Chapter 2 – Walk, Don't Run

Axel hated sharing an office with Saïx, but he found a way to cope by using his office chair creatively. It wasn't particularly comfortable, but it squeaked every time he shifted his weight. If there was anything Saïx hated, it was squeaking.

Axel reclined in his chair. Squeak, squeak!

"I know you're doing that on purpose, Axel."

"Don't be silly. There must be a mouse in here." Squeakity-squeak-squeak!

"You're just trying to annoy me. Stop it. Now."

"Then get me a new chair."

"No. We're over budget as it is."

Zexion used to handle the accounting, but last night Xemnas had given the responsibility to Saïx. Axel relished the thought of Saïx having to balance a checkbook drowning in red ink.

Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

Axel swore he heard Saïx's teeth gnashing.

Axel's communicator beeped. Xemnas' voice was loud and commanding. "I need to see you in my office. Now."

"Yes, sir." Axel got up. The Superior's office was directly down the hall. He slammed the door on the way out.

Saïx fumbled in his desk for some aspirin. "This office isn't big enough for the two of us."

XXX

Xemnas' office was immaculately clean. Xemnas said from behind his desk, "You only have one task to complete today."

"Yes?"

Xemnas leaned forward. "You're going to tell Roxas that Marluxia and the others are dead."

"What?" asked Axel. "Why me?"

"Because you can lie through a smile. No one is cleared to say anything to Roxas about Sora, so you're going to have to fabricate a story."

"But what if he gets suspicious?"

"If five people just disappear and there's no explanation why, he might get even more suspicious. And I can't have that."

"I understand, Superior, but what do you want me to say? That they were driving in a Winnebago and it rolled off a cliff? That Castle Oblivion burned down? That Marluxia, Larxene, Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion were all abducted by aliens!"

Xemnas clutched his forehead. "Go with the castle burning down."

XXX

Castle Oblivion was still intact. Two figures stood in a room, surrounded by flower-shaped structures. One was a woman, clad in a black cloak. The other was a young girl in a white dress.

"Is anyone else here?" asked the woman.

"No," said the girl. "DiZ, Riku, and the King left. They're securing a safe place in Twilight Town for the pods."

"It's just you, me, and the Three Sleepy Joes, then?"

"Yes. So, Aveluxe, why are you still here?"

"Well, Naminé, your three heroes drew all over the bathroom stalls. On every floor. In permanent marker. In a veritable rainbow of colors. It got to the point where all the bathrooms looked like an Andy Warhol exhibit. Somebody had to clean it up. So what are you up to?"

"I'm keeping an eye on the monitors." Naminé pointed to the computers beside the pods. "Their conditions have to be stable before I can start fixing the memories."

Aveluxe looked at a pod monitor. Donald's. "Blood pressure 200/120! I hope this 'DiZ' is a doctor."

"Donald runs high."

"High? He's a time bomb!"

"I guess it's only natural. Donald's so angry all the time."

"Hmm…wonder why."

"From what I've seen, his nephews drive him crazy, Goofy is incompetent at everything, he was born on Friday the Thirteenth, he feels underappreciated by the Disney Kingdom, another duck routinely hits on his girlfriend, and no one can understand a word he says, thanks to his speech impediment."

"Must be nice to be able to read memories like that."

"It's not natural. I'm not natural."

"If you keep saying that, you'll believe it."

"But I already believe it. I'm a witch."

"And witches are always evil in the storybooks, right? I use magic. Does that make me a witch?"

"Technically, yes, but…"

"If I'm a witch, do you think I'm evil? Am I a bad person? My membership in a criminal organization aside, of course."

"No."

"See? Not all witches are bad. I don't think you're evil."

"You're so nice, Aveluxe. I wish you could come with me."

"Don't get me wrong. I'd love to accompany you to Twilight Town. It's just that the Organization is a lifetime commitment. Ironclad." Aveluxe reached for the beeper at her waist. "Speak of the devil."

"It's the Organization?"

"Afraid so." Aveluxe clicked off the beeper. "I have to go. Promise me you'll stay safe."

"I promise."

Aveluxe handed Naminé a pouch. "Here."

Naminé cautiously opened it. "Munny?"

