I'd like to give another special thanks to everyone who reviewed my last chapter. It seems as though changing the status from just Kingdom Hearts to a KH FF crossover has increased my audience size. (lol) Anyway, thank you kingdomheartslover13, HoneybeeX, themusicalmuffin, fallen angels321, and BlendInTheDarkness. LOVE YOU GUYS! and keep readin'!

Chapter 4

"Dammit Vexen," I muttered to myself as I trudged through the hallways.

Almost everyone was still out on their missions. The only exceptions were Demyx, Vexen, Saix, and of course the superior. I wondered what he would do if he found out Roxas was sick; probably nothing.

I was too worried about Roxas to really think about anything other than him, so I wanted to see someone who would understand my situation without making a big deal about it.

"Hey Ax," the mullhawked blonde chirped, not bothering to look up from his sitar as he sat cross-legged on a pillow on the floor. I guess I must've caught him during a practice session.

"Sup Dem," I sighed, plopping down on the edge of his bed.

As soon as he heard the depressed tone in my greeting, the playing stopped and he looked up at me. "What's the matter?" he asked, pale green eyes filled with concern.

"Something happened to Roxas on our last mission," I replied lowly, "He's in the hospital getting examined by Vexen."

The blonde leaped to his feet, exclaiming, "Really? Is he okay? What happened?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know!" Demyx jumped onto the bed next to me and violently shook my shoulders. I growled and shoved him off the bed.

"I mean I don't know what happened or if he's going to be okay. Vexen kicked me out before he told me anything."

His glare softened to saddened disappointment, and he pulled himself off the floor back onto the bed. After a moment, he turned back to me raising a skeptical eyebrow, "Are you worried about him?"

"Eh," I shrugged apathetically as I lied through my teeth, "I try not to get too caught up in trivial things like this. Rox is a tough kid, and it's probably just a bad cold." The skepticism didn't fade. It was starting to piss me off. "What?"

"Nothin'," Demyx shrugged, "I'm just sayin'. I don't think there's a single minute of the day I'm not worried about Zexion…but that's just me." The blonde smirked slyly and went back to the floor to continue playing his sitar.

That little punk! He was accusing me of being a shitty boyfriend! Sure, I don't make out with Roxas 24/7 like him and Zexion, but I still care about the little guy! Besides, most of that is because Roxas doesn't like PDA. He says it's too embarrassing.

It's just…what if this turns out to be something serious. I figured it would be better for me to try and stay indifferent about the whole thing for the time being, though that would be nearly impossible.

"I'm gonna go check on him," I finally huffed after a few minutes, pushing myself off the bed.

"That's the spirit!" Demyx chirped. I gave the obnoxious blonde a swift punch in the arm before strutting out the door. To my surprise, as soon as I stepped through the doorway I collided with someone; knocking me flat on my back and him into the wall.

"Axel," Vexen growled, then took a deep breath as if trying to regain his composure, "It's alright. I'll simply write it off as an accident."

The older male helped me to my feet, and I brushed the dirt off my coat. "What're you doin' here? I thought you were takin care of Rox."

"I just finished returning him to his room."

"So he's okay then?" I asked, partially cocking my head to the side.

"I'm still running a few tests, so I'm not entirely positive, but I needed him out of the way so I could run the equipment," he replied, resuming his walk through the hallway. After a moment, he stopped and turned back to me, "Would you mind looking after him in the meantime? I don't trust leaving him by himself in the condition he's in."

"What do you mean 'condition'?"

Vexen held his hand to his chin in a quizzical matter as he pondered the question. "He's rather -oh how shall I put this in a way you can understand- loopy, from the medication I gave him. It was quite odd. He asked for cheezits and a yo-yo before I left…Anyway, be sure to remember he's still very ill, so don't let him leave his room, understand?" I nodded. "Good. I'll be back in about an hour. Make sure he gets some sleep." With that, he turned on his heel and headed back down the hall.

As I approached Roxas' room, I could hear giggling coming from the other side of the door. It was weird, cause I never heard him laugh like that before. Curious, I cracked the door open and peeked inside. The little blonde was propped up in his bed against the backboard; a huge, obviously drug induced, grin on his face; performing various tricks with a black and white checkered yo-yo.

Huh, I guess Vexen wasn't kidding about the whole yo-yo thing.

"Hey Rox," I greeted quietly as I entered the room, taking a seat on the floor beside his bed.

"Axel, guess what!" the blonde exclaimed, flinging the toy across the room. I don't think he meant to, but apparently he didn't really care. He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me close so I was about an inch from his face, "I. Can't. Feel. Anything! It is SO cool! Here, see, try punching me!" The blonde pulled away and held out his arms, allowing for easier access to his body.

