Author's Note: so...who here has seen the dark knight? hm? anyone? raise your hand? a nod? yes, no? well, for those of you who have, this little story here may seem a tad joker-ish to you. XO and for those of you who haven't...i suppose it'll just seem joker-ish anyway. XD

so, hi guys! and hello to new readers as well. kokoro77 here bringing you yet ANOTHER akuroku tale, inspired by a movie. HOLY. CRAP. this happens a lot. XO

and, don't worry, there shouldn't be any spoilers for the dark knight below. at least--at least i think there aren't? :O honestly, this is a freakin' story about KINGDOM HEARTS II. NOT the freakin' batman. so! XD without further ado (and after the WONDERFUL disclaimer...AH) i present to you "D1S0RD3R". 'tis an strange thing, isn't it?

disclaimer so i don't get my ass chopped off: i don't own ANYTHING in the kingdom hearts series. i DO have the ability to own things, though. OWNAGE.

DANGER: minor blood, violence, sadism, slight masochism, sailor talk, yaoi (uh. duh.), and axel being a creeper :O and, oh yeah: she's a dark fic, ya dig?

but no need to fret!

"...LET'S PUT A SMILE ON THAT FACE-UH!" (XD)

D1S0RD3R

Disorder: noun

1. Lack of ease; uneasiness; trouble; vexation; disquiet.

2. An alteration in the state of the body or of some of its organs, interrupting or disturbing the performance of the vital functions, and causing or threatening pain and weakness; malady; affection; illness; sickness; disorder; -- applied figuratively to the mind, to the moral character and habits, to institutions, the state, etc.

Where do I...begin?

It seems the word freak is being clichéd now-a-days, doesn't it? You use a spoon for your salad, a toothpick to hold up your hair, laugh at the sight of fire, laugh when he trips, laugh when she's stabbed. And the ladies and gentlemen in the crowd frown upon you; damn you for your blatant, bitter satisfaction...and one word passes their lips: FREAK. But you still do...What. You. Do.

Because it's FUN. Because it's not bitter, no. If anything it's wonderfully bittersweet.

See, in the confines of your mind, no, no, you know that you most certainly are NOT a freak. This is just you. You're different, and everyone loves a little eccentricity every once in a while, huh?

So laugh. Laugh to your heart's content, my friend. You know, that's what I did. All the way to my grave. Hmhm. And it was fun. Look what it's done to me! Hmhmhm. Look what's it's DONE to me! I'm not a freak, no, no. Never a freak. I just know how to have a damn good time. The little things in life, they say. Well, I say love it all. And watch it burn. That's the caramel center—watching it all burn. And have you ever—have you ever had someone turn to you and look like...perhaps they enjoy watching you burn instead?

Suddenly that's no laughing matter, mind you. Oh, no. It's never a laughing matter. See, now, now you've got someone who's hatin' ya. They wanna see you burn. My case, see, this...boy...he left me, understand? And you could tell he hated me. Deep in his little heart you could tell, oh, you could tell. I say heart because, come now, he was the only one who had a heart where we came from. But I say: bullshit. That heart was never his in the first place.

It was MINE. That heart of his was all mine.

And if it weren't...for this...Sora character, my boy and his heart would still be here. With me. Mine, understand?

Now, now, let's not turn this into something to cry about. No screaming, please. I wanna see smiles. Let's hear some laughs, see some nods. That's it. Now you're gettin' it. This here is a happy time. And do...You. Know. Why?

Why, tonight I'm gonna take back...what's mine. And you, you will have a front row seat. So sit back. Relax.

Enjoy the bloodshed.

I've got a little date with Number 13.

Stranger

His wrists were hurting. His neck was hurting. His legs, fingers, feet, eyes...all felt near broken.

There'd been someone threatening the island, it seemed, just as a storm started to set the waves in rage late, very late that night. Sora had been asleep again by the shore, because that was where he felt the most comfortable now that he'd returned home after months, possibly even years gone chasing people and things he honestly didn't want the business of. Sadly enough for him, he'd slept right into the storm and after the first sound of thunder, woke with an incredible start, sending loose droplets of rain spraying in all directions.

He couldn't remember much about the ocean in front of him, not much about the rain. All that really mattered was, well, getting the fuck out of it. So with little hesitation and with his feet half asleep, the brunette stumbled across the soaked and packed sand searching for the storage hut for shelter. Too much rain. Too much fog.

Like a sitting duck.

Last he'd seen was a shadow, sitting perfectly still and lifeless some feet in front of him.

