Two unfortunate events occurred that fateful Sunday when Roxie and Axel had stayed up all night at the docks and Sora had missed his date in a drunken stupor at Riku's place, the first being not all that unpredictable, and the other being life-shattering. The inconsequential event was that Kairi was mad at Sora for missing their planned date. The consequential event was that Granny Andrus had died just hours after Axel and Roxie had left the nursing home.

"I just… I'm sorry. I won't be able to meet this week, I don't think," Axel's voice was hoarse over the phone. Roxas, blearily looking around his room after the ringing of his cell had woken him up from his long-overdue slumber, couldn't process what the red-head was saying.

"Huh? What do you mean?" He fumbled out. He ran a hand through his hair and struggled to use his brain.

"The autobiography; I can't do my interviews. She's… she's gone, and I just… I won't be me," Axel's voice cracked and Roxas blinked a few times before he was able to understand the red head's words.

"Granny Andrus? We were just there…" He decided to leave out the 'shit' he had intended to say at the end of his sentence.

"I know."

"When's the service?" The blond was now sitting up in bed, staring at the calendar on his wall waiting for a response from the rock star.

"…What?" Axel sounded slightly stunned over the other end of the line. Roxas was now out of bed, his boxer briefs slipping a little as he walked to the calendar on the wall.

"I asked you when her funeral is," He stated matter of fact.

"Oh, um, I think it's going to be Wednesday?"

"I'll be there. I'll email your momager, Larxene, and I'm sure she'll send me more information. Don't worry about the interviews, we can make them up some other time." Roxas comforted the red head.

"You're not busy?" Another note of surprise from the red head.

"I'll make time."

And that was how Roxas found himself standing sheepishly in front of Sora, trying to explain why he was going to have to miss his appointment with Luxord on Wednesday.

"You're going to his dead grandmother's funeral?" Disbelief was laced into Sora's words and expression.

"I've met her, it's not that weird." Roxas shrugged his shoulders. The two men were in the living room to their shared apartment. Sora had decided that since he had already missed his date with Kairi and that he had already fled from a certain silveret's hotel suite today, he might as well get something right and do some cleaning on his only day off of the week. He had enlisted Roxas' help once the blond had awoken from his impressively long slumber (the dancer had been awake well over twenty-four hours before crashing, though), and that was how the pair had found themselves face to face in the living room.

"You met her? When? She died this morning!"

"Well, I kind of met her this morning… right before she died… Axel and I may have possibly stayed up all night long on at the docks, gone to her nursing home in the morning, sang during breakfast, and then he dropped me off back here like a gentleman?" Head hanging down in embarrassment, the blond peered up at his best friend through his long lashes. Sora's face was bright red, and his cheeks were puffed out as he slowly exhaled through his pursed lips.

Roxas knew that Sora was protective of him, and that the stunt the blond had pulled by running away from the cabaret with Axel the night before had scared the brunet to death. That being said, though, Sora sometimes suffocated his best friend in his efforts to protect him from the harsh, cruel world that had hurt the dancer before. Living his life in a vacuum was driving him crazy, and he had truly experienced freedom for the first time in a long time when he and Axel were soaring down the city streets on Electra, whipping past high buildings and blurred lights.

"You had me worried sick, you know," Sora started. He dropped his accusatory stance and sunk into the plush comfort of the couch and patted for Roxas to sit down next to him. The brunet's best friend obliged and they sat in silence for another moment while the author composed his thoughts. "When Cloud, Zex, and I found out that you had run off with Axel last night, I was so frightened. Roxas, I know you're finally starting to get your life back together but it's only been six months that you've been out of the hospital and back to work. You've barely had time for your scars to heal, let alone your sanity. I'm worried that Axel Andrus is going to… oh… oh I don't know…"

"You're worried he's going to be another Blaze, aren't you?" Roxas' words were careful and quiet. Sora nodded weakly before pulling the blond into his arms, resting his chin on top of Rox's bed head.

"You're going to fall madly and desperately in love with a man you can't have, and I don't know what will happen if that breaks you." He murmured.

"Are you talking about me, or are you talking about you right now?" The dancer's words surprised the brunet; he pulled away from their affectionate embrace and stared at his best friend in disbelief.

