Raccoon City

by SpringBorn

Lucille McGann is a freelance photographer hired by Umbrella for a job. Simple, right? What started as simple turned into a nightmare as her hometown turns into a war zone, and she is captured by Umbrella and forced to fight. Along the way she meets a man named Axel that turns her world upside even more. OCxAxel Under editing

1. Prologue

Raccoon City Remake

By Springborn

Co-author: Warrior of Six Blades

Author's note: Remake of Raccoon City. I wasn't happy with the direction it was going and a good friend of mine helped me with the remake. Lucille is now being paired with Axel. Maybe one day I'll try my hand at another Xigbar and OC pairing. I hope everyone enjoys the updated version!

Raccoon City is mixed in with another fanfiction with a good friend of mine, Warrior of Six Blades. His fic is called REwritten Fates. You'll see characters from Fullmetal Alchemist, Kingdom Hearts, Resident Evil, and Akame Ga Kill. This fic follows Lucille and her view on how things happened on her end.

Prologe

Six Days earlier...

The morning's rays touched down on the people of Raccoon City, warming their skin as they headed to their destinations, whether it was home, vacation, or work, no one but them knew. It was a beautiful day, a day to be enjoyed but it left a bitter taste in Lucille's mouth as she dropped off some photos at the police station for Chief Irons. She hated that man with every fiber of her being. Ma always told her that shouldn't hate someone but it was very hard when it came to that man. The chief made her skin crawl due to his lecherous gaze and the way he talked down to her due to being a woman. She wanted to hit him but she didn't feel like spending a night in the jail cells. Not when she had a job offer to take photos for Umbrella in two days. So that was a plus, something to make her feel excited.

"Well, I can pay this month's rent anyway" she said, smiling as she stepped through the front gates of the station and looked up at the clear sky, feeling her camera bag on her hip, patting it affectionately as she passed some people, humming a soft tune.

Lucille hoped with the new job, she could start saving for a new camera. The one she has now is getting worn out and some of the buttons sticky. It was one of the few things she had left of her family, besides the choker she wore and the family home she had inherited since the car accident. She couldn't bring herself to move there, despite having more room to expand her business. Plus she remembered the creature living in the backyard...

Shaking her head quickly, passing adults and kids on the sidewalk, Lucille grabbed her book from her bag, needing a distraction from the bad memories that plagued her. The deaths of her family, being forced back to the god awful orphanage and the monster in the forest, bad memories she tried to bury. "Okay, book time or else I will drive myself nuts!" She pushed back her bangs, hearing the soft jingle of the tear drop earrings as she walked, she opened her book and got to the correct page, reading and somehow avoiding crashing into people. "Umbrella huh... hard to believe I have a job with them."

"I'm telling you, Xigbar, this town may be nice, but it's so bori-oops!" Came a voice that sounded mature, but still having a lot of youth that startled Lucille out of her book as she felt someone bump into her, looking up she saw a man wearing black gloves and boots. His black coat, an odd choice of clothing, but maybe decent for the fall weather, is seen on him. The sleeves close up tightly around his arms and emphasize his lithe and skinny build. The man himself has fair skin with rosy hues, a widow's peak, rather small eyebrows and thick, shoulder-length, bright red hair styled into slicked-back spikes. Lucille wonders how much money he must spend on hair gel to get it like that. His eyes are a bright emerald color and he has a purple reverse-teardrop shaped marking under each eye.

"Oh, sorry about that. You okay?" The man says catching her to avoid her spilling over backwards from bumping into him. A snickering sound came from behind the red haired man, who turned slightly to look at the man look behind him, allowing Lucille to see the man who found their accident so amusing, only to see another bizarre man wearing the same damn cloak. Was this a style for some team or did these two poor saps lose a bet to wear that?

The man is skinny, but lean muscled like her mysterious bumper is. But his face was rather unique looking despite being on the older side, like maybe in his forties maybe? The man has a gold eye, one covered by an eye patch, pointed elf-like ears, upturned eyebrows, and black hair with several grey streaks tied into a long ponytail. She almost wondered if he had some birth defects to make his ears like that, kind of like her eyes being different colors, but didn't want to be rude and ask such a question without knowing them better first.

'Note to self, get their names to avoid calling him, the redhead bumper,' Lucille thinks feeling it was too silly to call him that out loud. She gave a sheepish smile, still feeling the redhead's hand on her back to keep her from falling. "Ah, yeah, I'm okay, thanks for the save," she said. "I guess I learned the hard way to keep my nose out of a book." Somehow the darn thing didn't go flying during the crash.

She looked at the two mysterious figures, trying to remember if she had seen anyone with those jackets before. Unless they were going to a costume party or convention, she never saw anything like it. 'Hm, interesting,' she thought. "Ah, where are my manners, my name is Lucille McGann. I don't think I've seen you around before. Are you visiting?" She tilted her head.

"Oh, yeah, we are actually!" The redhead says with an easy going smile. "And sorry about my manners too, my name is Axel, got it memorized?" Axel says playfully as he taps his head with his index finger, a confident smirk as his eyes show a playful light.

"I'm Xigbar, forgive my easy going co-worker. He tends to get oblivious to his surroundings when bored," Xigbar states with a smirk that makes Axel glare at him slightly in annoyance.

'Axel, huh? Name suits him and he is cute looking,' Lucille thought, wondering where that came from as she looked at the men, chuckling. "Aye, I know the feeling. It's a big place, if not pretty boring. Only thing going for it is the park or if you enjoy sight-seeing at the overly large building that is Umbrella. It's a pleasure to meet you both." She put her book away and shifted her bag strap a little, noting that Xigbar said they were co-workers. "That must explain the jackets. I've never seen anything like it. It almost looks like leather but more durable."

'Nice, Alexis, keep staring at their clothes like a creeper,' she thought sourly, pushing back her bangs. She only stood at 5'6 and has a slim build, but still has the right amount of muscles and curves, small in the chest, and has a oval shaped face with pale skin due to her Irish and French ancestors. Her brown hair pulled back into a tight ponytail with her bangs parted off to the side and curled about her face, almost covering the tear drop earrings and the single earring in the curve of her left ear. Her eyes always seemed to draw people in, her right eye is a soft gray blue color while her left eye is a soft hazel color. She wore a red t-shirt with a jean jacket, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, form fitting jeans that hugged her hips and upper legs nicely and boots.

Axel found himself staring a bit at how odd and yet cute this stranger was, her eyes the most catching thing, but not in a bad way. Her body seemed decently in shape too and he rather liked her clothing complementing her looks. He soon shook the thoughts, no need to get attached to someone he really shouldn't meet again. This world was only to see if they could find pawns to affect the darkness in Sora's heart to use for Organization XIII's goals, but truthfully...he wanted to see if it could help him turn Sora to a heartless to get Roxas back.

Not that he could tell any of them, he was on thin ice with them as it is defending Roxas as much as he did already, Saix especially.

"They are, but personally between you and me," Axel says leaning in close to Lucille, a mischievous smile on his lips. "I think our boss just has terrible fashion sense."

Lucille's lips twitched into smirk and let out a soft chuckle. "Could be" she said. "I can't judge, I ain't the most fashion savvy person in town." She had caught him staring and felt her cheeks turn slightly red, not used to having a handsome stranger stare at her. Granted, she has been single for three years now but most if not all men in the city were taken or jerks, not something she wanted to get involved with again. "Well gentlemen, are you looking for something in particular? I've lived here my whole life, maybe I could help.

"Well, we seek to learn about this lovely town and this Umbrella Corporation everyone is talking about. If it's not too much trouble that is," Xigbar says thinking to how the people they passed earlier either sung praises to the company or wanted to enter it. Everywhere they went they saw that Umbrella logo on nearly everything, medicine of all sorts, stores, some cars, and even on commercials from the TV sets in the windows of stores they passed.

"We could make it worth your while if you help us," Axel offers, not wanting to lose a chance to get help from this woman. He kind of liked the feeling he got being around her, not like Roxas, but...it was nice and almost homely talking to her, he felt a little lonely without his best bud and this felt like a small get away from that loneliness.

At least until he finds a way to turn Sora to a heartless without the Organization killing him over it.

Lucille placed a hand on her hip, looking at the two. She did offer to help them and plus she could get some time with the redhead. Not knowing why she was already enjoying his company and the easy going presence he gave off, something she never felt with her ex. "Well then, you're in luck, I have a job offer in two days to get into Umbrella," she said. "I'm a freelance photographer and I was hired by the company itself. I could take one of you with me."

Normally, she didn't offer help to complete strangers, but she had been a bit depressed when she learned about her friend, Jill, getting suspended from her job at S.T.A.R.S. She didn't know the whole story, but she knew something bad happened at the old Spencer mansion and the cannibal attacks were starting to worry her. Her smile dropping for a moment as she read the newspapers and the reports that Jill snuck to her. "Since you two are new here, I should warn you both that something strange has been going on. I may sound like some drunken fool, but there has been some attacks going on in the woods, cannibal attacks on people, hikers, men, women, kids, and animals. It's been spooking everyone here; don't let their happy go lucky attitudes fool you. They won't say much as they think it's just some weirdo on the loose."

"Really, why don't you take Axel with you on that day? My friend is a bit of a handful for me and I could use some time to kick back and relax" Xigbar said with a chuckle as Axel gives him a dry look.

'You old piece of shit, two can play that game,' Axel thinks wrapping an arm around Lucille and pulls her next to him. "Shame to hear, Xigbar, but I suppose that's the bane of getting older. Can't keep up or have fun like us young folk, huh, Lucille?" Axel asks her with a teasing smile that was mischievous, earning a twitching eyebrow and a strained smile from Xigbar. He was seriously resisting the urge to shoot his comrade for that smart ass mouth of his, but this could work to his advantage and get him some free time from Axel's attitude too. Ever since they lost Roxas he's been keeping to himself a lot and Xemnas wanted him to take him on this mission to get his head screwed on straight again.

Last thing they need is another traitor.

Lucille blinked as Axel pulled her close to him, feeling his arm around her shoulder, glancing between the two. 'Uh...why does this feel nice and these two must be good friends if they can tease each other like this,' she thought. "I don't know, some women like the older men," she joked, nudging the redhead playfully. She did think Xigbar is handsome, but she found Axel to be more of her type. Since they were dragging her into their games, she decided to tease them in return. "I don't mind showing Axel around. It can be like a date that is if he is up to it." She gave a playful wink. "On a serious note, do you two have a place to stay? I have a pullout couch in the living room. Though my place isn't the biggest."

'Does she realize we're just playing?' Axel begins to worry, a date? Sure she's cute and seems fun, he even enjoyed her banter a bit there playing into their game, but to date? Getting close to the woman? He wasn't so sure. He didn't want to lead her on into thinking he wanted a relationship. Not when he is just a broken being who has no heart or true feelings, just memories of what he once had and is trying to get back.

Xigbar noticed the look of worry in Axel's eyes and narrowed his eye for a second at this. 'Oh no you don't asshole, we need an informant and all the help we can get, maybe this will teach you to mock me for my age' Xigbar thinks deciding to push Axel more into this hole he unknowingly created. "You know, Axel, I think you could use this. But I must ask you to please treat my friend with respect; he's healing after the death of a dear friend of his. So I'd appreciate you making him feel happy again."

Axel glared daggers at the man for that, indirectly bringing up Roxas and making him sound like a pity case?! Oh he was damn lucky they were told not to blow their cover or the leader would turn him to an Dusk if he screwed up again.

"Don't look at me like that, Axel, I can tell you need this and you two seem to enjoy each other's company. Go and have fun, I don't need boss on my ass if you prove to be unable to do the job because you can't get out of your slump" Xigbar says indirectly threatening to make it seem like he is useless to the Organization if he doesn't get the info on this world that they need. He wanted to see if this world had what it takes to darken Sora's heart and make him easier to manipulate.

