Ok, I revised this (6/21/11) to make it a lot better because I suddenly became inspired enough to take a look at this story again. Believe me, I will finish it, but I just don't know when. I'm working on another story as of right now, and I feel that it should be my first priority.

So take a look. I changed POV's from 1st person to 3rd person limited. I feel like I do a better job writing in 3rd person. I changed some stuff plot wise but kept a lot of it the same because most of it wasn't too awful.

Disclaimer: I don't own KH, just the video games that have taken over my life.

SORA - Monday - 12:00 PM

"Did you hear? Axel Burns went missing! Why does the sexiest guy in school have to go missing? We've lost our only piece of eye candy!"

"You know, someone else got taken with him too."

"Really? Like who?"

"Uh, it's some nobody, what's-his-name from my chem class. He's the one that sits in the back and has no friends."

"Oh…right. But come on! Axel Burns! Missing? Why'd it have to be him?"

Sora couldn't believe what he was hearing. These people were talking about his brother like selfish jerks. They only cared about Axel Burns! So what if Axel Burns was popular and his brother wasn't? His brother didn't deserve this! He stepped out from his hiding place around the corner feeling the tears in his eyes well over.

"He's not a nobody! His name is Roxas, and he's my brother!" He wiped his tears and stared at their shocked faces. None of them said a single word. No apology, no remorse. Sora shook his head and scowled. "Forget this." He ran off down the hallway, unable to stand it anymore.

ROXAS - Saturday - 9:00 AM

Roxas really wished he didn't have Saturday morning detention. It wasn't his fault that he didn't do his homework because Sora decided to have video game night. Put any electronic device in front of him and Roxas was glued to it for hours.

Saturday morning detention meant dealing with two things Roxas absolutely hated. The first was waking up early. The second was much worse. He loathed having to sit in the same room as Axel Burns for hours. Just thinking about it made him scowl.

Axel Burns was a cocky, self-centered, and popular bastard. His piercing green eyes leered at you like a demon, ready to make you feel worse than dirt. Girls swooned over his long, spiky red hair and his long, lean body and he passed them all by without a single glance. And Roxas hated him for it.

So, while everyone knew and worshiped Axel Burns and the ground he walked on, no one paid any attention to Roxas He was the outcast who always sat by himself during lunch. And he really didn't care. He was short, blond-haired, and blue-eyed. His features were strangely similar to Sora Strife. No one bothered to notice

Roxas and Sora were twin brothers who were very close...when no one else was around. At home the two were inseparable. They did everything together: played video games, watched movies, ate meals and they even slept in the same room. But at school they lived in opposite worlds. Sora was bubbly, optimistic, and easy to talk to. Basically, he was everything Roxas wasn't. Sora was one of the most popular guys at Twilight High, along with his best friend Riku and Axel Burns, because he brought the life to "the life of the party."

The The usual suspects were already in the detention room when Roxas arrived. They were all troublemakers in their own right and Roxas never had any interest in making friends with them, especially the jerk who sat in the second row with his obnoxious fiery red hair. Roxas sat down in the very last desk and immediately slouched in his chair, already bored. Just two hours. Two hours and then he could go home and watch a movie with Sora like they had planned.

"So, welcome to detention. I'm disappointed to see so many familiar faces…"

Roxas glanced up disinterestedly at the teacher and held in a yawn. The guilt trip wasn't working and wasn't gonna work.

"Instead of having you sit here for the next two hours, the janitor has asked that you help with scraping the gum off the underside of all the desks. You'll each be assigned rooms to work individually…"

Roxas withheld a sigh as the proctor continued. He hated anything that involved touching other people's germs, especially something that had been inside someone else's mouth. Eventually the proctor finished her speech and Roxas followed the rest of the students out of the room to his assigned room.

Roxas scrubbed his hands vigorously in the bathroom. Today's detention sucked. Every time he had to scrape someone's gum off he would start to gag. Luckily, no one was around to watch him dry heave over the garbage can.

He grimaced at the mirror as he finished rinsing off his hands. As he reached for a paper towel, his worst enemy entered the bathroom: Axel Burns. Roxas turned quickly to the paper towel dispenser, clearly ignoring him. He tossed his damp paper towel in the garbage, ready to leave.

The bathroom door swung open a second time and Roxas barely had time to blink before he was slammed up against the wall, inches away from smacking his face into the paper towel dispenser.

