Damn site. Brief inconvenience my ass. Sorry for the delay, guys!

Le sigh. Oh well. This chapter gave me hell, as Schmelly would know. So many memories… but I like how it ultimately came out. Enjoy!

XXXXX

Chapter 5- Lie

Axel couldn't help but grin like a madman as he leaned his head over the back of the couch to examine the titles on the bookshelf behind him. Take the Organization, Larxene had said only moments ago. Hah! Not if he had anything to do with it.

The little Nymph had just made the biggest mistake of her life. Right before leaving to take her own shot at Sora, she had told him the truth behind the plans she and the flower boy were concocting. Axel hadn't even been sure if he was right when he had mentioned overthrowing the Organization; it was just a guess, a whim that kept eating at the back of his mind. Larxene had given him exactly what he was looking for without even realizing it. Maybe if she survived this whole ordeal, he'd thank her before killing her himself. Member or not, no one tried to betray the Organization while he was on duty. Marluxia and Larxene would have to come to terms with that eventually.

So, what was he to do while he waited for Larxene to return from her discussion with Sora? His first thought was to leap straight into his own plans, but he couldn't be hasty. It wouldn't be good to draw attention from Marluxia, though he had a feeling the Assassin was already suspicious of him. He was acting differently, and a curious look from him earlier that day hadn't done much to calm the nerves. Best avoid him for a while. There was no chance of the redhead venturing to the lower levels, so that left only one other person for him to visit. Very tempting…

Promising himself that it would only be a brief encounter, Axel promptly opened a portal and tore a new one just as quickly. As soon as he laid eyes upon the girl, the redhead felt that annoying twist in his gut. He had thought that it'd be gone by now, after not having seen her for almost two days. With a slight grimace, he wondered how long it would take for the sensation to subside. His attention was drawn away from that, however, when he heard a quiet gasp from the girl. She rose to her feet surprisingly fast.

"Axel!" She gasped, "I'm so sorry!"

The redhead frowned, tilting his head, "What?"

Naminé continued to plow on without giving him heed, "I didn't mean to tell Marluxia! He just figured it out!"

"Calm down," Axel attempted to ease her as he approached cautiously. The girl bit her bottom lip as her body tensed, preparing for him to realize what she spoke of. Surely he was here for only one reason, and that was to punish her. But it seemed he first wanted to feign ignorance; he continued, "Think you can tell me what's wrong without having a panic attack?" He was upon her now, just a couple feet away. He could easily reach her...

Clenching her eyes shut, Naminé spoke in one breath, "Marluxia saw the bruises on my arm and smelled the ointment and figured out that you were the only one who would have done it and said that-"

A leather-clad finger was placed on her lips, ending her longwinded rant. She looked up at the pyro with fearful eyes to see a strange combination of annoyance and amusement flickering across his features, "I thought I told you to calm down," He said. A blush rose up on her cheeks and she lowered her head. The finger was removed, "Okay now?"

"Mhmm," She mumbled.

"Good," He nodded, "Now, why did this have you freaking out?"

Naminé blinked in confusion, "You mean, you aren't mad?"

Axel shrugged, "Why should I be? What I do on my own time is my business, not Marluxia's," He paused for a moment, running his fingers through his hair, "And your business in this case, I guess. So don't worry, okay? Marluxia's just a big pansy ass anyway," A small giggle from girl was enough to elicit a grin from the redhead. As an afterthought, he added, "And technically, I can't be mad. I'm a Nobody, remember?"

"Oh, right," Naminé replied with what could have been described as a scoff, but to the redhead, that word didn't seem to fit her. Of course, finding the proper word didn't seem so important when, suddenly, her arms were around his waist and her cheek pressed against his torso. A contented sigh escaped her lips, and Axel felt the claws of those terrible thoughts tear at his mind for just a moment before his grip found her wrists.

