AN: As ever, the characters do not belong to me. If I ever own them, I'll let you know.

"The legends say that if two people share a paopu fruit, their destinies become entwined."

"So basically, they're stuck with each other for all eternity?"

"That's one way of putting it, I suppose, although it usually sounds more romantic than that."

"When have I ever been what you call romantic?"

"Never, that's when."

Maybe we shouldn't have shared the paopu fruit, but we did. Well, if I have a next life (and I'm not at all sure that's what happens), then I'll probably meet him again. Not that I'll be able to remember the paopu, or the fact that in this life, the two of us are lovers. Looking at it that way, does it even really matter?

………………

It's really, really rare for two people on Destiny Islands to die at the same time. So rare, in fact, that it probably only occurs when they've shared the paopu. We were taking a boat trip – I've always been good at sailing, and I thought Axel should learn. But while we were out on the water, a storm caused the boat to capsize. And now I'm in some kind of void, which appears to be where souls of the dead go.

I have to say, this isn't how I envisaged spending the rest of eternity. Perhaps we do have more than one life. I guess I'll find out before long. It isn't as though I have any choice in the matter, after all.

I wonder where Axel is. He must be floating around here too.

………………

So it is true. Share the paopu and your destinies are forever linked. Not that you realise it while you're alive, but you certainly do afterwards. Between lives, rather. I'm trying to be accurate – this is confusing enough already, without me making it worse. Axel and I have just ended another life – this one in Radiant Garden, rather than Destiny Islands, and there was a gap of fifty years between lives. That was a quiet life, compared to the adventures we had before, but you don't realise that until you get back here.

What about Axel and me, I can hear you wondering? Well, we definitely met again – we grew up next door to each other, and did all the normal kid stuff together – building treehouses, terrorising the neighbours and so on. Different names, as you'd expect, but we still looked the same. Anyway, childhood friendship turned into love, which isn't too surprising.

………………

Life goes on, and the cycle continues. After each turn of the wheel, I float here and reflect. I doubt if it will ever end. Simba told me once about their circle of life, and this is similar. Each lifetime I meet Axel again, and we always end up a couple. I guess that comes of sharing the paopu fruit all those years ago. If I could go back, would I do it again? I've thought about this one a lot. I wonder if the legend still exists, out there on the islands. I hope it does. Next time I end up there, I'll find out.

So, would I share the paopu fruit with Axel again? You bet I would.

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