a/n: woooooooow i'm horrible

yeah this has been written for a really long time but i'm fucking lazy and also kept forgetting to upload it, sorry about that! but this chapter is almost 3k words, hopefully that makes up for it a little? nah, probably not

anyways, enjoy!

a-far-off-memory

Chapter XXXIV

Soon after Roxas and Sora returned to Kairi's room, Demyx and Zexion arrived. The tall blond immediately moved to her bedside, sitting beside her and starting to tell her jokes to lighten her mood. Roxas was grateful for that, because he knew he wouldn't be able to do that when he was feeling so upset.

"Roxas...I, uh, texted Ven. I don't know if he'll answer or if he'll come, but...I let him know what was going on..." Zexion told him, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

The blond nodded in thanks. "I won't get my hopes up, but thank you for telling him."

"I figured that this might be the kind of incentive he needs to finally come back to us," the shorter teen continued, sighing. "I mean...none of us have heard a word from him, other than Terra. And that didn't exactly end well. But maybe this is the push he needs."

Roxas sighed. "I hope you're right."

Slowly, the minutes ticked by. Reno and Demyx were keeping Kairi entertained, while Riku paced and the others sat in silence. The atmosphere was tense, and so it was no surprise that everyone jumped when there was a knock at the door.

Roxas got up, since he was the closest one to the door and also because he figured it was the doctor. But when he opened it, he found himself looking at the face of someone he hadn't seen in a month.

"...Ven?" he questioned, his voice little more than a whisper.

He watched as his little brother's eyes filled with tears. "Hey, Roxy..."

A cry left the eldest Strife as he reached out to pull his brother in for a hug. Ven's arms surrounded him, and their legs both gave out at the same time as they fell to their knees, clutching each other tightly.

"I was so worried," Roxas choked out, his throat tight with emotion.

"I'm so sorry," Ven sobbed, hugging him tighter. "I was stupid and selfish and all I did was make things worse for you...god, you're so thin...I'm the worst brother in the world..."

"But you're back now," the older blond murmured, swallowing the lump in his throat. "You're back...don't you ever do that to me again..." Pulling back, he wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes and rested a hand on his brother's cheek, biting his lip when he saw that it was covered in dark bruises. "Where were you? What happened?"

Ven looked down, biting his lip. "I think we should wait until later...I promise I'll tell you everything. But some things happened, and...I've been at Terra's since last night."

Choosing not to press any further, Roxas simply hugged him again, burying his face in his shoulder. "I'm so...relieved..." he whispered, voice cracking.

"Rox...what happened to Axel and Kai?"

Sucking in a sharp breath, Roxas steeled himself, eyes shut. "We...we were fighting. He was upset with me because I wasn't taking care of myself, so he...left. Nami and I were just sitting with Sora and Riku when Reno called and told us what happened. Kairi says..." He had to stop for a moment to collect himself. "Kairi says he was sad and didn't see the red light. An SUV slammed into his side of the car."

Ven gasped, eyes filling with tears. "Oh, oh my god...Roxas...is he going to be okay?"

A despondent shrug was his answer. "None of us really know what's going on, just that he's in surgery..."

Ven squeezed him tighter. "I fucked everything up for you...I'm so sorry...I thought I was just a burden on you guys, I didn't realize how much it would affect you if I left..."

"Ven...you're my baby brother, I love you. You will never, ever be a burden to me, no matter what. You got that? I don't know how you got the idea in your head that you were, but...you aren't, okay? You never have been and you never will be. It's my job to take care of you, anyway," the elder Strife murmured, kissing the side of his brother's head.

Ven exhaled deeply, fingers knotting in Roxas' shirt for a moment before smoothing out. "Where's Nami?" he asked softly.

"At Zack and Aerith's...she's sick, I couldn't bring her," he replied.

Nodding, Ven stood, turning his attention to Zexion and letting his brother go. "Zex..." he said quietly, scratching the back of his neck.

Roxas moved aside and Zexion strode over, tears filling his indigo eyes. "You idiot!" the shorter teen exclaimed, smacking him in the chest. "Do you have any idea how worried I was? I could kill you for this..."

The smacking stopped as Ven wrapped his arms around his best friend and tugged him close, squeezing tight. "I'm so sorry, Zex...I should've let you in and talked to you..."

"Damn right you should've," Zexion whispered in reply, voice cracking. "I'm just glad you're back," he added, squeezing tight. "Do this again and I'll kick your ass!"

Ven chuckled through the tears, nodding. "Alright."

Zexion let him go, backing into Demyx's embrace. The tall blond smiled fondly at Ven, murmuring, "Glad you're alright, kid."

Sora was the next to embrace him, hugging him fiercely enough to make him wince. "We missed you, asshole!" he exclaimed, blue eyes stormy. "Don't you ever make any of us worry like that again!" This was punctuated by Riku flicking him in the head lightly, teal eyes equally amused and relieved.

