A/N-Another chapter. Enjoy! ^^

Axel gave off a loud yawn. He blinked a couple of times to remove the water pooling in the pockets of his eyes. He felt his side get elbowed roughly. Axel shot the assailant a hard stare.

"Come on, Axel. Try to at least look interested," Demyx pleaded. Axel rolled his eyes and clasped his hands behind his head.

"What's the point? We're not doing anything exciting today," Axel replied. Demyx frowned.

"You don't know that. We haven't even reported in yet." Axel shrugged. They were walking down the long hallways of the lower parts of the castle. This was used to be known just as "the castle" until King Xemnas built Castle Oblivion on top of the existing castle for his own personal use. Now the old castle was just known as the lower grounds.

Their footsteps echoed in the empty halls as they made their way up towards the head office. Upon arrival, Demyx held open the large door and Axel stepped through first. There they found a small meeting taking place. Axel glanced at Demyx but the blonde shrugged. They found places around the circular table in the center of the room and waited.

Then the head of the guard entered the room with the head of magic and head of research in tow. Glances were shot around the room in anticipation.

"King Xemnas has declared we take action against Twilight Town," Saïx started. He flicked his silver-blue hair before continuing. "I will need Xigbar and Xaldin to take part in the assault."

"Alright!" Xigbar exclaimed, his scarred face grinning broadly. Xaldin remained silent but his grin was just as wide.

"Lexaeus, you will continue your duties watching over the research center. Luxord, I need you to watch over the King today. Marluxia and Larxene, you two are out in the barrens. We've received word Twilight Town is already mobilizing a refugee attempt and I need you to try to stop them at all costs."

"Hey, what about us?" Axel interrupted, his face locked in a frown.

"You and Demyx are on patrol today," Saïx stated flatly.

"What?! How is that fair?"

"It's fair because you set fire to the fields the other day."

"I wasn't trying to. Besides, I stopped the raid, didn't I?"

"And hence you're being rewarded with a light punishment. Demyx, make sure he stays out of trouble." The blonde gave a soft nod and shot Axel a glance of concern. "You are all dismissed." The group dispersed and went their separate ways. Axel grumbled under his breath as he and Demyx made their way back through the lower grounds.

"This is stupid," Axel muttered.

"I know it is, but at least it's sort of like a day off," Demyx said reassuringly. Axel groaned loudly.

Being one of Xemnas's Knights was tough. There were nine of them and they were ranked by order of strength. Saïx was the head and the most loyal to the King. He was also the Queens personal guard since they were siblings. The stoic man was ruthless and even more so in battle. Second came Xigbar. He used to be the head until Saïx was promoted but the sharpshooter didn't seem to mind the slack in responsibilities. Xaldin was next followed by Lexaeus and Marluxia. Then came Axel, one of the newer Knights with plenty of attitude. He was followed by Larxene, the only female Knight but she was just as strong. Then it came Luxord and lastly Demyx. It wasn't that Demyx wasn't strong. He just didn't like to fight. All of the Knights wore the traditional armor and had their share of deadly weapons.

Axel sighed and clasped his hands behind his head as he walked side by side with Demyx. "Where do you want to patrol first?" he asked.

"Where do you think we should patrol?" the blonde asked back. Axel frowned and chewed on his black lip ring.

"Hell if I should know. It's not like there are that many people stupid enough to attack Hollow Bastion."

"Then let's just go into town." Axel arched his eyebrows and glanced at the blonde. Demyx was three years his junior with his hair styled into a cross between a mullet and a Mohawk. He wore several silver earrings on each ear. One in particular was a stud with a chain that hung down low and clipped onto Demyx's right shoulder pauldron. Axel wondered how it never ripped out of his ear when fighting.

The red head ran his hands through his mass of hair. It was constantly clumped together in a wave of spikes behind his head.

"We're actually supposed to be on patrol, Dem. We can't just wander off."

"We'll just say we're patrolling the town. Searching for spies or something." Axel rolled his eyes and dropped his arms.

"If you say so." They made their way outside the castle and headed for town. Hollow Bastion didn't have many residents because most of them were off fighting for the King. There were only about a dozen shops still in business and the streets were usually void of traffic.

