A/N: Last chapter for this story, I'll leave it to you guys to guess what happens after it. I intended to leave it after the last chapter, but alot of people PMed me to tell ask me if I was continuing it. However, for those of you who also happen to like Oblivion, I have a few stories based on that ;) Oh, and as for the 'rubies and emeralds' comment, it just fits.

Axel stared at the bright flame coming from the dark red lighter in his hand, his bright green eyes lighting up considerably at the warmth radiating from said flame. His over-protective, highly embarrassing parents were out, which explained the appearence of two other teenage boys in the room on a school night.

Roxas was sat in the corner on a stool, studying Axel with a look of contentment. He, after all, had spent many hours simply watching Axel be satisfied in the content that an open flame brought him. Turning away as Axel blew out the flame, both of them turned to the skinny, lanky, dorky teenager lying on the bed, Axel craning his neck as he was too lazy to simply turn in his chair.

Demyx's eyes were snapped tightly shut, his mind trying to block out all the emotion exercises that Roxas and Axel had made him try. More importantly, he was attempting to forget the unfortunate incident with the Chocobo, Axel's only excuse for that being 'You may have had a fetish. Some people do you know!'

His mouth was moving rapidly, Demyx constantly muttering 'Let it all pass by, it's nothing but a movie. Nothing is really real.'

Turning to his desk, Axel placed the lighter next to his other, more colourful lighters, before crossing his arms and turning his swivel chair, glaring at Demyx.

"You may as well give it up. You will snap out of the emotionless wreck that you've become. It's no good to just bottle things up." Green eyes flashing dangerously, Axel waited for a reply, his glare starting to shoot pretty little daggers at the empty response.

"I'm not technically bottling anything up. In fact, if you hadn't caused me to break two days ago, I would have completely lost all emotion. Technically, if I can't feel, then I'm not really bottling anything up." Demyx gritted his back teeth painfully, trying his hardest to stop his mind flashing towards a certain –currently hated, and loved – purple haired somebody. He was failing miserably.

"Right, fuck this. I've had enough." Axel suddenly shot up from his seat, reaching for his jacket and storming off down the stairs. Roxas immediately followed, trying to calm the redhead down.

"Hey hey hey hey hey! Calm down! Where do you think you're going?" Roxas, having failed at pulling off his boyfriends' jacket, tried to lock him in a policeman's arm lock.

"To kick that stupid runts head in! He doesn't even answer to the text I sent him! You would have thought that hearing Demyx's fucking breakdown would be enough to warm his stupid, cold fucking heart! But no! I've had enough. I'm going to fucking kill him." Axel wrestled out of Roxas' hold, yanking his chakrams from the far wall, before heading for the door.

"Demyx would kill you! Think, is it worth it?"

"I don't care! Zexion isn't half the man he was in school, and believe me, he was even scummy then! But then again, even you failed to notice that! I'm going to rip out his scummy throat, and then I'm going to make him swallow it, and then-"Axel was cut off by Roxas placing his hand over his mouth, having jumped on his back to restrain him.

"Look, just clearly think this out. What are you trying to do here?"

"Well, in case you didn't listen to a word I just said, then I'm going to go get Marluxia and Larxene, and then we're going to hop on a plane to Destiny islands, and then we are going to rip that purple haired little scumbag to shreds." Axel stormed towards the door, before suddenly freezing in his tracks for two reasons. One, his phone had just started to ring, the tone that was only associated with an incoming text from Zexion himself. Another was a small flaw in his plan.

"Roxas? You wouldn't happen to know how I can get a plane at three in the morning, would you?"

Roxas only stared up at him, his eyes wide. He held out Axel's phone with shaking hands, his eyes flashing disbelief and slight hatred.

"You don't need one. He's coming to you." Roxas motioned to the screen, the three words both scaring and annoying the two of them.

I'm coming home.

