Chapter Four: How Sensational!
Disclaimer: same as chapter one and three. Square-enix owns these characters. I've produced the events myself
Author's Notes/Regarding Reviewers: Thank you for your reviews! I'm glad you're happy with the story thus far. It's getting a bit trickier to predict where my story is going, but I have an ending in mind. Also: favorites and alerts (especially favorites) are flattering, but reviews are a bit less ambiguous. I like reading personal reviews. Favorites are still good, it's just it feels more IMPLIED that you like my story rather than just.. you know.. inflating my ego with words. That's more direct. Yeah so. Um.. please enjoy reading.
After Axel had actually slept for an hour or so, and Sora had eaten, Axel began to show him around
Organization 13's headquarters. Saix acted stiffly, but respectfully towards Sora. Demyx had talked
to Sora some during his meal, so he was already acquainted. Luxord played along with the illusion
smoothly. "Hello Sora. Good that you've recovered." Xigbar stopped them soon afterward. "Xaldin, Saix, and me
are going to investigate Castle Oblivion. See if anything useful can be salvaged. We want to see if that girl has been
foolish enought to remain there."

Axel's gut clenched. Namine. Castle Oblivion. Not things he wanted mentioned around Sora's delicate ears.

Sora himself felt strange, but it was such a minute twinge of familiarity that he thought nothing of it.

Axel wanted to casually mention that he didn't think Namine would be there, but evoking the name of DiZ could
certainly make things a little more difficult to control around Sora. Demyx slipped by at the most opportune moment.
"Hey Demyx! Show Sora to the kitchen eh? I know you're particularly familiar with it."

Demyx's face flushed, but he nodded. "C'mon Sora." Sora followed him innocently. He did sort of regret not
staying with Axel to see what they were talking about. He couldn't wait to be back in stride with things. He
wanted to be as helpful as possible.

"Well I don't think Namine would still be there. I'm sure DiZ has already rescued her."

"And his two friends?"

"Definitely. That could be a problem later on. Look, um.. I mean no disrespect.. but we have to be careful about
what we say around Sora, okay? We don't want to trigger any memories until things like that won't even matter. I mean..
we're only so far into trust building, right?"

"And yet he seems very obedient. Xemnas must have given you a real story to sell him."

"You could say that." Axel smiled wearily.

"Well, no worries. I think Saix has calmed down somewhat." He neglected to mention Xaldin's displeasure. The
senior members were a touchy group, but not Xigbar. "I guess Marluxia didn't show the right sort of promise
I had seen in him."

"I don't think anyone blames you."

Xaldin spoke from down the hall. "Xigbar, we're leaving now."

"All right then." They turned and stepped through a dark corridor. It vanished. Where was Saix?

Demyx ushered Sora out of the kitchen. He had been watching out of the window in the flapping doors discreetly.Sora walked out happily touching an ice cream cone to his tongue.Axel saw the cream smeared all around his mouth. The contrasting pinkness of his tongue. Axel thought terrible thoughts.

Demyx began busily preparing food. He was the only one assigned to the kitchen. Since Zexion had died, he was
the main cook.

As Axel steered him around the halls, and pointed out everyone's rooms, the dining hall, rooms for business, and rooms that
belonged exclusively to Xemnas, his mind began frantically playing one thought over and over.
Sora and Axel were practically all alone. Axel walked Sora back to his room. Soon enough he could move Sora into the vacant room,
but he didn't want to let go of Sora just yet. He wanted all of the advantages to belong to himself. "I'll be right back Sora. Here."
Axel tossed a matching cloak over to him. It was a perfect fit. "That's amazing. It was just an extra." More lies.

"There are extras?"

"Always.. for new recruits!" Axel grinned, and shut the door behind him.
Sora studied it. It was a perfect fit. Strange.

Axel sprinted down into Vexen's old lab. It hadn't seen much use lately. Perhaps the only other person who would adopt it was Zexion, but he was dead too. Axel frequently raided the lab. Curious little concoctions lied dormant in wait for some person
to use them. Mind Control. Mind Control. Where? There!

"Here!" Axel was gleeful. It was a sexual stimulant. Vexen had been weird enough to create a sexual stimulant. "What a
calloused bastard." He knew it wasn't for Vexen's personal use. Axel shuddered. "He would create anything to control
someone else." Still.. he was somewhat amazed that he had bothered creating a sexual stimulant. It had been a wild guess
This is what he needed. First he would just put it through a little trial.

Sora was listless. He rolled around on Axel's bed. He was eager for his first mission. No, this wasn't his first mission.. it was
just the first mission he would remember. He wanted to prove himself badly. Also, questions about the safety of his friends
riddled his brain. He felt wrong just sitting here. And yet he had been lucky enough to find an organization of people
dedicated to helping him, and helping everyone. It was spectacular.. it was-

"Hey Sora!" Axel slipped inside with a steaming mug of.. "I thought you might like some hot tea."

Sora hadn't really felt like he wanted anything, but he excepted it politely. "Thanks.. Axel. You've been really nice to me.
I must be sort of a pain in the ass.. having forgotten.. everything." Sora took a few gulps. It stung his throat, and he
coughed and sputtered. "I'm fine!" He continued coughing, but only for a few seconds afterwards.

Axel wanted to offer his help, but he felt like he couldn't do anything really. And besides, he knew why Sora was really
coughing. Something twinkled in Axel's eyes. "Well. Uh. Sorry that I can't entertain you, but I need to take a shower."
Sora nodded understandingly.

