He didn't sleep a wink. Even with Robin and Hercules snoring softly beside him, the cabin lights turned low and practically no other sound than the engines, Roxas couldn't manage to doze off. His eyes just wouldn't stay closed; he had the terrible feeling that something would go wrong as soon as he dozed off. So he stayed awake, even after the glow of Stitch and Peter keeping watch had disappeared.

All he wanted was to be in his own bed, tucked in safe and warm with Axel. But he didn't even know where the redhead was, and by now he was certain that they'd never see their old apartment again. Just being on the same plane wasn't enough to ease the continuing fear that something else would happen to him, that he would lose him forever.

I could go find him. Everyone's asleep. I could just check that he's okay.

It was a tempting idea. Surely no one would notice if he just quietly went to check. What could it hurt?

Roxas didn't move.

His bones ached to be near Axel again, even for just a moment. Still, he stayed in his seat, safely fenced in by his bodyguards.

Safe.

Slumping, Roxas pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped the zipper hoodie that had been provided tighter around him. It smelled strange and unfamiliar, terribly foreign when all he wanted was comfort, to be at home. A place he was probably never going to see again.

The reality and permanence of it all brought tears stinging to his eyes and a tight ache in his throat. His apartment, his bed, all his things, the memories he'd made there with Axel, his friends…

Oh, shit, his friends! They'd seen him with Xemnas, Hayner'd been pushed, all the chaos they'd left behind and he didn't have his phone, couldn't check on them, couldn't tell them he was safe! They were probably so worried, they'd known something was wrong, and now all of this? Roxas wouldn't have been able to stand it. Somehow, he was going to get in touch with them and make sure they were all okay. Maybe once they landed, he'd get Stitch to contact Hayner for him, just so he could let them know he was alive. So he could apologize for all the trouble.

He hoped they were okay.

Hours later, Roxas watched the sky begin to lighten through the window on Robin's other side. His eyes were dry and itchy from the lack of sleep, and probably horribly bloodshot. He didn't understand how the others could so easily sleep after everything that happened. But then, they seemed more than a little used to this type of thing.

Outside, the sky was beginning to fade into a pale, hazy blue along the horizon, the sun itself not yet visible. Roxas watched it turn white then creep upwards, followed by a subtle pink that quickly gave way to yellow as the sun finally began to appear and brought a stripe of fiery orange with it. It was so bright that it hurt his tired eyes, but the slow ascent of the sun was calming, so he didn't look away. He watched it climb and climb, mesmerized to see it from the sky for the first time. He'd flown before, but never early—or long—enough to see the dawn.

Eventually, the sunlight made its way into the plane's cabin via the few open windows on that side and began waking up the passengers. Robin didn't stir until the light was directly in his face and his hat couldn't keep it from his eyes anymore.

With a grunt and a wide yawn, he stretched as much as he could in the cramped space before shaking a bit like a wet dog. "Mm. Tha'll put a smile on ya. Lookit that." He peered out his window at the sun, blinking. "Beau'iful."

Roxas had never heard him sound so relaxed before, so casual.

The older man turned and reached past Roxas to smack Hercules on the chest. "Oi."

Hercules jerked awake and nearly launched himself into the seat in front of him, looking startled and almost angry. He blinked rapidly then slumped back in his seat with a sigh. "Don't do that."

Robin rolled his eyes. "You're too big to be so jumpy."

"You try training with Phil."

"He's like three feet tall."

"Three feet of brutal terror."

Roxas decided it was probably better if he didn't ask who Phil was.

"We're landing soon."

Yawning, Hercules nodded and hoisted himself up out of his seat. "I'll check on the others."

Almost before he could even think, Roxas was on his feet, gripping the seat in front of him for balance. "Can I come?"

Hercules looked past him at Robin, and the two of them shared a moment of silent communication before Hercules stepped back out of the way. "Sure."

Surprise and relief had Roxas scrambling to get into the aisle before either of them could change their minds.

"We'll wake up Stitch and Peter, first." Gently, Hercules set his hands on Roxas' shoulders and guided him forward towards the front of the plane.

They found the two asleep in their seats, sharing a blanket and sprawled into each other's chairs in a way that only the flexibility and like-the-dead sleeping habits of teenage boys would allow. It was cute, and Roxas was sorry to disturb them even if Hercules was the one to actually shake Peter's shoulder.

"Hey, Peter, Stitch. Wake up."

Both teens grumbled and shifted away from Hercules, faces creasing into pouty grimaces.