Zexion stared in horror at the two faces that held up a board saying 'Illuze'. He was horrified, not because they had actually bothered to humiliate him by putting up a sign, but because out of all the people Axel could have sent to pick him up from the airport, he picked the two who would sooner murder him than let him see Demyx. The male had a look of pure disgust on his face, as if looking at Zexion would cause him to shrivel up and die. The woman was smiling wickedly, the sadistic witch shining through her green eyes brightly.

He could plainly see the kunai knives she had hidden up her sleeve, and knowing Larxene, she most probably had them fitted with shockers. Zexion was proved correct when she stepped forward slowly, at first with a look of pure evil. She went to hug him, before she stopped abruptly, her face contorting to disgust as she pulled her hand back, swinging it forward to his face. The kunai, which happened to be perfectly placed, cut through the skin on his cheek, digging deep and leaving five very large gashes across his face.

"You worthless, heartless, idiotic bastard!" Larxenes' voice raised several octaves, until she was screeching very loud curses towards him. The few stragglers in the airport turned to stare, even more so when the savage nymph sprung forward, launching herself at Zexion.

Marluxia, having thought that Larxene had given the man enough blows to get the point of her anger out, half heartedly attempted to pull his girlfriend off Zexion, holding her arms tight behind her.

"What the hell was that for?!" Clutching his cheek, Zexion attempted to stem the blood flow with a piece of fabric from his coat. He knew at once his question was wrongly placed, as the witch started to flare up again, shrieking throughout the halls of the building.

"What was that for?! You know damn blood right what that was for! You disappear for a fucking year, leave Demyx in a completely utterly heartbroken state, and then appear a year later, expecting he will forgive you?! You are sorely mistaken! We picked up the pieces you ass wipe, and now you expect us to watch as you break what hasn't even been properly fixed?! You disgust me." Marluxia seemed to be having no urge to stop the nymphs' insults, instead allowing her to continue her tirade, keeping her hands behind her back to prevent her attacking Zexion again.

Demyx was -as per usual in the past year- leaning against the supporting poles of his swing in the park, his eyes closed and his breathing heavy. His nightmares were starting up again, ever since he broke down on this very spot four days ago. Viscous bags hung under his eyes, and the tight clothes he was currently wearing did nothing to help him look healthy. He was, despite the many attempts in the past year to fatten him up, far too skinny to be healthy. His collar bone, shoulder blades, hips and ribs jutted out from beneath the tight clothes, proving to everyone that he wouldn't just get better. The aching pain in his chest, which had popped back in to say hi ever since his breakdown, was not just going to go away. And the entire thing, the breakdowns, the nightmares and the feelings were not just a phase. He was bloody sixteen for Christ's sake, he was out of phases.

The soft crunches on the gravel turned softer still, as the rapidly growing closer footsteps hit the sand. Demyx simply inclined his head towards the noise, not opening his eyes or moving to speak. It was probably only Roxas, as the smoky scent that filled the air at the appearence of Axel was missing, and the rest of the town knew better than to disturb him when he was thinking. He immediately seized up however, when a tense, small set of shoulders were lightly pressed against his arm, as a smaller person sat down in the sand beside him. And from the lacking scent of grass, and the familiar fresh scent of lavender, Demyx was certain it was neither Roxas nor Axel. And, seeing as the scent of the ocean that so frequently occupied his house and everything in it, he was sure it was not his mother.

He knew who it was, oh yes that much was certain. But it was the matter of him admitting to himself that he knew who it was. His mind trifled through all the people he knew with a pristine smell of lavender, with creased book pages blended in when close enough to smell it. None except one.

Zexion was here.

Small fingers moved to wrap around his long, calloused ones, and it was at that moment when Demyx's eyes flew open, instinctively snapping his hand back as he jumped up and three feet away, eyeing Zexion warily. He looked a little older than when he had left, his cheekbones more pronounced, and his hair a little longer and slightly taller. He too looked horribly underweight, horrid circles standing out against his pale skin. Directly under his left eye was a forming bruise, and under that were five, long scabbed gashes. A fresh hand mark was fading on his right cheek, but other than that, Demyx thought he looked perfect. But to the matter at hand.

