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Spell Check
005 . Living Nightmares

(xxxxx)

I'm going to kill this mouse, he thought again as it outstretched its stubby neck and sunk its teeth into the vulnerable tip of his forefinger. Bugger.

The small creature (which actually wasn't a mouse but a hamster) wriggled discontentedly and squeaked as it was switched to a more optimal position for the Nobody: dangling by the nape of its neck pinched in between his two fingers, in which he held away from his body distastefully, like carrying a soiled diaper by its extreme, hopefully pure edge whence questing the nearest trash bin. In time, Chigger realized fighting back was futile – there could be no possible escape from a bloodthirsty, giant killing-machine – and ceased his struggling. He hung limply, feet over the floor as a victim of a lynching would, head tilted to the ground. No pity stirred in Axel's heart, because – ha! He didn't have one.

Nevertheless, he didn't have any firm plans on assuredly murdering the rodent. He'd like to stake him, yes – with toothpicks, preferably – and then set him alight, but all that was mindless daydreaming. Axel knew how much Chigger meant to Roxas, and terminating his existence personally would first mean: chronic depression by the blonde haired kid, then: malicious rage directed to Yours Truly. Axel didn't doubt it; Roxas had taken his two pesky keyblades on him on more than one occasion (mostly when he lost at SSBM and was thoroughly convinced that he had nearly won) and once more wouldn't be quite incomprehensible. I got to say it – the kid's got a temper. Sometimes even matching my own – or beyond that.

The redhead glanced down at the tan-and-white hamster that had been peering up at him with curious oil-drop eyes. "You're lucky today, Hamtaro. I won't waste my precious time on skinning you – yet," And a whisper of a grin tugged at the side of his lips as Chigger seemed to perk up considerably. He poked him again with his other finger and came back with a bite-mark indentation on it once more. "Now, dammit, don't provoke me. I'm doing you a favour, bringing you back to your owner unharmed and all that. I have the right to revoke my promise," Axel growled, the sound mingling in with the clip-clipping of his boots on the metal floor.

On his way to Roxas's room, the one he was looking for came prematurely. Rounding the corner, he stopped; upon seeing Chigger, Axel could have sworn some kind of magic lightened up the boy's face at that instant.

"Chigger!"

Here is where the boy runs, stumbles, and falls to his knees.

"I've looked everywhere for you!"

All right, so; I lied. It wasn't a dramatic cry, and Roxas did not trip over his own feet on the way, but he did run to Axel (Chigger) and he did say such words. But no, he didn't weep while he did so.

Unlike a certain similar figure that we all certainly know too well in a certain game.

At the sight of seeing his master (AKA, the one who gives him food other than dried up rat turd pellets – which just so happened to be Zexion's veggies), the hamster became noticeably excited. It squirmed within Axel's large gloved hands and nearly crawled out and plummeted to the hard tiled floor.

"Don't drop him!" Roxas warned, his voice on the edge of a screech in panic.

Axel fumbled, juggling the hamster as if it were a juggler's ball rather than a living animal, and luckily brought it to his chest clumsily in a save.

Roxas let a sigh of relief whistle past his lips, and outstretched his cupped palms to receive the hamster. Axel, without regret, let the hamster plop into them. Hamster rolled, hamster squeaked, hamster scuttled around excitedly and peed on Roxas' hand.

"Hey there, Chigger," The blond warned in his sternest sugary-sweet voice, "I thought I potty-trained you, yeah? You go in that little spot next to the wheel. But I guess I can give you a break since you've been out of it for a while." Promptly, Roxas reached over to Axel and wiped his hand on the man's cloaked chest.

Oh. Hell. No.

"Yeeeeuch," Axel groaned, his lip curling as he swiped the skid mark of piss off of him. He was collecting too much unwanted moisture for one day.

