"Axel?"

"Hm?" Axel blinked and looked down. Sora was tugging on his elbow and looking very… damp. His hair spikes were drooping and his eyes were red as if he'd been crying. "Sora, what is it?" Roxas was speaking with his math teacher about some problems as he waited outside.

"Please… you've got to help me." Sora sniffed and started to cry again as Axel blinked and tentatively patted him on the back. What could Sora need help with? Surely not losing his virginity. Roxas would have a fit, and rightly so. "You're brave and strong and… and… I can't do this anymore!" Sora flung himself onto Axel, hugging his chest and crying into his leathers, ignoring the way the hardened leather bit into his cheek. Axel was taken aback, but put his arms around the distraught child.

"Shhh. Shhh. What is it you can't do?" Axel said softly as Roxas stepped out of the classroom. Roxas scowled as he saw the two of them together, but the anger changed to puzzled concern as he saw that Sora was having a meltdown.

"Axel, what's wrong?" He said softly, and Axel shook his head, waiting for Sora to calm down a bit.

"I'm not sure." Sora hiccupped for a moment before finally raising his head.

"S'my uncle… I have perfect recall, you know that…" Axel nodded. Sora was able to look at a page of writing and recite all of it a moment later. "I don't forget either, ever. My uncle… he's my guardian… he says I'm great, better than any record keeper… 'cause don't have to write the records down." Sora closed his eyes for a moment. "W-When I was a kid it was just a game. He was so h-happy with me… but now… I know what the words mean… I can't keep doing it. I don't w-want to be his datapad anymore! But h-he said if I don't want to he'd have to r-replace me and I know too m-much…" Sora broke down into tears as Axel and Roxas exchanged a wide eyed glance. Sora's uncle was threatening to kill him? Axel quickly made a few decisions.

"C'mon Sora, Roxas, we're going home right now. We'll get you to a safe place." Sora looked at him trustingly, and Axel patted him on the head. Sora was seriously cute, in his own puppyish way. He was totally into Roxas, but no one could be immune to that cuteness. It made Roxas melt too, and he gave Sora a quick hug.

"Yeah, we'll get you to a safe place." Roxas had no idea what Axel was talking about, but he was willing to trust that his bodyguard had a plan. And Axel did. They quickly left, saying nothing to any of the teachers and boarded the monorail home.

"Thank you." Was all Sora said, cuddling up to Axel's side on the ride back. Axel put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed him reassuringly.

"Axel, what are we going to do…?" Roxas asked once they got into the house, and inside Vexen's protections. Axel grinned, a touch evilly.

"Well, it's probably going to shock poor Sora to the core… but there's one place I am absolutely certain he will be safe from anything up to and including rampaging demons. We're taking him to the Twisted World." Roxas eyes widened, but Axel wasn't done. "And we'll put him with Mongo and Kilsera. If we promise Vexen will pick up the tab, they'll do anything."

"Dad is going to be so pissed! But he'll pay it, even if he kills us after." Roxas glanced at Sora, who was watching them both wide-eyed. "And it won't be literally. Okay, c'mon Sora, you're about to see something really weird." Sora managed to brighten, his hair spiking up again.

"I'm going to see the Twisted World? I've heard so much about it, I always wanted to see it!" He took Axel's hand on one side, then Roxas' on the other. Axel grinned as Roxas sighed, a bit put upon.

"You're such a child sometimes, Sora." Sora was fifteen going on ten, in Roxas opinion. Sora just grinned, and Axel thought of something as they walked through the house.

"Sora, can you give me a sample of the stuff your uncle has you memorize? So I can tell Vexen?" That would give them an idea of what exactly they were dealing with. Sora nodded and rattled off several sentences. It was completely meaningless to Axel, and Roxas frowned, not really understanding either. Axel carefully committed it to memory and nodded. "Thanks."

"I don't understand what that means." Roxas complained, and Sora looked down, his hair spikes drooping again.

