Yeah yeah I don't own KH (because I wouldn't be here writing about it, I'd be off pysching out)...but I wouldn't mind owning Axel...;)

Yay, such nice reviews, thank you everybody. :) Special thanks to EliasDaemonWing for the very welcome review on one of the more serious chapters. Enjoy the next part everybody! By the way, quite a bit longer, just for you my friends.

I know this is DEFINATELY a Larxel fic, but I felt bad for beating up Demyx for the past few parts, so there's slight hinting of Lar x Dem.:) Flame if you wish, but I don't know, I always liked Demy. Don't worry, the next part like this will most definately be a bit more Larxene x Axel...maybe it'll be Axel in the kitchen and Larxene'll heat things up.;)


Five members were present in the classy lounge, completete with a pool table and a bar well stockedwith non alcoholic drinks(much to Luxord's dismasy),of Castle Oblivion. Two of them were playing chess, two were watching the game, and the fifth was bugging the shit out of them. Not on purpose of course. The two playing chess were Luxord and Zexion, the two watching were Axel and Larxene, and the fifth...well. One can guess at who that was. ... No? Well. You'll find out in a few moments, won't you.

"Bloody hell, Zex! You've been staring at the board for 10 minutes! You can't think of anything to do in that vast amount of time?" Luxord cried out, slamming his hand on the circular glass table that supproted the chess board. This caused the pieces to bounce about a quarter of an inch off the board and into the air.

Axel nudged Larxene gently, who looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. Under his breath, just low enough for the Gambler of Fate not to hear him, Axel murmered, "I thought thatreal mennever lost their cool." Larxene rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the fact that the a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, for Luxord would state that the gentlemen, like him, never showed massive displays of emotion in public places. So much for that theory.

Zexion did not reply to Luxord as he sat up even straighter ont he white leather bar stool. The glass table was about four and a half feet above the ground and the barstools high enough to be of useful height. Luxord was hunched over the table, looking annoyed. Zexion's hand slowly slid out, and the three of them (Luxord, Axel, and Larxene) leaned forward in anticipation.

"Hey! Is Zexy gonna make a move?" a voice exclaimed, and a flurry of movement seemingly appeared out of nowhere. They had thought that he had finally left. Demxy had stood up behind the Cloaked Schemer in a moment. Zexion's body stilled and he shot Demyx a look.

"I told you not to call me that," he hissed through clenced teeth. This threw Demyx off...for a moment.

"Oh come on, Zexion," he said in an exasperated otone. "Don't you want someone to cheer for you?" As am example of his Sitar from where it lay propped against the bar counter. "See? Watch watch!"he said excitedly, bending his head down. The four watched as he kept making movements as if to stary, but faltering at the last moment. After a full moment, he looked up, despair etched across his face. "I had it yesterday..." he mumbled. Luxord rolled his eyes an dlooked back to the chessboard. Zexion watched him carefully, the expression on his face hard to read. Axel walked around the side of the table and patted the musician on the shoulder.

"Don't worry 'bout it Demyx, you'll come up with a new one later," Axel comforted, but Demyx only hung his head lower.

"Awh!" Larxene said. "Don't be sad, Demy! Cheer up! I'm sure you can remember it, I'd love to hear it."

Demyx's mood brightened slightly. "Well...I 'spose I could just make up right now."

"Yes. Do that," Zexion answered. The others looked at him, surprised. He pretended to give no notice.

Demyx grinned. "Okay," he said, strumming a few chors. The notes reverberated throughout the room. Randomly, he started singing,

Zexion, Zexion
Ask him a quest-ion
No matter what you ask
he'll tell ya to take out the trash!

Axel and Larxene were the first to respond. Axel laughed, managing to gasp out a "Good job!" between chuckles. Larxene giggled and nodded her head, showing that she agreed with Axel. Demyx grinned and pulled the sitar strap up and off over his head. He shrugged. He was pleased that his foolish song had brought joy to the others (assuming that Xemnas was wrong about feelings, which we all know he was).

"That was the stupidest thing I've ever bloody heard," Luxord barked out, still looking at the board. Demyx shrugged again and propped the sitar up against the wall again.

