Thank Schmelly Inc. for sending me an email and mentioning that today was Sunday and I had to update. OOPS. I forgots. X3 That was fast… one week of the semester down, a million more to go. Hopefully this little thing will keep me going. Can't jump off the Earth knowing that people are so eagerly waiting for the story, now can I? Heheh. Thanks for all the positive feedback, you guys! I hope you continue to enjoy this.

Oh, and there's a pinch of Larxel in this chappie, too. Only a pinch though. Like, sand grain size. Smaller than that even.

And again, a great big thanks to Schmelly Inc. for her wonderful work (and for the reminder)! I don't think I did this last time, so I will now: ADVERTISING. If you haven't read any of her stories for some odd reason, go do it. NOW. :shakes fist:

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Chapter 2- Doubt

Vexen had to be one of the sourest Nobodies to ever roam the worlds. Once he struck, he left everything depressed, frustrated, and usually suffering from fits of uncontrollable twitching. It was inevitable that one would become that much closer to insanity after each unfortunate encounter. Ever so slowly, he would wear the poor soul down until they were just a motionless mass on the floor. Maybe it was because he was eternally frozen as a senile old bat that he felt it necessary to ruin the lives of his fellow Organization members. Maybe it was because he hadn't seen the sun in eons and his demeanor was just the result of all the chemicals he played with. Maybe it was because his name bore a striking resemblance to the word 'vex'.

Or maybe it was just Axel dramatizing it.

The aforementioned Nobody peered across the room at the Chilly Academic, who was speaking very rigidly with Marluxia. The coward. Despite his ever constant reminders of the orders of rank, which would theoretically grant him superiority at Castle Oblivion, Vexen couldn't even hold his own against the flower boy. He was useless to the Organization; the only thing his many experiments seemed to achieve was a series of wide spread paranoia among the other members.

"Sora will be here tonight," Marluxia was saying, enunciating every word as though he were talking to a child, "I will be there to greet him."

Axel tuned out the conversation before Vexen had a chance to speak. He had already heard this countless times. Bored, he went back to folding a blank piece of paper into a demented swan. When a wing refused to fold correctly, his face screwed up in irritation and the paper burst into a sudden ball of flame, extinguishing just as quickly as it had been ignited. As he casually brushed the ashes from his gloves, Axel noticed the stares of the other two Nobodies and flashed a grin.

"Yes?"

"You have to be smarter than the paper, Axel," Larxene jeered from her seat, tucked back into a corner. The redhead scowled at her, but she was once again absorbed in her book, the title of which he hadn't managed to catch. Vexen and Marluxia returned to their conversation. Axel attempted to think of a retort.

"Is that the best you could come up with?" He decided on.

The Nymph's eyes momentarily slid to the redhead's face, then back to her book, "Says the one who can't even think of a decent comeback."

Axel's scowl deepened. That's enough of that. He decided to pay attention to the other Nobodies.

"I don't understand," Vexen was saying.

"You don't have to understand," Marluxia consoled, "Just trust me when I say that everything is under control. No need to worry."

Like the suspicious old geezer that he was, the Chilly Academic narrowed his eyes, "I can't help but wonder what you neophytes are up to. Why the Superior allowed you control of Oblivion still escapes me."

Marluxia smiled slyly, "Whatever his reasons, I am sure they are well founded. I trust his decisions. Do you, Vexen?"

A cross between a sneer and a grimace passed over the elder's face and he fell silent for a while. Doubtless, trying to hold back the fear that he thought he hid too deep to be detected. A fear that he technically shouldn't have been able to feel after so many years of non-existence. It was what made him one of Axel's least favorite members; this unjustified fear. At least, it was unjustified in his eyes. Perhaps he wasn't seeing something that Vexen noticed every time he came close to their Superior. Then again, he was probably just being the senile old man he was.

"Of course, I do," The Academic finally managed to spit out, but he sounded less than confident, "I am allowed to be curious, however, am I not?"

"I never said you couldn't be curious, but you are needlessly so," Marluxia was quick to supply. Too quick. Axel stopped listening so he wouldn't have to hear the lies so cleverly hidden. It was close to disgusting to hear his voice, dripping like nectar laced with snake's venom. The redhead didn't know exactly what was going on, either, or whether or not it was in his best interest to go along with it. Until then, he would pretend everything was just perfect. Let Vexen voice his concerns; they all suddenly seemed so much more reasonable. Maybe in the end he would learn something that could help propel him in the right direction.

Blindly reaching over, Axel snatched up a fresh sheet of paper to try his hand at another swan, even if his efforts would only succeed in producing another pile of ash. Hopefully, Naminé wouldn't notice the pages missing from her sketchbook.

IOIOIOI

"Get away from the window!" Larxene snapped, jumping to her feet for the umpteenth time that night. When the young girl didn't immediately obey, the Nymph started towards her threateningly, but a hand gripping her wrist stopped her progression. Wincing, Naminé hobbled away from the window and returned to her isolated seat. The third person in the room clucked their tongue.

"You would make a fantastic mother," Axel crooned, "Such love."

"Shut it!" The blonde whipped around on him now. Axel pretended to look hurt, but the corners of his lips were threatening to turn upwards. With a growl, Larxene returned to her place on the opposite side of the couch, oblivious to Naminé silently watching the interaction. During her time in captivity, she had taken an interest in observing the varying relationships between the members. Most of them were tense, but she knew some of them had friendships. Or the closest thing they could get to it. Maybe it was just about the levels of trust; back turned, who'd be more likely to watch it or take the chance and stab away? Most curious of the relationships was the one between Larxene and Axel. Sometimes they got along, sometimes they hated each other, and both of them could switch in and out of these moods before Naminé had a chance to realize the shift had even occurred. They were careful, however, when around her. They were harsher towards each other in her presence and nice only when they thought she wasn't paying attention.

