Rating: M

How Long is Forever?

Chapter 26

A/n: Hey everybody- this' the last chapter, just to forewarn you. Thanks for reviewing last time!

xXx

Last time:

"Why do you like me better when I've had alcohol?" Axel asked, resting his head against my chest as we held each other after that.

"I just like it when you're more open and at ease." Axel's fingers ran along my stomach absentmindedly.

"Sorry… I still get nervous 'round you, y'know?" I stared down at his red spikes.

"Why?"

"I just… do. I don't want you do change your mind about me and leave. I've always done it." I ran my fingers through is hair as he bit his lower lip.

"I'm never going to stop loving you." Axel stared up at me, eyes wide. "Get it memorized." The red-head laughed then hugged me.

"You'd better not," he murmured.

xXx

I woke, confused when I couldn't find Axel anywhere and slowly emerged from our fort. My eyes scanned the room for him… but he was nowhere to be found, before I found myself finally going outside. I blinked confusedly. There was a large crowd near the gate to our house. Unable to help myself, I ran toward them and then opened the gate, working my way to the center. I stopped, horrified when I got there. Axel was on the ground, blood pouring from a fresh bullet wound in his right temple. I fell to my knees and screamed…

I woke up, startled, and looked around. Axel wasn't beside me. Having a horrible, sinking feeling, I scrambled out of our fort and I ran to every room, screaming for him. He was nowhere. My knees trembled before buckling and I slumped against the wall, sliding down to the floor as I cried uncontrollably for the next half hour, terrified of going outside.

The front door opened and my eyes locked with Axel's. He dropped the bag of groceries he'd gotten and ran to me. "Roxas!"

"A-axe? Is it really…?" I tried to ask, crying hard as he knelt in front of me.

"I'm so sorry! We were out of eggs and milk and-" I hugged him, refusing to let go. "What happened?" He asked, helping me up and leading me to the couch.

"I-I dreamed that you d-died a-and-"

"Shhh," he whispered, holding me, "I'm here now, it'll be okay."

xXx

"Did you like your dream?"

"You did that?"

"Of course I did." I shook out of anger.

"You despicable son-of-a-" Vexen smirked and I glowered at him.

"Because I was thinking of making it a reality." I paled.

"Don't you dare!"The blond laughed.

"But first, I need to feed the shadows… they're hungry," he said glancing at Reno.

"No! This has to stop!" Vexen laughed.

"And how do you propose we do that?"

"We will fight. If I win, you will move on and never ever bother me or Reno or Axel again."

"What do I get out of it?"

"If you win… I will take off the rosary and do whatever you want."

"Roxas, no!" Vexen kicked the red-head and smirked.

"Somehow, I don't believe you."

"I swear on Axel's life that I am not lying to you!" He came closer to me.

"You should be careful with that in the future, because I accept," he hissed, "and if you go back on your word, Axel will die." I nodded, swallowing.

"First, let Reno go." Vexen kicked the wounded red-head toward me and I crawled over to him, removing the object from my neck and placing it around Reno's. As soon as I did, Vexen grasped my hair and pulled me up. "Ow! Let go!"

"Why the hell would I do that?"

"O-our deal-"

"Is meaningless." I glared at him icily.

"I should have known you'd always be a liar!" I spat at him. "What now? Are you finally going to get your way and rape me?"I stiffened when the darkness below my feet swirled away and I saw myself sleeping on the couch, resting against Axel who was reading a book.

"Oh no, before we do anything, you get to watch yourself die." I gasped, clawing at his hands as he immediately gripped my neck. I thrashed, my body moving a little, and he laughed. "Even better, we have an audience." I shook my head and he tightened his grip.

"A-axxe-" The red-head turned, as if he'd heard my voice.

"Roxas?" He gasped as he saw my face turning red, staring as I fought something unseen. He dropped his book and checked my neck frantically, "No! Where is it?" He asked, panicking as I gasped, trying to breathe in vain, when he realized that I wasn't wearing the rosary, "Roxas? Roxas! Fight, please!"

