CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Axel led Roxas through the corridors, back the way they came that first night. Roxas suffered flashes of memory, turning a certain corner, a mark on the wall that reminded him of the terrible weakness, the dizziness. Axel's arm around his shoulders, fingers idly sifting through the hairs at the back of his head, kept the disconcertion from becoming overpowering.

"What was that about my keyblades?" he asked, interrupting the unbroken sound of their footsteps echoing through the halls. Axel glanced down with a smile.

"Oh, is that what they're called? That sounds a lot better than 'giant keys', I've gotta say. Suits them better."

A soft, puzzled frown took over Roxas' features. "But – my dad made them." He looked up in confusion. "My dad wasn't real, so how is it he made keyblades? I mean – he always told me he made them in school, but – he's part of the program. He didn't go to school. He existed because I existed, right?"

Axel nodded. "Yeah," he said softly, "that's true. But the keyblades are real. The people in the program that raised you all these years were based on your real parents, Rox, to minimise the chance that you, or anyone else, would ever figure out that Twilight Town wasn't real. The network isn't just something that got stuck together out of bits of cardboard and some electric fans, you know? It's complicated, detailed. The keys belonged to your real dad. They were put into the system with you. Everything that belonged to you at five, left to you in your parents' wills, was inserted into Twilight Town." He shrugged. "DiZ was worried that if he didn't, he'd get blamed for looting. Back then, Zanarkand was desperate for a reason to turf DiZ out on his ass and just storm Hollow Bastion in his absence. They were always the more aggressive of the two nations. So every kid put into the system had all their personal effects put in with them. The keyblades are real, Roxie." He smirked. "And they kick some serious ass. You were a vicious little whirlwind on top of that clock tower."

Roxas shook his head. "Don't remind me. God, I was so messed up that night. I was so sure…"

"I wouldn't hurt you like that, Rox." Axel cupped the blond's chin as they walked, turning him to face him, to see the gentle cast of his features. "You know that now. It doesn't matter what happened then, because it's all sorted out. We're okay, right?"

Roxas smiled up at him. "Sure. Everything's great."

Axel bumped their foreheads carefully, avoiding the bruises. "Glad to hear it."

They passed through a round room, out onto a short steel walkway, then entered the computer lab, a large red and yellow spiral on the wall catching Roxas' attention, opposite the long bank of controls. There were two people already in the room. Riku, sitting on top of a swivel chair, his feet planted in the seat of it, shoulders hunched as he gripped the back of it for balance. He had been pushing the toe of one shoe against a blank part of the controls, swinging slightly back and forth, but ceased when the two entered. A scowl dropped his face. The other male in the room, yet another blond, turned curiously upon seeing the silver-haired teen's reaction.

"Oh, Axel, hey. You're not scheduled until tonight…" He looked at Roxas, waved. "Hi, there, I'm Vaan. You're Roxas, right?"

Roxas nodded. "Nice to meet you."

The redhead grinned. "Me and Roxie are your relief. Go get something to eat, I'm showing our newest recruit around."

Riku snorted, rolling his eyes. "I already ate, remember?" He shook his head. "Just make sure he doesn't get paired up with Sora, Axel." His eyes narrowed. "I never thought you'd end up falling in with Seifer of all people, Roxas."

The blond folded his arms defensively, Axel's grip on him tightening as he frowned. "What the hell, Riku?"

"I didn't fall in with Seifer," Roxas stated calmly. "That day with Sora was a mistake. I didn't hurt him, I just – didn't try to stop them. And I get it, that was a shitty thing to do, but don't make me out to be an asshole of Seifer's calibre."

Riku grunted, sliding off the chair, running a hand through his hair. "Whatever you say. Just, like I said, keep away from him."

"Hey, now, what's going on?" Axel demanded.

"I won't," Roxas replied, gaze steadily fixed upon the narrowing teal eyes. "I like Sora. He seems nice, and I think we could be friends."

Riku glared. "So first you let my boyfriend get beaten up, then you decide you want to be friends?"

"What the fuck? Will someone please explain this to me?"

