Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts(any version), nor do I own the subsequent characters.

Bent

Chapter 2: Captivity

By Calkat

Although Naminé had been in this type of situation before, she swore to herself that she would never get used to it. In Castle Oblivion, there were two norms that never varied and never strayed. Those two constants were the brilliant white light which she didn't mind so much and the several organization members that continually prowled the corridors.

Like Murphy's law and her current situation, they were always in effect. Tilting her head to the side, Naminé felt her neck pop uncomfortably, the sore joints relieving the pressure from being cramped for too long.

Naminé couldn't remember the last time that she had been left alone and not under the watch of either Marluxia or one of the lower forms of nobody, the dusks.

Staring at her wrists' she suddenly felt the pain dawn on her. They were aching from the crude way that she had been bound, the ropes fixed tightly without remorse. She wanted to rub them out desperately, but with her hands bound wrist to wrist, palms facing each other, with nylon cords, it wasn't even an option.

Even worse was that Marluxia had demonstrated his sadistic side tonight when he had added to her discomfort.

He had placed her wrists behind her head and attached a rope in front of her neck, so if she budged an inch, she would gag or choke herself.

She ventured a glance at Marluxia who was on the opposite side of the room seated in an off-white rocking chair reading an unidentifiable book. On mad scheming, on torture? Both were disconcerting thoughts.

That and maybe the added annoyance of numb arms made her slightly more grouchy and even more disheartened in her present situation. She had barely woken minutes ago and unfortunately, with the beginnings of a dull, throbbing headache forming in her left temple.

It had probably been caused by the impact that had knocked her out.

"What is the cause for the frightened face, witch?" Marluxia said calmly, watching as Naminé backed away from him with widened eyes, her mouth slightly ajar. He narrowed his eyes at her. Had she heard his conversation in the other room with Larxene? The room was supposedly soundproof, but he couldn't take any chances.

Naminé panicked.

She hadn't prepared herself for the accidental contact and the myriad of images and ideas that had flooded her head. It took a moment before the jumble of images became coherent thought. She gasped against her own will and mentally admonished herself. Controlling her emotions came easy to her, but when something truly caught her off guard she had no defense.

He took a measured stride towards her causing her to jump and withdraw sharply. Abruptly, she turned and with short, quick strides took off down the hall as fast as her small body would go.

He caught her easily, crushing her small body to the wall with an angry force. The wall shook.

Her body deflated from the impact, sagging to the ground. Marluxia sometimes forgot how fragile the little girl was. She was arched against the wall, her knees folded beneath her in a pitiable position. She really was such a small girl.

He bent down by her and rolled her over expecting her to be unconscious, but her eyes were half-lidded in a battle for staying awake. Quicker than he expected, her eyes focused on his and he realized that it was all an act. Her chilly blue eyes met his eyes with an icy anger before she kicked out both her feet into his gut and slammed her open handed fist into his chin. His head jarred upwards with a sharp clack of teeth.

Naminé scrambled to her feet and dashed around the closest corner running for supposed safety to any member of the organization. All she had to do was get there before she got caught. Naminé was hopeful that her surprise assault had in the very least dazed Marluxia, at least long enough to run the corridors of the castle and find someone. Anyone.

Her breathing became heavy as she rounded another corner, the hall was just as decorated as the last. Ornate chairs tinted blue and grey in the hard light lined the walls matched with a long throw carpet that extended down the 40-yard hall. Along the walls, dark blue and sliver tapestries hung, sticking out vibrantly against the lifeless background.

That's when Naminé noticed how the edges of her vision were starting to blur, the royal blue fabric of the wall tapestries started to fade into one another like water colors running together and mixing.

Naminé squinted her eyes shut tightly, feeling like a curtain of sleep was being pulled over her. She fought to open her eyes, barely able to open them a sliver, but enough to provide slight vision. She had considerably slowed and was now teetering dangerously sideways, but as if she couldn't control her own body that was rebelling against her, she fell over, her head connecting with one of the chairs.

Her hope died within the darkness.

Inhaling deeply and trying to relax her mind, Naminé focused her mind, trying to regain the composure she normally possessed. Maybe the shock to her skull had thrown something off because she couldn't concentrate and it bothered her. Through clouded vision, Naminé steadied herself long enough to take in her would-be prison. In the center of the room, in a sunken pit, she noticed a hazy grey-blue rug on the floor lined with various patterns resembling the nobody's insignia. She edged towards it, suddenly drawn to the soft fabric that she hadn't been allowed. Glimpsing to her left at the north end of the room were two round podiums and a bookcase with only one shelf lined with books.

