Disclaimer: All the characters and worlds belong to Square Enix and Disney. I own nothing but the story.

Axel, Roxas, and Demyx jogged through the Mountains in The Land of Dragons, breathing hard. After taking out a giant Heartless, they were all exhausted and ready to RTC. Demyx didn't mind staying though; it was raining and the water healed the Sitar player. He started straying from the trail a little bit, half skipping half jumping around in the puddles, controlling the rain so his coat wouldn't get wet. He was happy it dripping down his face. Axel and Roxas on the other hand, were closer to the trail and had already given up on staying dry.

"I hate the rain." Axel grumbled, arms crossed over his soaked chest, trying to get a least bit warmer. "Hate it? I love it!" Demyx squeaked, a shocked look on his drenched face. "Dem, I'm fire, remember?" Axel sighed. Roxas didn't say anything, but looked very unhappy as he trudged down the trail, his head down trying to avoid rain pelting down his face. His golden spiky hair was barely sticking up now, and his bangs hung in front of his pure blue eyes. A single drop of water slid down his hair and splashed on the tip of his nose. "Uhh-wachoo!" Roxas sneezed, quickly covering his face with two gloved hands. Axel shot him a worried glance. "Hey Roxas, you okay?" He put a hand on Roxas's shoulder.

"…" Roxas's eyes gave Axel a partly reassuring look, but quickly darted back. "I'm fine Axel. Just the rain, you know?" Roxas coughed. They (finally) reached the Dark Corridor.

After taking hot showers and drying off, Axel, Demyx and Roxas gathered back in the Gray Area. Demyx was plopped down in a char, plucking his Sitar. Axel strolled in and Roxas shortly after rubbing his hair dry with a towel. "Hey guys! I'm feeling a lot better." Roxas grinned. He leaned back into a nearby chair. Axel had gotten comfortable lounging on the 2- person couch with Demyx. "Good, Squirt. I was a little worried." Axel laughed.

"Me too." Demyx added.

"Squirt!" Roxas's towel fell in his face and into his lap as he bolted upright in his chair, revealing a mess of blond tangles. Demyx let out a clear laugh, and Axel leaned his face on his fist, a very amused look playing upon his features. Roxas settled back in his chair, confused as he studied their expressions. "Wh-What? What's so funny?" Roxas asked Axel desperately; Demyx was too busy laughing. The Keyblade Wielder traced the redhead's gaze up to his hair. "Wha… my hair…? OH!" Roxas twisted his fingers through his hair, slowly getting it to form into it's usual shape. His face was hot and turning red fast, and Demyx burst into another laughing fit.

"Aw, come on guys! I-it's not that funny!" Roxas protested, blushing even more. He got his hair back to normal, and Demyx's laughter died down. Axel chuckled and brushed a stray lock of blond hair back into place.

"Thanks Axel." Roxas sighed, his face turning back to it's usual color. "For helping me with my hair…" Roxas paused. "And NOT LAUGHING YOUR BUTT OFF at me." Roxas finished, glaring at Demyx.

"H-hey! You should've seen yourself!" Demyx protested, getting angry.

"Whoa there guys… let's not start a war over Roxas's hair." Axel said, Roxas and Demyx looking away from each other.

Roxas summoned his Keyblade and polished it. Nobody said a word; there was absolute silence. Demyx strummed his Sitar experimentally, creating some sound. Axel looked around, bored. He tried to summon a flame to busy himself with, only to see the quick flash of a spark and some smoke. Axel's piercing green eyes widened. "Hey!" He exclaimed, making everybody jump. Roxas let out a gasp and Demyx's Sitar made an odd note.

"Sheesh Axel! You scared us! What is it?" Roxas said, his breathing returning to normal.

"My fire! I can't… summon it!" Axel said frantically, creating more smoke from his failed attempts of creating fire.

"Maybe your hands are a little sweaty." Roxas suggested.

"No…" Axel frustrated replied.

"Maybe you're just tired. We had that tough mission earlier, remember?" Demyx reminded Axel.