Meanwhile, Roxas was all eyes for his newfound pet. "Don't ever even think about leaving your cage again, you hear me? It's a dangerous place out there, with Saїx and Larxene and Xemnas and Xaldin and Marluxia and Axel and . . ."

"We get the picture, kid. The entire Organization XIII. Right. We're all scary guys, y'know?"

Number XIII raised his big blue globes of eyes to the red-haired member, the oceans on a rounded map. "You found him," He acknowledged, stroking the hamster and cooing to it under his breath. Axel made another disgusted face. Chigger couldn't take it, and scurried up the length of Roxas' arm and perched on his shoulder like a parrot. "I thought you didn't like Chigger."

"We made up."

"You said he could burn in Hell." Cue pouty lower lip.

Axel had forgotten about that one, but he learned after it to never leave his bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos out when you had a hamster bunking in your room.

Imagine a cute little chubby hamster, tan and gold-saddled, your regular Hamtaro, with a giant red-peppered appendage suddenly sprouting out of its cute little mouth.

"That better not be a Cheeto, bug."

Chip chip chip. Axel wasn't sure if the sound was coming from Chigger or the sound made as he ate the Cheeto.

"Stop it."

Munch munch munch.

"Stop it now."

Crunch crunch crunch –

The appendage was diminishing in size rapidly. Chigger's mouth was suddenly a garbage disposal, sucking anything in with alarming amounts of speed.

"BURN IN HELL, HAMSTER!"

"Axel, noooooooo!"

The boy, appearing out of nowhere, flipped over the fire-wielder's outstretched arms and dove towards his rodent pet . . .

. . . And succeeding on crushing the rest of Axel's Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

"Doofus! You just made things WORSE!" The pyro seethed, cradling his near-broken arms and crumpled bag of corn and chili powder.

"Will you ever –"

"I'll NEVER forgive you!"

Axel was very good at finishing other people's sentences.

He was mad at Roxas for a week, before Larxene finally got so annoyed by their double cold shoulder method that she forced the two back together with a bag of Cheetos between them. During that time, they were shocked a lot – literally.

"Friends forgive each other, Roxas," Axel muttered from the corner of his mouth, barely moving his lips.

Roxas shrugged away the memories and continued to pat the hamster. He then noticed Axel's damp, slightly dripping hair.

"Axel, why is your hair . . . creamy?"

The Nobody raised his eyes and hands to his scalp, twisting a lock of red hair around a finger and wringing the sour milk out of it. "It's my new styling mousse. You like?"

"Get real."

"Been trying to for two years."

On that awkward note (for Roxas probably felt a little sorry for Axel, because he had only been trying to get a heart for two months as opposed to two years), there was a grave moment of silence. The little wheels of the younger Nobody's brain were churning and spinning, Axel knew, and it made him slightly uneasy.

"I think . . ." Roxas began, slowly musing, "I think Larxene paid you back for abandoning her during strip poker." He lifted a hand to stifle the soft giggles that threatened to arise in his throat.

Axel was mock-incredulous, his voice having an edge of threatening sarcasm. "Abandoning her? I did no such thing. Where did you hear that from?"

The boy paused to take a deep breath, preparing for a speech. "I heard from Demyx who heard from Marluxia who heard from Zexion who heard from Luxord."

Axel blinked. "Kid, you're amazing."

"Well," He said, giving Chigger another stroke, "I am the keyblade master."

The older and more informed participant of this conversation would beg to differ, but let it slide so Roxas could bask in his empty arrogance.

"Are you going to apologize?"

Now Axel actually was incredulous. "Apologize? What do I have to apologize for? She's the one who dumped the milk and hamster on me!"

A frown tugged delicately at Roxas' expertly pouting lips. "So THAT'S why Chiggy's wet!"

"I almost ingested that rodent," Axel grumbled, wondering what it'd like to eat a bug.

"Hey, I bet he doesn't taste that bad." The blond waved the argument off. "Anyway, you're the one who kissed her."

