Betwixt and Between: the crossroads of all that does and does not exist. If Kingdom Hearts was the heart of all worlds, it was this ethereal infinity that served as its circulatory system. It ran parallel to everywhere and everything, a central hub for the Corridors of Darkness. After the World that Never Was, it was quite possibly the most corrupted place one could hope to visit.

"Guess I'm movin' up in the worlds."

A shadowy portal opened, spilling clouds of darkness and a beleaguered Flurry of Dancing Flames into the opalescent terminus. Axel's cynical reassurances, his cloak, and his fire were all that was left to him, and he knew this well. For the last few days, he had been on the run from the remnants of Organization XIII, and just minutes ago he had confirmed that he could not hide from them in their own city.

"Yeah, why'd I pull that to begin with? Xemnas knows things. I suppose that's why every door led back to Memory's Skyscraper."

As Axel picked himself up off the ground ("Looks exactly like everywhere else. Damn, I hate this place."), a Dusk fell from some undefined point above him, sending him sprawling. It spent a second or two gnawing on his ear; then its silvery body slowly started to turn red. It spasmed, backflipping off of Axel's head and running in circles before burning to death from the inside.

Axel tested his legs, found he could stand, and cast a quick glance back at the burning remains of the Nobody, already fading into nothingness.

At this point, two thoughts were at the forefront of his mind.

Thought first: "Another one. They probably figured I'd try this way. Can't hide forever."

Thought second: "Shit, that's fun."

Axel stumbled, flailing his arms wildly to keep his balance. "But I better keep it to a minimum. I'm running on empty anyway."

Organization XIII's Number VIII sighed, smiled sadly, and started walking. Where he would go wasn't the issue. All that mattered to him was moving. The more he stayed in one place, the faster everyone else would find him.

Apparently, however, this logic did not apply to Dusks. Every few seconds, one would appear, and every few seconds Axel would either incinerate it or use his chakrams to separate them from their limbs. They came with increasing frequency, too – Axel soon found himself pursued by about fifteen of them.

Despite his aches and fatigue, Axel pursued, wringing more power from the nothingness that comprised him to keep his energy up and stay on his feet. "I've been ignoring my limits for days – a few more minutes won't hurt."

In all the time Axel had been fleeing the Organization, once it became clear that Xemnas had condemned him as a traitor, physical pain hadn't really registered anyway. The Dusks would leap back and forth for a swipe or two, and a couple of times a berserker had knocked him into a wall, but Axel never failed to pop back up, chakrams blazing.

More than his natural healing, it was desperation that kept him alive. For obvious reasons, of course – the lesser Nobodies had been ordered to kill him on sight. But he was also running out of time to fulfill what had become his highest priority.

Not standing and fighting – the Organization was all over that.

Not finding his heart – now that Xemnas had gone off the deep end building that stupid moon, the Organization's goals had shifted away from that. "Eh. I'm used to this anyway. It means I don't need blankets." Axel allowed himself a small smirk, snapping his fingers and making a pair of Dusks violently explode.

No, his highest priority had been the same thing for the last year: finding Roxas.

The smirk quickly disintegrated, and so did four more unlucky Nobodies behind Axel.

It had been so simple: find Sora, grab his heart, get Roxas back. "And why should anyone else care? Thanks to him, eight of us are gone. I'm doing Xemnas a big damn favor."

As often happened, however, Sora had higher things in store. "Something about Xemnas needing him to help with Kingdom Hearts. Release Heartless, Sora kills, hearts come back. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. And for what? Something that only Xemnas knows what it does?" Axel's form blurred as he shifted left; three Dusks that had leaped for him found themselves sailing through empty air, right into a pillar of flame.

"Bull. Xemnas is doing this for Xemnas. He's been doing this for Xemnas. And none of us saw it coming."

This last thought might not have been accurate, of course; Axel supposed Saïx and the other higher-ups might have guessed something. But what did it matter now?

Roxas was still out there.

That was the only pain Axel had really felt: not physical, but almost…"Emotional? Impossible. Nobodies don't do emotions."

But how else could he explain what he felt every time he fell asleep, forced to concede the day to the endless search for his best friend? What he felt when he thought of what Xemnas would do to him if he caught up to him first?