I clenched my fists as I heard his voice begging me not to give up. Tears slid down my cheeks as spots appeared in my vision and then my eyes widened. The two white butterflies that led me to Reno before were fluttering toward me. Gently, they landed on either of my hands, disappearing when two key-like weapons appeared in their place. I hit Vexen with them as hard as I could, coughing and gasping for air as he staggered away from me. I saw my body fall limply onto Axel before darkness swirled over the scene.

"Brat! I'll kill you!" He yelled as I distanced myself. I ran forward, blades dragging behind me to make an attack, forced to stop when the shadows attacked me. I took them out with two swift blows; one and then the other, amazed at myself. They screeched as they were incinerated by a bright light and I gasped. It was as if these blades were made for me. Then in on fluid motion, I kicked Vexen to the ground as he ran at me and sank the blades into the ground, crisscrossing them at his neck so that he couldn't move. The blond smirked at me.

"What do you intend to do to me, kill me?" Vexen laughed. "I'm already dead. You can't defeat me." I knelt down.

"No, but, they can," I whispered staring off into the distance at the yellow glowing eyes that had been observing us the entire time, "and I'm betting that they're hungry, not picky," I said, patting his head before beginning to walk toward where Reno had been left.

"No, wait!" He yelled I paused turning back. They were already closing in.

"You do realize that I'd love nothing more than to hear you scream as they devour you, right?"

"Please…" I frowned.

"Will you uphold your end of our bargain and never so much as look at me again?" He muttered something under his breath. "What was that?" he glared at me.

"Yes." I turned away and began to walk away, willing the keyblades to vanish, hearing him coming after me immediately after, I summoned the black keyblade, running it through him and pinning him to the ground as he screamed. I stared down at him.

"Goodbye Vexen." He screamed my name but it fell upon deaf ears as I left him for oblivion. I smiled. It would be a fitting name for the blade once the shadows were done with him.

I went to where Reno had been left, hearing screams in the distance but he was nowhere to be found. I panicked a little. I'd given him the rosary for protection so… "Roxas…"

I turned, gasping. He stood before me, looking confused as his wounds healed. My eyes widened as he was enveloped in a brilliant light and he began to float upward, a beautiful smile coming across his face when the darkness opened up and he realized what was happening. I ran toward him. "I'm free!" He exclaimed, looking ecstatic. "All because of you." I smiled happily.

"I'll miss you!" Reno laughed happily reaching out, our fingertips just brushing. I gasped again, seeing the outline of shimmering wings.

"Don't worry, we'll meet again, I promise. Till then, take care of my brother." I promised and then his hand slipped out of mine and he was gone.

"Goodbye… Reno," I whispered, saddened but also happy. I turned, wanting to find the mansion, to be safe, gasping instead when I heard the red-head's voice saying 'thank you' and my vision was filled with a blinding white light. Overcome, I collapsed.

xXx

I woke to a gentle breeze, raising my hand and rubbing my eyes before sitting up. I blinked I was in St. Joe's Hospital. I looked around the room and quickly realized that I was the only one in it. I was a little disappointed, wondering where Axel was. I shrugged, supposing that it didn't matter all that much. I was probably only in here because Vexen had almost killed me; I frowned, realizing that there was an IV in my arm and a catheter in place and I hit my call light. The nurse came bustling in, her eyes wide with shock when she saw me.

"Yuffie?" I asked, remembering the woman.

"Roxas! You're awake! Thank goodness!" I had a bad feeling.

"What's happening? Where is my husband?" The woman smiled kindly.

"We keep urging him to go home but he's refused to leave you this whole time… He just went down to the cafeteria to get some coffee, sweetheart." I relaxed a little before she continued. "You wouldn't wake up, Roxas… You've been asleep for three weeks and five days." I paled.

"Oh God…"

"Let me get the Doctor and then he can reassess you, okay?" I nodded, tears sliding down my face. What had I done to Axel? I was betting he was a wreck. I watched her leave then stared out the window for the longest time. I assumed that they were returning when I heard the door open, but froze when I heard the tired sounding voice of the person who had entered.

