Axel felt sick to his stomach. He hadn't eaten since before his last mission, the last time he'd seen Demyx. There were two reasons for that. The first was that every time his body decided there was enough water in it, he'd start crying again, he wasn't in the state of mind to eat. Besides, reason number two, if he did feel like eating, there was no food left to eat anyway. Every shelf had been emptied and not one of the last few members knew why. Not that it mattered, they would be dead within the next few days anyway and not from starvation.

Xemnas had handed him a slip of paper and Axel had not wanted to look at it, fearing another horrid script. It meerly stated the location Sora would be, were Axel should place the portal and where it should open up after. It also read right at the bottom 'No more boundaries. Good luck.' Axel had to assume that meant he could say what he liked, after all it no longer mattered. Axel would complete his mission and then he could go, gone forever. Finally.

Guilt swept through his mind for the hundredth time that morning. It was the day after the meeting, a whole day and two nights since Demyx had died. Axel blamed himself. After all he was the one who told Dem not to hurt Sora. It was his fault, if he hadn't forced Demyx to make that promise, he might still be here now. Axel had broken his own promise to take care of his lover on that mission. Axel straightened his cloak as he stood up from the bed in their room. If that was the case, then he deserved to die.

Axel headed to the meeting room one last time. Here they would all say goodbye, it was to be their final meeting. He opened the doors. The last members stood, on the ground. No chairs, no levels, no numbers. Right now, this very moment, they were equal beings waiting on their deathbed. Axel joined the small group and waited. Xemnas smiled carefully at each member, knowing deep down they all hated him for one reason or another, more so of recent. He cleared his throat and calmly announced.

'I'm proud to have led this organisation but now all that's over. This last mission will see you all pass on, and I just want to say a last farewell, for if there isn't a next life, we may never meet again. Say your goodbyes and take position for your ultimate task.'

Each member gave a nod and one by one bade each other farewell in their own ways. Axel didn't realise how personal, how bad this would feel. Xigbar held out his hand to shake. Knowing what a stubborn old fool Xigbar could be, Axel took the hand to shake. Axel took in a shocked gasp as he was pulled forward into a warm embrace. He returned the hug and pulled back to see a stern, unhappy look on the marksman's face. The pit in his stomach grew and weighed him down. Why did it have to be like this? Why couldn't he just have left, no goodbyes, knowing they'd never meet again. Why couldn't he have had this with Demyx.

He turned to the next organization member, Luxord. Luxord smiled and gave the fire wielder a quick hug before placing his hands around Axel's and dropping a small bag in it. Axel peered down and saw the last of Luxord's money in his hand. Axel let a small smile escape his lips as he shook his head. He handed back the bag.

'Where I'm going, I won't be needing it.'

Luxord nodded with a smile.

'Aye, but neither will I.'

He went to hand Axel the bag again but Axel held out his hand to stop him.

'Just in case.'

Luxord let a tearless sob out and hugged Axel again, though Axel wasn't ready for it. Axel knew he had no intention of coming back alive and it gave Luxord a small ray of hope to think that Axel expected him more likely to survive.

Axel turned to Saix, the terrifying member who on at least one occasion deliberately tried to kill him. Saix walked forwards, almost mechanically and held out his arms to Axel. Axel walked into his embrace slowly and felt deeply saddened when Saix pulled him in to a tight embrace and whispered in his ear.

'I'm so sorry I couldn't help Demyx. I wish I could trade his life for mine.'

Axel clenched the back of Saix's coat as dry tears tried to leak from his eyes. How many times had he said that to himself. He needn't worry about not crying though, Saix was doing that for him, tears staining Axel's shoulder. It seemed in a way Demyx had somehow brightened the lives of every organization member, whether they wanted to admit it or not.

Axel turned from Saix to Xemnas who simply stood there with a straight face, unmoving. Axel decided finally to make the first move. If he was never to see any of these again, he might as well end on good terms. He stepped forward and held out his hand. Xemnas shook his hand, still no emotion. Axel sighed and looked down slightly, he couldn't look Xemnas in the eye to say this, unless he wanted to start crying again.

'It's been… nice working with you, sir.'

