Disclaimer: I still don't own KH, or any of its characters…but I really wish I did…

Darkness. And pain. Broken apart by the occasional nothingness, these were Roxas' companions now. And once in a while, something thick and sweet that was forced into him, soothing his fevered state and sending him back into the comfortable embrace of sleep. All the while he was plagued by fever dreams of venom colored eyes, watching him from the inky black abyss in which he floated.

Some vast period of time later, Roxas became aware that he did, indeed, possess a body, and wasn't merely a floating essence of agony, drifting in blackness. He became aware of his eyes, whose lids were too heavy to lift, of his chest, which burned with every intake of breath, and of his limbs, which were frigid, frozen to the place on which he lay. All of these were seemingly centered around a concentrated lump of fire.

Eventually, Roxas regained his ability to hear. Mostly there was nothing, but at times, hushed whispers would invade his ears. He couldn't understand what was said between the many voices that would come and go, but one voice would always return and this voice was the one Roxas would hold onto in his mind. This voice was familiar to him, in a world where he knew nothing else. Sometimes the voice would speak directly to him alone, he could tell. Sweet nothings that soothed his mind when his body gave him pain. Sweet nothings that would be followed with the honey-like substance pushed past his lips, warming him until he faded out again.

And then Roxas awoke one night. There was no telling how long it had been, but finally the boy managed to weakly open his eye and look around.

Roxas desperately wanted to see around him, but all his vision from his head upon a pillow allowed was the red velvet of the canopy of the bed in which he discovered he laid. Tilting his head to the side, the boy saw that it had curtains as well. And if he lifted his head just a little, with much effort, he could see just past to foot of the grand mahogany bed, to a spacious room lit by oil lamps at the corners, dimmed no doubt for his hurting eyes. But his vision was blurry, and he could see no further than that. With a sigh of exhaustion, Roxas let his head fall back into the fluffy pillows.

No sooner had Roxas relaxed into the warmth of the blankets piled on top of him that he found that he was not alone. A familiar figure sat at the edge of the bed now.

Roxas' had no chance to speak, nor even to be alarmed, for the figure moved inhumanly fast and was suddenly standing nearer the boy's head. And then he recognized the figure.

It was he.

The vampire.

Roxas' instinct immediately told him to move, anywhere, away from this creature that had bitten him. Bitten him! The bite! That was what the strange lump of pain below his ear was! A burst of adrenaline allowed Roxas to reach a hand up to his neck, but instead of a bite, he was taken aback to find bandages encircling his neck. The vampire had bandaged him? Bandaged him and put him in a warm bed? How peculiar, indeed.

And now, the vampire simply stood there, waiting for Roxas' initial panic to subside, at which point he moved at human speed to draw back a bed curtain.

In the light of the lamps, Roxas could finally get a good look at the strange vampire who had bitten him, then spared his life. He was splendidly tall, this vampire with a narrow face and a perfectly angled nose that gave his overall features a youthful air. Roxas' eyes wandered to his lips next, which could have been the petals of a rose in another life. He was prey again, then, to the handsome vampire's glistening eyes that seemed to be holding some secret of their own within their depths, secrets of the ages past. These were accentuated by tear shaped marks on his upper cheeks. And to compliment the strange pointed marks, the vampire sported a mane of fire-red hair, like the mane of some mythic, fantastical lion. Tonight he wore and a much simpler outfit consisting of a clean cut, though still elegant, tunic of deep green silk, with fine leaf embroidery here and there in a gold thread. He paired this with ivory hose and soft, green slippers that Roxas had only seen traveling nobles in his village wear. All in all, Roxas could not have imagined up a more exquisite looking creature.

The vampire was smiling when Roxas' eyes returned to his face. There was no malice there, in that marble face, only a radiant beauty and kindness. When it appeared that the boy was calm, the vampire sat down on the edge of the luxurious bed.

Roxas was the first to break the palpable silence:

"You bit me." He was surprised by how raspy and pathetic his own voice sounded to him.

"Yes." The smile never wavered. The voice was as melodic as Roxas remembered.

"But I live!" Roxas was unsure of many things, but he was compelled to believe that he was still among the living.

"Of course, you do. But you almost didn't, if that's closer to the answer you seek." If anything the smile grew wider then and his eyes seemed to be laughing for him.

Roxas frowned at that, eyes widening in confusion and frustration.

"What…what's wrong with me…?

A regretful smile appeared on his delicate lips.

"I…took too much blood from you, little Roxas. Your body was already weak; the loss of blood is making you very ill. For this I apologize; you were simply too delicious." The gentle smile became a devious smirk that made a not-so-unpleasant chill run down Roxas spine. At this the boy blushed. There was a pregnant pause before he spoke again.

"Last night—"

"Last night was one week ago, Roxas," the vampire supplied. "You've been sleeping for a week."

He allowed for no more conversation for he stood then and reached for Roxas, one hand pulling back the blankets while the other slid beneath the youth's neck. Bundling him up in a fur, the vampire lifted Roxas and held him close, heading with his bundle of human towards the ornate door and out. Roxas quickly wove his arms around the vampire's neck to balance, letting the fur slip to just below his breastbone. He was quickly afflicted with modesty when he realized that he was, indeed, nude beneath the warm covering.

