"No one would miss me."
"That's not true," the last words fell so silently that only Axel could hear them, "I would."
Axel startled awake. Ever since Roxas left the organization Axel couldn't stop thinking about him. Most of the time it was pleasant memories of the two of them on top of the tower after a hard day's work then eating sea salt ice cream. He tried to push the memories of Roxas leaving as far away from him as possible. As if he forgot them, they didn't exist, that Roxas wasn't gone and that he would walk downstairs and see his smiling face. But he won't ever see Roxas smiling at him again. Roxas went rogue from the organization meaning he was destroyed. The thought alone made Axel's heart ache, or it would have if he had a heart. Xemnas had told him over and over again that Nobodies don't have hearts. But Axel knew it was a lie. Having a heart is what makes you care for some and feel pain and sorrow over their loss. Axel knew these feelings well. He had loved Roxas, still loved Roxas. Just because he was gone now didn't mean that Axel's love had dimmed in the slightest. But now that Roxas was dead he mourned his loss.
Axel let out a deep sigh and flung his feet over the edge of the bed. It`s time for another pointless mission. Axel didn't know why he did this anymore. There was no more reason to drag himself out of bed every morning. Roxas wouldn't be waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, won't be smiling up at him, and won't be kissing him good morning anymore. They won't be able to go on missions, eat ice cream together, and hold each other until they fall asleep. No all that was gone, not too distant memory of a time that Axel was actually happy. Now life was so dull, so colorless. Roxas was like a rainbow in the darkness after so many days of rain. But Axel knew it was too good to be true. You can't have a rainbow in the darkness, where there is no sunlight, no warmth, and no hope. Roxas gave all that to Axel and more. If only he had told Roxas not to go, begged him to stay, made different choices about his actions. Maybe, just maybe Roxas would be here with him; holding him, playing with his fiery red hair, kissing him. Axel shook his head. He willed all thoughts of Roxas away from his mind from now.
Saix was waiting for him outside his room. "Took you long enough," he said.
"Oh piss off I'm not in the mood today," Axel replied trying to push his way past him.
"I bet I can fix your day," he smirked, "I heard about your mission today. You're to go to twilight town and receive a target and bring him back; conscious or unconscious. But most definitely alive."
"And just how in the hell was that supposed to make my day better? Sounds like just another day of work to me." Saix laughed.
"You didn't let me finish. The target is a boy, who looks curiously like number XIII, or Roxas if you prefer."
"He's alive!?" Axel gasped.
"Didn't we tell you? We couldn't capture the target because he was hidden from us until now. But there is one small problem-"before Saix could finish his sentence Axel warped to Twilight Town. He shook his head, "Stupid fool. If only he'd let me finish. Well Lea is in for a huge surprise when he sees number XIII again."
Axel arrived in Twilight Town. It seemed deserted. Normally there were tons of people everywhere he looked. Not that they could see him unless he allowed them to, but he could indeed see them. He heard loud cheering come from what the locals called the sandlot. Wonder what was going on. Maybe Roxas was there. That thought made Axel smile. He hurried to the lot and saw the whole town gathered there. There was some type of battle going on but Axel couldn't see the fighters clearly from where he stood. He scanned the crowd. He couldn't see the blonde spike hair that he ached for. He heard someone fall in the ring and the crowd began chanting, "Roxas, Roxas, Roxas." Axel froze time. He slowly moved through the crowd. Scared and excited to see the boy who was his everything.
Axel clapped eyes on him. He looked exactly like he did the very first time they met. All dressed in white and black. But this time he had a confused look on his face as he saw Axel instead of a dazed one. Axel looked at the blonde boy who looked at him with confusion and a look to battle in his eyes. What had happened? Where was the loving adoring look that was always there whenever Roxas had looked at Axel in the past? "Who are you?" If Axel did in fact have a heart three little words just broke it. Axel thought that Roxas being dead was the worst thing in the world but he had been wrong being forgotten by someone you could never forget, that was truly worse. "I asked you a question!" he shouted again. Axel hung his head. "So you've forgotten?"
