Hello my amazing reviewers; I just wanted to say thanks to those of you that did: kingdomheartslover13, kimberly kim, Rocking Phillip, , ClEvEr2014, Cipher-of-Will, and themusicalmuffin. Thanks guys! Hope you like the chapter XD!

Chapter 9

(Axel POV)

As I watched the shining steel of the blade fall on my precious Roxas, my entire world crumbled around me.

"ROXAS!"

Blood sprayed from the wound in torrents, instantly staining the concrete beneath him a deep crimson as he collapsed to his knees. I rushed to him as fast as my legs could carry me, but my attempts were thwarted long before I took a single step. The strange feline-esc, silverette had already beaten me to the punch, grabbing Roxas and practically vanishing into thin air.

All I could manage for the moment was to stop and try to comprehend what had just happened. The whole thing was just so fast, my mind was still trying to process the information. Finally, it all clicked.

I had failed Roxas.

I let that whack job come and take him, right after I told both him as well as myself that I'd protect him with my life if necessary. Now, I had just witnessed as, right before my eyes, he was sliced open with a sword and stolen by some insane psychopath.

I could feel the flames leaking through my tightly clenched fists, and low growls were the only sound that filled the quiet streets. Let's just hope that the next person I saw was that damn silverette, cause I was ready to roast the very next living thing that crossed my path.

"Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT! I'm such an IDIOT! How could I let someone like that get the better of me!" Without thinking I thrust my fist against a brick wall, only to hear a loud crack at the sound of the bones breaking. "Mother Fucking SHIT!" I cried, cradling my shattered hand. God, I am such an idiot. Of course breaking my hand was going to help me find Roxas.

Controlling my anger to the best of my abilities, I inhaled deeply and exhaled the same. Despite my incredible urge to rush after that bastard, I had to admit to myself that I didn't even know where this guy was let alone how I was going to manage to get Roxas back from him. That bastard was practically superhuman with how easily he dodged my chakrams, and with myself and Roxas already injured I would be putting a lot on the line. I needed help, preferably someone with information on the people in this world.

Cradling my wounded hand against my chest, I used my other to open a portal back to the World That Never Was. "Damn it. That fucking brat won't get away with taking Roxas. And he can be sure I'll throw in a little extra for making me break my hand," I growled under my breath to no one in particular as I stormed through the passageway. He was going to pay dearly.

(Roxas POV)

My head was swimming. Everything was dark, but after a brief moment I realized it was because my eyes were closed. My chest was killing me. It burned fiercly, and with every breath the pain only became that much worse. I tried to move my arms to try and help the pain, but I they wouldn't budge. As a matter of fact, my entire body seemed to be restrained. I couldn't move.

I could hear voices around me. They were talking about something...some sort of plan. I couldn't hear the specifics, they were too far away.

How come I couldn't open my eyes! It was pissing me off. With every ounce of energy in my body, I forced my eyelids to open. The light flickered a few times as my body fought with me, but I finally succeeded. I was rewarded with the sight of a large white blob, that slowly developed into a mass of various colors and shapes until I could just barely make out three figures looming in the distance.

"He's waking up, Kadaj," the largest blob said excitedly. His voice was a deep baritone, and I could see why. As my vision became sharper I could see that said 'blob' was a fairly large, man clad in black leather. He was heavily muscled and had short, buzz cut silver hair. His eyes were the same terrifying aquamarine the other silverette had, and seemed to emit their own unearthly glow.

The one he'd addressed as Kadaj responded by taking a step closer to my body and gazing intently into my eyes. It was the same man that attacked me and Axel! "Why yes, Loz," he chirped, "It does appear he has. Hello again, brother." A malicious sneer spread across his feline like features as I struggled desperately to escape against whatever was binding me.

A sharp pain pierced my chest, forcing the breath to catch in my throat and sending me into a fit of violent coughs. I could hear something spill to the ground, and the scent of blood filled my senses.

"Yes, yes, struggle all you want. You won't be able to escape," Kadaj giggled. He turned sharply on his heel before sauntering back to the other two silverettes. "We plan to keep you tied up 'til it's time. Until then, why don't you just sit back and enjoy the scenery."