"Whoa, watch it! Let's keep our hands to ourselves, shall we?" He said through gritted teeth, though he tried to keep a carefree air to his tone. He easily pushed her arms away and put another step between them, but he continued to hold her wrists. Her eyes questioned him, wondering why he rejected her. He said, "I happen to like my personal space."

"I'm just hugging you," She stated, as though it weren't obvious.

"Yeah, but why?"

Naminé frowned, "Because I'm happy to see you. When you didn't come back for a while, I thought something bad happened. I thought… Marluxia hurt you."

It took a moment for Axel to process her words, unsure of what to make of them. First of all, he was almost ashamed to think that this little girl thought it possible for him to be hurt enough to keep him from doing what he wanted. Maybe it could be attributed to the fact that she didn't know him well enough, but it was still insulting. He'd have to correct this later. And second of all, though he refused to admit it to even himself, he was flattered that she cared enough to worry about him. A part of him realized this would make a good excuse to come visit her again. Couldn't leave the witch upset, could he?

"Well…" He started to fill the silence, "Stop thinking. It's messing up your mind," And mine, he wanted to add. With a little more reluctance than he liked, the redhead released his hold on Naminé's wrists and replaced the contact with the familiar affectionate ruffle of her pale hair. The girl smiled shakily up at him, but it was quickly wiped off her delicate face when Axel's hand drifted from her head to gently brush her cheek with the backs of his fingers.

The action surprised not only her, but the pyro as well. Almost as soon as the touch had been made, he recoiled sharply and fisted his hands at his sides; it left her wondering if she had only imagined it. All signs of friendliness abruptly vanished from his face, instead replaced with hard stoicism; peridot eyes were suddenly like stone, and thin lips pressed into a hard line. Naminé found a fluttering feeling in her belly, like something trying to escape, and she felt unnaturally cold. Where had the warmth gone…?

"Axel…" Her voice was like a breath of a whisper, and she felt the urge to reach up and return the gesture, but the pyro had already turned away.

"See you later, kid."

"But-"

Too late. Axel paid no attention to her as he disappeared into a portal, leaving Naminé bewildered by the unexpected sensations reeling in her mind.

What was that about?

Chewing on her lips, the girl returned to her chair with much more on her mind than when she'd first left it. Even after he had gone, it felt like everything about her was frigid except for where he had caressed her skin. He had never done that to her before, nor had he ever reacted in such a way. He wasn't always kind to her, or talkative, but he never walked out on her without even an attempt at an explanation. Naminé may not have had any memories of her own, but she was able to realize that Axel hadn't meant to touch her. If he hadn't reacted as he did to it, maybe she wouldn't be pondering over it now, but she was. With a blush, the girl wondered if maybe he was thinking about it, too.

A pang of something gripped at her body. Why did that make her blush? Axel had touched her many times before; he was the only one that made an attempt to be friendly, even if the attempt wasn't always successful. So what was it about this one instance that made her mind spin and chest ache? Why wouldn't the giddy smile disappear from her lips? Why couldn't she wait to see him again?

Why couldn't she think of the right word to describe this new idea? Part of her wished the encounter had never happened, while the other part was determined to live it over and over again. Such a small, fleeting touch…

And it was already the flaring beacon in a world filled with nothingness.

Meanwhile, safely back in the meeting room with plenty of time to spare, Axel slumped against the wall with a frustrated sigh. This was what he deserved for going back on his resolution! He told himself not to go see her, but he did anyway. And what did he do? Let his guard down and allowed his thoughts to become reality. Touching her in such a way was insanity, no matter how brief or seemingly innocent. If she was half as intelligent as he believed her to be, then surely she would have no problem putting two and two together. Hell, she would probably figure out what was going on in his mind before he was able to.

So, what was going on? His first thought was that he was just a perverted guy that stalked prisoners, but he was too good for that. Or so he thought. Perhaps this was just terrible boredom manifesting itself in socially unacceptable ways? That theory was a little better. But that left one other idea, and that one he certainly wouldn't accept.

