Axel always carried the key card to Heart Headquarters. A master card that opened every door, unlocked every password, allowed access to every room. As Axel slid his car into the parking garage, hiding it in the darkest corner of the first floor, he wondered where in Headquarters he would find his Roxas. Where he would find whoever it was he itched to hurt. Whoever had taken Roxas from him.

Inside, everything looked entirely normal. Nothing was disturbed. The power was off, like it should have been, every door was secure, as they should have been. But it was unnerving, in the way that silence and stillness was. Like walking through a graveyard in the morning. A place deserving of movement, of sound, of life, but stripped of it by darkness. By the promise of doom. Of death.

He stood in the main lobby, fists trembling at his side, fury making his legs immobile. His mind needed to be clear when he found Roxas' kidnappers. Whether he was going to be fighting or negotiating… He had no idea what he was going up against.

All he knew was that they were serious. He couldn't be unprepared.

Axel decided to check his own office. It seemed impractical, since his office had a full-wall window facing the street. It wasn't ideal for privacy, even with the blinds closed, if any sort of a struggle went down. However, it was the only place Axel knew to start.

His search turned up just like he expected it would. He had to take the stairs, of course, because the entire building was on lock-down and any type of sudden or large disruption in the power flux would probably lead to Xemnas' security team being immediately notified, probably as a breach, as a break-in. But as he neared the floor on which his office was, nothing changed. It was exactly like the lobby. Dark. Dead.

He felt the scream before he heard it. It burst from his chest, an angry roar matched by an equally infuriated sweep of his long arm. The strike wiped clean the desk nearest to him, computer and all, and the equipment crashed to the floor, splintering and shattering upon contact. His chest shuddered as his breathing became more erratic, more uncontrollable. It was too much to contain… His fury echoed in the empty building, the banging of the chair he yanked up from the ground and tossed as far as he could. His blood was beyond boiling, his muscles aching for tension, for friction, for impact. He wanted to hurt, to kill.

Yet, through that fury, a sudden slice of clarity pierced his mind. It hit him so suddenly, he brought himself to a stop, closing his eyes and balling his fists as his sides. His breath was abruptly slow. His core wound tighter and tighter, trembling in the pit of his stomach. There was one other place they would be.

The calm that possessed him did not leave as he turned quietly toward the stairs again, the click of his dress shoes tapping sharply on the tile. Xemnas' office. It made up half of what was the entire top floor of the headquarters building. Equipped with not only a formal office space, but also a miniature library, a private kitchen, a lounge, and a full bathroom and emergency wardrobe. When Axel was very young, he would come into work with his father and sit inside the lounge, doing his homework or playing idly while his father was busy. Eventually the visits became lessons, so he could see the business firsthand. Since his childhood, he had only ever ventured into the extravagant office a few times.

It had an unrivaled view of the city. Even with every wall made of glass, the building stretched too high for anybody, even from the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, to be able to witness anything transpiring inside the office. If they wanted privacy, Xemnas' office would be ideal.

There was something about the certainty with which he now walked that was more unbearable than the panic he had felt when he'd first realized Roxas was gone. Something terrible in the way he knew exactly where he needed to go. It was the something that kept his stride slow and steady as he walked, what kept him from running to the top as he climbed each flight of stairs. He didn't know why the calm was so suddenly there when it had been so absent before. It scared him. Why wasn't he rushing?

The top of the stairs looked perfectly undisturbed. The half of the floor that didn't make up Xemnas' office was a space reserved for the most trusted members of the company. It was mostly Axel's age that kept him from receiving such a position of authority. People like Saix, and Luxord before Axel had been born, worked up here. People who knew the trade inside and out, who had been with the Heart family far longer than Axel had. The floor looked just as it should, though. Everything organized, tidy, professional, shut down for the night like expected.

But beneath the door to Xemnas' office shone a light that should not have been shining.

