Look at me on a roll! Two updates in one weekend! Got to make up for lost time I suppose, haha. For those of you who reviewed in the last chapter, you're the first to know that I'm once again working on review replies. It's not that it's a bothersome task, quite the contrary, I just can't seem to find time for it. Now I'm making time and have decided that I will NOT update until each review from the prior chapter is replied to!

Now that my speech is done, time for some clarification. A couple of people were confused in the last chapter as to what exactly Riku did to Sora. He didn't turn him into a vampire, he just fed off him. It took a while because Riku hadn't eaten in quite some time and on top of that he was reminding Sora that he was in charge and not to be messed with. Onto a new chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter 6

Punishment

Roxas attempted to stifle a yawn sliding up his throat and it turned into a shiver through chattering teeth. His sleep had been cut short when Axel's cell phone went off around 4AM. A text message on the screen informed him of flight information and that Xigbar and Luxord's plane would be arriving in two hours. Within two seconds, Axel had informed Roxas he would be the one to go pick them up from the airport while he slept on. It worked out for the most part since he had to go along anyway, and without Axel there he could deliver the folder.

'What's the point?' he thought with a short sigh, wondering why he was even doing this, 'Axel's just going to kill him anyway. Blackmail doesn't do any good if you're dead I suppose…' Sora still hadn't shown up yet, but that was likely due to the fact Riku went after him last night. In handing over the stolen file he was protecting his brother, but what was the point of it if he came back to the base in a body bag? He looked up as a low noise began to grow into a loud rumble, the private jet coasting down to the runway and housing the last two people he wanted to see. The gust of wind as it passed by nearly knocked him over but the body guard who drove him across town helped stabilize him just as the plane slowed, turned, and stopped. As Roxas recomposed himself on his way over to the stationary plane the hatch on the side opened and a set of stairs extended from the jet to the ground.

"So we're agreed."

"Yes, it makes no difference to me so long as I profit."

"Good, our stories have to match or he'll know. You know how Axel gets."

Roxas froze on the opposite side of the jet. What were they talking about? Good sense told him to act as if he hadn't heard anything, but there was another part of him that said to keep listening. It appeared their conversation had ended though and Roxas stood silent to see if anything else would happen. Finally it was Xigbar who broke the silence.

"I really despise eavesdroppers."

He'd been found out. How though? Roxas had been careful to hold his breath and not disturb any pieces of earth underneath his feet, so how did they know? There were definite reasons as to why Xigbar was Axel's number one dog. Roxas came around to the other side of the jet and into plain sight, "I wasn't eavesdropping. I just walked up when you were finishing your conversation," he insisted in a firm tone. He didn't have anything to fear; he had a body guard with him who would stop the top dogs from inflicting any harm on him.

Luxord saw the folder under his arm and reached to take it away but Roxas subconsciously moved it behind his back. The look the other two gave him was something he'd hoped to avoid but with a question rising in his throat he had to ask, "What are you keeping from Axel?"

"Nothing that concerns you," Xigbar said in a calm voice, reaching past him and jerking the folder out of his hands.

Defeated and reminding himself of why he was here, Roxas sighed and let his hands fall at his sides. There was something going on here. The people Axel trusted and worked with for years were keeping a secret from him and Roxas knew it couldn't be a good one. It dawned on him that he had never in fact read through Riku's file himself even though he'd had it since Axel sent him to retrieve Sora's last night, "So what does it say?" From the way Xigbar and Luxord poured over the contents Roxas felt a curiosity ebbing through him. What kind of secrets did Riku's file hold?

"Heeeeey! He's waking up!"

The cheery attempt at a whisper rang loudly through the space and Sora rolled over in his sleep, only wanting to slip back into the sanctuary of his dreams. He held the pillow tighter to his head but felt a weight shift onto the bed where he lay, "Psst, hey, you awake?"

"Leave him alone, he's tired."

Sora recognized that voice and he rolled back onto his back before slowly opening his eyes to see what was going on, "Riku?" The world gradually blurred to focus and the first thing he saw was a face very close to his own and a set of bright green eyes staring straight into his. Shock made him jump and the other man sat up straight with a gleeful laugh, "Hahah! Scared you!"