"What the hell?" he yelled. He struggled against whatever had pinned him so roughly against the wall and blindly kicked behind him. "Get off!" His arms were wrenched behind him, and he felt a sudden sharp sting in his arm like a shot. His body suddenly felt heavy, and he slouched against the wall, going limp. His vision was fading fast, and his muddled brain couldn't figure out why.

"Looks like we'll be having another guest joining us."

Roxas blacked out.

Saturday - 3:00 PM

Roxas's head was pounding. He let out a groan and tried to move into a different position but found he couldn't. He opened his eyes in confusion and saw nothing but black. "The hell?" he grunted.

"Finally awake, kid?"

Roxas snapped towards the voice, recognizing it immediately. "Axel Burns, this is your fault!"

"My fault? I don't even know who you are. Not my fault."

"This is some joke! These people have to be after you, not me!" Roxas could tell by his voice that Axel Burns was close by, right across from him, but he couldn't help but yell loudly anyway. This jerk had better realize what serious shit they were in because of him. He was blindfolded and handcuffed to a freaking pole! This was his fault.

"Heh, don't worry, kid. They'll just ask for a ransom, and you'll be on your merry way outta here in no time."

Ok, so he obviously didn't realize what serious shit they were in, or maybe he didn't care. The way he was reacting was really pissing Roxas off. "What the hell is wrong with you? Someone could kill us any second for all I know!" He pulled at his arms in vain, desperate to somehow get free. "Shit shit shit!"

"Relax, kid. There's nothing you can do right now. Be a good kid, and maybe they'll let you out on good behavior."

Roxas stopped struggling and glared. "My name isn't kid. It's Roxas!"

"Huh. Still don't know ya. You go to Twilight Middle?"

"Why would I be at Twilight High for detention if I went to a middle school? You don't think do you? I'm a sophomore at Twilight High."

"You were at detention? What a naughty kid you must be. You sound like a little shrimp though."

"Really?" Roxas was exasperated. "I'm Sora Strife's twin brother, you—Oh my God, Sora! He's waiting for me at home and probably freaking out that I'm not home yet!" Roxas could see Sora waiting at home for him unsuspectingly. He didn't even have a clue. "Oh my God, Sora. Oh my God."

"Relax, relax. It'll be okay. Maybe he thinks you got sidetracked."

"No, just no. I always call home whenever I'm running late." Sora was crying. He was freaking out. Roxas just knew it. And there was no way to let Sora know that he was okay. "Oh my God. He's probably about to have a panic attack or something! Shit shit! What do I do? What can I do?" Roxas was near tears himself from thinking about all the pain Sora was probably going through. He breathed in shakily to get himself to calm down, but he sounded like a whimpering dog. "What do I do?" he asked himself again.

"Nothing. Just get your mind off it," Axel Burns said calmly. "Nothing you can do. Nothing."

"Nothing," he repeated slowly.

"Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Got it memorized?"

Roxas bit his lip, oblivious to Axel Burns' attempt to make light of the situation. "Dammit." He kicked out his legs in frustration and smacked something.

"Ow. This is what I get for trying to make you feel better? Screw you."

"Was that your foot?"

"Uh, yeah," Axel Burns said as though Roxas was a three year old who didn't understand anything.

"Shut up." He kicked at him again to rid himself of all his pent up frustration. "You deserve it for getting me into this!"

"So we're back to this already?" He nudged Roxas's foot with some force. "I told you: it's not my fault."

Roxas pouted even though he knew Axel Burns couldn't see. "Right," he drawled. It was embarrassing enough that Axel Burns knew that Roxas almost had a breakdown. But instead of making fun of him like Roxas expected, he tried soothing him. And it worked. Even so, Roxas refused to believe that Axel Burns could actually be a nice guy. It was just a fluke, a onetime occurrence, never to happen again. Right?

Right.

SORA - Saturday - 4:00 PM

Sora clutched onto the television remote, glancing at the clock for the millionth time. It was already 4:00 and Roxas still hadn't come home. He had called Roxas at least six times already and got nothing but his voicemail. Sora was starting to really worry. Roxas always came home when he said he would and Roxas always answered his phone.
Sora flipped his phone open and hit the speed dial to reach Roxas. "Please answer," he pleaded. There was still a faint glimmer of hope that his brother would answer.

