Chapter Three
I Guess It's Plan B Then

Roxas was beginning to lose all sensitivity in his arms. He had been led to some meeting room in Xemnas' mansion to wait for Axel while he did some important 'stuff', as he called it. Roxas couldn't care less where the redhead went because it wasn't in the direction of his apartment. He gazed around the white room he was in, his blue eyes scanning the walls and everything else. There was a large white marble table that seemed to grow right out of the floor. The table's chairs were obviously white and very large; the back rests shooting up high above Roxas' head. There was one chair at the head of the table with red cushions and the highest, most elaborate backrest, intricate designs all stood out, delicately carved into the chair. The blonde figured that was Xemnas' seating spot during meetings.

The true purpose of his gazing was to find any form of exit. The room's white walls however indicated no where he could possibly escape from, except the main door which he had come in through. That was immediately out of the question, not only because he was sure they had locked him in, but because Lexaeus (the huge beast of a man who he had met upon first entering the house) was standing guard of the door. Roxas sighed in defeat, there was no way someone as physically and emotionally unfit as he was could ever escape. The handcuffs were the biggest problem, mostly because they were starting to dig into his tender wrists. The second problem was that if he did manage to remove the handcuffs, how would he fend off all these men and make a run for it? Not only was he sure that would never ever happen, but even if it did, where the hell would he go? He had no idea where he was and he was definitely not going to run to the neighbors for help. For all he knew, they could be in on the whole Xemnas mafia thing.

Awkwardly, Roxas rested his forehead against the cold table top. At least Xemnas wasn't cheap and had the air conditioning on. He didn't have to have it so high though. The arctic breeze blowing out of the vents had long ago cooled Roxas down from the outside heat, and now he was close to shivering. The position he had gotten himself in was starting to hurt his neck, and he sat up again feeling restless. How could he just sit there doing nothing? He was really pathetic. The thought that he had fought Demyx and Xigbar somewhat comforted him even if he couldn't remember any of it. Well, he had tried, and look where he ended up. Handcuffed, in some mobster's house, waiting for some damned kidnapper to come back so they could go 'search' for his brother. It was better if he just sat still. That had gotten him through those painful years of high school and college. He could keep it up, he could sit uselessly for a while longer.

The door burst open and Axel strode in, his hand already reaching for the blonde's bicep to heave him up to his feet. Roxas beat him to it however and stood without assistance. His heated glare was directed at Axel and when the redhead saw the blonde's face, he burst out laughing, ruffling Roxas' hair. "Don't look at me like that kid, it's not my fault your twin's a little shit."

"Don't talk about Sora that way!" Roxas shouted and Axel lifted his hands in mock surrender, before finally gripping onto Roxas and tugging him out of the meeting room. The blonde put up some resistance, his legs stiff and heavy as lead while the redhead tried to drag him outside. Axel finally gave up and stopped, turning to face Roxas with a look that screamed unhappiness.

"What the hell are you doing? Let's go!" Axel hissed, tugging hard enough to make Roxas stumble into him. With a push the blonde was back in his own space and Axel was walking again, dragging the blonde behind himself. Finally Roxas gave up and tried to tug his arm out of Axel's grip.

"I can walk by myself," Roxas mumbled causing Axel to turn and look at him with a raised eyebrow. With a shrug he released Roxas' arm and let the blonde walk a few paces in front of him. The click of a gun had Roxas swirling around staring with wide, horror filled eyes as Axel pointed a sleek, black, hand gun directly at the blonde's head.

"Well…walk," Axel's voice was low, but it wasn't hard to hear it in the quiet house and Roxas stared at him, his throat going dry as the redhead closed the gap between them with a few smooth strides, and pressed the gun to the blonde's forehead. Roxas felt his knees starting to shake, his entire frame following as Axel lowered his lips to the blonde's ear. Roxas' heart was pounding, he could barely breathe. "Bang," the hot whisper sounded more like a shout and Roxas collapsed, his knees giving out on him causing him to fall awkwardly with his arms behind his back, his glasses sliding off his face and onto the floor. Axel seemed to find this hilarious as he stuffed the gun back in it's place and kneeled beside Roxas, picking up the man's glasses as he did so. The redhead was laughing loudly, his bright green eyes shinning with mirth.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Roxas screamed, wiggling away from Axel on the smooth floor. The redhead stood and dusted off his knees before looking down at Roxas. The blonde was still squirming, trying to stand up again without using his hands to push himself up. He had little success though, mostly because he was trembling so much it was impossible to keep balance. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?...STOP IT, STOP LAUGHING!" Roxas was shaking on the floor like a leaf, staring at Axel with angry blue eyes yet all the redhead did was laugh even more.

