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

Bent

Chapter 3: Breaking the Girl

(of her delusions)

By Calkat

Thanks for the support from Rei Azayahi, my first reviewer. I appreciate your words.

They were in the white dream arena again. Axel was in his normal spot, reclined on the couch, looking far too comfortable in the middle of her serious situation. Naminé was across the room, standing near the rocking chair, nudging it with her sandal every now and again to pass time. This was the closest they had gotten in the dreams. Axel on one side of the room and Naminé on the other, but she had no intentions of being the one to close the distance.

"How did you find the dream without my direction? I admit," Naminé paused, not wanting to boost his ego, but too curious to let it go. She met his eyes, and scratched her temple, a frown forming on her face. "Finding the right path to my personal… area is no easy task."

Axel didn't respond right away. He stayed silent as he formulated a response that would make sense.

He stood, cracking a couple joints from being in one position too long and rolled his neck to the side. Unzipping his cloak, he sagged his shoulder, letting it slip off to the side. Naminé averted her eyes as Axel dropped the cloak. She wasn't used to Axel's dressed-down look. Maybe she just wasn't used to Axel.

Naminé tucked her chin into her shoulder, and looked at him from the corner of her eyes. Underneath, he wore a black tank top and plain black pants. Both were no surprise, but they were much more flattering than the stupid cloak, at least in her opinion. He was handsome, no doubt, but he was also a part of the organization. Having dangerous thoughts about a dangerous person was not advised.

She had never been around any of the organization members for an extended amount of time with the exception of DiZ and sometimes Vexen. Still, with Vexen, she was always under a machine and DiZ was kind of old for her taste. Plus he covered his entire face with red cloth and belts. It was weird, even for Organization XIII.

Now for the first time, she was in the presence of some decent looking guy and it was affecting her. It was… disappointing.

She looked up at him, hoping that her traitorous thoughts hadn't shown on her face. She was already having problems dealing with him,

"Your dreams," he started, "have their own kind of taste to them. Like I can feel your presence in the back of my mind when I'm here. You're a very imposing figure you know, mental-wise." He teased.

"I'm only imposing because you all are frightened about what I can do to your minds," she confessed.

"Maybe."

"There were two of them?" He questioned, remembering what she had said earlier.

"Yes, Marluxia and the other I couldn't tell. When I woke, I thought it was… Marluxia started to yell at the other one and then he knocked me out again. He used one of those vials that he has tucked under his coat pocket."

"Powder or liquid?" Axel asked.

"I can't say what the others are for sure. He threw two at me. The one that hit me was powder. I inhaled it and passed out. There were only five and one was an empty vial or at least looked empty. It could be a gas, I guess. The others could have been liquid or powder cut so fine that I couldn't tell the difference from the distance that I was away." Naminé had her eyes closed, eyebrows arced in thought.

"Useful." He chimed.

"I did my best." She responded, slightly agitated at his aloofness. She turned her head and blew out a frustrated breath, glancing at him. He was so frustrating!

Still, he is far from an eyesore. As if on cue, he sent a cursory glance her way stopping her mid-thought. She flinched under his brilliant green eyes focusing on her. The green eyes were as much on fire as the rest of him.

Realizing that he was only glancing at her to continue the conversation, Naminé sighed. At the moment, his eyes were focused once again on the ceiling.

"You said he used two vials."

She wasn't sure if it was a question, but she was a little angry that he could be so lax here with her serious situation hanging over her head.

"I did."

"Well," he started, annoyed that she hadn't elaborated. "What happened to the other?" He asked, rubbing his eyes as if he were tired.

"I don't know. He threw it at me and missed as I was trying to hide."

He laughed, drawing in a deep breath to escalate it. "You dodged Marluxia? Hah! He must be slipping if you managed to get away." Naminé grit her teeth. The way he said it was harsh, even for Axel. He had determined so simply that she wasn't wily nor crafty or even fast enough to get away. Which most of the time would be true, but still it was undermining and hurtful.

Naminé pushed from her hands and knees and stood up drawing Axel's attention her way. His head tilted and he raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Watch this getaway." She hissed, turning and fading from the room.

The hair on Axel's arms stood up.

A heavy weight filled the room as if the air had gotten heavier. Axel was reclined in the exact same spot as before. The only difference was that a day had passed, but he was still situated on the couch.

Naminé stormed in, her white dress swinging around her knees as she stalked inside. She gave him a dark look, furrowed eyebrows and a frown turning her lips.

"Get out."

Axel didn't budge, didn't even acknowledge that she was there.

