My World

Chap 12 – Tug o' War

"THEY FINALLY GOT IT! THEY GOT IT!" Joker bounced around the bleak room – swaying his hips a little to what can only be assumed was some sort of Salsa music that was playing in his mind.

"Who finally got what puddin'?" Harley placed another pina colada onto the wooden table – again they were suppose to be waiting for these Organization members to arrive at their humble quarters they had so "charitably" bestowed upon them.

"The kids! You dolt! Don't you ever pay attention?" He wasn't particularly yelling at her, but she never liked to get scolded – especially by her beloved.

"If you're going to ask questions – then at least make them worthwhile!" He made his way over to his chair and began sipping at his pina colada – his knee was bouncing up and down, he could barely contain his excitement.

"Well, how 'bout this for a worth while question," she sat her petite self onto the table top, "How do ya KNOW they got it?"

He smiled and got up from his seat, he couldn't be sitting, not today, there was way to much fire in his belly to be able to keep himself still for more than a few minutes at a time.

"You do recall that I have been visiting Castle Oblivion a lot lately have you?" He says as he starts to pace back and forth, Harley's big blue eyes watched him adoringly as he begins to unravel his little plan to her. "Well, the castle houses the analysis of memories – and one little corner of that place –is reserved for dreams."

"Oohhh! The Room of Sleep, eh? Guess it's got more to it than that ol' suit of amour." A dazzling smile shined between her dark red painted lips.

"Nothing that a little magic can't conjure up!" He pulled out his metallic Maleficent staff and began twirling it around between his fingers. But then a furrow mangled Harley's brow once more.

"How come no one ever made a fuss about ya been there? I mean, we aren't the most liked people in this shin-dig."

"Well who could ever resist the charm of the defenseless and harmless clown that is I!" She chuckled as he tossed his staff into the air and caught it with one hand behind his back. "Show a man what he wants to see on the outside and he doesn't bother to check what's in." He continued to twirl the pole about like a baton. "That Xemnas is a different case though, but he admires my work too much to get rid of me! HA!" Another quick flip into the air, "And we have had such interesting conversations with one another," and caught again with one hand, he stops fiddling with his staff, "almost makes me sad to think about what I'm going to do with him." His eyes glaze over to what can only look like genuine sadness but soon the devil rears its ugly head and the smile replaces his two second frown, "Almost."

"Oh puddin'!" Harley quickly jumped to her feet and lunged herself at her man, her body suggestively was pushing up against his side and her hand kneading against his chest. "You're a genius!"

A satisfied smile crawled up on his face as he watched Harley; she was such an eager little pet, so eager to please and to be pleased. He brought his face close to her, both of their noses touched and she let out a small delighted squee, "I know I am," he chuckled and their lips were so close to one another that when he spoke, it almost felt like a kiss. Harley swooned with delectation that she hadn't even felt the bone crushing feeling that emanated from her hand that had been caressing her lover's pectorals.

The Joker's hand, still holding onto the staff had taken a hold of her hand and was holding it tightly in his. His grip was stronger than it needed to be, and the staff was crushing into her knuckles and her fingers were unable to even move none the less pull away from his grasp. But no cries of pain escaped her lips, and she didn't struggle to remove her hand from his deathly grasp, a broken hand and a few fingers were of little concern to her. When love was involved, some things were bound to get broken.

And she didn't want to look away from his beautiful green eyes that reminded her of deliciously flavored green apple jelly beans. And she didn't want to stop smiling, because even though she didn't understand a lot of things, she got this. She got this joke. And it was funny, it was sweet, it was sublime. Her heart beat faster as they continued to stare at each other – she was the only person who has ever able to hold his gaze for so long.

She could feel an embrace coming; feel it in the pit of her stomach – like a punch. As soon as he broke her hand, he'd muffle her sound of hurt with a kiss. The thought of her lips touching his made her even more light headed and she anxiously waited for it to happen – she even fantasized about breaking her own hand to speed up the process.

But her wanting embrace was put on hold as a laugh echoed throughout the room.

And this time it wasn't the Joker's.

"Would you look at that, they ARE going out! Remind me to give Luxord fifty pieces of gold."

The Joker turned his head over his shoulder, his mouth turned down in scorn; he slightly twitched as his eyes scanned the room. He never liked to be caught in his more –intimate- moments.

"Queue the annoying brat." The clown growled as he forcefully pushed Harley off of him. She pouted slightly but darted icy glares and a vicious look into the direction of the voice.