I was a taken aback a bit by his request. "Uh, as much as I would love to try that out, I think you should get some sleep," I suggested calmly, placing my hand on his shoulder.

"Aw, come on Ax," he grinned, "You know you want to. Hey, you mind handin me my yo-yo?" The blonde had to actually hold up one arm with the other as he pointed in the direction of the discarded toy.

"Sure," I replied hesitantly and went to retrieve it. It was so weird seeing him so out of it. I was starting to get a little freaked out.

"Thanks," he smiled sweetly as I handed it to him and sat back down. The blonde sighed and leaned against my chest, "I love you, Axel."

"I love you too, babe," I chuckled and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. He's never this affectionate; it was kind of refreshing. I figured he would pull away after another second or two and continue playing with his yo-yo, but he stayed put, not saying a single word.

After a moment or so, he gazed back up at me with huge puppy dog eyes, "Could you get me some ice cream?"

"Sea-salt?" I grinned. His gaze fell and he nodded slightly, still leaning against me. "Kay, but ya know…I can't really do anything with a kid strapped to my chest," I giggled and ruffled his hair. Pouting, he huffed and pulled away. As I stood to leave on my quest for ice cream, I felt a soft tug on my sleeve. I turned back and found him looking at me with those same puppy dog eyes from before.

"Can I come with you?" he whimpered pitifully. I couldn't tell you how glad I was that he wasn't always trippin' on pain medication. There was no way in hell I would ever get my way if he always looked this adorable.

"Oh Roxas," I groaned, burying my face in my hands, "You know I can't." He whimpered again, and his bottom lip started to quiver as if he were about to cry. Oh god, please make him stop. I can take this level of cute. "Alright," I whined. Heaving a sigh, I lifted the little blonde bridal style. He smiled sweetly and wrapped his arms around my neck, nuzzling my chest.

Just as I was about to head out with my Roxas in tow, he stopped me…again. "Hey Axel?"

"Yes?" I replied, trying to contain an annoyed sigh.

"Can you grab my yo-yo?"

"Yeah," I chuckled.

As we entered Twilight Town, we found things to be surprisingly peaceful. "I guess Xion's already been here," I muttered. Roxas just giggled and continued to play with his toy. "You're not listening to a word I'm saying, are you?"

"Nope!" he grinned, not bothering to look up.

"Axel!" I quickly whipped around to find Xion running up behind me. When she spotted Roxas, she immediately stopped and stared at him with a quizzical expression, brows furrowed, "What's wrong with him?" I guess the sight of Roxas being anything other than emo must be a real shocker.

"He's kinda high offa pain meds," I shrugged.

"Isn't that kinda, you know, bad?" She asked with a sort of 'duh' inflection.

"Actually, I think it's on purpose." I sighed, then glanced down at Roxas who had been completely oblivious to the entire conversation.

"Oh. What're you guys doin' here?"

"What, you're not happy to see us," I sneered, "I thought with our long absence you'd simply be dying to see me."

Xion simply rolled her eyes at my stupidity. "Okay, what's the real reason?"

"Rox wanted some ice cream, but wouldn't let me leave without him.

"I see," she giggled as Roxas began playing with the chains on my coat like an overgrown kitten.

I shot her a quick glare before setting the little blonde down. "You got it?" I asked as he tried to stand on his own. Apparently not, because as soon as I let go, he toppled over. Luckily, Xion and I caught him before he fell. "Back up ya go," I grunted as I hoisted him back into my arms. He was pretty light, but after a while it got to the point where I needed to rest my arms for a minute.

"I think the medicine might be starting to wear off," he whispered quietly.

"Do you want me to take you back?"

"No," he replied simply and began playing with the yo-yo again.

"If you guys'd like, I could meet you up at the clock tower after my mission's over," Xion suggested with a smile, "I only have a little more to do before I'm done."

I gave a quick glance at Roxas who grinned and nodded vigorously. "I guess that's a yes," I shrugged, "Bye Xion."

"Bye guys," she waved and jogged off.

When picked up the ice cream, the store clerk was a little suspicious when she saw Roxas cradled in my arms, grinning like an idiot. Thankfully she said nothing, and we continued on our way. I carried the little blonde up to our usual spot and set him down. He giggled as he dangled his feet over the edge.

"Just don't fall," I cautioned like an overprotective parent, "I don't wanna be scraping you off the pavement any time soon." The little guy must not have heard me since he was still stuck in his little drug induced fantasyland. Shaking my head, I scooted closer to him and wrapped my arm around his shoulder. He leaned against my body and nuzzled his head against the side of my chest. It was so weird seeing him act so affectionate.