As they reached the plaza, Axel could see Demyx relax a bit. The blonde was never comfortable around the castle but Axel didn't blame him; he wasn't either. They walked past a few shops selling trinkets, armor, and flowers. They eventually stopped at the local café and seated themselves at an outside table.

"So what's the big deal about Twilight Town?" Demyx asked. Axel looked up from drumming his fingers on the table.

"What do you mean?" the red head asked.

"Well, I know they started the war, but weren't we the ones who attacked them first?"

"No, we attacked Radiant Garden first and then Twilight Town rebelled."

"What about the school incident?"

"They weren't the only ones affected."

"Yeah, but I don't get why Xemnas is so keen on having the place destroyed. From what I've heard, they're just regular people trying to get by."

"Beats me. I never thought it was that special." Demyx frowned.

"Sorry. I'm irritating you, aren't I?" Axel scowled, confirming Demyx's suspicions. "Well, it's a nice day out, isn't it? The weather's been great lately. It's too bad we don't get out enough to enjoy it." Demyx sat forward in his chair and cross his arms on the table.

They were interrupted by the sounds of cannon fire. They looked skyward and could see the faint outline of G. Ships flying overhead. A minute later, they were gone. The Knights returned their attention back to the table.

"Think those were Twilight Town G. Ships?" Demyx asked.

"Could have been," Axel replied flatly. He stood and started walking away. Demyx leapt up and trotted after him. They walked through the rest of the plaza in silence. Unlike the other Knights, the people of Hollow Bastion were on neutral ground with Axel and Demyx. They had no quarrels with them. Axel was a bit rough but he was bright and enthusiastic whenever he was in a good mood. Hearing him laugh and tell jokes put the people at ease. Demyx was always friendly with the people and sometimes offered to help with various small tasks. His smile was always reassuring.

As they headed towards the residential district, they were called over to the last shop in the plaza. Demyx smiled brightly. Axel followed the blonde over to the counter.

"Good morning, Mr. Scrooge," Demyx greeted. An old man sat behind the counter. He wore a blue suit with a red tie and a black top hat. A pair of round spectacles sat on the bridge of his nose.

"G'morning, boys. I see you're out on patrol," Scrooge greeted.

"Pfft, if you can call it a patrol," Axel commented dryly. Demyx waved his hand at his friend.

"Don't mind him. He's been sour all morning," he explained. Scrooge nodded with a smile.

"Well, then I know just the trick to cheer him up," the old man replied. He stood and went to his side freezer and pulled out two ice cream treats. The blue color was strange, as was the flavor, but it was voted the best ice cream in all of Hollow Bastion. Axel's eyes perked up a bit at the sight of the treat. Scrooge chuckled. "See? The laddie knows what he wants. Go ahead, boys. 'Tis on me today." Scrooge handed them the treats and they gladly accepted. Demyx licked his and shivered at the salty sweet flavor. Axel begrudgingly took a nibble off of the corner of his ice cream. Unconsciously, a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Axel started to walk off, leaving a frowning Demyx behind.

"What's with him today?" Demyx asked himself.

"Poor laddie. He must have something on his mind. You'd better go catch him before he wanders off the edge of the world." Demyx nodded and chased after the red head.

They walked through the residential area in silence. When Axel finished his ice cream, he chewed idly on the stick like an oversized toothpick. Demyx shoved his hands into the pockets on his belt. He felt something inside the left one and pulled it out, revealing a piece of gum. He unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth.

"So…" Demyx started. "Do you have any place you want to go?" Axel shrugged. "Oh, come on, Axel. You're being a stick in the mud. You've got to liven up a bit."

"Should I be celebrating that another world is getting destroyed today?" Axel snapped. Demyx flinched at his friend's harsh words.

"No…but you said it yourself that there was nothing special about Twilight Town." Axel sighed and moved the stick to the other corner of his mouth.

"Yeah, I did." He forced a smile and gave Demyx a shove. "It really ticks me off you keep ruining my emo vibe." Demyx burst out laughing.

"I pride myself in destroying others." Axel smirked and they walked farther down the street. They paused and looked up at the sky as the sound of cannons rose up again.

