Sora concentrated hard, focusing on the Broken Dream. Light flared around it… green shot with black. And he cast the light forward to hit a practice dummy.

The dummy flared as the fire ate it like acid, burning and churning with a voracious hunger. In a moment, there was nothing but a greasy spot on the floor, and Sora swallowed as he looked at the keyblade.

Tash's lessons in magic were paying off. They were learning to channel much higher spells through the blade… things more complex and dangerous than simple Aero and Firaga spells. They weren't always better, of course… simple was sometimes best… but combining two elements could have interesting results. The spell Sora had just used was a perfect example of that. Balefire combined fire and darkness in equal measure and resulted in a fire that behaved like an acid. It was vicious stuff, and Sora didn't really like using it… but he was willing to do whatever it took to end Ansem.

"Tee hee Riku! Do that again!" Sora looked up with a blink as Seshti laughed and Kairi giggled. Riku was blushing and holding Soul Eater… and hundreds of little bubbles were floating around him. Seshti popped one, and squealed as something slick coated her palm. "Eeewww, what are these things?"

"Pure nastiness." Seshti blinked, slightly puzzled as she regarded the bubbles. They didn't look terribly nasty. They were floating down and hitting the floor, splattering more of the stuff on the ground. Then Kairi took a step… and went down with a scream, her feet sliding right out from under her. Fortunately she landed on her butt, but when she tried to stand again, she simply couldn't. The goo that was coating the floor was ridiculously slippery, like trying to stand on clear ice.

"Eww!" Seshti bypassed the problem by floating into the air. "Let me guess, you mucked with a cleaning spell." Riku sighed and nodded, taking care not to move. He was sure that if he took a single step, he'd be joining Kairi on the floor. "That could be useful, but only if you don't get yourself into it. Here sweety." Seshti floated over to Kairi, taking her hands and helping her up, then guiding her from above. "Oh neat, this could be fun! Wee!" Kairi yelped as Seshti tugged her around, almost surfing on the incredibly slick surface. Then Tash entered the room… and went down immediately, hitting the back of his head on the floor with a crack that made everyone wince.

"What in the world?" Tash pushed himself up a bit, using his elbows to brace himself, and looked around, confused. "Oh! Clever, but not well thought out." A quick gesture and Riku's spell was gone… and Seshti had to lift Kairi into the air to keep her from ending up on her face. "That could have some very useful applications, though, if you put a proper direction on it." Riku nodded.

"That's the part I'm having trouble with." He knew what he wanted that spell for… if someone was charging towards him, spurting those bubbles onto the ground in front of him would be devastating. But he just wasn't able to make it work yet. He kept getting the bubbles around himself, and that was just a hazard to everyone.

"I might be able to help point you in the right direction." Tash smiled. He could actually have fixed Riku's spell easily and taught him the correct version… but figuring it out himself would be valuable to Riku. "For now though, I was wondering if you all wanted to come to lunch? There's a barbecue on the sixth level."

"Barbecue? Really? Like open air?" Tash nodded and Seshti squealed. "With music?"

"And a beer garden." Things like this happened all the time in the Twisted World. The more unused courtyards were absolutely perfect for bands and parties. Tash had no idea who organized them or if they just erupted spontaneously, but they were almost always great fun. Or a hazard to everyone around them, but that was the Twisted World for you. This one sounded innocuous enough, though. "The band playing is the Twitterbugs. They're a bunch of faeries, so it should be good." Faeries always had good music, and this band was from a bizarre dimension where faeries had grasped technology and built a real civilization. As far as Tash knew, that dimension was unique… most faeries couldn't handle steel, and that put a limit on their development, but these ones were different. It had given their music a fascinating edge.

"Sounds great." Riku said with a smile, making Soul Eater vanish. "We could use a break." Kairi nodded… she had been practicing healing and supportive magics… but Sora frowned, staring away. "Sora?"

"Huh…? Oh, just thinking." Sora put away the Broken Dream, and followed them quietly. But… he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

But what?

"Hnngh." Axel grunted as he tested his chains again. He was completely naked and chained to the wall by a collar on his neck, and his hands were bound behind him by cuffs and chains.

He hadn't been stupid. He'd just been unlucky. The wrong place, the wrong time and too many Heartless had overwhelmed him. The exact same thing that had happened to Demyx, really. The sitarist hadn't been careless, but sometimes it didn't matter how good or bad you were. You were fucked either way. And now Axel was fucked. Probably literally, although he wasn't really Ansem's type. He seemed to like the pretty boys and girls, and Axel wasn't really that pretty. He was wishing he looked like Xaldin, though. His lanky frame and red hair might be close enough for Ansem.

