"Roxas." Axel groaned, closing his eyes and resting his forehead on the pillow. "Roxas, stop teasing me." He was kneeling in front of Roxas, and the blond was stroking him in front as he slowly opened him with one finger. But it was all going too slowly… Axel was sure he could have taken two or three fingers by now if Roxas had been less hesitant.

"I don't want to hurt you." It was the first time Roxas had tried being on top. Axel opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder to grin at Roxas, making the blond blush.

"Roxas, I got taught how to be on the bottom by Mongo. He's fucking huge. You're not going to hurt me, but you might kill me if you don't get on with it." Axel gasped as Roxas replaced one finger with two, searching for his special spot… and finding it, making him jerk his hips in reaction. "Ah… yes…" Tempted beyond endurance by the way Axel was softly moaning, Roxas pulled his fingers away and started to ease himself inside Axel's tight entrance. It felt so damn good, the way Axel's walls tightened around him and Roxas gasped, gripping Axel's hips tightly as he waited for Axel to adjust. "What… are you… waiting for…?" Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Roxas began to thrust into that tight heat.

"Roxas." Axel said softly, then muffled a cry by biting onto the pillow. "Roxas, faster, harder, ah…" Roxas responded, taking him more roughly, every thrust hitting his sweet spot as his hands stroked Axel's erection in time with his thrusts. There was the soft, slapping sound of flesh against flesh and breathy groans from Axel as Roxas took him to the edge… then they both went over it in a moment of pure bliss. Axel muffled his cry again, then relaxed, breathing heavily. Roxas nuzzled his throat for a moment before pulling away.

"Are you sure that was okay…?" Roxas sounded worried, and Axel blinked, turning around to lie on his back. Roxas slid down beside him, fitting comfortably in his arms.

"Okay? It was great." Roxas didn't look convinced, and Axel frowned, searching his face as he tried to figure out the source of his uneasiness. "Roxas, what's wrong?"

"It's just…" Roxas sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You're… you're usually more vocal than that." Axel blinked, then grinned.

"Oh Roxas. That's because I was mentally scarred just yesterday." Roxas blinked, confused, and Axel explained. "We've got Larry the leccubi in the tent to our left and Marty to our right. I'd rather not have either of them jacking off to the sound of my screaming, thank you very much." Roxas paled, and gripped his hair spikes, shaking his head.

"Argh! That's a horrible image! I need mental bleach… how do you know they would do that?" He asked and Axel grinned tiredly.

"Caught Marty at it outside Sora's and Riku's tent. Apparently, Riku screams a lot." Roxas winced. "And Marty had no shame at all. Offered to let me do him right there. In all fairness, I don't know if Larry would do that, but he's a leccubi." Leccubi were fairly common sexual demons… unlike incubi or succubi, they were capable of changing their gender. And they weren't really noted for having much shame either, although Larry wasn't the worst sort for that. He certainly wasn't as bad as Marty. Axel still wouldn't have put it past him.

"I need to kill Marty, painfully." Roxas grumbled, and Axel shrugged.

"He is what he is." Marty wasn't being malicious about it… he was just a completely perverted demon. "Don't worry about it." Axel slid a hand through Roxas' hair, pulling him into a deep, passionate kiss.

They were halfway towards their final goal… which was a safe return to the city and then, the Twisted World. Axel had never imagined he could look forward to seeing the Twisted World again so much. Was it really his home? Thinking about it, he thought… it was. He could live other places, but nothing matched the insane cosmopolitan air of the Twisted World. Certainly he didn't want to stay in the Dark Lands. They'd killed numerous animals and taken a ton of all kinds of specimens. Axel was awed by some of the things they'd killed… the huge dinosaur thing had almost been a disaster for the caravan, but Desdemona had taken care of it. By letting it eat her and cutting her way out from inside. Heartless like her could be scary as hell.

Casualties, he'd been told, had been fairly light for this kind of expedition… but they'd still lost almost twenty demons. No one really important, thankfully. Axel winced at the callousness of that thought, but he knew the demons themselves would agree. Blades in particular were designated as cannon fodder, and the sexual demons weren't much better. Sirens and Rages were a touch higher on the pecking order. The officers, like Marty and Desdemona, and all the people from the Twisted World were considered the elite, important members of the expedition. None of them had been lost yet, although it had been a near thing a few times.

"Axel?" Roxas sighed softly in his ear. "What are we going to do when we get back to the Twisted World?" They would have money then, quite a bit of money, but no real plans. Axel smiled, gently holding Roxas close.

"Well, for starters we can go have sea salt ice cream, have a great meal at whatever the chowhounds are recommending, then get drunk at the World's End Tavern." Roxas gave him a slightly exasperated look, and Axel sighed. "I know… that's not what you mean. Well." Axel nuzzled Roxas' throat, breathing in his scent. Roxas always smelled so good. "First, we should check to see if the portal to your world is open." Roxas frowned at that.

"Axel… I'm really not sure I want to go back. Especially if it will put Sora in danger." Roxas said slowly, and Axel shrugged.