"There they go. How many do you think they saved?" Demyx wondered.

"Don't know. Maybe a hundred and maybe none."

"How long do you think it will be before it's destroyed?" The sound of G. Ships flying low overhead directed their attention. Three large Hollow Bastion ships flew skyward after the other three fleeing ships.

"Not long." Axel and Demyx returned to their patrol through the streets. When they finished passing through the residential zone, they turned off towards the water ways.

"You think someone could be sneaking down here?" Demyx asked.

"Maybe. It is the weakest part of the castle," Axel reminded.

"Right. I was just kind of hoping for an easy day today."

"What are you talking about? You already got to walk through town AND got free ice cream! What more of a relaxation day do you need?"

"A day to myself. Maybe I'd go visit another world."

"And get killed on arrival."

"Oh, thanks! Just what I want to here when I go on vacation."

"Hey, it's the truth," Axel defended. Demyx scowled sourly. Axel pulled the stick from between his teeth and tossed it over a fence to the underground water way below. "Where would you go?" Axel asked.

"I don't know. I hear Atlantica's nice."

"You want to be a fish?"

"Half-fish, Axel. And it would just be for a visit."

"You couldn't pick somewhere fun like Halloween Town? Or the beaches of Destiny Islands? That would be my type of vacation. Sitting on the beach with a tropical drink in hand and no war to think about, now that's a vacation."

"Hey, getting off topic for a bit, but did you ever do anything fun in the other worlds before the war?" Demyx wondered.

"I went camping in the Pride Lands with my dad before he left the family. Other than that, not really. I just hung out with Saïx and his sister. Pre-Queen that is."

"I still can't believe you two used to be best friends. He's such an ass hole."

"Yeah, well, he wasn't always like that. After his sister, Isa, got married, he wanted to make a good impression on the King. Naturally, that's what tore us apart."

"Was Isa nice? Pre-Queen that is?"

"Yea. She was really sweet, probably because she was ten years older than me."

"Isn't Saïx five years older than you?"

"Six. How they ever wanted to hang out with a brat like me growing up I'll never know. I think it was something to do with our mothers knew each other." Axel pondered about it for a little while.

The ground gave a sudden lurch and the men wavered slightly. The glanced at each other with the same expression. "Well, there goes Twilight Town," the red head muttered.

"Do you think they got anyone else out?"

"Maybe. I suppose we'll just have to wait ten minutes and find out." They halted their progress and waited in silence, their attention on the sky. Sure enough, ten minutes later the cannons started firing.

"You almost want them to make it," Demyx murmured under his breath. Axel watched the ships with pleading eyes.

'Come on. You can make it.' Axel urged in his head. He saw one of the ships waver only to get hit dead on by cannon fire. The G. Ship plummeted.

"Oh, it was so close!" Demyx shouted. They watched as the ship was struck again and it vanished from their view, landing somewhere out in the wastelands. "That's a shame. Come on, we better get moving before someone catches on we're not doing our jobs." Demyx turned to leave but Axel kept his gaze on the sky. "Hey! Come on!"

"Hold up a second!" Axel shouted back, shooing the blonde away. There was a long minute of silence. Then the cannons rose up again.

"Is there another ship?" Demyx asked, walking back to Axel's side.

"I'm not sure. I can't see this one." Then the firing stopped. "Nah, I think it was just a stray. I think Larxene was getting trigger happy again."

"Last time she did that she shot down our own G. Ships," Demyx recalled. Axel chuckled.

"Yeah, and she was on patrol for a month. Man was she livid." Axel turned and followed his friend towards the lower levels of the water way. The sound of running water followed them where ever they went. It was almost soothing.

They passed through a small building to check on the controls and nothing had been tampered with. Demyx checked the dials and Axel typed on the small computer. The red head suddenly perked up.

"What's wrong?" Demyx pressed.

"I thought I heard something," Axel muttered. The Knights paused as the communicators in their ears crackled to life.

"We have confirmed the landing of an enemy vessel on Hollow Bastion grounds. Be on alert for survivors. Kill them on sight," a voice calmly ordered. The Knights looked at each other with bemused expressions.