Axel looked up and saw Xemnas's lips curled down at a slight angle. At first Axel thought he was angry but looked and saw Xemnas's eyes were closed. Almost like he was in pain. Xemnas let his other hand fall on Axel's and his hands held Axel's tightly. He opened his eyes to reveal them quite watery. Axel's heart…? Axel's heart felt for him then. He knew then that Xemnas cared for the organization member more than he'd ever shown. They were more than mere workers to him, more than a means to an end. His organization was his family too, and it tore him apart to see them die like this. Axel knew, he felt it too. How could this be the man that said they didn't have hearts?

'You too, Axel. You too.'

Axel's face fell as he let go of the superiors hands and turned to the corner where his portal was. The others were getting ready to summon their own portals within the castle. Axel turned from them, looking back only once, and headed for the darkness. Not much longer Demyx, just wait a short while.

*

The light appeared before him. Not a bright, daylight, light. No, rather a dull, half-light, there but at the same time, not enough. Axel stepped out of his portal and into a world that looked quite different now he wasn't in the dark. Not only did it have slight, swirling colour but suddenly there was a battle raging on over the far side of the tunnel connecting worlds. Sora and his friends stood courageously combating a small army of nobodies.

Axel knew what he had to do. He had to help. His last mission was to get Sora through the tunnel, and to do that he must help him. Him, the one who'd killed his love. But, he had to remember, this Sora was at least half Roxas, or so he'd been told.

'It's no use!'

Axel saw that, these three stood no chance if they were going to continue to be overwhelmed. And worse, they were standing in one place. At least if they dodged around they'd have less chance of being hit, of being killed. He couldn't stand at the sidelines any longer. Axel summoned his Chakrams and clutched them in each hand.

'Don't stop moving, or the darkness will overtake you!'

Sora and his friends looked round to see who was speaking. A few nobodies slipped towards the trio's blind spot. Axel leapt forward and sliced through one with his weapon, then almost automatically spun the other out of his hand to destroy one behind him. His Chakram spun back into his hand like there was a magnet in it. He turned his head to glare at Sora.

'Get going!'

'Why?'

It was fun before, treating these guys like idiots, but it was no fun when they acted like idiots. The quicker he could get this mission over with…

'Don't ask. Just do it!'

These guys just had to be the slowest most dim-witted… Suddenly a Dusk slithered out of nowhere and attacked him. Axel fell to the floor surrounded by a small troop of uncontrolled Dusk. Sora and his friends ran over and began slicing away at the crowd of nobodies.

'You okay?'

That almost sounded like concern. This was one weird kid to question a sensible order then ask his apparent enemy how he was doing. Like he'd said before, so much like Roxas, if you knew what to look for. Time for answers, or at least ones that might make this kid feel better, want to go on. Then Axel could end it. Ah well, as Xemnas had put it, no boundaries.

'I kidnapped Kairi, but she got away from me. After that, Saix caught her.'

Well not entirely true, but it might give Sora a reason to fight on.

'He's a member of Organization XIII. Saix. Got it memorized? Now go save her!'

One of the last members… Hurry Sora, leave. Axel ached for this mission to be over, for the chance, the hope to see Demyx, even if only once more. A Dusk ripped a portal in the tunnel behind Sora and dove to attack him. Axel didn't see it in time and thought Sora was done for. Sora however seemed t have natural instincts at this and swung the keyblade behind him, destroying the nobody. No wonder Demyx lost.

'Leave us alone!'

Axel stood up slowly behind Sora. If they were going to fight, they would make it a fight worth remembering. Sora leapt into the fray, swinging the keyblade here and there. Axel provided good backup with his fire and Chakrams. Sora seemed a lot stronger than when Axel had seen him last. Axel charged up an amount of energy and ran forward leaving a trail of exploding flames behind him. He gathered balls of fire and wove them in circuits around himself. Axel paused for a moment, catching his breath, then repeated the actions.

The nobodies attacking them became the stronger sort. Axel let his instinct do the fighting and allowed his Chakrams to drag him through the sliced faded nobodies. Sora began to run back to help him and sliced through another nobody. Axel and Sora both leapt back a step as more and more Dusks dragged themselves from the darkness and into existence. Sora and Axel stood back to back. If this wasn't ended soon, it could be the end. Axel didn't mind so much but if he didn't complete his mission he would have failed the memory of his organization family.

'I think I liked it better when they were on my side.'

It was a heck of a lot easier controlling them than fighting them. Sora turned his head slightly.

