DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that has to do with Kingdom Hearts, as Tetsuya Nomura does. I also do not own the song "4 AM Forever", as that belongs to the band Lostprophets.
It was the last song in the set, and he stood there idly, waiting for the cue. This would be the last hometown performance before they set out on a world tour, for around 8 months at least. But, after all this time, he just couldn't let it go. His eyes had scanned the crowd during every song, every verse that poured from his lips. It was wishful thinking on his part, and those brilliant blue eyes would light up when he spotted a flash of red hair then dim with the knowledge that it wasn't him.
Roxas was in pain, so much pain. It had been 4 months since he had last seen his best friend; his other half; his Axel. The fight had been something horrible, especially when words not meant were belted across the room. The clock sat there innocently, bright red numbers glaring 4:00 am when the door was slammed for a final time. That was the first time that Roxas had ever screamed his pain on the rooftop as the sun rose to great him that day.
Glancing back at Demyx, he waited for the nod and grabbed the microphone from its resting place. "This song has been sitting on my desk for the better half of the past 3 ½ months. I was feeling so much anguish, so much betrayal that I couldn't bring myself to finish it after I wrote the first verse." He had always been the type to be honest to his fans and tell them how he felt about things that were bothering him; it was the reason they loved the music he wrote and the band he sung for.
Roxas took a shaky breath and looked back into the crowd for those familiar red spikes. "But, I've been feeling better, and I knew I needed to finish this, because if he really is out there listening to me, then I need him to know how I feel, that I was lying when I said those things." Coughing slightly, he decided to get the show on the road and waved back to Demyx, who started strumming his guitar like it was his life line. Zexion soon followed after on bass, and Marluxia was already doing what he did best with a pair of blood red drumsticks.
"Yesterday I lost my closest friend
Yesterday I wanted time to end
I wonder if my heart will ever mend
I just let you slip away
4 AM forever"
He could see the fight clearly in his mind now, whereas a month ago, he wouldn't have been able to remember what it was about. Shaking his head lightly, he couldn't help but feel stupid for not understanding what Axel was feeling. Roxas had been too excited by the thought of finishing their first record and hitting the road. He didn't see that Axel was feeling insecure and just wanted to be reassured.
"Don't you think it's a little too soon to be going on a world tour?"
"Axel, you can't be serious. We've been dreaming about this our whole lives."
"No Roxas. You've been dreaming about this, not me. How long are you supposed to be gone for anyways?"
"Somewhere around 8 months…" And that was when Axel snapped.
"8 months? You've got to be shitting me! How the hell are you just gonna pack up and go like that?" Roxas clenched his fist together.
"What the hell is your problem? I'm just trying to live my dream, you know."
"My problem is that you're just going to leave without considering how anyone else feels about it!"
"It's not like anyone would miss me." Axel stared at him with disbelief on his face.
That's not true. I'd miss you.
And that was the first mistake he made. Roxas knew deep down that Axel always missed him, even when he just ran up to the corner store for a soda. They had known each other all their lives and never spent a minute a part. It made him feel like an idiot to even think about what an ass he made out of himself.
"Maybe I'll never see you smile again 4 AM forever"
Maybe you thought that it was all pretend;
All these words that I could never say
I just let them slip away
Axel stormed into the bedroom, grabbing a duffel bag from the closet and shoved what he could into it. Roxas stood in the doorway of their bedroom with a dumbfound look on his face. "You can't be serious, Axel. You can't just leave." Please don't go.
He never once looked up or at Roxas as he pushed past him into the living room. "Watch me." Axel pulled a hoody over his head and glared at Roxas. "I'm sick of your 'rock-star' attitude, so I'm doing something about it." I don't want to, but I have to.
And just like that, he slammed the door behind him, walking out of Roxas' life.
"Why don't you hear me when I'm calling out to you (to you) 4 AM forever"
Why don't you listen when I try to make it through (to you)
Goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, you never know
Hold a little tighter
Roxas felt like the biggest idiot in the world as tears welled up in his eyes while he belted out the chorus. If he had just tried to stop him, Axel'd probably be there with him now. But, you can't change the past, and wishing gets you nowhere.
"Maybe one day when I can move along 4 AM forever And I'd wish the sun would never come
Maybe someday when you can hear this song
You won't let it slip away
It's 4 AM and you are gone
I hope you know you're letting go
It's 4 AM and I'm alone"
He poured his heart and soul into that line, trying to convey how he felt that early morning to the thousands of people before him. He had never wanted to die more than in that moment, and if he could just take back every wrong thing he said, maybe everything would be fine. There was so much he wanted to say to Axel, to just apologize over and over and over again until the message was clear. "Why don't you hear me when I'm calling out to you (to you) Why don't you hear me when I'm calling out to you (to you) 4 AM forever..."
Why don't you listen when I try to make it through (to you)
Goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, you never know
Hold a little tighter
Why don't you listen when I try to make it through (to you)
Goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, you never know
Hold a little tighter
Tears ran down his face as he put the microphone back on its stand and walked off stage. He couldn't bear to face his fans now, not after he made a fool of himself on stage. Demyx's loud voice could be heard as he made their final speech for the night, the one that Roxas usually did. But said boy didn't care. He just wanted to put as much space in between himself and the stage as possible. So, he grabbed his leather jacket, the one Axel had gotten him for his birthday, then headed for the tour bus. After the show was over, they were heading straight for the next town. He really was leaving without saying goodbye.
As the tour bus pulled away from the stadium, Roxas took survey of his rag tag group of friends. He couldn't help but feel someone was missing though, and it was true. Axel and he had always talked about going on tour together and how Axel could stand out front of their shows and get all the girls to watch them play. Just like when they first started out. If it wasn't for Axel, they wouldn't have half the fan base that they did now. The thought brought a smile to his face as he turned to look out the partially open window. He had a great view of the town, but he a frown formed on his face as he noticed a hooded figure in the parking lot.
The hood was pulled down and a familiar array of red spiked spilled around his red, puffy face. Roxas placed his hand on the glass as his face shoved against it. That was Axel! He had come after all! It was noticeable that he had been crying, and the smile that spread forth was sad and slightly dim. He gave a small wave, and then turned around, heading for his car. Roxas almost shouted for the driver to stop, but by the time he got his bearings back, Axel was already driving away.
A few tears slipped forth as Roxas muttered, "4 AM forever…"
Please be sure to leave a review. I have a few more ideas for one-shots like this in my head, but I want to know if this is any good first.