"Get out." She ordered, her voice barely raising a notch. Anger was a new arena to Naminé, but she was a quick learner. She rarely yelled, but was determined that she would do whatever necessary for him to leave her mind and give her some space.

Nothing moved him.

She walked over to him and grabbed his arm, intending to roll him off the couch by any means. His hand closed around her wrist quickly, causing Naminé to quiet a squeak. She yanked her arm hard, hoping that the momentum would pull him off the couch and her out of his grip. To no avail. Naminé sighed. She was learning one lesson at a time that she was nowhere near as strong as any member of the organization.

Her will and wits would have to be her way out. Brute force would never be in her corner.

"Let me go," she muttered darkly. Naminé felt his grip tighten as she was being drawn closer to him, inches away. Close enough that Naminé could feel the heat rising off his skin. Naminé jerked backwards, uncomfortable because she was hanging over him.

"Why?" He hadn't looked at her yet. One flame rolled over his fingers, licking his skin. He still wasn't paying her the merest of attentions. Naminé frowned at his sudden word. She grit her teeth and tested his grip by pulling again.

"Why what? I just want you to leave. Leave my mind in peace, leave me alone," she ground out. Rocking onto her heels, she let her weight pull against Axel, hoping that he would tire soon. "What have you contributed to my escape? Every time we meet here, we discuss and discuss and discuss my captivity, but we never plan an escape. How about telling Xemnas what they are doing—"

"Stop." With one word Naminé was silenced. She wanted to argue, but waited with her mouth slightly agape. Axel turned to her, his green eyes matching his ghost-like smile. "I talk a lot, but jeez, Naminé, you are a chatterbox." Naminé inhaled deeply and scuffed her foot against the floor. Naminé thought she heard him say something like 'worse than me, honestly,' but she wasn't sure.

She let out a deep breath. "And you never say anything. I am constantly the only source of conversation that we have. You, who is normally so talkative," she said quietly. She drew in another breath. "And you belittle me at every turn. I try to provide something useful and you tell me it's worthless. I feel like all I ever do is talk, like we're on a holiday and—" She stopped herself and Axel released her arm. Gratefully, Naminé stood up straight and distanced herself from Axel.

Space was what she needed, rubbing the wrist that he had grasped nervously. A small tremor ran up her arm in remembrance of his touch. What was happening to her?

"I'm doing it again," she sighed. Axel sat up on the couch, looking graceful and effortless in a trivial gesture. Naminé backed up minutely.

"Why are you upset?" He asked passively, sitting on the couch with his feet tucked comfortably across one another. He wasn't smiling. Who was this Axel?

"I was trying to be justifiably mad about last night, but then I felt it. I was lying on the scratchy carpet in here." She gestured to the carpet that was in the center of the room. This was an exact replica of her imprisonment after all. "I was sleeping nicely when suddenly I feel you in my head again. Like an itch I can't scratch. I ignored you for three hours, you know that, right?" Axel watched her intently. Even now, after several occasions spent only talking to him, he was still a mystery. Naminé couldn't tell what was on his mind at any given moment.

A nervous feeling crept over her, a tangible feeling working its way along her skin.

Naminé took a few paces backwards and Axel followed her with his eyes, his mouth in a tight line. Naminé was inwardly embarrassed, but hopeful that he didn't understand the real reason that she was keeping her distance.

"So you can tell when I'm here?" He asked. She nodded. "Then don't keep me waiting again." She opened her mouth to say something, but with the look of ill will on his face, she stopped.

The look on his face made Naminé's breath shudder out. She kept forgetting that Axel was dangerous and one day Naminé feared that she would experience that danger if she wasn't cautious. She imagined those chakram blazing like infernos being thrown towards her, no recognition of regret in his eyes as he sliced her, melted her, killed her.

Axel arched forward placing two hands on his knees and closed his eyes. Was he imagining the same thing? Her death at his hands?

He laughed then, a chuckle rising from his throat and bouncing off the walls. He had noticed the discomfort she was in and thought lightly of it. Maybe the clenched fists or the tightening of her eyes and mouth had given it away.

Through her rising fear, Naminé steeled herself, her muscles going rigid with fear and anxiety. Grasping feebly at her dress, Naminé marched forward and dropped down onto her rear in front of Axel. She wouldn't let him control her, no matter how indirectly he was doing it.

He put his feet on the floor on either side of her and peered down at her. A small smile turned the corners of his lips before disappearing. Naminé cocked her head to the side and looked at him from the corners of her eyes, still unsure that she was doing the right thing trusting the strange man.

"Why were you mad?" He asked calmly.

Naminé studied the floor for a moment before looking up to match his bland stare.