I can do this. I know how to do this. Axel reminded himself, staying calm as he glanced around his prison. He was chained to the wall in a clean little room with a bed in the corner. The bed wasn't for his use, though… not for sleeping anyway. The chains wouldn't let him reach it. There was a bathroom that he could reach, thankfully, but no bathtub. Although he was clean now. The first thing the Heartless had done after dragging him to Ansem's castle had been to shove him into a cold bath and forcefully clean him off. He'd destroyed a few of them in the process, but they hadn't cared at all about the destruction of a few of their kind. And Axel had decided that discretion was the better part of valor when a few of the ice based Heartless threatened to freeze the water around him. Although he'd been tempted to make them kill him…

But if he delayed long enough, maybe Roxas and the others could rescue him. They would try, he was sure of it. Unlike Demyx, he was a vital part of their efforts. Roxas needed him and the others needed Roxas. He just had to hold out long enough. The thought comforted him, and Axel started to mentally prepare for the ordeal.

Ansem was going to rape him. Axel was sure of that, but he'd been raped before. Sort of. Nobodies had no real emotions, so sexual play was… not exactly rape, no matter how violent it got. Larxene had taken him violently before, and he'd taken her right back… with Roxas help, too. Axel could remember one particular week where all three of them had barely been able to walk. Xenmas had been a touch disgruntled with all of them. What Marluxia had done to him had been a bit more traumatic, but Marluxia had enjoyed a good head fuck. The bad feelings had lingered… although Marluxia's valiant defense of the World that Never Was had wiped them away. Utter bastard or not, the flower had gone down fighting to help the rest of them escape. And now Marluxia's memory could help him… Axel knew how to handle this, although it was going to cost him a bit of his pride. But pride could be rebuilt, when all was said and done. Dead was dead.

He needed to fake it. Needed to put up enough of a resistance for Ansem to think he was really fighting, then slowly yield to Ansem so the Heartless would think he was broken. All the while, keeping himself cold and calculating, indifferent to what was happening to his body and what he was doing to and for the Heartless. He'd done that for Marluxia, and Marluxia had laughed because he had known exactly what Axel was doing… and hadn't really cared. So he would beg and plead prettily for Ansem, and do whatever the Heartless wanted… after just enough resistance to make him think it was real. It shouldn't be hard. No Somebody could use that tactic unless they were a real bastard, and-

Axel suddenly frowned as he thought of something. Demyx. Ansem had taken Demyx alive and used him… he might have seen some of this before. If that was the case, it was going to make things harder for him. Although Demyx wasn't a master of deception like Marluxia, he'd still know how to put on a good show. Well, he'd just have to cope. He was better than Demyx. Not as good as Marluxia, but who was?

The door opened, and Axel wet suddenly dry lips. He really didn't want to be raped by Ansem. He'd rather be done by Larxene at her most violent a thousand times than have the Heartless touch him.

"So." Ansem stepped into the room, and Axel blinked. It was the first time he'd really gotten a good look at the Heartless, and the similarity to Xenmas was… unnerving. Axel tensed, and struck out as soon as the Heartless got in range with all the force of his fire-

"Ooof!" A hard fist hit him in the side, and Axel choked as he felt ribs break. Hard hands gripped his hair and his head was slammed against the wall, hard enough that he saw stars. His fire hadn't fazed Ansem at all. But he was tied to Kingdom Hearts now, and wasn't vulnerable to any normal methods of harm. Only a keyblade stood any kind of chance…

"Axel, the Flurry of Dancing Flames." Axel gasped softly, wondering where Ansem had heard his name… but he'd probably gotten plenty of information out of Demyx, along with descriptions. Before the sitarist had finally died. "Welcome to my home." The hands moved from his hair to cup his chin, forcing him to look at Ansem. Axel let a bit of his fear show as he glared at the Heartless. He could have hidden it all… but Ansem would like this better. A cold, unnerving smile crossed the Heartless lips. "Trying already, I see."

"Huh?" Axel didn't understand that and was pretty sure he didn't want to. The smile widened into a mirthless grin as yellow eyes met green.

"I've broken Nobodies before." Ansem said, musingly, as Axel swallowed. "The problem with you is that you have no real heart to break. I know precisely what you're trying to do. Soothe your captor with screams. Fight just enough to be convincing." One hand moved along his jaw, stroking him with a mockery of tenderness. "I'm going to enjoy breaking you. Almost as much as I enjoyed breaking that one with the pink hair… what was his name? Marlinda? Marlufa?"

"Marluxia." Axel swallowed bile. Marluxia had been taken alive? That was a surprise, if Ansem was telling the truth. They'd been sure he died in the World that Never Was. But if Ansem was telling the truth… he was screwed. Marluxia had been the best at manipulation. Axel was good but just not on that level of underhandedness. Although he'd never had to really try, either. He wondered sometimes if he could have reached that level if he'd ever had a real reason to do so.

It looked like he was about to get one. But he was still screwed. Ansem laughed as he caught the flash of genuine fear in his face before he could suppress it. Nobodies didn't have real feelings unless they were very, very focused on something. Ansem was concentrating his attention wonderfully.

