Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter! This one is twice as long as the first one. Also, I went through my outlines and determined that this whole story will be seven to ten chapters long. Anywho, I want to thank everyone for the reviews! It's been a blessing to know that people actually like this. I have a shoutout to my sissy, forgiven4ever: this fic would not exist if not for her.

Pairing: Axel.Namine and hints of Roxas.Namine

Rating: Teen. For sexual content, language, and suggestive humor.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chapter Two : Veneficulla

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was a nightmare.

It was utterly and atrociously awful.

She would never forgive the Wielder of Flames ever again, even if he begged for it on his knees and kissed her feet. It would not change this dreadful fact that made the girl infuriated. Why did this have to happen to her? Axel was not affected, the lucky bastard. Possibly it was because of the fact that he was an Organization member, despite him being a two timer. But wasn't she different as well? She was a memory witch. She could erase people's memories, rearrange them and break hearts. She was not fond of her power, but she had to live with it.

Uncomfortably, the small girl clung onto the gravestone with sweaty fingers as she timidly peeked around its edge. She had an excellent view of the rest of the cemetery. Even though the place was dark and mist settled on the land like a blanket, she could still see clearly. Monuments of stone and granite loomed beyond the rolling hills, making it appear to be endless. The place was randomly dotted with large pumpkins and bare, eerie trees. She immediately caught sight of the red headed Nobody looking at various shadowy hiding places. With a frown, he crept carefully towards a gigantic pumpkin and peered behind it. He cursed out loud.

As soon as she caught sight of him, the teenager shrunk back to her source of concealment, holding her breath. Axel was merely a few yards away at the most, and if she made one noise, he would be sure to hear it. To be truthful, it was rather exciting to hide. It gave her some adventure in her life that didn't involve life and death. But as she held her breath, she found it hard to maintain it. After half a minute, her tiny lungs became strained, so she let out a silent gasp.

"Naminè! Where the hell are you?" Axel's voice pierced through the stillness of the graveyard. His voice echoed against the solemn gravestones. The white moonlight caused the monuments to cast multiple shadows, which made the inferno more irritable. He launched a violent kick into a nearby pumpkin, resulting in the pumpkin bursting. Seeds and juice splattered on the ground and his boot.

"Naminè, you get your bony ass out here, or I'm leaving you here!" Axel's voice was angry now, but laced with a sort of panic. "I mean it, Nami." The anger caused the girl to tremble, but the panic made her curious. Sheepishly, she thought of the idea of Axel actually worried about her. It caused her to feel warmth in her cheeks as she pondered it over. Was it possible, though? It was probable that he was faking it. But why would he care enough to take her to another world?

Why did he offer to take her to three worlds? Why did he want her to be satisfied? This question repeated in her mind over and over again. It made no sense, no matter how hard she meditated on the subject. At Castle Oblivion, it seemed to her that Axel just wanted the prisoner to be content so that she would agree to save Sora, stabbing Marluxia in the back in the process. She despised Marluxia, for he haunted her dreamless nights and used her. But then there was Axel. He acted as if he cared. She knew he was just using her. He wanted her to repair Sora's memories. She still did not know why, but there had to be a reason.

Naminè settled on the ground so that she was sitting with her knees and calves underneath her. Her muscles were aching from remaining in the same position for awhile. Relaxing her arms from desperately gripping onto the stone, she placed her hands on either side of her. As soon as she did so, however, she felt a crunch from underneath her palm of her right hand. Swallowing thickly from the familiar sound, Naminè slowly turned her vision downward, causing her stomach to lurch.

"Eep!" she leaped from her crouched position, and slammed right into Axel, who had just stepped up to the gravestone and looked behind it. As soon as he saw her, though, she had jumped on him. Reacting quickly, he caught her in his arms and glanced behind her to see what frightened her.

At the base of the tall gravestone laid a fully-clothed skeleton. However, its eyes were still intact with the slightly decayed brain. Rotten meat still clung onto the skull and the bare bones were covered in a dull, brown slime. Axel winced at the gruesome sight and turned his attention back to the shaking girl in his arms, who was now hastily wiping her greasy hand on the front of her dress. She gagged as a lump formed in her throat, so she pushed Axel away and leaned over a gravestone. The inferno did not need to question her actions, especially when she began to vomit.

Nervously, he scratched the back of his neck.

"Are you okay?" he asked once Naminè stepped back with a green face. She glared at him, and then nodded once. Axel's worried face suddenly vanished and turned into rage.

