All right. Sorry this took so long to upload. I've had it done for a while, but my computer was having problems again. Also, homework kept me very busy. Anyway, enough excuses.

ONWARD!

The first thing he noticed was that it was dark. It shouldn't have surprised him, for he had been—dead? asleep?—for what must have been only a few minutes at most. But it had felt like an eternity.

Sitting up, or trying to, anyway, Roxas looked around shakily. He could feel the humidity of the air dampening his clothes and hair, but his vision was still unbelievably dark. As his vision lightened somewhat, his eyes landed on the fountain.

There was someone sitting on it.

Face bearing a look of immeasurable sorrow, Victor turned to look at him.

"Jonathan, why? Why would you do that to me? To them?" He looked down at the dead grass around the fountain. "I don't understand you. Perhaps…I wasn't the one who didn't love the other?" Victor's sad gaze had become hard and angry.

He rose and began to walk menacingly toward Roxas. The boy had no strength to move.

"I don't know what kind of witchcraft you used, Jonathan, but it seems you are paying the price." He removed a small, silver revolver from the inside pocket of his bloody suit jacket and leveled it at Roxas's head. "Goodbye, Jonathan." He pulled the trigger.

Roxas braced for the impact. Axel had told him that if a spirit was angry enough, it could hurt you. He had just escaped death, and here he was, facing it again.

A small gasp of pain broke the silence. And then, nothing.

"Victor…" It was a quiet sigh, but it held so much feeling. "Victor, I love you." The spirit looked up.

"Jonathan…?" There, standing in front of Roxas with his arms spread wide, was Jonathan.

"Ah, me," he said, looking down at the hole in his chest. "You really did a number on me, didn't you Victor?"

Victor could only stare.

"Not that I don't deserve it," Jonathan continued. It was obvious that Victor's silence didn't bother him. "Go on, shoot me again."

Victor did nothing.

Unabated, Jonathan continued. "It's only natural that you should wish to kill me, after all I've done to you. I accused you of cheating, killed your lover, then killed you…" He sighed. "How awful."

"After all this time you still think I cheated on you!" Victor exploded. He leveled his gun at Jonathan's head. "You never change." He pulled the trigger twice.

Roxas watched as Jonathan's body flinched back, the second bullet hitting him harder. Roxas was suddenly glad that Jonathan was in front of him so he didn't have to see.

Jonathan's shoulders sagged.

"Ah me," he whispered again. "So much hatred." His voice was faint and far off. Roxas wondered if ghosts could die.

"Ah, me."

"Where is he?"

"I don't feel him."

"What do you mean you don't feel him?!"

"I don't!"

"Me either."

"Weder kann ich1."

"This is bad."

"Roxas?"

"Roxas!"

"Kid!"

They were all panicking. Not only had Roxas failed to meet up with them, but his presence had disappeared completely! Zexion had tried to the point of unconsciousness to find him and had failed, as had Xemnas. All of them were frantic.

But none as much as Axel.

His face had gone rather blank after Zexion had said he couldn't find Roxas. Out of all of them, even Xemnas, Zexion was the most attuned to their energies. If he couldn't find Roxas, then Roxas wasn't here. …Roxas wasn't here. Axel needed to find him.

"Zexion," he started, but Demyx held up a hand.

"Wait a sec," he said shakily. "Give him a minute to recover."

Zexion's eyes were open and looked slightly glazed over. Though he had tried three times unsuccessfully, he was convinced that he just wasn't looking hard enough. If he tried again, he would find Roxas.

"Snap him out of it," Axel said. "This is important." Demyx still looked hesitant, but he moved over to shake Zexion's shoulder.

"Zex," he whispered. "Zexion, come on. You're going to hurt yourself." Zexion blinked and shook his head.

"No…no, I can find him. I will find him."

"Zex, Axel has a question. He says it's important."

Zexion looked despairingly up at Axel. "I'm sorry, Axel. I haven't found him yet. I'm trying…"

Axel knelt down and put his hands on Zexion's shoulders.

"It's all right. You're doing your best. Tell me, where was Roxas's point?"

"The fountain by the main road. Why?"

