Axel took a step further into the room, his eyes wandering over the few items that lay scattered in the tent; a globe, a few pieces of paper and a small wooden bucket. His smile broadened and Roxas scuttled further back against the pole, his back stinging as he moved when the fresh wounds split and wept, the cracks in his flesh crying with pain, forcing him to still while the rope that held his hands fast burned his wrists.

Gazing upwards, Roxas faltered and stilled, ignoring the pain and pushing it to the back of his mind as Axel's cat like emerald eyes became trained on him, his footsteps becoming predatory as he stalked into the room with sure, quiet movements, the whisper of the wind taking his feet with each step and helping him stick to the silent entrapment that had overtaken them. He watched the General's tail flicker, saw his ears perk up, and growled at the grin that spread across his face, the grin he would love to slap of.

"You know, you've been a lot of trouble for a new recruit. Normally they're more…docile." He laughed a little at his own joke and stopped a few feet away from Roxas, his hands swept behind his back as he looked down on the blonde with an air of authority and a daring tease at challenging him. But Roxas stayed silent and kept his eyes on the floor, unwilling to take the risk. "Nothing to say…? Heh, it's funny. It's not often a soldier can be whipped into solitary silence; your friend had a lot more to say for himself."

At the mention of Hayner Roxas' ears perked up and he chanced looking upwards, his eyes trapping Axel in a glare. But again he said nothing, and only a meagre hiss escaped his throat.

"You don't talk much do you?" Axel asked, squinting his eyes and cocking his head to a side, frowning at the oddness of it all.

"I only talk to the right people." Roxas growled, standing with some difficulty and turning his head to look towards the tent flap.

"And who are the right people?" Axel mumbled, following his gaze towards the tent opening and smiling a knowing smile as he stepped in the way, forcing Roxas to hiss and look up at him.

"Not you."

"Hmmm… And you're sure of this, yes?" pulling up a chair, Axel sat in front of him, a safe distance away.

"As sure as blood runs in my veins." Roxas scowled, pulling at the ropes that bound him as he turned away from the Tora general.

"Well, we can always change that." Axel grinned, forcing Roxas to look at him with a puzzled frown. Axel was still teasing him, giving him snippets of information that bundled together to reveal nothing but more mysteries and lies. What was he talking about?

"How?" Roxas asked, his eyes staring into the sharp edges that cut at the emeralds that bore into him with the goddess's judgement above.

The pearly white of Axel's elongated canines flashed in the dark that shrouded them. "Let's just say we have our ways Soldier. We have our ways."

Before Roxas could question the general any further the tent flap opened and a breathless Vanitas entered, his sword out of it's sheath as he kept his eyes on the skies outside, a frown engraved on his face as he spoke with a hurried tone, letting in the screams beyond him that hurt Roxas' delicate ears which he pushed back against his head disdainfully.

"Sir," Vanitas shouted, never turning his eyes on them. "We're under attack. The first squadron have taken to the skies and the second are preparing to engage."

"Who's attacking?" Axel ordered, the tone in his voice changing completely to one of command rather than teasing interrogation, but still he never shifted his gaze from Roxas as he rose slowly.

"The Tori sir. They came from over the mountain top. They're being led by Commander Leon Lockhart. Sir, their number greatly exceeds our own."

Axel stopped for a moment and stared hard at Roxas, frowning at the smirk that swept across the younger male before he frowned, turning to Vanitas. "Tell my officers to ready all Squadrons. We take to the skies. Send a messenger to General Reno relaying our attack, demand he sends reinforcements. We must not appear weak in the eyes of the betrayers. I want all of their heads on spikes!"

"Sir!" Vanitas said, giving a last Tora solute before he sprinted from the room, screaming orders as the tent flap closed behind him, leaving Roxas alone once again within the close confinements of Axel's presence.

Axel turned on Roxas with slit eyes, his brows furrowed as he placed is sword belt around his waist and tightened it. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would you soldier?"

The grin was wiped from Roxas' face in a matter of seconds and he replaced it with a look of indifference. "No Sir."

The look Axel gave Roxas told he was not buying the half hearted reply. "Yes well…" He pulled his sword from its sheath and thumbed the golden handle, his nails scratching against the ridges and grooves. For a while he stared at the perfect steel blade that shimmered slightly before he looked back to Roxas, the grin on his face scaring the blonde as he walked over, blade in hand. "Can I trust you soldier, to fight for me in the field of battle and not desert me in my hour of need, upon a Tora's honour and the unquenchable punishment of death? Should I make you one of us?"