"Why doesn't anyone ever knock 'round here?" She inquired venomously; and she began rolling up imaginary sleeves and balling her hands up into tight little fists, "I oughta teach ya some manners!"

"We're here to find out what you've done with Xaldin's memories." It was another voice, and the Joker's brow lifted. This one sounded much more commanding than the other, but it also sounded much younger. Xemnas must be getting really suspicious of his activities if he had to send two guys to keep an eye on him.

"His memories? Does it LOOK like I can do such things?" He shrugged his shoulders and his eyes diverted to the slightly heavy object he still held in his hand. He bit his lower lip and quickly began to shove the object into his inner pockets. My how he's gotten sloppy! He angrily turned his head over to Harley; always hand it to a woman to divert a man's attention from more important things.

"You don't LOOK like you can do much of anything," the first voice jeered as he stepped towards the clown. From the first hints of fiery red hair, the Joker already knew it was Axel. He never liked Axel. From the minute his eyes laid on him he knew he was going to be BAD news.

They both stood an arm's length away, each surveying the other, two fighting bull dogs waiting for the first to make a move.

"Nice hair, but I think you should dye it again soon, I'm starting to see the roots." The Joker remarked, looming over Axel, but this did not intimidate the hot-headed Organization member as he looked at the pale face crossly.

"As I was saying," Roxas soon came out of the darkness and stood beside Axel. Axel looked down at his companion and the Joker merely rolled his eyes.

"Hey kiddo, can't ya see there are two grown-ups talking?" At the clown's remark, Roxas' cheeks blushed lightly and his face contorted to annoyance, he knew he was the youngest of the Organization members – but didn't like to be made fun of because of it. Yet, he reserved his anger and decided to ignore the comment.

"We have reason to believe that you're responsible for Xaldin's memory loss, since you were the last one to meet with him before the incident." Roxas continued.

"Haven't you been listening? I don't quite have that magical touch."

"And what about that thing you were putting into your little robe?" Axel took a step closer to the Ace of Knaves. "I'm pretty sure you wouldn't mind if I took a look at that." He reached out a hand to grab a hold of him, but the Joker moved back defensively.

"Hey! Ya can't go around grabbing people! I mean, I don't know what YOU two boys like doin' at home –. " He chortled and Axel quickly rushed up to him and forcibly opened up his robes and was astonished to find what lay within the clown's inner compartments.

"Maleficent's staff." Axel grabbed a hold of the artifact and pulled it out from his pocket, the Joker didn't try to stop him.

"Ain't it a beaut? Handmade by a dead girl and the finishing touches done by moi." He watched as Axel looked over the staff and Roxas peered over his arm to see if the thing really was the real deal. And as far as either of them were concerned – it was.

"So you did take Xaldin's memories!" Roxas angrily declared as he looked up into those maniacal green eyes.

"Only the parts I needed." He grabbed the head of the staff and began to pull it out of Axel's hands. "Now if you'll excuse me," Axel wouldn't let go and the Joker became a little tense. "Look, I got things to do, and you guys are like – on the BOTTOM of my list. And I can't let you two ruin MY fun by letting you snitch around so – ya mind? I mean, we can play the hard-to-get game but we all know how this is going to end."

"Why don't you tell me?" Axel smirked, his grip only becoming tighter.

"Well, it can end up two ways, one – you lose, two – I win!" Axel's features soured as he pulled the staff closer to him. "Oh what? You're going to get mad at me now? You asked the question!"

The Joker tried pulling the staff over to his side, but was already starting to break a sweat.

Harley could see her beloved struggling with that Nobody and couldn't bear to see him exerting all his power in such vain effort. She quickly ran over to the both of them, and roughly pushed Axel and his grip on the staff loosened which the Joker joyously took advantage of and pulled it closer to him before Axel took a firm grasp of it again.

"First, I'm taking this staff," Axel tugged and the staff was slowly but surely moving towards his direction. "And then, I'm going to beat both of your brains out!"

"Ain't it great when they talk dirty?" Joker let out a hoot of laughter as Harley quickly joined him in the rump.

Axel gritted his teeth and let out a loud guttural sound as he pulled the staff once again over to his side. The Joker nearly lost his grip but continued to laugh. "And when they make big noises that make the soles of your feet tingle so hard it hits your tummy like lightening?" Axel was only one good tug away from obtaining Joker's renovated staff, and Harley was right next to him ready to give him the old heavy-ho when Roxas jumped in front of her.

