"Axel?" Roxas sat up in bed, gripping the sheets hard. He was gasping, and he didn't know why. Lightning ripped the sky outside to shreds, the light flashing through the windows. Thunder snarled above it all, like a low groaning. Roxas put a hand on his chest, trying to calm his ragged breathing. The bare skin under his hand felt so cold…so sticky. What is wrong with me? Roxas thought in fear. Fear. That's it. He was scared. Scared for Axel. Why? He's here…isn't he? Roxas suddenly felt a sharp stab of fear. What if he's not? He had to know. The blonde haired Nobody swung out of the bed, sliding his feet into the hard black boots. He didn't take time to lace them up; the next moment, he wrenched open the door and was running down the hall. Rain splattered against the windows, lighting tore open the sky. Guided by the eerie white flashed of light, Roxas made his way down the hall, running, gasping for air. Axel's door. Where was it? He was panicking for some reason, he was so scared…All he wanted to do was the get in Axel's room, see his friend there. Roxas had the sudden urge to run into his friend's room and get under the blankets, hug the pyro, make Axel tell him it was ok.
Where was it? He went down this hall hundreds of times, why could he find the door? Roxas stumbled to the end of the hall, grabbed the door handle, and tried to turn it. He couldn't. His hands kept slipping off. Sobbing for air and shuddering in fear, Roxas wiped his hands on his shorts, smearing off the cold sweat. Forcing himself to be calm, he grabbed the handle and turned it, oh so slowly. The door swung open, revealing the darkness of the pyro's room. Through the flashed of light coming through the wet windows, Roxas stumbled over the floor towards the bed. "Axel..?" Another flash of lightning. Roxas saw the bed. "Axel!" He screamed. The bed was empty, the sheets were thrown back. And the whole bed was splattered with dripping, red blood. "Axel? Axel, where are you?" Roxas dropped to his knees by the bed, his fingertips trailing in the blood dripping from the bed. The room was empty; it looked so peaceful, as if nothing was happened. Roxas was gasping again, his spine prickling from fear. "Axel!" he screamed into the rainy dark. "Come back!"
It is not over!
Roxas grabbed at his head, feeling the sharp voices reverberating inside his skull. They echoed in his brain, loud and clear. "What…" He started to say. Where did that come from! Roxas thought in panic.
I hate you!
The words came again, smashing in on his brain, agonizingly loud and clear. Roxas cried out in pain, gripping his skull in anguish. I know that voice! He realized, his eyes bright in the darkness. It's Axel's…
I hate you!
Roxas winced as the words stabbed into his head. He felt dizzy, felt pain. He slumped forward against the side of the bed, shutting his eyes and trying to squeeze the pain out of his head. He felt the warm blood soaking into his hair as it dripped off. "Axel…Axel.." he was almost sobbing now. "Stop it…please…stop it…" Lighting shredded the sky outside. "I need you!" Roxas shouted. "Axel, help me! Don't leave me…please don't leave me here!" His chest began aching, a swelling, numbing pain. "I want to be with you," Roxas sobbed, feeling the tears squeezing out. Suddenly he gasped in pain, grabbing at the bed with one hand, at his chest with the other. Under the bare skin, a deep, throbbing, lancing pain began stabbing him, repeatedly plunging its invisible, agonizing talons into his chest. Roxas's hand grabbed the bloody sheets in pain as he choked, gasping for air. "Ax…el?" He choked out. The pain was too much; Roxas slumped against the bloody bed, his blue eyes rolling up into his head. Slowly, slowly he slid to the floor, leaving a wide smear of blood behind him.
His eyes opened. Roxas stared up at the darkness, feeling dizzy. His chest ached a little, but the pain was gone. What had happened? He wondered. He has heard Axel's voice in his head, then the pain….now, he was lying on his back in the pitch black. No noise, no nothing. "Axel?" he whispered. "Why.." Roxas slowly got up, the pain in his chest diminishing. He didn't feel dizzy anymore. "Axel?" He shouted into the dark nothingness. "Where are you?" Nothing. Roxas waited, feeling the cold darkness wrap around him. Suddenly, he was angry. "I want to see you!" he screamed. Light shot from his fingertips, licking up the darkness, blinding him with its brightness. And then.. then he saw them. A blonde girl with two bloody bangs was cradling…something. It was a mess of crimson red, sticky, scarlet blood, and the remains of a black coat. The girl was crying.
