May the madness continue. . .

This chapter was inspired by xXwinterlilyXx. I was waiting for you to come and find me, but you never showed up. So I got bored waiting and continued the story. Enjoy!

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Chapter 5: The Countdown Begins

. . .

My eyes wept.

My body quivered.

How-

Why-

What-

When-

Elizabeth was torn. She sobbed as she knelt down on the ground, me at her side. Tears fell, but I tried to hold back. I had to be strong, for her. If I wasn't then-then-. . .

"I am dreadfully sorry. I always enjoyed his company." Luxord said hugging her. "We'll all miss him." Elizabeth wiped her eyes and nodded.

While Luxord tended to Elizabeth, Olette and Pence tended to me. Olette clung to me, tears staining her face. Pence tried to keep calm, but even the mighty Pence could keep from breaking down. . .

Who would-

I don't get it-

Why did I-

I wish I hadn't-

I need to know! . . .

. . .

Three months later. . .

. . .

I clutched the white gold, with gold lining, locket Elizabeth had given me. Three months, that's how long it's been. It seems like it's been forever, considering I had barely moved from my room in that time. This room served as an escape from the real world. And it was quite comfortable.

A knock decided to interrupt my peace, and I wasn't looking forward to it. "Roxas, you up?" I didn't bother to answer. "Roxas, you're going to have to get out and about some time. Whether you want to or not." I just pulled the covers over my head. Luxord sighed heavy and sat down by my feet. "You'll have to talk about it at some point as well. I just pulled the pillow over my head. "Roxas-" When he touched my shoulder, I jerked away. I just wanted to be alone. "Alright. Dinner should be ready around six." He left me to my solitude. Curled under blankets and pillows, I clutched the white gold locket in my fist as the tears trickled down my face.

I walked over to the kitchen and as I stepped on the tile, I heard a small splash. All color drain from my face and every hair on my body stood on end. The sight before me was worse than the thought of me being caught cheating. Just laying-that's all. He wasn't breathing, he wasn't moving. He wasn't doing anything. I swallowed hard. I fell to my knees not caring about the blood. There was no way it was real. There was no way this was happening! There just wasn't-!

"Here." A big cup of something steamy was now sitting in front of me. I looked over to my left at Axel. "It's gingerbread hot chocolate. And I promise there's no alcohol."

"Thanks." I took the cup sipping it.

Axel scribbled some things down on his paper before returning back to me. "They haven't found anything have they?"

"I'm not talking about it." I mumbled.

"Talking will make you feel better!" Axel said in his deep voice that's oddly very cheery. "We can go to a bar or something to make you feel better. My treat." I just shut my book.

"Look, whatever you want from me right now, you're not going to get it." I said rubbing my forehead. I was getting a headache.

"Ok, so you want to just mope around for the rest of your life?"

"No, I'm just not up for anything right now." I snapped.

"And you never will if you don't get out." Axel retorted. "Just come out to dinner with me. Have a drink or something and relax. I'll have you home by nine."

I just shook my head. "Axel, have you ever 'lost' anyone you've loved?"

He sighed. "I almost did." His expression narrowed. "My best friend. If anything happened to him, I'm going to prison." So Axel loved his-wait!

"Axel, are you and Zexion together?" Just the question he didn't want to hear. I just shook my head. "And you have the audacity to sit here and ask me on a date." In a quick moment, I gathered my things and told Ansem that I had to leave. He understood. . .

. . .

"Hey, Ansem told me you left early." Olette said walking towards me in her cute winter attire. "Here, I got us ice cream." I know eating ice cream in the middle of winter is really weird, but it has always been mine and Olette's thing.

"Glad to see some things never change." I said taking my cappuccino chocolate chip as Olette sat down on the park bench next to me.

"This is one thing that won't. . . Boy do I miss him." She sighed. "Daddy's looking very hard, but there's nothing there. . . All there is is suspicion." Olette looked very uneasy. Like she didn't want to say what she had to.

"Olette, what ever you want to say, say it. I promise I won't over react."

She sighed. "Roxas, what if the person who wanted you took Hayner out of the picture?" There was a stall for a moment; then the wheels in my head started cranking again.

"Are you saying you think Axel did it?"

"I suspect he's involved." She seemed very worried. "And-I do like Axel-he's a very interesting guy-he's just the only one with a motive." Dammit! Why did this all have to make sense? "Also, one more thing. Daddy didn't want me to say anything, but they found burn marks on his fists and lower back. They can't place where they're from."

"Burn marks?" She nodded. "Olette, hate to leave, but in need to get home and get rid of this headache." I got up and left her to wonder. I don't know how Olette thought Axel could kill someone and burn them without leaving a trace. But I knew of someone who could kill and burn without a trace. And he was going to give me answers.

When I got home, I found the anxiety pills I was prescribe that I stashed away. I took two and laid down in bed waiting for sleep. As I fell into the REM sleep, I felt a pair of arms wrap around me. They were his arms. . .

"You are too cute when you sleep." His breath was hot against my skin.

"How did you kill him?" I asked. His hand caressed my chest.

He chuckled. "Simple, I slit his throat."

"Then why was he burned?"

"Because I shot fire at him." He kissed the bridge of my neck. "But, he dodged it. It kinda made me sad." We were still for a few moments with his hands running over my body. His hand clasped around my neck cutting off my air. My body froze as his body started to burn. "You know Roxas, playing with my children has really put you in a binned. So, before you can no longer stand, I'm going to give you a head's start to run."