"I'm not too keen on it either, really. But you have family there, and they probably think you're dead you know." Roxas winced, but that was quite likely correct… and he did care about his brothers. "We should let them know you're okay. But I bet we'll find the portal is still closed. So… we can see about getting a job. Maybe caravan guard for one of the big trade missions, that would be nice. Although… I do have a dream…" Axel sighed, shaking his head. "But it's about as likely as the Dark Lands freezing over."

"Oh? What is it?" Roxas asked curiously and Axel shrugged, a bit embarrassed.

"Promise you won't laugh?" Roxas nodded. "I would like to start a library in the Twisted World. It doesn't have one, and it could really do with one, in my opinion. But the money needed to do something like that…" Axel shook his head. The prices of land in the Twisted World were never small, and everything else would be expensive too. "It's a pipe dream."

"Unless you can find a sponser. Maybe even Ya Tashra…?" Roxas yawned sleepily. Axel laughed softly, shaking his head.

"I don't even know how to get an audience with him. Maybe I'll ask Rufus." It was worth a try, at least. "Now… we better get some sleep." The caravan would leave bright and early, and if they were tired, too bad. Roxas nodded, closing his eyes and immediately dozing off. Axel followed a moment later.

They were used to sleeping when and where they could.

The darkness was so cold. I could see nothing at all, as I pushed deeper into it… only the intensifying cold told me I was going the right way.

If you go far enough into the darkness… if you dare… there is a place where mere dark becomes ebony. The very essence of darkness. It's colder than anything you can dream of, utterly soulless… but pure. Heartless cannot exist here. They are corrupted hearts… this purity would destroy them. That was what happened to Ansem, Xehanort, in his folly. Kingdom Hearts is ebony…

So beautiful. I've come so far. Can I go any further or will it destroy me too? I'm not pure but the darkness caresses me like a lover, it fills me and cleanses my heart. But it makes my sanity creak and my soul ache. I'm only mortal, how long can I bear this?

I must. I must bear this. Only in ebony can I find what I need for Sora. Oh darkness, it's beginning to hurt. But I have to go farther, I have to go as far as I can before my soul threatens to shatter. Something wet is traveling down my face. Is my skin breaking?

It doesn't matter. I need to go farther…

Ansem awoke with a start to see a dark, concerned face looking down at him. He was sleeping on Riku's couch, and Sora was lying on his chest. The Heartless didn't need to sleep, but seemed to like just being with him while he did. At least… Ansem thought so. Sora was always there when he awoke, but how would he know if he went somewhere else during the night?

Quickly shelving that thought, Ansem smiled reassuringly at Sora. "It's alright. Just a nightmare." Sora didn't look particularly reassured, but nodded, snuggling against his chest. Ansem closed his eyes, thinking for a long moment. It was a nightmare… but a nightmare of what had happened and what would continue to happen. There was no way to avoid it.

It had been a trip to the Worlds End Tavern that had taught him about the Midnight Wine. Condensed darkness, utterly pure, it could be used to sustain greater Heartless without the need for any hearts. It even seemed to help balance them, make them more… human. It couldn't completely uncorrupt them, since they had already parted ways with their bodies and souls, but still. It worked wonders.

For him and Sora, the discovery had been a godsend… but the stuff was hideously expensive. Ansem had managed, after much research, to find out how it was made and why it was that expensive. People like himself, who were deeply connected to the darkness yet, had very strong hearts and souls, needed to venture as deep in the dark as they could to gather the pure essence of the darkness in special containers. Such people could make a very good living supplying the greater Heartless who happened to wash up in the Twisted World.

Unfortunately, because of his strange condition, Sora needed more of it than most Heartless. It was all he could do to keep Sora supplied… and himself, to a lesser degree. Ansem wasn't sure what drinking the pure darkness did to him, but the fact was that he could survive for an entire day on a single sip, without feeling hungry or thirsty. An entire small glass made him feel… good, energized, as well as sated. He had resorted to it more than once, when they had no money left.

"Money." Ansem sighed to himself, resting a hand on his forehead. Money was the bane of their existence. A flea infested, tiny room in what was almost the worst part of town… not quite the worst, but almost, the very top of the twelfth level. The only thing cheaper would have been the thirteenth or the first… because they were dangerous. The world itself could peel and flake spontaneously in those areas, and if you were unlucky that was a death sentence. Food in the Twisted World wasn't terribly expensive but it was easiest to do without, when he was having trouble making the rent. Which was most of the time. Briefly, Ansem wished he was still beautiful, young Riku. Then he could have at least sold his body. But although Ansem was handsome enough, in a completely different way, it was an intimidating, hard edged handsomeness. Not that he wanted to sell his body… but it would have been an easy way to pay the bills.

Sora was looking at him in concern again, and Ansem smiled at him, running a hand through his soft, almost smoky hair for a moment. He didn't like to lay these concerns on Sora. He was sure the Heartless understood the problem… but there was simply nothing Sora could do to help.

