A/N: MOAR CROSSOVERS. 8D

This rambles. Just warning you now. A little OOC, some character death, a bunch of crappy jokes on Axel's part. First time writing Axel and Mar-Mar, second (Or third?) for Renge, so this is just for fun. This follows the 'Understand' and 'In Hope (12:17)' universe.

This is a big mess, but a fun mess. Cross-universe shipping. By the way, I was SO going to turn this into an M, but I decided against it. I mean, really. IT'S JUST ABSURD. LOL MAR-MAR LIKES HIS VINES. -cough- Anyway, I do like the idea of Stockholm Syndrome, and I wanted to write a case. But in the end, well. You'll see.

Inspired by one crackhead named Mori (NO. SHE'S MINE.) and Hollow Bastion from the Kingdom Hearts OST.

Enjoy.

xoxo

"It's a shame I had to help destroy your pretty little world."

"It's a shame I was forced to stay with you."

She was not used to this sort of treatment. This was not how Houshakouji's were to be handled. She was a delicate creature, not some rag doll to be thrown about. And yet this man... He had thrown her in this cell, and laughed when she tried breaking out by kicking down the bars. She shut him up with a thunderbolt to the butt.

Renge liked the idea of being kidnapped: Whisked away by someone so desperate to have you that they would resort to taking you away from everything against your will. But this was just ridiculous. First, she loses Ouran to Heartless. Then she gets separated from Umehito, Ritsu, and the rest of them. That man had grabbed her and pulled her away. She tried fighting, but she had used up most of her magic, and she wasn't so well trained in physical attacks. And now she was being held captive by a man in a black coat. Today was really not her day.

He had taken away her staff, and every item on her. Like she could break out with a potion. Elixer, yes. Potion, no. But she was in dire need of one. She'd taken too many hits during that final battle. If she didn't get one soon, she'd be down for the count. Who knows what that mysterious man could do to a girl like her. She didn't trust him in the slightest.

"You look tired."

Renge was surprised to hear her captor's voice. It sounded dangerous, and at the same time, one she could trust. But all men were like that, weren't they? Even her darling Kyouya had that same sort of voice.

"Yes, well, this cell isn't doing much to help that, is it?" She snidely commented from the corner, rolling her eyes and glancing in his direction. "I'm sure a gentleman like you would let me out and let me have a potion. Torturing girls isn't the best way to earn their affections and trust."

She heard him scoff, and if smirks were audible, she would've heard that too. "I'm no gentleman."

"So it appears."

The man in the cloak crossed his arms, and looked over her. She looked beyond pitiful. Not like he cared, but once upon a time, he was a human. He still had a soul, regardless if he had a heart. His former self would've let her go, but begged her to stay. And she would've agreed, for the sweet florist had an innocent charm and, when paired with his witty sarcasm and masculine aggression, was enough to keep any woman. But here, he had very little mercy, no matter what Xemnas had ordered him to do. She was an informant, nothing more. She was to be disposed of as soon as possible, and by him no less.

He would do it very easily, save for if he started talking to her. His former self had a sort of ability to become friends with anyone he spoke to, and the same applied to him. If she talked to him any more than she did now, there would be complications.

"Evil sir in the emo coat, could you please let me have a potion? I'm about to pass out, and I'm sure that Superior you were talking about won't be pleased if I refuse to wake up."

He nodded a tad in agreement. She was right. Besides, for questioning to take place, both participating parties had to be conscious. He procured a mega-potion from his coat and let the vines he controlled weave through the bars to bring it to her. She could've knocked him out if he had given it to her himself...

She accepted it gratefully, and drank it quickly, vitality restored in only a few moments. Her magic was still far from useable, but at least she could see with far more clarity. Blinking, Renge stood up and walked as close to her captor as she possibly could. She wanted to see his face so she would know if pummeling it into the ground would do any damage to a nice nose. But instead, she just asked an innocent question. "Why do you wear those coats?"

"Why do you wear those canary dresses?"

She smiled. "So they're a sort of uniform..."

"You could say that."

"What do you wear under them?"

The man in the cloak laughed at her, and she couldn't help but laugh too. He cocked his head at her, and she grinned at him, trying to win him over. "You know, you're the funniest captive we've had." He said. "I kinda like you."

She frowned. "Alas, you have to kill me. I find that quite harsh."

"Yes." The distaste in his voice was evident; it was quite clear he did not like dirtying his hands with someone else's blood. "The Superior finds that dead informants will allow us to reach our goal much easier." He sighed. "Most of them were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

The mage smiled softly. She could tell this man was not human, but there was something about him... He was almost there. He was lacking something necessary. Kyouya would know, of course, as he devoted so much time to studying that, but she was left to guess. Almost there...

"I see. But perhaps, if I cooperate, we could work something out?"

A second voice appeared from thin air, or rather, a dark portal. "Aw, Mar-Mar, making deals with pretty girls? Mansex isn't gonna like that."

