Dirt Covered Windows

(Summary) After death he gets a visitor (AkuRoku)

(Disclaimer) I don't own either Axel or Roxas. I might own the beach but...who knows?

It wasn't really a beach, but then, it wasn't really not a beach. The water was grey, sure, but it was water. And the sand was black but the particles still fell through his fingers when he spread them out. It was quiet but he could hear the quiet swish swish of the water coming in and the faint swooning of the wind.

He couldn't feel the wind but it didn't matter – nothing really mattered here. As long as he could still exist for a while, long enough to him to show up.

It didn't take long for him to appear. He walked from somewhere beyond his line of sight and settled himself down easily next to him. A couple of minutes of shuffling to make sure he was comfortable and then...silence.

"So...this is where you went."

He made a sound. He wasn't even sure what it was supposed to mean but the other took it as a sign to continue.

"I wondered where you'd go. You know, after everything."

A nod. He was still trying to get used to the idea. He was dead after all and it still freaked him out a little to say it, even in his mind. He didn't think he could quite say it aloud yet. It would give the idea more reality than if he stayed silent.

Unfortunately for him, the other didn't share his own qualms about it. "It hurt when you died. And not just me – it hurt Sora too."

He snorted. "Oh yeah?"

A vigorous shake of the head. "Yeah," a smile. "He's a good guy."

"He'd better be. I sacrificed myself for him and all." And so did you, but he doesn't add that last bit. He doesn't want the other angry at him.

Quiet fell again as they listened. The wind picked up slightly, almost to the point that he could feel it rustling through his hair. It was strange because his clothes were moving and his hair was tilting to the side from the force but he couldn't feel it. He couldn't feel anything.

Finally the other sighed. "I don't mind, you know. It's not like I don't exist anymore. I'm still there." He sounded defensive, so much that he had to smirk in response and answer before the other continued.

"Hey, you won't catch me saying anything."

"I know. I just...wanted to say it. In case you thought it."

Out of the corner of his eye he could see the other playing in the sand and it made him smile – his first proper smile since coming here. It made him want to feel, so he could play as well and they could play together but he squashed the urge before it could go any further.

"What's it like?" He'd wondered – even since the two had combined he'd wondered.

He could see the other thinking; it was almost a visible thing. His brows furrowed and his eyes would focused on some distant point far off as he searched for the right answer. It came after a while of silence. "It's like seeing through dirt-covered windows. Except sometimes when there's all this light. That's all Sora is made of, light."

He snorted. "Doubt that – he made you didn't he? Or...you came from him."

A small grin. "Yeah, but I think I took all that darkness with me."

He answered with a shake of his head and he reached out, covering the other's hand with his own. And, even if he couldn't feel it he knew the other would, did from the flicker of his eyes. It filled him with warmth and he leaned closer as he talked.

"You know, I never thought you were dark. Even when you were with the Organisation you were the only one who was really made of light, you know?" It sounded corny, yeah, but it was what he thought and he didn't care because the other had ducked his head to hide his eyes. Those ever so expressive eyes.

"Thanks...Axel."

"No problem. You gave me a heart after all Roxas. The only thing I can do in return is help you out when you need it."

He laughed, and it broke the silence surrounding them and he could hear, just above the sound of the wind, that Roxas was laughing too. And maybe, just maybe, dying was worth it.

Because Roxas could live on, inside Sora. And see out of those windows that he knew one day would become clear. Because he knew Roxas.

la finis