So. We've finally reached the ending to Angels Never Lie. It's crazy how in-depth this story got, huh? What started out as a simple, bad boy meets angelic boy fanfic turned into a bad boy loves boy with personality problems story. That's so classic me. Pssh, I hope you all stayed with me this whole time...no one got thrown off the coaster, right? Anyway, this baby is finally done and I can feel nothing but happiness for this fic. This was probably the hardest fanfic I've written thus far.

All of you reading and reviewing...I may not know you...I may not kiss or touch or hold you...but I love you. Thank you for your support. :)

Without further adieu...the conclusion.

"If I had to give them names…okay, how about this? There's Angel Roxas, Angry Roxas, Emo Roxas, and Roxas now. Emo Roxas is an extension of depressed Angel Roxas, but it can also be from confused Angry Roxas. And none of the versions are confident in themselves…specifically, none of them are confident enough to date me in public because of Namine. There." Axel explained securely, smirking when all of his friends gave him blank looks. He shrugged nonchalantly. It wasn't like it was that big of a deal anymore.

Axel Highwind had first met Roxas Strife in middle school, where he fell head over heels for him. He hid his feelings out of fear (reasonably so—Roxas hated him back then) and, once he went to high school, didn't hear from him again.

Then, out of the blue, Roxas transferred to his high school, suddenly all sugary, sweet, and angelic. That's when Axel decided he was going to try to get him to be himself again. In the process, however, he ended up falling for the little blonde again without realizing it.

That was when Roxas underwent hypnotherapy, once more changing his character. Roxas' angelic personality was gone, replaced with the one that Axel had encountered back in middle school—aggressive and angry all of the time. Not to mention, he had completely forgotten him!

Thanks to Namine, Roxas' first love, the blonde was able to remember him again, but now Axel wasn't sure how to break the spell he was still under—his angelic self was locked in his self-conscious.

"So," Demyx ventured carefully, eyeing him in concern, "Which one are you in love with again?"

Axel's smirk fell. Oh. That. "Well…fuck if I know."

Zexion shook his head while the rest of the listeners all let out simultaneous sounds of frustration, protest and amusement. It was lunch time at Jecht Academy and Axel was sitting at his normal lunch table with his misfit albeit awesome friends…across from Roxas Strife's table.

Not that he planned that or anything. Well…okay, maybe he did.

Subtly, he stood up and stretched, glancing over the miscellaneous heads until his eyes rested on Roxas. The adorable blonde was snapping at Hayner for stealing a chip, something that didn't cause his friends to cringe or jump, but to laugh. It looked like they were finally used to his old self again.

Olette felt him staring and looked directly at him, before leaning in and whispering something to Roxas. Whatever she said caused him to redden. Suddenly, his eyes were meeting his own, and it was Axel who was trying not to blush.

"Oh stop it." Larxene snapped irritably, tugging Axel's shirt and pulling him down into his seat. "I still hate that selfish son of a bitch."

"He's not selfish. He's just confused." Zexion answered softly, giving her a warning look. "He's still our friend, so don't speak about what you do not know."

Larxene snarled at him before sliding further down her seat without another word. Seemed that she too had forgotten that Roxas used to be one of their friends before he changed. Axel sighed into his fries, picking absently at them. He missed those days. If only he wasn't so stupid! If only he hadn't encouraged Roxas to undergo that rigged surgery.

If only he had loved him like he was supposed to.

April

Axel Highwind needed to stop staring at me. It was cute at first; even sexy at times, but now it was a damn nuisance. My cheeks couldn't handle it! I was walking around, looking like a freaking tomato, all because that damn redhead couldn't stop undressing me with his eyes!

I had come to terms with the fact that every side of me was in love with Axel. What I had not come to terms with was the fact that if I told Axel this, he might not reciprocate or worse…

He might feel the same way, and we were going to have to fucking date. Date!

What was this, a musical? Why did everything have to be so black and white? Either I love Axel and I date him, or I don't date Axel, so I can't have him.

And I wanted him. Oh, I wanted him so bad it fucking hurt.

I wanted his body, his love…his soul. I wanted everything; every part of him to myself.

But that would require being in the limelight. That would require getting looks from my peers when I held his hand, since just a few weeks ago, I swore I hated him. That would require girls like Selphie getting all up in my face, trying to fight me, because they loved him just as much as I do.

That would…also require…well, giving up on Namine completely. Even though she was far, far away off in Zanarkand, I still caught myself thinking about her.

Besides…Axel might not even love me. For all I know, he's still in love with the kid I used to be. And that person was gone forever.

I think.

The bell rang—we were all sitting at our usual lunch table, coincidentally across from Axel's—and I stood up, raising my arms above my head to get a good stretch in. A little bit of skin peeked out from underneath my untucked shirt, but I ignored it, figuring that no one was watching.

Suddenly, I felt a tight hand grip my wrist. My immediate reaction was to send a punch with my other hand, but when I saw it was only Axel, my body relaxed instantly.

"What are you doing?" Axel whispered hotly in my ear, causing me to blush from his warm breath on my ear. "Trying to seduce the whole damn school?"

I looked up. Indeed, I was receiving a number of longing stares from both girls and guys. Scoffing, I gave Axel a mocking look—but I didn't pull away from his grasp. "Does the 'whole school' include you as well?"

Olette, Hayner and Pence all slowed in their movements, watching us in curiosity. Axel leaned in closer to me so that his lips were actually touching my ear. "I should be the only one in school that you notice, Roxas."

"No more 'Angel'?" I challenged, but in the back of my mind I was wondering if he preferred that version of me. Ugh, I was ridiculed with self-doubt.

"Nothing about you is angelic." Axel responded simply. At my insecure expression, he added, "It's very sexy."

"Okay, okay, that's enough. Time for class." Hayner interjected obnoxiously, wedging himself in between us. "Let's go, Roxas."

Axel smiled mockingly. "Roxas and I are going to the same class. Shouldn't I take him?"

Hayner grimaced and opened his mouth to say something, but Olette shook her head and covered his mouth with her hand, smiling ruefully. "Oh, that's right! Hayner has to come with us for some unknown reason. Let's go, Hayner!"