"You guys have gone on long enough with this foolishness! I'm going to – "

"Shut it twerp!" Harley unthinkingly shoved him roughly and he toppled over onto Axel, who in turn made Axel's grip completely slip and the two fell right onto the floor.

Both Harley and Joker began to laugh at the sight. Roxas had suggestively landed on top of Axel, his legs were parted and Roxas lay between them, his hands romantically placed around Axel's waist.

"I knew it! I knew something was going on between the two of you! Harls didn't believe me at first but HA! I knew better!" The two jesters continue to guffaw and hoot at the sight of the two of them, Axel's mouth turned downward to a deathly frown, his fists were clenched tightly and his teeth were gritted, his eyes were literally ablaze with what we could guess was fearsome ire. His hair almost seemed to become light with the fire and anger that ran through his veins at the sight of the two clowns laughing at – HIM.

However, it was Roxas who had gotten up first. He fumbled for a moment, trying to get up without making another awkward scene or slipping and when he had, the clowns got a good look at his burning red cheeks which only encouraged them to laugh even louder.

"Look at 'em rosy cheeks!" Harley pointed, tears rolling down her face from laughing so hard, "They're so bright I think it's permanently BURNT onto his silly face!" There was an uproar, the two hyenas were hunching over now, grasping at their stomachs and gasping for air. Roxas had enough.

His black gloved hands twitched, all the Organization members had quite a prideful nature to them which lead them into some dastardly situations, but Roxas wasn't going to let this kind of insubordination go unpunished. These two low lives were nothing till the Organization came into their petty little lives. They should've been groveling at their feet for giving them this kind of attention, not LAUGHING. As far as he could remember, they had found the stupid clown by accident when stumbling upon another universe's database. At the time they were trying to find some new recruits and at first thought he would be a fun addition to the play pen – but now he was just a nuisance. And that henchwench of his was no better either, they had to go and retrieve her after he had stated that he couldn't do his work without having someone to "slap around" every now and again. Though he would have to thank her for being their most easily attainable person, there was no ruse or guise that they needed to ensnare her, when they found her she was already half unconscious on various medications that the good doctors in her mental asylum had pumped her full of.

All in all, they had over stepped their boundaries and if Xemnas wasn't going to be the one to personally deliver the beatings then it would be up to him and Axel to spoil the rod, and oh how they knew how to spoil that rod. Roxas blinked and in a matter of only seconds two swords came whizzing by both Joker and his moll who had now abruptly stopped laughing and intensely watched as the swords came into the hands of Roxas – their wielder.

"Not laughing anymore, huh?" Roxas said under his breath, all his frustrations directed at the two who had now ceased their incessant howling.

The Joker's frenetic smile melted away into a grimace, "You wouldn't DARE."

"Wanna try me?"

Axel slowly had gotten up, a smirk on his face on watching his comrade demand obedience from the two clowns that had now realized they had been drawn into a corner and were going to face the full force of their consequences. Joker and Harley stood at attention – and for a moment it seemed like the two were caught in checkmate. Harley was fearfully clutching at her man's shoulder and trying to hide behind his tall frame, he on the other hand, wasn't afraid at all – just immensely enraged. His fingers twitched and his pupil's shrank to tiny little dots that darted from Axel's face to Roxas'.

Then, suddenly, a treacherous looking grin slit across his white marbled face.

He slowly turned his head towards his girlfriend, his eyes never leaving the two Organization members.

"I would say it's time for Operation Bamboozled!" His henchwench looked at him for a moment in confusion before a sly smirk came across her own face.

"What a GREAT idea puddin'!" Immediately Harley began to back flip herself into the darkness and her boyfriend quickly skipped after her leaving behind a trail of giggles.

Axel and Roxas looked at each other, did those two just – RUN OUT – on them?

"Ha! Like to mutts with their tails between their legs!" Axel commented as the two clowns disappeared.

"We have to follow them."

"But of course!" In a bright flash of fiery light, Axel's chakrams appeared in his hands. "We can't let those two get away without memorizing the faces of their makers!"

A/N:

What one man couldn't do - TWO MEN could! Ya sure - OF COURSE Mistah J would've LOVED to go around thwacking both of them over the head - but of course he can't really do that when things are out of his power - and to be honest - sometimes he really just DOESN'T have a plan. He can think stuff up at hte top of his head - but this time - just wouldn't work! He is still human after all! So he ran for cover - the smartest thing he could do at the moment!

Score one for the home team? Who knows! As far as we are now all aware of teh Joker always has a ace up his sleeve!