The room was silent but for the soft breathing of the three Nobodies occupying it.

Axel sat on a chair, staring at the rumpled, battered, passed out form of the best friend he'd finally managed to bring back with him. He was worried – worried that maybe he'd gone too far, done too much, and pushed too hard. He hadn't wanted to hurt Roxas; he was just so angry that the kid had forgotten him.

Zexion stood leaning against one of the room's walls, his face expressionless. His silvery blue eyes skimmed across the pages of a book he'd picked up earlier – everything about his demeanor was cool and aloof, completely unconcerned. Unlike Axel, he knew that Roxas was just sleeping off his fatigue. He'd fought an opponent that was by no means a pushover, and he'd put all his effort into retaliating. Of course he was going to be tired afterwards.

Although…the pain was most likely another factor as to why Roxas was still sleeping twelve hours after they'd brought him back to the Castle That Never Was, but Zexion believed that exhaustion was still the more predominate reason as to why Roxas was still asleep. Axel, however, was the one who had beaten his so-called 'friend' to a bloody pulp, and even though Zexion was powerful in magic, even he couldn't heal every injury.

Zexion's eyes glanced up from the book and he watched Axel stare worriedly at the blond on the couch. His sharp yet emotionless eyes took in the battered form of the young Nobody, taking note of all the things his spell hadn't fixed.

Tiny cuts and violet black, splotchy bruises littered the boy's tiny frame. His clothing was stained a dark red from blood, and his shirt and pants were torn in multiple places. His once spiky hair was limp, sweat and blood weighing the individual spikes down so they lay flat and sticky on his pale-skinned face.

All in all, despite Zexion's thoughtful healing, the boy still looked a mess, and it was obvious that Axel was feeling guilty at what he'd done to Roxas.

Zexion sighed, deciding to ignore Axel's silent worrying. It wasn't like Roxas wouldn't live; he was just sleeping. His eyes dropped back down the book in his hands, and Zexion lost himself in the made-up world of Meal, an unlucky hero.

Axel's eyes never left Roxas' form. His fingers were wrapped around one another in a white-knuckled grip as he waited for his blond friend to wake up. If only the kid hadn't resisted! Then he wouldn't be lying on that couch, pale and in pain. If Roxas had just gone along and let Axel talk, then he wouldn't have had to hurt the kid so much.

But Roxas was just so stubborn! He just kept getting back up, swinging his Keyblade in an attempt to actually hurt Axel. It had been amusing at the time, but now that Axel thought back on it, he realized just how pathetic his friend had been – he was so different from how he used to be! Not only did he forget Axel, the only person who actually cared about him, but he refused to even consider the idea that he and Axel had been friends. He'd been there for the blond from the beginning, and the little brat had just forgotten him! Like he'd meant nothing to him!

It had angered Axel so much when Roxas had claimed that he didn't know who Axel was. The rage had spread through his body like liquid fire, boiling his blood and drowning out his common sense – the common sense that was practically screaming at him that the kid was weaker than he used to be, and that if he pushed too hard, he'd hurt him, maybe even kill him.

Of course, if Axel was honest with himself (and he was; Axel was a pretty straight forward guy, after all), then he'd admit that the hurt that had stabbed his nonexistent heart like a sharp blade, had affected him far more than the anger that was burning through his veins.

With each naive word out of Roxas' mouth, the blade had dug deeper and twisted painfully, leaving Axel almost breathless with agony.

But, of course, Axel was strong, he was a joker; nothing could get him down. So he plastered an unconcerned mask on his face, and put up a happy-go-lucky, joking façade, and hid his pain behind the cover, unwilling to show his weakness to anyone.

And the blade had only pushed deeper when Roxas – who had known him so well, and could spot Axel's lies a million miles away – hadn't even noticed.

So he'd let his anger take control, and he'd let his joker façade run the show, shoving all his hurt to a dusty, forgotten corner in the back of his mind.

If Zexion hadn't interrupted things when he did, and distracted Axel, odds are Axel would have continued attacking and hurting the kid until it was too late, the part of his mind that cared deeply for the small blond hidden behind all the anger, and cowering from all the hurt.

A soft groan startled Axel from his depressed thoughts, and, blinking rapidly, he focused on the blond lying on the couch. A blond who, after twelve hours, was finally showing signs of waking.

"Roxas? You awake yet?" Axel asked, his voice a low whisper as he poked him on the arm. Roxas's answer came in the form of a mumble and he turned over, pressing his face into the warm cushions of the couch.

"C'mon, buddy. Get up." Axel said, poking at the tiny blond again. Roxas grumbled sleepily, shifting his body into a more comfortable position before sighing once more.