The blade glimmered and the smile disappeared as Roxas nodded stoically, unsure of what awaited him as he gulped thickly and followed the sword. "Then I'm granting you release of your punishment. You are to fly with me today to ward of these attackers." The blade was raised high and Roxas closed his eyes tight as Axel slashed sideways so fast that it left silver light hanging in the air. He flinched, heard the slice, and waited for the pain to settle over him thickly once more. But it didn't, and instead he found the bindings that held him tangled about his feet instead.

He smiled, rubbing his wrists in front of him and soothing the red marks slowly as Axel sheathed his sword and turned away from him, rummaging through a stack of clothes that resided in a pile on the floor before he picked up a dusty shirt and threw it at Roxas, walking over to the armoury stand instead. He crossed back over as Roxas hurriedly pulled the shirt over his head, handing him a long leather strap with a sword attached to the end. "You'll need this. If you can swing this the way you throw a daggers you'll be fine."

Roxas took the blade grudgingly and strapped it on, buttoning up his shirt as he fastened the belt around his waist. His wrists ached and his back burned with the loathing of who he was about to help, but to keep his brother safe and his cover untouched he knew he had to play his part. But what he couldn't understand is why, of all the nations out there, it was the Tori that had attacked. They were such a normal group of neutralised people; they never bothered themselves with other nations, neither in peace or war times. So what had caused them leave from their mountainous homes atop the cold peaks on the island of the far south coast?

Before he could come up with an answer Axel was storming out of the tent, the flap cowering in the wind as he beat it to a side, and Roxas was forced to follow on numb feat, his heart rate increasing to the point where it rushed in his chest and threatened to blow up and out of his ribcage. The blood pounded in his ears as the rain outside beat down in the dark, the stars hiding behind the foggy grey clouds that clung to the horizon like moths, caking the skies in a thick, unyielding grey. The ground was muggy, and Roxas could feel it splashing around his ankles as he ran, the puddles thick and deep as the siren whirled in the background and men from all stations and squadrons ran around the camp with swords and wyverns alike, some shouting, some screaming, some hurling orders around and some scrambling into their saddles. But not Axel.

Roxas watched, hot on the general's heels, as he marched through the crowd with a clear head, pushing soldiers out of the way and standing over them when they fell before him. Axel marched up to his wyvern, the red scaled lizard shivering with anticipation as it roared up at the Tori that dotted the skies, swerving in and out of the clouds like demons in flight, more elegant than the wyverns as they glided like swans, some dappled black, others coated brown. The beast stared at Axel and blinked with its yellow pupiless eye, nipping at his hand lightly with its overlarge fangs before it turned on its side and knelt in the mud, allowing him to climb up and onto its back.

For a moment, and just a brief moment it was, Axel stared down at Roxas with confusion and a fondness that had Roxas blushing slightly, ever so slightly in the chaotic camp. "Go find your beast Kitten." Axel shouted down, drawing his blade and turning his wyvern around. "I'm not giving no rookie a ride." Roxas scowled, about to retort before Axel gave the wyvern a hard kick and Roxas was forced to duck as the wyvern pushed hard of the ground with it's clawed feet and spread its wings, heading into the sky like a predator going to lunch.

Roxas watched with a little disdain as Axel merged with the skies, the rain melting in a dance of passion and fusing as the falling blood and bodies seared towards the earth in a drop of death. Because up in the sky, one wrong move was a death sentence. He lurched forwards suddenly as his left shoulder was knocked violently, the blow causing him to bite his bottom lip as the wounds on his back protested once again. He turned with a venomous insult on the tip of his tongue before he heard laughter ring out amongst the chaos and he turned to find Vanitas staring at him, his black wyvern following loyally in toe as a squad of troops waited patiently behind him, prepared to jump into the skies as soon as the order was given.

"What are you doing out of your tent?" Vanitas asked, ignoring the glare Roxas shot at him as he mounted his wyvern and gave the signal for the others to do the same.

"General Axel requested my assistance upon the field of battle." Roxas growled, turning away from Vanitas and walking away. "And I really need to find Roric."