"Larxene?" Roxas asked, staring at her. She was bleeding from the shallow slits in her Organization XIII cloak. She looked up him, her blue eyes blank. Then they flickered.
"Roxas?" She asked, his voice choked. "Roxas?" He began running across the white light towards her, his black boots hammering the whiteness in little showers of silver sparks. The blonde Nobody dropped to his knees across from the girl, and that's when he saw the something's face.
"No…" Roxas couldn't believe it. "Axel..?" The red spikes were dripping blood, little streams of it ran from his mouth, bubbling at the lips. The eyes were shut. "Axel!" The blue eyes saw the ribcage, stripped of flesh, saw the jagged ends of the shattered bones, saw the ghastly little white balloon of a lung, heaving in the bloody puddle that was his friend's chest. "No! Roxas screamed in agony, grabbing at his friend's body in pain. "No, Axel, no!" Axel's head was on his lap now, the blood was running down the boy's legs, feeling warm and sticky through his shorts. Larxene was sobbing now, gasping for air between her agonized cries. Roxas saw the wall, splashed with red, saw the blood lying in huge puddles on the floor. "What happened?" he demanded.
Larxene kept crying.
"Who did this to him?" Roxas almost screamed at her. Tears ran from his eyes as he cradled the bloody head on his lap. Larxene bent her head, the tears falling like rain. "Larxene..?" She shook her head, raised a hand to try to hold back the tears.
"He's…he's not.." She couldn't find the words. Roxas looked down, wincing as he saw the horribly broken and bloody body. Strips of flesh hung off the cracked remains of a ribcage, the broken end of a sharp needle stood out of his chest like a gruesome pennant of the torturer's accomplishments. Roxas shut his eyes, stroking the Nobody's face.
"No…Axel…you can't.." Roxas shut his eyes, letting the tears come. The horrible, grating grasping of Axel's struggling lung tore at his ears, mocking whatever hope he had.
"How did you get here?" Larxene asked softly.
"I don't know.." The younger boy closed his hand over the older one's. "I remembered Axel….it hurt…I was here." Larxene's tear stained face looked squarely up at him.
"That's…it…" she whispered.
"What?" Roxas shook his head. "I don't…understand.." Axel screamed. His spine arched in agony, his head thrown back, the pyro Nobody writhed in their arms, screaming his agony. Larxene grabbed at him, trying to hold him still. Blood bubbled up over her hands as she tried to hold the struggling Nobody still. The green eyes were open, burning green flame as they stared unseeing into the whiteness. The body jerked, twisted; Roxas heard the splintered bones grating against each other. The terrible shrieking filled the air.
"Axel…no!" Larxene clutched the broken, writhing body against her, sobbing brokenly. "I'm sorry…."
"What, why?" Roxas demanded. The girl shut her eyes and cradled the body against her, his screaming muffled in her cloak. "You…." Roxas stared at her, feeling the anger growing. "You?" Axel's screaming stopped abruptly with a strangled gargle, his body went horribly rigid….then limp.
"No!" Larxene gasped, letting the body slip. His mouth and eyes were frozen open, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth. A glaze was spreading over the pupils. "You can't…don't…please!" Larxene begged.
"Axel..?" Roxas gripped his friend's hand, the blood from his wrist pulsing out over his fingers. "No….no, please…"
"Think!" Larxene barked, her voice harsh and strained. Axel lay on the bloody whiteness between them.
"What?" Roxas stared at her through teary eyes. Axel's hand was going cold.
"Think of a memory, of something dear to you back at the castle," Larxene ordered. "Say that you want to go back-" She lifted Axel's head in her hands. "Do it!" she ordered. Roxas shut his eyes, began thinking.
Axel….Roxas…..both of them, sitting on the staircase, laughing…. "I'm…trying…" Roxas gasped.
"Try! With all your might!" Larxene looked up at him worriedly.
Axel and Roxas sitting on the staircase, laughing. The picture swelled in Roxas's mind. He felt the pain of the effort crushing his skull, as if it was blowing itself up inside his skull, trying to explode out. He held his head in pain. Axel and Roxas sitting on the staircase, laughing. "Noo…" Roxas gasped. The pain had begun again. He grabbed at his throbbing chest. His eyes opened. "No…no.." he pleaded with the pain.
