Note: This is sort of unedited.

AN: I'm sorry that I keep getting delayed. Life really hates me at the moment, and I have so much to do! But I'm not gonna complain. Every teenager who goes to school has bucket loads of stuff to do! So yeah, all I can say is that I'm sorry!

Do You Remember turned one year recently! I'm so proud! My baby is growing up!

SkyeFlyte: Thank you for all your wonderful words of encouragement and kindness! If it hadn't been for you urging for me to write lately, this would probably have taken even longer! This chapter is for you!

Thank you to EVERYONE who read this thing! I love you so much!! All of you!! Oh dear, I will soon break 200 reviews too!

Thank you for the 12 700 hits,98 favs and 119 alerts! I can't believe so many people actually pushed that shiny little box at the bottom of the page!

Thank you Andrew! For proofing! Even though I think you don't really bother to proof so much :P For reading it through and overlooking my mistakes!! xD Stop hating me!

Category: Romance/Angst
Pairing: Axel x Roxas
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. I would be rich if I owned Kingdom Hearts. I am not rich. Hence, I don't own it!
Warning: Oh, you all know the deal by now! M! Ehrr… Beware of failed attempts of writing angst, Axel being sad and sitting a lot on a chair… And I'd just like to say that the hospitals in real life probably wouldn't do stuff like this!

Chapter 10:

Walking through the heavy glass doors, Demyx entered the hospital. He went over to the reception, smiling weakly at the girl sitting there. She greeted him warmly, answering the questions he asked her. Demyx thanked her and walked over to the elevator, when he'd gotten the information he wanted. He entered the empty elevator, pushing the button of the floor he was going to. There were few people in the hallways. A couple of nurses, but nothing more. It was late after all.

Reading the numbers on the doors he passed, Demyx finally found the one he was looking for. Knocking softly, the blonde entered. The room was of the typical, white hospital style. In the middle of the room, a large, white screen board was set up; preventing people from seeing what Demyx figured was a hospital bed. The blonde could hear the faint beeping of a heart monitor. The redhead sitting in a chair in a corner looked up as the door behind Demyx closed. He looked tired. He would never admit it, but his eyes gave him away. Axel was exhausted.

"Hi…" Demyx greeted him weakly. Axel stood up from the chair, walking over to the other boy. Without a word, the redhead wrapped his arms around Demyx, pulling the blonde into a tight hug. Demyx returned the hug, as a sob left Axel's lips. The blonde could feel the fabric on his shoulder slowly getting wet. It was rare for Axel to cry. He wasn't the kind of person who let people see his sadness. Demyx stroked Axel's back, whispering soothing nothings into his ear. The redhead pulled away from his friend, and leaned with his back against the wall. He slid down, until he was sitting on the floor. Burying his face in his hands, Axel let a new sob escape him.

"Roxas…" Axel started, having problems getting the words out. "H-he's in a coma. The doctors don't know if he'll pull through."

Demyx sat down next to the redhead, wrapping his arms around him, hugging Axel softly.

When Zexion came home to Demyx earlier that night, he had looked tired and worried. He had told his boyfriend that Roxas had tried to commit suicide, and Zexion had to drive him and Axel to the hospital, and that Axel was still there with Roxas. Demyx had at once gotten Zexion to drive him to the hospital. Axel surely needed someone to be with him now.

"Nothing's sure, Axel," Demyx started in a soothing voice. "People wake up from coma all the time," he said, trying to give his best friend some comfort. Axel's body was shaking slightly, and he shook his head.

"People die in coma, too, Demyx," he whispered. At this, the blonde hugged his friend tighter.

"Don't say that, Axel! Don't even think it," he said. "You have to believe with your whole heart that he'll wake up!"

Axel nodded, before he sighed shakily and led a hand to his face to wipe away his tears. "You should probably go home and get some sleep, Dem… It's already two in the morning, and it is Friday," Axel said. "You have school."

Demyx shook his head. "I'm going to stay here with you! Screw school, this is more important."

The redhead sighed. "There's no need for both of us to stay here. Anyway, you should be with Zexion…" he said and smiled weakly at his friend. Demyx looked uneasy.

"But I want to stay here with you," he said.

"I'd like to be alone…" Axel sighed. "Go home, Dem, I'll be fine." The redhead got up from the floor, helping Demyx up as well.

"Are you sure?" Demyx asked. Axel nodded half-heartedly. The blonde wrapped his arms tightly around his friend's waist. "Call me if anything comes up," he said.