"The thing about Nobodies is, you have no heart to break… so I'll have to settle for breaking your mind." Ansem's eyes narrowed in pleasure at the thought, and he smiled, a dark, dark smile. "A temporary pleasure… you'll probably become a Dusk like the other two… but satisfying." Ansem slid his hands behind his head, removing the chain from the collar with an odd twist. That made him blink and turn his head to look at the chain… he'd touched it when he'd been trying to find a way out of the room, and it hadn't seemed at all detachable to Axel. And it didn't look detachable now. Axel had no idea how he had removed it. A quick jerk on his hair, and Ansem was dragging him over to the bed. Axel's eyes narrowed, and his foot lashed out… and he grunted in pain as another blow hit him on his broken ribs.

"We'll start with something simple…" Axel bit back a cry of pain as he was shoved down on the bed on his back. He tried to knee Ansem in the groin, tried to fight, but then the Heartless sent a spike of dark power through him. It was like getting seared by Larxene's electricity, and left him breathless and weak. Then Ansem slowly trailed his hands over the red head's lanky body, and everywhere he touched felt like it had been dipped in acid. Axel gasped, trying to disassociate, trying to leave his body behind as Ansem shoved his legs apart and began to slick him up with a strange smelling salve. Axel vaguely wondered why he was bothering… but he actually thought he hated the feeling more when it wasn't just pain. So maybe Ansem knew what he was doing.

As the rape began, Axel concentrated on just one thought. If Ansem meant to break him, really break him, that would take a while. Long enough for Roxas and the others to think of some way to get him out of here.

He hoped.

"I've altered the machine. Hopefully it will work." Vexen looked exhausted. Roxas actually felt bad for him… although the feeling was a distant thing compared to the driving need he was feeling.

Nobodies don't have real feelings. What they do have is echoes of feelings… the memories of what feelings should be like. It's like going from living in bright Technicolor to pastels. Often, when they're doing something they know should elicit feelings, they feel a vague echo of those feelings. Which is why it's so easy for them to pretend to have feelings. They don't have feelings like a somebody… not at all… but they have something. And when they focus all their beings on a single moment, they can, very briefly, achieve a state that feels almost like a real emotion. Roxas was focusing. He would not lose Axel. That outcome was unacceptable in his world. And he was going to do everything in his power to get Sora back to help him.

The Nobodies knew that they couldn't defeat Ansem. They'd already tried and failed. And Sora had failed too… but he'd been missing Roxas. Maybe that was why he had failed in the first place. If only the two could be reunited, maybe they would finally have the power to defeat Ansem and free Kingdom Hearts. It wasn't much of a hope, but it was the only hope they had… and they needed it now. No one doubted that if Axel returned to the darkness, Roxas would give up hope. He had to be saved. Roxas strapped on the machine without hesitation and looked at Vexen.

"Do it." Vexen nodded, and turned on the altered machine. Before, it had been set to receive. Now it was set to project.

Hopefully Sora would get and understand the message.

Sora was on the observation deck, looking through the viewers, absolutely awed. He wasn't alone. Kairi, Riku, Seshti and Armand were there… and so were dozens of the younger apprentices, all vying for the viewers. The senior apprentices were all helping Tash.

Ya Tashra was putting a new addition on the World. A large part of the thirteenth layer had been cleared in preparation for the addition, and a new fourteenth layer was rapidly taking shape. It would be uninhabitable… but the thirteenth layer would suddenly be much safer, opening up an entirely new level for the inhabitants of the Twisted World. The process was awe inspiring. Great chunks of debris were being moved into place then fused with the Twisted World. Tash and his senior apprentices were floating in the air and Tash had his keyblade out, using it to direct the immense energies he was channeling from the very fabric of the multi-verse. Golden lights danced and there was a low groaning sound as the corkscrew slowly extended…

SORA COME HOME NOW! Sora screamed in pain as the demand, in a voice that was like yet unlike his own, tore through his mind. He could feel the utter desperation behind it, the need…

"Seshti! I need to go home!" Sora grabbed the startled vampire as Riku and Kairi turned to stare, shocked. Armand blinked.

"Lad? Weren't you going to wait for-" Armand started to say, but Sora shook his head.

"We can't wait anymore! He's… Axel is in trouble!" Riku's eyes widened as he remember the name Sora had called during sex. That hadn't happened again, but it had definitely been memorable. "We have to go right now! Take me!" Seshti hesitated, licking her fangs, then reached out to touch Sora's head. She suddenly scowled.

"Something is connected to him… pah! They're going to keep tugging. Alright Sora, I'll take you to whoever is doing this so we can find out what they want." And if it wasn't something liked, Seshti would eat them. She was a vampire, after all. Sora looked relieved as Seshti concentrated and opened a portal to the source of the call.

"We're coming too!" Kairi said quickly, and Riku nodded. Armand didn't say anything… he just touched the portal first, to Seshti's irritation. But the vampire had to be last, since she had opened the portal. One by one, they all went through, and Seshti went last… oblivious to an apprentice trying to send a message to Tash.

They were sure he would want to know about this.