Axel pushed Roxas to the edge of the bath, feeling the warm water froth about his hips as the blond's thin arms looped around his neck and drew him closer. His breath was hot on Roxas's throat and when he twisted his hands in the damp hair Roxas could only shiver and pull greedily.

The shiny bubbles popped over Axel's wet skin and Roxas fought hard to resist the small nips placed to his collar bone. Ever pleasing touches kept him close and he slid his hands down Axel's torso teasingly, leaving a trail of melting foam.

"Axel?"

"Yeah?"

Splash!"

Axel yelped, stumbled back, dipped under the water for a moment and sprang back up with a loud gasp. His drenched ears twitched and he flicked his hair from his eyes; Roxas was beside himself with laughter, his hand covering his mouth whilst the blue gem gleamed through the suds.

"Not funny. C'mere, Kitten!"

"Ah!"

Axel dunked him playfully, submerging him for one brief second before he pulled him up close by his chest and pushed him to the water's edge. Roxas laughed breathlessly, felt the wet nose push upon his own, and smiled. A knee slipped between his legs and the Neko moaned, guiding Axel's hand beneath the waves and pressing it by his crotch.

"Turn around, Kitten. I want you."

Roxas shivered and obeyed. He grabbed the sides, his arms out of the water and soaking the floor, pushing back on Axel lasciviously. The Tora's damp chest pressed to his back and Axel slipped a hand around his belly, kissing the base of his neck.

"Axel, stop teasin'. I want… I want… Ngh-ah!" He coiled his hands in the red hair until his knuckles turned white. "Please, Axel, I want you."

"You never used to moan like that for me," a sour voice hissed.

Roxas yelped, jerked back, head-butted Axel by accident and caused the Tora to bite hard on his tongue. The immediate grunt had the Neko wincing, but nothing horrified him more than the sight of Kahn leaning leisurely against the doorframe with a hairgrip swirling between his fingers.

The brunet closed his eyes and shook his head distastefully, pocketing the pin. "And here I was thinking it was just a phase. If I knew you was getting regular Tora sex I'd have found myself a brothel by now."

"Kahn, you have to understand, I'm engaged," he blushed, ducking into the bubbles.

"Don't explain yourself to him, Kitten," Axel growled, driving Roxas to the edge and hiding him between himself and the glossy surface. "Get out, Kahn."

Kahn scoffed and crouched to be level with Roxas's dropped gaze.

"Aw, is Roxy shy? I don't see why. It's nothing I haven't already seen–"

"Out, Kahn!" Axel snarled, feeling Roxas shiver in the cooling water.

"I came to tell you the councils want to see you, but I can see you're busy. Where was my invite, Roxy? I thought we were friends."

"We are friends," Roxas whispered," but it's not like that anymore–"

"Not like what, Kitten?" Axel asked, his arms tensing on either side of his Neko.

"Roxy didn't tell you?" Kahn mocked fake hurt and smiled. "Are you ashamed of me, Roxy?"

"No. No, it's not like that, honest. It's just…"

"Just what?" Kahn asked, raising an eyebrow. He shook his head and turned his manipulative glare on Axel, loving the way the Tora clenched his jaw tight with confused hints towards jealousy. "I'm surprised he didn't tell you about me. No doubt you guys have done… other stuff," he wrinkled his nose. "But where do you think Roxy learned it all? Poor kitten needed a teacher, didn't you, Roxy? He needed me to help him–"

"Kahn, stop it! Why are you doing this?" Roxas asked, quivering to feel Axel's uneven breaths hot on his back.

"Doing what? If you're gonna marry him don't you think he has a right to know who you've been with? I mean, I'm clean, but what about the others?"

Roxas bristled. "There were no others. Will you never let that go?!"

"I saw what I saw, Roxy."

Roxas tried to get out of the water, but Axel's hand gripped tight to his shoulder and dragged him back. Roxas winced, gulping hard when Axel made his way to the edge. Before Kahn could think Axel slammed him to the floor, smashing his head on the marble.

The brunet laughed stubbornly. "You don't take well to competition, do you?"

Axel seethed, choking him slowly. "Leave now, Kahn, and you can have your life."

"What? No way–"

"Leave," Axel growled, every muscle aflame with searing twitches. "And you can have your life."

"Axel, let him go!"

"Stay out of this, Roxas," Axel barked, his body stiffening to unbearable levels.

"But I–"

"I said stay out of it, Strife! Kahn, get out of my sight or I swear I will end you right now. Do you understand me?"

Kahn winced, nodded, got to his knees, and stared over the panting Tora to where Roxas's gulped nervously. The brunet's heart sank and he tugged on his shirt, heaving for air.

"Roxy, you gonna be okay?"

"Please, Kahn, just go," Roxas murmured.

"But I–"

"Out, Kahn!" Axel roared.

Kahn paled and disappeared on soft footsteps. They heard the door close and Axel pulled himself out of the water, slipping a towel round his waist. Without a word to Roxas he stepped from the bathroom, locking the front door. For a moment he stayed by the wood, his palm pressed to it and his heart racing. There came the patter of gentle droplets and he knew Roxas had left the tub, but with a fierce frown he refused to turn back.

"Axel?"

The voice was soft, barely more than a whisper.

"Axel, please say something."

Axel tried hard to fight the anger, but the smug grin on the brunet's face had sprouted something darker with him, and he couldn't let it go. In disturbed rage he smashed his fist against the door, shivering the walls and turning his glare on Roxas, hating the blond's cringe but not knowing how to stop.

"You fucking slept with him? That's why you was defending him?"

"No! No, Axel, you've got it wrong. It wasn't–"

"So he was lying? You never fucked him?"

"W-well, maybe not exactly–"

"Well which is it, Strife?! Stop stuttering and spit it out!"

Roxas winced, his eyes glittering. "I'm not proud of it, alright? I was seven years old, I didn't know what I was doing. Kahn…" He grimaced. "We were such good friends; we did everything together. Things got intense and I… We…"

He closed his eyes and sat on the bed. The amulet dared to shine and Roxas pulled on the loose threads of the towel over his waist, hanging his head.

"We were just kids."

"Kids don't fuck each other, Strife–"

"It never went that far."

"Oh yeah? Well how far did it go? Because I gotta tell you this places a whole new light on why you want that fucking fleabag around." He fell into the door, glaring at the Neko amulet with a sudden sprout of dread ripping his soul. "Is this kitten mine, Roxas?"

"What?" Roxas choked. "How the fuck can you ask me that?!"

"It's just funny that Kahn's back on the scene, alone with you for two weeks, and now you're pregnant. Add to that the fact that you hid this from me and I–"

"It's your kitten, Axel," Roxas snarled, snatching up his clothes.

"What are you doing? Strife–"

"My name is Roxas, so stop calling me Strife like you're a damn preacher. And if you think I'm hanging around here so you can question me or my kitten then you can go fuck yourself. I've had it!"

He threw on his clothes, rummaging around for his boots. When Axel grabbed his upper arm Roxas stopped, glaring at him and tugging harshly.

"Get off me, Tora."

"Sit down."

"Bite me."

"I said sit down. We are sorting this now."

"Like fuck I am." He wrenched his arm free and pulled on his boots, heading for the door.

"Don't turn your back on me, Strife!"

Roxas ignored him and tried the handle, but it refused to budge. He reached up to his ear before he hunched inwards; the clip was somewhere in the room, and when Axel went to grab him he knew he couldn't wait. He shoved by Axel and climbed onto the windowsill, whistling low. A shriek resounded in the distance and Axel paled, stilling to see Roxas half-hanging out of the room.

"Roxas, get in here before you hurt yourself!"

"When you cool off come find me," Roxas said, spying Roric charging across the ground. The hard ebony wings with the translucent webbing began to beat and the beast took to the sky.

"This issue isn't going to go away until you open up that broken heart of yours and let me in! What is it with you and Kahn? What's the big fucking deal?"

"The deal is you keep pushing and I'm not ready. Sort your damn head out and I'll think about opening my heart, but until then you're too wild." He grabbed a fistful of Roric's mane when the beast pulled up by the window. "It's your kitten, Axel, but if you keep acting like this I don't think I can handle it."

"Roxas–"

Roxas jumped on Roric, pulling away when Axel reached for him. The winged beast snapped at the redhead's fingers before Roxas brought it down over the courtyard. Axel stayed by the window, his heart a thundering mess to see Roxas clinging tight to the black beast until the blond dismounted and was dragged away by a cluster of old Nekos with wrinkled skin and liver spots.

For a time he watched the empty space, trying hard to stop the blistering ache in his veins that came with each breath. He saw Roric coil its head around and nip under its wings below him; it pawed at the ground until a fat man came to lead it away around the back of the castle. The beast willingly went.

Knock knock!

"Tora? You in there?"

Axel dropped his head. "What do you want, Zack?"