"And what do you mean by that?" Sora spat out.

"Oh, don't get all high and mighty with me, Sor-rah." Roxas rolled his eyes and kicked his feet up on the coffee table, much to the other man's dismay. "You're sleeping with Riku to get him to do this book; he's blackmailing you into being his sex slave! You loved him more than anyone on this Earth—you loved him more than you love the girl you plan on marrying. How in the world do you expect to walk away from this unscathed? At least Axel Andrus is honest with me. He tells me all the time not to expect romance or a relationship and harmlessly flirts with me because he thinks I'm cute; he doesn't blackmail me into sleeping with him."

"It's a business exchange, Rox…" Sora started to speak, but even he was aware of how weak his words sounded. A business exchange? You drunkenly begged Riku Docken to fuck your brains out after stripping yourself naked in front of him. If that's a business exchange, what kind of business are you running, West? His internal monologue was cut short by Roxas' interjection.

"Don't give me that shit, Sora. You're going to fall in love with him again and he's going to rip your heart out. I suppose it's just a matter of time before we each get hurt in different ways. We should start a betting pool on who gets their heart broken first, you know? I bet we could make some real money on that at the Cabaret." Roxas leaned his head on Sora's shoulder and the brunet reciprocated by resting his unruly hair on top of his friend's bed head. They sat like that for a few moments, each of them ruminating over their own personal decisions and whether or not they'd come to regret them. It was Roxas who spoke first, ending their comfortable silence. "So I can go to the funeral? You'll call Luxord and reschedule my appointment?" He sounded hopeful and Sora hated to break his friend's spirit. The brunet reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"Only if you promise me you're not going to let Axel ruin all the progress you've made. You're doing so well, Rox. I don't know if I could bear to see you fall again." Wary as always, Sora pleaded for the dancer to keep his wits about him in the presence of a certain red-headed rock star.

"Okay; but, only if you promise me that you're going to be careful around Riku. Speaking of the devil…" The blond quickly pulled his smart phone out of his sweatpants pocket and rapidly began typing. He handed Sora the electronic device when he was done and give him a look of apology. "…he wrote another song about you."

"How do you know?" Sora cradled the phone in his hands, his head spinning with uncertainty.

"It has to be about you; and, if it is about you, you need to be extra careful. It doesn't seem like we're the only ones who might get their hearts broken out of this whole biography fiasco. Don't make any promises you can't keep, Sora." The dancer walked out of the living room and into the kitchen, ending their conversation.

The brunet, with shaking hands and a pit in his stomach, looked down at the phone. He pressed the play icon and held his breath as the song began. He allowed himself a few minutes to cry after it was over, and he locked himself in his room for the rest of the evening. Roxas didn't bother trying to enter, and the two men went to bed early that night in preparation for their long week of work ahead of them.

"I thought we agreed I wasn't doing any interviews this week." Axel sounded annoyed over the phone. Roxie bit her lip as she adjusted her wig in the bathroom mirror.

"I'm not calling you to do any interviews. I was actually wondering if you wanted to get out of the hotel. Get some fresh air, you know?" Her voice was timid and she tried to regain her composure.

"…You want me to go out? With you?" Axel held back the laugh that was threatening to rupture out of his mouth.

"I figured it'd be nice to take your mind off of things. We could take Electra around the suburbs. No paparazzi out there." The blonde had regained much of her usual zest by the time she spoke again. It was just Axel. He was just one of the most famous men on Earth. It was no big deal that she was asking him to spend the day with her alone.

"…Little Miss Sunshine, what are you trying to do?" She could hear the amusement in his voice and she smiled to herself in triumph, recognizing the tone as the same playful one he had before their late-night trip out to the dock.

"I figured I'd woo you into loving me hopelessly and irreversibly, and then we'd settle down in a beautiful house overlooking a lake somewhere." She snorted. "Or, there's no ulterior motive, and I just want to help someone out who is going through a rough time."

"Hmmph. Well, when you put it that way," He paused for a moment. "Text me your address and I'll come pick you up. Then we'll see how easily you can woo me into loving you."

