A/N: Ok. Now I get to have Axel explain why exactly I went messing with canon and probably losing the few readers I have. I know I'm on dangerous ground already, but please continue reading. All will be explained in time (and it's probably not as bad as you think).

Axel spent a minute looking around the alley for any eavesdroppers, and despite my slight impatience at the delay I didn't complain about it. There'd been plenty of people eavesdropping today – well, mostly just me – and I understood his paranoia. When he was certain no one was listening in, Axel sat down again and rubbed his left temple as if he had a headache coming on.

"I dunno where to start," he sighed. "Like I said, it's a long story."

"The beginning is usually a good place," I replied. He rolled his eyes. I wasn't being too helpful, but I was tired and I wanted to hear how he and Danielle had essentially gotten away with murder. According to just about everyone in the world of fanfiction, romances between canon characters and anyone outside of canon were to be viewed with caution at best and open hostility at worst. These two must have done an excellent job of keeping it quiet if neither Organization XIII nor the DSD even suspected them of anything.

"When our little 'collective canon' appeared about two…maybe two and a half years ago," Axel started after a moment, "the Sues started showin' up. Some things happened…" He trailed off and looked back up at the dark sky. I wondered why it was always night here and whether Axel was referring to the Sue Larxene had mentioned. I guessed "yes" to both questions, but time would tell if I was correct or not.

"Anyway," Axel continued, "the DSD arrived just after that -."

"And that's when you met Danielle?" I asked eagerly. He blinked at me.

"Are you gonna shut up and listen or am I gonna have to duct tape your mouth for you?"

"Sorry."

"Hope so. As I was sayin', our first DSD agent was this real posh kid named Cassius. You know, one o' those holier-than-thou types with a stick up his-."

"I get the picture," I interrupted hastily. Axel shrugged and went on.

"None of us liked him much. I think he must've spent too much time with DiZ or somethin', 'cause he just loathed us." I had no idea who this DiZ was but I didn't bother to find out. This story didn't seem to be going anywhere and it was taking a large portion of my patience to prevent me from telling Axel to hurry up.

"Then what happened?" I inquired. Axel cracked a grin.

"The same thing that generally happens to people Larxene doesn't like. Cassius got a lightning bolt to the brain and we haven't heard from him since." I waited for him to laugh and tell me what really happened to Cassius, but he didn't. I shivered and rubbed my arms to stop goose bumps from forming. Larxene sounded more vicious than I had originally thought, if that was possible. I couldn't help but feel sorry for this Cassius fellow.

"Does she do that to everyone she doesn't like?"

"If you're worried 'bout yourself, don't be. Larxene won't hurt ya unless Xemnas tells her to," Axel told me confidently. Oh yes, that made me feel exponentially better. Xemnas was probably more willing to have me killed than Larxene was. Who knows what he'd tell her to do if I got on his nerves? I'd have to watch my step even more than usual. I vowed to do this after Axel finished his tale.

"But anyway, Cassius took a nice little vacation in the DSD's psych ward and we didn't have a case worker for a few weeks. The DSD was kinda short on staff – I think a Pirates of the Caribbean movie was coming out or somethin' – so we got landed with Danielle, who was still a probie…"

"What's a probie?"

"She was still on probation. You know, a new recruit 'n' what not?" Axel replied a little irritably. "She was pretty cute, actually. Couldn't keep all our names straight." I could sympathize. This Organization seemed to thrive on weird names. Still, if I were a DSD agent I'd at least familiarize myself with my assigned realm before I went there and started working alongside the characters to fight Sues. That's just common sense.

"So how did you two get together?" I asked after the nostalgic silence had lasted a decent period. Axel stared off into space for a moment before clearing his throat and continuing.

"First, I gotta explain something about the Nobodies. We don't have hearts, so we're not supposed to have emotions. But…" he trailed off.

"…You have them anyway?" I finished for him. It seemed logical. People who are truly without emotions shouldn't have personalities like the members of Organization XIII did. They all seemed to have twists and depths to them that couldn't possibly exist unless they had emotions that affected their actions. Waiting for Axel to confirm this theory, I turned and watched him. He nodded slowly and smiled at me.

"Most Sues seem to agree with that, ya know," he informed me. I glared at him.