"Nuh-uh." Stitch pulled the blanket up to cover their heads.

Hercules tugged the blanket away. "Yes-huh. We're landing soon."

The look Stitch gave him was something straight out of a horror film—he looked like he was genuinely considering murder. Roxas almost took a step back before reminding himself that Stitch was a friend, and not dangerous. Not that it seemed to be making any difference to Stitch at the moment. His glaring didn't appear to be having any affect on Hercules, either, though, and he gave it up within another few seconds.

"Fine. We're up."

"Rob wants an update."

"Yeah, yeah." Stitch sighed, shoving the blanket onto Peter and digging in his pockets. His strange little gadget reappeared; Hercules and Roxas waited as he turned it on and put in an ear bud. Beside him, Peter was busy cocooning himself in the blanket and hardly bothering to open his eyes.

The seconds ticked by for an emotional eternity as Stitch flicked through his settings. Whatever was on the screen went too fast for Roxas to even try to guess at, but Stitch didn't seem to have any trouble keeping up with it. Several minutes passed in silence; Peter was asleep again.

Then Stitch muffled a barking laugh, steadied himself, and flashed a triumphant grin before reading aloud, "'Due to information received from an anonymous source, investigators have taken Kingdom Hearts Incorporated's upper management into custody pending trial. The charges so far include fraud, money laundering, blackmail, assault, sexual assault, and abuse among other corporate crimes…" he trailed off and settled into a self-satisfied smile. "I'd like to see Xemnas get out of that. I gave them every speck of dirt I could dig up on every one of those creeps. Kingdom Hearts Incorporated is finished."

It was a relief to hear.

"Does that mean we're safe?" Roxas couldn't keep the hope out of his voice.

"Eh, more or less. It'll take time for all the little bits and pieces to be swept up. I'm sure they had some sort of contingency plan."

"Oh." Heavy disappointment slumped his shoulders.

"Hey, look, this is a big deal. He can't get out of this. And where we're going, we can watch it all with a drink in hand."

Roxas didn't bother asking where they were going. No one had said anything about it, and at this point, he assumed everything was on a need-to-know basis. He just trusted that they had a place and a plan to get there.

"Great," Hercules began to nudge Roxas on, "we'll tell Rob. Should be there in an hour or so."

"Cool."

They left Stitch to wrestle his half of the blanket back from Peter.

Other passengers were starting to wake up by now, disturbed by the sun filling the plane cabin before the overhead lights could even come on. A few glances came their way as they sidled towards the front, and Roxas found himself getting nervous. He didn't like being looked at.

Maybe he should have stayed in his seat.

Hercules put a calming hand on his shoulder to stop him going any farther up the aisle. "Hey."

It was enough to pull Roxas out of his thoughts, just in time for him to recognize a familiar bit of red peaking out from beneath a black hat just head. He moved without thinking, and Hercules kept a step back to give him space as he lunged towards Axel, then thought better of it. People were starting to wake up, and he didn't want to cause a scene and attract attention. Instead, he tapped Al on the shoulder to wake him. Al mumbled something in his sleep that sounded vaguely like, "I don't have fleas," before his eyes opened and he looked up at Roxas and Hercules groggily.

"Morning." He yawned.

Roxas didn't return the greeting. "Can I see him?"

"Sure, of course." Aladdin took a moment to gather his blanket up in his arms and toss it past Axel into Jini's lap, waking him, then stood and shuffled out into the aisle; he wandered off towards the plane's bathroom while Roxas took his seat. Axel was still asleep, unbothered by the small commotion. Gentle, Roxas took one of his hands and laced their fingers before leaning close enough to kiss Axel's cheek. The redhead let out a soft sigh that made Roxas' heart feel too big for his chest, and he found himself squeezing Axel's hand without meaning to. It wasn't nearly enough contact, and Roxas took a moment to put up the armrest separating their seats so he could tuck himself into Axel's side, pulling the redhead's arm around his shoulders by the grip he had on his hand. The movement roused Axel enough for him to look down at Roxas with sleep-blurred eyes, and he smiled.

"Hey."

"Hi."

He pressed a kiss to the top of Roxas' head. "How you holding up?"

"Okay."

Axel didn't comment on the lack of conviction in Roxas' response. "Yeah."

They were quiet for a few minutes, Hercules respectfully keeping a small distance to give them the little privacy they could get on a crowded airplane.

"Can't wait to get off this thing," Axel muttered eventually, trying to stretch his legs in the cramped space, and wincing when his wound twinged.

"Robin says we'll be landing soon."