ROXAS -Saturday - 4:00 PM

"My phone." Roxas's heart started racing. His phone was ringing from somewhere far away, and it was getting louder as time passed. He could hear a step of footsteps approaching with his phone, and his heart was beating a mile a minute with fear and anticipation. It had to be one the kidnapper.

The room fell into silence, heightening the tension. He heard a clatter. His phone had hit the floor. Following the clatter was a devastatingly loud crunch that echoed off the walls. "No!" The only thing Roxas could picture in his mind was someone's heel smashing itself into his poor phone.

"Bastard, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Axel Burns snapped.

Laughter. "It was getting annoying, so I took care of it. I just thought I'd let the owner know."

It was a man's voice that Roxas didn't recognize. The man sounded amused. Clearly he was proud of himself for obliterating Roxas's phone. "Who—"

"Let the kid go. He won't say anything."

Roxas almost gaped in surprise. Didn't Axel Burns realize this guy could kill them? And why was Axel Burns sticking up for him? Roxas gave him nothing but shit since he woke up.

The man scoffed. "You know we can't do that. The boss is pissed enough that we brought an extra person with us."

"Tch."

The man chuckled, and Roxas froze. He could sense the man looming over him. He recoiled when the man placed his hand on his head and ended up banging his head against the pole he was sitting against. He bit his lip to keep from crying out in pain and anger, especially after the man had started laughing at him.

"You're pretty tense, kiddo." He drummed his fingers playfully against Roxas's skull. "So, you're name is?"

Roxas turned his face away from where he assumed the man was. He refused to make this easy for a guy who just crushed his phone. "Why don't you just check my wallet since you stole it along with my phone?"

The man pulled on Roxas's hair roughly. "Feisty, aren't ya kiddo?"

Roxas held his breath, immediately regretting his spark of resistance. He was expecting the guy to shoot him on the spot. He felt something cold press against the tender flesh of his neck.

"Your name?"

Sweat trickled down Roxas's back and the fear continued to bubble in his stomach. "Roxas Strife," he whispered pathetically. Damn, he really had no backbone.

The kidnapper chuckled and pulled the weapon away from his neck. "Good to meet you Roxas Strife. My name around here is II. I'll be the main guy watching over you while you're our guest."

Roxas almost gagged at from the sweetness in II's voice. Just two seconds ago, the guy was threatening him with a knife, and now he was acting like a hotel manager talking to his guests.

"Cut the crap, Xig—"

"Watch your mouth, Axel, or we might have to kill this kid. You wouldn't want that on your conscience would you?"

Axel Burns responded with silence.

II chuckled quietly. "That's what I thought. See ya."

Roxas listened to II's footsteps as he walked away. He heard the sound of creaking stairs and eventually the slamming and locking of a door. Then, nothing.

SORA - Saturday- 5:00 PM

Roxas still wasn't answering Sora's calls, and now Roxas's phone was completely out of service. Something was most definitely wrong. Sora pulled the contact book from the writing desk in the kitchen. His fingers shook uncontrollably as he flipped through its pages until he finally found the number he needed.

He dialed the number slowly, trying to calm his racing heart.

"Hello? Cloud Strife."

He drew in a deep breath. "Dad, Roxas hasn't come home. I called him and left at least twenty voicemails, and now his phone is completely out of service. I can't get a hold of him." His voice cracked, but he still pressed on. "Something's wrong."

ROXAS - Saturday - 5:00 PM

Roxas tried stretching his arms to relieve himself of the discomfort, but they only burned in more pain from being wrapped around the pole for so long. He hissed loudly in discomfort, frustrated by the whole situation. He was especially rattled by II's introduction from only an hour ago.

"Your arms sore? Mine are killing me."

"They hurt like a bitch and my butt is numb from this hard ass floor I'm sitting on."

Axel Burns laughed, despite their situation. "You sure you're related to Sora Strife?"

"Positive," Roxas answered dryly. "Twins may look alike but they don't have to act alike."

"Brown hair, blue eyes like him?"

"Same blue eyes, but blonde hair."

"You short like him too?"

He could just imagine the smirk on his face. So what if he was short? "Shut it. At least I'm not a skinny, stuck-up pretty boy that hits on everything that breathes."

"You think I'm pretty? I'm so flattered."

"I will kick you."

Axel Burns just laughed. Roxas cracked a small smile. Axel Burns… No. Axel, didn't seem like such a bad guy after all.