"In a minute," the blond said quietly, before addressing the teen again. "I already apologised – you were there, remember? So what more do you want? I'm not ordinarily like that. Sora understands the circumstances. I'd like for you and me to get on, but if you can't get over this, you need to at least back off."

Disgruntled, Riku sized him up, hands moving to his hips. "You know, if I'd had my way, those bruises on you would be from me."

"What did you say?" Axel attempted to lunge forward, was blocked off both by Roxas stepping in his way, and the other blond, Vaan, intercepting to grab him.

"Whoa, ease up, Axel!"

"Axel, chill, okay?" Roxas murmured, shooting him an intent look. "I deserve it." He looked coolly at the silver-haired male. "Fine, okay? I get it. You don't like me – you're entitled to that. But don't be a bitch about it, and don't provoke Axel."

Riku tapped his foot rapidly. "Yeah, right," he muttered at last. "Like either Kairi or Sora will let me get away with not liking you." He made an impatient, frustrated noise. "Look, I'm still pretty mad, okay? And yeah, when I found out what you did, I was more than ready to come after you and pound you to the ground. But, well, it looks like someone beat me to it." Axel let out a growl. Riku shot him a hard look. "Shut up. Your boyfriend let my boyfriend get beat up by those Twilight Town bastards. Like he said, I'm entitled to not like him after that. But…" He pursed his lips. "It really doesn't seem worth the trouble I'll be in if I try." He exhaled sharply, shrugged. "Fine. Okay, we're even. You got hurt, I figure we'll chalk it up to karma and leave it at that. How does that sound to you, Roxas?"

The blond brightened a little, smiling faintly. "It sounds – good. I can deal with that."

"This doesn't mean we're friends," the older male scowled, "but I can… let the whole thing go, I guess."

Roxas nodded. "That sounds fair to me."

Axel wasn't pleased, but let Riku leave the room without pursuing the matter, watching him saunter away with narrow eyes. He turned to Vaan with a glower. "You going to say something, too?"

The boy waved his hands in front of his body, startled. "No, no way, I don't even know the guy! We just met, remember?"

"Yeah, well, get out," Axel said moodily. "I'm showing Roxie around. You can come back later."

Vaan shrugged. "Whatever you say. I could do with the break, I guess. I'll see you later." He vacated, leaving the pair alone again, Axel faintly disturbed.

"So, what was all that about? Did you really let Sora get beaten up?"

Roxas groaned, covering his face. "Yeah, I did. Because he was an outsider, and I'd just run away like an idiot from Naminé thinking you guys were using me, and – gah!" He dropped his hands, eyebrows knitted. "I'm sorry, okay? It was mean, it was a horrible thing to do – I wish I hadn't, and I've apologised. Me and Sora, we're cool now." He hesitated, running a hand through his spikes, regarding the redhead with worry. "I mean – you know I'm not like that, right? I'm not like Seifer."

Axel sighed, shook his head, red spikes swaying, went to where Roxas stood. He took hold of his arms and tugged him back, sitting on the chair Riku had left, pulling the blond into his lap. Roxas was startled, made as if to struggle, then saw the weary expression on Axel's face and relented. When the redhead pulled him close, he allowed himself to sink against him, resting against his collar, nose almost perfectly placed in the hollow of his throat.

"You're a good person, Roxie." Axel's voice rumbled into the side of the blond's face. "Don't worry about it, okay?" Long fingers brushed through his hair, soothing him. "Riku'll come around. Like he said, with Sora and Kairi around, he won't be allowed to dislike you, especially not if you and Sora are okay now."

Roxas nodded. "Yeah. I know." He sighed, resting for a while. "So tell me why we're here."

Axel smiled. "Well, 'here' is where the tour commences. This is the core of my beating techie heart, and soon it'll take over yours too, just like some kind of evil alien virus."

"Sounds interesting," the blond offered, smirking. "I don't think I've had that before."

"I should hope not, after all," he grinned wickedly, "it's sexually transmitted."

Roxas let out a squawk, pushing up to punch the laughing redhead in the chest. "You freaking pervert! God, you just don't stop!"

"Oh, Roxie, like I'd want to when you react so beautifully," he grinned. He tweaked the blond's cheeks, dodging the slapping hands. "The cutest!"