Slim pickings considering there are seven other rows, she thought.

The room wasn't dark or dank as a captive would normally expect, but if they intended for her to stay there long-term then wouldn't they at least provide a bed or some form of comfort. No, that was expecting too much generosity. But she was hopeful, having never played an unwilling captive before. Maybe a blanket wouldn't be asking too much.

Marluxia, who was assured that Naminé now posed a potential threat because she knew of the plans he had been formulating, had now been keeping her in lock down for the past day and a half.

All due to her slip up.

Naminé hadn't made any intentions of messing with any organization member's memories, but occasionally when she touched people their memories seeped into her. Such was the case where Marluxia had grabbed her roughly by the front of her dress for his amusement like normal and had accidentally brushed Naminé's chest.

So in effect, Marluxia's thoughts had transferred to Naminé's consciousness, her eyes had widened frightfully, her instincts kicked in and she had tried to run. Bad decision number one.

Marluxia, with all the hints and indications of what Naminé had done, such as knowing she could leech information out of people and the fact that she had ran away terrified, had clued him in.

Now Naminé berated herself because in the end it was her fault that she hadn't been able to contain her reaction. When would she learn to completely steel herself? She assured herself that when she learned how to be completely stoic, it would serve as an advantage to herself. Perhaps save her life one day.

And now, she thought, resting her forehead against the wall, I am stuck here.

This was the second time Naminé had awoken since she found out of Marluxia's plans. The first she had made a grave error in speaking to Marluxia in such an arrogant way.

"Comfortable?" Marluxia asked far too nicely. Nicer than Naminé knew he was capable of.

Gathering her wits as quick as she could muster them, Naminé thought of the best way to get herself out of this mess.

"Brave move, hurting a harmless girl," she bit. She gestured to her bindings. "Worried that I'll overpower you?" She asked calmly. He just smiled, raised a palm and made a weird gesture to her. It looked like he was blowing a kiss. She really must have been hallucinating. It didn't matter, hallucinating or not, Marluxia would never do something as facetious as blowing a kiss at her.

The dizzying feeling overtook her again as the world spun. Fight it, she urged herself.

She fell over sideways, her head cradled against her shoulder this time. She saw Marluxia snapping a cord between his fingers before starting towards her.

Help, a desperate notion in her mind rang out. A cry escaped her numb lips when she thought that this was finally it. He was going to kill her. The blackness started to overwhelm her.

At least, I won't feel it all end, she thought.

Naminé cringed at her last thought as she thought of herself wallowing in self-pity. It was pathetic that she hadn't fought to save herself when she thought that she might have died. She had given up, accepted it and hid from it.

Coward.

Grimacing, Naminé thought about her useless snide remark. Without it, her hands, although painfully bound, would not have been in such an uncomfortable situation saddled at her neck.

A sigh made the cord synch around her neck slightly causing her to cough. Marluxia lifted his head and looked towards her, nearly impassive, save for the muscles pulling at the edge of his lips formed a small smile.

In the silence around them, it was disturbing to say the least that this man was in the same room with her and he was… mad at her.

It was so juvenile to say 'mad at her,' but it was the truth. Displeased didn't cover the quiet anger that was like an energy filling the room. And perturbed didn't quite express the animosity he was relaying.

Regretting the fact that she had made a noise that had attracted his attention, she tried to return to her corner of self-pity and contemplation. Under the curtain of her hair, she watched as he earmarked the book and placed it on the floor gently. He stood up with a rustle of fabric and approached her with measured steps that made her curl up into a protective ball. Her pulse sped when she realized just how dangerous and unprotected she was without any defense in the way of her hands.

The purpose of her hands bound to her neck was beginning to sink in, causing her mind to race with several bad scenarios, all ending with her hurt or worse, dead.

"Sit up, Naminé," he said with no hint of the animosity that she had been expecting. She grit her teeth, determined not to be accommodating after he had left her in such a painful position for the last few hours. She felt Marluxia's foot nudge her side, trying to unfurl the ball that was Naminé.

"Naminé." Her name became a warning. She imagined the next warning would be a kick to her stomach or side, an unpleasant thought that made her muscles clench in reaction. She didn't want him to mistake her look of fear for a look of defiance, which he might have happily done to cause her further anguish.

Naminé took several deep breaths, trying to calm her heartbeat and finally, with slow deliberate movements looked up at him.

He was staring at her, a hand on his chin in a thoughtful manner, squatting by her at eyelevel. His hair fell in front of his face, a mock vale of darkness. He was thinking about something, focusing so hard that she felt like he was looking right through her. She turned on her ankles, facing him as a brave victim which was better than the coward who had resigned herself to death.