SORA - Saturday - 6:00 PM

The house phone rang, a noise so loud it shattered the silence. Sora jumped off the couch and made a mad dash to the phone. The caller i.d. was blank, and Sora just stared at the phone unsure of what to do. He reached for the phone shakily and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello. Would you be willing to take a small survey? It will only take a minute or so—"

Sora ended the call immediately, scowling at the way his heart was racing so quickly. Why did he think it would be Roxas? His brother would have called from his cell phone, not from some unknown number.

The phone rang again, and Sora stared at the shrieking device in his hand. "Damn unknown number again." He answered it without a second thought, ready to flip out at the surveyor. "I don't want to take a survey! Don't you people get it? It takes a lot longer than a minute of your time, and it's a pain in the butt! So leave me alone, and don't ever call this number again!"

The guy on the other line merely chuckled. "Is this a member of the Strife family?"

Sora gaped at the coolness of the man's voice. He wasn't perturbed at all the Sora was just screaming his head off at him. "Uh, yeah… It is," he replied lamely.

"I have a message for you then: Don't call the police. You don't know what might happen to the item you lost if you do."

"What?" Sora held out the phone away from him in terror. He took a few shallow breaths to calm himself and then brought the phone back to his face. "What do you mean?" he whispered.

"I believe you know exactly what I mean. Expect another call from me in due time."

There was a click. The man had hung up.

"Roxas…"

ROXAS - Saturday - 6:30 PM

"Man, I'm hungry. And I need to pee," Axel moaned.

"Join the club," Roxas said without any sympathy. He was trying to ignore the immense amount of rustling Axel Burns was making. He wanted to take back what the nice thoughts he had earlier. Axel was indeed an annoying guy.

The rustling stopped. He finally found a more comfortable position. "Why do I get the feeling that you don't like me very much?"

"Because I don't."

"And why is that?" He prodded Roxas with his feet, and he kicked back in retaliation.

"You're an asshole who only cares about himself. You treat people like trash."

"Only certain people."

"Which means?"

"I'm not saying. It's a secret. Everyone's entitled to their own secrets."

"So you're not gonna tell me."

"Nope."

"Asshole."

"It's Ax-el, not asshole. A-X-E-L. Commit it to memory."

Roxas heard a creak at the top of the stairs and held back his retort. "Quiet!" He whispered and kicked Axel roughly. "Someone's coming!"

"Ow! Damn, don't kick so hard!"

Footsteps were coming down the stairs. They stopped in front of Roxas moments later, and he froze in terror. Something was pressed against his temple, and he heard a click. A gun.

SORA - Saturday - 6:45 PM

Sora looked up at his dad from his place on the couch. He had been sitting there for hours, staring at the phone and hugging his knees waiting for his dad to come home.

"Dad!" He scrambled off the couch and ran at his father about to fall apart. "Dad!" he sobbed.

His father glanced in the living room to see if Roxas was there but saw it was empty. "Roxas still hasn't come home? If he hasn't come home in another hour, then I'm calling the police."

Sora's eyes widened in desperation and fear. "No!" He took his father by the arm and looked at him through blurred vision. "You can't call the police! This guy…this guy…"

His dad removed Sora from his arm. "Why can't I call the police? Your brother is missing."

"This guy…" Sora repeated. "He called and told me something bad was going to happen to Roxas if you called the police! So, you can't Dad! You can't call the police!"

"A guy called?" His dad immediately became concerned. "What exactly did he say to you?"

"Just what I said. If we call the police, he'll do something bad to Roxas!"

His dad rubbed his forehead in distress. "Shit."

ROXAS - Saturday - 6:45 PM

Roxas took a few shallow breaths and tried not to move an inch. There was a gun pointed at his head. Was he going to die?

"You'll go to the bathroom, eat, have a nice chat with your family, and return here. You make any move I don't like—I shoot." It was II.

The pressure against his temple was removed along with his handcuffs. Roxas was jerked upward and forcefully guided by the arm to who knew where.

"Come on kiddo," II urged.

He was shoved forward and stumbled into something. The stairs, he realized. He searched for the railing shakily, assuming he was meant to go up the stairs. The railing provided a guide for Roxas, and he began to climb the stairs.