Every step he took toward that door was too slow, too fast, too loud, too unsure, too brash - he didn't know how he felt or what he was supposed to feel or why he wasn't sure about what he was feeling. He felt torn and open and vulnerable. Calm. So fucking calm, and he hated that he felt so calm. Like nothing was wrong. Like whatever that hot thing was coiling inside his stomach didn't exist, like it wasn't about to explode, like nothing was wrong at all. Like Roxas was back home and all Axel had to do was turn around, walk down the stairs, drive back to the manor, and climb into bed with his darling blonde lover.

His fingers twitched on the door handle, the sheer metal chilling his skin. He hesitated for a moment, probably out of instinct, and then asked himself why he had paused anyway. Roxas was in there. Could be in there. There was no way he could go on not knowing.

He turned the handle and swung the door open.

The office, too, was unperturbed. Perfectly in order, straight out of a magazine, the wide, mostly empty office stood still and vacant. Painfully vacant. Axel felt the calm inside him begin to shimmer, the coil begin to tremble. Too much pressure. It was about to blow to pieces.

Quicker now, Axel flew to the door to the library. The library was secluded within walls separate from the outer glass windows of the floor. It would be an ideal place for a showdown, a transaction entirely isolated. He gripped the doorknob and twisted, jerking before he realized that the door was locked. He growled and tugged at the door again until it jiggled on its hinges. He'd pull the whole fucking thing off if he had to.

A defined click just behind his head silenced his efforts.

"Axel," a low voice purred deeply, not too far from his ear. Axel tensed. He knew that voice. "So good of you to join us. I was beginning to think…you weren't going to show up…"

"Where's Roxas?" he snapped, focusing on the way the blood drained from his knuckles as he tightened his grip on the doorknob.

Riku sighed and shifted his weight before Axel felt the barrel of the handgun tap the back of his head. It rested at the base of his skull for just a moment before lifting and tapping him a couple more times, very lightly. Axel could feel his palms getting sweaty, could feel his heart pounding his ribs, could feel his nerves trembling with a new out-of-character fear. Maybe he should have taken some type of self-defense class with all that money his father had spent on him as a kid.

"You know, Axel," Riku breathed, suddenly a lot closer than he had been before. Axel could feel him. It raised hairs on the back of his neck. "You really should have taken my advice about that kid. Do you seriously even need him? He is a whore."

"Where," Axel hissed, turning his head just a fraction of an inch to the left. "Is Roxas?"

"Is that all you fucking care about?" Riku suddenly yelled, right at his ear. Axel felt fingers grazing his wrist, as if Riku had reached out to grab it. "Roxas this, Roxas that. It's starting to sound kind of unhealthy, Axel. Don't you think you should just give him a break?"

"Let him go," Axel snarled, making a sound that took even himself by surprise, before whipping around and smacking his fist right into Riku's jaw. The man stumbled back, but before Axel could make another move, Riku had raised the gun again, this time aimed at his face. Axel glowered as Riku regained his composure, free hand pressed to his new bruise.

"Fuck," he hissed, watching Axel through all his messy hair. He was in pretty bad shape since Axel had last seen him - too pale, wide-eyed, bloodshot, trembling, unkempt. Like he was a drug addict in need of a fix or a man on the brink of loosing it. "You shouldn't do that, Axel. Who knows how it'll affect your precious Roxas."

"Don't you dare touch him," Axel warned, fisting his hands by his side. "I swear…"

"You'll what?" Riku scoffed, raising his head a little bit. He gave the gun a taunting wave. "Shoot me? Fire me? You know, you shouldn't have done that, Axel… No. You shouldn't have. You…you just don't understand."

Axel stayed silent this time. Riku was somewhere else, lost in his own thoughts. Those blue eyes were far gone. All Axel could do was watch and wait for the right time to strike. Riku was on the edge, and Axel couldn't push him until he knew he wouldn't go down with him. Riku was shaking his head, approaching Axel now, smiling dangerously.

