A/N-I need to stop writing these so late at night. -.-zzzz Please read and enjoy! Much action in store next chapter. Oh, and writing about a distraught Ienzo? Broke my heart. ;_;. Was in tears the whole time I was writing it. No child deserves to go through that much pain. (Kind of the theme of the story now that I think about it...) Oh and I've surpassed the length of my previous fic. Cool! (Which has much more Akuroku in it for those who are craving a bit more)

"NO!" Roxas screamed.

Axel felt the pain rip through his chest. His body pulsed with his heartbeat. Then his heart was torn from his body. Axel couldn't hear the scream emitting from his throat. His vision blurred and he felt himself being swallowed in darkness. All around him he felt the emptiness of the dark abyss.

What's happened to me? Where am I?

Axel watched as his finger started to disintegrate into shadow.

That's right. I have no heart. I'll fade into darkness.

Axel held his hands close to his chest and felt himself falling deeper into the depths of inky blackness. He opened his eyes and saw a light glinting above him. His eyes went wide.

No! I won't fade into the darkness! I have someone I want to protect.

Axel reached for the light as his hand started to fade. Something cold ran down his cheek and he desperately wanted to hang onto that last bit of light.

Please, I don't want to die! Please! Roxas!

Axel felt his body jerk as someone grabbed his wrist. His eyes stared up at the figure, unblinking. In the light, his hand had reformed and Axel clamped his fingers on the figure's wrist. It was warm to the touch. The figure was engulfed in light. Four large wings sprouted from their back. The figure lacked a face or any defining features but Axel could feel who it was.

He panicked as he felt the darkness tugged as his legs, attempting to drag him down. Axel eyes pleaded with the shining figure. "Please…don't go…" Axel breathed. The figure pulled Axel upwards and crashed into him. Axel flinched and shut his eyes against the harsh light. Then the figure was gone.

Axel felt lost and confused but then the feeling faded to a dull ache in his chest. He wanted to feel something, anything, but there was nothing. Just the ache in his chest.

"Axel," he heard. It was Roxas's voice. Axel whirled around in the darkness, trying to find the source of the voice.

"I'm here!" Axel called. He spotted Roxas falling slowly away from him. Axel dove down and picked him up in his arms. He looked upwards and saw the watery reflection of the sun. His lungs were starting to burn. Suddenly, the water pressed him from all around and he was lost in a sea of blue. He struggled to reach the surface but the weight of his armor and Roxas's was pulling him down.

I can't fail him.

Then the lack of oxygen made his mind go black.

XxXxX

"Holy shit," Demyx breathed. Ienzo smacked him in the gut with the back of his hand. Demyx flinched but didn't comment. The beach was a mad house of rushing people. Sora and Kairi were carrying Roxas to the medical tent, a lance protruding through the blonde's shoulder. Riku and Tidus were carrying Axel at a slower pace since he didn't appear to be in any immediate danger.

"Dem, I can't see Axel," Ienzo muttered. He quickly grabbed Demyx's hand and gripped it tightly. "What's wrong with him, Dem? I can't see him!" Demyx knelt down and wrapped Ienzo in his arms.

"It's okay, Ien. We'll go see what has happened in a bit. We need to give them some space to make sure Axel and Roxas are okay. Once things have settled down, we'll go check on them."

"Okay." Demyx ruffled Ienzo's hair.

"Don't worry about it. They're both alive so we can be grateful for that." Ienzo didn't respond. Demyx stood and tugged on the boy's hand. "Come on. I know what we can do while we wait." Ienzo allowed himself to be led along the beach until Demyx sat and leaned against a tree. He pulled Ienzo into the space between his legs. Then he slipped his sitar over his head and set it in front of the both of them. Demyx took Ienzo's fingers and positioned them on the strings.

"Can you remember the chords?" Demyx asked. Ienzo nodded stiffly. The blonde smiled and allowed the boy to gently strum the strings. He changed the position of Ienzo's fingers and allowed him to hear the difference in the chords. "See? Not so hard, is it?"

