A/N: Here is Chapter 21. Sorry for the shortness, but I wanted to go ahead and make an update because I have another busy week ahead. Thanks to Twilight-Angel-XIII, NinjaSheik, SuicuneLover12, and Anexi for reviewing! I love reviews, so keep clicking that button. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, it belongs to Disney and Square Enix

21. Plotting

Kanixa came awake suddenly, completely alert. Sitting up, she gazed around the room, halfway expecting to see Saïx glaring down at her. Only the silhouettes of furniture were visible in the dark. She sighed. Maybe her experiences with the Organization had made her paranoid, but the peace and quiet around her seemed sinister. Shoving off her blankets, Kanixa got to her feet. She could at least make a little tour of the house to ease her mind.

Opening the door just wide enough to slip through, Kanixa tiptoed down the hallway past Aerith's and Yuffie's bedrooms. Pausing between the two, she listened intently, but heard nothing. Satisfied, she descended the stairs, going slowly, carefully placing her weight on each stair so that it didn't creak underfoot. Finally, she made it down to the living room. The curtained windows didn't allow any light into the space, and she squinted in the gloom. It looked empty…shrugging, she felt her way across the room towards the kitchen, one hand brushing the wall to keep her on-course.

"Naughty, naughty, Kanixa. You should be asleep," someone said from behind her. Biting her lip to hold in a gasp, she whirled to see a black-coated silhouette behind her. "Relax," it added, pulling back its hood to reveal spiky red hair, clearly visible in the darkness. "It's just me."

"Axel. What are you doing here?" she hissed in a whisper.

He shrugged. "I was trying to sleep when I heard someone walking around. Then I saw you. Wearing white at night isn't exactly the best way to blend in," he said, gesturing at the nightgown she'd borrowed from Aerith.

Kanixa glared at him, reining in her childish impulse to stick out her tongue. "I'll keep that in mind," she snapped.

"So. What are you doing out of bed?" he asked, almost conversationally. She blinked at him, not expecting this to turn into a Q and A. As the silence stretched on, he began to tap his foot impatiently.

"Why do you care?" She folded her arms.

"I don't," he responded easily. "But if you don't lower your voice, you'll wake Aerith up. She might even give you a stern lecture," he finished, smirking.

Did Axel never tire of being obnoxious? How had he managed even one friend with that attitude of his? She wondered, annoyed. "You're the one who will wake her up if you don't shut up," she informed him in a whisper.

"Hmm. Then I guess you should tell me what I want to know," he replied seriously.

"Fine," Kanixa sighed, giving in. "I just had this feeling…like it was too quiet. I decided to check the house." She waited for the inevitable taunting to begin.

"The Organization won't be back for awhile," Axel said confidently.

"What makes you say that?" she asked curiously, glancing up at him.

"Xemnas won't be pleased by the failure to eliminate you. Allowing for recovery time, unless he sends Xigbar, you've got some breathing room."

"Recovery time?" Kanixa repeated, not quite sure she wanted to know what Axel meant.

"Failure to obey tends to result in pain," he stated matter-of-factly. "Since this is the second time that Saïx has failed to eliminate you…let's just say I wouldn't want to be in his shoes." Kanixa swallowed. As detestable as she found Number Seven, she couldn't work up any pleasure at the thought of torture. "The question is, how do you plan to use your window of opportunity?" he asked, green eyes watching her intently.

"As soon as I'm better, I'll have to leave," she said. "After that…I don't know. Just stay away from the Organization."

Axel began to clap mockingly, but stopped after one clap as he remembered the people sleeping upstairs. "Great strategy," he commented sarcastically.

"What? You have a better idea?" Kanixa sneered.

"How about we start with the root of the problem," he said slowly, choosing each word deliberately.

"What, the fact that we're Nobodies? Don't you think that if I knew how to fix that, I would have?"

"I meant the Organization," he replied, as if it were obvious. Kanixa clapped a hand over her mouth to prevent a laugh from escaping.

"You can't be—" she was about to finish her sentence with 'serious,' but Axel stared at her solemnly. "That's suicide! There's five of them—"

"And three of us. More if your friends here decide to pitch in. And let's not forget Sora. He's working to eliminate them too."

"You really think we have a shot?" she asked him, watching him carefully, wishing that she had better light to see his expression by. He did have a point—with the Organization out of the way, they could live out their existences in peace.

