My head was throbbing as I awoke. A bright light seemed to hit me in the face but something didn't seem right. The clothes I was wearing, whatever I was wearing, seemed to cling to my body with moisture. To put it simply, I was soaked from head to toe. I heard a voice but I couldn't understand what they were saying. Slowly, the muffled voice was now loud and clear. I opened my eyes and saw a guy staring down at me. His red hair sprung out in all sorts of directions behind his head. At first, I thought he used too much hair gel or even hair spray but then my pounding head made me forget about it.
"You alright?" The guy asked again. I tried to get up but everything was spinning. "Easy." The guy cooed. "You hit your head pretty hard." Who was this guy? And why was he holding me so close? Instead I decided to ask a different stupid question.
"Why are we wet?" The sun peeked through the trees and the clouds were clear and it didn't look like it rained. The red head smiled and helped me up slowly.
"You fell in the river." He gestured. Behind us was a small stream that seemed to run through the city. Looking at the ground, I could see where he had pulled me out. At least, I assumed he was the one to pull me out. A few people watched us trying to see if I was alright. I pushed the red head away and started walking. Everything was still spinning around me but I continued forward. I had to get to my apartment or house or wherever I lived.
"Hey, where are you going?" The guy asked as he followed me.
"To find out where I live." I stated. I didn't have a clue to where that could be. I didn't even know my own name. And that was frustrating. Somehow, I had this bright idea that maybe if I walked around for a bit it would all start coming back to me. The man ran up and caught up with me.
"What do you mean find out where you live? You don't know?" The guy asked. I was becoming so frustrated that I wanted to scream at him. But something was telling me I shouldn't be rude. What if the guy saved my life and I was repaying him by yelling? I stopped and stood to face him.
"Buddy, I don't know you. I don't know where I live. I don't even know my own name. Do you know how frustrating that is?" The guy didn't really answer. He just slowly shook his head as he stared at me. I waited for him to say something else but he didn't. So I kept walking. My pockets were empty which meant I didn't have anything to give me a single clue as to where I lived or any place I had been to. The guy just stared at him trying to put some things together.
"Well, you're coming with me, conscious or not. At least, until you figure stuff out." The guy touched my forehead and a sharp pain shot through the spot. When he pulled his fingers back, I saw blood. I felt like I was going to be sick. Was that my own? The guy, whose name I still didn't know, finally answered my question. "Maybe I can help you take care of that." He had a point. At least, I would have somewhere to go. Something was telling me that I should go with him. So I did.
Carefully, the guy helped me back to his apartment. "I'm Axel, by the way. Got it memorized?" He winked. I looked away and huffed.
"Yea, sure." I said flatly. I couldn't understand why he made me so nervous. His arm around my waist was, oddly enough, kind of nice but I didn't tell him that. Just the thought of thinking a guy liked another guy's touch was weird. I wasn't gay. I was straight. Straight like a diving board. I tried to think of something else to get that thought out of my mind. "Don't you have a car?" I asked as we walked another block. Axel smiled at my question. I assumed it was how I asked.
"Yeah, but I don't live very far from here." We walked about another block before walking up a few flights of stairs to his apartment. His apartment was small and a little messy. I had this strange feeling to actually start cleaning and tidy up but I didn't live in this apartment. Axel was helping me get back on my feet and, hopefully, get my memory back.
Axel sat me down on his couch and walked off to get a first aid kit. I looked around his apartment and saw a few pictures. Some of them were of Axel with another blonde kid who was trying to pull off a spikey afro look. Oddly enough it worked for him. Another picture caught my attention. In this one Axel was with the blonde boy as well as a girl with black hair. But the glass was broken in the frame as if someone had punched it or thrown it across the room.
Axel came back with a wet rag, a dry paper towel, some brown bottle and a bandage. Carefully, he cleaned the blood off with the wet rag and then dabbed some liquid from the brown bottle. When he placed it on my head, I yelped in pain. Axel grabbed my head and pulled it closer to him as he blew on it. My heart skipped a beat and I felt chills up my spine. This was too weird. Again, I found myself pushing him away.
"It-it's better now." I couldn't look at him. But Axel just smiled and placed the bandage on my head. "Thanks," I muttered. I wasn't gay. Axel was just some guy who was helping me out. Nothing more. But I still found myself asking about the broken picture.
"That's Demyx," Axel pointed, "and our friend Xion." I looked down at the picture in my hand and placed it back on the table.
"What happened to the frame?" Axel shrugged as if it was nothing. But I felt as if it was something bigger than he was letting on.
"Just a fight with someone." He stated simply as he got up to put the medicine away. "So what should I call you?" He asked changing the subject. It was a good question. I needed a name to go by. Not just 'hey you kid.' "How about Kevin?" The name sounded weird to me and didn't seem to fit. From the kitchen, Axel popped his head around the corner and laughed when I shook my head.