"Focus!" Larxene ordered. Axel stared lifelessly at the ceiling. "Do it! The pain is good…you want it…"
Roxas clutched at his chest, biting back the pain. Axel and Roxas sitting on the staircase, laughing. The image came, anc with it came the waves of pain. Roxas gasped for air through the dizzying pain. "What about….A……Ax…." he couldn't talk. The pain was strangling him. The image kept swelling. Axel and Roxas sitting on the staircase, laughing.
Larxene cradled the head, looking at it with pain filled eyes. "I love you," she whispered, and pressed her lips hard against Axel's bloody mouth. For a moment, there was nothing. Then gold sparks began swirling up Larxene's body, from her feet, fingers, chest, head, even from her hair. They all ran does Larxene's cheeks, fusing through her lips into Axel's body. Through the crippling pain, Roxas watching as the sparks turned red…began running through Axel's body…
Axel and Roxas sitting on the staircase, laughing. Roxas couldn't see anymore; he was doubled over in pain, grabbing at his chest in agony. The image was getting larger….larger…he could hear Axel breathing again…he didn't have time to wonder why or how he was…there was a huge snap somewhere in him, and he felt himself falling forward. The pain tore at him one last time…then faded. He dimly saw Larxene lying on the floor, motionless, as he and Axel flickered….then vanished…Leaving her behind.
"Roxas?"
Do I know that voice? Roxas felt like he was swimming upward through an endlessly deep pool of water….no, maybe not swimming. It didn't feel like he was moving. Was he floating? That was it…just drifting up…up…
"Roxas?" A hand on his shoulder. The touch sent the water splattering in every direction, hauled Roxas out of the endless pool and into full consciousness. He opened his eyes too fast, and the bright light poured in. The blonde kid moaned, turned his head away from the light, blinking. Someone was standing next to the bed, his black glove clear against the wrinkled white sheet. Roxas squinted up, and found himself looking at Vexen. The blonde scientist looked down at him.
"Do you know who I am?" He asked.
"Ve….Vexen.." The words were thick and long. Roxas found it was hard to say the two syllables. It was more like sliding something out of his mouth than saying something.
"That's right. Do you know where you are?" Vexen's voice was aggravatingly calm.
Roxas twisted his head on the pillow, blinked. "I'm……..I for….get.." Were his eyelids always so heavy?
Vexen nodded. "You're in the infirmary at Castle Oblivion. You've been out for a couple hours. Do you remember anything before?"
Roxas tried to think, and couldn't. He shook his head in defeat. And then he did remember something. "Ax…el?"
Vexen pointed. "He's in the other bed. We found you two in his room, in a puddle of blood. You don't have a scratch, but Axel…" He trailed off.
"Is he…okay?" Roxas managed.
Vexen shrugged. "He'll…live," he said carefully. "But……." He paused, tapped his hand on the bed, and started to turn away.
"Vex..en!" Roxas tried to make his voice loud. "Tell me…."
Vexen paused and looked over his shoulder. "It's a close call," was all he said. And then he was gone. The door shut behind him. Roxas turned his head to look over. Lying on a white bed under the white light was Axel, lying rigidly under a sheet. His tattered, blood-soaked coat was on a chair next to the bed. Someone had washed the blood off his face, and his hair was wet. A pile of bloody bandages lay on the floor under the chair. The Nobody was sleeping, his chest rising evenly.
"Axel?" Roxas whispered. He smiled tiredly. Funny…nothing hurt. He was just…so tired. Axel was safe. He was going to make it. Roxas's eyes shut. He didn't even remember Larxene or the whiteness.
"Axel?"
"Mmh?"
"…I missed you." Roxas massaged his forehead. "I never knew how good of friends we were until I almost lost you."
"I know." Axel lay under the window on the bed, where he had lain for the past two weeks as his body slowly, slowly knit, as the skin grafts on his chest slowly mended together the flesh. Now he lay with the sheet folded back, the sunlight playing on the horrific scars on his bare chest. He stared straight up at the ceiling, thinking. Roxas sat next to him as he had faithfully done for two weeks, content to be in the prescreens of his best friend.
"So.." Roxas said slowly. "Larxene…did that to you, didn't she?"