Brave victim, she laughed at herself. Such a mockery term.

Quietly Marluxia said, "I didn't think you condoned violence let alone used it, witch." Marluxia watched for a reaction, but the same resistance that she normally possessed had returned, that stoic demeanor.

"I didn't think you were a pedophile." Her face was impassive, giving the impression that she wasn't accusing him of anything, just insulting him.

He set his arms on his knees and pushed, rising from his squat. He was walking away from her, but she knew it was only to pace the good-sized room. On cue, he turned, coming towards her again. A belt at his hip caught her attention, particularly the glass that was attached to it.

Finally, she had noticed something useful. Those cloaks were meant to be deceiving and useful to hiding things, whether it be your identity or say a few vials of Marluxia's plant cuttings.

"We both know that's not why you're here." He said. Naminé bristled. The most dangerous people out there were not the violent ones who act quick and rashly. No, the most dangerous were the ones who had the forethought to plan out, who didn't rush, but gauged and noted everything. A calm and calculated bad guy was the worst. She studied him for a moment, noticing that down to the way that he walked, everything was pre-thought out.

It was to say the least disheartening.

"How long will you hold me here?" She asked realizing that he had nothing to say to her. The first step was to get him talking, then get the important details like where she was. In all of Castle Oblivion, she had never seen a room like this.

He said nothing.

"Where are we?"

Silence.

Naminé, with some help from the adjacent wall, stood up. Marluxia failed to notice. Slowly, she approached the bookcase, waiting for him to stop her. It took her several steps, stumbling slightly from her overbalancing with the numb weight attached at her throat. Well, if he wasn't going to stop her, she was going to explore every inch of her prison and then find a way out. Maybe even a weapon. She looked over her shoulder and saw the massive glaive of a weapon resting against the rocking chair.

Then again, maybe she should just find a quick exit.

Naminé tapped the book shelf with the edge of her sandal, finding that the solid oak was just as heavy as she had figured. Even if the door was behind here, there was no way that she could muscle the large oak out of the way. Great. She set her head on the side of the shelf, listening for air rushing from behind the bookcase. Nothing. Well, she was grateful that it wasn't there. Having your exit rubbed in your face would have been terrible and knowing that you couldn't get to it would have made it worse.

Bright light filled the room, edging into Naminé's peripheral vision. She spun, facing whatever it was. A figure clad in the organization cloak was next to Marluxia now, kneeling or maybe the figure had fallen from a jump and had softened the landing. Naminé look upwards, scanning for an exit, but there was only a skylight to be seen, the dark sky was the only softness in the room.

She gasped, her thoughts back on track. A member of the Organization was in the room, maybe on Marluxia's side, but maybe not. It was a chance she was willing to take. Either way, her disappointment couldn't sink any lower. She'd either still be stuck in captivity or she would be free.

"Hey!" The two members turned towards her. She fell to a knee, trying to move closer. Righting herself quickly, she stumbled towards them.

"Help!" Her voice was louder than her normal level of low to nonexistant. Marluxia stood with a frightening speed, surprising Naminé. He reached inside of his cloak withdrawing what Naminé thought was one of his vials. Her eyes widened and she jerked to the left intent on making it underneath the wooden table, a small sanctuary from him. Too little, too late.

He threw it at her. She dodged to her left and crouched close the floor, making herself a smaller target. Overcompensating her weight and momentum sent her flying onto her rear in plain sight and made her an easy target. Panicking, she scrambled as fast as she could, pushing with her elbows to get off of the floor. Being tied this way didn't make it easy. Naminé glanced up, trying to spot Marluxia again; She made ready to dodge, her muscles tensing when a vial shattered on her chest. He was far too fast for her; she never stood a chance.

As it connected with her chest, it broke, enveloping her in a cloud of dust. It was a small blow, not enough to even make her cough, but what it produced was the desired effect. What felt like dirt started to float into her nose and mouth, covering her tongue and throat with an odd film.

The powder. No!

The dizzying feeling that she had experienced earlier when he had first caught her over took her again, but she lowered herself to the floor this time, easing her eventual downfall. She didn't need anymore concussions. At least, she knew what those vials did. Or at least one of the vials did.

A small and pitiable discovery considering her circumstances. Discovering the door to the room would have been more… useful.

The member who had appeared in the room didn't react, meaning that they had to be in league with Marluxia. Two traitors! Who'd have thought?

Obviously not you. You're too stupid to not get caught up in people's power plays, Naminé's conscience said angrily. You never notice. For once, just once save yourself! Rely on yourself. Get yourself out of these bad situations.