Vanitas laughed incredulously and frowned in confusion as he cut Roxas of, steering his wyvern on and encircling Roxas, forcing the blonde to back up as he urged his wyvern forwards, trapping Roxas between the black demon rider and the squadron that paced forwards to trap him. "Who do you think you are?" Vanitas asked, laughing hollowly as Roxas glared at him and turned to look for an escape. "You can't just walk away from a commanding officer when he's talking to you-"

"Yeah well, I'm a little bit busy at the minute." He headed of in the opposite direction again before he was cut of again this time and Vanitas stood before him with his sword drawn.

"How dare you! I will ensure that the General here's of this. Do you enjoy being whipped, soldier? Because that is what is going to happen. Again and again. Until you learn!"

Frowning at the threat Roxas looked up at the skies and gulped, the blood in his veins speeding up as his heart rate raced like the wind in the mountains. In the sky the mix of Tora and Tori was a blood bath. Wyverns were sliced open and toppled to the ground with their riders screaming and shrieking, Tori swept the skies and were bitten clean in half, their wings snapping as they fell in an ungraceful swoop that practically screamed broken. Roxas watched, confused, ignoring the questioning officer in front of him as he thought of what was going on. It just didn't make sense. The Tori were unorganised in the attack and some of them were wearing nothing but leather armour, a poor substitute for the clamping spiked steel they would normally be adorned with in the Tori military. Their wings were bare as well, the beautiful rainbow of feathers laying open to vulnerability and attack. One thing was for sure in Roxas' mind. This was not the Tori army, at least not its full force. So what were they? Perhaps a distraction or a rebellious gang? Or maybe simply just a test run to witness the Tora army's strength.

Roxas shook his head and frowned deeper. No. The Tori may not be the smartest people in the world, but thy were extremely sensitive and were run by a city council. Sending their men of to a bloodbath would only lead to enraged citizens back in the Tori homeland. Whatever purpose the fighters had for being here, he was sure it was not under the false pretence of the Tori army.

"Are you listening to me soldier?"

The rough boot in the chest brought him back to his senses and back to earth as he fell hard into the soggy puddles that littered the ground around him, the pink rain feeding the ground a colourful spray of blood and tears. He stared up stupidly for a moment and watched Vanitas smile, the troops behind him remaining as still as statues as they watched on mercilessly. The horn droned on, and through all of the chaos Roxas spied Roric in the far corner of his eye. He was of to his left, rearing like a four legged devil as he snorted and pawed at the ground, spreading his wings and kicking out at the Tora that surrounded him, trying to get him back in the stable stall as he whipped his head sideways and flicked his tail, scanning the mass of rushing bodies and searching.

And then Roxas realised. He was looking for him. Searching the crowd for a familiar face in the mangled mess of blood and gore. He thought back to what Marshal had said, about how a link was made and the beast would listen and obey his every whim. He thought deeply and bit his lip, ignoring Vanitas as he roared above him in rage before he reached out in his mind to the black beast. As soon as the connection was made he pulled back, breathing deep as his eyes went wide and he shook his head. The panic was so wild in the creatures mind that it had swamped him, scaring him into retreating back into his own skin in a heartbeat, but there was something else there to. A longing need to find what had been missing; a need to protect what was precious and find it before it got hurt. And he realised with a half smile, that the thing Roric wanted to protect, was him.

Reaching out once more he managed to lock his mind with Roric's, soothing the beast gently as he urged it to come to him. He watched, half in amazement and half in bewilderment, as, without him controlling or taking influence in the creature's behaviour in any way, it locked eyes on him and darted through the crowd, its wings spread wide as it galloped through the rain like a black glacier gliding through a starless sea. Its skin was shiny with the water and its breath frosted in the night air, cold and chilly as it jumped over scrambling Tora and fallen Tori to get to him. Roxas guessed that the link of their minds must act like a tracking device when breached, a severe connection that informed the beast of where its rider was located.

He stood and grinned at Vanitas, ignoring his confused and outraged look as Roric swept passed, galloping like the wind and never once stopping as it broke into the circle of wyvern and rider. As soon as the beast sped past Roxas grabbed onto the reins, one foot in the stirrup as he hauled himself up on the speeding beast, throwing his leg over the side as he pulled up on the reins and forced the beast into the sky. He bent his head low to Roric's neck and grinned down on Vanitas as he glowered up at him, his words becoming lost in the battle that he soared towards before he signalled to his troops and pulled up and into the clouds. Roxas knew he'd end up paying later, but for now the look on the guy's face was worth another twenty lashes, heck even forty.