Axel took his time answering. "Yes.." The broken chest rose slowly. "She did." Larxene was missing from the Castle. Her room had been found empty, with little drops of blood on the sheets. Other than that, there was no clue to her parting. The other Nobodies shrugged the whole thing off as a mystery, didn't ask questions. They left Roxas and Axel alone and forgot about Larxene. "We need to get her back," Axel said softly. "She….we need too.."
"She saved your life." Roxas finished. "That kiss…that was what made you come alive again." Axel hadn't remembered anything that had gone on since Roxas showed up; over the weeks, Roxas had filled him in on what had happened.
"How ironic," Axel said softly. He shut his eyes for a moment. "She was the one who did this…and she was the one who saved us."
"I don't understand though," Roxas said. "Why…why did the memory take us back here?" Axel shook his head wearily on the pillow.
"I don't know." There was silence for a moment. Then, "……how did you get into…wherever we were?" Axel asked.
"I kept on hearing your voice, thinking of you," Roxas admitted.
"What was I saying?" Axel asked in curiosity.
"It's not over," Roxas remembered. "I hate you. Over and over."
"That's what I told Larxene," Axel said softly. "I remembered you…I remembered us wrestling." He grinned wearily. "But yea…that's what I said."
"Memories," Roxas said slowly. "You remembered me, I heard you. And then…Larxene had me remember something, and we came back." Axel looked at him.
"What did you remember?" He asked.
"You and me, sitting on the staircase, laughing. I forgot what we were laughing about though!" Roxas hugged his knees and grinned. "Good memory, huh?"
Axel smiled. "I remember what we were laughing at…I think. Wasn't it…wasn't it after…" he paused. "Guess I don't remember," he said ruefully. Roxas laughed, and Axel joined in for a moment. Laughing hurt; he winced and felt at his chest. "There's one thing…" he said slowly. "Larxene wasn't in that memory…was she?"
Roxas was still for a moment. "No. It was just you and me." His blue eyes narrowed. "And Larxene didn't come back.."
"I don't know why or what it means," Axel said slowly. "But somehow….we're connected by memories?"
Roxas shook his head. "I don't know…but I think you might be right. But how…I don't know how that works.." He rubbed his forehead.
"You're starting to look like Xemnas," Axel told him with a smirk. Roxas sniffed.
"Am not." He got to hit feet and pulled the white sheet up over Axel's bare chest. "Time for you to go to sleep," he informed the red head.
"Do I have to?" Axel grinned weakly.
Roxas tucked his friend's arms under the sheet, carefully avoiding the lines of stitches in his wrists and elbows. "Yes you do. Don't argue with your nurse or your best friend." He rested the sheet gently over Axel's patched up body. "See you later?"
The pyro's eyes were flickering. "Yea. See you later." Roxas started walking towards the door. "Roxas?" The blonde turned around. Axel's face was framed in white light from the window. He was smiling. "Thanks."
"For what?" Roxas grinned.
"For…being here, for me." Axel's chest swelled slowly as he chose words. "I don't….I don't know why I would have tried to live, I guess…..if I didn't have a friend like you…" Roxas felt the tears coming; he tried to hold them back. Axel's green eyes flickered. "So thanks. For sticking with me. For being Roxas."
"You're welcome." The blonde Nobody grinned. "And thanks….for being my best friend."
"Anytime." The red head nodded. "Friends forever, right?" He held out his hand, in a fist. Roxas knocked knuckles with him, like he had done countless times.
"Forever."
Pity about Axel. The blue-black cloaked swirled over the whiteness, its shadow turning the whiteness to pitch black. The black eyes noted Larxene's body, lying motionless in the white. The darkness grabbed at the Nobody's boots, then slithered up over her, wiping out all traces of her to the human eye. Oh, the cloaked one could still see; the darkness was of her own making, her own essence. She still saw the black-cloaked body, sprawling over the pitch black. The blue-black cloak stopped next to the Nobody girl as the cloaked figure looked down at the face. A few golden sparks danced over Larxene's chests, over the hole where a heart should be. The last ones. You fool. The black eyes looked critically at the lifeless body. You would die for him? This complicates matters. The figure heaved a mental sigh. I might actually have to give back some Force, won't I? A long white hand reached down, the fingertips pressed into the girl's chest. A few black sparks wound down the fingers and into the girl's body. After a moment, Larxene began to breathe. You deal pain, the figure mentally told the Nobody. But it's not time to connect. Not yet.