Axel frowned worriedly and pulled back his hand. "Zexion? Shouldn't he be awake yet?"

"No." Zexion answered monotonously, his eyes still glued to his book. "He's tired and in pain. There's no way of accurately predicting when he'll awaken."

"But…but you healed him, right?" Axel asked softly, his emerald eyes never leaving Roxas' body.

Zexion sighed, shaking his head. "I healed his more serious injuries, yes. I cannot, however, heal exhaustion. You wore him out with your brutal treatment of him."

"It wasn't my fault!" Axel protested hotly, his eyes flashing dangerously as he finally looked away from the blond to glare at Zexion, flames sparking in the deep, green depths.

Zexion gazed at Axel unblinkingly, his expression giving away none of his thoughts. After a minute of steel blue eyes locked in a silent battle with emerald green ones, Zexion sighed, shaking his head. "If you truly believe that, then you are more of an idiot than I originally believed."

Axel didn't answer, still spitting fire at Zexion.

The Schemer sighed once more and shut his book, straightening from his leaning position against the wall. "I suppose I will borrow a potion from Vexen, then. I'll return shortly." And with that, Zexion opened a black portal with a wave of his hand, stepping through and disappearing from the room.

Axel glared at the empty space Zexion left behind for a few more seconds before dropping the look, and turning back to Roxas with a sigh, his shoulders drooping slightly. He watched Roxas for a little longer, waiting for some other sign of the kid waking up.

But Axel wasn't exactly known for his patience, so he quickly grew annoyed with the slumbering blond, and decided that if he wasn't going to wake up on his own, then Axel would wake Roxas up himself. He had to make sure the kid was alright anyway… right?

"Roxas. Hey, Roxas." He tried, poking the blond's cheek. Roxas grumbled sleepily, but slept on. Axel growled, grinding his teeth in a frustrated manner. "Roxas! WAKE UP!"

Roxas started awake with a startled yelp, shooting up so quickly and so forcefully that he fell off the couch and landed on the ground in a pile of tangled limbs.

"Wha? Whuss goin' on?" He asked sleepily, sitting up from his fallen position on the cold, stone floor and looking around him confusedly.

Axel smiled fondly at the sight of the sleep-rumpled blond blinking owlishly at his surroundings. His bright, crystalline eyes still glazed slightly from sleep. Axel's smile turned into a grin, and he left the seat to crouch down next to Roxas' fallen form. "Hey, Roxy! It's about damn time you woke up! How are ya feelin?"

Roxas blinked slowly, turning his clear blue eyes to Axel, the haze in them fading away as he stared at the redhead blankly.

Finally, recognition flickered to life in the blond's eyes, and they widened. "Wha? You…YOU!" Roxas jumped back impulsively, scrambling across the stone ground but stopped suddenly, grabbing at his shoulder and wincing.

Axel felt a pang of guilt and his stomach lurched uncomfortably, but he kept the grin on his face, and even threw in a little laugh to complete the act. "Careful, kid. Don't wanna hurt yourself, again, do ya?"

"You stay the fuck away from me!" Roxas screamed, sliding further from Axel despite the pain rippling through his thin frame. He could only scoot so far, however, the couch he was previously sitting on pushing against his back, stopping him.

The blade returned, punching another hole through Axel's nonexistent heart. The kid was absolutely terrified of him. Of him, Axel. Of his best freaking friend.

But, like any truly good actor, Axel knew how to stay in character, and doesn't let his cheerful façade drop. He did, however, let a little offence trickle its way into his tone. "What the hell, Roxas? Calm down, man! I'm not gonna hurt ya, kid!"

Before Roxas could respond, a black hole popped up in a corner of the room and Zexion stepped out, a small bottle of glowing blue liquid held carefully in one of his thin hands. He closed the portal behind him, and held the bottle of icy blue liquid up, swishing it around.

"I brought the po...tion…" Zexion's voice faded away as he finally looked up, taking in the terrified Roxas still attempting to put distance between himself and the spiky redhead. Zexion turned to Axel and raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?"

Axel dropped his grin and glared over at Zexion, offended. "What makes you think I did something?"

Zexion ignored Axel, returning his attention to the cowering blond who was staring at Axel with wide-eyed terror. "Do you require a potion, Roxas?"

Axel scoffed, narrowing his eyes at Roxas, who flinched. "Not anymore, we don't. You took too long, Zexy."

"It appears so." Zexion mumbled, gazing down at the now-useless bottle of liquid in his hand. His eyes returned to Axel a second later, and he sighed softly. "Stop glaring at him, Axel. You're freaking the boy out."