"Alright, not Kevin. How about DJ?" Again, not even close. I hated that name. Axel walked back into the living room with a glass of water and handed it to me. I took a sip as I tried to think of a name that I would like but nothing I could think of seemed right. Axel looked at the floor before adding another name. "What about Roxas?" I looked up him and wondered where he got a name like that. He shrugged. "It was a name I heard once." I thought about it and figured it would have to do.
"Yeah, I guess Roxas is alright." I took another sip of my water. My head was pounding from where it hurt. Axel returned the items to the first aid kit before walking back into the room. All of a sudden, I felt tired. It wasn't even dark out but, still, it was hard to keep my eyes open any longer. In a way, I felt as if I hadn't really gotten sleep the night before. As if someone had kept me up.
Axel noticed me getting tired. "Come on, follow me." He gestured with his hands. "You need some rest." I followed him to a bedroom near the back of the apartment. There wasn't much to it besides the bed, a side table and a lamp. There was even a dresser but I didn't expect any clothes in it. There was even a closet in the corner but it didn't really seem to be empty. At first, I thought Axel had a roommate as if I was intruding on someone. "This is my guest bedroom. You can sleep here if you want. There's a towel in the bathroom and dry clothes in the dresser." With that he walked off to leave me to my nap.
Even lying in the soft bed, I tossed and turned. Who was I? What had my life been like before losing my memory? Other questions like these flowed around in my head. At some point, I heard footsteps coming back to my room. My body stiffened and quickly I shut my eyes. From what I could hear, the door slowly opened before I felt Axel adjust my blanket so I would stay warm. At least, I assumed it was Axel. As far as I knew, he was the only one who lived in the apartment.
Fingers brushed my cheek and I found myself moving my head into the touch. I don't know what it was but it was soothing and even comforting. But when I moved my head, the hand moved away and the person got up from the bed. When I turned my head to look, I saw red spikes disappearing behind the door. Oddly enough, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.
When I awoke, I could hear talking. I recognized the voice to be Axel but who was he talking to? I climbed out of bed to investigate and followed where the voice was. Axel stood on the balcony with the sliding door open. He was talking to someone on his cell phone.
"I know you are. Me too." He said into the phone, a sense of worry in his voice. Somehow, I wanted to help him but shook the thought from my mind. "He'll be fine, Namine. I promise." With that, he said goodbye and hung up the phone and placed it in his pocket before taking out a silver, square lighter. At first, I thought he was going to smoke but he just opened and shut the lid as if the gesture calmed him down.
I must have made myself known because he suddenly turned around to look at me. "How was the nap?" He asked as he placed the lighter back in his pocket. Axel stepped back in the apartment and closed the sliding door. It looked nice outside. The sun was still bright which meant I must not have slept for very long.
"It was good. I feel butter but-" I stopped, a little nervous to ask him something. "Can we get something to eat? I'm craving something salty and sweet at the same time." It was a weird craving and I thought Axel would think the same thing but he just chuckled and smiled his head.
"You're like a pregnant woman." He teased. "But I know just the thing." Axel then whipped his phone back out and started typing something in his phone. A few minutes later we were out the door and heading to the mall. We ended up taking the bus and I ended up giving my seat away to an older woman. The woman thanked me and I even thought I saw Axel smile. Or was it a smirk?
The building stretched a few miles which basically consisted of store after store grouped together. Somewhere in the mist of all these stores sat a small ice cream shop and waiting outside sat the blonde boy from the picture as well as another blonde girl. The girl didn't seem very amused as if waiting was her least favorite thing to do.
"Oh great. He brought his sister." Axel groaned under his breath. It was funny to me because they didn't seem related at all. The blonde boy waved with excitement while the girl rolled her eyes at the sight of us. "Hey Demyx. Larxene. This is Roxas." Demyx smiled and gave me a wave while Larxene looked confused.
"Why are you pre-" Demyx closed her mouth before she could finish. He smiled nervously as he interrupted her.
"She just thinks you look like someone else." Larxene moved his hand off her mouth, a little frustrated.
"Whatever. You guys are weird. I'm meeting up with Marluxia. I'll get a ride from her." With that, the girl left and said nothing else. Somehow, I felt as if I should apologize to her. I felt guilty as if I had done something wrong. But Axel just huffed and shook his head as she walked off.
"She's such a bi-" Axel began.
"Hey," Demyx interrupted. "She's still my sister." Axel shrugged and just walked into the ice cream shop. Demyx and I followed. A few minutes later, I was taking my first bite into a blue Popsicle that was salty and sweet. Axel called it Sea Salt Ice Cream. Even though it was my first bite, it felt familiar. It was the exact taste I was looking for.
