Roxas couldn't help the grimace that crossed his lips as he turned to face the herd of swarming mass that dived in and out of the thickening mist before them. Turning behind to look over his shoulder, his hand still caught in Axel's own, he glared at the demons that clawed forwards from behind before he turned back to face the front and started forwards, running as fast as he could and dragging the yelping redhead along with him.

"The hell are you doing!?" Axel yelled, fighting to pull his hand free as Roxas looked back and gave him a sly wink before he shouted back to him over the din.

"These monsters are on my turf now. It's about time I laid down a few rules."

Axel frowned before Roxas pointed down with his free hand and Axel stared at the ice that trembled and cracked beneath their weight, watching as it chipped and groaned to reveal a waking hole beneath. But still it held and the monsters drew nearer, their screams and hisses fermenting in a screech that left him partially deaf as the mist began to draw sweat from his skin, the prickling sensation turning into the slice of a thousand tiny needles.

It wasn't until they were so close Axel could actually see the monsters in their different forms that he began to partially understand Roxas' plan, watching as the blonde continued to look over his shoulder, increasing and lowering his pace in time with the monsters so they were dead in the centre of the advancing hoards that roared at their front and back. Turning back one last time, Roxas attempted to let go of Axel's hand, the mist drenching his hair to his skin as he panted and the air about his lungs tightened, as if the oxygen itself was trying to suffocate him, but as his fingers loosened he frowned when the redhead held on tighter.

Growling, he shook his hand and ignored the glare that was cast his way as he spoke. "Axel, you have to let go!"

"No-"

"You don't understand. We have to make the ice collapse."

"What?!" Axel roared, pulling back on Roxas' hand and pulling him to a stop as the monsters continued dashing forwards. "Why-

"You didn't really think we'd make it to the safe room in time, did you?" Roxas rolled his eyes, as if he believed Axel was acting stupid before he yanked his hand free and pointed his finger downwards once more. "There's something up with this fog and we've got less than five minutes before that door closes. We haven't got a weapon and neither of us have our powers." When Axel raised the knife Roxas scoffed and pulled it from his grip. "This won't get us far. The ice is hollow." As if to prove his point he banged hard on the ice and watched as a faint crack and a groan rang out. "But we don't have enough weight. Even with those demons, it's not enough. We need to make a tremor if we're going to get out of here-"

"How the hell-"

"Stay here and I'll show you." He was about to run of again before he turned back to stress the last part of his small plan. "Whatever you do, don't move."

"But those things-"

"Don't move!" Roxas growled, giving him a warning stare before he turned back towards the mist and started running, his eyes facing upwards as he scoured the ceiling and coughed, ignoring the black clots that came from his lips as he wiped them away and ducked beneath a stray screaming monster that attempted to slit his throat, sliding between its legs before he picked himself up and started running again, glancing upwards once more before he spotted it, the cliff that could quite possibly save their lives.

Heading towards the rock face, he ran up the wall for the first three steps, grateful that he was agile before he raised the blade high and shoved it into a small crevice that appeared, sighing with relief when it stuck fast before he raised his legs upwards and out of the way of the monster that snapped at his ankles and gurgled below, cocking its head questioningly as it attempted to understand why its dinner was suddenly halfway up the wall. Giving of a small grin, Roxas began his climb quickly, heaving himself up and placing his foot on the blade jammed in the rock as he attempted to reach upwards, still climbing as he aimed for the ledge above his head and listened to the growl of the oncoming slaughter. It was over the din that he heard Axel's voice screaming at him to hurry up as Roxas scraped his fingers against the thick rock and growled as his nails pulled some of the rock free.

Taking another shot in the dark, he went above the mist and climbed a little higher up the rock face, the sweat dripping down his face as his breath came in wheezing pants before a sudden adrenaline rush saw him climbing onto the ledge with all the strength he could gather as he hefted himself up on scraped elbows and kicked himself forwards, giving a pant of relief when all four of his limbs were atop the ledge and the hissing mewls of the creature below faded.

Standing and clutching the rock for balance as his vision blurred slightly, Roxas stared at the slippery white ice path that led from one side of the room to the next. Gulping hard, the clock inside Roxas' head told him that if he ran for it, he could make it to the safe room with seconds to spare…but that would still leave Axel on the ground. Roxas growled as his conscience weighed on him. On one hand he couldn't possibly leave the redhead, his feelings wouldn't allow it. On the other hand, Axel had ruined his entire life and everything it had ever stood for when he revealed his secret.

Biting his lip, Roxas kicked himself mentally and started forwards, listening as the creatures whistles and sadistic grunts rang out a few metres away from Axel, and looking down he watched as the redhead looked about uneasily and attempted to locate him. Stopping halfway, he grunted and let out a curse as his feet slipped slightly before beautiful green eyes looked up at him, full of hurt betrayal.

"What the hell are you doing up there?!"

"Just trust me-"

"Trust you?" Axel stared ahead of him before he glanced up once more. "You've left me down here as bait."

