beat everyone up, anyway. That wasn't weird at all.

"The girl that worked at the coffee shop. She was nice," Sora said, smiling again and kicking his feet against the couch. "So you have a crush on that Axel kid?"

"No." Roxas snapped, folding his arms and sighing. Sora rolled his eyes and wandered into the kitchen.

"You want a glass of water?"

"No," Roxas said. Yes he did-- he was just tired and being an asshole. Eh, no better person to be an asshole to than Sora. That little weirdo literally had sun shining out of his ass. Roxas wasn't too sure how that would work. Sora returned to the living room, sitting a glass of water down in front of Roxas.

"Are you gay?" Sora asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Do I LOOK gay?" well, he'd lied enough for one day. He could mess with the kid a bit.

"A little," Sora said, shrugging. He took a sip of water and Roxas groaned, throwing his hands onto his face and rubbing his eyes. Today was not a good day.

"Well. . ." Sora started, drawing his index finger around the edge of the glass. "I don't really care. Are you bi? That's fine." He paused and leaned over a little. "You can tell meeee,"

"Why would I be able to tell you?" Roxas said, suddenly bitter. He couldn't tell goddamn anyone. He tried telling Hayner once but it didn't end well-- specifically with the words 'Dude, if you were any way shape or form of queer I would dump you like an ugly turd. And I'm like. . .you're only friend.' That statement pretty much summed it up.

"Well. I'm bi," Sora said sheepishly, giving him and awkward smile. "Er. . . you know, if you don't mind or anything. I'm not trying to weird you out,"

"Seriously? Do you like. . . have a boyfriend or something?"

"And a girlfriend," Sora said, smiling again. Roxas would have probably needed to take a moment to scrape his chin off of the floor if the idea that his lame cousin was getting more action than he was didn't spurn so many questions.

"You have. . . how di-- AND a girlfriend?" Roxas stuttered, leaning over to take a drink of water.

"They're both fine with it. They like each other too. . . it's kind of nice!" Sora said, beaming again and kicking his feet. Roxas made a mental note to liquify some ritalin and shoot it into his arm when the little freak was asleep. "When I'm gone I don't have to worry too much becuase they take care of each other!"

Roxas groaned, leaning back again. Sora stood up and popped his neck.

"So you like Axel?" he said queitly, in a voice that made Roxas realize that this was his cousin, not just some weird freak with stupid hair.

"It's nothing," Roxas said, sighing and running his hand through his hair.

"Nothing. . . " Sora repeated the word absently before something clicked. "Do you feel like we forgot something?" It took a moment for Roxas to realize what he was talking about befre--

"Aerith." he said in a very final way, casting a worried look at Sora, who, rather than looking upset, just jumped into the air.

"Yay! We get to for another walk!"

Roxas groaned. So much for his cousin being human. Christ on a cracker, Roxas got along better with the garden hose.

-----

"I am so. fucking. screwed." Zexion groaned, his face burried in his arms. His words came out in a very muffled, very angry manner. It was a bad combination, Lexeaus decided.

"Did you see which way she went?" Lexeaus offered. "We can go try and find her, you know."

It happened really quickly-- first that blonde kid darted out after seeing Demyx and Axel, followed by the brown haired kid, and-- lost in the confusion like when you see those things on the discovery channel where on of the gazelle starts running because one in the heard lions coming? And the others don't really argue, because they're freaking gazelle? That's what it reminded Lexeaus of. Yuffie just kind of ran out the door for the sake of running. Zexion seemed to read his friends mind and groaned again. He thought for a moment.

"Is your Mom home? Maybe she just got confused and ran home," he offered. Zexion sighed, finally lifting his head up, glasses crooked.

"That's the last place she'd run. She's probably halfway across town stealing cucumbers from Big Mart or. . . " Zexion sighed again. "I'm screwed," he absently looked at Lexeaus with a rather desprate look on his face. "Look me in the eye. Remember what I look like-- for I am soon not to walk this earth,"

Lexeaus rolled his eyes and fixed his friends glasses. "Your Mum isn't that unreasonable. You'll just be confined to your house for a week-- like you GO anywhere -- and probably forbidden to update your livejournal. You'll survive." Lexeaus said, standing up and pushing his chair in. "Come on." he added in a very final manner.

Zexion eyed him down in a very don't-drag-livejournal-into-this manner before reluctantly standing up, realizing he was probably right.

The two got up and left, paying little attention the girl behind the counter who was still diligantly playing a game of tetris. However, now someone else was watching her.

"Er. Can i help you?" she said, looking up wearily. Aerith blinked and smiled.

"Oh, no thank you." she said airily, watching the girls thumbs.

She cocked her eyebrow. "Nothing at all? Do you uh--" Oh, shit. What did they sell here? "Uh. Caffine water?"

"I love water," Aerith replied, cocking her head to the left. The girl shrugged and un-paused her tetris game.

"What is it you're doing," Aerith said, more of a statement than a question. Rather than giving her the traditional confused look, Coffee girls face lit up. Oh boy, an excuse to explain tetris!

She waved at Aerith, signifying her to come to the othe side of the counter ["Oh my. There are so many flavors of coffee syrup. I should start collecting them." and promptly held out the cell phone. She quickly began explaining how tetris worked, Aerith looking absent the entire time, but nodding every time she finished a sentence.

"And I have the HIGHEST score of anyone I know." she finished, an acomplished look crossing her face, using her free hand to place on her hip-- attempting to look rather triumphant. Aerith smiled.

"I'm glad you think it's fun,"

"You're. . . glad?"

"It sure makes you happy," she said, looking at some of the cup of pens on the counter.

"Do you uh. Have a cell phone?" she asked. Aerith though-- oh, that thing her Mom made her carry around incase she got lost inside pottery barn again. She took it out of her pocket and handed it over. The girl punched in several things with amazing speed before handing it back.

"There. I put tetris as a shortcut and added my phone number. Call me sometime," she said, grinning.

Aerith flipped open the 'contacts' menu-- the only number there besides 'brother' and 'parents' was 'Tifa'.

"Tifa," Aerith said, blinking a few times. She looked up and smiled at her. "I'm Aerith. I like water."

Tifa laughed. "I noticed."

Just then the door opened-- Roxas and Sora entering in all of their paniced gloy. "Aries!" Sora yelled happily, throwing his arms up and glancing at Tifa.

"I. . . I'm really sorry about her-- was she-"

"Nah little dude, she's cool," Tifa said, waving it off. Sora nodded and waved Aerith out the door.

"Hold on a sec," Roxas said pulling his phone out of his pocket, which was playing some random screamo song-- the caller id flashed an awkward little picture of Axel. Roxas swallowed hard.

Sora nodded. "Pick it up, dude."