"No, Demyx, I'm not going to come home. No. I said no! I refuse to leave Roxas all alone…" I turned to look at him. His eyes widened in shock and he dropped his coffee and barely caught his phone, quickly hanging up and setting it down before rushing over to me. I stared at him and opened my mouth, not knowing what to say. "Roxas? Do you remember me?" he whispered as his eyes welled up, just before he began to cry.

"Of course I do, Axel…" The red-head cried harder and hugged me tightly. I weakly hugged him back. "Why wouldn't I?"

"T-the MRI results were strange, the Doctors thought that you'd had a relapse and would remember even less."

"What happened to me..?"

"Y-you looked like you were being s-strangled and then you wouldn't w-wake up again… I thought that you were g-gone…"

"Axel…" I whispered, guiltily; he was hysterical, "I will never go anywhere again. Please don't cry…" He cried harder, saying nothing until the Doctor arrived. Axel let them examine me and by the time they'd left, the red-head had fallen asleep in a very uncomfortable looking chair. I didn't wake him up. He looked absolutely exhausted; there were even dark circles under his eyes. I hated seeing him that way.

xXx

I went through days of rigorous physical therapy, determined to make it to the bathroom on my own at least and as soon as I could walk that far without help, I requested getting rid of the catheter for good, happy to have it fulfilled. During that time, Axel was close physically but he looked so distant inside. I was sure that his fears of me relapsing again were consuming him, despite my continued improvement.

One day, I gripped his hand and he squeezed back as he stared out the window.

"Axel, Reno went to heaven," I whispered. He stared at me.

"What?"

"Vexen… captured him to try to get to me… and… he was hurting him and was going to hurt you, so I fought him for his, my and your freedom. I won." Axel's mouth fell open. "And then Reno was surrounded by a beautiful light. He was perfect and happy, and just before he vanished, I saw his feathered wings… and then I turned around, saw a blinding light and… woke up here." I smiled. "And I know you now."

"What do you mean…" Axel whispered uncertainly. I grasped the back of his neck and pulled him close. Our eyes locked and he gasped softly as our noses brushed. "Roxas?" he asked. I felt him melt as I gently kissed him.

"I remember everything about you, Axel," I whispered. His lips trembled and he started to cry again just before I kissed him again. When he calmed, he kissed me back. I smiled. "Thanks for putting up with me when I was lost." He smiled back at me.

"I'm sure you would've done the same." I beamed up at him.

"Of course."

xXx

When I fell asleep again, I was uncertain of what to expect, but happy at the same time because I knew that I wouldn't have to deal with the nightmare known as 'Vexen' ever again and tomorrow, if I was still doing well, I could go home. So far I'd been okay and hadn't had dreams… but I didn't trust myself not to see ghosts ever again.

I trembled, frightened when I was surrounded by darkness but gasped when two white butterflies flew around me. "You!" I exclaimed. I'd thought that they had been Reno's doing… Could he still be helping me? I wondered. I chased them and as I ran, the darkness morphed into the most beautiful garden I had ever seen. I stopped as they landed on the ground, surrounded by bushes of white peonies. I gasped as they morphed into something else… A woman. Tears fell down my face and I ran into her arms.

"Momma!" She had always been there for me… watching out for me…

"Oh, my baby… Look how you've grown," she whispered, a prideful glimmer in her eyes. "I just had to see you, to let you know that I'm so proud of you, Roxas." I cried harder and soft lips pressed to my forehead. I wished that I knew what to say. I wished that I could say anything! I wanted to know her so badly. "Now, sweetheart, it's time for you to go back to living your life and being happy."

"But I want to know you!" She smiled sweetly.

"You do know me, baby… and we will meet again when it's your time."

"I don't understand…"

She smiled down at me happily, "My darling, the storm has passed." I searched her beautiful blue eyes. My nightmares… were over?

"For how long?" That gleeful smile widened.

"Always."

xXx

-The End-

A/n: I fully intend to continue this in another story (because I could write about these two forever if I wanted to). This seems to be a good end for this and the supernatural parts, however.

I hope that you enjoyed the story. Tell me your thoughts one more time? Thanks :]