Rawr. Last chapter. Dun dun dun.

Not much to say… so enjoy!

XXXXX

Chapter 11- Reminder

The room was still dark when consciousness began to trickle back into the pyro's body. A familiar distant hum was buzzing in his ears, but he was too busy drifting between sleep and wake to take notice of it. Sheets rustled as he stretched out his legs as far as they could go, and a large yawn opened his mouth wide. It felt lovely to be fully rested again and to be able to just lie around. No Marluxia to dump a bucket of ice water on him, no Larxene to finish the job with a bit of electricity, just him and his bed all morning long. A smile curved his lips as he turned onto his side. Or rather, he attempted to turn onto his side; something had decided to take up residence next to him. While it should have been obvious as to what it was, considering his activities only hours ago, it left Axel stumped with a frustrated frown. Opening his eyes and seeing what it was may have been the best avenue to take to figure it out, but he was almost too tired to care…

"I swear, you've done some stupid things before," A familiar and unwelcome voice just a few feet away forced Axel to open his eyes, "But this one takes the cake."

Surprise flashed across the redhead's face, only to be replaced with annoyance seconds later, "What are you doing here?" He muttered as he tried to sit up. However, when he found a restraint around his waist- namely, a pair of arms that led up to a sleeping, blonde haired girl- all thoughts of the visitor flew instantly out of his mind. His hands flashed to her wrists and tore them away from his body, wakening the girl with a startled jolt and a squeak in surprise.

"What are you doing?" The pyro hissed, "I told you to stay on the floor!"

Naminé flinched, "But I was uncomfortable and… who's that?"

Behind his back, Axel heard the visitor shift and mutter something under his breath. The redhead looked over his shoulder, scowling and trying not to acknowledge the accusative blue eyes boring into him. The visitor crossed his arms over his chest with a shake of his head.

"Honestly, Axel, what were you thinking?"

"Shut up, Roxas," He spat, tearing off the sheets and swinging his feet off the bed, "It's not what you think. I told her to go back on the floor, but she obviously didn't listen."

Roxas tilted his head to the side, "So you mean at one point she was on the bed."

"…At a different time as me."

"Liar."

To Naminé, Axel seemed to swell in frustration. While she was aware that part of the frustration was directed at her, she was still curious as to whom this person was. He seemed slightly familiar; maybe she had seen him in passing when she was first found, but she never was introduced to him formally. In his bright, blue eyes were reflected disbelief and exasperation, and she found herself drawn to these eyes for some reason. They were so beautiful, familiar… too familiar. Unseen by either of the other Nobodies, a hand flew to her mouth in shock.

"Sora...?" The name slipped past her lips in a whisper, but it was enough to draw attention back to her. Roxas simply frowned, while Axel suddenly whirled around on her with fierce eyes.

"Go back to your room, Naminé," His voice was tense, rushed, like she had said something he didn't like. She frowned.

"Why does he look like…?"

"Didn't you hear me? Go! Now!"

The girl hadn't heard that much anger in his tone since that day in the library. Fear weaved its way into her chest, stirring up old memories of mistrust, and she hurriedly obeyed. With one last fleeting glance at Roxas, Naminé slipped through the door and was gone without a sound. When he was sure that she was out of hearing range, Axel slumped forward with a heavy sigh. The younger Nobody said nothing as the pyro kneaded his forehead with his knuckles. A few moments passed in silence.

"So," Roxas started. The edge of the bed slumped as he sat down beside the pyro. Axel glanced over at him from between his fingers.

"So, what?"

A quirky grin twitched onto the boy's lips, "So, how was it?"

Axel's features hardened, already having an idea of what his friend was suggesting. But he was never one to assume and, despite telling himself not to, he just had to ask, "How was what?"

"You know," Roxas hinted, wagging his eyebrows, "It."

"Get the hell out of my room, you pervert."

