"Raxyn! Where are you?!" you heard Axel shout. Hearing his voice, you mustered what strength you had left to keep from fading before he arrived. You would have cried out to him, but didn't have the breath to do much more then whisper. You winced in pain as you pushed yourself against the wall into a sitting position. It made it easier to breathe, and was more comfortable then laying on the floor. You closed your eyes and leaned your head back, exhausted, but wanting to see the red head one last time.
"Raxyn! Are you okay?" he said, spotting your limp form and rushing over, his voice filled with false, yet sincere, concern. You felt him place a hand on your shoulder and shake you gently, causing you to slowly open your eyes and give him a small, tired smile. You looked into his turquoise eyes with your black ones, trying to convey the fact that you were fading, without having to actually say it. He, apparently, got the message and looked like he was going to panic. "No! Rayxn, you're going to be fine! You can't fade yet!" he said desperately, pulling you close. You weakly wrapped your arms around him in return.
"Axel, I'm sorry," you whispered, your voice filled with sadness that you could, sadly, only fake. You knew though, that if either of you could, you would feel these things. After all, it's the thought that counts, right? You didn't want to leave the only person you could call friend, and almost mean it. To your surprise, you felt your eyes moisten, tears beginning to make their way down your face. Truly, you would miss him, provided that you could miss someone in the afterlife.
"Why?" he questioned, voice cracking. You knew what you meant to him; it was what he meant to you. How you made him feel like he had a heart, and how he made you feel like you had one too. Had the pretending become real over time? Is that why it hurt so badly? You felt his arms tighten around you, as if he could hold you and keep you from going. But, by this time, you were running out of strength to hold on. Wisps of black smoke rose from your fading form. It wouldn't be long now.
"I don't know. I don't want to," you replied, absently stroking a hand through his hair. You wondered, if you had a heart, if you would have grown to love him. If he might have come to love you in return. You pulled back, out of his embrace. You wanted his eyes to remain in your heart forever, to be the last things you saw. They too were clouded with sorrow, tears threatening to spill. He was crying for you, a thought that would have made your heart swell. If only things had been different. Suddenly, you smiled lightly, though it came out looking slightly morbid. It was time.
"Let's meet again in the next life," you murmured before your eyes fluttered shut and your body grew limp, unconscious. Briefly, you felt his arms tighten around you, and heard his unbelieving cry, but it faded quickly. So did you. In almost a few seconds, Axel was left empty handed, your body gone. He cried out again, for the first time since becoming a Nobody experiencing pain so strong it felt real. What he felt transcended the need for a heart and pierced his very being. For the first time he could remember, he cried. For the passing of a person who made him feel alive, a person who had shared his plight, he cried.
Several hours later he dragged himself to his feet, oddly numb. He had almost forgotten that he couldn't feel. It was like waking up as a Nobody all over again. And the others would never understand, but he wasn't planning on telling them. Truth be told, he had no loyalties to them. But, he would remain with the Organization, if only to find his heart so he could properly mourn the death of a person that he would finally be able to call a friend...