Leap. Whoosh. FWOOM. "Axel 837, Dusks 0."

The Organization's number one rule was that traitors died. If Xemnas got his hands on Sora's heart, Roxas wouldn't even have time to open his eyes when he came back.

"I'm a dead man walking. I'll be damned if I let Roxas go the same way."

But in order to find Roxas, he had to find Sora. And if Axel knew him, he was already here, or nearby.

"Take this!"

Axel chuckled. "Damn, I'm good."

Sora was here, of course, Donald and Goofy flanking him. The Keyblade danced through the air, bringing down two or three Dusks per strike. The sheer volume of enemies was stunning – there had to be at least fifty surrounding Sora and company. Goofy and Donald cast spells and defended their charge wherever they could, but it was clear the Nobodies were wearing them down.

Sora fought on, either unaware of or unwilling to believe this, and Axel was content to watch, disposing of the odd Dusk circling him. "He's held Roxas hostage for months. Why not let him handle it? I can finish him off then."

But Axel couldn't help but wonder at Roxas's condition. For all he knew, he was still somewhere in Sora's heart, asleep – or was he?

Could he hear everything Sora heard? See what he saw?

Feel what he felt?

A Dusk took a swing at Sora. Its claw, forged from nothingness, didn't cut him – it vaporized the skin it touched, leaving a free-flowing cut across Sora's cheek. He screamed in pain, throwing the Keyblade at his assailant, and Axel could almost swear he heard Roxas's voice somewhere in there.

Sora retreated, back to back with Donald and Goofy as the Dusks advanced. "It's no use!" he cried.

Every syllable cut Axel as deeply as that Dusk had cut Sora. Roxas was in there, somewhere. What kind of friend would leave him there?

"A crappy kind of friend, that's what. One that hasn't driven himself crazy for months looking for him. End of the road, Axel!"

Axel sighed. They needed him. Roxas needed him.

"Don't stop moving, or the darkness will overtake you!" he called.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy had barely turned around to see where the voice was coming from when Axel was flying. Fifteen feet in the air he jumped, his biggest exertion over the past few days, landing hard on his feet. A tiny snap announced itself from his increasingly fragile ankles, but Axel gritted his teeth and ignored it. Two chakrams to the nearest Nobodies' heads took his mind off the pain. In that moment, it dawned on Axel what he was to do with the rest of his nonexistence.

"No use postponing things. They've got me. I stand and fight, Sora gets a shot at the Organization, Roxas has a chance to live. You better appreciate this, kid."

Axel returned his focus to his surroundings once more, locking eyes with Sora. The resemblance was uncanny; had Axel been able, he probably would have teared up at the sight.

"Get goin'!"

Sora was incredulous; why was Axel helping him? "Why?"

"…The hell? I'm saving your lives!" Axel bit back this retort. "Don't ask. Just do it!" He had barely finished his sentence before another Dusk knocked him to the ground. "I must be in worse shape than I thought. Those things couldn't touch me before."

Axel felt two more Dusks pile on to him, fighting each other for a scrape at his back; the weight was instantly removed when Sora cleared them off for him. "You okay?" asked Sora frantically.

"Glad to see we're on the same page."

"I kidnapped Kairi, but she got away from me." There was the bait. "After that, Saïx caught her. He's a member of Organization XIII. Saïx. Got it memorized? Now go save her!"

It was done. Sora was on the right track. Axel glanced around to get a feel for the battlefield. The Nobodies were circling, unsure of what to do now that the four had joined forces. Donald and Goofy held off three each behind Sora.

Fwssh.

A Dusk fell out of a portal in midair, angling toward Sora. Axel was about to call out and warn him when Sora whipped around, Keyblade flashing. Half a second later, the Nobody was gone.

Sora held his Keyblade at the ready, daring the Dusks to attack. "Leave us alone!" he shouted defiantly.

A wicked grin crossed Axel's face. "Oh, this'll be good." He stood beside Sora, chakrams ready. "I'll take you all out!"

So it began.

---

Sora and Axel flew in opposite directions, subconsciously splitting the horde in two. Not for the first time, it occurred to Axel how hard it was to fight at a massive numerical disadvantage. Dusks were everywhere – coming at him from the sides, slithering around his feet to sever his tendons, falling from the sky.

