Kismet

Roxas dropped his screwdriver to press a palm to his right eye. "Augh… fucking headaches," he grumbled once the pain resided, picking up his tool once again. "All the damn time…"

-o-

"Four days, nine hours; reaching Skosmos."

Roxas looked up at the ceiling when the announcement came. He had just finished setting the arrays for Wrex's new internal processors, but he knew he was still a long way from completion. Even though he had been working non-stop on his new creation, he was only an eighth finished; but he couldn't help the feelings of pride and accomplishment well up in his chest as he gazed at the scattered parts with sore and tired eyes.

His stomach growled and he reflexively pressed his hand onto his belly. It was time for a break, he decided with a small, inaudible sigh. He needed rest and food before continuing; else he might end up making a mistake – which had been a common occurrence with some of the newbies at Quanta – Robotics.

He stood on terse legs, the muscles sore from ill use. With nimble hands he arranged his tools in order of size before stretching briefly and heading out into the dormitories.

Surprisingly most of the beds were in use, when normally less than half of the crew slept at the same time. Roxas stepped along carefully, moving as quietly as he possibly could to make sure he didn't wake Sora, who was sleeping in his bottom bunk and Riku above him. He'd never seen Riku sleep before, as Doro were nocturnal by nature, but spending enough time drifting in space was enough to throw off anyone's sleep cycle.

There was a light snort from above him, and his head shot up in search for the noise, his intelligent blue eyes taking in the picture before him. Axel lay on his normal bed, one knee propped up with an arm draped over his eyes. Roxas hesitated for a moment before climbing up to take a closer look, using Cloud's bed as a step and carefully avoiding stirring the sleeping Kairi at his chest level.

It was so rare, he thought in slight awe as he pulled his Commune from his pocket, to see the tall redhead so relaxed, his mouth hanging open slightly as he slept peacefully. Steadily Roxas aimed the Commune at Axel, lining up the perfect shot.

"What're you doing?" The words were slurred from sleep and Roxas almost fell from his awkward post. Sure enough, Kairi's mess of wine red hair emerged from the bed near Roxas' chest level, her sleepy purple eyes peeping out from under red wisps.

Roxas forcefully tore his gaze away from the woken woman; she looked insanely small without her normal body armor donned – it was unnatural. Not even Cloud was that much smaller without his armor. "Nothing," he bit out, refocusing his attention back to the dozing Axel. "Just… getting a little revenge." His Commune clicked, capturing the moment that lay before him on screen. Quickly he stuffed the device back into the pocket of his jacket.

"Oh…" There was a stagnant pause as Roxas climbed back down to the floor. Kairi sat up – as much as she possibly could without hitting her head on the bed above her – and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "What're you doing?" she asked again, this time with a look of comprehension on her face.

Roxas shuffled his feet irritably, trying to think of the best way to say "fuck off" like he used to be able to do so easily. Suddenly Axel rolled over towards the center isle between the beds, taking in a deep waking breath. Roxas faltered; feeling a slowly familiar rush of nervousness. "I'm making breakfast," he muttered quickly. What if Axel woke up and Kairi opened her big mouth? She had a tendency to just say things. And he hadn't spoken to the tall redhead in days – which is how he preferred it. But that didn't mean he was in the state of mind to invoke a paid murderer's wrath. Not at the moment, anyway.

"Awesome! Do you need help? If ISGP training taught me anything, it's how to peel vegetables." She grinned, already much too peppy for just returning to consciousness.

The Aven sent a weary glance towards Axel's bed, somewhat relieved that the redhead was still breathing deeply. It could be a ploy, he thought with a touch of bitterness. "Uh, sure. Whatever." He left with a stiff shrug, leaving Kairi to stretch quickly and then scrounge the corners of the sleeping quarters for pieces of her armor that had been scattered during periods of turbulence.

Cloud stood in the kitchen, his crystalline blue eyes unfocused as he practically glared at the box of powdered breakfast mix. Anything that was dehydrated made for excellent emergency rations while drifting in the vacuum of space for long periods of time.

The blond Genetic snapped out of his thoughts at the machine noise of the door opening and closing. "Roxas…" he trailed off as if he'd forgotten what he was saying. "You're up early," he finished in a gruff voice after a long, confusing pause.

Roxas' shapely brows furrowed at Cloud's odd behavior, but he made no mention of it, it wasn't his problem to deal with – unless Cloud was to be the typical Genetic and lose his mind, then he'd have to toss him out the airlock. "It's not that early," he mumbled, quickly pulling out his Commune and checking Galactic time – it was pretty useless in space, but it was the only way to measure and record things when not within a time zone on a nearby inhabited planet. He hadn't slept in a few days, but he still felt aware enough to know that he was hungry, and that he definitely didn't want some watered down breakfast. "Please don't tell me you were thinking about making a "just add water" breakfast."

Cloud's face screwed up a bit as he turned his attention back to the box in his hands. "We only have four days to get ready for this," he said in a steady, grim voice – trying not to sound either anxious or angry. He put the box back up into the top cupboard.

Roxas frowned as he pulled open the refrigerator, relishing the feel of the small gust of chilled air that brushed against his tired face. "Yeah, I know. I'll get started on it after breakfast." He began rummaging through the food, pulling out everything that was within one month of its expiration date. It felt nice to be useful and needed, but sometimes he felt it was also an inconvenience as his thoughts drifted off towards his greatest project to date: Wrex.

But just the thought of their upcoming mission made the atmosphere in the ship tense with uncertainty. It may not be their most brilliant idea – breaking and entering just to try and snatch up a data pad or a memory chip… He really wasn't sure if information was that valuable. But he thought of Xion and the quest that was thrust upon her robotic shoulders – was it really fair to leave something like that to her? She may only be synthetic life, but… fuck; he hated the idea of ethics.

The doors to the dormitory slid open once more, revealing a very bright eyed and armored Kairi. She flexed her fingers, as if she were trying to get the tips into the very edges of her gloves. "Kairi Valentine, reporting for duty," she announced cheerfully, accompanied with a mock salute.

Roxas soured, the bubbly presence grating his thin, tired nerves. Even so he roughly placed a bowl of gathered fruits onto the counter. "Peel and dice these," he harrumphed.

Cloud watched absently as the two got to work. He felt somewhat out of place, but at the same time he felt proud of the gruff Aven. There was something about seeing Roxas branching out of his comfortable shell and socializing as if he were a normal, functioning being. Cloud understood in that moment why Tifa had wanted children so much. To see someone grow underneath your own nose – it was something purely indescribable. And here he was, witnessing something alone that he should've had partner for…

Roxas watched as Cloud's face darkened with bitterness before the Genetic turned and nearly fled into the commons. There was something definitely eating at the tall blond. Roxas hoped that it wouldn't jeopardize their upcoming mission, but an abstract voice in his head told him that wasn't the only thing he was worried about.

With a heavy sigh he reached up to the highest cupboard, barely managing to pry it open by the bottom corner. "Fuck," he cursed to himself. He really hated being so short, and the compounded flour he was looking for was on the highest shelf. "Cloud –" He wasn't above ordering other people around – which had basically been his job for three years at Quanta – Robotics. But then there was a sudden chill that swept down his spine, and when he turned around Kairi's form was white with sheer energy as her shape began to shift and grow.

Slowly color faded back into Kairi's body, revealing the man she had originally disguised herself as on Omnera. "I'll get it," she chirped in her normal, feminine voice, and not the deep one he had been expecting. Easily Kairi reached over him and pulled down the bag of flour, which Roxas took from her hands with an air of confusion. Not that he'd admit it…

"I… It slipped my mind that you were could shape shift," he admitted, feeling somewhat stupefied. Damn, that must be useful, too.

Kairi grinned. Her face was excessively handsome and smooth, bordering on feminine, but not quite. "Yeah, it's easy, although sometimes it can be draining."

She let the topic dangle like a pendant in the air, waiting patiently for Roxas to give in and take a swipe at it. Roxas had seen and met a few Morphs in his lifetime, but he'd never really thought about what it could be like to have abilities like that. Being Aven was about as normal as it came. "Draining?" he found himself repeating, his curiosity and natural thirst for knowledge getting the best of his usual composure.