"…no…" Ienzo croaked. Demyx set his sitar aside and wrapped Ienzo in a warm embrace.

"Shh, just let it all out," he cooed. Ienzo trembled as he cried. He turned and buried his face into Demyx's chest.

"Why does everyone have to risk their lives?" he murmured. "I don't want to be left alone!" Demyx gently stroked the boy's hair.

"That's what happens in a war. People fight. People die."

"I don't want them to fight! I don't want anyone else to die! Not mom, not dad, not…Z-Zex…" Ienzo couldn't finish. His cries turned into wracking sobs. "I-I don't want to l-live in this reality anymore! I j-just want m-my brother back! But he's not coming back…"

"Shh, we don't know that yet," Demyx said soothingly. "I'm always here for you, Ienzo. And in the rare chance your brother didn't kick Castle Oblivion's ass, I know he'd be watching over you." Ienzo choked out a small chuckled.

"Do you really think he's okay?" Demyx pulled Ienzo's face away from his chest so they were eye to eye. Then the man smiled brightly.

"Absolutely." Demyx wiped the boy's tears away with his thumbs and kissed him on the forehead. Ienzo blinked out a new set of tears and leaned against Demyx again. He let his sobs settle and he drifted into a dose while Demyx rubbed his back softly. The blonde hummed quietly a song that was both equally sad and beautiful.

They remained as they were for an hour before Sora came walking down the beach. Demyx looked up and noticed the strain on the brunette's face. Sora sat down next to him and sighed heavily. He ran his hand through his hair and looked up at the sky.

"How the Hell did this happen to us?" he mused quietly. "Roxas and Axel are fine, by the way. Selphie managed to bandage up Roxas's shoulder. Besides being chronically fatigued, he'll make it out intact. Axel is a different story. I can only guess what happened over at Hollow Bastion but I have a good hunch to what ensued. Axel has no pulse but all of his other vitals are functioning perfectly. In other words, he has no heart."

"So Xemnas finally got what he wanted," Demyx murmured, gently stroking Ienzo's hair while the boy slept. "Did Kairi ever tell you about Kingdom Hearts?"

"Of course. It scared the crap out of her."

"So you know about the Shards?"

"I don't really understand it all but I can follow the story. I take it Axel had something to do with these weirdo Shards?" Demyx nodded. Sora sighed and leaned back on his hands. "So Xemnas has the first piece then. That leaves Axel as what, a nobody? Shouldn't he have become a heartless?"

"Maybe his heart was strong enough to fight off the darkness. Or maybe he had help from Roxas," Demyx suggested. Sora mulled over the information while watching the clouds pass by.

"Well, you can talk to them if you like. Roxas is still out cold and Axel's locked in some sort of daze. It's like the guy is in a trance. Half the time he looks like he's sleeping and the other half it looks like he's a zombie. He hasn't moved since we brought him ashore. Which reminds me, you're Knight armor is WAY too clunky for swimming in. I nearly drowned trying to help Tidus bring Axel ashore. Roxas's is at least light."

"He has Disney tech armor so that's not a surprise."

"…huh. I thought that was a trade secret to Disney's world. Roxas must have an inside man to get him the goods." Sora scoffed. "I'm actually kind of jealous."

"Who wouldn't be?"

"You seem pretty satisfied with shedding your armor."

"I'm done with trying to be the bulky fighter I'm not," Demyx admitted. "Whatever I wear now will suit me just fine."

"Until you get run through with a sword," Sora reminded.

"I'm planning on avoiding that."

"Good luck. You're going to need it."

Ienzo moaned softly and shifted. He sat up and rubbed his sore eyes. Demyx dropped his hands to his sides so Ienzo could move freely.

"Hey Sora," he greeted softly.

"Hey there, squirt!" Sora greeted with a broad grin. "Ready to go see Roxas?"

