The King of the Nobodies scowled, clearly trying to think of his next move but distracted by his mouthy prisoner. Roxas glared back defiantly, but didn't dare to do anything else. He was still wheezing slightly; he'd been seriously caught off-guard when Xemnas had grabbed him harshly by the throat, and then suddenly increased the pressure when he'd wanted him to be quiet. Even the Nobodies that one night in the mountain hadn't treated him so roughly, and this time he had willingly handed himself over to one!

The Nobody who had originally been with them was sent away not long ago to make sure that the water had been released into the mines. When he'd heard that, the blonde had nearly forgotten his promise and tried to break away right then. Axel was here in the castle, but his father and all of those people in the village...

'What if no one warned them?!'

He thought that he may not be too late, but Xemnas caught hold of him and hadn't let go since. Any fragile trust that had developed between them had vanished in an instant, and the King no longer let him walk freely, especially once his guard had left. The hand that didn't crush his mouth and nose or clamp like a vice around his neck whenever someone drew near locked his wrists together firmly behind him, and it yanked him along unforgivingly, tightening ever so slightly when he faltered, tripped, or even walked too slowly. Roxas already felt sore all over, but he knew that something far, far worse waited for him, should they reach one of the tunnels.

Occasionally, he flexed his hand, practically begging for Ventus to return to him. He couldn't let it end this way! So many people were fighting for him! For this whole kingdom! And one of those people had weapons that could cut down the enemy effortlessly!

'Axel, where are you?!'

Suddenly, Xemnas went as rigid as a statue, and the prince heard the sound of quickly approaching footsteps. Had someone finally spotted them?

'But it only sounds like one person...' he thought, feeling sad and frustrated. Whether it was one or many, it might make no difference at all. He couldn't bear to stand here helplessly, watching his father, Leon, or anyone else give in to this cruel monster's demands.

Without caring to make sure that no one was inside first, the King of the Nobodies threw the nearest door open and steered them into the room beyond. It was dark, but from the smell and the stone steps sloping downward, Roxas figured that they must have reached one of his father's wine cellars. The castle had converted an old, unused dungeon into a second, larger storeroom one year when there was a particularly plentiful harvest of grapes from the far countryside.

The freshly-tended wound on his arm pulled painfully then, making the boy yelp and instinctively try to pull away from the cause.

"Move," his captor hissed, stepping back behind a few rows of barrels and dragging the blonde with him. Once again, cold, stone-like fingers dug into his flesh, squeezing so hard that he could barely draw the tiniest breath.

Across the room, the heavy wooden door was shoved open. "Roxas!"

Blue eyes widened at the sound of his friend's voice, but the words he wanted to say wouldn't come. The lack of air was starting to make him dizzy, and he winced as his head was jerked back.

"Not a sound," the King whispered in his ear.

If he could, he would have kicked the bastard's teeth in.

"Come out, Xemnas!" Axel demanded, lighting a torch and wrenching it from its holder on the wall. Even behind wine barrels, Roxas could see a sudden light shining in the darkness. It flickered as the older boy descended the stairs. "I know you're here, so there's no point in hiding!"

"He doesn't know when to quit, this little friend of yours."

The prince gasped as the pressure was removed entirely, but he didn't even have a moment to rest and regain himself before he was being moved again, pulled back out into the open as the Nobody confronted Axel. Roxas coughed and panted for breath, blinking rapidly for a moment as he tried to clear away the haze that had been threatening to claim him.

Despite his efforts, the world went completely dark for just a moment.

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Axel shifted his keyblade and watched the King warily, the boiling in his blood spiking whenever his gaze drifted down to Roxas. The blonde wig appeared to be missing, making the younger boy's hair look even more unruly than ever. One of the dress sleeves was torn, revealing deep bruises on Roxas's upper arm that the redhead could see clearly, even in relatively weak torchlight. There was a matching bruise on his left cheek that looked less drastic, but that was forgotten almost immediately when Axel caught sight of the one on his throat. It bloomed across pale skin like some horrible, poisonous flower; purple and blue with misshapen tendrils, reaching out to spread even further.

'Dear gods, was he trying to kill him?!' his mind snarled. He felt his eyes narrow even further when he saw Xemnas smirking smugly at him.

"Well? Aren't you going to call your soldiers? You have us cornered..."

"I don't need them." He thrust his keyblade forward, its metal glinting slightly in the light. "All I need is this. Let go of Roxas right now."

The Nobody didn't appear the slightest bit phased.

"You can't hurt me, so long as I have him." He emphasized this point by pulling the blonde so close that the two of them were pressed together, with Roxas struggling weakly in front. Xemnas grazed his free hand lightly below the prince's jaw before grabbing his chin and tilting his head forcefully, making Axel grind his teeth and clenched his fists.

"I could snap him like a twig if I wanted to."

"But you can't!" the older boy shouted, with all of the force and certainty he could muster. "If you kill him, your entire plan will have been for nothing!"