He laughed shortly. "Would I stick out my neck if I didn't? Trust me, Kanixa. The Organization is vulnerable. The time to strike is now," he said seriously. Kanixa just gazed at him. This was a new side to Axel, a cunning side—a dangerous side. A side that she hoped never went to work against her. Now she understood how he'd come to be the Organization's assassin. "Now, you should go back to bed. Wouldn't want Aerith to catch you awake past your bedtime," he teased, back to his normal obnoxious self.

"Good night, Axel." Kanixa climbed the stairs quickly, a chill running down her spine, and when she returned to the guest room she bolted the door. She would have to be careful around him, she thought, climbing back into bed. Despite the fact that he was friendly now, he could still be as cold-blooded as ever. If he ever decided to eliminate her, she felt certain he would accomplish it with the same frightening precision.

~*~*~*

Axel took a seat on the sofa that Aerith had made up for him, frowning thoughtfully. If he were to be honest, he hadn't formed a plan of action either when he'd asked Kanixa for hers. But suddenly, the pieces had clicked in his mind. Together, he, Demyx and Kanixa had the strength, knowledge and resources to take down the Organization if they played their cards right. And the downfall of the Organization would mean the safety of his two friends: Roxas, who had now joined with his other, Sora, and Kanixa. He didn't care about Demyx—he found the sitar player to be tolerable at best and in need of having his face rearranged most of the time—but Kanixa would be upset if anything happened to him. The Flurry of Dancing Flames sighed, stretching out on the sofa. That was a pity, because Number Nine really deserved a beating for all the ribbing he'd had the nerve to give Axel about Kanixa…

"So you stayed." Axel opened his eyes to become temporarily blinded by sunlight. Narrowing his eyes to slits, he could make out the form of Leon standing over him, arms folded. The warrior sounded disappointed.

Sitting up, Axel smirked at him. "Miss me?" he asked. Leon's face assumed an almost comical expression of disgust and outrage.

"Not on your life," the Gunblade wielder responded contemptuously. "Where's Kanixa?"

Axel's eyes narrowed. "You mean she's not here?"

"Would I ask you if she was?" Leon asked tersely. Axel, deciding he'd had enough of the brunette's attitude, opened his mouth for a rude comeback—

"Good morning to you, too," Kanixa remarked from where she'd paused on the last step. "I can see that neither of you are morning people."

"Morning?" Leon snorted. "It's the afternoon. I came looking for you. You were always up by now…." He trailed off uncomfortably, but the implication was obvious. Anika had always been an early riser, but Kanixa might not be the same. Kanixa's face closed off.

"I had a late night," she said levelly. "I think I'll go get some breakfast. Axel, come with me?"

Axel glared up at Leon. "Not hungry," he said shortly.

"Axel. Come with me." That resembled a command too much for his liking, but with a scowl he obeyed, following her into the kitchen. He leaned against the refrigerator, folding his arms, while Kanixa searched the cabinets for a bowl.

"What do you want?" he asked. It came out as a snap, but Kanixa didn't seem stung by his tone.

"I don't want you and Leon tearing each other apart. Hollow Bastion needs him, and if your plan is going to work, we need you," she responded.

"So you've decided to take on the Organization?" he asked, pleased by the news, though he didn't show it. Once she fell into line, Demyx would follow, and he could put his plan into action. The sooner that the Organization was gone, the better.

"If you and Demyx will help. And when I'm better," she said levelly. Axel glanced at her sharply, noting her marked lack of enthusiasm. She seemed contained, not like her normal self at all. It could be because she was still worn out from overusing her powers, but he didn't think so.

"What's eating you?" he inquired with his usual lack of tact.

"Nothing," she responded quickly—too quickly, as she set about filling the bowl she'd finally found with cereal. "I'll need to get to the milk," she said, waiting for him to step aside.

"Not until you say please," Axel informed her with a smirk, waiting for some flare-up of temper.

"Please," she said, glancing away at the scuffed linoleum underfoot. Something was definitely up. She should have met his demand with a rude comeback, but she'd obeyed immediately. Almost as if she were afraid of him...but that was stupid. Wasn't it? He hadn't so much as lifted a finger against her since Traverse Town, and after that he'd saved her life! Shouldn't she trust him by now? Reaching out a gloved finger, he grabbed her chin, forcing it up so that she had to meet his gaze.