"I thought it was nice," Zexion stated in his usual, chilling tone. He turned back to study the game board. It was the closest anyone had ever gotten to a "thank you" from him. Axel walked back to join Larxene on the other side of the table where they were standing together. Demyx watched Zexion's face carefully. He thought he saw the edges of Zexion's mouth muscles twitch upwrds. A smile? No, Demyx thought, impossible, Zexion didn't smile.

A few minutes later, Zexion reached out towards the board again. The three onlookers crowded in, Larxene and Axel's arms pressing closer together, their faces almost touching as they watched. Demyx squirmed his way in between them, his head squeezing through to watch. "Go Zex!" Demyx hissed. Axel elbowed the master of water, causing him to let out a very audible "Ow!" Demyx was sure he saw it then, that hint of a smile.

Zexion, without further delay, picked up a knight, the clear glass horse shapd piece, and placed it down in a different spot to make his move. Luxord threw his arms up in the air. "Finally!" the gambler called out, and moved his hand to pick up his next piece. Larxene and Axel watched Luxord. Demyx looked from the knight, to Luxord, to Zexion. He saw the ghost of the smile, still lingering.

"Wait!" Demyx protested. Axel and Larxene turned to look at the musician at the same time. Squashed together as the three of them were, they toppled to the floor at the sudden action amid a series of shrieks and yells. Demyx bounded back up. "What you fail to realize," Demyx exclaimed, "is that you've just lost!"

"What?" Luxord answered in a grunt. Zexion smiled.

"Checkmate," the Cloaked Schemer said softly. Luxord stared dumbly at the chessboard, trying to figure out how any one had outsmarted him. And how, even more importantly, Demyx had seen Zexion's ingenius move.

Axel pulled himself to his feeet, immeadiately offering a gloved hand out to Larxene. Not thinking, Larxene placed her hand in his. His fingers wrapped around hers, tugging the girl upwards to her feet. When she stood up, she noticed the heat radiating from Axel's hand. She wondered if it was just his natural body heat...or was he purposefully inflicting something over her? Her unspoken question was answered after Axel smiled at her. Not the normal, quirky smirk/grin, but a real smile. A nice smile. She smiled back, feeling foolishly giddy and uncontrol. Her hand, still held by Axel's, was growing pleasantly warmer. All of this took no more than a minute or so. When Luxord let out an aggravated shout, Larxene almost jumped. She shot Axel a look, a look that she hoped was covering up any of the thoughts that had just been streaming through her mind like wildfire (literally). To try to cover up for the moment that had passed between them, she sent an angry shock through Axel's hand and let go, striding towards the door.

As she reached the door, someone on the other side flung it open, whacking Larxene in the face. Axel leaped forward, but was blocked off as Zexion and Demyx started moving towards the door. Lexaeus pounded through the door. When he saw who he had hit, he quickly stepped forward.

"Larxene! Oh, I'm sorry. Really sorry. I didn't know you were standing there," he said thickly.

"Shit! You moron! If you broke my nose, I swear!" she threatened in a shrill scream, pushing him away fiercly, giving him a special gift at the same time.

"Ow!" yelped Lexaeus, clutching his shoulder.

"You'll get over it," Luxord said as he passed Lexaeus out the door.

"Wait," Lexaeus said between grunts of pain. "Marluxia says there's a meeting in the library."

"I'll tell Larxene," Luxord responded, his hand on the door before heading out of the lounge. Wincing, Lexaeus followed him. Demyx and Zexion were next.

Axel, eager to follow to check if Larxene was alright, quickly followed. But as he took a step towars the door, he stared at his hand. He was thinking about the gentle spark that had started in his palm and coursed its way through his body. It had seemed to reach out and touch all of his lonely spots, filling him in a brief sense of completeness. He smiled.


When Axel reached the library, only a few members were there. Marluxia stood looking at a book of some sorts. Luxord, Larxene, Zexion, and Demyx, of course, had reached the library shortly before him. He immeadiately approached Larxene, who was sitting between Luxord and Demyx on a white sofa. She was reading her favorite book, Marquis de Sade, a book about the famous sadist writer. Axel grinned. Her feet were propped up on the glass coffee table in front of the couch. He nudged her foot gently. She looked up, a look of innocent surprise on her face. At first, he felt surprised, but realized it wasn't surprise, just a warm feeling. It was a look that changed her face completely. "Are you alright?" he mouthed. Larxene smiled softly, moutching back "Yeah, thanks". He knew that since the biting look wasn't in her face, that she was in that mood after you've been interrupted from reading. Reading so deeply that everything else just fades away. He didn't have that mood often, but when he did, he liked the...person he was.