"Yeah, I will," Axel whispered and squeezed Demyx back.

After Demyx left Axel sat back down in the chair he'd been sitting in earlier. Resting his forehead in his palm, Axel closed his emerald eyes. He was so tired. His body screamed for him to sleep, but he couldn't. Axel couldn't make himself relax enough to sleep. He sat still in the chair for a couple of minutes, listening to the beeping of the heart-monitor in the room. The only thing that for sure told him that Roxas was still alive.

Axel got up from the chair and walked around the screen board. He walked over to the hospital bed looking at the boy in it. Axel bit his lip and sat down next to the bed.

Without thinking, the redhead took a hold of Roxas' hand in his own. Axel looked at him again. The boy was so beautiful, even like this. Leaning in, Axel pressed his lips softly against the pale skin of the blonde's chin. It felt like ice beneath his lips. Axel suppressed his urge to cry and pulled away again, just as the door to the room opened silently. The sound of someone clearing their throat a moment later made Axel look up, seeing the man dressed in a white coat who stood in the room. "Could I have a word with you?" the doctor asked. The redhead nodded shortly and rose halfway from his chair, gently letting go of Roxas' hand. Bending over the boy, Axel brought his lips close to Roxas' ear.

"I'll be right back," he whispered lovingly, before he got up completely and followed the older man out in the hallway. The doctor cleaned his throat again, as to get Axel to pay attention to him. He was a tall man, but still shorter than the redheaded teen. He had brown hair, which was chopped short, and he wore glasses.

"My name is Doctor Richardson. I'm in charge of treating Roxas," the man said. Axel nodded politely.

"Axel," the redhead stated. He didn't like doctors that much.

"Are you Roxas' brother?" the man asked. Axel shook his head and opened his mouth to answer, but the doctor beat him to it. "Oh, are you a cousin then?"

Axel shook his head again, sighing. "I'm his boyfriend," the redhead said darkly. The doctor raised his eyebrows slightly. He hadn't expected that coming. Axel scowled as the man's features gave off a hint of disgust.

"Well Axel, you see, I have to get in contact with one of Roxas' family members."

The redhead scowled at him. "That'll not be possible," he said.

"And exactly why is that?" the doctor asked. The tone off his voice clearly gave off that the man didn't like this redheaded teenage boy much.

"They're most likely the reason he's here in the first place," Axel almost growled. "I'm the closest thing you'll come to one of his family members," he said. The doctor sighed.

"I guess I will have to come back to you later, Axel," he said. "But I advise that you give me his parents' names or numbers. They're for highly important dealings." The man turned and walked out of the room. Axel sat back down by the bed. His emerald eyes swept across the angelic features of Roxas' face. Grabbing a new hold of the unmoving blonde boy's hand, Axel led it to his face, pressing it against his chin and trailing soft kisses inside the palm. After a while, Axel let his head rest on the mattress beside Roxas' body, not letting go of the blonde's hand. Closing his emerald eyes, Axel sighed as he once more noticed how exhausted he was. With the beeping of Roxas' heart monitor slowly getting more and more distant, Axel slowly fell into a light slumber.

-

Axel woke several times during the night, not really remembering where he was the first couple of seconds, before it all dawned upon him. He took in the room, the hospital bed he was sitting by, and the even beeping coming from the machine to his right. The redhead kept on holding Roxas' hand, hoping for it to move, hoping for any signs that Roxas would wake.

Axel would only leave the room to take a short trip to the canteen to get something to eat. He didn't manage to force down much though. He didn't have much of an appetite anyway.

Some of the nurses who came into Roxas' room tried to be nice and start a conversation with Axel, but he wasn't in the mood to talk. The redhead just politely excused from talking.

Zexion and Demyx came to visit after school, but they didn't stay long. Axel told them to go home. He didn't want them to see him miserable like this. Axel was usually the one who was strong, fighting his emotions so they stayed inside him. But now, every time he looked at Roxas, he had an urge to cry. He wished he could've helped the boy before it came to what happened.

Axel didn't get much sleep the next night. He kept holding Roxas' left hand, stroking it softly. His thoughts kept flying around. Why had Roxas not wanted to talk to him? Had he really been with that Riku guy? Didn't Roxas feel the same towards him that he felt for Roxas?

