Sunday's here again. Man, this is going fast. We're gonna be done with this before we know it! EEK. I'm sorry this is another short one… except for one, the rest of the chapters should be about the same length as the previous chapter. Promise. :)

Thanks, Schmelly! I HEART YOU.

XXXXX

Chapter 4- Haze

Naminé was quick to understand why Axel had said the book wasn't for the 'faint of heart'. The title, Misery, certainly lived up to its name; it had her cringing within the first few chapters. What made it worse were the similarities she could see between herself and the main character. Held against her will, forced into something she didn't want to do, abusing her skills… it was all right there, if only more violent. Needless to say, she didn't finish it. For a long while, it would lie hidden beneath her mattress. Guilt now accompanied any image of Zexion conjured up by her mind; he had taken the time to bring her to the library, and she had chosen a book that she couldn't bear to read.

What was more prevalent in her mind, however, were the words exchanged between her and Axel the day before. What had he meant by Sora passing, and why was her information no longer important to him? Just hours before he mentioned his scuffle with the boy, the pyro had been trying to force the information out of her, but now he couldn't care less. His mind was a labyrinth, littered with false turns and complex obstacles, and there was only one way to reach the center of it all. Unfortunately, he was the only one who knew that path, and Naminé couldn't foresee ever learning the secret road that Axel so deftly protected. She wondered if it was even possible to shed light on the workings of his mind. Like all lightness and darkness, when one side of him was exposed, another part was even more deeply hidden. You could only have half, and never all.

Most of her day was spent alone, drawing small doodles between attempts at reading her book. It wasn't until around midday that a portal interrupted her silence; she glanced up, then silently groaned. Marluxia. A small smile, reeking of superiority, graced his lips as he came to stand before the girl.

"Hello, Naminé. I hope your day has been well," His voice was so mockingly sweet that it made Naminé want to shudder. Without meeting his eyes, she nodded once.

"Mhmm."

"That's good."

Was she supposed to respond to that? If she was, she had nothing to say. Awkwardly, she shuffled her feet on the floor and tried to focus on her picture. The image seemed unfamiliar to her, like it had changed itself during her brief distraction. Now, the presence looming over her prevented her from remembering what she had been drawing. Marluxia shifted his weight, once again capturing her attention, but she hurriedly turned it elsewhere.

"Naminé," He said her name like a question, "Why won't you look at me?"

The girl immediately stared into his eyes, quivering as she did so, but fearing punishment if she disobeyed. The Assassin's lips curved into a small smile; he was trying to put her at ease with this attempt at kindness, she knew, but it would never work. She could never be at ease around him. It was impossible.

Just as she felt her resolve weakening, the man turned away and she slumped in relief; she released the breath she wasn't aware she had been holding. Marluxia said, "From now on, you will be responsible for yourself the majority of the time. Larxene and I have much to tend to, and we won't have time to see to you."

"What about the others?" Naminé asked, wondering if this was a curse or a blessing.

"Lexaeus, Vexen, and Zexion will be scarce as well, I believe," His tone was different as he said this, like it was almost painful for him to speak their names. The girl frowned.

"And Axel?"

Marluxia hesitated just long enough for Naminé to realize that something was wrong. Her body tensed, waiting to hear the terrible words that something had happened to him, that he had hurt himself or worse. Maybe he had challenged Sora again and lost, or he had been seen with her the night before. Was he even allowed to be with her? Not that it would've mattered to him… but she couldn't help but worry. With a blush, it occurred to her that she had no right to worry over him. He certainly wouldn't worry over her, so why should she give him that much?

"Axel isn't important right now," Marluxia answered in the few seconds it took the girl to realize the foolishness in her thoughts, "Not to you, at least."

The last comment made her curious. If she understood correctly, that would mean that the redhead must have been important to Marluxia somehow. And, judging by his tone, he didn't seem happy about it. Did that mean Axel's choice had been to side with the elders in the conflict plaguing them? Perhaps she was biased, but this relieved her. He wasn't like Marluxia. He was different. He was good. Naminé had to bite her bottom lip to keep from smiling.

"Anyway," The Graceful Assassin put himself back on track, "In the meantime, I have another mission for you."

"But I haven't finished the first one yet…" She trailed off, tilting her head.

"This is but a continuation," Marluxia assured her, striding towards her again. Naminé froze, clutching her sketchbook to her chest, "I want you to begin placing yourself in his memories now. Eliminate your Somebody from his mind, and Sora will think of nothing else but you; your own personal hero. I'm sure you would like that, wouldn't you?"

Yes, she would, she had to admit. She would do almost anything for someone to like her; not for her powers, but for her. There was no one in Castle Oblivion that wanted her for her, including Sora. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't ever truly win his affection. He would be her 'hero' for the wrong reasons, and she wasn't sure she could do that to him.