"Riku?" he asked, holding a hand up to his warm forehead. Great. Now he was getting sick. He coughed and took two steps forward, because he knew that he could trust this person. After all, even thinking about traveling to Destiny Islands during this sort of weather was stupid. Therefore, he wasn't expecting a stranger.

"Riku?" Sora called out again, this time walking up to the shadow so that he could judge the height of it. Ah, the height he could judge, but the person he could not. Because of this, Sora walked right into, well, a trap. The confused brunette was sent directly to the ground with his entire body numb from a burning sensation.

And then he closed his eyes...

Klepto-Pyro-Mania

"Mmm..." For some reason, Sora awoke feeling that his pain had doubled since he'd been knocked out...how long ago, now? Groaning and with his eyes not even halfway open, Sora gently lifted his head and stared aimlessly left, right and finally back down to the floor. His head was banging too much for him to hold it up properly. He took in as much precious oxygen he could before his chest pain would act up again, and with one exhale he coughed and swore under his breath.

"Dammit. Where'm I?" he hissed toward the floor, only now realizing that he was kneeling rather than standing. To make matters worse, his wrists and ankles felt terribly bruised and slashed to the point where he nearly cried trying to twist them free. Now, Sora couldn't tell just what he was trying to free them from, but he had a sense it was some sort of rope. Thrashing around like some mad dog, Sora continued to swear as his body eventually came to.

He was in the storage hut, he got that much. But why? And why like this, of all things?

It was so dark in here, too, and that justified that it was still nighttime. The pounding on the roof proved that the storm was still alive, though not as strong as when he'd been on the beach. So he'd only been out for a short while, right? Right?

Frustrated with his questions unanswered, Sora violently kicked behind him at the bamboo wall which caused his ankles to go numb and possibly bleed from what he felt on his skin. Actually, he couldn't tell if it was blood or simply rain water. He should've known better than to wear this stupid black outfit without his jacket on a sprinkling day. Too much exposed skin.

"Rain, rain, go away..."

Right before Sora hung his head in hopes that he'd lull back to sleep, he jerked it back up despite that it hurt something awful and eyed the darkness before him with intense blue eyes.

"Who's that?" he snarled.

"Can't tell me you forgot again, can ya?"

Sora kept his teeth clenched and his eyes forward. It was impossible to tell exactly where the voice was coming from since it echoed so perfectly in this enclosed space. But something about it did sound familiar, and because of that Sora felt only a bit secure. Not enough to trust, but enough to ease his breathing some. He took a deep breath and glared ahead without blinking.

"Who are you?" Maybe if he kept a calm voice he'd get his answer easier. So it seemed, so it was not to be. Sora wasn't meant to be the talker. In fact, all he was was a...gateway of sorts. He'd understand soon enough.

He didn't want the boy—or boys rather—waiting for too long. So without further ado, the strange individual behind the heartrending yet sleek voice peeled away from the wall at Sora's left and stepped leisurely into the boy's line of sight—both legs crossing over the other as a woman might do. But this wasn't a woman, no. A tiny skylight in the roof of the hut was left open, allowing droplets and very pale moonlight to drip into the makeshift prison. With that light, Sora could see the shoes of the person shortly followed by the rest.

His eyes ventured upward but they'd gone wide long before they reached the face.

Sora's lips quivered when he stared at him and he had to bite down on his tongue to get them to stop. He tried to retain his composure and after clearing his throat, furrowed his eyebrows and deepened his stare. Outside, yes, he was defiant and overall in denial, while inside, oh, he was bouncing off walls. How—how could—? How could he be alive?

He quickly swallowed and with a shaking voice mumbled: "Axel..."

The man's eyes were still hidden in the darkness, but Sora could still see his lips curve upward into a strange demonic sort of smile. It wasn't like the smiles Axel used to give—the tiny smirk to go with the occasional snicker or chuckle. No, this one appeared as if he'd forced it for a picture, violent almost with all his teeth bared. He was turned sideways before Sora with his arms crossed over a black tank top which fell over the belt loops of a pair of black pants. On his feet and on his hands were the only articles of clothing familiar to Sora—the Organization leather boots and gloves.

Of course Axel had a style all his own and wore gloves that passed his elbows separate from the other members of the Organization. Organization—this was what scared Sora. They were all gone. He'd even seen Axel fade. But here he was...or so he seemed.

"Did you...miss me? Be honest." Axel's smile abruptly transformed into a frown, causing Sora to watch his lips intently. Axel still hadn't turned his body for Sora to get a better look. He couldn't believe that this guy was for real just yet.