Naminé's thoughts flitted to Axel, the eighth member of Organization XIII. It made sense now. He was just another member of their despicable order. No one was here to help her. Of all the people in her short life span, Organization XIII was the most deceitful and conniving of all. And here she was trusting one of them to help her. At least now, she had an advantage. She knew and recognized that she was being used again. Twice all at once. Now, when she woke up again, she would do something about it.

Yeah, when I wake up, a defeated laugh rang through her mind.

The stranger approached her. Reeling from the powder, Naminé hit the floor, her cheek brushing against the scratchy carpet. The stranger said something to her, but it only vibrated through Naminé's ears, allowing her to understand that they had said something, not what they had said. It didn't make any sense.

Then she saw the cloak lift at the bottom and a leather boot emerged.

She watched as the boot flew towards her face.

Groggily Naminé shifted, moaning as she clutched her skull, and waiting for the pain to split her head apart. But it didn't.

She actually felt comfortable situated on the floor and thought better of moving just incase the headache would start with a vengeance. She put a hand to her head, remembering the events with Marluxia. Damn, damn, damn.

"Don't think too hard, Naminé. Might hurt yourself." Naminé rolled onto her hands and knees quickly, and blinked hard trying to clear her foggy vision.

The red blur in Naminé's vision formed into Axel's face merely inches from her own. She gasped and collapsed backwards sitting on her feet, not used to the proximity of anyone.

No, not you, Axel. She thought. Axel was the cloaked member who had come to her prison. She had been formulating the possibility of using Axel to maker her escape easier. Now, he was in league with Marluxia, that made manipulating him more difficult tenfold.

A desperate cry struggled to make its way out, but Naminé suppressed the urge, her eyes focused on the floor. She had to stay stoic, otherwise the fragments of her broken plan might show through.

Of all the people, I managed to pick the one member who was working with Marluxia. Of all the idiocy in this world, you are the worst, Naminé.

"Axel, you're the one with Marluxia?" Her voice lost its solidarity halfway through when she lost her hope. She couldn't believe it. Then again, with her luck, anything was possible.

Murphy's law, right?

"Me work with Marluxia?" Axel laughed, making the desolation that was forming in Naminé's head worse tenfold.

Her throat clenched tightly, causing a small noise to emerge, one of hope diminishing. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry! How could she have been so stupid?

Axel seeing her face, how she was starting to breathe harder and on the verge of crying, tried to calm her. Dealing with a rampant and unstable 15-year-old wasn't on the menu today.

"Not that it is a bad idea," he said thoughtfully. "But what do you mean by working with Marluxia?"

Naminé paused her breakdown and let out a shaky breath. "Wha— there was another memb— You were in the room, and now you're here…Where's Marluxia?" She stopped, taking everything in and then it dawned on her. The room around her was exactly the same as her captive room. It was completely unchanged.The bookshelf, the tapestries, the table, the two podium's, the couch….

She looked up. White ceiling. No skylight.

"You're in my subconscious." She traced her words slowly. "You made it past the mirror before I got here?" She said still shaken from her mistake.

A smirk appeared on his face, he was very pleased with himself. "I told you that I learn quickly, right? You better believe it." She closed her gaping mouth. He was more cunning than she gave him credit for.

"How long have you been waiting?" she asked, taking in two deep breaths, not caring if she looked upset to him. She just needed to steady herself. She needed to be back in control of herself.

Naminé swallowed past the lump in her throat. He put a hand on his chin in an exaggerated gesture. "Axel," she prompted. A lazy smirk emerged on his face.

"Two hours, maybe less." He shrugged, not that he'd been counting. She added the time together in her mind. Axel had gotten access to her mind for two hours meaning that she had to have been unconscious for that long. But she hadn't subconsciously appeared here for two hours either meaning that she must have been seriously hurt past the point of being under her subconscious when Ax—whoever had kicked her in the face.

"Time to get down to business, sleeping witch." She grimaced at the name. It was tacky.

"Who do you think the other member was?" Axel said.

Namine closed her eyes trying to visualize the dark face.

Nothing.

This might take a while.

Axel shifted from the chair, amber lighting filtered across his face from the makeshift fire that was dying in the fireplace. He wrinkled his nose and yawned, realizing that after each visit from Naminé's subconscious he was more tired after his sleep than he had been before.

He was going to have to start cutting down on her long-winded visits. Not that she was the particularly talkative one, but they always had a lot to discuss. The most recent visit had planted an idea in his head, a particularly clever idea that Naminé had accidentally produced from her frantic ramblings after she had arrived in the dream world.