The other two chuckled to themselves as I continued my futile escape. After a few minutes it became too much for my body, and I hung limply in my restraints. My gaze gradually lifted until I beheld my surroundings. I had to restrain a gasp of amazement. That man had actually been right about the scenery. All around us stood enormous trees that were actually emitting an eerie white glow, serving to fully illuminate the darkened forest regardless of the blackened sky. Suffice to say I was completely awe-struck.

Glancing around further, I discovered the uncomfortable support behind me was also one of these massive, glowing plants. My hands were cuffed behind me as well as my ankles, and a giant chain wrapped around my chest. The huge links bored into the wound I'd received from Kadaj, though the thing that was bothering me the most was how much my geostigma was searing my lungs.

As I gazed at the enchanting trees, a gunshot rang through the forest and in an instant, I could feel the wood splinter beside my head. I stared wide-eyed at where the bullet nearly blew my brains out, then back at the third silverette aiming for another shot.

"That's enough," Kadaj chided lightly, "You're scaring the poor child"

A devilish smirk spread across the third leather-clad silverette's face, as he slowly lowered his weapon. "He was spacing out. I just figured I should bring him back to reality."
My body trembled violently, both from fear as well as the quickly increasing loss of blood. It wasn't just Kadaj, all three of them were a couple beers short of a six-pack. I needed to escape, or at least figure out why they brought me here.

"What do you want with me?" I growled as threateningly as my energy level would allow, which sadly was not a lot. The effort I was exerting was taking its toll on my body, tearing at the wound and causing it to open further.

None of the three made any attempt to answer me. They simply stared at me like a bunch of feral cats eyeing a struggling bird from across the room, flitting helplessly on the floor as it slowly bled to death. The way their eyes seemed to glow by themselves, almost like this ungodly forest, it only made me tremble in pure terror.

One of the men, the one that tried to shoot me before, he stalked toward me with the grace and finesse of a jungle cat. "We're simply awaiting his return, little brother," he answered lowly, taking my chin firmly in his hand.

These people were insane, absolutely nuts. They were going to kill me, I knew it. My mind and body were already beginning to fail me from the pain and blood loss. I wouldn't be able to escape, even if I did somehow manage to escape these chains, not like this.

Axel, where are you, I cried out mentally to my lover. Surely he'd come to rescue me, my knight in shining armour? He'd arrive any moment, making a big, flashy entrance like he always does, then he'd roast these sons of bitches alive, won't he? I could only hope. In the meantime I had to keep up a brave front, no matter how difficult it may seem.

"Heh, look at 'im," the larger one, Loz I think his name was, chortled in amusement, "he looks like he's gonna pass out any second, doesn't he, Kadaj? Maybe we should let him out to play before he goes nighty night?"
The edges of Kadaj's lips slowly pulled into a devilish, toothy grin; inhuman eyes narrowing slightly. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Loz," the silverette purred, never taking his eyes off me for an instant. "Yazoo, undo the restraints. It must be awfully uncomfortable being bound with those heavy chains, isn't it, little brother?"

Yazoo complied with his leader's command, releasing the lock on the chains causing my body to crash to the cold, hard earth beneath me. My arm flew to my chest as violent coughing spasms racked my body. Those chains had been practically crushing the upper half of my body, and the instant release of pressure was too much of a shock to my system. Blood spilt from my wounds in torrents, dripping in a steady rhythm into the dirt, staining it a deep crimson.

Slightly able to regain my bearings, I pulled my gaze upward to find Kadaj looming over my body, staring at me intently as if waiting for me to do some sort of trick for his amusement. It was obvious he wanted me to do something, but exactly as to what that 'something' was, I had no idea.

"I'm...not sure...what you want me to do," I panted weakly, trying to choke back both the fear and blood pooling in the back of my throat.

"Don't worry, brother," Kadaj said lightly, his smile changing to something slightly less malicious, yet still holding that same threatening air about it. "Just relax. Separate yourself from the light and give yourself to the dark power within you, just as before."

I gasped, pulling myself back until my body was pinned back against the large tree and staring at that horrid creature with wide, fearful eyes. They were the ones that possessed me! I don't know how or why they wanted control over my body, all I knew was that I could absolutely not, under any circumstances, allow myself to pass out. If I did, I was certain they'd take control of my body once again. That's why they had wounded me, to force me into unconsciousness with the pain and loss of blood. That was the only explanation.