"Oh yeah… maybe that's it, Dem." Axel said. "Now that you mention it, I do feel really tired." Axel lowered his head onto his chest and closed his emerald eyes. Soon after, Axel's snoring could be heard throughout the room.

"I never said to go to sleep in here…" Demyx whispered. Roxas looked at the spiky bundle of black and red that was snoring away. "Good thing we have the rest of the day off…" He muttered. They remained sitting in The Grey Area for another 20 minutes. Demyx sighed. Roxas sighed.

"I'm bored."

"Me too."

"Well we can't just leave Axel here."

"Why not?"

"Are you kidding? Saix'll think he's a slack-off lazy-head and, I dunno, punish him somehow!"

"Shhhh!" Demyx hissed.

The Pyro mumbled in his sleep, and rolled over so his head was resting on Dem's shoulder. "Yowch!" Demyx flinched as one of Axel's spiky locks of hair poked the back of his neck. Roxas rolled his eyes. "Wimp…" He stood and stretched. "Well… we should carry Axel back to his room." Roxas said after a couple of minutes. Demyx shrugged, Axel's head bobbing up and down with Demyx's shoulders. He had his Sitar vanish. "Okay… I guess I'll get his head, then." Demyx slid his arms under Axel's and let his head continue resting on his shoulder Roxas put his arms under Axel's legs.

"Uhh… How do we do this?"

"Ah…" Roxas let an arm loose to open a dark corridor. They awkwardly made their way through it.

When they got to Axel's room, hey set Axel down on his bed and tucked him in .

Axel woke up about 3 hours later, Roxas and Demyx standing above him.

"… Huh? What are you guys doing in my room? Axel quickly sat up. He meant for his voice to come out loud, but instead it was merely a whisper. He coughed and tried again, his voice a little more clear. "H-hey! What are you doing here? Why can't I talk?" Axel yelled the best he could. Roxas tossed a thermometer onto Axel's bed. "We think you're sick. Take your temperature." Roxas commanded

"Huh? O…kay." Axel slid the thermometer through his lips and under his tongue. He waited a moment until he heard it beep. His bright green eyes widened as he slipped the device out of his mouth and examined the numbers. "98.5°F?" He gasped.

Roxas looked at Axel strangely. "…What?"

Demyx raised an eyebrow. "That's normal, isn't it? That's what I always get."

Axel threw a pillow over his spiky head in frustration. "Noooooo Demyx, that's a TERRIBLE temperature for me! My normal response is 105 °!"

Roxas reached out a hand onto Axel's head. He grabbed his chin and looked strait into Axel's green eyes with his own bright blue jewels. "AXEL. Calm down. You'll just make yourself worse. Just let me and Dem handle this, okay?" Roxas said firmly, but reassuring the older Nobody. Axel struggled in Roxas's tight grip for a moment, but his eyes got through to him. He sighed, and Roxas could feel his muscles loosen up a bit. "Fine."

"Good." Roxas stood back up triumphantly. "You just sleep some more… and… we'll go get you some food okay?" Roxas and Demyx headed towards the door.

"…'Kay." Axel called hoarsely as he heard the door shut.

Roxas and Demyx walked down the hall to the kitchen but stopped short as they heard a muffled yell come from Axel's room

"NOOOOOOO!"

Roxas and Demyx winced. They made sure Saix didn't hear anything and turned to run back to see what was wrong. They opened the door to his room…

"Axel! We heard - !" Roxas's eyes got bigger as he processed what was going on. Axel was slouched over on his bed… which was enveloped in flames.

"…A…Axel!" Roxas stepped inside. "What- WOAH…" Demyx popped up from behind Roxas, the bright flames illuminating his face. Roxas stepped closer to Axel and his charred bed, in total disbelief. The heat of the flames pressed through his body. "Axel, what happened?" Roxas shouted over the roar of the flames.

