I'm quite surprised at the amount of hits this story has gotten, as well as the amount of favorites and alerts. And I got reviews from people that I normally don't get reviews from, which is always a nice thing. So, so far, out of the reviews I got, the results for the mpreg are;

Y-2

N-1

And I got two votes that say they wouldn't mind, depending on whether I can work it well or if it's just whatever I want. Thanks for your input, definitely helped me decide where to go with this story. Anyways, enjoy.


-Chapter two-

Roxas glanced at the huge mansion outside his carriage window and gave a soft sigh. He could honestly say that he was not expecting to be home this spring, so soon. He hardly ever visited his family home, considering that his boarding over at his uncles was so much more welcoming. After all, breaks between his teachings were not very long, and considering it took several days to get to the mansion, it was easier that he stay at Vexen's. But even as he rested at his uncles, he did whatever he could to refrain from talking to his relatives, not being able to really "bond" with them. The longer he stayed out of the country and learned more about the exotic world around him, the less he wished to come back to his roots.

But the day had finally come. As the only male born from within his family it was expected that he return home right after his completed studies and take over the family business.

It wasn't that Roxas was proud that he had completed his studies faster than most that he would be leaving the sunny coasts and bright skies only to return to the cold and windy property that his family was so unfortunate to rein. It wasn't that he wasn't looking forward to see his older sister Larxene, or the mile load of work that he would have to look through, doubting his sister had taken the time to actually go through all documents and such. Roxas just didn't seem to find anything to relate with anymore. After spending so long in what could have been another world, he just didn't see the lifestyle he had lived so long to be desirable. It almost made him want to resign his future duties and let his sister keep them. He could care less about the honor of it.

But it wasn't long before Roxas found himself walking through the gates of his childhood home, his blue eyes glancing at the thick vinery growing on the walls, the huge fountain of an angel spouting out cold clear water, and the giant window panes that he once looked out of. He could see small remnants of snow scattered about the front yard, human servants cleaning it up and ridding of it so that the flowers that decorated the front would not be harmed. Roxas hurried right into the front doors, but theses images seemed to be stuck in his mind, trying to find the similar older memories so that he wouldn't feel so out of place.

As soon as his presence was known several servants made their way toward him. A few past him by, hurrying over to get his luggage while others stayed by his side, taking his outside coat and shoes, replacing them with something more comfortable and suitable for walking around on the soft wood flooring.

He was approached by a young woman. Not a servant. A secretary. Roxas nodded his head as she bowed down to him and greeted him.

"Master Roxas," she said, her eyes lowered just a bit.

"Is my sister here," Roxas asked. He dropped any small baggage he had left on him, letting any nearby servants take it.

"She had to go to see Lord Xemnas," she replied. "A meeting was called on the status on slave population. I've received message this morning that, should the weather remain calm and that she'll be here by nightfall."

Roxas gave another nod as he made his way down the long hall, eager to get to his room and relax after a long day of merely sitting and waiting. Larxene's secretary followed tail, going on and explaining the current situation of the county the pass few days. Roxas did whatever he could to seem interested on his land, but found just about everything else to be much more interesting.

Almost immediately Roxas took notice in the feline servants that were busying themselves with daily chores. Nekos only occupied to countries, one being a small island and the other being this country, so it had been awhile since Roxas had seen one so up close. But this wasn't the reason why he had his eyes set on these particular feline fiends.

"I assume there is a reason why all these Nekos have black coatings," he muttered to the secretary.

The young woman looked up and stared at the many black coated Nekos.

"Your sister has taken a liking to their coat color," she said. "I suppose since black is a bit rarer for their species, and it is a rather nice color as well."

Roxas shook his head. Yes, of course his sister would choose the servants by the color of their fur. Competence and loyalty had nothing to do with it; as long as they looked good then that was all that mattered, right?

It didn't make much sense to him. Not the black coats, but the usage of Nekos.

Roxas wasn't going to deny it, slaves were essential for getting things done. Slaves built up the foundation for this country. They were a wonderful source of cheap labor, and considering the life span of a Neko or Elf, though slavery did subtract years, they ensured that they would be working for a long time.