"Hey. Don't break him," Axel said

II scoffed, and Roxas blinked in realization. Axel was talking about him. He meant him. Why did he continuously back talk the kidnapper for his sake? He didn't understand. It was like Axel cared.

He was prodded forward until they made it to the top of the stairs. II grabbed his arm to prevent Roxas from running away. Didn't II realize that he didn't have any guts? He wasn't daring (stupid) enough to try to make a break for it.

A door opened, and the door to the basement closed. II dragged Roxas forward and finally let him go after he heard the door was slammed shut and locked. He stood still, too petrified to move.

"Take your blindfold off and put it on the table, kiddo," II ordered.

Roxas hesitated but obeyed. He tugged off his blindfold with shaking hands and blinked to get his eyes to adjust to the dimly lit room.

In the center of the room was a long wooden table with two chairs placed on either side. Remembering what he was told, Roxas placed the blindfold on the table. There was a pizza box on the table, and he stared at it hungrily.

"Use the bathroom. Leave the door open."

Roxas glanced behind him to get a look at II. Two tall figures stood by the door. They wore identical black clothing with their hoods pulled over their heads to shadow their faces. Roxas figured the one holding the gun was II, but who was the other?

II pointed the gun directly at him, and Roxas stilled at the sight. He could still feel the sensation of the barrel of the gun against his temple. This man wouldn't hesitate to shoot him. That much Roxas could guarantee.

"Come on kiddo," II said again. "Hurry it up."

He noticed a door to his left. The bathroom. He pissed quickly, despite having a hard time zipping his pants because of how badly he was shaking. He washed his hands quickly at the sink and looked. There was no mirror to his relief. He was afraid he looked as bad as he felt.

"Sit down and eat," II ordered.

Roxas mustered enough courage to glare at II for all his blunt orders. He moved from the bathroom doorway and sat at the table facing his kidnappers. One sniff of the pizza was all it took for Roxas to jam the cheese pizza down his throat. It was only topped with cheese, but he didn't care. Grease dribbled down his chin and hands, and he had to resist licking it off.

On my third finished slice, II sat down across from me. "The rules: you may only give a simple 'Yes, I'm still breathing' message. Nothing more." The other kidnapper pulled out a phone from his pocket and handed it over to II. "Don't touch the phone either," II added, taking the phone. He shoved the pizza box over and dialed the phone. Roxas stared in anticipation when the phone began to ring after II placed it on the table.

"Hello?"

It was Sora. Roxas could tell from that single word how worried Sora was and bit his lip in guilt. Tears came to Roxas's eyes as soon as he glanced over at the phone. This was real. This was really happening.

The other guy in black leaned against the table. "Hello again," he greeted. "I hope you haven't called the police?"

"No."

"Good boy. Is your father home?"

"I want to talk to Roxas first."

The man scoffed in irritation, but nonetheless he nodded at Roxas, allowing him to speak.

"Sora."

"Roxas!" Sora sounded worried yet slightly relieved. "Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay!"

"I'm fine," he responded softly. He didn't know whether or not it was the truth, but he didn't want his brother to worry.

"Don't worry Rox. Dad and I will get you outta there."

Under normal circumstances, Roxas would have smiled at Sora's optimism. "I know." His voice had cracked, and he had to clear his throat. "I know," he whispered. He bowed his head to hide his tears of shame and fear and said nothing more for fear that he would lose it completely.

The kidnapper placed his hand on the table and leaned closer to the phone. "So, you've spoken. Now get your father on the phone."

"Fine."

"Cloud Strife here."

"You have sufficient proof that we have your son. $500,000—get the money, and you'll have your son returned to you. You will be contacted in a week with the expectation that you have obtained the money. Refrain from calling the police, or we'll be sure that you never see your son again alive."

II snapped the phone shut as soon as the other had finished speaking. They didn't even wait for a reply from the other end.

Tears fell silently from Roxas's face as he watched II hand the phone back to the other guy.

"Time to head back," II said. He snatched my blindfold from the table and stood up.

Roxas knew what was coming, so he stood up from his chair and waited. He stared down at the ground and felt the tears run down his cheeks. II tightened the blindfold over his eyes, and he became blind once again.

"Lead the way VII," II said, and he grabbed Roxas by the arm.

Roxas clambered down the stairs and was pulled towards his pole after reaching the bottom. Without a fight, he stood against the pole waiting. The handcuffs tightened around his wrists, and he sat down dejectedly. The blindfold was damp on his face.