"So," Axel began pleasantly as we walked to class, ignoring the longing sighs the two of us were getting individually, "Prom is next week."

I flushed and directed my attention to my sneakers. Prom…ugh. I remembered saying I would go with him back before my therapy. Would he still make me go? Or was I home free?

"Yeah…prom…" I muttered distantly, still avoiding eye contact. Axel smirked and gave me a reassuring pat on the back that somehow convinced me that he was a good person who wasn't going to make me go. "I don't have to go, right?"

"Wrong. You're my date…remember?" Axel snickered, pocking my forehead with his finger teasingly. "A promise is a promise!"

I stared at him in horror. "I promised?"

Was I an idiot in my past life? Why the hell would I promise something like that?

Axel scratched his head evasively. "Eh, something like that. Anyway, a man's word is practically a promise, right? So you have to go with me."

I frowned. This felt like a trap. Besides that, why the fuck was Axel forcing me to do something I promised a bajillion years ago…back when I wasn't even myself? He could be a bit more sensitive, dammit!

Besides…if he wanted me to go with him, he should ask me again, properly, like a date.

Not that I wanted that!

"Whatever. I'm going to class." I suddenly snapped, shoving past Axel and into class. I made sure to plop down into the seat between two people so Axel couldn't get to me. He slowly walked in and stared at me, looking adorably bewildered.

I looked away. Just looking at him looking like that made me want to kiss him. Fuck.

This was going to be a long class.

"What exactly are you upset about?" Selphie asked me, staring at me with wide eyes. "Not judging or anything, though, promise!"

I regarded her sadly, clutching my backpack aggressively lest someone try to steal it. It had been a while since I'd been on the bus and the kids were rowdier than ever. It had also been a while since I'd talked to Selphie normally. But since we were friends in my past life, I was trying to make a more conscience effort to be nicer to her or whatever.

"I'm starting to get the feeling that Axel doesn't…well, that he's not making a huge effort to get to know the 'me' now, you know?"

Selphie hummed in thought, looking away from me. "I don't think it's anything serious, though."

"It is to me!" I snapped in frustration, before shaking my head and immediately apologizing. This is why I couldn't ever make new friends. "Uh, sorry."

Selphie shrugged, but I could tell that she still wasn't used to my constant mood swings. "Don't worry about it. A-Anyway, I'm pretty sure he's doing everything in his power to make you fall in love with him."

I pinched the bridge of my nose as I took a deep breath. I didn't want to have to tell her this, but…for time purposes…"Selphie, I've been in love with Axel for a while now. That can't be the problem, here."

You would have thought I told Selphie I secretly fantasized about Elmo in my sleep. Her whole being jumped up in surprise, her curls bouncing comically while her expression was one of complete and total shock.

"Wow…you're so surprised. Should I be offended?" I joked lamely, giving her a weird look. "No really…you look way too shocked."

"My plan actually worked!" She squeaked to herself, but at my puzzled look she quickly coughed and added, "I-I mean…my…friendship plan? Since we must be friends for you to…uh…have to tell me that."

"Oh." I responded indifferently, turning to look out of the window. Trees and suburban houses swam past us, looking so cozy and quiet. I kind of felt out of place with all of my problems… "Anyway…he's managed to make me fall for him…now it's his turn to fall in love with me."

Selphie fell silent in realization. "Oh…well…you're right."

Of course I was right.

6 Days Until Prom

Because I was a fucking sucker, I decided to go ahead and buy my ticket to prom. Just in case Axel actually grew some balls and asked me to be his date in the most romantic way he could think of.

So far, he hadn't.

I'll be honest…I was confused as hell. Sure, he bantered with me all the time, acted like he wanted to fuck me, got jealous when other guys checked me out…but not once had he actually stepped up and asked me out.

Why, dammit? I was waiting for him. It was his damn move!

At this point, I was willing to put down my walls and…and date him. In public. Officially.

More and more my feelings for him were growing, and I was tired of acting like I didn't want this man for myself. I was tired of having to fight for everything. It was high time someone else fought for me too.

"You tell him that?" Olette demanded as we stood in line for our prom tickets, talking about my problems to pass the time. "How's he supposed to know, Roxas? He doesn't even know you love him!"

"Shut up!" I hissed, covering her mouth with my hand. I didn't want everyone to know my feelings yet…what if Axel didn't reciprocate? "Don't go public with that shit!"

"Well, excuse me!" Olette retorted in a tone that told me she had no intention of apologizing. "I guess I just thought you had bigger balls!"

I rolled my eyes at her and motioned for us to walk forward, since the line was moving. "Whatever. I'll get some balls when he grows a pair."

"That's so not how it works." She mumbled, folding her arms, but I ignored her.

"All he has to do is ask me, and everything will be great."

5 Days Until Prom

Why the fuck hadn't he asked me yet?

Well, fine. His witty bantering privileges were gone.

4 Days Until Prom

"Roxaaaaaas…" Axel whined as we spoke to each other in the hall next to my locker for the first time in three days. "What did I do?"

"Think really, really hard." I bit, yanking my books out of my locker to avoid eye contact. One look into those eyes and I would be a goner. "You'll figure it out."

"Why don't you just tell me and stop playing these damn games?" Axel demanded, sounding a wee bit snappier than I expected. As if he had any right to get irritated with me!

"I'm not playing any games; you're the one who is playing with me." I retorted, slamming my locker door shut and turning to face him. For once, I wasn't going to run away. That was the old me…I was Roxas fucking Strife now.

"Be honest with me. Do you love me?" I asked him slowly, staring intently at the hole in my shoe. I resisted the urge to take off running and stayed put, waiting, on edge, for his answer.

He stared at me with an unreadable expression, but I didn't let that deter me.

"Here's the thing, Axel." I murmured, feeling as if it was just him and me in this damn school; we were the only ones in this moment. "I'm…well, I'm in love with you again. And I know thus far you've been in love with the other version of me. Do you think you could love the me now? The present me?"