"I looked everywhere for you! I thought the Organization found and captured you!" Axel scolded her and perched his hands on his hips. The girl in front of him avoided his fiery eyes and wrapped her slender, white arms around her waist. This caused him to take in her change of outfit.

Perched on her blonde head was an oversized black witch hat that almost covered her blue eyes. Her dress, however, was a rather different story; to her, it looked strangely similar to black lingerie. She scrunched up her petite face and huffed out loud. She hated her outfit. It was the reason for her hiding from her comrade, who just happened to be slightly perverted. The look on Axel's face made her want to slap him. She bashfully tugged on the hem of her dress to try to stretch the length of it, but to no avail.

"You know, no matter how hard you try, it's not gonna make it any longer," declared the smirking Nobody, who tried his best not to bring suggestive thoughts in his mind. "Besides, you have stockings." True, the girl's legs were covered with black and red striped stockings, which made her more modest. But to her, it made the outfit more suggestive. Her only relief was that the stockings were not lacey. Naminè sent Axel another sharp glare.

"That's the problem. Why did I have to go through an outfit change? Why not you?" Naminè whined noisily and stomped her foot. Axel grinned impishly and shrugged.

"I guess I'm just special."

"It's not fair…"

"Life's not fair, kid."

Naminè scoffed before turning on her heel, making her way towards the looming metal gate at the base of the hill. As she began to move, she felt Axel grasp her limp hand and stroll beside her. She cast him a wary glimpse, catching the sign of a devious smirk on his face. He caught her eyes, so he returned the stare, piercing her soul with his emerald orbs.

"Yes?" he jeered. She sighed.

"Why are you holding my hand?"

"So you don't run away."

"I'm not going to run away…" Namine's voice trailed off as she caught sight of a pole with boards nailed to it. On one of the boards, there was 'Halloween Town' painted in a bright orange. Inwardly, she regretted making the bet with Axel. Why here? The place was possibly covered with spiders, and spiders she loathed. Marluxia reminded her bitterly of a spider, so she was fearful of them. If this world had half-decayed carcasses, they were sure to have those eight legged creatures that she hated.

"For some reason, I can't trust you on that," the red headed man remarked in a teasing tone, making Naminè clench her jaw. Even though she had to admit she liked Axel, she despised his cluelessness to sensitivity.

As the two continued down the path and through the gate, Axel's grip on her hand remained sturdy. Apparently, he had no intention of letting her go. It was hopeless. Though, she did like the fact that he held her hand. She did not, however, like the reason for it. Letting out a sigh, the girl became wary of her surroundings. They had entered a walkway bordered by a stone fence, and she could spot a large town a half a mile away. She groaned; God knew what the people here looked like. From the memories of Sora she drew, she had an idea what this place was like.

It was when they were within a few yards was when Naminè felt more uneasy.

In the distance was what appeared to be a very busy little man with a tall hat. He was randomly handing gloomy pedestrians a sheet of paper and chatting excitedly with them. Naminè could not see his features well because of how far the two Nobodies were from the entry of the town. However, the man spotted the two newcomers and hurried over to them, holding a stack of papers. When he drew nearer to them, though, Naminè unknowingly stared with shock in her expression.

The little man was probably one of the 'creepy' people in this town; his face reminded the girl of a mask. A bright, cheesy smile was plastered on the man's face. An abnormally tall top hat rested on his pointed head and a red ribbon was pinned to his grey jacket: 'Mayor'. Immediately, Naminè realized that she would have to be as nice as possible to this man, for he was in control of the town. Axel shifted randomly beside her as they stopped. The mayor halted in front of them.

"Here! Here are some fine kids for our caroling program!" the little man blinked, rather obvious to the two. Axel arched an eyebrow and remained silent as Naminè smiled back down at the man. "What may your names be?" he inquired hurriedly. Before Naminè could have the chance to speak, Axel answered.

"I'm Bob, and this here is Georgia," he replied with a mordant hint. Naminè had to do all in her power to keep from letting out a small laugh. The mayor, however, took the joke seriously.

"Oh, well, Bob, Georgia…will you be interested in singing in our Christmas carol program?" he chattered happily. Naminè had to admit that even though this man was strange, he was rather friendly. She opened her mouth to speak, but, once again, Axel, or…'Bob', responded.

"No, thank you."

Naminè and the mayor pouted at the same time.

"But our pumpkin king insists on everyone joining!" the mayor protested loudly, and to Axel, annoyingly. Axel, though, came back with a quick answer.