"So, moving beyond the STD," the blond groaned. Axel tickled him momentarily, got punched a lot harder, and continued with the explanation.

He swivelled the chair around, pointing a finger at the coloured spiral on the wall. "See that? That's the entrance point into Twilight Town. This whole room," he gestured with a sweep of his arm, "is the control centre to Twilight Town. This is where we monitor, where we program, where we modify, where we go in and out – it's the heart of the network." He reached around with one boot, hooking it under the slight edge of the controls, turning them back. "There's other places, lesser controls in different parts of the castle, like the dark room where we store and prepare objects for putting into the system, and the power room, things like that. But this is where the brain resides."

"This is where we came through…" Roxas stared over Axel's shoulder at the spiral for a moment, twisted on his lap to glance over at the bank of controls, brow furrowing in consternation. "Axel, this looks complicated." He glanced up nervously. "Is it too late to tell you I don't know much about computers?"

The redhead snorted. "Please, Roxie – you have nothing to fear. It takes years to get used to this system. The only reason Zexion's teaching you after only a year of experience is because he's crazy-smart, and Demyx taught him using sex-techniques or something to make it all stick." He propped up his feet, knees sticking up, Roxas slipping more firmly down, blushing slightly. He grabbed Axel's chest and knee, carefully reseating himself in the least awkward position he could find.

"And – this is where you watched me from?"

Axel hesitated, lifted a hand to point to the large screen, a broader chair bolted to the wall in front of it. "Right there, Roxie," he said quietly. "That's where I spent the last year of my life. The years before that, I checked up on you almost every shift." He smiled ruefully. "You can call me obsessed now, if you want. Everyone else did."

Roxas stared at the chair, imagined darkness, the long crimson spikes illuminated by the flickering of the screen, pale face bent forward, watching – him. Watching one blond teenage boy going through the steps of his life, bored and edgy. Axel would have known what was coming, would have sat there promising silently that he was on his way… Feeling love for somebody on a screen, somebody – he couldn't even touch.

"Yeah," said Roxas hoarsely. "You were… obsessed." He tore his eyes from the monitor, connected them to Axel's green, startled all over again by their vividness, and the depth of the emotion in them, even when, like now, he was trying to cover it up. "But I'm glad you came for me. You picked… the right person. I – want to be with you."

Axel's smile warmed, a tinge of relief touching it. He closed his eyes, leaned back, stretching his arms over his head, forcing Roxas to grip his shirt to weather the bobbing as he adjusted his pose. "To be honest…" His voice was quiet, distant. He was addressing Roxas only slightly, talking almost to the air. "I'd have been happy to just have you out here, standing on the other side of the room, ignoring me… It would have been worth it even if you hadn't looked at me, Roxie." He tucked his hands under his head, gazing at the ceiling. "You were my best friend. I always loved you, even back when it wasn't to do with us being together. Long before I wanted you – I loved you. Because we were little, and you were awesome, and we spent so much time together…" He glanced down, past his nose, not lifting his head. "Our parents were friends, you know. That's how come you and me were so close. We were foisted onto each other since we were in diapers." His eyes travelled slowly back up. "And then the war came, and they died, and you were taken away, and Kairi was taken… and I was alone."

Roxas watched his pensive expression, a stab of sadness touching his heart. All those years, Axel had been by himself. Sure he'd had friends, like Demyx, maybe Sora – but he'd wanted Roxas, and Kairi. And Roxas – he didn't even remember. He still only knew Axel as of nearly three weeks ago. He still hadn't got his best friend back.

Roxas shifted slowly, frowning, dropping a leg either side of their arrangement, straddling the redhead. He placed his hands on Axel's chest, leaning forward. Axel glanced down, an eyebrow arching. Roxas caught his gaze, held it intently. "You're not alone anymore." He said it firmly, almost sternly. "I'm here now. Kairi is free. You don't need to obsess, you don't need to sit in this room and stare at a screen to be near me. I'm right here,Axel."

The redhead smirked faintly. "Yeah. I know." He jigged his legs once, making Roxas slip a little. "I feel you. You're heavy."

