Hey everyone, understand that life is a bit busy for me at the moment. I'm taking five classes this summer and that's pretty much suicide as far as college goes.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

Please enjoy and happy reading!

Things seem to be getting rough. I hope everyone can hang on.

He knew he was coming, but he refused to meet him. For the first time is so long, he had a feeling of being home. These other kids were so familiar, and he could only guess that they were reminders of his own friends that were back on The Islands waiting for him and Riku. He was not going to give this all up, not after being locked away for the past days. He was laughing and smiling now; he didn't want to leave and be forced back into that blinding room.

Hayner was finishing up a story that he'd been telling Sora of a trip he and his friends took to the beach one day that ended up with Raijin having a crab stuffed down his swimming trunks. Sora laughed genuinely, thinking that he had some beach stories to tell but finding his mind going a bit foggy when he tried to recall such memories. He didn't let this dampen his mood.

As Hayner's laughter calmed down, the boy seemed to sober somewhat and his eyes turned to the lone female. "What's up Olette? You seem distracted." The smile on the girl's face was stretched only slightly and her eyes appeared vacant, as though concentrating on something. She shifted her look towards Hayner and shook her head, cutely sticking her tongue out.

"It's nothing. I just thought I felt something strange," she spoke. Beside her on the couch, Pence gave her a funny look.

"Strange as in…?"

"As in strange," she said. "I really don't know how to describe it."

Sora turned his eyes to the floor and didn't volunteer an answer. Riku was furious with him, he could already tell. His pheromones were going insane and the strong waves were tempting Sora to the point that the boy was holding onto the box he occupied for dear life. A light sweat broke out across his forehead as he resisted the urge to tear out of the place and run to his Fighter.

He couldn't do that. He couldn't give in and willingly be led back to the mansion like a puppy.

"Well I don't feel whatever this strange thing is. Maybe your ridiculous hours of study have finally gotten to you Olette," Hayner joked. He hopped off his seat and approached the dart board. "How about a game, guys? Two on two?"

Apparently it was easy for the other three to brush off Riku's presence, but Sora was having difficulty even listening. His thoughts were preoccupied by nothing but his Soulmate and his stomach was churning at the thought of an angry Riku showing up and dragging him away by his shirt collar.

"Soooora!" Pence was snapping his fingers in front of Sora's face which seemed to have gone slack and distant. Pence laughed. "Are you going to join us?"

He was close. Ten, maybe fifteen seconds away. Maybe he should just leave this place so Riku wouldn't blow up in front of his new friends.

Friends.

It wouldn't be too late if he scuttled out with a hasty excuse. Strict parents. Big summer project. Anything would work.

Seven seconds.

"Dude, you're in a completely different world," Hayner said. He held a dart out to Sora.

Four.

"Um, I'm not sure how much longer I can stay."

Right outside the door.

"Oh!" It was Olette and she was looking at the tattered blanket that had just been pushed back abruptly. Sora frowned at the cloaked figure and sighed quietly.

Hayner, with his brows furrowed and the darts hanging uselessly from his hand, said, "Alright, apparently it's open house here today. What's with all the random visits?"

Sora, trembling where he stood from forced resistance more than nerves, took a step forward. "Sorry guys, he's here for me." Three confused looked were directed towards him but he didn't meet any of them. "I have to go now. But," he said and a sincere smile touched his eyes, "it was really nice meeting you."

Riku's presence was overpowering and it seemed the turn of events today stunned the other kids into silence. Hayner was able to shake himself into functioning before the Soulmates could walk off. "Hey, wait!" Sora paused, hesitantly. Riku was obviously impatient and didn't like the idea of being held up. "Um, if you're going to be in town, stop by any time. Maybe we can all go to the beach someday soon."

Beach? Sora's stomach jolted at the mention of the one place he truly wanted to be. Distracted by his consuming desire to go home, it took a moment for Sora to realize that Hayner hadn't been talking about the Islands. Disappointment flooded inside of him but he smiled through it. "Sounds good," he said quietly before obediently following behind his cloaked Fighter.