Roxas growled and ignored Axel's continuous curses as he waited, his knees bent and his elbows out as he prepared himself for his upcoming task. The creatures came close, only a few feet away, and Roxas stilled his heart and let the thumping beat pound in his ears as he closed his eyes, steadying his breathing as Axel shifted uneasily beneath him, locked between the approaching demons. At the last minute when the screeching had approached a deafening roar, Roxas jumped, his hands outstretched as he dived from the top of the rock face and started for the ground in a straight dive.

It was mere seconds before he collided with the redhead, grabbing the latter roughly before he spun and listened to the crack of his back against the ice and the yelp of Axel as the monsters jumped atop of them. The weight was enough and the ice began to plummet inwards, giant chunks breaking away as the monsters looked about in confusion before Roxas felt the ice at his back give way. As the ice broke away, he grinned to find himself in another free fall.

Turning, the wind whistling through his ears as fissures of ice cascaded about him, Roxas released Axel and watched as the redhead immediately pulled himself from him, ignoring the monsters that screamed and fell beside them as the mist swirled above them and dispersed when it tried to follow, as if some makeshift barrier was containing it to it's level. Roxas frowned at the giant hole they were falling down, the darkness encompassing him as all of the light faded and he heard Axel's growl over the screech of monsters that attempted to claw next to him before the ice crushed down about them.

"What the hell were you thinking!"

Turning towards his right, Roxas glowered at the seething redhead and shrugged as they continued to fall. "What?!"

"You could have just lifted me up! Now we're gonna-"

Roxas rolled his eyes and tilted out of the way of a large ice block. "Even if I would have lifted you we would have had to jump because of the mist-"

"At least we would have had-"

"Will you be quiet? I'm trying to think!" Roxas snapped, ignoring the rest of the redhead's comments as he scoured the area with his eyes and turned back to face the hole they had come through. There was still monsters up there, some not liking the risk and leaving and others preparing to jump for a bite of delicious meat. Turning to look to his left, Roxas spotted the faint numbers in the dark and frowned when he realised just where they were headed.

Turning back to face Axel, he decided to cut across his rambling. "Listen. See those numbers?" Roxas watched as Axel turned to face the Level Three sign that was printed on green glass before he turned back to face the blonde. "It looks like we're falling past all the previous levels-"

"How?"

"I'm not sure. The terrain keeps shifting. It doesn't make sense." Shaking his head Roxas continued with a bite of resistance in his voice. "Listen, if we're going to make it back up towards the others you have to trust me, got it?" Axel didn't answer and Roxas took it to mean yes.

Opening his palm up, Roxas let the numbness flow through him before he let the crystals flow from his skin. Grimacing, he forced the last of his energy from himself as a makeshift slide appeared before him. Turning his body so his legs were facing down, Roxas landed hard on the ice and began to drift down in a spiralling loop before he held his hand out and grabbed Axel roughly by his jacket, pulling him from the sky and placing him behind him, wobbling slightly before he turned to face the sign that read Level Two in red glass and growled before he turned to shout back over his shoulder. "Duck!"

Roxas groaned as his panting came in ragged breaths and he turned his makeshift rollercoaster to face the glass, draining the last of his energy as he fought to bring up a small ice barrier between them and the glass. As they collided, the glass shattered about them and fell like small ruby flakes. Letting the ice wall fall, Roxas let out a laugh as they glided across Level Two and its sea of crawling black monsters on a pretence ice carpet. Turning, he laughed at Axel's lopsided grin as he held his arms out and wobbled back and forth before the redhead's face turned dire and he raised a finger to point behind him. Frowning, Roxas turned all too late and was caught in the face by the tentacle of a black oil leaking squid.

The squishy flesh wrapped about his torso and squeezed him tight, pulling him from the air and forcing a cry of pain from his lips as several of his bones cracked before he was forced beneath the waters waves, the dark mugginess drawing his breath out of him as the squid pulled him closer to its blood shot eyes whilst pieces of flesh fell from its hide in thick white clunks. Choking back a queasy feeling, Roxas ignored the flesh in-between the creature's teeth as it let out a roar and his head began to growl lightheaded from lack of oxygen. Struggling and unable to breathe, Roxas was about to give up before a splash resounded next to him and the creatures attention was snapped up by the red lick of flames that cracked at its skin and turned its flesh into crispy bacon.

Roxas smiled as Axel swam up next to him, his palm ablaze before he grabbed hold of the tentacle holding the blonde whilst the creature roared and cried in anger and pain. The tentacle snapped like string and Roxas was free. Axel grabbed the blondes hand and dragged him to the surface; both of them breaking the waves before a large greasy fin landed hard on top of them and forced them back under, splitting them apart as Roxas resurfaced and gasped for breath, coughing as the water choked his insides before he looked about the rough sea, trying to locate an inkling of red against the black and blue.