He tilted his head to the left and lowered it to try and get in a nice position to see Axel's eyes. When he came up with nothing, Sora proceeded to answer with another question. "What're you doing here?"

This appeared to bother Axel since his face turned downward and, lucky for Sora, he'd lowered it far enough for his eyes to hit the light. They were shut and for a moment he looked like he'd fallen asleep with his back hunched over like that. But just as soon as he'd made the assumption, Sora nearly jumped back when the redhead threw his head back, lowered his arms and let a cacophonous laughter resound in the room. Now Sora really didn't know who this guy was.

Axel never laughed like that.

Like a maniac.

But still the redhead cackled to himself, leaving Sora silent and confused in the dirt. Unfortunately, he was forced to watch it take place and the sight sent horrible icicles down his spine. When the laughter ended unexpectedly, Sora looked away to his side and began to breathe at an uneven pace.

Who are you? Who are you?

"Why, Sora, I thought you knew! I thought he told you I'd be coming!" Axel exclaimed while straightening his back out. He set his feet apart and finally faced forward for Sora to see his face as a whole—the teardrop tattoos and the definition in his collarbone, jaw, eyes. Before, seeing all of it was normal, but now as Sora sat bound against his will, he honestly thought he was in the presence of a lunatic.

He swallowed again. "He?"

Then, extremely slowly, Axel tilted his head until loose strands of his crimson hair fell lopsided over his bright green eyes. Sora could tell from the sparkle on his bare shoulders that he'd been out there in the rain and was only now just getting dry like himself. Axel's hands then made way for his pockets where he hooked his thumbs inside them. He then sent a cold, absent gaze down at the kid, but that eventually transitioned into a look of pure compassion when he looked at the blue in Sora's eyes.

This seemed to excite the redhead some since he took a quick step forward and smiled—a typical smirk this time. "Tsk. You've been left outta our little secret, have you? Hm. I feel sorry for you. See...we made a promise." Axel added the last words in quickly while throwing his arms out in front of him and motioning toward Sora's and his chest with his hands.

"We."

With a sigh, Axel took one step away from Sora and went on to pace the floor. All the while Sora kept a close watch on him.

"An invitation, if you ask me. And I took it, so here I am." With one hand, and while still pacing, Axel made a gesture as if he'd just showcased himself to a crowd—holding his palm out and bowing slightly. His feet kicked chunks of dirt off of the floor when he went back to pacing. "We were gonna meet again."

Sora was honestly growing more and more irritated with Axel talking what sounded like nonsense. We? Invitation? He shook his head up at Axel in reply.

"I don—"

"Now, I got tired of waiting for you," Axel interrupted with a raised hand which he showed to Sora. His feet once again stopped in place as he spoke. "You said you'd be waiting."

"Axel, I don't—"

"And you know what really set me off?" Once more interrupting Sora, Axel turned his head to look right at him all tied up and virtually helpless by only two bits of rope. Hah. To think that the strong and fearless Keyblade Master was here—right at his feet, in the dirt, being held against his will. Axel at first couldn't believe that he'd pulled it off. He couldn't! All it took was a whack to the head and a few knots to tie off. Another malicious smile crept on his face and his eyes brightened sadistically when he slowly crept up to the boy again.

He stopped when he was an arm's reach away from touching the brunette and went on to say, "...You wouldn't let him wait, Sora," he whispered softly to which Sora's eyebrows rose to hear it change so quickly.

But he didn't say anything, merely stared absently into Axel's hypnotic stare. This wasn't right. Axel didn't look right. He really wanted to say something, ask Axel if he needed help, but it didn't look doable. All his words went unnoticed.

"Ya look...confused."

Sora blinked and replied, "...I am."

With that, Axel once again crossed his arms, turned on his heel and didn't budge with his back facing Sora. Was he not believing Sora's word? "So you really don't...know?" It was strange hearing Axel's voice shaking like that. He sounded...hurt. Sora suspected that maybe he was on the verge of crying.

"Know?"

"What you stole from me...?"

"You're not making any sen—"

"YOU DAMN KNOW WHAT YOU STOLE FROM ME, SORA!"

Axel's words ripped through the darkness in the shed and sent Sora's body pressed hard against the wall behind him. His chest started to heave uncontrollably when the redhead turned back around with his arms outstretched and his fingers threateningly twitching in front of him. But before Sora could scoot away, Axel had already swooped down to the floor and on one knee held a firm hand around the front of Sora's neck, clasping the damp and throbbing skin without mercy. His green eyes frantically eyed the boy's face as if searching for something in desperation.