"How come you're doing Christmas, anyway? Aren't you guys in charge of Halloween?" Axel tilted his head to the side cleverly, waiting for the mayor's explanation. Naminè threw the red headed Nobody a quick glance. Axel rolled his eyes.

"Well, Jack wanted to be in charge of Halloween and Christmas this year!" the mayor beamed up towards the tall twenty-two year old. Without another word, the mayor looked meaningfully at Axel, who rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Naminè stood off to the side, secretly wanting to sing with a group of carolers. It would be fun and something to do. If Axel wouldn't let her do this, then he definitely owed her. Axel shook his head.

"Nope, still not interested."

"But the king insists!" the mayor whined.

"Well, we're just visitors. We're not staying here long anyways…"

"But it would be fun!"

"I said no, thank you."

"But-"

Apparently, Axel's fiery, short temper was spent. With a flick of his wrist and a snap of his fingers, the pile of papers with the carols printed on them burst into red flames. Letting out a yelp, the little man leaped backwards and let the ashes litter the ground. The mayor's head suddenly whipped around to show a more gruesome face. A horror struck face was now the feature of the mayor. Naminè let out a quiet gasp and covered her mouth with her right hand, staring at the sight with wide eyes.

"Nice meeting you," Axel waved casually before snatching up Naminè's free hand and leading her into the street, leaving the mayor sulking pitifully before the pile of what used to be carols. Naminè sorrowfully looked over her shoulder and felt sorry for the mayor. What Axel did was unforgettable.

Naminè waited for when Axel and she were in an empty alley way with only a few trash cans and a scraggly black cat sleeping on the doorstep of a house. The buildings were dingy and it appeared to be the rough part of the town. Abruptly, she pulled her hand away and ceased walking, turning around and crossing her arms across her chest. Axel, confused at her action, stopped as well, curious as to why the girl was pouting.

"Hey, kid, what's wrong?" he inquired, using two fingers to push her shoulder to the side so that she was facing him. Her face was filled with anger and her eyes flashed dangerously.

"Why did you do that?" she demanded in a soft tone. Axel stepped back and shrugged lazily, crossing his arms in the same manner as the girl in front of him.

"He pissed me off," was his simple answer. Naminè scowled.

"I piss you off! You don't go and burn up my pictures!"

"Believe me, kid, it's becoming more tempting…"

"Well, you didn't have to be so mean! He was trying to be nice, and there you are being cruel and burning up all of his hard work!" she exclaimed loudly. She thought that she hit home, but Axel seemed to not care. Instead he scoffed.

"All he did was print out fifty copies. That's not work."

"I wanted to be in the caroling program…" Naminè mumbled, looking down at her feet. She had thought that when Axel wanted to go to a few worlds, he meant have fun as well. Why else would they be exploring this place? Was it just to tour the place? She wanted to have fun…

"Well, I don't," Axel said sternly, quickly losing his patience. "I don't want to go around singing gay Christmas songs dressed up like a fag." Naminè watched him from underneath her hat.

"I do…"

"The world isn't about you, Nami," the Organization member snapped back. "Life isn't simple like you think it is. Life isn't about sitting around and drawing pictures. We can't go around singing songs as if there's nothing wrong with the world. There's a lot wrong with it! It's screwed, and we can't change that fact. So stop being selfish and thinking that the world revolves around you; it doesn't."

That did it. The speech that Axel made hit a sensitive nerve and she bit her lip to try not to cry. What a vacation this was turning out to be. It seemed hopeless that the two Nobodies would ever agree on a subject. Maybe he did not care about her at all and he just wanted to look for Sora. That would make more sense. What a fool she was to think that Axel actually cared about her. That was what she wished. That was what she wanted to be true, but it wasn't. Without another word, Naminè did the one thing she could do: she whirled around on her heel and walked down the alley way in the opposite direction that they were previously going. She knew that Axel was not following her because she did not feel his heat. She didn't even bother to look over her shoulder to see what was on his face.

As she made her way through the dark alley, Naminè felt uneasy. The buildings were rather tall and crooked. A few buildings were just weird. Iron fences bordered the alley way and as she continued, she noted that there were more homeless cats. She passed by an odd looking band with cellos and violins who seemed to be asleep. It was strange and she did not like it at all. Cautiously, she glanced around, noticing people watching her from their home windows. She swallowed thickly, and that was when she heard a faint clicking sound.