"All this effort to get to me. I'd be flattered, if it didn't hurt so much."

That was interesting – he could actually feel the Nobodies chipping away at him now. One got under him, hacking at his legs, and another was clawing at his back. It stung, true, but not as much as it should have.

"No you don't!" Axel threw off the one on his back, catching its foot and impaling it with both chakrams at once. He stepped on the one below him, and did the same; a concentrated burst of fire incinerated them both.

"Well, it was Roxas that kept me going. Now that I found him, I can start focusing on me." Axel cast a wall of fire, mowing down twenty more Dusks and cartwheeling to the next group. He wobbled slightly mid-cartwheel; even his healing was slowing down.

"Then let's make this one hell of an ending."

Axel carved his way through the battlefield, burning, stabbing, and kicking at every flash of white. Dozens of Dusks fell as he laid waste to all that moved. He was the true embodiment of fire: merciless, all-consuming, and always ready for more.

About as much time was spent fighting the Dusks as was spent watching Sora fight. The Keyblade master was a machine, systematically ruining the Nobodies with the help of Donald and Goofy. He was the water to Axel's fire; where Axel blazed through endless Nobodies, laughing as they crumbled beneath his assault, Sora flowed like a river, slipping between enemies and striking them down faster than they could move. He was almost superhuman, and Axel couldn't help noticing how much of Roxas he saw in him.

"It's almost like we're together again. One last big fight before Xemnas calls us for dinner." Axel thought, a smile spreading across his face. This was the most fun he'd had in a long time.

It was smooth sailing for the first minute or so, and then things got rough. More and more Nobodies poured through the empty air, filling the surroundings with white as Dusks marched to the Organization's Public Enemies #1 and #2. Donald and Goofy were lost in the mass of attackers, killing enemy after enemy and making little progress.

Sora and Axel cut down a few more on their respective sides, then backed up against each other. They were at the center of the fighting, surrounded by at least seven hundred Dusks. They could fight, but not for much longer.

Axel took a deep breath, then chuckled. "I think I liked it better when they were on my side." Six Dusks circled, closing the distance with each passing second.

Sora lowered his Keyblade, casting a sidelong glance at Axel. "Feeling a little…regret?" he asked sarcastically.

Another chuckle. "Same old Roxas."

Axel pondered Sora's question. He thought back to when he first joined the Organization, how crazy it drove him at first to feel absolutely nothing. He remembered slowly adapting, finding common ground with some of the other neophytes, but never really relating with any of them. Until Roxas arrived.

How long would he have survived without someone to talk to? Not Xemnas. Nobody went to him for entertainment. Xigbar was cool, but usually pretty condescending. So was Xaldin, come to think of it. Vexen and Zexion were too busy fighting and studying to be any fun. Lexaeus spent all his time training. Saïx…well, the less said about him, the better. Demyx was a pansy, Luxord was a jerk, Marluxia was vain as all hell. He had toyed with the idea of some relationship with Larxene – if not an emotional one, at least for purely physical pleasure. "Kingdom Hearts, I missed that." But it wasn't to be. She was false – a mere ghost of what Axel once had. She never screwed with any of them anyway – just their minds.

Roxas had done what Larxene could not: made Axel remember what it was like to be whole. He'd been his only friend in the Organization, and an unforgettable part of him. As the Nobodies closed in, Axel decided on his last favor for him.

"Feeling a little…regret?"

Axel's mouth: "Nah…I can handle these punks. Watch this!"

Axel's mind: "Nope. Can't say I do."

Axel sprang away from Sora, into the sea of Dusks. Several lunged for him, but were blasted back. Axel raised his arms, setting his chakrams spinning in the air around him. The Dusks that attacked were killed instantly. Axel was on a roll; they stood no chance at touching him.

He was surprised at how comfortable he felt with the idea of death. Feeding this last attack with all his power was a pretty painful way to go, but it was better than being turned into a Dusk. He'd always hated those things.

The chakrams stopped on either side of him, spinning like the wheels on a racecar and blazing uncontrollably. Axel felt his body being lifted as he lost control of his power, felt the last of his healing potential be consumed by the relentlessly building attack. He suddenly felt hot all over – not the pleasant warmth he was accustomed to, but a burning sensation across every inch of his skin. Axel was on fire, his very nonbeing becoming fuel for this grand finale.

