Sora was finally asleep. Sora the puppy, that is. He was curled up on the foot of the bed, looking so innocent for having made so much of a mess in the past few minutes.

Axel sat down beside Demyx as the blonde opened up the envelope King Mickey had left with the keyblade. Inside was a folded piece of paper with loopy writing on it.

Demyx and Axel,

The only clues I've found as to the keyblade bearer's whereabouts are listed here. I've discovered three letters in conjunction with his name many times- N, Y, and C. I don't know what they stand for. His name is Jacob, last name unknown, and we are approximating him to be around the age of 16. The keyblade should help you along with finding him- the closer it gets to its true bearer, the more its potential power will grow. You will be able to feel it.

Good luck, and remember- you don't have much time!

"NYC. That's New York City, where Larxene lives," Demyx said, looking up. "But there've gotta be two hundred kids in New York City with the name Jacob."

"…Maybe only one of them is sixteen?" Axel said, for once showing some optimism.

"We'll have to check every middle school and high school in the city, somehow convince them to give us information on every enrolled student named Jacob…"

"What if he doesn't go to school?"

"Then we're screwed."

"Oh."

Demyx sighed. "Guess I'd better call the school and tell them I'm not coming back."

Axel could definitely hear the sadness in that tone. "What are you gonna tell them?"

"The truth. Well, half of it, anyway," Demyx said with a shrug, picking up the bedside phone and dialing a number. He put it to his ear and waited a bit, and then Axel heard a voice on the other end of the line, but couldn't understand what they were saying.

"Hi, may I speak to Principal Rucker?" Demyx asked, and then he waited a few moments before speaking again. "Hi, Mr. Rucker, it's Demyx Davenport here. I have a spot of bad news."

A hesitation. "Yes, it does have something to do with the attacks. My family in New York wants me to come and stay with them, seeing as my mother is ill and all. They're very frightened that this might happen again."

Since when did he turn into such a good liar? Axel thought as Demyx listened to the other man speak.

"I'm afraid there's no getting out of it, sir. I'm the man of the family, you know how it is, I'm sure. Have to go look after my mom and sister, at least until all of this blows over."

Another long pause. Demyx's face flushed. "You know how imaginative kids can be, sir. I threw a bucket of out paintbrush cleaning water at the creatures, but I don't recall conjuring any. And my friend, well…I don't recall any lethal wheel weapons, either," he said with a nervous laugh.

A few more polite words, a kind goodbye, and Demyx hung up the phone with a sigh.

"Those kids aren't going to forget what happened anytime soon," Axel said softly. "Should we kill them?"

Demyx rolled his eyes. "This isn't the CIA, Axel. And unfortunately for the third graders but fortunately for us, no one is going to take the word of a ten year old who was hysterical at the time of the incident. They're going to assume that the children were in a psychosis from the trauma, triggered by the odd creatures. We don't have to worry."

"Oh, well that's good…wait, what's the CIA?"

"Nevermind."

"How are we gonna get to New York?"

Demyx frowned. "Well, we can't drive. That'd take a good three or four days, two if we didn't stop at all and didn't run into any construction or delays."

Axel looked around. "We could just open up a portal, right? We have our powers back."

"We opened portals in the other worlds using channels of magic that were already there. This planet has no magic. Without those pathways, there's no chance a portal would work."

"…When did you get all smart?"

"We'll have to take a plane," Demyx said, and Axel's eyes widened.

"No way. I saw the movie. People put snakes on those things."

Demyx rolled his eyes. "It was just a movie, Axel. No one actually does that."

"Oh," Axel paused. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely, positively certain. And if I'm wrong, you can use me as a shield against the big nasty snakes," Demyx teased, and Axel punched his arm.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Axel had been through four packets of peanuts, and the plane hadn't even taxied out to the runway yet.

"Axel…Axel, relax," Demyx said as Axel struggled to open the fifth packet. Demyx grabbed his hand, lacing his fingers through Axel's and forcing him to lay his arm on the armrest.

"I looked up planes on your computer last night. They crash a lot," Axel pointed out, and Demyx snorted.

"No, actually, they don't crash often. But you never hear the end of it when they do, because it's so rare. Look, Sora isn't having any problems," he said, pointing to the puppy, who was sleeping soundly in the carrier under the seat in front of Axel.

"That's because he's sedated."

"Yeah, well, next time we fly, I'm sedating you and packing you in the overhead bin."

"Is this your first flight?" an overly cheerful flight attendant asked Axel as she paused by their seats. Axel nodded, taking a deep breath. "Well, the barf bag is tucked into the seat pocket in front of you," she continued, and Axel groaned, his hand tightening on Demyx's.

"We're all going to die."

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Once they got in the air, the ride was smooth enough that Axel quickly got bored. He took to looking out the window for shapes in the cloud, making shapes with his peanuts on his tray, and asking Demyx if they were there yet.

Once off the plane, they did the only thing they could think of- they hailed a cab and took it to Larxene's apartment. They'd looked up her address before they left, because Demyx knew they couldn't afford a hotel or an apartment.

