New chapter!!! Phew, last dress rehearsal ended about an hour ago and we had some car trouble on the way home but I finally made it! My feet hurt beyond hurt and thanks to makeup and hairspray of gray I look like an old man (feel like one too) but at last, a new chapter! Sorry for the delay guys but I've been busy, surprise surprise, and 'The Fantasticks' opens tomorrow and I'm sooo ready for it all to be over. I'm exhausted and need a break…urg, tired. Well here you go, enjoy!

Chapter 14

Forever

It was late but sleep wasn't coming easy to any soul on deck that night, whether because of guilt or of angst. Demyx was one of the only people able to sleep, simply because he'd forced himself to almost half an hour before 10 o'clock. Keeping what Demyx said in mind, Riku left his cabin promptly at 10; this was possibly his only chance to feed for a week or more so he couldn't just ignore it, especially since Demyx had offered. On his way to the stairs though something distracted him. Noises. Familiar noises coming from…

"What the hell," was all he could say after staring at the door for several moments. He didn't know whether to congratulate Axel, shame Roxas, or curse both their names for being such idiots. 'So that's why he missed the calling…' he thought, ignoring the noises and hoping none of the others had heard. He wasn't about to interrupt them, especially since he was notorious for mocking Axel about the redhead's lack of sex. Still, something about his best friend screwing his lover's little brother was a bit disturbing.

'Wow…they've been going for at least 4 hours now…' he thought awkwardly, not sure how long they'd been at it before the calling though, 'I warned him not to get attached, he's only going to make it harder…' Harder was a poor choice of word considering it could be taken perversely and Riku corrected himself,

How long had he been asleep? Roxas wondered while opening his eyes only to stare across Axel's bare chest. A smile crossed his face when he thought about what happened last night, snuggling closer to him for comfort and warmth. It had all been new to him but the emotions and sensations were all too overwhelming to even consider stopping. He didn't regret it, not one bit…at least not until he tried to sit up. With a sharp wince he quickly laid back down, a fierce pain in his ass that he hadn't expected.

His movement and noise made Axel stir and he opened one eye to look over at him. Roxas smiled a little, sorry for waking him up but glad to see him return the smile, "Morning." Axel rolled onto his side and looked like he was about to kiss him, when suddenly a look of alarm crossed his face, "Morning?" A short look up at the light coming through the window confirmed it and Axel muttered a swear under his breath, "Shit," without another word he got out of bed and grabbed his clothes.

"Axel? What's wrong?" Roxas was confused but Axel ignored him and quickly dressed before running out of the room. He would have followed but he was so sore he couldn't; instead he remained in bed and watched as the door shut, leaving him in puzzled silence.

'I missed it…I missed the calling. I'm in trouble,' he thought frantically, hurrying up the stairs as he pulled on his jacket and tried to tame his hair. 'How? How could I forget?' he asked himself. Well the answer was obvious: Roxas. He'd been so consumed in his new love that the sheer pleasure must have outweighed the pain caused by the calling. As he turned the corner he crashed right into Zexion though and since the Necromancer was much smaller than him he was knocked back into the floor. "Are you okay?" Axel asked as he helped up his fallen friend.

Zexion looked tired but smiled and nodded, "Fine…You look a bit flustered though. Something wrong?"

"The new plan, what is it?" he said shortly and Zexion's smile fell when he remembered that Axel wasn't there last night, "Where were you?"

"Did the captain notice?" Axel said, dodging the question with another.

Zexion shook his head, "I don't know. He didn't say anything about it but…Where were you, he called and-"

"Axel."

Axel was grateful that the conversation was interrupted but the tone in Riku's voice made him a little edgy, wondering what he knew. "Are you feeling better? I told you to stay in bed and rest," Riku said, coming over and putting a hand on Axel's forehead, "You've still got that fever too but it's good to see you can at least sit up now."

"Oh you're sick? Go back to bed," Zexion insisted, pushing Axel back to the stairs, "Riku make sure he gets sleep."

"That's unnecessary, I can-"

"Sure thing Zexion, come on Axel," Riku knew. He didn't have to say anything more. It was as plain as daylight and Axel reluctantly followed alongside him back down the stairs, somewhat relieved that he'd been spared explaining to Zexion.

"Naughty, naughty Axel," he taunted when Zexion was gone, grinning a little and enjoying watching Axel's face redden to a color similar to his hair, "Doing the nasty with innocent little Roxas." Now he was just having fun with his knowledge and Axel grumbled a note of displease. "Quite noisy too," Riku teased, holding his hands behind his back.

"You're some kind of pervert if you stood outside my door listening," Axel hissed, crossing his arms and looking away, flustered beyond flustered.

Riku laughed a bit but had an abrupt change of tone, "And you're some kind of idiot since you slept with the person you're trying to help get away."

Roxas lifted his head when he saw the door opening, wondering if Axel was back already and he was glad to see him come in but confused when Riku followed. He quickly realized he was still naked and pulled the blankets up over his bare shoulders, hoping his state wasn't obvious. Nobody said anything but both of the pirates were staring at Roxas, who couldn't last long under the stares, "Why don't you go get a bath. I need to talk to Axel for a bit," Riku said with a smile that obviously held no meaning.

