“So this is what it feels like.” Axel murmured as he lay on the white marble floor. His red blood covered the floor as long as himself. He had just killed the monster that he had crossed paths with but it seems that, well, he wasn’t good enough.

“AXEL!” He heard a familiar voice scream. It wasn’t long before the youngest member of the organization was by his side.

“Axel, what the hell happened?” Roxas screamed. He then very carefully supported his friend up in his arms. All Axel could do was smile up at his lover. He protected him. He had stopped the monster from getting to his Roxas. Roxas was safe.

That was all that mattered.

“ZEXION. SAIX. VEXEN. SOMEBODY HELP!” Roxas screamed hoping that some one would come, anyone. Roxas wouldn’t let it happen. He wouldn’t let Axel die, not here, not now.

He still had so much to tell him. He had known Number Eight for so long, but now it felt like it was only five minutes, maybe less. He never told Axel the thing he needed to most.

He looked down at Axel and could tell he didn’t have much time. What was he to do? All he could do was wait for someone else to come. Water formed in his eyes as he clutched onto Axel’s hand tightly. It was all he could do.

“Axel, hang on okay. Someone is coming. Just hang on. You’re going be okay. Just hang on.” He said and managed to smile, but it didn’t last.

Axel just smiled. He knew this was the end. He knew that this was the last time Roxas would hold him. This was the last time Roxas would do anything to him. But it didn’t matter. Roxas would now be able to live.

He saved him. Roxas wouldn’t die. He wouldn’t. Axel would die, but not his love. The monster wouldn’t touch him. It wouldn’t touch anyone. It wouldn’t hurt anyone. Not one single member.

“Roxas, what are you screaming about? I…What in the name of Kingdom Hearts happened?” Zexion yelled as he saw the two members on the floor.

“Zexion, go get help. Go get Vexen. Go Now.” Roxas ordered and pointed down the hall.

“Yeah, help. I’m going. I’m going.” Zexion said shakily and disappeared into a portal.

“See, Axel, help is on the way. Help. Just hang, okay. Just hang on for a few more moments. Don’t let go yet, okay. You got to hang on. Stay with me. Hang on.” Roxas said while tears flowed from his eyes.

Axel raised his hand and placed it on the Keybearer’s cheek. He barely managed to let out a small chuckle.

“I guess this is what it’s like to truly say goodbye, huh.” He said softly and gazed up into his buddy’s eyes.

“What, No! No, don’t you dare say that. Just hang on. You better hang on. Axel don’t die. You … you just hang on, please.” Roxas cried and leaned closer to the dying nobody.

Axel smile crawled into a grin. He did all he could and now it was the end.

His hand flew to the icy cold floor. He let out his last breath, which hit Roxas smack in the face and his eyelids slowly fell, covering his emerald green eyes, never to open again.

“AXEL. AXEL! NO. Goddammit, Axel. Don’t you dare die on me. Axel. Axel. AXEL!?
NNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO….”

Roxas shot up from his pillow. He was covered in sweat and felt like at any moment he was going to vomit. He sat there, not believing it. It was just a dream. It had all been just a dream.

“Jeez, what a nightmare. Why in the world did I have that dream?” Roxas asked himself as he then calmly wiped sweat from his brow.

As if on cue or to answer his question, Demyx suddenly kicked open his door and stormed in.

  “Roxas! Roxas…oh good you’re already up. Come on. We got to go. There's a monster on the second floor and it’s destroying everything. Come on.” The Nocturn stated and stepped closer to the younger blonde.

“What did the monster look like?” Roxas asked and removed the covers from his body.

“WHAT!? Are you outta you’re mind? It doesn’t matter what the monster looked like. It’s not important.”

“Demyx, it is important. It’s a matter of life or death. WHAT did the monster LOOK LIKE?” Roxas demanded after taking a hold of Nine’s coat collar and pulled him merely five inches from his face.

“Uhh, Roxas are you okay?” Demyx asked while giving him a curious look.

“WHAT DID IT LOOK LIKE, NINE?” Roxas repeated with a growl and serious look to go with it.

“I don’t know. Tall, ugly, and large. Roxas, you’re scaring me.” Demyx whimpered and started to shack from the Keybearer’s wrath.

“Where’s Axel?” Thirteen then asked and released the cowering nobody from his grip.

“In his room, I guess, I was going to wake him up next.” Demyx answered as he placed his hand on the back of his neck to make sure it wasn’t bruised. He should have waited, though.

Roxas grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him down so that he would have eye contact with the Nocturn.

“Do not wake him. You even so think of going near his room, you will be sorry. Go wake up Saix, Xigbar, and Superior, any of the higher members, but leave him alone. I will go to his room. You go wake up the others, but if I catch you near his room I will not show mercy on you. Got it.” Roxas sneered before letting go of the older nobody and ran out the room and down the hall.

