A/N: So here is chapter 25. Sorry for the slowness in updating, but finals are next week, and I have one massive final project to work on that will take up all of my free time. I'm not thrilled with this chapter either...I should probably stop posting unbeta'd work. But read and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Kanixa.

25. Alliance

Axel sat in the armchair, green eyes fixed on the door but not really seeing it. Kanixa had long since fallen asleep, he could tell by her even breathing. That had gone surprisingly well, considering how unprepared he'd been. He hadn't meant to spill his guts earlier—it had all just slipped out, his mouth moving on its own. He hadn't meant to say the words, but he couldn't refute the truth of them. Over the time he'd known her, his attitude towards her had slowly evolved from hatred to grudging respect, to friendship, and suddenly to this. He hadn't really noted the change until Traverse Town, when Saïx had tested him by threatening to kidnap Kanixa, and he'd realized that he cared what happened to her. After Traverse Town, he'd had to admit to himself that she was a friend. It wasn't until Demyx had challenged him earlier that he'd begun to realize that perhaps his feelings—memories of feelings, whatever they were—held more than friendship.

Now his feelings were out in the open, and he felt uncomfortably vulnerable. He'd learned caution in the Organization, keeping his hand to himself until he felt certain that he had the advantage, but he'd broken his own rule. That rankled a little. Not to mention that admitting that he cared set him up for a fall. The last time he'd allowed himself to care at all about anyone, he'd been betrayed in the end. Roxas had decided that rejoining his Other meant more to him than anything, including staying with his friend. Kanixa could leave him the exact same way…

A portal whooshed open, breaking his train of thought, and a familiar short silhouette stepped out. Demyx put down his hood, glancing around the dark room. "Oh, hey Axel," Number Nine greeted him in a whisper. "So, how'd it go? What did she say?" He looked at the redhead expectantly.

Axel glowered at the junior Nobody. And he'd thought Larxene was unabashedly nosy! "None of your business," he retorted quietly.

"Actually, it is my business," Demyx said coolly. "Your relationship will affect how you work together, and the three of us have to be able to trust each other if we're going to have a shot at taking down the Organization." His tone warmed slightly. "Besides, you and Nixa have been fighting your feelings for way too long. So, are you going to answer my question?"

"Nothing's going to happen," Axel said shortly, finding himself unable to deny the first part of the sitar player's statement. The second half perplexed him…had Kanixa said something to him? "Not until after the Organization is dealt with."

Demyx snickered. "Wouldn't bet on it," he muttered, almost too quietly for Axel to hear.

Someone groaned from the direction of the bed. Kanixa sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Why is there talking?" she complained.

"Because Demyx won't shut up," Axel snapped. Kanixa glanced over at Number Nine, surprised to see him.

"Oh. Hey," she said sleepily. "When did you get back?" She wrapped her arms around her knees, waiting for an answer.

"Just a minute ago," Demyx replied.

"I realize I'm hogging the bed right now. I can move over," Kanixa offered. "Or I can sleep on the chair and you two—"

"No way," Axel and Demyx protested at the same time. "I'm not sharing a bed with him!" They turned to glare at each other, and out of the corner of his eye, Axel could see Kanixa roll her eyes.

"Fine. Draw straws or something for who sleeps in the chair, and the other person gets half of the bed. I'm going back to sleep." Shifting over to the side of the bed closest to the wall, she pulled the blankets over her head and went silent.

Demyx raised his eyebrows at Axel. "Well? I'll take the chair, you take the bed." When Axel glared at him, unmoving, he continued, "Didn't she say earlier that it's cold in here? You're the fire element." Sighing, Axel got to his feet. Shedding his boots, he walked over to the bed in stocking feet.

"Kanixa? You awake?" he asked softly.

"Mmph," came the reply from under the covers. "You're the lucky winner, Axel?"

"That's right," he agreed, stretching out his tall frame, putting his arms behind his head. "Now go to sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."