He must have dozed off for when he next opened his eyes, Roxas found himself in an ornate bathing chamber, lying, appropriately, on a fainting couch, still bundled in the fur. Beyond him was a giant bath basin, supplied with water coming from a fountain of angels holding seashells. Above him was a dome with giggling cherubs painted amid stars in a night sky. And beside him, reclining on several cushions, was the vampire.

"I wanted to let you have your rest. Do you think you're up for a bath?"

Roxas just nodded. Shyness had robbed him of his voice. Never had he seen a place such as this. Through his azure eyes, the chamber seemed to be Heaven itself for all of its splendor.

"Good. Let's see what you really look like under all that grime, hmm?" The vampire laughed lightly, not unkindly, at this and began undressing. Roxas felt alarm rising again.

"You're in no state to bathe yourself, I don't think, child."

Roxas blushed deeply for being caught frightened again. "Don't call me 'child,'" he said irritably, "I'm almost sixteen."

At this the vampire paused and laughed harder, the sound echoing off of the distant walls like peals of bells.

"I apologize, Roxas, but to me, you are still very much a child. I would tell you my age if I could remember it myself! Should be hitting the three thousand marker in a couple of decades…" he trailed off, continuing with removing his tunic, the slippers, and then the hose.

Roxas gaped unabashedly. He could not seem to wrap his mind around a figure so large. Three thousand years…

"And while we're at it, while I am the vampire, I prefer to be called by my name," he continued with a smirk over his pale, flawless shoulder.

His name…? Roxas looked perplexed, trying to remember where he had heard it…Axel! That was right.

"Very good, dear Roxas."

The vampire—Axel—was he…?

"Reading your thoughts? Yes. One of my many talents." Axel was outright grinning now. Poor Roxas was in such a precarious position.

"Will you stand up for me, Roxas?" The question brought the still sprawled youth out of his predicament and back into the present. Although the request had been directed as a question, Roxas had no choice but to do as asked when Axel came over—naked, Roxas didn't fail to note—and began sliding the fur down his frail body, picking him up easily under the arms and setting him on his feet near one of the columns that surrounded the bathing basin. Roxas was thankful for the column, holding onto it for stability, his long stay in bed having done nothing for his balance and strength. Axel, meanwhile, proceeded to examine his equally unclothed body, making sounds of disapproval as his long fingers passed over the boy's prominent ribs and vertebrae, the scars of past whippings on his back, his too thin legs and arms. Roxas' breathing sped up with each lasting second that the cool hands of the other were on his heated skin.

Axel finished his exam without saying anything else. He removed the bandage around the boy's neck and gave the healing bite a once over. Gently, he lifted Roxas' hands off of the column to hold them securely in his own, and led them to the basin. Roxas' feet were having a hard time cooperating, but Axel was patient with him, coaxing him gently into the water. Roxas tensed when the liquid first swallowed his foot, but the water was warm and held no spite, so he relaxed once again.

In the bath, Roxas allowed himself to be guided to a ledge beneath the water and sat there, still embarrassed for his nakedness. Axel didn't seem the slightest bit bothered. Roxas wondered if so many years of existing had erased all his sense of modesty. Or perhaps he had been so brazen from the beginning? He certainly gave off that air now. Who was he anyway? To act so? To live in such a place?

"I think I'll let you figure that one out on your own, little Roxas," said Axel with a shake of his head. Roxas didn't quite understand, but Axel let that look of perplexity on his face slide. Instead, he took up a soft, white cloth and poured something sweet smelling onto it from an ornate bottle on the edge of the basin, and began washing the dirt from Roxas' skin, carefully avoiding the still swollen bite on his neck. Roxas began to relax into the touch. It simply felt too good, being scrubbed like that. How long had it been since he had had a proper bath? In his old life, a bath consisted of a dunk in the nearby river during the warmer season. This seemed to be a treatment for royals.

Roxas shuddered when the cloth caught on a nipple. Heat instantly pooled between his legs and his cheeks turned sanguine at his body's betrayal. Axel caught on to this instantaneously, but instead of avoiding the region, he exploited it with his fingers instead, before lowering his mouth to the abused nub while his thumb began to work on the other. Roxas mewled when he felt the vampire bite down playfully with blunt teeth. The free hand moved under the water to rub at Roxas' inner thighs as a knee gently pried his legs apart. The hand moved up. Deft fingers found the youth's perineum, applying pressure.

"Let go, Roxas. I've got you."

The growing pressure in Roxas' belly found release then, as he spent into the water.

Axel ceased his ministrations and retrieved the forgotten washcloth, submerging it and bringing it up to bathe the limp boy's face. Roxas felt boneless as his head was tipped back and the vampire poured more sweet smelling bath oil in his hair. As he gently massaged his scalp, Axel began to see the lovely gold of the youth's hair as the dirt and dust were washed away with the pomegranate soap.

Roxas was still dazed as Axel finished cleaning him, taking only a moment to dunk his own head under the soapy water and rinse it quickly beneath the fountain. Sitting himself on the ledge, he took the weary Roxas into his lap.

Roxas felt far away. The only things that felt distinct were the placed where Axel touched. He couldn't sort through his feelings for the life of him but instead locked eyes with the vampire. Axel in turn, wore a soft expression that, despite the cool vampiric skin, made Roxas feel warm and…safe. He began to doze again.

"Roxas…" the vampire mused, too quiet for the boy to hear, "Roxas…You will never want for anything again. You are in the care of Axel, the King of Vampires, now."

By then, Roxas had already succumbed to sleep once more.