He could only hope the 'Savage Nymph' wouldn't have an Uzi by her door just in case they showed up randomly. Knowing her, it wasn't a far-off assumption.

"So, what do we do if she tries to kill us?" Axel asked as the cab pulled up to the high rise building

"Run and hide."

"Then where will we sleep?"

"A park bench?"

"When you say that, it makes it sound kinky."

Demyx laughed and paid the driver, and then followed Axel out of the cab. The apartment building in front of them was obviously one of the nicer downtown- Demyx couldn't imagine how much money Larxene must make to be able to live here.

They entered the front lobby, filled with plush furniture and potted plants, with a back glass wall that led to the indoor swimming pool and hot tub. Definitely the 'top of society' kind of dwelling.

"She doesn't deserve all this," Axel said, looking around with a frown and clutching Sora's carrying case in front of him. Unless a person were to take a very close look, they might not know a dog was in the small leather and mesh carrying bag. Luckily for them, Sora was still fast asleep.

"Be nice. If we're lucky, she'll be doing us a huge favor."

They took the elevator up to the 15th floor, where the doors opened to a long, carpeted hallway with muted lighting. There were only four apartments on each floor, so it wasn't hard to find hers. Once at the door, they set their bags to the side; they didn't want this to seem like a full-scale invasion. Axel only kept the bag Sora was sleeping in.

"Fifteen-C. This is it," Demyx said, taking a deep breath as he stared at the door. Muted voices could be heard from inside- Larxene wasn't the only one there. Demyx glanced at Axel, who rolled his eyes and then knocked firmly.

The voices stopped for a few moments, then there were footsteps coming toward the door. Demyx felt his heart speed up; they would be lucky if she didn't shoot them the moment she saw who they were.

But it wasn't a 'she' who opened the door. In fact, it was a very familiar 'he', wearing blue jeans, a button up shirt, and a blazer, and holding a glass of wine.

"Zexion?" Demyx and Axel said simultaneously in disbelief. Zexion arched an eyebrow.

"Well, you're the last two people I expected to see on Larxene's doorstep," he said slowly.

The blonde lawyer's voice rang out from behind him. "That had better not be who I think it is."

"Oh, I think it's worse," Zexion said, opening the door the rest of the way and gesturing for the pair to come in. After an uneasy glance at each other, they did. Axel held Sora's bag down at his side, and Demyx prayed neither Zexion nor Larxene would take a closer look until they felt more assured that they weren't about to die.

Larxene stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, a long black cocktail dress draping off her figure, and a glass of the same wine in hand. Her hair was styled in some ridiculously elaborate concoction of curls and jewels. Demyx and Axel both stared as if they'd never seen a woman before.

"Oh, would you stop that?" Larxene snapped, turning to face them. "I can kick your sorry asses, dress or no dress."

"How do you think she got to where she is, by wearing a suit?" Zexion murmured as he passed by them.

"You two…you aren't…" Demyx started, though he seemed to have lost the ability to finish a full sentence.

"Us? No. He's a business colleague. He came here after the party to translate a file for me, if you must know," Larxene said, putting her wine down on a glass stand by the window. "Now, what are you two doing here, and how do I get rid of you quickly?"

"Well, see, that's the thing," Axel said nervously. "We need your help."

Larxene burst out laughing. "You need my help? And what in heaven or hell gives you the idea that I'll help you?"

"Because you're gonna die too if we don't pull this off," Demyx pointed out.

This seemed to perk Larxene's interest, although it was disturbing that she seemed more enthralled by the idea than she was scared or worried. All four of them sat down on the suede furniture, Axel set Sora's bag down at his feet, and Axel and Demyx took turns explaining everything that had happened since Axel got dropped into Earth.

"So…in summary, you want to live here with me while you go find a new keyblade brat to save the world," Larxene said when they were finished, leaning back in her chair. Demyx nodded.

"That's basically it, yeah."

"And what do I get in return?"

Axel scowled. "You get to keep living, bitch," he said, receiving a sharp kick from Demyx for the added expletive.

"Add in Demyx doing the cooking and Axel doing the cleaning for free the entire time you're here, and you've got a deal," Larxene said, ignoring Axel's comment.

"Don't you have maids or something to do that?" Demyx asked.

"Well, sure. But I have to pay them. Every day you two do it, I don't have to shell out the cash."

Demyx snorted. "Fine."

"You didn't let me finish the terms," Larxene said, a cruel grin forming on her face. "No one does work in my home unless they're in uniform. If you're going to do the work of maids, I want you dressed like maids."

Demyx's face turned bright red. Axel's jaw dropped open. Zexion simply gave Larxene a look of disbelief.

"Good one, Larxene. Are you sure you want to see that, though? I can't imagine the mental scarring…"

"I'm waiting on an answer, boys. I don't have all night to barter terms with you."

Axel opened his mouth to curse at her, but before a syllable left his lips, Demyx's hand clamped over his mouth tightly. "Fine. We'll do it," he said, holding out his hand for a handshake. Axel made a muffled sound of protest behind the Demyx-gag, but the deal was set as Larxene shook Demyx's hand.