She had faded into the room, looking like her subconscious was slowly letting her in trying not to harm her. Her face was twisted in an uncomfortable way, looking hurt and angry.

He had paced the floor waiting for the next hour for her to wake up, but she just lay there. Maybe he should wake her up. He approached her, tired of the waiting game, he had been far too patient for his liking.

With his approach, Axel felt a small barrier around Naminé before he saw it. A faint blue glow kept him at bay for a moment before he forced his way through it.

Her mind was protecting her from something, but Axel couldn't tell what. After all, it was a fairly weak barrier, so if it had meant to serve some other purpose other than keeping him away, it was hidden. Her fingers twitched as he moved through the barrier, letting him know that his presence was affecting the barrier tied to her.

Her face was pressed into the ground hiding most of it in the long fabric of the rug. Slowly, lazily, her eyes opened and she rubbed her face in the floor seeking its comfort once again.

He lowered himself into a squat by her, smirking at the fact that she had no idea he had made his way so close unnoticed. Her eyes were closed, as her hand rose to her face, looking like she was scolding herself from some remembered event.

"Don't think too hard, Naminé. Might hurt yourself." He said slyly.

Naminé jerked to her hands and knees, eyes wide with shock, a terror flitting over her face.

She blinked several times, trying to clear her vision. She let out a disgruntled noise of being awoken in such a manner. He wondered if she even had noticed that she had made a noise.

Naminé's eyebrows dropped, furrowing in anger or maybe a depression. She looked so torn between self-disgust and outward agony. Maybe a combination of the two.

"Axel, you're the one with Marluxia?" Her voice was so quiet that he could barely hear her.

Marluxia? What? Him with that scheming and annoying bastard. No way in hell. Then again, this might have a appeal.

"Me work with Marluxia?" She looked up after her gaze had lost itself in the floor. Her light eyes held a despondent light in them.

"Not that it is a bad idea."

That thought had turned the wheels in his head with a nearly violent force. So here he was relaxing on the couch with the light dying and his back aching from sleeping in an upright chair.

He got up and raised an eyebrow.

Marluxia was situated at the ocher bar, casually tipping a liquid into a saucer and then swallowing it down in one gulp.

Axel meandered towards Marluxia, keeping his steps quiet, but loud enough to let the other member know that he was there. It was a kind of safety rule for being around each other. Several of the members were jumpy and easy to lash out, so unless you wanted to get hurt, you made your presence known.

"Axel," Marluxia drawled, rolling the name comfortably. He flipped his hand at the chair lazily. "Take a seat." Axel did so and Marluxia pushed a saucer in his direction. Axel inclined his head and kept silent.

They sat there for a few minutes, taking in the warmth of the firelight and the warmth of the alcohol.

"You know," Marluxia started after a few moments, "you still owe me drink after I saved your ass from that bear-like heartless. The one from Hollow Bastion," he said conversationally.

Axel nodded. "And the bat whose head I removed right before it swiped your own head?"

Marluxia scratched his chin. "Forgot about that one. What about that crazy girl from Grillony?" He smirked. "She stole your chakram and could have leveled her town before the heartless got there. How would the organization feel if I hadn't saved you from that blunder?" Axel snorted, running his finger over the rims of the saucer, waving a hand when Marluxia offered him more.

"Yeah, remember the pixies and how they knocked your ass out cold. I scorched those nuisances and then finished your mission while you slept." Marluxia rolled his head towards Axel, frowning.

"The pixies didn't get me, the four blobs spewing fire are what nailed me," he defended.

Axel grinned. "Sure."

Marluxia didn't. "Fine, we'll call it even."

Axel shrugged. "Even," he said dismissively. Marluxia raised his glass and tipped the drink into his mouth.

"You know Xemnas is going to use Sora against us? Against the organization?" Marluxia said, eyes forward, focusing on the twilight of the sun beginning to peak over the edge of the nearby mountains.

"I know." Axel said calmly. Marluxia thought he heard resignation in his voice, but couldn't be sure.

"There is something that I have been meaning to talk to you about…" Marluxia started.

Axel interrupted. "Me too."

Good point to end as their conversation is going to be a long one. At least, I think it will be long. Hell, I don't really know. Who cares about their boring drabble? I do, I have it written, but it's far too long and too detailed that it would give away everything to the plot.

Sorry for the lack of Axel. I'll do better next chapter.

Reviews and criticisms are appreciated, but not necessary. How can I become better if I don't have the help? Emails are a welcome way of communication as well.

Calkat