He held his arms across his chest, hands gripping his elbows. The scrunching of his brow was giving him a headache yet his head was woozy regardless because of Riku's obnoxious pheromones. It seemed that his Fighter thought he might try to run off if he lessened his energy waves. Sora stared at the stone road before him without a word.

"Why did you leave?"

Sora didn't react to the sound of Ansem's voice. It shocked him terribly, but he was too busy playing the part of an angry teenager to show any physical disturbance by it. Riku didn't talk much, and though he hadn't been a man of many words in the past, his lack of speech lately was unsettling. A big part of Sora was grateful for the absence of talk as long as it meant he didn't need to hear the sound of his enemy coming from his other half.

With a pout, Sora kicked a rock that sat harmlessly in the road. "You know why." His chest pulled, feeling as though he were being strung along on an invisible chain, forced to follow Riku. For the first time, Sora regretted how their Bond allowed them to easily locate each other.

When they entered the woods, Riku walked a few steps under the canopy of trees and stopped. As the evening approached, the woods were covered in more shadows than any other time of the day. He lowered his hood, turning those sinister orange eyes to Sora. The younger boy glimpsed at him for a second before averting his look. "You know, you've always been the troublemaker. I should have expected this to happen. But dammit Sora! It's only been a few days!"

Sora swallowed nervously before working up the nerve to argue. He stomped his foot hard against the ground. "What do you know? You get to leave; you get to actually do something! I'm forced now to sit back and watch everyone else do everything! No one tells me what's going on! I don't know what's happening! And worst off, I don't know if any of my friends are safe!" He rubbed his eyes, refusing to let any tears fall. "I just want to know what's wrong with me."

Gloved hands suddenly cupped his cheeks, lifting his face. Forced to look into those eyes, Sora felt sick. "Nothing is wrong with you." But there was, Sora thought. To get chills from hearing such words from his enemy. Someone he believed to be dead. There was definitely something wrong. Riku continued, "You're just missing."

Confusion. "Huh?"

"In here," Riku spoke and pointed to Sora's chest. To his heart. "It's missing some pieces." The Fighter paced a few steps before ending up leaning against a tree, long arms crossed over his chest. He turned his head down, silver hair falling delicately over his shoulder. "When you stabbed yourself with the Keyblade to save Kairi, you turned into a Heartless. But something else happened. While you somehow retained half of your heart, the other half was placed somewhere else. Or rather, in someone else.

"A Nobody. The being that is born from the empty body left behind when one becomes a Heartless. Nobodies are like you and me. Human in shape. But unlike the two of us, they do not possess hearts. They are being with no hearts, no emotions." He shook his head. Sora concentrated on every word he said, somewhat in disbelief. "That Nobody with half of your heart, has been taken by a group of these Nobodies, known as Organization XIII. He is the last member, Number XIII."

As the silence enveloped them, Sora sank to his knees. His hand slowly moved to grip his shirt over his chest.

How was any of this even possible? How could he possibly be running around with half a heart and not know it?

"Can't we get it back?" he uttered softly. "My heart? Can't we…?"

"We're trying. Naminé is working on this as we speak." Riku pushed away from the tree and kneeled before his Soulmate. "DiZ must never find out I told you this. Naminé is working to infiltrate the Organization and steal XIII back for us. For you."

Sora's mind was filled with doubt. Sweet little Naminé couldn't possibly be able to complete such a difficult task. Whoever these Nobodies were, they didn't sound safe to be around. Now he was filled with immense guilt and worry for the small girl. She could be in danger and there was no way to contact her if something went wrong! And if something happened to Naminé, Sora knew he would never be able to forgive himself. There had to be some way he could help her. Someone who could…

"Riku," he whispered. Finally Sora looked up, meeting the dangerous orange eyes full on. "Can't you help her? Please, if you both try and get this person back, then I know you can succeed. I want to be whole again, Riku. I want my heart back. If I'm whole again, I can finally help you get better too. I just-I just want you to love me again." Not sure if what he said was right, Sora broke eye contact. He stared at the man's legs, seeing his knees extend as he stood once more.