Lucille wasn't sure what to say about that as she was only half joking about the date when Xigbar brought up Axel's dead friend. What did she get herself into? She saw the hesitation in Axel's eyes and while did enjoy his company, she wouldn't force him to stay with her. She could have just given them the date and time to meet up, less awkwardness. She felt like this was her fault. "Maybe a change of scenery will help, but I won't force Axel to come with me. If it makes you feel better, this is can be just a friendly date. We don't know each other, really, but I could also use a bit of distraction myself," she said and gave an understanding smile at the redhead. "I am sorry about your friend. Losing someone you care about isn't easy."

Axel felt his anger at Xigbar simmer out some as he saw the genuine care and concern aimed at him. Something he felt he didn't fully deserve, but...it felt nice to be cared for like that instead of being scolded and treated harshly for how he was taking Roxas being merged to Sora.

"Yeah...I'd like that, sorry to make you feel dragged into this. I didn't want this to be a pity thing, but just something you want to do because you like being around me, you know?" Axel says trying to cover himself and not make her feel obligated. Even though he didn't have a heart or feelings, he knew he didn't want her to feel obligated to be around him either. Rather, he wanted others to be with him because they like him and he likes them. So far, he definitely liked her company way more than Xigbar right now.

Lucille shook her head. "I've only known you for a few minutes, but I can say for certain I like being around you," she said honestly. "Your presence is a breath of fresh air." She squeezed his arm gently, offering comfort. It wasn't unusual for new faces to appear in Raccoon, but there was something different about Axel and Xigbar. She wasn't sure if it would be wise on her end to get involved, but she was getting the feeling that things will change now that she has met them.

"Well I guess it's a date then," Axel says playfully and Xigbar claps his hands.

"Sounds nice, we might even crash at your place...at times, but I will try to find us another place to stay" Xigbar says happily as he looks the pair over with a nod of satisfaction. "You kids just be sure to play nice now."

Lucille grinned at Axel before turning to look at Xigbar. "Kids? Really old man?" she asked giving a grin. "But my place is open as long as your here. Just don't touch my camera equipment and we're good." The clock tower in the distance chimed, signaling it was now noon. "Well we have a few hours before darkness falls, we should get in some sights. There's been a curfew since the first attacks."

'Date!? Me and my big mouth,' Lucille thought, trying to figure out where to go first. She already promised Axel to take him with her during her job but what to do on this outing? 'Didn't think I'd be this rusty, even on a friendly date.'

"Curfew? What time is the curfew, pray tell?" Xigbar asks curiously, he didn't need the law looking into him here, best to know the rules to play nice for now while gathering Intel. "And where is your home so we can meet up there?"

"Curfew is at nine. Chief Irons really buckled down after the attacks," Lucille said, her tone going angry at the mention of Irons. "And my place is south of the bakery, near park. It's a big red building with wrought iron fence surrounding it. I'm on the second floor, door six. It's called Cottage Apartments. Little old lady and her husband own it. If you see a large Saint Bernard in the front lawn, you found the place."

"Cottage Apartments and look for a Saint Bernard got it. See you kids later" Xigbar says with a smirk as he walks off, making Axel scoff.

"Come on, let's go check out this park you was talking about. Seems as good a place as any to begin our date on a friendly note," Axel advises, wanting to let her know she's taking the lead, but he wanted to help make this fun for them both.

"Hope you don't mind walking, my car is in the garage getting worked on" Lucille said as she started walking, leading him to the park. "I don't always ask random guys on dates, friendly or not." She glanced at him, smiling lightly. That had been a shock to her and couldn't figure out why she had brought it up in the first place. 'He probably thinks I'm a weirdo,' Lucille thought.

'You deserve someone with a heart to say that to, not me' Axel thinks hiding the wince he feels in his being.

"It's fine by me, Lucille, walking is good exercise anyway, unless you rather go jogging on a date to really get your blood pumping" Axel says with an easy going attitude placing his hands behind his head as he walks next to Lucille. Admiring the sights of the peaceful town and all these people, though her warning does make him feel a bit wary as he looks a bit more closely how everyone is, ignorant, content, slightly weary, but moving on in life as if believing someone is looking out for them.

Maybe this world would be worth looking into for their plans after all...

"The only time you see this chick jogging is when I have to work," Lucille said, giving a light chuckle. "But I do enjoy walking. Anyway, what made you interested in coming to Raccoon? As you can probably tell, Umbrella runs the place. I'm sure you noticed the logo everywhere." She walked along dude him. It was still warm out, but you could see it in the trees that the last strands of summer is fading into fall, as the leaves rustled softly in the gentle breeze.

All around them people milled about, talking about the cannibal attacks, the two little girls having been among the dead. Lucille sighed as that death had really shaken the town, especially Jill, who had gotten close to the kids. It was always heartbreaking when kids were killed.

"Honestly, I'd have to say it the chance to see new sights, learn about this Umbrella everyone is talking about" Axel says giving her a half truth, he was here to see the sights, while also looking for anything on this world that could help the Organization's goal of finding a way to make the darkness in Sora's heart stronger. All so they could control him into making Kingdom Hearts for them now that he is out and about.

"What can you tell me about this mansion incident anyway?" Axel asks Lucille quietly as he heard some people talking about it that they passed. He kept his voice low so no one would pay them too much mind as they walked down the sidewalk toward the park.

Lucille glanced at him, making sure there wasn't any people too close to them before speaking, "I can tell you what I know. I have a friend who was there for a mission. They went to the Arklay Mountains to find more information about the attacks and stumbled onto the Spencer Mansion. It's been boarded up for years." She still had a hard time believing what Jill had told her, but knew she wasn't the type to lie either.

"What I'm going to say will sound crazy, but try to keep an opened mind, okay? This is something from a damn horror story." She looked at him, hoping he knows that what she tells him isn't something to take lightly.

"Trust me, I seen plenty of strange things in my travels and it's made me very open minded" Axel tries to assure her, without really giving away the fact he has seen some disturbing, amazing, and everything else between sights on various worlds he's been to. At this point he believed in a lot of things. Gods, demons, ghosts, aliens, and humans gaining powers that most would think only happened in dreams or nightmares. At this point he fully believed it would take a lot to surprise him anymore.
Lucille hummed, thinking over his words. "Hm, she said there were monsters in the mansion. Like zombies dogs, giant spiders, reptile like humanoid things called Hunters, crows that attacked people, people that was turned to zombies, and a large giant snake," she said, gripping her bag strap. "They believed that the monsters that did the attacks came from the mansion. When S.T.A.R.S tried to explain to Chief Irons and the mayor, the whole group was suspended and every member was under investigation. My friend didn't go into detail, but she made copies of the reports and gave them to me. If Irons knew she gave those reports to a civilian, we'd both be in trouble. I never saw such fear in her eyes, nothing like that."

"Really? Sure sounds heavy alright, but why won't the chief believe them if they're his people?" Axel asks, while internally he was already thinking of a few reasons that was possible. Blackmail to keep quiet, he could be part of it, or someone higher on the food chain ordered him to keep silent or else. All of these seemed plausible, but it was mostly guesses. Still, the fact the mayor of the town also wanted them silent made him lean more toward the idea the mayor himself might have made sure the chief knew to keep things quiet.

Looks like this town wasn't so boring after all. Hopefully Xigbar could dig up some useful information on his end, while he's with Lucille hearing what she knows during their date.

"I don't know, but I wouldn't put it past him to accept bribes from the higher ups. Before meeting up with you, I had just delivered some photos to the man," Lucille said. "Maybe I'm letting my own personal feelings affect my judgment. I know for a fact he thinks women are the lesser breed and he made me nervous." She shivered as she remembered the look he gave her.

"Oh, he's one of those kind of guys," Axel said with a disgusted frown on his face as they enter the park, his expression turning nostalgic as he looks at the clock tower in the park, almost seeing the old days he and Roxas would sit on the top of the clock tower in Twilight Town, eating sea salt ice cream after a day of doing missions collecting hearts for Kingdom Hearts.

'It's funny...I'm a Nobody, a being without a heart and who can't feel, but with Roxas...I almost swore I was feeling again,' Axel thinks feeling conflicted on what to think on that subject.

"Yeah, he is," Lucille said and looked up to see Axel with a faraway look on his face as he stared at the clock tower, she wondered if he was thinking about his friend who had passed away. She looked away, hearing a band playing music as they entered the park. It was lively as people were dancing to the tune.

"You miss him, don't you? Your friend?" She asked gently.

"Yeah, sorry, I know I shouldn't be doing that. It's just...we had this silly old tradition we did together. We'd go up the clock tower in town that we live in, eat ice cream as we watch the sunset together" Axel says with a small smile before noticing the band music and guides Lucille to it. "Enough about my past though, let's see more of this park and enjoy our day together."
He didn't want to be a drag for her, but he was touched by her concern. Plus he did want to distract himself from thinking of Roxas too much, if only for a few hours.

Lucille smiled sympathetically at him. "It's not silly if it's a memory that brought you joy, Axel," she said as Axel guided them to the music. "Memories is what can help us through the bad times, it gives us strength." She didn't mind hearing about his past. "I did something similar with my family, before they passed away, we would always go camping during summer, some of the best days if my life growing up."

Her smile grew as he guided them closer to the band making the music they were hearing. "Heh, first time hearing them. They're pretty good. The vocalist is really hitting those high notes, not many can without sounding like a dying cat."

"Yeah, really takes some talent to be a singer and be considered good" Axel says as he stands with Lucille among a crowd of people enjoying the show the band was putting on. The song was pretty upbeat in his mind and easy to find himself swaying a bit to the beat.

The vocalist is a pretty woman with the blond hair, blue eyes and heart shaped face as she sang. It was a song that Lucille remembered from her childhood, Eyes on Me. It was seductive, romantic, but touching as well, the beats encouraging people to dance. Her fingers tapped on her leg, keeping in time with the rhythm, eyes half closed. "The original singer of this song can really hit the high notes. Celine Dion, the singer, her songs are usually hard to sing because of the notes."

"Sounds like quite the gal," Axel notes, before grinning as an idea comes to his mind and offered his hand to Lucille as he gives her a smile. "Shall we dance, Lucille?"

Lucille looked surprised at the question, but smiled as she took his hand. "I love too," she said. This was the first for her and she just hoped she didn't step on his toes.

Axel led her to dance as they sway to the beat, side stepping to the left and to the right, even moving forward and back. There was a few times she nearly stepped on his toes, but his quick reflexes managed to avoid it. "Just breathe and take it easy, you're fine, go with the flow of the music, Lucille." Axel advises, hoping it helps her as he was honestly enjoying seeing her smile as they dance together.

Lucille was nervous as they danced, but found she was really enjoying it. It was clear she didn't do this often as her eyes seem to sparkle with happiness. "This day is really getting better," she said as she seemed to dance better under his advice, tilting her head as she smiled.

Axel smiled with her as they danced with the beat of the music, feeling almost carefree for the first time in a long time. Like the old days with Roxas, but...better. He wondered if it was because of his company being a full-fledged human or something else, but pushed it away. He could think later, for now he just wanted to make this moment as fun as possible.

(Raccoon City, Sweet Tavern)

Xigbar smiled as he walked into the bar, acting his part of the tourist as he walks around, admiring the sights as subtly he is looking for who might be drunk enough to answer some questions without really suspecting him too much.

The bar is surprisingly busy, the lights low to make sure the light wouldn't hurt the eyes of those that are drunk. There was an elderly man who sat at the bar; his shoulders slumped as he nursed his beer. He has graying hair that at one point would have been blond in his youth and clear blue eyes that looked troubled as he took a long drink of his beer. He was muttering darkly under his breath, glaring at the notebook in front of him. It had dates, times and names written on it. Near the top of the page is the name Owen and its circled.

Xigbar smirks as he walks over casually and sits next to the man, noting what's in his book as the man drowns his sorrows in alcohol. "Hey, mister, you wouldn't mind chatting with a tourist would you? I'm new here and hoping to get some friendly wise advice from a local" Xigbar greets casually, but with a friendly smile as he can.

"Sure, what can I do for you son?" The man asked, trying not to let his anger get the best of him. His pale face tinged red from the booze he had consumed. He narrowed his eyes a little, seeing the weird jacket he wore but didn't comment on it.