Lae once loved a girl; that memory was still fresh in Axel's mind. He could remember being aware during those long days and nights, conscious of the meaningless words and passionate touches. Something about it always brought Axel to the front, so that sometimes he wondered if it was actually him with that girl; maybe he was drawn to the imaginary fire, like he was now. He always loved to hang it over the other members' heads that he was the only one who wasn't a virgin, much to their aggravation, even if he knew that it probably wasn't even possible for him to take over his Somebody. Maybe that's why being able to connect those memories with his current thoughts was so troubling; they were too similar for comfort.

No way did he have a thing for Naminé. Social norms had never bothered him, but that was before he started imagining kissing a fourteen-soon-to-be-fifteen year old girl; all of this because he tried to make up for hurting her by putting some ointment on her bruises. Something had to be wrong with him. If anyone found out about this, no doubt he would be Dusked before he even had a chance to open his mouth and explain. Would he even have an explanation? No, probably not…

Fortunately, Larxene took this moment to arrive, promptly driving these thoughts out of Axel's mind. It was too easy to keep himself occupied when she was around, too easy to get her riled up. If he had to develop a freakish obsession with someone, why couldn't it have been the Nymph? She was his age, she was pretty. But nope! It was Naminé he had to like.

Well, not that he was admitting it… it was just a possibility. A very unlikely possibility.

The pyro had some difficulty in keeping his mind on the subject at hand, especially when Vexen decided to show up and complicate things with just his presence alone. Axel wondered if it was the Academic himself that was frustrating or the reaction that he incited from Larxene every time the two Nobodies conversed. As the redhead predicted, Larxene and Vexen were quick to jump into their usual banter so, before things could escalate, Axel stepped in between them.

"Can we help you, Vexen?" He started, cutting off the Savage Nymph as she opened her mouth to retort to some insult that the pyro hadn't bothered to catch, "We don't see you outside of your caves very much."

Vexen cast him a scowl, "I came to lend a hand. This 'hero' you've been coddling has not yet lived up to his reputation, so I would like to try a little experiment to put my doubts to rest."

Larxene tossed her hand, scoffing under her breath as she did so, "I knew this would happen," She muttered with an aggravated sigh. Axel cast a sidelong glance in her direction as she continued, "Everything we do, you always want to experiment. Why don't you find your own guinea pig and let us have our fun?"

"I'm a scientist," He replied simply as a small smirk grew upon his lips, "Experimentation is what I do."

"Drop the act, Vexen," Axel interjected again, knowing that continuing in this direction would only lead to another pointless battle of wit between the Chilly Academic and Savage Nymph. Both Nobodies lowered their glares on him, but the pyro easily ignored it with a knowing glance, "Larxene may be an idiot, but I'm not. Just admit that testing Sora is nothing but an excuse to show off your little follower."

A curse from Larxene directed at Axel went unheeded.

"'Follower'?" Vexen repeated incredulously, "He is the product of much research that you could never hope to obtain, Number VIII; you should respect your elders and their achievements."

The Nymph sneered, "Just say that it's a toy."

"I see I'm wasting my time."

"Okay, Vexen, if it'll make you happy, we'll let you help out," Axel finally agreed with a roll of his eyes. For one who held himself in such high esteem, Vexen sure did act childishly sometimes. Axel withdrew a blue card from his pocket on which a colorful image of an island was engraved and he handed it over to the Academic, "Take this and have fun. It's a present especially for you; even made it myself. Now, don't tell me I don't respect my elders."

Upon seeing the image on the card, Larxene gasped and rounded on Axel, "Where'd you get that, huh? I don't remember Marluxia telling you to get Destiny Island data."

"That's because he didn't, my savage little nymph," The pyro replied with a snarky grin, "But I, unlike you, can think on my own."

Over the fuming of the Nymph, Vexen said, "Impressive, Number VIII. And I thought all of you neophytes were worthless."

Axel crossed his arms over his chest and smiled dryly, "Sorry to disappoint you. And I have a name, you know. It's Axel. A-X-E-L. Try to commit that one to memory, unless you're too senile."