"Is that what you want, Sora? Are you asking me to get him for you?"

Just the way those words were said, Sora knew that he was asking the wrong thing from Riku. But in his head, it seemed like the only solution to their problem. If he was whole, he could fix Riku. And if Riku were fixed, then they could be happy again. Happy and in love. He was desperate, so very desperate for Riku's love. This person, this Riku, wasn't the same. The veiling of Darkness over his heart was muddling everything. His emotions, their Bond, his energy. It was so off and impersonal, something completely unfamiliar. And no wonder their Bond wasn't as powerful as it had once been. He only had half a heart…

"Please. It's probably the only way."

Riku simply inclined his head once. "If you wish," he spoke sharply and turned, walking up the path towards the mansion. After a moment, Sora allowed himself to stand and he followed, feeling more anxious and bewildered than ever before.

What in the world just happened here?

An intuitive force was impelling these words to remain lodged in my throat. Now was not the time for these questions.

Axel had scooped me up from the training floor just after Vexen had fled the room. We were on the balcony now. I was sitting against one of the walls, watching with passive eyes and deaf to the sounds of the others. My ears were still ringing from the energy pulses that had blasted through the area from Vexen and Marluxia. They lay flat against my head.

Someone then sat down next to me. "Hey," said Demyx. "You did well down there." I looked to him and found him smiling me at softly. I didn't believe his words.

"I didn't actually do anything," I rebutted. He simply rolled his eyes and picked up my right arm, pushing my cloak sleeve back.

"No marks," he spoke and his gloved fingers brushed over the skin on my wrist. "Guess the Restriction wasn't all that powerful.

My mouth twisted. "It felt powerful enough." I pulled my arm back and he chuckled.

"Try being restrained when you aren't with your Partner. Now that's painful." He glanced up at the group for a brief moment, observing what was going on. I looked up to catch a glimpse of what was happening as well, only to see some portals swallowing a few Organization members. "Axel had to speak with Xemnas to find out what is to happen with you and him. He asked me to make sure you're okay."

For some reason, his words got me thinking. "He really trusts you," I said. "Axel, I mean." Demyx scoffed.

"In this place, you can only trust yourself."

I opened my mouth to respond but was silenced when Axel sat down on my other side. Just as Demyx had done, he grabbed my arm and pushed my sleeve back. He looked even closer at my skin and I noticed his gloves were off. His hot fingers pressed firmly into my wrist. "Seems okay," he said before touching my chin and urging my head to the side. His fingers examined my neck and I could feel goosebumps developing down my arms. "Do you feel alright?"

I nodded. "A little tired. But I'm okay." Axel seemed to accept the answer.

"I guess Xemnas was satisfied. You're being exempt from the single battle today."

Demyx made a noise. "Lucky."

I ignored his comment. "What about you?" Axel just smiled with a small shake of his head.

"I'm not special like you."

"So who's fighting now?" Demyx asked. His eyes roamed over the few members quickly before lingering on Zexion who seemed to be studiously watching the starting match down below. My eyes observed his rather strict features and the hard stare of his dark eyes. He must be a hard person to deal with. Poor Demyx.

"Xigbar, Luxord, Xaldin, and Lexaeus right now. I think you and Zexion are up against the victors of this match." Demyx's mood seemed to deflate just a bit when Axel said this. I figured it was worth a try to change the subject to make him less nervous and to quell my own curiosity. Two birds with one stone.

"What happened with Marluxia and Vexen?" I asked.

Axel bypassed my question and looked around me. His eyes met Demyx's look and he grinned. "That was your first time witnessing it, right?" he asked. Demyx only nodded. "And? Intense, yeah?"