"You offended me by saying that Marluxia 'must be losing his touch.'" Axel's mouth peeled into a smile, but dissolved into a serious look.

"You think that if faced against Marluxia that you would pose an even threat?" He asked simply.

"A one on one physical fight, no," she admitted. Her hands rose into the air in an exasperated gesture. Her voice rose slightly, "but you belittled me by saying that I was easy prey."

"You are easy prey." Naminé felt the anger rising from the pit of her stomach.

"Don't say that. I am not anyone's prey. I may not be physically impressive, but if it came down to my life, I could survive."

"Oh, yes. Your mind-fucking powers." Naminé's eyes widened as Axel drawled that out so casually. It was so crude.

"Don't say it like it's dirty," she said firmly. She bit her lip, trying to stop the anger that he was purposely stoking.

"You don't consider messing with someone's thoughts, their memories, all that they have left to them… dirty?" He said harshly, a tinge of anger creeping into his voice. "To a nobody, you are taking away what's sacred. It's all we have left. That doesn't seem immoral to you?"

"If my life were in jeopardy, you want me to bring moral qualms into consideration?" She asked, malice filling her voice.

"No, but at least realize that your power isn't something to brag, boast, or be proud of."

"When do I ever brag?" Naminé exclaimed, rolling her eyes. She focused on him, narrowing her eyes tightly. "And I am not proud of them, but these powers have saved my life numerous times."

"They are also what brought you to the attention of the Organization." He pointed out and Naminé knew he was right. "Sounds like more of a curse to me." He had a hand under his chin, his arm resting on his knee. Crouched over her, Naminé felt even worse than before.

"Stop pretending that you are someone to be revered and protected." Naminé felt her tightly built wall start to crumble. He was chipping away at her defenses slowly but surely. The smallest wounds always bled the slowest, drawing out the pain.

"I am not revered, nor protected, obviously," she said, her arms swinging in a wide circle gesturing to her prison.

"Yet you want my help, to protect you, to save you." He added.

"No. Yes." She took a deep breath, steadying herself. "I never asked for your protection, I just want your help because—" He cut her off again.

"Because why?" He had stoked the fire enough.

"Because I am not capable of saving myself!" She yelled, defeated.

"See?" She huffed, blowing out her breath harshly. She refused to look at him. "That is what makes you prey."

"I am not pre—" She was arguing, but not really believing herself anymore.

"I can catch you anytime you want. Do you want me to prove it to you?" He goaded, his quick movements causing her to rise to her feet and back away.

"Scared, witch?" The term wolfish grin took on its full meaning.

Naminé hesitated. "My name is Naminé." Her resolve was failing. Yes, she was scared.

"I'll call you anything you want, you couldn't stop me." Axel rose from his chair taking a step towards her. "What makes you deserve a name?"

Naminé backed away and he disappeared from view. Knowing this was a game, Naminé stood absolutely still although her instincts were telling her to run.

Preservation, all though the name of the game, meant that Naminé would have to save herself and she wouldn't fall into his trap. He could have her, simply.

"No fight, no struggle, merely resignation." Axel sighed. An arm slung around her shoulders and neck pressed her into him. If she didn't fight, it would take the thrill of the chase out of it. Then he would stop and then he wouldn't have the satisfaction of being right. Right?

"You win, game over," Naminé said nonchalantly, trying to relax, save for the fact that every muscle in her body was aching to tense. Spiky hair tickled her neck and ear as Axel shifted closer to her. Naminé heard him exhale and took the distance between her ear and his mouth for granted. The muscles in her back tightened.

She tilted her head to the left, trying to give herself some space. The way the line of his chin was flush with her neck made her uncomfortable in the oddest of ways.

"What do I get for winning?" He responded smoothly. The smile in his voice was hard to miss.

"Wha…what do you mean?" She laughed half-heartedly, though fear was steadily creeping into her voice.

His grip tightened around her shoulders.

"The winner always gets a prize, Naminé. What…is...my…prize?" He painfully drew out every syllable of his last statement.

"You didn't win." She contradicted herself, but maybe she could work her way out of this. Admittedly, she was beginning to not want to save herself from him. "It's not a contest when there is only one player," she said quietly. "And I won't play your silly games." She put both hands on his arm and pushed it away from her, suppressing the regret she was feeling at letting him go.

He smiled. "You won't play victim so easily then?" Naminé dropped his hand and backed away from him with a small smile creeping onto her face. When had this turned from a serious fight to light-hearted teasing and careful banter?

"No. I won't be your victim, willing or not." Naminé walked towards the couch, planning on taking his spot. Knowing he was watching her, Naminé half-turned, but continued her walking.