"Oh, good." He was clearly relieved. "I'm starved."

Roxas nodded, but he wasn't hungry. He hadn't had much of an appetite lately, and he didn't think he would until they were all actually safe and this was all over. "Maybe we can get breakfast at the airport."

"I hope so. I could eat a hippo."

That made Roxas laugh. He knew Axel was mostly just trying to cheer him up, and he appreciated it. Axel had been so…perfect through all of this, Roxas didn't know how to even begin to thank him, or any of them, for what they'd done. He didn't even really know these people, and yet they'd all come to his rescue because Axel asked them to. They'd risked their lives to expose Xemnas, Axel had been shot and tortured, and they still hadn't hesitated even once to help. What could he possibly do to pay them back?

He couldn't think of a single thing. He didn't have a lot of money, he didn't have any unique or impressive skills, he wasn't super smart like Stitch, or strong like Hercules, or a good leader like Robin. Was he even worth all this trouble?

"Rox? You okay?"

Roxas took a deep breath and brought himself back to the present, aware now that Axel had been watching him. "Yeah, fine."

Green eyes regarded him for a few seconds, unconvinced. "Whatever you were thinking, don't. None of this was your fault, and the guys are more than happy to help out. Besting guys like Xemnas is their idea of a good time."

He didn't ask how Axel knew that was what he'd been thinking—the redhead had always been good at reading him. So he just nodded, and enjoyed these few moments of peace until Aladdin returned from the bathroom, and Roxas had to give him his seat back.

"We'll be landing in about an hour," Hercules joined them fully once Al had settled in. "Stitch is keeping an eye on things, and it's all going fine so far."

"So far," Al echoed him, and the implication made Roxas' entire body go tense.

"Hey, come on! What's with that sad look? It'll be fine." Jini's smile and warmth were infectious; it was hard not to believe him.

"Abu should be waiting for us at the airport."

Hercules grinned. "He still mad?"

"Naw," Al drew the word out, but there was something in his eyes that didn't convince any of them, "he's happy to help."

"Of course he is."

This wasn't exactly making Roxas eager to meet Abu, whoever that was. It sounded like Jini and Al knew him pretty well, so it would probably be fine, but he wasn't really looking forward to another person getting caught up in his mess.

He wished he could hold Axel's hand.

After that, they said their goodbyes and went back to their seats to tell Robin what Stitch told them, and that Al said Abu should be waiting for them at the airport. He seemed satisfied with that update, and they spent the remainder of the flight in silence, waiting. For Roxas, it was torture. He didn't have a phone, Axel was almost a full plane away, and since they hadn't wanted to risk burdening themselves with carry-on luggage, he had nothing to keep him busy. Just his watch, letting him watch the seconds count up into minutes until, finally, they landed. Some of the passengers clapped; Robin rolled his eyes even as he smiled at the simple happiness of a safe flight.

Stepping off the plane made it clear they'd put a lot of distance between them and KHI. The sings of the airport weren't in English—Roxas wasn't even confident he could identify the alphabet. But most of the people, at least, he recognized as middle eastern, like Aladdin.

"How will we know Abu when we see him?" Roxas tried to be subtle about looking for the others, though he failed to spot them in the crowd.

"He'll see us long before we see him," Robin answered flippantly, looking unbothered by their strange surroundings and mysterious new friend.

"Oh." Roxas was far less relaxed, all things considered.

They followed the flow of the crowd out of the terminal and past the security checkpoints—Roxas tried not to look like he was holding his breath—and finally emerged into the main body of the airport. The others were nowhere in sight, presumably already lost in the hustle and bustle of what was clearly a very large, very busy building. Hercules held a protective arm around Roxas' shoulders that put the blond more on edge than anything else. It was a clear indication that they weren't actually safe yet.

Robin waved at them to follow him. "Come on."

Joining the ever-shifting mass of people was daunting at best, and the trio was swept away as soon as they stepped forward from their sheltered refuge by the wall. Neither Robin nor Hercules said anything to indicate where they were going or what they were looking for, and it was all Roxas could do just to keep up, even with Hercules acting as a human shield.

The farther they went, the more convinced he became that they were being followed, or at least watched. When he caught a glimpse of dark eyes looking at them through thick, ash brown bangs not just once, but three times, he was certain of it. But that certainty did nothing to prepare him for the strong, wiry grasp of a small hand on his wrist, pulling him off balance and sideways against the flow of people.

"Robin!"