Demyx pursed his lips and started playing with his tail. The blonde appendage weaved in and out of his fingers. "A bit," he spoke. He seemed to hesitate for a moment. "Was it like that for you guys?" He wouldn't pick his head up. He simply stared down at his now still tail in the palm of his hand.

I wasn't able to answer his question, seeing as I was still lost, and glanced to Axel in hopes that he would say something. He shrugged his shoulders before closing his eyes and leaning back against the wall. I could hear shouts from the training floor and a residual gust of air invaded the balcony. "You could say that," Axel finally said. He lifted his hand and it came down to rest on top of my head. He rubbed my ears tenderly. "It might be different for everyone."

Demyx opened his mouth, looking as though he were gapping. "That's not fair! I need to know what to expect if it ever happens to me!"

"Ah-ah-ah." Axel wagged a finger in the blonde's direction then resumed stroking my ears and hair. "I'm not going to spoil it for you. All I'm going to say is not to go by those two's reactions. They hate each other, so it's understandable. It really is one of the most wonderful things you could ever experience." I could feel his radiating joy and got a sense that he was thinking about me. My chest tightened when he kissed my temple.

"I'm still confused as to what exactly happened," I said.

They both looked at me. "What you witnessed my love," Axel said, "was two souls finally recognizing each other."

Wait…what did he just say? "Wha-! You mean those two are…?" I couldn't believe it. Two of the most unlikely people ending up as Soulmates? No way. It couldn't be possible, could it? I seemed to have imagined that all Soulmates would get along as Axel and I did. I really did like Axel. I felt safe and comforted around him. But Vexen and Marluxia? The memories that had been flooding back into me told a story of relentless teasing and constant exasperation. The fact that those two, inconceivably, were each other's other half? Now that seemed to be out of the question.

"What'll happen to them?" I wondered out loud. The ground below us rumbled and more shouting could be heard. I wasn't fazed by the loud fighting happening. I caught Axel sneaking a look at the others on the balcony quickly before he turned back to me. "Whattya mean, Rox?"

I rubbed my palms down my thighs. Demyx was now tapping the toes of his boots against the floor in a catchy rhythm. "I mean, can they really be okay having to be together?" I was sure he would be able to understand what I was asking by catching onto it through the Bond.

"It seems really unusual that two people who are so incompatible are Soulmates. But I guess they'll have to stick it out, especially if-" His words trailed off and his voice dropped to a whisper. His eyes were narrowed as he glared at someone. I turned my head to see where he was looking but he grabbed my chin before I could see and he kissed me softly. "This isn't the place to discuss this." I didn't argue though I did stretch for a second kiss. His fiery essence filled my senses and my head went fuzzy as it always did when we kissed. I felt the excited tug from him through the Bond, then the push of his hand against my chest. "Tonight, babe. Save it for them, okay?"

He didn't need to tell me his reasons. First off, I was sure we were making Demyx uncomfortable. He had gone back to playing with his tail. The other thing was that we could easily be watched. Still, I felt there was something else and I glanced up at Xemnas, finding him standing with perfect posture and looking somewhat interested in the match going on. I couldn't help but shake the feeling of his eyes, which were turned down and away from us, watching our every move.

He was far too intelligent for his own good. And rather nosey as well, though he had been that way since they were kids. Countless times he had wanted to shout at him to stay out of everything, to keep to his own business. He knew what would happen should things progress to an unwanted stage.

But dammit, Axel was so frustrating and he was far too obvious. The redhead had never cared what he said and to who. He had never showed concern when just blurting out what was on his mind. And though he may have thought he was being stealthy, he seemed to underestimate what and who he was dealing with. The Superior? Did Axel truly think that he wasn't being suspected by the very person he was pursuing and questioning?

There was nothing he could do, though. He had done his best to keep his distance from the redhead, his ex-best friend, the person he had grown up with. Lea, the person he no longer was. Their friendship was over; they were strictly reduced to being merely members of the same Organization. Besides, it was too danger to sneak about and talk to Axel in secret. They had tried that when they were first introduced to this world of Heartlessness. They hadn't known exactly what Xemnas was capable of. He, at least, didn't know what would happen when their souls finally recognized each other.