He was forced to abandon his search as a black curled fin sliced through the water and approached him with alarming speed, the sea practically parting before it as Roxas growled and took a deep breath, submerging once more and staring into the dark water before a large shark like beast charged towards him. Gathering what little strength he had left, he waited until the last possible moment where he could see down into the gullet of the beast before he brought up a small ice barrier and watched as it turned away slightly before he sped forwards and grabbed hold of its fin, clinging on for dear life as it resurfaced, jumped into the air and smashed down into the water once more, breaking all of the air in Roxas' lungs like delicate glass before he gripped the fin hard, his heart racing, and gave it a hard yank left.

The creature whined and growled before it turned left, leaving Roxas with a triumphant smile as it sped past other sea creatures that ripped each other apart and devoured wrinkled prune-like flesh in their never ending hunger. Pulling upwards on the fin, Roxas broke the water and flicked his hair backwards, forcing the beast to jump upwards as he scoured the sea for another glimpse of red, ignoring the creatures bucking motions as it attempted to shift him from its back before he was thrown into the sea once more. Growling, a few bubbles escaping his lips, Roxas fought for control of the demon before pulling it upwards again, ignoring the waves that crashed at his thighs as he stayed above the surface and the beast remained below.

Rubbing his bleary eyes against his shoulder, Roxas spied the red head swimming for the ladders that would lead to the next level close by, the water behind him stained a vicious red as the flames fluttered and guttered out against his palms. Roxas' breath caught in his throat as he watched the large dangerous shadow move beneath his own demon, his heart racing as he watched the pale pink beast, a rare monster of its own kind, start forwards with roaring fangs and raging sharp limbs. Roxas took a deep breath and pushed the dorsal fin of his shark down, lowering his torso against its back as he urged it forwards and ignored its vicious snarls as it attempted, and failed, to reach his hands with its savage ragged teeth. Moving fast, they caught up to the creature that raced beneath the waves before Roxas forced his demon alongside it.

Taking a hard yank of the sharks fin, he forced it into the monsters side where it proceeded to take a chunk of flesh, acting of its own accord as it ripped the wounded flesh free and proceeded to devour it as Roxas found himself coated in sickly black blood as the creatures inside rotted and fell apart like dust. The white monster turned, its eyes black until it rolled them back into its head to reveal puffy pink white. Halting, it turned on the shark and opened its beak like snout, roaring against the water and sending shockwaves into the sea that turned violent waves crashing against each other up top. A sharp jagged tentacle shot out, wrapping itself about the writhing shark before it lifted it up and roared once more.

Roxas didn't stick about to see the results. As the shark bit at the creatures limbs and forced whined grunts to escape the pale beasts mouth, Roxas launched himself from the beast and swam to the ladders that were only a few feet away, spluttering against the waves that dived down on him before he reached the rungs and hauled himself up, watching as his demonic shark was bitten in half before it was ragged across the sea and joined by smaller, but still just as monstrous, squids that attempted to feed of the dying entity.

Frowning, Roxas shakily pulled himself up and let his shoulders slump as he reached the top of the ladders and collapsed in a sodden heap against the brick, completely exhausted as he sniffled and coughed up the last of the black water from his lungs, feeling the cold black liquid run from his lips before he looked upwards and spotted the bloody trail in front of him. Standing on wavering legs, Roxas looked ahead of him to the stumbling marks of blood, the handprints messy as they smeared the wall that led to the tunnel that would lead to the safe room. So Axel had made it out.

Roxas let out a deep breath and swallowed back the coughs that tickled his throat as he glanced down at his hand. The infection had spread again, and now it completely covered his arm. Putting it to the back of his mind, Roxas growled and started forwards, his steps slow and clumsy as the squelch of his boots rang in his ears and reminded him of what had just happened. Walking down the tunnel, he listened to the haggard breathing ahead of him and picked up his pace a little, watching as the blood grew deeper.

Rounding a corner, he took in a sharp inhale of breath at what he saw. Axel, it seemed, was alive, but only just, and to what extent. The redhead was on the ground, curled up in a tight ball with his shirt and jacket ripped and torn on one side. Along the left side were a fresh set of claw marks that tore deep into the skin and muscle to the point where Roxas could see tendon. Beneath the marks lay a clustered clam of sorts, a giant black leach that sucked on Axel's flesh like a raw wound as it continued to drain blood and then spit it out of its back, hence the marks on the floor. Roxas walked up to Axel and knelt beside him, not touching him but letting his fingers hover over the wound and the suckling demon before he was snapped out of his trance by the invasion of green eyes.

"How bad is it?"

The groan was pained, and Roxas could see the distress in his eyes, like a wounded animal that had been caught by a hunter. Roxas shrugged, not wanting to make the same mistake as what he'd done with Cloud as he spoke. "The gash is deep. This thing looks like it's gonna be a bitch to pry of, but other than that you're fine. Nothing a tough git like you can't handle."

Axel laughed before he grunted and held his side painfully, the blood leaking over his fingers. "Thanks. I'm glad you're still alive."