Sora just kept his eyes shut and his face as straight as he possibly could...when in reality the rest of his body was doing the exact opposite. No doubt that Axel could feel the quickness of his heartbeat racing against his gloved hand.

The redhead began to pant wildly and as he did, he pushed Sora closer toward the wall and turned the boy's head upward so that the pale white skin under his jaw was exposed to the moonlight above them. His brows remained furrowed in anger, but upon seeing Sora's throat pulsing in his hand, Axel's breathing lowered, his lips parted and his grip loosened gradually.

The tip of Axel's tongue poked out from between his lips as he concentrated long and hard on Sora's face. His voice was absolutely dripping with insanity. "...Do I have to refresh your memory?"

Sora didn't answer.

But Axel wasn't looking for an answer. No, the talk was just for fun. Try to get the boy afraid. Get him sweating and losing breath. That's what Axel was looking for. A little insecurity.

A grin began to replace the scowl drawn on the redhead's lips as his right thumb gently brushed against the front of Sora's throat, causing it to pulse again as the boy swallowed. Oh, his nerves were running rather nicely now. Knowing this, Axel narrowed his eyes and, still grinning beautifully, pushed down on the skin until the tip of his thumb felt warm. That warmth soon travelled to the boy's skin, but it wasn't meant to be enjoyed on this cold and rainy day.

No. It was for pain. And so it went—a tiny flame at the tip of Axel's thumb sparked and instantly Sora twitched when he felt it burning his flesh. But he held his tongue and didn't make a sound. If Axel knew it hurt, who knew what he'd burn next?

"Still nothing?" Axel asked innocently, sending the little flame lower toward Sora's collarbone. The brunette briskly shook his head.

"H-He—he won't come out...for you."

"Oh?" Upon asking this in a sultry tone of voice, Axel couldn't help but move closer to the boy until his lips were hovering over his chin and his eyes the closest they'd ever been to those gorgeous baby ones Sora had. He could tell by the large pupils that Sora was absolutely lost in himself. This was perfect. He dragged the flame lower and lower until it reached the top of Sora's zipper, heating the metal and burning the flesh underneath.

"You're holdin' 'im back, huh?"

Sora shook his head again. "No...You're scaring him."

Axel scoffed against Sora's chin, sending shivers down both their spines. Strangely, his smile disappeared and his eyebrows lowered in deep, deep apology, almost like he would sob on a whim. "I'm sorry," he replied serenely, tilting his head to the left.

He never took his gaze away from Sora's eyes, and still hadn't put the fire out. The boy still wasn't resisting the flame, and Axel merely figured it was because Sora didn't want to hurt anyone. But the look in the boy's beautiful eyes was signaling hate, insolence and even death.

Obviously Sora's body was gradually slipping out of his control.

"But I want it back, Sora," Axel murmured immaturely to which Sora once again shook his head. "A promise is a promise. Stop me...will you?"

"H-huh?" Sora suddenly choked when he felt Axel's hand withdraw from his skin and in one swift movement slapped his cheek with the back of his hand. His head turned left and right with each blow delivered and the more he hit, the more Axel's voice inclined with rage. Still, the brunette held his tongue and let the burning spread on his face.

"You'd STOP me, Sora!? Hm!? Bring out your KEYBLADE then, why don't ya!? Go 'head—steal more hearts, hm? It's all you're good for. STEALING!"

Suddenly Axel's slapping stopped and he used one hand to reach under Sora's throat. He threw his head against the wall with such force that Sora saw multiple dots flash in front of him. It hurt, it hurt. But he needed to endure it. It's what he was. But deep inside, no, no. He knew he wasn't supposed to endure the pain. Deep inside, he was positively crying for help, begging for Axel to stop.

"Feel better, do ya? Hm? Feel complete now that he's inside of you? Huh? Well what about me? Aren't you wonderin' how I've been, Sora? It's been such a long time!"

Axel narrowed his eyes to slits until the white couldn't be seen in his eyes—just the venomous green dripping with absolute punishment. He spoke through his teeth and kept his face near touching Sora's so as to make sure he would hear him, feel him and take him fucking seriously. The boy's cheeks were now red from the slapping and it appeared as though he'd bit his lip since a line of dark blood was starting to trickle down his chin.

And, upon seeing it, Axel parted his lips and once again a look of deep sorrow etched upon his face. Like he was bipolar, or something of the sort. He shook his head side to side as if in pity and brought his parted lips closer to the line of blood when he spoke.