It had all gone wrong, of course. To finally be met with the powers Xemnas possessed. How truly terrifying. And when the Superior was knowledgeable of everything that had happened between them…well, the repercussions were a nightmare. He was still haunted by the events and Axel was sure to still be plagued with the troubles that were caused. A horrible tragedy that neither of them could predict.

The Superior's wrath.

The true tragedy.

This body that his Sacrifice's soul inhibited…

The mindset.

Everything.

This was not what he expected. The past lives they had spent together were so much better, far happier than this dreaded life. Xemnas, the many people he had been in the past, was never the terror he was in this body. He couldn't believe that it was just a fluke. This body that his soul possessed had once been alive, once possessed a heart. What had happened to this person, to this body before its soul had been stolen and replaced with his beloved's?

He mourned for Axel and Roxas in this life. They had spent such happy lives together in the past, and to suddenly be thrust into such a predicament now? Terrible. He regretted telling his old friend of his past lives. His innocent smile and the naïve light that filled those green eyes had been such a gift. His friend should have lived in ignorance. He should have never told Axel of the love and happiness he and Roxas had before coming to this time. He could see the pain, the questions, written all over his face when he believed no one to be looking.

"You were right, once again," Xemnas spoke. Saïx looked up from where he sat on the end of their canopy bed. His face was blank, his yellow eyes cold as steel as he stared at his Soulmate's back. Xemnas continued to stare out the window, his eyes never leaving Kingdom Hearts. The large moon seemed to be glower brighter as the days passed. Its monthly cycle was nearing its peak and Saïx knew that he would be having a few rough days ahead of him as the moon reached its strength peak. This time of the month was simply unbearable and he always felt his muscles tense when thinking of restraining himself. Xemnas looked back at him with a cold smirk.

"To believe that you are blessed with such a wondrous gift. And so useful." Saïx remained silent and his body went rigid as Xemnas turned and started towards him. He turned his eyes to the floor. Xemnas stood before him and reached a hand out. At first he gently cupped Saïx's jaw but his grip turned harsh and Saïx did all he could not to gasp as gloved fingers held his face tightly in place. He was forced to look up at Xemnas. He would surely have bruises there later, but some of Vexen's medicine would take care of them as it always did.

"My little pup. How about some Keyblade Master hunting?"

We were in the sandy world of Aggrabah. It was my first mission with Demyx. Axel had to take on some special mission that Saïx assigned him, so Demyx and I were sent out for simple observation. We were perched high up on top of one of the tallest buildings in the town's central square. I was lying flat on my stomach, watching the citizens go about their business. I sighed. It had been awfully uneventful so far today. The most exciting thing to happen was two men squabbling angrily at each other over some bread.

Demyx was beside me, lying on his back with a forearm thrown over his eyes. "It's too hot here. I don't take well to dry places," he complained. "I mean, couldn't we have gone somewhere with less sand and sun. We should've gone to Port Royale or something. At least we could've visited one of the taverns!"

I ignored him. Axel had warned me about Demyx's notorious complaining. If he kept going on, I was sure to set the end of his cloak on fire, not that he wouldn't be able to easily put it out. His water abilities made me think of him like he was a water balloon. Maybe if I pushed him off the building, he'd land on the ground and splat! Water explosion.

I closed my eyes, which stung and they began to tear after being exposed to the dry air for so long without rest. That was when I heard the first strum of a steel string and a lovely note sounded. I glanced over my shoulder to find that Demyx had summoned his Sitar and was playing with it. He looked to be checking the strings for something. I wasn't at all familiar with instruments.

After a minute of fiddling, he seemed satisfied and strummed all of the strings together before his delicate fingers took up a tune and gently picked the strings that released a wondrous sound, as beautiful as any bell. Even lying flat on his back, Demyx could play his instrument with no problem.

