DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters. They are property of Square Enix. I make no profit from writing this fic.

Thank you to Cookie and Kira for reviewing Ch. 1. I'm glad they are enjoying the story so far.

Danger Zone

"Xemnas?" The name was familiar in the minds of everyone in the room. "You're nuts, kid." Axel's comment would be offensive to anyone of higher class. Anyone except Roxas. The boy was aware that he'd receive such a comment.

Xemnas was the right hand man of the former King prior to Saïx's birth. He held the most trust from the King, he knew things others more than likely didn't. At some point, though, he became full of Darkness, tainted from the very bottom of his soul. He wanted to use the Moon's power for himself, and he knew that the power of the Moon would be passed over to the next vessel: Saïx. When the King caught wind that Xemnas wanted to steal the power, he immediately ordered for Xemnas to be locked up far away from them all. During the movement of the man, he had broken free, and vanished. No one had seen him again. People had been warned to keep an eye out for him, but to this day, no one had said a word.

"He's free and he's alive." Roxas insisted, "And he probably still plans to do what he planned to do in the past!"

The red-head stretched his toned arms above his head, an action that only reflected his disinterest and lack of concern for the situation, "Your proof?" he asked.

The boy stared with an expression that said 'How much proof do I need?' before he shook his head, lowering his gaze to his hands. Zexion gave a sigh, tugging a lock of slate hair that fell over his face.

The witch in the room, whom had remained silent since she brought Saïx and Axel in, seemed to believe in Roxas' words. "Think about it, Axel." she suddenly said, tone soft and quiet yet it sounded clear that she was a believe to Xemnas' plot, "He had an agenda, didn't he? Anyone with enough determination can carry out a plot like that." Despite her not having been alive at the time Xemnas disappeared, her mother had told her of the story.

"It's up to you if you want to listen to Roxas or not." the mage murmured, arms crossed firmly over his chest, "In the end, it's Saïx who pays the price." With that said, he stood, chair sliding back and screeching lowly against the floor, "Well, I did what I wanted to do. If you're done with them, Roxas, we can leave. If not, I'll be outside." He left without another word, not waiting for the prince he was supposed to be protecting.

A faint scowl formed over the fiery guards lips as he watched the mage leave. "Arrogant bastard, isn't he?" he muttered, jade colored eyes turning to look back to the table, "So, what do you expect us to do?" he asked the blonde boy before him.

"I don't have many ideas, but be on guard. I doubt he'll be striking soon. This months new moon will affect Saïx, but Xemnas isn't an idiot. He knows about you Axel. He's going to wait until the solar eclipse to strike."Just like Zexion, Roxas stood, rising slowly and seeming more mature now that he looked more serious, "If you need any help, I'm available. Zexion, too, even if he doesn't say anything. He may not seem like it, but he does care about Saïx's well-being." A snort of disbelief came from Axel, but Roxas only smiled and gave Naminè a small nod, "Thank you, Naminè, for letting us come here. Saïx, don't forget that if you need anything, you're free to contact me in any way." He left the room, taking all the calm with him and leaving the remaining three with the remains of their prior conversation. They could hear the muffled voices of Zexion and Roxas, an unknown conversation between the two before the sound drifted away.

It stayed quiet for a while in the room. Naminè watched the expressions on Axel and Saïx's faces. The guard seemed bothered by everything that had been said and the bluenet seemed so calm, not at all moved by the warnings Roxas brought with them. The two seemed so silent and lost in thought that the witch was startled when Saïx stood from his seat. She unconsciously stood as well, ready to lead them to the door.

"Thank you for having us here, Naminè." the prince said to her calmly, "We'll see ourselves to the door. Take care." Without waiting for the girl to respond he left the table, Axel following closely behind him. They exited without a moment's hesitation, silent together.

It was a somber walk back to the castle, Saïx ahead and Axel right behind him. Their expressions were cold and hard, one lost in thought, the other unreadable and hiding the true emotions beneath the mask. It seemed everyone around them felt it as well, as the people who passed seemed to look concerned for their prince. They could feel that something was very wrong. For the rest of the evening, it remained tense and uneasy. Neither seemed to feel at ease until nightfall.

Gold eyes stared above at the midnight sky, locked on the white moon in the sky. It wasn't long before he had to sleep, but even if he were to lay down, Saïx doubted he'd be resting anytime soon. His mind was abuzz, full of so many thoughts that he could barely pause and dwell on one before another formed. The moon was the only thing that eased him at the moment, it's serene glow soothing him. Of course...Only the moon could help him.

The sound of the door opening and shutting once more was heard yet the prince made no move to turn toward his guest. He already knew who it was. There was a slight warmth that neared him before a voice followed suit. "You really shouldn't be up this late." It brought a slight smile to Saïx's face, though, and he shrugged slightly, elbows resting on the edge of his window.

"What do you think we should do?" Always business. The bluenet wasn't one to put off a serious discussion, "We can't just act like we didn't have that conversation today." He felt the warmth grow until it was at his side. Not like a fire, but like a warm blanket, comforting and always welcome.

"Saïx." Axel sounded so different when he was serious. No carefree tone, no playful ring to his voice. All serious. "I was given the job to keep you safe. From the day we met, I had the job of guard pounded into my head by my family. Even when we were kids, I always looked out for you. Kept you away from harm. This isn't going to be any different." His jade eyes watched the same moon as he continued, "I won't let anyone use you. Not now, not ever." There wasn't any questioning on Saïx's part. Of course Axel would protect him. Not because it was his duty, but because they were best friends. Their whole life was just them being together. "Even with the eclipse, I'm going to fight him off."