The boy suddenly found himself face down on the floor with Axel's foot pressed into his back. He cringed when the redhead stood, intentionally placing his weight onto him, and started towards an old dresser tucked in a corner. Roxas snickered, despite the pain so purposefully inflicted upon him, and sat back up on the bed. Axel tried to his best to ignore the grinning Nobody watching him as he grabbed his usual garb: black tank top and black pants. It was monotonous, really, wearing the same thing every day, but he thought it suited him. A lot more than the happy face boxers Demyx had gotten everyone, at least. Those had yet to emerge from the bottom of the pyro's closet; he was saving them for a 'special occasion', as he had told the disappointed Nocturne. Like that would ever come.

"So," Roxas said. Axel glared over his shoulder.

"We're not playing that game again."

Lazily, the young Nobody stretched himself over the bed with his arms crossed behind his head. He watched his friend pace about the room, "Calm down, man. I'm just messing around."

"Think you could tell me why you're here then?" The pyro demanded, "I thought I told you to stay away from here."

"Hey, you should be thankful it's just me," Roxas said, "They were going to send Saïx, but I felt like checking this place out myself. He probably would have gone berserk if he caught you like that. Literally."

Axel grimaced at the thought of the Luna Diviner finding him in such a position. The kiss ass had a temper worse than the pyro's and wasn't afraid to express this temper in violent displays that involved much pain and suffering for the offender. He would know, having been on the receiving end of many of the berserker's tantrums in the past. Surely, if Roxas hadn't decided to be curious, the pyro would have slept the morning away, only to be awakened much more painfully. If that happened, not only would he have been Dusked right then and there, but all his planning to get Naminé out would have been for nothing. Still, he had been caught, even if by Roxas. Axel couldn't help but turn a suspicious eye on his friend, who had found somehow managed to find entertainment in a scratch on his glove.

"You're not going to say anything, are you?" He started cautiously, finally halting his pacing.

The Key of Destiny glanced up, "About what? That you got some last night? Nah, that's your business."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that," Axel said through clenched teeth, ignoring the cheeky grin on the boy's face, "I meant, you're not going to mention Naminé, right?"

A frown marred Roxas' face as he sat up, eyeing the pyro curiously, "What's to say about her that they shouldn't know?"

Axel hesitated. This boy was his best friend, probably the only one in the entire Organization that he actually liked, not just tolerated. Even so, he was still new and many aspects of him were unknown. So far, he hadn't given any reason not to trust him, but after recent activities, Axel wasn't exactly in a trusting mood. Five dead members could quickly turn into six if Roxas decided he was more loyal to Xemnas than the pyro. But there was still something about him that had Axel convinced that the kid wasn't bad. He drawled, "You can't mention this, okay? Just between me and you, and you can't back out of the deal later."

Roxas crossed his arms over his chest, "I'm almost afraid to know what you screwed up this time. Besides, you know, the obvious."

"What do you mean, 'this time?" The redhead forced a grin, trying to ignore the last comment, "But still, you know, keep it quiet."

"Yea, yea," The dismissive wave wasn't too comforting, but he had to confess now. Axel let out a heavy breath as he slumped against his dresser, wrapping his arms about his torso as he did so.

"I'm going to let her get away."

Maybe that didn't register at first in the Key of Destiny's mind, for he tilted his head to the side in question and frowned. A look of disinterest passed across his face, only to be wiped away moments later with shock and disbelief. Large, blue eyes fixated on the uneasy pyro, asking so many questions at once, both were sure he would never have time to ask them all. Roxas' lips parted, closed, and finally opened again to say, "Are you crazy?! If Xemnas finds out you let her go, he will destroy you! You won't even get to be a Dusk! He'll smash you into little bite size pieces and feed you to the-"

"Thank you, Roxas," Axel growled, sending the boy a steely glare that quickly shut him up, "I sort of figured that out for myself already."

Roxas cowered under the pyro's narrowed eyes and nodded once, "Right. Sorry. So what are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know yet," He answered, somewhat calmer now, "But she's going to go with someone else once I leave, so the only one in any trouble will be me. She'll be safe."