The wind was a blessing in the air and he relished in the feeling of it stroking his cheeks comfortingly. The air was crisp and cool, despite the amount of fire, blood and heat that scattered the sky, drenching it a bloody crimson as the rain fell. The tears from heaven crashed down and it seemed the further up high Roxas soared the heavier the rain fell until he finally broke the thin silver lining of the clouds, the rain suddenly turning to ice as hail pelted him mercilessly while he looked down on the battlefield, frowning as the sword at his side banged against his hip with every beat of Roric's huge strong wings, the large thrum of skin beating air pounding in his ears as his breathing sped up. As Roxas scanned the battlefield he swallowed thickly and shivered. It looked as if the Tori were winning, their numbers easily out flanking the Tora army as the winged men and women alike sliced the underbelly of wyverns wide with huge silver swords that seemed to crackle with the thunder above as sparks of yellow light crackled around the blades hem.

He drew the blade from his side and frowned at it, twirling it in his left hand and holding onto the reins with his right, watching as the clouds seemed to open up before him, begging him to join in and help resolve the mess in the sky. He was snapped from his thoughts by a sudden jolt to his left hand side as he struggled in the air, grasping at the reins as Roric shook and reared on the clouds, his head turning wildly as he turned sideways and kicked, aiming to get a bite out of the weight that had suddenly dropped onto his right side. Looking right and over the saddle Roxas growled at a young woman that grabbed hold of Roric, her black raven wings larger then her body themselves as she gave a sickly sweet smirk and held on, beating her wings sideways as she pulled a throwing knife from her belt and aimed. Roric's eyes went wide and Roxas snarled, kicking the girl's fingers roughly and listening to the crack that rang out as they broke beneath his hard leather boots. She hissed and let go of the saddle, but she wasn't through yet.

Without warning she flew backwards, jumping in the air as if she were in water before she aimed and let loose a throwing star, grinning as Roxas yelped at one that lodged deep into his arm, the metal biting deep into his skin as the star stuck out at an odd angle, taunting him with its silver grin. He growled and watched as she aimed another, but this time he was ready. Roric was still shuffling nervously in the sky, beating his wings through the air as he ran through the sky, galloping on dust, but the girl was still behind them, giving chase as Roxas knew she would. He let go of the reins and tied them in a knot at the base of the saddle, releasing his feet from the stirrups as he grabbed Roric's mane firmly and raised his feet ever so slightly before he pulled the reins back and held them in his left hand, standing shakily in the saddle with his knees bent slightly, his sword still clutched deftly in his right hand, the pommel sweaty and hard to cling on to.

She frowned at him and he grinned back at her, giving her a mocking bow as she skated through the rain before he jumped and dived off of Roric, his claws extended ever so slightly. Her eyes widened as they collided, her yelp of surprise echoing through the skies as Roric reared and continued galloping ahead, leaving Roxas fighting in a plummeting death race towards the ground as the extra weight was too much for the Tori's wins and they buckled beneath her, causing them both to spiral downwards as blows were thrown, punches, kicks and bites falling amongst the rushing wind as she struggled to kick him of, but his claws were latched in the skin in her side and they were the only thing keeping him hanging on. There was no way he was letting go.

He ducked left and dropped a few inches on the Tori's side, ignoring her scream as his claws flayed her skin before she smiled and he frowned, groaning as she kneed him in the gut and turned him around, yanking his claws out of her side with considerable strength he could only admire her for. He struggled, flailing with the hands she had wrapped about the back of his neck as she held him down, belly to the ground as the earth ran up to meet them, her talons scratching the back of his neck as she grinned and let out a whoop of victory, as if she thought her small fight was over and she could run to the next opponent with her ninja skills of death. But Roxas was forced to disappoint her once more.

Falling through the sky at sound breaking speed, he span, ignoring the scratches on the back of his neck as the blood oozed down his collar bone, before he punched her in the stomach and punched her in the face, aiming himself a claw at the eyes back with her razor sharp talons before he was able to turn their positions once more, coming out on top as the ground closed in. Roxas knew this was it, abandon or die. So with one finally punch in the back of the head to knock the struggling girl out and a kick to her lower back to speed up the process, he jumped from her unconscious body and leapt threw the air, grabbing onto a flying rider less wyvern that soared past and barely landing in the saddle, sliding slightly to the left as he rode in the saddle that dwarfed him.