Like now, for example.

Axel was leaning towards her, close, but still allowing her space. Larxene's fists were clenched on her knees, but she was obviously listening to his whispered words. A crease formed in the skin on her forehead.

"What's your point?" She was unable to speak as quietly as Axel, so Naminé was able to hear her end of the conversation. The redhead's teeth showed, and he leaned closer.

The whirring of a portal filled the room, and the redhead leaned away from Larxene. Naminé quickly returned her attention to her sketchbook when she found Axel staring at her. She knew she wasn't supposed to see that, and he was able to convey with his eyes that he had better not catch her doing it again. The pyro turned his attention to the newcomer when the woman spoke.

"How'd it go?" Larxene asked as Marluxia tossed down his hood.

"As anticipated," He answered, "He won't suspect a thing."

Naminé, out of the corner of her eye, saw Axel quirk his head just slightly. Was he in the dark, too, just like her? Her assumption was proved wrong, however, when he asked, "Did he take the card?"

"With little question. Besides, I gave his mind more than those cards to think about," The Assassin took a seat on the arm of the couch on Larxene's side, "He should be lost in his memories by now, with no hope of turning back. I feel that Sora will pose no problem in the future."

Larxene tossed her hand, swatting away the comment like it was a fly, "He won't. He's a kid, susceptible to whatever garbage is dragged through his mind. And even if he didn't cooperate, we would be able to… negotiate, I think," She finished with a pinched laugh, like thousands of tiny needles pricking the skin. Naminé resisted shuddering; no use drawing attention to herself. She didn't completely understand any of what they were talking about; the name 'Sora' had been tossed around numerous times before and she knew she had something to do with him, but her role in this was still unclear. Was it right or wrong? They didn't say. She wanted to believe it was good, that this was her purpose, but a nagging feeling in the back of her mind was screaming at her to avoid the whole lot of them. Her eyes slid to Axel, who had been silent since his question. The other two had continued speaking, until they too noticed his silence.

"Are you alright, Axel?" Marluxia questioned cautiously, "You're awfully… reserved."

"I'm fine. Just thinking," He tapped the side of his head, "I do that sometimes, you know."

The Assassin raised a brow, "Indeed."

The discussion lasted little more than ten minutes, in which both the girl and the pyro kept to themselves. Naminé wanted to block out the words, but she was curious about their plans. She needed to know what was in store for her. And then, just before Marluxia left, she was given her first true mission. Easy, he had said, simply rearrange his memories. There would be no pain, he assured her. When he left, he had convinced Naminé that what she was doing was alright. This was fine. She was a good guy, just like them.

So why didn't she feel like one?

Larxene and Axel stayed there a long while after the Assassin had left. They kept a careful distance from each other, like some unspoken agreement was made, but the girl had a feeling it wasn't because of her. Their moods were different now. Things changed when Marluxia came. Now, they didn't want anything to do with each other.

For some reason, Naminé realized with a start that the idea pleased her.

Much to her disappointment, the redhead was the next to leave, abandoning her with Larxene. Without a word or glance, he summoned a portal and was gone. He was upset about something, or confused. As much as he and the others insisted they had no emotions, it was so easy to read their feelings. Perhaps it was because they thought they had none that they didn't realize just how clearly they were showing them.

Naminé waited for the onslaught of insults that typically accompanied the sadistic woman, but none came. Maybe she was tired. The girl cast her eyes between the Nymph and her sketchbook; neither were very interesting. She wondered if Larxene was bothered by the same things Axel was.

"Um…" Naminé mumbled, trying to think of something to say.

"What?" Larxene replied sharply. That was a turn off for any talking.

The girl shifted awkwardly in her seat, "You seem upset."

"Why do you care?"

I don't, she wanted to say, but was sure this would only incur the woman's wrath. Instead, she opted for a topic that was probably more dangerous, though infinitely more interesting. She didn't fear Larxene; she just hated her, "Do you like Axel?"

For just a second, the Nymph appeared thrown off by the question, but quickly hid her surprise with anger, "That's none of your business, Witch! He's just an arrogant, intolerable git!" She crossed her arms tightly over her chest and sucked in a breath through her teeth, "I hate him."

That answer was enough for Naminé, as well as the conversation, so she meekly turned her eyes back to her sketchbook. The woman's breathing was loud and obnoxious, interrupting the silence that she valued so much. She had trouble concentrating on her drawing; eventually, she gave up and headed for the small chest between her bed and the wall. She glanced back at the woman, who took that as her signal to leave. Still miffed, she opened a portal and stormed inside. After a few moments of quiet, Naminé sighed in relief. Finally, she was alone. She kicked off her sandals, pulled on her nightgown, and crawled beneath her soft, white sheets. It was still relatively early and she wasn't tired, but she wanted to be alone now. Though, company in the shape of green eyes and flaming red hair wouldn't have been unpleasant. The thought made her blush; she was still worried about his troubled expression from before, that's all. He seemed to have noticed something she didn't. Something off. Maybe she would ask him about it later.

Maybe she would ask about Larxene, too. Naminé pondered the Nymph's reaction to her question, wondering if Axel would be the same way. She wanted to doubt it.

As she drifted off into unexpected slumber, she knew she wanted to deny it, too.

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This chapter is shorter than I realized… oops. Well, they get longer, I promise. And much more excitement-filled. And AkuNami-filled. Swoooon. I am so in love with this pairing. But is that the first inkling of Naminé falling for our beautiful pyro? Could be...

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next one is the beginning of some fluff. Maybe. Guess you'll have to wait and see. Reviews are welcome and encouraged; flames will be used for Axel's enjoyment. Thanks for reading!

Until Next Time,
Manwathiel