Roxas scowled until the humour dissipated from the other's face, slight concern taking its place. "Roxas?"

The blond lifted himself up onto his toes, creeping forward until he was against the man's stomach, Axel's eyes getting wider with every deliberate motion. Roxas lowered his face, breathed onto him. He frowned. "I'm right here."

He kissed the redhead, gently taking the sides of his face, feeling the hands brush against his sides, before settling against the small of his back. Axel tugged him down, making him gasp a little, gulping, sitting almost on his chest. "Shit, don't do that."

"I want to," the redhead growled, pulled him again. Roxas hovered for a brief moment, exhalations fanning the man's lips, before slowly licking them, making Axel groan.

"I said, don't," he whispered. "It's really not a good idea."

"Fuck, Roxas," came the replying mutter. "When did you get all – like – this?"

"The minute you spilled out your little sob story…" He caught him in a wet joining of mouths. "…and plucked every string in my sympathetic soul…" Another kiss, deeper, teeth scraping gently along his lower lip. "…and made me want to take away all the pain you've ever suffered…" He pulled away, blew gently up the side of Axel's face, pushing a lock of hair with his breath, sending the man's eyes slipping shut. "If only for a moment." He drew back, grinned lop-sidedly. "Never underestimate the sympathy vote."

Axel's lips parted, eyebrows up, eyes flicking open slowly. Breathlessly, he asked, "Did I ever tell you the story of how my dog died? It's… tragic."

"Just like you, huh?"

When Zexion entered the room, he found the blond and redhead smiling goofily at each other. He sniffed the air suspiciously, before saying, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important."

The two glanced over, Roxas blushing and abandoning his seat, hooking one leg back over and standing, scratching at his head. "Hi, Zexion. How was – breakfast?"

"Sustaining." He arched an eyebrow at the suddenly grumpy Axel. "Should I assume that the last half-hour was wasted on Roxas, or has he actually gained some knowledge about Twilight Town since we last met?"

"Hey, I'm a good teacher," the redhead pouted. "I told him a heap of stuff." He looked imploringly at the blond. "Tell him, Roxie."

"Uh…" Roxas was flustered. "He, uh – told me about… the computer. And the network, and… stuff…"

"Very impressive," Zexion drawled. He pursed his mouth at Axel, eyes narrowing, then shrugged. "Since you two seem to have some excess energy stored up, why don't we take this outside? Maybe once Roxas has cleared his mind, he'll be more eager to learn facts."

Axel brightened immediately. "Am I teaching Roxie to fight?"

"Actually, I am. You can be his target practice."

The redhead was already up and bouncing. "Fine, fine, who fucking cares? We're going outside!"

Roxas was snatched up, dragged by his hands to the doorway, Zexion already in the lead. This time, he was taken a different route, a way he hadn't been before, and couldn't hope to find on his own. They exited into a large garden inside a courtyard. It was mostly overgrown, with ancient trees bending gracefully here and there, and a dilapidated stone bench nestled against one corner. In the centre of the lawn, a section had been mown out, the size of two struggle fighting rings.

"This is – nice," Roxas said, glancing around. "This'd be a good place to relax."

"Relax?" Axel snorted, laughed. "That's not exactly its purpose, Roxie."

"This is where we train for combat, Roxas," Zexion informed him. "A large part of being a technician is being physically capable of defending and attacking without compunction."

Roxas' eyes widened. "Attacking? What's that got to do with looking after a computer town?"

Axel laughed bitterly. "You want to know another reason why Zanarkand wants DiZ out of the way? They want Twilight Town."

"It's true," Zexion agreed quietly. "The technology, the lives they could bend to their will – it sings to them. Of course, none of the raids upon the castle are ever official, it would be more than enough cause for DiZ to reincite the violence of the war – but they come with disturbing regularity, either to go for DiZ or the system."

"Yeah, so it's up to us to keep things under protection," Axel said, voice hard. He smiled slightly at the blond, a strained expression. "Guess I should've told you that earlier, but I didn't think of it. Are you okay with fighting, Roxie?"