Roxas raised an eyebrow curiously. "Where the hell did you think I was going?" Walking around to Axel's good side, he knelt beside him and allowed Axel to wrap an arm about his shoulders, holding his hand tight in his own as he wrapped an arm gingerly around Axel's wounded side and turned to face him. "On the count of three you stand, got it?" Axel let out a shaky nod and Roxas nodded, facing forwards and beginning his countdown. "One." He braced his feet and placed all his pressure in his lower calf. "Two." He gathered a stronger grip about the redhead and frowned. "Three." He hauled Axel up, most of the work coming from him as Axel teetered dangerously on his good side and sagged heavily.

Carefully and very slowly, they began their slow walk forward. Roxas panted with every step, his own body begging to collapse as he helped the red head along, glancing behind himself every few seconds to make sure they weren't being followed. The last thing he needed at the moment was more monsters following them; they were practically sitting ducks. Thankfully, no monsters appeared, and as they approached the steel door Roxas placed Axel down carefully and pushed hard on the handle, prying the door open before he turned and helped the redhead up once more, the leach still clinging to Axel' side as Roxas helped him inside, ignoring the shivers that ran through the redhead and made his own skin vibrate as he let him sit inside before he turned and jammed the door shut, tightening the lock to the point where he didn't think he could open it even if he wanted to.

Turning, he frowned as he stared at Axel, watching as he shivered in the cold as the demon continued to draw out blood from one end and spit it out from the other. "Can't you light a fire?" He asked, walking further into the room to examine the door on the other side, tapping the steel and frowning when he noticed there was no handle. It must have been destroyed since the last time they were down there.

"Not with this little parasite chewing on me." He mumbled, closing his eyes and letting out another series of coughs before he opened an eye as Roxas stepped closer to examine it.

The beast was dull and covered in uneven rock that spiralled up its back like some kind of shell. Other than that it was just teeth. No eyes or anything. "How did you get this anyway?"

Axel let out a deep breath and closed his eyes as Roxas poked the beast cautiously before backing of when it hissed dangerously. Looking up, Roxas listened to Axel's answer. "These things lie at the bottom of that sea. I got dragged down by that squid thing and when I resurfaced I found out I had a plus one." Axel laughed before he turned to look about the place. "What's going on anyway? Didn't this place flood?"

Roxas shrugged. "Beats me. My theory is that, because we're in a game, the terrain changes and alternates. You know, like how we went from brick to rock to ice." Axel nodded and Roxas rubbed the back of his head nervously. "You're not gonna like what I have to say, but that thing has to come of. Soon."

Axel banged his head back against the wall and frowned. "Be my guest. Every time I've tried to touch that little bastard it just sucks harder."

Roxas swallowed hard before he carefully placed his fingers along the creatures shell, aligning himself so he could pull it of as painlessly as possible. But as soon as he began to pull Axel gritted his teeth and a colourful assortment of curses slipped past his lips. Roxas tugged hard, ignoring Axel's painful screams that tore through him before he relaxed his arms and shook his head. "It's not gonna come of. I need a knife-"

"You are not going at me with a knife." Axel growled, opening his eyes to glare at Roxas before he sighed and relaxed once more. "Besides, we don't have one."

Roxas shook his head as Axel shivered harder and continued to bleed. "Well we have to do something soon."

After those words a deep silence settled where neither spoke, the whistled grunts of monsters ringing through the rock before Axel finally decided to speak up. "You know…when you went under those waves, I didn't think you were gonna come back up."

"Huh?"

"The way that thing moved towards you…" Axel shook his head and let out a laugh. "But then you just dived right on top of it didn't you? How is it you always manage to surprise me?"

Roxas smiled and pushed back his drying hair, ignoring the frizz that bounce lazily atop his head. "I guess it's a gift."

"Gift my arse." Axel laughed, drawing Roxas into laughter with him before he spoke again. "C'mon Roxas, tell me. Even when we're in tough spots you always manage to find your way out. How is that? You're not a traitor, are you?"

Roxas shook his head and smiled. "I'm no traitor, but when I find out who is I'm going to kick their arse." Axel let out a chuckle before Roxas continued. "Nope, the only reason I can find my way out of tough spots is practice."

"Practice?"

"Uh-huh. Growing up on the streets I had to find a way to make my pay check cover me and Sora. I guess, after so many repossession letters and final notices, I began to look for other ways." Axel hummed before his attention was snapped up by a sudden movement from Roxas.

He watched through bleary eyes as the blonde stood and started forwards, making himself across to the other side of the room before he stopped in front of a brightly coloured shaft. Blowing of some of the dust, Roxas clawed the loose rock away and stared at the small duct before he turned back to Axel. "Tell me I'm not dreaming. This wasn't here before, right?"

Axel shook his head. "I've never seen it before."

Roxas let out a laugh and grunted as he slid his fingers below the door and lifted the shaft open, staring down as a thick metal cord led down to the lower levels and then up to the higher ones. Staring at the silence, Roxas grinned before he turned back to Axel.

