Chap V (one star-go to previous chapter to understand more about the star thingy!-)

What of dreaming? There are many times of the day when one can experience a dream, regardless of whether they are awake or not. Hallucinations that the mind flashes in the mind...a moving picture with no meaning. A dream can last forever or wither away the moment the eyes are opened. As simple as Nobodies. Nobodies: meaningless, lost creatures yet they can remain alive and be forgotten. Enter the darkness...creatures of darkness. It is what gives them a 'being'. Again, the point that they cannot feel anything stands correct. They are creatures of darkness. Darkness has no feel...no presence...nothing but controlling power. This is why they are dangerous...out of the darkness emerges the shattered souls of those Nobodies. That, is their only feeling: the pain of not containing a heart.

"Sora."

"Huh? Who're you?"

"You really don't remember?"

"Remember? Remember what?"

"What's happened to you, Sora? You're not like the old Sora I once knew."

"Who're you talking to? I'm not Sora."

"I know."

"Then why are you calling me by that name? My name is Roxas."

"It's what I like calling you...at least that's what I used to call you."

"Axel? Is that you?"

"Heh, don't confuse yourself. I'm not supposed to tell you."

"Why? Oh, never mind. There're a lot of things I don't know...why should I ask about this?"

"Sora, why don't you remember? You and I..."

"Huh? What?"

"Forget it. You've changed so much...your heart belongs to another now."

"But I don't have a heart."

"True, you don't. But don't you ever feel it sometimes?"

"Maybe...my mind's too messed up right now."

"So, he's your new best friend, right?"

"Best friend? Wait, you're not talking about Axel, are you?"

"Maybe I am."

"Well, he's a great guy...a bit weird but he's all I've got right now."

"So you're connected...tied to the darkness..."

"Huh? I can't hear you."

"You'll be completely eclipsed...you still know so little."

"Wait! What are you saying!"

"You know nothing...therefore, you understand nothing."

"What's going on! So—K—R—AXEL!"

There was a shifting of bedding when Roxas sat up with a shocked jolt. He let out a slight yell and began panting heavily, feeling cold sweat bead on his forehead. A dream...he was dreaming...this time he knew he had been. He slowly lifted his palms and stared into them, envisioning those two blades that he had held. He recalled how they felt: icy yet burning with power. Ever since he had joined the Organization, he had been seeing things. Whether they were dreams or of reality, he did not know. He wished that he could have at least mentioned that to Saix. Curling his hands into fists, he looked up and turned his head to the right then the left. It was dark. He almost thought he might have been trapped in one of those black voids the members of the Order used as transportation. He rubbed the back of his head and ran his fingers against a sensitive spot against his scalp. "Wait a minute! Axel!" He thought suddenly and pushed the sheets away from his body.

"Whoa there, tiger. Take it easy."

Roxas' widened eyes flashed to the cool voice of his companion. At last he felt his panting die.

"You had it rough last night." Axel said nonchalantly through the darkness. Roxas felt the bed sink slightly when he sat at the edge. That voice seemed to be the only one that he felt he could trust.

"Did...you just hear a voice? Just now? Did you hear anything weird?"

"You were probably dreaming. Crying does that to you if you cry right before you sleep." Roxas felt a warm hand being laid underneath his chin and shuddered once. He didn't want this...not again. "You feel fine. Thought you were gonna get yourself sick." The warmness faded and Roxas let out a long sigh, lowering his head, staring at the emptiness of the dark bed.

"Sorr...I mean, never mind."

"Ohh, so you did memorize what I told you!" Axel let out another one of his laughs and pushed roughly at Roxas' shoulder before standing from the bedding.

Roxas rubbed his shoulder absently and began daydreaming again. "Memorize...oh right! 'I have nothing to apologize for'...but I was, ah, what a mess." He looked up again and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his sleeve. "How long have I been sleeping for?"

"Three whole days." Axel said eerily.

"What!"

"Hah! I can't believe you! You should've seen your face!"

"Ah...damn it, Axel!" Roxas crossed his arms behind his head and fell backward, shifting lazily into the suppleness of the bed.

"No, just last night." Roxas felt a light punch on his head but, unable to see through the dim room, was unable to send one back.

"Were you here all night?" He asked at an attempt to change the subject.

"Well," Axel began, his voice coming from a further distance, "I don't wanna slip into corniness but, uhm..." He paused which only increased Roxas' curiosity. "I was really worried about you last night."

Roxas blinked in surprise and began toying with the metal chains dangling from his hood. "Worried? Why?"