Peering over the side, he watched as the girl landed in a nearby river, a water source that ran through the camp, and he smiled as she was fished out of the river by two guards before he returned to his duty. The wyvern he was riding was a light green with a scarlet underbelly, but it seemed untrained as it failed to notice the change in rider, or even that it had been flying without a rider at all. Roxas grabbed the reins and pulled up, attempting to gain more altitude so he would have an advantage in altitude over the enemy, especially since he was lacking in the experience department. He tried to reach out to Roric once more, but he was unable. The fight had left his veins pumping with adrenaline and he found himself unable to calm long enough to stop and reach out properly, and he couldn't see the beast amongst the black and grey. There was nothing for it. He was stuck on the giant blood bogey he was riding.

Turning left he only just managed to avoid a falling black wyvern that fell to the ground, its belly sliced open as it roared in anguish. Without looking he head the thud and shuddered involuntarily, turning the beast to the right as it beat its wings, forcing him to stand slightly in its saddle so he could see over its giant horned head. The sky seemed to clear slightly as Roxas turned to swerve in his seat, wiping his face to remove the rain that had collected on his lashes, making them thick and groggy. As he was wiping the sweat away from his brow, the rain reforming almost as soon as he had swept it away, he was knocked sideways once more, hanging on with a yell to nothing but the stirrups of the wyverns saddle as it bit furiously at what had crashed into it on the other side. Roxas scrambled up and held onto the saddle, unable to swing his leg around for fear of falling to the ground again. It had been close enough last time.

His gaze was captured by the creature that had bumped into him, a sapphire wyvern that breathed ice and yelped in pain, its abdomen speared with a large silver sword that sparkled and crackled with electricity, the wound gaping blood as it slid of the green wyverns side and fell, it's rider screaming as he fell with his almighty dragon. Roxas watched the wyvern fall before something landed in front of him on the brown leather saddle, causing him to gulp, shudder and look up.

Before him stood a ferocious warrior that seemed to scream death. His hair was long and brown and the eagle wings at his back were dotted with gold as he stood before Roxas in leather armour. The greatsword in his hand was raised over his shoulder as if it were nothing but a common sword and he frowned down on Roxas with the judgement of the world, standing atop the wyvern as it soared through the sky as if he were born to the wind, the scar on his face nothing but a tale of untold adventures and legend. Grabbing at the saddle and trying to heave himself up, Roxas tried to get a better look at the man who, obviously, was leading the small army attack on the Tori behalf. But before he could he felt the cold steel bite of the blade at his throat, the edge tapped upwards in a silent question for him to look the Tori leader in the face. He did, giving the most vehement look he could muster. He didn't know why he felt such hatred, and his brain was telling him that it was certainly misplace, but there was something his heart was telling him. Something he couldn't quite ignore, not just yet.

Before he could say or do anything, the man before him smirked and withdrew his blade, turning around slightly and letting Roxas sigh a breath of relief before he turned with lightening quick speed and landed his boot square in Roxas' chest, pushing him from the beast before he could blink and jumping of himself, running his blade across the wyverns neck and slicing it clean in two, the shower of blood raining down on Roxas as he fell between the two bodies, screaming for all he was worth as he begged Roric to come get him, the tears stinging his eyes as he watched the Tori beat his wings in the wind, the cold rain drenching the feathers lightly.

The world became cold and the light became dark, the shapes becoming shadows in the world of obscurity as Roxas closed his eyes and braced himself for the indefinite impact below. The impact came and Roxas grunted as he fell into the embrace of something soft, something warm and close. Opening his eyes the slightest bit, he caught sight of the Tori above him scowling, glowering before he chased after him. And then Roxas noticed he was moving at incredible speed, faster than him and Roric had ever flown, the clouds becoming nothing but blurs as the Tori commander raced after them. Roxas looked down and groaned, he was still in the air, only a few feet in difference from where he was atop the green wyvern, the body of which was still falling towards the ground.