The three of us walked around the outside mall as we ate our ice cream. Axel and Demyx seemed deep in conversation. Well, as deep as they seemed to get. They were talking about a time at a skating rink. They were joking and laughing. I didn't like it. But why? Was I jealous? At one point, Axel even swung his arm around Demyx's neck. That's when I knew I was jealous. I just didn't understand why.
"Hey, you ok Rox?" Axel asked at one point. I gave him a smile and nodded though it didn't feel real. This was really getting confusing. The more time I was spending with Axel, the less I was spending on finding out who I was. Then again, I didn't really know where to start but I knew being with Axel wasn't helping. When my ice cream was finished I looked down at my Popsicle stick. I remembered holding it at another time. Something might have even been written on it but I couldn't remember.
Out of frustration, I threw away the stick and placed my hands in my pocket as I walked behind Axel and Demyx. Every once and awhile Axel would look back to make sure I was still there. I couldn't even remember if he asked me anything. I was in my own world, trying to recall something. Sure, the Sea Salt Ice cream tasted familiar but that was it. I couldn't remember if I had ever eaten it with someone. Nothing was coming back.
"Axel! Roxas!" A voice said, breaking me out of my thought. A blonde girl smiled and waved as she ran towards us. I could hear Demyx sigh a little upon seeing her.
"Hey, Namine!" Axel greeted. This must have been the girl Axel had been talking to earlier on the phone but how did the girl know my name? The girl ran up to us, well me, and attacked me in a hug. I didn't know what to do so I did the first thing I could think of. I looked to Axel. The redhead embraced Demyx as if to show me what to do. Like I robot, I followed and did the same as I wrapped my arms around the girl. Though, in the back of my mind I felt jealous of Demyx. The girl pulled away and, again, I looked to Axel. The question still remained; did I know this girl?
"Do I know you?" I asked her. The girl seemed crushed which I didn't understand. Axel spoke up before she could.
"She's just a friendly person. Gives hugs to strangers all the time. I told her about you while you were taking a nap." I looked back at the girl and did my best to smile.
"Nice to meet you." I told her. The girl smiled at me though I had a feeling that if I said one more word, she would start crying.
"What about my hug?" Demyx complained. Namine giggled and embraced Demyx in a tight hug. Axel gave me a wink and thumbs up. When Namine released herself from the hug, Demyx was blushing a little. He had a crush on her and I wondered if she knew it. "Alright," he sighed. "it's getting too mushy for me. I'm gonna head out. See you guys around."
"Nice meeting you, Demyx." I said politely. Demyx paused and smiled but it didn't seem real. It was almost forced a little as if covering up something.
"Yeah, you too." He added before walking on with his hands in his pocket. Namine looped her arm through mine as if we had known each other for years. Either these were just really nice people or something was going on and no one was really telling me anything.
Axel and Namine semi dragged me to the park where we sat under a tree. Though, it wasn't long before Axel waved at two boys who were coming to us. One boy had brown spikes where as the other boy had grey hair. The two were holding hands which I didn't seem to understand at first. "Hey, Sora! Riku!" Axel waved and ran over to them.
"Are those two brothers?" I asked Namine. The girl beside me laughed as she continued to draw in her sketch pad. I hadn't even noticed she had one.
"No, they're not brothers. They're dating." I felt a little dumb asking because, once she mentioned it, it was a little obvious. The brown haired boy looked over at me and then back at Axel. I couldn't tell but I thought he looked worried by his expression. "The grey haired one is Riku and the brown haired one is Sora. He's my cousin." I looked back over at Namine who was drawing a picture of Axel with someone. The other person was blonde like me but I just figured it was Demyx because he was blonde as well. But when I looked closer, I realized it was me.
"You're really good." I told her. Namine thanked me but didn't stop drawing or even show me more. "Can I see?" At first, she hesitated but then she handed me the sketch pad. Starting from the beginning, I looked over at every picture. They were all of her friends and Namine began listing them off for me.
"That's Kairi with her sister Xion. They're my roommates." I flipped another page with a drawing of Demyx. Out of the corner of my eye I even thought I saw her blush. I flipped another page. "That's Larxene with her best friend Marluxia." The next page I flipped shocked me a little. It was of Axel with the same blonde boy. Me. I looked at Namine for an explanation but she quickly grabbed her sketch pad and ran off.
"Namine! Wait!" I called. Axel waved goodbye to Sora and Riku before running back to me.
"What happened?" He asked. I shrugged and couldn't say anything. All I wanted to know was who the blonde guy was. Had she seen me before? Axel tried calling her but she wouldn't pick up. He figured he would try again later. I only hoped it wasn't anything I did.