"Demyx!"

Sora pushed himself up on his elbows and saw Riku come through an archway across the room, his jacket amiss and his shirt untucked. Something was wrong. There was an anger to his voice and while he looked in better condition than the last time he'd seen him, Sora could tell he'd seen better days, "Out." Without another word the blonde stood up, waved to Sora, then hurried out though a side door. Sora tried to sit up once he was gone but Riku came over and pushed him back with little effort, "Lie still, you need to rest."

Sora didn't try to get up again though he did raise a question, "Where am I?"

"This is the fifth floor where the captain's rooms are. You're anemic right now and the doctor's say you shouldn't be left alone while you sleep," Riku told him while reaching into his vest pocket and pulling out a note, "They recommended a few drugs but those would contaminate your blood."

"I see," Sora scoffed and rolled over, "Got your priorities in line." When Riku said nothing and didn't leave Sora asked another question, "So who was that guy in here?"

"His name is Demyx."

Nothing more to be said apparently so Sora just asked a different question, "And Axel? Does he know I'm here?"

"Not yet," that came as a shock and Sora looked over his shoulder at Riku, "You're my responsibility so I'll decide what to do with you." Sora realized he was no longer at Axel's mercy, instead at the mercy of his captain who he committed the crime against. With nothing more to say Riku left the large bedroom through the door Demyx disappeared through. The door led into a parlor with several unnecessary expenses and while they came with the captain quarters Riku found no need or use for the luxuries. Demyx was sitting on a windowsill across the room with one foot on either side of the frame, "Enter our protagonist, looking desperately in need of a few laughs."

"Says the fool who shortly there after would fall from the window," Riku warned and his cousin slunk back inside and shut the glass quickly. With a huff Riku sat down on the couch and asked, "How long do you plan to stay here?"

"I could ask you the same question," Demyx replied, leaning against the glass with a grin. For a long moment neither one of them said anything, a low rumble of thunder causing the blonde fool to cringe away from the window and look up at the dark sky skeptically, "What was that?"

His reaction was a result of little study, whether firsthand or through a book and Riku informed him, "Thunder Demyx. The sky is falling."

The word seemed to spark a realization and Demyx made an 'ah' sound, "So a storm is coming right?"

"I could ask you the same question," Riku said mockingly.

Demyx laughed and turned back to face him, holding his hands behind his back as he strolled around to sit next to him, "Nope, that angry old storm is looming far away." As he fell down into the couch comfortably he suddenly felt a cold metal against the side of his head, followed by the faint and familiar click, "I should expect this I suppose."

"If you're here on his behalf I can't let you leave," it was simple as that, family or not.

Demyx turned to him and let the gun rest between his eyes, "I came on my own accord Riku. Figured you'd gone after something worth seeing and I wanted to see what it was. Didn't expect that reason to be a normal kid." He moved his head just as the bullet fired, piercing through the couch and into the wall, "It was a joke!" he cheered with a laugh, looking past the gun at his cousin.

The door leading to the bedroom opened and they both looked over as Sora hurried out, "I heard a gunshot."

"Go back to bed," Riku told him. After only a brief moment of hesitation Sora disappeared as he was ordered and with the door shut Riku said, "He's just a kid Axel stuck me with."

Demyx mused the words over out loud, disregarding the weapon in his cousins' hand, "Do the bite marks on his throat have anything to do with the reason he's here?"

"It's more of an addiction more than a reason you could say," Riku admitted as he put the gun down on the coffee table. Demyx wasn't here to cause problems, the fool probably didn't even have a plan for what to do after he found him.

Demyx snickered and crossed his legs before leaning against his unarmed cousin, "Perv, you must be three times his age by now."

Riku stood up to shake him off though before Demyx could get comfortable, "You can't stay here, Axel won't let anyone on these grounds without a title or a collar… How did you even get up here?"