"Careful, Mien Herr; I'm always up for a challenge." Roxie hung up the phone and let out a sigh of relief before practically jumping for joy. She had as close to a date with Axel as she was probably ever going to get, and that was a good Monday in her book.

Sora showed up at eight a.m. sharp for Riku's interview the next morning. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door, mildly delighted to hear Kida's barking in response. He had almost forgotten that Riku had a dog, and an adorable dog at that. Unlike the previous Friday when the rock star was completely unprepared for Sora's arrival, the silveret was showered, dressed, and bright-eyed (well, one of his eyes was bright, and the other was black and blue from where Roxie had clocked him on Saturday night) when he opened the door to his portion of the hotel suite. Larxene had let Sora into the common area that Riku and Axel shared. Most of the band spent their time in there, anyway, and this morning was no different. The band's "Momager", her husband, and Demyx had all been sitting around the kitchen island eating breakfast when Sora arrived.

"Good morning." Riku smiled at him and motioned for the brunet to step inside. Kida darted out of the open doorway and ran in a circle around Sora's legs before bolting back inside the private room. She found herself a spot on the couch and barked happily, tail wagging with excitement at the brunet's appearance. Sora resisted the urge to run to the dog and pet her until his hands fell off; he instead removed his shoes by the doorway as Riku closed it behind him. "So, I wanted to talk to you…" Riku rubbed the back of his head as he made his way into the small kitchenette to grab bottles of water for both him and the brunet from the fridge. Sora felt a lump grow in his throat but he managed to spit out the words he had been practicing in his head all morning.

"Why didn't you sleep with me Saturday night?" He felt his skin pale once the sentence was out in the open. Riku blinked at him in complete surprise before composing himself. He walked to the living room and sat next to his dog on the couch, motioning for Sora to sit in the adjacent chair. The brunet complied and greedily sipped on his water.

"You were drunk, Sora. I wasn't going to take advantage of you like that." The silveret spoke in a matter-of-fact fashion.

"But you have no problem taking advantage of me in exchange for the biography?" Unsure of where his bravery was coming from, Sora desperately pleaded it would stick around until their conversation was over. He couldn't start their interviews until he had honest answers from the rock star.

"…That's a complicated question, Sora. I already told you why I want to sleep with you. No one can know I'm gay, and this exchange is the only way I have security that my secret won't get out."

"Bullshit. Bullshit." Sora blurted out before digging his phone from his pocket. He had the song already pulled up and he aggressively pressed the play button.

Everybody loves the things you do; from the way you talk to the way you move. Everybody here is watching you, 'cause you feel like home. You're like a dream come true.

The author watched as Riku's face fell. The silveret listened to his own singing voice project from the other man's phone, and he knew he was going to have some explaining to do.

"What the fuck is this, Riku?" The brunet inquired about the song and so much more that was going on between them.

But, if by chance, you're here alone can I have a moment before I go? 'Cause I've been by myself all night long hoping you're someone I used to know.

"Sora… I…"

"Don't lie to me, Riku. Okay? You've done enough to me that you owe me the truth."

You look like a movie; you sound like a song. My God, this reminds me of when we were young.

"I know I owe you the truth. I owe you an explanation. I owe you so much more than that and I don't know if I can ever give you everything that I owe you."

Let me photograph you in this light in case it is the last time that we might be exactly like we were before we realized we were sad of getting old; it made us restless.

"Well I'd really appreciate it if you could at least try." The brunet sounded exasperated as the song swelled into the end of the chorus.

It's hard to admit that everything just takes me back to when you were there and a part of me keeps holding on just in case it hasn't gone. I guess I still care. Do you still care?

"What I did to you was completely unspeakable. I know it doesn't make it any less painful, but believe me, I never wanted to leave you." Riku admitted, adverting his gaze from the author in front of him. Sora's jaw could have hit the floor from how appalled he was.

"You're right, Riku. That doesn't make it any less painful, because you did leave me!"

Oh I'm so mad I'm getting old; it makes me reckless.

"I had no other choice, Sora! I had to leave you if I ever wanted a chance of my record deal sticking. You know what they do to people like us. You know what would have happened to us if it ever leaked that I was in love with you. You'd never have been safe."