But as mentioned before, Nekos only occupied so many areas. The last year Roxas had spent most of his time along the crisp coats, were the only slaves to be seen were human owing time for past crimes or wages. Sure, further inland he saw a few fiends, though these fiends were very different from what Roxas grown around, being much simpler and slower than a Neko. And it was this that brought Roxas to go over what made a slave. A human was declared to be smart, powerful, chosen by god, and declared to be the rulers of the planet. But one who found himself in trouble would end up becoming a slave, though temporary. Fiends were said that they could become a slave, seeing that they were simply not human. That was the reason. Yet Roxas couldn't help but see a bias with this law. Werewolves were in the category of fiend, but were not enslaved, if anything; they were feared, and in some countries they were considered god like. Mer-creatures were fiends as well, and they were very simplistic too. Mermaids would sometimes walk the earth, to feed and mate, but they were never captured and enslaved. The reason behind this was because they were quoted to be far too dangerous, too instinctive, and therefore would make poor slaves. For the longest time elves were used as slaves, but even Roxas knew better that they were extremely intelligent creatures. Were it not for the war, humans would still be using them too. And as for Nekos, Roxas found himself on the same side as he did with Elves. His books had told him that Nekos were very instinctual, but living with them has shown him that they, like elves, were intelligent. They could be talk to read and write, something that he had been shown from Lexaeus, which alone made Roxas feel very uncomfortable.

He was living in a strange world. And everyday Roxas became more sure of himself that he didn't belong in it.


"I kind of feel bad for the little guy," Axel said as he cooed the small animal in his arms. He lifted the small rabbit and stared at it with a smirk. "Though, I got to admit he does have a nice fur coat…" Axel nuzzled the creature, inhaling its strange new scent. "It'll make for a sweet pelt…too bad it's so small."

"Don't play with your food, Axel," Luxord said. He frowned at the redhead and shook his head. "You'll stress it out."

"But look at it," Axle said, hurrying over in front of Luxord and swinging the tied up rabbit in front of Luxord. "You have to admit, not even the food back at home was this adorable. Sorta reminds me of the kittens back at home…"

"Don't compare our infants to food," Luxord said.

It was their third day of traveling, and both Axel and Luxord had managed to break through the forest. For the first time in their lives they had left their only home.

Their was a huge difference between the forest and the plains they had been walking through the past several hours. Tall green trees and vines were gone and both of the Nekos could see the clear blue sky, without and object blocking them. The moist ground was hot and dry and huge blades of yellow and light green grass. What few trees there were out of the forest were scattered about, and not nearly as big as the ones they were accustomed to. The bright sun blared down on both of them, and considering there were no trees covering them, both found themselves out in a surprisingly bright world. It was a strange, peculiar sight. Even Axel seemed a bit intimidated with what he was seeing.

The first step out of the forest was long. Very long. Even Luxord thought the moment dragged a bit. Axel spent a good several minutes carefully "scanning" the area, checking and making sure it was safe enough for them to leave.

Luxord had been the one to take the first step.

Although it had been a frightening moment for him, a voice deep within Luxord's head kept reminding him that the fact that there was a world outside the forest was crazy enough, to leave it and wander about would be insane, Luxord wasn't going to lie that it did give him an amazing sensation. In some way he was able to show Axel that the dry earth wasn't poisonous or…whatever Axel was afraid of. It gave him a feeling of superiority.

And so, for several hours, the two traveled through miles upon miles of tall wet grass, stopping once in a while to take a look at the new scenery or to give themselves a small break.

Eventually they came upon a few trees that bore familiar fruit, and they were able to capture a small rabbit, though for the longest time they were a bit unsure of what to do with it since most living forms of "food" or "prey" tended to be bigger, faster, and gave something close to a fight. All the rabbit did was scream, and although it was startling, it only pissed them off. In the end, Luxord dubbed it food, figuring that since it tried to run from them it must be edible to several other species. And if it wasn't, it had a nice coat, and Luxord and Axel figured decorating their bags would be a nice way of adding some character to it.

Luxord looked up to the sky, squinting just a bit as he wasn't so used to seeing the whole sky without branches getting out of the way. It was well past half day. He stopped and glanced behind him, checking to see how far he and axel had traveled. He could see the miles of green and yellow, the small village they had passed, a few trees and rocks, but could barely see the small mound of deep green that represented his home.

He sighed.

"Something wrong," Axel said.

Luxord turned and stared nervously at Axel. He immediately shook his head, trying to not show any sign of weakness.

"So, like, where do you think we ought to go first," Axel asked suddenly. Luxord shrugged, not really sure of where the two ought to go.

"You figure going in a straight line will take us anywhere," Luxord questioned. "I mean, it will eventually take us somewhere, right?"

Axel thought hard about what Luxord had said and gave a small frown. "You know…I'm not entirely sure."

"The path we took to get here was practically a straight line, aside from detours to stock up at the tribes," Luxord said. "We'll get somewhere no matter where we go. That is, unless there is somewhere you personally want to go?"

"Well," Axel said. He moved his arms a bit, trying to move the rabbit in his arms to a more comfortable position. "I think we should find an ocean…"

"An ocean," Luxord asked.