Though it hurt to say it, Axel told him.

"Even if his…spirit isn't there, his body will be."

Zexion looked pensive, and then shot up from his sitting position. "Let's go."

Jonathan watched Victor sadly as the man emptied the rest of his gun clip into the blond man's chest.

"Do you feel better now?" he asked when Victor was done. The man just breathed heavily, not saying a word. "Victor, I understand you're angry. You have every right to be. Just please, stop taking your frustrations out on my relative. If you do that, I might have to start taking mine out on yours."

Victor's eyes widened.

"You wouldn't."

"You're right," Jonathan conceded. "He's innocent. Why should he have to pay for your mistakes? I won't hurt him."

Victor looked relieved, but after a second, hid it.

"But my companions might."

Victor's eyes flew to the woods behind Jonathan, and Roxas turned around.

Emerging from the dense foliage were the two men from Roxas's first day at Oblivion. They looked different, older, more normal, but when their eyes fell on Victor the men from so long ago emerged.

"Victor Takibi, man of the hour," the dark haired man smirked. "Nice to see you again."

"Schuyler," Victor said curtly. He turned his attention to the foreigner. "Oblivion."

"How have you been, boy?"

Roxas stared, startled, at the two. Schuyler and Oblivion? Those were Zexion and Xemnas's last names! He wondered if they knew. But then again, couldn't they have been completely different families? For their sake, he hoped it was true.

"You see," Jonathan said a bit sadly, "my companions have taken a liking to the boy and if anything were to happen to him, well…they don't listen to me that well."

"Threats," Victor said angrily. "I guess you have changed, Jonathan."

"The truth does that to people. Hard reality." He locked his icy eyes onto Victor's. "You were cheating on me."

"No, Jonathan, I wasn't. You need to understand that. You killed me for no reason."

Roxas could tell that those words hurt Jonathan, but his grandfather was resolute.

"If you weren't cheating on me, Victor, then how do you explain the presence of your great-grandson? Who is, in fact, is coming this way as we speak. Along with yours, Koen." The dark eyed man grinned.

"Great. I've really missed Zexion. He hates me, though." Though he was smiling, his eyes showed pain.

"But Xemnas…he's not," Jonathan said, turning to the British man. "I'm sorry, Anson."

"My my, how sad. I'll visit him before I leave."

Victor looked like he was going to say something, but there was a commotion from somewhere down the path. Things became very quiet.

"Please come and join us," Jonathan called out. "Axel, Zexion, why don't you come and talk? It'll be just like a family reunion." He smiled.

Slowly, Axel and Zexion emerged from the trees. Zexion's eyes were fixed on Koen.

"Zexion!" he said with a smile.

"Grandfather," Zexion acknowledged softly.

"Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Not particularly, no. Father assured me you weren't coming back."

"Unfortunately, your father is not an intelligent man, Zexion. He thought that by moving to the Netherlands he could get away from the hell hole he locked me in. It doesn't work that way."

Though confused by this conversation, Axel's main focus was the group centered around Roxas.

"Roxas, are you all right?"

"Y—yeah. I'm okay."

"Of course he's okay," Jonathan said dismissively. "I wouldn't let anything happen to him. He needs to carry on my line."

"I'm not the only unfaithful one it seems," Victor muttered. His empty gun was still held at Jonathan's chest.

"So you admit it? Not that there's much you could say to deny it now. He looks a lot like you."

Axel looked back and forth between the two men. He knew if he made one bad move, then his…great-grandfather would kill Roxas, Jonathan or not. All he could do was see how this played out. He turned his eyes back to Zexion.

"Zexion, will you tell your father something for me? Tell him I'm sorry about his cat. I never meant for anything like that to happen. It wasn't my fault." Zexion nodded noncommittally, his attention focused on Roxas. Jonathan and Victor continued to argue.

"Victor, I slept with her after I killed you. That doesn't make it cheating. Your virtuous lady had your child while both of us, and her, coincidentally, were alive. You never loved me, did you, Victor." There was a note of absolute despair in Jonathan's voice, but he sounded as if he accepted it.

Victor heard it too.