"That's not my fault. Is it true, then? Do you have emotions?" I added quickly. He put a hand up to stop me from asking any more questions and I quieted down.

"Before our 'collective canon', I think only three Nobodies had real emotions. The rest of 'em could remember what it felt like but not much else. Once we got here, though…they started to do more than remember. It was like we all had hearts again."

"Is that good?"

"Yeah, I'd say so. Larxene didn't improve too much, but that's Larxene for you." We both laughed uneasily and looked around as if she might appear around the corner at any second and try to murder us. It wasn't completely unreasonable and neither of us wanted to take any chances when it came to keeping Larxene's throwing knives away from our vital organs.

"Like I said," Axel continued after glancing around the corner again, "We started getting our emotions back. Things were pretty calm for a while. The Sues kept us all on our toes. Danielle and I spent a lot of time together 'cause she sucked at fighting and she needed some serious help or the DSD was gonna kick her out."

"Why'd they hire her in the first place?" I wondered aloud. Axel sighed.

"Honestly, you think they're all soldiers? Danielle worked in logistics. They only sent her here 'cause they were desperate." I decided not to point out how unflattering it was to say that about a woman he cared about. Instead, I started thinking about how overworked the DSD must be. If they managed all the realms and tried to keep them Sue free, they had their work cut out for them. That was probably why they let the Organization know so much about the real world and the other realms. Storing this information for later, I returned my attention to Axel. He'd paused and was rubbing the back of his neck. He really did look exhausted and I was tempted to scold him about not getting enough sleep.

"Where was I?" he asked vaguely as he shifted and tried to get more comfortable.

"Logistics."

"Right. Danielle was a logistics officer, so when she came here I had to keep an eye on her so some crazy Sue wouldn't kill her off. We chatted a lot and it just came together from there."

"Sounds romantic."

"Heh. Try tellin' her that. She kept joking 'bout how she didn't think she'd end up dating her bodyguard," Axel snorted. I smiled. He and Danielle sounded like a pretty good couple despite the blatant defiance of all things canon that went with it. I leaned back and stared up at the starry sky for a minute while I processed the story thus far. It was almost tragic in that it was doomed from the beginning. They must have realized that. Then again, when one is in love one typically doesn't think too far into the future. Not that I would know, I've never been in love.

"What happened between you two?" I inquired slowly. Axel looked (for the first time since I'd met him) a little sad. I was halfway through an apology for my rude insensitivity when he spoke again.

"I don't really know. We started arguing. She was gettin' tired of all the secrecy, and so was I. She was kinda young, too. Prob'ly too young for me. Anyway, we decided to stop seeing each other." Axel stopped for a moment, frowning. "A year later she met a nice guy from the DSD and got engaged. End of long story."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We weren't right for each other, and if our bosses had found out…" He swallowed thickly and turned his head to watch the other side of the alley. I eyed my socks and wished I could do something to help these two. Maybe whacking Danielle's fiancé or talking Xemnas and the DSD into letting Axel marry her would work. Murder isn't the best option, but it's been done. Yet…if I could avoid killing anyone ever again, I would. I had hated myself so much for killing those Sues. I could never shake the feeling of being unclean, a criminal and an outcast. Part of me wanted to talk to Axel about it, since he'd been pouring his heart out to me (pun intended) for the past half hour. On the other hand, I didn't think it was something I felt comfortable sharing. I've never been very good at talking about myself and now wasn't the time to start.

"So tell me, what'd you learn from listenin' in on Superior?" Axel asked me abruptly. Suspecting he was changing the subject on purpose, I played along and told him all I had heard when I had been eavesdropping. The redhead didn't comment on the information while I talked. From his occasional nod I could tell he was paying attention, but nothing I said seemed to surprise him. If anything he looked troubled after I'd finished my speech.

"What's the 'Outside', anyway? Is that the real world? What's going on there that has Xemnas so worried?" I rapid fired in hopes of getting a clear explanation. Axel gave me an annoyed look.

"Yeah, it's our name for the real world. And I don't think you'd understand what's going on. It's complicated," he replied. I gave him one of my better death glares (I'd wasted all my best ones on Nel and Larxene). I hate it when people say something's above my understanding. I'm not a gamer, I admit, but I didn't think that meant intricate plot details or the like were too much for my brain to handle.