Fortunately for the pyro, the Chilly Academic was not able to fulfill his desire of lobbing off Axel's head with his shield and encasing his body in a block of ice, due to the arrival of the 'product of much research'. After examining the replica and witnessing the torture that Larxene gleefully put it through, the redhead had to admit that the old man was pretty good at science. It was a shame that he couldn't put it to something more productive, such as developing better people skills or deflating his massive ego.

It was a relief to be able to escape to his bedroom later that evening. It was becoming a sort of safe haven for Axel now that he actually had something to think about. Between thwarting Marluxia's and Larxene's schemes and stumbling over Naminé, he had enough to keep him busy for hours. In those few hours, he decided on two things: one, the narrowing gap between him and the girl would need to widen quickly, and two, he would complete number one by using her simply as another pawn in his ploy. By doing this, he would reveal the traitors, destroy the trust between him and Naminé, make it impossible for them to meet again, and... she would be free, just like he promised she would be.

If only he knew he would be making good on this promise so soon after making it, maybe he wouldn't have made it in the first place.

IOIOIOI

A puff of breath escaped the Graceful Assassin's lips, gently rustling his curly mane. Small wrinkles marred the skin between his eyes, shut tightly in thought, and two fingers massaged his left temple; how was it possible to have things running so smoothly, but still feel so much stress? It felt like he was constantly walking on a tightrope, and his balance was probably more dangerous than the rope itself. Like a performer at a circus; on one end of his balance pole sat the Savage Nymph, loyal to him and their cause yet sardonic and untrustworthy, and on the other was the Flurry of Dancing Flames, energetic and as unpredictable as the element he mastered. Both of them carried him on their shoulders and they could throw him off balance just as easily as righting him again. And waiting below were the ones that would surely let him to fall to his death if they caught wind of his true goal. There was no safety net in this act. Sometimes he wondered if it was even worth it, but it took little more than a thought of the oppression he would endure otherwise to remind himself the point of all of this.

A girlish 'hmph' from across the room caused his frown to deepen.

"What's wrong, Marluxia?" Larxene demanded as she crossed one leg over the other. Her foot bobbed impatiently in the air, "You're acting like a depressed brat."

The man offered a small smile, "How'd the fight with Sora go today?"

Scowling, the woman turned her head away, "I threw it on purpose, okay? That's what we're supposed to do."

Marluxia chuckled, swatting away the retort with a gentle wave of his hand, "You did well, Larxene. He took the card, gave in to the false memories of Naminé, and you came out unscathed. That's all that matters, right? I couldn't have done it better myself."

Larxene grumbled under her breath, though she was clearly humbled by his words. Without meeting his eyes, she faced him again and said, "You're avoiding my question."

"I'm simply…" He hesitated, a first for the confident scythe wielder. The woman leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees, "I'm concerned. Axel's involvement in this does not bring as much comfort as I would expect. He may be a part of the Organization, but I don't believe he would have any trouble working on his own," Idly, Marluxia's finger traced the ornate patterns on the sofa and his eyes drifted away. Larxene pursed her lips before letting loose a laugh stifled delicately by her hand. The Assassin returned his attention to her.

"You give that idiot too much credit!" She jeered, "Axel couldn't think his way out of a cardboard box."

Marluxia rested his eyes on his clasped hands, "Maybe that is what he wants us to believe. Sometimes I wonder if he does more thinking than he lets on, perhaps more so than any of us realize," A gloved finger picked at loose threads, "His behavior may be idiotic at times, but his mind is on a different path entirely."

"He told me he was in on this, too," Larxene's voice was adamant, like she refused to agree with any view point other than her own, "Even if he does hide his true self, we know that his thoughts run parallel with our own."

An amused chuckle caused her to narrow her eyes at the Assassin. With a small smile, he said, "Have you ever wondered why no one can ever win against Luxord in a card game? I think it is because he is the most emotionless of us all, the bearer of a true poker face. His lies win the game, not his luck. A simple lie will allow a pair of twos to defeat a royal flush."