The original cloaked man's shoulders slumped considerably when the second spoke. "Number VIII, we must not refer to the Superior as Mansex. It's insulting."

"But it's FUNNY."

Visions of the twins flew through her head as the two spoke of the Superior, and she giggled to herself. The two men glanced over in her general direction. The second snorted. "Oh, no wonder you were trying to make a deal with her! She's adorable and completely out of your league."

The first crossed his arms, and Renge tried to keep from laughing. "So, you're... Number VIII?"

He flipped down his hood, and Renge blinked at the sudden burst of colour. Red hair and green eyes against a monochromatic room was quite the shocker. "It's Axel, actually. The Flurry of Dancing Flames. Got it memorized?"

"Axel..."

"And I'm still your superior. And so is Demyx. Oh, aren't you insulted." He smirked over his shoulder at his colleague. He grabbed a hold of the bars and stuck his head as far in as he could, and returned his attention to the magician. "Listen, Miss. Nothing personal, but it's orders to either erase your mind and make you a vegetable or kill you and make you a corpse. I'm not all for murdering attractive women, as the prettiest around here wants me dead, but Numero Uno doesn't like leaving a trail. If I was the head of this operation, I'd just have the informants bang me, and I'd let them go on their merry way." He extended a hand and grabbed Renge's chin. She idly noted that the leather they wore was like a second skin. A high-quality, fashionable second skin at that. "But I am not in charge, so you'll be added to the collection of dead people we have in the basement."

"How morbid."

The eighth member smirked and nodded. "Rarely will you find a charred one, though. I hate that. I get far too attached to people. My Other did too."

The one nicknamed Mar-Mar coughed and shook his head. Green eyes rolled at him, but he stepped away from the cell. "Right-o. You're Flower Power's dealio. I've been interfering. Miss, it was nice speaking to you."

The female smiled charmingly. "Of course, of course, Axel."

The redhead passed his comrade with a nod, and opened up a portal. "I've heard staging escapes is fairly easy, as Princess Superior will believe anything if done convincingly enough. And when I say convincingly enough, I mean a couple grunts will do." He waved, and exited, leaving Renge with a smidge of hope.

The remaining member laughed. "And that was the walking disaster known as Axel."

"Flamboyant creature."

"Flaming, actually."

She snorted at the joke, and sat down with a sigh. The man moved over to the cell and sat across from her. "As you know, I have to interrogate you. The Superior said you had connections to a researcher named Kyouya Ootori."

Finally, a familiar name. "Of course, of course. I was in love with him. But that doesn't mean I know anything."

"Supposedly, it does, Miss Houshakouji. Tell me what you know about the researcher, the keyblade wielder, and the Prince of Heart."

There was a pause, and the man in the cloak knew she wasn't going to say anything on them any time soon, even if she did know. It was the choice her heart had made, and he didn't intend on changing it. It was not something he wanted to do. He just wanted his heart back. It would be an excuse to feel again.

And then she spoke. "If I tell you what I know, will you let me go?"

Another pause. Vines crept up from behind her, and she ignored them, but sat down in the rose throne that had been elegantly arranged for her. A lone tendril pulled a rose out of thin air, and tucked it behind her ear gently. The man in the cloak nodded.

"So you're actually are a gentleman."

"I find torture to produce less appealing results. A hint of kindness always is better, I find, whether I can feel empathy or not. I do remember what it was like though..."

"I see. So you want to know about the researcher, the wielder, and the Prince."

"Lying would be most favourable to you. I won't question it."

The heiress cocked an eyebrow at him. First, Axel had suggested a way to escape, and now he said for her to lie. It seemed this group was not all evil, just slightly corrupt in their ways. What was it they wanted? Nonetheless, she would oblige. He wouldn't kill her, she knew it.

She crossed her ankles and placed her hands on her lap, as she had been taught to do. "You see, I only know about Kyouya. I do not know who the Prince of Heart is, nor the Keybearer. I cannot tell you where any of them are, save for one, and she's in the Pride Lands, I do think."

"You know of the worlds?"

She smirked. "No. I'm merely a mage, who learned from Umehito Nekozawa."

The cloaked man's grin was evident in the silence. Renge tenderly touched a rose, noting it was lavender. It was like he knew... She ran her fingertips down the arm of the seat, interested in this man's power, finding the flora seemed to be far more alive than the average plant. They responded to her, and she giggled. The vines began playing with her bow, and one even attempted to kiss her hand. Such amusing magic...

"Right, Miss Houshakouji... I think it's best I return you, as you know 'nothing', nor did I reveal our intentions."

The woman in question looked up, and frowned, the tendrils releasing what felt like a very disappointed sigh. "Oh." She said, not looking at her captor.