The boy frowned, "Why do you care if she's safe?"

That was a good question. Axel knew that she wasn't his responsibility, but he could no longer deny the interest that he had in her. He was painfully aware that last night was a mistake, and now parting with her would be that much harder. What he had told Roxas had been true; he had only allowed her on the bed with him for a few minutes- ten minutes, tops… okay, maybe a little bit longer… or a lot longer- and then forced her to return to the floor without any of what the boy had been implying. Waking up with her next to him had been a complete surprise, but it wasn't unwanted. He wouldn't mind falling asleep with her at his side and waking up to her beautiful eyes…

With a groan, the pyro covered his face with his hand, "I don't know, Roxas. I hate caring. It makes me feel like crap."

There was silence from the bed, and then a slow, cautious, "Axel, you don't… you know… like her or something, do you?"

"No. I didn't want last night to happen. It just sort of… slipped."

Another pause, followed by a snicker, "You don't know how wrong that sounded."

"Only to the screwed up mind," Axel said, but he couldn't help but laugh as well. Gathering up the various articles of clothing from the floor, the pyro affectionately ruffled the boy's hair before heading towards a door on the far wall, "I'm gonna take a shower, okay? Don't kill yourself while I'm gone."

"Aye, aye, captain," The boy mock saluted before falling back onto the pillows. Axel rolled his eyes before shutting the door behind him. As much as he liked the kid, sometimes he was just a little too eccentric for his own good. Sure, he had his own moments where his mind was buried miles beneath all the rubble and garbage of the gutter, but after spending the night as he did, he wasn't at all in the mood to be thinking such thoughts. It had been so long since he could remember doing something like that, but he had enjoyed it then. This time, the only thing he wanted to do was bang his head against the wall. Roxas was right; that had been the stupidest thing he had ever done.

And worst of all, he had completely failed in breaking ties with Naminé. Now she probably thought that they had a 'thing' and would be devastated to find out it wasn't what she was hoping for.

IOIOIOI

Naminé pressed her face into the soft blankets on her bed. She inhaled the clean smell, glad to be back in her own room though still wishing she was in another. Butterflies continued to tickle the inside of her stomach, itching to escape, but unable to find a way out. The girl didn't mind. She liked this feeling because it was the first one that ever felt so real. Her skin still tingled where his fingers had brushed her, lips still tender even hours later. Was it supposed to be like that? Even after her unceremonious discharge from the room, she couldn't help but feel giddy that one of her dreams had finally come true. She sighed, wrapping her arms around her waist as she rolled onto her side. She never wanted this feeling to go away.

For a moment, however, it seemed like this couldn't last. A swirling mass of purple, black, and blue formed in the center of her room, and the girl sat up in excitement. She bit her lip, waiting for him to step through, but it was not him. A weight settled deep in her stomach. It was that boy… the one that looked like Sora. Awkwardly, Naminé shifted her feet off the bed as he watched her, blue eyes calculating. What did he want from her?

"I'm Roxas."

Though intended to be polite, his introduction seemed too tense for that. The girl nodded shyly.

"I'm Naminé."

"Yea, I know."

He sounded exasperated for some reason. Naminé fidgeted restlessly as the boy approached her, hesitating, and he eventually decided to take a seat beside her. It was almost painful to see the resemblance that he had to Sora, to see someone so similar to one that she believed had betrayed her. Though he had not killed Axel as she had originally thought, he still left her. Even though she understood, a part of her didn't want to forgive him for that.

"You know," Roxas started, "Axel can't take you back to the Organization with him."

Naminé frowned. She didn't want to be reminded of that, "I know. I couldn't anyway. I have to help Sora restore his memories."

"Oh. Right," The Key of Destiny rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "So whatever you guys have sort of has to end, you know?"

"Did he send you to tell me that?"

"No," The boy assured her, "He doesn't know I'm here. He's too busy playing princess in the bathroom."

Naminé blinked, "What?"