"I didn't have time to buy you something special."

"But…there must be at least ten thousand munny in here. I can't take it."

"I don't have any use for it. It's yours. I insist."

"Thank you." Naminé's eyes watered.

"Don't cry. Then I'll start to cry. And I get a headache when I cry."

"I have something for you too." Naminé picked up her sketchbook and tore a page out of it. "It's not much."

Aveluxe looked at the crayon picture. "Ï love it. Take care of yourself."

"You too."

"If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to find me." Aveluxe pressed her hand against the wall next to the door, and a portal slowly materialized. She walked into it, leaving Naminé alone. All the while, the vital sign monitors kept humming.

XXX

Axel knocked on the last door of the office wing. The largest office – the only one large enough for three desks. Marluxia and Larxene had shared it. Roxas was given the third desk when he joined. "Roxas?"

"It's open," Roxas called.

Axel went in. Just as he had suspected – Roxas sat behind the desk in the corner. Wonder if he'll ever get lonely in here. Well, I guess it's better than sharing office space with Marluxia and Larxene. Ouch.

Roxas stood up and raised his arm in a salute.

"Drop the arm, kid. It's only me."

Roxas lowered his arm. "I'm just doing what you said. If a higher-ranking member…"

"Comes within three yards, you salute. Yes. It was advice. So you can get on the others' good sides. You don't have to salute me when we're alone. I hate formalities."

"Yes, sir."

"And don't call me sir. I have a name, in case you forgot."

"Yes, Axel."

"I really hate to be the bearer of bad news. I came back from Castle Oblivion last night and stumbled on the others discussing their paychecks, so I told them."

"Told them what?"

"Well, the five others? Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion, Marluxia, and Larxene? They…perished. You see, Castle Oblivion was a safety inspector's nightmare. One little spark, and poof. The whole place went up in smoke. And since a Nobody's respiratory system still functions, they all died of smoke inhalation before they could teleport out."Axel continued. "Can't say I'll miss any of them."

"I thought you loved ruining Marluxia's flowers."

"Vexen killed just as many with his frost."

"Not on purpose." Roxas closed his eyes. "Vexen's gone…we don't have a doctor anymore."

"Oh, the Superior will think of something. He always does."

"Do you remember when you introduced me to Marluxia?"

"It was only two weeks ago. My memory's not that bad."

"This is Marluxia's garden. Survival tip number one: whatever you do, don't step on the flowers."

Roxas pointed to the ground. "Hey, Axel. You just stepped on them."

Axel looked down. Indeed, he had trampled a whole flower bed.

"My zinnias! They're all ruined!" Seemingly out of nowhere, a tall man holding a scythe appeared. "Do you realize how much time it took to grow those in this godforsaken spit of land! Axel, I swear you've ruined my garden for the last time!"

Axel shrugged. "It was an accident, Marluxia. Stop overreacting."

Marluxia raised his scythe. "You're gonna catch holy hell!"

"Roxas?" Axel said. "Survival tip number two: whenever someone else looks and sounds like Marluxia here, drop everything and teleport as fast as you can. Even if it's not your fault."

"They weren't all that bad, were they?" Roxas looked toward the empty desks.

Figures. Sora was just as naïve. "You didn't know them that well. Vexen was stiff as a board, Zexion was a creepy little brat, Lexaeus was stuck in the past, Larxene was plain mean, and Marluxia…where do I begin with Marluxia? He was bossy, arrogant…and I didn't care much for his phony British accent."

"Isn't it a little rude to say bad things about the dead?"

"Why do you care about respecting the dead, Roxas? Why do you care about five beings you hardly knew? You can't mourn them. You can't mourn anything."

"I know. Because Nobodies can't feel. But they still had souls."

"Who cares? They weren't human."

"They used to be."

"Key words: used to."

Roxas blushed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be babbling like this. Especially since you're so busy." He idly played with a paper clip. "Were you joking about the castle burning down?"

"Nope."

"You didn't…start it, did you?"

He's too plainspoken. I love it. Axel laughed. "Ha ha ha. That's priceless. I'll have you know I was nowhere near it when it flared." He paused, and then added, "You're worse than the police."

End of Chapter 2