He sat down on the armrest of a chair that Zexion was sitting in. The other memebers that were staying at Castle Oblivion slowly filtered in as well. Vexen and Xaldin slowly shuffled in, one after the other. Xigbarcame in later, looking slightly distraught, a pen tucked behind his ear. Lexaeus followed him in. Saix, Roxas, and Xemnas were not staying at the Castle, for reasons that no one knew except the Superior.

Marluxia slammed his book shut, causing all of them to snap to attention, including Larxene, who looked extremely pissed at being disturbed from her reading. She glared at Marluxia, who didn't even look at her. He paced back and forth slowly in front of the room, the others watching him carefully. This continued for a few aggravating minutes.

"Well?" Xaldin said. Even though he spoke in his normal tone, his voice seemed so great that it seemingly thundered through the room. This was a common effect. "Spit it out!"

Marluxia paused in his dramatic walking, glaring at Xaldin. "Fine," he spat. "I'll cut to the chase."

"Please do," Zexion muttered under his breath. Axel, who was the only one close enough to hear him, stiffled a laugh. Zexion grinned at Axel's response as Marluxia whirled about to glare at the two. He pointed his scythe at them.

"What are you laughing at?"

"The fact that you're threatning us with a garden tool..." Axel muttered, but he wasn't as quite. A few others heard him besides Zexion. Larxene smiled and Demyx tittered quietly.

"What was that?" Marluxia asked again, his voice raising an octave. Xigbar, who apparantly had been interrupted in some important research, stood up sharply from the chair he sat in, indicating his frustration. "Fine." Marluxia withdrew his scythe within his cloak again. "There's no one cooking duty tonight."

The group groaned loudly. Zexion was the first to answer. "We're not your marionettes. You're the leader of this castle, as you tell us every day, so you might as well supply anything we need," he said. "Although. Technically we're not supposed to feel hunger."

"But we do," Marluxia snapped back. "So somebody better volunteer. What about you Lexeaus?" The group groaned again. The last time Lexeaus had been supplied to kitchen duty, everything tasted of soap.

"Fine, who then?"

The room was quiet, as everyone glanced at each other, praying that somebody would volunteer so Marluxia wouldn't be forced to pick somebody. As if on cue, the other members started whispering among each other. Marluxia rolled his eyes and turned around to the bookshelf, softly knocking his head repeatedly on the wood. Demyx, sitting to the right of Larxene, nudged the girl carefully. Her arms were crossed. She looked over at him.

"Are you hungry?" he muttered.

She nodded. "Are you?" she asked, but she barely got the words out before Demyx jumped to his feet. "Marluxia," the blonde aquatic said. The Graceful Assasin turned around.

"Yes?"

"I'll take cooking duty tonight."

There were some slight cheers as Marluxia, Vexen, Xigbar, and Xaldin quickly exited the room. Axel patted Demyx on the shoulder. "Good job," he said. "I'll see you later, right?" Demyx nodded. Luxord passed as well, nodding gratitude to the boy. Zexion flowed past, pressing something into his hand. Larxene and Demyx were left in the room.

"What's that?" Larxene said curiously, standing on her tip toes to lean over Demyx's shoulder and look at what it was. It was the knight from the chess game in the lounge downstairs. He looked at it, tilting his hand so it rolled back and forth in his palm. "Cool," Larxene said simply. She walked past to leave the library, her hand grazing Demyx's arm and she called out as she left, "Thank you Demy!"


Zexion and Larxene were sitting in the great hall on the steps, both trying to complete the same suduko math puzzle quicker than the other. Larxene was losing. She bit her lip, muttering "select" four letter words underneath her breath. Zexion looked up suddenly, his eyes trained on the door leading to the kitchen and the dining hall. Larxene, noticing that his pencil had stopped whipping across the pages, she looked up and followed his gaze to the door before looking back at him.

"What is it?" she asked. He looked away from the door to look at her.

"I smell."

"Well, yeah, I know that. You smell everything," Larxene replied, looking down to try and get a head start on the puzzle.

"No, no," Zexion said, his face turned towards the door again. He reached out absentmindedly and stopped Larxene's pencil from writing, so she was forced to pay attention again. "I smell..." His mouth slowly moved into a smile again. "Cookies."

