I wake up early at morning when something breaths on my neck. I think that the sniffer is Moomin. I open my eyes and turn on my back. Nice. Xainn has taken most of space at middle of bed, and Nenjax has stolen the blanket to herself completely. Moomin pokes her snout on my cheek.

"Okay, okay. What is it?" I mumble and rise up to sit. Moomin waves her hands and releases weird sounds, but I think I can catch a word or two. Either way she tried to say gazelle or Axel, and I think it was the last one. I have not the slightest idea what Moomin would do with gazelle, and to be honest, I don't even want to.

"You found him?" I ask. Moomin nods looking pretty satisfied with herself. I jump up from bed.

"Awesome! Lead the way!" I grab my cloak to cover my pajama and sneak out of the room, careful not to wake my sisters. I think they'd be little grumpy for being waked up at four a.m. And for some reason I don't really trust on Nenjax to be able to be quiet. Later I understood even better why it was good I didn't take her or Xainn along.

I sneak with bare feet after Moomin, who can move amazing soundlessly. She can jump or run, but none sound is heard. I try to be as quiet as I can. When walks alone along these corridors, even breathing sounds like heavy panting. Moomin jumps up the stairs and I notice soon that we're going towards the side of castle where I haven't spent much time. Dark corridor would be so easy now. And fast. But I don't dare to try it now. I try to look for anything remarkable so I could find back. But everything is white and even the decorations are same. We take the door at left and come to long stairs. Moomin starts to jump and points up. I see only stairs leading high up and behind white corner.

"Up there?" I ask quietly. Moomin nods. Yay. Well, I guess there's no other choice but to start climbing. As there is not much more to do but walk, I decide to practice at the same time. I get two fingers to turn into shadows. Three. Four. Five and half - I almost just walked off the edge of stairs - and then my hand becomes incorporeal up to wrist. Cool! Same as would be inside a shadow. Okay, hand, you can come back. Slowly and one finger by one my hand reappears. I'm getting better at this. Could I also change shadows' shapes?

Moomin beckons me to hurry up. I run the last stairs to first level and then see more stairs continuing upwards. By walking this is gonna take eternity. I start to run. Perhaps I could have made this more entertaining by counting all the steps? Uh, maybe not. But I'm guessing over thousand steps. Finally I make it to the top. I can say without lying that there's nothing else than line of cells. Surprise, they're not white. But purple. Anyway. I sneak behind the bars that hold a Nobody inside a cell.

"Axel?" Slowly once familiar Nobody turns to look at me. "Oh my god".

"I guess I have to expect that I'm looking awesome?" Axel mumbles bit amused.

"Sorry. It definitely wasn't my best comment", I say.

"It was better than some other options you could have chosen... How did you find me?"

"Well..." I glance at Moomin who's jumping and pointing at herself. "She lead the way".

"Then why are you here?" Axel asks inching a bit closer at me. It doesn't seem very easy with broken arm and ribs.

"Please, don't try to move", I beg and straighten my hand between the bars to touch his hand. "How can I get you out of there?"

"Only Xemnas has keys for these cells. You do understand it's not wise thing to get caught in here?"

"Yeah, I could imagine... Look... I'm sorry".

"For what?"

"For not being able to do anything to spare you from this", I whisper my voice trembling.

"Cadryx... None of this is your fault".

"But it hurts to see you like this..." I mumble. Meaning broken bones and bruises covering his body. Only one day, and... No, I can't take that thought any further.

"Have to admit I have seen my better days... But I'm glad to see you here", Axel says and touches my cheek. I bite my tongue to keep sob inside.

"I promise I'll get stronger and get you out of there", I say.

"Cad..."

"It's a promise", I say. Axel gives me half smile.

"Fine, I believe you. I just don't want you to get hurt". Who here is hurt at the moment?

"You'd better to get going, Cadryx... I don't want you to see..." Axel gasps.

"Axel?" I ask quietly. His whole body trembles and then he starts to wriggle on floor. Oh my god... Is this..? I grab his shoulder to pull him closer to see better when he suddenly raises his head and pukes blood on me. Oh no... Why him too? Axel throws himself against bars and wraps his fingers around my neck. I flinch backwards.

"Axel... Please, let go..." I grab his wrist when he squeezes my neck. "I love you..." He stops for a second to stare at me, and I think I see some kind of understanding in his eyes. Then he passes out. I know it might not be the wisest thing to do, but I yell as hard as I can:

"Xemnas!"

"Well? Is he going to be alright?" I ask.

"So he grabbed your throat?" Xemnas asks and lets Axel's hand fall on floor. "Sounds like he's got the same insanity now. Just wondering how did he get it".

"And Luxord", I remind.