"Just wanted to establish the fact that I have a gun, so if you should try anything…like running, I could just shoot you without breaking a sweat. So we're clear, right?" Axel rested his hands on his hips as he waited and waited for Roxas to heave himself up. The blonde however was doing nothing but working up a sweat and humiliating himself the more he wriggled around uselessly like a worm on a scorching sidewalk.

Finally he gave up, lying there panting and just staring out at nothing before moving his gaze towards Axel. "I can't do it…" his voice sounded defeated and still quite angry. He was furious that Axel would scare him like that, what kind of person would do something that horrible to someone else? It was a terrifying experience Roxas was sure he never wanted to live through again. He had never even seen a gun in person until now, and he had been planning on never seeing one in his life. The defeat was because he was finally accepting how useless he really was in this kidnapped situation; there was no way he would get away from Axel. He was nothing close to heroic, like those actors in the movies, escaping all those villains with such ease. Roxas had thought that before without even seeing the gun, now though, he knew it was a fact. He'd have to rely on his apartment plan to escape.

Axel heaved him up, the man's fingers digging into Roxas soft flesh making him whine as he was pulled to his feet. The redhead gave him a look, as if saying 'really? I didn't even grab you hard' before shaking his head and pushing the glasses back onto Roxas' face for him. Finally standing again Roxas felt a little less pathetic; at least he wasn't squirming at Axel's feet anymore. The redhead looked at him, a tiny smirk on his lips as he regarded the blonde. Roxas did not look amused at all, instead he stood there glaring at Axel with a look that told him he seriously wanted the red head 6 feet under. "Want me to uncuff you?" Axel asked slowly and Roxas considered it. If Axel was going to uncuff him, then it meant that the redhead was sure he wouldn't get away, which meant that he really would shoot him if need be. Roxas decided he didn't need any bullet wounds…or death for that matter.

"Yes," Axel searched through his pockets, finally finding the set of keys he was searching for and turning Roxas around, unlocking the handcuffs and taking them off. The relief that came with being able to move his arms was indescribable, the tiny pins and needles feeling from before came back full force, spreading from his shoulders to the tips of his fingers. The blonde tentatively flexed his arm muscles, slowly getting the aching to reside yet not fully disappear. Axel watched all this before finally deciding it was time to leave.

"Well hurry up then…you said something about going to your apartment?" The redhead was already pulling open the large house door, Roxas scurrying quickly behind him as he heard Lexaeus coming to shut and lock it. The blonde figured he'd have to tell Axel his address when they got into the car and that unnerved him. Did he really want Axel knowing where he lived? He could easily give him the directions to his parents house, but then…what would happen? Axel could simply shoot them all and dispose of their bodies. Xemnas had made it seem easy enough, with his loose way of speaking of death, calling it a 'hassle'. Roxas didn't want his parents involved, and he wanted them dead even less. So instead he shut his mouth and followed the redhead out of the house. Once both men were outside they spotted Demyx and Xigbar, both of them leaning against a black car and appeared to be waiting for Axel.

"So, what did the man tell yah?" Xigbar was the first to speak as Axel quickly climbed down the steps, Roxas finally having control of his arms was able to walk down alone. Demyx spotted him and rushed over, patting him on the back as if they were long time friends.

"Awesome! No handcuffs," The blonde's grin was happy and friendly, but Roxas' scowl was not. He shrugged away the man's hand and glared with all his strength, making Demyx shrivel away and pout at him. "Hey, what did I do?" he asked sadly, making Roxas snort before crossing his arms like he had wanted to do so many times. It hurt his shoulders to hold them there, but he figured he could stand a little pain if it meant showing this fail-kidnapper that he hated him.

"You cracked a vase over my head and kidnapped me," Roxas really didn't think he'd have to explain his dislike for these men, clearly he had been mistaken. Demyx looked rejected and turned, sulkily walking back to where the other two were standing. Axel shot Roxas a look before patting Demyx once he was close enough, the loud laughter came from Xigbar and if you looked close enough, the redhead's lips were twitching in an attempt to stay sealed.

"Of course he's gonna hate you, you idiot!" Xigbar was cracking up and Demyx swatted at him, trying to hit him from beside Axel before giving up and lunging directly at the man. Axel stood watching as they wrestled on the car's hood, Demyx trying to slap Xigbar and the man holding the blonde's wrists, rendering any attack useless.

"I've gotta get going now. I have to drive Roxas all the way back to his apartment," Axel sounded annoyed as he turned to stare at Roxas, the blonde sulking by himself a few steps away. The redhead made a gun with his hands and pretended to fire a shot which only served to anger Roxas, making him send them all the middle finger. Axel laughed before waving goodbye and heading towards his car, Roxas quickly following now that they were finally moving and going to where he wanted to go. "The only reason we're going is for you to shower and pack a few things. Everything I'll need, I got."