He looked to right and saw nothing but red scales, the same on his left, and he groaned as he looked up at his rescuer, his eyes still bleary from the rain, blood and tears. But they still managed to catch the glimmer of red outrageous hair and sparkling green eyes as the General smiled down on him, one hand wrapped around Roxas' shoulders to hold him close to his chest while the other held the reins of the scarlet wyvern loosely. Roxas frowned in confusion as Axel glanced down on him, smiling, before he looked back at the sky, turning his wyvern deftly, as if the lizard were a part of him.

"You okay Kitten?" Axel laughed, holding onto Roxas that little bit tighter and laughing at the sky when Roxas scowled at him. "You got some guts kid. Taking on Leon like that, the bastards a force to be reckoned with."

"I wasn't taking him on." Roxas grumbled, fidgeting out of Axel's grip until the wyvern sped up and he was forced to cling to the general's chest, his claws digging into the padded leather armour as he took deep breaths at the ground that raced below them.

Axel rolled his eyes and laughed again, speeding the wyvern on and flipping Leon of behind him as he went. "Naww, poor Kitten. Did the big bad birdie scare you?"

Roxas raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Axel shrugged and smiled, narrowing his build so he was pressed closer to the wyvern's neck and closer to Roxas' flushing face. "Hold on Kitten. It's going to be a bumpy ride." He let out a loud roar and grinned, pulling back sharply on the reins and forcing his winged terror to flip and roll backwards in the air, coming up behind Leon as he straightened out and narrowed his eyes, completely ignoring the small noise Roxas' made, something close to a yelp and a meep, as he chased after Leon, giving his wyvern a sharp kick in the side and smirking.

Roxas cracked and eyelid open and watched as the dragon opened its mouth and roared, embers licking at its lips before it let out a searing blast of red crackling flames that evaporated the rain before it had a chance to touch it. But it still barely licked at Leon's boots and Axel growled in frustration, avoiding a downward slice from Leona s the tables turned once more and they were once again the ones being chased. Roxas frowned and turned to look at Axel. "You gotta let me of, there's no way you can outsmart him on your own and your second in command is obviously busy!" Roxas shouted, barely audible over the rushing wind.

Axel scoffed. "Whatever Kitten. I'm more than a match for him, and besides, where exactly would you like me to drop you of, huh? It's not like I can stop here or anything. Just hang on; it won't be long before reinforcements are here. My brother will be here soon, just give him time."

Roxas listened to the doubt that laced the general's voice and sighed. Help wasn't coming, not in time anyway. And they could die any minute the way Leon moved. There was nothing for it. With a sigh he pried himself away from the general and swung his legs over one side of the wyvern, shaking slightly and falling back into the General as he did a sharp U-turn and soared past a surprised Leon. Axel secured a hand around Roxas' stomach and pulled him back, ignoring Roxas' pushing fingers as he wriggled to get free. "What the hell are you playing at Kitten? Hey, get back here!" Axel growled, ducking as an arrow flew over his head. From where Roxas couldn't tell, but he knew they had to do something to break free form the rut of a routine they had formed.

"Let me go, I have to jump-"

"What?!"

"Trust me!" Roxas growled, turning to stare Axel in the eyes and frowning, the scowl set hard upon his lips as Axel unsteadily let go of his waist, his eyes settled in a worrying frown of concern. Roxas nodded and scooted closer to the edge of the saddle, thinking hard and concentrating as he yelled over his shoulder, "just try and keep in a straight line!"

He ignored Axel's mumbled reply and searched, closing his eyes to concentrate as he searched through the link, hoping to the high heavens that Roric wasn't dead. His prayers were answered less than a minute later as the link was re-established and he inhaled deeply, taking a shuddering breath as he released all of the panic he had been holding. Scanning the skies he frowned and looked fro ebony wings and ruby eyes, but there was nothing. Nothing but rain and mist, blood and falling bodies, battle and death. But he could hear him; he could hear the shriek as Roric clawed closer to him through the clouds.

Without a glance or a warning Roxas made his decision, pushing forward with all his might he fell in a free fall, his arms and legs out as he prayed to the goddess's above that Roric found him. He heard Axel shout and then cry of the wyvern as the reins were jerked back, he felt the hand graze his soaked shirt, and then he felt the hammering thud in his gut as he landed hard on Roric's back, the creature shrieked into the sky and galloped further forwards, nudging Roxas up as he shuddered and shook in the rein. It was hard for Roxas as there was nothing to grab onto, but eventually he made it and the reins were loose in his hands as he watched above him, grinning up at Axel as he laughed and roared atop his scarlet wyvern, giving Roxas a quick scarlet solute before his beast shot another ball of flames forward at Leon, missing once more as the brunette moved to a side easily, almost toying with them as he grinned slowly.

