Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

a/n: This one's pretty brutal-a bloodbath, as my beta put it, but it gets the point across. I got the inspiration from The Decemberists' "Culling of the Fold"~

The Organization had been running full-throttle in Limerick for at least ten years, terrifying wee boys and girls with tales of terror and brutality, their parents' breath held every time a long-haired man stalked past, because it was common knowledge that all the murderers had long hair cut into wicked spikes. The city was held in thrall, frozen in the way of gang violence and beautiful men stabbing each other, but much as they paid attention, no one could have predicted the turn of the tides within the ranks, the rising of a certain mutinous man to the bottom of the top, and his allies were strong, and they would die for him—they would fight for him—they would win for him, and it only took a bit of lying, a bit of sugar-coating the truth, a bit of telling all of them that he loved them, pitting them against one another until only the best was left. After all, there was only room for one beside him, and there was an entire family of underlings to deal with.

"Cut him up, boy," he said, wicked grin sending his first man off at a sprint.

Roxas smiled and simpered at Saïx, begging his lover to follow him, because he didn't want to get blood on the floor of his own house. Saïx followed, as he was wont to do, and by the time they reached the clearing in the wood, Roxas was grinning the sick grin of a man tasting blood well fought for. He kissed his lover, and Saïx tasted nothing different in the aggression, only questioning the surroundings as he was forced to his knees by his blond boy-wonder, not feeling the shift as Roxas pulled his knife from his belt.

Metal broke his side like a stake to the heart, but so immensely elegant was the withdrawal, the curl of lips and flashing canines as blood ran off the knife, coating the pine needles at his feet, that Saïx could forgive the betrayal. Roxas had grown into a true backstabber in his months with the Organization, which was more than Saïx could say for himself. He would go and do what Xemnas told him, but he could never slaughter a lover like a pig, and that was the sign of ultimate loyalty. Roxas was perfect.

Roxas stepped forward, towering over Saïx, bending to whisper in his ear, saying "You're a disgrace, Saïx. You can't stay with us." Dragging blood-warmed metal down Saïx's arm, digging the tip in and pulling, leaving a red, beading line in the flesh, his hands only shook enough to say he was sorry, but he was still enjoying this. Saïx shuddered, but did not waver, kneeled in his place, knowing the end when it came for him.

He only said one thing.

"Roxas," he whispered, hawk's eyes boring into Roxas' cherubic, twisted face. "Who?"

And Roxas grinned, and the knife to the chest was a good response, because the name would have hurt just as badly, if not worse.

"I have a present for you," Riku intoned, sea-green eyes glowing at Larxene, compelling her, sparkling, calling to her inner magpie, and she followed him to the river, expecting gold to come pouring out of his pocket. He kissed her, and he tasted of deceit, but before she could shove him away she was being shoved, being thrown, being dropped, and her head collided with pavement, and bounced, and stars shot into her eyes as her brain collided with her skull. Blood spotted her white-blonde hair, and she stared at Riku, plainly asking "Why?" when the only answer she would ever get was "Because they told me to" as Riku's foot came down on her arm, and it snapped.

The way he avoided her eyes as he broke her said it was breaking his heart, and she spat in his face as she died.

Kairi had already killed Riku when she found Sora, hiding in his hole-in-the-wall house, penning some children's story about how gangs aren't all that bad if you can learn how to keep an eye open while you sleep. Well, she'd teach him a thing or two about caution while sleeping.

Professing her love, she had him stripped bare within minutes, and he was opening his mouth to ask why all her clothes were still on when her eyes, blue as deepening skies, flashed like death, and her knife caught the light.

"That's where Riku went," he rasped, knowing now that she knew what they'd been plotting, knowing what exactly had happened as her eyes hardened and she grimaced as she cut him up.

Kairi looked ill-pleased as she walked away from Sora's corpse, mangled and tangled in a ditch, wondering how she still had enough humanity to close his dead eyes for him before leaving.

"Roxas, I know what you did to Saïx," she said, looking unimpressed as he attempted to tempt her with himself. He drooped, and she would have smiled at him if she hadn't been trying to remember where her knife was, but then he frowned at her and said:

"But Sora sent me to find you, and I don't want to take you to Sora."

Blue eyes widened, white-blonde hair shifted, and she stepped out the door before finishing her mental search for her weapon.

"Where is he?"

Roxas sighed at Naminé, gesturing with a tilt of his head, turning to pace the path to the river, thinking that Naminé really was too easy. Sora was as good as solid gold to her—all you had to do was drop his name, and she would come running.

They reached the river, and when she turned to ask him where Sora was, he frowned and kicked her down, and killed her as Riku had Larxene, leaving her to bleed on the pavement as his shoulders shook, because Naminé had always been something of a sister to him.

Kairi killed Xemnas while Roxas took care of Marluxia—Zexion had killed Demyx who had killed Luxord, and Vexen had killed Lexaeus after he killed Zexion. Xigbar and Xaldin died together, pools of blood spreading to mix, having dealt fatal blows within seconds of each other, leaving only Axel.

The two teenagers met at his feet, hands bloodied, eyes glinting with excitement as they awaited the next orders. The ranks were purged—the fold was culled, and all was happy and fine, except that there were two of them standing there, and the outline of the coup demanded that only one be left. A decision was still to be made, and Roxas already knew what it was.

"Listen up, kiddies," Axel said, grinning at them, eyes deep, dark, sickly green in the dim light. His ecstasy was tangible as he looked between the two of them, knowing that the Organization was at the peak of its remaking, knowing that he now ownded Limerick as Xemnas once had.

"There's only room for two on this ride, and I'm one of them. It appears there are two of you, which needs to change by the next time I see you." His eyes paused their flickering dance, staying on Roxas for a second longer, something shining there that Kairi didn't like, that made her feel threatened and endangered. Roxas smirked and turned on his heel, knowing he would win, knowing he would be second only to Axel when all this was finished, knowing that he would get to repeat that one fiery, perfect night he'd had with him, knowing that no one would get in their way ever again.