"Don't you dare pretend like you left to keep me safe. You left me because you wanted to be famous! You left me because all you cared about was music and money and no matter what I was never enough for you!"

"I loved you more than anything on this Earth; I don't care if you don't believe me, Sora, because you and me both know you got letters from me two, three times a week pouring my heart out to you, telling you how much I missed you, how much I needed you, and how bad I fucked up."

"And you composed those letters and made billions off of the music, you poor thing." Sora scoffed.

"If I didn't make it all worth something—if I didn't become the "Golden Boy", if I didn't sell records, if I didn't go on world tours—then I'd have thrown away everything we had for nothing, Sora, and I could have never lived with myself."

"Did you ever stop to think of how I was living with myself?" The brunet could feel himself starting to cry and he wanted so desperately to stop. He didn't want to show Riku Docken how much he had been hurt by the silveret abandoning him.

"Maybe I would have known if you'd have ever answered my calls, replied to the letters, or if you hadn't changed your address and fallen off the face of the Earth!" Riku snapped back, his voice hoarse.

Their eyes locked. Both sets contained tears; both sets were red and welling to the brim. Kida had long ago traveled to the bed to curl up, leaving the men alone in the living room portion of the private suite to continue their shouting match. They both had shaking hands and aching hearts, for hashing out the things that had happened a decade prior was bringing up emotions they hadn't laid to rest. They had been so happy together so long ago. They had a fairytale relationship that one could only hope for in books or movies, never real life. They had loved each other so wholly and completely that it felt as if they were a single entity. They were children of the sun; they were two men who were barred from being with one another by society but cared so deeply that the idea of being without each other had once scared them more than what society could do to them. But that was so long ago, and things were different now.

"Please… you have to believe me that this hasn't been easy for me either, and that the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you. I know I did, Sora. I know I hurt you so badly and that I can never take that back, but please, you have to know that I was hurting, too. You have to know that I am hurting, too. Still to this day I'm suffering for the decision I made. I know our time came and went, but I'll be damned if I don't think every day what my life would have been like if I'd have chosen to stay with you instead. There isn't a single day that goes by where I don't wonder if I made the wrong choice and that all of this fucking fame and fortune isn't worth going to bed alone every night and never getting to love another person the way I loved you. I know I hurt you, and I am so fucking sorry. I'm sorry with every fiber of my being and bone in my body. I could apologize to you for the next fifty years and it wouldn't even begin to scratch the surface of how fucking sorry I am, because I know what it feels like to be without the person you love more than even yourself, and it's all my fucking fault. I can't take it back, Sora. I can't take back what I did to you ten years ago, and I sure as hell wish I could, but I can't. All I can do now is hope that whatever riches this book brings you makes up for the pain that I caused. I doubt it will, though, because all the money in the world couldn't take away my pain. Now I'm selfishly clinging to the only thing that used to make me happy—you. I'm blackmailing you into sleeping with me because I'm selfish and I'm lonely and you were the only thing in the world that made me happy, and I'm grasping at straws trying to be happy for the next six months until this book is over and you change your address again and walk out of my life."

Somewhere during his speech, Riku had gotten up and crossed the distance between himself and the author. He was kneeling in front of Sora looking straight at him; his swollen and bruised eye squinted while the other allowed tears to freely flow. In the seconds that followed, Sora had a thousand thoughts race through his head.

Who had suffered more from their break up? For years Sora thought it was him, because he had no choice in the matter. But would it have been worse to choose to walk away from someone you loved, only to find out that what you wanted wasn't what you thought it was? Sora also thought about his love life; he had Kairi. He had a fiancée and he was never truly alone. He had met Kairi so quickly in college, had jumped into a relationship in order to ease the pain of losing Riku, and he had never really stopped clinging to the auburn haired girl's ability to lighten the heaviness that the silveret had left on his heart. What would his suffer have felt like if Kairi was never around? What if he had to spend each night alone, every day without a companion, and never had anyone to fall back on when the suffering became too much? What if he had no one to feel against his bare skin in between sheets in the dark…

Sora looked at the silveret in front of him (a man who he was so used to seeing on billboards and magazines and television as beautiful and flawless) and observed his face. A Black eye, red nose, sniffling breath, and a stream of tears mucked up his normally gorgeous face. Riku bit his lip to keep it from quivering.

