Last chapter has finally arrived. I must apologize for the lateness of it. –facepalm- I've been busy and had almost lost interest in this, but I had the gist of this chapter written for a long time. Now, I finally got my butt in gear and wrote the rest of it. XD Now, I still need to finish the Vexord thing. Jeez, that'll take a while. Two chapters of that left. Although, I already know what's gonna happen. :D

Chapter for An-chan as she is the light of my life, always knowing just what to say to make my day. Although, I say you should find a place for an 's' in your name! You are still my saviour!

Story for Dreamer, even though I didn't get as much Roxion in there as I had planned. Next time, I promise you!

3… 2… 1… Here We Go.

Forgiveness. What person doesn't crave it after they have done horrible things to nice people? I know I've done wrong in the past and that I probably won't ever regain his trust, but, I can try. God, I can try, right? What is life without trying? Not much, especially when you feel like crap every time you get a chance to think. Thinking. Thinking makes people die. Never think. It makes your insides rot. This is me thinking and it sucks. With the boss's thinking, he died. I'm dying. Who knows how many others have fallen to thinking.

-

The sirens were blaring inside the ambulance as it raced through traffic, driving desperately to save the man in the back as his mind slipped farther into insanity. He wouldn't make it. He would die there. He would die by his brother's hand. But, no one knew of the connection. They were just driving like their own lives depended on getting to the hospital, like their lifespan was directly attached to the man whose heart rate was dropping and his eyelids fluttered, trying to fly back into consciousness. But, nothing would help the man except the speeding, screeching tires.

A line of ambulances raced to save the men in the back as each one slipped farther into oblivion.

-

"Zexion! Zexion, look at me!"

"He's unconscious, ma'am."

The distraught woman took no heed of what the nurse was trying her hardest to point out, instead fighting at the doctors that surrounded her son. Two more nurses had to be called in to assist the first in restraining Tifa, her motherly instincts fighting to see what she had been praying to see for the past few hours.

-

"They're both asleep."

"What about you? Why aren't you resting?"

Roxas had moved quietly into his friend's hospital room later that night. The voice he heard made him halt. Zexion was sitting up in his bed in the dark room, eyes glittering as they caught the moon's reflection that he was staring so avidly at. The two he had referred to were each of his parents. Tifa had worn herself out trying to fight the doctors and had collapsed the second she knew that both Kadaj and Zexion would survive. His head turned slowly to look at the blonde, his lips breaking out in a reassuring smile, if only the ghost of it. Roxas took this as an invite to come sit at the edge of the firm bed, his fingers going instantly to entwine in the slate-haired boy's. Zexion let a smirk cross his features for the moment.

"I must apologize, Roxas. Really, I must. I have been a horrid person to you and the others. I wish I could take it back. I'm honestly surprised that you even still care enough to sit here; that you aren't revolted by me. How do you not hate me, Roxas?"

The blonde shuddered at the tremor that laced the slate-haired teen's voice. "How could I? How could any of us hate you? You were doing what you had to do. Too bad you didn't see Axel trying to get to you. If it hadn't of been such a dire situation, I think it would have been comical."

Zexion blushed and went back to staring out the window. It was a few minutes before he could speak again. "What happened to Saix? And my uncle? ... What happened to Sephiroth, I mean."

The blonde had already heard about the fact that Kadaj and Sephiroth had been brothers. And he had also already heard the news about the elder grey-haired man. "Sephiroth was in a car accident. They almost managed to save him but he seemed to have had some brain damage in the accident, screaming at the top of his lungs for his mother before he bled to death. But, why do you want to know about Saix? That bastard deserved more then what he got. He deserved to die a painful death!"

"What? Does that mean .... Roxas ... did he die?"

Not even hearing the worry in his lover's voice, Roxas let out a quiet but harsh bark of laughter. "Nah, he didn't die. But I will make sure he goes to jail, all for you, Zexion. All for you."

"No!"

"What? No to him not being dead? They'll hurt him for what he's done. He'll rot in jail and be attacked every day. I ho-"

"Roxas, stop this! Did you know that if it wasn't for him, I would have died?! He was the one that alerted the police. He was the one that made sure Sephiroth didn't mutilate me entirely. Tell me, is he still in this building?"