"Oh, I didn't plan on hurting you..." he whispered in disappointment in himself.

Sora, with bated breath and with his eyes fixated on the ceiling, waited impatiently while he sensed Axel's tongue tracing the direction of the blood flow and carefully tapping the fresh wound on the side of his lip. He cringed and his lips separated when the wound stung on contact. And suddenly he wondered—when Axel's skin was illuminated by a strike of lightning—why it appeared so pale?

By the time he asked the question in his mind, Sora felt a familiar softness caress his left cheek. In shock, his eyes dilated and he bit his wounded lip to try and keep a rising sound in his throat from escaping. He could see that the redhead had tapped their cheeks and was proceeding to rub them together, not hard and not fast, but just enough to make all of Sora's senses spark on a whim. He looked closer and even softened his stare when he spotted that Axel had shut his eyes.

Axel just looked so tired with his eyes shut like that. So peaceful and...miserable. If it hadn't been for the outburst of words and actions, Sora honestly thought that he wouldn't've feared the redhead as much as he did now. Perhaps it was his sadness that was driving the impulsive behavior. Curiously, Sora lowered his head and simply waited for Axel to stop caressing him...but it went on longer than expected. Too long, perhaps.

"You're cold."

Sora jumped at the sound of Axel's voice right beside his ear and he shivered.

"Remember how it used to rain back home? Ya didn't like the rain back then either."

Still beyond puzzled, Sora let his head fall backward with a thud and shut his eyes in hopes that he'd pass out before Axel would continue with his madman way of speaking. But, secretly, he felt he needed to listen.

So he stayed awake...and listened.

When the boy didn't respond or make a move of any kind, Axel shut his eyes softly and tried to recall to memory the face that Sora used to have under the rain. He'd seen him before under a downpour—motionless and like a shadow refusing to follow its master. Axel knew that this kid was a rebel. He knew he was a fighter. And just like a shadow, he was strange. But it was because of the way he looked that made Axel smile...sometimes even laugh. And it might've been cruel in the kid's eyes to see the redhead laugh at him, but Axel knew that he wasn't cruel.

He was just having fun.

And memory was all he had. At the moment.

Once again, green, green eyes ventured upward until they were hovering over Sora's head—searching with keen interest for something invisible. But after so much waiting, Axel was on the verge of snapping and figured that he could no longer stand it. So, with a weak smile pulling on the corner of his lip, Axel brought his left hand up to Sora's face and stretched his shaking and gloved fingers toward his deep blue eyes which were open to slits.

Sora's breathing hitched when he felt the coldness of the leather touch his skin but he couldn't back up any further to avoid contact. "Quit it."

Axel didn't respond and simply trailed the contours of Sora's face until finally he rested his fingers once they'd covered both of his eyelids. With his eyes covered, Sora widened them and his lips parted while he searched for something to say; something to yell, if he could.

"Shh, shh..." Axel cooed, gently laying his free hand at the wall beside Sora's head. He closed the gap between his fingers, making sure that no matter what Sora would be unable to peek through and see his face. When he was sure that Sora was blind, Axel's smile grew and in near excitement his body shook as he made a move to try and capture Sora's lips.

But it didn't happen right away, no. Both of them remained perfectly frozen in the darkness of that hut with nothing but the sound of the storm. Sora nearly forgot that there'd even been a storm at all, and hearing it again made him, honestly, scared. But he was the Keyblade Master. He couldn't be afraid. That wasn't his duty.

But Axel...was changing that.

And with one word, Sora's mind seemed to become a clean slate—blank and no longer free for him to control. Axel had said it directly against his pink and wounded lips. He didn't think that his eyes were meant to widen more than they already were, and as they did, the brunette really did feel like crying. About what, he didn't know. But Axel's voice was forcing him.

Forcing him. Driving him insane.

"...Roxas."

Suddenly, Sora was lost.

His lips parted wider than they had been listening to Axel speak and all at once his heart skipped a beat, his fingers clenched, his back stiffened, his eyes flashed and his mind was replaced with one that wasn't his own. As quick as a camera flash, Sora became blinded under the cover of Axel's hand and his once dark blue eyes were swapped with a more...baby blue color.

This reaction caused Axel to brush his lower lip against Sora's as if in dear approval...although he wasn't sure that Sora was the one he'd touched.

But Roxas.

While it felt amazing that he'd awoken something inside of the brunette, Axel was still feeling miserable that he'd hurt them. Both of them at once. He'd drawn blood...and now both halves of Sora were crying. He felt a single tear roll down Sora's cheek and onto his lip where he immediately licked it off.