"Is he okay?" Sora chuckled.

"Just a couple cuts and scrapes. He'll be back on his feet in no time."

"Okay." Ienzo stood and helped pull Demyx to his feet. The blonde retrieved his sitar while Sora stood and stretched. They followed the brunette over to the medical tent where Axel and Roxas lay waiting.

XxXxX

"Look, he's finally waking up," Demyx's voice observed.

"About time," Riku grumbled from somewhere off to the side.

"How's he doing?" Kairi asked.

"Give him some space, Kai!" Sora objected.

Roxas squinted his eyes shut before cracking them open. He felt completely drained. He stared up at the expectant faces of his new friends.

"I don't suppose anyone got my swords?" Roxas croaked, his throat parched.

"Tidus found them. They're leaning against the bedside table," Sora commented. Roxas relaxed a bit and took a deep breath.

"Well that wasn't what I had planned to happen." Roxas situated himself so he was comfortable before beginning his story. The group sitting around him sat in silence as they listened. Roxas retold everything from his meeting with Lexaeus to finding out Zexion's history to his encounter with Isa. Ienzo nearly fainted when he heard the condition of his brother but Demyx caught him as his knees gave out. He muttered his thanks to Lexaeus under his breath over and over again. When Roxas finished, he allowed the others to press him for questions.

"So let me get this straight: Zexion is royalty?" Demyx asked, completely shocked.

"So Lexaeus claims," Roxas replied dryly.

"That means Ienzo's royalty too." Demyx grinned and ruffled the boy's hair. "Lucky you!"

"I don't want a crown," Ienzo protested, smacking Demyx's hand away before he did further damage to his already messy locks.

"That crown is what's keeping your brother alive," Riku reminded. Ienzo scowled.

"So Axel really is a nobody then?" Demyx asked. Roxas nodded. He glanced at Kairi, who was strangely quiet since she first saw Axel. Roxas already knew why.

"Kairi," Roxas said, grabbing her attention. The girl jolted and smiled weakly. Roxas stared deep into her eyes. "Axel is Lea." Kairi bolted upright in her chair so fast it went flying.

"Fuck you, Roxas!" she screamed.

"Kairi!" Sora protested.

"No, you listen here! You have no idea the Hell I went through." Kairi pointed to Axel, who appeared to be sleeping at the moment. "He saved me. He helped me. And then he disappeared. Vanished! Without a fucking word! Do you know what he put my sister and I through? We thought he was killed! Now, after so many fucking years I finally get to see him again and he doesn't even have a HEART!" Tears spilled out of Kairi's eyes. Riku stood and found her a tissue.

"I'm sorry," Roxas stated.

"No you're not. You don't care two shits about my past or what Lea…AXEL…meant to me. To Naminé! Does she even know?"

"Naminé met him when Axel came to Traverse Town and asked for my help to save Ienzo." Roxas sat up stiffly and scowled. "She was just as torn up about it as you are, but she accepted it. Naminé accepted the fact that Axel didn't want to be who he was in the past. Axel was just as broken as you two were but he chose to hide it to keep you both happy. He left because he couldn't bear staring at himself in the mirror! He blames himself for the destruction of Radiant Garden!"

"AND YOU THINK HE'S THE ONLY ONE?!" Kairi roared. She ripped the tissue from Riku's grasp and scrubbed her face furiously. The room was silent.

"You're a Shard too," Roxas muttered.

"No shit! I tore myself apart like…Axel…did because I was also to blame, but unlike him I didn't know it when our world was destroyed. And do you want to know something? This little stunt you pulled not only put Axel in danger. It didn't just put me in danger. You're now dangerously close to getting burned, Roxas."

"What are you talking…?"

"You know very well what the Hell I'm talking about. Naminé is my sister. I know her better than I know myself some days. And now you're risking her life." Roxas's face paled. "And do you want to know something else? Why Naminé and I went to live with Xion? It's because she was a Shard too," Kairi spat.