Axel looked me straight in the eye, and I held my breath, waiting, on edge, for his response.

"I…I just don't know Roxas."

"You just…don't know." I repeated emotionlessly, feeling a familiar coldness wash over me. Jeez…this was bad. This was really bad.

"Don't look like that." Axel breathed, looking torn, but I didn't care. He had no right to give a damn about what expressions I made. He had no right to me anymore.

"Okay." I mumbled, that being the only word I could think of, before turning on my heels and walking away stiffly. I heard him call after me, but I just didn't care anymore. I was tired of fighting for his affection.

3 Days Until Prom

"You're being ridiculous, you know." Olette sighed as we sat back-to-back on the floor of my room. After she had gotten over the initial horror that one always felt when entering my room, she was now focusing all of her energy on convincing me that I was an idiot when it came to Axel.

I didn't doubt that one bit.

"Yep." I replied instantly, hiding a smile. She wasn't going to like that.

"Oh, so you're aware of it." She snapped in exasperation, turning around so fast that I fell on my ass from the lack of structure. Blinking up at her, I shrugged.

"I'm so, so aware of it." I told her seriously. She frowned down at me for a second before plopping on my body as if I was a pillow.

"Everyone is."

2 Days Until Prom

It was going to be a bad day. I could just feel it.

Coffee spilled on my shirt, my shoes broke, I got an F on an assignment, and Riku jacked Sora off when he thought I wasn't looking. I had been looking.

It had been a bad day.

But only because Axel wasn't at school that day.

1 Day Until Prom

This was Axel's last chance to ask me to prom so we could make-up and go together. But I wasn't hoping or anything that he would. Really. I wasn't.

"I'll bet he's going to do something extravagant!" Olette guessed excitedly, sitting down next to me at lunch. "Can't you just feel it?"

"I feel indigestion. God, those cheese fries were not a good idea." Hayner deadpanned, causing me to snort. Of course, Olette glared at me as if I was the one that said it.

"Look, mister, that's your knight in shining armor. If you don't be careful, he'll ride off into the sunset without you." She snapped, opening her apple juice with vigor.

I shrugged. I didn't even like horses.

I glanced up to see if Axel was at his lunch table. But in that moment, I felt my heart stop. Not because sexy green eyes met my own. But because he was kneeling down, holding a big bouquet of flowers in his hand, pointing them at…

Selphie.

"What the hell?" I blubbered, standing up angrily and glaring at him. How could he? All this time, he was in love with fucking Selphie? No wonder he hadn't asked me to prom…he was planning to go with her.

Axel frowned from the other side of the room, calling out my name, but I ran out of the lunchroom before he could catch me. I was so done with him. No more! This love game was just too much for me to handle.

Axel was too much for me to handle.

Prom Day

"Are you a complete idiot?"

Riku and I stood towering over Sora's bed, staring down at its inhabitant, who was surrounded by used tissues and uneaten bowls of soup. He sniffed pitifully, peering up at Riku with wide blue eyes.

"Rikuuuu…don't be mean to me…I'm sick!" He wailed, flailing his arms in a half-hearted attempt to grab his hand. Riku rolled his eyes, but I noticed he intertwined his fingers with Sora's comfortingly when he thought neither of us was paying attention.

"What kind of dummy sleepwalks in 30 degree weather?" He scoffed, sitting down next to my brother and placing a soothing hand over his forehead. Changing his voice so it was very kind, he cooed, "You're such a dumbass."

Sora stupidly beamed at him, deceived by his nice tone. "Thanks, Riku!"

Riku and I fell silent to allow Sora proper time to register what he actually said. Let's be honest, no one ever said my brother was smart.

"Hey!"

"Okay guys, I'm going to order pizza and watch Saw. Who's in?" I offered cheerfully, holding up the aforementioned DVD in my hand with a grin. "Good old fashioned gore!"

Sora sat up shakily, giving me a pointed glare. "Don't you have a prom to be attending? You have to go to prom!"

"I don't have a date." I shrugged, giving him a challenging smirk. How 'bout that?

"Oh, yes you do." Sora grinned back before pointing determinedly at Riku. "He's your new prom date."

Riku's face darkened at the same time that mine drained completely of color. No way. There was no fucking way I was going to prom with goddamn Riku.

"No." Riku and I responded at the same time. "Besides," I added, taking a few steps away from them, "Axel would know it was me, and then he would get mad that I went to prom with someone else."

"That's what disguises are made for." Sora said, laughing maniacally before breaking into a fit of hacking coughs.

Riku sighed. "Why are you such a cliché?"

"Whatever," Sora retorted, settling back down into the bed much to Riku's relief, I noticed. "You guys love me, admit it."

"No need."

"Nah."

Sora growled half-heartedly as he slowly began to drift into sleep. "This medicine…makes me…'leepy…"

"I know. Just go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up." Riku whispered with a slight smile, giving him a chaste kiss to his forehead.

"Promise you'll go to prom with Roxas?" Sora mumbled, squeezing Riku's hand. "Please?"

Riku glanced at me speculatively before turning back to Sora. Now he was blinking up at him, his wide eyes sleepy yet admiring. I frowned. This was a lost cause.

"Fine…I promise."

Two hours later, dressed in a puffy pink prom dress that Riku found in the back of his mom's closet, Riku and I were taking prom pictures for Sora to see when he woke up. These pictures were not going to be lovely because I did not want to look lovely, therefore my expression was not lovely. In fact, I was scowling.

I understood the dress. You know, the whole dress-man-like-woman-so-other-man-won't-tell-who-it-is trick. Sure, I got that. But why did I need a blonde wig that made my hair look long and fluffy? And why the hell did I need to be wearing so much make-up I looked like a baby doll?

Riku snickered at my facial expression. "You look like an evil Princess."

I regarded him blankly. "That's the best you could come up with?"

My retort had no affect on Riku whatsoever. This is why I could never be with him. "No, there's some good ones swimming in my head, but I want to be a gentleman for the lady."

"Fuck you." I spat, grabbing my purse in the manliest manner I could muster. "Now come on, the limo is waiting and my heels are killing me."