"Try me!" I snapped. Axel must have realized he'd been rude because he winced.

"That came out badly."

"Yeah, it did," I muttered.

"All right, I'll try to explain. It might take a while, but -." Axel broke off at the same time that I heard footsteps on the pavement. We both stood up quickly and turned towards the noise. My fingers found the hilt of my dagger, which I'd stuck in my pocket earlier this morning, and I tensely waited to see who was coming around the corner. The first assumption I had was that it was a Sue, and judging from the speed with which Axel summoned his own weapons I think we agreed on that. Axel cautiously stepped around the corner to see what was there. I followed, easing my knife out of the leather sheath as I went. It was nice to have something to fight with. Just because I hadn't done very well in my last battle didn't mean I was ready to just sit back and let Axel do all the work.

"Who's there?" I snarled at the approaching unknown. In the dim light I could make out a female figure in an Organization coat. She stopped when I spoke and pulled her hood off. It was Larxene.

"Well, well! What have we here?" she exclaimed with her evilest grin yet. Axel relaxed slightly but I kept my guard up. I'd trust a Mary-Sue before I trusted Larxene.

"What do you want, Larxene?" Axel retorted coolly. The blonde woman continued smirking and kept glancing between Axel and me as if making a comparison.

"She's a bit young for you, isn't she?" Larxene asked. I felt my face get very warm. Axel's expression hadn't changed but I had a feeling he didn't like Larxene's accusation either.

"Don't you have better things to imagine?" I murmured under my breath. She shifted her gaze towards me. I managed to let a bit too much indignation and defiance leak into my eyes, but otherwise I tried to keep my face blank. Axel coughed suddenly to stifle a snort. Distracted by the noise, I stopped glaring at Larxene.

"Can I help ya, Larxene, or are you just here to tell bad jokes?" Axel continued sharply. Larxene rolled her eyes.

"You take all the fun out of life," she sighed. "Now I don't even have any interesting gossip to take back."

"To who, your pal Mr. Flower Petals? Spill it. What's up?" Axel replied in mock exasperation. I smirked. This guy didn't get flustered by snide remarks as easily as I do, it seemed. All I knew was that Larxene looked angry, and that was both dangerous and highly entertaining. The other woman put a hand on her hip and glared at us.

"Fine. Superior wants to talk to us. Something about what the DSD told him today." She stared at me unpleasantly when she said it and I knew she thought Superior's speech would be about me. It could have been, but I suspected that the Organization would be more interested in the news from the Outside. Maybe I'd finally figure out what was the matter.

"All right, then. Let's go. Can't keep the boss waiting, now can we?" Axel replied lightly. Larxene pursed her lips and stepped backwards into a portal. I blinked a few times after she was gone. That had been an unusual encounter and I wondered vaguely what impact Larxene's "gossip" would have on me. Being a teenager, I've dealt with rumors more than once in my life, but they are unpleasant things and difficult to destroy once they start spreading.

"C'mon, let's leave before she comes back to check on us," Axel told me. I nodded and followed him into another dark portal he created. As usual, my body took a moment to adjust to the feeling of falling and walking through total darkness. This trip seemed to take a little longer than last time I'd used a portal and I wondered if Axel was more distracted by the day's events than he appeared. I didn't blame him, but he could have picked a better time to lose concentration.

Once we were back in the main base, the redhead and I made our way towards the white circular room where I had passed my food test an eternity and a half ago. I didn't even know where we were going until we got there because of the infernal white hallways that seemed to be perfect clones of each other. It was a miracle that Axel even got us to the meeting room, what with the amount of time he spent staring at the ground or into space. Twice I almost thought we'd taken a wrong turn, only to round a corner and be back on course. It was frustrating and I hoped I'd never find myself alone in that place; if I did, I'd probably never escape with my sanity. Somehow I doubted I'd escape The World That Never Was at all (much less with my mind intact), but that's beside the point.

"Why is this place so complicated?" I grumbled as we swept down another passage. Axel didn't say anything. Something seemed off about him and I narrowed my eyes as we walked.

"Hey, are you all right? You're zoning out," I said. The man flinched and sucked in a sharp breath.

"I'm fine, kid. I'm just a bit tired." He wasn't lying, I could tell that much just from looking at him.