"See?" Axel whispered with a shaking voice. "This? You've been waitin' for this?"

...Neither of them responded.

"...Is he right, Roxas? Sora meant what he said? 'Bout me scarin' ya?"

Sora's lips shook. And as if he was in a trance, he nodded slowly. Upon seeing this, Axel seemed taken aback and responded violently by burying his face into Sora's neck and biting down. He then proceeded to kiss his skin until Roxas would make a sound. For a while, nothing—Sora remained stubborn and kept his head titled only a bit for Axel to move. But on the other side of Sora, dammit, he was being pushed.

"What, you HATE me now, too?" Axel hissed in between kisses.

"N—"

"What's that?"

"It—"

"You hate—"

"IT'S NOT SORA'S FAULT!"

With that, all feeling in Axel's body went numb as his head met the floor. Dazed, he first stared at the ceiling and started angrily cursing to himself, all the while wondering just what in the hell went wrong. He brought a hand up to his temple and squinted to try and focus, but nothing good seemed to be coming out of it.

He could vaguely hear panting where he'd left Sora against the wall, only this time it really didn't sound like Sora's voice. And because of that realization, Axel's empty chest started to pulse and ache. Strange...

"...What happened to me has nothing to do with Sora. You don't have the right to screw him over, Axel."

Axel blinked and remained with his back on the floor. "What?" he asked tiredly as if nothing had happened.

"I made the promise, remember?"

"I—" Axel's head was suddenly throbbing with pain and all he could blame were the fucking memories. Funny. What he'd learned to rely on as a Nobody was becoming his number one enemy. Strangely, he found that amusing and began to chuckle while the pain went on. "Hmhm..."

"...What happened to you?" Roxas asked slowly.

He continued laughing silently to himself. Really, he had to be crazy...and Roxas felt like he was the one responsible. But unlike Sora, Roxas wasn't afraid to confront Axel and, not only speak to him in this state, but actually touch him. He'd learned that Axel didn't learn much from words, but more from action. He was still trapped inside Sora as he watched Axel on his back and cackling on the dirt floor where he'd sent him with a push of his shoulder.

His eyes lowered and to the best of his ability, Roxas took control of Sora's body—first pushing away from the wall and moving toward the redhead on his knees. As it happened, Axel didn't see him. He was too distracted, too confused and distraught to know what the hell was going on. Roxas thought that maybe this was the outcome of all the Nobodies that failed to receive a heart before being flung back into darkness.

They became freaks.

The image didn't surprise Roxas in the least, and if anything made him more sympathetic toward Axel—his best friend...his only one at that. He might've been laughing, but Roxas knew better. A smile on Axel was merely a mask.

He moved Sora's body closer and for once the brunette didn't seem to be resisting. And so, with little effort and with a deep breath, Roxas sent both he and Sora colliding with Axel's body where he could properly speak to him. But Axel had other things in mind, and while he might've been hysterical, coming in contact with Roxas—his Roxas—made him want to be normal. So he steadied his laugh and tilted his head to get a better look at Roxas' face. The way it used to be...

"Ya know, Rox," he started in a croaked voice, "I really thought we were gonna be the only ones left." Feeling the blonde—or brunette or whatever he was—Axel gently moved his head and looked down at his chest.

There he is, he thought with a smile. But his smile wasn't one of a maniac or a sadist, but one of a friend. A warm smile, one that came in remembrance of someone, something, some touch.

He sighed along with the smile that came and went on to explain, "You'd think I'd be long gone by now, huh, Roxas?"

Roxas simply listened with his head down.

"Mm. See, that's what I thought. You thought that I was...dead." Using his fingers to the best of his ability, the redhead flipped them and twirled them carelessly in the air above his head on the last word, giving it a...happier meaning. "No, no. We Nobodies don't die, Roxas. Just a common misconception."

Axel then lowered his head back down on the floor, since his neck was beginning to feel strained, and gazed off at the open window in the ceiling. The storm wasn't as strong as it had been and the rain was only just beginning to turn into a drizzle. His face began to relax on that thought—the smile turning soft and his eyes narrowing as if in a moment before sleep.

Best of all, here was Roxas. His boy.

"I wanted t' see you. Talk to you. Call me a ghost if ya want. Like I'm hauntin' you, I guess. I dunno."

"What do you want from me?" Roxas asked to the side, his cheek still pressed onto Axel's chest and his head turned away to avoid eye contact. Axel noticed this and chuckled in amusement.