"Why are you here?" Demyx's voice wavered slightly, despite his best efforts to keep his voice calm.

"I-I couldn't stay away for too long, I needed to see you. I couldn't-"

"You seemed to be doing a pretty good job of staying away for a year, didn't you?!" The snarl was most certainly unexpected, catching Zexion off guard and surprising even Demyx himself.

"You don't understand, the pain, it was too mu-"

"Your pain?! Your pain?! How the fuck do you think I felt?! You simply abandoned me without any means of contact, giving me no information apart from the fact that when push comes to shove, you would clearly choose nothing over me! I wallowed in misery; I had no idea what the fuck I did wrong! Well you know what Zexion? I hope nothing proves to be a much better option for you, because that's all you've got left. I can't go through this again"

Had Zexion been standing up, he was certain that he would have been able to launch himself at the departing blonde, stop him from running away. But he hadn't, and seeing as Demyx had already moved back a fair few paces during his rant, it would be impossible to stand up in time to stop him. Zexion could only watch as Demyx turned on his heel and ran out of the park, his long legs giving him the better advantage.

As for Demyx, he ran to the only place he knew Zexion would never look: Zexion's mothers' home.

Demyx was now currently sat in Axels' bedroom, having left Tifa's house a few hours earlier, when he had arrived there from leaving Zexions house just as the guy had walked in. He was conversing with Roxas, his anger piling out in small shouts or long rants.

"Look, I just think you need to talk to him, and-"

"Have you seen his face?! It looks like Larxene used him as her punch bag!"

"That's because she did." Axel walked into the room, sliding his phone shut and sitting in his swivel chair. "I had her and Marluxia determined whether or not he was suitable and sorry enough to see you. I allowed her full power. No doubt he looks like the mince meat in the window of Elizabeths' bakery?"

"Not completely. It's more cuts than bruises." Demyx smacked his fists down on either side of him on the bed, small cuts in his palms from his hands being clamped too tightly.

"Either way, he must be pretty desperate to talk to you if he put up with Larxenes way of torture. I heard his back's cut up pretty badly." He emphasized 'pretty', saying it slowly and pronouncing the't' clearly.

"I still say you should listen to what he has to say." Roxas turned back to Demyx, slightly confused at how calm Axel was about the whole thing.

"I say you don't have a choice. Tifa's picking him up from his mothers, and bringing him here." Axel folded his arms over the back of the chair, resting his head in his arms and looking at the two of them through shocking green eyes. His arms hid the wicked smile, and Roxas had a very bad feeling about what was coming.

It was some time later when tension in Axels front room reached its peak. Only Demyx and Zexion were present, Axel and Roxas outside the door with glasses stuck to said door and their ears.

"Look Demyx, please, just... Just give me a chance to get things right, please!"

"Why should I?! You left me alone! Had I not had Axel and Roxas, I would have gone insane! And you let me turn into that Zexion; you left me to turn into an emotionless wreck!" Axel, Roxas, and the newly joined Larxene and Marluxia could feel the glare coming from Demyx, could practically see him towering over a petrified Zexion. Larxene herself thought the scene would be better if she could hear a knife being sharpened.

"You know." Axel whispered. "I'd laugh so hard if one of them noticed that straw you're using Larxene, and then kicked it. It'd pierce your ear drum." Marluxia acted instinctively, dropping the glass on Roxas's head and placing a hand over Axels mouth as Larxene responded to his comment by bringing up her elbow sharply, letting it connect with Axel's family jewels. Larxene smirked at the concealed gasp of pain from behind Marluxias hand, swearing she heard something along the lines of 'rubies and emeralds'.

Adjusting the straw that was under the door and in her left ear, Larxene shifted her eyes towards Roxas, muttering to him about there being no more jewels to be proud of. Roxas blushed a violent shade of pink, contrasting to Marluxias hair nicely, before Marluxia himself hissed at them all to be quiet. Roxas and Larxene adjusted their straws; Marluxia had taken his glass, and Marluxia and Axel pressed their glasses to the door once more.