"Yeah, you know," Axel said, "a lake so big that you never see the end?" He smiled, his tail lifting up and moving quickly from side to side, "and with all sorts of different kinds of fish?" He walked right next to Luxord and continued to go on. Luxord could only stare in awe at how fast his friend was talking.

"So you want to go to the ocean," Luxord asked sarcastically.

Axel pouted.

"Yeah," Axel said cheerfully. "And maybe we can see one of them fish creatures that everyone talked about back when we were little…"

Luxord chuckled, "that's just a silly story…"

"Silly," Axel muttered, "vicious fish monster attacking everything in sight is just silly?"

"It's not real," Luxord said, smirking at the younger male. "Fish have gills…the creature described in the stories had bodies like ours…there is no way they could live in the water without air."

"Well, maybe they just swim right above the surface," Axel suggested. "You never know…yesterday we found out there are creatures like us, but without tails or ears or any sense of…well, anything! It's like I said right before we decided to leave, Lux." Axel let one of his hands to the side of his pants and pulled out a small knife. He handed the rabbit to Luxord. "Sides, the fact that there's a giant lake out there with giant fish sounds cool enough to have a look at, don't you think?"

Luxord stared at the now shaking rabbit and then to Axel, "Well, I suppose it would be rather cool."

"Something to definitely mention to everyone back at home, am I right?" Axel began to remove the rope binding the rabbit while Luxord readied the rabbit to a more exposed position.

"Ocean it is then," Luxord muttered as he knelt down and pressed the rabbit to the ground. He stared up at Axel, "which way is the ocean?"

Axel looked over to the direction the two had been walking and then off to the side.

"I say east," he said.

"Is that a guess?'

"Yes, yes it is," Axel said, without the slightest hint of shame. "But think about it; the forest ended."

"It sure did," Luxord said. He looked up and stared at axel curiously. "Not sure what that has to do with the ocean though…"

"The worlds got to end sooner or later," Axel said. "East or west doesn't really matter. We'll hit the end of the road."

"Then why not head back south," Luxord questioned, his own tail now swishing about. Although he was quite used to Axel's mind games, he had to admit that he was beginning to get just a bit annoyed.

"In all the years we've wandered the forest, I don't recall ever seeing the end of land," Axel said. "Just…big lakes…"

"If the world ends, then wouldn't it end all around, rather in just some places," Luxord questioned. It was really the wrong question to be asking Axel.

"That's a wonderful question, Luxord," Axel said as he lowered himself while playing with his knife. "And the sooner we get back to our traveling, the sooner we are to finding out." He patted the rabbit's stomach and looked up to Luxord. "Light or dark meat?"

"I'd prefer dark," Luxord said, "but considering we no idea what our little friend has inside, I'll go with what is served."

Axel smiled.


Marluxia sighed as he walked about the small town, trying his best to not hurry about while he desperately attempted to stretch out his body. A long day of nothing but traveling had done no good to his body. He felt cramped and tramped throughout the whole ride, with no one to talk to but his own servant; and what conversation could be built between the two that wouldn't lead to some sort of awkward moment?

Marluxia was still a days worth away from his home. He glanced around his surroundings, not finding the dirt roads and poorly constructed buildings to his liking. Children ran about in hardly any clothing, and all adults around him didn't seem to care about this indecency. And what seemed to make it worse was this was his land.

He looked the west and stared at the "busier" part of the town; a few fish markets and a couple of boats lining the small port.

Marluxia hoped this was one of his poorer properties.

Taking control of a land, despite it only being the fourth largest, was something that Marluxia took great pride in. Perhaps it was the fact that his mother was a righteous bitch or his father was a perfectionist, either way, Marluxia loathed any signs of weakness. Having owning a land that was right next to a huge coast meant that Marluxia should be on top of everything. Trade would be his most powerful asset; being other countries were only just a ships ride away.

Still, Xemnas was above him. And to make it worse, Xemnas was probably loathing him right about now. Marluxia doubted that there would be a twisted relationship between the two from here on end, but he also doubted there would be a strong one.

Regret filled his chest, and right from that moment he began to wonder if he had made the right choice.

It would probably cost him more to purchase Neko slaves of his own, seeing that he would need a vast number to help fulfill all his chores. At least a good twenty. And although the people in his country could purchase slaves as well, he couldn't see them being able to afford a decent quantity as well. Not if they had half naked children running about…

It would take a while for Marluxia to make profit from all the slaves. But of course, once he did break even he was sure it would be smooth sailing from there on end. He could fire all of his human servants, and then wouldn't have to worry about paying them. And unlike human slaves, Nekos would work for life, so he wouldn't have to worry about sending them off.

