Short fic based loosely on the events leading up to the awakening of Sora. Minor Spoilers for the very beginning of the game. Written to Hoobastank's "What happened to us?"

Pairings of Roxas/Axel

Standard Disclaimer: I still don't own Kingdom Hearts or Any of Disney's stuff so no Suing please, at most you'll get my pirate bear plushie.

"Perfect"

By Keirra Maxwell

The old mansion had been empty for as long as Roxas could remember, the imposing stone building deep within the woods remained as mystery to the residents of Twilight Town. He knew this place held the knowledge, the answers of his own being that he needed desperately. The mysterious keyblade appeared at his small mental command, a small comfort as he descended the steel stairs into the basement. The Nobodies in his path doing nothing to stop his solemn march towards what the blonde knew was the end of his existence, as he knew it.

Axel stood among the shadows, something that he had come to perfect from his years now with the organization. His bright green eyes following the slim figure of the blonde as he approached the computer system Diz had used to strike the final mistake against the fiery redhead.

Roxas…dammnit remember...

And he did, Roxas shivered violently as the memories of cold rain and constantly dark skies filled his mind. A single-minded desire to strike down the platinum boy who dared to challenge him in his own world.

"NO!" the cry tore itself from his lips as the keyblade came arching over him to crash with a satisfying crunch into the console. It wasn't enough though; over and over again Roxas unleashed his sorrow, shame and fear into the inanimate object that had been used so easily to take away his short but meaningful life. Recreating him like a dog that had been unruly and had to be punished. The smoking ruin would bring no further relief to him, tears forcefully streaming down his pale cheeks as Roxas lowered the keyblade.

'They need and want him. I'm just a Nobody…I shouldn't even exist" he thought while gripping painfully into his palm, small crescent shapes forming from the pressure and slowly oozing blood onto the fearfully sterile looking floor. A small voice nagged at the blonde, soothing his broken spirit with sad hands. A feeling like flames had comforted him once, fire was all that he could see.

Without even seeing his destination, but knowing how to get there Roxas moved to the next open room. Just another step along to his impending disappearance.

"Roxas!"

The flames called to him again, one last time as the keyblader looked up into the cocky eyes of the fire master.

"Don't tell me you're going to give up that easily, give them what they want." Axel challenged him silently, eyes filled with anger and pain at Roxas' apparent broken spirit.

He didn't move, just turned his startlingly blue eyes to meet the depths of green. "This is something I have to do Axel" His hands seemed to clench slightly, Oblivion and Oath keeper flashing into his hands, the keyblader finally calling his own blades. "I can't let you stop me" His voice betrayed his emotions, the raw burning of the truth tearing at the boy deeply.

Axel couldn't believe what he was hearing, his beautiful lover walking with such maddening resolve towards what he knew would be the end of his existence. Fire swirled around the man as he tried to suppress the urge to just simply blast sense into the blonde. "Roxas, don't do this for them. You can't fucking leave me again."

Roxas narrowed his eyes as fire swept around the room, sealing off all entrances and exits in Axel's last attempt to keep him from doing what had to be done. Both moved together, steps quick as Axel summoned his charkas and caught Roxas' strike from Oath keeper. Rage and desperation fueled both combatants with hopelessness catching the two lovers in a battle where no matter the outcome, one would be leaving.

It was like a morbid dance depicting the story of savage unbridled passion spurned on by desperation. They moved as one, parry, block, strike over and over. No quarter asked, none given. Yet somehow they slide back across the area from each other, the flames only causing Axel's hair to have a life of it's own while his eyes glowed.

"What happened to us, we use to be so fucking perfect!" Axel demanded as the fire flared up, his charkas spinning quickly towards Roxas.

Tears burned on Roxas' cheeks, the clear liquid burned away by the scorching heat. With barely noticed reactions he cleanly knocked the charkas from the sky, Oath Keeper spinning away and burying into the ground with an audible chime.

"Axel…I'm"

"Don't say it Roxas, don't say it then go away like that" Axel practically screamed, the fire fading with his anger, changing quickly to despair. " Don't say you're sorry then still walk away."

" I…I have to Axel. They need him, not just Diz and Namine but the worlds need him." Roxas seemed to loose himself, slumping over and looking at Axel with pleading eyes. Begging for him to understand and not to make this harder.

Axel wavered in his stance, charkas vanishing as he went to his lover, wrapping supporting arms around his frail frame.

"I know…" his eyes closed as he rested his cheek in the spiky golden locks. Tenderly his lips placed a chaste kiss on the keyblader's forehead while tears threatened to dampen the flames.

"When we're reborn we'll be together again"

"You'll be reborn but I won't be "

"Just remember when we're reborn"

Silently they moved as one through the hall , the silent sleeping figures of Donald and Goofy leading them towards the final pod. The room was blindingly bright, an outward expression of the light in Sora's soul.

Roxas stopped in the threshold of the room, his eyes solemn as he looked at the large pod that held his other half. "I don't know if I'm supposed to be able to…but I love you Axel, and I'm sorry." Without warning Oath Keeper flashed into being, the silver keyblade moving in a blur along with Roxas' tears as he struck Axel hard once in the stomach, driving him back before sliding the door shut behind him. " Remember Axel"

Axel pushed himself weakly up to his feet hearing the heavy door slam like a tomb behind his blonde lover. "Roxas…ROXAS DON'T YOU FUCKING DO THAT WITHOUT ME! ROXAS!" he screamed, attacking the steel fruitlessly. Slowly he slumped down against the unyielding steel, his cheek pressed against the doorway in the hope that somehow, someway Roxas could still hear him. Tears of helplessness flowed down the older man's cheeks, somehow not burned away by the heat of the flames dancing around him. "Roxas…I love you too. I know I do"

Roxas stood silently in front of the open pod, watching the sleeping form of his other half as the light shone brightly. "I guess my summer vacation is…over" he managed to whisper as tears of loss slid down his cheeks.

Donald and Goofy hurried into the room, worried by the scorch marks lacing the doorway after the awoke.

"Sora?" Goofy called as he approached the open pod.

"yea..Yea I'm here Goofy." Sora replied in a forcefully cheerful voice, tears slipping down his cheeks slowly as immeasurable sorrow flowed through him.

" Are you okay?" Donald asked concern in the duck's voice. Why would Sora be crying already?

Sora just simply looked at the doorway, the scorch marks still visible and fresh. "Yea, I'm just perfect."

what happened to us

we used to be so perfect, now I'm lost and lonely

what happened to us

I know deep inside I wonder did I lose my only