"You don't want to…" Axel didn't pursue it. They had reached the portal to the Twisted World in the basement. Sora looked at it open mouthed. It was a circle of power, twisting in vaguely nauseating shapes, and they could just barely make out the courtyard behind it in the Twisted World. Axel touched it, and there was no moment of transition. They went from one place to the other instantly. "Wow!" Sora looked around, amazed, and gaped at the sky overhead. "WOW!" They were standing in an open air courtyard with dozens of numbered portals. Travelers from all over reality were coming and going around them, and Axel grinned, giving Sora a gentle tug.

"Gape later. We need to get you to a safe place." There might be another portal to Sora and Roxas world, although it was doubtful. Once Ya Tashra found a good contact, he rarely opened second portals to the same place. Still, it was possible. They made their way through the Twisted World, Sora craning his head in every direction as he tried to see everything, his earlier upset completely forgotten. Axel smiled, amused by his reactions, and Roxas just shook his head. The blond wasn't immune to the wonder of the Twisted World, but Sora was taking it to extremes.

"Wow, what are they doing over there?!?" He pointed to a street vendor. Axel was about to answer, but the vendor beat him to it, declaiming to the crowd in a very loud voice.

"Get your magic wands! Wands of cleaning, most miraculous things in the known worlds! Remove paint and mildew without breaking a sweat! All for the easy sum of 29.95!" People swirled around the barker, but some stopped to look. Axel grinned. He had no doubt the wands would do what the man claimed… up until the batteries went dead. And no doubt he would helpfully be there to sell more batteries.

"Wands of cleaning?" Sora looked almost disappointed that magic wands could be so prosaic. Axel shrugged.

"There are a lot of different types out there. You'd be amazed how the simpler ones go though." Wands that could accomplish tasks like doing dishes were bizarrely popular. Probably because they were useful yet cooler than a dishwasher. They passed by plenty of other street vendors and more than a few shops that had Sora begging to go inside. But a quick reminder of why they were here was enough to stop the brunette. Although pulling him past the street performers was even harder. They finally had to stop to let him watch a particularly good magic show. Axel smiled as scarves turned into pigeons and pooped on someone in the audience, to that persons irritation and everyone else's laughter. He tossed a bill into the magician's jar, and gently but firmly pulled Sora away. "C'mon Sora, that's enough. We really have to get you to Mongo." Sora sighed, but finally went.

The training building was just as he'd left it, and Axel felt his heart give a strange twist. He'd lived there for five years. It wasn't a home, exactly… he'd always known he'd be leaving… but the sight of that familiar, black stoned building brought back memories. On the whole, they were good memories, memories of friendship and lessons. Of Mongo and Kilsera, who weren't nearly as tough as they tried to look, in a lot of ways.

"Swing it harder bitches!" He heard, and grinned at Kilsera's dulcet tones. A voice that musical didn't sound right for a drill sergeant, but she managed to pull it off. "You bunch of goddamn powderpuffs! I'm old enough to be your great grandmother and three of you can't touch me!" Sora's eyes were wide, but Axel grinned and patted him on the back.

"That's Kilsera. She's a big softy, really." He soothed the boy, opening the door and stepping inside. The bell overhead jangled as they entered the front office. A girl was sitting at the front desk, reading a paper, and didn't look up as they walked over. "…" Axel waited for her to acknowledge their presence, then leaned over. "Keep ignoring me and I'm going to set your tabloid on fire." She scowled and slammed the scandal rag onto the desk.

"Just abuse me, it's what I'm for…" Then she suddenly blinked. "Fire breath? What are you doing back here?" Axel grinned at her. She was a very slight, pretty girl with green hair and numerous piercings and he recognized her from his training class. Then he blinked.

"I have business with Mongo and Kilsera… but what are you doing here Froggy?" She scowled bitterly.

"Got returned. Fucker who bought me wanted me to service his friends!" Axel winced sympathetically. Mongo and Kilsera did their best to explain what a blood bonded bodyguard and courtesan would and wouldn't do, and it was all lined out in the contract, but there were always some people who thought they were buying a slave. "He's been blacklisted now, and only got half his money back. But now I have to wait for the next class to graduate to get a new master. Don't suppose Vexen is looking?" She asked Roxas, who started.