Still, should he let go of any of his servants, he would find that he had men running around with no job of their own. And the men he hired were not built for farm life or sailing oceans. They would have to find work in other fields.

Marluxia could name several villages, all along the upper coast, that could produce jobs that would better for the men who worked under him, though not all of them would be close enough for their liking. This meant they would either have to commute or move entirely. This could lead to things such a debt, and Marluxia disliked debt.

Money, that's all what it had come down to.

Despite being rather young, Marluxia knew everything he needed to know about it. Without it he was nothing, and with it he was everything and more. The people looked up to him because of it, and should he ever run low, they would doubt him and possibly leave, putting him in an even bigger mess.

If he was ever to make a transition from human to fiend, it would have to be a fairly slow one, starting with his people and up. He would have to promote it in the farmlands, what little he owned, and then while doing so promote more jobs for those that will not longer be able to work once Nekos replaced their older jobs. He would then have to take things one small step at a time, repeating the process over and over again till the transition made its way toward his establishment.

After thinking up all of this, Marluxia couldn't help but crack a smile.

He hadn't made the wrong choice at all. By voting "no", he had saved himself precious time and energy. If he had voted "yes", there would be more bloody cats running amok, and Marluxia would end up in the imaginary predicament that he had thought up at this moment.

"Xemnas is a fool," he muttered. "People like Lexaeus and I would not profit from this at all…"

Marluxia scowled.

Xemnas must have known this? The man was smart, and even after suffering huge losses he was still on top of everything, surely he must have foreseen this?

And there he was, offering him all these, small, possibly useless deeds.

Xemnas was probably upset over the wrong thing. Marluxia betted that Xemnas believed he was found out, not because he didn't offer enough for him. Selfishness had made Xemnas overly upset. Still, it was this little bit of selfishness that saved him making a rather terrible mistake. Of course, he was going to have to deal with Xemnas sooner or later, and considering that Xemnas thought Marluxia's actions were based on another subject, he could be sure that their relations would be fickle for at least a good while.

Marluxia turned around and began to walk back to his carriage, his dark grey boots sinking into the softened dirt. His face twisted a bit as he felt his boots sink a bit into the salted, wet dirt.

Thos boots were expensive.

Oh he could not wait to get back home.


"So, am I to assume that you're here for good now," Larxene asked as she picked at her meal, her eyes leering down at the plate, away from her younger brother.

"Yes," Roxas said, doing the very same actions as his older sister.

"So I guess you'll be taking up my job then," Larxene said quietly. She held her knife up and pointed it towards Roxas.

Roxas shook his head. "Not for a good while," Roxas said. "You know I'm still too young." He gave a small frown. "I'm not yet considered an adult…"

He let his fork stab at his food for a few moments, letting the meat slide around in distaste. What conversation could he share with his beloved sister? Not one about love or remembrance and of course they just couldn't catch up with the good times. No, they had to talk about family power and who would take hold of it.

"and…all things considering," Roxas said, looking up a bit, "I could assume that, even after I reach adulthood, that perhaps the council will decide that you may be the better out of the two of us."

"Hmm," Larxene muttered. She grabbed her glass and began to drink.

Roxas frowned.

"So…did the ride home go well," he asked, his eyes once again looking away.

"What do you think," she said snidely.

"It's nice to see you haven't changed a bit," Roxas said with a sarcastic tone to his voice. He smiled at Larxene as he grabbed his glass. "And I suppose the meeting went just as well?"

Larxene chuckled.

"A bunch of men whining over this and that," she said. She took another sip and stared carefully at her younger brother. "The only difference was that this time I had something decent to stare at…"

"Who," Roxas said.

"Marluxia," she answered. "His father kicked the bucket, got to replace his seat." Another sip. "He's grown up quite handsome." Larxene smiled and looked over to her younger brother. "Unfortunately he's a lot like you…"

"How so," Roxas questioned. "I can easily say that you don't know much about me, given I haven't had a conversation with you with quite some time. Hard to make judgment, don't you think?"

Larxene laughed.

"I know a lot about you," Larxene said. "Think about it; three years and three small breaks in between, and you've spent them with Vexen?" She put her glass down and stood up from her seat. "You want nothing to do with us."

"That's not true," Roxas said.

"Well, you've at least grown distant," Larxene said. "I walked right into the halls, and what do you do as a form of greeting me? You stare." Larxene walked over to the huge painting to the side of the room and stared coldly at it.

"If it pleases you," Roxas said, setting his glass down. "I've considered not taking your position as a council leader." He turned to his older sister, "You don't have to worry about me changing things to your disliking…"

Larxene turned herself around and smiled at her younger brother. "You don't have to worry about that."