"Why are you smiling? That's just another way for them things to come get us."

"No-no don't you see? This has been put here for a reason. Whoever's playing this game obviously wants you to live."

"If they wanted that they wouldn't have put me in here in the first place." Axel grumbled, not following Roxas' logic as the younger male turned back to him with sapphire eyes that brimmed with life.

"Don't you see? This leads all the way down to the lower levels. In the lower levels there was food, weapons, medicine." Roxas let out a deep breath before he turned back to stare at the redhead that was giving him a cautious glance. "I'm going-"

"Like hell you are. Roxas Strife, get you're butt back here this second." Axel placed his finger down on the ground beside himself and frowned. "That thing is obviously a trap."

Roxas rolled his eyes. "It is not. Look, the shaft goes both ways. I'll go down, grab some supplies and be back here in no time." When Axel refused to move on the subject Roxas scoffed. "It's a better plan then yours. What, you bleed out and I'll starve while we both wait for those doors to open? No thanks."

Roxas turned from Axel, ignoring his stammers of protest as he lowered his back and ducked into the shaft, grabbing hold of the pipe with one hand and attempting to hold his tired body's weight whilst he held onto the shaft. "I won't be long. I promise."

Without waiting to hear another word, Roxas closed the shaft door and swallowed hard as he became submerged in total darkness. Listening to the drip of water in the distance, Roxas attempted to ignore the sound of monsters moving as he gripped the metal with both hands and began to make his way downwards into the gloom. Every so often he would stop and listen to the sound of the brick, ensuring no monsters were coming as he lowered himself down and bit back yelps as his palm's split and wept blood as stray wires stabbed into him on all sides. Moving down as fast as he dared, he stopped at the sign that read Level Two before he lowered himself further. He was racing against the clock for Axel's life with no way of knowing just when the doors would open and unleash the monsters, but if he picked up the pace anymore he risked his own life. All it took was one slip, one sound, one mistake, and the demons would be on him like there was no tomorrow. And no tomorrow there would be.

Continuing on his slide downwards, he gritted his teeth against the pain, pushing his feet against the brick as he climbed backwards downwards, his heart in his chest beating a mile a minute as his blood thundered in his ears, the saliva in his mouth multiplying to the point he couldn't swallow fast enough. Whilst he was moving through the dark he pondered on his situation, ignoring the black spirals that swirled through his veins to take over his body as he thought back to Sora.

The look in his brother's face, the hate that had been plain to read in his eyes, had hurt Roxas more than any injury he had faced so far. When he had first found out Axel had spilled his secret the rage had built up so fast he feared it would swallow him completely, but looking back on it now, he really couldn't blame Axel for the situation he was in. After all, if it was Sora who needed the antidote, he would spill any secret, to any person, at any cost. In a way, Axel reminded him of himself…

Snapping out of his daze to stare at the sign that read Level One, he stilled instantly as a roar rang out and a thundering shake shook the shaft, causing a few rocks to fall down on him as he closed his eyes and turned his head away from the falling dust, stilling his breathing as another whine rang out and something with heavy footsteps passed him on the other side of the brick. He waited for a few minutes after the sound had faded, just to be safe. After that he continued moving, ignoring the pants that wracked his frame as he was forced to haul his body weight still whilst slowly manoeuvring his way down.

Finally, as his shoulders quaked and his hands were so numb with crusted blood he could no longer feel them, he reached the bottom. Giving out a small grunt he landed his feet on the floor and brushed the dust from his hair, wiping his palms on his trousers and giving out a wince before he pulled them up to his eyes and squinted in the darkness to see them. Letting out a sigh, he pulled them away from his face and attempted to ignore the deep slits that wrecked his once flawless skin as they oozed more blood. Turning to look at the shaft in front of him, Roxas took a deep breath and pushed his fingers underneath the bottom of the door, pulling it upwards a little bit after a tough yank, ignoring the crumbling rocks that gathered as he peeked through the bottom and stared at the Starting Sector.

When he spotted no demons he deemed the vicinity clear and opened the shaft a little more so he could squeeze through before he silently turned and closed it behind him. Looking about himself, he frowned as he stared amongst the mass of dead body parts, some of which were still twitching, as the stench of blood ran rife through the bodies, forcing him to raise his top to place over his nose so that his sweat could begin to mask the looming odour. Staring about and ignoring the scattered limbs, ripped open eyeballs and half eaten carcasses that hung from the dying alien lights that scattered fatal light about the place in odd scatters, Roxas stayed to the shadows as he began to make his way over to the individual tunnels they had all originated from.

Entering the closest tunnel to him, he slowly began to make his way down it, his footsteps making no noise as he bent low from the light and skulked against the wall, putting all his training to the test as he made his way along. As he reached the end of the corridor he found himself mentally feeling relieved at having not run into any demons so far before he stared at the room before him. Slowly, as if he was sneaking up on a dangerous animal, he peered around the steel door that was left ajar, his fingers gliding against the smooth metal as he stared into the room and let a smile cross his face when he found it empty.