She didn't respond, and the room fell into silence. Axel kept his eyes open, staring up at the ceiling. He didn't really need sleep at the moment; he hadn't expended any significant amounts of energy lately. He could put the time to better use plotting. After all, neither Kanixa nor Demyx seemed to have any particular skill in the strategizing department, and someone had to come up with a way to bring down the Organization while keeping their skins intact.

Wait. He'd thought in plural. Their skins. He scowled at the realization. Roxas and Naminé, and now Kanixa, by dent of their respective powers, had the ability to make the Nobodies around them able to feel, almost giving them the semblance of the hearts they lacked. At first it had surprised him, back in Castle Oblivion, but by now he'd gotten used to the effect. That didn't mean that he had to like it. This feeling of a heart was too weak to override his soulless personality, but just strong enough to be annoying, to create a hint of a conscience that imposed itself on his thoughts. Here he was, the heartless assassin of the Organization, trying to figure out how to save lives. Well, he wasn't the Organization's assassin any longer, but he still was the same soulless person.

It all came down to her, didn't it? He turned his head to glance over at the lump under the covers that was Kanixa. If she'd never joined the Organization, he would still be playing along with Xemnas's stupid rules while plotting on how to regain Roxas, with no thought as to who he would hurt on the way. And yet, that shadow heart he'd developed wasn't telling him to feel any regret. Putting an end to his introspection, he turned his mind towards tomorrow, and how to handle the problem of the Keyblade master's whereabouts.

~*~*~*

Kanixa woke suddenly from a dream about fighting the Organization. She had, of course, been battling Saïx, and had been no match for the Luna Diviner. Opening her eyes, she sat up, gaze sweeping the room to make sure that no enemies lurked in the shadows. Sunlight streamed in, muted somewhat by the blinds. Demyx slept in the chair, head lolling to one side. And Axel slept on his side, his back to her. She stared at Number Eight for a moment, eyes narrowing in thought. Last evening had been…surreal. Axel had basically admitted to having a crush on her. Axel, who she'd thought at the most tolerated her and most likely hated her for taking the place of his best friend. Axel, who taunted and insulted her at every opportunity. It seemed…impossible. And yet, she knew that she liked him as more than a friend too. He could be charming when he wanted to, and his sarcasm and taunts could be amusing when they weren't directed at her. Plus he was handsome, in a strange, angular way. Still, she knew that falling for Axel probably meant that she was in need of having her head examined.

Axel stretched and sat up, apparently awake, and Kanixa hastily moved her gaze to the window, not wanting to be caught staring. "Morning. Or something like that," he greeted her, and she could feel his curious gaze on her profile.

She threw off her blankets and scooted down to the foot of the bed. Getting to her feet, she brushed her hair out of her face, and smoothed the wrinkles out of her Organization coat. "So, what's the plan for today?" she asked him.

"Haven't decided yet," he said easily. "Ask me again later."

"What do you mean, you haven't decided yet?" she asked, turning to face him and folding her arms. "You're the one who came up with the brilliant idea to take down the Organization. You should be the one to implement it."

"Relax, Kanixa. I was just kidding. But it got your attention, didn't it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Kanixa glowered at him, not amused. She was not a morning person under the best of situations, and this certainly wasn't the best of situations. "Is something the matter?" he asked, smirking at her.

She rolled her eyes. Why had she ever thought that he could be charming? "I'm going to go shower," she said. "You figure out the master plan."

"Hmmm…somehow that doesn't seem like a fair delegation of the workload," he commented, getting to his feet.

"Maybe not," she agreed. "But you already shot down my suggestion to go after Sora, so it's your turn to come up with a new plan." With that remark, she disappeared into the bathroom. The bathtub/shower, an antique on clawed feet, looked like something out of a horror movie, so she spent as little time in it as possible. After dressing, she rejoined Axel in the bedroom. Number Eight stood where she'd left him, gloved hand on his chin, eyes narrowed in thought. "So, any ideas?" she asked softly, trying not to wake Demyx.

