A/N: Here is Chapter 14. Hopefully it's better than the last chapter. Thank you to all who reviewed! Updates will slow down soon because my workload is about to increase, so bear with me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

14. Escape

"Why, Kanixa," Axel's voice greeted. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Let go, Axel," she snapped, wrenching free of his grip and turning to face him. Pulling down the hood of his Organization coat, he smirked down at her.

"I heard what you said down there," he informed her. "So, you want to leave the Organization."

"That's right. Feel free to go running to Saïx with the news," she snapped. "I told you, Axel, I never asked to join. Why should I waste my existence around people like Xemnas and Saïx?"

"My thoughts exactly," he said surprisingly, smiling. "Think for yourself. Strike out on your own."

"You're agreeing with me. That worries me," she said bluntly. She didn't believe him for a minute. He was probably here to set a trap of some kind. "What do you want?"

"But there seems to be one small hitch in your plan," Axel continued as though she hadn't spoken. "You're going to go off on your own, which is treason against the Organization, and your first independent act is to go back to base, where the entire Organization is waiting, to attempt to free Demyx?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Do you have a better idea?" she asked in her most sweet tone.

"As it happens, I have something that I need to pick up back at base myself," Axel said mysteriously, tone sinister. "And since you're going that way anyway, Kanixa, why don't we go together?" He held out a hand for her to take.

"Gee, Axel, I don't know. Probably because as soon as we get there I'll be tossed in the dungeon, while you laugh hysterically at your trick. Sound about right?"

He scowled at her. "You don't want my help? Then fine," Axel declared. With a flick of his wrist, he opened a portal. He prepared to walk into it, but she grabbed his arm.

"Axel, wait a minute. You're right. I probably can't succeed in saving Demyx on my own. I don't really have any choice but to trust you." She took a breath, swallowing her pride. "So I guess what I'm saying is, please take me with you."

Axel paused, green eyes narrowed, studying her. "Fine," he conceded grudgingly. "But you'd better keep up." Shaking off her grip, he wrapped one hand around her wrist and stepped into the portal, towing her in after him. His rapid pace coupled with his long stride made it hard to keep up.

"Can you please slow down?" she snapped. He glanced back at her, mouth open for a stinging retort, and stopped.

"You don't look so great," he commented, releasing her, running a hand through his spiky hair. "I take it that the Keyblade master was too much for you?" he added, unable to pass up the opportunity for a snide comment.

"Not exactly," she said, refusing to rise to his bait. "I wasn't in the fight long. The dog knocked me unconscious."

Axel reached into the recesses of his coat, pulling out a green bottle. "Here," he said, uncorking it and holding it out to her. "It's just a potion," he added, annoyed, when she gave it a suspicious look.

"Thank you, then." Under his watchful gaze, she drank it. Immediately, the pain in her head dulled, and soon it had faded altogether. "Why so generous?"

"What do you mean?" As Axel took the bottle and tucked it back into his coat, his face closed off, becoming expressionless.

"You didn't have to heal me. I'm not your responsibility anymore. I'm a traitor now." She watched him closely for a reaction.

"So am I," he said shortly, walking off.

"You?!" She demanded, incredulous. "But…why?" Noticing that he was drawing pretty far ahead, she hurried after him. "It's about Roxas, isn't it?" Axel kept silent, but his scowl told her that she'd guessed right. "Does Xemnas want him gone, now that he has…well, had…me?" she asked hesitantly. She rather doubted it—if that were the case, Number Eight probably would have murdered her on sight instead of stopping her for a conversation.

Axel laughed bitterly. "You don't know the half of it." He stopped to gaze at her. "You know, defecting was actually a smart move on your part, Kanixa," he said finally. "This way you can expect a blow from the front, instead of getting a stab in the back."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded, folding her arms. Whatever it was, she felt certain that she wouldn't like it.

"You were the one who was going to be eliminated, after they regained Roxas," Axel said. "You were only meant as a temporary replacement. Good to know that Xemnas has all of our best interests at heart, isn't it?" he added with a smirk.

Kanixa froze. "Tell me, Axel, how do you know this?" she asked finally in a level voice. "You were the one who was supposed to assassinate me, weren't you?"

"Saïx implied as much," Axel admitted. "I've been the Organization's assassin before, after all. I think he meant it as a test of my loyalty to the Organization. As you can see, I've failed."

"You know, Axel, I think I'll take it on my own from here." Kanixa walked past him, on the outside perfectly calm, but on the inside raging. He'd been going to kill her. He'd been going to kill her! Not insult or annoy or injure or imprison, but kill. And apparently he had no qualms about it, as he'd mentioned it as casually as if Xemnas had assigned him to mow the lawn.