Roxas was suddenly light headed and he wavered on his bed. Sora caught him before he passed out. He quickly got Roxas in bed but the blonde's condition was decreasing rapidly.

"Shit, he's going into shock!" Sora shouted. "Someone get Selphie in here!" Riku sprinted from the room while Sora held Roxas steady. Roxas started seizing violently. Ienzo clung to Demyx in fear. Demyx stood and pulled the boy away from the bed so Sora had room. Riku came sprinting in with Selphie close behind.

"Sora! Get a sedative!" she called.

"He's seizing!" Sora shouted back.

"We have to try!" Selphie rapidly searched her medical supplies and found a sedative. She quickly filled a syringe and hurried over to Roxas. "Hold him down! Riku! We need you!" Riku hurried over and helped to hold Roxas down. Selphie tried to administer the drug but Roxas suddenly flailed and his hand smashed into her face. Selphie screamed and dropped the syringe, glass exploding on the floor.

"Damn it Kairi! You took it too far!" Sora roared.

"What was I supposed to say? Nothing!" Kairi screeched. Selphie whimpered and recovered, quickly stepping over the glass to find a new syringe. Blood started oozing from between Roxas's lips.

"He bit his tongue," Riku stated, trying to hide the rising panic in his voice. Selphie rushed back to Roxas and managed to get the sedative into his system.

Demyx swallowed hard and tried to figure out what he should do. Ienzo clung to his legs to tightly he was about to lose circulation. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and noticed Axel had managed to get out of bed. Demyx watched as Axel walked over to Kairi, grabbed her by the shoulder and slap her across the face.

The smack was deafening.

Kairi was completely stunned. Her eyes were wide as she stared off to the side where her head was violently tossed. Kairi lifted her head and looked up at Axel. His eyes were completely unfocused as he stood over her.

"Lea…why?" she asked, tears slipping down her face. Axel grabbed her by the hair and tugged her head back.

"The name's Axel. Got it memorized?" he growled. Kairi squeaked and nodded. Axel let her go and walked over to Roxas. Sora stepped back as Axel approached him. The red head shoved Sora so hard the brunette was sent sprawling to the floor.

"Sora!" Riku shouted.

"I'm fine. What the Hell is Axel doing?" Sora wondered.

"He's fixated on the one thing that saved him," Kairi stated quietly. "So much to the point his body is moving without him thinking about it."

"What are you talking about?" Demyx pressed. Axel bared his teeth at Riku and Selphie, making the pair back away from Roxas. He picked Roxas up bridal style and held the blonde close to his chest.

"When a person's heart is removed, they have one chance to stay alive. They have to hold onto something within their heart. That last bit of light before they plunge into darkness. The stronger the heart, the easier it is to hold on. But if the person doubts the light for even a moment they don't survive."

"You mean they become a heartless," Sora clarified.

"They can, but what do you think happens to the person, Sora?" Kairi chided. Sora's face fell.

"You mean they…"

"Die." The silence that filled the room was astounding. "Axel must have held onto Roxas before he died. And so his life was spared, leaving him an empty shell. Although he's as good as being dead." Kairi turned away and rubbed her cheek. Sora got back to his feet. Ienzo unhooked himself from Demyx and hesitantly walked over to Axel.

The read head glared daggers down at the boy as he approached. Ienzo reached out and took Roxas's hand that was hanging limply by his side. Axel narrowed his eyes. Ienzo could feel the tremors wracking Roxas's body slowly pacify. He looked up at Axel.

"You want to protect him," Ienzo stated. Axel nodded. "Roxas must be very important to you. But he's important to me too. To all of us. We wouldn't do anything to hurt him. Kairi was just venting her anger onto Roxas because she was frightened. She didn't mean to hurt him. I'm sure deep down she's grateful toward Roxas because he kept her sister safe. Don't vent your anger onto us, Axel. We're not your enemies. We're your friends."