"Hey Axel?" Roxas whispered after a few minutes.

"Yeah?"

There was a pause for a moment as he snuggled closer to me. "What happens to nobodies…after they die?"

"Where's this coming from?" I questioned, brows furrowed.

"Just curious," he replied simply.

"Shit, I dunno," I sighed, "I would think we'd just fade back into darkness like we're supposed to."

"Oh."

It was quiet for another moment as Roxas and I enjoyed each other's presence. I jumped a little as the little blonde began kissing my neck and jaw line. "I love you Axel," he whispered in between kisses, wrapping his arms around my neck.

"I love you too, Rox," I chuckled and crushed my lips to his, running my fingers through his golden spikes. He was a little warm, but that wasn't too surprising. What was surprising was that the little guy slipped his tongue into my mouth and began tentatively exploring the moist cavern. I grinned and forced the little guy back, dominating the kiss. He groaned in pleasure as our tongues battled. Maybe this whole drug thing wasn't as bad as I thought it was.

"Am I interrupting?" We jumped about a foot in the air, startled apart at the sound of Xion's voice. She was standing about a foot away, giggling at the sight of Roxas and I. I snorted and turned back to staring at the sunset. "Aw come on Axel," she chuckled, taking a seat on the other side of Roxas, "Don't get mad. I thought it was cute. Roxas isn't normally cool with PDA, I figured you'd be happy."

"Heh, yeah, yeah," I grinned, turning back to Roxas. He was staring at the ground, still dangling his feet and licking his ice cream. Apparently he'd completely forgotten about what happened, and had returned to his little drug-induced fantasyland. I ruffled his spikes and wrapped my arm around his shoulder.

"Hey Xion," the blonde muttered, not bothering to look at her.

"Yes Roxas?" she smiled.

"We're really high up."

Xion blinked a bit at the odd statement, then chuckled, "Yes, yes we are."

Roxas continued staring at the ground, almost as if he were contemplating the thought, then looked up at me. His azure eyes were a little bloodshot and a bit hazy. "What would happen if I fell?" he asked with childlike curiosity.

"You'd probably end up a splattered mess on the ground, Rox," I huffed. His golden eyebrows drew together as he thought about it for a moment. I could only imagine what kind of things were running through that boy's mind. It must be an interesting place right now. "D-do you think…that type of death would be less painful than dying from an injury, o-or an illness?" he asked again, this time not actually addressing either one of us.

We were both taken aback by his question and exchanged concerned glances with one another. I was about to respond when the little guy cut me off again. "Hey Axel!" he chirped and turned back to me with a huge grin, "Remember that guy I told you about; the one from Midgar?" I nodded hesitantly, a little confused with the sudden mood change. "We should go see him! I wanna ask him something!"

I had to stop for a moment in order to comprehend everything that just happened. This kid had like ADD or something. He was jumping back and forth from being manic-depressive to out of control horny; you'd think the kid was pregnant or something.

Just then the clock tolled behind us; both saving the day and scaring me half to death. I turned back to look at the time and leaped to my feet, nearly falling to my death. It had been almost an hour since Vexen had told me to watch Roxas. If he found out I'd taken him out of his room, that guy would slaughter me.

"Oh, shit Roxas, we gotta go," I gasped and lifted the blonde back up.

"Why, what's wrong?" Xion asked in a panic.

"Ugh, Vexen's gonna kill me if I don't get him back in bed," I groaned, motioning toward Roxas.

"Oh," she sighed in relief, "then I'll come with you." I nodded, then let Xion open a portal back to the castle since my hands were full.

Roxas giggled and squirmed like a restless puppy as I laid him back in his bed. Thankfully Vexen hadn't come back yet. It wasn't that the guy actually cared about Roxas, it was the fact that Roxas was the superior's workhorse. He was an asset to the organization because he could use the keyblade. If anything happened to the little guy, Xemnas would eviscerate the scientist, then decapitate him. That was the only reason the man was so adamant about his health and well-being.

"You know, I've never seen him like this," Xion whispered just loud enough so Roxas couldn't hear. Although that was hardly necessary seeing as the kid was totally entranced by his PSP. That was actually the most normal thing I've seen him do since we came back from our mission.

"Yeah," I whispered back, "It's kinda freaky. I'm glad it'll be over soon."

The dark haired girl nodded in agreement, then chirped, "I think I'm going to see what Demyx is doing. Bye Roxas." She bent down and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before skipping out the door. Roxas didn't bother to look up from his videogame the entire time she was here.