A tired green eye opened to look at the blond boy. "I sneezed out fire.." Axel rubbed his nose. Roxas looked confused. "I didn't know that was possible…! … Demyx! Put this out before the whole Castle catches on fire!" Roxas shouted. But Demyx wasn't in the room anymore. He'd probably fled in fear of his Sitar would somehow catch on fire. "Ah… Achoo!" Roxas turned back to Axel, who fell back on his blazing bed and moaned. Roxas grit his teeth. "Nngh… DEMYX! Get back here and help!" Roxas yelled, getting tired and angry of Demyx's constant fear and laziness. The blond musician walked back into the room with his Sitar.

"Dance water, DANCE!"

Dem's water clones appeared and jumped onto Axel's bed, splashing into mere puddles as they put out little patches of the fiery mess one by one. After a little bit, the fire was put out completely. The room smelled like smoke and Axel. And Axel smelled like cinnamon.

Zexion was walking through Twilight's View. He paused and sniffed the air. It smells like Axel… and smoke… Vexen walked up to him. "Someone must be burning a cinnamon candle, yes?" Zexion looked away.

Roxas fell to his knees, sweating and breathing hard. "Thanks… Demyx…" Demyx edged towords the center of the room, still shocked at what happened. "How'd that… happen?"

"Axel sneezed out fire."

"HEY! It wasn't my fault!"

"I know Axel…" Roxas laughed softly, despite the burnt bed beside him that Axel still sat on. His eyes caught the shape of something that looked like a thermometer… He sighed and picked it up. "Well… that's the only thermometer Vexen would let us use…" He dropped the broken device on the floor. A soot covered chunk fell broke off of it and slid across the room.

"Why don't we just feel his head?" Demyx suggested.

"Okay." Roxas shrugged and extended an arm to feel the pyro's forehead. Instead, Axel's hands shot out and grabbed his wrist.

"No Roxas! Don't!"

"Ow! God Axel, your hands are hot!"

"Well SORRY, I told you not to!"

"Jeez you're moody!"

"I'm SICK, remember?"

"Just… Nngh!" Roxas grunted and pulled Axel's arms aside with one hand; his sickness got the better of him. Roxas thrust his other palm onto Axel's forehead, only to withdraw it quickly. He yelped and pulled off his glove. His hand was all red and puffed up.

"D-demyx!" Roxas exclaimed, nursing his burnt flesh. A water clone formed in front of Roxas as Demyx played a few notes on his Sitar. Roxas's hand created a small splash in the clone's outline as it shot into the cool water. "Uuugh… Axel… your forehead literally burned my hand! We need a real thermometer…" Roxas groaned.

Demyx approached a very tired looking Axel with a sphere of water in his hands. "Here Axel. I made this water as cold, 'cuz I can't freeze things. So, try to cool yourself down with it, okay?" He nervously extended out his arms to give Axel the gift, warily eying the sick Nobody's hands, careful not to get burned.

Axel forced a smile. "Thanks Dem." he said, accepting the water sphere. Then he directed his attention to the blond boy sitting on the ground. "S-sorry Roxas…" Axel apologized, eying Roxas's wound Roxas tried to put his glove back over his hand, but to no avail. Axel's eyes widened as Roxas let out a yell in pain, dunking his hand back into the nearby clone. "It's … okay Axel…" Roxas grunted getting to his feet. "I'll go get you some ice. Demyx, go ask Vexen for another thermometer." They left Axel alone in his room.

Shortly after, Roxas returned with a pack of ice. He set it on Axel's head and the ice immediately started melting, slowly but surely. Roxas sighed. "Did Demyx come back yet?" He asked.

"No… maybe he's having trouble getting the thermometer form Vexen. You should probably go help him…" Axel suggested.

"Yeah." Roxas nodded, turning from Axel to leave the room once more. Roxas found Demyx in the hall, walking past Axel's room.

"Demyx! Did you get it?" Roxas called. Demyx turned to face Roxas. "Oh hi Roxas! No, I couldn't get a thermometer from Vexen, so I was on my way to Zexi's room to see if he had one. Vexen hurled a chunk of ice at my head when I asked him again…" Demyx replied, rubbing a red mark on his forehead.