"If I had wanted to kill you, Kanixa, you would have died back there in the bailey," Axel pointed out angrily. "Doesn't that prove—"

"All that it proves, Axel, is that you want me around for the moment. If it's to your advantage to eliminate me, then you will." She sighed. "I don't really know what to think. I guess I thought you were through hating me for taking Roxas's position. Looks like I was wrong." And, desperate for some peace and quiet to consider the information, she opened a portal away from her would-be assassin.

~*~*~*

Axel's green eyes widened as Kanixa opened a portal away. "That's not true!" he burst out, his lips moving on their own, as she stepped into the darkness. "I…don't hate you." Axel closed his mouth, knowing that the words were true even as he said them. She could be annoying, willful, and a smart aleck, but he'd gotten used to having her around…maybe he even enjoyed it, a little.

To his surprise, she stopped, one foot in the portal. Turning back to face him, she folded her arms, the portal still swirling behind her as a means of a quick exit. "What did you say?" she asked levelly, face expressionless.

"I said, I don't hate you," he snapped, embarrassed.

"That's a moving statement if I've ever heard one," she commented sarcastically. Then she smiled. "I guess that I don't hate you, either. So we're even. This still doesn't mean that I trust you," she added, tone turning hard.

"Well? Are you coming?" he demanded, throwing up his hands. He didn't have time to waste chatting with her. He needed to recover Kairi as soon as possible. She was only useful to him alive, and who knew what Saïx would do to her?

"Yes, but you're walking in front of me. I don't want one of your chakrams in my back." He glared at her, but she stared him down, not intimidated by his fierce expression.

"Fine," he growled, striding off. Why had he even told her about the plan for her elimination? He wondered, annoyed with himself. Now that she was a traitor, she'd be eliminated anyway if caught—then again, so would he. And he'd never been a motor-mouth. He delighted in being cryptic, playing mind-games with colleagues and enemies alike. But he'd felt compelled to tell her, in case Saïx or someone brought it up to make him look bad later. He needed her to accompany him to the World that Never Was, if only to provide a distraction. While she was busy trying to save Demyx, no one would be watching poor, defenseless Kairi down in the dungeon. It would make his job there that much easier.

"Axel? What exactly are you going back to the castle to pick up?" Kanixa asked from behind him. It was just an innocent question, but he bristled.

"If I'd felt like telling you, I would have. Got it memorized?" he snapped.

"Someone's touchy," Kanixa remarked, sounding unconcerned.

"Shouldn't you be worrying about saving your friend?" Axel demanded, patience fraying.

"I am," she replied quietly. "It's my fault he's in this situation, as I'm sure you heard." He had heard. Actually, Kanixa had saved the sitar player's life. Watching the fight from the bailey, Axel could tell that Demyx had lost all intention of re-forming Roxas and had been out to kill Sora. If Kanixa hadn't broken up the fight, then Axel would have had to eliminate Demyx. The end of Sora now meant the end of Roxas, something that he couldn't allow. "We should hurry," she said shortly, catching up to him and looking up at him expectantly.

We. A dangerous word, one that Axel disliked. It implied a relationship, a commitment. And his experiences in Castle Oblivion had taught him how easily a relationship could be betrayed. Then, he'd emerged unscathed as the betrayer. But what if this time he ended up as the betrayee? Still, he let Kanixa's use of the hated word slide. Somehow, though he wouldn't admit it even to himself, it didn't sound quite as terrible when she said it. Wordlessly, he matched his stride to hers as they moved through the corridor. After a few minutes' walk, he felt the tugging sensation that indicated he'd reached his stop. He opened a portal into the castle. "Ladies first," he invited with a smirk.

She slipped through the portal without a protest. He followed after, and found himself standing in front of the dungeon cell. "I'm going after Demyx," she whispered before he could say anything. "I'll meet you back here."

"You have ten minutes, or else I leave on my own," he warned. "And don't come here—meet me at Memory's Skyscraper." She nodded, before vanishing into a portal, presumably to Demyx's room. Axel turned his attention to the cell in front of him. For some reason, the entire interior had been painted a dark violet, a severe contrast to the whites and grays in the rest of the castle. Against the back wall, Kairi sat, hugging her knees to her chest. Her head drooped onto her knees, red hair obscuring her face.

He used a portal to bypass the bars, reappearing right beside the Princess of Heart. She glanced up at the noise. Her blue eyes narrowed in anger. "You," she spat.

"I know we got off to a bad start, Kairi," he said smoothly, kneeling beside her. "I feel bad about it, I really do. So I've come to rescue you."

"Rescue me?" she snorted, eyeing him. "You're almost as bad as Saïx, with your phony I-care-about-you act."