"Back to the issues at hand, other than your rampant…" She hesitated, trying to word his games in the correct manner without incriminating herself for taking part in them. "Machinations."

Turning again, she sighed as she spotted him at one end of the couch. She knew he was faster than her, but give a girl a fighting chance.

Naminé set herself at the other end of the couch. She reminded herself that she was indeed a sheep among wolves. Several wolves.

"Now what?" She asked quietly. He looked upwards thoughtfully, reclining against the arm of the couch.

She turned her head to the side, meeting his eyes. His green eyes looked mischievous, as if they were saying, 'Aha, I've got something.'

"Now, we discuss the terms of your release," he said plainly.

"Terms?" She questioned, tucking her chin into her shoulder grimly. She should have known that he would use this situation to his advantage.

"Terms. You understand that I am risking myself by helping you out. If I am caught," he said severely, "then the organization will want to kill me. I am, in effect, staking my life on not getting caught, because I assume that you not only want to get out of Marluxia's hands, but out of the organization as well." Naminé stiffened and faced forward, not wanting to look at Axel. He didn't give her a chance to respond; he knew the truth of her wanting to leave.

"I'm right, aren't I?" He goaded. She watched out of her peripheral vision as his smile turned into a brilliant grin, ruining the illusion of his calm façade.

She turned her entire body to face him, crossing her legs and nodding at him. "Assuming you're right," she started, tilting her chin upwards, "what do you want in return for freeing me?"

His smile faded into seriousness and he crossed his arms. He closed his eyes and she watched him focus, watched as he searched for something that was within her power to give him. What had she said earlier? Something about saving the nobodies and saving—

She knew instantly what would be the bargaining chip that Axel would want. She smiled. That she could and would happily do in exchange for her freedom. Before he could reply, Naminé spoke up.

"Roxas," she said simply. His eyes opened slowly, half-lidded in an effort to hide something. She couldn't pick it up. Naminé realized that even if he pretended to be loud-mouthed and uncaring, it was all a lie compared to his tightlipped and calm interior.

"I'll take Roxas with me when I escape. You're…" She stopped short of saying 'friends' because someone with Axel's outlying attitude wouldn't have friends. "You don't want the organization to use him, so when I leave he'll come with me, willing or not," she added.

Axel nodded, shifting in his seat to face the bookshelf and podiums across the room.

"Deal?" She asked, finding it hard to once again uphold a conversation in which only she participated. He gave her a blasé look. She put up her hands and shrugged her shoulders. She would take that as a yes.

Finding nothing better to do, Naminé got up to pace the room as per usual, finding her unimpeded walk of the room far better than her wrist-bound type. Then she felt it. Like a gentle wave of warning lapping around her ankles, she felt the pull start to rise quickly, hitting her mid-waist.

Axel looked upwards as she stumbled.

He sent her a questioning look when his eyes imperceptibly widened.

"What was that?" She asked quickly, then meeting Axel's eyes, she started.

"You're fading." His mouth hung open slightly.

She looked down at her hands and realized that they were translucent. She glanced up at him again with a shocked look running over her.

"I'm waking up, but..." She felt extremely uncomfortable, almost nauseated as it happened. A small noise rose up from her mouth as she gasped again, feeling the wave wash over her.

Axel stood, approaching her cautiously and then the room vanished along with Axel.

"Wakey, wakey, little witch," a voice purred in her ear. Naminé tried to rollover, but found a lump of mass blocking her.

"I think you overdid it," he said in a low voice. The figure was tall enough to block the light of the room out and then he crouched beside her.

"Here," he said, handing it to the other person, a woman, who was on her right. Through he blurred vision, she saw the man, Marluxia maybe, hand something to her. Her had to be Larxene. After all, there was no other woman was in the organization.

Larxene's pale face wrinkled slightly when she grimaced at whatever Marluxia handed her. She sniffed and then coughed terribly, but Marluxia gave her no sympathy.

Then Larxene's hand started to move towards Naminé's face and for a moment Naminé though it might have been to suffocate her. She panicked, struggling to move, but her body was stiff, unresponsive. Instead, the hands moved underneath her nose and— ugh.

Naminé heaved at the spicy and strong odor that had filled her nostrils. Her brain went into overtime screaming 'Wake up! Wake up now!'

She sat up violently, her head clashing with Larxene's harshly. Larxene let out a loud grunt and fell backwards clutching her forehead. Marluxia put a hand behind Naminé's back, steadying her.

"God damnit, witch, did you have to sit up and split my skull?" Larxene yelled vehemently through clenched teeth.