Roxas peered at the remaining doors behind Demyx. "We could've used that ice…" He mumbled. "So, uh, which room is Zexion's?" He asked the Melodious Nocturne. Demyx turned around and pointed to the last door on the left. "That one!" He said and walked toward it.

"… How do you know?

"I was looking for Xigbar once and I found him talking to Zexion here." Demyx opened the door without knocking and strode in "Hey Zexion!" He smiled at the slate haired teenager. Zexion jumped, not expecting the Sitarist's presence.

"D-demyx…! Hello…" He said and looked at the musician standing near his door.

"Hey Zexi! Do you have a thermometer I could borrow?"

"… No."

"Aww… Okay… thanks anyway!" Demyx said sadly and turned to leave. "I tried…" Demyx said to Roxas and trudged back to Axel's room. Roxas peeked his head in the doorway. He raised and eyebrow. "You really do have a thermometer, don't you?"

"Yes. Why, do you need it?"

"Yeah."

"I'll let you use it. I didn't want to entrust Demyx with it, but I'll trust you." Zexion tossed Roxas his thermometer. Roxas caught it and grinned. "Thanks Zexi."

The ice pack on Axel'd head was melted by now, and Axel was sweating and tossing around in his charred bed. Roxas walked into his room as Demyx was leaving. "I'm going to go get some more ice." Demyx held up the dripping bag of melted ice and left.

Roxas walked up to Axel's bedside and held out the thermometer. "I got the thermometer from Zexi… That means I should probably go wash it. I'll be right back Axel!" Roxas left the room again to go wash it. Shortly after, Demyx returned with a different bag of ice. "The other one's in the Freezer that Never Was right now." Demyx placed the ice on Axel's damp forehead. His cheeks were red and hot.

"'Kay, I washed the thermometer!" Roxas strode in with the thermometer cleaned this time. He handed it to Axel who smiled weakly.

"You got what Demyx couldn't."

Demyx pouted. "Be glad I'm helping you! Right now I'd be sleeping or playing my Sitar!"

Roxas shot him a glare. "But you're our friend. That's why you're helping us, right?" Demyx nodded, avoiding looking at Roxas's glare. They turned as they heard Axel groan. "What's wrong?" Demyx asked. Axel held a malfunctioning thermometer. Digits were swirling around the tiny screen, slowing as Axel brought it away from his mouth. "It can't handle the temperature of my mouth and my hand." He sighed. Demyx reached over and took the thermometer and pushed it between Axel's lips without warning. Axel could feel the thermometer being clumsily thrust around in his mouth, but it found the right spot under his tongue eventually. The device beeped, and Demyx pulled it out of Axel's mouth. He gasped. "O-one hundred fifty? H-how are you even ALIVE?" Demyx spluttered.

"That's some difference from before…" Roxas grit his teeth. "Axel, you have a fever now… obviously. I'm going to go make you some cold water, and Demyx, stay here." Demyx nodded, taking a seat on Axel's cold floor. Roxas left the room once again. Demyx crossed his legs and summoned his Sitar. "I'll sing you a song!" Demyx grinned. He started strumming his Sitar and singing a soft slow song, his clear voice harmonizing with the notes of his Sitar. He finished the song with the last stroke and went quiet. He peeked over the top of Axel's horribly ruined mattress and saw he'd fallen asleep.

Roxas walked back into the room with a drink in his hands. "Hey Axel I got-" Demyx pounced on Roxas, who somehow kept the drink from sloshing over too much. Roxas set the drink on the floor and pushed Demyx off of him.

"W-what the heck?" Roxas whispered loudly; Demyx put a finger to his lips telling him to be quiet. He pointed at Axel snoring on his bed of black. Roxas's eyes widened. "Oh god!" He whispered.

Axel's eyes opened slowly, blinking. "Huh…? … Dem…? … Roxas?" He sat up slowly. "Uhh… my head hurts…" Axel groaned, rubbing his head.

