A/N: I wrote this back in November 08. It was a dream I had and I decided to put Axel and Roxas in the two main positions. Hopefully everything will explain itself. Set just before Roxas joins the Org.

Axel's True Love

The desolate hills in the Land of Dragons… Within the many hills is a small camp where Organization XIII are completing an endurance challenge set by their superior. No one lives here where the grassy hills can be seen for miles around.

One person is roaming these hills…lost…searching…

"Hey!" Axel yelled at the figure in the distance. "Luxord, do you see them?"

"Yes, looks like a young boy…" They edged towards the figure slowly.

As they came closer they saw that it was a boy with golden-blond hair. He had bright blue eyes unlike any that Axel had ever seen before. When the boy became aware of the Nobodies' presence he stopped, watching them cautiously.

"Hey, are you alright?" Axel went to place his hand on the boy's shoulder, but the later moved aside.

"I'm fine," he grunted and went to walk past the two Nobodies.

"Hey, what's up?" Axel asked, putting a hand on the boy's chest to stop him.

"Nothing, I'm just in a hurry."

"Hurrying to where?" Luxord asked. "There's not much to hurry to around here."

"How have you survived…?" Axel trailed off, concentrating on something.

"What's up, Axel?" Luxord's eyes travelled to where Axel's were, on Axel's hand which was still on the boy's chest.

The boy looked uneasily at them. "What's up?" He took a step back.

Luxord seemed to realise something. "What is your name, boy?"

"Erm…Roxas." It must be what Luxord was thinking.

"Why does your heart not beat?" Axel asked.

"Of course it beats, just like yours," Roxas said.

"We don't have hearts…"

Roxas's eyes lit up. "You're Nobodies too?"

"Kid, come with us." Axel put an arm round Roxas's shoulder and began to walk towards the Organization's camp.

"So, what's with the coats?" Roxas asked.

"They're a sign that we're Nobodies belonging to Organization XIII," Axel explained. "If the superior admits you, then you can have one too."

Soon the camp was in sight and the other members could be seen.

"How many of you are there?"

"Only 12, eleven of us here today. You could be number 13."

"Who's this?" Xigbar asked.

"Roxas, perhaps our number XIII," Luxord said.

"Hmm, the superior will decide that, but you're welcome to stay with us for a while." Then Xigbar left to speak to Marluxia.

"Who's the superior?" Roxas wondered.

"Number 1, our leader. They guy who just spoke to you is number 2, and I'm number 8."

"What are your names?" Roxas asked, remembering that they knew his name, but he didn't know theirs.

"I'm Axel and this is Luxord – number 10."

"Cool."

XOXOX

"Hey, Axel," said Roxas, taking a seat on the grass. "What're those?"

"My chakrams. My weapons." Axel was on a rock, cleaning the blades of his chakrams.

"They're really cool."

"Don't you have a weapon? Everyone in the Organization does."

"Yeah. I call them keyblades." Roxas put his hands out and Oathkeeper and Oblivion appeared.

"They're amazing." Axel went to take one, but it disappeared, reappearing back in Roxas's hand.

"Well, this is interesting…" Xigbar said. He and Saïx were watching from a distance.

"The superior must be informed, we must not let this opportunity pass us." Saix got up, ready to leave. "I'll be back soon, perhaps a few days."

"See you soon," Xigbar said as Saix walked through the darkness.

XOXOX

Axel had climbed the nearest hill and sat on the soft grass there. He thought about this blond boy who they had found. He seemed so kind and innocent. Where did he come from? Such blue eyes. Why did he possess a keyblade? In fact, two keyblades… He probably had really smooth skin. Why would a Nobody be out here? And he used as much hairgel as the other members of the Organization. How long had he been roaming for before they'd found him? His lips looked so soft.

Axel shook his head and cleared his thoughts. He shouldn't be thinking such thoughts about this boy. But he'd never felt this way about anyone before.

Everyone thought that Axel was a bit sex crazy and could never love anyone truly (they backed this up by saying that Axel had no heart like all Nobodies and therefore could not feel an emotion such as love). But this time he was feeling something different. It was joyous, yet painful in the place where his heart was meant to be.

Despite all that he felt towards this boy, he was determined to stay at a distance and leave the boy alone.

"Axel?" Roxas had just reached the top of the hill and knocked Axel out of his day dream. "You ok?"

"I'm fine, just fine," Axel said, lying down on the grass.

"Mind if I join you?" Roxas asked.