"When did you last get some sleep?" I asked suspiciously.

"Nobodies don't need as much sleep as humans," he answered evasively. I quickened my pace to keep up with him and scowled.

"That's not an answer. Seriously, you can get sick if you don't get enough sleep!" I protested. He rolled his eyes and stopped abruptly in front of the only door I recognized. We had made it. I set my nagging aside and glanced at Axel. He was alert now, green eyes focusing on the door and the knowledge beyond it. He opened it and stepped inside, beckoning for me to follow. The room was the same as last time except for a plain chair that had been set up next to the entrance. I assumed it was for me and sat down while Axel went to his throne. I noticed that it was the third lowest in the room after the empty Thirteenth and Fourteenth seats. Since the height of the thrones appeared to indicate the member's current status in the group, I'd say that Axel was in trouble.

"Glad you two could make it," Larxene cooed from overhead. There were a few chuckles, mainly from Marluxia, before Xemnas shot glares in all directions. The Organization took the hint and quieted down. Axel pretended he hadn't heard Larxene's comment or the laughs, but I didn't have as much success. I bottled up my outrage and kept my mouth shut…for now.

"Everyone's here, sir," Axel drawled when he sat down. Xemnas surveyed the room to double-check that before beginning his speech.

"Good. I called this meeting to inform you all of what the DSD told me this morning." Everyone sat up a little straighter and gave Superior their undivided attention. I gulped. Depending on what Xemnas told them concerning me, things could get uncomfortable in a short amount of time. Still, I was convinced that he'd want to talk about the news from the Outside more than any trivial report on whether or not I was a Sue.

"Agent Kite arrived today to decide if Rana was a Sue or not. For now she says that the evidence suggests Rana is not a Sue, so we're going to keep her around." I sighed in relief while the Organization muttered to each other about the decision. Luxord and Demyx looked rather pleased with themselves for having stood up for me. Larxene sulked while Marluxia wiped that stupid grin off his face. Xemnas let them all talk for a few minutes before he raised his hand for silence.

"There is more important news than that. Something is going on in the Outside that may affect us all." A few people paled sharply while others looked slightly hopeful.

"What is it, sir? Are they bringing us back?" Larxene demanded, leaning forward in her chair until she was in danger of falling out of it and onto the floor some ten feet below. I wasn't sure what she meant, but I assumed it had something to do with returning to the main portion of canon. That probably wasn't possible (unless the makers of this game defied logic on a regular basis) but I didn't want to be the one to point that out.

"No, not quite," Xemnas replied tersely, "It's worse than that." Saïx and a few other senior members exchanged glances. Superior closed his bright golden eyes for a moment, thinking or steeling himself against whatever he was about to tell us.

"As we have seen, the number of Sues invading this 'collective canon' has been steadily increasing over the past two years," he began. "With the help of the DSD we have held them off for this long. Events in the Outside, however, may change that."

"Why? What's wrong?" Demyx burst out before he could stop himself. He cowered under the scathing looks everyone else gave him. But now Larxene wasn't the only one leaning forward and straining to hear every word Superior said. Even I was on the edge of my seat. In fact, the only two who weren't were Axel and Xemnas himself. I don't know what made Axel so calm, but from the grim look on his face I had a feeling that he knew – or had guessed – what was coming next.

"What's wrong, you ask? You all know what's wrong. You just don't realize it yet," Xemnas said. "It's already started…with the Fourteenth."

"The Fourteenth?" Zexion repeated. Xemnas nodded.

"Don't tell me you haven't seen the Fourteenth number appearing in our Organization? There's one example right here." He pointed to the lower of the two vacant thrones. No one followed his gaze. They all knew what it looked like. There was no need to confirm their fears.

"…What does it mean?" Axel asked softly. He was staring straight ahead, neither meeting Superior's gaze nor looking at the empty chairs.

"It means we may have a Fourteenth member on our hands."

Even I couldn't think of anything to say, and I'd found the Fourteenth Dilemma suspicious from the beginning. I suppose it should have been more obvious that Organization XIII had a Fourteenth, but his or her absence had made me think I was just miscounting or else that there was some other reason behind it. Now it made more sense. When I'd first arrived, Xede the Almost Normal Mary-Sue had told me she was the fourteenth member of Organization XIII. Math and my own confusion had allowed me to dismiss it as the rambling of a Sue, but now it had some credibility.