"I was wondering about this super popular company called Umbrella lately and why everyone seems nervous when the Arklay Mountains are mentioned. I tried asking some fine officers, but it felt like they were being evasive with their answers. There isn't any problem in town is there? It seems really peaceful here, but I have to ask out of concern if it's safe to walk around at night" Xigbar asks, trying to word his questions carefully to sound like a curious tourist, than someone looking for Intel.

The old man snorted. "Safe? Safe!? Those bloody cops are only enforcing the illusion of safety. That bloody Chief Irons is scummy as they come. Everyone here is too afraid to make ripples in the water, due to Umbrella having so much power here. They practically created Raccoon City," he nearly growled. "As for Arklay Mountains, people are saying it's cursed, all because of the cannibal attacks lately. Our own S.T.A.R.S. unit went to investigate and said they found monsters at the old Spencer mansion, the same monsters that have been the cause of the attacks."

"Was these monsters dealt with or are they still on the loose? Sounds like a pretty serious problem after all," Xigbar asks curiously, mentally filing away the information that Chief Irons is corrupt and a possible pawn, but will need serious dirt on to ensure he behaves. S.T.A.R.S. also caught his attention; apparently they must be a very important group for investigations or something in the police force here. He'll need to keep his ears and eyes open for any Intel on them too.

"Supposedly they were taken care of, but no one believed the members from S.T.A.R.S. The mayor discredits them and forced Chief Irons to suspend the whole group, till more evidence was brought up. It's still in the papers and over the news. The cannibals haven't been caught yet, so they forced the curfew. Hell, even Umbrella backs up the police force. I wouldn't be surprised if they blackmailed the mayor or bribed Irons. It's been rumored that he did some shady stuff before he became chief. Something about a sex scandal." His anger grew as he talked, glancing around the room and looked at Xigbar. "Be careful young man. I don't know why, but Umbrella has been pretty sketchy as well. My son... my only son, he was taken by these men in black and I saw the Umbrella logo on their sleeves." He blinked back tears.

"Your son, huh...Sorry to hear, old man" Xigbar said in some sympathy and suspicion showing in his eye. "I take it the police won't investigate Umbrella about your son when you told them, right?"

The man nodded, sighing. "They told me to leave Umbrella alone or I would be in jail. I've been asking questions. When I do, people either sing their praises or their mouths zips tight."

"Well that's interesting to know," Xigbar said mentally figuring that must mean Umbrella not only owns the town, but a lot of people must be in on it to some degree or another. Still, he doubts all are guilty, but simply people forced to play along or suffer very severe consequences for daring to rebel against this corporation.

Seems this would be a good place to make the darkness in Sora's heart grow stronger, if he can find enough evil here to really enrage him and set up circumstances that will let him find out about it.

"Tell me about these S.T.A.R.S. guys you mentioned earlier, think they can be trusted or just unwilling pawns to this Umbrella group?" Xigbar asks, wondering how trust worthy they are to give Sora a "good guy" side he might be able to turn to for help or advice. Kid had a knack for inspiring hope or courage in locals he befriends on other worlds, plus knowing his friendly and caring personality he would definitely want to join a good fight once aware how screwed up things are here.

"S.T.A.R.S.? They're an elite special forces that was created to handle the tougher cases that the normal police couldn't handle," The man said, flipping through his book before producing a newspaper article that had the image of the group. It was a colored photo and handed it to him. It credited the photographer, Lucille McGann. "I never met the people personally, but I heard they are a good group, sspecially three of their top members, Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, and Barry Burton. When they came back from the Spencer incident, the whole group was suspended, saying they created the whole monster story to cover something. Their team captain, Albert Wesker, was never found and presumed dead."

"Really, such a shame that their talent is going to waste. They sound like they could do this city a lot of good," Xigbar says as he mentally notes Lucille's name is on the picture. 'So she's taken photos of those guys, huh? Maybe Axel can dig up some info from her during their date that might be of help to me later...' Xigbar thinks hoping for just that as he focuses on his end of things.

"Agreed," the man said, finishing his drink. "Jill Valentine is under house arrest last I heard. Poor girl. Chief Irons is a grade A asshole. I wouldn't trust him with my wife if she was still around. Bless her soul. If you have a wife or girlfriend, keep her close. Irons were in trouble before and it was swept up under the rug. It's rumored that he has connections to the mayor and Umbrella."

'Leave him alone with Larxene for five minutes, I guarantee she'll have him begging and screaming like a bitch in no time' Xigbar thinks with a sadistic glee, but kept his smile friendly to hide his thoughts. "I'll be sure to remember that, but tell me, do you think your son is the first to "disappear" by those punks in Umbrella? With this much influence, it almost makes me wonder what they need people to be kidnapped over..."

It was a shot in the dark he would admit, but since the man had a reason to hate Umbrella and know they're corrupt, much like the mayor and the police here...Maybe he had some theories for why they needed to kidnap people and keep those who knew quiet. He did give a glance around out of precaution to see if anyone was listening. So far no one looked suspicious to him, but he wasn't lowering his guard yet.

He shook his head. "No, I don't. Another young woman from a rich family seems to disappear, same men in black suits with the Umbrella logo. They told the parents that she was dead. But why would Umbrella be the ones to tell them that? Shouldn't that be the job for the police?" He frowned as he thought more. "As for the reason? I have theories. Maybe they are testing out new medicines? Maybe experimenting on them? They also have ties to the military."

'Ties with the police and the military? Clearly this Umbrella is bigger than most villains we run into...interesting' Xigbar thinks to himself in surprise they have this many allies in their pockets for a so called medical company. Clearly they had to be working on weapons too, most likely tech based to get the military to want them on their side. Though human experimentation for super soldiers was also another reason he could imagine, it would explain the kidnappings.

"You're right, that should be the cop's job, but can a medical company even legally have ties with the military? I thought they were separate things usually" Xigbar asks knowing it wouldn't be too different from their current flow of conversation.

"Normally, yes," the man said. "Umbrella had been around for years; they helped build Raccoon City and opened many businesses here. They have their hands in everything here, including the orphanage."

"An Orphanage? Sounds like a way to earn the people's favor by making them think they're saints or something" Xigbar says almost mentally applauding them for how well they have this town in their pocket and the majority of people fooled. With how well they painted themselves as the "good intentioned" company out to help the people, especially those in Raccoon where they are based, it's hard to get a case against them.

All in all, he knew this isn't something killing the head in charge could fix. No, killing off Umbrella would take time and some serious evidence to destroy the image they made of themselves. Something that would take Sora a while once hero was aware of how evil these guys are. Time that could be used to further nurture his growing darkness to their advantage.

"Only time you see kids leave that place is when they get adopted," he said. "Other than that, those kids always have someone with them and rarely seen outside. I managed to get in contact with some of the kids that used to live there. All of them said something weird was going on."

"I see, sounds like a mystery are out there and maybe I should keep my eyes open," Xigbar says nodding to the information. 'I wonder are they using the kids as test subjects too?' Xigbar thinks feeling personally a bit sick at that thought. While he has done his fair share of using, killing, and stealing when needed, messing with children was one of few things he never liked or forgave. If the Orphanage was doing as he suspected...he was definitely adding them to the list he'll make for Sora to come after.

"Yes, but tread carefully. Umbrella doesn't care for those that stick their noses too deep into their business" He said and looked worried for Xigbar's safety, a complete stranger. He pulled out his wallet and put some money down. He was drunk but he had to keep searching for his boy. "Make sure you have someone watching your back as well."

"Make sure to take your own advice well, old man. Good luck in finding your son though," Xigbar says, wishing the man well as he saw the man pay for his drinks. At least he knew he had Axel and his lesser Nobodies if needed, he doubted the old coot had anyone looking after him if he got caught snooping into Umbrella. "Trust me when I say this, don't go dying like some hero. It'll haunt your kid for sure."

The old man smiled sadly. "I'll be sure to try, but I'm an old man. If I can just see my son, even once, knowing he's alive and safe. That'll be enough for me to rest, but I won't stop till I find him," he said and grunted, rubbing his left hip. "Ugh...don't get old. Arthritis is a nightmare and I still have McGann's car to finish." He looked at Xigbar, clapping a hand onto his shoulder. "Thank you for listening. Not many do, but Umbrella is a shady business. I just hope people will see that before it's too late."

"You never know old man, winds come and go all the time, maybe a better change will come with it one day" Xigbar says to give the man some hope and to vaguely assure change will come, but on his terms. Not that he'd admit it or blow his cover.

"Maybe it will, one can only hope," He laughed. "Take care of yourself now." He headed to the door, leaving the news article behind on the counter, leaving Xigbar to his thoughts and what he had learned from the old man. A TV in the back was playing a football game. Underneath is the news bulletin, going over the recent news of S.T.A.R.S. being suspended, the curfew, and the police slowly putting up road blocks surrounding Raccoon, only allowing truckers and some influential people, like the mayor, in and out of the city.

"I'll certainly try to, old timer..." Xigbar muses with a smirk as he reads the new report under the game. He had a lot to learn and he intended to get ahead of the curve to make things play to his hand. First things first though, he needed to know all the players in this game and as much as he can about the world around them on this board.

The news relayed old information about the cannibal attacks, spooking some of the patrons in the bar as they stayed in their seats, drinking their beers, murmuring under their breaths. The first attack having been a few months ago and S.T.A.R.S. soon joining the investigation, as the image of the destroyed Spencer mansion appeared at the edge of the screen, as well as Lucille's photo of the entire team. Under it were the names of those that died belonging to the police station and S.T.A.R.S.

'Axel, you and I have a lot to report to boss when this day is done; this could be the world we are looking for' Xigbar thinks with a smirk as he watches the news with the other patrons who are getting lost in their own booze.

(With Axel and Lucille)

"Well, that was fun," Axel says watching Lucille catch her breath after the fun they had dancing, he smiles as he looks around and sees some ice cream being passed out to kids and adults who have money to pay for it. "Hey, what kind of ice cream do they have here anyway?"

"It was," Lucille smiled and looked towards the ice cream cart. "Ah, Sea Salt, strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, to name a few." She remembered Axel mentioning getting ice cream with his friend. Grabbing his hand, she led him over to the cart. "Come on, I'll get you one."

"Sea Salt?" Axel perks up at this as she grabs his hand and brings him to the cart, feeling nostalgic and yet...comfortable around her. Looking to the clock tower, he decided he wanted to see if he could get Lucille to enjoy the old tradition he did with Roxas in the past. "Can you get us both one at least? I have an idea if you do and I think you'll like it."

"Sure can," Lucille said, tilting her head. "An idea huh? I'm game." Once it was their turn, Lucille purchased two ice cream bars for them, curious about the idea he had. "I haven't had this type before." She handed one of the ice creams to him.

"Now keep it quiet, but...let's sneak up the clock tower" Axel says luring her away from potential eavesdroppers, walking toward the clock tower from the park. Smiling mischievously as he thought of reliving an old fond memory with one more person he can call a friend.

'Friend...yeah, that's what we are' Axel thought, looking at his ice cream and at her with a small smile.

Lucille blinked at the suggestion and chuckled softly. "Sneaky, sneaky," she said, excited about the idea as she walked alongside him. 'This is nice. It's been awhile since I had this much fun.' She smiled gently at him, enjoying this moment, her heart skipping a beat. She never befriended someone so quickly or felt comfortable with someone she just met.

Axel only grinned as he led her to the clock tower and causally looked around for a route to sneak in, the front door was majorly out, but the back over the fence seemed promising. He smirked as he climbed up the fence quietly as possible and held out a hand as he got up near the top. "Give me your hand and I'll pull you over, we'll sneak in through the backdoor and make our way up."

Lucille looked at the fence wearily and looked at him. "I take it you've done this before," she said as she climbed up and grabbed his hand. Surprisingly no one had seen them on the fence and it was quiet in this area. She tried not to look around too much, not wanting to jinx them and get caught.

"Let's just say back home in my childhood, I snuck into a castle a lot with an old friend" Axel mentions vaguely, thinking of his old friendship with Saix before he changed for the worst, he wasn't truly sure where they stood anymore, but it wasn't like he had with Roxas. Pulling Lucille up and over with him, he leaps down the fence and softly lands on the grass on the other side. Running to the door and testing it quietly, smiling as it opens.