"Uh… I don't know, maybe." Vexen was exacting, but made quite sure all the people he made arrangements with knew exactly how things worked. Froggy sighed.

"Well, if he is I'd give him my best. Anyway… Mongo's out right now, but Kilsera should be free as soon as she finishes beating the arrogance out of the trio. C'mon." Froggy led them into the back, gesturing for a young man to take her spot at the front desk. He left off his training with a scowl, and Axel grinned to himself. No one liked manning the front desk.

"And you all thought you were hot?" Kilsera was standing alone, surrounded by three bodies on the floor. Axel paused for a moment, just looking at her. She was exactly the same as she had been five years ago, on the day she and Mongo had saved his life. She had very straight, very black hair with rippling, orange V's in it. Her ears were long and pointed, with a tuff of orange fur on the end, and her eyes were dark gold and shot with orange. When she smiled, the expression revealed delicate fangs. The three girls on the floor around her were completely identical, ice blonds. They had to be identical triplets. One was out cold, while another was groaning and the last was struggling to sit up. "You three are good, really good, but you have a lot to learn. So no more lipping off to the trainers or I will beat you all bloody. Now take your bitch to the recovery room." Managing to pull themselves together, the two conscious twins lifted up their sibling and staggered off. Kilsera watched them go, smiling, then turned as Axel cleared his throat. "Axel? What are you doing here? This had better not be a return."

"It's not!" He said hastily. "Actually, I was hoping you and Mongo could help us with something? If we could discuss it privately?" Kilsera looked curious at that, and glanced over Roxas and Sora, idly licking her lips. Sora looked a little disturbed, but Axel patted him on the shoulder. He knew lip licking was completely normal for both Kilsera and Mongo, something their species did without thinking.

"For Vexen's boy, of course. Come to my office." She turned and walked away, leaving them to follow, and Sora gaped at the long, slender cat tail that flicked behind her as she walked. Axel smiled and poked him in the shoulder to get him moving.

Kilsera's office was very comfortable… almost more of a conference room, with a large table stacked with paperwork, a half dozen seats and several filing cabinets on the walls. Axel settled into one of the chairs, enjoying the plush feel of it. Kilsera did important business in this room, so everything was the best.

"Now, what can I do for you?" Kilsera directed her attention to Roxas, who shrugged, a bit lost.

"I'm not sure… this is Axel's idea." She transferred her attention to Axel, who grinned, a bit self-consciously.

"See… Sora here has a problem. He has a perfect memory and recall. His uncle has been using him as a recorder for something that must be really, really illegal and he wants to stop. But when his uncle told him that, he threatened to kill him, basically." Kilsera looked at Sora, who nodded with a sniff, his spikes drooping again. Axel smiled to himself as he saw Kilsera's eyes soften. She did have a soft spot, although she never let it affect her work. "So we want to get him someplace safe while we figure out what to do. The portal to this place is in Vexen's basement, and you and Mongo kick ass, so… yeah." Axel shrugged, and Kilsera nodded slowly.

"It's not among our usual services, but Vexen is a very good client. Very well… but it won't be cheap." She warned, and Roxas spoke up.

"Dad will pay for it. He might ground me forever and take away my allowance for years, but he'll pay for it." Roxas was certain of that, and Kilsera grinned.

"Well enough. Do you want us to train him a bit while he's here? He looks like he could use some toning up." Sora's eyes widened in something close to panic, and he looked at Axel helplessly… then looked a bit betrayed as Axel nodded.

"If you could. Just try to go easy on him." Axel smiled at Sora, and ruffled his hair. "You should try to learn something kiddo."

"You're mean." Sora accused him. He was pretty sure he had just been consigned to hard work and many bruises. Axel shrugged and smiled at the accusation.

"If you think he's mean, you haven't seen anything. But we'll go easy on you." Kilsera said with a laugh, licking her lips again. "The two of you, go back to Vexen and let him know the trouble you've brought him. I'll get Sora settled in." Sora looked at them both helplessly, but Axel shook his head and Roxas grinned. Sora was on his own now. Kilsera took his shoulder in a gentle grip and steered him out. "Now, this is the practice room…"

"We better go home." Roxas was sure Vexen could handle this, once they explained everything to him. His father could handle anything.