The door opened unwillingly and Zack entered, wearing charming silver thread and black leather boots. He gave the room a quick scan, clipped the pin behind his ear, and raised an eyebrow at Axel.

"Roxas isn't here," Zack stated. Axel nodded, his mouth a thin line.

"Hence why I'm stood at the window."

Zack sat upon the plush bed, sinking into it. "You guys have a fight?"

"Something like that," Axel whispered. "Zack, can I ask you something?"

The ebony-haired Neko scratched under his chin thoughtfully. "Depends what it is you'd be asking."

Axel stayed staring out the window, his eyes set high on the horizon as the cool air brushed him. "What happened between Kahn and Roxas?"

Zack choked. "What? Why would you think–"

"Don't patronise me, Neko! I know something happened. Kahn said Roxas never moaned like that for him; that Roxas had others; that he thought we were a fling; then Roxas admitted it, but wouldn't go into details. I need to know now. How do I know Roxas was pregnant when I left him in that Kuma castle? How do I know he's pregnant now and not just sick? And if he is pregnant how am I supposed to believe it's mine when he's had his lover strolling about the place?"

Zack growled low in his throat. "Careful, Tora. It sounds like you're calling my little brother a cheat."

"I'm saying nothing, but I need to know. Roxas admits something used to happen…" He grabbed tight to the sill, his knuckles white and his heart aching. "Am I setting myself up for the fall of a fool, Zack? Tell me true."

"I can tell you what I know, if that's what you want, but it won't do much good to help unless you speak to Roxas–"

"Roxas won't speak to me. He said they were just kids, that he was seven years old." He laughed sarcastically. "Like a seven year old could–"

"He was seven, Tora."

Axel turned with disbelief. "What? How is that even possible? Seven year old kids don't–"

Zack got up to close the door, locking it with the pin and jamming it. "You're forgetting that Neko culture is different to Tora, and you're also forgetting that we're talking about the years when Jerome ruled. Close the window; this isn't something other people should hear."

Axel did as he was bid, his eyes intent on the Neko. Zack sat again, sucked in a nervous breath, and gulped.

"Roxas can't know I told you. Nobody can know."

"Not even Cloud?"

"Cloud knows as much as me, but even we don't think it's all of it. Sora doesn't know any of it."

"What?" Axel sat in the chair by the window. "How is that possible?"

"He was never home. But if this story is to make any sense I have to start from the beginning. It might take a while, so if you wanna get dressed–"

"No. I want to hear it now. Tell me about Roxas's past."

Zack shook his head. "It's not that simple, but I'll try. When Cloud was seven his mother died in child birth and his father followed soon after. He was left alone to bring up two kittens, and–"

"I know this part," Axel snapped.

"And it's important, so shut up and listen. I met Cloud when he was seven and I lived with him. Raina was the twins' wet nurse and she came as often as she could to help, but she had her own kittens to look after too. I'm oldest, so I turned ten before Cloud. I tried looking for work, but the only thing I could get was in The Network; I had a bit of a past, you see, and people didn't like it. I worked nights; long nights. When Cloud turned ten The Network refused to put him to work; we never understood why, but when we grew up we began to comprehend that there was more than we originally thought in colourings. Cloud refused to mooch off people and got himself a job in the mines. Back when his parents were alive he worked in a smith, so he knew how to swing a tool and he had the muscle to put some strength behind it."

"What does this have to do with Roxas?"

"I'm getting to that. You have to understand that I was working nights and Cloud was working days. They were long shifts, Tora, and we were knackered when we came home. The twins were only three – they couldn't do much or go far – but they had no fear of the world like us. Between ourselves, The Network, and Raina, we had safely swathed them in a cotton world. After a while Raina saw it was too much for us and started taking the twins for a few nights a week so we could get some decent sleep. Sora wasn't much hassle; he'd taken a huge shining to Riku and spent his days following him around in the back garden on pretend adventures.

"Roxas was… different. He couldn't go out, not even back-way in case some nosy neighbour oversaw. We had to be careful; not everyone was on our side. We sneaked him out under darkness and rushed him to Raina's when we could. She told us he'd sit for days on end pressed up by the window with his ears covered and his head down – that's not healthy for a kitten, Axel. You have to understand that."

"But I still don't see what this has to do with him and Kahn."

Zack sighed. "It was when he was six, I think, that they met. It was the middle of the day, Cloud was working, I was asleep, Sora was at Raina's and Roxas was upstairs in our home. I should have been watching him, I admit, but I'd just done twelve hours' worth of labour and I was exhausted. I fell asleep, and when I woke up I couldn't find him. I had to think the worst had happened, and in a way it did. We searched high and low for him with only one solution left; the guards had him. We had no way of getting into the castle; no way to get him out before Jerome got his grubby paws on him. We were damn heartbroken, and The Network was in uproar over our slipup. Then something strange happened, I guess…"

"Where was he?" Axel asked, leaning forward with interest.

"The guards did have him," Zack confessed. "He'd wandered outside to the market and been taken in for causing trouble. We didn't know that of course, but he did come back to The Network… with Kahn. Turns out that little scumbag set Roxas free and helped him escape, then he'd sorted him out and brought him home before Jerome saw. I don't think he knew Roxas was a prince, and Roxas was adamant that this boy had saved his life."

"You say he sorted Roxas out. What do you mean?"

"Roxas had twisted his ankle. The castle gates are on the other side of town, Axel; that's a long way for one kitten to carry another, especially since Kahn didn't have a motive to help."

"So he did one thing right when he was a kitten," Axel grunted. "What does that matter now?"

"You don't understand. Roxas and Kahn became… close." Zack shuffled uncomfortably. "We became worried on his seventh birthday when he wanted to go live with Kahn instead. We put our foot down right then and said he had no chance, but Roxas couldn't see why he had to stay away. Kahn became intense. He was always there; hugging, touching, whispering, giggling, cuddling. It was odd. At first we brushed it off as them being kittens, but sometime between that and the next part of my story something changed.

"You know Kahn's The White Shadow, right? Well nobody knew that until the day he 'died', and nobody knew Roxas was Night Crawler until he went to war, not even us. So you can imagine our surprise when we caught Roxas hanging down the backstreets on the wrong side of town with The White Shadow on his knees in front of him. I don't think I need to tell you what they were doing, and we were too horrified to act at first. I mean, for Goddess's sake, he was ten. It was when The White Shadow tried to turn Roxas around that we snapped."

"You mean–"

"It was never full intercourse, Tora. At least, that's what Roxas has always told us. When we stopped it from going any further that night Roxas was shoving back and struggling. We could hear him saying no, and we were at the other end of the bloody alley. When we sprinted for them The White Shadow fled. Roxas was petrified when we caught him, and boy did we let him have it. We sent Sora to Raina's for the night and took him home."

"What did you do to him?"

"Sat him on the couch, snarled and growled and shouted at him until he was a crying mess of hiccups. It was the worst thing I've ever had to do. We effectively broke a little piece of him that night, and he still wouldn't tell us who The White Shadow was. All he'd say was that he was sorry; that it would never happen again; that he didn't want to have actual sex and hadn't ever had sex; that he'd try and be good and try to be straight and he'd let us punish him however we wanted because he knew he'd been bad.

That wasn't what worried us though. We both knew Sora and Roxas were gay; Sora used to follow Riku around so much it was obvious, and Roxas used to stare at the males through the window. And he wasn't bad for wanting what he wanted, it was how he went about getting it that bothered us; the lying, the hiding, the sneaking and the shadows. We thought we had taught them to confide in us about anything and everything, so to know Roxas couldn't was heart-breaking, and then to think someone had manipulated him enough to try and take him against his will… It was hard."

Axel had gone quite, and his breaths were sparsely paced. "So Roxas and Kahn were romantically involved?"

"It wasn't romance, Tora. It was suppressed lust and domination. There was nothing loving about anything Roxas and Kahn went through."

"But there has to be more," Axel growled. "There has to be. Roxas defends that scumbag to death, and if Kahn really did try and force–"

"We know, Tora, but trying to get Roxas to open up is like asking a stone to speak. Something else has definitely happened, but Roxas just won't talk about it. Not even to us."

"I'll get him to open up," he promised, nodding his head determinedly. "Maybe not straight away, but soon. I need to know."

"Good luck with that," Zack grumbled. "We've been trying for years."

"You aren't me. I have ways of getting answers."

"You better not be thinking of hurting him, Tora."

"I'd never hurt Roxas!"

"Still… Just be careful. Roxas has a bad habit of running when he doesn't like something. Then again, if anyone has a chance at figuring this mess out I guess it's you. We'll be there to help you as best we can. Both of you."

"Thanks… So, what happened next? Did Roxas tell you Kahn was The White Shadow?"

"No. Whatever that scum said it stuck fear in his heart and he refused to talk. A year later we caught The White Shadow ourselves – away from Night Crawler, for once – and we unmasked him. But he begged and cried so much he could only be seen as the pathetic kitten he was."