I sat up after I caught my breath upon release of his grip. "And why would I do that?" A deep chuckle that started in his throat soon turned into a loud maniacal laugh. The kind of laugh that only the true bad guys knew how to use and you were like, 'oh shit-we're gonna die'. Those all too familiar teeth of his glistened like Sweeney Todd's 'little friends'. Those amber eyes burned into mine as he smiled and pulled his wings back. And with a flick of his tail, and a poof of smoke, he was gone.

His voice carried thickly in the air. "I didn't give you much warning last time, but I'll give you plenty in the next round. Let the game begin Roxas." . . .

Silence. For the first time in I don't know how long, I listened to my instincts when they were screaming at me to get my ass in gear. I flew off of where ever I was lying down and searched for a door. I found one . . . only after falling through. Why was I in an attic?

"That seemed painful." I groaned as I lifted myself up to fin Puppet-Boy starring down at me. "Master failed to warn you about his sleeping arrangements I see. Just like he fails to tell you the truth. But that's just like him to lie. Lie and break everything you are. That's how he steals it. That how I take it-what a horrible person I am." He was blathering like usual.

"Um-ok." I stood up stretching out my shoulder trying to pop it. "Want to tell me what just said, but more slowly and to where I can understand. Not everyone can speak in riddle." He just stood there. His eyes fixed wide and just starring at nothing but nothing.

Then after a few moments of just this creepy life-size puppet starring, you kinda just want to leave. As I turned, his head followed me. Because there sure as hell is nothing creepy about that. "You're going the wrong way. The answer to the question you seek is that way." His voice was different. It was nothing above a whisper and very regretful. His arm was lifted in a way that a master would control a puppet and pointed down a hall, in the house. Just a house that I've been dragged to in sleep for the past three and a half months!

Walking down the hall, I was greeted with the very thick aroma of lavender and lilac. Maybe even a hint of orchid. Looking around the corridor, I wasn't surprised to find where the smells of such plants were coming from. Hanging from vines and linings, were nothing but lavender, lilac, and orchids. An occasional rose or two would pop up, but not many. Coming to a window, I stop and stare out into the yard below. Everything was dark. I couldn't make out much other than the thick black sky sprinkled with stars. No moon. . . Must be in the front. I continued my walking.

Reaching the end of the hall I sighed. A dead end. Or was it? I tapped against the wall. Nothing. With a heavy sigh, I turned around and slide down the door. What was I looking for? A clue or something? I wasn't one for solving riddles. That was Hayner's job. I went to reach for my locket. When I held it, I felt close to him. Wait-it wasn't there! Where the hell-

"Is this what you're looking for?" A rather deep voice said. I looked up to find a pretty tall, Native American man with gray hair that fell past his shoulders, but was cut into med-short spikes at the top sides and fell into his face. In his hand he held my locket. "You seem to have dropped it." He took my hand and clasped the locket in my fist. Unlike the other four, I could clearly see his face. His face, it was soo pretty. His bronze sunset eyes were outlined by a thin layer of black eyeliner. His skin was flawless. And his body-even with a thick layer of Kimono, it was perfect.

I snapped out of my trance as he started to pull away from me. "Oh-uh-thanks you." He merely nodded as he turned back around. "Um-excuse me!" He stopped and just looked at me. "Could you tell me what it is I'm looking for?" He closed his eyes and slowly turned to face me.

"I have been instructed to only tell you this-it's closer to you than you think." He then turned around abandoning me. I sighed heavily again. . .

I'm not sure if I was dreaming. . . Or if I was just moving. But when I opened my eyes, I was in the snow. And I noticed that my clothes had changed-wait, I wasn't wearing clothes a second ago. I was wearing a sleeveless black hoodie, with tight black skinny jeans. I was barefoot, but that didn't bother me. It was quiet-too. A little too quiet for my taste. The only sound that could be heard was the crunching of snow beneath my feet. I went to call out, but my voice wasn't there. My throat wasn't sore, so why couldn't I speak? Was there something wrong? I tried to speak again, but nothing. Not even a gurgling sound.

I tried listening for something, but nothing was there. Not even the wind. I let out another sigh for the millionth time tonight. Up ahead, I noticed a black figure standing under a fire lamp. Since when does this town have oil fire lamps? And who was this person? He seemed to beckon me over.

As I came closer, he became clearer. "Sorry for the confusion, but if big boy knew I was in town, he'd have my head." This black haired, cat-eyed person who was only slightly taller than me, and pretty damn toned told me. I just looked at him. "Sorry about the whole no voice thing, can't have my little brother interrupting us now can we?" I cocked an eyebrow. "Ok, look, we-meaning a few people such as Father and a higher power-need your help. How? You have the-" Thick shadows arose around us. My heart started to beat a mile a minute. Out from those shadows stood the shadow man himself. "Speak of the devil."

He flashed this older, yet shorter, brother his infamous white sharp teeth. . .

When I woke up, my head was pounding. Damn those pills knock you out. When I lifted my head, the room started spinning. When I laid back down my stomach settled. I figured I would sneak in a few more minutes of sleep before Luxord came in to get me. I pulled the blankets over my head and rolled over towards the wall.

*crackle*

Under my shoulder was a piece of paper. On it, in really fancy hand writing read:

The countdown has begun. Form this point on, you're on your own.