Chapter Five

I am overwhelmed the response this story has been getting. It's really weird. You guys STILL haven't figured out the mystery anime character that's hiding in here. And I don't watch Code Geass, sorry. So I didn't know I had made a reference when I said C.C. to Code Geass. I was thinking more along the lines of that cat they replicated and called C.C., (Carbon Copy)

I'm reading way too much science articles.

That mystery anime guy only appeared once, though. So I doubt that you would have gotten it right away. But it's all right. You will, when he appears again. Ah, another clue. He's a guy.

Anyway, this chapter includes a Zexion. A sexy Zexy. And the rickety house. And if someone is reading this, I'll be releasing the next chapter in two weeks. This thing will be updated once in a fortnight. And did I just use the word fortnight? Yes, I did.

Note: I am really sorry for the late reply. School got a bit hectic these past few weeks. And also, I didn't have internet over the holidays. So imagine me typing the second half of this story in a five star hotel. Because that is where I am. Instead of enjoying myself outside the sunshine, I am here continuing the story for you guys. Because I love you.

Zexion stared at the numbers before him. He couldn't really understand where he had gone wrong. Zexion squinted his eyes even more; he glared at the computer screen that glowed brightly in the dark room. It was midnight and everyone else in the Organization had gone off to their own missions, leaving Zexion behind all alone in the headquarters. Usually he only had the headquarters all to himself for an hour before Roxas would come and join him with his nightly duties. Unfortunately, Roxas was sent off to Destiny Islands to investigate something the leader was probably just paranoid about. Either way, he was going to be alone for the next six or seven hours. The other members usually went out before they reported back to Zexion for a mission completed.

Zexion used to go on missions, too. In fact, he was only second to Larxene back when she was alive in the torture department of their extremely small company. She would handle the physical torture and he would handle the mental torture. Together they went on the harsh missions. They were called on every time the mafia or any other underworld organization would need their services to take revenge. Their most popular client was the Hyena gang. They would take revenge out on anyone and Zexion and Larxene would fulfil their sickest, most gruesome wishes.

But ever since Larxene was killed by some rather angry targets a few years ago, the leader had decreased the amount of missions Zexion had been assigned. He wouldn't even go on those torture missions anymore and was only allowed to go on reconnaissance missions with Demyx or Roxas. Eventually, no missions were given to him and soon he just became the accountant, the lawyer, the sales department and really the whole office of the Organization. Zexion didn't mind, it gave him more time to research and to hone his skills by watching mediocre horror movies and snuff films they find in a target's home.

As his mind drifted back to the problem before him, Zexion stopped thinking about the past and went back to the computer screen. A few taps on the keyboard later and a press on the ENTER button later, the numbers didn't lie. The result came out in the unfamiliar red font. Pushing up his glasses further up on the bridge of his nose, he tried again. Still, the same result came and he realized that it was real.

The Organization was losing money.

"Done!" Axel said, slowing down at the end of the track.

"That isn't fair, Axel! You have long legs, you're barely sweaty and you look like you're ready for more laps!" Sora whined, still on his seventh lap.

"It's not my fault I'm just awesome. Commit it to memory!"

Sora huffed and started running even faster. Riku was already on his ninth lap and the girls' volleyball team were already finished with their try-outs.

A week after Roxas was sent to the hospital courtesy of Axel's fists, everything returned to normal. Roxas still hadn't come back to school yet but he was to return the following week. The entire school had stopped talking about the whole fight when the sports clubs released the time and schedule for the try-outs. Freshmen were encouraged by the higher years to join, mostly because once you're an athlete and you've entered competitions, your grades will never go down, not even once.

So Sora, Riku and Axel tried out for the volleyball team. Even though Axel never once played the sport, he shrugged that off; signed up for the try-outs and said he would wing it. Sora and Riku stared at him in awe, volleyball wasn't exactly that easy and it was one of the most competitive sports around Destiny Islands.