Naminé swayed slightly at being jarred into reality so harshly. Swallowing hard, she coughed out, "Your fault, not mine." Larxene's eyes widened and Naminé saw her draw out a knife, but not before she saw Marluxia's fingers curl around Larxene's.

"You've done enough damage," he warned. "And she's right, next time, keep a safe distance from the unconscious you're about to bring back from the dead. Her reaction is milder than others." Naminé lowered an eyebrow at the last statement. What was he talking about?

"Dead?" Naminé croaked, her voice rough.

Marluxia turned to her and she was sorry that she had ever said anything. His focus on her was never a welcome idea.

"Not dead, but you have been unconscious for a considerable time." He glanced at Larxene who had stormed to the other side of the room. Naminé remembered the unkind foot aimed at her face. Larxene's foot. Unconsciously, she raised a hand trying to find a lump on her forehead, evidence of the attack.

It was then she realized that she was untied. Neither her neck restraint nor her wrist ropes were in place. But she didn't have time to celebrate as a throbbing, dull pain pulsed in her skull. Without thought, she ran her hands over the back of her head, searching until she found the source: a dry and crusty spot. Her hair was stuck to her head where the blood had congealed on her skin. Brushing a finger against it, she flaked some of the blood off, trying to see if the gash was a large one.

"Two minor cuts is all," Marluxia said, once again glancing at Larxene who was leaning against the bookcase looking uneasy and perturbed. Naminé found the room slightly more hospitable than before and couldn't figure out why.

"What is different about the room?" She asked, finding the courage to say something more than one syllable words. All of the furniture was still there, the podiums, the couch, the chair; even the bookcase with the single row of books was unmoved. Yet something was amiss.

"We lowered the lighting of the room. It was becoming unpleasant," Marluxia offered. Naminé had no idea why he was suddenly becoming cordial. He had no motives that she could understand for him to be nice. Naminé ran her eyes over Marluxia then, who wasn't wearing the normal coat of organization. Instead, he had traded it for a black turtleneck and black slacks. What did this organization have with black? Why was color so taboo?

Without the coat, he looked like maybe at one point before Organization XIII he might have had a normal life. It made Naminé pause and the prejudices she had formed in her mind were starting to slip. All of these people had led normal lives, or as normal as they could have before they had joined the organization. Maybe the jarring experience of being ripped from your Other had turned them into such pessimistic fools. She didn't know.

She had no memories of her Other.

But she did have memories of Him. That was what bothered her so much. He constantly flitted to her thoughts and made her— Naminé cringed. She had no heart to beat faster. She could only assume that it was her Other that retained such strong feelings for Him. Hers were only fake remnants of a nobody.

Marluxia grabbed Naminé's upper arm and pulled her upwards trying to be as gentle as possible, but failing because there was no proper nor gentle way to pull Naminé up by her appendage.

She stood firmly, thankful that her feet weren't wobbly or about to give way. Satisfied, she waited for direction and returned her eyes to the other threat in the room.

Larxene. Or what was it they called her? The Savage Nymph.

Naminé wasn't sure how they had come up with the name, but she could guess. Ew.

Marluxia pushed past Naminé to squeeze between the couch which she was lying behind and the rocking chair. Naminé trailed her vision after him, watching as he approached Larxene.

Larxene ruffled a hand through her hair, pulling at the ends hard. As he moved to stop in front of her, Naminé watched as Larxene narrowed her eyes at him.

"Watch over her," was all he said as he turned and gave Naminé a fleeting nod. What? Was that some sort of good luck nod? Don't get hurt? Don't die?

She would have been better off with don't breathe.

Larxene was in front of her just then, causing Naminé to topple over awkwardly. Tumbling onto her butt, she threw her hands over the bottom of her dress as it was riding up too far. It made her uncomfortable, even if Larxene was a girl.

Larxene leaned over her, a malicious grin spreading on her face. "Little witch, I have a question for you."

Three knives appeared between Larxene's knuckles, flashing maliciously. Naminé inched to her right, putting the couch between her Larxene.

"How many knives does it take to make a witch scream?"

Larxene's hand arced towards Naminé.

She screamed.

Wow. It was originally longer, but I cut it. I had planned on not making this end, cliffy-like, but it was just getting too long. I like the interaction that Larxene will add, but she is just too clear-cut 'evil' to be anything more than mundane, so hopefully she'll become just as convoluted as this plot. Right? Right.

I'm a little more excited about the next chap because Axel makes a bigger a presence. The camera finally turns back towards him. Woot. Though chapter 5 or the material that is supposed to be in chapter five is what I am looking forward to writing. I'll get there.

Thanks to my lovely sister for answering a few of my questions.

And the two new reviewers: Erin P and Larawell. Thanks.

Cal