It took a while for the blonde to take in the fact that the rapist teacher had, in fact, saved his lover. But even when that thought finally forced its way into his head, he still just sat there, a dumbfounded expression laid out on his pretty little face.

"Roxas, where is he?"

Zexion had left his bed and was grabbing hold of the long metal pole that connected him to all his many medications and pain relievers. He was rolling it beside him, hating the fact that he was so tethered. But the nurse had told him he was well enough to at least make it to the bathroom on his own and so had taught him how to walk properly with the dead-weight. He ignored the ripping, burning feeling in his chest of the stitches pulling against still-raging skin, focusing instead on the blonde that was getting closer, one step at a time.

"You have to know where he is, Roxas. So, please, tell me!"

-

The blue-haired man was staring out the window, gazing at the large, glowing orb of a moon that hung lazily in the night sky. He was contemplating running, fleeing from the city, maybe even the country. Canada seemed like a nice place to run to. He'd just have to live with the polar bears, penguins, igloos and 'aboot' instead of 'about'. It was worth it to stay out of jail, no? And that would be just where he ended up if he were to stay in his hospital bed. Not that he had much choice.

Saix lifted his wrist to scratch at his nose but grumbled when the wrist refused to go any farther then a chain-link up off the bed. A criminal was what he was already scoped out to be. But had he not repented for his sins? He saved that boy and his father and allowed the police to ... catch Sephiroth, in some weird twist of fate - even though he had already been dead when they got their grubby hands on him. He 'pfft'ed, huffing in his dismay and blowing a stray strand of long, blue hair out of his eyes.

The door opened slowly, almost hesitantly, causing the man to at first jump as the someone hadn't bothered to knock and then he screwed his eyes closed for the bright light that flooded in from the reception desk. Hearing the clink of metal and the screech of needing-to-be-greased wheels, he held his breath, horrified that it would be his last as an angry Axel came to smother him in his 'sleep'. What he didn't expect was for that stranger to close the door behind themselves before pulling up a chair to sit beside his bed.

"Thank you."

The words resounded through the man's mind, bouncing through his consciousness until he had every syllable memorized in the tone. His eyes remained closed but his breathing was faster now.

"You're brave, Zexion."

"What can a petty man tied to a bed do to harm me?"

"Touché! Well, why have you come? You couldn't possibly thank me. After all I've done to you, you would still find it in your heart to forgive me?"

The man tried his hardest to keep the hope out of his voice but failed miserably. But, if his victim could forgive him, so too could those around him, no?

"Forgive you? I'm sorry, but I doubt you have earned forgiveness yet. Although you didn't damage me psychologically, it seems. I am still able to have a healthy relationship. But, it is not up to me to decide your fate, now is it? That would be up to a jury."

"They would eat me alive, Zexion, and you know that better then anyone, being as gifted as you are. I know you wouldn't be blind by those things."

"Hold on a moment, Saix. It would also be up to me to report your exact felonies to the police, correct? Or at least to plead at your trial, either innocent or guilty. Do you honestly believe I would just throw away the fact that you risked your own life to save mine. I know very well that with the state Sephiroth was in, he would have killed all of us there, even if you stayed far out of his way. Just knowing you turned on him in his time of panic, he lashed out and did attempt to kill you. So, you did risk your life to save mine. I think even Axel should possibly forgive you for that, so long as I get to tell him."

-

Two Months Later

-

"Zexion, hey! Honor roll again! High honors at that! How do you do it?! You even missed a lot of time! I'm so jealous!"

"Sorry, Axel. Not my fault you get bottom of the class in everything."

The red-head pouted and pounced on his friend, gripping him in a tight bear-hug. "You are so mean to me, Zexion!" The slate-haired boy rolled his eyes, flicking the frisky red-head in the temple.

"You deserve it. You really need to learn to settle down!"

Demyx and Roxas were walking a few paces behind, laughing at Axel's tactics to cheer the slate-haired boy up. The two blondes exchanged a glance and smirked at one another. Demyx nodded and leaped forward, tackling Axel to get the red-head away from Zexion. The slate-haired teen stifled a laugh and fell back into step beside the younger blonde, fingers entwining in one another.