Follow the scarlet wyvern. Roxas commanded in his skull, feeling Roric shudder as he obeyed quickly and quietly, flapping his wings hard and soaring upwards. And keep up. Roxas added, grinning as he raised himself up in the saddle and leaned forward, both of the reins in hand as he cursed himself for dropping his sword in the previous fights. Roric brought him alongside Axel and Roxas couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "What's this Kitten?" Axel shouted, a broad grin on his face as he laughed and rose in his seat. "You got anymore clever tricks up your sleeve?"

Roxas shook his head and frowned at the growing nickname the General seemed to be sticking to him. "No, but we have to confuse him if we're going to bring him down. We have to get him out of the sky."

Axel nodded and frowned. "Alright Kitten, here's what we'll do. You take the left side and I'll take the right. Raise him up to the clouds and maybe we can lose him in the high atmosphere, but don't go getting yourself in a mess okay? You feel like you can't do it you come straight back down. Got it Kitten?"

Roxas laughed, "no problem." They broke of from each other and spiralled around Leon, one going left and the other right as they encircled him and forced him upwards, constantly turning him so that he was hard pressed to make sure that his back was to neither of them as they raced upwards. Roxas pushed Roric hard, and he could feel the tightening squeeze on his lungs as the air became thinner and harder to swallow, and he was sure the others could feel it too.

Together they slowly began to wear Leon down, managing to secure small hits every now and then as they took it in turns to attack, ensuring they were never pushed beyond their limits as Leon finally began to tire, his head spinning as he was forced to turn left and right, but no matter what he did he always found himself exposed to some kind of assault from behind. They had almost done it, and Roxas caught Axel giving him a cheeky grin from as they neared the completion of their task, because as soon as the commanding officer falls, so too does his army. And Roxas couldn't wait for that to happen.

He was surprised as something black caught is eye in the sky above, drifting between the clouds as it loomed closer, a perfect predator in the game of prey, but Roxas was forced to ignore it as Axel swerved around him and gave him the signal to go ahead, giving him the all clear and turning his wyvern around in the circular pattern they had formed. He was in the middle of attacking the warn out Leon when it happened. As he pulled away and Axel took his dive, just coming into contact with the enemy, the black monster dived from the sky, Vanitas atop its back as the winged devil wyvern grabbed hold of Leon, catching him in both claws and roaring as it beat its horned wings down deftly, catching Axel mid turn and throwing his wyvern of balance in a tumbling roll, catching him in the face with the bone of the wing and sending him flying of into the storm, loose from his saddle and falling unconscious to the ground.

Roxas saw it, and he gave one curious look back to Vanitas, wondering whether he would act on his obvious mistake. But he was too busy in the glory of victory, tying up an unconscious Leon and grinning to himself. Roxas didn't waste anymore time.

Within seconds Roric was diving towards Axel, his wings spread wide for maximum speed as he galloped down through the thicket of the fight, missing bodies of people and wyverns, Tora and Tori alike as Roxas pressed himself towards his back and watched his General fall, the man he had to save to save his brothers. The ground came closer and Roxas watched as other Tora stopped in their tracks to turn and help their general, some diving to help and others signalling to each other to warn those below, but they weren't fast enough. They weren't anywhere near fast enough.

Roxas dug his feet into Roric's side and urged him to go faster, watching as the river from before grew larger as they swept closer towards it, the ground running up to catch them in the face as the air beat at his chest like a vice. Roxas stretched his hand out as he got closer, Axel only a few centimetres out of his grasp. He stood, desperate, and jumped from Roric, grabbing Axel by the shoulders and turning them so he had his back to the lake as Roric pulled away, frightened of the lake with the roaring tide as the rain pelted down. He closed his eyes and waited for the impact, holding onto Axel tightly by the shoulders as he took a deep breath of air and ground his teeth together.