The second I walked into prom, I knew this plan wasn't going to work. For one thing, the whole place looked like a Paris ball or something. It was such a romantic atmosphere that I felt wistful that I was here with my brother's boyfriend, and not the person I was interested in.

Not that that was my fault, mind you. I'm not the one who asked another girl to prom.

But when I noticed Axel, who was watching the door hopefully, he wasn't there with Selphie. In fact, I saw Selphie dancing with Tidus near the DJ stand. That was odd.

Nervously, I passed him with Riku in tow on our way deeper into the room. Still, there was no way he could recognize me dressed like a girl. His eyes flickered over me in disinterest for a moment, but lingered on my face. Hotly, I turned away.

"Come on, Riku." I whispered, pulling him away from Axel. Riku just groaned.

We sat at Olette's table, trying to pretend as if we were just strangers. But even Olette was staring at me in confusion, trying to discern if she knew me or not.

To make things worse, I could still feel Axel staring at me intensely from the other side of the room. I quickly looked away, trying to force my blush to go down. This wouldn't do. If he kept staring at me, he was definitely going to figure out it was me.

"Let's dance!" I trilled to Riku, grabbing his hand to pull him to the dance floor. To my chagrin, he stubbornly remained rooted to the spot, giving me an indifferent shrug.

"Go dance by yourself." He told me with little emotion. At my outraged expression, he had the nerve to flip his hair over his shoulder and sniff, "I don't dance."

"Riku…darling…" I pleaded through clenched teeth, forcing a polite smile on my face. When he didn't budge, I quietly added, "You don't have a fucking say in this; you're a goddamn rag doll, got it?"

Riku frowned but wordlessly followed me on the dance floor. When I turned to face him, he had his arms folded stubbornly over his chest, eyeing me distastefully. "You used to be adorable. What happened?"

I scowled at him, growing even more irritated by the second. "I grew up, asshole. Maybe you should try it."

"Solid joke." Riku scoffed sarcastically, but thankfully, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close, just as a slow song played on the speakers. We silently began to dance, each watching each other with introspective expression on our faces.

Finally, Riku broke the silence by leaning over, whispering in my ear, "What if our fates were different?"

"Huh?"

"I mean," Riku began awkwardly, no longer looking at me. "What if I didn't love Sora so goddamn much? What if it was you? You look the same…why not you?"

I smirked up at him. Was he a dumbass? "That's because—"

"You're annoying as hell." We both answered at the same time, then burst out laughing. In lieu of our merriment, Riku spun me, but I lost my balance from the heels, tumbling away from him and right into—

"Axel!" I exclaimed without thinking as he caught me in his arms. I stared up at him timidly, taking in his expression. He was glowering at me, his aura screaming 'I'm going to kill you.'

Crap.

I flinched and made a move to get out of his grasp, but he physically picked me up and hauled me over his shoulder, dragging me out of the auditorium while everyone watched us in surprise.

When we got out into the hallway, he finally set me down. I whirled around to face him, but found myself looking away again when I saw that his face was not kind whatsoever.

Unsure of what to do, I put on my best fake smile and began, "U-Um…it's really nice to meet you, Axel High—"

"Because I'm really the kind of guy who wouldn't be able to tell who his romantic interest is, just by putting on some make-up and a wig." Axel spat out bitterly, glaring down at me condescendingly. "Yeah, I'm clearly the smarter half of this relationship."

"Hey!" I sputtered indignantly, crossing my arms and pointing a finger accusingly at him. "I'm not the one who asked another person to prom, now am I?"

Axel rolled his eyes at me as he nodded his head towards the auditorium. "Clearly you are, since you're here with fucking Riku."

I opened my mouth to retort, but faltered brilliantly. Goddamn it…that was true…

"Y-Yeah, but," I stammered, trying to get my wits about me, "You're the one who asked Selphie to prom first! I know you don't love me, but…I thought you at least liked me!"

Axel stared at me wordlessly for a second before yanking me towards him by pulling on my dress, no doubt stretching it. I tumbled into his arms; all I could do was blink up at him.

"Wha—?"

"Are you some kind of idiot?" He muttered in irritation, gazing down at me intently. "Those flowers were all for you. Selphie was just helping me."

"B-But—?"

"You would've known that immediately," Axel continued as if I hadn't spoken, "had you not have run away from me. Again."

I fell silent, feeling like the world's biggest dummy. Maybe I was stupid…why couldn't I keep a clear head when it came to Axel?

Feeling exhausted, I rested my forehead against Axel's chest, surprising him. "I…Axel, this isn't going to work."

I felt him stiffen, but I didn't let go. He had to hear this…he had to understand. "You…y-you…aren't in love with me, are you?"

When I didn't get a response, I nodded to myself slowly. "I know. I'm not the fucking little Angel you fell in love with. I'm stupid, irrational, and jump to conclusions. Most of all, I'm selfish as hell. That's not what you signed up for, but still, you stay with me. I'm very thankful for that. But…I can't hold you back anymore."

"Hold me back?" Axel repeated blankly. I clutched his arms tighter.

"I-If you don't love me…j-just leave. Find some nice girl, go to college, and just leave me alone."

"Roxas," Axel began softly, tenderly resting his hand against my cheek, "I—"

"Axel! Roxas!" Selphie cried, as she suddenly came into view. She was clutching her purse and jacket, looking as if she were about to run off at any moment. "It's Namine! We have to go see her now…she's really sick! Come on, I've got the limo ready!"

"What?" Axel and I demanded at the same time. Giving them both weird looks, I added, "How're we going to get to her by limo? She's all the way in Zanarkand! And…how do you two even know her?"

"Ugh, there's no time for this! We'll explain in the car!" Selphie yelled, grabbing both of our arms and yanking us towards the door. "Let's go!"

"She's here, on the Islands?" I asked sharply as we ran to the doors, shooting them suspicious looks. "How long has she been here? You guys knew?"