"I don't know! I just...you were crying and all so I...uh..."

"Axel, have you ever seen somebody cry?" Roxas said in a hushed tone, turning his head to the side on the softness of his pillow.

Axel was quiet again. Either he was thinking of something to say or he didn't want to say at all. Or maybe he had already left Roxas to ventilate more of his anger. He seemed like the type who would hide his feelings that way. Roxas could picture him being so afraid to answer that he would cover up by making an excuse for leaving. No, Roxas had already seen him do that before...just last night. Saix had said he was angry and was punishing himself. It worried him. Why couldn't he just ventilate in front of Roxas? After all...weren't they somewhat connected? The thought of hating him...he wanted to forget all about it now. Yes; he knew they would be close.

"Just you. That's why I was worried. I didn't know what to do..."

"You were holding me though. At least that's something."

"It just felt right to hold you. I mean, you came to me and I didn't wanna throw you to the side or anything. But...although I knew you were hurting, I still found the sight of your tears amazing." Roxas could hear that voice growing closer to him but he didn't move. He simply lay on his pillow, listening to that voice...everything about him sent him to another side of the world. What more was there about him that he could know about?

"I was feeling pretty iffy last night. There were so many reasons why I was crying. Like, being afraid of the darkness, discovering that I'm a Nobody, having to look up to you, the list goes on and on."

"You don't like the fact that I have to take care of you?"

"Well, you scared me at first, I admit that. But, when I got to know you better, I guess that feeling went away. I even told Saix..."

"That I'm more of a friend that any of the other members, I heard."

"You...did? But you were out."

"I woke up right when you two began arguing. I didn't wanna say anything to you 'cause who knows what Saix would have done to you? Knowing that I was awake, he could have attempted to steal you away right in front of me."

"I wouldn't want to go to him. He's not...well, don't take this the wrong way but he's not my type." Roxas chuckled against the pillow and sat up again, facing where Axel's voice was coming from.

"Oh, so I'm your type?" Axel said in a perverted sort of voice.

"Hey! I told you not to take it that way!" Roxas exclaimed, grabbing the large pillow and throwing it into the darkness. When he heard Axel's pained retort, he knew he had aimed right where he wanted and laughed out loud. "You deserved it!"

"Yeah? Well you deserve this!" Roxas heard the sound of rushing footsteps and moved backward, already having a feeling of what was next. There was a strong push at his chest which forcefully pinned him to the mattress. When it hurt to laugh anymore, Roxas let out a content sigh and stared upward. He knew he had to teach himself never to do that again. "Stupid Roxas! Not this again!" He shifted once even though he found it difficult considering the fact that Axel's body lay lounged atop him. He was lost again in the only light in the room and narrowed his own eyes, suddenly feeling drowsy. He didn't mind that Axel was running his fingers through his hair. Truthfully, he loved it beyond explanation. That feeling again: his throat was dry yet another part of him felt so loose...almost like he could do anything.

"Why is it that you almost get quiet when I look at you?" Axel whispered gently in Roxas' ear.

"You tell me." Roxas replied.

"Heh, wanna try and get some sleep again? Maybe you should close your eyes...that's it..." He brought his hand to Roxas' cheek and began to lower his head.

As if by hypnosis, the young teen's eyes shut while he left his lips a bit parted. He wanted this...yes. He wanted him so much. "Now, do it. Do everything." At the very thought of them together, a small groan escaped Roxas' throat. That's when he was silenced. To Roxas' dismay, it lasted for only a disappointing split second. Axel's lips had barely touched Roxas before he pushed off of the boy and moved away from the bed. Roxas' eyes shot open and he sat upright as a faint light began to illuminate the room. He turned to see that a small lamp rested beside the bed yet it wasn't as strong a light as the neon signs that flickered outside. At least now he could fully see the teen he was so close to having. Axel turned his back on Roxas and reached for the hood at his back.

"Axel..." Roxas whispered, confused, watching him pull the hood over his handsome face.

"I have a place to be, Roxas. You've got until I come back to practice up on your skills."

"But, you're the one that's supposed to be teaching me, right?"

"You'll be fine. Just find a place where you can be alone. Don't let those other pushovers get to you and if you have a run in with one of 'em, well, I'll leave that to you." Now appearing as ominous as the other members with their hoods, Axel faced Roxas and signaled farewell with two fingers. "Don't miss me too much!" He called through the flames licking at his body. The darkness stole him away.