Roxas blinked, his expression changing as he tried to read Larxene's words.

"As I said before," Larxene said, walking over to her brothers chair, "Marluxia's taken seat. And he is a lot, and I do mean a lot, like you. He may not use your deduction of thought, but I can clearly see that he will be a problem."

"He voted against you in some sort of way," Roxas asked.

"Against an older law, one that would benefit some people like us," she said. "One that he probably would have voted against anyways…"

"Then why is it such a big deal," Roxas asked, relaxing a bit in his seat.

"I'll tell you why," she snapped. He relaxed her poise, fixing herself up in front of her brother. "…I saw and Xemnas conversing with one another, in the hallway that no one else was occupying, right before the meeting too."

Roxas frowned. So one of them was attempting to gain something? Xemnas or Marluxia; one of them was making a deal to the other. News like this wasn't news to him; he knew corruption was all over if you looked hard enough. But it was distressing to hear this nonetheless.

"Marluxia doesn't seem to care much about helping others," she said. "I've never been offered so much…it seems that he wants nothing to do with passing older laws."

"You truly think so," Roxas asked.

Larxene folded her arms. "I know so."

"Perhaps what he was offered wasn't good enough for him in the long run," Roxas said. "And if so, you throw out the suggestion that Marluxia is any different from everyone else. Because, honestly, I doubt he's a saint."

"Nobody's a saint," she said. "Not even you."

Roxas rolled his eyes.

"Well, if you excuse me," Roxas said, getting up from his seat.

"Leaving so soon?"

"Just tired," Roxas said.

"It's not even that late," Larxene said. She smirked.

"I had a very long day," Roxas said, "and dinner didn't help much either."

He made his way to the door at the end of the room, eager to make his way back to his old room. He didn't expect Larxene to say anything as he left the room, but it still upset him a bit that his only sister was anything but happy to see him.

But of course, what did he expect. The huge gap in age meant that Larxene would be in power and get used to it, and him getting older in age only meant the loss of the power she was used to. After years of making important decisions it would only be natural that she would feel hostile towards his return.

"Happy birthday to me," Roxas murmured to himself as he opened his door to his room. He made his way right into his bed and laid down, giving a long sigh as he tried to settle himself down.

He glanced out the window and stared into the deep blue sky.

Perhaps it was for the better that he take Larxene's job. Either way, she would never feel comfortable around him, whether he was in or out of power. At least if he was in power he could try to change things for the good.

"Happy birthday indeed."


Four days.

Luxord sighed as he tried to relax himself after another long day of traveling. He was sure after traveling so long he'd be tired, but instead he felt like he hadn't done a thing. He wanted to move around. He took a long breath and looked over to see that Axel was fast asleep.

Damn it.

Perhaps the joy of being on his own was finally sinking in.

Really, if he could place a feeling to what he had experienced the past several hour it would have to be something along the lines of joy. Perhaps not that powerful, but it was something along that lines.

The two had traveled quite a bit during the day, hardly making any stops. They didn't have to. Everything that was new could be seen while moving. Not that they didn't want to take in the new scenery, it was something else.

As they traveled further east the two began to notice there were, gradually, more villages or households. Both of them made sure keep a good distance from the small buildings, not entirely sure whether it was safe for them to approach the strange structures. But it was only a matter of time before they came across their first human; the strange looking creatures seemed to be all over the place.

They looked a lot like them.

In fact, it was the sight of humans that had to be the most fascinating thing Luxord had seen all day. The creatures looked almost exactly like them, aside from a few differences, that being they did have no tail, and their ears were significantly smaller and located much lower than his.

God, that was so weird.

He didn't get too close though, and in some ways, despite what he had said earlier, he was a bit upset. Humans were a lot like them for a reason, right? Everything else he had seen looked nothing like him. And with this thought came a swarm more; where id they come from, why were they here, why were they different, and so on. The very fact that there were others that seemed to be almost related to him made him really curious. Everything he had said to Axel before almost didn't matter much to him.

As for the rest of the day, it could easily be said that there were a lot more interesting things that were spotted. Aside from humans, both of them spotted a strange, giant bird like creature that roamed the new plains that they were walking through. Speaking of which, the tall yellow grass soon grew short and before they new it, they had entered a new type of terrain.

It seemed like the world only knew how to grow…

And the changes it brought were none the least bit surprising. Aside from the shorter, greener grass, there was a change in air. Yes, air. As strange as it sounded, both Axel and Luxord could agree that the very air they were breathing…had a salty taste. It was also cooler, the air. Both had grown in rather humid temperature, and the assumption was that the temperature would not change. Why would it? There was only one sun, and it didn't seem to change in size or shape as they went on…yet as they went onward it seemed to get cooler and cooler.