Roxas snickered, crossing his legs and leaning back onto his hands as he did so, "Come on, you can't tell me you didn't notice the make-up?"

The girl giggled as memories of the night in the rain flashed into her mind. The pyro had looked so out of his element in the downpour, and rightfully so. She remembered comparing him to a clown, with his soaked hair and red smears down his cheeks. When she asked if it was, indeed, make-up, he had replied with a vehement 'no'. It seemed, however, that wasn't exactly the truth. Naminé stifled her laughter behind her hands.

"Seriously!" The boy continued, throwing up his hands to accentuate his claim, "The guy spends more time preening himself than Larxene does!"

"Really?" Naminé laughed, "I would have expected Marluxia to be like that."

Roxas snorted, "And you'd be right. Axel may play princess, but Marluxia plays queen."

The young Nobodies were so caught up in their laughing that both failed to acknowledge the new arrival in the room until a soaking wet towel slapped the boy clean in the face. Naminé erupted into another peal of giggles as the offending object slipped to Roxas' lap, effectively tousling his hair and leaving behind a face of disgust. The Key of Destiny pinched a corner between two fingers and tossed it off the bed. A snicker drew their attention to the other side of the room were Axel stood with his hands perched on his hips. His hair was slicked down again from the water, the girl noted; she couldn't help but smile.

"That's disgusting, Axel," Roxas whined, "Who knows where that thing's been?"

"I do," The pyro grinned, "And I can tell you that you definitely don't want to know where it's been."

While Naminé's cheeks flushed with color, the boy made a dramatic display of trying to rid his face of anything Axel, accompanied by many grumbles of protest and revulsion. The redhead snickered as he started towards them, but noticeably hesitated before sitting down beside Roxas. The girl tried to hide her dismay that he didn't want to sit by her, reminding herself that these two hadn't seen each other in a while; they probably just wanted to catch up. However, she couldn't help the frown that threatened to curve her lips and her fists tightened in her lap.

"Hey, Naminé, say something," The boy jostled her shoulder with a grin plastered on his face. The girl gave him a weak smile, realizing that she had gone quiet. Briefly, her eyes caught Axel's, but he quickly looked away.

"I don't have anything to say," She answered softly. Roxas huffed as he glanced between her and the pyro.

"Both of you are quiet," He complained, "Is this some sort of awkward morning after thing?"

They boy winced when a hand smacked the back of his head, "Maybe you're the one that needs to be quiet," Axel suggested with a forced grin. Yes, he realized, that was exactly what it was. Again, peridot caught the uneasy cerulean and he wanted to do something to reassure her, but anything he could do would have been blanketed in lies. He didn't want to make things even harder than they already were, but it was terrible to see such confusion in her eyes and know that he was the cause. A small, shaky smile ghosted across his lips, but the girl had already looked away by the time he managed to conjure it up. The pyro glanced down with an inaudible sigh.

Roxas stood up suddenly, "You're probably right," He said, back turned, "How 'bout I go and leave you guys to it?"

"Sit down, Roxas," Axel muttered, "You're overreacting."

"Nah, I should go anyway. Make sure Saïx doesn't come crash the party, right? You two take care of things," His tone was jesting, but as he glanced over his shoulder, the pyro knew that he was implying more than he was saying. Take care of things, he said. More like, end whatever crap you started with Naminé and get back to the Castle before someone slices you up. Yea. Maybe the kid was right for once.

Axel met gazes with his friend and nodded once. Slipping easily back into his earlier guise, Roxas then grinned at the girl and gave her a quick wave, "See you 'round, Naminé."

Even after the last tendril of darkness had disappeared and the room was silent except for slow breaths, both Nobodies were reluctant to acknowledge each other. Never before had Axel felt so uneasy in a situation that he couldn't think of a thing to say, and it was driving him crazy. He could stare danger in the face and insult its mother, but he couldn't tell this frail little girl that last night wasn't supposed to happen and she might as well forget it. Was it because he did want it that made it so hard to tell her? Or because he couldn't bear to hurt her? He didn't know and had no desire to find out, but not all in life is favorable. Not even the life of a Nobody. Especially not the life of a Nobody.