Axel glanced over at her. "A few," he replied evasively. She fell silent, knowing that she wouldn't get a better answer until he felt like giving her one. Sighing, she took a seat on the foot of the bed, waiting for Demyx to wake up. Maybe he would be more talkative. She didn't have long to wait. Demyx sat up and stretched. "Hey, Nixa," he greeted her. "Axel," he said, somewhat less warmly. "So, are we just patrolling the town again?" Number Nine sounded less-than-pleased with the idea.

"You have a better suggestion?" Axel shot back at him.

"Do what Kanixa said. Go after the Keybearer," Demyx said, chin jutting out mulishly. His green eyes held a glint of hostility as they fixed on Axel. The redhead smirked at him, and then opened his mouth to respond, but Kanixa cut in.

"Now, boys, can't you at least pretend to like each other?" she asked, exasperated.

"No," Axel replied immediately. Demyx just glared at the redhead. "But I have to admit, I am getting tired of just sitting around here. Sora has probably moved on from the Beast's Castle, but we could probably catch up with him in the Land of the Dragons or at the Colisseum." He spread his hands. "So. How do you feel about a road trip?"

"I thought you said that going after Sora was a bad idea," Kanixa protested.

"No, I said that running into Xaldin would be bad," Axel corrected. "And unless I miss my guess, the Keyblade Master has already disposed of him."

"How do you know that Sora won?" she asked, curious.

"Because I would know if something happened to Roxas," Axel said curtly, his tone warning her not to follow up on the subject. She decided to heed the implied warning for now—she had the feeling that further questioning might result in something getting set on fire. Axel was very touchy when it came to the subject of Roxas.

"If we're going to go, we should get a move on," Demyx opined. "The longer we wait, the harder it will be to find Sora."

Axel shrugged. "Fine by me. Kanixa?" he glanced over at her.

"Whatever you two want," she replied. Some action would be nice. She'd never been the most patient girl, and waiting only made her nervous.

"Then let's go." With one hand, Axel opened a portal. With the other, he gestured for Demyx to precede him. Standing, the blonde strode purposefully into the portal and vanished. Axel glanced over at her. "Well? Are you coming?" He held a hand out to her.

Kanixa took it, and he pulled her into the portal. They joined Demyx in the realm between, and the trio started walking. "Where to?" Demyx asked, glancing over at them.

"We should start with the Land of the Dragons," Axel replied. "It's closer to the Beast's Castle, so Sora would probably go there next." Kanixa stayed silent. Not having been to any of the worlds mentioned, she couldn't offer an opinion. Demyx didn't pursue a conversation, and they walked in silence for awhile. Kanixa spent the time in thought. Once they caught up with Sora, what then? Would the Keyblade master allow them to talk it out, or would there be a physical confrontation? Maybe Axel had already thought this all through…or maybe he hadn't.

Typically, Demyx broke the silence after awhile. "Hey, Nixa. You okay?" he asked, leaning around Axel to give her a concerned glance. She gave him a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine. Just…thinking," she replied.

"What about?" Axel inquired easily, glancing over at her. She met his gaze.

"When we find Sora, have you thought about what happens then?" He gave her a dark smile.

"Sure. We try and talk things over with him, but if he needs some persuading, then…things will get physical."

"That's no way to get him to trust us," she objected, folding her arms. "Why should he help us if we knock him around?"

"Who said anything about trust, Kanixa? We can win Sora over through reason, or though force. I don't particularly care which," Axel said with chilling matter-of-factness. Kanixa fell silent, knowing that arguing with him would get her nowhere. It was sometimes hard for her to remember that under the taunts and the smirks and the devil-may-care attitude, Number Eight had a real capacity for cruelty. Even the lopsided morals that he affected were only an act, covering an uncaring, merciless mind. She knew that deep down, as a Nobody she had the same uncaring, cruel streak, but Axel seemed so blasé about his…she only had to hope that he never had cause to turn it on her. "Here's our stop," he added, opening a portal out onto the Land of the Dragons. He glanced over at her. "Ladies first."