"Yep." She pushed a strand of short, wine red hair behind her ear. It was almost like talking to Kairi when she was in the shape of a man, but at the same time it was like speaking to an entirely different person. "Depending on how drastic the change is, really." Her purple eyes smiled – it was nice to have someone different to talk to every once and a while. It sparked up new conversation and topics, keeping a busy life interesting. But she was accustomed to military ships with little personal time, so this had an odd feel to it. "Like, for instance, I can hold his form for about thirty six days, give or take." Then she closed her eyes, a crease of concentration developing between her brows. "And now I can hold it for around twenty," she said in a new, drastically deeper voice. "It shaves more and more time with every detail; like hair and skin color – sometimes even a change of clothes in a pinch!"

"You can change your clothes? I thought it was only physical aspects…" He frowned as he stirred the mixed batter in a bowl on the counter, the stovetop slowly warming up to temperature.

Kairi shrugged. "Well, yes and no. It's just an illusion, really – an extension of yourself… I can't explain. But if you're really good, it'll feel real, too. But there are others that can't even do it at all."

Roxas remained silent, carefully digesting the information as he always did when he learned something new and interesting. If he recalled correctly, when he had taken the credit bit from Kairi's pocket back on Omnera, the pocket had felt as real and as normal as any other pocket he'd ever pilfered; which told him that Kairi wasn't the nobody Galactic soldier that she made herself out to be.

"Huh…" He poured the batter into separate sections on the hot, flat pan. There was definitely something about Kairi that made him nervous, despite how bubbly and dull-witted she acted. They continued their work in silence, finishing the meal with a calm, humid cloud hanging over the room.

Roxas made himself a plate, slathering his, somewhat lopsided, pancakes with the berry sauce Kairi had made, while the redhead returned to the sleeping quarters to wake the others. He went into the commons, not surprised to see Cloud and Naminé sitting on opposite sides of the room in a tense silence. Naminé was reminiscent of a gargoyle, her thin shoulders hunched, her hands woven into a ball that she rested her head on, the plate of her mask pressing into her bony knuckles. With a shrug Roxas sat in front of Cloud, pulling out his Commune and neatly setting it on the table next to his plate.

"Eat if you're hungry," Roxas mumbled to the blond Genetic before stuffing a forkful of food in his mouth. His stomach relaxed from the feeling of warm food, and after the first bite, he already felt as if he'd been rejuvenated. With quirky movements of his nimble fingers, he began filing through different communication servers on his Commune with his free hand, his deep blue eyes skimming over the encryptions easily. It wasn't going to be as simple as he'd really like it to be, but he didn't want to risk getting back on the Galactic Highways just to get a regulatory signal.

Cloud stood slowly, his frown etched deep into his face. Quickly his eyes snapped over to Naminé and back. "Do you think we have the right idea, Roxas?" he asked softly, resting his hands on the table as he leaned forward.

Roxas' lips twitched downwards around his fork. "Do you think we have the wrong idea, Cloud?" he asked back. Was there even a right and a wrong in this situation? There was tautness in the muscles of Cloud's back as the Genetic closed his bright eyes. "Look." Roxas' eyes fell to the screen of his Commune, the luminescence of the device enrapturing his thoughts into a machine peace – he loved that feeling. "We're just going for a data cache. If we come up with nothing – then no harm done and you can stop worrying about it."

"And if we find something?" The question was clear cut and cold.

There wasn't an answer that Roxas could give the Genetic that would please either of them. The deeper they scrounged themselves into this mess, the more likely they were going to be killed, hunted, and hated by every dark corner of the Galaxy. But for some reason, there were times when that didn't bother him. When what Kairi had said to him back in the dormitories, about hope and protecting what good there was – sometimes he felt it was worth it. "We let Xion decide," he answered after a long pause.

Cloud sighed, long and hard. "You already know what she'll do." It was a firm statement. The Genetic stood, walking out to the kitchen.

Roxas' head dipped a fraction as he poured over his Commune, eating distracted bites. He both did and didn't know, but was there really any other choice? He was sure Cloud knew that too.

Soon members of the crew began filing into the commons with plates of food. Axel came in first, taking the seat across from Roxas with a glazed, sleepy look on his face. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to the Commune. Roxas sent the redhead a narrow look, but the man wasn't paying attention, his green gaze lying over his untouched pancakes. Axel's face was unusually pale; his charcoal tattoos were more of a contrast on his long face than normal.

"I was just getting the schematics," he answered awkwardly, and almost immediately Riku sat next to him. For a fleeting moment he desperately wanted to ask Axel if he was okay. But he squashed the feeling and sent Riku a glare. "Sora's over there," he miffed, pointing to where the brunet Aven sat. Sora smiled lightly.

Riku quickly swallowed down some of his food. "Mhm, yeah, but you have schematics? Do you have synthetic vellum or anything to write on? We need exact measurements, precise locations of security devices and so on."

Sora frowned a small frown. "Oh, he's right, Roxas. I don't think we have any paper large enough to make a blueprint…"

Roxas sighed heavily, nearly cutting Sora off. "I have some," he grumped. He hated sharing his supplies for his projects, but he would have to consider this as an exception, and to remember to buy them their own damn roll of schematic paper. He set his Commune down and stomped off to the supply room.

Axel and Riku both stared at the illuminated device on the table. "I wouldn't touch that," Axel said as Riku reached curiously for it. "He'd probably suck your blood if he found out you even thought about touching his Commune."

Sora laughed uncomfortably, his plate finished and the dishes pushed into the center of the table and out of the way for the time being. "He wouldn't do that," he mumbled, "He's just… really protective of it – I think it's because he completely re-modified it himself."

Riku's milky white face fell in thought. It made sense, a little. But to modify a Commune to the capacity that this one was at – and such an older model, too… It seemed impossible – or it would at least take an entire team to produce such results.

Suddenly a thick roll of fibrous paper slapped the table right next to Riku's hand, displacing the air with a loud snap. "Don't touch that," Roxas seethed lowly, carefully retracting the roll of paper and flexing his right elbow with a pained look on his face. He'd just had the sling removed, and now he was going to give himself a new stress fracture at this rate. He tossed the roll to Axel, who caught it as if he knew it were coming, before quickly snatching up his Commune in his thin hands.

"I told you so," Axel chided quietly, rubbing at his eyes before blinking widely. "Damn, is it just me, or is it getting really bright in here?"

Cloud frowned. "It's just you." He cleared the table of dishes, handing them to a bouncing Sora before spreading the paper across the table and tearing the sheet off. "Roxas, we need those stats; if you want, you can just read them off to me…"

He had produced a thick, military-issued pen from his belt, popping off the cap and stuffing it into his pocket. Roxas glanced down at the information that scrolled through the blue-colored screen of his Commune. Goddess, why the hell did they have to make everything so damn difficult. "Uh… here." Slowly he placed the Commune into the center of the paper, effectively making it a paperweight. "This one's just a map of the interior and exterior structures… I'll pull up one of the defense grid when you're done…" He sighed, preparing to just lie down for a while. His head was really starting to pound. "Oh, and don't fucking break it!"

With those parting words he tramped off into the back, passing by Kairi and Sora doing dishes. She had gone back to her original shape – if that was really what she looked like. If he had the ability to change his looks, he knew that he'd at least be a foot taller and his eyes wouldn't be so large; he'd have a stronger set jaw and have a more muscular build… He grumbled to himself. There was no point in dwelling on things that couldn't be changed.

Roxas fell onto his bed, the smell of Sora still lingering on his pillow and sheets. It was odd, but he almost felt at home with the familiar smell in his nose. He let his eyes flutter closed, days of sleeplessness were catching up to him as his tired, dry eyes found the relief that they sought.

The door slid open followed by a clatter and Roxas jerked his eyes open, a scowl on his face. He couldn't sleep in this place if he tried, it seemed. Axel collapsed and practically lay on the floor, pressing his pale face onto the cold metal below, Sora worrying at his heel. "I'm fine," the redhead protested, "Just a little dizzy – okay? I didn't sleep much…"

Sora huffed, his cheeks puffing out slightly as he did so. "Yeah, right Axel. Come here and let me take a look at you! You look like you're half dead!"

"You're such a pessimist, Sora," Axel laughed out weakly, doing his best to keep his face from view of the brunet Aven. "I'm supposed to look half alive as opposed to half dead."