"I can't," She mumbled, "I can't erase Kairi completely."

Marluxia's attitude shifted, and he stared down at her with a raised brow, "And why not?"

"It's not possible. She's too strong in his memories," She spoke quickly, seeing the anger growing in his eyes, "It's not that I don't want to… I just can't."

Though still a bit stiff, the man's anger became irritation instead, "Have you ever tried?"

"No, but-"

"Then you don't know for sure, do you?" His smile twisted as he spoke, "I want you to erase Kairi from his mind. Do you understand?"

Defeated, or unwilling to argue, Naminé lowered her eyes and nodded solemnly, "Yes."

"Good," He placed his hand on her shoulder, like a pleased master and his dog, but the squeeze was too tight to be considered friendly. The girl winced against the new pain from her bruises. She had almost forgotten about them, instead putting more thought into how they were healed. Marluxia, noticing her discomfort, took in the faint discoloration of her skin. He quirked his head in thought, "Where did those come from, I wonder?" Another wince from the girl when his grip tightened, feigning curiosity and intending pain.

"It's nothing," She answered through her teeth.

"Really? It doesn't seem like nothing. Why won't you tell me what happened?"

"I fell."

"Did you?" His tone was dubious, and Naminé knew she hadn't fooled him. Marluxia studied the lines that wrapped around her skin, lightly brushing his fingertips over the area in a mockery of what Axel had done the night before, and then his hands suddenly fell tightly into place over the markings, setting a blaze on the tender muscles. The girl gave a sharp cry, nearly crumbling in her seat; memories of the library flashed before her eyes. Marluxia's voice was harsh now, devoid of all false sincerity and kindness, "It looks to me like you had an encounter quite similar to this one. I have to wonder what you may have been doing to deserve such treatment."

"Please…" Naminé gasped.

"Please, what?" The Graceful Assassin mocked, "Tell me what happened, Naminé. I don't want to hurt you. I merely want to know who did this to you so that I may… punish them."

Numbness tingled at the girl's palms, like thousands of needles prickling her skin. The pain was worse than before, but a different feeling was in her nonexistent heart this time. Instead of fear and anger, she felt the need to protect. Telling Marluxia that Axel had done this to her would be a mistake for both her and the pyro. If she was right and he had decided to join with the three elders, he and the Assassin were already on bad terms. Naminé didn't want any more trouble to come to the redhead, and she didn't want him to come looking for her when he found out she told. Not when he was the only one she called a friend.

"What's this?" Marluxia took a hand away and rubbed the pads of his fingers together. He brought them to his nose, sniffing, and he cringed ever so slightly. Narrowed, his eyes dropped back to Naminé, "And it seems someone made an attempt at fixing it. That eliminates quite a few suspects."

Despite the pain it would cause, Naminé jerked away, "I did it, okay?"

"You are a terrible liar, little witch," The man murmured as he turned away and sat on the couch, "But no matter. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the puzzle. Now," He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. A devious smile plastered itself on his face, "How about a game of Chinese checkers?"

IOIOIOI

The images flashing in the orb were only smears of changing color and muted sounds that never processed. He had a job to do, a mission to accomplish, but he couldn't focus for the life of him. It seemed unimportant now, when really it should have been at the front of his mind, where instead were thoughts that screamed of perversion. One moment, he would be watching the boy and his friends converse about the slow dilapidation of their memories, and then he would abruptly lapse into the sick thoughts that continued to haunt him. His peridot eyes would haze over and an invisible fist would twist his stomach into knots, tugging and teasing and wrenching until he realized where his mind had strayed, and he would force the thoughts away. But inevitably, within seconds, they would make their hasty return, growing stronger with each rejection. A never ending process; one that was doomed to raise awareness and questions that he had no answer for.

"I have to wonder about your concern for Sora, Axel."

The orb cleared as the voice interrupted his wandering mind. Axel blinked a few times, willing away the haze in his eyes, and fixating his attention on the Savage Nymph. A small smirk curved her lips upon noticing his lack of attention. He pretended to ignore it as he said, "And you're not concerned?"

"Oh, I am. Good question," Larxene chuckled femininely, turning her back. She tapped her chin, thoughtful, then peered over her shoulder with a delicate brow raised, "But I'm more curious about why you're so interested in him. What does he offer you that we can't? That a woman can't?"

I can think of a woman that… oh, no! Not going there! Axel cringed against the direction her words were taking him. He expressed his discomfort in a scowl that would be misunderstood by her, but his face quickly smoothed out. He had to focus on the situation at hand. Sora. They were discussing Sora. Right. Okay, he could do this.