"Stand up, VIII," VII demanded.

"My turn now?" Axel asked. "And it's Axel," he said, sounding annoyed.

Roxas heard the click of handcuffs over his sniffles and gasps for air from crying. They were taking Axel away.

"Let's go, VIII."

"It's Ax-el," Axel said and paused. "Be right back, kid."

Roxas nodded even though he knew Axel couldn't see him. The stairs creaked as they took Axel away, and the door clicking shut. Finally alone, Roxas let out a long, withheld sob.

SORA - Saturday - 7:00 PM

"$500,000? Goddammit."

Sora looked over at his dad's troubled face. "You'll be able to get the money won't you? I mean, Roxas…Roxas will…"

His dad placed his hand on Sora's shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "I'll get the money. Don't worry. Everything will be okay."

Sora gave his dad a watery smile and nodded. If his dad said that everything would be okay, then everything would be okay. He just had to trust him.

ROXAS - Sunday - 11:00 AM

Roxas didn't remember falling asleep when he opened his eyes. It came as no surprise when his vision remained black. Despite the nap, Roxas felt exhausted. He groaned and tried stretching out his arms since they had become cramped.

"You awake, kid? I was getting bored over here." A pair of feet nudged his, and he nudged them back.

"Sucks to be you."

"It does, doesn't it? Think about me when you get outta this shithole."

"You don't think you're leaving?"

"Nah. There's no way I'm giving them what they want. I'm as good as dead."

A chill ran down his spine at Axel's admission. "Don't say that. If it's money then my dad could probably help you. Just don't talk like that."

"It's not money." "Then what?"

"They want me to rejoin the group."

"Rejoin?"

"Organization XIII is the group that kidnapped you and me. I used to be their Number Eight. Then I decided that the drugs and the crime weren't for me, so I left. But I knew they'd never allow it. They're gonna kill me unless I rejoin. I'd rather die than be a part of that again. My life was messed up."

Roxas didn't really know what to say. It sounded as though Axel was in a lot of trouble with no way to get himself out. Guilt washed over him. He had been relieved to know that his dad and his brother had a way to save him, but while he was busy feeling relief, Axel was waiting without any hope of a future that he wanted. Basically, Roxas felt like crap.

"So kid, I hope they didn't rough you up too much upstairs."

Roxas bowed his head, thinking of his dad and Sora. "They let me talk to Sora. I couldn't keep it together…He sounded so worried and scared for me." Axel rested his feet against his in a comforting way, as Roxas continued on. "If anything, the situation feels more real to me. It finally hit me: I've been kidnapped, I'm being held for ransom, and I could be murdered any day."

"You won't get killed. They want the money. Besides, I doubt Xigbar would do much. It's Saïx you gotta look out for."

"Xigbar and Saïx?" He paused, thinking. "II and VII?"

"Yep. Good job kid."

"And you're VIII."

"Was," he corrected. "I was. Now I'm just Axel."

"What about the other numbers?"

"They're out doing other jobs for the Organization. They don't need eleven people looking after two hostages."

There was a creak from the top of the stairs and the sound of someone scurrying down hurriedly. "Oh shit, Axel. You're in deep."

"Really Dem? I couldn't tell," Axel replied.

Dem. Demyx. Roxas gaped in surprise. What was Demyx from Twilight High doing here?

"Take the kid's off too, will ya?"

Demyx hummed in response, and Roxas heard him approach. The blindfold loosened and fell from his face. Looking around instinctively, Roxas saw they were in a small basement. The windows were tiny and almost reached the ceiling, impossible to escape through. The walls and floor were concrete and numerous poles acted as support beams. As he glanced around for the first time, his blue eyes met Axel's green, and they really saw each other. Axel smirked at him smugly and whistled.

"Nice to see you and those pretty blue eyes of yours." Roxas rolled his eyes, happy that Axel could actually see it.

"Axel!" Demyx interrupted, crouching to his level. "What're you going to do? If you don't come back, they'll kill you!"

Roxas looked over at Demyx. His profile was to Roxas, and he immediately recognized that Demyx was wearing the same Organization sweatshirt as II and VII had been wearing. How did Demyx get involved with the Organization? He was such a bubbly, non-offensive guy, not someone Roxas would picture in a gang of lawbreakers.