"It's honestly okay if you aren't," Zexion broke in quickly, visible eye earnest. "It's not necessary for you to be an attacker. Since both Kairi and Naminé would be easily overpowered, they work in a different section of the mainframe."

Axel snorted. "Yeah, but the rest of us fight." He frowned. "Roxie'll fight, won't you?"

"Axel," Zexion warned. Roxas shook his head, held up a hand.

"No, it's okay, he's not being pushy – he knows I already have some training." He grinned at Zexion's mild surprise. "I haven't done a struggle tournament in a couple years, but in Twilight Town, me and Hayner entered every year since we were ten. I'm not afraid to fight."

Axel made a noise of satisfaction. "You see? I know my Roxie. He'll be an asset, just you wait and see."

Zexion humphed, clearly unhappy with Axel's attitude, but allowed the moment to pass. "In that case, Roxas, your giant keys have been sharpened, and are waiting over by the bench."

Axel went with him, and sure enough, there were the keyblades, lying in the grass, polished up and sharp. The redhead gave a low whistle, seeing them in the light, more a weapon now than they had been that night on the clock tower. His chakrams sat against the side of the bench, hidden by the weeds. As he heaved them up, he admired Roxas'. "Lookin' pretty, Roxie, very pretty. Hey, Zex!" he called across the clearing.

On the other side, a stopwatch in hand, face creased into a thoughtful frown as he pressed various buttons, Zexion glanced up. "What?"

"Who made Roxas' keyblades so sparkly?"

"Sora," he replied distractedly. "He liked them. I think he said something about making some for himself."

Roxas picked them up, feeling a stab of familiarity, of loss. His dad had made them, but not the dad he thought he remembered. Some other version of the man, a flesh-and-blood one that had raised him until his death right here in Hollow Bastion. He didn't know if he wanted Sora trying to mimic the design of the keyblade – it was – it belonged to Roxas. He had just discovered that this was… Well, he'd left everything else behind, hadn't he?

This was all he had left to remind him of – of any parents.

"Roxie?" Axel sensed his mood change, eyed with him concern. "Everything okay in there?"

Roxas smiled a little, sad. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." He glanced down at the blades, lifted them high to have a good look at them. He wasn't used to seeing them in such good repair. He was relieved to see, however, that the chips from his wood-chopping venture were still there. He didn't know how he'd end up feeling about Sora if the brunet had taken those away.

Axel spun his chakrams automatically, studying the blond. "Hey, look, if you don't want to fight – I didn't mean to force it on you."

"No." Roxas shook his head, frowned, then smiled. "No, it's nothing to do with that. I want to fight. I mean, think about it… Twilight Town is only okay because everyone lives in peace… Imagine if Zanarkand had got hold of it, and turned us all into – into whatever, soldiers or something. I need to defend them. I still have people in there who aren't ready to come out yet – they need protecting."

Axel nodded in understanding. "Hell, why do you think any of us are techies in the first place? It's to take care of Twilight Town, all the kids that would've been free in a better place and time. Not that they're all that young anymore, but you know what I mean."

"Yeah. I do." Roxas flipped the keyblades around, resting them on his shoulders, treading across the long grass away from the redhead. "It's why I'm doing it. I won't let Hayner, Pence and Olette down again."

He heard the sceptical, "Again?" from behind, but ignored it. Axel probably wouldn't understand – it's not like he cared about Roxas' friends to begin with. It had all been for Roxas' sake that he'd been there at all. Axel had made his pick, and Roxas had abandoned them in a heartbeat. They didn't even know that he'd left them, they were continuing their lives as if he'd never been there in the first place, but he was going to show them, once he picked them and drew them into the real world, that he'd done everything in his power to keep them safe. Just like Axel had done for him.

He reached the other side of the lawn, chose a position, and turned with determination. "So, I'm fighting Axel?" he asked.

Zexion, nearby, the watch apparently set and ready to go, nodded. He pulled up his jeans a little on his slim hips, eyes flicking to the timer, arms folding over his stomach. "That's correct. I'll coach you on your footwork and timing. I'm not exactly a swordsman, but I can tell you the theory, and Axel will make it come to life. Is that alright with you?"