Maybe… maybe Sora hadn't been the one who was worse off. Maybe somewhere along the line he held a grudge too long and should have let go of Riku when he asked out Kairi, or when they first shared a bed, or when he asked her to be his wife.

"I believe you," Sora whispered to the rock star in front of him. "I believe that you're hurting, too. But it's been ten years and we need to move on, both of us. We have to find a way to work together, Riku, because I need this book and you obviously need companionship, even if it's only for six months." The author reached out his hand and cupped the unbruised side of the rock star's face. The brunet would never be able to understand just how lonely the silveret's life had been since their break-up, but he had half a clue from the way Riku nearly melted into Sora's touch.

"I'm so sorry, Sora. I truly am sorry." Riku repeated the words like a mantra as he leaned into the brunet's hand. The author used his thumb to wipe away a stray tear off of the rock star's face before leaning in so their noses were almost touching.

"No more apologies; we're going to be even after this book is finished, okay? No more grudges, no more hurt feelings. In six months your debt for hurting me will be paid, I'll have my biography, and we'll go on our separate ways." Sora held his breath as the silveret silently nodded, agreeing to the terms the author had placed. "In the meantime, though, I have my end of the deal to hold up."

"What?" Riku blinked at him in minor confusion before he felt the soft press of lips against his own. Sora had leaned in, closing those last few inches between them, and kissed him softly. When the brunet pulled away he bit his lip in hesitation.

"Even though I was absolutely wasted out of my mind on Saturday night I wanted you to sleep with me. At first exchanging sex for the book seemed like blackmail; but, Riku I've missed the way you knew me inside and out, and I'd be lying if I said the idea of spending the next six months fucking you didn't excite me." The brunet had to stop himself from nearly purring when he heard the silveret's breath hitch in arousal. "So, please, we're done calling it blackmail, because I'm not going to sleep with you in exchange for the book anymore. I'm going to do it because I want to, and we'll keep it completely separate from our professional life."

"So this means I'm not going to get sucker punched by a Cabaret dancer again?" Riku let out a small laugh and the brunet rolled his eyes in amusement.

"I'll tell my body guard to lay off." He smiled. "So, before we start your interview for the day…" The author trailed off because the silveret had read his mind and needed no further prompting. Their lips were crashing together and the rock star was lifting himself off of his knees; he grabbed Sora by the ass from his seat on the chair and hoisted him into the air in one fluid motion. The brunet, working on muscle memory from years ago, wrapped his legs around the taller man as their kiss deepened and their tongues darted out to battle for control.

The brunet felt himself being laid down on a plush, soft bed and he sunk into the fabric with elation. He had been thinking about Riku for days, ever since he had a taste of the silveret for the first time in ten years. He remembered their exploits in the shower and he felt his dress pants begin to tighten around his groin at the memory. Riku clambered onto the bed and hovered over the author before trailing a hand across the smaller man's chest, reaching the buttons of his pale blue dress shirt. Normally the silveret would be thinking about how the contrast between Sora's cerulean eyes and pale blue shirt really made the author's irises stand out, but as he trailed his tongue down the now exposed skin of the smaller man's chest there were other thoughts filling up his mind.

Sora gasped as the silveret nipped at his member pressing hard against his dress pants. The smirk that crossed the rock star's face was one of sheer primal amusement. The brunet was begging for his touch, and nothing could please Riku more.

Well, maybe it would please Riku more if Sora loved him, but the ache of his heart was easily ignored as he slid inside the brunet and heard him cry out his name.

The "date" between the blonde and the red head had been a success; by the time Axel dropped Roxie back off at Sora's apartment building his spirits had been lifted considerably and they already had made plans to get together and explore the country-side some more the next day. The next day came and went with the dancer and the rock star cruising through the sparsely traveled winding hills along the bluff of the country, stopping by a small hole-in-the-wall diner for lunch, and eating the left overs while watching the sun set for dinner. Axel had found himself laughing far more than he thought he would be capable and for a few moments the actress had even managed to make him forget that his only family member who had ever cared about him was dead and gone.