He finally noticed me looking. I smiled at him. He smiled back and winked at me.

Demyx played his Sitar now, sitting on one of the walls that lined the outside pathway. The training session had ended and I had been privy to seeing some of the most amazing fighting skills ever. The footwork, the agility, the strength, and the intelligence that was exhibited blew my mind away and as I watched from the balcony, I felt less and less adequate with each passing battle. Even nervous, fumbling Demyx was able to hold his own and quite excellently at that.

We had paid a visit to Vexen, as all of the other members who sustained injuries did. Demyx ended up with a deep gash across his face from one of Luxord's cards. Beneath the new pants that he had changed into, I knew there was another similar gash, one much deeper and probably painful. Both of these were treated with a special ointment Vexen had apparently created and the scientist, who was very stony and exuding an aura of absolute disgust and distraction, said that his injuries would be healed by tomorrow morning.

Axel, who sat on the pathway floor beside me, had a cut down his neck which received the same ointment treatment. He was also covered in electrical burns from Larxene's ferocious attacks. Vexen supplied him with a small vial of potion which he was instructed to drink half right then, followed by the rest of it before he went to bed. All of the injured members, which really accounted for anyone who fought, were reminded to have three drops of potion before sleep.

The rest of the day was ours to relax and do as we pleased. We had decided that staying inside in our rooms wasn't appealing and the suggestion of lounging in the Grey Room was discarded quickly. So we ended up outside on the walkway, sitting beneath the luminous moon that was Kingdom Hearts with Demyx slowly strumming his weapon.

"Where'd you learn to play that, Demyx?" I asked suddenly. His talent had to have started somewhere and after having that sudden flashback of that day in Aggrabah, the question that I never asked that day bubbled from my throat.

Demyx's fingers hesitated on the strings briefly before he resumed playing. "Um, I learned to play when I was a kid." His voice was small. I didn't want to tread into forbidden territory so I didn't ask any further. Demyx though, with his eyes on me, smiled. "I'm from Atlantica. You've been there at least once, right?"

I shook my head. I've heard of the place, I was sure, but my memory supplied nothing visual of that World. "Well," Demyx went on, "there aren't many humans there. Almost the entire World is an underwater city. And the place was just a place of music." He chuckled and his eyes glazed over with a fond look in them. "I don't think a day went by that someone wasn't out in the street coaxing everyone into a musical. There were some really awesome people there." He looked down to the instrument in his hands. "Before all of this, I was a merman."

Confused, I looked to Axel. He smirked at me before closing his eyes. An image popped into my head of a person with the upper body of any man, but a tail and fins like a fish. Now that I could picture it, I was sure I've heard of these people before. In fact, I had the strange feeling of suddenly having been to this place, though I know I haven't.

"I had a good life," Demyx was saying. "I don't remember much of my family, but I do remember someone. A girl, I think, that I used to play with every day. It sucks since my memory of her isn't all that great, but I'll never forget that she had an amazing voice. And she had a friend too, a little flounder fish I think. And a crab." He laughed aloud. "There was this crab that would always be yelling at us before he would make her go with him back to her home." He looked over to us and smirked. "We weren't the most well behaved kids."

I didn't know what to say. Demyx seemed to have had such a fun life before he was turned into a Nobody. To go from having family and friends and such an amazing sounding World to losing his heart and living in the castle here must have been jarring. I kept my eyes trained to the floor while Demyx picked up on the song he had stopped playing.

Moments later, a presence approached and I looked up to find Zexion descending the ramp down to the level we were on. It seemed, by the look on his face, he wanted to just bypass us without a word or acknowledgement.

"Hey, Zexion."

Axel apparently thought differently.