"It was one lousy kiss," He moped, "and then she kicked me in the balls. She shouldn't be such a . . ." He struggled for a word that wouldn't offend Roxas' youth. "An arrhenphobic."

Roxas let out a quiet, skeptical snort. "I think Larxene is the least arrhenphobic girl I've met."

Axel paused to consider, and then laughed. "You're right."

Together, they began to walk back towards the younger Organization member's room. Axel took long strides while Roxas' were short and quick. His boots tapped on the metallic floor like a noisily persistent leaking faucet while Axel's were muffled, skilled in the art of sneaking about and being, well, a general bad guy. Someday he'd try to teach him, if Roxas wanted to be taught. For now, the older member would allow his innocence to go uncorrupted and let him enjoy his stay at Castle Oblivion for as long as he could.

They came to a slow stop at the door. Axel began to reach out to turn the knob when Roxas flashed him a gaze. Okay, it wasn't really a gaze. It was more like a freakin' huge puppy-dog stare that virtually abducted Roxas' face. His eyes were saucers swimming with deep blue liquid, as though someone had poured both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans into each eye socket.

Roxas' face, come back to us.

Last call for Roxas' face.

Oh, wait. I see . . .

A nose! Yes, a nose!

It's a very tiny nose.

Please remove your, huge anime eyes that are oh-so coincidentally blue from the rest of your face.

Stereotype. Stereotype. Stereotype.

Why'd they always have to be blond-haired, blue eyes people, anyway?

Roxas (not that he was attracted to him, or anything, but those eyes . . . they could darn well make you melt) . . . Larxene.

"So you aren't going to fry Chigger?"

Twitch.

Axel squinted an eye at the hamster, who was still perched on Roxas' shoulder.

Twitch twitch.

What – what was that? The bastard was mocking him. He was twitching his whiskers at him, by golly! Axel twitched back, more competitively this time.

"Axel, is something wrong with your eye?"

"What?" He snapped up again, unconsciously leaning over to be near eye-level to the hamster. Roxas was looking at him with an expression that read 'Okay, is something wrong with you, then?'

"I asked, are you going to fry Chigger or not?"

"What, do you want me to?"

Roxas pressed his lips together, looking hurt. His eyes seemed to swim, and expand. Oh, Lord.

The anticipation grew. His eyes flicked to Chigger, who seemed to be standing up a little taller, his slender forepaws clutched to his furry chest. He had paused in the middle of grooming himself, as though he realized these were important issues and needed to listen. His pale nose did twinge back and forth, as if trying to pick up Axel's thoughts on the matter before he said them – and ultimately decide his fate.

Figuring looking at a rat wasn't very persuading (they weren't exactly a soft spot to his nonexistent heart), he returned his gaze back to Roxas. And was struck again with those huge, pleading eyes.

Aww . . . aw crap.

I'm getting to be soft, after all. Or maybe just a total pushover.

Axel let out a breath of defeat. "No, I'm not going to fry your hamster."

And at that instant, Roxas' puppy-dog eyes were gone, sucked up by the great vacuums of the Mothership. He beamed with a smile, seeming to radiate with a scintillating golden light (as in, the fluorescent light was being absorbed by his goldenrod hair). In a moment Axel found himself tipping backwords slightly as Roxas tackled him, flinging his arms around his middle and burying his spiky head into his abdomen. Yeow, kid, that's a lethal weapon.

The hamster, in the meanwhile, seemed to be doing a little victory dance after nearly flying off of his owner's shoulder on impact. He skittered and then righted himself, grooving to a soundless cheering.

Axel stood there, stiff and awkward-like, before ruffling the boy's hair and gently detaching himself. As he combed his hand through the kid's hair, he realized it wasn't quite the feeling of running your hand across a bunch of bristles. In fact, it was curiously soft.

"You're like hugging a broomstick, Axel."

Axel flipped him a winning smirk. "You know you like it."

