I turned my computer into an armored fortress the other day. I was hit with an onslaught of viruses so I went OMFG and shut down pretty much everything you can possibly think of. I went to run every type of scan I had and they came back with nothing and I was all "wtf?" so I had my brother come look at the screen and was like, "That's an advertisement, you moron." So… I just finished coming out of my bomb shelter today. Yea.

Oh yea, here's chapter nine. It's more of a filler than anything else. It represents what happens when an author doesn't plan very well. Or learn from her catastrophic attempts at inserting scenes. Hehe.

XXXXX

Chapter 9- Ache

The pyro winced when he allowed his legs to give way and his tailbone hit against the stone ledge. His breathing was still ragged from his fight with the boy and almost every part of him hurt. It had been a long time since he had to fight to protect himself, as opposed to fighting for practice, and it definitely showed. Once this mess was over, he reminded himself that he would have to find some victims worth going up against. It was embarrassing to think that some little kid gave him a run for his munny.

And, as much as he hated to admit it, maybe Sora was the one who deserved to dispose of Marluxia anyway. The Graceful Assassin had dealt hell upon him; now it was time for him to receive his own punishment. Then, after he was gone, Sora could leave and take Naminé with him. Together, they could slowly build up the memories he lost. That was how Axel imagined it should be. It was a cruel turn of events that brought her to the Organization, so it would be best for him to let her go and attempt to live as normally as a Nobody could. He could just tell the others that she was killed in some freak accident involving electricity and a bathtub.

So what now? At the moment, Axel couldn't see how his role in this fiasco could continue. Not that he was complaining, of course, but the thought that this was over seemed difficult to comprehend. So much time had been invested in Castle Oblivion; it was almost a shame that it did not serve its purpose. To go back to the rest of the Organization and adopt his old routine seemed almost… absurd. Especially since, as of now, only he and Zexion would be returning. Marluxia's defeat seemed inevitable, so no doubt he would be counted amongst the four members who fell to the power of the Keyblade.

A flicker of interest passed through the pyro's mind at the thought of Zexion. He still had yet to deliver that data. Maybe he wasn't quite finished…

A breath hissed past his teeth as the pyro tried to rise from his perch on the ledge that ran around the clock tower, thanks to a sharp pain that suddenly tore through his side. That might prevent him from making the visit to the Schemer any time soon. Not only because his ribs hurt like hell, but his pride wouldn't let anyone see him in such a state. And he especially didn't want to have to tell anyone that some kid did this to him.

Axel didn't want to know how long he sat on that ledge and he definitely didn't want to know how long he had been cursing his own body for being in so much pain. It was a terrible twist of fate for a Nobody to never be happy, never be sad, but they could physically hurt just as much as a Somebody could. How was that fair? The pyro had been busy pleading with himself to stop aching when the previously unnoticeable pulsing at his left temple, the result of a dull blow from the Keyblade, flared as the hiss of a portal came from behind him. Axel nearly toppled from the top of the clock tower in his haste to prepare himself for another fight, but it was a pair of wide, blue eyes that greeted him when he whirled around. The chakrams that he couldn't remember summoning trembled in his hands, threatening to slip from his weakening grasp, but they faded back into darkness before they could clatter to the ground. He tried to force his usual grin.

"Hey there, Roxas."

The grin faded quickly and Axel allowed his legs to give way again, but this only added to his discomfort when he misjudged the location of the ledge and ended up flat on his back; he stared blearily up at his friend. The boy's brows shot nearly to his hairline and his hands fell to his sides.

"Hey yourself," The boy replied with both curiosity and confusion, "What happened to you?"

The pyro pursed his lips and casually crossed his arms behind his head, "No idea what you're talking about," He peered up at his friend, narrowing his eyes a bit against the light filtering from the west. His expression dared Roxas to continue and maybe it deterred the boy enough from asking further questions regarding the redhead's current state, but certainly not from asking anything else.

"What are you doing in Twilight Town? I thought you were supposed to be at Castle Oblivion."

"Yea…" Axel trailed off, finally pushing himself upright again. He tried to mask the wince with a grin when a joint popped in a discouraging way, though he was ever aware of Roxas' questioning eyes on him. He shrugged, "Just taking a break from the hustle and bustle, you know?"

Roxas snorted, "Hustle and bustle, huh?"

The pyro's eyes jumped to the boy's as he took a seat beside him. What was that supposed to mean? Roxas shifted his glance to his friend, who quickly looked away as an attempt at nonchalance.