"So you let him go?"

"In a sense," Zack whispered. "But that's a story for another time. My point is Roxas was sexually active at seven, but I wouldn't put it all on his head. For crying out loud, he was seven! Kahn was beyond manipulative, and nothing has changed."

"I know."

"No you don't, Tora. Think for a second and listen to me very carefully. Kahn doesn't say anything without thinking, re-thinking, and thinking it through again. We were damn lucky to have caught him that night, and we haven't had that luck since. Kahn is slime; you'll only hear what he wants you to hear; you'll only see what he wants you to see; and you'll only think what he wants you to think. There isn't anything I wouldn't put past that boy. Take today as your example. What happened exactly?"

Axel took his time to breathe and absorb the warning, speaking slowly. "We were in the bath and Kahn unlocked the door. He helped himself inside, said a few things, and I freaked out. When he left we argued. I actually asked if it was my kitten," he scoffed sourly and covered his eyes. "I'm such an idiot! Then Roxas ran away."

"Right, now think about it like this, because I'm disappointed a man of your learning couldn't see this. Kahn came into the bathroom where you and Roxas were… let's say busy. He didn't wait outside because he wanted Roxas to feel uncomfortable; he knew you'd flip at seeing Roxas like that because you're overprotective. Add to that the fact that he probably knew you didn't know about him and Roxas and he had the perfect fuel to start an inferno in your heart. He knew you'd fight, and he knows Roxas well enough to know he'd run away. Now why do you think he'd want Roxas to run from you?"

Axel shrugged. "He's trying to split us up."

"Yes, but also no. You're thinking too big. What was supposed to happen this morning?"

"This morning? Erm…"

"Come on, Tora, you're wasting time."

"Wasting time? What do you… oh no. The check-up!"

"Exactly. Why do you think I came to find you? There are thirty angry old men pulling him to pieces and you're sat here half-naked contemplating why that slime-ball is trying to break you up."

Axel snatched up his clothes and ran to the bathroom, yanking them on.

"I thought you'd have had more brains than that, Tora. I really did. You're gonna have to be a lot smarter if you wanna beat Kahn."

"Shut up, Zack." He opened the door, his collar stuck up, his shirt untucked, his pants hanging off one hip and holding a boot. "Where's Roxas now?"

"Downstairs last I saw. Cloud was outvoted by the councils."

"What's that mean?"

"It means he tried to arrange it so only Roxas, you, and a midwife would be present, but they insisted on two male council members from all nations to evaluate the process and determine the kitten's worthiness. So you're looking at you, Roxas, and thirty males in a room. Or, as it seems to be, just Roxas and thirty males in a room. And guess who our newest council members are."

"Do I want to know?"

"Kahn and some bug called Darren. The Neko Council thinks it's fitting that Luka and The White Shadow go forward as representatives to watch Night Crawler's pregnancy. So in a way Kahn was hoping you'd kick him out; then he'd have an excuse to leave. You played right into his hands, Tora."

"I didn't do anything," Axel snapped. "There is no way I'm letting thirty males around Roxas while he's having my kitten. Especially not Kahn!"

"So you've finally seen the light," Zack smiled. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go find him already!"

"You're not coming?"

"Roxas needs you right now, not me. They've been in there a good fifteen, twenty minutes."

"Crap. Alright, I'm going. Do you know where he is?"

"Not a clue."

"Great."

Axel tugged on his boot, ran out the door, tucked in his shirt and sprinted for the steps. He jumped down them three at a time, knocking maids and knights aside in his quest to reach the Great Hall. The light gleamed through the panes and he swallowed hard, his hair still damp and drying in a mess of frizz atop his head. When he finally reached the bottom another five minutes had passed and he hated himself completely. His gut lurched uncomfortably and his chest heaved as he scoured the open room, seeing nothing but nobility and new guests.

He ignored Ansem, pushed Demyx aside, ran by Hayner, ducked under a flying Leon and found his father stood beside a snarling Cloud. The Neko and Tora kings turned to him and Axel flinched at the incredibly hard stares, feeling all eyes in the hall upon him.

"You!" Cloud barked, his fists clenched. "Where were you?!"

"I was–"

"Axel," Titan took over, his ears thrown back. "I am severely disappointed. Where have you been this past half hour?"

"Where's Roxas?" Axel stammered. "Is he okay? I–"

"No he's not okay," Cloud snarled again. "You promised you'd be there and you weren't!"

"I'm here now–"

"It's too late, Axel," Titan said. "The doors have shut and the councils are refusing to allow anyone inside until they are finished, and you were not here. I am very, very disappointed. I thought I had raised you better."

"But I… Dad, Kahn–"

"Kahn is in there with him, Tora," Cloud said, feeling Tifa cling to his arm with a small frown of her own. "Of all the things you've screwed up I thought you'd at least had the decency to try and see this one through."

"Harsh," Reno muttered, standing with Xain just behind their father. "He's here now, isn't he?"

"It's too late now," Titan said again, shaking his head.

Axel looked over to the doors, his heart sinking. "I'll make them let me in. I–"

"You think we have not already tried, Axel?" Titan asked. "They are refusing to open the doors, and from this side they remain locked. The only way to open them is from within, and I do not know if Night Crawler has the strength to withstand thirty squabbling men. They seemed rather keen to treat him as they saw fit–"

BOOM!

The front doors collapsed inwards and Pete walked in, his large shoulders slack and his smile lopsided. On his left was Xemnas, looking as bitter as ever, and on his right was Merlin, humbly bowing his head. The large Buta King wandered into the hall with a tenacious grin, but as he looked upon the angry faces he let his smile fall and shrugged his pink cloak back.

"What the bloody hell's wrong with yer? You all look like you've had sour grapes."

None of them answered, so with a heavy grunt Pete waddled in and stood just beneath the glazed light dwindling at his feet. The dust sparked around him and he peered at their faces with his hand set over his eyes to block out the light. "Well now, where's Night Crawler gone off to? I come all the way down here to see the little bugger and he's hiding. Blumming Neko's."

"King Pete, it is good to see you again," Titan nodded, and the other families of grace followed his example. "But I am afraid your journey must wait to meet its end. Night Crawler is currently occupied with a Grand Council."

"Grand Council?" Pete scoffed. "That can't be so. I've only just turned up, and my council members are standing on my left and right."

Cloud shrugged. "You weren't around so they divided your share with the other nations. They sent in an extra Raion and a damn Hitsuji."

"They think a Raion or a Hitsuji could so much as wipe a Buta's backside?" Pete chuckled, waving away Ansem's enraged comment. "I'd like to see the day. We kicked your butts in the war."

"Yes, but it wasn't under your command, was it fatso?" Xehanort spat back. "You and that little runt were–"

"You call him a runt again and I'll sever you limb from limb!" Axel roared, feeling Cloud bristle beside him.

"Don't talk to my uncle like that, Tora!" Rai barked back, and Axel flipped him off.

Titan rolled his eyes and smacked his son upside the head, content with Axel's yelp. "That is enough. This is not the time for squabbling when there are much more important things to be giving our attention to. I would suggest–"

Bumph…

They all turned at the small sound, staring at the large door in anticipation as muffled voices raged within.

"It is a standard exam, my prince–"

"I don't give two fucks what it is, I said no."

"Roxy–"

"You can fucking bite me, Kahn. Let go!"

There came the sound of struggling and Pete frowned. "That isn't right. Move."

He threw them out of his way and rolled up his sleeves, striding to the door with his heavy fists clenched. He sized the solid wood up and down, twitching his squashed Buta ears, turning to Xaldin who was stood on the far left beside Hayner.

"Would you mind giving me your assistance, Xaldin?"

"Is no problem."

Pete lined himself up on one side of the door, Xaldin on the other. Together they counted to three, holding their breaths solidly in their chests before they charged with their shoulders, battering the wood and hearing it groan. Again they smashed into it until finally it caved and the door splintered down the middle.

The Buta would have fallen inwards if it were not for the small blond blur that shot outwards and collided with his midriff, hugging him so tightly he fell backwards onto his butt and shook the whole world. Xaldin blocked the council members from leaving the room with a rich war-cry.

Pete looked at the shaking mess hugging his middle and hummed, rubbing his podgy hand over the top of Roxas's head. He took into account the light bruises and pinch marks were appliances and fingers had been placed too thickly and with too much pressure upon the blond's skin.

"It's okay, Neko, I've got you."

Roxas's ears flicked in recognition of the voice and he buried his head in the ruffles of Pete's shirt, blocking out the royal audience. The thick hands curled around him and he listened to Pete snarl over him, warning the council members away as they scrambled around Xaldin.

"That is enough! What makes the councils of fifteen nations think they have any right to govern in such a pathetic order of disrespect? I will not stand for it! This ends now with my words and my voice staking claim to the responsibility and wellbeing of this Neko. None of you shall dare present yourself to this boy without my say so from this moment forth. Am I clear?!"