Roxas never much liked mopping. The fact that he'd conjure up visions of mopping the floor with Zexion's droopy hair didn't really make him feel all too great about himself. So instead he traded the chore with Axel, who had sweeping. To make the chore more fun, he began to whistle a tune ( that was actually called "The 13th Struggle" and is on the Kingdom Hearts II soundtrack, but he doesn't know that because he hasn't gotten to that point of his nonexistent life yet ). Moving on, he also began to dance to this rather upbeat tune, with the only object around . . . the broomstick. Please do not try this at home – it may prove to be fatally damaging to your brain and/or sanity.

"I am not dancing with you, Axel," Emitted the blond automatically and randomly, blinking as he did so.

The redhead, equally surprised at Roxas' out-of-place outburst, quirked a sharp brow. "Eh?"

"Never mind." He reached for the door handle (knob, handle, they were all the same) and cracked it open partially. Roxas hesitated for a moment, wondering why Axel was still standing there behind him. He's obnoxiously tall. Like . . . a giraffe. He made a mental note to someday travel to The Pride Lands and see what sort of animal Axel would turn out to be.

"Going to bed?" Axel finally asked, continuing to stall.

"No, I think I'm going to go play DDR a bit." The boy glanced back at him almost suspiciously. "What about you?"

"I still have some unfinished business to take care of before I retire. Dropping off your rat was just a detour."

Roxas grumbled. "If I hear anything loud and disruptive, I guess I'll know it's you, then."

Axel leaned his hip against the wall casually. "Ha; you've gotta have more faith in me than that, Roxas."

"Is it even possible to have faith when you don't have a heart?" Roxas paused, staring down at the doorknob he grasped in his hand. "Whatever. 'Night."

The door clicked shut and was followed by the clicking of Axel's boots on the floor as he walked down the long stretch of corridor. The younger Organization XIII member's lingering thought for the night left him to ponder. Didn't he have faith in getting another heart? Didn't they all? That was the purpose of the Organization, wasn't it? To try and get their hearts back. What if it was all just a lost cause? Maybe Xemnas, the slippery bastard, was lying to them all along. They were just a bunch of no-gooders to wreck havoc on the innocent people and heroes.

These things he tended to lose precious sleep over.

He continued to walk down the hallways, a musing expression masking his façade as he barely passed a glance at doorways he did not care to enter. His destination was set: and he knew exactly where it was . . .

Any focus he had was momentarily shattered as a colossal beast came up from behind him and devoured him with its gelatinous jowls!

False alarm. It was just Demyx.

"Axel! Hey, Axel!"

He didn't look behind him, in fear of the mullet/mohawk/thing-wearing of a teen might actually acknowledge that he was getting attention. Once Demyx got attention drawn to himself, there was no chance of making him go away.

So instead he kept on walking, determined to make it to his destination without a tarrying distraction. He ignored Number IX until the boy was practically stumbling at his shoulder.

"Axel! Jeez dude, quit walking so fast it's not like you have a heart to work out with!" Panted Demyx, a grin on his face. "What's that called again? Cardio . . . card . . . captors? Wait," He furrowed his brow in deep concentration, crossing his arms to his chest and then lifting a finger when he seemed to figure out the puzzling mystery. "Ah yeah! Cardiovascular! See Axel, I'm good with words. So, can I be in your spelling bee?"

Axel kept walking.

"Axel!"

Walking was very healthy for your nonexistent heart.

"Axel, c'mon maaaan," Demyx whined with a pained expression on his face, "I heard from Larxene who heard from Xaldin who heard from Xigbar who heard from Lexaeus–" Insert breath here "–who heard from Luxord who heard from Zexion who heard from Roxas–" Another "–that you were doing a spelling bee with the Organization!"