"Whatever happens, happens," Axel answered. He stared at Demyx, daring him to argue.

Roxas stared at the sight, unwilling to believe Axel was giving up so easily. "I told you not to talk like that!"

The two looked over at him in surprise. "Why do you even care?"Axel asked, sounding annoyed. "I thought you didn't like me."

"It's hard not to when I'm stuck in a basement with you, but…" He regarded him seriously. "No one deserves to be murdered." He nudged Axel's foot the same way he nudged Roxas's before.

Axel flicked down to his feet, watching his feet against Roxas's. "I promised myself I wouldn't go back," he answered.

"Rejoin for now, and then run away, like to another city. Anywhere but here," Roxas offered.

"They'd find me somehow."

Demyx put his hand on Axel's shoulder, making Axel flinch. "Take the chance. Rejoin."

SORA - Monday - 7:45 AM

Sora had insisted to his dad that he should go to school when Monday came. At least at school it was normal not seeing Roxas. If Sora had been at home all his thoughts would have been on Roxas.

Sora saw Riku by his locker and ran over to him immediately. Riku was Sora's closest friend and the only one to know that he had a brother. He was Sora's comfort at school whenever he was having a problem, and for that Sora trusted him almost as much as he trusted Roxas…but Roxas wasn't here.

"Hey Sora. Good weekend?"

Sora couldn't find it in himself to look Riku in the eye. "Roxas…" He swallowed the lump in his throat, "…is missing."

"As in ran away, or…"

"Kidnapped." His eyes watered. "Roxas was kidnapped sometime on Saturday, and the people that took him want all this money or we'll never see him again." Overcome by grief, Sora leaned against his locker, holding back sobs. "Oh God. It's awful, Riku. I can't do anything to help."

Riku blinked, uncomfortable with the tears. He wasn't exactly the most attuned to other people's feelings. "I heard Axel Burns is missing too."

"What?" Sora caught Riku's eyes, and he saw that he was completely serious.

"Demyx texted me on Saturday asking if I'd seen Axel after detention. Apparently they were supposed to meet up, but Axel never showed up. Demyx was pretty worried."

"Do you think they were taken by the same people?" Sora sniffled.

"Two people that were together in the same place at the same time both don't go missing by coincidence." Riku crossed his arms and looked at Sora meaningfully. "Maybe you should go talk to Demyx. He's probably in the music wing like always."

"…Demyx…" Sora muttered, thinking it over. "I guess I have nothing to lose by talking to him."

"Exactly."

Sora moved off his locker with new determination. "I'll talk to you later then."

He ran the entire way to the music wing and saw Demyx sitting inside one of the music rooms with a guitar in his lap. "Demyx," Sora greeted as he entered. He plopped his backpack on the ground and slid into the seat beside Demyx. They were the only ones in the room among the twenty other chairs.

"Yeah?" Demyx asked, distracted by his guitar strumming.

"I want to ask you something."

"Mmm-hmm. What is it?" He strummed more intently and began to hum along.

Sora took a deep breath. This could either go extremely well or completely wrong. "Is Axel Burns in school today?"

Demyx hesitated for a split second, catching Sora's attention "No, he isn't." Demyx's grip on his guitar tightened, and he stood up from his chair. "I gotta put this in the instrument closet."

"Was he kidnapped by the same people as Roxas Strife?"

Demyx stopped at the doorway of the closet. "Who's that?"

Sora dug his fingers into his knees in frustration. "Never mind," he replied dejectedly. "You know something but won't say it." He got out of his seat, grabbed his bag, and stormed off towards the exit of the room. "The ransom will be paid, so Roxas better come out of this okay. And I hope that Axel Burns does too," he said.

As he was leaving, he managed to bump into someone. It just so happened to be Selphie, the biggest gossip in the school. She stared at him with wide eyes from where she fell on the floor.

"Axel Burns and Roxas Strife are being held for ransom by kidnappers? That's terrible," she said sadly. It only took a second for her frown to turn into a smile. "…And juicy."

Sora began to panic. "Don't tell anyone please!"

She laughed at the plea and got up from the ground. "Sora, you of all people should know that I don't keep secrets." She winked at him and then sauntered off.

"Not good." Sora turned around and saw Demyx standing in the doorway with an agonized expression. "Not good," he repeated.

So I hope you liked this new and improved version. I don't know when I'll update this next. Sorry. Reviews?