"What are you getting at?"

"I'm saying, what if Axel is playing his own card game? What if he, the pair of twos, is bluffing us, the royal flush, out of the bet? A cunning plan, perhaps, but one that he has made far too obvious. He cannot match the emotionless face of Luxord," Marluxia glanced at her gaping face, "Anyone can lie, Larxene."

Tiny sparks crackled around the woman's body as rage rapidly built up. A new fire danced to life in her eyes and her hands balled up into fists on her knees, "How dare he try to string us along like that! Who does he think he is?"

"Calm down," The Assassin tried to soothe her, "This is all hypothetical; a possibility. We shouldn't judge him just yet."

"So then what are we supposed to do?"

"A test of his loyalty."

"How?"

The conniving smirk that she had come to recognize lit up Marluxia's face. Larxene, not having even heard his idea yet, couldn't help but slowly mirror his expression. The man scratched his chin like they were discussing nothing more important than the weather and said, "How much would you miss Vexen if something were to tragically cut his nonexistence short?"

"Not at all," The Nymph was quick to respond with a disgusted huff, though her face had changed to one of confusion, "But why Vexen?"

"Because he is like Axel fifty years later, if you catch my drift. He questions things too much for his own good, and I fear that he, Zexion, and Lexaeus have ideas of their own. Ansem didn't name them his apprentices without good reason. They may be senior members, but their minds are as sharp as ever."

"Blind luck is the only thing they have on their side," Larxene sneered. Marluxia shook his head.

"Maybe you are the one that doesn't give credit where it is necessary. I don't think it was coincidence that they were able to obtain a replica of that boy. There is a reason for it, and I doubt it is to help us."

Larxene waved her hand, "You're being paranoid."

Marluxia sighed, "I hope so."

When silence continued for a few moments, the Nymph let out a sigh of impatience. To keep herself occupied, she stood from the sofa and meandered over to the bookshelves lining the back wall. Her fingers glided over the titles, not pausing to read them, until she plucked one out at random. Bright, teal eyes glanced discreetly at Marluxia, who still had not moved from his position. Larxene pursed her lips and narrowed her gaze as she said, "So… what's your plan then? We've got to have a reason for Axel to kill Vexen. We can't just say, 'Hey, Axel, go have some fun and kill Number IV. Don't worry, we'll cover you when the Superior tries to turn you into a Dusk'. He's not that dumb."

"No, you're right. He isn't that dumb, unfortunately," Marluxia agreed, "So I think the best approach is just to wait for Vexen to slip up somewhere."

"But that could take forever! Axel could have us all wrapped around his finger by then."

The Graceful Assassin nodded as a small smile curved his lips, "This is true, but you must also remember one thing: Vexen is weak, a coward on all of his missions. To boost his own pathetic ego, he boasts about his meaningless rank of IV. And to top it all off, he is petrified of Xemnas. All that we have to do is give him an impossible mission under the threat of informing the Superior if he fails, and he will crumble to our will."

"Okay…" Larxene trailed off, clearly not convinced, "So what's Axel supposed to do?"

"Axel's job will be to wait for him to mess up, then eliminate him for his incompetence."

"That'll never work," She muttered. Frowning, the Savage Nymph plopped back down on the sofa and flipped to the first page of her book, "Whatever. You're the boss."

Marluxia chose not to acknowledge her words.

IOIOIOI

He should have been asleep by now, Axel thought as he stared out the window. He should have been completely oblivious to the world around him and lost in his dark dreams, not sitting cross legged in the middle of his bed and pouting like a stubborn child. The left side of his face was red from lying in one position too long and he had trouble focusing the eye on that side because of it. He imagined he looked terrible, half his hair flattened, but he tried not to let it bother him too much. He had been caught in a worse state before, and that had certainly not been pretty. Still, it was with contempt that Axel stared at this unwelcome intruder. How dare Zexion crash his one-man slumber party before the pyro even had a chance to get started on the slumber part? This was his party, damn it, and he wasn't in the mood to deal with the Schemer. Axel desperately wanted to hurl a flaming chakram at the elder's head, but remembered that Zexion was still his superior at Castle Oblivion, and so his plan was thwarted with a stern glare.