Selphie didn't say anything, just gave me an apologetic look as she continued running. Axel, on the other hand, was looking at everything but me. I felt a wave of dread wash over me as I realized it…all of those awkward conversations with Hayner about her…Olette's awful acting attempts when it came to the topic…Axel's knowing smirk whenever I brought her up…

"You knew she was here all along, didn't you? You lied to me!" I shouted, stopping in my running to glare at Axel darkly. How could he? HOW COULD HE?

"Angel, listen—"

"Don't call me that!" I roared and without thinking, I sent a hard punch to Axel's jaw, sending him stumbling away from me and Selphie.

"Roxas!" Selphie gasped, but I only shoved past her to the doors, striding outside and over to where our limo driver stood anxiously waiting. "They're not coming with us." I told him aggressively as I climbed inside. "Just go."

By the time Axel and Selphie came rushing out of the school, we were already pulling out of the parking lot.

I stared wide-eyed at the mansion that the limo pulled up to, feeling a wave of hurt wash over me. So Selphie had been here enough times to tell the limo driver where to go and how to get here. I glared at the limo driver, feeling betrayed even by him, as I snapped at him to wait here.

Then I made my way up to the house, anger propelling me straight through the door without knocking. An elderly man in a crinkled suit, holding in one hand a doll that looked startlingly like Namine and in the other a glass of water, froze in shock as I swung open the door.

"Where is she?" I demanded, slamming the door behind me. "Where's Namine?"

The elderly man stared at me for a moment before realization dawned on his face. "Don't tell me…are you Roxas Strife?"

My anger dissipated momentarily in my confusion. "Uh…yeah. How did you know?"

The man shook his head sadly. "Miss Namine has told me much about you. I'm her butler. Have you come to see her off, Roxas? Or do you have a plan to save her?"

I frowned at the waver of hope in his last question. Save her? Wait…"Is she…actually dying?"

He nodded once before disappointment overtook him. He wordlessly led me to Namine's bedroom, where a sign hung from the door announcing, "Last-Minute Visits in Here".

I felt my stomach churn nervously at the sign. So it was true. Namine really was dying. But what did the butler mean? Why would I have a plan to save her when I didn't even know what was wrong?

I softly opened the door, wanting to be careful not to startle Namine when she saw that it was me again. Who I found, however, sitting by the open window, was not the girl I remembered.

"N-Namine!" I choked out, striding to her and pulling her to my chest. My anger threatened to explode and obliterate the whole house. "What the fuck happened to you?"

"Roxas…?" Namine breathed in question, peering up at me with tired, dull blue eyes. "What are you...?"

"I swear I had no fucking idea you were on the islands…this is all Axel fucking Highwind's fault! I would've been there for you in your illness—I wouldn't have wasted my time with that traitorous bastard, I promise you, Namine!"

At my frustration-fueled outburst, Namine shook her head and pulled away from me, giving me the look I was accustomed to receiving from her back when were staying at that hospital together in the past. Sympathy.

"Roxas…your temper…is out of control." She managed to sigh, before breaking out in a fit of coughs that left my prom dress splattered with blood. She began to apologize before she finally registered that I was dressed like a woman.

"Why are you…?"

"Don't worry about it." I cut her off. "No time. Listen, now that I'm here…tell me what I can do to save you! What's killing you, Namine? Tell me and I'll find a cure."

Namine reached over to drag a drawing towards me, but the movement proved too hard for her. Instead, she collapsed in my arms, managing only to bring the drawing a little closer. Catching on to what she was doing, I took the picture myself and glanced at it.

It was a scribbled drawing of me and…Axel?

"What is this? How do you know Axel?" I demanded, crumbling up the paper and tossing it over my shoulder. "Never mind, he's a waste of time. Now about that cure…"

Namine coughed wildly as she tried to tell me something, but I shushed her by picking her up in arms. She weakly clung to me as I strode out of the room towards the front of the house where I knew the exit was; I was taking this patient to the hospital.

But before I could reach out to open the door, it swung open on its own accord, and I found myself face to face with Axel Highwind.

His facial expression was an odd balance between apologetic and pissed. But knowing Axel, he was probably leaning more towards the disgruntled side.

"Where the fuck are you going?" He demanded, stepping so we were close…so very close. His scent was so enticing…but there was no time for this.

I glared at him defiantly. "I'm taking Namine to the hospital and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

Selphie, who had been hiding behind Axel, suddenly jumped out from behind me and cried, "No! Her only cure is right here in this house!"

I stared at her, noting that maybe there was something valuable about Selphie after all! "Really? Take us there!"

In a bold move, Selphie snatched Namine from me in the blink of an eye, pushed me out of the house, and locked the door. While we stood there, shocked, like idiots, Selphie called out, "Making up is the cure, dummies! Admit you love each other…then you can come back inside! Until then, I'm watching over Namine."

Then…utter silence.

I blinked a couple of times more. This wasn't happening. The love of my life, who I had shamefully neglected in favor of a lying, sneaky redhead, was dying and I was trapped outside of her house.

I did the only thing I could think of.

"LET ME IN TH E FUCKING HOUSE, YOU STUPID GIRL!" I shouted at the door, kicking it a couple of times for effect. I swirled around to face Axel when I didn't get any response, eyeing him distastefully. "Aren't you going to help?"

Axel regarded me like I was some kind of child. "It's no use. She means what she said. Apparently you and I making up is the cure."

I shoved him from pure disbelief. "That's ridiculous! You're just saying that so I'll forgive you!"

He frowned at me deeply, unmoving from where I shoved him. "Violence won't save her, Roxas."

"Don't you dare talk about her!" I hollered, just to release some tension. I knew yelling wouldn't help at all, but somehow it felt good. "You tricked me into falling in love with you, then you just up and decided you didn't want me anymore! Now the one person I really love is dying all because of you!"

"How the hell is that my fault?" Axel replied snappily, and now I could see I had finally riled him up. "You always blame me for things out of anyone's control! How was I supposed to know that your little love prospect is dying from our fighting? Huh? Riddle me that!"

I hesitated for a second, then came back with, "You lied to me about her being here all this time! Why? Why would you do that? I trusted you!"