"What did I do?" he demanded bluntly.

She looked confused, and then angry. "Let go of me!" she ordered with more of her usual temper, shoving him to make him take a step back. He folded his arms, glaring down at her.

"Well?" he asked.

She took a seat at the small kitchen table. "I just hadn't realized how dangerous you could be," she said simply. "With Demyx, I learned it early when he tried to kill me, and we've moved on since then. With you, it didn't really sink in until last night."

"You're not making sense! I didn't do anything!" Axel protested.

Kanixa sighed. "I don't really know how to explain it. But you asked, and I answered. Now can I have the milk, or will we have to duel for rights to the fridge?"

Axel stalked out of the kitchen, glowering, and out of the house. In the cobblestone square he ran into Demyx, almost literally, as Number Nine made his way over to Aerith and Yuffie's. "Hey, Axel," Demyx greeted him cautiously. When Axel shot him a venomous glare, instead of cowering like he would have before Kanixa had joined the Organization, he folded his arms and asked, "What's the matter with you?"

"None of your business, waterboy," Axel said shortly, heading for what remained of the bailey. He preferred to walk, to work off some energy. Maybe if he was lucky, he would run into some Heartless to vent his frustration on. Footsteps caught up to him, and he whirled towards the noise, summoning his chakrams.

"I said, none of your—" he snarled, pausing mid-sentence as he saw who stood behind him.

"I'm not Demyx," Kanixa said, stating the obvious, holding his gaze. "Can I talk to you?"Axel glared down at her wordlessly. "I'll take that as a yes." She sighed. "I'm sorry for what I said back there. It was rude, and it wasn't fair." Axel remained where he was, listening grudgingly. He knew that she hated eating her words almost as much as he did. "Will you forgive me?"

Forgive. A word that wasn't in the Nobody vocabulary. The Organization members were notorious for holding grudges—the group practically ran on revenge, Saïx especially. Only she would ask a question like that. He nodded shortly, and she smiled. "Good."

"You know, Kanixa, you'll need more than a lot of sleep to be ready for our mission," he said, deciding to change the subject to something less uncomfortable. "You need to work on your element."

"Who can I practice on?" She demanded. "Unless you or Demyx volunteer to be my guinea pigs." Her stomach growled. "Can we work this out after breakfast?" she asked.

Axel smiled. "Sure. Someone has to tell Demyx what he's in for." He smirked.

"How kind of you to volunteer him," Kanixa said sarcastically, already more like herself.

"Wasn't it, though? I'll even let you tell him." She glared at him.

"I'm honored," she said, before heading back to Aerith and Yuffie's. He smiled, glad things had gone back to normal.

~*~*~*

Kanixa re-entered Aerith and Yuffie's living room to find Demyx and Leon waiting for her. Surprisingly, it was Leon who asked, "What was that about?"

"Long story. Demyx, can I talk to you?" she asked.

"Sure, Nixa." Number Nine followed her into the kitchen obediently. Now that Axel no longer blocked the fridge, Kanixa added milk to her cereal, then sat down to dig in.

"Two things," she announced once she'd swallowed. "First…what is your basic opinion of Axel?" She watched Demyx carefully for a reaction, in case he decided to sugarcoat. He just looked at her blankly, confused.

"Huh?"

"Is he…dangerous? More so than the rest of them?" She paused, spoon halfway to her mouth, watching him expectantly.

"There was a rumor that he was an unofficial assassin for Xemnas in Castle Oblivion," Demyx said carefully. "And he does have a nasty side. But…he's loyal to his friends. That means you can trust him."

It took a moment for the Melodious Nocturne's comment to sink in. "But I'm not Axel's friend," she reminded him.

Demyx smiled. "If he doesn't consider you a friend, then why did he save your life on Traverse Town? Ever think of that?"

"You know what I think? I think you, Aerith and Yuffie need to be locked in a room together, because you all spout the same nonsense," Kanixa grumbled. "Axel has no friends. Which explains why he's so mean."

Demyx snickered. "Be glad he wasn't around to hear that."

"Second," she continued, ignoring him. "Axel wants to take down the Organization. I think it's a good idea. Are you in?"

Demyx smiled darkly. "Definitely."