Axel loved this. Sora always nodded politely in understanding, even when he didn't really understand. Sora's vulnerability fueled Axel.

He walked across the room, and opened a door Sora thought had perhaps lead to a walking closet. It
was instead a large bathroom. Axel shut the door behind him, and left Sora alone once again to ponder his
predicament.

Kairi? Riku? Are you still okay? Sora heard the water turn on, and start to hiss against the floor of the shower.
My island.. can it be saved. Really. He drained the mug, gulping down the last of the tea. It didn't taste bad.. just
different. Maybe is was flavored with something exotic?

He looked outside at the heart-shaped moon.

"It's a heart."

It's a kingdom.

"You said that last time, what does it mean?"

Kingdom Hearts.

"Kingdom Hearts?"

Kingdom Hearts.

Sora could still hear the shower water hissing. It was peculiarly magnified. Axel's skin rolled
underneath sheets of water. His hair was a curtain down his back. It hid half of his face. The steam
rolled under the door. Sora could see it all. His chest, the pectorals curved smoothly down to his
abdomen, and his pelvic bones made an arrow to-

Sora blushed furiously. What could he do about how he felt? What could he do? He would hate to do something
unwise. Axel would hate for Sora to do something wise. He eyed the door. Come to think of it, Sora had never heard the lock latch.
Sora removed the cloak, and his socks and shoes. His crown necklace flung to the floor. His belt left him. His jacket crumpled to the floor.

What was he planning? He did not know himself. The chemicals continued to pop and crackle like fireworks in him. Axel's thighs, his calves, his ankles.. his ass. How could Sora even imagine what they looked like.He had no idea. But he was slowly turning the handle.

Axel showered casually, wondering how the stimulant was affecting Sora. His mind pulled Sora inexorably towards him.
Sora had hampered his breathing subconsciously. He was trying to be as silent as possible. He had to open his breath to
take deep gulps of warm moist air. His body tingled with.. what? What was it pulling him around for? Sora did not realize
that an unvoiced portion of his brain was telling his body to pull him closer and closer to what he really wanted.
A woody scent flooded Sora's nose. His body pulled more...
Sora was scared suddenly. His cautious sub-nature was flooding his limbs. He couldn't walk forward. The stimulant attacked.

Sora's leg crept forward.

Axel hummed in the shower. He felt strange. He felt.. well.. feeling was strange. Axel did not stop to think that Sora might be close.
Not yet at least. He doubted Sora had given the stimulant enough time. Axel, whom had felt nothing but selfish desire, almost felt
remorseful for slipping that in Sora's tea. Wasn't he manipulating him enough. Why was he feeling so many things?

The sound of Axel's humming melted away all caution. Sora fluidly drew up to the curtain. He could see Axel's silhouette.
What was going on? Sora was.. fully aroused. Sora was confused and excited as he drew the curtain back.

Axel continued showering, facing the other direction. The draft was what would alert him. Sora was meanwhile entranced.
The flawlessness of Axel's body hypnotized him. He needed to get closer. Curtains of water. Clouds of steam. The golden center.
The fire..maturity and youth in harmony.

Simultaneously Saix, Xigbar, and Xaldin were sweeping through Castle Oblivion. "There's really nothing here. I'm sure in time
it could serve a new purpose, but right now it would just be a distraction to maintain," Xigbar said rather matter-of-factly. Saix
appeared completely indifferent. "It seems what Axel told you was correct. DiZ has taken Namine and Sora's companions."

"Yeah. The disgruntled old fraud is actually plotting against us. He should have just gone off and died." Xigbar knew Ansem the Wise much better than Saix, who remained characteristically indifferent to his last comment.

Xaldin remained very quiet. "I don't like our inclusion of Sora. At least.. I wouldn't trust that operation to Axel. We know
why he was eager to play the biggest part in the assignment."

Roxas.

"He shows such a lack of respect for the senior members. It's disgusting. Why would Xemnas trust him more than us?"

Xigbar answered wearily, "Careful, you're starting to sound like Vexen."

Saix seemed somewhat frozen in thought. "Really.. Axel needs to be the one to break Sora in. For some reason, and something
I can only attribute to Sora's connection with Roxas, he trusts Axel so blindly."

The name infuriated Xalden. "Axel disobeyed my orders for Roxas' safety. I have not forgiven him for that lapse in judgment."

"It doesn't matter now, Xalden. Let it go. Grudges will not help us to become whole again. We all have the same goal in mind.
As does Axel." Saix was slightly surprised to hear himself say that. He didn't really like Axel, but he could not deny his
loyalty. "The events that took place in this very castle tell us that Axel has always been on our side. Always."

Xalden fumed...

Sora's eyes widened without his noticing. They drank in Axel. The scent that whirled in his nostrils pulled him, again, inexorably
towards Axel. All of life's happiness and the solution to all great mysteries was just a stretch of the hand away. He reached.

Axel felt the a mild draft. He whipped around in full glory. In slow motion a spiral of droplets pirhouetted around him, as though he were shedding a mirror cocoon that ripped from his body in waves. It was insane. Too tempting. Axel was so graceful in any circumstance. At least.. Sora had felt that was true quite recently.

Sora pounced.

"SORA WHAT-"

Sora's legs tangled around one of Axel's, and his hands found the small in Axel's back. His cheek pressed smoothly into Axel's chest.
The corner of his mouth nudged one of his nipples. His soaked shorts brushed up against Axel's sudden erection.

The combination of surprise and flooding of electric sensation caused him to explode.

Axel passed out.

Author's Notes!