A huge problem when your only form of clothing was pants.

But after a long day of sight seeing the two settled down in what seemed to be a small forest. The trees were much smaller, and the wood itself wasn't thick and supportive enough for them to both rest in. The ground was littered with leaves and twigs from the trees, as well as small patches of grass and moss. It wasn't exactly what the two of them were used to, but it gave them a small sense of familiarity, so they settled and decided it would be a temporary resting-

"Axel," Luxord said suddenly, his hand roughly grabbing on to his friends. His ears perked up while his whole body stood completely still.

He felt his friend give a soft grumble, moving around a bit before opening his eyes and looking to Luxord with a small frown.

"What," he hissed. "You have any idea what time-"

Luxord immediately placed a hand over his friend mouth, covering it as his eyes darted about. It wasn't before long that Axel began doing the same, his green eyes carefully scanning the surroundings.

"…what is it," Axel finally asked, having removed Luxord hand. His voice was rather quiet and rushed.

"…I heard something," he whispered.

Axel slowly got up on his knees and continued to look around, hoping what Luxord had just said was not true. Neither of them was prepared for a predator, should something exist in this part of the woods. With only knives, they wouldn't stand much of a chance against a bigger animal. And since it was only the two of them, they had to hope it wasn't a pack of animals after them.

Both continued to remain absolutely silent, making sure that the only thing they could hear was whatever was out there.

Luxord's ears were the first to lower.

"Axel," he hissed. Luxord watched as his friend burst up from his position, already backing up. He was quick to do the same, quickly grabbing his and Axel's bag.

There was something out there, and it wasn't alone. It sounded as it was far off, but the calls of barking could be heard, and it was coming in the direction the both of them had come from. This meant they were being tracked by a multitude.

"Run," he said.

Both turned and made their way deeper into the forest, Axel right behind Luxord. He didn't have any real destination, just as long as they remained in the woods where they could hide and hopefully fade into the scenery. It was dark, and although his hair and fur color stood out, he was sure the both of them would be able to out smart whatever was following them.

"We gotta find a tree," Axel said.

Luxord looked around as best as he could to see what could make for a decent hiding place. Running and trying to not get attacked made it all the more difficult.

"Forget it," he yelled. "Whatever is following us is using our scent anyways."

"Shit," Axel hissed.

"We need to outrun them or find a river," Luxord said, his breathing getting harder as he felt himself become more afraid by the second. He could here the sounds of what was chasing them get closer, and the sounds of barking seemed to only be half of what was after them. He could hear something else yelling out there…but he couldn't recognize whatever it was.

"You think we can fight them," Axel said. Luxord could hear the tire in his voice.

"Doubtful," he said. His own voice sounded weak.

"Got to think of something," Axel said

"We can trying using a-"

There was a long howl coming from right behind Axel and Luxord, and as if it had meant something to them, both of them stopped in their tracks to see what is was. They had never heard such a sound before.

Luxord stared at the creature that had been chasing them, and was surprised by its appearance. It was nothing he had seen before. It walked on all fours, bared its sharp teeth at him with a deep growl, its tail erect and frisking about. It was much smaller than what he had suspected to be, but Luxord had to figure there were more of them.

And then made a lunge for Axel.

Without though Luxord pulled his knife out and blocked the attack, earning a painful bit wound to the arm. He fell to the floor, bringing the creature down with him. He winced in pain, but reacted quickly enough to go and slit the animal's throat. He pushed the creature off of him and breathed hard.

He turned and looked up to Axel, who just stood there in shock. He looked absolutely terrified. He looked down and stared at the wound he had received. Several puncture marks oozed red, warm blood. There wasn't much pain, but Luxord figured once the shock wore off he would be loathing the sensation to come. His skin was torn, and he was bleeding. Not a wonderful thing when you're being hunted.

He hurried himself back up and looked over in the direction the animal had come from. Luxord could see two more of them, watching from a distance, growling and leering at him and Axel.

But they weren't attacking. Strange…

"I have an idea," Axel said suddenly.

Luxord stared at his wound, "I'm listening."

"We split up," he said simply.

"What?" Luxord almost had it there.

"We can take these things down in smaller numbers," Axel said. "A stab ought to do it….their already afraid of us as it is. We just take em down, one by one."

"What about the other animal that's hunting us," Luxord asked. He was sure he had heard the sound of something else…something that didn't come from what he had just killed.

"You have any better ideas," Axel asked.

Luxord shook his head.

"Ok then," Axel said. "Make sure to call for me when you're done."

Luxord nodded his head as he readied himself. He could see the apprehension in the animals' eyes grow as he stiffened himself up. And without a word, the two split up, both running in opposite directions of one another.