"Did they seriously think someone survived that crash?" Demyx asked.

"They're about as nutty as a bag of peanuts," Axel agreed. "But you know what that means, Dem? We actually have to do our jobs." Demyx groaned.

"I don't want to do my job."

"Then why did you become a Knight?"

"I ask myself that three times a day." Axel chuckled and continued to check the data stored on the small computer.

"Well, everything looks good here. Let's make a loop and swing back to the lower grounds."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, Demyx. Come on. It's a simple stroll around the water ways. That way we can say we did our job and we stall getting back to the castle," Axel reasoned. Demyx sighed.

"Fine," he agreed. They left the small building and headed even lower into the water ways. At the bottom, they found nothing of interest so they headed back to the castle. It was a different set of water ways so their route was slightly altered. They climbed stairs and took an elevator to the main ground level. Then they had to stop at another small building to check the water way security on the castle.

As Axel pulled up the security history, he frowned. "Hey, Dem, come look at this." Demyx sauntered over and peered at the screen.

"Did one of the sensors break?" the blonde wondered.

"I don't know. It's not picking up any readings. We should go check it out." Demyx groaned. "It was probably just someone being carless and bumped it." Axel led the way as they cut across a series of bridges and overpasses to retrace their steps from whence they came.

"Which sensor was it again?" Demyx asked.

"Sixty two. It's the one in the wall."

"Right. I can never remember where they all are." Axel stepped down a short flight of stairs and they arrived in the area containing the sensor. "Okay, so it should be…oh fuck what is that!" Axel stiffened as Demyx pointed. The wall was across the pathway from them and streaked with a good amount of blood. "Axel, what if someone did survive the crash?"

"How? With that amount of blood, they would have bled out long ago," the elder Knight reasoned. He scanned the path to the left and right. He noticed the shallow path of water that ran parallel to the main path was slightly pink. He followed it with his eyes and it turned to dark red farther up. His vision was blocked by a railing from where the path split to their left. Axel frowned and took a hesitant step towards the railing.

He saw a glint of gold on the other side.

"Shit, Demyx, there's someone there," Axel growled. They pulled out their weapons. Axel sported a pair of duel chakrams and Demyx had his sitar, which he used to summon magic infused water clones. The Knights crept along the path and approached the figure lying in the shallow water.

"Twilight Town, no doubt about it," Demyx murmured.

"Yeah, check out that armor. This guy's seen some battle's recently," Axel muttered. He approached the person and knelt in front of them. Their face was pressed into the water and this right arm was wrapped tightly around their stomach. Blood was picked up by the gentle current and carried away from the wound he sported on his side. Axel clipped his chakrams on his belt and tapped the person's shoulder. They were unconscious.

"What are you doing?!" Demyx hissed.

"What?" Axel hissed back.

"Didn't you hear the order? We have to kill him." Axel checked the Guard's pulse.

"He is dead, Dem. Now calm your panties. I'm just curious." Axel placed his hand on the Twilight Guard's shoulder and noticed the lopsided X on their neck. He pushed gently and rolled the corpse back, revealing the person's face.

"He's just a kid." Demyx slug his sitar back onto his back and knelt next to Axel. "No more than a teen."

"Shame. At least he went down fighting." Axel noted the teen's pained face, their matted blonde hair, their pale skin, and his open wound. "Hold on." Axel pried back the teen's right pauldron and found bandages wrapped tightly around the soldier. "Whoever patched this kid up did a good job."

"Too bad it was for nothing." Demyx poked the shoulder. The Knights leapt back as the teen's body twitched. They stared at the corpse with wide eyes. Axel scurried forward and checked for a pulse again. He couldn't feel one so he pressed his cheek close to the teen's face. Sure enough, a light puff of air grazed his skin.

"Damn, the kid's still alive!" Axel growled. He started to scoop the teen up in his arms.

"And what the Hell are you doing?! He's supposed to be dead. Axel, we're supposed to kill him."

"Just look at him, Dem. Just…look." Demyx stood and started at the dying teen. His heart went out for the injured blonde but since he didn't know the kid personally, he didn't feel much of a loss.