"Come on," He whispers as he beckons her over.

Lucille ran over to him, poking her head through the doorway and grinned, not seeing anyone. "Castle huh? Lucky, I bet it was beautiful," she said. It was quiet on the inside, not a sound. "Funny... haven't been here since I was a kid." She had been on a field trip with her class, during the first year with her new foster family, the family that was in the process of adopting her. "Good to see it hasn't changed at all."

'It was beautiful,' Axel thinks sadly, but keeps a smile on his face as he runs up the stairs, "Come on, let's get to the top before our ice cream melts! You'll love this if we can just get to the top!"

"Right behind ya!" Lucille said as she was behind him, their footsteps bouncing off the walls as they ran up the stairs, getting close to the top. The cool air greeted them as they got closer. Part of her was relieved to see him so excited for this and felt honored he wanted to do this with her.

Axel opened a door and led her through some sort of room, before finally opening another door and finding themselves outside. Smiling as they stood near the spotlight and a little to their left was a ladder leading inside the clock tower, along with a gorgeous view of the city below them as he took a seat on the edge.

"Come on, take a seat, I promise I won't let you fall~" Axel playfully invites her patting a spot next to him.
Lucille looked at the edge, pulled off her camera bag and slowly sat down next to him, a little nervous with sitting on the edge. She looked over the city and smiles softly. "I'm holding you to that, red," she grinned and let out a soft sigh. "Funny, I grew up here and not once did I think of sneaking up here. I'm glad you convinced me. It's beautiful."

The city seemed to sparkle in the sun's rays, enhancing the forgotten beauty. Not even the wind touched them.

"This is what Roxas and I used to do after missions, I wish he met you...but...I feel I can do this with you too" Axel says softly, admiring the sun that was setting, seeing the reds, oranges, yellows, and a few purples and pinks in the sky.

"Roxas... heh, I would have liked to have met him," Lucille said and looked at him, feeling her face tinged pink her hands resting on the edge. "I'm glad you think so."

"Tell me something, do you know why the sun sets red?" Axel asks Lucille with a fond smile on his face, recalling he asked Roxas this same thing before. Good times.

"Turns red? No, why?" Lucille asks tilting her head confusedly.

'Cute,' Axel thinks before shaking the thought. "You see, light is made up of all sorts of colors and red...travels the farthest out of them all" Axel explains with a proud smile that he knew that fact, spreading his arm out to the world around them as the sunset gives the town a beautiful glow of mixed colors down below and the sky above.

Lucille giggled as she watched him, seeing the sunlight touch his face. 'Adorable,' she thought and looked at the sunset. "Makes sense," she murmured. "Red shines the brightest, sounds like someone else I know." She was too shy to look at him when she said that, wanting to hide due to her embarrassment.

"Oh? You think so huh?" Axel teases her with a poke to her cheek.

"I know so," Lucille grinned, tapping his nose teasingly. "You're the most colorful person I met, Axel. I'm glad we bumped into each other."

"You know...I am too," Axel says, rubbing his chest a bit with a happy smile. While inwardly he is shocked, this...it almost feels like the times when he was with Roxas and a few times with Sora...like he has a heart. While he wouldn't let her get too close to Organization XIII for her own good, he would gladly love to spend more time with her and protect her.

Maybe one day...if there was a chance, maybe he could even introduce Roxas to her and they'll eat ice cream together. Much like the old days...

Lucille smiled softly. "I'm glad," she said and looked a bit concerned as she saw him rub his chest and shifted closer to him. "Axel, are you okay?" Unaware of his thoughts, she touched his forehead. "You're not feeling sick are you?"

"Nah, not at all!" Axel hastily says, unaware of a blush to his cheeks as he tries to play it cool. "Just felt a bit funny is all, but I'm cool! Nothing takes down Axel easily, got it memorized?" Axel says playfully as he taps his head again, his lips forming a confident smirk.

Lucille laughed. "If you say so," she said. "Well, Axel, since you got me up here, we may as well enjoy this and eat our ice cream before it melts." She found his blush cute. "And...This is only for close friends, but you can call me Alexis, that is, if you want. It's also my middle name. Just don't call me Luc or Lucy."

"Let me guess, people call you it too often, Alexis?" Axel says accepting her terms and feeling...happy for her letting him in like this. Even though he was still sure it's impossible for Nobodies to feel anything...right?

"Ugh...way too much," Lucille gave a groan. "I grew up in an orphanage and the kids taunted me with those two nicknames. If wasn't that, they would call me 'freak' due to my two eye colors." Shrugging, she smiled. "But being different isn't bad."

"Why be the same as everyone else? I find that way too boring when I can be, the bad ass Axel!" Axel says playfully flexing his arm as he eats some of his sea salt ice cream.

"Got that right," Lucille grinned and took a bite of her ice cream, blinking at the oddly sweet but salty treat. "Whoa. This is very different!"

"One of my favorite things about it," Axel says as he enjoys eating more of his ice cream. "The best part of being up here? We can talk about how our days had been and not worry about eavesdroppers up here as long as we don't yell."

"It's refreshing," Lucille agreed, enjoying the sweet treat, giving a happy hum. "Can't complain there. I haven't felt this relaxed, been busy worrying about rent, Jill and the others being suspended, and the attacks. Living alone isn't easy at times. I know how to protect myself, but acting in the heat of the moment when you're half asleep?" She shook her head.

"Yeesh, reminds me of worrying if my door is locked when Larxene is on her period" Axel says with a shudder, he was glad she was no longer an issue in his life now. "I'm so glad she's d-moved away." Axel almost says dead, but quickly corrects to saying moved away. Last thing he needs is to let her know he's an assassin in his organization to take out traitors.

That is one can of worms he'd really rather avoid.

Lucille raised a brow at the mention of Larxene and for some reason she felt the small twinge of jealousy in her chest. "I see... were you two together?" She asked, trying to be respectful of his privacy. If he had a girlfriend that she didn't know about, she felt really stupid.

"Eh, she was into me and I did consider her attractive, but her personality made it not really my cup of tea." Axel says with a shrug as he thought of Larxene in a possible romance. Attractive? Yeah, he would admit she is. But her personality was not something he liked too much. Plus she tends to be very sadistic; she definitely earned the name Sadistic Nymph. "Our coworkers use to call her a sadistic witch for a reason, let's leave it at that.

"Okay," Lucille said giving a slight nod and looked out towards the city again as she finished her ice cream. She wouldn't let that bit of information bug her, despite the fun they had today and the closeness happening, she and Axel barely knew other. He worked with this woman and there is always a chance of them dating. While he did say her personality threw him off, she had heard men secretly enjoyed dating overpowering women.

'Sadistic witch huh?' She thought. 'Sounds like a handful, she's worse than my ex-boyfriend. They would have gotten along. Ugh, why am I even thinking about this!?' Grabbing her bag, Lucille pulled out her camera to take a quick picture of the sunset, wanting to add it to her personal collection, a soft smile on her face.

"So if you don't mind me asking, what are your friends like? It sounds like you might be with this Jill woman" Axel asks curious about her friends and how he should behave around them, depending on how Lucille describes them.

Lucille smiled a bit brighter. "Jill? She's pretty cool and smart. She's an expert lock picker," she said. "I met her and some of the members from S.T.A.R.S. a year ago. I met her through Barry, a weapons expert and family man. Chris is a hand to hand master, stubborn and a muscle head." She shook her head. "I'm closer to those three as they got me out of my shell. I was a lot quieter back then. They are a loyal bunch, a strong sense of right and wrong."

She sighed softly, a look of worry on her face. "I was on friendly terms with Captain as well, but not like Jill and the others. Albert Wesker, he was hard nut to crack, but efficient and the women flocked to him due to his good looks."

"Huh, sounds like a interesting group. So what about the others?" Axel asks curious as he was enjoying hearing her talk about these people. Oddly he felt uncomfortable when Wesker came up though and how he had women flock to him for good looks. 'Why is the question though, he's hardly the first guy I heard with those kind of looks. Hell, I could be categorized as that too and so could Roxas, though for my old friend I would make sure to help him not get played by women who are good actresses. Poor guy would not know how to deal with those' Axel thinks trying to shake off the odd feeling. Focusing on listening to her speak of her friends.
"I don't know them that well, but Forest is somewhat a rival of Chris's in being the better shot. They seem to like their rivalry though, so no worries there. Brad "Chicken Heart" Vickers on the other hand? Oh he is the biggest coward you'll ever meet. Sometimes I wonder how he got in S.T.A.R.S. with how easily frightened he is. I even heard he abandoned Alpha Team out of fright when the monsters first attacked Jill's group" Lucille explains smiling a bit as she thought of them, before turning to annoyance and then looking sad. "This is also when Forest died by zombified dogs or that is how Jill describes them."

"Zombified dogs?" Axel questions before frowning. "Like live ones aren't enough of a pain when they're attacking you. She has my sympathy for dealing with that kind of shit."

Lucille nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Supposedly Wesker died during the Spencer mansion incident, but his body was never recovered. It still pisses me off that Irons suspended them. The mayor stuck his nose into that decision." She scowled.

"Yeah, it's a shame they only had one team of bad asses and they got suspended for doing their jobs" Axel said with a nod of understanding.

"Well, there were two teams actually. The ones I told you about are on Alpha team, there was a Bravo team, but...they all died except for one member. Rebecca Chambers, she's a prodigy in medicine and the youngest of them all at eighteen years old" Lucille says with respect in her tone.

"Really? Shit she must be really smart to have been hired as their medic for her medical knowledge if she's that young" Axel says feeling impressed at this, considering this Rebecca is supposed to be the youngest of the group, they must rarely bring in anyone at eighteen unless they was confident the person was worth it for their talent.

"Very smart, if not a little naive in some things, but she makes up for it with her sweet nature and stubborn attitude," Lucille said smiling. "She's a good kid. Hell, the whole group is good. They'd do anything to help people and I'm lucky to call them friends. After I left the orphanage, they kick you out once your eighteen, and have a place to stay and a job, I didn't have any friends. So when I met Jill and the others, they saved me from depression and helped me deal with the loss of my foster family."

She blinked back tears. "When I got word that Jill and the others were suspended, I was pissed."

"I would be too if I was in your shoes," Axel assures as he patted her shoulder gently. "Surely you can still visit them right? Do you know where they live? Maybe help lift their mood as you hang out with them?"

Lucille smiled sadly. "I would but... Chris left for Europe about a month ago? Barry moved his family to Canada and Jill? She's under house arrest. She can't even leave her apartment and she can't get visitors. I tried. We even have to be careful when speaking on the phone now." She frowns then as a memory flashed through her mind, something Jill said.

"Jill was so insistent that Umbrella has something to do with the attacks and them being connected. When I told her I have a job with them, she got really nervous, scared even."

"Well, good thing you got me to personally be there for you then," Axel says with confidence and a bit of a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "So next time you talk to this Jill lady, let her know Axel has your back and that I can take care of the both of us."

Lucille smiled. "I think she would appreciate it," she said and could only imagine the teasing she would get as she never mentioned any guy friends to her or the others. "Just know, if you ever do get a chance to meet her, be prepared for teasing and two hundred questions."

"That's fine, but I have one serious question to ask" Axel says with a serious expression catching her off guard.

"W-What's that?" Lucille asks a bit surprised at how he changed pace so suddenly.

"Do you think she'll pull a shotgun on me for sleeping with you?" Axel asks as a teasing grin, wording his question poorly on purpose to see how she'd react. He meant as in sleep in the same building as her, but a part of him couldn't resist the idea of teasing her.

Lucille's face turned the same shade of red as his hair, her eyes widening as her mind seemed to go haywire. "A-Axel!" She stuttered and covered her blushing face with both hands. "You-!" She was still a virgin!

"Pffft, hahahahhaha! Oh my god! Your face!" Axel laughs as he holds an arm over his stomach, giving her a look of amusement. "Not that way you pervert~" Axel teases as he chuckles now. "I meant about the fact you're letting me sleep at your place!"