Axel shook his head and Roxas lay down next the Axel. Soon enough both were asleep.

XOXOX

When Axel woke the sky was dark and Roxas had snuggled up to him. Axel ignored all the urges and gently nudged Roxas awake.

"Come on, Rox, let's go down to the camp." Axel ran down the hill, leaving Roxas to trail after him.

It was buzzing in the camp and everyone saw it as a party because the superior wasn't there (nor was Saix) and they were in a deserted area where no one would care.

While Roxas got to know everyone, Axel danced with Demyx until midnight and then partied hard with Marluxia until the small hours.

Then they all settled down for the night, Axel found himself between Marluxia and Roxas. Axel went to put an arm round Roxas, but then decided against it.

"Go on," Marluxia whispered.

"No, I'm not getting involved."

Marluxia raised his eyebrows in surprise. "That's a first."

"Good night, Marluxia," Axel said with a final tone in his voice.

XOXOX

"It's so obvious, Axel," Marluxia said. They were a couple of hundred metres from the camp, far from everyone's ears.

Axel hated when Marluxia tried to talk him down, but otherwise they were great friends.

"You want to do him so badly!"

"I do not!" Axel yelled, perhaps a little too loudly. But it wasn't true – he didn't want to do Roxas badly – if he did then he would've done it already.

"Everything yesterday and this morning…you're just –"

Axel cut him off – "Will you stop it? Please! Why do you question everything I do?" Axel was practically steaming. "It's not your place, number 11."

"But…I just…" Marluxia seemed hurt and saddened.

"Tell me, Marluxia. What is it?" Axel needed answers.

"Ok, I'll…tell you, Axel." Marluxia looked at Axel once and then at the ground. "You were my first. I thought that we'd be together forever, but then you started to take more of an interest in Xigbar, then Demyx and anyone else you liked. Now it's this Roxas kid." Marluxia paused. "It seems like he means more to you than anything else. I thought…that that was how you used to feel about me. It just pains me where my heart should be." Marluxia looked up again and Axel saw tears forming in the young man's eyes.

It had never occurred to Axel that he could cause one of his closest friends so much pain and sorrow.

"I'm sorry, Marluxia," Axel said, taking the pink haired man in his arms. "I never thought that we could feel as deep as this. I'm sorry, but you're right; I've never felt this way about anyone before, not even in my former life. I'm sorry that I do want to have a relationship with him and I hope that you will move on."

XOXOX

Axel sat on the top of the hill again that day. Again he pondered Roxas, but also what Marluxia had said. Marluxia had said, "everything yesterday and this morning." Well, it just seemed that the boy kept popping up beside him.

"Hey, Axel." And here he was again.

"Roxas, why do you always come up here?" Axel asked.

"Because I want to. 'Cause you're here."

Axel thought about this. "Why me? What if it was Luxord or someone else?"

"Well, I know you better," said Roxas, "and you're nice to me." He leant his head against Axel's shoulder. "I feel safer when I'm with you."

Axel was very tense and kept his hands to himself. He wished the boy would leave him alone so that he could collect his thoughts. He decided to break the contact by lying down with his hands behind his head.

Roxas smiled, finding an interesting opportunity here.

The next thinh Axel knew, Roxas was sitting on his stomach, pinning his arms down with an evil smirk.

"Now, Nobody, it is time to find out…" Roxas paused for dramatic effect, leaving Axel wondering what he was going to do. All he could think was: their lips were inches apart… "Are Nobodies ticklish?" Roxas began to tickle Axel in every place possible, but Axel sat there without flinching.

"I may not be ticklish, but you might be!" Axel turned the tables, Roxas was now on the floor, laughing until tears were falling.

"A…Ax…Axel!" Roxas managed to cough out through the laughing.

"Ha, ha. Too much?" Axel laughed, slowing down a bit.

"Y-yeah," said Roxas, taking deep breaths as Axel stopped touching Roxas completely.

As Axel sat there on top of the boy he noticed what other effect the tickling had had on the blond. He could feel how hard the boy was beneath him. The blond was ready, Axel could just take advantage of this whole situation and –

"I'll see you after." Axel got up and walked away from it all.

XOXOX

Axel washed his face with cold water. He was proud of how he had acted in the situation, but he wanted so desperately to tell the boy how he felt. If he wasn't inducted to the Organization then he would be so sad that he'd become so attached, so it was best to keep his distance.