"Okay." Roxas climbed into the car's passenger seat and half expected to be kicked out and forced into the back. When Axel moved towards the driver's side without saying anything the blonde buckled his seatbelt, settling in for a long drive. "You'll need my address right?" The blonde asked when Axel was seated and starting the car, instead of the nod he had been expecting, Axel shook his head. "What? How do you know where I live?"

"Again, I know your twin. I know where he lives…or lived. Did you think I was lying when I said I knew him?" Axel looked at Roxas as he slid on his sunglasses again. The sun was still high in the sky, its heat burning everything within reach. Roxas could feel his skin slowly roasting through the car's windows.

Roxas didn't answer, instead he turned and looked outside. The truth was that he really did think Axel was lying about knowing Sora. The blonde knew everything about his twin, he had met everyone Sora associated with and never in his life had he seen Axel, or any of these people for that matter. Something in the back of his mind was telling him that he was being silly not believing Axel because clearly, the redhead knew his twin. He knew their address, their age, and probably a few other important things. Yet, despite that Roxas just didn't want to accept it. He had trusted Sora with everything, he didn't want to think that his twin hadn't done the same.

He was sure it would crush him.

...

Again at some point Roxas had fallen asleep, but before opening his eyes and showing signs of being awake he was stalled by the sound of Axel's voice. The redhead was speaking, though to whom Roxas wasn't sure. All he could hope was that it wasn't to himself. That was the last thing he needed. A schizophrenic kidnapper. Deciding he could probably find out with a little eaves dropping, the blonde pretended to sleep and listened in on the man's conversation.

"I've never had to drive back and forth so many fucking times," the redhead was complaining, Roxas could already imagine the deep scowl on his face as he spoke, his eyebrows furrowed as he drove with those ridiculous sunglasses on. "Riku, shut up. Are you gonna meet me somewhere or what?" That caught Roxas' interest and he tried to lean closer to hear better, to see if he could hear the person on the other end too. The person's voice was soft as it exited the receiver and muffled against the redhead's ear, so understanding anything they were saying was impossible. "I'll be at Sora's apartment, you know the one right? Hah, of course you do. How many times have you had to sneak out of the window?" Axel laughed loudly, the person on the phone's voice raising as well until it dropped back to its regular volume. Axel was still chuckling lightly. "Alright, alright, don't have a cow. I'll see you soon buddy," with that the call was over and Axel dropped the phone beside him. The car was engulfed in silence and if Roxas hadn't of slept so much, he probably would have dozed off again. Instead he decided to 'wake up'.

"What time is it?" he asked, trying to make his voice sound as groggy as possible. It wasn't that hard to do, considering he had really been asleep before. Axel tilted his head in Roxas' direction before smirking.

"It's on the dashboard," the redhead replied and Roxas blushed before checking the time himself. He wasn't sure what time they had left Xemnas' house or even what time they arrived, but it was now almost 5 PM. The sun hadn't gone down though, it wasn't even close to leaving its post in the sky.

"How did you meet Sora?" Roxas asked after a few minutes of silence. Even if he didn't believe a single word the redhead was telling him, he wanted to ask anyway. A large part of him was holding on to the idea that this was all a misunderstanding and the Sora they were searching for wasn't his twin. It was a silly idea, but still, Roxas preferred it over the supposed truth.

"Well it's a long story, but you know what they do with long stories?" Axel asked and Roxas shook his head, raising a light eyebrow high on his forehead when Axel shot him a tiny grin. "They make it short!" the redhead started laughing, and Roxas had to resist the urge to smack himself on the forehead. This was not the time for lame jokes. Soon the redhead composed himself and continued, "Well, I met him months ago. I don't remember. I hardly remember anything but that's what you get in Vegas."

Roxas had a sinking feeling in his stomach. Sora had gone on a trip to Las Vegas after a promotion at work. The brunette had insisted that he wanted to go alone, leaving Roxas and his girlfriend Kairi behind. No one knew why, but then again, no one ever knew why with Sora. The idea that this was the wrong Sora, and that Axel didn't really know his twin seemed less and less likely the more Roxas found out. Not that it was very believable in the first place. "So, you met him in Las Vegas…but how did all this end up happening?"

The redhead stopped for a few moments before shrugging his broad shoulders. "Listen, when we find Sora, you can ask him yourself. I'm just supposed to find him and take him to Xemnas," the conversation slowly died down to nothing after that. Roxas didn't really feel like speaking unless it was asking questions, and Axel made it clear that he wasn't going to be answering anything anymore. So, Roxas watched the scenery until he realized that it was his neighborhood and he could already pick out the familiar things, like the grocery store and the bus stop that was only a few minutes away from his apartment. The large building finally came into view and Roxas felt a sweet relief washing over himself. Soon he would be free and all this craziness would be over.