"Oh, you!" Lucille groaned and shook her head. "How was I supposed to take it with you going so serious all of the sudden and the question?" She playfully punched him in the arm. She was so getting him back for that!

"That's what makes it the best joke, Lucille; you got to know how to sell it if you want to pull misdirection on someone" Axel advises her with a little helpful tip that has helped him fool Marluxia and his little group of traitors into believing he was someone they could get on their side. The best way to fool your enemy is to believe you're serious about their causes or ways of thinking.

Granted, he doesn't expect her to be in that level of serious situations, but a little helpful advice never hurts for telling better jokes right? Especially when it helps her avoid being caught in the act so easily.

Lucille nodded as she would make sure to remember that bit of information. "I'll remember it," she said, the blush slowly fading away. "You definitely got me going." Her heart was still thumping against her chest. It sounded so loud in her ears; she was surprised Axel didn't hear it.

'Keep pulling stunts like that, Axel, I might have a crush on you,' she thought, smiling lightly. Despite the sudden joke, she had enjoyed it and it caught her off guard, even laughing at it after.

Axel smiled as he looked at the sunset; it was unexpected how...nice this would be. Sure, it was all official mission stuff and he needed an informant, but...he really felt himself beginning to care for her. Almost a lot like Roxas, but something was...different, he wasn't sure what though, but it still felt nice all the same.

'If and when I get Roxas back, I'm definitely introducing them to each other. After I make sure this Umbrella doesn't kill her that is...' Axel thinks to himself, smiling softly as he made plans for the future.

Lucille relaxed, enjoying the scene and just being near him. He made her feel at ease, almost like they had been friends for a while, instead of just meeting that day. There was another feeling stirring inside of her, something she wasn't ready to name yet, not knowing if he would stay or leave.

'It's nice to be cared for,' she thought, playing with her choker. 'Mother, father, Anthony... I think you would have liked him.' She closed her eyes, picturing the smiling faces of her family. 'I just hope this job at Umbrella doesn't kill me.'

"So, got anything else you'd like to show me before we visit your home? You got me more curious about your home town now," Axel asks glad to have given her something to enjoy, but curious if there was any other sights she wanted to show him in town before they go to her home to see where they'd probably be spending their nights.

Lucille hummed in thought, thinking of a place. "We might have one more place to see before taking you home" she said. It was something she never showed anyone before as it was special to her and her family. "We'll have to head back to the park though." She tilted her head, looking at him, her expression showing some vulnerability and openness.

"Lead the way," Axel said before gaining a sheepish look. "After we sneak out of here without being seen that is."

"You make it sound like it's hard," Lucille smirks and stood up slowly, stepping back from the ledge and grabbed her camera bag. "Don't tell me you're afraid of a little fun?" Her tone teasing.

"Who do you think I am, Saix?" Axel asks with a smirk on his face feeling like matching wits with her, before realizing his slip up.

"Saix?" Lucille questions.

"Just a stick in the mud and a total pain in my ass every time I want to do something fun" Axel replies with a half-truth, their "friendship", if it could be called that anymore, was more complicated than that, but he wasn't about to tell her his life story.

Lucille nodded. "Ah. I think we all have a friend like that," she said, seeing that he didn't want to get into it. She waited patiently as she looked at the scene before them.

Axel stared at her for a second, admiring how the red and orange lights made her hair seem to glow for a second before shaking his head. Pushing the thoughts away as he heads for the door. "Well, let's head on to this place you mentioned, Alexis. That is if you still think you can sneak out without getting caught~" Axel says with a sing song tone to dare her into it, a playful smirk on his lips.

"Is that a challenge, red?" Lucille asked grinning, pushing back a strand of loose hair behind her ear and bumped him playfully with her hip as she opened the door.

"Only if you think you can...handle the heat," Axel responds teasingly, whispering the last part next to her ear as he walks next to Lucille inside the tower.

'Be still my beating heart!' Lucille thought, placing a hand over her chest, feeling her heart speed up when he whispered in her ear. 'He's gonna be the death of me, I swear!' She gripped the strap of her camera bag at her side, hoping she wasn't turning into a blushing mess.

"I'm handling you, aren't I?" She smirked, their footsteps bouncing off the walls.

"True, but how long I wonder? I'm not exactly the innocent type." Axel says walking through the halls with her casually, enjoying this game of wits and teasing. He had no intentions of getting together with her as he is, given he is a Nobody and she deserves better than someone without a heart. But when he gets his heart...well, that was a different story that he wouldn't mind checking in the future.

"Maybe," Lucille said and raises a brow at him. "But I don't scare easily either." She enjoyed their talks as he kept her in her toes. "I've grew up in an orphanage and that's scary enough." She felt herself growing closer to him, opening up more. "Not to mention a freaking monster roaming our backyard at the family home." She blinked, realizing what she said. "Uh..."

"A monster?" Axel asks curiously, but not judging as he looks at her as they walk down the stairs together. "What kind of monster are we talking about here?"

Lucille bit her lower lip, rubbing her left arm as she hesitated. "It's hard to explain," she said, looking away from his gaze. "Gah, you'll probably think I'm insane or think it's a made up story. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around it." But it wouldn't have been crazy, considering what happened at the mansion.

Axel stared at her silently with a searching gaze to see if he could get her to talk under the pressure of his gaze, feeling a bit mischievous still and slightly curious.

Lucille felt his gaze on her and flushed. "Keep staring at me like that and I will hurt you," she said jokingly. She made sure they were alone before sighing. "Just don't laugh, okay? My dad didn't scare easily, he was a cop, and this scared him. He didn't want me or Anthony to be alone in the backyard, even with mom in the house."

"Well you got my attention so far, but don't worry, no laughing from me" Axel says not seeing the harm as they made their way from the main lobby to the chapel room that led to the door they used to get in.

"I'll give you the shorten version," Lucille said, seeing the door and still no one showed up to stop them. "My dad moved here from Hawaii when he was in his twenties, to start anew as he felt something was hunting him, a monster that has been around for centuries. Each culture is different, but the story is the same give or take. We lived on the outskirts of Raccoon; our place was surrounded by the forest and for as long as I could remember. He always told us to never go in the woods alone, to stay away from it, but never gave the reason why till one night when everyone was a sleep, something woke up Anthony from a deep sleep. Something was scratching at his window and growling. He went to go check and that's when he saw it, a werewolf, staring at him. Anthony screamed, waking the whole house. When dad got there, it was gone but Anthony was a mess, screaming and crying that the werewolf was going to get him. Dad finally told us about the werewolf type monster that killed grandpa back in Hawaii when he was a teenager and believed it followed him here, to finish the job."

She opened the door and poked her head out; seeing the coast was clear before looking at Axel. "I never saw the creature, but the terror on dad's face and Anthony's, it led me to believe it was real or some mutated dog that scared them." A hint of worry and sadness flashed through her eyes and averted her gaze, glancing at the floor. "It must sound silly..."

"Nah, I heard crazier things than that" Axel assures with a pat to her back as he opens the door, only to shut it quickly and quietly to avoid being seen by a guard wearing a symbol of a red and white hexagon on his shoulder. "Might want to wait a second, there's a guard outside" Axel whispers to her.

'Seen and killed deadlier things too, not that I can tell her that' Axel notes to himself thinking of this so called monster. He doubts it could be any worse than the heartless or worse...his boss.

Lucille nodded as he told her about the guard. "That was close," she said, keeping her voice to a whisper. She didn't want to explain to a guard why they had been in the building. "He might have gotten the wrong idea." Even if this is a friendly date, the guard would think otherwise and that was a fine she didn't feel like paying. She felt comforted by his words as this was something she never shared with Jill and the others. Why did she feel so comfortable around him?
"Just give it a few minutes; I'll check again if the coast is clear" Axel whispers as he takes a seat on one of the pews to get comfortable. He was glad for a little distraction/easy job like this, instead of the usual icky jobs when he has to knock somebody off for Xemnas or worse, having to be a spy/double agent like he did in Castle Oblivion. That sucked, not that he was close to Marluxia and Larxene, but they tried to betray Xemnas and got caught. So it became his job to eliminate them or risk being turned to a Dusk. Nothing personal, but he was not turning to a dusk for their asses.

"Hmm," Lucille agreed and sat down next to him, playing with the key on her choker. "Better to wait than get caught." She closed her eyes as she relaxes a bit. "I don't have a criminal record...yet."

"Planning to go bad girl or something?" Axel asks casually with a playful smirk. "No offense, but isn't that a teen thing?"

"It's a good thing I'm not a teen anymore," Lucille laughed. "It took me seven years to get where I am now. I was nineteen when I started to get regular clients. I'm twenty five now and I still get mistaken for a reckless teen." She turned to face him, humming. "YOU on the other hand, I'm not so sure." She smirked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Axel asks with a mock accusing tone, though he kept it to a whisper to be safe, a smirk of his own forming as he played along.

"You did say you aren't innocent," Lucille teased, keeping her tone low. She leaned forward and gently tugging his hair gently. "I can see trouble following you. You did run into me after all." Plus this would be a good time to get some revenge on him from his joke earlier when they watched the sunset.

"And yet, you stick around me and offer me a bed in your home?" Axel asks playfully, trying to turn it around. "Don't tell me you like the type of guys who get into trouble now."

"Oh boy, now you're curious about the guys I'm into," Lucille grinned. "Makes a girl wonder, but if you must know, I like men who can make me laugh, knows how to have fun, loyal, someone who treats me as someone worth fighting for, precious to them and knows when to get serious." Her gaze never leaving his. "As for getting into trouble? It depends; it can be used as bonding time and fun memories." She winked playfully.

'She's definitely is painting a picture,' Axel thinks wishing he had a heart, though a part of couldn't help letting out a humored and happy smile without realizing it. "You best be careful then, guys like that tend to be hot to handle and you could get burned if you aren't careful" Axel says playfully with a smile, but is secretly warning her in genuine concern, wanting to keep her safe.

Lucille returned his smile, finding it warm and endearing as she took his warning to heart. "I know," she murmured softly. She had been hurt badly by her last boyfriend and it was the reason why had been single for three years. She wasn't going to tell him yet. "I'm not so easily won over by men to get burned again."

"Good, means unlike most girls, you got brains" Axel says with a teasing smirk as he taps her forehead.

Lucille laughed. "I would hope so," she said. "Or else I wouldn't be able to put up with the idiots during photo shoots." She poked his nose teasingly. "Fire is beautiful, but dangerous. Like anything else, you have to respect it."

'If I ever meet someone special, I hope he's like you,' she thought, smiling softly and blushed heavily, looking away quickly. 'Really brain, really!?'

"Glad you understand that, most people don't" Axel tells her with a smile, almost feeling touched, but dismissed the thoughts as they come. 'A Nobody feeling anything, please...we can't feel anything no matter how much we want to pretend to, not until we get our hearts from Kingdom Hearts' Axel thinks opening the door to peek outside and smiles.

"Well, it seems we're in luck, guard is gone. Let's get out of here before they come back" Axel says opening the door fully and running for the fence.

Lucille grabbed her bag. "Right," she said, looking around before running to the fence, glad for the change of topic. She wasn't sure what would have happened if they stayed. Grabbing the fence, she started to climb. Axel climbed up the fence and once on top helped her up.

"Upsidaisy, Lucille," Axel says helping her over and jumps down after once she lands safely on her feet. "Now, where is this spot you was telling me about?"

Lucille nodded her thanks. "We'll have to go passed the musicians," she said and smiled playfully. "Try not sweep me off my feet this time, okay?" Once Axel joined her, she started walking.

"No promises," Axel teases playfully in return, as he walks with her to the park.

"Charmer," Lucille chuckled softly, hearing the band slowly finish up their last song for the evening. It was one she didn't recognize, but it had a nice tune to it. If they weren't press for time, she would have asked Axel if they could stay. Shaking off that feeling, she led him away from the band and deeper into the park. "Perfect for viewing as well, some areas have a better affect during the evenings."

The park was slowly emptying out as groups of people headed home, not wanting to get caught by patrol. The sun was still out at this time so they would have plenty of time to get there and enjoy it before having to leave. Coming to a split in the pathway, Lucille took the right side, a path that was more dirt than concrete.