"Well, I guess this is goodnight." Roxie kicked some dust on the ground with her shoe and tried her best not to sound disappointed. She had been doing a fabulous job of keeping her cool and being aware that these weren't dates—she was just helping Axel through a rough time. He was famous and she was just a blip on his radar; he'd be gone in six months and she'd be right back where she started.

"I guess it is, Little Miss Sunshine." The tattooed man's keys jangled in his grasp and he too shifted around in his stance. It was obvious that neither of them truly wanted to go, but there was nothing else for them to really do. Besides, they had Granny Andrus' funeral in the morning and they both needed their beauty sleep before the emotionally exhausting day ahead.

"Do you feel better?" The blonde asked, chewing her bottom lip. She immediately regretted her decision, knowing her teeth were now probably covered with the plum lipstick she had artfully drawn on to match her floppy sunhat.

"You know what? I do feel better. I don't know what it is about you…" Axel began, but was cut off when the blonde's bedroom window opened and a certain brunet peeked his head out.

"Roxie? We've got to be up early." Sora was clearly impatient that the goodbye taking place several floors below was dragging on.

"Yes, Dad." The blonde rolled her eyes and mouthed an apology to the snickering red head in front of her. "I'll be up in a second!" She called to her best friend as he made an exaggerated "Hmpf!" and slid the window closed.

"Tight leash, huh?" The tattooed man was still in a playful mood from their earlier adventures and didn't mind the brunet's intrusion. The blonde, however, was irritated that Sora had cut the rock star off mid-sentence. She knew there was no point in trying to get Axel to finish his train of thought; he only admitted things to her when he was in just the right situation and mood, and now both of those two prerequisites were gone.

"You have no idea." Roxie giggled. "He means well, though. He just wants to know I'm safe." She explained.

"Were you ever not safe?" Axel laughed, but he saw the way the blonde's face fell. The tone of their conversation shifted from an innocent goodbye to a cold, stiff farewell. "Roxie… what happened to you that made him so protective?" The tattooed man figured he'd take a chance and see if she would answer him. He didn't expect an explanation, and he sure as hell didn't get one.

The blonde left him without words as she bolted into the building and up the stairs to her and Sora's apartment. Why do I even care what happened to her? Axel thought to himself as she silently put on his helmet and straddled Electra, revving her engine to life. I shouldn't care what happened to her. She's just a girl. He peeled out of the parking lot and onto the city streets, weaving in and out of traffic recklessly. But I do… I do care about what happened to her, because I care about her.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now, am found; was blind, but now I see.

Axel had promised himself he wasn't going to cry, so he didn't. He choked back his tears into a very uncomfortable lump in his throat and stared blankly ahead as they lowered his grandmother into the ground. He dulled his senses so much that he could barely hear the singer from Granny Andrus' church that was wailing in the middle of the cemetery. Luckily for the red head, Roxie wasn't going to let an opportunity go to waste.

She was dressed as simply as Axel had ever seen her. Her back dress wasn't form fitting or covered in feathers, sequence, or satin. It was a dull cotton that rippled with the gentle breeze and caught around her knees. She looked modest with subtle make-up and her hair wasn't curled to the side of her head as it usually was. Her blonde locks laid flat around her shoulders and swayed with the wind. The rock star was so used to seeing a dramatic, over the top, lively woman that he had nearly not recognized the dancer that had come to stand next to him.

"Hey," she whispered softly. She slid her hand into his and gave it a small reassuring squeeze. The tattooed man snapped out of his trance, turning his head slightly to see the actress in his peripheral vision, his main focus still glued to the coffin being slowly lowered in. "Guess who I am." She commanded before standing on her tip toes to bring her mouth closer to the red head's ear. In a quiet, hushed voice, she began to mock the woman from Axel's grandmother's church that was singing.

When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun. We've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun.