Kanixa stepped through the portal to find herself in a snow-covered landscape. A freezing wind blew down from the mountain peaks that jutted up around her, and she shivered. Her tall boots and long coat protected her from most of the snow, but between the boots and the hem of her dress her legs were bare—a pair of stockings and a warning about the cold would have been nice. Demyx and Axel appeared behind her.

"Look! The man in black!" a voice called. Kanixa glanced over her shoulder to see Sora, Goofy, and a tanned girl with shoulder-length black hair and a tailored, yet plain beige outfit.

"But there are three of them—" Sora paused, eyes narrowing in recognition. "Kanixa?" he sounded puzzled. "And…you," he added with distaste, glaring at Demyx. "But who's with you?"

"The name's Axel," Axel declared with his customary cockiness. "Got it memorized?"

"Then you—you're the one who kidnapped Kairi!" Sora declared, summoning his Keyblade and dropping into a fighting stance.

"Bingo," Axel replied smugly, and Kanixa wanted to slap him. He just had to make Sora confrontational, didn't he? Sora glared at Axel, obviously fighting the urge to fly at him.

"Where is she?" he demanded.

"Saïx took her from me. He's a member of Organization XIII," Axel replied.

"So are you!" the duck-mage squawked. Kanixa glared at him.

"No, we're not. Not anymore," she replied.

"What do you mean, 'we'?" Sora repeated, confused. "Why are you wearing an Organization coat, Kanixa?"

"Someone's slow on the uptake," Axel commented, sounding amused. Kanixa shot him a glare, willing him to shut up. This was going to blow up in their faces, and evolve into a full-out fight, if he couldn't keep his mouth shut. She almost thought that he wanted to provoke Sora…

"Because I was an Organization member," she replied. "So was Demyx, and so was Axel. But now we've defected. We want the same thing you do—to bring down the Organization. Will you help us?" She gazed at him, waiting for a response.

"You—you were an Organization member?" Sora repeated, slow to absorb the information. "Then—you lied to me!" He punctuated his sentence by slicing his Keyblade through the air

"No, I didn't," she retorted calmly. "You never asked if I was in the Organization, and I never volunteered the information. It's not the same thing."

"You're just trying to confuse us!" the mage declared, brandishing his staff.

Kanixa rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to summon her Keyblades and teach the antagonistic bird a lesson. "No, actually. If you're not willing to help us—"

"Then we'll just have to persuade you," Axel cut in, wearing a sinister grin, summoning his chakrams. "Your choice, Keyblade master. We can do this the easy way, or the fun way. Kanixa here would prefer the easy way, but…let's make this fun, shall we, Sora?"

"Axel!" Kanixa hissed, glaring at him, but Sora brandished his Keyblade.

"You're on!" the younger boy declared, before rushing at Axel. Axel met him halfway, chakrams slicing through the air in a spinning attack. Kanixa put her hands to her mouth, horrified. They each looked intent on doing damage, but why? Sora was on their side, after all. Even if he wouldn't work with them, he would still try to face the Organization on his own. What was Axel thinking?

"Dance, water, dance!" Demyx called. Glancing over, she saw that he'd summoned his sitar and had moved to engage the girl that Sora had with him, who alternated attacks with her sword with fire attacks. Oh, Kanixa realized belatedly. She should probably arm herself, now that Axel had decided to turn this into an out-and-out brawl. Just as a Keyblade materialized in each hand, something cold and painful hit her in the back. The cold sensation spread across her back, down her legs, over her shoulders and down her front, up her neck, until she couldn't move. Her body was frozen under a thin layer of ice. The stupid duck must have cast Blizzaga on her! She tried to move, to crack the shell around her, but she'd frozen solid in the cold air. "Kanixa!" Demyx sounded worried. Evidently he'd noticed her predicament.

"Huh?" Axel had glanced over at hearing her name, and through the thin layer of ice over her open eyes she could see his shocked expression. "Kanixa!" The shell of ice around her was finally cracking at the extremities, and she managed to free her fingers and toes. After a good deal of squirming, she managed to extricate herself.