The Nobody shrugged carelessly. "True, it wouldn't be nearly as satisfying - bringing about your undoing by your very own law - but do not presume to know me, boy. My kingdom is strong and vast. Even without this prize, this day would still belong to me, and I would find some other game to torment your people with before their end."

The redhead cursed at himself, aching to get closer but not wanting to give Xemnas any excuse to harm Roxas further.

"So losing your wife and son wouldn't matter to you? They're gone, and there'd be no reason! Nothing to show for it at all!"

The King hesitated for a moment, and then his smirk returned. Axel wondered what he might be thinking when he had mentioned Riku. Surely one of these losses must effect him somehow?

"Of course. Your mines have flooded, and your castle is in shambles. If I ordered my men back now, we could exterminate you with ease. That is not nothing."

"You're despicable! Even the lives of your own people don't matter to you! You just want to kill all humans; even ones that you haven't even met, who couldn't have possibly done anything to you!" Axel paused then, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself a bit.

"If you weren't hiding behind my best friend like a coward, I'd slice your miserable head in half."

The Nobody glared then, loosening his hold on the younger boy slightly.

"Every second that you remain alive is a precious gift, and yet here you stand, with the audacity to make threats at me? Your new king?"

"You will never be my king!" he sneered back. "A true king would protect the people he serves, not torture and kill them for his own sick pleasure! Roxas isn't even the king yet, and he'll still always be more of one than you could ever be!"

Axel could tell that he was making Xemnas angry, but if the hunch he had was correct, that might buy him some extra time. His father and the other villagers would be safe, having rerouted the water back into the underground city with their plugs and barricade. This vile King might not have a people to return to, by the time the flood settled.

It would be tricky, not losing Xemnas and Roxas in the mountain, so he should keep them here as long as he could.

'Axel!'

The redhead blinked, looking quickly at Roxas. His mouth hadn't opened, but for one brief moment, his friend could have sworn he'd heard the younger boy's voice call out to him.

Had Bond of Flame done that, just like the needle trick?

'Axel, my keyblade! Give it back to me, now!'

Xemnas's golden eyes gleamed with cold fury. If he'd heard his prisoner's thoughts just then, he showed no sign of it.

"Just for that, I should wring his scrawny neck."

"Don't you dare!" Axel snapped, stalking forward angrily and doing his best to keep his face neutral.

'Roxas? Is that really you?'

'Yes!' The blonde was looking at him intently, fearful and urgent. 'Release Ventus so that he can come back to me!'

'Ventus is gone! I haven't been able to call him back!' he thought quickly, making sure not to dwell on the subject in case Roxas could hear everything. There was a better time and place to explain the situation.

'Then release yours! Hurry!'

'How?!' Noticing a slow, but purposeful movement, Axel raised his blade. "I mean it, Xemnas! If you touch him again, I'll cut you down where you stand!"

'Will it to me! Open your hand and surrender it!' Roxas replied.

"But I'm already touching him," the Nobody replied smoothly, lifting his free hand. "As much as I love chatting with you, I'm afraid that we must be going now." He took a step further back into the cellar, towards a large shadow along the wall and floor that was larger than any wine barrel.

Axel hesitated then, unsure if he should call the King's bluff or call for help after all. The latter might stall him for a bit longer, but anyone else who happened onto the scene would be just as powerless as he was. Would Xemnas really kill Roxas at this stage?

Afraid to close his eyes, the redhead looked intently at his friend, clenched his fist around the hilt of his weapon, and then let it go. It instantly disappeared in a flash of light, just like before.

Suddenly, the walls and floor shook with the sound of a great, distant rumbling. The whole castle seemed to shake, causing the three men to wobble and falter.

Axel almost fell to his knees, his eyes widening as the unmistakeable sound of rushing water reached his ears, getting louder and louder with every passing second.

'Oh shit! The water!' How could it be flowing uphill?!

In his peripheral vision, he saw Roxas take advantage of the disruption, jerking violently away from Xemnas. The Bond of Flame keyblade glistened in his hand as he twisted out of the Nobody's awkward grasp, slicing into one of his arms just above the elbow. The blonde then struck again, slashing the already reeling Xemnas across the chest, shocking him into letting him go completely. Neither of the wounds were deep enough to sever, but they looked extremely painful nonetheless.

The two staggered away from each other as the monster cried out in pain, slamming into the wall beside the tunnel. Roxas had no such impediment, nearly falling over as everything continued to shake all around them.

"Axel!"

Before he was even consciously aware of it, the redhead was running. They were sprinting towards one another, he and Roxas; separated only by a space of air that seemed unusually, painfully far apart all of the sudden. The gap felt like it was getting wider, not shorter, and time itself seemed to slow down around them as a mass of water burst from the tunnel, spraying mist and a few weak, crumbled bricks in its wake.

Their fingers brushed lightly, and he saw the younger boy's face morph from relieved to absolutely terrified before he smacked into him, bowling the redhead over before he was ripped away completely.

In the next instant, Axel was swallowed whole, powerless beneath the raging current.