"All of you, Roxas. That too much t' ask?"

Roxas sighed and barely lifted his head. "I can't do that."

Hearing that, Axel's eyes fluttered and his smile turned upside down. Sora had definitely fucked up Roxas' head. For sure. Otherwise Roxas would never deny an offer like that. "Why not?" he asked, again as a child would. The blonde, drenched under pale moonlight, sniffled, and still without turning his head, replied with:

"All we promised was that we'd meet again. We never said anything about staying together. Sora...needs me."

But Roxas sounded sad. And hearing him sad made Axel surer that he was telling nothing but lies. Again he was hurting because of the stupid lies that the two of them had told him. Was it because he was scary? Really? Was that it? No, no, no! A promise is—a promise is a promise! It wasn't fair! He'd gone through all this trouble only to be rejected...

On an impulse, the redhead sat upright, causing Roxas to raise his head and stare at him with sparkling eyes. Staring down into the boy's face, Axel gritted his teeth and using both his hands grabbed both sides of Roxas' head and pulled him closer to his body. Roxas braced himself, still tied and unable to move around and faced Axel with as much composure as he could muster.

He knew what Axel wanted, and most of all he knew that he was going about earning it in the only way he knew—through force, through unpredictability. That was what he was, what he always was. A fire starter, a joker, a rebel. Remembering that, Roxas felt his other half let out a sigh of resignation. Ah, so now Sora understood who Axel was. So now he could understand that no matter what, they would never win.

Axel would get what he wanted.

Breathing heavily, the redhead kept Roxas' head beside his and though his eyes were filled with anger, he was anything but. He yanked the leather gloves off of his arms with his teeth and tossed them carelessly over his shoulder. A laugh nearly traveled up his throat, but in one move Roxas stopped it dead in its tracks.

Their lips touched. Finally.

At first Axel was confused. Baffled! How did he know? Kissing Roxas...kissing...Roxas. It always made him crazy.

The blonde clenched his hands into fists and squeezed his eyes shut once he'd started the simple kiss, because now he knew that he'd set all of Axel out of control. He could feel the fire raging past his skin and his soaked clothes burning and being ripped to shreds while stinging fingers clawed at his chest and threw him upon the floor. A gasp escaped his throat when Axel climbed atop him and immediately went for his torso—biting and panting violently against his damp skin. He squirmed at the pain and his back arched, not because he loved the feeling, but because he knew he had too.

Axel would get what he wanted.

"I knew it, Roxas..." Axel hissed, sitting atop the blonde's waist and lightly dragging a finger along Roxas' stomach. He giggled to himself and lowered his body so that he could tease the bit of skin above Roxas' waist. "You wanted me, right?"

Roxas nodded to the side. "Yes..."

He felt Axel's body shake terribly when he said it. "Yeah?"

Again Roxas nodded and tilted his head up so that the underside of his neck was visible. "Yes."

Axel bit down on his lower lip, still trembling, and seemed to be moved to tears to hear that come from Roxas. Not only was he moved by it, but positively turned on. What a great thing to know that Roxas had been waiting all this time!

He continued to trace imaginary lines on Roxas' stomach, at first very lightly but that soon turned into an agonizing move. Using all of his fingers now, Axel stiffened them and began to claw until the skin tinted bright red. Harder and harder until that red brought blood. Roxas held his tongue but etched all over his face was ouch. Axel simply parted his lips in amusement and licked the little cuts.

"You'd even bleed for me? Hm?" he asked to which Roxas had to stop biting his tongue to respond.

"Y-yes."

"Hm. That means you...love me?"

Well, at first, hearing that made Roxas lose track of what was happening. He blinked and stared up at the ceiling in shock at the question. He honestly didn't know what to say. This was clearly a poor move since Axel had since grown tired of waiting and wanted the goods now. He yanked on the button to Roxas' pants and nearly ripped the zipper off while one hand still left scratches on the boy's skin. That pounding heart...the one that was his...it was under there, waiting and begging to be carved out...

"'Cause you know I love ya, right? Hm?"

"Ah...uh-huh." Roxas was having the worst time breathing as the pain seared through his abdomen. At his back, his fingers were digging into the dirt floor and his toes were curling impatiently in his shoes.

"So you do love me then? Say it."

"I—"

"SAY IT." That time, Axel wasn't so polite and punishingly grabbed at Roxas' inner thigh. He heard the blonde squeal and he only squeezed harder.