"Roxas, the teachers commed me at a meeting to say you left school. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Vexen's message came in over Roxas datapad shortly after they got back to the manor. Vexen's image was true to life, and his voice was a touch tinny but clear.

"Yes, but not over a datapad. Dad, can you come home? Right now? We kind of have an emergency." There was a pause as Vexen considered.

"On a scale of one to ten, Roxas, how serious is this emergency?" Roxas paused as he thought hard. Vexen didn't like it when he was called home for anything, but… this was urgent.

"Uh, an eight?" He didn't want to overestimate but it was still quite serious. There was a sigh from the datapad.

"Very well. I will be home in thirty minutes." The connection cut out, and Roxas put away his datapad. Axel lifted his eyebrows, and shrugged.

"I'd have said it was a ten, myself." He had a bad feeling about this. Roxas shook his head.

"The manor is well defended and someone would have to be mad to launch an attack on my dad! He's a major high noble and he's on the Queen's court." Axel didn't pursue that… he didn't understand how the government worked here… but he frowned. He didn't understand those phrases he had committed to memory, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they meant something bad. They waited patiently for Vexen to arrive, and he finally walked into the room, looking more than a bit put out. Axel and Roxas both rose as he walked over.

"What is so urgent that I was forced to leave the Queen's bench?" He asked, irritated, and Roxas swallowed before he began to explain.

"Well, dad, it's like this…" And he quickly ran through the explanation of Sora's uncle. Vexen listened with a frown, and Axel could sense his sudden worry. "Sora gave us a sample of what his uncle has him memorize, but I didn't understand it."

"I remember it. I can repeat it." Axel offered, and Vexen nodded. His frown only deepened as Axel rattled off the phrases.

"Those… Axel, Roxas, do you have any idea what that means?" They both shook their heads and Vexen sighed. "You've just described the delivery of a large pharmacological and firearms shipment. I'm not a police officer, but I understand the acronyms." He rubbed his face with one hand as the two boys exchanged a glance.

"Pharmacological? Do you mean drugs? Illegal drugs?" Axel asked, just to clarify that he had things straight. Vexen nodded, and Axel swallowed as he saw the measured worry in the older man's eyes. Roxas just looked puzzled, but Axel had the feeling a shoe was about to drop.

"Yes. And Sora has served as this man's recorder…" Vexen paced for a moment, thinking, then suddenly stopped. "The two of you, return to the Twisted World. Go to Mongo and Kilsera's. Tell them… no. Wait." Vexen walked briskly out of the room, and came back a few minutes later with a bag. "Give them this and tell them it is for your upkeep, to use as they see fit. Also tell them that if all goes badly, they can use the deposits I made on the next class for that as well." Roxas looked at his father as if he'd never seen him before.

"Dad… you don't think Sora's uncle is going to try to DO something to you, do you?" Roxas couldn't keep the disbelief out of his voice, and Vexen scowled.

"Roxas, I don't think you understand the gravity of what you have done. Sora was this man's recorder. The information he holds would break this man, if given to the wrong people. By the way, do you know his uncle's name?" Axel shook his head and Roxas winced. That was an embarrassing omission. "No matter. I can find out. But the data Sora has would utterly destroy him if given to the police or a competitor. It doesn't matter whether he wants to confront me… he may be driven to desperation. And while my own safety is my business, I will not take chances with yours." Vexen's tone was as hard and unforgiving as iron, and Axel put a hand on Roxas shoulder as he started to protest.

"I'll keep him safe for you, sir." He said to Vexen, meeting the man's ice green eyes for a moment. Vexen held his gaze, then nodded.

"I know you will. Now go." Axel took the bag and pulled Roxas out of the room. Roxas was reluctant to go, but finally went.

"He can't really think they would…" Roxas muttered, and shook his head. "No one would ever attack dad. It's impossible!" Axel said nothing, but he thought Roxas was wrong. And Vexen knew he was.

In the end, no one was immune to reality. The mighty could always fall.