Power is out in the castle that never was. Someone needs to find the problem. And that problem lies, in the ever so elusive, pitch black basement.

"Demyx, I told you that this was a bad idea, and I still think so." Zexion said, leaning idly against the wall on the ground floor of the castle that never was. He watched Demyx with a mix of amusement and despair.

"There's nothing to worry about Zex, you need more faith in me!" Demyx replied.

"I'd have more faith in you if you weren't trying to tie a candle to your head."

"Well, when we go inside, it'll be pitch black. I'll need my hands free to feel my way around! Demyx exclaimed defensively, still trying to balance the candle amongst his copious mop of hair whilst simultaneously fastening the attached rope around his face.

The nocturne cocked his head to one side after his third failed attempt.

"You got a better idea, Zex?"

Even Zexion had to admit defeat with this one. He was still sure that tying a candle to one's would not solve the problem at hand, but he saw no other solution. He watched through one eye as his partner unwillingly resigned to the facts.

That candle was not going to stay upon his head.

"Demyx, that's really not going to work. Just carry it, it's not going to take long to do this anyway." It was hard to believe what bad luck the pair had ended up with.

Seems you and I really have the short straw this time Demyx.

It was all so trivial. There was some sort of spontaneous power outage in the castle, which no one knew the origin of. Apparently it sprung from the basement, or at least that's what Axel had said. The redhead was insistent that someone found the root of the problem before Xemnas got word of it. He had stopped the both of them on the way up, and attempted to express the urgency of the situation.

How he had managed to convince the pair that Xemnas hadn't already noticed that the whole castle was now resembling somewhere in the twilight zone, he would never know.

End result, him and Demyx were about to go scrambling around the basement of the Castle That Never Was, and he wasn't looking forward to it at all.

The pale light filtering in from the high windows illuminated Demyx's face. He couldn't help but adore that nobody's face. He was often mesmerized by those striking green eyes, especially when they were looking straight into his.

Wait- Why is he looking at me?

"Hey! Zexy? I was saying that we should get going! Before Xemnas finds out and stuff? Ax won't be happy with us if he does. Are you listening to me?"

"Of course I was listening. I recall you calling me 'Zexy'. I told you not to call me that. You must call me Zexion, or Zex if you must."

He couldn't help but let out a slight grin as Demyx winked in his direction.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I won't do it again, 'kay Zexy?"

Noting the contradictory statement, Zexion chuckled.

Suddenly, his blue hair was whisked back as Demyx dragged him by his arm towards the door.

The expansive room was only barely discovered by the feeble light coming from the corridor outside the basement. Zexion found himself still being tugged along through the doorway into the blackness. The whole room smelt of dust, and he guessed it would look to a similar effect.

If of course Demyx had thought to light the candle before he shut the wooden door behind the both of them. Although he hadn't; considered such an idea either.

"Demyx, can I ask why you shut the door behind us?"

"I guess I should have lit the candle first, huh?" Demyx replied to the darkness.

Zexion nodded, then realized no one could see him. He stopped to listen to what Demyx was doing, there was a metallic scratching sound and then an orange glow was emitted from what he imagined was the candle.

It seems my common sense lied.

Demyx had set his arm on fire instead. The sleeve of his robe singed happily away as the flame bounced up along his arm. Zexion turned to stop IX from doing anymore damage to himself; however he felt his legs cave from beneath him as he tripped over something on the ground.

He quickly reached out for means of stopping himself.

"Oi! Get off Zex!"

Instantaneously the pair were flailing around mid-air. Zexion could have sworn he'd heard a splashing sound.

Why is there water in here?

The room was black once again, the pair were lying on the floor in total darkness.

"At least the fire's out…" Zexion muttered.

"Aww, you saved me Zex! My hero…" The luckily aimed kiss that followed made Zexion blush so brightly that he thought his face may light the room in itself.

He decided to stay focused.

"Right, so what exactly are we going to do now? Axel didn't give us any idea of what we're supposed to do down here, or what the problem was. In fact, he left us clueless."

In fact, it appeared to be highly suspicious that Axel hadn't had time to give them any instructions and had left them to aimlessly wander together in the pitch black basement. As if he didn't want them somewhere.

Although, Zexion had no idea what could possibly be going on in a practically empty and dark castle that the two weren't to know about.

"That's a good question there, Zex. Ax didn't tell us anything, said he was in a rush. Wonder where he went?"

"I have no idea. Do you remember that water being there went we came In Demyx?"

"No but it's a good job that it was there, eh? Saved my arm it did, lucky I'm not burnt!"

Yes it was a good job, a bit too convenient if you ask me.

Zexion noticed a slight change in the light, he could now vaguely make out the outline of Demyx's chiseled jaw line. The unsuspecting figure turned to look at him but gasped slightly when he stopped his eyes in Zexion's direction.

He was aware something was behind him, yet for some bizarre reason he hadn't turned to see what. He let Demyx describe it.

"What is it you see, IX?"

"I don't know Zex. Look!"

Zexion felt himself being spun round clumsily to face the source of the light. Fading slightly in the distance was a flame. It flickered around unnaturally for a natural fire, and was spreading to nothing. The strange outbursts of the flame disrupted the calm movements of fire.

It looks almost like it's being forced into a calm size and state.

Axel

"There's only one person who could control fire like that and by the looks of it, Axel is putting a lot of effort into making that fire look unlike it's usually aggressive style."