She had been watching his small mouth, but she whipped her head around in the direction of the kitchen again. "Cookies?" she repeated.

"Mhmm." Still smiling, Zexion bent his head down to work on his puzzle again. Larxene still looked away, towards the door across the hall.

"I'll be back," she said, folding up her book and standing up.

"Okay," Zexion said softly, "I'll wait till you get back." He turned the page over and started working on another puzzle. She slowly walked across the hall, and pushed open the door. The hallway was short and only consisted of a supply closet (mops and sponges, she had somehow always managed to get out of cleaning the castle). She gently pushed open the door of the kitchen.


Demyx was sitting on a chair with his back to the door of the kitchen. Almost half a dozen timers were set up on the counter next to him as he took track of everything he was making. In the oven at the moment were cookies. He was waiting for them to finish so he could put them aside to cool and start cooking the rest of dinner. He was bent over his sitar as he strummed gently. He muttered, annoyed with his inability to come up with the lyrics to the tune he was humming. He decided to play a song by a band called Icon.

I'll dispel all the liars
quench all the fires
and leave you caged up
inside your world
You don't need another reason to weaken me
I'm already broken
But I just want to see your face
and taste your kiss
and be your lover

I can't breath without you
I can'tbe without you
I won't sleep without you by my side
I will wait forever
till the twelfth of never
to see you near me

One of the timers rang, and Demyx, startled out of his musical haze, looked at the timer with a quizzical look on his face. Suddenly, he leapt to his feet, stumbling as the sitar banged into his knees. He quickly pulled it over his head and opened up the oven, slipping a rag around his hand so he wouldn't burn himself.


Larxene smiled from her point of view as she peered around the edge of the kitchen door. The song had started something in her...but she couldn't tell if it was the annoying friend she had never really looked at, or if it was the intense lyrics. She thought it was extremely amusing to see Demyx pulling a batch of cookies out of the oven. But as she watched him, she saw him shift through the stainless steel cabinents until he found sprinkles, she hadn't even known that the Castle had any sprinkles. For some reason, Larxene didn't think it was so strange that Demyx knew his way easily around the kitchen. Sort of...endearing.
Demyx sprinkled the cookies over with the fun, multi colored sweets. Lyrics popped into his head as he hummed the melody he had created, lyrics for his song.

The chills that you
send down my spine
are the one thing of you
that I can call mine

The looks that you
so willingly bestow
are meant to be cold
that I know

But when you direct
them at me
I find myself wanting
to give you a hug, Larxene

Realizing that he had been singing, he didn't mind so much, just smiling to himself. Her name he had bit back, kept behind his lips. He placed the rag down and the bottle of sprinkles and turned around.

He was glad he hadn't said her name.


"Larxene," he said, stunned.

"Wonderful song,Demy," Larxene said, entering the kitchen and hopping on the counter. Demyx watched her open mouthed. "Close your mouth, it makes you look like a fish," she said, and he quickly shut it, grinning.

"Which song were you talking about?" he asked.

"Both of them, but especially the second one. Make that one up yourself?" The musician nodded. "Pretty impressive for a guy that makes everybody think he's a total idiot."

Demyx had expected that one and he shrugged with another smile. "That's one of the few things I can do well. I just make stupid jokes because I'm not clever enough to come up with anything wittier," he responded, turning around and pulling a napkin from a metal holder.

"Why do you do it?" he heard her ask behind him. Glad that he didn't have to look at her, he answered,

"Do what?"

"You know. Make people laugh," she prodded.

He paused.


She watched him, his hands still as it hovered over the batch of cookies on the rack. One hand fell limply to his side. Larxene suddenly felt embaressed, as if she shouldn't have asked, that she shouldn't be watching this tender moment as he thought deeply. She looked away, and found herself look at the Sitar. She thought of how she always found it interesting. She always wished she could create some sort of music...instead of just frying people. Maybe she'd ask sometime, to learn.
"I..." Demyx started, looking at the cheerful cookies. "Laughter makes you feel good. Fillls up the emptiness." He turned around two cookies in his hand, wrapped in napkins. He walked over to the counter, hopping up beside Larxene. She watched him. "Cookie?" he offered, the playful smile dancing aroud his mouth again. She laughed.

"What kind are they?"

"Chocolate chip."

"Mmm, my favorite."