However, even if I did somehow manage to keep myself from slipping into the darkness for a short time, there was no stopping them from getting what they wanted in the end. I could only hope and pray that Axel would come soon, and save me from myself before it was too late.

Axel, where are you?

oOxoxOo

"Alright, explain to me one more time how exactly you broke your hand."
I growled impatiently under my breath, fidgeting as the little emo bound my wounded hand. "I told you already, now can you just focus on the more important matter? Roxas was kidnapped! I need you to use that brain of yours and help me figure out where the fuck they coulda taken him!" I exclaimed, "Can't you tell me something, anything about this place? Maybe about the people, o-or some sorta 'reunion' or something?"

Zexion pondered the question for a moment, only serving to shorten my already lit fuse. I wanted answers and I wanted them now, damn it! He laid his finger against his chin and gazed blankly at the ground as he searched the enormous encyclopedia collection that was his mind.

"I'm sorry, Axel," he responded after a minute or so, "The only bit of information I'd have for you is a small list of the citizens that escaped that world after it was taken by the darkness nearly a year ago. It really isn't that much."

"I DON'T CARE!" I shouted, grabbing the smaller man by the front of his coat rather violently. "JUST TELL ME! I'm desperate here!"

Not at all phased by my over reaction, Zexion gently removed my have from his coat, brushed himself off a little, then gave me an unamused look. "Axel, if you want my help...you're going to have to calm down."
We stared at each other for a moment, overly stressed emerald eyes meeting apathetic violet. Finally, I obediently plopped into a chair and stared at the floor like a kicked puppy. It was rarely ever that I allowed myself to willingly do as I told, but like I said earlier, I was desperate. I just wanted my little Roxas back.

"Thank you," the younger male said softly, "Now, I don't have that much information on these people, but I shall tell you everything I know about them. There were actually quite a few people that escaped the heartless attack, more so than we see in most worlds. Their names are Yuffie, Tifa, Cid and Aerith. Now these are the individuals I have absolutely no data on whatsoever, other than they were all a part of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee, but I don't think that will do you any good. There are two others, however, that I do know a bit more about, as far as who they are; a man named Cloud, and another named Sephiroth, though that one is a bit of an enigma. Both of whom were seen in the Olympus Coliseum as well as Hollow Bastion."

None of the names in the first list even hinted at anything of importance, but one in particular did strike my memory like a baseball bat to the head.

"What about that 'Cloud' guy? What can you tell me about him?" Sure I'd met the man before, but that doesn't mean I knew anything about him. It was worth a shot seeing if Zexion knew anything that might give me an opinion at least of whose side he's on.

"He's a warrior," Zexion stated matter-of-factly, "I can tell you that much. We believe he was also a part of the restoration committee, but we're not entirely positive. We're also sure, according to what we've gathered, that he and Sephiroth share some sort of bloody past together. But as I said, Axel, we don't posses that much knowledge of these people."

Facepalming, I slumped limply in my chair. None of this was helpful! Now what was I going to do to get Roxas? I didn't even know where the bastard took him!
"Well, wait Zexion," I sighed, pulling whatever remained of my hope from the depths of my being back to the surface, "What about Sepiroth? Is there anything you can tell me about him?" I figured it was at worth it to ask. Zexion did say he and Cloud shared sort of history. Hell, maybe this Sephiroth dude had something to do with all this.

"Again, my apologies, Axel. I know nothing of Sephiroth. He's a phantom to say the least. However, Demyx may know something about him. He was, after all, sent on regular missions to Hollow Bastion as well as the Coliseum."

"Demyx? Seriously? You've gotta be kidding me. I've never asked Demyx for anything that I actually planned to apply to real life. He's not exactly the most reliable person when it comes to giving out information."

The little emo sighed heavily and stood from his chair with his first aid kit. "Come now, Axel. You should at least give him some credit," he said as he strolled casually over to the door, "He's smarter than you think. Why do you think the superior keeps him around?"

"Cause he keeps the castle clean?" I shrugged, trotting out the door after him. Another sigh filled the hallways as Zexion shook his head dismissively. A sly smirk crossed my face as another thought crossed my mind. "And the fact that if he were gone you'd have no one to play the bouncy bed game with."

