Disclaimer: I don't own KHII...

Note: I'm back! It's nice to finally be home and writing again.

Chapter Eight

His hands balled into fists at his sides, then he stretched his fingers nervously and paused to glanced over his shoulder. He took a moment to fidget nervously as he waited to see if anyone was following him. The hallway was just as silent as ever, and he forced himself to shake off the feeling that he was being watched.

Okay, his name was Axel. He could summon flames for no particular reason, the creepy artist girl drew his attention, and he seemed to be surrounded by people that were completely intent on manipulating him. He rolled these thoughts over in his mind as he wandered the never-ending corridors and stairways. He felt aimless, but at the same time he knew there was something incredibly important he should be doing. No matter how hard he tried to reach into the back of his mind and pull it out, he just couldn't seem to grasp what it was.

He gritted his teeth in frustration and narrowed his eyes in distaste as light flames started to dance over his knuckles. For some reason he had yet to discover, having these flames around him seemed like a filthy ability he would be glad to be rid of.

Footsteps down the hall caught his attention, and he hesitated as he tried to think of what to do. There was another hallway a ways back, but as he turned his head to consider running, he felt shame well up in his chest at the thought of running away again. He pushed aside the nervous thoughts and stood his ground.

The footsteps drew closer, and he watched curiously as a figure rounded the corner and started walking toward him. He didn't recognize the man, but he realized all at once that he didn't feel the same nausea as he did when that blonde woman or her cohorts were around.

The man was close enough now that he could see the outline of his mohawk and the dull glow of his eyes. His eyes narrowed in concern when he noticed the man approaching had the same dead features as Namine.

"You. What's your name?" He said loudly, fighting back the inexplicable worry he felt. The man didn't even look at him as he walked by, and he stood there for a long time watching him continue undisturbed down the hall.

"What the hell is going on around here?" Axel wondered aloud.

x:X:x

"How could he do something like that! I really thought he cared about us!" Yuffie fumed in indignation. She threw another shuriken and Riku glanced up to see it stick firmly in the wall where she had taped up a crayon drawing of the man.

"After everything we did for him!" She stomped her foot and reached into her pocket for another shuriken. Finding her pocket empty, she let out another irritated growl and stomped out of the room.

Riku snorted in amusement after she'd left, and Sora turned his weary gaze on his best friend.

"Please tell me he's still on our side." The boy groaned miserably. Riku turned to hide the grin, and shook his head.

"Who knows? Maybe he never left the organization, he could have been using Kairi to get close to us." He let out a sigh and looked up at the ceiling.

"Just think, if that's the case, then he really got Kairi thinking that he loved her. It's gonna break her heart once we get her back…" Riku said miserably. He was afraid to turn around and look at Sora, he knew his words were hurting him.

Sora let out a frustrated growl and slammed a fist into the floor.

"If I ever see him again, I swear I'm gonna kill him." He sounded so serious, but when Riku turned to catch his gaze, he almost burst into laughter. He looked so determined, he was so sure of what was going on, but he looked like such a child. His big blue eyes were shining in the light, his cheeks were flushed with anger, and for a moment Riku wondered if he actually had a wooden sword instead of a keyblade.

Then his frustration melted away and Riku watched as the boy started to tear up. There was a stinging feeling in his chest then, and he felt his lungs tighten painfully as he forced himself to look back at the wall and ignore his best friend.

It would all work out, it had to. Somehow, he knew Axel could save her.

x:X:x

"Axel…"

He spun around in alarm, expecting to see the girl standing right behind him. He knew he heard his name, and he could have sworn he felt her breath on his skin. A shudder ran down his spine, and he glanced up and down the hallway.

"Axel, where are you?"

"I'm right here!" He spun around again, then held still and wondered if he'd gone crazy. He could hear Namine's voice, but she was definitely nowhere near him.

"Axel!"

"Shit…" He murmured in confusion. She was looking for him, but where was she? He started down the hall, feeling anxious as he wondered if she was in trouble.

"Axel!"

"Damn it!" Axel cursed loudly as he broke into a run. If she was in trouble, he had no way to find her, he had no idea where he even was. He'd been wandering this castle for hours.

A chill ran down his spine and he glanced over his shoulder to see an orb of darkness swirling behind him. Shadowy tendrils lapped out at him, and it seemed to have a pulse, almost like it was watching him.

"Axel! Where are you?"

