The tall pyro slept deeply, taking comfort in the presence of his closest friend. He dreamed short, vivid dreams as his body recovered, seemingly memories and simple fantasies as opposed to dreams. Roxas turning to face him through a thin haze, smiling. The hug they'd shared on the building. Pressure on his stomach as the boy gripped his waist tightly, head digging into his chest. He and the blond sharing a kiss on the clock tower, their forgotten ice creams melting over their hands. Axel smirking, leering down at the blond he had pinned to the wall, a happy look on both of their faces. All hands desperately roaming over each other, the kiss getting deeper by the second. A shaky Roxas staring up at him with lust-glazed eyes, panting seductively, the dreamiest smile tugging at his lips. The hurt in Roxas' eyes before he turned to leave the castle when he thought Axel – his only remaining friend – had betrayed his trust. The searing pain in his chest as his blood ran cold at the look of pure hatred he'd received when the boy gave a final glance at him, his eyes burning hotter than his flames could ever. And finally, the faces of figures from his past. Dilan, Aeleus… Isa. Lastly, a face that held so much familiarity for him – but with a few subtle differences – that Axel wanted to weep. "You're Lea. Yeah, I got it memorized." Lea… such sentiment behind the name. "Now, do you remember my name?" The redhead sighed inwardly.
"Ven…" The blond gazed down as his ears registered the sound, barely audible over his own thoughts. Huh? Ven? Strange. It feels… somehow familiar. Ven. Ven… Ven! Roxas inhaled sharply as it clicked, memories of Axel's past washing over him. He… I mean I, never saw him again… A single tear rolled down the boy's cheeks, dripping onto the pyro's teardrop tattoo. Gasping, Axel woke and lurched forward, panting heavily. "A-Axel…?" His head spun around to face to face the figure, emerald eyes darting over his features. "Roxas…" Axel reached forward and wiped the tear-stain with his gloved finger. "You're crying. What happened?" Roxas frowned, eyeing him. "I could ask you the same thing." The man swatted at his own face, shocked to find tears in his eyes. "Why…?" they both whispered.
Awkwardly rubbing his hand over the back of his flaming locks, the emerald eyes looked away, unfocussed. "So…" he began, trying to ignore the boy's intense gaze sending chills down his spine. What the heck? "Uh… what exactly was it… that I said in my sleep? That made you cry?" Roxas dropped his stare, mumbling. "The same thing that made you cry." Axel looked up, watching him worriedly. "Roxas… listen, I really don't remember here. Can't you give me anything else to go on? Besides the fact that I obviously hurt you somehow and feel absolutely awful?" He tried to keep his voice level, trying to avoid getting even less of a response out of his friend by yelling at or offending him. "…Something that brought back memories… from my life before my life… I can't really explain it." The redhead was silent, closely observing his potential reactions. "Can you give me a little more? Please, Roxas. I need to know." Roxas eyes hardened again as he glared at his friend. "You should know better than anyone, Lea!" With that he ran out of the room, fists and teeth clenched as Axel stared after him, gaping. Lea?! Where did that come from? I never told him about my past life! Unless… that really did happen…
Roxas stood panting in the redhead's arms, moving slowly as though working out whether he should run or stay. There's nowhere to run, though… There's only one way in or out, and I don't know what's on the other side… Holding him gently, Axel stayed patient, waiting until the boy had calmed down enough to talk. With a deep sigh, Roxas took his hand and led him to the couch so they could sit, slumping against him when they did. "Did you do this on purpose?" Roxas asked sadly, head-butting his arm irritably. Axel blinked twice in confusion. "Do what?" Gripping where he'd been head-butting suddenly, the blond glared at the redhead. "Don't act like you don't know! You just wanted to keep me prisoner here, didn't you?! You only got a place with no doors so you could have me all to yourself! That's it, isn't it?!" The pyro sat silently, staring, before leaning over and hugging him, despite the pain Roxas kept inflicting on his arm. "Of course I didn't, Roxas. I care about you too much. This place was only going to be temporary until I found you, but…" He winced as Roxas pinched that same spot on his arm, glaring at the wall before him. "'But' what, Axel?! 'But I chose to keep you here as my slave'? 'But I couldn't just let you leave once I had you'? What the hell was your motive?!" Sighing, Axel only hugged the boy tighter. "All it was is I began to find it liveable. I didn't even consider how you might feel about it… Sorry, Roxas. If it'll make it up to you, I'll let you through a Darkness Corridor leading directly outside. That way, you can do as you please. You can run, if you still want to. You can look around and get the scenery memorized, so you can always get back out of here if necessary. You can come right back. Do whatever makes you happiest, Roxas. Regardless of what you choose, I'll be here." Roxas released his hold, Axel inwardly breathing a relieved sigh, and stared at him curiously. "You mean it?" Axel smiled tiredly, suddenly exhausted. "Every word." With a swish of his hand, a portal appeared in an empty corner of the room. Roxas glanced at the portal, back to him, and then back to the anomaly several times before getting up and running through it. Axel sighed, rubbing his bleeding arm. Bleeding?! That can't be right… Looking down at his arm, he saw deep, blood-lined scratches trailing up his arm. Well I'll be! Groaning as he pushed himself up, he went to the sink and cleansed the wound, using the cold water to distract him from his thoughts as he shivered. Damn water… Reminds me of Demyx. Gritting his teeth at the memories, he examined his wound. Wow, that kid can scratch! Unaware of his grin and red-tinged cheeks, Axel continued washing it.