"Let's go." Ansem said in a soft whisper. It was early morning, so early that no one was awake. He stood carefully, and found that his leg was strong enough to stand on… the cure spells and his own natural resilience had strengthened the bone considerably. He'd found that he healed extremely quickly now, which was rather worrying. Ansem wondered, sometimes, how far into the darkness he had fallen and how much he was changing. But there was no point in worrying about it. For now, he preferred to be safely gone before Riku's family woke up and found him here. He didn't want to have to explain his condition… or more importantly, Sora's.

He had to take it slow leaving, but that was just as well. By the time they reached the portal the house was open for visitors and they were able to easily go back and begin the walk back to the twelfth level. Ansem was indifferent to the sights and beauty of the Twisted World. It was a haven, but it lost its charm quickly when you were penniless.

If only he could think of a way to change that…

"Fuckity fuck fuck fuck!" Froggy was swearing mightily, and for very good reason but with a certain lack of creatively. Rude sighed as he helped pick the thorns out of her flesh. They were very long, very sharp and hollow… meant to suck out the blood of anyone they touched. Fortunately, Froggy's screams had brought a ton of help to get her out of the bushes and now Rufus was happily taking some more samples.

"Can't you at least come up with a new curse word?" Axel muttered as he carefully worked out several long thorns on her legs, and almost got kicked in the face for his trouble. "Froggy! Stop being such a bitch." Her fresh torrent of profanity was a lot more creative, although Axel blinked at some of it. "Hamster fucker? Really…" Rude laughed, patting Froggy on the head as he kept working on her back. Froggy herself was taking care of her arms, and Marty was wordlessly casting healing spells whenever she managed to clear an area.

It took a while, but finally they were done, and Froggy was just breathing heavily. She took a deep drink from her canteen before apologizing to them.

"I'm sorry, Rude, Axel… that just hurt like a complete bitch. Felt like those things were coated in acid." Axel glanced down at the thorns on the ground and nodded… he wasn't at all surprised by that. They were very big and had some kind of green paste on them. Marty had said it was a paralytic poison, but he'd already cleaned it out of Froggy.

"Don't fall in bushes anymore." Rude advised, and Froggy glared at him before pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with a shaking hand.

"Gonna castrate all the pack animals as soon as we get back. If they're not gelded already." It had been an out of control pack animal that had dumped her in the bushes, which had been deceptively normal until skin had touched them. They weren't sure what had freaked out the animal, but it had finally stopped and was behaving as if nothing had happened now. Froggy relaxed a little as the smoke hit her system. "I think I'm fine now."

"You sure? You lost a bit of blood." More than a bit, really. There was quite a lot of splatters on the ground, but fortunately the bushes hadn't hit any really important spots before they'd started tearing them to pieces. Froggy nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Although I wouldn't say no to something to eat." Rude nodded and went to get some of the preserved food from one of the cooks. The caravan slowly started moving again as he brought back a piece of smoked sausage, an onion and a fresh fruit from one of the trees they had passed just this morning. "Thanks Rude." Froggy bit into the onion with relish, and Rude winced, then laughed.

"This explains your breath!" Froggy snorted at that, polishing off her onion like most people would eat an apple.

"Your breath is no bouquet of roses either, Rude." Axel grinned. Something in the Dark Lands had had an interesting effect on the toothpaste they'd brought with them, so no one had really great breath anymore. Although the demons recommended chewing a plant gum when you really wanted to impress someone. It tasted terrible, so mostly they weren't bothering. It wasn't like lack of toothpaste would kill them.

Elsewhere, Sora and Riku were sitting on top of another pack beast. It wasn't their usual place, but Riku had learned how to manage the animals and the usual handler had been eaten by something just yesterday. So she was taking his place part of the time… a Rage who knew the animals would take over from her a bit later. And Sora was just along for the ride. His weight wasn't going to harm the beast any.

"Riku?" Sora said dreamily as they rode through the jungle. He was staying alert, though, and watching the trees around them. The killer worms wouldn't hesitate to grab someone off a pack beast. That was how they'd lost the last handler.

"Yeah, Sora?" Riku swore and slapped the pack beast as it tried to stop to eat something particularly toothsome. Then she glanced up sharply, making sure nothing had been missed in that brief moment.

"I was wondering…" Sora hesitated. This wasn't really a romantic setting. On the other hand… he really wanted to know. "…I… um… in general… I mean, not specifically at this moment willyoumarryme?" He blurted out in one breath of air. He knew that if anyone from his homeworld had heard that… well, expect maybe Roxas… they would have said it was ridiculously soon. He'd only known Riku for a few months. But somehow… he was sure she was the one. Riku was completely stiff for a moment.

"Sora… if you mean that…" Riku suddenly laughed, high and breathless. "I'd marry you right now." Sora blushed lightly and hugged her from behind… while still keeping an eye out for worms. It would be truly ironic if they were eaten at this moment. "It's… too soon though. We could have an engagement?"

"That sounds great!" Sora beamed, giving her a quick kiss before the pack beast tried to bite another, and Riku had to hit it again, this time with the flat side of her keyblade.

"Talk about it later." Right now, they really had to keep alert… but just the little bit they had discussed made Riku feel all fuzzy inside. She'd never expected to get married… well, ever. It was nice to realize that Sora thought she was worth it.

Very nice indeed.