The Nobody didn't respond. Her eyes stared sightlessly up into the darkness.
You'll wake up soon enough. The blue-black figure turned. Very soon.
"Axel?" Roxas opened the door and peered around it nervously. "Axel, wake up!" He hissed. The blonde slipped in, clutching a heavy, leather bound book to his chest. His face was almost as white as the door he shut behind him. Slowly, he tiptoed over to the bed where the pyro was sleeping. He sat down on the chair, and squeezed Axel's hand. "Axel, wake up.." The green eyes flickered, then Axel moaned and shifted.
"Roxas?" He said sleepily. "What-"
The blonde squeezed the hand to silence his friend. "I found something, Axel." The blue eyes were grim. "Something that might what's been happening."
Axel noticed the book. "What….where'd you get that?" He asked.
"The library. It was shoved way in the back of one of the shelves." Roxas rubbed some of the dust off of it. "And I started reading it. It's…it's some kind of document on supernatural forces, or something like that. It takes about magic and stuff like that, anyway. I was about to stop reading it, and that's when-"
"Wait." Axel pulled his hand free. "Help me…help me sit up. I want to see." Roxas set aside the book and helped the red head to slowly, painfully sit up. Roxas stood up the pillow against the wall, and Axel sat back against it with a wince. "Ok, sorry Roxas. I'm ready." The blonde flipped open the book, fingering through the dusty pages.
"Here." He tapped a page, and angled himself and the book so that Axel could see it. Roxas began to read. "Life Force; A force possessed by all living sentients, the will to live, a soul-to-soul connection. This connection is maintained and built by sheer force of will, love, or memories." Roxas ran his finger down the page. "Life Force is the sheer determination and effort to live. Sometimes, groups of people that share memories or love will have their Life Force's connected, allowing them to sense each other's feelings, emotions, or even reconnect with their Life Force companions." Roxas looked up into Axel's eyes. "That's how we did it. That's how I joined you and Larxene! We share a Life Force."
Axel rubbed his forehead. "Memories," he said softly. "It makes sense. But remembering us here, you got us both back to Castle Oblivion.."
"..but I didn't remember Larxene. And she didn't come back," Roxas finished.
"I wonder," Axel said slowly. "If you had remembered her….would she have come back with us?" Roxas was still for a minute, thumbing the book.
"I don't know," he admitted. "Do you love Larxene?" He asked pointedly.
Axel looked sharply at him, then grinned a little. "Whatever. Why?"
"Because…if you love her, then your Life Force's are joined. And that kiss…." Roxas opened the book. "Here's where that all fits in." He ran a finger down the page. "Life Force can be passed from one sentient to another. A transferring of the Force can save another beings life, if their own Life Force is fading. Life Force will leave if the sentient is dying, or has consciously or unconsciously let go of the will to live. In the case of a transfer of Life Force, touch is necessary between the giver and the receiver. Sparks of Life Force will leave the giver and go into the other sentient, allowing them to live." Roxas stopped reading. "When she kissed you, I saw the sparks. Larxene was giving you here Life Force."
Axel shut his eyes and tipped his head against the wall. "No.." he whispered. His fist clenched. "No."
"What?" Roxas asked worriedly.
Something white and wet slid out of the corner of Axel's eyes, back down over his cheek. "Then…if she gave up her Life Force….that means she's dead, doesn't it?"
"No!" Roxas almost shouted. "No it doesn't! Axel, she may have given you the Life Force, but that doesn't mean-"
"Then what does it mean, Roxas?" Axel said angrily. "What did you see before we left?"
Roxas was silent. Then, "She wasn't moving," he said softly. "Larxene wasn't moving anymore." Axel groaned, and Roxas took his hand in silent comfort. "Axel? Why did she hurt you?"
"She didn't mean to." The silver trail of a tear was drying on Axel's cheek. "She didn't…it's like it wasn't her…."
That hit Roxas hard. His eyes widened. "Axel? What if it wasn't Larxene?"
Axel's eyes opened, stabbing the ceiling. "What do you mean," he whispered. "It…she…whoever did this…turned into Larxene. I almost killed her."
Roxas thought for a moment. "Does anyone else have a hold on her Life Force?"
Axel rubbed his forehead and frowned. "I don't…she doesn't have any other friends that us. I don't think anyone would have a hold in her life." He was still for a moment. "Unless-" he started, then stopped. Roxas noted the look on his face.