"Impossible!" Larxene piped up at once. "There is no way our creators would allow it!"

"Oh, but they have. Disney's already told the Outside that there's a possibility." Disney was behind these people? The Disney? The source of all Mary-Sues and the plague upon this earth that I'm content to blame for the very creation of Suethors? This was more serious than I'd realized. No wonder the Organization was so paranoid about Sues.

"What possibility?" Marluxia growled. Xemnas glared at him.

"They are creating another game, one focused around Thirteen and his time with us. There are rumors of a Fourteenth being introduced then."

"Just rumors?" Saïx pressed.

"The DSD will tell us when it's been confirmed. And until the true identity of Fourteen is revealed, the number of Sues in this world will triple."

"Triple…" Demyx echoed in horror. I swallowed thickly and curled my hands into fists to stop them from shaking. I didn't know how many Sues showed up on average, but three times that much was way too many. Everyone else seemed traumatized by the idea too. Even Axel, who was fighting valiantly to retain his casual demeanor, was paler than usual. He leaned his head against the back of his chair and watched the blank ceiling.

"How long do we have before this hits?" he asked.

"We don't know. The DSD will contact us as soon as they have more information," Xemnas replied. Axel grunted but didn't say anything. The initial shock began to wear off the Organization and they began to protest loudly that there was no way such a terror could be inflicted on The World That Never Was. Larxene and Marluxia were particularly convinced that they did not deserve such punishment from the powers that be. I begged to differ in their case, but I had to agree that the rest of the Organization didn't deserve to be constantly bombarded by waves of Sues and fangirls. I didn't know their history, but it sounded like they'd been through enough.

"So what's your plan for defending this place when that happens?" I shouted over the arguments of the Organization. They paused and blinked at me as if I had grown an extra head. Axel smirked. I stood up from my chair and walked into the center of the room, my hands on my hips and what I hoped was a defiant glint in my eye.

"Come on! You're not going to let a bunch of Sues scare you, are you?" I demanded.

"What do you know about it?" Larxene snarled. I turned and glared at her angrily.

"I was a Sue hunter for a time, it's my nature to get involved," I replied.

"You are not a member of this Organization, so you will sit down and be quiet until you're asked to speak," Xemnas snapped suddenly from his throne. I cringed. Insolence was my favorite form of rebellion, but I'd acted foolishly just now. I shuffled back to my seat and sat down. Axel sighed deeply and shook his head.

"Kids these days. But she's gonna be helpful," he added more loudly to the others. "We'll need fresh ideas if we're gonna take on an invasion like this."

"As if she'll be any use against these Sues," Larxene replied, "since she can't even take on one of us. I don't know what kind of Sues she's fought before, but they must be nothing compared to the ones we fight every day."

"Oh yeah?" I snarled, standing up again. "I'll take you on any day!"

"Hey, kid, don't be reckless," Axel told me in a bored voice. "The boss just told ya to sit down and shut up." I let out a short breath but didn't go back to my seat. Xemnas raised an eyebrow.

"If you're determined to annoy Larxene, do it on your own time and not during an important meeting," he said coolly. I closed my mouth sharply and folded my arms across my chest.

"My apologies," I murmured sarcastically. I'm not sure why Larxene's words bothered me so much, but it was a little late for regrets. It was surprising, actually. Typically it takes a long time for me to lose my temper. Maybe Larxene's earlier comments about Axel and I had just struck a nerve of some kind. I like to say I'm humble, but I'm easily offended by false accusations about my nonexistent "love life".

"The good news is that we have time before these Sues strike en masse," Xemnas informed the group. "We will be working closely with the DSD to prepare our defenses and form a strategy. For now, Rana may be able to assist us – but only if she is willing to follow orders." He glanced at me and I reluctantly nodded to show I understood. I could follow orders for the good of this world. Even though I wasn't a gamer or particularly attached to the people in this place, I hated Sues and I'd help anyone who decided to fight them. I also owed Axel, Luxord, and Demyx a favor. They had defended me when the others were ready to kill me, and that wasn't something I'd forget in a long time.

"On that note, I'm enforcing some new rules to help rid us of these Mary-Sues," Xemnas continued. "First, Vexen and Zexion are going to research ways to destroy Sues more efficiently. Direct combat consumes too much time and energy."