The man sighed, and flipped down his hood, revealing a handsome face, bright blue eyes, and brown hair that seemed a bit pink. She blinked rapidly, curious as to how this group acquired such good-looking men. Rose petals followed his every move, and she absently wondered if Tamaki had learned from him.

"I didn't properly introduce myself. I'm Number XI, Marluxia, The Graceful Assassin. Renge, may this not be the last time I see you. But I'm sorry. I must return you to Agrabah now, or Saix will do things that would make any grown man cry."

The chair transformed itself into hands that pried the bars apart with ease, retracting back into the eleventh member's hands. He tossed her an elixer, and she looked up at him, confused. "Won't you..."

"It's better this way. Come on, the higher ups will find you. Please. Renge..."

"Will I find you later?!"

"To find is to lose, to lose is to find. Who knows... now hurry!"

Blue eyes pleaded with her brown ones, and a gloved hand extended out to her, begging her to make haste. He was actually going to return her to her temporary world. No fight, no brutal interrogation, nothing...

It was then Renge fell in love with him.

xoxo

Axel had to be quick about this. He was supposed to be capturing pretty little redheads, but this had been a request from someone. And to ignore it was not in his nature, when he knew the one who asked him would've done it himself, had he been able to.

He spotted her quick enough. The bow around her arm was a dead giveaway.

"Renge?"

The blonde in question spun to meet a familiar face, and she grinned. "Hello, Axel. But could you not call me Renge here? The commoners know me as Lyra. Just so I won't be recaptured, you know. Wait, is that what you're here for?" She tensed up and looked ready to fight.

The redhead laughed, and grabbed her chin, a move she remembered from her previous encounter with him. "No, no. Marluxia actually sent me to find you."

She smiled brightly. "Marluxia? Oh, how is he?!"

Axel turned his head down, and grimaced. "Dead, actually."

If either of them were capable of crying at that moment, they would've turned the desert sands they stood on into the ocean.

"The Superior found out he had released you. Mind you, he survived longer than expected. But our resident Jedi wannabe wasn't pleased with the idea of having someone who knew of the Organization other than the Nobodies about." He sighed. "I was there, too. But you see, I'm a traitor as it is. I would've been next."

Renge nodded, comprehending that Axel valued his life far more than Marluxia did his. And that was okay. "I understand. I just wish I could've said goodbye."

Axel watched as she sat down, and if he had a heart, it would've gone to her. "Listen, Ren-- Lyra. One day, you will see him again, in the next life. Where he will be whole and human." He kneeled down. "You wait, he'll remember you. Don't forget him, though." The Flurry of Dancing Flames sighed. "I think you made him feel like he had a heart."

He stood back up, feeling slightly guilty about being the bearer of bad news. "I'm sorry, Miss Houshakouji. But I felt you should know."

"No. It's fine. At least he's not in pain..."

Axel sighed, and turned to leave, but suddenly remembered what he had come to do. "Oh, before he died, he told me to give you this." From the inside of his jacket, the leather-clad man procured a canary-coloured rose. She caught sight of it, and she smiled weakly. He remembered...

"He said that if I found you that I would have to give this to you, as a reminder that he will always be more than memory." The redhead grinned. "He said as long as you remain alive, so is he. Such a sap..."

The mage chuckled, and gently twirled the rose between her fingers. When she looked up, she saw a ghost of a man with blue eyes and almost pink locks smile at her, and disappear into the bustle of the city.

She blinked twice, but didn't comment on it. She returned her attention to the man in front of her. "Axel, thank you." She said, giving him a gentle hug in gratitude.

"Don't mention it. See you in the next life..."

"Of course, of course!" She smiled sweetly.

He opened a portal, and snorted. "Silly, just because you have a next life..."

The woman watched him leave, still holding the rose, and finally cried.

xoxo

Another A/N: HO LOOK. I made a reference to Star Wars, FMA (Monica Rial, how I love thee), fanagrams, the Aladdin television series, and the one line all those AkuRoku fans use as proof. New record!

Favourite Line: A second voice appeared from thin air, or rather, a dark portal. "Aw, Mar-Mar, making deals with pretty girls? Mansex isn't gonna like that." The original cloaked man's shoulders slumped considerably when the second spoke. "Number VIII, we must not refer to the Superior as Mansex. It's insulting." "But it's FUNNY."

GODDAMNIT AXEL. STOP BEING SO ADORABLE. FFFFF.

Do any of you actually like this mini series of sorts? Do you want me to continue? I actually do not know who would end up meeting with Kyouya, and I do want to do an oneshot with him, but any suggestions, and I will be more than happy to give them a look. :D Ideas are more than welcome. SRSLY.

Anyway, if you liked this, loved this, hated it... Let me know! Criticism is always appreciated, as I do handle it gracefully.

(By the way, anyone wanna see a big fat Death Note/OHSHC crossover? MORI SHUT UP ON THIS. NO SPOILING. :3)

--J