'Feeling a little… regret?'

That sounded so much like Roxas, Axel almost had to double take in his mind. He turn his head slightly too, enough to see both Sora and the Dusks.

'Nah… I can handle these punks. Watch this!'

Axel pushed off the ground and into midair. This had to be the strongest attack, he had to put his whole being into it… if he had a being. Demyx would laugh at him now, doubting his own existence. He landed in the centre of the Dusk mass and let go of his Chakrams. The spun round by his hands as he pumped pure life energy into his fiery weapons. A loud growl escaped his lips as he crossed his arms over, feeling the great fire build up inside him. He couldn't pump all of this into the weapons at once, it would have to find another release. His Chakrams sped up, fire wheeling round them. With a cry Axel flung his arms open and the Chakrams released their energy. The fireball inside Axel exploded. Anything that couldn't come out of his weapons found release by pelting out of his shoulders, fingertips, chest. It hurt like hell but all Axel could think of was how magnificent it must look, serpents of fire snaking out of him. What would Dem think of him now. Flames erupted from the ground and sent the whole tunnel into a blinding light.

Sora closed his eyes for a moment, worried of blinding himself. When he lowered his arm from his face he saw the whole tunnel empty. Every Dusk gone.

'Whoa.'

Sora turned round to see Axel, laying on the floor. His life energy spent, he was fading away. Small patches of his fire darted round the floor, slowing putting themselves out.

'You're… fading away…'

Axel smiled to himself. Yeah, like you haven't seen it before. He stared straight upwards.

'Well, that's what happens when you put your whole being into an attack. You know what I mean?'

Obviously Sora couldn't know. An attack that costs an entire element isn't something that could happen to a somebody.

'Not that Nobodies actually HAVE beings… right?'

Axel tilted his head towards Sora. It was only a matter of time before he completely faded. He might as well give the kid a little push.

'Anyway, I digress. Go, find Kairi.'

At least she'll be there waiting for you.

'Oh, almost forgot… sorry for what I did to her.'

Kidnapping, making her almost believe she and a nobody could have something in common.

'When we find her, you can tell her that yourself.'

Either this kid was really stupid or too full of hopes and dreams to understand that death couldn't be stopped, even by the keyblade master. Axel smiled.

'Think I'll pass. My heart just wouldn't be in it, you know? Haven't got one.'

Axel laughed half heartedly. Well he might have had one, but it seemed Demyx took that with him when he departed.

'Axel, what were you trying to do?'

Axel thought to himself. A mission. No. He also wanted to see two things. He wanted to see Roxas's somebody and the face of the killer of his love. He needed to know if the two would be found together. Someone who was part Roxas, could he purposefully kill someone like Dem?

'I wanted to see Roxas. He… was the only one I liked…'

More lies. But he couldn't exactly let Sora know the pain he'd put him through. It was true, Roxas was his best friend in the organization. Other than Demyx he was the only one who made Axel feel friendship, the only essence of the heart he'd known until love.

'He made me feel…like I had a heart. It's kind of…funny…'

He turned to look at Sora and all he could see was a form of compassion no enemy, and few friends, had ever given him.

'You make me feel… the same…'

Axel's eyes moved to one side. He could never make eye contact when lying about something so big. Sora couldn't be the same. He was the reason Demyx… No he couldn't cry in front of Sora. Best he cut this short, get it over with.

'Kairi's in the castle dungeon. Now go.'

Axel lifted a shaky hand slowly and summoned a small, but sturdy dark portal. It would take Sora there and back. It would stay strong. But it was of course, the last of Axel's energy. Axel's hand fell back to his side as he felt himself drift off. He felt his being slowly flake and float away. He was fading, going, going to find Demyx.

'Axel…'

A last mourner. Axel heard this voice. And then he was gone, searching for a voice more familiar, more loving. Back again in the dark.

Please, pretty please don't kill me!!!! I did say one or two and since two has been demanded, there will be two, besides. I couldn't fit the real ending into this chapter. The ending planned from the start isn't done yet.

The last chapter shall hopefully hold some answers, some comfort, maybe a few more tears. But please, at least let me live long enough to finish it.

(Also if anyone would happen to know someone who would like to draw me a scene from this I would be most happy. I would like to see how others see my words so I can know if I place the right images in minds. A purely authors test really.)

Yours as always

-Secret.