A flicker of remorse appeared in his green irises before he shook his head and hardened once more. "I'm not going to apologize for that…I did what I thought I needed to do to get you back."

That last statement made me angrier than anything he had ever said or done to me. It made me even angrier than his lies about Namine. And that was saying something.

"Well you won! You got me back—I'm fucking in love with you! But you don't want me back! Not for real—you've just been playing with me this whole time, and now that you have me, you don't want me!"

I was so angry I could spit. So I did. I was so angry I could hit something. So I hit the door. I was so angry I could cry. So that too, against my will, happened.

Axel's expression softened as I turned away from him, wiping my tears with my fists. There wasn't time for this crying shit, I tried to tell myself. I needed to man-up.

But when I finally got the courage to turn back around, I saw that Axel had moved and was now standing tall, directly in front of me. I flinched and made a move to get away, but his hand shot out and wrapped around my wrists. His grip was firm, insistent.

"I need to tell you something, Roxas." He started, his voice painfully soft. It made my heart ache. "Something I was going to tell you before Selphie interrupted us."

I blinked up at him, feeling warm and confused…for whatever reason, when he looked at me like that, and talked all soft and low, my anger was ineffective. I couldn't bring myself to yell anymore.

"This side of you, Roxas, this impulsive, irrational, open side to you, is what I fell in love with five years ago. In a way, I've always loved this version of you, and so long as I'm with you, I always will. I realized during that lonely week that you weren't speaking to me that this is the foundation for any other side of you that I've met. This is the original manuscript. This is part of what I love. What I fell for." He explained, giving me a tender look that made me melt even more. "I don't know what I was so confused about…of course I love you this way!"

"B-But…" I stammered, feeling lost without my anger. "What about the nice version of me I'm always hearing about, or…or..."

Axel leaned in even closer to me and smiled. "I can't live without you Roxas. You could come up with a million more personalities and I would just keep on falling for them. Because, no matter how you act, you'll always be Roxas Strife, my soul mate. My lover."

My heart was absolutely gleeful at what I was hearing, but my head wasn't quite convinced. Maybe it was because, prior to this, he was so torn up about this. His insecurities, now vanished, were my insecurities.

"How can you say that? Me and that sugary, fake Roxas are so different! You said so yourself! And I don't get it…if you really love me, how could you love that other version of me the same way? How?" I demanded, and to my horror, more tears erupted. Axel ran a hand through his hair in distress, obviously disliking my tears. But that was too bad!

"Now, now, calm down." He murmured into my hair after he pulled me close again. "Let me try to make this clear. Roxas…haven't you realized it? We need each other. When you're with me….when you love me…there's only one Roxas I see. My Roxas. Your personality may be different, but your actions…your feelings…they're always the same with me. Real."

I was sobbing now. He was right, of course. But I was so tired of being an inconvenience to other people; I wanted to be one self. I wanted to be whole.

"I love you." Axel breathed into my ear, causing me to shiver from his warmth and his words. "I'm sorry it took me so long to understand."

I nodded silently, happier, but not completely pleased. It was nothing Axel had done…it was me. I wanted this all to be over. I didn't want to have to worry about another personality resurfacing. I was ready to end this.

But first…Namine!

I stayed in Axel's arms for a second longer before gently extracting myself. When I was free, I ran to the door and pounded on it, feeling desperation creep into my voice. "Selphie…where's Namine? Please let us in! I have to see her!"

To my relief, the door slowly creaked open as Selphie poked her head out. I searched her blank expression, trying to determine if I was too late. I didn't quite understand what was happening, but I was willing to trust her if she knew Namine as well as it appeared.

Finally, she cracked a half-smile. "She's not in pain anymore."

At my joyous expression, she shook her head and let the smile fade. "No Roxas, she's not in the clear yet. She's still dying. Now it's just not as painful."

I frowned but said nothing, only followed her inside, trailed by a concerned Axel. He tugged Selphie back and asked her sharply, "How do we cure her for good?"

Selphie sighed dejectedly. "Well, from what she told me, you and Roxas reconciling should have done the trick. But…she's still dying. I'm not sure what went wrong."

I bit back the annoyed feeling that threatened to overcome me from the realization that Selphie had been visiting her this whole time and instead asked, "Why does my relationship with Axel affect her at all?"

Selphie looked down quietly and whispered, "She'll have to tell you. Come on."

We followed Selphie upstairs to a strange room in the corner of the house, made noticeable only by the drawing of Namine and her sister, Xion, hanging on the door. Selphie knocked shortly, twice, then stepped back as the door slowly opened itself, revealing a narrow cave-like tunnel inside.

When neither of us moved, Selphie huffed impatiently. "No time for this!" With a forceful push, Selphie propelled Axel and I forward and into the tunnel. We tumbled down the stairs in the most painful way possible, our legs jumbled together and our arms intertwined.

"Ow, dammit Selphie!" I grunted angrily, rubbing my head as the stairs finally ended and we were crumbled in a heap on the floor. "What the fuck is her problem?"

Axel helped me to my feet as he too cursed her existence. "Ridiculous girl.

A small cry grabbed our attention, and we both looked up to see Namine unmoving on a white bed. My distressed feelings came rushing back as I ran to her bedside. I watched her helplessly. "Namine…what should I do? What's going on?"

Namine struggled to sit up, but I gently pushed her back down. She didn't need to be exerting any more energy than she already was. "D-Do…you remember…um…Xion, my sister?"

I nodded shortly. "Of course. Did you ever find her? What happened to her? Is she here?"

Namine smiled so sadly that I almost wished she had not smiled at all. "W-Well…she passed away. F-From the same…the same spell that…that's k-killing m-me."

I stiffened. What? What the hell? What kind of curse was running through Namine's family?

Still, that was good news. All curses could be broken. All spells could be taken back. We just had to figure out how.

"What's the spell, Namine?" I asked her hopefully, starting to feel a bit better about the situation. "Tell me, please, so I can fix it."

Namine smiled weakly again before shaking her head. "Xion used a true love spell to bind us, Roxas, so that we would not be alone. Unfortunately, I was unable to reciprocate your feelings and...s-she died."