"I've got my ways," Demyx said vaguely before slumping over to lie down, staring ahead out the rain splattering hard against the window, "I'm not going to be anybody's dog though."

A vampire. What was Axel thinking in endangering them by allowing Riku to remain on the premises? Valuable or not it made no sense to Roxas who was making his way back upstairs via the elevator. With each soft ding signaling a new floor Roxas heaved a sigh, "That explains why Sora was serving under him," he mumbled to himself. His brother was just a snack to feed what Axel himself wrote to be 'one of his most valuable acquisitions.' This discovery also likely explained what happened to his brother this morning. Policy or not, he didn't want to accept the reality of the punishment in store for his Sora! For all he knew though, his brother was already dead. In his hands he held a stack of folders which documented physical results from the application process still looming over them, and at the bottom lay Riku's own records. He had to figure out how to get them back into the cabinet with the others, but getting the key from Axel would not be an easy task.

The elevator doors opened at the top floor and Roxas was surprised to see the doors to Axel's office ajar. It was a rare sight and Roxas approached cautiously, almost expecting to find a burglar but knowing nobody would be stupid or crafty enough to rob Axel. Just as he looked through the small opening someone moved in front of it and opened one of the doors wide. Roxas straightened up quickly, hiding his shock and holding his tongue. The man in the doorway was not Axel, instead he was taller and had an unusual light blue color of long hair which was tied back from his face. He wore no smile and the x-shaped scar between his eyes only seemed to intensify his natural glare. Instinctively Roxas stepped aside to let him pass. Judging from his attire he was a person of power and not someone to be messed with. Without a word the man passed and entered the elevator, doors sliding shut behind him as Axel stepped into the office doorway.

Roxas saw him out of the corner of his eye, his stare locked on the shut elevator doors though. Whoever it was Roxas didn't trust or want to deal with, and when he looked to Axel it was clear he wasn't the only one, "Are you okay?"

"Come in," was all Axel said. There was a tone in his voce that meant ill and he didn't once look at Roxas. Taking that as a sheer sign his afternoon was to be just as unpleasant as his morning, Roxas followed him back into the warm office and shut the door behind him with his foot. Axel went to his desk and Roxas set the stack of folders down on the coffee table next to the applications he brought up in his last visit, "Who was that?"

"His name is Saix," an actual answer. Axel fell back into his chair and started to unbutton his shirt, "Come here." Roxas saw him undressing and didn't move, instead giving him a clear look of displeasure. Axel wasn't in the mood though for his antics and he grabbed a pocket knife out of the open desk drawer, flipping it open and crossing the room. Panicking Roxas tried to back away but Axel grabbed his wrist and shocked him. His fingers were like ice even through the gloves he wore and Axel forced the open pocket knife into his hand, "Stab me."

The order went over like a brick through a window and Roxas looked at a loss for words, "W-what?" Axel pulled his shirt off and Roxas spotted something, there was a bruise forming on his forearm and he could see a bump in the center. Just above his elbow Roxas saw the reason his fingers were so cold, a band was tied tightly and cutting off the circulation. It didn't make any sense but Roxas understood nonetheless, taking hold of Axel's cold forearm and putting the pocket knife against the small bump. He didn't move for a lengthy period but Axel didn't say anything. He was serious and Roxas took a deep breath before cutting into his arm just barely, alarmed when he felt the tip of the knife prod against something hard but Axel still hadn't flinched. Using his thumb as a brace, and prying carefully with the knife, he pulled a small bit of metal out of Axel's arm. It was a third of the size of his fingernail and looked almost like a tiny button. Axel untied the band on his arm to allow blood to flow back through his forearm which was beginning to change color, "Destroy it."

Roxas was so confused but Axel offered no explanation, instead tying the band loosely around the incision site. Placing the small piece of metal on the ground Roxas smashed it easily with his heel; all that remained of the mystery bit were shards and blood on the wooden floor, "What was that?"

As Axel pulled his shirt back on casually he told him, "A tracking method implanted by the man who just left."

Only further confused Roxas shut the pocket knife and returned it to him, "Why?"