"What?" Axel asked in an annoyed tone, "He yelled at me first! All I did was poke him; it's not like I tried to hurt him or anything."

Zexion stared at Axel unblinkingly, and Axel shifted nervously under the unnerving gaze.

"He passed out from pain, blood loss and fatigue, all of which was due to your incessant attacking." Zexion pointed out blandly, "I believe he has reason enough to be wary of your presence."

When Axel failed to reply, Zexion turned away from him, his unnervingly blank stare landing on the still frightened form of the blond. "Roxas, now that Axel has stopped glaring at you, will you answer my question? Do you require this potion?"

Roxas stared at Zexion, confusion mingling with the fear and anger swirling in his eyes. Adrenalin was pumping through his small body; his limbs were shaking uncontrollably and his heart racing. He couldn't register exactly what the blue haired man was asking him, far too distracted by the taller ginger hovering over him.

He could tell Zexion was waiting for a response from him, so with a shaky voice he said the only thing he muster."…where?"

"You're in the Castle That Never Was." Axel explained, before turning to glare indignantly at Zexion, "And I was just trying to help the kid! If I didn't, then Xemnas would have had him turned into a Dusk."

"Of course, Axel." Zexion said, his tone sounding slightly sarcastic. Turning his attention back to the blond, he continued. "We brought you here after the idiot knocked you out. I healed your more severe injuries. Now, do you require the potion, or did I get it for no reason?"

Roxas stared at Zexion, the stoic man's words not making sense to him. After all, why would the man that was an accomplice in Roxas' kidnapping bring a potion for him? It made no sense. "…what?"

"I wasn't the one who started it, Zexy! " Axel complained, grinning when he caught sight of the slight twitch of Zexion's eye at his whiney tone of voice. "And technically YOU'RE the one who knocked him out with your fancy little spell." Axel turned his attention back to Roxas, and let his grin soften, hoping to calm the kid down. "Come on, Roxy, just drink the potion so Zexy'll be happy, 'kay?"

"I am not…upset." Zexion objected, the potion bottle still grasped in his thin fingers. "Roxas, do you, or do you not need the potion?"

Axel laughed, the sound loud and obnoxious in the small room, "Aw, Zexy, I never said you were 'upset.' Emo, maybe…but not upset."

"You implied it with your assumption that by accepting the potion, Roxas will have made me happy." Zexion pointed out, his eyebrow raised.

Axel waved away the shorter man's logic, shaking his head. "Just because you're not happy doesn't mean you're upset, Zexy." He knew he probably shouldn't argue with Zexion, not with Roxas right here, but it was just too entertaining trying to get a reaction from him.

"You…are you people crazy?" Roxas cut in, interrupting the rather pointless argument between the other two Nobodies, and finally speaking a full sentence. "I'm not drinking anything you people give me! You tried to kill me!"

"I suppose that's a 'no,' then." Zexion muttered, sighing as he portalled out of the room.

Axel turned back to Roxas, one of his own fiery eyebrows raised. "I never tried to kill you, Roxy." Which was a lie, but the kid didn't have to know about that. "Besides, you attacked me first."

Roxas glared at Axel, his fear being pushed aside to make room for the anger that was setting in. Scooting a little further away from the insane redhead, Roxas tried to stand up, only to fall back down when his legs refused to function. "Damn it!" He tried to stand again, his body shaking from pain and effort, but fell back down, smacking his knees painfully on the stone ground.

Axel watched guiltily as Roxas attempted to stand up several more times without success, his legs giving out every single time. Finally he had enough and he stood, walking over to the shaking blond. "Here, Roxy, let me help you."

Ignoring Roxas' feeble attempts to push him away, Axel grabbed him under the arms, and carefully lifted him to a standing position, helping him back to the couch.

"You okay?" He asked Roxas, glancing him over for signs of wounds Zexion might have missed in his earlier healing.

A black portal opened up in the room, and Zexion stepped out, his hand free of potion bottles. When he caught sight of the blond sitting on the couch, his pale face scrunched up tightly and his body quaking from tremors of pain, he sighed. "I assume that this means the potion is, indeed, needed then?"

Roxas didn't appear to hear Zexion's question, his mouth mumbling a silent mantra of 'ouch, ouch, ow, ouch.'

But he didn't need to, since Axel chose to answer instead, a grin masking the concern he thought he hid so well. But Zexion was a Schemer, and he was a damn good one – his eyes missed almost nothing, and that included the many different 'emotions' Axel hid behind a mask of idiocy. But, like every other time he saw the mask fall over Axel's tattooed face, he chose not to say anything, instead letting the Nobody believe his act was flawless.