Axel followed along as he took in his surroundings, the park on the surface seems relatively peaceful, with minor amount of cops or other types of guards checking the city, giving it a peaceful feel he felt was a front with everything Lucille has told him from Jill's words. Considering Jill is a suspended police officer from an elite team, he decided to take those words into consideration for Xemnas's plan to affect the darkness in Sora's heart. Though a part of him was hoping to just get Roxas back and he knew the best way to ensure that... was to turn Sora into a heartless, which the Organization doesn't want. They would no doubt be after him for it, if he is caught trying to do that to their useful pawn for creating Kingdom Hearts, despite the fact he insists Roxas is better.

'What a mess, should I even try to get Roxas back if it means that Xemnas might turn me to a Dusk for trying?' Axel thinks in some worry, but on the outside he appears casual as possible, with his arms behind his head as he walks beside Lucille.

Lucille glanced at Axel, seeing that he was lost in thought, noticing the slight wrinkle of his nose. Figuring it was something important to him, she decided not to bug him. She stopped for a second, looking at the trees, giving a slight hum as she looked for a familiar marking and made her way towards it. She took a left turn, disappearing behind a bush for a few minutes before emerging again. "This way" she said, moving the bushes to the side for him to enter.

She was excited to show him the sight behind the bushes, her own little secret garden really. The various flowers, some more delicate than others, were well taken care of by the gardeners who knew how to take care of them.

Axel followed her as she gestured him, blinking a bit as he saw a pretty nice looking garden of flower before them. Smiling a bit as he saw how happy she was to see this place and hoped him being here only helped her mood.

"It's nice; you're little secret spot or something?" Axel asks curiously as he walks up next to her to admire the sight.

"You can say that," Lucille said smiling. "This spot holds some special memories for me. As you know, I'm an orphan, never really left the orphanage till I was put into the foster family program. The family that took me in, they brought me here for the first time when I was eleven, said this place is has the ability to help a person emotionally. I didn't believe it at first, but after spending an hour here, I felt lighter, happier."

The flowers grew up the metal poles and seem to hang over head, creating a makeshift awning over their heads. "Even after they had a child of their own, they still wanted me to be a part of their family. The best seven years of my life," Lucille said, looking up at the flowers, feeling calm. "You're the first I brought here. I never told Jill or the others this."

Axel felt a bit touched and uncomfortable at this, someone with a heart should be given this rare sight and chance with her, not him, but he wouldn't ruin this for her. Faking emotions was sadly something he and his coworkers all mastered working with Xemnas all these years. "It sure is a beautiful sight," Oddly, despite his smile being a practice one from his memories, he did find it beautiful and liked it. He tried not to think on this too much, not like he even has a heart to go over this stuff anyways, right?

Yet, why did being next to her make him feel a bit like the times he was with Roxas? He blamed Sora and Roxas for this, somehow being around them made him feel conflicted like this...and yet...he didn't hate it. It was almost like he did have a heart again.

'If only I had a heart...' Axel thinks whimsically and longingly.

Lucille looked at him and looked away, feeling embarrassed. "Ah sorry, I probably made you uncomfortable," she said, feeling a little self-conscious now. Had she shown him too much? Had her ex been right when he told her she was too broken and too trusting? She bit her lower lip, something she did when she felt unsure about something.

'No matter the situation, seems like I run my mouth. Idiot,' she thought.

"No, no, I'm just shocked you'd trust me with this, a total stranger" Axel says trying to cheer her up, not liking her look so down. He could tell she seemed like something was on her mind and didn't want to ruin this for her.

"I know and honestly I'm shocked myself," Lucille said. "This may seem weird, so forgive me, but just feels like I can trust you and not be judged for it." She gave a sheepish smile. "I've never met a person so lively or easy to talk to." She made sure to think over her words carefully, not wanting to sound like a total crazy person.

Axel chuckles as he heard this, feeling a bit touched and impressed she got that pretty much right. Compared to what he was used to dealing with and seeing, he really wouldn't judge her for little things like this.

"Nah, that's called having a good intuition and you're right, I'm not judging you" Axel assures glad to see her relaxing again.

Lucille smiled in relief and gave a soft giggle. "Good. I was so worried that you would," she said honestly. Glad that her intuition was right about him. "You're a good person, Axel."

"I wouldn't go that far, but I appreciate you think so," Axel replies with a small grateful smile, feeling he had a lot of blood on his hands to be called the good ones. Still, he wasn't exactly a bad guy either.

"Heh," Lucille said smiling. She didn't want the moment to end but they could hear the bell from the clock tower dinging, signaling it was close to curfew. "Nice job clock tower, ruin a good moment. I suppose that's our cue to skedaddle home." It had been a long day, but a pleasant one. She started towards the entrance but stopped, thinking for a moment and looked at him. "Hey Axel? If by some chance that you decide to leave Raccoon for good, promise me something?"

"Sure, what is it?" Axel asks looking at her, feeling curious what she had in mind.

Lucille debated on her words. "Stay safe, okay?" she said. "It's silly, but with everything going on... it's leaving me with a bad feeling and I don't want you to get hurt." Since talking to Jill about the Spencer incident and these cannibal attacks, she felt there is a dark shadow looming over the city. She didn't want Axel to get involved or hurt.

"I'll be fine, Lucille, I may not look it, but I'm harder to kill than most would assume" Axel assures with a confident smirk, most would assume this sounding cocky, but for Axel it wasn't, it was just stating facts. He knew he's stronger than most people on this planet so far on first impressions and despite this was still careful enough to pay attention to those around him from his training as Organization XIII's assassin meant to eliminate traitors when ordered.

"I'm holding you to that Axel," Lucille said, walking over to him. "I just have to trust you." She hugged him gently, surprising them both. She was really starting to care for him and the thought of him hurt unsettled her.

Axel tensed up a bit in surprise, but smiled a soft smile as he hugged her back, patting her back gently as he did so. She definitely would have gotten along with Roxas, maybe be like an older sister figure for him if he gets the chance to get his best friend back. "Hey, hey, no need to worry. Axel's right here, okay? I'll be fine, now let's get back to where we split up from Xigbar or he'll rant at us for keeping him waiting" Axel says jokingly, but knows Xigbar would be a little annoyed if they made him wait too long.

Lucille chuckled softly, comforted for now as he returned the hug. "Don't want the old man to have a fit," she said, joining in on the joke as she slowly pulled away from him. "Plus I don't feel like dealing with the police scolding us for being out late." She rolled her eyes playfully at that. She looked at Axel and smiled. "Thank you, for everything." She pulled back the bushes, revealing the walkway.

"No problem, Alexis," Axel says as the two walked back comfortably in silence as Axel enjoyed the sunset changing the sky's colors over their heads.

Maybe this wouldn't be SO bad after all.

(Time Skip)

"About time you two showed up," Xigbar says with a clap of his hands after putting down a newspaper he was reading to pass time as he waited, a small thing he took after some guy in a business suit was done reading his. About to throw it away when Xigbar asked for it seeing he was done reading. A small favor no one would think twice on as he used it to learn about what was going on in the city's mindset officially speaking these days. While recalling the information the old man gave him in the bar, before he left to look for his son.

"What can I say? Great views, good food, music, and lovely ladies" Axel replies playfully as he wraps an arm around Lucille's neck like close friends with a smirk as he saw her blush. "What's not to take my time to enjoy? This town is full of history and life worth learning about," Axel hints hoping Xigbar understood the subtle meaning that he learned some Intel from Lucille.

'Sly dog,' Xigbar thought as he caught the hint. He would have to ask Axel later about what he learned from their little informant friend. "Great news all around," he said cheerfully and looked at Lucille. "Well poppet, thank you for showing my coworker around. Seems like you kept him entertained and by the looks of it, he kept you entertained as well. Do I sense a budding relationship?" He gave an innocent grin, seeing the blush on Lucille's face darkened.

Lucille glanced at Axel shyly before looking away quickly. "Besides 'lovely ladies', I think we both had fun and it seemed to really raise up Axel's spirits," she said, raising a brow at the nickname that Xigbar called her but shrugged, not minding it so much. It was better than Lucy and Luce! 'Lovely ladies? I know he ain't talking about me,' she thought, not believing in her looks at all, even at her age. The singer from the band was a real beauty.

"I must thank you for that. I haven't seen him this happy in a long time," Xigbar said, noting there was a light spring in Axel's step when the two walked over to him.

"Still better than Saix," Axel defends as Xigbar scoffs.

"As if, you even had his attention and that guy is colder than our fridge. It'll be a relief for us all to see you able to do your job again without looking so distracted" Xigbar retorts as Axel bit back a desire to tell him to screw off on that. He'd play along as long as he needed to, but no need to bring the boss's attention to himself or his new friend, while trying to think of a way to get Roxas back.

Lucille raised a brow as the name was brought up again. Axel briefly talked about how cold Saix was and even Xigbar said the guy is ice cold. "You two have some interesting coworkers," she noted. "A sadistic witch and a guy with the cold personality of a fridge? Doesn't sound like a dull day." She was tempted to ask what company they worked for that had so many interesting characters and that didn't include Axel and Xigbar. 'Roxas... was he a part of the same group?' she wondered. "And then there are you two, Axel that reminds me of fire due to his hair and personality and Xigbar, no offence but you could be in a dang pirate movie, captain of your own ship."

"Pirate huh...Well, not the worst thing I ever heard," Xigbar said shrugging his shoulders at the name. Being a captain sounded nice though, no one to tell him what to do anymore.

"That's me, baby, keep it memorized," Axel says bragging a bit with a smirk.
Lucille covered her mouth, holding back a laugh. "Smooth, real smooth Axel," she snickered, patting his arm. "Anyway, your adventure is ready to end gentlemen, one last stop before the night is over. And to make your stay better, you'll get a home cooked meal to fill your bellies."

"That sounds good, all this walking around and checking out the sights does build an appetite" Xigbar said as the two walk with Lucille as she led the way to her home. Mentally noting a good time to slip out briefly to chat with Axel in private would be after dinner saying they need to make a call to their boss, then turn in their reports for the day before heading back to try to catch this meeting Lucille has with Umbrella in two days. In the meantime, investigating things as subtly as they could as tourists.

"I'm sure" Lucille said, rubbing her shoulder, her camera bag suddenly feeling heavy from all the walking she did earlier before meeting the pair and after. She shifted the strap to ease the slight pain. "If my car didn't need work, it would make things easier. Thankfully my place isn't far." It was a block away, easy walking distance.

The streets were emptying out as people headed home with only a few stragglers on the streets. Cars passed them, some belonging to police and other civilians. A single car passed them with the familiar red and white logo on the side, its passenger staring at the trio with a blank face.

Xigbar and Axel both notice, but pay it no mind as they pretend to be caught up in talking with Lucille. While secretly keeping their guards up.

"Maybe next time we can get a ride in your car then," Axel says with a smirk as he raises his hand. "I call shotgun!"

"You would," Xigbar rolls his eyes at his behavior, with a humored smirk.

Lucille chuckled. "I wouldn't mind driving you" she said, enjoying the idea of Axel riding next to her. "Ah, here we are Cottage apartments."

A tall brick building appeared in their right. It looked old but well taken care of. An iron fence circled around the building, enclosing a decent sized yard with a dog house off to the left of the porch. The dog house is empty which is surprising since Bingo, the Saint Bernard stayed outside till his elderly owners had to drag him inside. On the right side of the building is the fire escape.

Lucille raised brow as she opened the door and stepped back, letting Axel and Xigbar go first. 'Odd. Did Nina and Bernard get Bingo inside already?' She wondered and followed the guys inside and led them up some stairs. The second door led to her apartment. Unlocking the door, she opened it, revealing her apartment. She was lucky when she scored the two bedroom apartment and painted the walls a soft yellow color.

"It's not much, but welcome to my home," she said. It was nicely decorated with the typical furniture in the living and dining room, a half wall separating the kitchen from the rest of the room. The bedrooms and bathroom were on the left. She had some pictures of her as a teen with her family.

"Hmm, kinda small, but you are one person and feels pretty homely" Axel says admiring the room as he took a seat on her couch.