"Insurance," was all Axel offered as an explanation, returning to his desk and sitting down in his chair with a huff, "Nothing that concerns someone in your position."

"Missionary?" Roxas grumbled unintentionally. He froze and readied himself for a lashing of some sort but Axel didn't pay his comment any mind so he turned to see what was keeping him. Axel was just sitting there in his chair, leaned back and staring at the ceiling. He looked so out of it Roxas wondered if he'd been drugged along with the tracking bug, "Axel?" His head rolled to one side to look at him, a blank but still menacing stare meeting his own. He looked exhausted and stressed, but the change was so abrupt from the disposition Roxas had left him in not long ago. Could Saix have caused this, "Are you okay?"

A smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth and Axel rolled his head back to stare at the ceiling, "Fantastic." Sarcasm. Axel wasn't good at it and it sounded just like everything else he said, but Roxas could easily pick through the syllables and tell, "Did you get the results of the physicals?"

Back to business, "They're on the table with the rest of the application files…Look Axel why don't you go get some sleep?"

"Because I don't need sleep. Are Luxord and Xigbar back yet?" Xigbar and Luxord. Roxas remembered what he'd overheard earlier as they were getting off their flight.

"So we're agreed."

"Yes, it makes no difference to me so long as I profit."

"Good, our stories have to match or he'll know. You know how Axel gets."

They were up to no good, Roxas was sure of it. Whatever they were doing they meant ill to Axel and after the past few minutes Roxas wasn't sure if Axel needed any more problems. But then there was the looming threat of blackmail they held over Roxas' head which threatened to outweigh the truth, "Yes, they're in their quarters recovering from jetlag probably. Axel come on, go get some rest. The world won't stop spinning if you shut your eyes for a few hours."

"Don't be so sure of that," was all Axel said, the lazy smirk still hanging on his lips as he shut his eyes. Minutes dragged on in silence and the rain poured on with thunder and lightning mixed in, serving as a melancholy lullaby. Roxas stood there, a pleased look on his face as he watched Axel slowly nodding off to the tune. Under the scales and horns Axel was human and needed to rest just like anyone else. Abruptly a knock on the door broke the silence though and Axel sat up as he shook away any trace of sleep. Annoyed by the disturbance, Roxas crossed to open the door. Color drained from his face when he saw Riku standing in the hall, uniform a mess but the bandages on his head gone.

"Demyx is here," the vampire said and those two words made a scowl form on Axel's face. Two more words caused an outrage, "Sora too."

Roxas couldn't be relieved at the happy news, disrupted by the sound of Axel standing up and slamming his fist hard on the desk, "What?!" Axel sounded furious and his rage seemed to only urge on the foul weather, "He has no right to be here and you dared bring him-"

"He's my responsibility and as such I will do what I please with him," Riku spoke over Axel, cutting him short and Roxas moved aside as the vampire came in. He quickly shut the door so the noise of their argument didn't travel any further than it had to.

Axel's voice rose again though, "He's my dog and as such he will be punished like one! Assaulting another member of the Cerberus society is a punishable offense, an offense which holds greater merit with greater ranking!"

"By those standards the bruises Roxas is carefully hiding deems you deserving of punishment yourself!" Riku remained relatively calm as he gestured to Roxas who'd remained rigid by the door. Axel shot a cold look at Roxas, who immediately looked away. Axel merely scoffed, "Putting up with him is my punishment." Roxas felt the words land on him like bricks, stone cold bricks, and Axel just looked back to Riku as if nothing was wrong, "Keep the little bastard with you then. But if I so much as see him in the hall you'd better be with him or he'd better be armed, because there's no telling what I may do."

"And Demyx? You're welcome to try and kill him whether I'm there or not," Riku said, reminding him of the other pending matter, "They don't know he's here."

"Sneaky kid. Bring him to me," he said and without another word Riku turned and left. Roxas shut the door behind him before looking back to Axel, "Punishment?" He looked up from his desk as Roxas crossed to him, the boy's voice rising the closer he came, "I'm some kind of punishment?!"