"Forgotten what?" the boy said lowing his weapon slightly. Axel felt something wet rolling down his face. The boy looked shocked, and sympathetic. Now that looked a little more like the old Roxas. "Why are you crying?"
Axel didn't know how to answer that question. What was crying? Was that what humans called water leaking from your eyes?
"Because you've forgotten me," Axel said falling to his knees. The blonde boy stepped closer and knelt in front of him.
"I'm sorry. It seems I've hurt you," Axel looked up into Roxas' beautiful blue eyes. How many times had Axel gazed into those eyes, lost in those eyes, found hope in those eyes? When their gaze met Roxas was shocked. Even though he thought he had never seen this weird man before in his life those emerald green eyes sparkled with so much familiarity, like Roxas had gazed into those eyes a million and one times before. They held love, adoration, admiration, and pain.
Axel couldn't stand looking up at those eyes. He could only think of one way that might jog the boy's memory. Axel leaned forward and pressed their lips together. The boy was shocked and tried to pull away but Axel's gloved fingers were tangled in his hair pulling him close. Roxas stopped fighting and started kissing him back. It was sweet and hot and perfect in every way. Roxas felt as though he had kissed this boy before.
"Hey Roxas are you really sure you don't have a heart?" Axel asked. The boys were sitting on top of the clock tower eating ice cream like they did every day. Roxas turned to Axel with a big grin on his face.
"I know I have a heart Axel," he reached over and took Axel's hand and placed it over where his heart should be, "I feel it race whenever your near me, and it flutters whenever you smile, but when you laugh it feels like it skips a beat. I don't care what Xemnas or the organization says about us I know I have a heart. Because when you're not around or I don't get to see you it aches for you. I was on a mission today and I found out that's what the humans call love. I love you Axel. I have for a while now but I never knew what it was called, or if I could even feel it. But the feelings I have for you are real." Axel just looked at the boy a bit dumbfounded. Now that he thought about it he felt all those things for the blonde boy sitting next to him looking at him with those big beautiful eyes. All the sudden the blonde was really close to his face. He could feel Roxas' hot breath. Before he knew what was happening the blonde was kissing him. Axel didn't know what to do but he shut his mind off and let his body take over. It pulled the boy closer to him and kissed him with everything it had. When Axel couldn't breathe anymore he pulled away.
"Roxas I don't know if I have a heart but if I do it only beats for you. And I think I love you too."
Roxas opened his eyes and pulled away from the fiery red head. He fell backwards and just looked up at him. "Axel," he whispered. He wasn't sure if it was a question or a confirmation all he knew is that he might never find out, because just as Axel went to respond another voice was heard from behind him.
"Roxas don't listen to him! He means to poison your mind," Roxas looked to see it was a man cloaked in red with his face all wrapped in gauze.
"Roxas don't listen to him, I'm the only thing that is real here. This world is just his creation and you are a pawn in his sick little game," Axel retorted.
"Lies!" the other man hollered. Roxas' head was pounding. His heart was telling him to trust Axel but his head was telling him to run as far away from both of them as he could. Unfortunately for Axel this time Roxas' head won the battle. He cried out, "STOP." Time unfroze and when Roxas opened his eyes he was still in the ring, the announcer belting out the results of the fight. What had just happened? Was it all real or just a dream as if someone could hear what he was thinking he heard a small faint whisper, "I'll come back for you Roxas, you mean everything to me and I'm not about to let you go without a fight." That was the last thing Roxas remembered before his world went black.
Axel cursed Diz for ruining his time with Roxas. It looked like the boy had finally started to remember him. But knowing Roxas he would probably just put it off like he was dreaming and that none of it was real. But maybe that was enough. Axel had heard Roxas say his name. He knew that the blonde boy had remembered something about him from their kiss. Axel hoped it was something good. Not like the nightmares of their goodbye that he had been remembering. Saix appeared in the hallway.
"I take it you were unsuccessful. Was it Diz or could you simply not handle the boy forgetting you I wonder?" a coy smile spread across his lips. Axel knew that Saix loves every minute of this. He had always hated the fact that Axel had chosen Roxas over him.