"I'm surprised . . . Larxene told you about this, Demyx," Axel said in his most Zexion-like voice when provoked. AKA: deep, musing, dark, and threatening. Of course she would have told him. Even though Demyx's line of sources was chronologically incorrect, she would have spilled the beans simply to bother Axel. Everyone had to do Larxene's dirty work . . . or she'd do it herself, as he learned from not too long ago. He tugged at his still-damp hair once more, dissatisfied by the way it squished around his finger.

Larxene, He mentally growled, you've played your card, now it's my turn again.

"Oh crap. I don't think I was supposed to mention her," Demyx realized suddenly, stopping in his tracks for a second.

Axel rolled his eyes nonchalantly without Demyx managing to see. "For you see, Demyx," He continued his calm explanation as if it had never been broken, "this spelling bee . . . it's no game. It's actually highly confidential."

"Then . . . how come everyone in the Organization's talking about it?"

"Everyone?" He raised his eyebrows in skeptical inquiry.

Demyx's lips twitched. "I guess not everyone. Xemnas still doesn't know."

"Well, thank God for that for me, why don't you, Demyx?" Commented Axel sarcastically, swinging back into motion.

"But –" Demyx swiped for a corner of Axel's hood, but Axel shrugged him away in contempt, avoiding him like the plague. Demyx was reduced down to pleading, looking crestfallen at the older Organization member's reaction – and rejection. "I reeeeeally want to be a part of it! I've been thinking of all these words, you know, and reading some of Zexy's books – shoot, I should give them back soon before he finds out – and I – I'll beat you, Axel!" He stood there, arms taut and hands bunched into fists before falling loosely at his sides.

"I'd like to see you try," Axel jovially retorted, then backtracked. "Wait no, don't. It'd be a disaster."

"How would it be . . ."

"Because you'd begin to cry, Demyx," He snarled softly, turning on him and motioning at his stunned face. "You're so full of water that you'd just start to leak when you lose."

Demyx's face scrunched up, and it looked as if he was just about to spring a few leaks just by that comment. "Axel –"

"And then you'd whine to the Superior – 'Oh, boohoo, Axel kicked my ass in a stupid spelling game, can you turn him into a Dusk for me?' But he won't. Because at least I have a place in the Organization. They don't need you, Demyx!" He whispered harshly, "You're just their lackey."

He grabbed the knob to a door right behind him and wrenched it open. Before he shut it on Demyx's sulking face, he made up a quick goodbye.

"Go play with your water clones, Demyx. They're the only ones that can actually stand being around you."

He closed the door quietly and slipped his finger over the lock. He didn't want the inhabitant of the room to hear his unwelcome entrance (all though with all the commotion outside and said inhabitant's keen ears had probably already been picked up). Axel faced the darkness of the room, shadows draped over the furniture like sheets, a contorted look on his face and his back to the door. Of course Demyx could always warp into the room. But did he want to get another verbal beating from two Nobodies, now? Hopefully he had hurt him too much, and he'd stay away.

Demyx was always annoying. He got his equal share of lashings from the rest of the Organization, and was picked on more frequently than anyone else Axel had seen before. Normally he could ignore him, so what set him off on the younger Organization member today?

Larxene. He inwardly seethed, as though he could summon up a ball of flame and hurl it at her very name, causing it to explode and therefore destroying the Nobody as well. His hand curled and clenched into a fist, and flicker of fire appeared around his wrist like a bracelet of red hot serpents, and then flickered back into nonexistence. No. He could not deal with Larxene at the moment because she was not important enough to fit on his agenda.

Try to convince yourself that, Axel.

Just like you tried to convince Demyx that he wasn't good for anything . . . and perhaps succeeded.

Axel shut his apple green eyes against the thoughts. He had taken his rage out on Demyx because of Larxene; he wasn't going to feel guilt now. Not now.

"What," A voice greeted him from the darkness, "are you doing in my room, Axel?" It didn't sound like a very happy voice.

Axel's eyelids slid up, glaring at the figure hidden within the shadows. He didn't feel very threatened by the disembodied voice, at the moment.