"Oh! I know a way!" I said, raising my hand like an excited third grader.

"What is it this time?" Xemnas sighed.

"Sues can't handle logic. If you point out the flaws in their characters or convince them that their 'true love' doesn't care about them, they'll die."

"How do we know that works?" Vexen inquired, pulling a notepad out of thin air and taking notes. I quickly recounted the death of HMS during my adventure in Middle-earth, painstakingly altering the story so it sounded like I'd observed the Sue's murder instead of doing the deed myself. Vexen scribbled rapidly in his notebook and only paused to pressure me for more details. I was as helpful as I could be without revealing my part in the Sue's death.

"So we have one idea. Rana, if you think of anything else be sure to let us know," Xemnas ordered me flatly. I assured him that I would.

"Next, we are going to increase the number of people per patrol." The most exhausted members of the Organization groaned. Axel rubbed his temple again and I realized that the patrols were the cause of his insomnia. It made sense now, and I felt guilty for putting him through extra stress on my behalf.

"Sir, many of us are at our limit as it is," Luxord pointed out. "It might be better to seek outside aid so we don't collapse during our shifts." Xemnas looked annoyed.

"I give the orders here."

"Won't be much left to order around after another week o' this," Axel said dryly.

"Axel, I did not ask for your input."

"Of course not, sir." The redhead and Superior tried to stare each other down. Weariness was making Axel irritable, which in turn was making Xemnas want to throttle him (or so I observed). The Organization watched the exchange warily, not wanting to get involved but also not wanting to have more work piled on their shoulders. I slowly sank into my chair and waited. Xemnas had not moved but I could sense the iciness in the atmosphere just as I had when he and Danielle had argued. Axel, meanwhile, let a grin slide onto his face. Neither one moved.

"Your insolence has cost this Organization a lot over the years, Eight," Xemnas said in a warning tone. "Do not act rashly."

"I never do," Axel retorted. "Marluxia knows that, don't ya?" The member in question shrank from the attention he was suddenly getting, but his expression bordered on murderous.

"Need I remind you of your position in this group? Or would you rather join Roxas in exile?" Xemnas asked. It was Axel's turn to look murderous. His smile disappeared.

"Oh, yeah, 'cause he has it so bad! I'd love to leave this little empire of yours if this is the crap I have to put up with. You're gonna kill us all if you keep pushing us all off the deep end," the redhead growled. He jumped off his chair and stumbled when he landed on the floor. Recovering his balance, he strode to the exit without a backward look. Xemnas didn't say a word.

"Axel, you're in over your head!" someone hissed urgently just as Axel reached the door. The man spun around and laughed. It was a cold sound and it made me shiver.

"So what? I've been over my head since we got here, and I'm sick o' taking orders from you people," he barked. I could have smacked him. This was getting out of hand and I still wasn't sure why he was so angry. The extra patrol time couldn't be good news, but would he really get on his boss's bad side just for that? Was he still upset about Danielle? Maybe our conversation earlier had set off something in his head, like a rebellious attitude that he had been repressing. Well, that wasn't good. I should have picked a better time to bombard him with questions about Danielle.

"Don't do anything stupid," I whispered loudly in my very best Captain Jack Sparrow voice. Axel snorted and disappeared into a dark portal. No one spoke for a moment. After a second, I glanced at Superior.

"May I leave?" I asked curtly, trying not to frown when I heard Larxene snicker. Xemnas blinked slowly.

"If you intend to search for Eight, don't bother. You won't find him," he said. I stared at him with wide eyes and a perfectly innocent expression of bewilderment.

"Why would I go after Axel? I just want to make myself some lunch." No one was buying it but they didn't seem too inclined to stop me from leaving, either. Xemnas sighed in exasperation.

"Do what you want. Demyx, help Rana find something to eat," he ordered. Demyx slid out of his chair and slunk over to me. He was even more timid than usual and seemed relieved to be escaping the tense meeting. I got up from my seat and walked over to the door before Xemnas could change his mind, Demyx right behind me. When we got out in the hallway we both let out a breath.

