I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters . I also had some help from a friend of mine writing this story.

The Next Life

Roxas's POV


All the pain I've ever felt left my body as if it never existed. All the suffering I've endured was gone. I felt as though I'd never be hurt again. This feeling I have is the most wonderful feeling I've ever felt. And to think Axel feels this too since he's here as well. Now I have to find him and tell him how I feel. I had told him before that a heart is not something you see, but something you feel. Well this feeling is very strong and I know I have a heart. I'm not just Sora. I'm me. I'm Roxas. I have my own heart, my own thoughts, my own feelings.

When Axel had died, I knew that his feelings weren't one sided. The side of me that resided in
Sora had died as well. It was at that moment I knew that I loved Axel the same way he loved me. More than a best friend. I didn't even get the chance to tell him that. I longed to tell him that, I needed to tell him. I anticipated my time to come join him in the after life. I've been wanting to be with him for so long.

What really hit me was the fact that as he was fading, he told Sora something. Something that hit me, made a sharp pain run through my nonexistent heart.

"I wanted to see Roxas. He... was the only one I liked. He made me feel... Like I had a heart."

I had never felt this before, but I knew it was love. Love that I needed to confess to Axel. I know now that I have a heart, and my heart was telling me to seek him out and tell him how I felt. In my previous life, none of the feelings I thought I felt were real. But now I know they are.

I opened my eyes and color exploded all around me. The sky was a brilliant blue color, with some white puffy clouds. The bright yellow sun shown down on me as I sat up and got to my feet in the beautiful, soft green grass below me. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life. The next life was wonderful. Pain free and beautiful. It didn't matter if you were a Nobody or not. I looked all around and saw many trees scattered about, as well as many colored flowers. Just ahead of me was a tall green grassy hill. I knew that just beyond that hill was Axel. Axel was there waiting for me to come to him.

I ran up the hill as fast as my legs would carry me. I felt as light as a feather. I inhaled the air at the top and looked up at the sky with a smile, bringing my hand up to my eyebrows to block the sun's light from hurting my eyes. I then turned my attention down below the hill. There were people waiting for me. I ran down the hill to get a better view of who they were. It was Zexion, Marluixa, Demyx, Luxord, Xaldin, Xigbar, Larxene, Saix, Lexaeus, Vexen, and Namine all waiting for me. They weren't wearing their Organization cloaks, but rather regular outfits, like I wore. But wait. Someone's missing. It's Axel. He's not there. It was strange, why wasn't he there?

"Hey what do you know? It's Roxy! He finally made it to the after life!" Demyx said smiling.

"How've you been Roxas? It's been a long time since we've all last seen you!" Larxene said to me with a smile.

I looked at them all and did my best to smile back at them, but I'm sure they could tell it was a fake and forced smile. I was happy, but since Axel's not here the happiness drained out of me and I couldn't bring myself to smile for real. I've been waiting to come to the after life just to see him.

"You're looking for Axel I assume?" Saix asked crossing his arms. I nodded.

Saix gestured over to the hill I just ran down from. I turned my head and looked up, and there was Axel standing there. He was wearing a black tank top shirt and red jeans. On his feet were black boots. He was just as beautiful looking as he had been in our previous lives. His emerald eyes stared down into mine. Axel grinned and ran down to me. When he finally was at the bottom of the hill where I stood, he threw his arms around me and lifted me into the air as he hugged me. The others smiled at the sight.

"I've missed you so much Rox," Axel said to me as he hugged me. "I've missed you too! I've been anticipating when I'd get here," I replied to him. Axel set me back down on the ground and looked at me once more. I saw his eyes filling with tears. I brought up my hands and wiped away his tears with my thumbs. His face was silky smooth as it had always been. His tears warm and moist. I gave him a smile.

"Axel I have to tell you something," I told him. He looked at me, waiting for me to tell him what I had to say.

"I know what you're going to say Roxas, but none of it is real. We can't feel anything," Axel said.
"I had so many things I wanted to tell you. I couldn't tell you anything though because what I had to tell you wasn't real because we couldn't feel anything," He continued.

I stared at him in disbelief. "Axel, you and I both know that we CAN feel. We've always been able to feel! Even in our past lives! You cannot deny that. They may have said that Nobodies couldn't feel but they were wrong. Whoever said Nobodies couldn't feel didn't know what they were talking about because they were never a Nobody."

"Roxas, we didn't have hearts. We were the absence of hearts. We were just an empty shell while the heart departed and became corrupted and became a Heartless. What we felt were just delusions," Axel said back. Tears were in his eyes once more.

I sighed. "That doesn't matter now. That was in our past lives and we can feel now. Why else would you be crying and feel this sadness? We have hearts and we can feel. You and I both know it, which brings me to what I want to tell you."

Axel looked down at me, waiting for me to tell him what I wanted to say to him. His emerald green eyes were shining with tears and he was holding back a smile because he knew what I was going to say.

"I love you Axel," I said to him softly. He smiled back at me.

"Really?" He asked me. He seemed to be teasing me. I couldn't help but smile.

"Yes really," I replied to him.

He bent down closer to me so our foreheads touched and I could smell his breath. It smelt of sea salt ice cream, which didn't surprise me. He loved eating them. "Show me," He said softly.

I smiled at him and put my arms around his neck as I leaned in, eyes closing and kissed him. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around me in return and deepened the kiss. It was the sweetest, heartfelt, loving kiss I've long awaited. He tasted even better than I had imagined.

When I broke the kiss, Axel buried his warm face into my neck, murmuring the words, 'I love you' into my skin. I tried not to shudder as his soft lips pressed against the tender skin of my neck, searching out my pulse. His long, artist's fingers ran up my shirt. I moaned as he licked the soft skin of my earlobe and breathed, 'beautiful' into my ear.

"Ok everybody lets get out of here and give them some privacy!" I heard Demyx shout.

Axel pulled away slightly and looked over my shoulder at the members of the Organization. I turned my head and looked at them too, trying to keep from laughing. We both watched as the Organization, along with Namine departed to give us privacy.

I had never felt this happy before. Finally, I was truly happy. The happiest I've ever been. More than I ever was in my previous life. It felt so wonderful to be reunited with Axel at last, to be with him forever. Nothing was going to tear us apart this time. Nothing.