I shivered under his unusually warm touch. His breath washed down my throat and I knew he was grinning at my reaction.
Turning, I found his face just inches from mine, his electric green eyes boring into my very being...my very soul.
"I love you," his whispered echoed.
My eyes shot open then, still stunned from the dream that was a distant memory. An era that was long gone and far away from this world.
There was a moist sort of feeling on my right cheek and I reached up for it. I brought my hand back down with a tear soaking into the skin that was my fingertip.
Tears...
I scoffed with disbelief. These worthless tears wouldn't be nearly enough to bring him back. No matter how much I hoped, no matter how much I wished, no matter how much I...dreamed...it would never be enough.
There was a knock on my door. Demyx poked his head in. "Hey, Roxas, just a reminder that today's meeting starts in fifteen minutes."
The "emotions"...His mixed with mine, but I could feel mine holding its ground and keeping his from pouring in.
I lowered my head and nodded without force. The sound of the door closing was what I was planning on hearing, but Demyx's approaching me took its place. A scowl took place on my face as he sat down on the bed beside me.
In a childish way, I turned my head away hoping he would know that he'd never be able to understand the pain I was in.
"Roxas," he pronounced my name carefully. "I know there's no way I could ever even get a hint of what you're going through, but, what's done is done. I hope you're not thinking that what happened is your fault, so you just have to let it all go."
Almost immediately, I pulled my knees up and wrapped my arms around them. Demyx's hand gripped my shoulder. "You don't have to let it all go. Keep him with you, and don't let him go. I just don't like seeing you like this, Rox..."
I looked up at him, the tears that were built up blinding me.
"Can you try, Roxas? Can you try and let it go?"
My mind searched his words...It's meaning.
"Please."
Finally, I nodded, hoping I made it look like I really would try. I just hope that my silence gave him the message that I really didn't want anyone around.
After a few moments of silence, Demyx stood up, making his way to the door. I felt him look back at me before leaving and quietly shutting the door behind him.
The dead silence in the room only accompanied the numbness that took my body. Even though I had just woken up, I felt like falling into the deepest sleep where only my dreams of him would satisfy me.
I looked out my window, staring into what would always be either a setting or rising sun. The birds flew in groups and it looked almost like they were all moving in some kind of synchronized act. There was laughter coming from below, but I didn't even bother looking to see who it was. I already knew they were the "friends" he had taken me away from. My memory of them was gone. They meant nothing to me now.
I decided to finally get myself up and make my way to the meeting.
While Xemnas rambled on about whatever today's topic was, I had my head down, trying not to look over at his seat. Who knows how long it's been...A week? A month...? I should have been over this, shouldn't I...?
I looked over at Demyx who was staring me down, reminding me of what he had talked about earlier. I inhaled and looked away from him.
This was all just too hard...
After the meeting, I knew Demyx was going to try and make his way over to me, so I did what I needed to do. I escaped through a portal to jump from world to world so anyone who'd come looking would lose track of me.
After a few of the most random worlds, I left for the world that no one in the Organization thought I knew about.
When I arrived on the sandy beach, I looked around. No one was anywhere near the side of the island I was on. I looked over to the sea and the setting sun took hold of most of the beauty there could ever be on this world.
My eyes trailed up to the pink sky and its faded clouds. I felt a shiver down my spine and knew I was about to remember something that was a part of Sora.
My head began to spin and suddenly I knew I was looking out through Sora's eyes.
The girl he liked...what was her name...?
Kairi.
She was in front of me looking at the sky that had suddenly switched from in front to behind me. I quickly turned to see what she was staring at.
There was something...falling from above...
Around it, stars fell with it.
Stars in the middle of this sunset...?
Whatever we were staring at came closer. My brain began to pound as I noticed what was falling beside the stars.
Sora, eyes closed, no sign of consciousness, came towards the island. I felt Sora's eyes widen as he noticed he was watching himself. A soft wind blew through him and the ground under me-him-turned into the edge that we began to fall backwards from. He fell and reached for Kairi. Through his blue eyes, Kairi's reaching back almost made me yearn.
For what, I wasn't sure.
Sora continued to fall as the image of Kairi disappeared. He stopped reaching and let himself soar as his eyes slowly closed. The wind blew wildy past his-our ears, then...the sound and feeling of water splashing brought me back.
I blinked and looked around once more.
Everything was just as it was before the memory. It must have been one of his dreams.
Wait...Why would I care?
Sora was the only one who stood between me and...him. I didn't want to go back to Sora when he was with me because...well, I didn't want to.
But not that he wasn't here with me, I'd been thinking more...Should I go into the light...or fade into the darkness...permanently...?
Maybe I had to think more...
I didn't want anymore of Sora to spill into me, so I opened another portal. But I didn't step through before looking back.
...The clock tower.
Its continuous tolling almost made me feel like I was home. Unfortunately, a lot of those memories with those four were gone.
I sat at the edge where we used to sit...And me and him. His spot next to me felt so empty. Even though it was wrong, a tear slowly ran down my cheek as his whispers, his laughs, his eyes, and his promises flipped through my mind.
But it was then...Then when it happened.
The sound of magic.
"Roxas," that voice said.
Not "that voice".
...His voice.
I had the urge to look over to my right. When I did, my gut dropped.
It couldn't be...
He was there. Facing me. Looking at me. As clear as ever.
I felt so frozen.
Another tear rolled down my cheek as I whispered his name.
"Axel..."
The corners of his mouth came up slightly at the shakiness of my voice. "What're you gonna do, Roxas?" he chuckled softly.
I was quiet and my mouth was just hanging open like the idiot I knew I was. Finally, I answered. "What do you mean...?" I whispered.
"Roxas..." he said my name softly."I may be gone, but I'm still here...with you. I know you never wanted to mend back with Sora because of me. I know you didn't want to leave me, but now that I'm gone, you need to go to him." He looked at the twilight sky just like he always did when we sat up here. "He's still sleeping, Roxas. He should be awake. You need to wake him up. You're the only one who can," he emphasized the last part while turning back to me.
"The fate of good and evil rests with him, but without you, he can't do anything to stop what's coming." His eyes trailed down, staring and focusing on nothing but the meaning he meant in his words.
I still couldn't speak, but I guess he knew what I wanted to ask.
"What's coming…" he said. "Will be the fault of the Organization. They will bring so much chaos from trying to feed their desires that the darkness they hold will begin to be too much. So much that it will bring the end of not only the light, but also themselves, leaving everything swallowed by the darkness…"
I suddenly understood everything. Everything I thought I knew and everything I wanted to know.
Axel waited for me to answer.
"…But what about you?" my voice became more lively. "Don't leave me," I begged. "Please…don't."
Axel stood up and grabbed onto me to stand up with him. It surprised me that I could feel his touch again. He may have not been fully here, but he was still very real.
"I'll be with you through everything, Roxas. When you merge with Sora, we'll both be with him. I carry a few of the memories he had lost, so I won't leave you."
I stared into those beautiful green eyes that, before, had only been available in my blurry dreams. "So we'll always be together as long as we stay with Sora…?"
He placed a hand on my cheek. It was the most beautiful feeling. I kept it there.
"Always."
I smiled lightly and stepped back towards the ledge. He joined me. Our backs were to the sunset as we turned our heads to each other. We took each other's hand.
That moment is one that will always be the most real.
We fell back.
My eyes slowly closed with that smile on my face. The wind blew past my ears just like before and I soared like Sora.
A tear fell and splashed, forming ripples into the sea of memories.
Sora.
My eyes opened to the sound of Donald and Goofy calling me.