Emerald eyes kept falling on the clock on the wall. It reached 3:30 am, and Axel still wasn't able to sleep. He let his hand travel slowly up Roxas' arm beneath the fabric of the long-sleeved hospital gown. The redhead stopped as his fingers traced across an uneven line in the boy's skin. Shaking his head to himself, Axel gently pushed the fabric up Roxas' arm, revealing the skin. The redhead inhaled sharply as he saw the boy's arm. It was covered in several long, horrible cuts. Axel felt tears threatening to fall again. "Oh, Roxas," he whispered. "Didn't you say you were going to stop?" he asked the boy sadly. He leaned forwards and kissed the boy's skin softly. "I can't imagine the pain you must've been in to do this to yourself," Axel said. "And I'm so sorry if I have done anything to make it worse." With that, Axel left one last kiss on Roxas' arm before he got up from his chair and walked out into the hallway. He needed to stretch his legs and get some air.

The hallways were empty. Of course they were; it was almost four in the morning. Axel's breath was shaking as he sat down in a chair. He buried his face in his hands, forcing back that urge to cry. He sat there for a little while, before a soft voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Hi there," the person said softly. Axel looked up at the young nurse standing not far from him. She had long, braided brown hair and kind, green eyes. Axel had seen her a couple of times, when she had been checking up on Roxas. She was nice, one of them who'd tried to make the redhead talk a little. She was young too, Axel noticed. Far more young than most of the other nurses there, and she couldn't be more than five years or so older than Axel. "Axel, right?" she asked. Axel answered her with a nod. "Mind if I sit down?" she asked, gesturing to the chair next to the one Axel sat in. The redhead shook his head, and the nurse sat down. "I'm Aerith," she said, smiling at Axel again. "How are you?" she asked, the tone in her voice telling Axel that she actually cared, and wasn't just asking to be polite. Axel sighed.

"I'm not so good, really…" he said, his voice shaking a little.

"You are here with Roxas, the boy in a coma, right?" Aerith asked. Axel nodded, eyes directed to the floor. "Are you his friend or…?" the girl asked, obviously wanting to get Axel to talk a little. She felt really bad for him.

"I'm… his boyfriend," Axel said softly. Aerith nodded with a gentle smile passing her lips.

"I see," she said. "This must be a hard time for you." Her voice was caring. Axel clenched his teeth together, looking the other way as he felt those tears build again. The redhead jumped a little when he felt a light hand on his shoulder. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it, Axel," the nurse said. "In most cases, people wake up from coma."

Axel sighed and turned to face her. "I know that…" the redhead said. "I'm just so scared that this isn't one of those cases…" his voice failed him at the end.

"Don't think like that," Aerith said in a soothing voice. "Have a little faith in him… Believe he'll wake," she smiled. Axel's face softened a little.

"Thank you…" he muttered. "I'm sorry that I'm not the best of company…"

The brunette shook her head with a smile. "It's very much understandable," she said. "Now, when was the last time you had anything to eat?"

Axel shrugged. "Don't know," he said. The young woman sighed and shook her head lightly.

"Then what say you to a cup of soup? I'll get it for you, just sit here and I'll be right back," she smiled and then got up from the chair, walking down the hallway. Axel felt slightly better. He was thankful that she had gotten him to talk. He needed that. The redhead leaned backwards in the chair he was in and let his body relax a little.

The brunette nurse returned a little while later, a big ceramic cup filled with soup in her hands. She handed it to Axel, who accepted it with a small smile.

"Thank you," he said. He hadn't thought about it, but by now he was really hungry. Axel started eating the soup slowly, savouring how it warmed him all the way down his throat. Aerith watched him with a soft expression. The way she acted felt so motherly.

"Roxas' parents aren't the best of people, are they?" Aerith asked after a little while of silence. Axel shook his head.

"No, they're not… His mother just ignores him, and he is afraid of his father because he kicked Roxas' older brother out for being gay a couple of years ago…" the redhead said. A new wall of sadness hit him. He just couldn't think about how much Roxas actually had to struggle with.

"I'm pretty close to Roxas' brother," Aerith said after a little while. Axel raised an eyebrow.

"His twin brother?" he asked. The nurse shook her head.

"No, his older brother, Leon," she said. Axel's eyes widened.

"You know him?" he asked. The nurse nodded.

"I've known him and Cloud, his boyfriend, for years… Haven't seen them in a long while though… Leon hates this town." Her voice was a little sad as she spoke. Axel nodded slowly.

"He has reason to," he sighed. "I think Roxas misses him though."

"He's a good guy," Aerith smiled. Axel swallowed the last of his soup, handing the cup back to the nurse.

"Thank you for the soup," Axel said. Aerith smiled at him, taking the cup.