"Axel?"
"There's one other who could have control over her." Axel's eyes were hard and clear.
"Who?"
"Herself," Axel said clearly.
Roxas shook his head. "Axel, what do you mean? Do you mean that Larxene meant to do what she did? Because if you are, that doesn't…make…" Roxas's voice trailed off. Axel turned his head and looked him straight in the face. Roxas paled with understanding. "You don't mean Larxene," he whispered. "You mean her Somebody."
"Exactly." The two Nobodies sat in stillness for a moment, digesting the idea. Axel's hand in Roxas's was warm, uncomfortably warm. He was angry, and the heat of his skin showed it. The blue eyes of the younger boy were eerily bright.
"So what do you want us to do? To save Larxene, I mean," Roxas asked softly, looking over into Axel's eyes.
Axel sighed painfully. "We…have to go back…"
"What?" Roxas exclaimed, staring at him in shock. "You can't be serious! Go back into the black? Axel…what if she's there? What's going to happen to you?" Axel still wasn't very strong, and Roxas didn't want to see him shredded again.
"We have to get Larxene back!" Axel insisted. "I don't care what else happens…but we've got to save her." He saw the dubious look in Roxas's eyes. "Roxas…please? Please come with me?"
Roxas was scared. He didn't want to go back there, didn't want to face the far again. And he didn't want to see Axel get hurt. He wanted to make the pyro stay here, wanted to make sure that he was safe. But Larxene needed them, needed Axel at least. And wherever Axel went, Roxas wasn't far behind. The blonde winked. "Sure I'm coming! I'll stick with you, no matter what."
"Thanks." Axel didn't need to say anything more. Both of them new what he meant. The pyro let go of Roxas's hand , and with a groan, started to get out of the bed.
"What are you doing?" Roxas asked, steadying his friend. He knew better than the cross Axel when he was in this mood.
"Getting dressed. I can't show up like this." Axel reached for the tattered remains of his cloak and began pulling it on.
Roxas smirked. "That won't do you much good," he pointed out. "It won't even cover you up all the way." He laughed at the look on Axel's face. "I'll be right back." He dashed out, shutting the door. Axel grinned, retracting his arms from the cloak.
"What did I ever do to deserve you, Roxas?" he asked softly. The cloak was dropped on the bed, and Axel ran his finger over the hem of it fondly. He'd have to fix it, one day. The door swung open, and Roxas shut it behind him. He had a bundle under one arm.
"Got it." The blonde dropped it on the bed, and pulled a grey shirt out of it. He tossed it, and Axel caught it.
"Just wanting to know, who's is this?" Axel asked skeptically, wincing as he pulled it on. He was carefully not to bump the skin grafts sewed onto him.
"The shirt? That's mine." Roxas passed Axel an Organization cloak. "That's Demyx's," he smirked. Axel groaned as he pulled it on. "We're just borrowing, right?" Roxas teased.
"Whatever." Axel zipped it shut. It smelled like hair gel, but the black leather felt comfortable and familiar. "Start remembering." Roxas groaned as he sat on the edge of the bed. Reluctantly, he called up the scene where Larxene kissed Axel, and focused on that mental picture. Axel, standing beside him, remembered the dark, the searing pain. The memory was too vivid, too alive, and he winced. He took a deep breathe, forcing himself to remember what it was like. In a few minutes, the pain started as the Life Force began connecting them and the location they so desired.
"It's happening." Roxas felt at his chest. Axel put a hand on his shoulder.
"It's ok," he said softly, focusing his energy on that image in his brain. "We'll be there soon." The images blurred before their eyes, growing clearer and clearer. Roxas almost heard Larxene crying again, almost saw the sparks. Axel felt the agony, and his hand clenched Roxas's shoulder hard. The throbbing increased, turning into a drilling pain high up in their chests. To Roxas's surprise, it wasn't as severe as before. It still hurt - his hand was white from pressing against the pain - but he wasn't sick. The drilling pain increased, lancing through them for one moment. Then there was a wave of shimmering dizziness, and the two mental images vanished.
"Roxas? Axel?" Vexen opened the door to the infirmary. It was empty. A tattered cloak lay on the unmade bed, a dusty old book lay on the chair, and the light from the window was illuminating the white room. But Axel and Roxas were gone.