"If you can put killing under 'hustle and bustle', then I don't blame you," He continued. When the redhead failed to acknowledge him, he rolled his eyes, "C'mon, Axel, stop being a jerk. What's going on? The others over there are getting annihilated."

Axel scoffed under his breath, "What makes you think that?"

"Xemnas told us," The boy answered softly, "He knew, somehow. So did the others. When he told us, no one seemed surprised."

And why should they? Axel himself had noticed right away that Organization members were being picked off; he had no doubt that the others had felt the shift in power, the expanding of the margins that were swiftly encroached upon when someone else's strength attempted to grow into the empty space. Just as his had done. He smiled dryly at the boy and wondered if he himself had been as oblivious when he joined the Organization.

"Nothing gets past you guys, huh?" Axel chuckled, drawing one knee up to his chest. He was pleased to find that no pain followed, "It's because I'm strong. The others can't keep up."

"Strong? Doesn't look like it," The Key of Destiny noted, taking in his friend's disheveled appearance and ignoring the glare sent his way, "Do you need any help?"

The pyro was quick to respond vehemently, "No. I don't want you anywhere near that place. I don't need someone else to worry over."

As soon as he said it, Axel had a feeling he said too much. The boy's eyes were on him immediately, no doubt determined to tag along now. The kid was still in training, learning and testing his limits, and sometimes he overestimated himself; the pyro cared for him too much to let him come and possibly end up like Larxene, Lexaeus, Vexen, and, hopefully, Marluxia. Still, he had a feeling it was more than determination that reflected in Roxas' eyes; he was curious about something. Suspicious, maybe, and neither were things that the redhead wanted to deal with. As much as he wanted to continue relaxing before jumping back into the thick of things, Axel wasn't willing to take the chance of Roxas becoming too interested. Black and purple wisps of darkness wafted up from his feet in preparation for his hasty exit.

"Don't follow me, Roxas," He said sternly, "I mean it."

"But-"

"Don't make me pull rank on you, kid," The warning slipped out before he had time to think about it, "I'll have you doing slave work once I get back if you so much as step one foot in that castle."

A look of devastation was the last thing the pyro saw of his friend before darkness took him and he found himself back in the blinding white halls of Castle Oblivion. Though exhaustion still tugged at his muscles, Axel knew that he couldn't sit idle for long. Fortunately, it didn't take much longer for him to recover. Soon, he was back on his feet and pondering over what to do next. For the moment, Naminé was out of his thoughts, now that Sora was with her, and he was confident that Roxas would listen and keep away. Perhaps it would be a good time to pay Zexion a visit, as he had originally planned before getting sidetracked. Picking out the Schemer's aura was easier now that there were fewer to sort through. It wasn't surprising to Axel that he found him hiding in one of the deeper levels of the basement. How predictable.

Once he was sure that no scrapes and bruises were evident, the pyro made the quick trip between his floor and Zexion's through a portal. Having been in the light so long, everything was completely black when he emerged in the basement. He heard, more than saw, Zexion turn towards him as he tried to blink some vision back into his eyes.

Despite just having the stuffing beat out of him, Axel had no trouble dealing out his usual sarcasm, "First Vexen, then Larxene, and now Lexaeus," He counted off on his fingers, "Gee, I wonder who's going next?"

Zexion's lips twitched upwards in a small smile, "Maybe it's you. Hello, by the way."

"Yea, hey," The pyro waved the greeting aside, "I've already got my beating from Sora, so I've kicked the bucket as far as he's concerned. Besides, I'm putting my munny on Marluxia being the next one to go," When Zexion quirked his head to the side slightly, Axel crossed his arms with a stern frown. His tone was serious as he continued, "Just as I thought, he and Larxene plotted to use Sora against the Organization. It'd be fitting for Sora to be his downfall."

The Cloaked Schemer nodded, "Just as we feared as well. Vexen approached me with his concerns, but I was too trusting of a fellow member to doubt him. I never thought one of our own would turn traitor."

"Oh, okay," Axel laughed, "So that's what you three were whispering about in the library that day?"

Zexion actually appeared surprised, much to the pyro's amusement. The Schemer always prided himself on being ever aware of his surroundings, and to think that something managed to slip past him was almost embarrassing. Affronted, he tilted his nose to the air, "I wasn't sure if that was you or not. Naminé's smell has too much potency; it must have masked yours."