The words echoed in distraught silence and fear exploded in the room. Pete stood and kept Roxas close to his chest, glaring at the flabbergasted councils as they stuttered and broke out in fierce argumentation.

Pete disregarded them all with a wave of his hand. "I said none! This boy is my adopted flesh, and as such–"

"Huh?" Roxas looked up. "What?"

"Oh, I didn't tell yer? I'm adopting you. You're coming with me so I can keep you away from these misfits. Aint nobody gonna hurtcha while I'm here. That bloke o' yours might be a useless tool, but I'll take care of ya."

Axel's heart broke to see Roxas smile and cling tight to the Buta. The blond's arms didn't quite fit around Pete's waist, but he gave it a good go and clung to the clothes. Outrage met the proposition and Pete bellowed over them. Cloud came up on his other side, begrudgingly supporting the decision with a sad grimace as Titan insisted on the release of Night Crawler from the castle and its grounds.

The world turned deaf to Axel's ears; he saw Xain's hand on his shoulder, but couldn't feel it. The other nobility began to make their voices clear, staking their claims, but Axel could only stay rooted to the spot, his eyes looking over the heads of squabbling nobility to where Kahn leaned by the back wall, his smile a deviant smirk and his stare for Roxas alone.

"Axel!"

Axel snapped from his daze and looked to where Pete's hand was outstretched to him. The Buta King clicked his tongue and flexed his fingers.

"Axel, for the last time, will you please come take your fiancé or I swear I will clout you over the head and leave you here."

Axel moved on numb feet, reaching out for Roxas and folding his ears sadly when the blond shrank from him. The big brother's growl caught him and Axel shifted from Cloud, taking Roxas gently from Pete's arms and hating the reluctant tug the Neko gave at leaving his friend. He cuddled Roxas to his chest, feeling the stiff shoulders and stroking a hand carefully up his back; the action was enough and Roxas calmed, letting himself relax in the strong arms.

Pete smiled. "Get him out of here, Tora. We'll take care of these idiots."

Axel nodded, taking Roxas's palm and pulling him through the crowd. Roxas had to jog to keep up and the grip on his fingers was lax at best, offering only the softest of squeezes as he was led from the Grand Hall and up the steps.

Zack was gone when they made it to their room. Axel helped Roxas inside and closed the door, not bothering to lock it as he sat Roxas down on the bed and took his place beside him. An awkward silence settled around them for the first time and neither knew how to cope until Axel slowly slid his hand over to Roxas's, holding the Neko's fingers and looking at the floor.

"I'm sorry, Kitten."

"I asked you for one thing," Roxas whispered, a tear hot on his cheek. "Not a lot, just one thing. I just wanted you to be there."

"I'm sorry."

"You keep saying that, Axel. You keep saying you're sorry, but you keep fighting with me. This kitten is yours–"

"I know, Roxas, I just… I'm sorry. I was jealous." He swallowed rigidly. "I'm so sorry, Kitten."

Roxas moved his hand away and pressed it to his chest, wincing with the action. He rubbed his hands against his shirt, closing his eyes tiredly before he felt Axel pull them away. The Tora frowned and lifted the shirt, sucking in a deep breath to see the heavy black marks fading into the skin.

"What the fuck happened?"

Roxas pulled his shirt down and looked away. "There were thirty of them, Axel, and only one of me. They all wanted to test or measure something different, and I just couldn't cope." He wrapped his knuckles around his hair and pulled hard, refusing to cry. "They were hurting Peanut and I just couldn't stop them. When I tried to leave they protested and I hit my back against the wall. Next thing I know Pete's on the other side and I… I… Where were you?"

"I'm sorry, Kitten," Axel whispered, his shoulders shaking as he pulled Roxas into his lap. "I'm so sorry. I've let you and our kitten down, and I…" He pressed his forehead to Roxas's shoulder, his hand resting lightly on the blond's stomach.

"I just wish you'd calm down and listen to me every once in a while. I wasn't lying about Kahn; we never had sex–"

"Not that you didn't want it, eh Roxy?"

Axel snarled viciously, hating the smug grin Kahn gave. The brunet stepped into the room, looking around distastefully before he set his eyes on Roxas.

"What's wrong, Roxy? We were only trying to help–"

"You were pushing me into things I didn't wanna do," Roxas said.

"It's a common part of the procedure. You have to understand–"

"No, I think you have to understand, Kahn; you're my friend, not my lover. Stay out of my love-life."

Axel laughed to see Kahn's mouth flop open. With his striped ears folded the Tora stole a light peck from Roxas's cheek, hugging him closer to Kahn's great annoyance. The brown-eared Neko shook his head and stepped up to them, daring to push buttons.

"Roxy, I'm not interfering in your love life. It was the Tora that abandoned you, I was just trying to be there for you by sitting on the council. You know he's no good. He kicked you out and–"

"I never kicked him out," Axel snarled.

"That is it," Roxas growled, holding onto his churning stomach. He wrenched from Axel's grip and stood between them both, his heart thumping weakly in his chest. "You two are driving me crazy!"

"Roxy–"

"No, Kahn. I mean it; keep your nose out of my love-life."

Kahn chuckled, standing a mere foot from Roxas. Axel growled and tried to stand, but Roxas pushed him down stubbornly with a hand on his shoulder, leaving Kahn feeling supreme with power. "Roxy, you don't mean – Youch!"

The heavy blow battered him back and Kahn covered his busted nose, trying to stop the flowing red river. Roxas hissed and pulled his knuckles back to his chest, flexing them to rid himself of the sting. Axel laughed healthily and pulled Roxas back to his lap, glaring at an open-jawed Kahn and kissing away the pain in Roxas's hand.

Kahn winced, his white cloak stained red. "Roxy, what–"

"I warned you, Kahn. Stay out of my love-life."

"I thought we were friends."

"We are, but if you try and get in the way of me and Axel again I'll deal with you. I'm engaged, Kahn, and I'm going to have my kitten. You are not a part of that. We're done."

"What are you saying? Roxy, I–"

"He's saying he doesn't love you so stop trying," Axel smirked, hugging his Neko tight. "You might have had him once, but he's mine now."

"It's not what you want, Roxy."

"Don't tell me what I do and don't want, Kahn."

"I know it, though," Kahn growled. "We used to fool around–"

"That's all it was, Kahn. We never had sex and we never kissed. It was lust, not love."

"I wanted love," Kahn whispered. "I tried–"

"I wasn't ready," Roxas blushed. "Not for you. I don't love you, Kahn. Please, just accept that and leave me alone. I want your friendship but that's it."

"I think he's made his point clear, Kahn. Get out," Axel said, tensing when he felt Roxas shudder.

Kahn's eyes narrowed and with his nose still bleeding he hissed, ground his teeth tight together, and stomped from the room. The door slammed shut and Roxas winced, folding his delicate ears back and covering his face with his palms. His body trembled and his hands were pulled away. When he looked up jade eyes gleamed for him; Axel was knelt in front of him, smoothing the back of his fingers over Roxas's cheek tenderly.

"I'm sorry, Roxas."

"He's my friend–"

"Kitten, he isn't a friend. I heard…" He stopped, remembering Zack's plea to remain nameless. Instead Axel bit his bottom lip and sucked in a deliberate breath. "I heard about you and Kahn. You two were pretty close, huh?"

"Yeah."

Axel swept Roxas's tear away sadly. "I heard he saved you, but when you got a little older he tried to force you into something. That true?"

Roxas brushed the back of his hand by his nose and sniffled. "We never had sex, Axel, I swear. We never kissed or nothing either."

"I believe you, Kitten."

Roxas leaned forward to press his forehead by Axel's. "I swear Peanut's yours. I'd never cheat on you. I wouldn't dream of it."

"I know, Kitten." He kissed Roxas's cheek and pressed the back of his hand to the Neko's belly, purring softly with his ears gently dipped. "I just freaked out to hear you used to have someone else. I guess I always thought you were mine, and the idea of you belonging to someone other than me…"

"I never belonged to Kahn. We just fooled around. It was natural–"

"Doing that sort of stuff at the age of seven through ten isn't natural, Roxas. You wouldn't want our kitten doing stuff like that, would you?"

"If Peanut does anything like that I'll hit the roof."

"Exactly, Kitten. But we'll talk about you and Kahn when you feel ready for it. You will tell me eventually, won't you?"

"It's difficult, Axel."

"Which is why I need to know, but I won't push the issue. I want to know what happened in that check-up."

"You should have been there then."

Axel rolled his eyes and pushed Roxas's tongue back into his mouth with his thumb. "Don't play games, Kitten. I'm serious. Why are you covered in bruises?"

"They were poking Peanut and when I tried to move they got persistent. Those old men are feistier then they look, yanno? They've got bony fingers, too. Really cold bony fingers."