And so when Axel started acing every single activity for the boys' volleyball try-out, Sora and Riku could not comprehend the approving looks and the whispers of future volleyball scholarships behind their backs. Axel didn't even look physically inclined, he was thinner than Sora and he still eats so much more than Riku, Kairi and Axel combined. It really was a strange revelation.

Sora ran even faster, determined to get in the volleyball team. It was crucial to join, lest his grades go down at a very steep slope. He wasn't exactly dumb, but he wasn't exactly smart either.

The new members were announced. He got in, alongside with Axel and Riku.

Roxas flipped the page on the book. It wasn't really the book he had asked for, but it was good enough. His doctor had advised against tiring himself too much but according to the pills the Organization had provided him with, he could do a backflip and run a ten mile course at this point of recovery. The only reason he was actually even in the hospital was because Xigbar wanted to punish him.

To someone's point of view, he wasn't really being punished. If it were seen from a normal teen's view, it would actually look like he had taken a vacation and anyone would just relax and sleep all day, hoping the next few days would last a bit longer. However, this was what Roxas hated the most.

Inactivity.

Ever since he had been five, training was every day. The only times he would relax was on Sunday and even on those days his mind was working on the math problems Zexion gave him or the tactics training Xigbar would suddenly give out of nowhere. Roxas wasn't used to the silence of peace or the quiet of the hospital. When he couldn't hear someone screaming at his face to work harder, a sound of a gun cocking, a knife being sharpened, the crack of a whip or any sort of loud noise, he could hear his mind screaming the most.

He could hear someone screaming, someone gnawing to get out of this shell he had built, to get out of the very defences he had created. Sometimes the voice screams so loud in his head that he has to make noises on his own. Grab a knife, sharpen it. Grab a gun, disassemble, assemble and shoot. Grab a kunai, throw it somewhere. Call Axel. Anything, really.

Unfortunately, Xigbar took away every weapon he had and Axel wasn't talking either.

Sure, he could summon the keyblade and just start slashing at the air, but how would he explain to the hospital staff the giant key he could summon out of nowhere? The weapons he could hide without difficulty but doubt remained for a giant key.

Roxas flipped the page again. Flipping the page kept him from hearing that voice. The faster he read, the more the voice was drowned by the story of the book.

I am happy with my life now. It wasn't like before, back when everything was dull and nothing mattered. My parents are back together, my brother and I haven't fought since that day and my friends are all with me. I think this calls for a happy ending, don't you think?

The end, reader. I hope for the best.

And the story ended.

Roxas closed the book and slammed it on the table. Another noise to keep away the voice. He had been too busy to realize the book had ended; his plans for the mission had gotten rearranged. Due to his little accident with Axel, new emotions had risen from his group of targets. Pence became wary of Axel, even suggesting plans to rough him up a little. Hayner became even more suspicious of him; it seems that the blond found out that Roxas kept getting straight A's even as he went to the skate park every day. Olette suddenly had this want for a relationship that was "more than friends" with Roxas. It was getting quite complicated indeed.

Footsteps echoed outside the hall, somebody was coming.

Roxas closed his eyes and tried to prepare himself. Ever since the whole accident, the trio of targets kept on visiting him, talking about the contest and whatnot. When Pence and Hayner leaves, Olette makes up excuses like giving him his homework, telling him about school or just plain pretending to tell him girly stuff the two didn't want to know.

None of that was true.

When the two left, the strangest things happened. Roxas read about it in many of the psychology books and articles in his room back at the headquarters and it seemed to be better than just being friends so he decided to engage in the whole action.

They kissed.

The moment Hayner and Pence close the elevator doors, Olette's lips would crash onto Roxas' and they would kiss passionately. His hands would make their way to her waist and her hands would make their way to his neck, locking one another in an embrace. He would ask for entrance in her mouth and when she denied, he would pull her closer until she moaned and opened her mouth. They would stay that way for a while, or at least until Olette ran out of breathe.