The schemer's face instantly lit up like a bulb on a Christmas tree. He quickly opened a portal and darted through, calling behind him, "You're welcome for the information." I could swear I heard him mutter something under his breath, but seeing as I didn't know what a 'vacuous troglodyte' was, I didn't give it much thought. I could only laugh at the look on his face when I'd said that. Priceless.

As I stepped through the portal I found myself in Demyx's room. I glanced around until the large lump on the bed caught my attention. It was snoring rather loudly, so I could only assume it was the 'lump' I was looking for. Despite the fact I was in kind of a hurry, this was too good of an opportunity to waste. With the snap of the fingers, a small flame sparked on the edge of his pillow. It slowly grew, crawling up to his nose where the heat and smoke made it twitch. Suddenly, the sandy blonde leaped out of his bed and launched a full-scale blast of water at his pillow, completely drenching it.

I allowed a victory smirk to grace my features as Demyx stood beside me, panting like a dog and staring wide-eyed at his bed. He turned his attention to me, still shaking. "What the hell do you think you're doing!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. His voice was really high pitched as he struggled to maintain his equilibrium. I don't care who you are, that was fucking hilarious.

Anyway, getting back to more pressing issues. I allowed the smirk to fade into seriousness, and asked very lowly, "Dem, do you know a guy named Sephiroth?"

Pale, sea green eyes instantly widened in heart wrenching fear, and the scrawny blonde leapt back nearly five feet. "S-S-Sephiroth!" he stammered entirely horror stricken. I wasn't expecting such an intense reaction. I could literally see the kid shaking from here. This definitely wasn't going to be anything good. Damn, I thought it was going to at least be a little easy, but fate just loves to screw with me, doesn't it?

"Demyx, calm down," I said softly, laying a soothing hand on his trembling shoulder. "Now who exactly is this guy, and what did he do to you to rile you up so badly?"

The shaky nocturne could only shake his head. He swallowed hard as his eyes darted frantically around the room. It was as if Sephiroth was gonna jump out from under the bed and attack him. "H-H-He's a monster!" he finally managed to choke out, "I-I was on a mission, i-in the Underworld, you know, the place beneath the coliseum? A-Anyway, I was there and I saw him. He had this long, silver hair, and carried this really REALLY long sword. And his eyes, they were like some sort of animal's! They were like this glowing bluish-green, and the pupils were like these slits, like some sort of devil cat!"
"Woah, wait a sec. What about his eyes?"

Demyx blinked a couple times, obviously a little disoriented before tilting his head slightly to the side. "They were all glowy, and this weird sort of aquamarine type color. Definitely not human at all."
"Hm, that's what I thought you said."

The color that Demyx described, it sounded exactly like the color Roxas' turned back in Twilight Town. Maybe Sephiroth really did have something to do with what happened to Roxas.

"Keep going, Dem," I pressed, "What happened after that?"

"Um, w-well…" he stuttered again, trying to remember where he'd left off in the story. "Oh yeah, when I saw him there I figured he might be able to help with my mission. So, bein' the polite guy I am, I wandered over and introduced myself. Instead of tellin' me back, he just asked me where this 'Cloud' guy was, and when I didn't know he said, 'Then you have no use to me,' then tried to KILL me! Damn, I got outta there faster than you could even imagine. It was only after I was sent back there that I learned his name. I swear, that man's a maniac!"

Well, now it all made sense why the poor kid reacted how he did when I mentioned the guy's name, but what does any of that have to do with Roxas? It didn't make any sense.

"Do you have any idea where Sephiroth is now?" I interrogated, trying to pull some piece of information I could from the nocturne, "Maybe like his hideout or something?"

"Oh, Sephiroth's dead," the blonde stated matter-of-factly.

"WHAT!"

"Yeah, that Cloud guy toasted him. I know he's gone, but I still get all paranoid when anyone says his name. Mental scars, they don't go away."

I could feel flames leaking through my painfully clenched fists. I got all this way, came this close, all just to end up being sent on a wild goose chase?