"Jonathan, I loved you."

Jonathan closed his eyes and sighed. He seemed to retreat into himself.

"Victor, don't say things you don't mean."

Roxas recognized this for what it was; stalling for time. But for what? He glanced over at Axel. On the redhead's face was a look of complete concentration. Roxas experimentally flexed his fingers. Axel was planning something.

Xemnas knew that he shouldn't follow Axel and Zexion when they left from the moment they had gotten up. He could feel instinctively that what was going to happen would only be complicated by his presence. Besides, he had no desire to see his grandfather.

"Are you sure it was wise, letting them go off alone like that?"

Xemnas turned to face his vice-principal. For a moment, he wasn't. He took a deep breath.

"Yes. I'm sure."

"What if something happens to them?" a small voice asked from behind them.

"Nothing will happen, Demyx. Besides, Zexion is smart and quick on his feet. You have faith in him, don't you?"

Demyx didn't answer.

Zexion watched as Roxas tested how much strength his body had regained and Axel formed a plan. He really hated to stop what Axel was about to put in motion, but he honestly had no choice. He just hoped that they would understand in time.

Just as Axel shifted his weight to take a step forward, Zexion opened his mouth.

"All this talk isn't getting you anywhere, Victor." Axel froze. Victor turned to look at Zexion.

"It isn't, grandson of Koen," Victor consented.

"My name is Zexion Schuyler, at your service." His eyes were cold as he stepped out away from Axel.

"Zexion, what—" Axel began, but Zexion didn't even stop to look at him as he walked crisply over to the circle.

"Just talking about killing the traitor won't get it done. And even if Mr. Williamson were to step aside, which seems very unlikely, you wouldn't be able to inflict physical harm on the boy anyway." Victor was regarding Zexion coldly.

"Then what is the point of this conversation?" he asked. His voice had a dangerous edge to it.

"I am simply offering my body to you as a vessel for your spirit. You inhabit me, you kill him, and then you may pass on. Or stay, if it pleases you." He was looking evenly at Victor. No one else seemed to exist.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Axel exploded. "You bastard! Where do you get off on murdering people? Murdering your friend!" Zexion tilted his head slightly to look back at Axel. His eyes were completely unconcerned. They seemed to hold no emotion whatsoever.

Axel was furious. Roxas was crushed. He had trusted Zexion. But now, Zexion was going to kill him. Why? Why?

"Axel, you don't get it. This has nothing to do with Roxas. Or you. Or even me. The people who get caught in this crossfire are the ones I care about. The innocents at the school, in the world, could all be affected by this. I won't stand for it." He leveled his gaze at Roxas. "I apologize, Roxas. This had nothing to do with you, but now everything rests on your death. By dying you will save everyone. There is no other way." As he turned back to Victor, Zexion continued.

"You see, both of you have already shown yourselves to be resistant to our exorcisms. It's obvious that you cannot kill each other," he said, gesturing to Jonathan's chest, which was already healed, "and you cannot kill Roxas as you are now, Victor. All that will happen is that the fight will continue until you affect things in the physical world, such as toppling the school pillars. Someone might get injured. People may die. I cannot stand by and let that happen. One death for the safety of many." He looked sadly back down at Roxas. "I'm sorry."

Axel shot forward, intending to knock Zexion unconscious, but the blue haired man was faster. He turned and held out his right hand.

"An meinem Eid, du werdet nicht mehr bewegen2." Axel's body froze in place. But he could feel the spell weakening already; the one Zexion had cast hadn't had much force behind it. If he had been less furious, Axel would have wondered why Zexion hadn't just cast a full-bind spell on him.

Then behind him came a noise.

"I'm sorry, Axel, but I can't let you stop Zexion."

Demyx stepped slowly out of the line of trees. He didn't look at Roxas, and he hardly looked at Axel as he whispered a binding spell and laid his rosary around Axel's neck. Axel froze.

All he could do was watch as Zexion's mouth began to move.

1 "Neither can I."

2 "On my oath, you will not move."

Not too bad, eh? Don't worry, things will cheer up. I can't promise a fast update, but I'll try. Please review!