The faintly outline Demyx frowned.

"You mean to say that Ax is doin' all this? Why?"

"Your guess is as good as mine Demyx. What do you reckon we should do?"

He saw the silhouette change to one of a smile. He knew Demyx liked being asked for his input. The other members of the organization seldom gave him such a privilege. His ideas weren't always… 'appropriate', so he was put to one side. Zexion knew better than that.

Demyx wasn't an idiot, he just had a more wild way of thinking that was unlike the others. Zexion had taken mental note of all this a while ago. Demyx meant a lot to him, and sometimes it was things like this that kept the Nocturne's cheery mood intact.

Number VI stopped his thoughts when he noticed Demyx begin to express himself.

"We should spring a trap of our own, Zexy!"

Zexion couldn't help but smile at the proposition.

"Well keep your voice down then or he'll hear you!"

"Yeah, good thinking Zex."

Just like Demyx to come up with that.

There was no harm in it, after all this all pointed towards some sort of trick on Axel's behalf.

"Right, so what's the plan Demyx?"

He stopped to think this through, but was cut short. The light had moved away.

"I saw where it went, let's follow!"

"Follow? It's pitch black!"

It was too late to compromise. Demyx grabbed his hand, and Zexion found himself being pulled after the flame.

The pair had no idea where they were headed; Demyx was just following his memory.

There was a large crash as Zexion ran headfirst into something. He fell back, seeing dots dance across his vision. Refusing to let go, Demyx went down with him.

For the second time today, the pair had ended up in a heap on the floor of the pitch black basement.

"My head…"

"Yeah, you're telling me. I didn't think someone as short as you would manage to head butt me in the dark."

The pair jumped to their feet, Zexion rubbing the side of his head.

"Axel, what are you playing at?!" Unsurprisingly, Zexion was rather annoyed.

"Hey now you two, here was me thinking you'd be happy to see me? After all I did give you time alone in a dark room!" The redhead laughed slightly.

So that's what was up his sleeve. Damn it, Axel.

"It's not my fault if you didn't take advantage of what I offered you."

"What you offered us? I thought you said we had to fix the power problem?" It was understandable that Demyx was confused, Zexion didn't quite understand the point himself.

"Oh Dem, you don't get it all do you? What do couples do in the dark?"

Demyx started to think, only to be stopped by the flame-wielder.

"Things they can't do when people can see them, see? This was your chance to further your relationship you guys! All of us know you could do with it!"

If only I could see him… Talk about Flame for brains.

This time Demyx was on the defense.

"What makes you think me and my boyfriend need to 'further our relationship'?" He sounded slightly hurt by the comment.

"I mean you just have to look at you two together. It worked for me and Roxas anyway."

Zexion found this highly unlikely, everyone knew about Axel's tendencies when he thought no one was looking.

"I'd hardly call your idea of 'furthering your relationship' a good thing to do. After all from what we heard, last time you tried that Roxas ended up tied up in your wardrobe."

He paused to wait for Axel's reaction.

No such reaction came.

Demyx's voice was the next to be heard.

"I believe the term that Xigbar used was 'A literal Closet Pervert'. Demyx said matter-of-factly. He gave Zexion's hand a reassuring squeeze. Zexion hadn't noticed, but Demyx hadn't let go of his hand the whole time.

"I knew that one-eyed Pirate Freak couldn't keep his mouth shut… Well that's fine if you don't appreciate my good deed. That's just fine."

"Your good deed? Axel you head butted me!"

Zexion's thoughts returned to the throbbing pain now bobbing around his left temple.

"You walked into me! Maybe, if you brushed that hair out of the way, you'd be able to see where you were going with both of your eyes!" Axel yelled in his direction.

Zexion took note of where the voice came from. He launched himself at the voice, forcing Demyx to let go of his hand.

"What I do with my hair is irrelevant if It's pitch black anyway!"

He grabbed something that felt human. Axel tried to get Number VI off him as the pair fell wrestling to the ground.

A shot of fire shot through the room and hit the wall opposite them. Demyx took this opportunity to light the candle as the sparks fell down to the floor. The faint glow of light allowed the nobody to attempt to separate his boyfriend from the fiery tempered Comrade.

"You fight like a girl Zexion!"

"Then I should be still be able to show you a thing or two then!"

Zexion hadn't physically fought for a good while, but there was something about the redhead that really brought out the anger in him.

Axel had forced his head into the other nobody's to try and stop him.

The shadows were magnified on the walls. Demyx rushed over to stop them, bringing his hands around Zexion's waist.

"Zex get off him!"

Suddenly, the lights came on.

Luxord stood in the doorway of the castle basement. He'd come down to check on all the commotion that could be heard from the floor above.

Turning on the light, the blonde-haired man had see two nobodies hopelessly forcing each other to the ground. Axel had his face pushed into Zexion's chest. VI looked up, sweating profusely and let out a short moan.

Demyx had his hands around Zexion's waist, pushing and pulling from behind. The Nocturne had himself pressed into Zexion's back, and was red in the face.

Demyx was happy to see The Gambler.

"Hey Lux! Come and help me would ya'? These two are getting a bit overexcited!"

Luxord gave him a wink.

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to intrude Demyx, looks like you're having enough fun already."

He turned to leave.

"Oh, and next time tell me when you're gonna' have secret sex in the basement!"