And yet, he found he didn't mind. What he suffered he suffered for Roxas, to make sure his best friend survived. That, he felt, was worth any price.

Pillars of flame erupted on all sides. Axel exploded, fire pouring from his body in terrifying gouts of death.

"Live that dream, Roxas! See you in the darkness!"

He screamed, an insane roar of agony and victory, joy and friendship.

---

Sora uncovered his eyes, looking around in awe at the churning oblivion of Betwixt and Between. The Nobodies were gone, all of them, and none came forth to challenge them. Goofy and Donald lowered their weapons, struck by the same amazement.

"Whoa!" That was all Sora could think to say. He had seen a lot of amazing things since he left the Destiny Islands, but nothing quite like this.

As his eyes adjusted to the still-bright view, he saw a patch of night in the middle of it all.

This was Axel, darkness drifting like smoke from his burned, ruined body.

Sora ran to him, kneeling, and unable to believe what was happening. "You're..fading away…"

Axel lay on the ground, every cell of his body crying out in pain, but forced a smile nonetheless. "Well, that's what happens when you put your whole being into an attack. You know what I mean?" It was a matter-of-fact statement, as if his death was just another footnote in Ansem's textbooks.

"Whoops. Scratch that." "Not that Nobodies actually have beings…right?" he corrected himself mirthlessly. Axel's time was short, and he knew it. The smoke from his body had become mixed with dark ashes, as his form fragmented and began to dissipate. If he were to finish his job, it would have to be quick. He turned to look Sora in the eyes.

"I'm wasting his time. What I do I do for him." Axel was silent for a moment, then found the strength to speak again. "Anyway, I digress. Go, find Kairi." "Aren't I forgetting something?" Axel reminded himself. "Oh, almost forgot…sorry for what I did to her."

Sora remained sympathetic. "When we find her, you can tell her that yourself."

"Good old ray of sunshine. I'll miss you, kid." Axel turned his head, looking up again. He knew he was dead, and he was pretty sure Sora knew it too.

"Think I'll pass. My heart just wouldn't be in it, you know? Haven't got one." A chuckle. "Nope, no regrets."

Sora nodded solemnly. "Axel, what were you trying to do?"

"Why not tell the truth? Might as well do one more good thing to make up for it all."

"I wanted to see Roxas."

The smoke and ashes were thicker now; the darkness consumed Axel's body still faster.

"He…was the only one I liked…he made me feel…like I had a heart."

"Should I tell him? Does he know?"

"It's kind of…funny…" The darkness was moments from his core; seconds remained.

"Not enough time."

"You make me feel…the same…"

"Not enough time."

Axel closed his eyes, then opened them, piercing Sora with a last purposeful gaze.

"Kairi's in the castle dungeon. Now go."

With a laborious effort, Axel raised his left arm. A portal to the World That Never Was flickered, then held. Axel relaxed, the last of his power gone.

"What's left of me will save him. That's all I need."

The darkness swarmed over Axel's body, greedily feasting on the Flurry of Dancing Flames in his moment of clarity.

Sora was almost speechless. "Axel…"

Axel couldn't hear him. The darkness scattered, then faded, taking his body with it.

To any uninitiated observer, Axel's death would have been infuriating – someone so noble deserves far better, they would say.

In the end, Axel didn't mind. He owed Roxas for that falling out they had in Twilight Town - for having to endure the life sentence that was nonexistence. His sacrifice was his apology and his atonement – the giving of one's life for a dear and only friend.


First and foremost, I'm sorry this took so long. I was busy most of late July, helping put on a full-scale production of High School Musical in two weeks, 9-5 each day, which is tiring as all hell (I played Zeke, by the way.) Also, mere days after I got home, my grandmother finally died at 79, losing her fight with Alzheimer's and necessitating a return to Texas for the funeral. Combine that with school starting here in Georgia, and you've got an environment not exactly conducive to writing. I hope to get more done more often, but now that school's in session there's no guranteed schedule. Again, I apologize, and I wish every one of you the best in life.

Love and thanks to all the readers

Zellarius Burvenia