Bright eyes blinked wide in surprise. A shrill squeal of a bat reverberated around the three earthen invaders as it dropped from it's perch on the ceiling. It made for the exit, skimming the top of Demyx's hair causing him to yelp and swat at his hair. Axel hissed catching himself mid-slip. "Never trust caves. Nothing good happens in caves. This was Roxas' stupid idea anyways; I never even wanted to leave my fucking house in the first place." Roxas' flashlight wavered as he kicked water up at Axel who growled in response.

"Shut up, you were pretty excited about this damn exploration too." He shook his flashlight giving it an angry stare when it made a crackling sound and flickered. "Remind me who it was who picked the cave out?" the small blond sent a meaningful glance at the much taller male's back.

Axel growled readying a retort when Demyx yelped loudly. The two turned pointing their flashlights towards the blond to see him waving around his own flashlight, "It's dead." He smiled sheepishly. Axel scowled rolling his eyes and moving to his friend's side.

"Stay close, we'll share this one." he grumbled out. Demyx smiled gratefully, wading the water beside Axel. Roxas, all the while, had a smug smirk on as he watched the two.

"A fork? Is this seriously this fucking clich?" Roxas laughed amused. Axel looked back with a skeptical look. "What? Every clich? cave has a forked path. So, which way do we go? Or are we flipping a coin? Oh better yet, how about rock-paper-scissors-lizard-spock?"

Demyx let forth a loud laugh at the comment. "Did you seriously just say "Rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock"? Good job showing your fandom." Demyx let forth another string of giggles while the smaller blond fumed.

"Fine! How do you think we should pick a route you dumb blond?!" Roxas hissed at ready to throttle his brother. Demyx, feigning an intelligent pose by grabbing the front of his shirt with one hand and tucking the other behind his back made to speak only to be interrupted by Axel.

"Demyx, I wouldn't. You might end up giving Roxas fuel to troll you." the red head hummed absentmindedly while shinning his light down one tunnel then the other, gauging the distance and danger.

It was Roxas' turn to laugh aloud as Demyx slid his arms over his chest, crossing them and sticking his lip our in a pout. "You ass, that was enough fuel to get the ball rolling." Axel shrugged his shoulders and made to move down the right tunnel. "Wait! Axel what are you doing?" Axel looked back, again with a skeptical look and Demyx placed his hands on his hips impatiently. "Don't you know? Dragons are always right so you have to go to the left!"

Axel gave a long dead panned look before speaking. "Are you fucking serious right now, Demyx? Are you seriously saying the things I'm hearing." Roxas, who was trying to hold back the laughter at Axel's surprised expression pealed over, shifting his weight to lean against the cave wall.

After a moment, when Roxas had finally come down from his laughing fit, Demyx spoke again with agitation stringed in his voice. "Done laughing at me now? Because it's your fault we're here in the first place!" Roxas, whipping his eyes let out a few more chuckles while trying to catch his breath.

"It's funny because it's not my fault at all. Axel's the one who picked the cave. Didn't I say that before, or were you not listening?" the small blond said heading down the right passage.

Crossing the threshold though, he had to fling his hand out and catch himself on the wall while the hand carrying his flashlight spun light all about, reflecting off the tiny green glowing bugs on the ceiling and dark green and gray flashes of the cave floor. "Jesus. It's slippery this way but it's still cross able." Axel quirked a brow, not bothering to defend himself this time. With a sigh he looked to Demyx, the strange remark the blond had made earlier still ringing in his ears, and nodded his head to follow.

The tiny glowing bugs on the ceiling grew in number the further along in the tunnel they went. Crawling the walls slowly, adding to the strangeness of the setting. Roxas' flash light crackled loudly int erupting the silence of the setting, the light flickering and dimming. "What's wrong with this thing? It's brand new and acting up like this?" He hissed shaking it in a violent manor. When the flickering stopped the smaller blond gave it the same hard and angry look when it had acted up before.

Demyx chuckled nudging Axel. The red head shook his head, knowing Demyx was about to poke a bear. "Well that's what happens when you buy dollar store flash light and batteries." Roxas stopped in his tracks. The tiny blond twitched slightly, an early warning signs of an impending fight.

Roxas took a deep breath beginning to turn around when Axel spoke up to interrupt the bomb about to explode in this confined place. "So, Roxas you uh you're going to school for Entomology right?" The red head cast a weary grin to the side, aimed at the one he spoke to, while Demyx stood alone in the dark behind the only two with flashlights.

Demyx reached out, intending on clasping his hand on Axel's shoulder and ask for the Flashlight. What occurred however, was as he reached out he stepped down hard on a curved stone rich with squishy green moss life. The blonds yelp followed by a splash caught the two's attention. Axel flipped around to see Demyx on his rear, face screwed up in pain as he held his ankle and hissed. "Axel... I think it's broken." He whined looking up pitifully at the red head.

Axel sighed holding the flashlight in his mouth and reaching down, hooking his hands under the blond's arms and helping him up. Demyx steadied himself, lifting his injured leg while Axel turned his back to Demyx and crouched. "Get on my back. We're headed back now." He garbled, mouth stuffed with the flashlight.