"It's just a kid, Axel. We're in a war and we suffer casualties. Besides, how do you plan on saving him? We can't exactly bring him to the infirmary. They'll kill him there."

"Then I'll take him somewhere else."

"You're insane! Why are you so obsessed with saving this kid? He'll be dead in a minute anyway. Let's just move on and let him die in peace." Axel growled and picked up the teen. He was heavy with all of the armor.

"Then stay out of my way," Axel snapped. He started to make his way up to the castle. Demyx groaned and chased after him.

"Why are you being so difficult?" he pleaded.

"Dem, if it were anyone else I would have left them there."

"Then why pick up this kid?"

"He's different."

"How the Hell can you tell that?" Axel stopped and turned to Demyx, his gaze was cold.

"He has a strong heart." Demyx blinked.

"And you can just…feel that?" Axel gave a slight nod. Demyx sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm going to get cremated for this."

"Then we'll go together. Meet you back in our quarters. If you can, see if you can swipe some supplies from the infirmary." Demyx nodded and they hurried back to the castle. They split ways and Axel took the teen to his quarters he shared with Demyx in the lower grounds.

Axel placed the blonde on his bed and set to work to fix his side. Demyx entered the room a few minutes later with an arm load of various medical supplies. He helped to sew up the side as Axel prepared an IV and a line with needles on the ends.

"You can't be serious," Demyx stated, trying not to notice the blood on his hands or on Axel's sheets. "You can kill him by doing that."

"He's lost too much blood, Dem. I have to try."

"At least let me test it first." Axel nodded and removed the armor on his right arm. He rolled up his sleeve and pressed the needle into a vein. Blood flower through the tube to the other side. Demyx caught some in a dish and mixed it with the teen's blood. They waited a full minute. Demyx stirred the contents and nodded in approval. "Okay, you're compatible." Axel nodded and slipped the second needed into the teen's arm.

He waited in silence as Demyx finished sewing up the side and started to place mounds of gauze over the wound. Axel started to feel tingly and lightheaded but he wanted to be sure the teen got enough blood to survive.

"Alright, Axel. That's enough. There's no need to starve your body or send it into shock," Demyx reasoned. He removed the needle from the red head's arm and handed over some clean gauze. Then the pulled the tube from the teen's arm and patched it up. Axel patched up the hole in his skin as Demyx began to clean up. The blonde Knight scrubbed the blood from his hands in the bathroom sink.

Axel checked the teen's pulse. He could finally feel it under his fingertips. A little color had returned to his face and his breathing wasn't quite as shallow.

"How do you plan on keeping this a secret?" Demyx asked. He stood leaning in the doorway of the bathroom drying his hands. Axel started removing the rest of the teen's armor and placing it gently in the corner of the room.

"Luck, I guess," Axel muttered. When he finished, he started to clean the blood from the teen's armor and swords. He marveled at the craftsmanship of the weapons. While he cleaned, Demyx left to give their report. Axel prayed Demyx left out the details of their discovery. When he finished, he neatly stacked the armor and pulled up a chair to the side of his bed. There he sat and watched the teen rest. The blonde's back was turned so he didn't sleep on his injured side.

Axel hesitantly reached out and ran his fingers through the blonde's hair. It was surprisingly soft. He dropped his hands in his lap and simply waited. A part of him wished the teen would wake and another part didn't.

Demyx returned with a loud sigh. "Well, I managed to lie through my teeth enough to get by."

"What did you say?" Axel asked, turning to the blonde Knight.

"We found the blood and evidence someone had been there but no trace of a body. Either someone else got to them first or they fell over the railing into the lower waterways to be washed away. Which reminds me, you should clean your armor. I missed a spot on mine and they asked about it. I said it must have smeared off from when we were investigating." Axel looked down at his armor and realized Demyx was right. He was so focused on caring for the teen he neglected his own care.

"I suppose you have a point. Thanks Dem. I owe you."

"You owe me your soul." Demyx settled on his bed and began to fiddle with his sitar while Axel went to the bathroom to clean off his armor, shower, and attempt to melt away the feeling of dread growing in his stomach with the scalding spray of water on his face.

A/N-Musical muse: Dearly Beloved, 358/2 Days extended edition (No owning rights!)