"He… was the only
one I liked… He made me feel like I had a Heart… Haha… So do
you…" Axel coughed it out, smiling weakly at the words… His
smiled faded quickly, he shook himself mentally into
seriousness.
"Nevermind. Go save Kairi-" He said, raising his
still shaking hand to create a permanent portal to the World that
Never Was. His hand dropped back to his side, to weak to stay
up.
"Axel…" Was the last thing he heard before he faded into
nothing.
It was white. Axel looked around, but there was
nothing but white. He looked at his own hands- or what was left of
them. Only the faded gray outline shone out. He turned them over,
astounded by the oddness of it.
"Axel?" Axel froze, then
looked wildly around him, pausing as his eyes set over the pale,
faded gray form of his best friend.
"Roxas…" he said softly,
and felt a slight twinging in his- Heart?
"Yeah, I'm here,
Ax."
Axel proceeded to attack his friend in a massive
hug.
"Axeli'mnotbreathing!!!" Roxas choked out flailing
madly. Axel let go sheepishly.
"I'm sorry, little
buddy."
"Haha, same old Axel," Roxas laughed.
"Haha, I
guess I am! Rox, you don't know where we are, do you?"
"It's
an in-between world."
"What's that mean?"
"It's the
last stop between the world we came from and- and- and wherever it is
that we after this."
"Why am I here, then? And you? Why are
you still here?"
"I'm not going through. I'm going back
with my somebody. The others passed through quickly… as if they
were in a hurry… haha…" Roxas paused, "Demyx stopped by and
stayed for a little while though. It's really sad I never knew him
so weel back in the organization… I never knew what a great guy he
was." Roxas looked down at his feet now.
"Yeah, he was pretty
cool…"
"I saw everything you did."
"What?"
"This
place is… anything you want it to be. I just asked it if I could
see what you'd been doing at Castle Oblivion when Sora had been
there."
"Oh… You saw that, huh…? I was a real jerk, back
then."
"YOU were. I cannot BELIEVE you got Zexion killed, Ax.
Zexion wasn't that bad of a guy. Even if Vexen was…
creepy."
"Vexen? Pshaw, that guy gave me nightmares."
"Haha,
if I didn't already HAVE nightmares, he would have."
"Oh,
right. Sorry, Rox."
"Not your fault. I haven't had them
since I got here. It's been… nice."
"Wow, that's great,
Rox! You always used to wake up so scared… I should have told you
why you were having them… but…"
"But you were scared I
would leave. And I left anyway… I'm sorry."
"…Yeah."
The
two sat there for a little while, amazed they managed to see
eachother one more time.
"You said this can be anything, right?"
Axel asked after a moment.
"Yeah."
A few moments later,
Roxas was sitting atop the Twilight Town clocktower.
"Axel?"
"Haha.
You did say anything. Like old times, huh?"
"Like old
times…"
Axel handed Roxas a Popsicle, and took one for
himself.
"Oh, yay! Haha, I thought you forgot I liked this
stuff."
"Oh come on, Rox. You're my best friend- it's
IMPOSIBLE to forget anything abut you."
"Aw, thash sho shweet,
Axie." Roxas said in a goo-goo voice, mocking his much taller
friend.
"Aw, Roxie needsh to shtuff it before Axie punshes him
in da shnoz." Axel said in an equally goo-goo voice.
Roxas made
a mock face of terror, cringing back. "Oh nooo! Axel is going to
hit me! I guess I better leave!"
"Eeeeh no! Don't you DARE
leave, Roxie! Come on, last chance to say goodbye, don't
leeeeaaaave!" Axel pleaded grabbibg Roxas' hand as he got up to
walk away.
"Aw, ok, I guess I'll stay," Roxas laughed,
sitting back down.
Axel flashed him a wide, ecstatic grin.
"Man,
Ax, I almost forgot how much I liked you when you were gone."
"Rox,
you are so mean."
"I know I am."
"And that is just so
much the crueler," Axel snorted.
A little while later, both
had finished their ice creams, and were laughing and reminiscing on
old memories. Roxas paused, looking down, smile faint.
"I gotta
go, Axel."
Axel paused, smile fading. He coated it in a fake
one. Roxas last memory of him was very important.
"I know you
do…"
"So long, Axel.
"So long… Partner."
Roxas
faded away, leaving Axel alone on the clocktower. A single tear
splashed down onto the bar beneath the edge as the world faded back
to white.