"I've lived my whole life for you, Axel," he whispered, and Axel had to force himself not to move away from Riku as he drew near to him, that crazed look in his eyes. "Every moment of my life, I have worked so that I could be worthy of you. So that when I was finally by your side, you could depend on me and value me and need me, so that I could spend all my days tending to you and making sure there was never anything else to ask for. So that I could make you happy. So that we could live together for the rest of our lives, be partners, be…"

Axel could feel the breath of every word on his lips. He dared not move as the Riku placed his hands on the door just behind him, leaned in so that his mouth brushed Axel's daringly. The redhead flinched, something he doubted Riku didn't notice, because those blue eyes suddenly flared with insanity.

"I love you, Axel," he murmured, with such desperateness, Axel knew that under other circumstances, he might have felt guilty. Maybe. "How could you abandon my devotion to you? To a boy under the service of another? To a boy who does not know you like I know you?"

Ah. An idea. It would be risky, and Axel had to word everything the right way…but it could work. It was possible…

"You know me?" Axel questioned, watching as the challenge in his voice bypassed Riku's awareness. All he heard was doubt.

"More than anyone, my lord," he gasped, drawing ever nearer. Axel could feel how he trembled.

"And you love me?" Axel said quietly, gently. Eagerly, Riku nodded quickly. There was a pause before Axel chose his next words carefully. "Would you do anything for me? Anything at all?"

"Of course!" Riku agreed hastily, gripping the front of Axel's tux jacket earnestly. He pulled himself forward, his body pressing to Axel's.

"Then would you be willing…" Axel said softly, watching Riku carefully, "To make a deal with me?"

"Anything."

"Tell me what you want," Axel said, speaking low and clear. He didn't let Riku's eyes leave his, those clear blue eyes shining with pieces of clarity lost inside clouds of confusion. "I'll allow you one favor. And if I fulfill your request, you give me Roxas."

Watching Riku's face fall was like getting smacked in the face. He hadn't expected it to hurt.

"My… Axel," he said, almost like a whimper, he was so pathetic. Very slowly, the grip on his jacket loosened. "You… You love him…don't you?"

"I do," Axel said, nodding. Gently, he placed his hands on Riku's, guiding them away from his body. He shivered at the sensation of the cold gun grazing his hand. "I love him just like you love me. If I can protect him, I'll do whatever you want me to, Riku. I would do anything for him. Just like you would for me."

It was like breaking a man's bones one by one, tearing down everything he was made up of. It was the ultimate loophole, the most effective defense. There was no way Riku, if what he claimed was true - and Axel did not doubt it was for a moment - could argue with him. Riku knew that trying to win Axel over was useless. And Riku did love him. He would not hurt him out of anger.

"I…" Riku's hands fell to his side. A second later, the gun clattered to the floor. Axel let out a breath he hadn't realized was building in his throat. "I'm sorry… God dammit, I'm so sorry, my lord. Please… please forgive me."

He fell to his knees, hands pressing against his face. Axel could hear him weeping, and winced at the terrible sound of it. Sighing, Axel placed a comforting hand on Riku's head, waiting until he stilled and then turned up to look at him. His tear-streaked face, after all the pain Riku had caused him, made Axel's heart ache for him.

"Roxas is in the library," he murmured, before scrambling to reach into his pocket. From it, he retrieved a single silver key and thrust it into Axel's hand. It burned right through his skin. "Please, please, take it. You owe me nothing, my lord. Should I have your forgiveness, I would need nothing else. And I would serve you, you and your precious Roxas, with no thought of my own selfishness."

"Thank you, Riku," Axel whispered, and realized with a small touch of surprise, that he very well meant it.

Then, taking a deep breath, he turned his back to Riku and shoved the key into the doorknob. It turned cleanly, and the knob smoothly turned with it. Trembling, Axel pushed the door in and entered.