The water was ice cold when they hit, and Roxas took the brunt of the force, knowing that from the height Axel had dropped the water would have killed him, acting like a solid in the place of a liquid, but for Roxas, because he was close when he fell, it would do nothing but sting. The water surrounded them and the claustrophobia gripped Roxas as he felt the water invade his senses, pulling him down beneath the tide in a groggy torrent as the murky water froze his nerves, chilling his spine in a black opaqueness that rivalled the cold brush of deaths fingers. Opening his eyes, he stared about in the darkness and let out a few air bubbles, his heart rate slowing as his pulse stilled, practically stopping beneath his flesh as he grabbed hold of Axel and kicked towards the surface, his head a mess.

The black never seemed to end and the water began to choke him, closing its cold clammy hands around his throat as he struggled against the tide, his legs flailing as Axel acted as nothing but a dead weight, but he had to save him, for Sora and Cloud, so he could complete his task and fulfil his promise of going home. It was that thought, and that thought only, that urged him on.

Finally the water broke and the waves became pellets as the rain continued to fall. Roxas broke the surface, gulping and heaving as he pulled Axel up beside him, turning him round so he was on his back and swimming groggily to the shore as he glanced about and spluttered, shivering in the rain. Roric shrieked above him and he turned his glance up to where his beast was hovering, managing a weak smile as the sky slowly cleared of Tori when Vanitas swept down from the sky, Leon slung over the back of his saddle like a trophy, but his grin was wiped from his face as he watched Roxas with hateful eyes, causing Roxas' smile to widen on his face.

The Tori slowly surrendered, but none of the Tora were celebrating, they were all watching and waiting by the side of the river, all of them waiting to help in any way they could as they watched from the waters edge, not daring to go too close to the water or its black waves. For some reason Roxas just couldn't understand, none of them would go near the large body of water as they all sat soaked in the rain, their ears drooped as they waited patiently for Roxas to finish bobbing with the waves and bring their General to shore.

Eventually he made it, pulling himself onto the sandy bank while Vanitas landed not too far away and stepped forward, the crown dispersing before him as he barked orders and glared down at Roxas, looking at the General that Roxas had pulled ashore while he panted next to him, chilled to the bone and gasping for breath while his blonde hair fell in front of his eyes. Roxas laughed a little as Roric landed and began nudging his face, munching at his hair and nipping his skin lightly before he felt two strong arms lift him and push him forwards so that he was landing at the feet of Vanitas once more. He was beginning to seriously hate this guy and he rolled his eyes tiredly while the guards that held him looked sorry, as if they truly didn't want to force him through this again, and he struggled to find that Hayner was one of them, strapped in tough leather and slightly crouched because of his aching back as he frowned at Roxas and mouthed and apologetic sorry.

"Soldier. You are to be held in solitude from this day forth until I come for you. Your judgement has yet to be decided and you will be deemed unfit to be a part of this army until that day. You will report back to the cells and wait for me to decide what to do with you forth with."

"What?!" Roxas asked, unable to understand what he heard as Vanitas began barking orders at soldiers to take the General to his tent and lock up the prisoners. "You can't do this!" Roxas growled.

"I think you'll find I can do what I want." Vanitas growled, backhanding Roxas roughly and yelping loudly when Roxas set his small fangs into the black leather gloves, tasting copper amongst the sweat as he was pulled away from the general snarling and kicking. Vanitas looked aghast for a split second before he turned away and stormed of, leaving Roxas kicking and struggling as he was pulled away from the battlefield and of towards solitary confinement, kicking and struggling once more. As they led him towards the black cell's the last thing he remembered seeing was everyone crowding around the General, all of them wanting to see and help, and for some reason, some bizarre reason that he couldn't quite figure out, that hurt him more than anything else had so far. He frowned, turning to try and get a better look before the door slammed in his face and the darkness swamped him.

He sighed, curling up into a ball in the corner of his dark room, the windows and doors barred and sealed, as he placed his head on his knees, resting his forehead against his forearms and sighing. He just couldn't seem to ever get anything right.


Please excuse any mistakes in this chapter, I haven't had time to proofread it yet ^_^' Thankyou to all my awesome favers, alerters and reviewers :) I'm so sorry about this chapter, I meant to put loads of dialogue in but before I knew it my brain had come up with this and I had to write it, it was the only way I could move the story forward. I'm sorry :( please don't kill me. I'm sorry it's so long as well, I just couldn't stop writing, I was going tokeep going until I saw this was over 7000 words long...

sorry ^_^' please forgive me I can promise a better chapter next as well as more new characters, longer + better dialogue, secrets and perhaps kisses? ^_^ I hope you all enjoyed :D