"I'm fine," she managed. She was freezing, but at least she had freedom of movement. A vengeful gleam in her eye, she rounded on Donald. Halfway to him, she slowed. No…much as she would love to, she couldn't attack him. She had to stop this craziness before things got even more out of hand. Throwing back her head, she yelled at the top of her lungs, "Everyone STOP!" Panting, she glanced around to see the effect. Sora and his friends, Axel, and Demyx had paused mid-attack, gazing at her in bewilderment.

"Stop fighting," she snapped. "This doesn't solve anything. Sora, we're not out to stop you, so fighting us just wastes valuable energy. Axel, Demyx, banish your weapons. Now." She banished her Keyblades, and glared at her two allies. Demyx released his sitar grudgingly, but Axel glared back.

"I'm not disarming until they do." He turned his glare on Sora, Donald, and the girl with them. The girl sheathed her sword obediently, and after a moment's hesitation, Sora banished his Keyblade. Donald kept a stubborn grip on his staff, glaring between the three Nobodies suspiciously.

Axel banished his chakrams, glancing back at Kanixa. "Well?" he snapped, clearly displeased with her tactic. Well, she wasn't exactly thrilled with him either.

"Look, Sora, I know that the Organization has been nothing but trouble for you. I know that you don't trust us. Is there something I can do to prove my good faith?" she asked.

"Tell me where Kairi is," Sora replied immediately, blue gaze riveted on her face.

"I can't be sure, but I would guess that Saïx took her back to the Organization's homeworld," Kanixa replied. "Which is where we're headed next. We'll take you along…if you're willing to work with us."

"I need a minute to think." Sora considered for a moment, putting a hand to his chin in a strange parody of Axel's thinking pose.

"I don't trust them, Sora!" Donald protested, still glaring suspiciously at the trio of Nobodies in front of him.

"You don't have to trust us," Kanixa replied. "You just have to agree to a truce." Closing her eyes, she reached up to massage her temples, trying to dull the headache that was forming. This alliance was turning out to be nothing short of a disaster. A breeze started to blow, and she couldn't suppress a shiver. Hands descended on her shoulders, and heat spread from her shoulders through her body.

"Better?" Axel asked shortly. She nodded, and he released her. "Well, Sora," he began. "Are you coming with us?"

"Answer a question first. Do you three promise that you aren't out to hurt anyone or to take over Kingdom Hearts?" he asked seriously.

"I promise," Kanixa said firmly. Demyx nodded, and behind her she assumed Axel did the same. Sora nodded resolutely.

"Then I'll come with you," he agreed. "We'll take down the Organization…together."

Kanixa smiled. "Then it's settled," she declared.

"Don't get too excited," Axel cautioned. "We're not going after the Organization just yet."

"But—Kairi—" Sora protested inarticulately.

"Your friend will be fine," Axel said in a bored tone. "They won't hurt her. She's supposed to be bait for you. We'll pick a world to stay on tonight, to regain our strength. Tomorrow we take down the rest of the Organization."

"We could go to Hollow Bastion," Sora suggested. "Leon and the others would probably give us a place to stay…but I don't know about you guys," he finished doubtfully.

"Don't worry. We're old pals," Axel replied with a reassuring smile. Kanixa fought the urge to smile at hearing him refer to Leon as a 'pal.' If he heard that, the Gunblade wielder would be extremely offended.

"I don't know if we can fit you in the Gummi Ship—"

"We can get their under our own power," Axel assured him. "Meet you there?"

"Sure," Sora replied brightly. "Well, see you guys!" Axel summoned a portal, and motioned for her and Demyx to precede him in. Kanixa stepped into the swirling black with a feeling of relief. Finally, a plan that had turned out the way it was meant to. Though their alliance with Sora could only be described as rocky. Hopefully they would deal with the Organization before people from either side (most likely Axel and Donald) tried to kill each other…