“Ahhh…” The sitarist whined before remembering of the ten-foot monster that was two floors down and destroying the castle.

~

Roxas stood in front of the white marble door. He had his Oblivion in one hand and the Oathkeeper in the other. He glanced over his shoulder to the door behind him. His Axel slept soundly and undisturbed on the other side of this door and he was going to do every thing in his power to keep it that way.

He would not allow his dream to become reality.

A low growl suddenly disturbed the sane silence around him. He turned his gaze to his left and looked down the long still hallway. Another growl echoed in his ears as he saw what was coming around the corner.

A large beast, so large Roxas couldn’t imagine how it possibly got into the castle in the first place. It had an odor that was absolutely sickening, it kinda smelled like rotten flesh, blood, and vomit all mixed into one.  

  It continued to growl at him and as it did Roxas was able to get a good look at it's teeth. They were easily larger than him and he could even see his reflection in them. It's claws were indescribable. So long and incredible sharp, they looked like Marluxia’s scythe.

It roared at him and licked it's lips ready for the feast it was about to enjoy. Roxas got in his fighting position, tightening his grip on his weapons. The monster stood on it's hind’s legs and let out a scream that almost made Roxas ears bleed.

Thirteen jumped back as the monster took a strike at him, it only barely missing his stomach. He ran towards the beast with full force and swung the Oathkeeper at its right arm. The monster just lifted it's arm high into the air and brought it down on the nobody.

  Roxas dodged it, but wasn’t being aware of something. The monsters left arm came out of nowhere and hit Roxas square in the back. Thirteen fell backward and hit the floor hard, also causing his keyblades to slide across the floor, way out of his reach. It was about to stab one of it's claws right into the space where Roxas heart should have been, but he rolled out of the way.

  He didn’t roll away fast enough, though. Instead of missing the strike, the claw left a deep wound in his shoulder and half way across his chest.

Roxas let out a loud yell as he felt the blood come from the cut. He gritted his teeth and growled at monster. That really hurt.

He tried to stand, but as he did the monster raised it's hand into the air and took another strike at him. The nobody’s leg turned red as five new cuts began to bleed.

He groaned. He wasn’t going to let this stop him. Not at all. He used the wall to support himself and stood up on his good leg. It didn’t last long. The monster was not going to take mercy.

It threw it's head back and let out another roar. It then came forward and sank his teeth into Roxas’s good leg. It swung him around about four times before letting go and causing Roxas to fly down the hall. He landed only six feet away from his keyblades.

He lay there on the floor. He couldn’t move at all. Both legs damaged and now his whole body was in pain from the land. He could feel every bone that belonged to him shake as the monster let out it's famous ear-bleeding scream.

He spat out blood that was beginning to give him a bad taste in his mouth. The monster began to step forward so it could finally eat it's meal in piece. Roxas just lay there. There was nothing else he could do.

He had done it, though. The dream didn’t become real. Well it did really, but it was different. He was the one that was going to die. He would die.

Axel was going to be safe. He wouldn’t be hurt. He would continue to live on. Roxas would die right here and the monster would probably wreck another floor, but Demyx would wake the others and they would take care of the monster.

Demyx wouldn’t even bother Axel, so Axe would wake up to a messy Thirteen less castle. That’s it, plain and simple. That was how it was going to end. Period.

He closed his eyes and just waited. Waited for the monster to eat him. Waiting for his life to end. Waiting…why isn’t anything happening.

There was a small whooshing sound and he heard the monster roar again but this time it was a roar of pain.  Roxas eyes shout open only to see a pair of black boots in front of him. He raised his head and saw the black covered back and red crimson spikes of a fellow member above him.

Axel placed one of his chakrams on his shoulder and groaned as he watched the monster roar in pain.

“Man you’re a pain. You wake me in the middle of the night, destroy half our home, and now you’ve just done something that has sealed your fate. You hurt my Roxas.” The redhead snarled before throwing both chakrams at the now bleeding monster.

The weapons came back into their owner’s hands after leaving humongous cuts on the monsters face and other arm. Axel smirked as he watched his prey scream in pain and agony.

“Roxas look away for me, will you? This isn’t something you should see.” Eight said before dismissing his weapons.

“Okay.” Roxas stuttered and just turned his head slightly behind him.

Axel took in a deep breath as he took two steps closer to the monster. It writhed and twitched on it’s back not taking the pain well. This only made Axel’s smirk widen.

“Oh you’re in pain, huh. That’s to bad. Let me end that for you.” Axel chuckled while he raised his hand in front of him. The monster only looked at him, looking like it was pleading to him to not do what he was about to do.