"Shut up! He was starting to remember before that bastard got in the way. I have to go back before he forgets again," Axel pushed to his feet.
"Sorry but that is not an option. He has closed the portal. I was hard enough for us to open that one it will take some time before we can open another one and by that time it could be too late." Axel knew what Saix meant. Diz was planning to merge Sora and Roxas back into one complete being. If that happened Axel would never be able to see him again. His knees buckled under him and the world started spinning. He could feel himself falling. But something stopped him. Saix wrapped his arm around Axel's waist to steady him. "If you die on him now then he will really have no hope. You have to stay strong if not for yourself then for him. We need him back so we can complete kingdom hearts and it would be whole again."
"I don't need kingdom hearts. I know I have a heart. Roxas is my heart. Everything I am, everything I do is for him. And your right I can't give up on him. He needs me now more than ever. I will find a way to save him from Diz and that witch." Axel steadied himself then headed back up to his room.
It had been three days since Axel had last seen Roxas. In that amount of time he could already be gone again. Axel heard a faint tapping on his door. He didn't have time to tell whoever it was to go away because the door slowly creaked open. Saix stood at his bed side. "You're pathetic you know that?" Axel turned to look at him. "Laying here mopping isn't going to solve the problem. We have found another way to open a passage. But we need you. You have to use your connection to XIII, really focus on him and maybe we can make away through. Normally we would send someone who isn't so close to the subject to acquire XIII but no one has that type of connect to him but you. But know that should you fail Lea then the boy will disappear forever." Axel nodded and sat up. He focused on Roxas seeing him again just the way he is now and all the sudden he was falling into darkness again.
Axel was in some kind of mason when he opened his eyes. He had never seen this part of Twilight Town before and wondered if he had failed. But sure as Saix had said Roxas came running into the room, his keyblade in hand. "You are real," he said. "Look I don't know who you are to me but I feel that we know each other very well. But I can't remember. Please help me remember." He grabbed a hold of his head as if he were in pain. "I keep having dreams about you, about us. But I don't know if they are real or just dreams. All I know is that I had to see you once more before I freed Sora."
"No Roxas you can't do that!" "I have to. I was never supposed to exist. I am a part of Sora and if me being here means that he can't go back to the people he loves than I have to set things right. He has people who love him, people who are waiting for him. I have no one anymore."
"Roxas you have to know that can't be true," Axel placed Roxas' hand on his chest over his heart. "Can't you feel me there?"
"I don't feel anything there. I don't think I ever have." That hurt Axel. He took Roxas' hand and placed it over his own heart. "Then what about here? Can't you feel yourself here? Can't you feel my love for you?" as if those were the magic words that Roxas needed to hear everything came rushing back to him at that moment. His short lived life flashed before his eyes. Roxas fell to his knees and looked up with Axel. His eyes held love this time instead of confusion.
Roxas felt very week he could feel his life force slipping away. All of the sudden a lotus flower machine rose up from the floor behind him. The flower began to bloom and in it was a sleeping Sora. Roxas turned to Axel. "I'm sorry I forgot you. I don't know how I could forget the most important thing to me but somehow I did. I'll never forget you Axel. I love you. Never forget that, and never forget me because I know we will see each other again." With that Roxas let go of himself and returned to Sora.
Axel had given it his all and still hadn't gotten to see Roxas. Sora was by his side as Axel's life slowly began to fade away into darkness. "Axel just tell me one thing. Why did you do all this?" Axel scoffed. And a sad smile crossed his face.
"I just wanted to see Roxas' again. He was the only one I ever liked. He was the only one who made me feel like I actually had a heart." Axel could hear Roxas calling out for him. He thought it was in the distance but he realized it was right beside him.
"Axel I want to go with you. I can't be without you." Axel could see His beautiful Blonde standing next to Sora.
"Who are you? Are you Roxas?" Sora was totally confused.
"You'll be okay without me right Sora?" the brunette nodded. "Good. Then I guess I'll be going now."
Roxas reached out for Axel's hand and smiling they both faded back into the darkness together. They both should have been sad because this was the end of their time together and they had promise of a next life. But they had lived this life together and they had finished it together. What more could two people in love ask?