What little light the lamp provided revealed a rather blank room with ordinary white paint and a black floor. The bed where Roxas had slept in was large enough to accompany two on its plush body. Its backboard was a dark cherry wood with a strangely familiar symbol carved into its surface. Roxas ran his gloved fingers through the symbol and distinguished it as the very symbol that had been on the floor of the gathering room. He wished he knew what it meant. He wanted to ask Axel so many things. He knew he needed him more than ever. But what Axel wanted was probably a little space. He must have spent so much time trying to calm him down last night. He must have stayed awake for countless hours just to know he was alright. He wished he could have cried more often.

As he stood to leave, he suddenly felt the black pants under his cloak feel strangely loose. He bent down and noticed that his zipper had been undone. Shaking his head he brought it back up and thought of Axel again.

"He was right. He is crazy."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Roxas thought he had already mastered his transportation by now. Except for the fact that when he tried to leave his room he ended up atop a building instead of in the streets. Although it was day time, since Axel had mentioned 'last night', the sky remained black as night.

"One more try." He said to himself, thinking of the street directly below him as hard as he could. He pictured its single alleyway and the dark corner where two buildings met. With his feet planted firmly on the rooftop, Roxas was swallowed by black fire before reappearing only a few steps of where he had been earlier on the roof. He groaned in frustration and scratched his head. "What am I doing wrong? Ugh, how does Axel leave so fast and I can't?"

"Maybe you should think about looking up to new people!"

Roxas jumped and stared around him on the rooftop. The unfamiliar voice was cutting like a sharp wind rushing past his face in a sharp blow. "Not another one of you!" He yelled into the dark.

"Someone's being rude! You shouldn't judge just by voice, Roxas!" Several feet ahead, a black and amethyst void died away to reveal the suspected hooded figure. The man pulled back his hood with a single hand and immediately smirked at Roxas with amusement in shining in the only eye he had. His right was hidden behind a black eye patch and a few battle scars marked the light skin on his face. Like Saix, this man gave Roxas the impression that he too had been caught up in a past battle. His hair was black with silver streaks running through and was tied off at the back. In each of his hands he wielded a platinum colored, pointed weapon with a shade of purple circling the outer edges of the handle. It must have been his choice of weapon as moon was for Saix, fire was for Axel, and those mysterious blades were for Roxas. "So, how's the training going, Roxas?" The man said in a cocky voice.

"F-fine I guess." "What am I doing? I shouldn't be talking to his guy. Axel told me to...wait...he didn't tell me anything of what to do if I ran into one of them! Crap!"

"Name's Xigbar. I just happened to be out on my morning stroll when I caught sight of you training here on the rooftops. Isn't Axel supposed to be with you?" Xigbar questioned, cocking his head to the side.

"He...he had to be somewhere. B-but he's not abandoning me so don't think I'm going off with you! Saix already tried that!" The blonde immediately burst out to give Xigbar the idea that he wasn't about to be taken away.

"Hehe, you've got some imagination kid. Must've gotten that from your human. I don't plan on taking you under my wing like Axel. Heh, actually, I think he's got some nerve to take care of ya." Xigbar said while placing his left hand on his hip, still holding onto his weapon.

"What's wrong with that?" Said Roxas hotly.

"Its got nothing to do with you kid, believe me. You're probably the cleanest guy in this club. Everyone else has a dark secret or habit that they've gotta get fixed; Axel included."

"Huh? What're you talking about?"

"Well, I'm guessing you've already figured out about that anger management he's got. I can't say he's the most trustworthy either. He's got this knack for reeling people in then cutting them off just like that. That's why he's used for the tough jobs most of the time 'cause there's something about him that causes people to believe everything he tells 'em. Know what I mean?"

In a way, Roxas could believe what Xigbar was saying. For once, someone was making sense. Yes; Axel was some sort of an enigma to him. He wasn't sure if his eyes would count as a way he bribed people so he didn't mention it. "Well, sort of." He simply stated.

"I'm actually surprised he hasn't done that to you."

"He wouldn't do that to me. I know he wouldn't."

"Hey, don't count on that just yet, kid. Axel's still unpredictable. He's still doing his job just like the rest of us and his job is to teach you. What do you think he'll do once you're all good? Probably stab you in the back is what."

"He...he wouldn't do that! Stop making things up!"

"No, no, no, Roxas, listen. I'm not being the storyteller here, alright? I'm being the guru for your own benefit. The more you know about the people you're working with, the more you'll be able to maneuver in Organization XIII."