"All right, how about this?" he snarled, wrapping his long fingers around one of her slim wrists. "You come with me, and I don't kill you." The ferocious expression on his face, and the fact that his grip had tightened to a painful level, made her whimper. "I thought you'd see it my way," he whispered, getting to his feet, pulling her up with him. In the space of a minute, they'd vanished into a portal.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kanixa stepped out of her portal and into Demyx's room. To her surprise and relief, the Melodious Nocturne was there, strumming on one of his practice sitars. He glanced up at her as the portal closed, eyes cold. "Kanixa. What are you doing here?" he asked flatly, the greeting lacking his usual warmth.

"You said that they would eliminate you. I came to make sure that you were all right," she said, disappointed but not surprised by his hostility.

"Well, as you can see, I'm still here. So why don't you leave, already?" he snapped.

"Demyx…" she trailed off uncomfortably. Why was he being so stubborn?

"You're a traitor to the Organization, Kanixa. That means I should eliminate you on sight. Leave now and I won't kill you. Stick around long enough, and I'll change my mind," he threatened in what she recognized as his most menacing tone.

Kanixa was rattled a little by the threat, but she didn't show it. "Why won't you just listen to me?" she demanded in a whisper. "The Organization—"

"The Organization is the only way I can become whole again," he said firmly. "I'm not giving up that chance for anyone. Even someone who used to be my friend," he added, dropping his gaze.

That hurt. "Well…do what you need to do, Demyx," she said finally, unable to think of a better response. She paused. "I guess this is the last time I'll see you, then."

"If you're lucky," he agreed. "If I see you after this, I'll have to fight you. And…one of us won't walk away from that." Despite his earlier threat, he didn't seem completely comfortable with the idea.

Kanixa swallowed, an act which the uncharacteristic lump in her throat made difficult. If she could cry, then she would be right now. She smiled at Number Nine. "I'll miss you, Demyx," she told him, before turning around to open a portal. "I'm sorry that we couldn't end up on the same side."

Before she could step into the portal, a hand grabbed her elbow. "Kanixa, wait." She glanced back to see Demyx right behind her. "Be careful…all right?" he asked, releasing her. "You'd better get out of here before someone finds you. Go!" He gave her a small shove into the portal that she'd opened.

Once inside the corridor of darkness, Kanixa moved quickly. After only a few feet, she found the exit point, and stepped out onto the front steps of the skyscraper. "Took you long enough," Axel drawled from somewhere behind her. She turned to see him standing at the foot of the steps, a girl in tow.

"Demyx isn't coming. Axel…who is that?" she asked levelly, looking the new arrival over. He'd wanted to come to the castle to find a girl?! Was she a girlfriend, a hostage…the latter, Kanixa decided. The redhead was glaring up at Axel with true hatred.

"I'm Kairi," the girl snapped before Axel could speak. "And he's kidnapping me!"

"I'm not kidnapping her. I'm rescuing her from Saïx," corrected Axel, green eyes watching Kanixa warily for a reaction. "So, really, she should thank me."

"Yeah, after you left me with him in the first place," Kairi snarled. Number Eight shot her a glare.

"You left her. With Saïx? Axel, what were you thinking?!" Kanixa demanded.

"I had no choice," he snapped. "Save your questions for later. We need to leave before—" As he spoke, a portal swirled open a few feet away. "Uh-oh," Axel murmured. He opened his own portal, and prepared to leap into it with Kairi. "Come on!" he ordered, glancing back at her.

"No time," she whispered, a sinking feeling in her gut. And of course, Axel saved himself, disappearing into the portal just as Saïx stepped out of his. It had to be the Luna Diviner, Kanixa thought, cursing her bad luck. Not that any of the others would have been merciful, but at least they wouldn't reach Saïx's level of cruelty.

"Kanixa," he said, pronouncing her name as if it had a bad taste. "You were foolish to come back here."

She shrugged. "Maybe it's better this way. No prolonged chase, no waiting to be found," she said, with a courage that she didn't feel.

"You are no longer acting in the best interest of the Organization. And for that, you will be eliminated," he said matter-of-factly. "But first, we have a few questions for you." He summoned his claymore. Kanixa gulped, knowing that Saïx would destroy her in a fight. Fortunately, she could make him not want to fight her. She didn't want to try anything too extreme, because he might become suspicious, so she couldn't just make him let her go. She focused on him, willing him the emotion of overconfidence. "There would be no challenge in fighting you," he said contemptuously. "Come with me." He gestured back towards the portal that he'd stepped from.

"I don't think so." Before she'd finished speaking, Kanixa was already running towards Fragmented Crossing.

"Running will get you nowhere," Saïx called after her. A line of lesser Nobodies sprang into being in front of her. Mostly Dusks, and a few odd things that appeared to be mostly feet, but behind them was one hulking creature, carrying a huge hammer in front of it. Kanixa paused for a second, daunted, and then summoned her Keyblades and her Sneaks. Most of her Sneaks stalked towards the huge Nobody, while Kainxa used her Keyblades on the Dusks. She struck down a cluster of two or three, and was moving on to the next group when something sprang out of the ground in front of her. She didn't get a good look at the creature, which appeared to be mostly spiky arms and legs, but it cut down the trio of Dusks in front of it before moving on. Swimming through the ground, it popped up only to ambush another Dusk. It almost looked like one of Axel's Assassin nobodies…impossible. Axel was long gone, dragging Kairi, whoever she was, with him.