"I'd like to say I've come for you . . . but no, I wouldn't," He smirked, retaliating wittingly.

"Suppose I kill you now . . ." A steel weapon, large, flashed in front of Axel's throat. "Nothing will stop me from dying of laughter."

"God, please. Cut it with the dry threats and be normal for once, won't you?"

Saïx frowned. "Well then I wouldn't have any fun."

"You could have fun if you didn't hide in your room all day, or hang around the Superior all the time. That can't be very fun."

"What ever do you suggest as my cure, Axel?" The elf – whoops, excuse me, Nobody – drawled out sarcastically.

"First, lower your weapon."

It stayed at his chest, barely tickling his chin.

"I said, lower the fucking oversized piece of metal."

"Temper, temper," Saïx purred, yet complied. "I can see why your element is fire, now. I don't believe I mistook the fight between you and water outside, did I?"

Axel didn't flinch. His eyes moved to the bedroom's sole window, where a moon like a silver dollar hung there and shone its nocturnal brilliance, spilling fragments of quicksilver onto the carpet. Naturally the Luna Diviner had to have the bedroom with the view of the moon.

"Don't want to talk about it? I see. Perhaps you'd rather talk about your earlier . . . noise-making escapades instead."

The redhead twitched a brow. "Big words don't intimidate me, Saïx. As you'll soon learn."

"Careful. I could tell the Superior of yours and the keyblade child's foolish games and of how they disrupt the entire Organization."

"Tell Xemnas. I don't care. Why would he condemn us for playing a few video games?"

"Because it isn't in his orders!" Saïx barked. Axel chuckled.

"Isn't in his orders?" He repeated, slowly and cockily.

"Axel," The silver-haired man began, lowering his fierce yellow eyes, "soon the castle will have a king chosen for it. I ask you not to ruin my chance and do as he asks, and as I ask –"

"Sorry, Saïx. I don't take orders from anyone but myself." Axel cut in, his words made final.

The older man glared at him steadily, his eyes piercing and direct. "Then you will die." He whispered solemnly.

"Sorry, mate. Think I'm already dead," He replied with amusement, sinking onto the bed and crossing one leg over the other, the backs of his elbows resting on the headboard. "We're all dead here, Georgie."

Saïx flinched at the crack, probably not appreciating the allusion to a book/move he'd probably never read/watch. Of course, half-draped in shadows and his bright red hair and silly tattoos standing out, illuminated by the moonlight, Axel could have eerily fit the part of Pennywise the clown from It.

"On a lighter note," Axel continued languidly, his familiar charm still flattering his voice, "I have an idea."

"Ironically, I don't want to hear it."

Axel grinned. "How about we calm both our feisty tempers with a little game?"

"Do you mean that ridiculous spelling bee of yours, perchance?"

"Hark! Saïx does not live under a rock after all. Or he's just a dirty eavesdropper."

"Mind your superiors," The Nobody hissed.

"I say a word and you spell it. Savvy?"

"You've been watching too much Pirates of the Caribbean as well. Stop it."

"No, that's strictly the author speaking. And don't tell me to stop anything, because I won't.

"Spell 'sphygmomanometer' for me, Number VII."

He scrunched his elongated face up in annoyance, but answered it.

"Now it's my turn. Spell 'achondroplasia.'"

"Easy, Saïx. What do you take me for, an uneducated dwarf?" He spelled it.

They seemed to waste away the minutes, shooting words at each other as if they were loaded guns.

Until they got to a certain word – 'antidisestablishmentarianism.'

"That's more than one word, isn't it?" Saïx asked cynically.

"No."

"No, it is."

General eye roll. "No, it isn't."

Saïx's golden eyes narrowed even more into slits – more than he could even imagine as possible. "Do not argue with me Axel, because I am right. 'Antidisestablishmentarianism' is more than one word."

"What do you know about church, anyway?"