"Well they won't be poking you or our kitten anymore, I promise."

He tried to kiss him but Roxas turned his cheek, refusing to look at him. With an irritated frown Axel set his kiss on Roxas's cheek and became content with holding him, trying to sweep him closer until Roxas gripped his arms.

"Don't, Axel. I'm still mad at you."

"But I thought–"

"I whacked Kahn; if you don't watch yourself I'll be punching you too. You broke your promise. I can't let that go. Me and Peanut are mad at you."

"Peanut too?"

"Especially Peanut. You weren't there."

The white ears fell back and Axel brought his hands down by the blond's belly, lifting his shirt so he could stroke the creamy skin. "I think I should apologise to Peanut; I'm sorry kitten," he said, lowering himself down to lace a light kiss on Roxas's belly.

Roxas wriggled to feel the lips kissing upwards, pushing back determinedly but still faltering with a small laugh and a desperate smile. "Axel, stop it–"

"I'm saying sorry to my kitten. But I think I should say sorry to Peanut's mummy too."

"I am not the mum, Axel. Stop trying to be cute."

"I'm not trying to be cute. I'm saying sorry."

He pulled Roxas's shirt down and secured a kiss by the blond's jaw. When Roxas tried to turn Axel brought his chin back, giving him a soft kiss and feeling his gut flutter with butterflies to have Roxas finally returning it. The pressure was light, just enough for both of them, and when Roxas's hands slipped around the back of his neck Axel could only smile and hold them there, feeling the light twists in his hair.

"Goddess, I love you, Roxas."

"I love you too. But please, Axel, see a councillor. I can't handle you accusing me of stuff all the time. Especially stuff I haven't done."

"I will, Kitten. I swear."

Behind them the door opened and Axel growled, flattening his ears to his head in expectation of Kahn, but as he turned his glare dropped. Titan was the first through the door with Cloud, followed closely by Pete, Zack, Merlin, and Xemnas. The latter closed the door and smirked when Cloud shoved Axel out of the way to sweep Roxas into a firm hug.

"Are you okay?"

"'M fine, Cloud."

"You sure you're okay, Squirt?" Zack asked.

"I'm fine," Roxas insisted. "I really am. But you're squishing me, Cloud."

The older Neko slowly lessened his grip with a heavy breath. "You drive me crazy, you know that? The councils are damn furious, and nothing anyone says can appease them."

Roxas took Axel's outstretched hand with his ears folded, cuddling up by the Tora's chest at his brother's words. Axel rubbed a hand up his back, holding him tighter than Cloud, but with a delicacy that could only come with extreme restraint of supreme strength. The smaller blond turned in his lover's arms so the hands hugged his belly instead.

"I'm really sorry, Cloud. I panicked. I didn't mean–"

"Don't apologise," Zack said, laying down on the bed with his legs crossed. "They had no right to do what they did without one of us present. And thirty is a ridiculous number by any nation's standards. Which is why we've come to talk to you."

"Night Crawler," Titan began, "it has come to our attention that you are unhappy with foreign hands examining you. So, against the nations' wishes, we have a proposal for you."

"A proposal?" Roxas looked between them. "What kind of a proposal?"

Cloud sat on Zack's legs, ignoring his brother's protests. "I've been talking with King Pete, Rox. It's not healthy for you to stay here anymore, so we're sending you away."

"What? I thought I was staying longer? My work isn't finished yet–"

"Neko, you don't understand," Pete mumbled, one large hand holding his hip. "If we don't getcha out now we might not get you out at all. These stubborn little buggers are set on your blood, and all the while you're here it's like a lake of piranhas. So I'm gonna adopt you. I know you're supposed to be 'round female nobility and all that rubbish, so I'm gonna take three princesses with us as well. You know Merlin and Xemnas pretty well seeing as you commanded their butts for the best part of half a year, so they're the ones that'll be lookin' after you and your kitten."

"You mean the check-ups?" Roxas asked.

"Roxas, if we might be so bold," Merlin started, bowing his head. "We understand that this is a challenging time for you. I myself have delivered twenty nine children, many of them nobility, Xemnas has delivered seven. It would be a great honour for us to help you with this timeframe."

"But what about my brothers?" Roxas looked over to Cloud and Zack. "I didn't wanna leave this early."

"And we don't want you to go, Squirt, but it's for the best, and we'll be dropping in to see you all the time. We're not happy about it, but we want what's best for you. We're sending you off at the end of the week–"

"The week?! That's too soon," Roxas moaned. "I still wanna help."

"The best way for you to help the people here is by having this kitten safely," Cloud said. "Me and Zack are going with Pete and Titan, and we're signing all power and responsibility of you over to them."

Axel looked to his father. "Why do you both need to sign? I mean, won't it make things look weird in the history books?"

"He does not mean that I will claim ownership of Roxas's guardian status, Axel," Titan said softly, his frayed ears swept back. "It means that if something should befall King Pete, Night Crawler will be brought to us before he is summoned here. The Neko Council will have no claim to him until something happens to both my bloodline and Pete's. Under the history books I have no right of parenthood to Night Crawler, so no, it will not make things 'weird'."

"The Toras…" Roxas shivered and squeezed Axel's hand. "I'm not so sure. The Tora Kingdom makes me nervous."

"I can imagine," Pete laughed. "Nonetheless you'll be safe, Neko. If anything happens to Titan then Xain will take the throne."

"And what if something happens to Xain?" Roxas muttered.

"Then it goes straight to me, Kitten," Axel reassured him, kissing the side of his head. "One of the conditions dad gave for Reno returning was that he couldn't have any claim to the Tora throne. If anything happened to Xain then I'd rule, and I wouldn't let anybody take you from me."

"Cloud…" Roxas stared over at his older brother, his eyes shining. "You're really kicking me out? I can't stay?"

"No, Roxas, it's not like that!" He was on his feet in a heartbeat, hugging Roxas to him. The tears fell stubbornly and Roxas could feel them land in his hair. "I'd never kick you out. You're always welcome here, but we have to think about what's best for you now, and we don't think you staying here is healthy anymore. The Neko Council is going insane, and I'm really struggling. I don't want them to hurt your kitten because I couldn't snap them in line."

"But I don't wanna go yet."

"I know, and we don't want you to go, but we have to think about this kitten," Cloud whispered, holding Roxas's shoulder and pulling him away. He swept the wet trails from his little brother's cheeks and sniffled. "I'm gonna go sign this now while the council's busy. Zack's gonna co-sign, alright? That way they can't claim you back through him, either. You're gonna stay here with Axel. Merlin and Xemnas are gonna give you that check-up properly."

"Now?" Roxas rubbed at his eyes. "But Cloud–"

"I'll see you real soon, Rox, okay? Make sure you take care of him, Tora."

Cloud gave Roxas one last hug, stepping aside only so Zack could take him for a cuddle before they were forced to leave after Titan and Pete. The door closed and Xemnas locked it before he rummaged through the side-units and found himself a long piece of parchment, a quill, and a pot of ink.

Roxas twitched his nose and shuffled, still wiping at his eyes. "What you writing?"

"A report," Xemnas replied in a flat tone. He pulled a chair up by the bed, crossed one leg over the other, and rested his supplies against them. "Whatever is said about your health will be written and given to the other councils to appease them, but, no matter the circumstances, they will not touch you or this kitten unless you wish it."

Axel took hold of Roxas's hand and led him to the bed, sitting him down upon it with a tender squeeze. "It'll be okay, Kitten."

"Actually, Axel, it would be much more comfortable for myself if you would sit over there." Merlin indicated to the chair by the window. "Tora's have a reputation, and the further you are from Roxas the more clearly you will see that I am doing him no harm. If you are upon him you may become… let us say obstructive. Please, take a seat."

Axel turned to Roxas. "What do you want, Kitten? Do you want me to sit here?"

Roxas stared blankly at the chair. "It's only a few feet. I can deal with that, I think."

With a nod and a light kiss Axel took his position by the window, leaning in to close the gap as much as possible. Merlin rubbed the whiskers of his white beard and rolled up his sleeves, reaching out to the top of Roxas's head. With an anxious frown Roxas folded his ears back and jerked away, ducking out of the way.

"What are you doing?" he asked, wary of the hands reaching for him.

Merlin gave a twitchy smile that was overdone with creased lines. "My apologies. I should perhaps inform you of what I am doing when I am doing it. I am firstly checking your appendages."

"Appendages?" Roxas sighed and turned to Axel, catching the Tora's small smile. "You see why I wanted you here? What the heck does he mean by that?"

Axel laughed, resting his chin on his palm. "He wants to check your senses and limbs to make sure they're working."

"My apologies again, Roxas, I should have explained myself better. In my old age I am sometimes liable to forget that you had a base education."

"I didn't have any education," Roxas muttered. "Only what my family taught me."

"Very good," Merlin said. "But I must check your ears to start with."

"Why?"