Axel took me back to his apartment where he made me dinner as I explored his apartment a little more. It was nice and cozy but I felt bad for Axel. He lived alone and didn't have anyone to live with. I walked into Axel's bedroom. There were some scenery pictures on his wall as well as some other pictures on the dresser.
However, on the lamp stand next to his bed laid a Popsicle stick. It looked like the ones that came from the Sea Salt Ice cream I had eaten earlier but upon further inspection it read "Winner" with a little crown next to it. It was weird. Something about the stick seemed familiar. Then it clicked. I had given this to someone and I was sure I had given it to him. I walked back into the kitchen to ask Axel about it.
"Hey, Roxas. Where are the measuring cups?" He asked.
"Axel, I've told you a thousand times. Lower cabinet by the fridge." I said almost nonchalantly. But where did it come from? Axel gasped and turned right around and stared at me. This wasn't making any sense. Axel was just a guy who picked me up out of the water. I didn't know who he was. At least, I think I didn't. "Why did I know that?" I asked Axel, a little upset. At first, Axel didn't know how to respond. I showed him the Popsicle stick with "Winner" written on it. "And why do I remember giving this to you?" Now I was almost shouting but, again, Axel didn't answer. Oddly enough, he was at a loss for words.
That was my final straw. I slammed the Popsicle stick on the counter and stormed out. I didn't bother grabbing my things because I didn't have any. Rain started to fall, instantly soaking my clothes again. Perfect. As if this wasn't bad enough. I had rain falling on top of me. My clothes were sticking to me just as they had when Axel found me. Or saved me. I still didn't know which.
"Roxas!" I heard Axel shout. But I didn't turn around. I didn't want to talk to him. Somehow, I was remembering things I didn't understand and Axel wasn't helping me to remember. "Roxas wait!" Out of anger, I turned around to shout at him but my foot slipped and I fell to the ground. My head bumped on the cement and I blacked out.
When I finally came to, Axel was hovering over me with his hands on my cheek. Axel. My boyfriend whom I had fallen for over the months we had been dating. I remembered. "Axel?" I said. Axel sighed and moved hair out of my face.
"Don't scare me like that." He ordered. I just smiled and touched his cheek. Axel was confused at first. It had finally come back to me now. The fight we had about something stupid. Him coming after me and then falling into the river. Axel had come after me.
"I'm sorry about fighting with you." I told him. Axel shook his head as if telling me not to apologize. "You were right. I was wrong. I should have trusted you with Demyx." That's when it hit him. "I remember everything, Axel." Axel smiled and embraced me in a hug.
"Don't ever leave me like that again." Axel pulled away so I could look at him. "Do you know how hard it is to calm your sister down? I had to get Kairi and Xion to help." I had completely forgotten. My poor sister must have been worried about me. I was her only brother after all.
"How is she? I should call her." I stated before he could answer my first question. Axel just laughed and kissed me instead. It wasn't until he kissed me did I realize how much I missed him. It was scary not remembering someone you loved.
"First, let's get you home and dry off. Then we'll call Namine." Willingly, I agreed. "And about Demyx? You should know by now you're the one for me."
That night, I didn't sleep in the guest bedroom like I had earlier. Instead, I slept in Axel's bed the way I had been doing since the first day I moved in with him. It was one of my favorite days to recall among many others. Many days I would never forget again.
Epilogue: Axel's POV+
It had been a week since Roxas got his memory back. He didn't remember everything but it was all slowly coming back. The good news was he remembered me as well as his sister, Namine and everyone else. The few things he couldn't remember were little things. Just this morning, as I made breakfast, he remembered where he kept the fresh clean towels.
Roxas and I were back at the park just lying under our tree. Well, Roxas was under the tree in the shade. I was lying in the sun. I loved the way the heat from the sun felt. Even as I kept my eyes closed I just enjoyed the feeling.
"Hey Axel," Roxas said as he brought me out of my train of thought. "Can we get some ice cream before we head home?" I sighed. My Roxas always wanted his ice cream.
"You and that stupid ice cream." I joked. With my hand shielding the sun, I looked over at Roxas who looked hurt. That face got to me every time. I shook my head and closed my eyes to enjoy the sun again. Though, it was a little hard knowing Roxas was still making that face. "Of course, we'll get you some ice cream." The light shining on my eyes was shaded as Roxas hovered over me.
"Thanks Axel." He smiled the way that made me go weak at his cuteness. Good thing we were lying down. Before I could even say anything, Roxas closed the gap between us with a simple kiss. It was soft, short but it was nice.
"Alright, you've convinced me." I admitted. "I'll get you as much ice cream as you want." Roxas laughed and helped me up. It seemed he wanted the ice cream now. As we walked, Roxas took my hand and I didn't let go. Not even as we ate our Sea Salt ice cream on the way home. The kid was talented with just one hand. After almost losing him, I never wanted to let go again.