Roxas rolled over in the bed trying to block out the stupidity that seemed to surround him, but only managed to garner Sora's attention. "This is no time for jokes! You could be seriously ill – Roxas make him listen!"

"I can't make him anything," he said to the bunk above him, throwing his arm over his eyes to block out the light. "Except mad or confused – and that's not listening."

Axel snickered and was forced to choke down a cough. The brunet seemed at a loss before he simply shrugged and tackled Axel, almost too easily forcing the larger man to roll over so Sora could get a closer look at his face. "Stick out your tongue," Sora cooed, pinching Axel's cheeks as the redhead vainly tried to push him off. "I'm not hurting you in any way, so stop fussing… Actually I'm pretty sure what's wrong. You are a Synth, right?"

"Yes he is," Roxas answered. Axel shot him a dirty glare. "Are you done yet? I'd like to be able to take a nap, if you don't mind."

Sora sat back on Axel's stomach, making him wheeze. "Yeah. You're practically anemic, Axel – don't you know that you're supposed to have twice the iron intake as a Genetic, and I bet you haven't been getting enough protein – that's why I bought those health snack bars – they're full of protein!" The brunet sighed, standing up and stepping over Axel on his way to the storage room. "I'll have you know, I knew a lot of good people – Synths – that died because of that. Most organization rationings don't take that into account."

He left that hanging over Axel's head as he stumbled into the storage room. "Goddess, Roxas, do you ever clean –"

The doors closed shut behind Sora and Roxas sat up to glare down at Axel. The redhead lay defeated on the floor, his arms resting above his head in a melodramatic fashion although his face was a blank mask. "So, you were going to let some iron deficiency kill you off? I bet that Leon guy would be pissed."

"Shut the fuck up," Axel growled. Sweat had begun to bead up at his temples and he swallowed thickly as if he were trying to keep himself from vomiting.

Roxas' mouth twitched up, ever so slightly in his devious mood. "What? Are you mad because I'm right? You've really let yourself go Axel…"

Axel frowned heavily. "If I could stand," he breathed slowly, "I'd wring your neck, you dirty Aven…"

Sora reemerged from the storage room, tusking at Roxas' cluttered, yet highly organized mess. "Roxas leave him alone for a while," he said as soon as the blond opened his mouth to make another snide comment. Roxas huffed and threw himself back onto his bed like a child. "Axel, c'mon, let's get you into a bed… you'll have to use Cloud's for now – stop fighting me!"

Roxas watched with some amusement as Sora wrestled the sickly redhead into Cloud's bed. "I'll be right back, I'm getting some water. Don't. Move." Axel scowled at the finger Sora wagged at him before simply going limp. His breathing was quick and shallow, but he still managed to look impassive. "Okay, you need to take these pills now, and then two more in ten hours. Eat three of these bars and drink six glasses of water and you should be feeling like a new person in the morning. Do you understand?"

Axel nodded; his jaw tight as he held out a hand to take the pills from Sora. It was almost distressing seeing how difficult it was for Axel to sit up and swallow the supplements. Sora frowned and shook his head. "Why did you let it get so bad?" he asked in a tiny voice to which he received no reply. "Hey Roxas, can you do me a favor?"

"No."

"Make sure he does what I told him. They need me out there to help plan – I'll be back to check up on him. Thanks." With total disregard of Roxas' protest Sora left, looking more tired than he ought to. Not that Roxas really minded, but he was more surprised that Sora knew him well enough to not take him seriously.

Roxas sat up and crossed his arms, his eyes half lidded with sleep as he stared at his companion for the day. "You know," he mumbled, hardly over a whisper, "If you don't do as he asks, you'll never get him to squeal about whatever it is you've been trying to milk from him."

Axel's eyes flicked opened and sharpened as his gaze fell onto Roxas. "Don't look so surprised." He leaned back against the wall, nuzzling his chin into his chest. Goddess he was so tired – but his mouth wouldn't stop moving. "I may be bad with people… but I wouldn't have gotten to the top at Quanta – Robotics if I couldn't judge a person's motivations and goals." He yawned, smothering it with a hand. "Anyway, you're a lot easier to talk to when you're half alive. Maybe it's because you're not trying to kill me while screaming out bullshit?"

There was a long pause before Axel slowly lifted a hand, flipping Roxas the bird with a small scowl.

Roxas snorted in amusement. The quiet hum of the ship was soothing as his eyes drooped lower and lower before he finally slipped into sleep.

-o-

Hands enclosed in latex rubbed at his bare back, his face, his stomach. Something wet and cold touched his arm before drawing away, a syringe held before his face.

"Prepare to grant me Destiny, fool. This world and all others will be mine."

Terror seized him and he gasped. He choked around a tube, instruments, wires and tools – all buzzing and drilling and sawing, lay on tables around him. "She wakes…" There's a chronic bleeping in tune with his escalation of fear.

His vision faded as a cloth is pressed over his nose. The pain – he feels none of it.

-o-

"…Roxas… Roxas, hey, wake up!"

Roxas stirred slowly, rubbing his head in hopes to alleviate the small ache that had developed near his temples. "Ugh… what?" he snipped, straightening up when Sora gave him a frown.

"Did you know you talk in your sleep?" the brunet asked with a worried crease trekking his forehead. It really didn't suit him, but it seemed only to grow with every passing day.

The blond shrugged, wincing at the stiffness in his back. What possessed him to fall asleep against the wall? "So I've been told." He blinked, repressing thoughts and after images instinctively. "Need me for something?"

Sora smiled in relief. "You're so weird. Anyway, care to hack us some security grids?" He pressed Roxas' Commune into the blond's hand. "Cloud says thanks – well not really, but he means it. You know," he laughed, taking a seat next to his fellow Aven. "He's had to have done this hundreds of times; you should see how neat and detailed the blueprints are so far. It's cool, but sad at the same time."

Roxas paused in his search, his fingers hovering slightly over the glowing Commune screen. "I suppose it is," he muttered darkly. It truly was saddening to think that someone like Cloud – despite having the ill luck of being a Genetic – someone who strove for normalcy, could properly execute and plan something so sinister… even if the intent was in good faith. It just seemed… wrong, somehow.

Sora sighed, letting his head drop back and rest against the wall behind him. "Well… At least Axel's finished one of those bars. They're not the best when it comes to taste, but it's better than nothing." His blue eyes seemed melancholy as he glanced over their surrounds. "I'll get him another glass of water." Sora squirmed off the bed, scooping up the cup from the floor and stopping in the doorway. "Hey Roxas, it's like we're one big family, isn't it?"

Before the blond could give a snarky reply, Sora slipped from the room, letting the comment seep in. "Huh…" Maybe they really were… He returned his focus back towards his Commune, frowning deeply as he resumed his search. "This isn't good…"

Sora reentered the room with a quirk of his brow, setting a fresh glass of water on the floor next to Axel's sleeping form. "What's with that face?" he asked curiously, crawling back onto the bed with Roxas.

"The only layout I can find is three years old… There's nothing more recent than that; not even a break-in report." He bit his lower lip in frustration, moving to rub his chin as he thought of other possibilities. "Let's just hope they haven't changed anything – although it's unlikely that there wouldn't be any record of it – no payment records or anything… it's completely clean."

They both contemplated the situation until Sora held his hand out for the Commune. "I'll tell Cloud what you found. If this is the best information we can get, well, it's better than walking in blind. Trust me, it always is."

Roxas reluctantly relinquished his Commune to Sora. "There's just no sure way to know unless you check from the system mainframe itself… or unless you can get into it… and that's not possible from here – we'd have to be within Skosmos regulatory systems first."

Sora paused on his way out, ruffling his thick brown hair with an anxious hand. "… That's very true. Thanks Roxas. We should be done mapping this out in a little while."

Nervous bile rose up into his throat as the doors shut behind Sora. There was something wrong, but he couldn't put a finger on it. And it was feelings like those that he hated most. The feeling of knowing but not knowing at the same time – there was nothing more frustrating.

Axel stirred in Cloud's bed, pushing the multiple blankets from himself with an exasperated sigh. Slowly and with effort, he propped himself up on an elbow and reached for his cup. Roxas remained silent as the redhead drank deeply, finishing the glass with a contented sigh.