And when their make out session was over, Olette would sigh and fall unto Roxas' arms. He would hold her hand and she would rest her head on his chest. Olette would talk and Roxas would listen. That was how things usually started. It was surprising, though. Olette started the whole thing after their first visit. He didn't know how to respond to that action without having to delay the mission and so he just went ahead with it.

It was a nuisance, to begin with. She would talk about emotions and Roxas would have to search his brain on how to reply properly to every question or statement. Making relationships as friends were enough, secret lovers weren't in any of the books he had read. So instead he had opted for a spy's handbook for reference and everything seemed to be working fine.

The footsteps came nearer and nearer until the person was just outside of his room. Roxas opened his eyes and tried to take all the energy he had to pretend he had emotions. He prepared himself for the hostile Hayner, a wary Pence and a lustful Olette.

When he opened his eyes, instead of the trio he was expecting, in place were Axel and his group of targets.

"Hey." Axel said reluctantly.

Roxas nodded at him and looked at the trio warily. He wasn't prepared to deal with the hyperactive brunette and his cronies.

"Hey, Roxas! We wanted to drop by to make Axel say sorry for being such an ass and punching you last week. Anyway, he's been acting grumpy for the past two weeks and maybe if you forgive him he'll stop being such an ass to us and actually start taking volleyball seriously!" Kairi said.

Sora and Riku grunted at the volleyball comment.

"Will you shut your trap, Kairi? Ugh, I'm already talking to the guy, aren't I? Now, go shoo. This guy won't take me seriously with you guys in the room." Axel replied.

Soon enough, the trio informed Axel that they would be at the hospital cafeteria and wait for him to finish up because as Sora put ever so nicely he would "Make him cry" the next time he screwed up at volleyball practice.

"So." Axel started.

"So." Roxas ended.

"How are your injuries?" Axel inquired.

"Fine. How is your mission?" Roxas replied.

"Define 'fine', Roxas. Because I damn sure think that you have a different definition of fine than I do." Axel challenged.

"Two broken ribs, some internal bruising and a bit of a concussion." Roxas summarized.

"Hmm. That's good. It just looked worse than it did, considering you did three high class missions in a row. What made you think going to school with those kinds of injuries was okay?"

"Walking in the headquarters with those kinds of injuries was okay." Roxas said.

"Bull. Shit. Xemnas would kill you for ruining the tiles."

Axel laughed. It was better than it looked. Roxas looked better now, he supposed. The colour was back on his skin, the blood was all cleaned up and he was technically happy, even with the straight face.

"So, what kind of punishment did Xigbar lay on you this time?" Axel asked.

"A time out. Instead of going back to school, he's making me stay here until today."

"Hah. That's right. You have problems with relaxing." Axel grinned. It was nice to be talking to Roxas normally again. Then he remembered why they weren't talking in the first place and he frowned.

"Roxas-"

"Axel, my brother is twenty five years old. He's probably got a normal job and a busy life. In fact, he's probably even starting a family and thinking about the future. In one year, it's going to be a decade since he last saw me. I make sure of that. Who knows? Maybe he'll stop searching and-"

"I don't care. I want you to talk about him. Tell me. You said it yourself; it's been almost a decade. I have the right to know why you keep him alive while you slowly die in our Organization."

"You know that isn't true."

"For me, it isn't the truth. The Organization is my home; it saved me from the streets. For you, that is the truth. You had a home, why did you let go?"

Roxas contemplated Axel's words. He was right, after all. It had been a long time since Cloud even managed to get a slither of his memories back. There was a slim to none chance of him remembering (or even caring) now. It would even appear to him as a dream, even. Either way, it was safe to say anything.

"All right. But not right now. I'll tell you after I get out of this place. While Xigbar is out on a mission."

Axel grinned. Finally, he was getting Roxas to trust him.

A knock on the door took their attention. Sora smiled sheepishly and waved at the two of them.

"Uhm, Axel, sorry to interrupt but our ride is here. We either celebrate with you or without you."

"Celebrate what?" Roxas asked.