Suddenly his pace quickened and he found himself darting into the room. Scanning it quickly, he ignored the mattress in the corner and turned to the shelves on the opposite side. Without thinking twice, he snatched up a backpack that lay discarded on the floor and opened the main pocket wide before he turned to the shelves. But as he turned, he found himself feeling like a kid in a candy store as the variety of different weapons, foods and medicines left him spoilt for choice and extremely nervous as his time continued to tick down and a hiss rang out in the distance.

Turning his attention to the medicine first, he found himself raking through bottles of labelled pills as fast as he could. Immediately he wished he had listened when Ansem had tried to teach him about medicines before he picked up a few bottles of aspirin and other analgesics, some antiseptic wipes and some antipyretics. He was about to turn to weapons before a set of antibiotics and a large bottle of antidepressants caught his eyes. Biting his lip, unsure of whether he should tempt himself, Roxas shook his head and grabbed both, slinging them into the bag with the other medication along with some bandages and gauze before he turned to the weapons.

Across the steel planks where a rich assortment of different knives and guns with their ammo in separate boxes of to a side. Grabbing a pair of butterfly knives, Roxas pocketed both before he picked up a small red Swiss army knife and threw it inside the bag, turning to the assortment of guns before he picked up a few short shooters and placed one at the small of his back and the other two in the bag after making sure they had no bullets. He then picked up the correct ammo and threw that in too. Turning to take one last look at the shelves before him, he grabbed a medical kit that was lying limp on one of the middle shelves and some rope, looping the brown rope through the medical kits handle before he looped it onto his belt and gave the knot a fierce tug.

After he was satisfied with the knot he grabbed a small book that lay scattered on the floor and threw it into his bag before he zipped the backpack up and placed it on his back, ensuring the straps were tight before he frowned. He needed another bag if he was to get the food back up safely, but another rucksack would be awkward to move and carry. He needed something lighter. Something that would hold but still let him get back up without any extra strain. His body was already wearing thin as it was. He was about to leave and scour the other rooms before something cream caught his eyes on one of the upper shelves. Something small and flexible that sagged with several folds.

Curious, he grabbed hold of the middle shelf and heaved himself up on the bottom one, standing and gripping the planks heavily as he wobbled dangerously before he grinned at his small prize and nabbed the cream sidebag. Carefully, he let go of the shelves and balanced as he wrapped the bag about his frame, adjusting the shoulder strap so that the bag hung on the opposite side to the medical kit before he picked up a set of black fingerless gloves and placed them on, wanting to protect his hands from the long climb upwards. Even if it was just a little bit.

Jumping back down to the ground and landing gracefully on all fours, he stood and turned to stare behind him at the food before he looked down at his prize bag. His bag was big, so large it went from his waist to his knees easily, but the extra weight of the food would slow him down, and if he was slowed down he was an easy target, especially since he had drained most of his energy on Level Two. Unprepared to return empty handed, Roxas picked up four bottles of water and laid them down delicately inside the cream bag as if they were the most precious thing in the world, which, to him at that moment, they were. He couldn't remember the last time he had had a good clean drink.

Turning to the food, he remembered his hesitance to touch it at the beginning of the game. Now all he could do was curse his stupidity. Picking up several bars of chocolate, his growling stomach forced him to cave in and he opened one carefully, the sound of the rapper grating on his ears as he skinned it quickly and jammed it in his mouth, not tasting but rather just swallowing, desperate to get some energy back into his body so he could defend himself. Grabbing a few more, he threw them in the bag clumsily and turned his attention to the canned food. The assortment was more than he could have ever dreamed, and it was stacked lazily about the room, not just on the shelves.

He didn't pick up the fresh meat (he was still a little sceptical about just what it was and how long it had been out for), but rather the canned spam and corned beef. He then packed away a few cans of tinned fruits, some soups (although he would have rather left them behind), and a small bag of rice. He knew the assortment was weird at best and that none of it could provide a nutritious meal on it's own, but he didn't trust the unpackaged produce and he needed food that was going to last. After all, who knew how long it would be before they escaped. Because they would escape. Roxas was sure of that. Finally he picked up a large tin pan and, with no other place to put it, placed it on his head where he found it to be a perfect fit.

Tying his cream bag, Roxas frowned at the weight before he turned at the sound of a squeak coming from the tunnel. Moving as quietly and quickly as he could whilst still being weighed down by all his new found treasures, Roxas skulked to the side of the door and waited in silence as a black clawed foot entered the room, the scaly leg missing strips of flesh before an ugly serpentine head entered and stuck out its hissing tongue, tasting the air before it stepped in with the rest of its grotesque four legged body and swept the room with blind eyes.