"He offers me information," He answered, masking his thoughts with calmness and choosing to ignore her last comment, "He became a Heartless. And those who become Heartless …"

"Lose all consciousness and free will. Becoming slaves to the darkness," Larxene finished with a nod, then crossed her arms as she turned to face him again, "What about it?"

Axel allowed the faintest of grins to show upon his face. Now she was distracted, so it was unlikely she'd realize he was more preoccupied with an entirely different topic. Studying her expectant expression, he knew that there was no chance she had noticed his flushed cheeks or clouded eyes when he was supposed to have been listening to Sora. He continued his explanation, "He was different. He maintained his free will even after becoming a Heartless. How many people can you think of who have done that? As far as I know, he's only the second."

Realization dawned in the Nymph's eyes and she tapped her chin, "The power of the heart… so you're interested in the heart of the Keyblade's chosen one?"

"Isn't our mission, as Organization XIII, to understand its mysteries? Its intricacies?"

The woman chuckled again, but there was a glint in her eyes this time that made Axel wary. His eyes narrowed as she uttered a simple, "Maybe."

"What do you mean, maybe?" He questioned. Larxene grinned devilishly as she sauntered towards him. The redhead remained still, gauging her intentions, until she was right upon him. He could feel his own heat reflect off her body, struggle to find its place again, and settle for blending with the cool air. Normally, he enjoyed this proximity with the Nymph, but now it was stifling. He wanted to take a step away, but that would only raise a red flag in the woman's mind. She would know something was up. A hand placed itself on his forearm, but he ignored it.

"I say maybe," She purred, "Because I'm not entirely convinced that's what you were really thinking about."

Axel tried to appear indifferent, "Oh?"

"That's right," She was in front of him now, staring up at him with a smile that said she knew more than what he thought. Paranoia began to eat at his stomach; he hadn't been that obvious. He hoped not, at least. It's not like he had been moaning the kid's name… had he?

"What were you thinking?" He asked, fearing the answer.

"Nothing much," She tittered, twirling the drawstrings of his hood around her finger and giving them a little tug, "Except that you looked ready to assault the orb. So unless you have a thing for talking dogs and ducks…" She trailed off suggestively.

Axel shoved her away and stormed off, "Not funny."

As he disappeared into a portal, he could still hear her high pitched laughter echoing off the walls. A firm glare settled itself deeply on his face, accenting the marks that he was sure would become wrinkles if his skin ever lost its tautness and aged. Thank whatever was up there that would never happen, but he wondered if a slow fading into oblivion was really worth a youthful appearance. He had much to think about now, to get his own plans sorted out. Hopefully, he wouldn't be interrupted by any unwanted thoughts, but it was a little too hard to return to his room without visiting the white witch to make sure she was okay.

Not that he knew what he planned on doing in his room, of course. It was still early in the day, and Sora was probably still dawdling about the fourth floor. If he knew what was good for him, he would turn back, but he was too caught up in the hero image that he couldn't possibly allow himself to give up; especially now that he had a new little memory to ponder over, according to Marluxia. The conniving scythe-wielder had forced Naminé to begin inserting herself into the boy's memories in an attempt to drive out the true holder of his heart. Axel didn't know all the details, but it was enough for him. Marluxia had shown his true colors, and the redhead wasn't impressed.

Now, he just needed confirmation for his suspicions before he acted out the decision he had made when he encountered Sora. But then what about the elders? Vexen made it obvious he wasn't happy with him, Larxene, and Marluxia; no doubt, he had told Lexaeus and Zexion about his fears. If luck held out, he wouldn't have to worry about them, too.

Either way, he would embrace what was thrown his way, no matter the outcome.

XXXXX

Hmm, whatcha thinkin' about, Axel? :snicker:

Holy freaking crap, did Larxene imply AkuSora? Uh oh. And no, this is not a 'coming out of the closet' thing for me. I shall happily continue to deny the existence of yaoi. Though I might occasionally indulge in insulting said atrocity… teehee. No offense to those of you who like it, of course. Just keep it away from me. I enjoy having my food in my stomach, thank you very much.

Hmm, I don't have much to say. This certainly isn't one of my better chapters, but I hope you guys enjoyed it anyway. Again, sorry about the shortness. Next one is much better. At least, I think so. And if you guys feel like stomaching a half-assed V-Day fic, go read the one I put up last night and make me feel a little less disappointed with it. Thank ya kindly. I also intend on putting something up for Eyes of Humanity sometime today... if you're following that, keep your eyes open.

Alrighty, guys! Reviews are welcome and encouraged; flames will be used for Axel's enjoyment. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next Sunday!

Until Next Time,
Manwathiel