Sora's smile widened even more and walked in the room. "Didn't you hear? Me, Axel and Riku got in the volleyball team! We're celebrating! Uh, you can come with us if you want to, Roxas."

Roxas, for the first time, smiled at Sora.

"Sorry, I've got to stay here. Some other time?"

Sora gaped. He hadn't noticed it before, but now that it was quite obviously right in front of him, he gaped quite rudely. Roxas was handsome. Sure, he looked awesome with a straight face but now that his chip of ice on the shoulder had melted, he looked really handsome.

Axel laughed almost immediately at Sora's reaction.

"It's okay, Sora. That's what most people do when they see Roxas smile. Well, aside from another thing." Axel said.

"Hey! I'm still here!" Roxas reminded.

"Yeah, well, we're leaving!" Axel said.

"Hey, Roxas?" Sora said.

"Yeah?"

"You should smile more often, it looks good on you." Sora said, smiling at the blonde.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks." Roxas said.

Axel and Sora waved Roxas goodbye and walked unto the corridor where Kairi and Riku had been waiting. They talked animatedly while walking towards the elevator. When the elevator door opened, another group of teenagers met them and glared. More specifically, glared at Axel.

"Oh, look. It's the ass who beat up Roxas." Hayner said.

Axel glared back.

"Oh, look. It's the trash littering the school. Get out of our sight, Hayner." Riku commented.

"Gladly, pompous prick." Hayner replied.

The three then walked out of the elevator, continuing on to their obvious destination: Roxas' room. Their loud steps echoing through the hallway until the elevator doors closed.

"Man, what an ass." Riku said, crossing his arms.

"Calm down, Riku. It's just Hayner. Are you still mad about what happened during summer?" Kairi asked.

"He's not worth it." Sora replied.

Axel's brain worked around this information. Summer. That was the months before school started. In other words, the time when Demyx had failed his mission and they got landed this mission. Now, Axel had grown fond of the three but the Organization always came first. He decided to investigate further.

"Don't leave me out! What happened during summer?" Axel asked.

Sora looked at Kairi and Riku. Did they trust Axel enough to tell him about their propaganda? Kairi disagreed. They had only known him for a few weeks. Riku nodded at Kairi's decision. Axel was a civilian; he didn't need to get involved with their goal.

"Uh, nothing big. It was just a brawl, I guess." Sora said.

Axel observed their actions and deduced they hadn't trusted him that much yet. This led to another conclusion in his head, they were involved in something. Big. If they didn't trust him enough to tell him all about what really happened during Hades' capture and Hercules' planned death, it meant they were involved.

Axel hoped that Roxas' group had gotten the short end of the stick and were the tattletales instead.

"Oh, okay then. Well, where's our ride? If it's a minivan I swear I will walk out on you guys that instant." Axel joked.

Everyone laughed at Axel. It seems he did not know enough to say something like that.

"Nope. Sorry, Axel. It's a-"

"Shh! Kairi, let him see it on his own!" Riku said.

"All right, all right."

And they walked towards the parking lot, with Axel confused and the three trying to prevent their laughter. Pretty soon enough, they had reached their ride and the rider.

Axel gaped.

He wasn't shocked at the vehicle, as impressive as it looked. He gaped at the rider who was casually leaning on the wall, staring at them.

He hadn't ever seen a photo of Roxas' brother. In fact, he had only known the man from the few snippets Roxas sometimes slipped out. However, the moment he laid his eyes on the man in front of him he had known.

This was Cloud.

He had blonde hair, except it was a bit lighter than Roxas. His blue eyes mirrored Roxas' cobalt blue orbs. Their hair had the same spiky edge to it. Cloud's whole picture was a mirror reflection of Roxas.

And Roxas was only a few hundred metres away.

"Tada! Pretty neat, huh? Oh, and this is Cloud." Sora said, waving at the motorcycle and Cloud.