"...Why did it have to be me?"

The question came out so suddenly. There hadn't even been a second of silence after Axel finished his speech before Saïx asked such a thing.

The guard turned his head, confusion all over his face, "What?"

"Why me? Of all the people in this world, why did I have to be put in this family, this role of...Of a vessel for some power that I can't even use?" Those gold eyes narrowed, a harsh glare to the moon above, "Give me all the power the moon wields and yet I can't even use it to protect myself?" Hands clenched into a tight fist, nails digging into soft palms as the prince shut his eyes, brows furrowed as he avoided the sight of the moon, "Why couldn't I have just been someone else? Not the Lunar Prince. Anyone else but this." The way he spoke, it told Axel something. This wasn't the first time that Saïx had thought this. It was a desire that had been in the young man's head for a long time and was finally being voiced.

"Someone has to do this job, Saïx." It didn't ease the prince's mood, though. In fact, it did the opposite.

"Than let someone else do it." It wasn't said in a loud snap, but in a low near growl. Gold eyes opened once more and stared out at the lights of the town below them. It wasn't large, yet it didn't seem small at all. Those people. His people. They were the only thing that kept him here. Had it not been for them, there was a good chance that Saïx would have run away long ago. (Of course, he'd take Axel with him. There was no such thing as life if Axel wasn't around.)

A silence settled again, tense and uncomfortable much like earlier. Both men stared out at the lights before them, despite how late it was slowly becoming. Little by little, they could feel the room lose it's tension. A yawn broke the silence, and Axel chuckled as he watched his friend fight off sleep. Peculiar pointed teeth were visible, though they had become less abnormal to Axel with time. These were little signs that inside Saïx there was something hibernating. Something deadly. Pointed teeth that looked as though they could cut flesh if used properly were once feared by the ginger. Now, he paid little to no mind to them. "Come on. A prince needs his sleep." He took hold of the sleepy bluenet's arm, helping him to his feet and bringing him to the large bed in the room. Dark navy covers were pulled back before the prince was placed in bed, though, he never loosened his grip on Axel's arm.

Despite how close Saïx was to sleep, his gold eyes lazily looked up at his friend. His voice wouldn't say it, but he wanted Axel to stay. He wanted the company and warmth of his guard. This silent plea either went unnoticed or was ignored completely. Warm hands gently pried the clinging fingers from the material of Axel's shirt. Unable to fight off sleep anymore, it went dark to the prince, and all he heard were the sounds of his friend leaving and shutting the door.

O-O-O

Darkness. It brought comfort to those full of it. It was safety. It was home. Like a bat, those who wield the Darkness seek it's cold embrace, hiding from the light. Zexion was no different.

After being relieved of his duties, the mage was told to leave the castle. Despite being Roxas' personal guardian, he was not allowed to put the prince to bed, nor remain in the castle once Roxas was asleep. There was no trust for Zexion. He was a criminal until the end. Roxas picked him. That was the only reason he was still alive. He was given a home just outside of the castle, and the prince's home was guarded heavily. He wasn't allowed to enter until dawn.

Entering the simple home, sensitive ears picked up the sound of movement. He didn't react yet. He let them believe he was unaware of their presence. His nose smelled something foul. It stood out in the air. Despite that, the mage continued on into the bedroom of his home, hands pulling up the black shirt he wore. Just as he pulled it off, the presence appeared once more, closer than before...

Standing stalk still, the slate haired man smirked slightly, not turning around, "...You're with Xemnas, I presume?" he asked calmly, shirt in his grip as he felt the person behind him.

"You're smart, kid. You smell the Darkness or somethin'?"

Cobalt eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of his heightened senses. Clearly, this person was aware that Zexion was tainted as well. "Perhaps I do. Now, what do you want with the Lunar Prince?" he demanded, tone hardening into a stern growl.

"His powers. That's all. Nothin' more, nothin' less." The man held a carefree tone, as though this were come casual conversation. It only pissed the guardian off.

"Nothing more my ass. You plan to kidnap the prince." Zexion spat, hands clutching the black material in his hands tightly.

"We plan to take him and his powers and then leave the empty shell behind when we're done. We won't hurt the guy. We don't want damaged goods."

"You're not getting my brother. Ever!" The emotion of rage simply ran through Zexion's body, his hands shaking before he swiftly turned, making an attempt to strike at the being behind him. His fist met air, and all he heard was a chuckle in the dark, the rage only growing more as he threw down the shirt, "I'm not letting you take him!" he shouted, "You'll have to kill me first!"

"What? Just like you almost killed him? This'll be fun, kid. This'll be real fun." the man taunted before his voice faded away completely, leaving an angry mage in the empty room.

"...I wanted to kill him...So this wouldn't happen." Zexion murmured, voice shaking as he did so. This very incident. It was what he tried to prevent years ago. There was no prevention now. Only defense. "I promise...I am going to keep Saïx safe, no matter what."

ANA'S NOTES: Ah, there we go. Chapter 2 is all finished up. Please keep in mind that I am completing and posting this at 3 AM. Any and all spelling/grammar errors are brought on by lack of sleep.