Dead trees frowned on either side of Roxas in a foreboding semi-circle in front of him. Shaking himself, he lifted his gaze to the foggy atmosphere and shivered at the cold drafts. Rubbing up and down his arms, he wondered how this dreadful place could possibly connect with the thought of Larxene. As with most situations, all he could do was go forward, which is what the young boy did now. Stray twigs cracked underneath his shoes, and Roxas realized that there were no signs nor sounds of life. Spooked all the more, Roxas hastened his pace until he came to a clearing.

A slim woman was stirring from where she was huddled in a bloody heap on the cold ground. With a sickening jolt Roxas saw that the figure was Larxene. She sat up halfway, and her body jerked into a brief spasm, retching up blood. Roxas itched to go and help her, but his feet were suddenly frozen to the spot. He tried calling out, but he had lost his voice, his throat thick with stuffy, intangible burrs.

A creature on four legs loped swiftly past him from behind. Roxas followed the shadowy creature as it circled Larxene, whose eyes widened in stark terror, and the Key Of Destiny could catch familiarity and recognition in those swirling blue orbs as well. More of the wolf-like creatures appeared from all sides of the clearing until they surrounded Larxene. Roxas saw the Nymph try to rise, but instantly a spindly tree shot up from the earth behind her, and thorned branches hugged her tightly to the trunk.

Roxas was aching inside his gut and chest, but he still found it impossible to move.

Larxene snarled, and the creatures mimicked the noise with ferocity tenfold, silencing the woman as one lunged and snapped at her boots. Her ankles were bound tightly, and she couldn't retaliate from that. Larxene wriggled in the iron grips, but the efforts were futile. The creatures slavered in routine, and circled Larxene once more, as they had done for a while now in her dreams.

Roxas itched and burned to regain his body, but he just... couldn't... move...

Larxene panted in pain as a creature hurled its jaws on her leg; blood leaked freely and trailed down to the dark earth, soaking into the soil as more flowed down from the wounds. Thorns wrapped around the Nymph's mouth now, preventing her from crying out.

A wolf yelped in pain, a cry so new from what normally occurred here that all turned to see the limping creature stumbling to the feet of who had struck it. Larxene felt something stop her beating heart for a second before it resumed feverishly. That boy had come into her dreams? How was it possible?

Roxas glared at the remaining creatures of night, Oblivion glinting dangerously in the horrific moonlight. He hurled his Keyblade into several of the creatures, scattering the rest out, who then ran out of fear.

Then the clearing was still, save the heavy and pained breathing of Larxene, who felt thorns digging further into her body. Roxas rushed to his friend, snapping and cutting diligently at the binds. Larxene stumbled forward, half in his arms, half on her feet, just as Roxas' vision began to blur.

Roxas jerked awake, blinking rapidly. From his headrest that was still Larxene's lap, Roxas looked up to see the woman stirring from sleep as well. So she had dozed off, Roxas thought. Curiously, he felt no vexation.

Larxene looked at him, intrigued at what both knew to be the incident that had just happened. "Do you know the magnitude of what you just did?" she asked quietly.

Shakily, Roxas shook his head.

"You went into my dream," she stated, her voice laced with wonder and curiosity. "A thing unheard of in reality." She ruffled his hair.

"How'd I do that?" Roxas asked hesitantly.

Larxene shrugged casually. "Well," she began, "perhaps it was the physical contact we're doing right now as you drank the liquid. Perhaps it was some freak chance that just happened to hit you. Who knows?" Larxene's eyes glittered with intrigue. "Perhaps we can try it out on someone else?" she proposed, leaning down toward his face more in earnest for his response.

Roxas looked right up into her blue eyes. "Dunno...," he answered neutrally. Truthfully, he didn't think he was able to actually go into someone's dreams at will, much less at all. Just a freak chance, like Larxene had said.

Larxene frowned at his evasiveness. "Think it's worth a shot?" she pressed. "How about you try with Axel?"

"Axel--"

But Roxas got no further, since Larxene's door opened abruptly. The latest topic of their conversation came through the threshold.

"Rox, you think you need-- I knew it!"

"Oh, for hell's sake, Axel!" Larxene cried in embarrassment, her hands -which were on either side of Roxas' face- flew in the air near her face and clenched. "KNOCK, DAMN YOU!"

"Good thing I didn't!" the pyro retorted, looking at the Nymph in confusion and slight vexation. He looked to Roxas now, and the boy caught very faint hurt in those green pools. "You said nothing was going on!" he exclaimed.

Roxas rolled off of Larxene's bed. "There isn't!" he defended. "It's just bad timing!"

"On your part, pyro," Larxene added in a grumble, her face thoroughly flushed at what she assumed Axel's thoughts were when he walked in.

Axel looked bewildered and incredulous at once; finally shaking his head, he left through a portal, carrying all the air of an offended best friend.

"Axel...," Roxas whined, staring at the spot where the Flurry Of Dancing Flames had disappeared.

"Damn him...!" Larxene breathed in exasperation. Shaking her head, she said to Roxas, "Oh, just go to him, already. Might as well clear this up and tell him everything now." Larxene grit her teeth and seethed at what she had just said. Not to be stingy, but those viles were rather hard to obtain; she assumed that once Axel knew what she and Roxas were doing, he'd want some as well. She only let Roxas in on her secret because she pitied the boy and knew that her influence on him would keep him from telling anybody else. But Axel was a different story...

Roxas looked at her, as if reading her thoughts. "I won't tell him about the dreaming," he said steadily. "Because I know you don't want him to know."

Larxene blinked.

Roxas shook his head. "I'll just leave that part out, okay? I hate to do it, but I'll keep your secret about those viles."

Larxene was mute for a few seconds, until she finally murmured, "Thanks."

Roxas left, and Larxene spent the rest of the day slumbering, subconsciously aware that her slumbers and dreams were undisturbed.