My jaw dropped, as did Axel's. This…that couldn't be right. I loved Namine so much back then…how could she not have felt the same? How could she not have loved me? We were soul mates, right?

Oh, but then…what about Axel? What were we? I loved him too…but who did I love more?

"So you bound Roxas and I? Why?" Axel demanded, looking uncertain suddenly about something. I frowned. What was wrong with him? Why was he so worried?

Namine took a deep breath, struggling to hold on to life. "B-Because…because I w-wanted Roxas to have one self once more and I k-knew that you…that you loved him."

"Why would you do this?" Axel shouted, turning around and punching the wall. I stared at him, shocked. What'd he do that for?

"Axel!" I snapped, reaching out to grab his bleeding hand, but he only tugged it from my grasp.

"We all know that he'll never love me as much as he loves you. And I'm okay with that. But now…now you're going to die from your stupidity and that's going to torture him for the rest of his life!" Axel yelled, not looking at me. "How…cruel!"

I gazed at him, feeling hurt for him. He thought that I loved Namine more than him…but…that wasn't true. Or was it? I was supposed to love Namine more…I always had, right? So why was my heart pounding, begging me to deny his claims? Why was my blood pumping on fire, threatening me to stop working if I hurt him? Why wasn't I okay with him thinking that?

"You're wrong!" I blurted before I stop myself. When Axel and Namine both looked at me, I mumbled hesitantly, "Y-You have that wrong."

"What?" Axel asked sharply, giving me a look that told me not to lie to him. "Don't try to preserve my feelings. I'm fine with the way things are."

"Well I'm not!" I blurted again, now feeling more confident in my feelings. "It's okay to be jealous, Axel! It's okay to be confident in my feelings for you! It's okay to need to be loved by me!"

Axel just looked at me, speechless. When he didn't say anything, I continued, allowing the tears of emotion to prickle my eyes. "I've always loved Namine, so I've always been confident in my feelings for her. Somehow I knew that I would be in love with her forever. But then you came along and fucked all of that up! Now you're the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing at night. You consume me. So when I say that I love you, don't you dare doubt it!"

Axel was watching me with a guarded look in his eyes. But when he saw that I was for real, that I wasn't kidding, that expression melted away to reveal a face full of utmost joy.

"Oh, Roxas." He breathed, shaking his head helplessly. "I'm so in love with you."

Suddenly, a strange darkness enveloped me, separating me from Namine and Axel. What the hell was happening?

"So you're this Angry Roxas I keep hearing about." A voice that sounded strangely like mine called out. I looked up to see me—at least, it looked like me—wearing our school uniform and smiling at me. I frowned.

"What the hell—where am I?" I demanded, folding my arms and glaring at this clone of me. What was going on? I needed some damn answers.

"Wow, am I really like this? This aggressive?" The Other Roxas laughed, grinning fondly at me. "No wonder everyone feared this side."

"What's happening?" I shouted, reaching out to grab The Other Roxas but only ending up on my ass. I stared up at the face that was now peering down at me in amusement.

"You can't hurt me without hurting yourself, silly!" He trilled, holding out a hand for me to grab. I grudgingly took it, standing up and facing him again.

"Please tell me what's happening."

The Other Roxas pursed his lips. "Since you asked nicely…you're in your subconscious right now. We need to merge with our other selves to become one conscious—one being in one body. It won't take long, but…I wanted to meet you just once."

I sniffed. "Well, you have. Now can we get out of here so I can get back to Namine and Axel?"

The Other Roxas laughed once more (jeez he sure did laugh a lot!) and nodded. "You don't have to tell me twice…I really miss Axel. I've been stuck in your brain this whole time! But yes, let's go get the others."

"Others?" I asked skeptically. How many selves did I have?

The Other Roxas gave me a funny look. "Yes…you weren't aware of them? Wow, no wonder it took so long for this meeting to happen! Okay, I'm Angel Roxas and you're Angry Roxas. In the corner is what Axel calls 'Emo Roxas' and by the wall, in a line, are all the other versions of us that were waiting in the shadows to jump in and take over."

I stared at Angel Roxas. Woah. "How do we merge?"

Angel Roxas held out his hand with a gentle smile. "Just take my hand and…believe in yourself.

With a long gasp, I woke up with a startled jerk, staring up at two faces peering down at me, looking worried. I blinked. What…what just happened? One minute I was talking to a bunch of me's, and the next I'm…back?

"Roxas? Are you okay?" Axel asked me, running a tender hand down my check. When I didn't respond, his gentle touch became a rough pinch on my skin.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, batting his hand away and rubbing my jaw where he pinched it. He shrugged and helped me to my feet, dusting off my clothes just like a mom or something.

"I got it!" I huffed, straightening my clothes with a blush. I didn't need him to do so much for me! Then I felt a dull ache in my head as memories of the past couple of months came rushing back to me all at once. My knees buckled and Axel caught me easily. Now I was happy that he was being so watchful…the last thing I needed was a concussion from falling.

"Thanks, Axel." I blushed, suddenly feeling shy around him. He had been there, in all of my memories, in all of my personalities…the whole time. He really, truly loved me. Just like I really, truly loved him.

We really were meant to be. If all of my personalities and selves loved him, there was no questioning it. No matter who I was, I always needed him.

I straightened up and turned to Namine, who was now standing on her own, looking much better. I smiled in relief. "Namine…you're okay!"

She smiled back, taking my hand in hers and squeezing. "Yes…you broke the spell. I knew you would."

I shook my head in disbelief. "I can't believe you did all of this for me. I don't even know how to begin to thank you."

"Roxas, your happiness is thanks enough. I understand that my actions in the past did nothing but worsen your problems…I never should have left you alone like that. And I'm sorry for the spell I put on you…I just wanted you to be happy." Namine explained, shamefully hiding her face. "I'm sorry."

"Namine, I completely understand." I told her earnestly, turning her gently to face me. "I need you in my life just like I need Axel or air. I will always love you."

I leaned over and gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek. When she giggled, I felt a shuffle behind me. I turned just in time to see Axel leaving the room.