Her voice was definitely coming from the orb, and his hands balled into fists as he forced himself to step toward it. He hesitated nervously and reached forward to brush his fingers against it.

"Come on!"

He stared in surprise as a thin, pale arm reached out and latched onto his wrist, pulling him forward into the orb. He stumbled and all at once his vision was filled with a bright light. He felt the hand on his wrist let go, and he held his arms up to block the blinding light. It started to fade, and he noticed the thin form leaning over him.

Namine's face was filled with concern, and she put a hand on his shoulder in reassurance.

"Are you alright?" She asked nervously. He nodded and forced himself up on his feet.

"Yea, what was that..?" He asked hesitantly, glancing around for the dark orb and realizing it was gone.

"It was a portal. I'm sorry, but Marluxia is looking for me and I needed to talk to you." He glanced up at the frail girl as she started to nervously pace the room.

"What's wrong?" He asked, suddenly feeling extremely protective of the girl. She shook her head and started chewing gently on her fingernails.

"I've been watching Sora, Marluxia makes me tell him everything he does. But a little while ago, he started thinking about you." She was quiet for a moment, and Axel edged a little closer to her curiously. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and Axel held back the urge to ask her what she meant.

"He was thinking about how you tricked Kairi into falling in love with you. The two of you were together, but he thinks you were using her to get close to him, for the Organization." She paused again and Axel stared at her in shock.

"Do you know who she is?" Namine asked quietly. He tried to think.

Kairi? It didn't ring a bell. He shook his head.

"I have no idea." He said gently. He thought he saw a grim smile cross the girl's face, but it was gone and she wrapped her arms around herself nervously.

"He seems so confused, I think you should go talk to him."

"What?" Axel stared at her in surprise. "I thought he wants to kill us all." He said it sarcastically, but Namine looked like she wanted to cry.

"None of this makes sense. You lost your memory, right? What if you were friends with Sora? What if he can help us?" Her voice broke and a tear traced its way down her cheek.

"If I leave…" She shook her head, then turned to the side and gazed sadly as a swirling black portal rose from the floor.

"Please go see Sora, something isn't right. If we stay here, I think something terrible will happen."

Axel cursed lightly and shook his head again.

"Come with me, I don't want to leave you here." He said forcefully. A small smile tugged at her lips as she glanced over at him, but she shook her head.

"Just go, I'll be fine. He still needs me, he won't hurt me until it's over." She insisted, reaching out to take his hand and tug him toward the portal.

"Wait…" Axel protested as she released his hand and gestured for him to step through the portal.

He reached out and caught her wrist as she tried to pull away, but after a moment she stopped struggling.

"You remember me, don't you? I mean, from before." He asked. Namine blushed lightly and looked away. His eyes scanned over her face, then moved down to note how her arm moved closer to her body self-consciously. He wondered for a moment exactly what happened between them that looking at her made him feel so strange. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her close, he wanted to feel her lips brush against his neck. They had been much closer than just friends at some point in time, and it was killing him now that he couldn't remember.

Her fingers wound around the back of his neck, and his eyes widened in surprise as she pulled him down to her. Her lips were soft and she smelled like wild flowers and freshly cut grass. he put his free hand on her shoulder, then when she didn't protest he slid it down her back and let it rest on her hip. She leaned against him, and he felt himself blush as something like an electric jolt went through his body.

Then she pushed him away and he realized there were footsteps echoing down the hall. She offered him a joyful smile, then put her hands against his chest and pushed him back into the portal.

x:X:x

That was Sora, he knew the moment he saw the boy. He felt an odd feeling in his chest at the sight of him, like he reminded him of someone he used to know. He shook the feeling and narrowed his eyes in concentration as he studied the keyblade master.

He was obviously upset about something, and for a moment Axel wished Namine was here to tell him what the boy was thinking. He didn't look nearly as evil and dangerous as Larxene had insisted he was.

Axel watched from the top of the city wall as Sora walked somewhat aimlessly through town. He had his hands in his pockets and his head was lowered toward the ground. Sora paused to pull his hand out of his pocket and turn something over in his fingers. Axel caught a white flash as the sun glinted off the object, then Sora put it back in his pocket and looked up at the sky.

Axel rested his chin in his hand and sighed heavily. He really had no idea what he was supposed to do. He wanted to go talk to the boy, but they were on different sides. What if he attacked him before Axel got a chance to explain? He didn't want to hurt him.