It was as if his body was moving on its own accord – leaving his mind behind as he got up from his bed, his back popping in protest from sitting in an awkward position for too long. He took the empty glass from Axel's hands. Axel gave him a sleepy, bewildered look as he did. "Sora's making me help you out," he explained with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Eat another one of those bars and I'll be back with more water."

Green eyes hesitantly looked down onto the two remaining protein bars on the ground. "Yeah… thanks."

Roxas' stomach seemed to jump into his chest uncomfortably, yet warmly, at the words. "Uh…" He swallowed. Now wasn't the best time to start acting stupid. Soon they were going to start making a proper plan and it would be all too soon before they had to carry them out. "Don't get used to it," he grumbled instead.

Quickly he rushed out into the kitchen, holding the glass under the faucet of the sink with a trembling hand. "What the hell is wrong with me?" he breathed to himself as he gradually recouped from what felt like a traumatic experience. Tinny water splashed into the glass and he topped it off with a scowl. "I wonder what they're planning…" he wondered as he glanced at the door to the common room. He frowned and turned back towards the dormitories. He'd find out soon enough, whether he wanted to or not.

Axel took back the cup gratefully, taking a few generous gulps to wash down the bite of protein bar in his mouth. "Are you feeling better?" Roxas ventured somewhat meekly, returning to the safety of his bed.

"What do you care?" the redhead bit back, stuffing another bite into his mouth with a grimace.

Roxas soured, crossing his arms over his narrow chest. "I don't," he fumed. If he had been feeling charitable earlier, he certainly wasn't anymore. "It's only that we'll be on Skosmos in a few days, and I don't want to have you jeopardize our mission by being sick." He picked at the sheets of his thin mattress irritably. At least the dust was but a distant memory.

Axel watched the sullen display with a tinge of amusement. "Hey," he said shortly, breaking the silence with a slight rasp. Damn, he was going to need more water, but instead he simply tried clearing his throat. "What're they doing out there?"

"I don't know," Roxas answered honestly. He felt too tired and worn to make something up or even argue. "My guess is that they're finishing up the blueprints and then they're going to start formulating a plan."

The tall redhead bit his pinky, something weighing heavily on his mind. "Could you help me up? I want in on that and I'm sick and tired of just sleeping."

A small wave of turbulence rocked the ship, and Roxas was sorely reminded of their immediate danger. "Do I look like your slave?"

With a roll of toxically green eyes, Axel swung his feet around to the floor. "You need to stop being so pissy," he advised, trying to find a good grip on the bed above him to use to hoist himself up.

"Same to you," Roxas grumbled, and they scowled at each other from across the room. But the agitated moment was short-lived as the doors to the room slid open.

Sora and Riku stood side by side, suddenly hushing in the middle of a heated whispering conversation. "Roxas, Axel, you're both awake!"

The blond Aven shrugged. "Can't sleep… What's going on, anyway?" Immediately he held his hand out when he spotted his Commune in Sora's hands. He felt incomplete without it – almost like it was an essential part of him.

"We've got a general plan," Sora explained slowly as he handed the device over to the wanting scientist, "But we need everyone together so we can make sure we find the best ways and that we have everything right the first time – there's no second chances… Axel are you feeling any better?"

Axel nodded wearily. "Yeah. I was just getting up to help out, but Roxas was busy being a dick." He ignored the slightly offended scowl that Sora sent him and held out an arm. "A little help? Yeah?"

Riku grunted in annoyance, but pulled Axel from his bed, supporting the sagging redhead with a shoulder. "C'mon, Roxas," Sora urged, picking up Axel's glass before following Riku out of the room.

Roxas waited for a few moments in the new silence, mentally gathering himself. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like what was going to be said and done today. But then again, when did he like anything, and when did it ever matter? He forced himself to get up and head out into the commons, taking the available seat next to Cloud, the finished schematic spread across the table top.

"It's not going to be easy," Cloud grumbled to himself as his crystalline eyes poured over the diligent markings on the paper; his hand came up and scratched at the small blond stubble on his chin. "The security mainframe is on the second floor – here." He pressed a calloused finger on the paper.

Axel frowned. "That's too open. There's bound to be a lot of household traffic there." Riku nodded in agreement, pulling his fingers through his thin, silvery hair.

Kairi stepped up and tapped a spot on the paper. "There's an alternative; here. An emergency security terminal. The only problem is that it's on the top floor in what looks like a raised vent of some kind…"

"We have a better chance there than in the open like that." Cloud bit his lower lip harshly. "But the problem with that is…"

Riku stared at his gloved nails in mock boredom, pretending to buff them on his tan vest. "Is getting Roxas there to disable the security failsafe."

Roxas' head snapped up at the suggestion. "Me?" he objected, pointing at himself as if that were the only reason they needed to change their minds. How, by the Goddess, did they expect him to get into a third-floor vent without being caught and killed or anything else? He'd been captured before, and he downright refused to have it happen again.

The room was hollow with the silence of the crew members. Roxas' blue eyes fell onto the face of every individual, almost begging for them to reconsider. Finally Sora sighed, breaking the tension and his gaze from Roxas. "There's no one else with the knowhow… Riku's going to have to go for the data cache – he knows what to look for. For the rest of us… it's a matter of timing and keeping everyone's attention away from the mansion."

"You… you're joking…" Cloud's chin dropped slightly, refusing to look Roxas in the eye. But he was just a tag-along! He wasn't special or important in any way – why were they doing this to him?

Kairi set an armored hand on his shoulder, trying her best to be comforting to the shell-shocked Aven. "Well, we wouldn't send you in alone, you know! The vent is pretty high up, so Axel needs to go with you. He's the only one tall enough to get you up in there."

"What!" the blond exploded. "I absolutely refuse to be alone with this filthy, murdering –"

"Roxas, we're passed that," Sora cut in, his voice was quiet and soft, but it cut Roxas deep. "We're doing what we have to, right? Why are you so against it?"

Roxas slowly reigned himself in, smothering his temper with a sheer force of will. "I'm not. Whatever. I'll be a tool for your disposal." He pushed Kairi away from him and stalked up towards the cockpit, sending one last scalding glare at the gathered crew before stomping into the encompassing darkness.

Silence swallowed those that remained behind. Sora hiccupped, a tear escaping his eye before he buried his face in his hands. The words had stung, but he knew that if Roxas couldn't help them, then they'd be left for dead trying to break into a place that was so highly guarded. It would even prove a challenge for Riku alone, and he couldn't do that to his friend. "I w-wish he'd just understand," he stuttered out.

"He does," Kairi said soothingly, rubbing gentle circles on Sora's back. "Haven't you noticed? He's always worried about if we're doing the right thing – but he doesn't know how to express himself." She smiled, her pink lips curving upwards further as Sora gave her an imploring look. Riku groaned in irritation.

"How do you know…?" The sheer desperation in Sora's voice was almost tangible. He was scared for his fellow Aven. It was natural – like fearing for a brother or sister.

Kairi's smile faltered slightly. "… I knew someone like him once. They had the best intentions – but always said one thing and meant another."

Riku stood, his exotic teal eyes darkening angrily. "Who cares?" he snapped. "This won't work if he doesn't fucking disarm the security grids!"

"He'll do it," Cloud interrupted gruffly. His muscular arms crossed across his chest as he looked back at the closed door to the cockpit. "Roxas wouldn't leave us hanging. He's not the type." He blinked, pulling his eyes back to the crew. "He didn't leave me on Alkatoj, when he easily could've told Xion to leave. He pulled Sora from Gütral instead of saving himself. …He's just not the type."

The silver haired thief only shrugged. "I don't care. Vouch for him all you want, but nothing's going to convince me until that little rat comes out here and says he's going to do it!" He slammed his fist onto the titanium infused table, ending the debate decisively. "He has two days."

-o-

Xion stood in the center of the room, frozen to her spot like ice, and he was completely fine with it. He sat in the corner, his arms wrapped around his legs and his chin resting on the tops of his knees. Roxas simply stared, transfixed at the hundreds of thousands of glittering stars that hung so peacefully in space. Each of those stars had a solar system that filled a whole new galaxy – one that may even be similar to theirs.

He knew that there had been debates about life existing beyond their own Galaxy, but after the race of Sloth was found on Morass… anything could be possible, if not with a little forward thinking. Maybe there was someone out there like him, but the chances of that were really astronomical.