"We appreciate your hospitality, Luc-" Xigbar begins to thank her.

"She hates that, stick with poppet" Axel chimes in cutting him off.

"Uh, right, sorry, Poppet" Xigbar apologizes with a small wince. He could relate to being called nicknames he doesn't like. Larxene was quite colorful in her insults for them all before she died by Sora's hands, according to Axel's report.

Lucille put her camera bag near the makeshift developing area in the corner of the living room, rubbing her stuff shoulder as she rolled it. "Forgiven," she said. "I told Axel earlier that 'Lucy and Luc' were the nicknames the kids at the orphanage tormented me with. I grew to hate them. But then again, I've been called 'bitch' and 'whore' before. And that's just to name a few." She took off her jacket and hung it on the back of a chair.

"The guest room has two twin size beds, but if you're not comfortable sharing the same room, the couch is a pullout. There are plenty of clean towels if you need to shower" Lucille explains as they nod, though Axel felt a small bit of concern and rage about someone calling her a bitch or whore.

"Any reason they call you that? You don't seem like one," Axel asks writing off his rage as something he remembered doing as a somebody way back before he lost his heart. Still, he wanted to know and make them pay if he could.

"No burning anyone, Axel, pretty sure you'll get arrested this time for setting someone's pants on fire" Xigbar jokes with an amused grin.

Lucille smiled at Axel, touched by his concern. "Sadly that's what happens in the big city, men will call women that if they don't put out for them," she said. "My ex-boyfriend was known to be crude, rude, possessive and emotionally and physically abusive. I kicked him out three years ago and I haven't seen him since." She placed a hand on Axel's shoulder gently. "And Xigbar is right, getting arrested isn't worth it. Though it would have been funny to see the jerk off running around and screaming like a girl."

"Can't get in trouble if you don't get caught," Axel replies with a mischievous smirk.

"You get caught; I'll leave your ass to suffer Saix's lectures alone. I'm NOT sitting through another two hours of following the law lectures" Xigbar said picking up a book and opening it to read it to pass time waiting for dinner. It looked like a book on photography.

"Traitor," Axel jokes with an amused smile as Xigbar waves him off.

"One of these days, I'll have to get you to tell me about your goofy antics from work. Your co-workers sound like a hoot," Lucille laughed and headed to the kitchen. 'As long as you don't tell me you have a romantic relationship with a sadistic witch,' she thought.

"So, are either of you picky about food?" She asked.

"I'm pretty open, but I like sea salt ice cream best," Axel says with a raised hand. "I also like spicy food."

"Nothing sour and I'm fine," Xigbar replies, "Got any coffee?"

"I have plenty of coffee," Lucille said and chuckled. "Can't have ice cream for dinner, Axel, you goof." She debated on the food as she got the coffee maker ready and started to brew a fresh pot of coffee. She tapped a finger against her cheek, thinking. Coming up with an idea, she started gathering ingredients to start cooking.

"Oh well, can't say I didn't try" Axel says getting comfortable on Lucille's couch, as Xigbar turned the page in his book, listening to the sounds of cooking going on in the kitchen as they waited for their meal. "Tell me, when was the last time you had guests?" Axel asks Lucille out of curiosity.

"Depending, before this mess, I had Jill, Barry, Chris, shockingly Wesker, and Brad every other week," Lucille said as she checked the coffee and hummed, seeing it was just about done and quickly grabbed some mugs. "After? None, just the calls from the team. I heard from Jill yesterday and that was when she warned me to be careful when going to Umbrella."

She had to grab a stepstool to reach the top shelf of the cabinet to grab the plates. Down side to living in an apartment, crappy storage options. "Do you want any coffee, Axel? If not, I have soda, milk, red wine and beer," she offered. "What do you want in your coffee, Xig?"

"I'll take some cream and sugar, not a lot mind you, a little is all I need" Xigbar says, glad for the kindness and service she was providing.

"I'll take whatever drink that goes best with whatever you're cooking. Meat and sodas tend to work well, but sometimes milk is good for stuff like eggs, waffles, sandwiches, and sweets" Axel said, not being too picky about his drink.
"Well, what I'm cooking does have meat and veggies as well as some sweet and spice, ad well with some rice," Lucile said, stirring the pan quickly before getting the drinks for them. She added the small amount of sugar and cream to the coffee and grabbed a soda for Axel, bringing them out. "Hope stir fry is good."

"I'll give it a try," Axel says curious about the dish.

"Same here," Xigbar agrees as he sets down the book, looking out the window to see if that driver from earlier was still around, but was glad to see no sign of the car or the blank faced driver. 'I wonder if he was following me because I talked to the old man at the bar or Axel? I doubt its Lucille, she hasn't even had her meeting yet' Xigbar thinks feeling suspicious and curious if their presence was already noticed and someone was suspicious of them. Perhaps it was the matching cloaks, even with hoods down its eye catching with all black, but during the day is not too big a deal. At night however is a different story, so he was glad to be indoors to avoid suspicious cops or Umbrella workers who may be suspicious of them.

"You're wondering about the car too, aren't you?" Lucille guessed, seeing Xigbar looking out the window. She had to admit that it was weird and a bit unnerving as she went to get the food and put it on the table. "It's ready." The stir fry smelled good and there is plenty left over for seconds if they wanted it. She went to get herself a drink.

Xigbar looked a bit surprised she caught on his train of thoughts and looked a bit sheepish, while on the inside he was secretly impressed she was so observant. 'A talent that could definitely be useful as our informant,' Xigbar thinks feeling glad to have run into her with Axel.

"Yeah, you got me, just wondering what his deal was," Xigbar answers with a half-truth, as he and Axel both come to the table to try her stir fry meal.

"Don't blame you," Lucille said a thoughtful look on her face. "It's not the first time I've seen a car like that in the neighborhood. They were around Jill's apartment as well when I was able to visit." It was true she had seen that car and others more since the attacks, even more after her visits with Jill and put her mug onto the table. "I hope you like it. My mom used to make it when I was a kid. It became one of the few staples for dinner, besides Shepherd's pie."

"Let's dig in and find out," Axel says taking a spoonful as his first bite, humming a bit as he tries it before swallowing. "Not bad, I think is pretty decent dish. Thanks, Alexis!"

"Alexis, that's something she likes to be called?" Xigbar asks as he takes a bite himself, both Axel and himself mentally filing away for later the information that Umbrella had those cars patrolling since the attacks they both learned from their sources and even after Lucille's visits with Jill that Axel was told about.

'They may think of looking into us, oh well, not like they can find anything on record and confronting us would play to our advantage than theirs' Axel thinks over as he enjoys his meal.

"I'm glad to hear it, Axel," Lucille grinned; relieved she didn't mess up and turned her gaze to Xigbar. "I do, I only let a few close people call me that," Lucille said. "Plus it's my middle name." She sipped at her coffee. "Since I wasn't legally adopted, I was able to keep my last name, McGann."

"Is that something you're proud of or not? Not sure how you feel about your last name" Xigbar asks confused, but glad to know calling her Alexis is safe and knows her last name now.

"It's a bit complicated," Lucille said honestly, a slight frown on her face. "I'm part Irish on my birth father's side and French on my mother's. I'm proud of my name and I can trace my ancestors as far back as the 1600's, but I guess I'm not proud of the people that brought me into this world, if that makes sense." She wasn't ready to go into detail about her resentment she felt for her birth parents, only meeting them recently a year ago and met up with them a few afterward.

"No need to explain, we're new people to you after all and to be fair we don't have such good history with our folks either" Axel assures, also planning to use it as an excuse for why he doesn't tell his last name.

Lucille looked relieved and nodded at his explanation. "I see. I'm sorry," she said sincerely and finally took a bite out of her food. "How are you two enjoying Raccoon so far? I'm sure it would have been a little more enjoyable if it wasn't for the suits and weird cars."

"Its fine, met a nice chap at a bar" Xigbar said simply as if he was talking about a friendly meeting. "He did more drinking than me, but seems like a friendly guy."

"We got to enjoy some sights and some dancing, while sharing some pleasant conversations" Axel says not mentioning the clock tower thing, not something he wanted to bring up to Xigbar as he didn't feel it was Xigbar's business. Plus he was worried how Organization XIII would view him making friends with Lucille when she is just an informant as far as Xigbar knows. Best to play his cards close to his chest as Luxord would say.

Lucille took note of Axel not mentioning their time at the clock tower and didn't bring it up either. "I'm glad that you're enjoying it so far," she said. "We do have some good people, despite what's going on." She was more worried about the elderly and children as they were the most vulnerable.

"Well sounds like a nice place and you two had a good time, thanks again for looking after my coworker here" Xigbar says giving a grateful smile. "I'm just glad he hasn't dragged you into any trouble, he sometimes can be a bit of a trouble maker."

"What can I say, I know how to have fun," Axel said smirking as he recalled sneaking into the clock tower and to the roof, which was fun. The ice cream and chat making it all the sweeter, just a sort of charm to sneaking into a place you're not supposed to and seeing an amazing sight for it made the risks all worth it.

Lucille smiled at the two, unaware that her gaze seemed a little softer in Axel's direction. "You're welcome. I haven't had this much fun since the curfew," she said honestly. She enjoyed sneaking to the clock tower with Axel, their chat and teasing made it more special. "Whatever the future holds for you two, weather you stay or leave, I'm glad to have met you both."

'Axel did more than just sweep me off my feet,' she thought, feeling her heart skip a beat and quickly pushes that thought away.

"Well, I think since I couldn't find us a place to stay for the evening, I think we'll crash here" Xigbar says finishing his plate. "But would you mind me stepping out to use a payphone to call our boss, let him know we made it here okay? It kinda slipped my mind while out on my walk."

"Old age getting to you, Xigbar?" Axel teases, unable to resist the opening as Xigbar gave him a glare for it.

'Cheeky little shit, you're lucky we have to keep a front when around civilians' Xigbar thinks in annoyance at Axel's smug smirk. "Tell me, did YOU call him or are we both going to explain things?"

Axel recognized this as a subtle way of saying he wanted to share what they both learned in private. So he decided to stop teasing his "Superior", only in rank as far as he was concerned, and play along with his angles. "Not my fault a lovely maiden kept me too happy to think about boring work, but fine, I'll make the call too."

Looking to Lucille he gives a small smile. "Would you mind letting us in when we knock? Better to keep your door locked while we're out until we get back and stay safer that way."

Lucille smiled lightly. "Sure. I usually keep it locked once I'm home for the night," she said as she finished her food and coffee, wiping her mouth. "No rush and be safe the both of you." She looked concerned, even when Axel assured her he would be.

"We'll be fine, I assure you. Wouldn't want to miss out sleeping with you~" Axel teases, once again choosing his words poorly on purpose like he did on the clock tower. Lucille's blushing face made him snicker while Xigbar rolled his eye, leave it to Axel to enjoy messing with someone for a good laugh.

"Come on, lady killer, the sooner we can get done, the sooner you two can have fun behind closed doors" Xigbar says mostly to mess with them, but partly to subtly tell Axel to hurry up as he steps outside her door.

Lucille blushed heavily at the tease and gave a mock glare at Axel. "Keep it up, red and you're sleeping on the floor," she said as she decided to return his teasing. Leaning down, she kissed Axel's cheek and winked before picking up the dirty plates. Axel blushed slightly as he tried to play it cool and went out the door, facing Xigbar as he closed the door behind him.

"Come on, player, we got to get moving." Xigbar says as he walks ahead with Axel walking up behind him down the sidewalk, until they was out of sight of Lucille's window view and slipped behind a building. Xigbar summons a dark corridor against the wall of the building and walks in with Axel following shortly after; the portal dispersing right after Axel goes in.

(World That Never Was: Throne Room)

A Dark Corridor opens up as Xigbar and Axel walk through to see several members already waiting for them, with their hoods up.

"Greetings, Axel, Xigbar, how was your end of your little side mission?" A cultured voice that sounded so empty in emotions asks as the man pulls back his hood to reveal a long mane of silver hair and amber eyes on a muscular face.