"I won't," he promised, laughing lightly.

Once Sora let him go, he took a seat on Kairi's bed beside her, reaching out to stroke her hair. "You look like you've had a rough day, Red," he murmured, eyes soft.

She looked up at him, eyes glassy. "Missed you," she said quietly, leaning into him.

Ven bit his lip at that, swallowing hard. "I...I missed you too, Kai. I'm sorry."

She sighed, smiling up at him. "'S okay, Venny...still love ya..."

Roxas made his way over, wrapping an arm around his brother. Ven clung to him with the arm that wasn't wrapped around Kairi, and Roxas felt a distinct wetness against the fabric of his shirt where Ven had buried his face.

Maybe things would start looking up. But until he heard news about Axel...Roxas wasn't going to hold his breath.

As the night went on, the number of people in the room began to dwindle. Demyx and Zexion were the first to go, with Demyx making Roxas promise to call or text him once there was news. Sora and Riku had left once they'd been assured by Terra that he could drive both Ven and Roxas home, and Reno had gone home to get food and pack a bag so that he could stay overnight with Kairi. That left Roxas with Ven, Terra and a napping Kairi as they waited for news.

"Will you tell me where you've been now?" the eldest Strife questioned, glancing at Kairi to make sure she was asleep.

Ven sighed. Terra wrapped an arm around him, tugging him close, and kissed the side of his head. Roxas was glad to hear that they were dating—they both looked happy.

"I was with Vanitas," he said softly, avoiding Roxas' eyes. "And before you freak out, he was really good to me. He didn't push me, and I needed that. He was sweet, sweeter than he'd ever acted toward me." Terra made a displeased sound, at which point Ven kissed his cheek to reassure him.

"Then why did he kick you out? And why is your face all bruised? I swear, if that lowlife hurt you—"

"It wasn't him," Ven cut in, tone soothing. "It was his friend...Xehanort. I was alone, Vanitas was still at work...and then he showed up. I didn't like him, he wouldn't stop calling me Vanitas' pet and insulting me, so I defended myself. I called him some names I shouldn't have, pushed him too far...and he just started beating the shit out of me. And then he stopped, Vanitas got home, and he asked me to tell him why I'd left home. I figured it was about time I told him, since he'd been so good to me, but...he was really upset. He yelled at me to leave before he did something he'd regret. So I left, walked to Terra's, then climbed in his window. He took care of me, we talked, and now...here we are."

Roxas let out a long breath, leaning back in his chair. Ven had been with Vanitas. For a month. And Vanitas had apparently been good to him. Then his friend beat Ven up. It was a lot to process, but...

"I guess what matters is that you're back, and you're safe," he sighed, rubbing his face. He was so, so tired. It had been a long, draining day...

Their heads all whipped to the door when they heard a soft knock. It was already open, and a severe-looking man in a long white coat was standing in the doorway. His brown hair was shaggy, and he had a long scar stretching diagonally between two deep blue eyes.

"I'm assuming you're all waiting for information regarding Axel Brenton?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Roxas immediately straightened. "Yes! Is he...is he alright?" He felt like he might throw up, knowing that he might be about to hear something he wouldn't like.

The doctor sighed. "He's stable, we have him in recovery now. I can take one person to see him."

Feeling numb, Roxas felt his brother give him a gentle push. "Go, Rox, we'll sit here with Kairi," he said softly,

Swallowing hard, Roxas stood. His knees were shaky as he followed the doctor from the room, forcing himself to calm his breathing.

"Are you a friend of his?" the doctor questioned.

Roxas bit his lip. "I'm, uh...I'm his boyfriend," he replied, voice soft. "Roxas."

The tall man held out a hand, which the blond shook. "Dr. Leonhart. Roxas, I can tell your boyfriend is a fighter...he sustained some pretty serious injuries in that crash, but he's hanging on."

"What exactly are his injuries?" asked the blond nervously.

Dr. Leonhart sighed. "Among a broken nose and severe concussion, Axel suffers from more than a few broken ribs, one of which managed to puncture one of his lungs, and there is also some damage to his neck which will require him to wear a brace for the next little while. He ripped his seatbelt off before jumping in front of his sister, which caused him to fly into the door and hit his head and break his nose and is the reason for the damage to his neck. The airbag struck his side, causing his ribs to break. He was very lucky that there was an ambulance near the scene, or else I'm not so sure things would look very good for him right now."

Roxas swallowed hard. "And how do things look for him right now?"

The doctor looked down at him, and something in his eyes calmed Roxas. "He's not completely out of the woods yet, but the surgery went extremely well. With lots of rest and some time here, I believe he'll make a full recovery." His mouth tightened. "We do have him in an induced coma at the moment, however. It's standard procedure for patients with severe head injuries, because we want to give them a little time to properly heal. We're going to keep him under for a few days, so I'm he isn't going to be awake just yet," he said in a grave tone.