"Roxas… why are you here?" He startled, refocusing his eyes. He hadn't noticed Xion turn around and face him. She'd been still for the past couple of hours. She waved to the massive window before them. "No pull now. Not sure how long."

He grimaced, interlocking his fingers together as he sat back some, no longer hunched over himself. "I just wanted to see the stars," he lied, letting his gaze travel back to the interstellar view.

Xion's dark blue eyes slowly roved over the stars. "Yes. Very… familiar. You're looking for familiar?"

His face scrunched in confusion and Xion shrugged. He had no idea what she was talking about. With a few hesitant steps, Xion moved to stand before him, bending down a little; her hands resting between her knees as she examined his face with her blank stare. "What're you looking at?" he miffed.

She simply continued to stare before suddenly she sat, taking note of his position and copying it. "There." She clasped her hands around her knees, minding the cords that protruded from different parts of her body. "Now we're on same level. Now we talk."

"I… I don't know what the hell you're talking about," he stuttered, slightly worried at the humanoid's display. It wasn't normal – or even characteristic of her. But lately, he wasn't sure if he even knew what he could expect from the raven haired girl, or if he was supposed to expect anything at all.

Xion motioned to the star-scape. "You wanted see stars. Why?"

The ship hummed tranquilly around them. Roxas worried on the inside of his cheek. "And why not?" he asked irritably in return.

"Never wanted see before. Why now?"

Her eyes seemed to bore holes into his forehead as he stayed silent. Something in him wanted to just spew out every feeling he'd ever felt in his entire time of existence, but he only sighed, wishing that he didn't feel at all. "You realize that this mission you have to fulfill… it puts us all in danger, Xion? Even me; you know that, right?"

"I'll protect Roxas," she said decidedly.

He couldn't help the small quirk of his mouth at that, but it was gone within a moment. "No, you can't – not this time. You can't always protect, Xion… Sometimes it's just not possible." Xion made no indication that the fact bothered her and he sighed in defeat. Sometimes he was so positive that she could feel emotion, but whenever he tried to entice it, she wouldn't respond how he hoped she would. "Either way… I'm going to be in a dangerous position when we get to Skosmos, Xion. We have to. I just… I… don't want you to worry, okay?"

Her eyes met his for a few agonizing seconds. "Understood," she said stiffly and stood, returning to her spot in the center of the room.

It was as if he lost an important battle with himself and he sank down onto the hard, metal floor. His chest felt crushed in an abstract sense and he wrapped his arms around his ribs – whether he was trying to comfort himself or not, he wasn't sure. But as small, hot tears ran down the sides of his face he submitted himself to fate.

-o-

"I'll do it."

Riku looked up from his steaming bowl of noodles with narrowed eyes. "Oh really now?" he said dubiously. Next to him Sora elbowed him in the ribs.

"Really, Roxas? You'll do it?" the brunet bubbled, standing up with wide grin on his face. Roxas nodded numbly. He wasn't sure why he decided to do it, but he didn't see a way around it either. "Goddess, I'm so relieved!" Sora threw an arm dramatically over his face. "You've been in there with Xion for over a day!" He gasped in stark realization. "You must be starving! Hurry sit! I'll get you a bowl of soup!"

Sora steered Roxas into the empty seat across from Naminé. Roxas let his head drop onto the cool metal of the table, rolling his aching forehead onto the coolest spots. "Are you ill?" Roxas peered up at the blonde woman. It seemed she hadn't moved from her post in days. An empty bowl sat in front of her as she leaned towards him slightly, her mask catching the artificial lighting of the ship.

He grimaced and returned his eyes to the blue-gray table top. "I'm fine," he murmured as Sora stumbled back into the room, sliding a bowl with warm tendrils rising from the broth inside. He took his spoon into his hand and sipped the soup carefully. "Actually," he grumbled once a thought struck him, "If I'm doing this, how's A—"

"How am I?" Axel suddenly blurted, the door to the kitchen barely opened before he slipped through, balancing a bowl of soup in one hand as he gracefully took the seat next to Roxas, nudging the blond with an elbow. "I didn't know you cared!"

The sarcasm that Axel exuded was enough to make the blond Aven roll his blue eyes and wish he'd never said anything to start with. "Whatever."

The redhead grinned. He took a long sip from the bowl, ignoring his spoon altogether before waving at Sora. "So, since he's asking about me, I take it he's decided to go through with the whole thing?"

"Yeah, so we can just stick with the original plan, okay?" Sora made a strange face at Riku, who simply smiled and ruffled the brunet's hair affectionately. Roxas snorted at the display.

Axel hummed in thought. "Well, I'm actually rather surprised. I mean I really didn't think you'd step up to the plate – so to speak. Thought you'd rather hide behind Xion –"

"If you want me to accidently spill my hot soup down your pants, keep talking." Roxas glared at his soup, ignoring the chuckling laugh next to him.

"Reach Skosmos in twenty nine hours," Xion announced, sounding tense.

Sora frowned at the announcement. "It's almost time… Roxas, come here, we should probably go over the plan with you a few times before we get there…"

-o-

Xion stared impassively up at the purple hazed clouds that hung low over Skosmos. Small fingers of electricity stretched from cloud to cloud, lighting up the sky in little flashes. "No stars here," she commented off handedly, making half the crew give her strange glances. "Roxas, where we go now?"

The small scientist sighed, pulling up a grocery list he had made a few hours prior to landing. "We're going shopping – it's not time yet. Cloud you too."

Sora hooked an arm through both Kairi's and Riku's. "Remember, we all need to meet up at nineteen-hundred local time. And make sure to make it look like we're just on a supply run on our way to Haelo – alright?" Cloud gave them an absent thumb up before following Roxas and Xion into the dreary city. "C'mon guys, we've got a few hours to waste," he chattered happily, pulling his two friends down a street with cracked and crumbling pavement.

Axel stood alone in the docking bay, wishing he could've lucked out like Naminé and stay behind to "watch" the ship. What he really wanted was his moment alone with Roxas – he thought he was literally going to burst if he couldn't say what had been on his mind this past week. But he'd have his time soon enough… even if it wasn't the most orthodox of times. He peered down into the dark city, grimacing at the sight. Hopefully this piss town had a decent bar…

-o-

Roxas' heart rate seemed to double each time they left a store with more and more supplies. Most of the people on Skosmos, he'd found out, were utterly poor with the occasional overly rich individual. It was odd how there didn't seem to be any middle class folk – which were who he preferred to pickpocket. Not enough money to get noticed, but enough to get by on.

"I hate this place," he grumbled as they passed the mouth of a dark alley. He slid in between Xion and Cloud, much like a frightened child would hide between his parents. "It feels dirty and… corrupt."

Cloud frowned, his crystalline eyes scanning their path ahead carefully. "Yeah… There's definitely something wrong with Skosmos… I thought Gütral was bad, but this…" He shivered involuntarily.

Xion suddenly stopped, stepping around the cart of supplies she wheeled behind her. "Who comes?" she called out, her sapphire eyes darkening in the poor light of the planet, making them look even more lifeless than normal.

A man stumbled out from a corner pooled with shadows, almost as if he'd been pushed. Quickly he righted himself, feathering the messy blond hair atop his head. "U-uuuhh… hi…" he sputtered dumbly. He seemed nothing more than an average person to Roxas, albeit dirty.

Roxas rolled his eyes and grabbed the handle to the trolley, pulling it down the street with effort. Goddess, he forgot that Xion had mechanical strength. "Let's go, we don't have time for this."

Cloud began to follow him, but the man startled nervously, "W-wait!" He took a step towards them, only to have his path blocked by Xion. The man swallowed thickly. "U-uhm, let me play a song for you? All tips go to feeding the poor…" He pointed to himself with a sheepish grin. "Please?"

"We don't have ti—"

Xion cut off Cloud's protest with a wave of her hand. "I would like hearing song," she said with an interested cock of her head.

The man blinked in what appeared to be disbelief before a massive grin that rivaled Sora's broke out across his face. "Oh, awesome!" With practiced hands he pulled a large black case from his back. He set it on the ground and opened it, lifting out an ornately decorated, blue sitar.