Zexion halted a few steps away from us and looked at Axel questioningly. I noticed Demyx's music stopped yet again. His tail was flickering nervously as he looked out into the blank sky over his shoulder. Zexion nodded his head in mine and Axel's direction. "Axel, Roxas," he said. He looked to Demyx. "Hello, Demyx." He received a quick nod in return. Finding this acceptable and not at all looking to socialize, by my guess, Zexion took a step forward to leave when Axel suddenly extended and lifted his leg to block Zexion's path. With a pointed look, Zexion frowned. Axel purposely nodded his head in Demyx's direction with a matching glare. I figured Zexion was intelligent enough to understand and sure enough, he turned towards Demyx.

"You performed well today, Demyx. I was sure you would have beaten Luxord had you a bit more time to fight." Demyx looked at him in disbelief and surely it did seem like Zexion wouldn't say words like these sincerely. But I had watched Zexion observing Demyx's fight and he had looked interested and somewhat impressed. I kept my mouth shut. Axel was grinning away beside me.

Demyx managed a small smile. "Thanks."

Zexion nodded and turned, stalking off with his Lexicon held stiffly in his hand.

The next morning came far sooner than I hoped it would. After a shower, which I enjoyed alone, I was left with the duty of dragging Axel out of bed, since he had refused to wake up when I first tried. I sent him off into the bathroom with his clothes for the day before sitting on the edge of the bed with a huff.

How many days have I been here now? Not many, of course. I missed home. I wanted to see my mom, see how she was doing. She had to have been worried sick for me. I felt guilty for having left her behind, all alone in our home. I hoped Hayner, Olette and Pence were taking care of her. And what were they thinking? I had just disappeared; they must be out of their minds.

It was frustrating that I had yet to be able to get back home to see everyone. I wondered now if I would ever get to go back home to stay. I knew, in the back of my mind that the answer was a definite no, but I didn't want to believe that. Things were becoming muddled lately and I was starting to lose a sense of which reality I belonged to. In fact, I wasn't sure which of my lives the true reality was. Did I belong here, or there?

I missed my mom terribly. I longed to hang out with my friends, to be in school with them and hanging out at the Sandlot. I even, though I hate to say it, miss Seifer and his harassing insults. Everything there, back home in Twilight Town had been a constant that I could rely on. Here, I was lost as to what my duty was. Everything was different and this was a world where I felt I didn't fit in.

Yet there was Axel.

To be so drawn to someone. To want nothing more than to be attached by the hip, go everywhere he went and know every detail about him. That was what I wanted. I couldn't imagine not being around him now, not feeling his touch or enjoying his burning kiss. Axel, Axel. He surrounded me now, from the moment I woke till I drifted to sleep. What did this all mean though?

Axel loved me.

I had to love him back, right?

Right?

The bathroom door opened. Axel was dressed; his hair was still slightly damp. He smiled at me and leaned down to kiss my cheek. All my thoughts drifted away.

We ate breakfast with a silent Lexaeus and Xaldin, Luxord who was playing some card game by himself as his morning tea sat beside him, Marluxia who was unnaturally solemn and Zexion who was interested in his Lexicon. Demyx had stumbled in after we had our food and, without a word, entered the portal to the kitchen.

The Grey Room was empty when Axel and I entered, save for Saïx whose eyes focused on us as we walked in. Axel grinned, waved to him in greeting and spoke, "Morning, Luna," which made Saïx's frown deepen. I didn't ask about the nickname.

"Axel, Roxas," he spoke. "I want both of you scouting Twilight Town today. Roxas, you'll be making a report on the Heartless present, their numbers and types. Things seem to have shifted there in the past couple of days. Do your part in taking out any Emblem Heartless you encounter as well." His eyes were hard as he looked at me and I merely nodded my head and kept my lips shut. "Axel, you'll assist him, but I need to you work on that thing we've spoken about. Alone, as you very well know."

My brows furrowed and I noticed Axel nod. He, to my surprise, looked completely sober. Saïx nodded in return. I could feel the presence of some of the other members coming into the room behind us. Saïx turned his eyes to them, looking straight past the two of us when he spoke, "Be careful."

Gah. Gah. Gah.

I've got more school. No breaks for me. Next chapter will be nice