"Whatever you have to say, he can hear it too," Axel said firmly which came as a mild surprise to Riku, though he quickly recomposed his smile and nodded, "You're right. He'll probably get dragged into it all anyway."

"Dragged into what? What's going on?" Roxas asked, not entirely sure if he wanted to know. Axel came over to the bed though and sat down beside him, putting his hand on Roxas' shoulder as if to assure him things would be fine. They listened as Riku retold them what Xemnas had announced at the meeting on deck last night, concluding with, "So Roxas, did you know anything about this?"

Roxas was speechless. His grandfather had planned the whole thing? The look on his face said it all and Axel quickly turned the question away from him, "Ofcourse he didn't, and you don't need to ask him things like that."

Riku merely smirked a little and Roxas looked away, uncomfortable under his stare, "You're right, not like he'd tell us anyway…Sorry your highness." He knew something, it was plain to see and Axel for the first time ever felt like Riku wasn't on his side. Without another word he left the room, shutting the door behind himself and as soon as he was gone Roxas sighed shakily and hugged the pillow to his head.

"Hey, don't let him get to you," Axel said, quickly swooping down to comfort him.

Roxas said nothing for several moments, just staring across the room at a smudge on the wall, "…You love me…right Axel?"

"Ofcourse," Axel didn't hesitate to answer, worried about Roxas now and wondering what was wrong. The next words he heard though were anything but comforting, "…Would you still love me no matter what happens?" The silence that followed made them both uncomfortable and that was when he realized: Riku knew exactly what Roxas meant.

"Roxas…" before he could say anything else there was a sharp pain in his chest but it wasn't the usual one he got when he was called. He wasn't sure what this one was and he couldn't control a growl as it got worse, driving him to lie down and cling to his chest. His ears were ringing and he could barely hear Roxas calling his name frantically as he sat up and leaned over him. Axel's vision blurred and the last thing he saw was Roxas' tear stained face before his eyes rolled back into his head and he lost all consciousness.

"Axel! Axel!" Roxas was frantic and he shook him in a desperate attempt to wake him up but he soon realized something even more frightening: he wasn't breathing. "…Help! Riku come back!" he yelled, grabbing Axel's jacket from the floor and pulling it on as he hurried for the door. As soon as he opened it though and ran into the hall he screamed; Riku was lying at the base of the stairs and it looked like he'd fallen. When Roxas checked he realized that, like Axel, he wasn't breathing, "What…what's going on?!"

He stepped over Riku and hurried up the stairs, "Help! Somebody!!" Only three steps up he froze dead in his tracks when he saw the captain at the top of the stairs.

"They're all dead," he said smugly but Roxas was too afraid to move or say anything even as he descended the stairs toward him. "They'll wake up, just as soon as Xaldin finishes with them," Roxas didn't ask what he meant by that, for as soon as Xemnas' hand grabbed his chin he turned and ran as fast as he could, jumping over Riku and hurrying back to Axel's room. His body ached and though he couldn't run quickly he didn't have to worry because the captain merely walked after him, kicking Riku out of the way easily. Roxas shut the door behind him and reached to lock it but the lock was still shattered from when Saix broke in.

Whimpering a little Roxas looked around nervously before diving under the bed and holding his breath. Something told him that the mark on his neck would do nothing to protect him now and he held in his nervous breaths as the door opened and shut casually. Footsteps crept closer to the bed and Roxas was shaking violently, freezing instantly though when Xemnas said, "I wonder…How many times I can slit his wrists before you come out from hiding. After three, I'll have to skip straight to his throat."

There was a moment of silence and Roxas bit his lip, but he couldn't control himself. "One," as soon as Xemnas said it Roxas knew he wasn't kidding and he crawled out from under the bed, the captain immediately striking him across the head and sending him to the floor. The impact hurt his chest and he clasped a hand over the bullet wounds, whimpering but it turned to shouting and protesting when the captain grabbed the front of his jacket and forced it open, easily pushing him down.

"Axel! Wake up!!" he screamed looking desperately up at the bed but only able to see his arm hanging off the bed, a large slit across his wrist and blood leaking down from it, "Axel please!" It was no use but Roxas continued to scream and cry for his help even after Xemnas had stuffed a gag into his mouth. He couldn't stop the tears, his body ached worse now than this morning and he knew he'd have bruises from where he'd been struck. It didn't last long but the whole thing made him sick, Xemnas wasn't gentle at all like Axel and he left him lying there on the floor. His arms were still tied to the bed post above his head and his wrist was bent awkwardly, clearly broken or sprained, and the gag still in his mouth making breathing more and more difficult.

He heard the door open and close again and he knew Xemnas was gone but he didn't bother looking over. His cries for help had ceased long ago and now he just laid there staring up at Axel's motionless hand with blank eyes. He didn't want him to wake up anymore. He didn't want him to see him like this. Broken.