“Genisabya.”  The Flurry whispered and snapped his fingers.

The monster exploded from the inside out in nothing but flames. Roxas covered his ears as the monster strongest and last roar rang in his ears and echoed throughout the entire castle. He then turned to see if Axel was okay, but suddenly began to shiver.

  Axel stood there flames surrounded him. No, it was like he was engulfed by them. No, that wasn’t right either. It was like he was the flames. He was the fire. He was the destroyer and he could do it anyway he wanted to. It was like as long he had fire he could do anything.

Axel turned to him. Roxas couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Axel’s eyes, Axel his best friend the guy he had known for so long, his eyes were not his. They were not his soft green emerald eyes. Not the eyes he used to long to look at. They were not it.

They were this horrifying mixture of reds, yellows, and oranges colors. It was like the fire was burning inside of him and his eyes were the windows to allow seeing it. To Roxas it felt like, if you were to look into those eyes for to long, you would die right then and there. Was this really Axel?

  Axel just took in another deep breath and closed his eyes. The flames suddenly died down and disappeared leaving nothing behind, like nothing had just happened. Axel smirk fell into his calm smile and opened his eyes, revealing their soft green color again.

Roxas sighed and a smile fell onto his face to once more. Everything was all right. He suddenly spat some more blood and coughed. Axel fell beside him. He just continued to smile at the Keybearer as he carefully set the blonde upright against the wall.

He brushed the displaced blonde spikes out of his face and wiped away the blood. Roxas placed his hand on Axel’s, then onto his face. He felt like he was about to cry.

“All this time you weren’t in your room.” Thirteen stuttered before a tear ran down his cheek.

Axel gave the blonde a confused look at first but it quickly turned back into his smile.

“Of course not silly. I woke up like five minutes before the monster got into the castle. But we can talk about that later, come on lets get you to Vexen.” He said and then picked up his friend into his arms.

~

Vexen looked over the charts before him, examining the results. He looked up, though, as a portal exploded from nothing in front of his lab door.

“What in the name of all that is nothing happened?” He asked as he saw what had come from the portal.

“Can you help him?” Axel asked calmly before stepping closer to the Chilly Academic.

“Set him there.” Vexen requested, not taking his eyes off bleeding member. Axel backed off once Roxas was on the table, allowing the scientist some room.

Four rolled over a table that had all that he needed on it and took a deep breath. He then leaned close to his patient and began to work.

Axel watched him only for a while until Roxas let out a heart skipping groan. He took a step closer to help his friend but Vexen blocked him.

“Go find Zexion, I need his nullifying abilities since I’m all out of sleeping potion. Go, now.”

Axel would have immediately left but something made him hesitate.

“Axel.” Roxas whispered with what seemed his last breath. He lifted his hand off the bed and reached out to the redhead.

“I’m here, Roxas.” Axel said after he came forward and quickly took a hold of the shaking hand.

“What are you?”

Axel gasped. Roxas eyes were looking at him in a terrified manner. Axel knew exactly what he meant but he didn’t know this. He had scared Roxas.

He finally just smiled and leaned closer to the blonde nobody.

“I’m your lover and protector for now and for always.” He whispered into Roxas’s ear before kissing him on the lips.

As Eight leaned back, a tear ran down Thirteen’s cheek, which Axel slowly wiped away.

“I love you Axel.” Roxas stuttered and smiled warmly.

“I love you too, Roxas.” The redhead replied and smiled back.

“And I would love to work on my patient now.” Vexen stated before he folded his arms and gave the “go away” glare to Axel.

“Aye, I’m going Vexe…ahhhhhhhhh.”

Axel groaned through clenched teeth and clutched onto his left arm. He fell backwards, but Vexen caught him before he hit the floor.

“Axel!?” Roxas yelled and sat up on the table. He tried to reach for Axel, but his wounds wouldn’t allow it.

“Number Eight, what’s wrong?” Vexen asked as he helped the pyro become steady again.

‘Damn, that friggin monster, I used too much energy for that explosion. My arm is hurting like crap.’ Axel thought and sat down in the chair that Number Four led him to.

He shook his head and just smiled again at the keybearer, it was most important to not make him worry.

“Oh, sorry Roxas, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. That goes for you to Vexen, just focus on helping Roxas. I’m fine.” He said before letting go of his arm and taking in a deep breathe.

“Axel, I truly…”

“VEXEN!? VEXEN, please help.” A voice suddenly interrupted from a new being.

Xemnas and a knocked out Saix slung over Surperior's  shoulder appeared from the darkness, before the portal from once they came disappeared into nothing.

To Be Continued....