And that was how the redhead found himself pouting in the middle of his bed with nothing to listen to except the careful drawl of the Cloaked Schemer's voice.

"Honestly, Axel," Zexion sighed, "You could at least pretend that your maturity level is greater than that of an infant."

A sarcastic grin flickered onto the pyro's face, "I think I like being immature."

Even in the dim lighting, Axel could have sworn he saw a vein pulsing in the other Nobody's temple. Good. He deserved it. A muscle twitched in the Schemer's jaw as he said, "Cooperating will allow me to leave sooner and you will be able to return to your beauty sleep."

"You think I'm beautiful?"

"Axel."

"I know I'm beautiful."

"Axel."

The redhead popped his lips, "Yea?"

It wasn't easy to frustrate the youngest of the elders, but it was certainly worth it if you could manage it. Irritation manifested itself by forcing Zexion to run his fingers through his hair and tug lightly at the roots. If he could actually age, he'd probably be bald by the time he was thirty because of this habit, a fact that a few members liked to remind him of. Fortunately, he wouldn't age, so he could tug as much as he wanted, "Please, Axel," He forced out, "I would be more than happy to leave you be, but you must work with me for once."

Axel considered it for a moment as he leaned back onto his palms. He quirked his head to the side, "I'm listening."

Zexion started, surprised that the pyro would so quickly give in to his wishes. A taunting smirk flitted upon Axel's lips, visible even in the dark, so the Cloaked Schemer pressed on as though he had anticipated such an easy victory from the beginning. He ignored the other Nobody's quiet snicker.

"After much discussion between Vexen, Lexaeus, and I, we have come to fear that something is amiss aboveground with you neophytes. We would like to assure you that, if something is indeed not well, the three of us are willing to offer our help," Zexion paused, clearly hesitating, "Axel, is there anything wrong?"

The pyro grinned, "Depends on what you mean by 'wrong'."

"Wrong, meaning something isn't right."

"Descriptive," Axel mocked. He lolled his head to his other shoulder and spat out a lie without a thought, "Thanks for your concern, but we neophytes are just fine," A moment passed in which the room was silent. It was then that Axel took in the anxiety that Zexion so desperately tried to hide, and the pyro snapped to attention. Swiftly, he swung his legs off the side of the bed and leaned forward; the Cloaked Schemer took a step back, wary of his cohort's intention. Axel, hardly noticing this, continued, "There's something else, huh?"

"We don't trust you, Axel," Zexion started immediately, "And you know that. But we trust you more than Marluxia and Larxene. Not much more, however, and that is what makes this difficult."

The pyro snorted, "What have I done to make you not trust me?"

The Cloaked Schemer narrowed his eyes, "Nothing, though you haven't done anything to help you, either."

"That hurts," Axel placed a hand over where his heart should have been and grinned when Zexion ran his hand through his hair again. It was just too much fun to ruffle the elder's feathers, and the pyro would have gladly continued were it not for his words. He didn't know why they seemed to trust him more than the other two, and yet he was able to understand it. Marluxia and Larxene had their own plans now and, somehow, the other three managed to catch wind of it, or perhaps they only had a hinting feeling as he did. Still, he had his own plans to carry out, and those depended on the completion of the Assassin's and Nymph's schemes. While still upholding his usual guise, the redhead decided to dig a little deeper into Zexion's purpose. Pursing his lips, he said, "So, is that the only reason you came up here? To tell me you trust me, but not really?"

"No," Zexion answered tersely, "I came to ask you a favor."

"And that would be?"

The Schemer hesitated, "I need data," When Axel raised one brow, the elder elaborated, "Of Sora's home. I know that you must have some."