As he was lost in thought, he almost missed the boy approaching Sora. His eyes snapped back to the two figures as Sora stopped to talk to the other boy. His long silver hair shone brightly in the afternoon sunshine, and for some reason he seemed much more intimidating than Sora.

He watched them talk for several minutes, then Sora shook his head and walked away. The boy with silver hair stayed for a moment and lowered his head to the ground. He stayed that way for a long time, and for some reason Axel found himself watching this boy instead of continuing on to follow Sora. Another few moments passed, and just as Axel was about to leave he noticed the boy glance in his direction. He looked forward again and started forward, then flinched noticeably and spun back to stare up at Axel.

He jumped to his feet nervously when he realized the boy had definitely seen him there, and they stared at each other for a few tense moments. Axel had no idea who he was or whether he was dangerous or not, but he wasn't interested in taking chances today. He glanced around to find an escape route, but when he looked down at the street again the boy was gone.

Axel cursed lightly under his breath, then leapt down from the wall and started to walk rather quickly down a side street. He glanced over his shoulder anxiously, waiting for the silver haired boy to suddenly appear behind him. He knew he must be following him now, he had seemed to recognize him. Whether that was good or bad, he had no idea.

"Axel!"

He jumped in surprise and his head snapped forward as he stared at the woman with wide eyes. She had long brown hair, big green eyes, and she seemed overly cheerful to see him.

He stood several feet in front of her ready to run, but she just smiled sweetly at him.

"I was so worried about you!" She moved forward and Axel flinched as she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. She stepped back again, and he stared down at her nervously.

"I thought the Organization got you, what happened?" He could see the overwhelming concern on her features as she gazed up at him. He opened his mouth, but couldn't think of what to say as he glanced around in confusion.

"Did you find Namine?"

His eyes snapped back to her face in surprise.

"Namine?" He heard himself murmur softly. The woman nodded.

"Isn't that who you were looking for? To help Kairi?" He was utterly confused now and had to look away and try to think.

This woman must know Sora, and she obviously knew who he was. If she was being so friendly, and she was a friend of Sora's, did that mean he used to be Sora's friend too? So Namine was right, he needed to get to Sora and find out what was going on. But then, she knew he was looking for Namine so she could help that other girl. Did Sora send him to the Organization to find her?

A hand fell heavily on his shoulder and he looked over sharply to see the same silver haired boy he'd been watching earlier. He was so confused at this point, all he could do was stare back into the boy's aqua eyes and he smiled at him.

"You were starting to scare me, I thought maybe they brainwashed you or something!" The boy said in a joking tone. Axel eyed him suspiciously and glanced back over at the woman. There was concern on her face now, and she was staring intently at him.

"Axel? Are you alright?" The boy seemed to catch on that something wasn't right, and he stepped forward as Axel started to back away.

He watched as the two glanced at each other as confusion started to set in.

"Axel?" The boy asked carefully. He couldn't think of what to say, and after the two exchanged worried looks the boy put his hands to his head.

"Shit! Axel, do you know who I am?" He asked in frustration. He stared intently at him, and after a while Axel finally shook his head.

The boy cursed again and he looked over to see the woman put her hand to her mouth as a look of horror crossed her face.

"Oh Riku, he's one of them again…" She said softly as tears started to well up in her eyes. "His heart is gone…"

Riku let out another loud curse and then turned back to him.

"What the hell happened?! Did you at least find Namine?" He was completely frustrated, and Axel narrowed his eyes at him.

Maybe these people were his friends, but he wanted answers too.

"What do you need Namine for?" He asked sharply. Riku stared at him in horror for a moment.

"To save Kairi! Did you completely forget about her?!" Now he just looked angry, and Axel could feel the flames lapping at his knuckles again.

"Please don't do this, we can sit down and sort all of this out." The woman rushed between them and put her hands up. The worried look in her eyes was so calming, Axel felt the flames vanish as he straightened up to look at her.

"I'll go get Sora, and we can sort this out. It's fine, just calm down." She insisted when Riku didn't seem to relax at all. He paused for a second, then glared sharply at the two of them.

"No, don't tell Sora. He won't understand." He turned on the woman. "Aerith, please don't let Sora know Axel was here. It could ruin everything." He was so serious, he seemed to make the woman nervous, but she nodded hesitantly anyway.

End of chapter eight