As he began to pluck out the first strings of the song, Xion waved Roxas over to her and he found himself obeying timidly. The man had an amazing voice, soft and harmonious with the gentle melodies he brought forth from his instrument. He sang a simple lullaby that Roxas couldn't help feel was familiar. In the middle of the song he played the same rift a few times, his brows drawing together in brief concentration. "You two boyfriend and girlfriend, I take it?" he asked, opening one icy blue eye to examine them.

Roxas felt his face explode with embarrassment. "N-no!" he blurted angrily. How dare he even suggest something so… preposterously outrageous!

The man smirked, closing his eyes once more to finish the song and take a bow. "Thank you, thank you!" Nervously he fiddled with the neck of his sitar as Roxas began to dig through his pocket with a mortified pout.

Xion's mouth tipped upwards slightly, bringing warmth to her normally stoic face. "That was nice," she murmured. Quickly she turned and started to dig through their boxes of recently bought supplies and pulled out a bag of dehydrated meat. "Thank you," she said, just as Roxas had taught her what seemed forever ago. She handed the bag to the musician, a strange childish look on her face before it disappeared.

"Ooooh! Jerky!" The man's eyes lit up joyously. "Oh, thank you kind lady!" He gave Xion a dramatic bow.

Roxas checked the time on his Commune, nibbling nervously on his lower lip. "We really need to get going…"

Suddenly Xion seemed distressed. "But… he has no food… we cannot leave…" Her jaw tightened and she struggled for words, as if she wasn't sure how to express herself.

Cloud placed a hand on her head, looking both frightened and curious at her strange behavior. "Actually, I have an idea. I'll have a three course meal made for you if can help me out for a few hours…?"

"Demyx," the man said with a lopsided grin. "My name's Demyx and I'll do anything you need for a cooked meal!"

-o-

Roxas couldn't stop the shaking of his hands as the hour of action approached. They had all gathered in one of the city's less busy squares. Roxas kicked away a bag that had blown into his leg and managed to wrap around his foot. Demyx nervously fingered the neck of sitar.

"So uhm, what did you need me to do again?" he asked, pausing in his ministrations to glance over the gathered crew. They were quite the spectacle. It wasn't often they got visitors on Skosmos, and even less so one that were so … diverse.

Cloud hooked a finger around one of his sword hilts, a metallic clang emanating from them ominously. "Just throw us a concert, that's all."

Riku frowned. "So this is your 'grand plan', Cloud?" He rolled his bright eyes. "We've got better things to do – c'mon Axel, Roxas."

The scientist nodded, his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth with an anxious fear. He meekly followed after Axel and Riku, who walked tall and bold, as if it were just a normal day. He wished for a moment he could be that brave, but merely scowled at himself. They walked through dark, twisting alleys that Riku had memorized – his feet barely even made noise as they went along.

Soon the silver haired thief ducked behind a grimy dumpster, a massive, careening mansion obstructing the view of the sky before them. "That's it right there," he whispered, giving the building a once over before turning to his two companions. "It's the first floor window on the opposite side that has no triggers or camera vantage, so it might be guarded more carefully than others."

"Right." Axel traced a finger almost lovingly down the narrow barrel of his gun. "How long do we have until Kairi and Xion come to trip the triggers in the lawn?"

Riku pulled up a black sleeve, checking a small, skintight wristwatch. "In exactly five minutes. In eight minutes, Cloud should start the town distraction – Sora should be waiting out front by then. And we need to be out of there in ten." He sent Roxas a narrow look. "Do you think you can handle that?"

Roxas gave him a nasty look in return. "Just get the data and I'll keep the cameras busy."

They silently broke their small huddle, using their urban surroundings to remain hidden from the cameras that they knew were perched atop the posts of the front gate. They skirted around the edges of the property until they found a less open area to sneak in, the lawn was guarded by an iron wrought black fence. Roxas slipped between the bars easily, taking hold of Axel's arm and yanking him through; the man's barrel chest making it difficult for him to squeeze through without effort.

The window was locked from the inside. The three of them crouched beneath the sill, making sure to keep out of sight. Riku pulled out a small object from his pocket. It looked to be nothing more than a tube with serrated levers built into the side. He pressed down on one of the levers and a small, translucent hook protruded from the end of the tube. Carefully he lodged the device under the window until an almost noiseless hiss notified them that the ionic lock had been scrambled.

Deftly Riku pulled the window open and slid into the mansion, his tan vest had been left on the ship and he nearly melded into the darkness. Roxas and Axel followed, closing the window behind them and headed for the stairs. Roxas could hear his heartbeat pound in his ears as he followed Axel as quietly as he could up the winding flight of stairs. He tried to breathe silently, but even the smallest noise or breath seemed exponentially loud in the thick silence of the mansion.

Axel ducked into a corner, right next to a dusty bust of a man, placed precariously on an end table. Roxas nestled into the nook with the redhead, too afraid to think twice about their close proximity. Axel tapped twice on his wrist and Roxas pulled back the sleeve of his black jacket to reveal a watch similar to Riku's. It was too dark for Roxas to read the face, but Axel simply glanced at it and nodded, signaling for them to stay where they were. They couldn't get much further without the distraction.

Roxas pulled his hood over his sunshine yellow hair and kept his head down. He was trying his best not to notice how warm Axel was against him.

-o-

A small crowd had gathered in the square to watch Demyx's "will play for food" concert. Kairi glanced down at her arm, the built-in, military issued, watch shining up at her. She closed the hatch in the armor and touched Xion's shoulder, making the humanoid snap her attention away from the musician. "Let's go Xion."

Xion nodded, stiffly following Kairi through the small crowd of people. Kairi walked calmly through the alleyways, a hand clenched harshly on the hilt of her weapon. She scooped up a few rocks as they went, tossing them up every so often and catching them with a malicious glint in her purple eyes.

"You remember the plan, Xion?" she asked, although she knew it was unlikely that Xion had forgotten anything. The humanoid girl nodded in response, her dark blue eyes roaming the beginnings of the mansion in the distance. Slowly they came to the tall, imposing black fence. Kairi regarded it briefly before they both squeezed their way through it and onto the lawn.

The redheaded woman paced back and forth a couple of times before her hand tightened around the rocks and she threw them at the nearest window. "Down with Larxene!" she shouted as the glass shattered. Two alarms tripped and Kairi grinned as a nearby camera locked onto them. "Why do you live in such wealth when those around you lie in squalor?"

A whistling noise resounded from inside, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from somewhere nearby. "Roxas begins resuming route," Xion said, her hands lying limp at her sides, as if the imminent danger bothered her not.

Kairi smiled as she unsheathed her baton, falling into a familiar defensive stance. "There they are!" someone shouted. "Detain them!" Everything was going to plan, then.

"Are you ready for a fight, Xion?" she asked rhetorically, her eyes dangerous. "We have the advantage – they won't try and kill us at first!" With that, she leapt forward at the first man in thick blue body armor that rounded the corner, swinging around and thrusting her baton into the small space between his armored collar and his helmet.

"W-what the…? What's going on?" one of the guard shouted as the man fell into a crumpled heap onto the ground.

Slowly Xion began to lumber forward, her head tilted downwards as she peered through her dark hair. "Less of you that live," she said; her voice hauntingly low as she began to reach for the nearest guard, "is longer that Roxas will live…"

-o-

Demyx could have sworn he heard a stifled scream in the distance, but he played it off as his imagination and continued his song. His fingers sought memorized chords on the strings of sitar on their own accord. This was probably the easiest meal he'd ever made in his entire life. There was actually quite the crowd gathering, and he wished with fervor that he'd brought his bit scanner to collect some extra tips.

The muscular Genetic, Cloud, had disappeared not too long ago, running his gloved hands through his thick blond hair and uttering something under his breath. But he was content that the small brunet from the group was still in the crowd, teetering back and forth on the balls of his feet.

As one of his songs came to a close, a tall, buff brunet approached the little knot of people that surrounded him, a massive sword strapped threateningly to his back. "Where are they?" the stranger growled loudly, his hand rising to clasp the hilt of his gleaming sword. A strange question, Demyx thought as he glanced around in confusion, but the crowd seemed to shiver collectively as a low murmur broke out amongst them. The man's face soured at the lack of response. A nasty scar marred his otherwise smooth features and Demyx noted it duly. He saw people like this all the time on Skosmos.