"Roxas?" he called out, at first hesitantly, but the sight of him made him kick into overdrive. "Shit, Roxas!"

As he rushed to the boy's side, his heart tore open at the sight of him. His naturally wide eyes were huge, full of terror and tears that streamed onto either side of his face. When Axel came rushing toward him, Roxas tried to cry out, but the sound was muffled against the hard cloth tied around his head, clamped between his teeth. His hands were bound behind his back, legs useless and together at his ankles. Aside from his obvious distress, and a little scuffed up from a struggle of some sort, he looked generally unharmed.

"Dear God, Roxas," Axel gasped as he dropped to his knees at Roxas' side and lifted his hands to his mouth. He tugged the cloth from his teeth, immediately claiming those lips. They felt raw and swollen beneath his, but they responded feverishly to him. He pulled away only far enough to speak. "I am so sorry, Roxas. God, I am so, so, so sorry. I love you so much."

"Please don't leave me," was all Roxas whimpered, burying his face into Axel's neck, his body shaking violently with sobs. "Don't let me go."

"Never," Axel promised, wrapping his arms around Roxas, trying to comfort him as he freed him from his restraints. As soon as he could move his arms, Roxas clung to him as if he could never dream of parting, as if it would kill him to do so - Axel worked steadily at the ties at his feet. "I promise. I'll never leave you, Roxas. I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Roxas managed to choke out, lifting his face to stare into Axel's eyes. They blinked at each other, through their tears - tears Axel didn't realize were dripping from his own face. "I love you, Axel. I love you."

"I will never let anyone hurt you again," Axel breathed, cradling the young boy in his arms as gently, as passionately, as lovingly, as protectively as he knew how. He let his forehead fall onto Roxas'. "You're safe, okay?"

And then, the click of the gun again.

"I beg to differ, Mr. Heart."

Axel's blood froze. That voice…

"If you could please stand," he commanded, almost leisurely, but Axel knew what it was that filled that familiar voice - irritation, contempt, impatience. He'd known those emotions in that voice since he'd been a child, heard them every time he'd even thought of getting into trouble. Slowly, he did as he was told, incapable of disobeying. Roxas stood with him, eyes staring past Axel at the man by the door, huddling close to him, trying to hide, no doubt. "Now, move away from each other, would you? I know it's going to just kill you, but I think you'll manage."

Axel bit his lip and stared down at Roxas. The boy had that look in his eyes - the same look that had been there on that first night. But this time it was worse, because it was infused with a look of trust and a fear of betrayal. Axel couldn't break his promise. He couldn't let go.

"You'll have to shoot me first," he said quietly, never moving his gaze from Roxas'. The blonde's lip trembled. Axel couldn't tell if his actions made Roxas surprised, happy, terrified - maybe a little bit of everything mixed together. "I'm not abandoning him."

"Axel, come now," he sighed, as if scolding him like he was five again. "Don't be stupid about this. Do as your told for once, would you?"

"Not a chance," Axel murmured, wrapping his arms around Roxas, shielding him from whatever was about to happen. If he died like this, it wouldn't be so bad. His lips pressed into Roxas ear. "I love you, Roxas."

"Axel," Roxas breathed sweetly, his hands cupping Axel's face. He kissed him softly. "Thank you…"

"Oh, fine," again, from behind Axel. There was some slight shuffling. "Always doing things the hard way. Always a pain in my ass. Spoiled brat. You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this."

Axel didn't say a word. He closed his eyes, placing his chin on Roxas' head as the boy pressed his face into Axel's chest. Every moment was precious.

"Good bye, Axel."

Axel squeezed Roxas and braced himself.

Until the fire of the gun broke through the silence.

Eh... -_- Sorry. I don't really know why the hell I ended it like that...'cause it's dumb. But it'll all come together with the next chapter. Which I think will be the last chapter, plus a (maybe) epilogue. Already know how it's ending, sooooo. Almost done. :) Thanks for sticking with me this far.

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