Roxas' eyes were shut and his lips parted wide for air to pass through when he whimpered, "I do."

"What was that!?"

"Mm! I...do."

"I just wanted all of you, was all, Rox. Come on...you should be happy." Axel's hands suddenly ventured up to Roxas' shoulders were he grabbed him and pushed him against the nearest wall. He didn't let go and yanked the boy closer so that he could proceed to kiss him deeply. All the while, Roxas and Sora went along with it—kissed Axel because it was all they could do.

But then...the kissing stopped. Abruptly. Instead, Roxas felt something different touch his lips. It was cold and stung when it touched the wound on the corner of his mouth.

Fluttering his eyes open, Roxas pulled his head away from Axel and noticed not only a smile, but shut eyes...and crying.

Just like that, he felt sorry. And just like that he came to realize that he really did love Axel. All of him. He just...always did. Regardless of what he did or said or what he had become, Roxas felt that he was the most important thing he could ever have. There was nothing else that would be able to give what Axel did. Nothing.

"...Axel."

His eyes were shut when he scoffed, still crying for a reason Roxas couldn't figure out. Unknown to Roxas, Axel's fingers wedged behind him and yanked harder on the knot that bound his wrists together. He didn't realize that he was set free until his ankles were, too, separated and his body dropped onto the floor as Axel pushed away from the wall.

"Get outta here," he muttered to the floor. Roxas rubbed his deeply wounded wrists and stared at the redhead while shaking his head.

"I'm not stable, Rox," Axel argued, running a tired hand through his hair afterward. "See, you make me have another half. A dangerous other half. In a sense, that makes me a lot like you, doesn't it?"

"I can't leave you like that," Roxas replied hastily while twitching a hand toward Axel's body. The redhead merely backed away from the touch.

"...Ya did it once, you can do it again."

With that, Roxas ran out of words to say. His wounds were still bleeding and dripping down his pale skin, and no matter how much Axel wanted to patch them up and clean it all away, he knew they'd only come back. Like those cuts and bruises, Roxas would also be there to haunt and bother Axel, and vice versa. They were scars.

Slowly rising to his feet, Roxas never took his eyes away from Axel—the only thing he ever had—who had propped his back up against the wall with his head turned upward, his legs stretched out in front of him, his bright eyes shut and a weak smile drawn on his thin lips. Rather than going back and helping him up, Roxas ran...and soon Sora regained his body.

Roxas was left to cry alone.

With both of them gone, Axel stared at the ceiling, at the dark blue and the sparkling stars that came after the storm. It was a sight he'd grown used to without Roxas. It was the closest thing he had to Roxas...that made him lose his mind and made him think thoughts that possibly weren't his.

With Roxas' blood still on his fingertips, Axel brought a hand to his face, covered his eyes and turned his head downward toward his lap, almost as if in regret.

And so he waited. Stolen from yet again.

"Hmhm. My...Roxas," he chuckled silently. "You'll be back. You'll be back...Ha. Ha. Ha."

let's see...let's check off all the disorders mentioned, kids! kleptomania, pyromania, pseudobulbar affect, sadism, masochism, bipolar disorder, a tad bit of negation delusion, general delusion, anxiety and depression.

:D yep. all that and a bag of skittles to go with yer happy meal. isn't that nice? -children cheer-

XD that wasn't all planned out, i swear. no, really. i typed this up without much of a plan. i mean, it just came to me after i watched the dark knight that: "dang. axel as a maniac is...strangely arousing." XD really! i have to admit that having axel with a joker-esque personality is, ah, AMAZING. makes him sexier than he already is, i think. ADMIT IT. xO

well, thank you to those of you who spent their time reading this story, if not bothering to open it and, ah, skim it? possibly? D: it was very fun to write this up, mostly because of axel's obsessive behavior and roxas slash sora's submissiveness. hope that the switching of the personalities wasn't too confusing there. X'D let's see, what else...ah, yes. tell me what you think? really, if you wanted more blood, lemme know. it's the only way i can figure out how to do gooder...

BADDER ENGLISH FTW.

so! don't worry! i'm going to get back to updating the stories that are ongoing on my profile at the moment; i haven't forgotten! it's just that...ah...with all this hoopla at school, ya know...it can be a tad difficult to get onto the computer at night and type up enough lines. i blame the textbooks. ...and the lack of kingdom hearts information about re:com coming to the united states. AH, DANG IT, I WANNA KNOW!!

enough of me ranting, and more of me going beddy-bye. peace out, and hope axel didn't make you nervous...

sequel? :O
kokoro77