"Maybe you should get some sleep," she said gently. "You look really tired."

Axel nodded and got up from his chair. "Yeah… I am. I should get back to Roxas, too… Thank you, for talking to me… I think I needed it," Axel sighed. The young woman nodded.

"You can come to me if there's anything. I'll be checking up on Roxas regularly. Now get some sleep," she said. Axel smiled weakly at her before he walked back the way he'd come earlier. He entered Roxas' room, once being met with the same even beating of the heart-monitor. He walked around the screen board, his eyes falling upon the boy in the bed again. He laid exactly the way he had when Axel left the room.

Axel sat down in the bedside chair. Emerald eyes fell upon Roxas' arm again. The redhead let his hands gently pull the fabric of the hospital gown back down, so it was covering Roxas' arm. Then Axel took Roxas' hand in his own and leaned in, close to the blonde's face. "Please wake up," he whispered, before he softly let his lips rest upon Roxas' in a very light kiss. Pulling away again, Axel sat back down in the chair. Once more resting his head on the mattress, Axel tried to get a little more sleep.

-

The next couple of days went by without changes. Axel still sat restless by Roxas' bed most of the day, when he was not walking around in the hallways. Demyx and Zexion managed to drag the redhead home for a couple of hours every day, so he could take a shower and change clothes. It didn't take long before Axel was back by Roxas' side though.

He had some short conversations with Aerith, when the nurse came to do her regular check-up on Roxas. He also tried to do some of the homework Demyx had brought for him, but he didn't manage to focus for a long time. Apparently the teachers weren't too thrilled that Axel wasn't at school, but the redhead didn't care. What he cared about was Roxas.

The redhead sat by the table standing in Roxas' room at the hospital, his math books opened in front of him. It was Thursday, and the teachers had now given him extra hard problems to solve. Luckily Axel understood the logic in math, which made it much easier and quicker to do.

Axel looked up as the door opened. He frowned slightly as Dr. Richardson walked inside. "Good day, Axel," the man said in a polite manner. Axel greeted the man with a court nod and stood up to talk to the man. "Homework?" Dr. Richardson asked, gesturing towards the books on the table. Axel nodded again.

"Do you have any news about Roxas?" Axel asked darkly. The man sighed.

"Ah, why I am here," he started. "You see, Axel, since we're not able to get in contact with Roxas' family, I will ask you to consider signing these papers." The man handed Axel some sheets of paper. The redhead arched an eyebrow at the doctor. "Signing will put you in charge of deciding whether or not Roxas is to be kept alive with machines or not."

Axel stared at the man in disbelief. "You want me to be in charge of deciding if to pull the plug on Roxas or not?" The man sighed. "That is the basics, yes…" he said. Axel shook his head. How could this man be so cold? "It's been days now, and Roxas hasn't shown any sign of getting better. I'm starting to wonder if he is lost forever. If you keep him alive, there are big chances that his brain-capacity will slowly die,"

Axel let a low growl escape his throat. "I understand that you might want an extra room empty, but don't you think it's a little early to take the decision if he will live or die?" he asked angrily.

"That has nothing to do with it, Axel. Do you think it's fair to keep him alive for your own pleasure?" Dr. Richardson asked. Axel's eyes widened in disbelief.

"For my own pleasure?" he hissed, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "What happens if I don't sign the papers?" the redhead asked.

"Then the doctors will decide what we think is best, professionally wise," the man stated. "I'd much rather give these papers to one of Roxas' parents. You can still give me their number."

Axel snorted. "They'd be happy to get rid of him," he said. Axel looked at the papers in his hand. "I'll think about it…" Axel said. How could he possibly sign something like that? There was no way in hell he would let Roxas die. But he didn't want to be the one who was forcing him to stay alive either. But if he left it in the hands of Dr. Richardson, they would end Roxas' life.

"Try to make a wise decision," the doctor muttered. The redhead scowled at him.

"You may not, but I fucking care about that boy!" Axel shouted. The expression on the face of the man in front of him didn't change.

"Then maybe you should put your selfishness aside and think about what would be best for him," the doctor said coldly. "Keep him alive, and he might just end up being a vegetable," the man said and turned to walk outside the room, leaving the redhead speechless. Leaving the piece of paper on the table, Axel walked over to the side of Roxas' bed. He leaned closer to the boy, his emerald eyes again taking in the beauty.