Everyone seemed to hold their breath as they waited for Axel to react. Then, Axel's shoulders relaxed. His face softened and he allowed Ienzo to be near his most treasured possession. Demyx let out a sigh of relief and walked over to Ienzo. He ruffled Roxas's hair and smiled at Axel.

"Hey there. Long time to see," Demyx greeted. Axel grunted softly and blinked, his eyes still unfocused. Demyx scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I think you can put Roxas down now. He seems to be doing much better." Axel scowled. "Or…maybe not."

"Be nice, Axel," Ienzo scolded. Axel remained mute. He took a step forward past the boy and set Roxas back down on his bed. Roxas was resting peacefully.

"Let's leave them be," Riku urged. He put his arm around Kairi's shoulder and steered her away from the scene. Sora helped Selphie clean up the floor before he took his leave. Selphie did her work on Roxas's mouth to stop the bleeding. Once it had been reduced to a light scab, Selphie busied herself with organizing her medical station. Axel returned to his bed where he appeared to have fallen asleep again. Ienzo sat on the bed next to Roxas's back while Demyx sat on the chair next to the bed and strummed his sitar.

Roxas woke four hours later feeling weaker than he woke the first time. His mouth tasted like iron. Selphie saw to his condition and gave him an Elixer before sedating him into another long sleep. The third time Roxas woke was in the middle of the night. Demyx fell asleep in his chair and Ienzo was fast asleep next to Roxas's legs.

Roxas felt his stomach clench as he realized he hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast. He was about to get out of bed when he heard footsteps on the wood floor. Roxas squinted and caught sight of Kairi walking over to him with a plate of food.

"I thought you might be hungry," she stated flatly. Roxas accepted the plate and dug in. Kairi sat on the bed adjacent to Roxas and watched him eat in silence. Once Roxas cleaned his plate, Kairi took it from him and set it on the bedside table. She took a deep breath and drew out the exhale for as long as she could.

"I'm sorry, Roxas. I was out of line," she apologized. "I didn't realize the shock of hearing the news would react so violent within you. I only wanted to you understand what I was feeling."

"I'm not mad, Kairi. I know you're just worried about your sister and Xion," Roxas replied. His fingers played with a loose string on his sheet.

"I don't hate you for what happened to Axel either. I know Axel was hurting more than I was but I chose to ignore it because I wanted him to keep showering me with his attention. I suppose when he left I just got scared. I thought it was my fault he disappeared. I thought I had pushed him to the point where he just couldn't take it anymore…and he killed himself… After that I had to get out of Traverse Town. I had met Sora and Riku, kids my age from another world, and they offered me a home here on Destiny Islands. I finally started to forget the pain I felt all those years ago.

"Then you showed up and everything changed. Now I'm being thrown back into a war I wanted to shun myself from. But I was being selfish again. I blocked out of my mind you had gone through the same pains as I had with the loss of your world. I can tell how you reacted you really care for Xion and Naminé. I know it sounds a bit strange coming from me, but I want you to know I'm glad you were there for them while I was wallowing in my own self-pity. I keep forgetting how selfish I am and then I don't realize I've hurt others until they're nearly as broken as I am."

"That's not true," Roxas interrupted. Kairi tiled her head to the side. "You're strong, Kairi. You joined the Militia and aren't afraid of fighting. You say you're selfish but you spend just as much time worry about your friends as you do about yourself. You're willing to protect what's close to you at the cost of your own pain. That's not being selfish. You're really kind and sweet when you're not brooding over your past. If you channel those feelings, people would open themselves up to you more and maybe you wouldn't be so afraid anymore."

Kairi scoffed lightly and smiled. "Damn. It's no wonder everyone likes you. I honestly don't blame them. Sometimes I wish I could be like you."

"You wouldn't want to be me."

"How so?"

"Because I'm no less than you." Kairi's countenance turned confused. Roxas had kept one piece of information from the group: he had the light of Kingdom Hearts inside him. "Xemnas is after me too, although he doesn't want my heart."