"Who?" Demyx ventured sheepishly. He held his sitar close as the man took a few steps closer. Sora shied away, nearly vanishing into the outskirts of the gathered people. The tall man pressed his scowling face towards Demyx's, his stormy gray eyes examining the blond closely. The musician frowned, hugging his sitar tighter. "You ever heard of personal space?" he asked irritably before he could catch himself.

The intimidating brunet opened his mouth to retaliate hotly, when the force of an explosion ricocheted from a few of the nearby alleys. Reflexively Demyx covered an ear with his free hand. "What the heck was that?"

A woman screamed, her brown hair was matted to her head and she clutched a child no more than three years old to her hip. "Oh God! The bank! The bank is on fire!"

A ripple of fear tore through the crowd. Demyx stared blankly in the direction of flames blooming from over the rooftops. It wasn't like he had money to begin with, but the sudden burst of energy that swept over the people surrounding him, was enough to make him feel suppressed and suffocated. He ducked down and pressed a hand over his mouth as the crowd began rushing towards the fire – a simple minded mob mentality washing over them. There was too much, too many – he thought he was going to puke.

"Demyx… Demyx, c'mon, we need to get out of here." The small brunet was next to him, nearly crawling on the ground to avoid legs and feet that didn't see him attempting to pass through their path. Demyx breathed in deeply to calm himself, silently thanking the brunet for staying. "Demyx… please…"

Sora's breath hitched suddenly. "You!" the tall stranger boomed, pulling his sword from its sheath. "Tell me where he is before I cut you to pieces!"

The small Aven panicked. His hands shook as he grasped Demyx's arm, trying to right himself as quickly as he could to run in the opposite direction. The man raised his sword, a snarl on his lips before slicing downwards; quick and precise. With inhuman reflexes, Demyx shoved Sora away from the steel swipe and he fluidly stood like the rising tide, his jacket swirling above his feet with the movement. His icy eyes narrowed as he held his sitar before him, his hand floating precariously above the strings of his fret.

The air itself seemed to writhe in the few tense moments that the two men shared a stare. The muscular brunet shifted back into an offensive stance, his boot grinding against the broken concrete beneath him. Demyx sucked in another calming breath, preparing himself. "Run away!" And with that he bolted after Sora, picking up the small Aven by an arm, his fingers digging painfully into the brunet's armpit, and dragged him along.

"You're not going anywhere…" The brunet held out his sword, a small keychain at the end of the hilt swinging up and clicking against the metal melodiously. Demyx could feel the energy pooling behind him, and he cursed Genetics with every fiber of his being. His stomach wrenched and he skid to a stop, turning around and forcing the small brunet to stand behind him.

Running with a gun to your back wouldn't help a damn thing – and hell, if he was going to die, he'd at least like to see it coming. The massive ball of energy hummed as it quickly and steadily built power until the tall brunet deemed it lethal enough, and launched it with a jerk of his sword arm.

Sora cried out from behind Demyx, while the blond musician let his eyes unfocused as he took in a steady breath, staring down the whirling globe that hurtled towards his chest. But a flash of silver and a body eclipsed the energy orb, snapping Demyx's view back into focus.

Cloud stood in front of him, all of his swords linked into one and his stance low and powerful as he fought with the mass of energy. His sword emitted its own electrical field, barely repelling the incoming energy with an opposite force. Cloud grunted, spending more and more stored energy to push the ball away and into the face of a nearby building.

"W-what…?" Sora breathed from behind Demyx, clutching at his jacket as if he were a child hiding behind his mother. "C-Cloud!"

The blond Genetic heaved, his shoulders falling and rising with every exaggerated breath he took. "It's you," he puffed out, holding out his sword towards the tall brunet man. "Squall Leonhart."

Leon quirked a cocky smile. "And you," he returned, letting his own sword fall lower as he pushed a few locks of brunet hair from his face. "The one helping to harbor my bounty…"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." The blond's face was grim as he chanced a quick look at the looming clock on a pole down the lane. They still had to buy a few more minutes of time…

Sora glanced at his own watch, his stomach plummeting. He yanked on Demyx's jacket, garnering the musician's attention quietly. "We need to get out of here," he whispered urgently, winding his fingers into the fabric of the jacket. He cut off any protest Demyx had by tugging the man along, holding up four fingers to Cloud as they ran into a dark alley.

Cloud swallowed anxiously. Four minutes. "This won't be like last time," he said evenly, forcing every muscle in his body to relax before building up a capacity to unleash more energy when it was needed.

Leon had watched the two run off with a scowl, but he wasn't stupid enough to let down his guard and chase them. "No, you're right. I won't go as easy on you this time." He lifted his sword, the purple light of Skosmos flooding the scene with a haunted feeling. "Prepare to die."

Cloud said nothing as the brunet attacked, steeling himself for battle. As the first clang of metal on metal resounded throughout the small square, Cloud only hoped that he wouldn't fail those he cared about again.

-o-

Roxas bit his lower lip as they snuck up to the top floor. Everything had gone unnaturally quiet once the alarms in the lawn had been tripped. Only the sound of shallow breathing between him and Axel, and a miniscule buzzing noise that most likely came from a nearby generator, reached his hyposensitized ears.

The darkness hung like thick cobwebs in the corridors and corners. He almost had trouble seeing the tops of his dirty shoes as he walked cautiously behind Axel, who crept along as if it were daylight. Axel suddenly took a sharp turn into an unusually dark room, completely disappearing from the Aven's view. Roxas faltered, taking a hesitant step towards the wall of darkness before simply stopping. There was something definitely wrong about the room.

Axel reappeared from the dark, giving Roxas an impatient glare. "Come on," the redhead whispered quietly; so quietly that under normal circumstances it would have been inaudible, but it was almost like a scream in the strange silence of the mansion. Roxas swallowed thickly, nodding his head once firmly as if to convince himself, but his feet refused to obey his mind.

They were running out of time – the seconds ticked by steadily as he fought with his conscience. Angrily Axel reached out, grabbing Roxas by the wrist, none too gently, and pulling him into the room. The darkness that surrounded them was almost overbearing as the world that he could see became drastically narrowed to a simple inch or two in front of his face.

Axel's hand was hot on his skin as they crossed the room, unpleasant jolts of fear and something else he couldn't describe jittering through his limbs. They moved to the very corner of the room, where Axel pressed himself against the wall and measured three careful feet inwards before squatting down, dropping his hold on Roxas' wrist in favor of cupping his hands together for Roxas to step into.

For a few brief moments Roxas collected himself. This was it, once he was up, it was just a matter of time and skill – and he had plenty of skill. He stepped into Axel's hands, pressing his chest close to the wall and allowing his hands to diligently crawl upwards, like spiders searching in the bleakness, as Axel slowly lifted him as if he weighed almost nothing.

It felt almost as if he were floating in a never ending abyss as he inched up the wall. It was both a feeling he adored and feared. Finally his fingers found the edge of an opening above his head and he grasped for it, pulling himself into the small box-shaped hole as quietly as he could with Axel's help.

The vent was darker than he had presumed and he frowned. It seemed foolish to keep a back up terminal in such a difficult spot to reach – why would anyone be up in the vents in the first place? He groped around the walls and the floor, feeling around for anything that might be a security panel, growling lowly in frustration. After a few frantic moments he slid back to the edge, poking his head out from the vent mostly because he knew Axel could see the frustration on his face even though he could barely see his own hand.

"Axel," he whispered out into the darkness angrily. "I can't find it. It's too fucking dark."

He thought he could hear the redhead shift somewhere below him. "Just turn on a flashlight," was the urgent response. He nodded and ducked back into the vent.

Carefully he fumbled through his jacket pockets and produced his Commune, its familiar weight in his hands a relief. He had memorized every inch of infused plastic and plasma screen over the years. He turned the screen towards the ground and switched it on, the sudden glare of light against the pitch dark burned his eyes and he looked away, a purplish glare in his vision.

Without warning there was a loud whirring noise and something mechanical began churning somewhere nearby. Quickly he crawled back towards the exit of the vent. Axel cursed loudly, shattering the silent sanctum, "Fuck, fuck! Roxas, there's a fucking laser turret! Shit, fuck, help me up there!"