"Lower your voice," Axel's tone was calm and unfazed just like his expression.

"If I'm a punishment why the hell are you keeping me around?! You could have done us both a favor and just killed me!" Roxas wouldn't stop this time. How dare Axel call him a punishment when Roxas was the only one suffering, "I never asked you to help me Axel! Never! I didn't ask for the surgeries, the medicine, or this job so why?! Why is such a heartless son of a bitch wasting time and money on a punishment like me?!"

Roxas could only stand there with his hands on the desk, furiously staring down at Axel who remained calmly seated in his chair. With Roxas paralyzed with his rage, Axel merely stood up and put a hand on the back of his head before kissing the top, "Lower your goddamn voice and get back to work."

"So how do you know him?"

Demyx looked up from his bowl of cereal and to the dog standing in the archway. He still looked out of his senses and was wearing a bathrobe which, judging by the length, belonged to Riku. Demyx swallowed his mouthful of milk and sugar coated cereal before asking, "Why do you want to know?"

Sora looked a bit discouraged but didn't leave, "As his lieutenant it's my job to-" Sora stopped his explanation when Demyx started laughing. The blonde pulled his feet up onto the chair and sat with his knees hugged to his chest, "So serious. I'm not going to like you very much." His blatant mockery hit Sora hard but Demyx didn't care, instead going back to his cereal. They both heard the door open and Demyx literally sprung over the counter, knocking over his bowl and spilling a mess all over the top. Demyx froze and glanced back, "Hey, don't be making messes kid!" he insisted in a tone loud enough for Riku to hear before grinning and bolting out of the kitchen. Sora stood there for a moment, realizing just what kind of nuisance he was dealing with. Demyx sprung at Riku and knocked him over with a hug, "Welcome back."

"Off," was all Riku had to say and Demyx did as he was told while Riku stood up and dusted himself off. Sora entered shortly thereafter and Riku could tell he was annoyed, "What did he do?"

"Nothing!" Demyx insisted, looking to Sora, "Right?"

Sora ignored Demyx and answered the question to the only person he even remotely wanted to deal with, "More than enough."

"Go clean up," was all Riku had to say and Demyx hurried off to do as he was told. Sora watched him go, surprised at how obedient the blonde boy was in response to Riku. "How are you feeling?" Sora felt the cold hand on his forehead and looked back to Riku. Less than 24-hours ago Sora attacked him, and less than 12-hours ago Riku exacted his revenge and most of the blood in Sora's body.

"Been better," Sora admitted, pushing his hand away and taking a step back, "You could've killed me."

"But I didn't, and now you know better than to be resistant. Your job is to support me, and that means in all aspects," Sora didn't say anything and Riku went to sit down, very nonchalant about the entire experience, "The guy in the kitchen is my cousin, Demyx. If he gives you any trouble just tell me."

Sora was sure he'd be reporting trouble frequently. He looked around the large and unnecessarily elaborate parlor with a heavy sigh, "So? What did Axel have to say?"

"I don't recommend going near him for a while," Riku said simply, making it clear what their leader's disposition was. A sudden flourish of thunder and lightning rang through the building and abruptly the lights flickered and dissipated, leaving the room in darkness. There was the sound of Demyx accidentally breaking something in the kitchen and Sora jumped, only to stumble over the coffee table and fall backwards. Riku stepped over him and headed to find a flashlight in the midst of the chaos, everyone in the quarters freezing when there was the sound of gunfire above them. At first it was only one shot, but by the second Riku and Sora were both hurrying out of the room to see what was going on. The only floor above them was where Axel resided and from the sound of it there was some sort of commotion going on.

If you are reading this then please review. Feedback really makes this easier and more fun to write because I get to know what people are thinking (if they enjoy it, hate it, are hanging on the edge of their seat, etc.) I'm also always willing to answer any questions you may have. So what did you think? More importantly: what do you think is happening upstairs? Hahaha, just have to wait and see! Thank you all for reading and as always I wish you all the best in all the world!

~Your loving bohemian, Mad-TopHat-Ter