Standing with baited breath, Roxas waited until it was deep into the room where it licked at the shelves questioningly before he slowly and desperately made his way around to the other side of the door, eliminating all of his noise as he made it to the door and the creature continued sniffing in the air, its pupils ripped open and bleeding as it wandered about. Feeling his heart beating erratically in his head, Roxas slowly reached his hand out and reached for the edge of the door, about to pull it too when he realised there was no handle and mentally smacked himself. Turning his back on the door with a newfound fear, Roxas slowly crept back up the passage, hoping the cove of treasures was enough to entertain the beast as he made his escape.

As he reached the light, his heart still beating against his ears, Roxas gave out a small sigh before sinking into the shadows and making his way along to the shaft, but as he got there he frowned, panic and fear rising up his spine as the door remained wide open. Looking about, he frowned when he saw no monsters present before a large trembling whine was met with a scream at the opposite side of the room and his attention was immediately drawn to it. He watched as the creature that had been in the room with him ran from its place and listened to the sound of shrieks and banging materials before it sped of to the opposite side of the room from Roxas, completely ignoring him as its blind eyes wandered over him before it went to help its friend.

Roxas stayed glued to the wall as the sound of crunching bone rang out about him. That was definitely a human scream. But who's? And what where they doing down here? Not wanting to stay behind to find out the answer, Roxas carefully knelt and climbed into the shaft, staring above himself before he deemed it safe and closed the shaft. Not wanting to waste any more time, he carefully began to make his way back up the levels, clinging to the pipe for all he was worth as sweat knotted and fell from his brow, his energy reaching dangerously low levels despite the food as when he attempted to make the numb feeling come to his palms, he found them stinging and burning like the wrath of God. He quickly abandoned his idea and mentally thanked his brain for giving him the commonsense to pick up the leather gloves that provided him with some, but not a lot, of protection.

Finally, after many minutes of climbing and multiple stops where he was forced to regain his breath and push the pan up his face from where it had fallen against his sweaty brow, Roxas made it to the correct level. Opening the shaft, he all but fell through it, landing hard on his stomach and startling the redhead across from him out of his slumber. But there was still no time for rest. Standing, Roxas closed the shaft, the memory of the open shaft below still fresh in his mind as he pulled of the glove on his right hand and growled, forcing rather than letting the numbness come to his hands as the energy the chocolate had given him was sapped. As the ice formed in his hand Roxas smiled and placed his palm against the duct, watching as thick blocks closed and clogged the gaps and prevented anything from getting in. Or out.

From across the room Axel stared at Roxas with curious and somewhat bewildered eyes. Before him the blonde stood, looking as if he had just come from a wreck as his shoulders slumped and when he turned to him the hair beneath the pan was stuck to his brow in a clog of sweat. Raising an eyebrow Axel nodded to the bags and spoke, a shiver wracking his frame as the cold seeped in and the leach on his side continued to suck and thrive. "What the hell did you get? The entire lot?" He let out a laugh before he coughed and cleared his throat, the scratch in his voice causing his words to blur together some.

Roxas started forwards and knelt in the middle of the room as he began to untie his many straps, taking the pan from his head and ransacking threw his treasures. "I got what you needed and the rest what I could." He ignored the redhead's questioning stare as he pulled out a book, the title unclear and the binder a deep intriguing green before he opened it and began ripping out the pages.

"What are you doing…?" Axel asked, craning his neck to get a better look before he winced and cursed the suckling lump on his side.

Roxas continued ripping the pages as he spoke before he placed it to one side. "I'm starting a fire, what's it look like?"

Axel frowned. "But you hate fire."

"I don't hate it. I just don't like it." Pulling a butterfly knife from his pocket, Roxas crossed the room and picked up a rock that had fallen loose from the ceiling. Testing it in his hands, he threw it in the air before catching it and walking back over to the destroyed book. Feeling his eyelids droop, Roxas shook his head and wiped his brow before he switched open the blade with one hand and held the rock in the other. Kneeling before the book, he hovered the rock over and gave the stone a few harsh licks with the knife, ignoring the heat that burned his fingertips like a tiny searing needle as the sparks landed below on the paper and began to smoke. Not entirely satisfied, Roxas gave it a few more scrapes before it was blazing healthily.

Content with the small flames despite them feeling like a large inferno to his heat sensitive skin, he pulled out the pan and placed it carefully over the flames so that they stayed alive and lit. Not wasting any time, he ransacked back threw his cream bag and pulled out one of the four bottles of water before he tipped it into the pan and left it to simmer, sinking back onto his butt and crossing his legs as he let out a sigh and ignored the bubbling waters warning hisses.

"You look tired. You should sl-"

"Don't tempt me." Roxas grumbled, closing his heavy eyes before he snapped them open and began to undue his loot. He started with the small bag first and pulled out the bottles of water and the food, counting his supplies on his fingers as he went before he pulled out the butterfly knife once more. "You want something to eat?" He wiped his brow once more and turned to stare up at the curious redhead before Axel shook his head.

"No, I don't really feel like eating with this thing stuck to me. Not to mention some monster took a chunk out of my side."