"To ensure there are no defects effecting the status of your body or your capacity to carry your kitten."

"My ears are fine."

Axel's smile broadened. "Roxas, do what the nice man says and let him have a look. He's only trying to help."

"I know my ears are fine," the Neko defended, flicking them back and forth rapidly. "See?"

"Night Crawler, please, we must conduct this report as soon as possible to appease the growing racket."

With a heavy mutter under his breath Roxas came back to the edge of the bed, clinging tight to the sheets. The hands that held his ears were soft and pruned, and as they pinched the fur and ruffled it back Roxas tried to flap his ears out of Merlin's grasp. The act was useless; Merlin held one ear and softly stroked the back, feeling the base and struggling to recapture the flicking fur when Roxas batted it in annoyance. When he caught it again Merlin spoke in a whisper to Xemnas, inspecting the inside with a bony finger.

"Left ear is fine. The fur is smooth, clean, free of knots and trimmed. The inner lobe appears to be undamaged but the skin is sensitive. Right ear is identic."

Xemnas scribbled away and Merlin ran his fingers back through the blond hair, massaging small circles into the skin. Roxas bit his tongue and waited until Merlin was finished before fluffing himself up like a chicken; the fingers had felt cold and too skinny for his liking.

"The cranium appears fine in shape and regularities. The neck is," he trailed his fingers down the side and pressed lightly. "Perfectly fine, though sensitivity seems to occur on the left side." He muttered this with an oddness for Roxas's tender mewl, pressing lightly upon the spot.

"Don't," Axel growled, digging his nails into the arm of the chair.

"I am only looking for the stimulus that causes this to occur, Axel. I am doing no harm."

He pressed a little harder and Roxas grabbed the sheets, closing his eyes with a small moan.

"I said don't," Axel snarled, rising from his seat. "That's mine."

"Yours?" Merlin appeared confused before he spied Roxas up and down, catching the intense blush, the bitten lip, the drooped ears, and the soft sounds; he released the boy's neck. "Ah, I see. Xemnas, do you think it important to document all actions, reactions, medical concerns and perfections?"

"I should think so."

"Then make note; Night Crawler is known to sexual stimulation if the area five centimetres above the collar bone is pressed upon."

"W-what?" Roxas yanked back, catching Axel's furious growl with his own small bark. "You can't put that!"

"But it is true," Merlin countered. "I must document all things true to appease the councils, unless you would have them examine you themselves?"

"No!"

"Then hush, and allow me to complete my task. Xemnas, please keep your fluent pen in time with my words."

"Of course."

Merlin continued with his inspection. "Both eyes are clear, free of discharge, easily follow a moving target, and are without wounds. The jaw is firm, the bite solid, the teeth fine but needing some work – particularly the front teeth, which seem to be chipped. I wonder what could have done that…"

"I bite pins," Roxas muttered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hands and hating the taste of the old man's fingers.

"Pins? To what cause?"

"To open locks," Roxas shrugged. "I bite the pin to bend it."

"Ah, I see. This is not an immediate concern; we may deal with it at a later date when we are closer to our own kingdom and able to put you safely into a sound sleep."

"What? No, I–"

"Take off your shirt."

"What?" Roxas recoiled, grabbing the buttons of his top as if fighting a perverted demon. "No, I don't want to."

"Roxas, it's okay," Axel said, forcing himself to lean back and breathe calmly. "They're just helping."

"You trying to convince yourself or me? I don't want to do this."

"They just want to check our kitten. You want to make sure Peanut's okay, don't you?"

Merlin and Xemnas looked across at the nickname. Roxas remained unsure, and as he slackened his grip he felt the heat rush to his cheeks. With slow movements and numb fingers he slipped each button away and waited, taking a deep breath before he pulled his shirt off. Axel's chest puffed outwards to see dark bruises, and when Merlin touched them the wince drawn from his Neko's lips had him seeing red.

"Don't fucking hurt him."

"I am merely looking at the damage. These bruises are minor and mainly cover the ribcage, not the belly, but we shall see. Xemnas, are you ready?"

"As always."

"The shoulders are perfect. The arms are slightly muscled; there is no damage or scars other than one burned mark upon the wrist. All fingers are fine, the wrists themselves are without breaks. The collar bones are visible but healthy, the pectorals are – Axel, stop growling; I am merely feeling the muscle – again, the pectorals are firm and undamaged. The back is," he ran his fingers down the spine. "Scratched, but I should think myself foolish to note any less from a Tora. Now, Roxas, if you would be so bold as to remove your pants we can–"

"What?! No! Nu-uh. No way. I'm drawing the line here; you haven't even checked Peanut, you've just been running your hands all over me like a spider."

"I am waiting until after your physical exam to conduct your kitten's, Night Crawler. I still have your chest and lower body to check. This is merely to examine your muscle and bone structure. Now, please, take off your pants."

"Why do you need to see anything down there? You can feel my damn leg muscles through my trousers if you want."

"He has to check your genitalia is functioning," Axel supplied, now adamant in tearing the stuffing from the chair to stop himself from ripping Merlin's head from his shoulders.

Roxas turned very, very white. "N-no. No, I don't want–"

"It will only take a second, Roxas. Here, allow me–"

"No!"

"I'll do it," Axel said, standing from the chair. He sat on the opposite side of the bed and turned Roxas around, kneeling down in front of him and parting his legs, refusing to take no for an answer. "What am I looking for?"

"Axel, I'm not comfortable–"

"Shush, Kitten, I'll be quick. Merlin, what am I looking for?"

"I think it would be better if I gave the young prince a look–"

"What am I looking for?" Axel repeated, undoing the blond's zipper. Roxas held his shoulders tightly, gulping nervously with a searing blush for their audience.

Merlin looked to Xemnas, giving in with a sigh. "Lumps, deformities, the inability to use the genitalia to its complete purpose and function."

"We already know it functions fine, right Kitten?" Axel gave Roxas a quick wink and pulled the soft member from the blond's trousers.

"A-Axel, I'm really uncomfortable–"

"They can't see."

Roxas took no pleasure in their spectators, only managing to swallow dryly with his head bowed and his nerves aflame. His legs jutted wildly, his thighs quivered, and Axel stayed true to his word. No sooner had a quick, but thorough, inspection been given than Roxas was tucked away and the pants zipped back up.

"Perfectly fine, Kitten."

They kissed softly for a moment, Axel rubbing his love's legs to calm him before he returned to his seat.

Merlin walked around to meet Roxas, crouching low with a groan for his aching back and feeling his way up the Neko's legs.

"The legs are well toned; both thigh and calf muscles are fine. Right, lay down and let's have a better inspection of you."

"Better inspection? You mean we're not done?"

Merlin pushed his shoulders down. "You might want to get comfortable, this bit might be stressful."

"Stressful? What are you gonna do?" Roxas asked, sitting up on his elbows and refusing to lie back. Across from him he saw Axel sit up straighter, the calculating look piercing and powerful as it locked upon him.

Merlin pushed him back to the covers. "Calm down, Roxas. We don't want any additional stress to be performed on your kitten."

"There won't be any additional stress if you just tell me what's going on!" Roxas snapped, refusing to lay still. "Let me up. I don't wanna lay down."

"Roxas, please, it is medical practice that–"

"I said no!"

"Kitten–"

"No, Axel," Roxas whined. "They did this to me downstairs. I don't like it; I can't move if I'm laid down."

Axel nodded, stood from his seat, and pulled Roxas up, scooting behind him with a leg on either side. He brought Roxas up between his legs, sat him down gently, and leaned him back upon his chest so he was half-sat and half-laid across the Tora's torso.

"There," Axel kissed the back of his head and swept his arms down Roxas's side. "Better?"

"A little," Roxas admitted. "But you can't flip out like your dad," he warned. "I don't have twenty gold pieces to be giving out a year."

"I'll try, Kitten."

"I must say this makes me rather nervous," Merlin said.

"Please, Merlin. I really don't like this as it is," Roxas whispered.

The Buta softened, pulling a thin instrument from his pocket. The end was split into two ear-plug like shapes of soft material, followed down by intertwined metal tubes before it ended in a large disc-like pad made of smoothed steel. The end was pinned with holes, the metal glinted with a sneaky shimmer, and as Axel interlinked his fingers through Roxas's to hold him still he could feel the anxious twitches jutting through the blond's muscles. The Neko pushed back to see Merlin warming the cold metal in his hand.

"What's that?"

"This is merely a device invented to measure the thrum of your atriums and ventricles. It will do no harm."

"What's an atrium and a venticle?"

"Ven-tri-cle," Axel said, kissing the side of his head and holding tighter to his hands. "They're chambers in your heart, Kitten–"

"What?" Roxas tried to jump up but Axel held him down. "No, it's fine. I don't want you to hear it; just leave it alone. "

"Kitten, they need to know–"

"No! Let go."