Roxas could hear the sound of the mechanism exciting and his body quaked in fear. There wasn't a second to spare for fright, he had to act, and he had to do it now. Instinctively he fell onto his chest and let his arms dangle down the wall. He still couldn't see more than a few inches in front of his face, but he trusted that Axel wouldn't be thrown into such a panic that easily.

Axel grasped his hands firmly and it was all Roxas could do to keep from sliding down and falling head first to the ground. The redhead used Roxas similar to a rope until he could reach the ledge and pulled himself up, scrambling further into the vent before turning around and yanking Roxas in deeper by his ankles.

The blond was about to give a displeased shout in surprise when a piercing screech roared past Roxas' ear, stopping with a blinding flash and a simmering sizzle of scorched metal. The laser hit the spot where the Aven's hand had been not moments before. Roxas shuddered and hurried back into the vent, pressing his Commune to his chest. "What the hell happened?" he demanded, shivering involuntarily.

Axel's face was somewhere nearby, as he could feel the redhead's hot breath travel across his cheek. He tried to pay it no heed. "I have no fucking idea… But it has heat-sync targeting. We're pretty much screwed until it's offline."

Roxas frowned heavily, looking down at his nestled Commune with a frown. "Light…" he murmured as he processed their bleak situation. There had to be a way out. Goddess there had to.

"…What?" The redhead sounded upset – and maybe a bit worried, but Roxas couldn't tell without seeing his face.

The Aven lay back down on his stomach, holding his Commune screen to the floor to block the bright light it emitted. "Axel, listen. I have to find that terminal – it's got to be somewhere around here." Slowly he inched forward, combat crawling across the floor. He was both glad and upset that Axel didn't try and stop him, because if he had, Roxas definitely would have changed his mind.

Determined, he groped along the wall, feeling around for anything that felt irregular or out of place. He pressed his head down low to the ground, hoping for the best when his fingers ran along what felt like an indentation. "Ax… Axel," he breathed, "Can you see anything from there? Where my hand is?"

There was an uncertain silence before the redhead finally responded, "Yeah. Looks like a panel… Roxas what are you doing? Are you fucking nuts? You'll get back in its line of sight."

Roxas grimaced, curling up slightly and tugging off his shoe. "Yeah," he mumbled, "Yeah… I probably am." He chucked his shoe out into the room, quickly pulling his Commune from the floor, letting the light wash over the panel. There was a tense buildup of energy before the turret fired, a long, lethal laser bolt following the shoe and burning it into the ground where it fell.

Bile rose from his stomach like a poison and he plastered himself to the ground just as he managed to pry open the secret panel. The turret shot into the corner of the vent, a wave of heat passing over Roxas' head momentarily. Axel cursed, backing further into the vent. With fumbling fingers Roxas pried off his other shoe and threw it as hard as he could before turning his attention back to the panel. A simple "Enter Your Password" screen popped up in a dull, luminescent orange color.

He moved slowly, hoping to deter the turrets sensors as he connected his Commune to the terminal, activating his scrambler. As the device did its work, he backed away slowly, letting out a long breath he hadn't known he was holding. "Why throw your shoes?" Axel asked after a confounding moment of silence.

Roxas gave him what he hoped was a sidelong glance. "You said it's heat-synced… My shoes were still warm. The only other thing I could've thrown was you."

"I'm surprised you didn't try." The redhead's tenor voice was gruff with emotion that Roxas couldn't identify. It sounded almost like resent.

The blond shook his head. "Do you really think I'm stupid enough to think I can get out of this place alone?" He snorted to himself. "I'd rather just get new shoes when this is all over with – those one's were old anyway…" The blood of innocents from Alkatoj was on those shoes, he recalled solemnly. Maybe it was about time he got rid of them anyway… it was time to move on and get out of the past.

Axel blew out a frustrated breath. "That was almost profound," he muttered.

The Commune clicked, displaying "ACCESS GRANTED" proudly on the screen. With a sigh he crawled forward once more, his hands shaking with post-adrenaline. Expertly his fingers trailed along the touch screen keyboard, dragging bits of data back and forth, working until he found what he was looking for.

His near-feminine features fell down in a harsh frown. "I can't put the turret offline," he said angrily. "It's tied up with too many alarms; someone will be bound to notice." He glanced at the time – two more minutes to go. An evil glint sparked in his blue eyes. "Axel, do you think we can get out of this place through these vents?"

"Hmm…" Axel tapped the wall in thought. "Yeah… Yeah, I bet we could. This one should stretch towards the back rooms – where there should be a fire escape somewhere nearby."

Roxas nodded, tapping a few things on the luminescent screen. "There… It should attack on sight now… blocking out all control from all other security terminals… and good luck – bastards."

Axel chuckled softly, still highly mindful of the noise level. Roxas shuffled back, letting out a sigh of relief. "What about the security cameras?"

"Already wiped and replaying images from a few hours earlier." He tucked his Commune back into his jacket pocket. "How about we get out of here… we're already thirty seconds over our time."

The redheaded man rubbed his temples with two long fingers. Roxas glanced around, squinting his big eyes in the dark. Sometimes he forgot that there were people who couldn't see in the dark like he could, his pupils expanding unnaturally to absorb ten times more light than was considered average. "Yeah… Xion should be able to find you, right? Let's just get back to the ship and pretend this didn't go so terribly."

Roxas nodded. "Sounds like a good plan to me." He ran a nimble hand through his curly hair – it was definitely getting too long now. "Hopefully everyone else fared better than we did."

Axel only grunted in agreement, rousing to his hands and knees and moving next to Roxas, pressing his shoulder against the Aven's. "Just stick next to me. I'll let you know when there are turns or dips…"

-o-

Kairi heaved in exhausted breaths, her muscles screaming in protest as she unleashed attack after attack on the seemingly limitless number of guards that stormed the lawn. But the guards were thinning out, giving her and Xion more room to maneuver in as she kept moving sporadically, and dodging plasma fire. Never had she wished for her helmet than now.

Xion continued at a steady pace, crushing anyone that dared get in her way or was too slow to avoid her lightening grip. The plasma bullets simply deflected from the humanoid, leaving little less than black pocks on her synthetic skin. She caught a man by his arm, wrenching his gun from his hands and snapping his elbow. As the man screamed in either pain or fear, Xion reached for his throat with a blood coated hand.

Silence suddenly came to the ears of the two women as the guard fell to the ground in a mangled heap. Bodies of both the dead and unconscious littered the once perfectly manicured lawn.

The crunch of boots on stiff grass caught the women's attention and they both dropped into defensive stances. A tall, thin woman with yellow blonde hair slicked back stepped casually over a corpse, her endless blue eyes examining the carnage around her with a hint of boredom. "Well, now… What's this? My guards must be highly incompetent if they can't kill two little girls." She grinned wolfishly, smoothing down her blue blouse with a milky hand. "But – I can tell, you're not normal little girls…" Her eyes turned sharp. "Isn't that right…? Kairi?"

The redheaded soldier dropped lower, a snarl on her normally cheerful face. "Where is she, Larxene?" Kairi ground out, seething in raw anger that was so uncharacteristic of her. Her body trembled with exhaustion, but she forced herself to shift her weight, constantly ready to move and strike at a moment's notice. "Where!"

Larxene laughed; her head falling back as she roared in good humor – the stench of iron and death wafting around them. "Wouldn't you just love to know?" she bellowed, her smile sharp on her already angular face. She reached into her pocket, producing several knives, each one held firmly between the knuckles of her fingers. Casually she licked one of the blades, her eyes watching the redheaded woman carefully. "What makes you think I'd tell you, brat?"

Kairi snapped. Her purple eyes hazed over as her pent up anger exploded within her small body. "I'll kill you!" she howled, leaping for the blonde, her weapon brandished.

A massive smile stretched across Larxene's face as she watched. Light pink lips contrasted against black metal. "Let's just see you try."

-o-

A/N: /phew! Thank you, guys! Thanks so much for reading, and thank you to the ones that reviewed last chapter! :) It's overwhelming knowing that there are still people who remember this story after such a long time! :D I also want to thank those that got on my case about updating! Sometimes I just need a swift kick in the ass to get motivated. ;D

And as always, thank you to Lucia-luce for beta-ing this mofo! She is the bomb-diggity. That's right, I totally said that. :D