"...- And I can't tell you how sorry I am! Jesus, I went through Larxene to be able to talk to you! How can you think I don't love you?"

"Well, it could have something to do with the fact that you made it perfectly clear you didn't love me that day in the park a year ago! You threw me to the side like a soiled cloth! And then you think you can just fly back here, waltz back into my life and think I'll take you back?! Think you can break up the scene and see me running back to you?" Demyx towered over Zexion, his fists clenching and unclenching, his emotions going haywire. He wanted to strangle Zexion, make him feel the pain he felt, make him sorry for every wrong he ever did, whether it included Demyx or not.

Yet that look of hope and desperation that flickered in Zexions cold eyes made him want to grab him and hug him, tell him he forgave him and that everything would be okay. Zexion however, was getting infuriated at Demyx, cursing him for not realizing how much he still loved him, yet knowing he deserved every part of Demyx's hate. The former feelings however, were no excuse for what escaped his thin lips next. Lie or not, he shouldn't have said it.

"Well maybe I did! Maybe I do get a kick out of watching you suffer! Perhaps I find it fun! Perhaps I enjoy screwing around with your idiotic, childish, stupid mind!" Zexion was on his feet too, his entire body shaking with anger and disgust; the latter at himself. Eyes widening in horror at his words, Zexion didn't get a chance to scream an apology, as seconds later he suffered the same fate as Axel seconds ago, with a good hard jab to the groin. Only this attack was with a well aimed kick, not a random jab. Zexion keeled over, the air knocked out of him as a white hot pain echoed through his midsection; Demyx had just punched him in the gut.

Demyx wrenched the front room door open, glaring daggers at the four who stood guiltily at being caught, before moving throughout the house and slamming the front room door behind him.

Larxene picked herself up from beside Roxas and under Marluxia, throwing the straw she had been using to the side, before looking in the room at a helpless Zexion. Her voice was filled with mirth and satisfied delight when she spoke.

"Jesus dude, how many times can you fuck this up?"

It took Zexion three hours to find Demyx again, this time he supported a broken nose and a cut above his upper lip, which was dripping blood down into his mouth. Demyx was, as Zexion predicted, sitting on the previously dusty swing, the eternal sunset of Twilight Town visible on the horizon behind the houses. Demyx's house was clearly visible, the back window of Demyx's room giving a perfect view of the park they stood in. Zexion realized with a pang that this was the same park they broke up in, and realized with an even sharper pang that it must have been horrible for Demyx to wake up every morning and have to see this park as he opened his curtains.

Zexion moved to sit on the swing next to Demyx, his small hands gripping the cold chain tightly.

"I'm not asking you to forget everything. I'm not asking for a second chance. I'm only asking for your forgiveness. Fair enough, I did want to come back into a relationship with you, but I see now I ruined my chances. I'm not expecting things to be as they were before we even dated; as I know you won't be able to attach yourself to me like before. I want you to be able to look me in the eyes once more Demyx." Zexions voice held a tone that was close to begging, something he never ever did. Demyx stood up to face him, his back teeth throbbing from the pressure of being gritted too painfully.

"Who broke your nose?"

"Axel, or it could have been Larxene. They both launched at me when you left the house. Although it was probably-"He was cut off by the sudden look of hatred on Demyx's face, and for a small moment hoped that it wasn't directed at him. That was erased when Demyx's fist connected with the already broken nose.

"Bastard."

"Holy shit what is this? Break Zexion's nose day?!" Zexion placed his hand over his nose, the pain throbbing through the broken bone and causing tears to well in his eyes. Whether that was from the pain, or because of the horror that Demyx had actually hit him, he didn't know.

"Maybe it is. You deserved that Zexion, but you sure as hell don't deserve this." Demyx grabbed both of Zexions shoulders in a strong grip, crushing their lips together in a desperate, longing, emotion filled kiss.