"That was fun," I giggled nervously, peering around the deserted corridor. Demyx smiled weakly and hurried down the hall. I followed, resisting the urge to check for pursuers every few yards. We took our time navigating the base, letting ourselves relax and talk about anything that didn't have to do with Sues or Axel or the DSD. Instead we started telling each other about ourselves – basic things like interests and what kind of food we liked. Apparently Demyx was an accomplished musician, though it took me a while to pry that information out of him. I could tell he had low self-confidence. Most men I knew would speak proudly about their talents, but Demyx was shy about it and only told me things in gradual degrees ("I can play the sitar, but I'm not that good. Well, I'm not too horrible. I guess you could say I'm all right at it. Yeah, I'm actually pretty good; not that good, but some people say I am…"). It was frustrating in its own way but I reminded myself to be patient. In turn, I explained about some of my writing projects and how difficult chopsticks were for me. He laughed at that and by the time we reached the lounge we were both in better moods.

"You've been to the lounge, right?" Demyx asked as he opened the door. "Well, we've got a secret kitchen that you can only reach through here. We figured it was a good idea in case Zexion and Vexen tried to poison us." I wasn't sure if I should laugh or not. We moved stealthily through the lounge so we wouldn't knock over any of the books piled on the coffee table or alert anyone else to our presence – if you're going to have a secret kitchen it has to stay secret, after all. Demyx scanned the bookshelf and slid one of the volumes out an inch or two. I saw a brief flash of a hexagon barrier as it shut down and an opening appeared on the wall next to us. I trailed after Demyx, eyeing the room behind us as the barrier and the wall came up again. The tunnel we walked through was pitch black and I kept tripping over my feet. The floor had some kind of carpet on it so I didn't slide around because of my socks. In a moment or two Demyx stopped and searched for a light switch or something. The lights went on, revealing a room a lot like the lounge. It looked like it had once been a storage room: the walls had been badly painted and the furniture was mismatched. There was a sink haphazardly attached to one wall with a table next to it like a sort of counter. The refrigerator in the corner let off an electric hum while a stove waited patiently to be used. A cabinet had been set on the wall above with more care, with a second table and four chairs in the center of the room. Whoever put this room together had done it in a hurry and added on to it over the years.

"How did you guys pull it off?" I wondered aloud while Demyx went up to the cabinet and took out two plates and mugs.

"Axel helped with the stove, Luxord and I painted, we all stole chairs and tables from the Disney worlds, and I put in the plumbing." He beamed fondly at the sink and I hastily nudged the chair nearest me to see if it was radioactive. I never take chances with anything made by Disney. I took the dishes from Demyx and set the table, watching as he filled a pot with water and started boiling it on the stove.

"You three must be close," I observed as I walked over and started rifling through the refrigerator to see what was there. I found an apple and munched on it, happy to be eating something after such a long day. I'd only been up for about four hours but I felt like I'd been awake for days. Demyx sat down at the table while the water boiled.

"We all joined the Organization around the same time," he replied, though I could tell his mind was on lunch. I nodded and chewed on my bite of apple.

"Makes sense. I guess you don't get along too well with the others?"

"Luxord does," Demyx grumbled. I smiled and shrugged.

"Hey, I don't exactly fit in either. At least you're not constantly in danger of dying," I reminded him good-naturedly. He didn't laugh.

"Axel's a dangerous friend to have. You should be careful," he cautioned me. I raised an eyebrow and opened my mouth to ask why, but just then the door opened. Demyx and I jumped and nearly gave ourselves whiplash as we twisted around in our chairs. It was Axel, looking as tired and ticked off as ever. He stomped into the room and collapsed into one of the empty chairs.

"Yo," he said by way of greeting.

"Speak of the devil…" I muttered. "Are you insane? You're going to get killed one of these days!"

"Superior's furious, I can tell," Demyx chimed in while he got up to put pasta in the boiling water. Axel waved off our concerns and leaned back in his chair lazily.

"I'm not worried. I didn't get into the Organization by fleeing in terror from death threats."

"So if your own boss wants to kill you, you're just going to ignore it?" I demanded. Axel grinned and gave me a thumbs-up.

"Yep!" he replied cheerfully. I groaned and banged my head on the table several times. I am surrounded by idiots. Axel snorted and aimed a kick at my chair. I scowled at him and gave up on my lecture. The redhead was obviously insane, so there wasn't much I would be able to do even if he decided to listen to me. I hoped he knew what he was getting into – and the people he was dragging down with him (namely me).