"Right", Xemnas nods, gets up from floor and turns to look at me. "And why were you here again?"

"Uh..."

"Hm, never mind. I think I already now. But if I was you, I would take a shower", Xemnas sighs, steps out from cell and closes the door. I really should take a shower? I'm just covered in blood.

"Might be a good thing after all that you found him now... But in the future, stay away from here", Xemnas says.

"Sure", I shrug.

"Cadryx, I mean it".

"Yeah, yeah, I got it", I growl annoyed. Xemnas raises eyebrow before disappearing with Dark corridor. Moomin comes out from her hide and crawls up my leg on my shoulder.

"Things are getting worse all the time", I mumble. "Now even Axel". Moomin nods and whimpers quietly. "But there's no logic in this thing. Those four have nothing in common". Moomin shakes her head. "Well, except for that they're Nobodies, but that's all". I give one last gaze to sleeping Axel. I wonder how long he will last at this rate... I'm just about to head back to stairs down, when Dark corridor is opened again and Xemnas steps out from it - with three Nobodies.

"Are you still here?" boss asks from me.

"I'm going all the time", I say and go to stairs. I glance over my shoulder when Xemnas locks up Larxene, Xigbar and Luxord. Did someone of them already come through wall or door? I think I'll go and take a look. Moomin shows the way back to familiar parts of castle and then I dare to use darkness to get through few walls and floors. Makes this a lot faster. Corridors are really quiet. It seems that no one dares to leave their rooms anymore. But me and Xainn, it seems.

"Hey, Cadryx, there you are!" Xainn says and beckons me to come over.

"What?"

"Where were you? Xemnas came to..."

"Take Larxene, Xigbar and Luxord off, I know", I end her sentence.

"...Right. So you saw?"

"Even better. I saw where they were taken", I say. Xainn frowns.

"You went to see Axel, didn't you?"

"Uh..." Busted. "True enough?"

"Cadryx!"

"Yaiks!"

"Jeez, what are you two doing?" Nenjax asks appearing from Xainn's room. Looks like she's just woken up.

"Never mind that. I want to get to shower now", I say to distract them.

"Why are you covered in blood anyway?" Xainn asks.

"Yaiks! Is that blood?"

"Yes, can we return to that later? I'd like to get some clothes on and get to shower now", I say.

"But you're wearing your cloak..." I open my cloak's zipper.

"And only pajama under it".

"Oh..."

"Thanks", I say and escape to my own room. Feels much better when I'm not covered in blood anymore, and I manage to wash all bad feelings off for a moment. That peace doesn't last long, however, as Nenjax comes to hit my room's door.

"Cadryx! Don't drown yourself in there, but hurry up!"

"What's wrong?" I ask while putting clothes on.

"I'm hungry", Nenjax answers. Facepalm. Of course. I have to hurry out from shower because she is hungry. Why can't she go alone? Well, considering last events, might be wiser to move together with someone. I quickly comb my hair and then leave my room.

"You couldn't give me a second more?" I growl and lock the door.

"Your hair can wait, my stomach cannot", Nenjax complains. Of course...

"Have to admit it, sis, your hair looks awesome", Xainn giggles.

"Shut up. It doesn't matter anyway when Axel isn't seeing it", I growl.

"What about Marluxia?" Nenjax asks grinning.

"What about him?" I ask.

"It doesn't bother you that he sees you like that?"

"I don't understand why it should bother me".

"Because he seems to have a thing for you", Xainn says carefully. My gaze moves between the two of them.

"Said what?" I ask. Okay, I know where they're aiming - but I'm good at playing stupid.

"Haven't ya seen how he's been looking at you?" Nenjax asks.

"Nope".

"You can't have missed that. Especially now when Axel's gone, he apparently considers you free", Xainn says.

"I'm very flattered that you consider me that attractive, but Axel's my only man. Whatever Marluxia is, he's just a friend", I say. Nenjax and Xainn exchange gaze.

"What?" I snarl. "It's not like I planned having sex with him immediately when my boyfriend is dying up there!" I cover my mouth. Where did that come from? Probably that Nenjax' comment about Larxene smelling like dead. But... In a way, isn't it looking like that anyway?

"Axel has it too?" Xainn asks.

"Yeah", I mumble. And then I come to think about something else as well. How does it happen always when I am around? Maybe I'm just paranoid. Or then I'm such a dirty freak. How can a shadow have feelings like this? Why couldn't I be separated from heart like Nobodies? I wouldn't feel this bad all the time. I can act tough - that's what Darcy was under that shy person, who never should have been pissed off - but when I'm like that outside, inside I feel like a poor kid, as Darcy was outside. Maybe we're not that different from them after all. Just the part that was somewhere deep inside. And probably should have stayed there. So then... Could someone already tell how we were born?