Luxord didn't like this idea. He didn't want o have to wonder how he was going to find, if he was going to find Axel later on. He knew Axel was a decent hunter, probably better than him, but he wasn't sure if this could count for a good enough situation to test Axel's skills. They were out of their element, away from home and n an unfamiliar environment. He didn't know these woods well enough, and he was sure that even if he did kill off all these creatures he'd end up lost. And he couldn't help but worry for Axel. God help him if something happened to Axel…

Luxord stopped in his tracks and watched as the same looking creature made a lunge at him. He couldn't help but feel a bit relieved as it preformed that exact same moves as the one before. He let it get close enough and gave it a quick stab before running off. It was a bit cowardice, not to mention the animal would suffer a bit, but it was the most effective way at ensuring his survival. He continued this very same strategy twice more, but with another one of those creatures. This one was a much tougher kill; the damn thing barking madly at him and snapping more than the other two he had killed. He spent more time running than he was killing, and it was wearing him out.

Two more of them and he was at wits end. His lungs were burning from all the running, and his arm was beginning to ache miserably.

He wanted nothing more than to just collapse on the floor. He was tired.

But he kept on, knowing there was at least one more behind him. He could only assume. He heard something chasing after him, and he was sure it wasn't Axel. But whatever it was, it was alone. He made a small glace behind him and stared at the remaining animal.

Luxord made a sharp turn and hurried off, and was thankful to hear the sound of footsteps dwindle a bit. He had tricked it. He kept on running though, making sure to keep a big enough distance between him and his follower.

But as he quickened his pace, Luxord saw something in the corner of his eye.

A river.

He stared at the shallow river, seeing that he could easily walk through it without having to worry about being carried away. He could see the pebbles and rocks that lined the river and realized that the water probably would barely make it to his heels.

Best of all, scent washed away in water.

He heard the barking grow louder and made the decision to travel with the current, figuring it would be easier to trick the animal that way then just traveling across from it. He could still run in it, though it would mean a bit more effort, but it would mean a much quicker escape in the end once his scent was lost. Luxord took a step in the water, nearly jumping back at how icy cold it was. He continued on and ran down the stream, hoping the time he had spent standing would not lead to his demise.

God where was Axel? Was he safe?

The barking faded again.

How on earth are you going to find him? What if he's hurt himself?

No more barking. Luxord kept running.

What if he got captured? What will you do then?

Feet going numb.

This wasn't a good idea. You should have talked him out of it-

A round rock stood up from the rest, and because Luxord wasn't watching where he was going; he slipped on it. A small, wet sounding, thud was made. No sound coma after that.

Luxord breathed hard, lifting his head up and staring lazily into the dark water. He could see that something was dripping from his head, hitting the water with a light "pit". He swallowed lightly and let his hand touch his forehead. It was wet, no surprise there. He could feel a warm, thick liquid run in between his fingers. He closed his eyes and listened carefully. He couldn't here anything after him. He let his hand fall back into the floor as he blinked a few times, his mind still in a messy daze.

His head was spinning.

Too fast.

Where was Axel?

Luxord looked up, hoping to figure out where he was by staring up at the moon. He could see white, and something that resembled a moon, but it was all too blurry for him to properly make out. He blinked, wiping away the water and stared again. This time the white seemed to be all over the place. Luxord got up from the river and tried to stand up, not thinking or wondering why everything looked like a mess through his eyes. It didn't seem to make any real sense at the moment. But as he got up, he found his head reeling and his balance off, and soon found himself falling right back into the river. His hands broke the fall, and he stared right back into the dark river.

He shivered.

Something was wrong.


"Awake for five minutes and I discover Hunters were roaming about," Marluxia said distastefully as he sat himself on the table in his office.

"Sorry, but you have to understand how the people feel about their presence," his secretary said, frowning at her masters frustration. "And the fact that they came at night didn't help much either…"

"Well, I don't see why they're complaining," Marluxia said in a half whine. "I can't get rid of them…they know this. And it's not like they only case problems…though, in this case it does appear they've caused more harm than good."

Marluxia had arrived home late in the day yesterday. Without eating or unpacking, he went straight to bed, figuring his luck would be so kind enough to make sure something would happen right when he got back.

He was right. As soon as he woke up his secretary greeting him with a list of complaints from all nearby villages. Apparently Hunters had arrived and had run amok all night long. Whether they were Were-chimera or not made no difference; they had made a serious "mess" of things throughout the night.

"Where were they last spotted," Marluxia asked, pointing over to the map on the wall. He figured they'd left long ago. Hunters only existed for money, and according to the complaints, they had been around the poorer parts of the country, and had not yet traveled deeper into the wealthier parts.

