"Wild" and the general concept of "Wild" is completely copyright Orin Drake 2006. All characters contained within are owned by Square-Enix and Disney.

Background: I really wanted to explore Roxas through the eyes of the other Organization members... not sure how well I succeeded, though.

Wild
by Orin Drake

Roxas was like a curse dropped in their midst. The boy seemed so fragile at first glance, a perfect victim. It was a mistaken assumption which was not repeated.

Well, not often, anyway. Out of all of their group, it was only Axel who could fully appreciate the tightly-wound time bomb that was Number XIII. He was unpredictable at times, stark, and always a challenge. Simply put, the boy was a perfect amusement.

Xemnas merely kept Roxas around because of his obvious use. The Nobody of the Keyblade Master... it made some plans easier. Complicated others--but so long as no one managed to spill the big secret, the Superior couldn't find it in him to be all that concerned.

Xigbar couldn't resist being an ass to the kid, but never once did Roxas give him the satisfaction of pretending to be offended. II was kind of like a mean, distant older brother... sort of. He meant no direct harm... usually.

Xaldin didn't seem to mind either way, surprisingly focused on things besides Organization politics. He would nod if he passed XIII in the hallways, or even mutter the occasional greeting, but otherwise... it simply wasn't any deeper. Besides chanced passing in hallways and the occasional spar when no one else seemed available, they may as well not have belonged in the same organization at all.

Vexen cared only for the purposes of science... and perhaps some desire to cut the boy up just to see what might be inside. That much was no secret to Roxas, however--and he stayed away. There were enough rumors about the "mad scientist" that had turned out to be true.

Lexaeus was very careful not to make statements about anything, if at all possible. That simple fact probably made him the most intelligent of the entire Organization.

Zexion might have looked on with a touch of contempt if only because Roxas had no interest in the same sorts of puzzles. The younger Nobody only asked the big questions about the things that scared the rest of them too much to think about. It was something Ienzo would have admired... but Zexion couldn't.

Saix... well, Saix disliked... everyone. Except for Xemnas, of course. He had the ability to be social--he simply preferred not to have to make the effort. Toward anyone. Ever.

Demyx was friendly to pretty much anyone... but Axel had caught him glancing at their newest member with something that could almost be called "longing". He was asked about it once in a while, but cast the questions off. No one needed to know that his musical inspiration soared the longer Roxas was around.

Luxord, as usual, was amused. The odds, the possibilities were always things playing on the man's mind--and with the presence of the Keyblade Master's Nobody... everything became even more of a game of chance. Truth be told, it was a rather enjoyable notion.

Marluxia paid him no mind whatsoever. The boy simply did not matter enough to his plans... and perhaps he paid the price for his chosen ignorance.

Larxene hated. Heart or no heart, it was a palpable thing surrounding her like a second skin. Roxas' presence was not tolerated--and the boy was fine with staying away.

But Axel... Axel was entirely indifferent. At first. He tried to be... but the boy must have broken him. That's all that made sense. He couldn't have been tricked, because he knew himself to be far too crafty for that. And yet it hadn't been by sheer physical force... not quite a mental one, either. Granted, the kid's brilliant blue eyes could glare with enough intensity to evaporate a Heartless where it stood, but that hadn't been the culprit either.

Axel was known to be a double-crossing, snide and sarcastic bastard. He wore the title with pride, in fact; it kept him exactly far enough away from everyone to have the perfect vantage point over them all. So... how was it that Roxas had managed to sneak past every last one of his defenses?

Roxas was dangerous. Far more so than his Other--but in vastly different ways.

For this boy was a wild thing that did not belong there, with them. The closer they got to him... the more they... the more they felt, and... and that wasn't supposed to be possible.