The dancer sang shrilly and through her nose, impersonating the church singer with deadly accuracy. Axel, who had not been paying much attention to the quality of the music before, was now hyper aware of its abysmal nature. He found that the lump in his throat was replaced with a fit of giggles as he tried to keep his laughter inside. Roxie, now done mocking the church singer, did her best to conceal her amusement as well. Somewhere along the line, in their desperate attempt to keep from bursting into shrieking cackles at the absurdity of the whole situation, Axel managed to wrap his arm around Roxie and she had buried her face into the chest of his suit. They clutched at one another and if you hadn't been paying close enough attention, they would look like they were sobbing along with many of the other funeral goers.

The rest of the band and their Momager were all strictly focused on the red head and the blonde that were lost in their own little world, seemingly unaware that they were being watched. Demyx gave Riku a sly smirk, to which the silveret responded by shrugging his shoulders; in all truthfulness, he was completely unaware of what was going on between Axel and Roxie. He had been so preoccupied with his own romantic endeavors that the notion that Axel may have been falling for Sora's best friend had never seemed to be something that could become reality.

"I give it a month." Larxene whispered, though she didn't really need to. The band had stationed themselves at the back of the group of funeral goes standing around watching the dead woman be lowered into the ground. They had gone to support Axel, after all, and it seemed that he was doing okay without them by his side as long as a certain blonde was taking up the empty space.

"Hmmm?" Marluxia, a man of few words, seemed to be lost in thought as he responded to his wife.

"I give a month until she's over every day of the week at the hotel." She explained her train of thought.

"You think so?" Demyx was the one who addressed her this time. "I don't know, Axel's never been one to keep people around."

"Look at him, he's smitten." Larx objected. Riku chuckled and ran his fingers though his hair.

"Must be something in the air…" He watched as the blonde and the red head managed to control their laughter long enough to stand up straight instead of having to use each other as support. When they composed themselves, though, Axel didn't let go of the dancer's hand.

"Thank you," The sun was setting over the cemetery's rolling hilltops as Axel spoke. Roxie, squinting as she was facing the sun, beamed at him. "I never thought I'd laugh that hard in a place like this.

"I was hoping it would cheer you up." She shrugged. They walked hand in hand to the entrance gate at a leisurely pace. Once again, neither of them really wanted to leave the other's company, but they weren't in a position to ask for more time, either.

"Can I ask you something?" The red head stopped waking and turned to face the blonde. She pivoted in towards him, her face illuminated by the setting sun, and he couldn't help but think she was absolutely beautiful. There was something about how simple she looked today that made her appealing to him.

"You know, Mien Herr, I'm supposed to be the one interviewing you," She teased, biting her lip. "Ask me anything."

"Why are you doing this? You've made me laugh, smile, and forget about life for the past four days. Even at my own grandmother's funeral you managed to get me to nearly piss myself. I've had more fun with you just looking at the sky than I have when I've been coked out of my mind with some of the most famous people on Earth." He sighed, then, wondering where he was going with his monologue. "I guess what I'm asking you is why you're putting in so much effort. I already told you I'd never be able to love you, you're not taking any money from me, and you haven't recorded a single meeting so it's not in the book; I don't know what you're getting out of this."

"Well," Roxie paused, giving herself a few seconds thought. "I know I'm just an author's assistant. I know that in six months you'll be gone and we'll probably never talk again. But right now, right here, you needed me. You needed me to hold your hand and make you laugh and look at the sunset so you forgot about how bad everything was. I wish someone would have done that for me when I needed it."

"When you needed it?" Axel pried, but he was immediately shut down. Luckily, the blonde didn't retreat inward like she normally did.

"Axel, you're not a dollar sign or a status symbol. You're a person; I don't care how much you say you don't care about other people or how much they bore you. People are people, Axel. We all need a little love, a little tenderness, and a helping hand sometimes. I wasn't doing all this because I wanted to get something out of you—haven't you ever just wanted to give?" Roxie left him with that sentiment as she hailed a taxi and climbed inside. For the second night in a row Axel was forced to watch the blonde leave; he felt a coldness spread over him without her there, but her words renewed his warmth.

Authors Note:

I don't own Kingdom Hearts, the characters of Kingdom Hearts, or the ideas from Kingdom hearts.

I also do not own any music lyrics used in chapters.

Music this Chapter

When We Were Young - Adele

Amazing Grace - Evangelical Folk Song