"The woods," she answered. "They were headed toward the…," she flipped through a few sheets and stared, "northern part."

Marluxia glanced at the map. They were either going out of the county and into Larxene's, or they were headed towards him. It didn't matter, he couldn't arrest them. Not unless they were seen doing anything illegal. And even if they were, he was sure the organization that was supporting their actions would bail them out in no time.

"Well then," he muttered, "they're either out of my hair or deep in it. I suppose I could check the closest village and have a look around, though I won't be able to do a bloody thing about it."

"Seeing you attempt to do something will help the villagers feel less threatened," she said with a smile.

Marluxia frowned. He really didn't want to have to look around this early in the morning. He was tired, hungry, and had better things to do.

He sighed, "very well. Aerith, have a carriage prepared and ready in five minutes."

His secretary nodded her head and hurried off. Marluxia groaned as he pulled himself off from the table and began the long walk into his room so he could dress himself in something a bit more suitable for when he left the castle.

Marluxia then walked into the carriage, not saying a word as Aerith followed him in to continue with all the useless complaints that were given throughout the night.

God help them, should he find a Hunter wandering about.

He stared blankly out the window, not really paying attention to what was being told to him. He watched the blue sky and the huge clouds drift about. He wondered whether it would be raining soon. It didn't appear so cloudy; maybe he could walk around the beach later on.

Marluxia smiled. What a silly thing for him to think about. He would never have the time to do such a wasteful thing, not with all the work that had to be done.

Marluxia could see trees appear as they made the turn, and saw dull brown and grey fill the window. Dried leaves and grass littered the floor, and the river appeared to be starting up again. In a few weeks there would be more green to the woods, and all the snow from up north would fill the river. Despite not liking loud noises and messes, Marluxia was actually looking forward to when children would be running around this part of the woods. For those that were still too young to play by the ocean, this place was always nice and peaceful. The river never got so deep that a child was swept away.

Marluxia stared at a tree and found himself frowning as his eyes lowered to the white looking mound below it. Snow? In this part of the country? By the sea?

Marluxia squinted his eyes and focused on white mound that was…breathing. It was breathing. Oh, dear lord, it was breathing.

"Stop the carriage," Marluxia said suddenly.

"What?"

"Stop dammit!" Marluxia yelled as he opened the door to the carriage, not caring that it was still moving.

He heard Aerith calling for him. He ignored her as he went to get a better look at what was going on.

Marluxia hurried off into the woods, his mind bouncing from thought to thought as he desperate tried to think of what he was doing and what was going on. God. Oh God. Had a Hunter did this? They did go after marks…but then, didn't they bring the bodies with them? Why was this one still here, and alive as well? No, he should be thankful this one was alive. What would people say should he find a dead body this close to his mansion? It was still breathing right? Yes, yes it was…oh why? Why was this happening to him? Well, at least he cold have the Hunters charged with…

Marluxia stared down at the body below him. His eyes widened a bit as he stared at the unfamiliar creature below him, breathing slowly.

He heard running behind him, Aerith calling for him.

"What is it," she said, her breathing hard. She rested a hand on his shoulder and gasped loudly, holding in a scream.

"He's still alive," Marluxia snapped. "Calm down or get back into the carriage!"

The secretary nodded her head and backed away a bit.

Marluxia lowered himself and stare carefully at the sleeping figure.

A Neko.

It was a male…obviously, there was no way of deny that. There were marks all over his body, and he was sporting quite the nasty cut on his head.

Marluxia looked all around, without touching of course, but couldn't find a mark that stated slavery. He took a good look at the neck and saw that any collar marks were nowhere to be found as well. The only other option was that it was a pleasure slave, and Marluxia wasn't willing to check for that marker, or it was a free Neko.

He saw the bag lying right next to him and opened it up. He let all the items fall from the bag and was surprised to see no papers showing it was a free Neko.

"No license," he said finally.

"What do we do," Aerith asked.

Marluxia frowned.

The thing was a mess. He doubted it would last long on its own. Perhaps the Hunters did this? But for what purpose? So was it just wandering the woods? Why? Maybe it was a slave that tried to escape? But no collar? What should he do? Even if it was a slave, it was his duty to return it back to his master in one piece, right?

Marluxia stood up and shook his head.

God he hated this.

"We take it home," he said finally, with one long breath. "Take it home and clean it up, when he wakes we'll see where he came from…and what's going on."


It's over 9000...words. Seriously, this fanfiction puts my original work up on the chopping block. Anyways, and questions that you may have can be answered via a pm or review, but preferably a pm. Reviews are very appreciated and I'll try to respond to you all as soon as possible.