With a sharp gasp for air Axel sat up abruptly, his hand shooting up to his chest to catch his racing heart. The room was a dark red from the setting sun, almost a blood red and Axel reminded himself of the old rhyme: red sky at night, sailor's delight. But something was wrong; he couldn't remember what happened leading up to now. He remembered waking up and leaving to find what happened at last night's meeting and Riku had filled him and Roxas in but after that…Roxas. He wasn't in bed and Axel looked around the room for him, realizing quickly that there was dried blood around his wrist coming from a cut he knew he hadn't had before.

Axel began to worry and as he started to get out of bed he saw a sight that made his blood boil and his chest ache, "Roxas!" he didn't move even after Axel crouched down beside him and began to undo the binds on his wrists, being careful of the obviously fractured left one. Bruises were surfacing over his torso and arms as well as his upper legs. He was unconscious but he didn't need Roxas to tell him what happened or who had done it to him. He'd deal with that later, right now he had to take care of Roxas.

As he was setting him into bed Riku came in to see if he knew anything about what happened, freezing when he saw the condition Roxas was in, "You're planning something against him right?" Axel asked, looking over to Riku with utter anger in his eyes, "Whatever it is I want in. The bastard will die at my hands."

And like that a third member had joined the mutiny, but Axel was in no mood to hear any of his plan now and Riku knew that. He shut the door behind himself as he left without a word, leaving Axel to tend to his lover.

"Roxas…I'm so sorry…" Axel felt horrible. All of this had happened right next to him and he'd done nothing to stop Xemnas, even after he'd promised nothing like this would happen to him again. Axel waited. He waited for Roxas to wake up. He waited for three hours and finally he opened his eyes, staring up at the ceiling before turning their gaze over to Axel. The redhead looked relieved to see him awake but when he saw Roxas' eyes that relief turned to utter despair. There was no smile on his face and no life in his eyes. Roxas just stared at him for a few seconds before rolling his head back over and staring at the ceiling again. "I'm sorry Roxas," Axel said quietly, repeating himself with a little more force this time, "I'm sorry…I couldn't protect you."

"…Go away."

The words hit hard and Axel felt his heart crack, the pain showing in his face, "Roxas I love you, please. I couldn't do anything."

"Go away," Roxas repeated, looking over to the opposite wall away from Axel. Axel said nothing more. He just stared at him for several minutes before standing up and turning for the door but not moving. He couldn't just leave, "…No. I'm not leaving." Roxas said nothing but when Axel came around to the other side of the bed to see him Roxas cut his eyes down at the mattress to avoid looking at him.

"I'm sorry Roxas but there was nothing I could do and you've got to understand that!" he said, sounding firm now and holding to his position, "When Xemnas pulls the plug it's all over until he turns us back on, there's nothing we can do."

"You were right there though!" Roxas practically shouted, still unable to look at him. His voice softened though and it sounded shaky as he repeated, "…You were right there." He still felt ill and he shut his eyes to try and keep the tears in as he pulled the covers tighter around his body, "He…You were right there." Roxas didn't protest when Axel sat down beside him on the bed and leaned down, wrapping his arms carefully around the limp body. "Roxas…I swear, upon my life…he will never touch you again as long as I live," hearing Axel say those words finally broke Roxas' hold on his tears and he cried into his shoulder. It was painful. He loved Axel, he truly did, but he couldn't spend his life like this.

"…I'm tired," he said quietly as his tears calmed down. Axel understood, nodding and letting go of him carefully though he still felt awful. As he started to get up though Roxas took hold of his sleeve and looked up at him with cloudy eyes that still held the broken spirit but showed signs of the old life trying to fight it's way back into control, "Stay with me…" Axel was confused at first and Roxas breathed shakily, "Stay with me. Not just for today. Not just until a way off this ship comes up…Stay with me forever."

Axel didn't know what to say at first. Forever? "Roxas…"

"I want to stay with you Axel. I want to wake up and see you every morning," Roxas continued holding onto Axel's sleeve, "I want you…"

Forever…It wasn't a week, or a month, or a year. It was forever, "What about your home?"

"…You are my home," Roxas broke Axel with those words and the redhead smiled as he lay back onto the bed, holding Roxas close to his body and intertwining their fingers, "Forever…A forever with you sounds promising," Axel said, smiling and kissing his forehead.

Roxas smiled and rested his head comfortably against Axel's chest, "Forever…I love you Axel."

"I love you too Roxas," Axel said lulling the boy in his arms into a peaceful sleep. 'Forever…' he thought, still smiling as he heard his breathing slow and level,

Ah, love…truly a lovely thing. So will they be together forever? And just what is Riku's plan? What about the pirate's 'death,' what was that all about? Hm…I know, but for now I'm off. Need to shower and wash this gray hair spray out of my hair and FINALLY get to sleep…kehehe…sleep. Such a lovely word. My fellow Amanda-kins is just as tired as I am, but she said she was going to stay up and read this so now she can finally go to sleep too.

Heee! I'm happy! One of my cast-mates is a reader of this story and I found out the other day! It made me sooo happy to know I'm not the only yaoi-fanatic in the school. Like I said Amanda-kins: new chapter. Now I'm off. Hope you all enjoyed it and I wish you all the best in all the world!

Your loving bohemian, Mad-TopHat-Ter

(PS: Please wish us luck for tomorrow's opening night!)