"You three are truly amazing, you know that?"

"We only hear it every day, Zexion."

The slate-haired boy blushed, the redness in his cheeks deepening when he felt Roxas lips against the right.

"Come on you two! We're gonna be late! And we can't be late! Don't wanna miss out on Tifa's amazing hamburgers! She even said there'd be an extra-special guest!"

-

"Glad to see you looking so well, Zexion."

Zexion was in mid-bite of his giant hamburger when he heard the familiar voice. Everyone but Tifa and a certain blue-haired man halted in their actions. The two adults were smiling from ear-to-ear at the man who was standing in the doorway. Zexion slowly put down the meal and wiped his mouth clear of any Ketchup or relish he may have gotten on it before turning to see his father, still slightly bandaged but standing on his own for the fist time since before Sephiroth got to him. Taking tentative steps towards the grey-haired man, Zexion felt the tears well in his eyes.

"Y-You're home. You're okay and you are home," the slate-haired boy whispered as his arms wrapped around the man, trying their hardest not to crush him in their embrace. The last he had heard, his father might have had to stay in the hospital for another few months to a year to see what damage had been done mentally to him so Zexion was in complete and utter shock at holding his father close in their home.

Axel, deciding to let his friend and father have some catch-up time, returned to glowering at the blue-haired 'demon' sitting across from him. Saix sat, glaring right back, leading on into Axel's games. Demyx and Roxas could only giggle. After two months, Saix had been tried for being an accomplice to the kidnapping and torture of the two Shinras but he had been found innocent, thanks to Zexion saying he was just doing what he had to for the well-fare of Kadaj. But Axel wasn't still upset about the kidnapping. Oh no, the kidnapping he could forgive. What he found unforgivable was the fact that Saix had raped Zexion had gone unsaid. Not even Tifa knew about all that her son had gone through with the man.

Zexion sighed when he sat back down at the table. Even his father had caught sight of the blue-haired man but didn't give him any notice at first, being so overjoyed at being back in his own home. But now, he could take in the monster sitting there and was glowering just as Axel was. Seeing that Kadaj had no use for him being in such close proximity to the family, he moved to get up, thanking Tifa for the wonderful meal but saying he had things to do.

"No, no! You don't have a reason to leave, Saix. Father and Axel just need to get over what happened as I have. Isn't that right?"

Axel turned his glower on the teen sitting beside him and Kadaj just stared incredulously.

"Who's ready for desert? I'll go get it ready, alright?" Tifa announced, bouncing up and collecting empty plates. Zexion waited until she was out of earshot to address Kadaj and Axel. But before he could begin, Kadaj gripped his arm.

"What is this ... thing doing in our house, Zexion? He hurt you and you just let him sit there?"

"Maybe you were too out of your mind, father, but, like I've said a million times," at this Zexion shot a glare at Axel. "he saved us and has turned over a new leaf. Besides, what does it matter how you all feel towards him? Shouldn't it be up to me? I was the one who was marred. If he is still alright in my books, should he not have grown on you as well?"

"Stupid Zexion and your stupid logic." Axel grumbled, shooting another glower at the man. Kadaj just sighed in defeat, quietly accepting the fact he would have to hate the man in private.

"Seems the stray dog now has somewhere to lay his head, no?" Zexion smirked at the pout that crossed the ex-teacher's face. At this, Tifa stepped in, carrying a large tray.

"Who wants cake?"

-----

The End

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A/N: Over. I-It's over. Why is it that I'm always so amazed when it is over? Well, what do you have to say? Good, bad, one worders? I'll take em all! Just to see what you guys all think. Thank you for all your support. And, Dreamer, I promise I'll make you a better Roxion someday! And I missed you, dearie! You need to find more time for me! XD Kidding, kidding. Or am I? XD And, why is it that I'm always listening to that song when I'm writing the lyrics? It's annoying!

What's worth the prize is always worth the fight ~ If Today Was Your Last Day

Nickleback

Tootles;

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