Click, clack, hsssss…

Naminè froze on the spot. It was following her, she knew for sure. Well, maybe not for sure. To be certain, she stepped a little ways before she heard it again:

Hsssss…

What was that? It frightened her, and she inwardly wished that she had stayed with Axel. Now he was probably gone forever and left her here with God knows what behind her. Did he just leave her there? Horror filled her empty chest as she hurriedly looked around, trying to determine the source of the noise, but it was coming from different directions, and what's worse, closer. 

There was a time where Naminè thought she had stifled giggling and a harsh hissing noise as if to tell them to be quiet. This was not good.

Panicked, Naminè began to breathe heavily, and if she had a heart, she knew it would be pounding against her chest. Something, or someone, was following her, for whatever reason that she did not know. She found herself not being able to move after she heard the mysterious clicking and hissing again. She rarely found herself that terrified, but this time she was frantic. She held her breath, took a small step forward and stopped.

Hsssss…

It was loud, and it came from right behind her...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Axel let out a slow breath, pacing through the streets in an angry manner. He had a lot on his mind, and here this girl wanted to do something he had hated ever since he was a Somebody. As she had stomped off like the spoiled brat she was, he felt a slight tug on what would be his heart. A strange sensation spread throughout his empty chest. It was the same feeling he felt when Roxas had left the Organization. How he missed him, and now he was trying to help his other. It the only thing he could do, now that Roxas was gone. Axel frowned slightly from the sweetest memory of his friend. It pained him to know that it was not likely to see him ever again, especially since the blonde Nobody was now joined with Sora.

So now here he was, going through this bet that he made with Roxas' girl. Well, it was supposed to be like that, just like Sora and Kairi were together. He wasn't sure why he made her the promise; it was probably just because he wanted a break to get his mind off of more important things. For instance, Kairi was safe at her home in the islands, just waiting for that boy to come. Axel smirked at the thought of throwing the Organization off track, giving him more time. But then there was the fact that this blonde haired girl had to stay with him. Riku wanted him too, didn't he?

He did like the girl, really he did. During her captivity in Castle Oblivion, he felt concerned for her and actually cared whether or not Marluxia would visit her during the night. It had angered him to know that the Graceful Assassin had planned to take her as his own after they had overthrown the Organization. Axel had stopped that. Mostly to help Sora, of course. But also, maybe, to help the girl as well. After all, she was Roxas' girl. But as he thought more about her, he had something gnaw into his soul. She had given him a picture with a little scribble of red on it. He wasn't sure what to make of it; maybe she admired him. As of late, however, things were much different. Naminè seemed to change, growing more concerned and stressed about putting together Sora's memories and having Roxas join him. Also, she seemed to despise Axel at present.

Most times now, she was a bitch. But other times, especially during Castle Oblivion, she was kind. She was gentle, and caring. He could not stand to see her in pain. Why was that? He did want her to be pleased and satisfied. But there were times when he was on his last nerve and she rubbed it in. He couldn't help but snap; he had a short temper. Another reason he was slightly angry with her was because she had helped Roxas join with Sora. Now, Sora and Roxas were basically the same, but still…Axel missed his best friend. And now he was gone. Only part of Sora would remember the memories that Roxas and the red headed inferno had. But it would be a distant memory.

Letting out a sharp exhale, Axel gathered his thoughts together as he neared a corner of the alleyway. He had noticed earlier that it was rather creepy at this world. Maybe the next world he chose to go to would be less frightening for the girl. He could tell that she was uncomfortable here, especially with her outfit. He wasn't that bothered by it, of course…Damn his perverted-ness. Was that even a word? He wasn't sure what to call it.

As Axel rounded that certain corner, he stopped.

What he saw made him flabbergasted. He wasn't sure whether to gasp, laugh, or remain silent. It was a funny sight, yet, when he recognized the girl, it immediately turned to sudden worry and concern.

His girl was dangling upside down, her hair a shimmering curtain. Her eyes were closed and her mouth set to a grim frown. Axel could tell that she was out of it. But that wasn't what made him appalled; what held her upside down made his jaw nearly drop. Around her body was a transparent casting, almost like a thick spider web…Which drew to his attention. Where was she dangling from, though? Well, there were a couple of clothes lines connected to the building that weaved here and there. Enough said. But resting on the clothes lines was what made Axel shocked to the point where he couldn't move.