"Axel? What's up?" Roxas has turned up yet again.

"Nothing." Axel got up and left Roxas there.

Roxas watched, troubled, as Axel walked away.

XOXOX

Roxas sat with Demyx and Zexion that night while Axel caught up with Larxene.

"Is it always like this in the Organization?" Roxas asked.

"No," Zexion said. "It's only because Xemnas and Saix aren't here."

"Xemnas can be fun occasionally, but he's generally moody," Demyx said. "If Saix was here he'd ruin the fun too. Just like Zexion!"

"Hey! I'm not that bad!"

"The joke is that Saix is doing the superior," Xigbar said, taking a seat. "I swear he is though – how could number 7 have as much influence as I do?"

"Who is she?" Roxas inquired.

"Larxene. Number 12," Demyx said.

"Yeah, she may be the newest member, but you don't wanna get on her bad side!" Xigbar said.

"She will beat the crap out of you. She's one fiery woman." Zexion closed his lexicon.

"Why do you keep referring to numbers so much?" Roxas asked.

"They're like a sign of our status," Zexion explained.

"Out of us all here, I'm meant to have the highest status and Larxene the lowest, but Zexion here probably has the lowest," Xigbar laughed.

"Who has the second highest here?"

"Xaldin – over there." Xigbar pointed to the muscly man with black dreds.

"He's a windy pop, lol," Demyx said.

XOXOX

That night Axel found himself next the Roxas again with Demyx on the other side, snoring in his ear. He felt that he'd really hurt Marluxia's feelings. Was there anyway to make it up to him? Axel decided not to linger on these thoughts and instead rolled over and put an arm gently around Roxas. Soon enough Axel was sleeping, dreaming of the blond…

Marluxia sat watching from the other side of the tent. It finally sunk in: Axel would never be his again. The pink haired man snuggled up to Vexen, someone who would love him?

XOXOX

"I'm leaving today," Roxas said.

"Why?" Demyx asked.

"I've gotta move on and find what I'm searching for." Roxas looked deep in thought. "I'll be going in an hour or so."

Axel turned and left. He'd known this was going to happen, but he still felt unprepared.

"Axel!" Roxas ran to catch up with the red-head. "Why have you been avoiding me?"

"I haven't, I just…knew you would leave."
"I must. I need to find him…"

Axel wondered who 'him' was. Perhaps Axel never had a chance with Roxas?

"You do that, see ya, kid," Axel said.

"I ain't a kid! But thanks for the company, Axel." Then Roxas left to find the rest of the Organization to say his farewells.

Axel looked at the sky, which was as grey as his mood.

XOXOX

The rain was falling now, but Roxas still decided to leave.

"I'll see you guys later!" Roxas yelled.

"See ya, Roxas!" they shouted.

"Don't forget to visit!" Xigbar said.

Roxas raised his hand as he walked. "Thanks for everything!"

Axel watched as the blond walked out of his life, perhaps forever. He got up and stormed out into the rain. He walked, crying as he did until he reached the other side of the hill, where he was out of sight.

Since when did Nobodies behave like this? Axel didn't know, but it was painful. He sat in the little caved in area of the hill with his arms around his knees and his head resting upon them. Axel stayed like this for a time, wondering if he should return to camp and get on with his life, but this boy had meant so much to him… He could hear his name being said by Roxas. Such a sweet sound. Never to be heard again. It was getting louder and stronger by the second…

"Axel?!"

It couldn't be, he had left.

"AXEL?!"

But it must be…

He lifted his head up and saw the blond boy coming through the rain. Axel quickly wiped his eyes, attempting to hide his tears.

"Axel? Why are you crying?" Roxas asked.

"You," Axel said.

"What about me?" Roxas asked, but Axel just shook his head. "Axel, I –"

But Axel put a finger to Roxas's lips. The blond wondered why and stopped mid-sentence.

"I have something to tell you. I wish I would've told you before you left." Then Axel pulled Roxas close and his lips over the blonde's. "I love you, Roxas. More than anything. Please stay."

Roxas was blushing and overwhelmed. "Look at me, Axel."

The man did and saw what he hadn't before: the blond was now wearing a black coat, the same as his – a symbol that showed he belonged to Organization XIII.

"I'm staying forever." Roxas clutched Axel's gloved hand.

Axel beamed and hugged Roxas. They stayed in that embrace until the sun shone as brightly as the day they had met.

THE END.

A/N: Aw, wasn't that sweet? Please review. 