The pyro hummed thoughtfully, rolling his head from side to side, and abruptly froze when the request completely processed. Data… of Sora's home…? His wide eyes flickered to Zexion, who had narrowed his gaze and was watching him carefully. Axel's jaw fell slack for just a moment before he snapped it closed and threw up the carefree guise again.

"We might have some lying around," He said slowly. Or it could also be implanted in the Riku Replica already, he added to himself. The pyro was uncertain if informing the Schemer of this was the best idea, especially if Vexen was showing signs of possibly helping the aboveground members. Though Axel doubted that it would last long, there was still a chance.

"I would hope that it isn't just 'lying around'," Zexion drawled cautiously, not having been fooled by the pyro's quick attempt at hiding his apprehension.

"Depends on why you want it," Axel added. A smile curved the Schemer's lips then; not one of reassurance, but one that put the pyro on edge and made him wonder what else was going on in the castle that he should have known about. Especially since he hadn't seen him or Lexaeus since the library, and he knew that whatever they had been talking about, they hadn't wanted it overheard. Still, Zexion did say he trusted him… somewhat…

"There are some things I am not willing to share," Zexion replied, crossing his arms. Axel narrowed his eyes, "Just as I know there are things you are hiding from me."

The pyro's lips pulled back in a sneer and he wanted to deny the fact Zexion so easily discerned, but he knew the Schemer was too bright to fall for any false truths that he could offer. Ignoring the smug smile the elder had plastered on his face, Axel rolled his eyes and looked away, "Yea, we have some, but I think Marluxia holds on to most of it."

A half truth. Marluxia did hold on to the data, but the only data on Destiny Islands that the pyro knew of was currently making itself useful by convincing the replica that it was the real thing. To learn that the Assassin did have a copy somewhere wouldn't be surprising, but there was no obvious reason for it. And if Marluxia didn't have any, how could the redhead obtain it? Again?

"Will that be a problem?" The haughty, you-don't-fool-me tone was back. It was becoming increasingly difficult not to strangle the Nobody.

"No, of course not," Axel said through gritted teeth, disregarding the fact that it would be quite a problem, "I'll just skip up to him and ask for data that I'm not even allowed to touch. Sure, no problem."

"That sounds perfect."

"Dumb ass."

Zexion smiled, as though the insult had been a compliment, "Thank you for your cooperation, Axel. We will be sure to send a gift basket to show our gratitude."

"You can take that basket and shove it right up your-"

"Goodbye, Number VIII."

The hiss of the portal drowned out Axel's final choice words and the visitor disappeared within, leaving the pyro to his own business. Under normal circumstances, this business would include flopping back down on his bed and falling into a sleep so deep not even an explosion could wake him up, but the Schemer had pulled just enough strings to keep Axel muttering and scowling for hours. Now he had yet another thing to keep him occupied. How was he supposed to obtain that sort of information? Getting it before had been simple; all he had to do was sift through Sora's memories during the fight and presto! Destiny Island data. Now, even if Marluxia did have some, no doubt he would notice if something that important were to go missing, and the pyro was sure that he would be the prime suspect. By agreeing to help, he realized, he could have put his own goals in jeopardy.

Hopefully, it wouldn't jeopardize the goal that was becoming increasingly more important than all the others.

XXXXX

I love writing Axel. He's such an ass. X3

I found a song that reminds me so much of Demyx, for some reason. Especially one of the choruses that talks about how he knows he doesn't make a good soldier, but he'd protect her 'til the death. I also imagine that that's how would sound were he to sing. It makes me want to write a DemyxNaminé centered on it. For those who are curious, it's "Write You a Song" by Plain White T's. A cute little song. I suggest taking a listen on YouTube. :)

I don't think I have much else to say… we've got a little AkuNami development, yea? Next chapter will delve into their relationship a little more. :secretive giggle:

Okay, guys, thanks for reading! Reviews are welcome and encouraged; flames will be used for Axel's enjoyment. See you next Sunday!

Until Next Time,
Manwathiel