Roxas stood and set the ice water on Axel's nightstand. " I go you water…"

Axel took a drink of the water and shivered. "That's cold… Come to think of it, I'm cold." Axel lay back down and put the ice on his head, shivering. " Not like I'm ordering you guys around or anything… Really. Thanks for doing all of this and all that other grateful crap I'm supposed to say. But could one of you bring me a few blankets? Thanks." He quickly shut his emerald eyes as Roxas and Demyx exchanged looks. Roxas left the room to do as Axel asked.

Demyx placed his hand on his hips and let out a quick breath. "Axel, we've been running around the Castle all day helping you get better. Especially Roxas. He, at least, deserves a "please" you know?"

Axel looked away. "Y-yeah. I'll tell him that when he gets back. You're right Dem." Just then, Roxas walked in carrying 2 huge fuzzy blankets. He set them down and began covering Axel wordlessly.

"Roxas…"

"… Yes Axel?"

"I'm… really sorry I just commanded you to do all this stuff. You too, Demyx. I … really should've asked you guys instead of telling you to do it."

Roxas looked surprised. "Why did you say that?"

Axel gave him a firm look to show him he wasn't lying.

"You weren't lying?"

"No."

"Well… I never really thought about it too much. I'm helping you… just because you're my best friend. And I want you to get better." Roxas gave the redhead a sincere smile.

"Th-thanks Roxas. And Demyx. You guys are the best…"

Roxas finished covering Axel and adjusted his ice back. The pyro sneezed, the ice back falling off again.

Roxas set it back on and stepped back. "There."

Just then, Zexion walked in. "I heard Axel was sick. I have decided to stay in here and help you all." Roxas looked at Zexion, who held a giant stack of books.

Demyx looked at him questioningly. "Looks more like you came in here to read."

Zexion shot him a glare. "The other reason is because Vexen decided to experiment in my room, and he claims he needs to clean out all the "toxic air" from his experiment. Zexion set his books down in a corner. "I'm not half bad with cooking, so I'll help with the kitchen work."

Roxas smiled gratefully. "That's less work for all of us! Okay, thanks so much Zexion!"

Zexion gave a hint of a smile. "Let's get doing things instead of standing here talking."

So after going through the rest of the night, two more days and two more restless nights, Axel was cooled down to his usual temperature of 105 ° F. It took lots of ice, blankets, water, and Demyx's Sitar lullabies to cure Axel of his burning fever. Oh, and let's not forget the fire extinguisher incident…

"Ah… choo!" Axel sneezed. Roxas jumped. He was reading one of Zexion's books, as was Zexion.

Zexion's single aqua eye widened as he looked up. "Oh my Kingdom Hearts!" He jumped up and quickly walked out into the hall. Roxas looked up and saw Axel's blankets on fire. They were very flammable…

Zexion hurried back into the room, with a fire extinguisher. "Axel, get OFF YOUR BED!" He commanded. The pyro slid off the scorched mattress and leaned against the wall as Zexion sprayed the fire extinguisher's white foam around the bed, smothering the flames. After they were all put out, Zexion set the fire extinguisher in a corner and wiped his forehead, revealing his right eye for a quick moment. Demyx walked in with a glass of water in his hand.

"I smell smoke… What did I miss?"

… That was the fire extinguisher incident. But Axel finally got better. Not before getting somebody else sick first…

Roxas and Demyx stood back, looking proud as Axel announced that his temperature was back to normal. Zexion stood casually reading a book. Roxas and Demyx were about to leave when they heard a quiet sneeze.

"Ha…choo!"

They turned to see Zexion rubbing his nose. Axel burst out laughing. Roxas glared at him, shutting him up. The poor teen sneezed again, and Roxas and Demyx helped him out to his "intoxicated" room. Axel shot up from his bed, his fiery spirit returned.

"H-hey wait! I'll help Zexi too!"

[END]

My first post… please R&R! ^^ ~A.A-chan