"He wants your light." Roxas frowned.

"How'd…?"

"I can read hearts too. At first I was in awe by the light within you but then I noticed there was something unnatural about it. It was only slight but then when I realized it was Kingdom Hearts, I only grew more frustrated."

"Because I'm not from Radiant Garden." Kairi nodded.

"When Radiant Garden was destroyed, so was the Shard that contained the light. After the refugees came together and I learned the Shards were real, I began to search out the other Shards. That's when I noticed there were some pieces missing. Axel clued me in to where one Shard and the darkness were. Care to take a guess?" Roxas scowled.

"You've got to be kidding."

"Nope. Isa's a Shard and she has the darkness of Kingdom Hearts within her. So, in all reality, Xemnas already has two Shards and the darkness. He only needs the five remaining Shards and the light."

"You, Xion and Naminé," Roxas confirmed.

"Yes. The last two I never found. The Shards must be buried so deep in their hearts it would take an extremely skilled heart reader to find them. Then there's you. The lost light. Do you remember how you felt after Twilight Town was destroyed?"

"A living Hell."

"A good description. Since no one from Radiant Garden had a strong enough light in their heart to hold the light of Kingdom Hearts, we thought the light simply disappeared. But somehow it ended up inside you. So now I'll ask the question you're already asking yourself."

"Why did it choose me?"

"Correct." Roxas pondered it for a moment.

"I honestly have no idea. All I remember from that time was I was there for my friends. It was scary times between the destruction of Radiant Garden and the start of the war. But I wasn't any different from all the other kids in Twilight Town."

"Well, whatever the reason, Kingdom Hearts chose you. The only person outside Radiant Garden to ever feel the awe and fear of Kingdom Hearts."

"I never asked for it."

"None of us did." Roxas ripped the string from his blanket and tossed it onto the floor. Kairi crossed her legs and put her hands in her lap. "You realize where Xemnas is going to strike next, don't you?"

"Traverse Town."

"He may not know who all else has the Shards but that's where the majority of the population is so it only makes sense he starts there. They'll eventually figure out that I'm not among them and they'll come for me too. Then they'll come for you, Roxas."

"Why come for me last?"

"Does Isa know about you?" Roxas chewed on his lower lip. "So she does. Then they have no reason to rush after you. All they have to do is find you."

"And if I run?"

"You can't run forever, Roxas. Besides, would you abandon the Shards when they have a chance to survive?" Roxas turned his gaze to Axel lying across the room.

"No." Kairi shrugged.

"I've come to accept it now. Xemnas is powerful and I have no doubt he'll create Kingdom Hearts. It's not a matter of if; it's a matter of when."

"How soon do you think he'll go after Traverse Town?"

"Days, weeks…I'm not one to tell. If he's impatient, I wouldn't doubt if they show up there in the very near future." Roxas pulled his sheet back and was about to climb out of bed but Kairi held up a hand. "Don't Roxas. You need your rest. You'll be useless if you can't fight. Try to take your mind off of it for one more night. Then you can go back home in the morning."

"And what if that's too late?" Kairi sighed.

"Then we roll with whatever comes our way. Don't sell Traverse Town short. They won't give up without a fight." Roxas hated to admit it but Kairi was right. He slid back into his bed while Kairi rose to her feet. She walked over to Roxas and gave him a hug. "It's okay, Roxas. The future doesn't scare me at all anymore. I'm going to finally stand up for myself." She pulled back and smiled sweetly. "Not only for myself but for Naminé and Xion and everyone. I owe them that much."

Kairi picked up the empty plate and left the medical tent. Roxas lay back down and folded his arms behind his head while he stared at the ceiling. He didn't think he would sleep for the rest of the night but he eventually felt his body drifting away into slumber.

When he woke, he found Riku standing over his bed.

And his face was grave.

A/N-Musical Muse: Various Kingdom Hearts melodies. (No ownies! No ponies!)