For some reason, Naminé shifting her legs onto the bed was what finally brought the words out of Axel's mouth. Granted, they weren't the best choice, but it was certainly an ice breaker. With a light chuckle, the pyro offered a small grin, "So, uh… last night sure was fun, huh?"

Was that supposed to kill her hopes?

The girl's mouth fell open just slightly and a faint pink covered her cheeks. Unable to form the words, she simply nodded. Axel smirked.

"You don't have to be shy around me now, you know."

"Well, you're pretty quiet, too."

Axel's face melted into a frown and he looked away. She certainly wasn't helping by saying things like that. At least he was attempting to make conversation. The pyro fidgeted anxiously with his fingers, trying to come up with the best approach. However, Naminé decided to make his job easier for him, though he wasn't sure whether or not he appreciated the effort.

"You don't have to say anything," Her voice was quiet, but it managed to bounce about the silent room and echo in his ears, "Roxas told me."

The pyro chewed on his bottom lip. His fingers drummed an erratic pattern on the edge of the mattress that would have annoyed the girl in any other circumstance. Now, she could hardly concentrate on her own breathing without becoming lost in the raging torrents of her mind. Had she known… well, maybe she did know. She should have, at least, and if she didn't that made her all the more foolish. He didn't lie, though; she was sure of it. Not because she trusted him, but because he never did something solely for someone else. He wasn't selfish, but he wasn't generous either. Something spurred him to act as he did last night, and it wasn't because of her desires.

She didn't understand why her voice cracked as she whispered a word so simple, yet fathomless in its expectancy, "Why?"

Why, she asked. Why. Axel could only utter a 'tch' between his teeth. Maybe because you're a sick bastard, he supplied himself, or maybe because you enjoy screwing with the minds of girls who don't know any better. Both seemed equally possible and neither were any better than the other. Unfortunately, he had to choose one. There was always option 'C': just string the kid along like you've done all this time, because whatever's up there knows that you've spun a web of lies so elaborate that even you have trouble navigating it. Send her off to her new home with another half truth; what harm will that do?

Too much, he knew. If he could give her anything as a parting gift, let it be the truth for once.

"I think, Naminé," It was a half chuckle, like he was just realizing it himself. Little did she know, that was exactly the case, "Because it was just a good time."

The girl frowned. That hardly answered her question, but a brief moment in time flickered back to her memory just as she opened her mouth to ask for more. A good time, he said to her upon finding her picture, and a bad time. At that instance, when Marluxia and Larxene and everyone else were still alive, it was a bad time. Last night, with no chance for disruptions and no excuses not to, it was a good time for what she sought and he apparently sought, too. Though not completely satisfied, she nodded.

"Okay."

He leaned closer then, bringing a blush to her cheeks. He whispered, "And you know what, Naminé?"

"What?"

"I betcha we'll have another good time one day."

Naminé glanced at the pyro, with his acidic serpentine eyes and lopsided smirk that showed just a bit of teeth in the corner, and smiled.

"I hope so."

XXXXX

And that's that. Anyone else feel like jumping off a bridge? No? Just me? Okay.

I love Roxas in this chapter. I probably abused his character to the point of no return, but oh well. He broke up the AkuNami love, so he deserves to be abused (lame excuse for OOCness). In my defense, we really don't know much about his character, except for his last few days with the Organization where he was all, "WOE IS ME FML". So… maybe he's a perverted, hormonal teenager? Right…

Oh well. We've still got the epilogue, so don't abandon ship just yet, pls. I'm also planning on including a small teaser for the sequel in the author's note. So yea. I'm not finished with you people.

And now I'll shut up. Reviews are welcome and encouraged; flames will be used for Axel's enjoyment. Thanks for reading!

Until Next Time,
Manwathiel