Demyx struggled slightly climbing up onto Axel's back. When Demyx was finally settled he reached around taking the flashlight from the red head's mouth. "Thanks..." He began but yelped in Axel's ear with the next word he was about to speak.

Roxas smiled sheepishly at Demyx as the older blond peered around the other side of Axel's head to look down at the younger who had squeezed a little too tightly when wrapping his brother's foot. "Sorry." He muttered out dressing the injury more gently.

The three had been walking for a while now and still they had not come to the fork they originally took. The water was rising and they were forced to wade through, sloshing about carefully over the smooth stone and moss. "Hey Axel?" Roxas asked as he looked up at the tall red-head.

Axel spared him a glance before looking ahead again. He was a little unnerved by the worried expression crossing the blond's face. "Yeah? What's wrong?"

"They'll send a search party for us if we don't come back right?" Roxas's voice betrayed him as it shook. The young blond was scared to death of being trapped in this cave. He probably would acquire claustrophobia if they made it out of this alive.

"Of course!" Axel said with a smile, trying to calm Roxas down. The last thing he needed was a mental break down from one blond while he still had to carry the other due to injury. "Don't worry so much Roxas. We keep going straight and we'll reach the exit sometime soon."

Roxas' voice shook more now. "While that is a comforting thought what isn't is the fact that the water is now up to my fucking waist!" the blond screeched shining his light down at the water that had in fact risen to his waist.

Axel's brows rose in surprise. "Uh... Ya know I normally would suggest we hurry the fuck up but if one of us slips again we'll really be dead in the water." Roxas gave him an irritated look. "Heh, no pun intended, honest." Roxas rolled his eyes moving closer to Axel.

The water had risen to the point that Roxas could no longer wade comfortably. He had abandoned his flashlight and took up holding onto Demyx' back, while allowing Axel, who was tall enough that he could still comfortably touch the ground, pulled the other two along. Demyx had rested the flashlight on Axel's head, one hand keeping it in place while the other held on to Axel so he didn't slip. "So Axel, if I die I just wanted you to know. I'm happy we became so close." Roxas made a whining sound from behind the two.

Axel let out a low growl. "Would you two shut up? We're not goi-" He was cut off by a rumble and crash. A wave of saltwater pushed past them making Axel gag. The water added another layer touching at his shoulders now.

Demyx hissed out for them to stand still and stop splashing around. "I think... I hear something..." he stated cryptically waving the flashlight around at the ceiling till the light flicked over a hole in the rock above them. "Axel! Over there!" He demanded.

The red head growled lowly. "We don't have time for this! We need to get out of here!" Axel began moving forward but a sharp yank at his hair from Demyx pulled him to a stop. "Augh! Do you wanna fucking swim?!" He hissed.

Demyx shot him a serious look. "Listen, I don't have time to explain right now just get over there!" Axel growled again muttering that if they died he would kill Demyx's ghost. Axel moved to the spot designated by Demyx, Roxas being pulled behind. Demyx flicked the light up a short passage, becoming domed at the end. The blond hummed shifting this way and that, angling the light to show edges of the wall where there seemed to be a ledge. "Well boys, we've got two options. One, Continuing on and then possibly swimming to freedom; or you know, dying. Or option two climbing up there and waiting things out."

Axel looked at Demyx dumb-struck and about to scream out his answer when Roxas replied for them both. "Help me up. I think I should be able to touch the ledge. If I get a boost from Axel." Roxas took the flashlight in his mouth. Demyx wrinkled his nose as he leaned away from the red head when Roxas climbed the other male like a tree, pushing himself up on Axel's shoulder and then standing on them. "I'm up!" Roxas cheered pulling himself up with some difficulty.

Roxas turned around helping his wounded brother up next and then Axel last, with the help of Demyx. "Now what?" Axel grumbled pulling his legs close to keep himself warm. Roxas moved the flash light about slowly observing the surroundings.

Demyx sighed leaning back against the cave wall. "Now we wait here for the water to flow out enough for us to safely leave." He peered back at Axel in the dark, unable to read his expression as the other male stared back at him.

"We might not have to." Roxas called as he stood in front of a large black metal bars. Behind them another tunnel with a large door, a strange gargoyle with it's tongue, much like a snake, slithering past it's lips and curling back, beckoning any who approach forward.

Axel jumped up rushing over, momentarily forgetting Demyx who he had been talking to. "Roxas, I could kiss you right now." He grinned brightly, hope of salvation so bright it was evident even within the darkness. The red head pushed at the gate and it gave an irritated scream as it shifted from it's rest. Axel gave another shove at the gate and it screeched across the flooring enough for them to slip past.

A warm gust of wind pushed past them and ended as abruptly as it came. "That was...weird..." Roxas said turning and letting his eyes Follow Axel when he turned to retrieve Demyx. When Demyx was again on his back he moved back to Roxas' side. "Ready?" Demyx nodded pressing close to Axel's back as they squeezed through the gates.

As they approached an ominous feeling crept up on Demyx and he chewed at his lip. "I have a bad feeling about this guys." He whimpered, watching the Gargoyle who seemed to stare right back at him, hungry and waiting to devour them. Roxas Rolled his eyes and handed the flash light to Demyx, who held it steadily pointed at the door as his younger pushed on the cold metal of it.