A seven foot long spider. Yes, a seven foot long spider. It looked similar to an overgrown tarantula. Oh, and damn it to hell; the girl was excessively afraid of spiders. That would explain why she passed out. Or it could be because the spider bit her and she was poisoned…Axel snapped out of it. Any thoughts of Naminè being in danger, especially the risks of death, made him clench his jaw. He suddenly caught sight of the children who were possibly behind this sick joke. Three children dancing in a circle and cackling: one looked like a demon, the other a witch, and the other…a ghost? Or was that a skeleton? Either one, they all looked demonic. That would explain their prank.

Axel had to act fast if the girl was dying of poison. She probably wasn't, but he had to be sure. Thoughts of her slipping away made him almost panic, but he had to keep his cool. Thank goodness he was behind a trash can, or the company would have spotted him. Casually he ducked, concealing himself. He had to come up with a plan, and quick…Were children afraid of men with flaming fists? Or his chakrams alone could scare them. Fire was the main key.

In the meantime of Axel's plotting, the children (a.k.a. demonic bastards) held hands and formed a circle, dancing and teasing the girl they had captured after she had frozen to death. They were lucky that she was afraid of spiders; now it would be easy to do whatever they pleased with her, since she would not put up a fight.

Barrel, the boy who was dressed in a skeleton costume, had wanted to back out on the plan. He was the 'lesser of evil' in the children's group. He was fun to pick on, though. When the children began to follow the girl in the black dress, he was skeptical. But now that they had accomplished their scheme for foul play, he was enjoying himself. Lock, the demonic kid (no, the one dressed as the demon: they're all demonic) had come up with the plan the moment they had spotted the lone girl. The witch girl, Shock, was the one who had the tool to use, so of course it took some convincing. Why would she freely allow her pet spider to be used for Lock's enjoyment? So now she was waiting for the moment when she would torture the boy in exchange of payment. She had grinned at the thought of it.

All of the children ranged around the ages of ten to twelve years of age, Barrel being the youngest and Shock being the oldest. The group loved to cause havoc to the town's people, especially the Mayor. Luckily, they always got away with it, for there would be no evidence of their destruction. At this moment, though, they were enjoying their time that they had before someone found them.

"Did you see the look on her face?" Shock giggled wickedly as the children ceased their dancing. Lock sniggered in response and Barrel simply smiled.

"It was simply wonderful! I don't think I've ever seen someone so scared in my life!" the demonic boy answered his close friend. She smirked as she glanced above their heads to see her darling pet spider.

"What do you suggest we do to her now?" she questioned as she slyly rubbed her chin and adjust her purple witch hat. Barrel, the one who kept silent most of the time, gasped.

"I know! How about we take her to Oogie Boogie?" A fantastic idea from one so quiet and timid. Shock rubbed her hands together and let out another one of her cackles.

"That's perfect! Let Tiny have some more fun with her, first-" The girl stopped her speech when something caught her attention. She saw something from the corner of her black eyes, so she turned toward the direction of the corner of the alley. The other two comrades copied her actions and stared. A tall red headed man, most likely not of this world, rose up from behind the trash can, a murderous glint to his emerald eyes. He wore a simple black cloak. He was a few yards away, but Shock could actually feel his anger. They would have just laughed, if not for the fact that he was enormous! He was sure to be at least six feet tall, which was practically giant to the children. They trembled as he slowly approached them, the rage in his countenance becoming clearer.

But it wasn't until he was a few feet away from them when he spread his long arms out. His hands suddenly were engulfed with burning flames, and all around them a ring of red fire erupted from the ground, seemingly out of nowhere. The demon possessed children cowered and clung onto each other, shivering in fear. It wasn't every day a flaming mad man charged at them. Nor throw his head back and laugh wildly, piercing the silence with the insanity. Obviously, at this point, the children had picked the wrong person to capture. They didn't know that someone would actually come looking for the girl!

Immediately, Shock jumped, dashing through another alley off to the side with Lock and Barrel on her tail. They did not want to mess with this pyromaniac or his girl anymore. Tiny, the large spider (oxymoron, isn't it?) scurried away into the darkness of the alley, the same one that the children sprinted off in. It vanished without another sign.

Axel slowly breathed out, relaxing his muscles, allowing the flames to die down. His plan had worked and he was triumphant. But the question was now…how the hell was he going to get the girl down?

Odd, isn't it? O.o' Oh well!

Note: The name of the chapter is 'witch' in Latin. I'm not sure if I have it correct, but my sister says it is.

Note II: Yes, I've watched 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' a million times. I'm a nerd. The enviroment is based off of the movie, not the game. The game's Halloween Town is slightly different than that of the movie's.