"Sounds fine." Roxas frowned, preparing himself, gazing across at Axel, who was currently prying off his shoes, weapons discarded on the short grass. He threw them over by the stone bench, Roxas watching them bounce. When he next glanced over, he found himself with an eyeful of Axel skin.

"Oh, jeeze," he muttered. Then, raising his voice, asked, "What're you doing?"

"I'm strippin' for your benefit, Rox," came the cheerful call. "Zexy or no Zexy, I figured it was time you and I moved to the next level in intimacy. Cool with you?"

"Actually, I'd advise you to take your shirt off, too," Zexion said. "Axel's perversions aside, it's a sweaty business, and your shirt will be ruined until the next laundry day."

"Oh." Hesitating, deciding that Zexion wasn't going to make him expose himself to Axel without undue cause, he grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled, peeling it from his torso.

"Whoo! Roxiiie! Take it off!"

Roxas shot him a dirty look, tossing the material to one side. "Shut up, asshole."

The redhead grinned, bouncing across the grass, chakrams once again in hand. "Oh, man, I am so happy right now."

Zexion lifted his eyes to the sky, sighing. "Just don't get too excited, Axel, I don't think my eyes could handle it."

Cheerily, he replied, "No guarantees there, Zexy, Roxie's looking pretty fuckin' hot."

Roxas shook his head. "Aren't you meant to be attacking me right about now?"

Axel brightened. "Better yet, screw the weapons – let's wrestle!"

Zexion let out a groan of frustration. "Need I remind you that Demyx would wet himself like a puppy if I told him he could have this job with Roxas?"

Axel hesitated, halfway across the garden, the spikes from his weapons glinting in the sunlight. "…Would you then give him the job?"

"Yes. I would."

Axel pouted. "You take the fun out of everything." He threw his hands up, a heavy task with the wheels. "Fine! No molestation."

"Thank you, Zexion," Roxas hissed in gratitude.

"I didn't do it for you," the other man muttered back. Voice rising, "All right, Axel, you know how to do it. Roxas, just go for him. If you've already got practice with the struggle bats, you shouldn't be too far off with the keys."

"Keyblades," Axel corrected. He twirled the chakrams, a glint entering his eye, shoulders slumping into their rolling position, loosely swinging. "Okay, Roxie, let's see what you've got when you're not in a rage."

Zexion pressed a button on the timer. "Go."

Axel attacked. Roxas yelped, flailing backward as the redhead streaked across the clearing in a matter of seconds, chakrams twisting toward his flesh. "Fuck!" He sprawled onto his back, metal points touching his skin just below the collarbone a split second later. Axel stared down at him with a slight grin in place.

"Pay attention, Rox. I win this round."

Astounded, the blond turned his head, demanding loudly of Zexion, "Is that what's meant to happen? I didn't even get a chance to fight back!"

The slate-haired man shrugged. "It's the real world, remember? We do real fights, and those are some pinpricks of real blood on your chest."

"What?" Roxas glanced down, and sure enough, twin beads of ruby were welling from where the chakrams had touched. He glanced up furiously. "Axel, you made me bleed!"

"This isn't a struggle tourno, Roxie," the redhead sang smugly, spinning his weapons to emphasise the point. "Don't worry, I'm sure Sora made your pretty keys more than able to return the favour."

"He'd better have," the blond snarled, clambering to his feet, brushing away the scarlet drops.

"Wait for the stopwatch, Roxas," Zexion commanded mildly, once again fiddling with it. Roxas readied himself, glaring across at the steadily smirking redhead, who alternately winked and stuck his tongue out.

"Go."

This time, Roxas was prepared, slashing out with the keyblades as Axel hurtled forward. Metal clashed with metal, the redhead dancing back, Roxas pressing forward with a stabbing motion, only to find that Axel had moved completely out of range.

"Watch for it," Zexion advised. "Keys up, straight at the sky, hold hard, Roxas!"

A moment after the words touched the air, Axel wound up and released his chakrams, sending them spinning across the field. Roxas had barely enough time to fling himself to the ground, the deadly wheels cutting the air above him, embedding seconds later in the wall of the castle.