I sat down on the bed next to the little blonde and watched him play over his shoulder, offering advice when needed. Surprisingly, he listened to every word I said. It was like I was the only person he would actually make an effort to listen to, whereas he pretty much ignored everyone else. To be honest, it made me feel pretty special. I grinned to myself at the thought.

"Use the limit break!" I urged.

"I know! I got it!" he smirked.

Just then, his azure eyes went wide and the game dropped from his hands. For a moment he was frozen in place; a horribly pained expression etched on his face. Then, his arms flew to his chest and he screamed in agony.

I leaped off the bed and cried, "Roxas! Roxas, what's wrong!"

The blonde whimpered as he panted, eyes clamped tightly shut. I went to embrace him to try and give him some level of comfort, but pulled back as he let out another pained shriek. It was like he was being ripped apart from the inside, and apparently the outside as well. He was gripping his chest so tightly his nails were digging into his chest. Bloodstains bloomed on his shirt and trickled down his skin, dripping onto the bed.

I had no idea what I was supposed to do. Am I supposed to try and comfort him, or stop him from hurting himself? Shit, I don't know what to do!

In a state of panic, I grasped him arms and began trying to pull them from his chest. "Come on Rox, you have to stop," I choked, "You're tearing yourself apart." No matter how much I pulled, however, I could not get him to release the grip he had on his chest.

The cries didn't cease, and sweat poured from his forehead. Roxas was in serious agony, and serious trouble if I didn't get him some help soon. "Hold on, I'll go get Vexen," I tried desperately to reassure him. He fell back against the bed, gasping for breath and whimpering pitifully, letting out an occasional exhausted scream.

I quickly opened a portal and darted through, ending up in the medical ward of the hospital. Vexen was nowhere to be seen.

"Vexen! VEXEN!" I shouted. Come on! Where the fuck are you?

A moment passed before the scientist emerged from the back room. "What is it this time Axel? I'm very busy," he growled in annoyance.

I grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to the portal, "Something's wrong with Roxas. You need to come with me."

"Just hold on," he protested, breaking my grasp, "The medication probably wore off, I'll need to get some things."

I growled impatiently as he hurried back into the back room. He returned a moment later carrying a needle filled with clear fluid, and some sort of blue pump. When we got back to Roxas' room, we found him unconscious in his bed.

I watched as Vexen casually strolled up to the side of the bed and placed a couple of fingers on the blonde's throat. "Hm, it appears he's not breathing," the older male said calmly, virtually unphased by the situation, "That's not good."

"Of course it's not good!" I fumed, "Do something!" Despite my hostility, Vexen obliged nonetheless. He placed the nozzle of the pump into the kid's mouth and began squeezing air into his lungs.

After about three minutes there was still no change. It was really starting to look like Roxas wasn't going to make it. Vexen shot a quick glance in my direction, then did a double take as he saw my forlorn expression.

"What's wrong with you?" he sighed in annoyance. I simply glared at him and uttered a threatening growl. My boyfriend is dead, and he wanted to what was wrong. "Oh come now. You don't honestly think he's dead, do you?"

"You mean he's not?" I gasped, hope returning.

"Of course not, you fool! If he were, he would have faded back into darkness by now."

I tilted my head to the side curiously, "So, why are you still pumping air into his mouth?"

"I'll stop once he starts breathing on his own. Once that happens, I'll give him a sedative and take him back to the medical ward." I nodded in understanding, not really wanting him to go into detail.

There was a pause as we both sat in awkward silence. "So…have you found out what's wrong with him yet?" I asked nervously.

"Not yet," he sighed, "However, I have found it to be some sort of virus; the likes of which I've never seen before. I have no idea whether it's harmless or fatal, or even if it's contagious or not. For now it would be best to keep contact with Roxas at a minimum, and keep it at a select few. We don't want the whole castle getting sick now do we?" That was obviously a rhetorical question, but I still shook my head nonetheless.

He raised a skeptical eyebrow at me, then turned back to Roxas as the little blonde began to cough and gasp for air. "There we go," Vexen sighed, "Just take slow, deep breaths. That's it."

He whimpered a little, then rolled onto his side. The poor kid looked exhausted. His face was a deathly pale, and his chest was still bleeding through the fabric of his shirt.

"Lying in that position will only make it that much harder to breathe, number XIII," the older male scolded, and rolled Roxas back over onto his back. The little blonde was not too pleased with this. He snarled and swatted his hand away, then curled back up into a ball on his side, clutching at his chest. "Alright then," the scientist snorted, "if that's the way you want it. Axel, hold him down."