Axel stopped himself before he could agree. It was normal for this particular Nobody to comment on the scents of people and objects and whatever else he came across, but the same may not hold for the pyro. The only smell he ever commented on was the odor emanating from the kitchens whenever it was Xigbar's turn to cook, and Naminé most certainly did not smell like gun powder and road kill. Quite the opposite, actually. More like… things that he wasn't going to think about right now. Maybe it was best to get the discussion back on topic.

"So, what are you going to do now? I don't see much use for Riku anymore," He said with a dismissive shrug.

"Assuming Sora wins," Zexion reminded him, but Axel didn't pay him much heed. The Cloaked Schemer brushed away his hair from his eyes, only for it to slide back in place moments later, "But yes, if Marluxia is defeated, then we will have no more need for Riku's strength. We lose nothing in discarding him."

The pyro raised a dubious brow, "Good luck getting rid of him. You want to take on someone who wasted Lexaeus?"

"I don't believe it was Riku who killed Lexaeus," Zexion answered swiftly, causing Axel to drop his hands to his sides, "It was Riku's body, but not his mind. Something powerful stirs within the darkness of his heart. And, whatever it may be, its scent is very similar to that of the Superior."

"Are you suggesting Xemnas possessed Riku and killed Lexaeus?"

"No, I'm suggesting something with Xemnas' power is being harbored inside Riku," He said easily, ignoring the smirk on Axel's lips, "And that power was called forth when faced with Lexaeus."

The pyro narrowed his eyes at the Schemer, "You know, things like that would have been nice to know earlier."

"Maybe you should have paid us a visit. Anyway," Zexion shrugged, "Did you happen to get any data on Sora and Riku's home, as I asked?"

"I could have."

"Axel."

"Yea?" He grinned. Zexion sighed.

"I'm not in the mood to play your games," He muttered, "You seem to forget that the only one of us still alive that is not a traitor is me, and I can just as easily hand you in to Xemnas, as I can Marluxia."

Axel chuckled, "Yet, you haven't reported any of us to Xemnas, so that makes you as much a traitor as me," Digging in his pocket, he withdrew a single card and twirled it between his fingers, "Besides, you know you'd rather have me around than that old bat."

Stiffly, the Schemer stepped towards the pyro and plucked the card from his fingers. As he tucked it in his pocket, a swirling portal opened to the side. Nodding his farewell, Zexion stepped through and it closed behind him. Axel watched the space for a moment, a small smirk growing on his face, and the gears in his mind continued to churn. Zexion could not defeat Riku. The kid may have let himself be corrupted by darkness, but he wasn't stupid enough to fall for the elder member's illusions. Whatever trial he may be faced with, the light still tucked away in his heart would see him through it.

IOIOIOI

Naminé touched her forehead to the cool, marble wall, shutting her eyes as she did so. Her arms wrapped themselves around her slender waist, desperately seeking comfort and finding none. In her ears echoed the clashing of metal against metal, labored breathing, and pain-filled cries. The struggle between boy and Assassin seemed to have been etched into her eyelids, so even closed the terrible images still flashed before her eyes. She loved this boy, and yet hated him. She wanted him to make Marluxia go away, but she wanted him to go away, too. She should be glad that she was free now; he had done this for her. But he killed her only friend… how could she ever look upon him with true happiness?

A warm hand touched her shoulder, and she started in surprise. The hand hesitated, hovering an inch from her skin, before placing itself on her again. Naminé looked over her shoulder and tried to smile. The teal eyes of the replica were searching her, desperate to understand the grief marring her delicate face.

"What's wrong, Naminé?" He questioned softly. The girl shook her head.

"I'm okay. Just… worried."

The frown on his lips curved upwards then and he said, "You shouldn't be. Sora will be fine in there."

Naminé gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, "I know."

XXXXX

See? Filler chapter, pretty much. Sorry about that, guys! Hope you could enjoy it anyway. Next chapter is a lot longer… and a lot better. I can promise you that much. I have a feeling everyone will get a kick out of it. :snicker:

Okay, so I'm writing a quick one-shot of a pairing so obscure that only one story has been written for them: Axel and Rikku. With two K's. I have no idea why, but I already have a certain fondness for them... yea. Even though I've never played Final Fantasy X or X-2. Hurr. So yea, just throwing that out there in case anyone would like to comment on it or my insanity.

Alrighty, not much else to say... other than I have to go back to school today. Nooo! :grumble: Reviews are welcome and encouraged; flames will be used for Axel's enjoyment. Thanks for reading!

Until Next Time,

Manwathiel