"Demyx, what are you cooking? I need food if this guy's trying to get me killed," I whined. The teenager was busy stirring pasta and making some kind of sauce in a separate pan.

"Spaghetti, the cheap stuff from the box," he said with a dispassionate glance at our future lunch. I lifted my head off the table and smiled hopefully. I love Italian food and it was nice to have something familiar to eat. Miso soup and sushi are all well and good…just not every day.

"So what are you going to do about all this?" I asked Axel, shifting my gaze from the food to him and taking another large bite out of my apple so I wouldn't have to say anything else for a minute. Axel yawned.

"I'm gonna wait. Luxord should be here any second with news from – ah, here he is." The blonde man in question strode into the kitchen without giving me a second glance and sat down in the last empty chair. He pulled a deck of cards out of thin air and started setting up a game of Solitaire for himself. Axel didn't pressure him for information and Demyx went back to his cooking. Even I just sat there and ate my apple. This lasted for about five minutes. At that point Axel was bored enough to start asking prudent questions about the meeting.

"So how was it?"

"Let us just say that you could not sink any lower in the ranks even if you tried," Luxord sighed as he finished dealing the cards and began the slow process of playing. Axel grinned.

"That bad, huh? Is Superior gonna turn me into a Dusk if I show my face again?"

"I would not try to find out if I were you." Axel didn't seem too impressed by the gravity of the situation.

"Well, maybe it's time I left," he said. Demyx blinked at him and Luxord scoffed.

"And where would you go?" the blonde asked haughtily. "Destiny Islands? Twilight Town? The Disney Castle itself?"

"I dunno, Hollow Bastion always sounded nice…"

"You shouldn't joke about that," Demyx warned him in a high-pitched voice. "Superior's really angry, I don't think you should make it any worse." Axel rolled his eyes.

"I'm sick of Xemnas and his high-and-mighty orders. We're Nobodies, we can take care of ourselves," Axel snapped.

"Oh yeah, you'll do great all by yourself when those Sues show up," I said suddenly, swallowing my last bite of apple and sitting up in my chair. "And are you just going to leave everyone else here to fight on their own? What about your friends?"

"Heh. I don't have any. The last one got kicked out."

"What about Demyx and Luxord?" I asked.

"We stick together 'cause we have to," Axel answered coldly. "That's not the same thing." Demyx and Luxord did not look offended by this so I decided it was true. Still, such lack of loyalty for one's comrades wasn't right.

"It doesn't matter! You should fight alongside them, not leave us all to die!" I realized after a second that I had said "us". Oh dear, I was starting to count myself as part of the group. I was, in a way. When this new wave of Sues hit I'd have to go into battle just like the rest of them. It was my unofficial job. Axel eyed me silently for a minute.

"You're quite the idealist, aren't ya?" he said.

"At least she has ideals," Luxord said without looking up from his game. Axel settled his eyes on one of Luxord's cards, which began to burn at the corners and emit a thin line of white smoke. The blonde cursed and scooped up the rest of his cards before they could catch fire.

"Axel, that's childish!" he spat as he watched the remaining card smolder. Axel stuck out his tongue. I glared sourly at the ruined card and stood up.

"Calm down, both of you. I'm getting a headache from all this weirdness." I went over to the stove and looked down at the sauce Demyx was working on. He moved over so I could stand and keep an eye on the pasta. The two of us ignored whatever else Axel and Luxord argued about for the next few minutes. Working in a kitchen again was calming on my shot nerves and the meal was prepared in half the time because of the extra help. Axel even got up at some point and fetched plates for himself and Luxord, though the two didn't seem to be speaking at the moment. In a few more minutes Demyx put spaghetti and pasta onto our plates and we sat down to eat. It was the strangest meal I'd ever had. I was in an unknown world, sitting in a kitchen and having lunch with three guys from an Organization about to be hit with more Sues than I liked to think about. There was a long fight ahead, and it was going to start with talking some sense into Axel.

A/N: I'm very sorry for the delay, I've been very sick over the past week. This chapter is 30 pages long (technically 31, counting the author's notes) and I hope it didn't drag on too long. Thank you for reading.