The palm of my hand made contact with my face, leaving a nice imprint of my hand plastered on my forehead. Just then, sudden realization struck me like a ton of bricks. Possession, ghosts, why didn't I see it before! Sephiroth's dead, he wants revenge on Cloud for killing him. What better way to do that than controlling a kid that looks EXACTLY like the guy that killed him. Of course!

Confidence rising and hope renewed, I took the shaky teen's hand and opened a portal. His eyes instantly doubled in size and he struggled against my grip as I yanked him along behind me.

"Hey, what're you doing! Let me go!" he howled like an angry cat.

"Shut up, Dem. You're comin' with me whether you want to or not."

The blonde gave up the fight and instead began to whimper pitifully. I growled under my breath and turned back to find him gazing at me with huge, pleading eyes. "You know that's not gonna work," I sighed, "Besides, why are you putting up a fight, you don't even know where we're going?"

"Cause anytime someone pulls me into a portal I always end up having to do work that usually ends in tears and a nice, big bruise somewhere on my person. Not to mention the thought of work is enough to make me cry in and of itself," he whined painfully. I knew the guy was lazy, but come on.

"We're going back to see Zexion, Dem. So quit your whining. I just need you to come so you can be a part of things." Okay, that wasn't totally a lie, but I really did need him to come along. I needed all the help I could get when I ran into that stupid silver haired freak again.

"O-Oh, never mind then," he chuckled with an idiotic smirk. I could only shake my head and continue through to Zexion's room.

(Roxas POV)

Inhaling another shaky breath, and exhaling the same, I gingerly wrapped my arms tighter around my chest as not to further aggravate the already excruciating pain flaring up in my chest. I just wanted this all to end, but I couldn't give in. I wasn't anywhere near allowing those monsters win.

My chest felt like someone was inside of my lungs, tearing at them with a few dozen of Axel's chakrams. The geostigma was a hundred times worse than it was before, and that huge gash wasn't making things any better. It wasn't going to be much longer now. The world around me had become one giant blur, and I could feel my eyelids begin to flutter as I struggled helplessly to keep myself awake.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, I couldn't take it any longer. I gave into the sweet siren call of the darkness, allowing it to take me somewhere better than here, away from the pain. Axel would forgive me for my weakness, I was just sorry I couldn't last a little longer.

(Third POV)

The three remnants held their breath as they anxiously watched the young keybearer finally slip into unconsciousness.

"Is he gonna be here soon, Kadaj?" Loz asked eagerly, yet something in his eyes shown a slight hint of apprehension and almost fear.

Kadaj laughed quietly under his breath at this. "Patience, Loz," he purred in response. The larger remnant only whined and continued to watch with what little patience he had remaining, earning him a dismissive head shake from Yazoo.

Just then, all three bristled as a sudden burst of dark power charged the air. It was eminating from Roxas' unconscious form. Each silverette was striken with a soul jerking fear, yet on the outside they only showed complete ecstasy. Their one and only purpose was about to be fulfilled.

Roxas' once lifeless fingers suddenly began to twitch as the malevolent energy flooded his veins. He groaned and cried out, fighting with everything he had against the offending intruder for rights over his own body. He was fighting a losing battle. The battle quickly ended, but not in the blonde's favor. A new owner now possessed the Key of Destiny, and it was only too obvious by the animalistic colour of his now open aquamarine eyes.

Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo each fell to one knee, bowing their heads respectively as Roxas stood. The wound marring the young boy's chest gradually began to fill in with renewed flesh and blood. A sickly amused toothy grin slowly stretched across his now menacing features as he gazed at the three remnants kneeling before him.

After a moment, Kadaj lifted his head until his gaze locked with that of his superior. The silverette mirrored the other's facial expression perfectly, and he chuckled lightly.

"Welcome back, Sephiroth."

FINALLY! my work here is done

I hope you realize how long it took me to write this chapter, especially with all the school work I've been piled with. This was not easy to write, but alas, now you have been introduced to the newly arisen Sephiroth.

What plans does Sephiroth have in store for our little Roxy? Why is he using his body? What about Axel? Will he ever find Roxas, and even if he does how will he get him back from that bastard? All questions that shall be answered in due time. But if you want me to keep going, I'm gonna need a few reviews first. So be sure to make that a priority once you finish the chapter.

Can't wait to hear from ya'll. REVIEW