"It is selfish of me," Axel whispered. "But I don't want you to die! Not when I've just allowed myself to love you." The redhead brought the blonde boy's hand to his face, hugging it gently, as he allowed his tears to now run freely. "I can't stop hoping," he said, his voice failing him slightly.

-

When Aerith entered Roxas' room Thursday night to do her check, she found Axel dissolved in tears by Roxas' bed, hugging the boy's hand to his face. She walked over to his, putting a hand on his shoulder, making the redhead jump a little. "What's wrong, Axel?" she asked in a gentle voice. Axel turned to look at her.

"I… I don't know what to do," he whispered. "Doctor Richardson asked me to sign some papers which would leave me in charge of deciding if Roxas is to be kept alive or not." His voice gave off a hint of despair. "And I don't want him to die," the redhead said, inhaling shakily. "But if I keep him alive I can't help but wonder if that would be selfish of me to decide…"

Aerith sighed sadly. "Oh my… Why has he put pressure on you like that?" she asked. Axel shook his head.

"Because I wouldn't let him contact Roxas' parents," he huffed. "They would just be happy to get rid of him." Leading a hand to his face, Axel wiped away the tears that fell from his eyes. Aerith looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I might know how to solve this in a better way," she said, stroking Axel's back soothingly. "I'll be right back," the nurse said and walked out into the hallway. Axel held Roxas' cold hand tightly in his own. He didn't know that it was possible for him to care so much about someone. He just knew that Roxas meant more to him right now than his own life. And he wouldn't let him go.

Aerith came back into the room a couple of minutes later. She had a small smile upon her lips. "Don't worry, Axel," she said. "You don't have to think about the papers. Neither do you have to worry that anyone will put Roxas off life-support."

Axel's brows furrowed in confusion as he looked at Aerith. She just smiled again. "What?" the redhead asked. The brunette just walked over and put that caring hand upon Axel's shoulder again.

"Maybe you should go to sleep, Axel, don't worry right now," she said. When the redhead looked uneasy with this, she smiled gently at him. "Trust me," she said. Axel nodded slowly and put his head down on the mattress next to Roxas' body. He closed his eyes as he heard the door slide shut behind Aerith as the nurse left the room. Not long after, Axel felt sleep conquer him.

-

For the first time in over a week, Axel slept throughout the night. He woke with a terrible stiffness in his neck though. Looking at the still unmoving Roxas, Axel sighed sadly. He got up from the chair, leaned over the pale form of angelic boy and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. The redhead didn't manage to stop a tear from falling. Letting his fingers run gently through some blonde bangs, Axel smiled weakly. "You're so beautiful," he whispered, before pulling away and walking out of the room.

There were some people in the hallways now, but Roxas' room was in one of the less crowded parts of the hospital. Axel walked slowly through the halls, hands in the pockets of his jeans. He felt so lost.

Axel ended up walking to the canteen, deciding he should get something small to eat.

After he'd forced down a small amount of food, Axel decided to go back to Roxas' room. Walking through the hallways again, Axel muttered polite greetings to some of the nurses who'd become used to him hanging around there the last week.

Walking inside Roxas' room, Axel stopped dead in his tracks. There was a man standing by the window, whom Axel had never seen before. He looked like he was in his early twenties, he was tall, well built and had shoulder-long brown hair. The man turned around as he heard the door shut. His steel-blue eyes connected with Axel's emerald ones. "Who're you?" Axel asked darkly.

"I think I should ask you the same," the tall brunet said in a polite voice. The redhead growled.

"The name's Axel," he stated. The expression of the man in front of him changed from hard into a more soft expression.

"Oh, you're Axel," he said, walking closer to the redhead. "I'm Leon, Roxas' brother."

Axel's eyes widened. "You're Leon?" he asked. The brunet nodded. "How come you're here?" Axel asked. He was so to say shocked. Leon sighed.

"Aerith called me and told me about Roxas last night… I flew down here as soon as I heard." He walked over to the bed in the room, looking at the blonde boy in it with sadness in his eyes. "What happened to him?" he asked. Axel sighed sadly.

"He took an overdose of pills…" the redhead started. He walked over to the bed, standing on the opposite side of Leon. Swallowing thickly, Axel let his slender finger lightly brush across Roxas' hand. "He was trying to kill himself," Axel said, biting his lip as he forced those damned tears back. Leon looked at his little brother with furrowed eyebrows.

"I should've checked up on him… At least called him or something… Maybe things would've been easier for him then," he muttered. Then he looked at Axel. "So Axel, how old are you?" he asked. Axel raised an eyebrow. He didn't expect that question.