Axel parked the car in front of the complex, and Roxas climbed out, surprised by the sound of two car doors shutting instead of one. When he looked back, he spotted Axel following him out of the car and up the front steps into the lobby. "You didn't think I was going to let you go alone, did you?" Axel asked with a smirk and Roxas blushed before pushing the button for the elevator. This was fine, Axel could come, it wouldn't effect his plans at all. He could still call the police, from the bathroom or something. He just needed to get the cordless phone before it was too late.

"Roxas? Is that you?" the familiar voice of his old neighbor comforted Roxas and he turned to smile at the little old woman who lived at the end of the hall. He waved happily at her, for a second forgetting about Axel climbing up the steps and believing that he was simply coming home from work. When the woman's facial expression changed to surprise, Roxas remembered the tall redhead behind him. "Oh, who's this?" she asked softly with a friendly smile and Axel tugged Roxas back against his side, the blonde was about to struggle when the feeling of cold metal pressed into his lower back, he froze as Axel stood beside him, appearing to be holding the blonde by the waist.

"I'm Lea, Roxas' boyfriend," Axel said, a huge grin spreading across his face when the woman's eyes went round, before she looked at Roxas.

"Oh…well then…it's a pleasure to meet you…" with a tiny wave she disappeared back into her apartment and Roxas jumped away from Axel. The shock and disgust was clear on the blonde's face, the amusement was very clear on the redhead's.

"Why would you say that? What is wrong with you?" the blonde was seething and Axel just chuckled before pushing Roxas towards his door.

"Enough damn questions and open the fucking door," Roxas was about to complain until he remembered the cold steel in Axel's hand and instead went to reach for his pocket, only to find that he was still in his pajama pants and sleeping shirt. He turned slowly to face the redhead and the man looked at him, asking with his eyes why the door wasn't open yet.

"I don't have keys…" Roxas replied to the silent question and the man groaned before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a switch blade. Great, another thing to be worried about, thought Roxas seeing the blade glint in the light of the hallway. The redhead quickly got to work, the door clicking open in a matter of mere minutes. Roxas stared in amazement as his door was pushed ajar by Axel as he strode right inside. The blonde followed at a slower pace, almost not believing that he was back in his own apartment. Quickly he turned and went to get his cordless phone before Axel spotted him but the cradle was empty. Confusion washed over Roxas until he saw the redhead emerge from his bedroom with his cordless phone and his cell phone.

"I knew you'd have these somewhere," The redhead dropped the phones onto the floor and Roxas watched as they hit with a loud thump. He was about to lunge at them when Axel pulled his gun out, reaching back into his pocket and pulling out another piece. This one was cylinder and not a gun but an attachment. Quickly Roxas realized what it was and even more fear filled his gut. Not only did Axel have a switch blade and a gun, but he had a damn silencer. The man was a walking arsenal. The redhead aimed the gun down towards the floor and shot once. It was aimed at the cordless, shattering the phone into pieces, all of which flew in different directions. The cell phone sat on the floor and Roxas eyed it, considering the odds of him grabbing it against the odds of Axel beating him to it, in his head. Before he had a chance to decide what to do, the man was stomping down on the thin cell phone, crushing it under his boot. "There, that's taken care of. Go on, you can go pack now."

Roxas walked to his room feeling numb, not quite believeing just what had happened. He should have known something like that would happen though. It was obvious Axel wasn't going to let him escape, he needed Roxas to find Sora. The blonde felt like sobbing for the first time since waking up in that creepy room, chained to the bed. He had thought arriving at his apartment would save him, he thought he was going to escape. Clearly that was not going to happen and now his only hope of survival was to go along with what the redheaded man wanted. Until the opportune moment of escaping came up that is. Roxas figured he could wait for it, he was patient. With that thought in his head, he pulled a duffle bag out from under his bed and began throwing various things into it. Mostly clothes and his travel pack of toiletries. He didn't really know why he had one, he never traveled but now he felt like laughing. He had bought this to go on vacation with Sora, now he was taking it with him to hunt his brother down.

When he was done, Roxas dragged the bag out into the living room only to find Axel staring at various pictures that were hung on the wall. "Hey Roxas, who's the broad with your brother?" the blonde turned to see which picture Axel was talking about and saw he was looking at one with Sora and Kairi standing together at his cousin Xion's wedding.

"That's his girlfriend," Roxas responded as if it was obvious and Axel burst out laughing. Roxas didn't understand the joke and he simply stared as Axel continued his insistent laughing. Finally the man calmed down and straightened.

"Man, Riku's just going to love this."

A/N: Don't stop me now! I'm on a roll!

With summer comes inspirtation, I guess 8D
Thank you Global Warming for ending spring early...NOT!
I personally prefer spring...

Anyway, here is the next installment to Just Between Us!
A little more info on Sora and uhm...I lied, the special character ACTUALLY comes in the next chapter xD
At least you all know it's Riku lol.
No surprise there.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this!
Tune in next time, for more Just Between Us!