Roxas nodded and stabbed his knife down into a can of tinned peaches, sliding the blade along and flipping the cap before he took a deep gulp. When he had finished he lowered the can and wiped his mouth, turning to the pan of water that was slowly beginning to boil before he began to raid the rest of his treasures. Slowly, he emptied his pocket of the other knife and pulled the gun from his lower back, turning the barrel and counting the bullets before he clicked it back into place and put it delicately on the ground.

"Where the hell did you get those?"

Roxas' head snapped up and he frowned. "Down on the lower levels."

"Just how far down did you go?" Axel asked, scooting a little bit closer before he gave out a tired sigh.

"To the Starting Sector." At Axel's sharp inhale of breath he frowned. "How far down did you think I was going?"

Axel rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before groaning when his wound pulled dangerously and the creature on his side hissed. " The beginning of Level two. Level one, tops. Do you know how dangerous that could have been?"

Roxas let out a low laugh and a smile came to his lips. "Careful, you almost sound concerned."

Axel frowned once more. "What do you mean 'almost'? Of course I was concerned."

Roxas frowned, unsure of what to say before he began unloading his bag once more, the silence heavy between them. He pulled out the two guns with their sets of ammo and the Swiss army knife, the latter of the three he flipped open and placed carefully into the pot so that the handle was still sticking out.

"What are you doing?"

Still unloading his bag, Roxas unpacked the bandages and gauze before he began to pull out the medicinal bottles he had taken, lining them up as he answered. "I told you, that thing needs to come of soon. If I can't pull it of I'm going to have to cut it of, and I can't risk you getting an infection when we're so far away from the others. I can't carry you on my own. I haven't got any bleach on me, just antiseptics, so for now boiling water is just gonna have to do. As long as the wound is kept clean, you should be fine."

Axel sighed again and placed a hand on Roxas' shoulder. "Roxas…I think I owe you an apology." He never looked Roxas in the eyes when he said it, and Roxas knew he was just trying to get his mind off of what was going on, so he let the hand stay where it was and tried as hard as he could not to flinch or overreact. "What I told Sora was yours to tell, and I'm sorry. I just got so angry…"

Roxas let a smile come to his lips. "It's fine. Honestly, Sora had to find out at some point. I guess, if you wouldn't have said something, I never would have. That's no way for Sora to live…not knowing what happened to his dad an' all." Roxas rubbed the back of his neck and picked up the aspirin he had found earlier before he took Axel's warm hand from his shoulder and placed the bottle in it instead. "Here. You're going to need these. They were the strongest I could find."

Axel laughed and shook his head before he flipped open the cap and took some of the small white tablets, taking the bottle of water Roxas handed him with a thanks before he shuffled backwards and leant heavily against the wall. "You know what Roxas?"

Roxas, who was currently untying the medical kit to take a look inside, mumbled back his response. "What?"

Axel closed his eyes and laughed. "I really like you."

Roxas flinched in between opening the small white case with the red cross. Unsure of what to say, he slowly untied the weight from his shoulders and continued looking down, too afraid to look back up. "Why's that?"

Axel shrugged. "I dunno. Could be any reason really." Roxas glanced up and frowned as Axel smiled back. "And I mean it too. I really, really like you."

Roxas smiled and shook his head. "You're just talking from blood loss. You're not thinking straight-"

Axel cut him of, hurt by the accusation. "But I am thinking straight Rox. I promise. Why is it so hard to believe?"

Roxas shook his head and turned to stare at the bubbling water before he removed the pan from the fire with his gloved hand and frowned, pulling the blade handle out and ignoring the pain it sank into his skin as he made his way towards Axel with the medical kit and bandages under one hand and the knife in the other. "Okay, I need you to hold still. I'm not gonna lie, this is gonna sting something wicked. Kay?"

"No! No, not kay!" Axel mumbled, his eyes drooping heavily as he attempted to move away from the upcoming knife but only managed to shuffle a few inches. "I told you, I'm not letting you come near me with that knife!"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Stop being such a baby. Besides, we're friends, and you trust me, right?" It was a lot for him to admit, but he'd managed it all the same and now he was waiting anxiously for the response.

"Friends?"

"Uh-huh. Me and Hayner are friends too, and he'd let me do this without second thinking it." He was telling the biggest lie of his life and he knew it. Before a few hours ago him and Hayner were like brothers, not friends, and it was for that very reason that Hayner wouldn't let him within fifteen feet of him with a knife and an idea. But Axel didn't need to know that.

For a while the redhead mulled it over before he finally nodded and gritted his teeth. "Okay, let's just get it over with."

Roxas nodded and started forwards, placing his hand on the suckling demon's shell before he carefully placed the knife beneath it and chipped away the skin where its first tooth was buried. Axel yelled, cursed, banged his fist on the ground and threw his head back, but not once did he push Roxas away. Roxas waited until the redhead quieted before he went in for the next tooth and again repeated the same process. Slowly, and quite painfully, he extracted the teething demon the only way he knew how.

So, any guesses who was screaming? :) This chapter is in two halves so I will try and get the next one up as soon as possible. Hope you enjoyed :D