"I'm eighteen… I'm a senior at Roxas' school…" the redhead answered. Leon nodded.

"And you're his boyfriend," he stated. Axel figured Aerith must have told Leon about him already. Leon walked over to the table where Axel had stacked most of his school books. "How did you meet?" the brunet asked. Axel scratched the back of his neck.

"Well… I first saw him at a school party right before Christmas… But I didn't talk to him before Christmas Eve. I prevented him from jumping off a bridge… Then he stayed with me for a week, because he didn't want to go home… Then I didn't see him before last Thursday night, when I found him unconscious on his bedroom floor…" Axel's voice broke at the end of the sentence. He was fighting his emotions again. Leon seemed to be deep into thought. His steel-blue eyes fell upon Axel's school books.

"Have you been here the whole week?" he asked in shock. Axel nodded.

"I couldn't leave him…" Axel muttered, just as the door to the room opened. Aerith walked in. Leon greeted her with a nod. The two had obviously already talked.

"Axel," the nurse said. "Leon has signed the papers, and decided that Roxas is to be kept alive," she smiled softly. Axel turned towards the man. Leon nodded.

"He's not going to die," Leon said, giving the redhead a reassuring look.

-

Leon stayed the whole day, before he had to leave. Axel had spent a long while having a discussion with Leon, about why the man couldn't take Roxas with him if he woke. The brunet was living in Hollow Bastion with his boyfriend, Cloud. The two had each their job, both working hard to get the ends to meet. "Roxas needs someone with him, to take care of him and to be with him when he gets lonely. And he gets lonely very often. Cloud and I are almost never home as it is, and when we are, we're usually tired. It would only tear the poor boy apart if he came with me. It might sound stupid now, but I know my brother, and I wish that I could help, but right now, Axel, I think you can be of more help than me," Leon said. "And Hollow Bastion is very far away…"

It did seem stupid at first, Axel thought, but after listening to Leon he understood that it wasn't an option. Hollow Bastion was too far away, too different and too big for Roxas to be alone in. He couldn't risk for Roxas to feel even more lost.

Leon had to leave around midnight. He had a plane leaving at 2 am. The brunet stood up from the chair he was sitting in, and put his jacket on. "I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer…" he said, casting a worried glance towards the bed. Axel shook his head.

"You can't do more than what is in your power to do…" he muttered.

"Call me if… anything happens," Leon said, turning to leave. When he was by the door he turned halfway around, looking at Axel. "Thank you, for caring about him," he said with a small smile, before he left the room.

Axel walked over to the chair by the bad again, sitting down. His eyes rested on the beautiful face of Roxas. "Roxas…" he whispered. "I wish you felt the same for me as I do for you." Tears were now rolling down his face. "Just wake up, please wake up. We'll find a way to sort everything out!" The redhead grabbed a hold of the blonde's hand. "We're gonna run away together, don't you remember we said we'd do that?" Axel's voice was shaking as he spoke. "You really made me feel like I was someone. And I don't want you to die."

Axel stayed like that, crying silently, until he fell asleep.

-

Another day went by without changes. Roxas' condition stayed the same, and even though he told himself over and over that Roxas would wake up, in his heart Axel was starting to doubt. It seemed like an eternity, the time he'd spent sitting next to Roxas in that damn hospital room. The beeping of the heart-monitor always making itself known, reminding Axel that Roxas was still alive. But Roxas was lying so still. He wasn't moving the least. The blonde was pale and cold, and Axel kept holding onto that hand, waiting for it to move.

Friday night, Axel had problems sleeping again. He just sat in the bedside chair, his elbows resting on his knees, face buried in his palms. The redhead was so tired of crying.

And it seemed like he would never do anything but to sit and wait for a change.

Axel was starting to slumber off. He didn't notice how the heart-monitor suddenly changed its beeping-rhythm. He didn't notice the soft, almost inaudible shuffles in the bedspread of Roxas' bed. But he did notice the hoarse, weak voice addressing him out of the silence in the room.

"Axel…?"

Axel's head snapped up at the sound of his name being spoken by that voice. He felt his heart skip a beat, his breath hitching, as his emerald eyes connected with those cerulean depths of Roxas'.

-

AN: Oh dear… Another cliffhanger!
Next chapter will be up quicker! Because it won't give me so much trouble while writing it!
I'm SO sorry that this sucks so badly… I can't believe I'm even posting it! Yeah well, I'm done wasting space!
Review? Omg, please?! Pretty please?

Cookies for reviewers :D