"Um, kay," I nodded hesitantly. The way I saw it, Roxas was still too weak to put up a fight. It was hardly necessary to 'hold him down'…at least, that's what I thought. As soon as my hand touched his shoulder, he lashed out at me like some rabid animal!

"Agh! Dammit Roxas! What the hell is wrong with you!" I fumed, cradling my bleeding hand, "He BIT me, Vexen! He FUCKING BIT me!"

"That's why I told you to hold him," he chided, "If I had tried to stick this into him, the needle would have broken off inside his arm. Not only that, but he probably would have attacked me as well. Now try it again, and this time do it right!"

I cursed the scientist under my breath and turned back to the disgruntled blonde. His cerulean eyes were hard as he glared at me, my blood dripping from his mouth. I didn't want a repeat of last time, so I decided to look at the situation logically; something I never do.

Alright, right now Roxas is no different than a wounded animal. He's just trying to defend himself. Maybe, I should get behind him and pin him down. That way I won't hurt him, and he won't hurt himself or me. I surprised myself at how intelligent I could be, and grinned to myself internally.

Roxas still had his eyes locked on me, a low growl rumbling through his chest. Before he even had time to protest, I flipped him onto his stomach and pinned his arms behind his back. He snarled and thrashed, trying desperately to break free. I had to straddle him to keep him from breaking my grasp. Once he was still, Vexen quickly injected him with the sedative, and his body instantly went limp.

"Get off the poor child, Axel," the older male scolded, "You don't want to crush him, do you?" I snorted and did as I was told. God Vexen pissed me off! After a moment, he turned and headed toward the door.

"Wait, where're you going?" I called as I flipped Roxas onto his back.

"Just keep an eye on him. I need to retrieve a few things from my office. I'll return shortly." The door clicked shut and I turned my attention back to the redrugged blonde.

Why can't that guy just use a portal like the rest of us? Vexen was probably the only person in the entire castle that preferred walking to teleporting.

Not a minute after he left, the door burst open and Xion and Demyx bolted in, followed closely by Zexion.

"Axel, we heard yelling," Xion gasped, trying to catch her breath.

"What happened?" Demyx panted alongside her. Zexion simply stood in the corner looking a little concerned, but other wise apathetic. "Dude, what happened to your hand?" the mullhawked blonde gasped and yanked my bleeding hand out of my grasp.

"Ah! Dem, that fucking hurts!" I growled and pulled back, "Roxas went crazy and bit me."

"Why'd he bite you?" the emo in the corner asked, coming out to examine the bite mark.

"I don't really know," I shrugged, "I think he was just confused and in pain."

"That makes sense. Vexen did tell me he was sick." Zexion turned from me and began to examine Roxas. He was a member of the medical staff like Vexen and worked with diagnosing strange diseases we received from the different worlds we went to on missions.

"Here, come on Ax," Demyx chirped and took my hand, pulling me into the bathroom, "Let's get you cleaned up."

I cringed a little as the cold water hit my hand. It surprised me how gentle the younger male was being. I barely felt a thing as he cleaned the wound.

I still couldn't believe Roxas bit me. As soon as he gets better, he is SO gonna get it! I cursed under my breath, then grinned a little to myself as I contemplated the proper method I was going to use to exact my revenge.

But after a moment, my thoughts of the little blonde began to twist and gnarl into something dark and depressing. What if…he doesn't get better? What happens if this thing is serious and it ends up killing him?

"Come on Ax, you're done." I jumped a little at the sound of Demyx's voice, snapping me out of my trance like state. In less than a minute, the blonde had cleaned and bandaged my wound.

"Wow, that was fast," I smirked.

His brows furrowed in confusion, and he tilted his head to the side, "What're you talking about? It's been like ten minutes."

"What? No it hasn't," I chuckled.

"Yeah, it has. You were just too zoned out to notice."

I guess I was kinda out of it. "Well," I sighed, patting the older male on the shoulder, "Maybe we should get some dinner. I'm pretty starved." That, and I wanted something to keep my mind offa Roxas. The older blonde gave me another concerned look, then nodded and followed me out the door.

The room was completely empty. I figured Vexen must have come back and taken Roxas, and Xion and Zexion probably followed.

"Come on Ax," Demyx urged as he waited by the door, "We gotta get down there before the food's gone."

"Oh, right," I nodded and followed the younger male.

This whole Roxas thing was really getting to me. I decided that tomorrow after my mission, I was going to go to Midgar and figure out how to cure this disease, no matter what it takes.