Saïx grabbed his claymore. Oh, shit.

"Do not joke with me, Axel. I know that that word is illegitimate."

"Okay, okay!" Axel put his hands up in defense. He didn't like the spooky way how Saïx's long, straight platinum hair was suddenly floating around his head. "Maybe it is! Just spell the word."

He didn't want to provoke the Luna Diviner any further, but it seemed as though he had.

"THAT IS NOT A GOOD ENOUGH ANSWER FOR ME, SAÏX, YOUR SUPERIOR."

Axel stumbled off the bed to run.

He sprang for the door, hand splaying to reach for the knob. There was a roar behind him as he struggled to pry the door open – which wouldn't do anything but jiggle in its hinges. He snapped his teeth together on his tongue by accident, but no blood flowed from the clip – just panic.

Oh, shit – Axel repeated desperately in his mind again.

"YOU SHALL DIE NOW."

Fuck. This guy was a beast! And the damn door was stuck. Or locked. Or someone was on the outside, holding the door closed. Double damn.

"Demyx, open the door now!"

"Why should I?" Came the familiar whiny nasal voice on the other side of the door.

There was another roar of outrage behind him.

"Just do it!"

There was the clicking of released pressure – he felt the door relax against the line of his weight. Thank God.

But then the door wouldn't budge again.

"DEMYX!" His voice was getting shrill with desperation and frustration.

"You deserve this, Axel!"

"AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRGH!"

Saïx going berserk: not a pretty sight or good for the ears.

"That's IT!" Axel yelled, and took a step back. He could feel Saïx's breath on his back before he put his arms together out before him and summoned up a huge fire ball that her hurled towards the door, causing it to burst open.

Demyx was standing outside the doorway when Axel emerged from the smoke and sparks. The fireworks display only made him stumble a little bit, but he looked stubborn and determined, most likely about ready to go off on a prepared speech about how he didn't like how he was being treated by Axel, that he should apologize (though he wouldn't really care – nope, he wouldn't), that there was a lacking of sugary foods in the pantry, and that he was going to be included in the spelling bee, one way or the other.

Before he saw Saïx.

Or, not really Saïx anymore.

His eyes grew huge, pupils dilating in horror. Demyx's lips began to tremble as he saw the monster's enraged face hovering in the doorway, with a floating mane of that whipped around behind him by some invisible wind or force.

"A-Axel? Wh-what's that?" He gaped, stuttering while pointing.

Axel, in the meanwhile, looked like a nuclear bomb explosion survivor. He tripped forwards, glanced over his shoulder unsteadily, and then turned back to Demyx with a renewed expression of distress.

"Run!"

They didn't need much more of a 'go.' Saïx bellowed again behind them, coming at the two Nobodies while gliding on his claymore that churned up the hallway behind him. They both ran quickly yet clumsily down the corridor, yelling (and Demyx screaming). Across their path was Zexion, his nose buried in a book. They had no time to stop, and little time to warn him.

"MOVE IT!" Axel yelled, mimicking Larxene's demand earlier that morning minus the 'emo kid' part.

"Sorry bye!" Demyx yelped, leaping past the stunned teen whose shoulder was used as Demyx's momentary support. Or perhaps it was more like a clap on the shoulder one gave before they were doomed to perish. Whichever.

Zexion stumbled back to the wall, pressed against it as a blur of dust and . . . other matter blew on past after the two Nobodies like a steamroller.

"Oh, dear." He said once they were gone, examining the path of damage. "That was Saïx, wasn't it?" He mused to himself, and then chuckled darkly. "Lord knows they deserve it, those troublemakers." Number VI stepped over the mass of rubble daintily, going on his way with book in hand. He reached the opposite wall and created a portal to the basement, disappearing into the swirl of black and violet darkness.

"AHHHHH!"

"ARRRRRRRRRGH!"

"AHHHHHH!"

"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!"

