A/N: For one, I am sorry for my long absence in writing... 1) My free trial of Word expired, so I'm stuck using frickin Notepad. :( 2) Writer's block sucks... so I read some to get inspiration. Well, this is my first Kingdom Hearts fic, and I hope you like it. It's AkuRoku, for all you fans out there. X3

For a while I thought that living without Roxas would be the same as it was before him.

Unfortunately I was wrong.

We got our hearts back, as Xemnas had said, but... I never had another half to go back to.

"I'll see you in the next life."
"Silly, because you have a next life."

...I guess I was wrong, because it turns out that I have a next life.

The only problem: I couldn't find Roxas.

I had rented out an apartment in a new part of Twilight Town, (After I got a job, of course. Guess I was lucky to get it, considering there was absolutely NO record of me anywhere.)

I guess I was okay.

Well, if you count okay crying all night and staring into space all hours of the day "okay."

Shut up. I know it sounds sissified but you have no idea what I was feeling.

I knew what was happening though.

I was coming to terms that I had a heart, and currently I was more emotional than Larxene with PMS.

Why you ask?

Well, I know I sound like a cheeseball, but...

I was in love with Roxas.

Yea. It was definitely that.

The sunsets and sunrises were absolutely breathtaking in Twilight Town. For some reason, they had the affect that made everything go quiet... as if time stood still for the sun to make its big appearance and finale each day.

(What am I, a poet?)

Anyway, they were beautiful, and that's all I could really say. Plus, I preferred it to the moon.

(I'd had enough of that stupid rock in the sky at the Castle.)

I watched as the sun began to sink lower and lower into the ocean, until the multi-colored sky faded into indigo, and the first few stars began to appear. I scoffed, remembering the old "Star Light, Star Bright..." rhyme. It was ironic, really, because I wished on the damn things anyway.

Wanna guess what I wished for?

I sighed then, turning from the blackening water and walking onto the cobblestones that lead away from the sand. The lamps were just beginning to light, and I figured I should go home. Enough soul-searching for one day. I should've been searching for Roxas anyway. I wasn't gonna get anywhere staring at the ocean, right?

As I walked up into the upper part of town I could hear kids laughing and running around, and for a minute my chest hurt. Sad, none of us ever got that.
Nobodies had no childhoods, and even though I was a Somebody now, I still couldn't remember anything from my former life.

(If I had one.)

The kids came running up behind me, speeding by, the wind from their speed causing my jacket to flutter in the breeze.
I watched them run off.
They were so oblivious to what happened around them, they were so happy.

Huh. I hadn't gotten felt that emotion yet.

Lately my range of emotions went from depressed to mildly moody.

And this one, heartsick or whatever you call it.

The next day I was in an even worse mood.

(Hey! A new one to jot down on the list: Pissed.)

First of all, I didn't want to work. But that's normal. I mean, I don't really ever wanna work. Had to anyway.

Then a bunch of kids stormed in and got mud everywhere, which I had to clean up.

Oh yea. Did I mention it was fucking RAINING?

(I sound like Larxene again.)

And well, frankly, I was losing all hope.
I was almost POSITIVE that I'd never find Roxas. (The horrible weather wasn't helping.) Even if I did, he probably wouldn't remember me anyway! Just like the time Xemnas made me go get Roxas. You have NO IDEA how much that hurt. Having to fight him, having him not even remember my damn name!

I didn't wanna go through that again.

But I didn't want to live without him either.

I heaved a dramatic sigh, letting his name slip out.

"Dammit, Roxas."

Not two freakin seconds later something smacked the back of my head.

"Hey! What the hell?"

(It didn't hurt, it just shocked me, okay?)

I turned and stared at the new kid, who stood a good two heads shorter than me. He screwed up his face and gripped a cup in his hand.

(Guess that's what smacked me...)

"Kid, why did you hit me with a cup?" I growled, making sure to give him a glare I had been generating the last few months.

He glared.

"What did Roxas do to you?" he snarled, brandishing the cup in a would-be threatening manner.

I kept my glare intact, careful not to show anything at HIS name.

"What are you talking about?"

"What did he do to you?"

I rolled my eyes, turning away.

"We are probably talking about different Roxases here."

The kid went silent, and I felt my heart drop a little. For a minute I thought I felt some hope surge into me.

"What's he look like?"

I turned, glare in place.

"Why do you want to know?" His glare was gone, and he looked genuinely curious. Hope was creeping again.

'Don't get your hopes up, Axel.'

"Um, no reason. Just wanted to see.."

I sighed and let that little bit of hope take over my actions.

"Blonde hair, blue eyes. Kinda shrimpy."

The kid perked up, biting his lip.

"He like sea-salt ice cream?"

I felt my heart pick up speed. There was no fucking way.

"Yea. Uh... does he like checkered things?"

The kid grinned stupidly.

"Yea! Yea, I think we're talking about the same guy."

Oh Damn. Dammit. I thought that my heart might rip out of my chest.

I grabbed the kid's shoulders, looking into his eyes.

"Do you know where he is right at this second?"

The kid's eyes widened, and he nodded slowly. "U-Uh.. he likes to w-walk on the beach around this time..."

Immediately I sprinted out the door, abadoning all reason that I had at all. I ran as fast as I could manage down to the shoreline, looking around.

...What was I doing?

I stopped looking around. This was stupid. This could've been another Roxas. I mean, that description was very vague.

But...it was the only scrap of hope I had the moment, and the suspense was killing me.

Fuck it, I was going to look.

I sprinted down the beach, searching each gold-tinted face for the one I was so familiar with.

No. No.
Nope.
No..
No.

I panted and did a 360 spin, looking all around me.

(Maybe sprinting wasn't such a good idea.)

Finally I looked up, staring at the docks.

A stream of curse words went throught my mind as I spotted my target.

Blonde hair, the same way my Roxas had it.

Huge blue eyes that could be seen even from this distance, the same hue.

Same short stature.

The same expression, slightly sad, wistful.

Roxas.

I took a deep breath, (shaky, may I add) and began to walk slowly over to the dock.

He stared at the ocean, in a zoning-like fashion, until my shoe hit the creaky wood of the dock.

He turned quickly, and looking at him looking at me was almost the death of me. Not only did I want to crush him in a hug, I wanted to bawl.

(I was pretty close. My eyes were watering.)

We stared at each other in silence.

His eyes showed no emotion at all, and neither did his face.

"...Axel." Recognition washed over his face, and his mouth opened slightly in suprise.

Wasting no more time, I attacked him with a rib-crushing hug, which, to my immediate joy, he returned with just as much force.

"Oh my god, Roxas...thank god." I breathed, increasing the strength of the hug.

He laughed, clawing the back of my shirt.

"A-Ax...You're crushing me...!"

I let up on some of the pressure, pulling away enough so that our faces were mere inches apart. I grinned.

"Not even started yet."

He grinned back. "Ax, I missed you."

I snorted. "Probably not to my extent."

He stared at me for a second.

"Whatever."

We stared at each other for a bit, a comfortable silence forming.

(We were still hugging, and I'm sure a few people we beginning to stare.)

"Ax?"

"Yea?"

"I kept my promise."

I smiled, chuckling.

"Yea, yea you did."

A/N: I WILL MAKE A SECOND CHAPTER...
-whispers- If you review.

Sorry for the crappy ending..and middle..and beginning. D:
I'm out of shape in writing-world!

Uh...thanks! -bows-

Oh. Flamers:
None of your crap please! :D

-bows-

- - Yuki