Roxas didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to think of Axel throwing him aside once he felt he was good enough to be accepted. He was his friend...maybe even a best friend already. He remained quiet and tried to ignore the words that sounded so true from Xigbar.

"Let's think for a bit. Picture the Order as a huge maze and at each dead end in the maze, there's a member of the Organization. So, dead end, what're you gonna do if you don't have the slightest idea of who they are? If you wanna be able to turn out of that end without getting your butt kicked, might as well know more about them to prepare. So, if you've got everyone covered, you'll be able to claim that spot at the end of the maze as your own. Simple as that. But, at that dead end, there's always gotta be a secret passageway, even more than one. If you're stuck in Axel's dead end, just think of taking at least thousands of passageways to find who he really is. He's like a maze himself, Roxas. If you ask me, I would think twice before..."

"Xigbar!"

No sooner had someone called Xigbar did Roxas' vision become obscured by a sudden flash of red. By the time the warm flash sped past him, Roxas looked up to see that Xigbar had been pushed over and was lying on his back with smoke coming from the burn on his right shoulder.

"Axel!" Roxas exclaimed, staring with his mouth wide open at the red head standing with his back turned against him. He noticed the two sharp weapons that he had been wielding when they first met being held tightly in each of his hands. "I thought you were..."

"Rrroxass..." Axel growled, not bothering to turn his head to speak directly to him. "I leave for a while and this is where I find you!"

"I...what?" Roxas tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at him. "Are you mad at me?"

"I don't have time for this! Get up Xigbar! NOW!" Axel demanded in a tone of voice that Roxas had never heard him use before. He could actually feel his tone of voice pounding at him and clawing at his body. "XIGBAR!" When Xigbar failed to respond, Axel twirled his left weapon in his hand several times before releasing it upon Xigbar's body as he did the first time. Several dancing flames held Xigbar's body captive which seemed to awaken him almost instantly.

"Feeling a bit tense, Axel?" Xigbar said in a strangely amused voice as the fire slowly burned his chest.

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Axel yelled and sent his right weapon colliding with the roof. When it burst into a flurry of heat a circle wall of fire wrapped around the two, causing Roxas to loose sight of both. The high flames reflected in Roxas' eyes as he tried to picture what was occurring behind the fiery barrier. All he could hear were the clashing of weapons and the massive cracking of the flames. No voices; nothing but pure battle effects.

After what seemed like an eternity, Roxas was able to see the flames dying to the ground and assumed that the hellish battle between the two had ceased. He hoped that neither one had suffered...but he already knew that Axel was. The air smelled of burnt wood and gun powder as a thin, grey dust cloud emerged from the battle scene and mixed with the wind. When the cloud moved farther away, Roxas' innocent eyes moved to Xigbar's body which was kneeling down weakly. He was breathing. He was sure Axel had killed him. His cloak was now dirtied by the blows of fire he had tolerated and upon his face a newly made scar that trailed from the bottom of his left eye to the center of his left cheek. He panted heavily and his defeated eyes stared up at Axel who too was panting but was standing erect and ready for more.

"Heh, you see, R-Roxas?" Xigbar managed to say through breaths. "What can you learn from someone who loses himself in his own flames?"

"YOU SHUT UP!" Axel barked at him, stomping his foot once on the flat roof.

"You don't deserve this, Roxas." With a last evil smirk, Xigbar weakly lifted the identical weapon in his right hand and pointed it in the direction of Roxas. Roxas gasped lightly and thought of somewhere to run. Anywhere. Anywhere was better than here...but, Axel. He turned toward his friend and watching helplessly as he slumped forward. He knew he was in pain and was tired out from fighting and being angry at the same time. "Heh, have fun with blondie over there, will ya Axel?"

"What?" Axel hissed, glancing over his shoulder at Roxas' shaken body. When his eyes fell upon him, he remembered. His face, those feared eyes that stared into his own. Was he afraid of him? "Roxas."

"Reload!" Xigbar laughed to himself when a bright flash of silver emitted from the end of his pointed weapon. Axel stared down at him and quickly at Roxas.

"ROXAS!"

No good. Roxas had been struck by Xigbar's silver gun shot the second he called out to him. Roxas' eyes went blank. He felt the rush of the sharp pain spread through his chest as he fell backward into mid air. He should have known better than to stand on the edge for now he was free falling to the darkened street below. Falling...the pain in his body, the pain in his mind...all came together as he fell. When all became black, why was it that he wanted to wake to those teal eyes staring down at him?