Roxas blinked back tears at that, taking a deep, shaky breath. "Will he be able to hear me?"

"It's possible."

The blond nodded at that. "Alright, thank you."

They reached the door to Axel's room then, and Dr. Leonhart stopped. "He's on a respirator at the moment, and there are lots of machines and tubes connected to him. Prepare yourself," he told him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "If you have any questions, a nurse will be in to check on him soon."

"Thank you," the blond whispered, watching as he nodded before walking away.

Taking a deep breath, Roxas entered the mostly dark room, creeping closer. He couldn't see Axel yet, a curtain was blocking his view, and he was slightly grateful for that. It gave him extra time to prepare.

When he gained the courage to glance around the curtain, he nearly collapsed.

Axel's thin, lanky form laid almost peacefully in the bed. Various liquids dripped into him through IVs, and there was a large tube going into his mouth that Roxas knew was breathing for him. His head was heavily bandaged, his nose splinted, and there was a brace on his neck. His upper body was bare, peeking up over the blankets, and Roxas caught the sight of bandages on his torso.

Crushing despair filled him at seeing Axel like this, and it was all he could do to keep walking and make his way to the bed, where he sat. He was careful not to jostle the bed too much, not wanting to hurt his boyfriend further.

"Oh Ax..." he whispered, throat burning as tears stung his eyes. "I'm so sorry..."

As carefully as he could, he leaned down to press a soft kiss to each of the redhead's cheeks, directly over the small purple tattoos. "I'm sorry I worried you so much that you left. I'm sorry that I upset you so badly that you got into an accident. I'm sorry that I didn't try hard enough..." He fiddled with a strand of bright red hair, a sob clawing its way free. "But I love you, Axel, so much. And I'm going to be better. Ven came back, and he's okay...so I can be okay, too, but only if you promise to get through this. I can't imagine a life without you...I really hope you can hear me right now. Even if you can, I'm going to repeat this every day until I see your eyes open again, okay? I love you..."

He kissed his eyelids gently before straightening up, not wanting to risk hurting him accidentally. He knew he'd have to leave soon and let Reno visit, but for now, he just wanted to stay.

"I'll be right back," Roxas murmured as he jumped out of the back of Terra's car. He made his way up the walkway to the Fair residence, knocking lightly on the door.

It didn't take long for Zack to answer. Immediately, the black-haired man hugged Roxas tight. "Jesus, kid, you alright?"

Shakily, he nodded. "I'm fine."

"Sora told me that Ven came back...Naminé doesn't know yet, we figured it'd be a nice surprise. She's been so sad, Xion's been keeping her busy but she's been worried..." His blue eyes were soft. "How's Axel?"

Roxas swallowed hard. "He's...stable. They have him in an induced coma, they're keeping him in it for a few days because of his head injuries. He also punctured a lung, which is why he was in surgery. He's...he's pretty busted up, Zack, and I'm so worried..."

Zack hugged him tighter. "Kid, he's gonna make it. That boy's been through a lot—he's strong. Try not to worry so much, yeah?"

The blond nodded. "I'll try."

Zack let him go, turning his head. "Naminé, kiddo, your big brother is here to get you," he called.

It didn't take long for the little blonde to appear. She looked pale and sick, and it tugged on Roxas' heart strings as he lifted her and kissed the side of her head.

"Thank you for watching her, Zack. Tell Aerith I said thanks, too. I really appreciate it."

"Anytime, Roxas. Drop her off whenever you need to go to the hospital, okay?"

Nodding, Roxas carried his sister out, rubbing her back. "I have a surprise, kiddo...look," he told her, pointing to the car. Ven was lounging against it, a misty-eyed smile on his face.

Immediately, Naminé began to squirm, and Roxas let her down. She ran to Ven, coughing the whole way, tackling him once she reached him.

"Venny!" she yelled, eyes brimming with tears as he lifted her to hug her tight. "You...you came home! I thought you would never come home!"

He sniffled, kissing her face all over. "I could never leave forever, Nams...I'm sorry I left in the first place. Do you forgive me?"

She nodded rapidly. "I love you, Venny, and I was really sad. But I don't have to be sad now, because you're back."

"Kiddo...I love you too," he whispered, crushing her to his chest.

A moment later, he helped her into her seat and fastened her seatbelt. Roxas got in beside her, and then Terra started his car again.

Their little broken family would survive no matter what.

a/n: so finally we know axel's condition, and the Strife siblings are all together again! seems peachy, right?

wrong B) more disruptions of peace to come, sorry guys! but this story is in the home strech-i see maybe ten more chapters from here until the end. sad, right? so yeah shit'll be tough before it can get better!

also i'm working on a soriku oneshot that involves toy lightsabers and a hint of jealousy, that's all i'm gonna say B)

until next time! sorry again for the wait!

afom out~