He couldn't even be sure they heard him over all the noise, and all he could see was a bobbing head of brown hair that sported a small, red and blue patterned hat. The hand on his wrist was adorned with gold rings that held bigger gems than Roxas had ever seen in his life. He tried to look back to see if Robin and Hercules were following, promptly smashed into someone, and barely managed an apology as he was dragged on.

"Ah—sorry!" He stumbled after his impatient guide. "Wait! Slow down!"

The stranger said something in a language Roxas didn't understand—at least, he thought it was them. It could have been any of the people they were getting in the way of. There was no shortage of scowls and glares and mutters following them, anyway.

Roxas didn't risk looking back again, but he didn't hear Hercules or Robin or any other commotion that meant they'd given chase. Were they just following? It hadn't even occurred to Roxas to resist, but he didn't think he could, anyway. There wasn't space to plant himself, no opportunity to catch his balance; it was all he could do to not be pulled right off his feet.

Whoever had hold of him didn't slow down or even seem to falter as they wound their way between close-packed bodies; Roxas was certain he was about to die when he suddenly found himself all but falling down a wide, crowded staircase that the stranger took with alarming speed. Reaching the floor without tumbling headfirst onto it was both a relief and a cause for alarm, as the crowd was significantly thinner here, and now Roxas could tell that he was being dragged towards a series of double doors that let out to a bright, busy, foreign outside world.

Without his friends.

The panic that he'd been too startled to properly feel finally began to dominate the frenzy of Roxas' mind and he yanked against the hand on his wrist, trying to force himself to a stop now that there was enough room to breathe.

Turning, the stranger put another hand beside their first and used their full weight to keep them both moving, chattering at Roxas in what was clearly annoyance even though he didn't understand the language.

It took all of Roxas' strength to hold his ground, and even then he could feel the soles of his shoes slipping against the polished stone floor. "No! I don't know you, let go!"

People were starting to stop and stare and the stranger was getting agitated. "Go now!" he commanded with a thick accent, much heavier than the one Al sometimes had. "Aladdin waiting!"

Oh.

"Abu," Roxas said the name dumbly, immediately losing all resistance and letting himself be pulled forward through the doors, and out into the sun. The heat of it was intense and immediate; dry, thin air heavy with the sounds of a city. He didn't fight the grip that Abu kept on him, silently following the small man's lead as he wound his way through people and streets that were just blurs of color and sound and smell, too busy and gone too quickly to begin to understand. They ran, Roxas making a real effort to keep pace now; the grip on his wrist shifted down to his hand, making it easier for both of them.

His lungs ached; he could feel himself sweating under his too-big clothes, and his throat was beginning to feel painfully dry. The airport had been full of cool, conditioned air to keep its occupants comfortable, but outside was at the sun's full mercy.

When Abu made a sharp left and lead them into a narrow alleyway, Roxas was just thankful for the shade. They slowed to a walk, but Abu's short strides were quick and purposeful, so it wasn't much of a chance to catch their breath. Slipping through the alleys instead of trying to navigate the crowds was still much easier, and soon they'd twisted their way through a maze of twists and turns. Abu clearly knew where he was going, and eventually stopped long enough to open a plain, unmarked door set into the back of a building. They climbed a curved flight of stairs that held no other stops until it opened onto the third and top floor, into an open, plainly decorated apartment with large windows facing towards a massive white building that seemed to sparkle in the sun.

"They made it!"

Roxas didn't even have time to process that there were people there already before he was being wrapped in a tight hug, but it was a familiar set of arms that he sank into gratefully.

"Axel."

"Nice work, Abu," Aladdin tossed some sort of fruit to him and Abu took a bite that seemed far too massive for his mouth, and chewed messily.

When Axel eventually let him go—but kept a firm hold on his hand—Roxas moved far enough into the space to see the others were all gathered in a far corner, their backs to the door. They muttered amongst themselves, too quietly for Roxas to tell what was being said from so far away.

"What's going on?" he asked quietly, and Axel flexed his jaw, looking pained.

"Uh, a snag."

Roxas' stomach dropped.

As if on cue, the others parted, and he finally saw what was so interesting. In a plain wooden chair, bound by ropes wrapped around his waist and ankles, his arms tied behind the chair back, was a short, plump looking man with slicked back red hair and angry golden eyes. He was glaring at them, kept quiet by a piece of cloth tied around his mouth. His expensive-looking robes were rumpled and he shifted as if unused to such a hard, uncomfortable chair.

He wasn't like anyone Roxas had ever seen before. "Who's that?"

Aladdin looked at their hostage with tight anger. "Iago."