Axel and Demyx sprung through the labyrinth of hallways, still yelling. Their yells were inevitably drowned by Saïx's angry lion-like roars that boomed within the corridors.

They turned a corner. Another corner.

"Is he gaining?" Demyx called to Axel, tossing his head to throw him a tentative glance.

"I'm not looking!" ( lol Reno quote. –author is shot for interruptive A/N.- )

They went past doors. A lot of doors. They didn't have much time to stall and choose which one they should go through, so they just picked a random one and threw their weight against it to open it.

The two ran through the room, hoping dearly that it was one that led to another one . . . or the outside. It did, fortunately; except there was one slight problem.

It was Xemnas' room.

The Superior, who had been resting on his zebra-striped couch, propped himself up on his elbow when the two miscreants burst into his room, still running. He managed to both glare at them and raise his eyebrows. When they were gone, he didn't have another moment of peace before a crazed demon-possessed-thing crashed through his wall, and then crashed through the other one, making his own exit and entrance.

Still running.

Still crashing through walls, in the Saïx Beast's case.

They reached a rather spacious corridor that led to another one, but, feeling that climbing the steps would make them too late, Axel grabbed Demyx's arm and shoved him behind a statue.

"Hey, wha?" Demyx cried out in alarm.

"Shh!"

They both huddled down behind it, waiting for Saïx to come in shortly thereafter. Or not. 'Or not' would be good.

"Rrrrrrrrrrrrr."

Okay, so much for wishful thinking.

Axel noticed Demyx trembling beside him. He grabbed his arm again and squeezed to steady him.

"Ouch, that hurts, Axel!"

"Shut up!"

There was another noise from behind their hiding spot. Did Saïx hear? Axel winced in thought.

Then there came a heavy sniffing sound, as if someone had a very bad cold. Or was crying at a sad movie. Or was sniffing out their prey. Most likely, it was option three. He was scenting them out!

What kind of world does this guy come from, anyway? The Pride Lands?

In a few moments, Saïx seemed to give up his hunt and the sniffing stopped. The sound of footsteps leaving the corridor echoed softly in their ears, causing the two Nobodies to nearly go berserk with relief. They wouldn't, because they had seen from experience just then that it wasn't a particularly lovely sight.

"He's gone," Axel alerted Demyx after peering out from behind the statue to make sure the coast was clear. He looked back and saw that Demyx had fainted.

Tonight had been a long night.

He could only imagine what the consequences would be tomorrow.

There was a disruption outside – he flinched, thinking it might be Saïx again. But it was a portal, and from it stepped a man with stringy blue hair over one side of his face.

"The Superior has alerted me that tomorrow there will be a meeting for all of the Organization to attend," Zexion said smugly. His indigo eye, the only one visible, glinted as he smirked faintly. "You're in trouble, Axel."

"Stow it, I'm too tired to care right now."

A slight frown tugged at his lips. "Let me tell you now, then, that the damage will be repaid – and repaired."

"It's Saïx's fucking fault, isn't it? He went berserk on us. Not my problem."

"I'm just the messenger," Zexion stated innocently, stepping back into the still activated portal.

"And nothing more than a pest," Axel spat. "Now good night."

And he conked out right next to Demyx, and he dreamed of meetings with explosions and lions with silver manes attacking him.

And of Larxene's reaction to all this. That included the explosions.

A u t h 0 r ' s eND N 0 t e
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Homg Axel turned sort of ebil in this. oo Like manipulative bastard Axel in CoM. Oh well; at least he has his reasons.

Damn. It's been a long time since I've updated, yeah? I can't totally blame school, since I've still been writing; I dunno. I need to be reminded that I have chaptered fics I need to attend to and stop making new stuff. XD
And I apologize; this was sort of a… weird chapter, too. And crazy.

Cheetos. o.o;

Until next time. (Which will hopefully be sometime in the near future.) Thanks for staying with me. Word suggestions are always love – as are reviews.