"We might have found the world we seek for your intentions regarding Sora, Xemnas," Axel states simply and to the point. No mischief or humor in his eyes as he regards one of few people he knew not to piss off with his usual antics.

"Seems like Raccoon has its fair share of darkness so far," Xigbar said. "It's still early, but a large company called Umbrella seems to control the city. They have been experiencing cannibal attacks in the mountains and it's been hinted that Umbrella may be kidnapping civilians that get too close to them. An old timer from a bar is pretty certain that they are hiding something and we found an informant that has connections to a certain incident." His tone calm and business.

"An informant, how reliable is this source?" Came a cold voice as they looked to see the man pull his hood down to reveal a man with an X shape scar over his face, long blue hair, and amber eyes as well.

"Reliable enough that she is going to do a job interview and is connected to some key players in the city, Saix. She's not strong enough to be part of us, but having an inside woman as a source of Intel will help greatly" Axel says feeling something twist in his gut calling her that, but pushes it down while keeping his expression neutral.

"Very well then, explain what you two found out to us that is of use from your sources" Xemnas commands with a interested smile that felt dark and dangerous to anyone looking at it.

"My informant has heard from one Jill Valentine, a cop in an elite team that Umbrella was behind a major incident in the mansion that the cannibal attacks were coming from. Sadly she couldn't get too many details as Jill is under suspension for trying to get the truth out and suspects she is being watched by not only Umbrella, but also her own chief of police. I got no proof on these yet, but the idea a police chief wants to keep a cause of cannibal attacks quiet because Umbrella is being blamed is rather interesting. Especially with all the suits and guards I noticed with their symbol" Axel gives a small example from some of the things Lucille told him. "These guys even own the orphanage she once went to as a kid after losing her parents."

"Definitely smells like a rigged deck of cards" Another male voice speaks with some amusement as he lowers his hood to reveal short blond hair, blue eyes, a trimmed mustache and beard, and finally some earrings in his ears. Manipulating the cards in his hands idly as he grins. "Anything else so far? You certainly got my interest at least."

"Umbrella is ingrained with Raccoon City history. They were the ones that built the city and they have sister locations all over the world," Xigbar added. "They have their hands in weapons development and medical research heavily it seems. It's slowly closing off the city at the interstates, unknown to citizens. Axel will be going with our informant on the day she has her appointment. While those two are getting the tour, I'll be going to the lower levels to search."

"A good plan," Xemnas says finding merit in it with a simple nod.

"So we were hoping to stay on this world for a while longer to learn more and so we can carry out our plan. I plan to earn the trust of my informant to ensure she suspects nothing" Axel states, trying to push down that horrible ill like feeling inside him at talking about her like that. He really wanted to continue bonding with his new friend, but he knew better than to let any of them know that.

"And make us pick up the slack for you both?" Saix questions with a cold glare aimed mostly at Axel, he hadn't forgiven him, for choosing his friendship with Roxas over their shared past.

"I'll allow it," Xemnas speaks up, shocking Saix.

"Sir, Sora is active and we can't waste manpower on a side project when we're trying to use him for our goals" Saix tries to insist before seeing Xemnas glare at him briefly.

"I know, but so far simply calling him by Roxas isn't getting us the results we wanted and at this rate we may have to fight him seriously sooner than any of us wanted. This project is meant to get him to be more...manageable" Xemnas states knowing it's true purpose to affect his heart by making him embrace his darkness more after the first time he heard of Anti form being a form he can take on the field when fighting some of their nobodies. Turning his attention back to Xigbar and Axel, he smiled darkly.

"Go forth and do what you must, but I expect good news after your plan is done. We'll hold things here until then." Xemnas orders calmly with an air of finality.

"We won't disappoint with the news," Xigbar assured with his trademark smirk, noticing that Axel was being real careful when describing Lucille and not bringing her name up. He would let it go for now, but he as well didn't want to get the woman involved in their plans, surprising himself. He did admit that she had been good and kind to them. He wouldn't get too attached. "Our informant has been real generous with the Intel she has given."
He flicked his wrist, summoning a Dark Corridor. "We'll report soon."

"I'll be waiting," Xemnas said simply as the two head on inside and the corridor vanishes behind them.

(Raccoon City Alleyway)

A Dark Corridor opens up as Axel sighs in relief once out with the corridor closing behind Xigbar. "Man, even after Roxas is gone that prick is still on my ass" Axel rants with a hushed tone of frustration.

"Wouldn't BE a problem if you didn't get so close to him in the first place. I suggest not getting too close to this one or you'll risk being seen as a traitor this time" Xigbar suggests knowing Xemnas's patience only lasted so long and Axel been skirting that edge a lot covering for Roxas like he had.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Strictly using until we no longer need, I get it" Axel said, hiding his displeasure of having to say those words.

"Good, let's head back then, we got a long day tomorrow and you need to sell the image of bonding with Poppet" Xigbar said as Axel restrained the urge to set him on fire, thinking about Roxas with longing for the old days they'd hang out eating ice cream together.

'One day, Roxas...I'll see you again and bring you back, somehow' Axel thinks not giving up on his best friend yet.

It was quiet out as the two left the alleyway, except for the sounds of TV's blaring from open windows and dogs barking in the distance. Music played from Lucille's window, it had been the song that the two danced to earlier, but it sounded more seductive and catchy by the original singer.

'Huh, Lucille was right; the original does sound more seductive...' Axel thinks walking up to her house and knocking on her door. Xigbar waiting patiently behind him for Lucille to open the door.

There was a soft click of a lock turning and the door opened, revealing Lucille on the other side. She had changed into her pjs since they had been gone. She wore a blue tank top with the galaxy imprinted onto the fabric and red shorts. "Welcome back" she said, relief in her tone as she let them inside. Her hair was down and it was surprisingly long and ended at the middle of her back. "I take it the call went well with your boss then?"

Axel found himself staring at Lucille without meaning too, finding her casual pj look rather cute and liked seeing her with her hair down. Something Xigbar noticed and decided to get back at Axel for all the old man jokes.

"Yup, though he did stress Axel here had to be on his best behavior" Xigbar said with a mischievous smirk. "So if he tries seducing you, know you can sue him for sexual harassment and we'll back you up."
"Oh screw you, Xigbar, I'm not that bad and you know it" Axel says with a glare that Xigbar only grins at.

Lucille sweatdropped at that but part of her wouldn't have minded giving Axel her innocence. 'Calm your hormones woman!' she thought. 'Axel is just a friend that likes to tease you. Yeah... just a friend but why does that label make me a little sad? Ugh... later!'

"I may not look like it but I know how to handle myself" Lucille grinned. "My dad taught me how to use and care for guns when I was younger."

"See, she'll be fine and you know I won't force myself on anyone even without the gun threat" Axel says as Xigbar holds his hands in mocking surrender with a grin.

"Just looking out for the little lady, wouldn't surprise me if she needs to pull a shotgun because you got her pregnant and demands you take responsibility now" Xigbar says with a smug smirk as Axel resists the urge to burn him on the spot for that maybe cut him into small pieces to fit a fireplace to better get rid of the body. Lucille is pretty and nice, and caring, and honestly fun to hang out with and tease. Someone he wouldn't mind being with when he has an actual heart. But right now Xigbar was just annoying him!

Lucille sighed and let out a small chuckle. "Jeez you two," she said ushering them inside and shutting the door, locking it. "Settle down or else I'll get a phone call from my landlords about noise complaints from the grannies and grandpa's that live on my floor." She would love to have kids one day but now wasn't the time. "A little early for kids isn't it? I never even shared my bed in that sense."

"Ignore him, Lucille; he's probably getting back at me for the old man jokes." Axel said as he went to the showers. "I'll take a shower before bed, thanks for your hospitality, Alexis."

"Go for a cold shower to cool that hot head of yours," Xigbar teases as he chuckles seeing Axel flip him the middle finger as he closes the door behind him. "Heh, that'll teach the little shit."

"Despite the age differences you two remind me of siblings," Lucille said chuckling and yawned, feeling drained a bit. She pointed to the guest room for Xigbar. "I'll let you two decide who gets what bed, just no pillow fight, okay? Unless you want to replace said pillows." She joked as she made sure the hallway night lights were on and working.

The guest room was simple, but still nice, offering that same homely feeling that Lucille encouraged. It was comforting in a sense. The walls sharing the same pale yellow color as it did in the living room and some photos of her work of rolling green hills, beautiful sunsets and flowers.

"Thanks, Poppet, I appreciate it" Xigbar says going into the room and sitting on one of the beds to test it, feeling pretty comfortable on it as he patted the mattress. "I think neither of us will have issues sleeping in the same room, Lucille."
"You're welcome. Help yourselves to anything in the fridge if you get up during the night," Lucille said. "Feel free to use the closet for your cloaks." She hoped her guests would be comfortable tonight. Checking the time on the wall clock she saw how late it gotten. "Well, I'll let you get settled. Goodnight, Xigbar."

"Goodnight, Lucille," Xigbar replies as he takes off his cloak to reveal a black tank top underneath with muscular lean arms with some scars on them from years of combat and training. Hanging his cloak up in the closet, he makes his way to the left bed and got in. Shortly after he heard Axel come in and put his clothes in the closet, before taking the bed to the right. "Night, Matchstick."

"Night, pirate," Axel replies as the two let themselves slip to slumber.

Lucille climbed into her bed and sighed, closing her eyes as she fell into easy sleep, feeling secure with Axel and Xigbar in the next room.

(Outside the apartment)

A non-descript black van sat in the parking lot, watching the lights turn off in the rooms. Two men sat in the van, waiting patiently. The man behind the wheel glanced at his partner. "Think we should give a heads up to HQ about Lucille's two guests?"

The man seemed to think it over for a minute before nodding. "Sure, but only on a watch list until we find some ID and background on these guys. No reason to assume they're spies until we have proof of their foul play." The man responded to his partner's inquiry. A part of him couldn't help finding their matching cloaks suspicious, but more on the lines of are they in a band, a cult, or two really dumb spies who never been on a real mission before? They weren't really blending in at all and made no real moves against Umbrella yet. So putting them on a watch list sounded like the best option.

His partner nodded. "Agreed, seems too much of a coincidence that she made two new friends, wearing black cloaks. They don't seem to fit in with her usual friends," he said, starting up the van and pulled away from their spot.

"Speaking of friends, is Valentine still behaving herself? I hear Irons was suspicious she's been talking to someone" The man asks his partner, recalling that annoying thorn in Umbrella's side. While a beautiful woman, she really caused them all a lot of headaches and need to handle her carefully to discredit her claims about the Spencer Mansion.

He snorted. "That man is getting paranoid, but we know she had been talking to Lucille. We'll have to check the phone records for her later to confirm though," he said. "If Valentine kept this to herself, she wouldn't have gotten her camera friend involved. We're still not sure if she told her anything." He did admit that the cop woman is beautiful and would have dated her if things had been different.

None of them enjoyed dealing with Irons; he was an idiotic buffoon that was getting too big for his pants. Acting like Umbrella would be lost without him.

"Well time will tell, I guess, she has that meeting in two days and we'll have full clearance to check her records and phone history" The man said as he pulled out his phone to call their superior. The phone rang twice before it was picked up.

"Sir, I need to make an update to the watch list, two unknowns with Lucille showed up today and are sleeping in her house. One has black hair with gray stripes, an eye patch with a scar around the eye wearing it, and the other eye is oddly amber colored. Wears an all-black cloak. The second one has long red hair, green eyes, and also has a black cloak. The black haired one appears to be in his forties or fifties, the red haired one appears to be at least eighteen or in his twenties. Both seem fairly physically fit, but neither are body builders" The man reports on his phone.

His partner kept driving as the call was made, getting closer to Umbrella.

/Good work. Keep us informed of anything suspicious on her friends, including Valentine. Return to the building and resume tomorrow. The night watchers are at Valentine's now and will be there in the morning till you take their spots/ came the voice of their superior.

"Roger that, sir," The man states as he hangs up. "Take us back, we're done for the night, but tomorrow we take over watch for Jill Valentine."

"Understood" he said as he made his way back to Umbrella, ready to turn in for the night.