"Roxas, stop!" Axel growled, the sound vicious by the corner of his ear and leaving Roxas wincing. With a loaded breath Axel swallowed hard and held the blond's wrists, keeping him steady. "They need to know."

"But–"

"It could affect our kitten. You know you don't have the same limitations anymore, and if there's any chance this could hurt our kitten then I want it checked out. It might not even be safe for you to carry a kitten, and I'd die before I'd put you at risk again. Now please, sit still and tell them true. They need to know."

The white ears drooped and Roxas interlinked their fingers, closing his eyes tight. "I only have… half a heart. It doesn't have the usual beat because I gave half of it away to the Goddess for my sacrifice." He sucked in a suffocating breath. "This is my secret. If it passes either of your lips I swear I'll deny it and cut you down. I don't want people knowing."

"Half a heart…" Merlin sat on the end of the bed in awe, his eyes wide like saucers and his hands twisting his device. "Such a miracle if it is true. But how is such a thing possible? Did the Goddess perhaps give an explanation as to her reasons to take such a gift?"

"No."

Xemnas cleared his throat, setting down his quill and parchment. "You do understand the miracles you could help science achieve and understand if you were to give us access to such an item, don't you, Night Crawler?"

"That item you're talking about is his heart," Axel snapped. "And neither of you will get your hands on it until I'm buried six feet under. Understand me now that this secret stays exactly that. If so much as a hint of a word etching towards lack of normality is found in your report regarding this muscle I'll come for you." His eyes glittered dangerously. "Both of you. Now let's get this over with. Lean back, Kitten. It'll be okay."

Merlin warmed the device and placed it by Roxas's heart, plugging the ends into his ears. There came a soft flinch on Roxas's part for the cold on his bare flesh, and the nails digging into Axel's hands were unbearable.

"I must admit I am very curious," Merlin pondered, listening intently. "To what does this affect your body? Surely the ripping of the most important muscle must have had some impact; I can see that there is only half a beat." He clicked his tongue. "Deep breath, Night Crawler. See if you can't hold it for eight seconds."

Roxas did as he was bid, biting on his tongue before he was able to release it from his chest.

"And again," Merlin said. "Very good. This is… troubling. Pregnancy and the preparation of a kitten can be stressful for a woman, and as such it places huge stress on her internal organs; the heart, the lungs, the liver etc. There is no way I can go into great details on your body's inner-working without my utensils, so it will have to wait until a later date when we have you safely transported away from this place, but for now I am content that you can go through the early stages of pregnancy without great strain on your muscles. But there is still much to be done. This is only an examination of your first form. If you please, Night Crawler, I wish to inspect your female form."

Roxas tensed and Axel squeezed his hand.

"It's okay, Kitten. It's not your real form anyway, so what does it matter if they touch this one?"

"Because it is me, Axel; just a different gender of me." He sighed, utterly miserable. "Can I at least put my shirt back on?"

"It would be a useless action," Merlin answered. "I would have to ask you to remove it again."

The nod Roxas gave was weak, his tongue too thick in his mouth to speak and his mind slowly processing all that was happening. He closed his eyes and thought hard, concentrating on the form and feeling the tingling sparks dance along his nerves, slowly changing his structure to that of his wishes. When he was sure he had his female frame Roxas heard Merlin stop breathing momentarily, heard Xemnas's quill drop from his hand; behind him Axel moaned deeply, abandoning Roxas's hands to cover the plump breasts with his own palms and hide them, cupping them to keep their grace.

"Ow," Roxas murmured, his voice pitched at a higher note. He pulled forward as far as Axel allowed, the blond curls drifting over his shoulder as he looked back. "Axel, you're poking me."

"Sorry," was the rasped reply. The hands pressed Roxas back to his chest and the Tora buried his nose in the soft hair, his arms trembling to contain his overriding energy and the want to take the unmarked flesh. "You smell amazing."

"That would be the pheromones," Merlin said, taking his time to rub at his eyes, a small tint of red applying itself to his sallow cheeks. "Every mammal has its own distinct scent, and it is thought that when a mate finds another the smell is one of the first primal responses that draws them close. Although I myself cannot smell it, as I'm sure Xemnas cannot too, you may both be able to sense it on each other. It is only small, but can make a mate more desirable, especially when it is thought they could be pregnant. It is this that causes the reaction in Axel's own body, hence the extra aggression and the primitive behaviour Tora males show when a female is pregnant."

"So that's what does it," Roxas muttered, stroking the top of Axel's head to hear him purring tenderly. He scratched behind the redhead's ear, feeling the hands clamp down harder over his breast as the Tora bucked lightly behind him. "Aw, poor Axel has no self-control."

"You know not what you are teasing," Merlin warned. "You see how he is not responding logically? His eyes and thoughts are for you alone. This is what I fear may make my task difficult; if I approach you now he may become… aggressive. I wouldn't wish to place you or your kitten in that position."

"Axel won't get violent. I won't let him."

Merlin shook his head sadly. "Allow me to prove my point, Night Crawler."

He sat on the edge of the bed and slowly pressed his wrinkled hand to Roxas's lower leg. The action went unnoticed for a moment, but as the soft jade eyes looked over they darkened and the pupils dilated. The striped ears were thrown back and Roxas winced to have the nails dig deep into his breasts, drawing him back into the Tora's stiffened chest where the threatening growl snarled low from his throat; the striped tail twitched; the breaths became diabolically hard and the snarl vicious.

"Axel, behave. He's only trying to help."

Axel mewled tenderly – a sound Roxas had never heard from him before – and turned his attention to the blond's neck, nuzzling under the hair to kiss and nip the beautiful skin. Roxas blushed a furious red, loath to pull away, but as Merlin and Xemnas watched the interesting behaviour he coughed lightly, pushed Axel from him, and covered his breasts with his arm. His heart broke to see Axel's utter loss when he moved from him, and as he sat by the left of the bed the Tora frowned, his ears precariously perched.

"I'm sorry, Axel, but he's only trying to help. What is it you need to check, Merlin?"

The old Buta gave Axel a mistrustful glance. "Your breasts would perhaps be a good starting position. We must know if you are capable of making milk."

Roxas wrinkled his nose, feeling ashamed as he pulled his hands away to reveal the dark tips atop white buds. He picked up his shirt and swung it on, ready to button it back up as he nodded to Merlin, his hands pressed to his lap.

"Okay. Let's get it over with."

Axel sat with his nose wrinkled and his hormones raging uncontrollably. With a small noise in the back of his throat he turned a smile on Roxas, puffing out his chest in pride at the thought of the blond's growing belly, but when he saw timid hands reach out for his lover something in him snapped. His ears pressed down by his head and he snarled, flashing his canines and warning the male away from what was his.

The hands ignored his threat. When Roxas's nipples were pinched he lunged for the old Buta, growling brutally with his fist high and ready to strike. With a swift curse Roxas pushed Merlin away; the hand met the soft confines of the mattress and Roxas tugged Axel down to him, holding him against his chest and refusing to let go.

"Axel, look at me. Look at me!"

The green eyes stared and Roxas smiled, running a hand back through the red hair and kissing his lips softly. He stroked his thumb gently over Axel's jaw, feeling the strong arms relax and wrap around him instead, drawing over Roxas's shoulders and around his belly. The blond was pulled forcefully onto the Tora's lap, where he was held protectively with an extreme gentleness and reluctance to let go.

He gave Axel one last kiss and pressed the redhead's hand further to his belly. "We're okay, Axel. Me and Peanut are fine. You have to snap out of this; you have to listen and think rationally, okay? I need you to control these emotions."

Axel wasn't listening. Instead he purred softly with a smile for Roxas, running his thumb along the belly and kissing him, his heart overthrown with lovesickness.

"Night Crawler," Xemnas whispered at a deliberately low tone, hoping not to startle or enrage the Tora further. "I do not think we can continue with a Tora in the room without suitable sedatives to calm him. Would it be too much to ask that this once he sits outside? All the while you are in your female form his mind is going to be overrun by hormones, and they are telling him to protect you."

"But he isn't always like this," Roxas said, stroking the back of Axel's head with one eye closed for the soft spring of kisses being scattered over his cheeks. "He's normally a little protective, sure, but not this much."

"That is because his male hormones are programmed genetically to react to a female pregnancy," Merlin muttered, still startled and breathless. "When you are in your original form your male pheromones scramble his system, creating a much tamer version of this."

"But I was in my female form the other day; there was an accident and I had to switch. Axel was acting a little different, but not like this. He could speak at least, and he didn't attack anybody."

"No, but I am sure it is a thought that crossed his mind," Merlin whispered. "You are only early in your pregnancy, Night Crawler. It could be that you were not secreting pheromones in your previous female form as your body was still confirming the change within yourself, however now we can be certain; you are three weeks pregnant, your body knows this, and in your female form your scent instinctively calls for protection, to which Axel is answering. You must remember now that Axel is a Tora; essentially he is a descendant of something far superior than yourself, and his instincts are monstrously strong. As your pregnancy progresses these urges are only going to grow, however you are lucky."