Cloud looked at the redhead the three were feverishly talking about since high school had started. He was a sophomore yet he befriended more freshmen than sophomores. It seems the guy didn't really fit the definition of ordinary. He had green tear drop tattoos below his green eyes and neon red hair. A bit on the thin side, but according to Sora and Riku, a student on his way to an athlete scholarship.

His name was Axel.

And he was staring right at Cloud.

"What's wrong with your friend?" Cloud finally asked.

"Oh, he's probably shocked it isn't a minivan but a pretty neat motorcycle! Right, Axel?" Sora said.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Hah, you guys got me there! Anyway, where are we going?" Axel asked, trying to shake his mind off the similarities between the brothers.

"Where else? To the ice cream shop!" Sora replied.

"Oh? And what kind of ice cream will you guys get?" Axel asked.

"The best kind! Sea salt ice cream!" Sora said, running off to ride Cloud's motorcycle.

Axel smiled. He was liking this group more than he was supposed to. Which reminded him of Roxas' predicament. It was a good thing they had switched targets lest Cloud sees him and his cover be blown. He wasn't sure what Roxas did every time Cloud got near to the truth, but he wasn't going to bother his best friend over something that can be avoided. In other words, avoid talking about Roxas throughout the whole time.

"Oi, Sora. Get off the driver's seat. That's mine. You guys sit in the cart beside me." Cloud said.

"What? Again? No fair. Why do we always sit there anyway?"

"Because, Sora, the last time I let you sit behind me you tried to spray paint my jacket with pink." Cloud replied.

Axel stared. Even their monotonous talking was the same. He couldn't help but compare even more. They were just so similar in so many ways. He couldn't even react properly to the happenings around him.

Cloud stared at the new redhead. Axel just kept staring at Cloud, even as the blonde stared back coldly. Cloud didn't trust the redhead. He was hiding something. Those eyes he had, they were strange. He couldn't put his finger on the feeling he got from Axel, but it wasn't a good feeling and that was all it took for Cloud to distrust the kid.

"Uh, Axel? Are you okay? Hah, you're probably thinking about your best friend, aren't you?" Kairi said.

"Yeah. You never stop thinking about that guy, don't you, Axel? He's fine! Well, he's hanging out with an ass, but he's fine!" Riku chimed in.

"Who?" Cloud asked. He wasn't one to pry in some kid's life, but Kairi implied something there. Something that might help his suspicions.

"Ooh. I see. He's probably remembering Roxas because Cloud looks like him!" Sora exclaimed.

Axel was a second too late from covering Sora's big mouth. The brunette just had to say his name, didn't he? Well, his cover blown now; might as well make a run for it.

As Axel reached out to make a dark portal to Roxas' hospital room to grab his best friend and run, Cloud spoke and Axel, for the second time that day, froze to his spot.

"Who's Roxas?"

Agh. Oh, fudge. This is such a short chapter but it took so long to write. I, once again, deeply apologize for the late update. My school was being an ass (Seriously, the last two weeks of school consisted of half quarter exams and passing a project for a competition) and my dad said no to going on the internet in the hotel because it was expensive.

I left another cliffhanger! And the rickety old house hasn't even been in here! Fuuudge. 9gag has been taking over my past time and Facebook has been doing so too. So reviewers, give me more fuel! Make me guilty! Say something like

"OMGosh I can't believe you! How dare you not update when you tell others to do so! Blah blah blah Roxas is hot blah blah blah CLIFFHANGER OH NO blah blah blah mindfuckery blah blah blah blah UPDATE OR I WILL KILL YOU."

Anyway, I will be starting a new story soon. Except it will be comedy. And Xemnas will be there. Hah. Another thing to look forward to. But it is now 12:26 am and I have to go to bed for my comfy five star hotel bed awaits. Ah, sleep.

Also, I'm terribly sorry for not replying to reviews. I usually don't do so because I suck at socializing but since you guys keep asking questions I will reply. With an incredibly rude reply. Aha! Did you see that? Sora talked to Roxas and Axel saw Roxas smile! Some good story development, don't you think? Merry Christmas, everyone.