"Wonderful. I'll have my designer stop by here tomorrow at 3 o'clock to take your measurements. If you're not here, the deal's off and you're out."

Axel pried Demyx's hand off his mouth. "The heartless are supposed to attack again tomorrow, we told you that…"

"Well, I'm a busy woman, and they didn't make an appointment. They'll have to work around my schedule."

A bark suddenly cut through the air like a razor through skin. Axel and Demyx froze, and Larxene's eyes narrowed.

"That had better not be…"

Another bark, and then a whimper. Sora was awake.

Larxene rubbed her temples, obviously barely restraining her fury now. "You brought a dog into my apartment?" she asked, her voice incredibly tense.

"It's only a tiny one," Demyx said, reaching down and opening the bag. He held a wriggling, licking, whimpering Sora out to Larxene. "Plus…he's cute."

Larxene stared at the door as if it were dripping acid on her pristine hardwood floors. "Get it out. Now."

"We had a deal!" Axel pointed out.

"The deal didn't cover a damn mutt!" Larxene yelled, and then Sora literally leapt out of Demyx's hands- and right into Zexion's arms. Zexion wrinkled his nose and held the dog out at arms' length.

"Why do you two have a puppy?" he asked as the puppy tried desperately to get within licking reach of his face.

"Well, Demyx's other dog died, so I went out and got Sora there…"

"Sora?" Larxene shrieked. "You not only bring a dog into my house, but its name is Sora?"

Eventually, somehow, they got Larxene restrained. Zexion even helped, citing the explanation that it would only make things worse later if any of them ended up bleeding on the suede furniture. As it was, all three men ended up with claw-marks somewhere.

It took Axel and Demyx sitting out in the hallway with Sora for an hour for Zexion to calm Larxene down. He eventually came out and got them, once Larxene had retreated to her bedroom.

"You'll have the bedroom that's the last door on the left, down that hallway. She said you can stay if she never hears or sees the dog again," Zexion explained as he closed the door behind them. "And she's dead serious."

"I don't doubt it," Axel said, giving Zexion an odd look. "Why are you helping us like this?"

Zexion shrugged. "No sense in holding grudges from another lifetime. We're all different people now, different than we were," he said, picking up his briefcase from the table. "Oh…and if you two were planning on keeping your little fling a secret, you kind of ruined it by leaving that hickey uncovered," he added, gesturing to Demyx's neck as he passed them and left the apartment.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

"Axel, wake up! Wake up!"

"Nggh."

"The sunrise is so gorgeous from these windows!"

"Nothin' is gorgeous at sunrise," Axel slurred, pulling a pillow over his head. He was still sore from last night, when he and Demyx had made full use of the king size bed and thick walls between theirs and Larxene's room.

Tuning out a whining puppy to have sex was harder than Axel had thought it would be.

Moments later, a warm body jumped on top of him. "Come on, get up. We have work to do. And we have to be back here by three."

"One more hour."

"Nope," Demyx said, yanking the covers down and then stealing the pillow.

Needless to say, Demyx got Axel up and going in a fairly timely manner. By eight o'clock, they were out of the apartment and walking to the first school to check, with Sora in tow on his leash, and the Keyblade in Demyx's backpack.

Getting the schools to give them the information they needed proved harder than they originally thought, but after much negotiating, fibs, and a few under-the-table transactions of cash, they got what they needed at each place. They went through eight different schools, finding 42 different Tylers with no reaction from the keyblade before stopping for lunch at a corner café.

"This is starting to feel ridiculous," Demyx said with a sigh, poking at his French fries. Sora sat by his feet and whined, waiting on a French fry to drop. "We can't find him just…by…"

He looked up. The keyblade was generating power, and he could feel it, like electricity running through him.

"Jacob!"

A girl had yelled the name. Axel and Demyx both caught sight of her, watching as she and a boy with her sat down at a table where this 'Jacob' sat. Jacob had dark brown hair and brown eyes, and he was pretty scrawny for looking about 16.

And he looked…

"He looks familiar," Axel finished the thought for him. Demyx nodded, but he couldn't quite place the kid. Maybe it was just his imagination.

"That's him. The keyblade is practically making me dizzy," Demyx said softly, taking a drink of his chocolate milkshake. They kept an eye on Jacob's table as the boy finished his lunch, and both of them got ready to move when they saw him pick up his backpack.

"My dad's here, I gotta split," they heard him say.

"Aw, you should skip the rest of today with us!" the girl pleaded.

"No way. We're starting cat dissection today, no way I would miss that," Jacob said, and Axel and Demyx shared incredulous looks.

Jacob headed for a small, blue car parked by the café, and both Axel and Demyx stood and gathered their belongings- but the main reason for standing was to see into the car.

Once they saw who was in the driver's seat, they both froze in horror and shock. They heard father greet son as Jacob got in the car, and the voice only confirmed what they'd seen.

Vexen.

Jacob was Vexen's son.