"Yeah, he needs the potion." Axed announced, his grin obnoxiously wide, "Ha! Sucks for you! This is, what, trip number three to Vexen?"

Zexion stared at Axel blandly, "Axel, would you like to spend the next ten minutes in a book under the impression that you were drowning?"

"Do it, and I'll burn your precious little books, Zexy." Axel threatened, glaring darkly at him.

Zexion's eyebrows furrowed slightly, the only sign of his anger, "Do that, and you'll spend five years in my Lexicon, drowning to death."

"I'll just burn that book, too." Axel said, unconcerned.

Zexion shook his head, his steely eyes gazing dispassionately at Axel. Most people would be put off by the utter emptiness in the other Nobodies eyes as he stared at him, but Axel was simply entertained by it, his grin widening. Though he couldn't help but admit to himself that Zexion's glares were a bit freaky…

Axel got that they didn't have hearts, so that meant that they couldn't feel, but Zexion took the whole emotionless thing a little too far, in his opinion. At least all the other members pretended to feel; Zexion was the only one who didn't.

"You cannot burn the Book of Retribution." Zexion informed him, snapping Axel out of his contemplative silence.

"Well, I'll still try." Axel said, grinning, and summoned a small ball of fire to his hand, holding it out in a threatening manner. "Wanna see?"

Zexion raised an eyebrow, his eyes still so freaking unnervingly empty. "You are welcome to try." And with that, he summoned his Lexicon, holding it out in front of him like a shield.

Axel's emerald eyes flashed, and he increased the size and intensity of the fireball floating lazily in his outstretched hand. "Don't test me, emo boy."

"You appear to have an odd desire to spend the next five years inside my book. Maybe you're not as afraid of the water as I've been lead to believe?" Zexion replied, still holding his big-ass book in front of him, and still staring at Axel with blank eyes.

"Well whoever told you that doesnt know what they're talking about." Axel growled angrily and let the fireball go, shooting it at the Lexicon. It slammed into the large book with a loud bang and a blinding flash, setting it on fire. "Whatcha gonna do now, emo shrimp?"

Zexion watched his book burn for a few seconds, the red, orange and yellow flames reflecting in his eyes. Then Zexion blinked and the book opened up, the flames being sucked into the massive pages.

When the flames were completely gone, the book slammed shut, looking none the worse for wear. Axel grumbled in annoyance, but plastered a smirk onto his face when Zexion looked back over at him.

"If you thought that would work, you're far less intelligent than I thought. And no one told me. I can smell your fear when you're around large bodies of water that are deeper than you are tall." Zexion murmured.

Axel just laughed, "Who says I was actually trying to hurt it? And a puddle is deeper than you are tall, little Zexy-kins"

Meanwhile, as the two Organization members argued, Roxas was planning to escape. These people had tried to kill him, and now they were trying to kill each other; Axel was actually throwing fireballs at Zexion! These people were crazy, and Roxas had no desire to hang around when the guy with the book decided to start fighting back.

So, while Axel and Zexion were distracted with one another, Roxas slowly pushed himself up off the couch, wincing as his body screamed in protest. Taking a quick moment to observe the room they were in, he shoved the pain to the back of his mind, and focused on just moving. There was a door not too far away from him; it would be a relatively short trip to the door, one that Roxas was sure he could make.

And after that…well, he'd work on that part of the plan when he got out the door.

Shuffling quietly, his eyes glancing back and forth between Axel and Zexion and the door, Roxas slowly made his way towards the exit – the door to his freedom from the crazy freaks.

He was almost to the door when he heard Axel's laugh. He turned around, his eyes searching out the reason for Axel's loud cackle – and his eyes met steel-blue. Roxas was sure his heart stopped when he made eye contact with Zexion; his breathing sure did.

The short Nobody stared at Roxas indifferently as Roxas stared back, his own face a twisted hybrid of fear, confusion, and oddly enough, curiosity.

Then Zexion spoke, "Axel, perhaps you should stop insulting my intelligence and catch your 'friend' before he gets himself caught by one of the others." And Roxas spun, sprinting from the room, the spike of adrenalin and fear helping to block the pain that wracked his body.

"Yeah well you… wait, what?" Axel stated , staring at Zexion uncomprehendingly before he swore violently, and charged after the escaping blond, yelling at him to stop running and come back.

Zexion stood in the empty room for a moment, listening to the two Nobodies run down the corridor, their footsteps echoing loudly.

Then, he sighed. "Perhaps I'll retrieve that potion now." And with that, Zexion opened a portal and stepped through.