"Lucky?"

"Yes. You have the option to revert to your original form and scramble his system. To do this would be to snap him from a trance, effectively, though he may remain dazed for a time. Look at him, Night Crawler; his language alone cries to cradle you. Now you must understand that Tora females are much hardier and prone to be trained by their mothers to behave in specific ways in order to cope with a male's changes. You yourself have no such way of knowing how to behave or perform, so it is vital that both you and Axel undergo some challenging training to ensure neither of you hurts the other."

"We wouldn't hurt each other," Roxas said, outraged at the very suggestion.

"I do not mean physical violence, Roxas, but this is his behaviour at a pregnancy of three weeks. In nine months' time you will be in your female form almost constantly to ensure you are prepared for labour, at such a time Axel will become restrictive, which may crush your Neko nature. We have to be very careful to protect your mental state at this time; your body is going to be stretched to new limits and we must be very careful to watch for signs of depression, especially if Axel is going to be so… intense. But that is a matter to be discussed at a later time when we can sit with both of you in a calm environment. Please, take him outside and we will be finished within ten minutes."

Roxas sighed and glared at Axel, blushing to feel the Tora's hands run up and down his front with breathless pants and small nudges for him to lay down and accept the throbbing length between the Tora's legs. Roxas ignored the suggestive body language and grabbed Axel's palm. "You're a damn pain in the arse, you know that?"

Axel hummed, following Roxas outside. The cold air caught him and he saw Roxas fasten the two buttons over his breasts, hiding them from view as he yelled down the corridor.

"Hey, Xaldin!"

"Little Prince?" The large Kuma stopped, looking back with Hayner and Xion on either side of him; baby Ajax was held securely in his mother's arms. They walked back to meet him, both Hayner and Xaldin with dropped jaws whilst Xion smiled and smacked her husband for staring.

"Little Prince different. Bonny not bold. Is… confusing."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Roxas muttered. "Look, I'll explain later, but I'm in a bit of a situation–"

"I can believe," Hayner winked, earning himself another smack from Xion that had baby Ajax giggling.

Xion clicked her tongue and handed Hayner his son, raising an eyebrow at Axel when the Tora tried to slip his hands up Roxas's top. Roxas smacked his hands down and Axel cried, the sound surprising all of them as he attacked Roxas's neck with swift kisses and luscious bites.

"Axel, stop. Damn-it, I said stop – Ngh… L-look, just do me a favour," he took hold of Axel's hands and sat him comfortably on a mahogany bench, giving his lover a light kiss. "I love you, Axel. Please, fight these hormones a minute and listen to me. I want you to sit on your hands, okay? Can you do that for me?"

Axel obeyed, leaning up to take Roxas's lips and kiss him deeply.

"Oh jeez. I've got my kid here, dude. Not cool."

"Sorry, Hayner," Roxas whispered, still staring at Axel with an enormous smile. "Xaldin, can you do me a favour?"

"Always. What Little Prince ask? It be done."

Roxas's smile darkened to a smirk. "Sit on him."

"Huh?" Axel's heart thrummed and he yelped to have the large Kuma land his heavy arse on his knees. He bucked uselessly, thrashing wildly, but his arms were trapped beneath him and the Kuma refused to move.

Roxas ignored the vicious snarls of his lover and turned to his friends. "Thanks. You don't know how intense he was getting."

"Oh, I think we can guess. I did ask you if you knew what you were getting into on my wedding day, remember? " Xion laughed. "You'd better get back in there. No doubt you're in the middle of a check-up, huh?"

"Unfortunately. What room are you staying in? I'll come see you when I'm finished."

"We're on the third floor, room three hundred and eight," Hayner said, bouncing Ajax up and down and tickling him. "But we'll more than likely wait here for you. Heck, we wouldn't want to leave Xaldin alone with your lunatic bloke."

"Night Crawler," Merlin poked his head through the door, standing confidently to see Axel thoroughly restrained. "We are ready for you. Let us proceed."

Roxas wilted. "Okay, I'm coming."

"Hang on." Xion caught his arm and hooked her own through it. "I'll go with you."

"You don't have to–"

"It's okay. Come on, let's go in. I'll talk you through what they're doing."

He managed a weak smile. "Thank you."

"No problem. Ajax, keep an eye on your daddy for me; mummy will be right back, baby."

She took Roxas's hands and led him into the room, hearing Axel growl behind them as they locked him outside.

Titan turned the corridor with Pete, Zack, and Cloud, following the two Neko's closely as they made their journey back with their hearts low. But as they turned the corner the sound of heavy grunts and familiar curses caught their ears, and as they looked up it was with huge surprise that they saw Axel struggling beneath Xaldin.

"Xaldin!" Titan roared, picking up his pace with his ears cast down, taking lead of their small group. "What is the meaning of this?"

Xaldin looked over with folded arms. "Little Prince ask Xaldin sit on angry Tora. Stop him biting Buta guests. Little Prince is Little Princess."

"What?" Cloud looked to the wooden door. "You mean Roxas…?"

"He was a girl, dude," Hayner said, holding a sleeping Ajax tight to his chest as he hovered away from the snarling Tora. "Xion's gone in with him because Axel turned into this."

Titan turned a raised eyebrow on his youngest child. Axel had stilled, staring intently at Xaldin's back, his ears skimming back and forth quickly without a care for any of the newcomers.

"He has been like this for how long?" Titan asked.

"Well, they said they'd be ten minutes," Hayner said, leaning back by the wall. "But it's been half an hour."

"Half an hour…" Titan repeated slowly, his eyes still trained on his changed son. "Axel, can you find your tongue enough to answer my questions or are you still struck dumb beneath your emotions?"

Axel's ear twitched outwards and he gave his dad a sour scowl. "Not dumb."

Titan grunted, sitting down on the bench beside him. "Yet you are not able to string a sentence together rationally? Axel, why are you in such a fit of rage? Tell me true and we may think on releasing you."

Axel bit his tongue for a moment, uselessly pulling on his hands before he gave up. His shoulders caved inwards and he whimpered, shocking them all when his shoulders began quivering.

"My kittens are in there," he whispered. "They're in there and I can't… I can't…" He growled viciously, yanking back and smashing his head into the wall, not caring for the heavy crack. "Let me go! Let me go now!"

"Your kittens…" Titan pondered on the words with astonishment. "You are speaking of your nickname for Night Crawler and your unborn, are you not, Axel?"

Axel struggled desperately. "He needs me. Roxas is in there with those damn men and he needs me to help look after our kittens. My kittens need me! Let me go!"

"Axel, Merlin and Xemnas will do Roxas no harm," Titan assured him, but Axel wasn't listening.

"I promised him. I promised I'd be there and you idiots have locked me out. Get this fat Kuma off me!"

"Axel watch your tone this instant or I will see you sleeping against your will," Titan warned. "Now, are you speaking true?"

Axel glared hard at his father, throwing his ears back. "Let. Me. Go."

Titan sighed and stood. "There is no talking sense with you when you are like this, but I believe you have given us some important information without knowing. Normally it would be much too early to tell, however I think we have our answer."

"Answer to what?" Cloud asked.

"It is known that we Toras act and react in accordance to a female's pregnancy if we find the mate desirable, the same with Ookamis and Raions. The more kittens that are to be expected, the more violent the male counterpart is to outsiders when protecting the female." He looked back to Axel raging in his seat and smiled. "We often use this before a heartbeat can be secured to determine how many kittens are to be expected, giving us an instinctive, yet dangerous, edge above the other nations when it comes to childbirth. Tell me, Zack, is the poll still going on in The Network?"

"The Network?" Zack kicked off the wall and looked nervously between Titan and Cloud. "They're gathering all bets until the end of the moon's turn. The sooner you get your bet down the better the odds, though."

"Good." Titan rummaged in his pocket and pulled a gold piece free, flicking it over to the adopted Neko with a full smile. "See to it my bet goes down tonight. Night Crawler is having twins."

Author's Notes:

Wow, this chapter gave me some trouble, but it's okay now! A lot happens in this chapter, so if there is any confusion I will be more than happy to clear it up, but I hope to explain it all within the following chapters!

mitzi-hindle - I'm so glad this chapter had you laughing! I like the nickname Peanut, and I think Roxas does too; as a nickname it's golden and definitely hanging around ;). I was really nervous about the intimate scene, so I'm glad you thought I pulled it off! I was worried I hadn't gotten Axel's character right. I hope you liked this chapter!

Stalker - No problem on the short review, it's just great to hear from you! I'm happy you liked the last chapter and to hear it made your day was fantastic! I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much :)

Dragonish Guest - I'm glad the intimate scene worked, I was very worried about it, so to know you liked it is a relief :) I hope you liked this chapter just as much! Cheers for the review! :)