"Holy fuck!" He sat up, gasping for air, eyes wild. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"I'm long-range as well as short, Roxie, get used to it," Axel said. He sauntered past the blond to go tug the weapons free. Zexion reset the timer.

"Ready when you are," he called. Axel returned to his previous position.

"Remember what Zexy said. Stick em up, Rox." He winked.

"Go."

This time, when the chakrams came spinning through the air, Roxas let out a yell and blocked them. They crashed into the keyblades and bounced off in separate directions. Roxas dropped the keys, hands in agony. "Shit! Shit, shit, shit! My hands!" He raised his head, snarled, "You fucking bastards!"

"Not bad," Zexion commented dryly.

Axel went to each side of the garden, recovering each chakram. "More?"

"Roxas, you need to pick up your giant keys."

"They're key-fucking-blades!" Roxas bent, forced his fingers back around the metal, hefted them back up, glaring hatefully at the redhead, who was beginning to look guilty.

"Hey, Roxie, this afternoon I'll take you into town, okay?"

"I don't think I fucking want to, Axel," the blond snapped. "That's the last time I give you sympathy kisses!"

"And Axel's love-life fell instantly down the drain," Zexion muttered from the sidelines. "Okay, go."

This time, Roxas led the charge, Axel waiting. His feet flew across the grass, mind flashing back to his last night in Twilight Town, trying to draw on whatever instincts that had let him hold his own, however briefly it may have lasted. He struck, first with one blade then the other, at different points of the redhead's body. Axel deflected them easily, flicked the chakrams up, drew thin cuts along Roxas' abdomen, from his hips to his ribs, making him gasp. There was regret in the green eyes as Roxas drew back, confused and angry.

"What was that?"

"Roxas, the timer is still on," Zexion called. "You need to continue."

"He cut me," Roxas protested.

"Then cut him back."

The blond bristled, glaring, then abruptly threw the keyblades down, letting them bounce away, abandoning the fight. "What is going on?" he demanded. He whirled on the redhead, who had lowered his weapons. "This is sick! I didn't give up my shirt to save it from getting sweaty, it was to keep it from falling apart!" He reached down in disbelief, fingers cupping his stomach, catching the crimson. It smeared across his golden skin. He raised his eyes, bewildered. "What did you do that for, Axel? You didn't have to hurt me!"

"Actually, he does," Zexion interjected, approaching them. "It's part of the training, Roxas. If you can't handle it, you have to forfeit the right to fight."

"I won't let anyone else do this to you, Rox," Axel said quietly. "If I don't do it properly, DiZ'll put someone else on the task. I've got good control, I promise I'll only ever scratch you."

"So – if I want to fight, I have to fucking bleed everywhere?" he clarified angrily. "What the fuck is wrong with DiZ? Did this happen to you, too? Does everyone get hurt?"

"You'll get hurt worse by the soldiers," Axel muttered. "You need to learn that if you don't fight well, you're in pain. Roxas, this is part of it."

"Why didn't you tell me?" the blond hissed. "At least you could've given me an idea what I was getting myself into."

Axel hesitated, drawing back slightly. Neither of them was sure whether Roxas meant now, or back in Twilight Town. Either way, Roxas was pissed. He was sorely tempted to tell both men to go fuck themselves – he didn't mind the pain so much, it was the ridiculousness of the situation that boiled his blood, and the complete and utter lack of warning. God, he so wanted to tell them to just forget it – but holding him back was the desire to be one of them.

He wanted to be a techie, no matter what he'd suggested to Axel about leaving Hollow Bastion someday, and he wanted to fight – he had to. Because if there were people trying to get hold of Twilight Town…

He couldn't let that happen to his friends. He couldn't let those simple, happy people be twisted.

He hissed again, wordlessly, glaring slits at Axel. Then he retrieved the keyblades, stomped back to take up his position, ignoring the sting on his stomach, and readied himself for the next round.

"Roxas, I'm sorry," said Axel quietly.

"Shut up," he said harshly. "Just shut up, and cut me again."

The session with Zexion and Axel continued for an hour in total.

The blond bled.

A lot.