A new line of Nobodies sprang out of the ground just in front of her, and Kanixa recoiled, Keyblades up and ready to strike. To her surprise, the new arrivals turned on those that Saïx had summoned. These new allies were unlike any Kanixa had seen before. They almost looked like girls, with the symbol of the Nobodies imprinted on their torsos like tops, and baggy beige pants. Where had they come from?

Music sounded from behind her—sitar music. Kanixa glanced over her shoulder. "Dance, water, dance!" Demyx called. He stood between her and Saïx, facing the Luna Diviner. The older man's lips curled into a snarl, and he raised his claymore, but was knocked backwards by a wave of water from Demyx. While he was still recovering, Demyx started towards her.

"Demyx, what are you doing?" Kanixa hissed, pausing mid-strike with her Keyblades.

"What does it look like?" He shot her an annoyed look. In a second, he'd reached her. "Let's go!" He opened a portal and tugged her in with him. "Saïx will follow us," Demyx warned as he pulled her through the mists at a run. "We have to find somewhere to hide out. Any ideas?"

"Demyx, you have to go back," she told him. "You'll be—"

"A traitor?" He laughed shortly. "Doesn't matter." Footsteps pounded up behind them. "Here he comes!" Demyx hissed, moving to a portal.

"Kanixa!" Axel halted a yard or so away, still holding Kairi by a wrist. And his grip was apparently the only thing that kept her standing. She slumped beside him, out of breath and panting.

"You might want to let her sit down before she passes out," Kanixa advised.

"Huh?" He glanced down at his hostage, and scowled. He released her, and she collapsed to sit by his feet.

"I thought you'd be long gone by now," commented Kanixa. "You disappeared quickly enough when Saïx arrived."

"I had no choice!" Axel snapped. "If I had stayed to help you, the brat would have escaped!" He glared down at Kairi, who glared right back from her seat on the ground.

"So, you've been hanging out here waiting for me. How sweet. If Demyx hadn't decided to pitch in, you might have been waiting for a very long time." She glanced over at Number Nine, who now stood beside her, glaring at Axel. "Why did you change your mind, anyway?"

"Saïx may still be coming. We should go," Demyx said, evading the question.

"He won't follow us until after he's reported to Xemnas," said Axel with certainty.

"Us?" Demyx repeated, a dark smile on his face. "You—"

Sensing that an argument was on the verge of breaking out, possibly a violent one, Kanixa cut in on Number Nine's reply. "Now, boys, can't we save this for later? Demyx is right that we need to move. Whether Saïx is following us or not, someone could find us by accident."

"I know of a place," Axel spoke up.

"Where?" Kanixa demanded, folding her arms. If he took them to Halloween Town, she would just have to find somewhere else on her own. That world gave her the creeps.

Axel smirked at her. "If I told you, then it wouldn't be a secret."

"How do we know that this isn't a trap?" asked Demyx, glaring up at Axel.

Axel opened his mouth to deliver a biting comment, but Kanixa spoke first. "It's not," she said, and Axel closed his mouth. "After all, why would he kill off one of the few people among the worlds that he doesn't hate?" she asked, smiling over at her former mentor.

"Keep it up and I'll change my mind," Axel threatened, glaring. But it wasn't his most ferocious glare, not by a long shot.

"And that would just break my heart," she fired back.

Kairi spoke up from her seat on the ground. "I don't feel so well," she murmured to no one in particular. She didn't look that great either. She'd gone pale, and a sheen of sweat shone on her forehead.

"Can you walk?" Kanixa asked the other girl. Kairi shook her head, looking miserable. Kanixa wondered why the girl had lost her spunk, and suddenly the answer came to her. She halfway expected a lightbulb to flash over her head. Kairi was the only member of the party with a heart, and she'd been standing in a corridor of darkness for who knew how long—that was bound to have an effect.

"Axel, you kidnapped her. You carry her," she instructed. He glared at her, but did as instructed. It said volumes for how badly Kairi must feel that she didn't protest. "Now, where exactly are we going?"

"Just follow me," Axel ordered, stalking off, the others following. This had to be the oddest team ever, Kanixa reflected: herself, Demyx, Axel, and his kidnapee. They walked in silence, which probably made the trip seem longer than it was, but it still took them a good half hour's march. Then, Axel held up a hand for them to stop. He opened a portal, and they followed him onto a cobblestone street.

"Traverse Town," Demyx said, glancing around. "You know, Axel, you might have actually had a good idea—for once."