Sorry for the epic long wait guys. I was busily finishing school work for a distance learning course because I had to finish before April and I got waaay behind! Good news is, I finished and PASSED and thus am entirely done with it. Which means update of course! We're getting in pretty close to the end at this point. Not sure how many more chapters it'll be, but it'll be wrapping up before long. However I've got ideas for another one that I'll be working on when this one's done. Don't want to give too much away but it'll be an AU NamineZexion fic.

And I realize in order it SHOULD be Namine's chapter now? But with the plot going as it is, it works better to put this first.

In any case, hope you enjoy the chapter and hopefully from here on out I'll have time to work on this more often. :)

Zexion no longer knew what he was doing. His plans and schemes seemed to have turned on him and he felt like he'd somehow managed to tangle himself in his own webs. He'd noticed it spiraling out of his control before, but now things had reached a boiling point. He needed to find a way to get back in control again. And fast.

His thoughts were quickly derailed once again as turned a corner and came face-to-chest with Axel. He frowned, stepping back and rubbing his nose as he stared up at the other male. The redhead just grinned back at him, emerald eyes alight with mischief.

"Well hello down there, short stuff. What's got your head in the clouds?"

"I'm sure it must be a strange concept to you, Axel, but most people do tend to think and walk at the same time."

Axel feigned a wounded look, taking a step back. "Ouch. I guess not even the love of a woman can melt the ice around your metaphorical heart, huh?"

Zexion had to work hard to keep his face blank, to let nothing show. He tried to push down on the panic welling up. He told himself that Axel didn't know anything. That he was just fishing for information. He doubted Namine was doing a very good job of hiding how, for want of a better term, 'happy' she was over the direction things had taken. Axel would have noticed and was probably just trying to figure out who had caused it. No need to be concerned...

"I know some of you have nothing better to do than gossip, but I honestly I would have thought the rumors would have ceased now. Considering you have so few people to trouble with your nonsense."

He moved to bypass Axel and was allowed passage easily, but the fire-wielder fell into step alongside him, still grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"Aren't you even a bit curious? About what sort of 'rumor' might just start spreading? You yourself said there's so few people here, so it wouldn't take long for it to reach the ears of, oh say, Marluxia?"

"And why would I care if Marluxia hears your idle chatter?"

"Oh, I don't know. I just think it'd be pretty interesting to see what he has to say about it. If he knew you were seducing his most powerful tool away from him. Stealing kisses in the library late at night when you think no one is looking. Curling up together like a pair of happy little love birds."

Zexion faltered, coming to a stop. This time a brief flash of surprise slipped through his mask before he could stop it and Axel's grin widened.

"You must have really been distracted, huh? Not catching my scent. I was standing right outside the door the whole time. Followed her down. She'd been asking about people running away from kisses. Thought she'd been reading Larxene's smut novels." Axel looked far too pleased with himself as he moved to stand in front of Zexion again, blocking his path. "Marluxia will completely lose it. All this time he's been painting Sora as her perfect prince charming and she's ignoring all of that to chase after you."

"What is it you want, Axel?"

"Me?" Axel shook his head and shrugged. "I don't want anything. I'm just curious."

"About what?"

"Do you love her?"

Zexion snorted. Of all the things for Axel to ask...

"We don't have hearts, Axel."

"So you're just using her then?"

Zexion found himself faltering again. Damn. He should be able to answer that easily, without hesitation...

"We all have our ways of dealing with boredom. It's a game. It doesn't matter. She can't feel anything. None of us can."

"A game, huh? So then... if that's all it is, then why don't we make things interesting?"

What exactly was Axel after? It didn't make any sense...

"How so?"

Axel leaned forward some and Zexion backed away, eyeing him warily. But the redhead only seemed bemused.

"You just keep playing your game. I'll keep quiet and won't tell Marluxia. No need to spoil the fun so quickly. However..." Zexion really didn't like look on Axel's face as the redhead straightened back up. "I am gonna throw in a little curveball for you down the road. Just a heads up, so it's fair. You know it's coming, but you don't know what it is. And we'll see how you deal with it. Sound good?"

Ugh. He really didn't need Axel playing games with him on top of everything else... but turning him down was out of the question. Who knew what Axel would do with the information he held if allowed to simply run with it.

"Very well. It should make the game all the more interesting." More like complicated. Not that it wasn't already complicated...

"Yeah? We'll see, I guess. Just how interesting it can get."

Axel passed him by, heading in the opposite direction and Zexion quickly headed his own way, not eager to stick around in case the redhead decided he wasn't done trying to terrorize him...