"He's jealous of us…still." I sighed, giving her a helpless look. "What can I do? I mean, it's going to take awhile for my feelings for you to completely fade but…that doesn't mean I don't love him more."

Namine smiled sympathetically at me. "Make him understand. Axel's a very physical person, Roxas. I think you know what I mean by that."

I blushed. Yeah, I think I did.

"Roxas! Are you back? Who are you now? What are you like? Why are you so calm? Who are you?" Selphie exclaimed and questioned at the same time, jumping all over me. I laughed, gently pushing her off, and gave her a kind smile.

"Selphie, I just wanted to say thank you for all of your help. You really cared for Axel, Namine and I, and I treated you like shit most of the time. I'm sorry." I apologized, pulling her into a comforting hug. She first flinched, then melted in my embrace.

"Thank you Roxas. I-I…it's good to feel appreciated." She admitted. Then, before I could say anything, Namine came up the stairs behind me, instantly grabbing Selphie's attention.

"Namine!" She squealed, before throwing her arms around the small girl. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

Then, to my shock, she began raining kisses all over Namine's face. I was even more surprised to see Namine blush and smile as if she liked it! I cleared my throat. "Um…"

"None of your business!" Selphie sniffed and that was the end of that.

Namine giggled, but abruptly stopped, giving me an odd look. When I returned the look, she looked at me curiously and asked, "Roxas? Why are you dressed like a girl? You never explained."

I forgot about that. I laughed while mimicking Selphie, stating only that it was, "None of your business, guys."

I needed to find Axel anyway. Luckily, I had a feeling where he would go…

"How'd you know I'd be here?" Axel asked me quietly as I sat down next to him on the rooftop of the Japanese steakhouse. I smiled, thinking back to when he first took me up here…when I first admitted to him that I was going to have to undergo hypnotherapy.

"Had a hunch." I said gently, gazing over at him. He wasn't looking at me; refused to look at me. Instead he was watching the cars beneath us, speeding like crazy.

Finally, he muttered, "I had no clue that all of this would come with dating you."

I felt a flicker of nervousness flare up within me. Oh shit…he wasn't breaking up with me, was he? "Y-Yeah, sorry about that."

"Listen, Roxas—"

Oh god, he was breaking up with me! Interrupting him, I began in panic, "Please don't break up with me! I mean, I know technically you haven't been with me these last few weeks but with a different version of me, but I'm the me that the you wanted me to be, and—"

I stopped abruptly. He was laughing. Now I was starting to get annoyed. "What, dammit?"

He gave me a fond smile while ruffling my spikes. "You are too cute, Angel."

I froze in shock. He called me…Angel. I didn't think I was ever going to hear that from him again. A wave of emotion overtook me and suddenly, like some blubbering idiot, I was sobbing.

His face fell in alarm. "What? What is it? What'd I do?"

"N-Nothing, Ax!" I hiccupped, wiping away some of my tears so I wouldn't look so stupid. "You're perfect."

We both stopped at that and looked at each other. Talk about déjà vu. This whole conversation was morphing into the first one on this rooftop, before my therapy.

"I don't want to break up with you, Angel. I know that I should but…I can't." Axel finally murmured quietly. He kissed me softly on the temple, causing a strange warmth to shoot through my body instantly. I practically melted in his arms from the heat.

"Then don't." I whispered back, wrapping my arms around his neck and forcing him on his back. Then, when I had his attention, I took a deep breath and admitted the nagging sentence that had been bothering me. I had to say it to his face without any embarrassment.

"I love you, Axel."

Axel stared up at me in surprise, but didn't pull away. Hesitantly, he asked, "Still? You still love me, even after your transformation?"

I nodded quickly. Of course I did. "I'm not a different person, Axel. I'm just saner…more whole. Complete."

Axel let out a long sigh of relief. In fact, all of the tension in his body just vanished in that moment. At my confused expression, he grinned sheepishly. "I thought maybe you'd forget about your feelings for me or something."

I smiled and traced a finger slowly down his chest. I watched as he shivered from my touch. It made me wish that he would kiss me. "Axel…it's me. I promise."

He grinned back at me, but he still didn't kiss me. I frowned. Jeez…was it too much to ask to get one kiss around here?

"Um…" I began, starting to straighten up, but he yanked me back down so I was sprawled on top of him. "Hey!"

"What is it?" He asked me, looking happier than he had before, but still a tad doubtful. "What's the matter?"

I wanted a kiss…that was the matter. "N-Nothing."

Axel squinted at me curiously, trying to determine what was really bothering me. Wordlessly, I took his hand in mine and placed it over my heart. It was racing, beating faster than I thought was possible.

Green eyes widened before they softened. He gave me the tenderest look I had ever seen. "It is you, Angel." He murmured gently.

I grinned. Of course it was. I was with him.

Then, finally, he placed his lips to mine.

Heat overtook me as I found myself writhing, moaning, against Axel's lean frame. Hands tangled in hair, legs intertwined, tongues danced…it was all so, so good.

"Ahh, Axel…mmm…" I moaned when his lips moved to my neck. I could feel myself getting excited, growing hard against Axel's thigh. He paused to grin up at me, looking giddy.

"You weren't kidding that one day when you said you were ready to fuck me, huh?" He asked teasingly, and I remembered that day in my bedroom, when I first showed him my horrifying room. When he first wrapped his lips around my—

I must have gotten harder, because Axel's grin became hungrier, more predatorily. "That was a great day, right Angel?"

I blushed and looked away. Jeez, he was starting to embarrass me. "Y-Yeah…"

I felt a soft nip to my jaw, and I couldn't resist a glance back down at Axel. His expression had become adoring once more. "You know I'm serious. That really was a great day."

"I know." I whispered, feeling my own face soften as well. "This one will be better."

Axel suddenly looked uncertain. He knew what I was asking him, and he wanted to be sure. "Angel…"

I smirked down at him, challengingly. "What, you scared?"

Axel raised an eyebrow, but wasn't convinced by my big words. He ran a finger down my chest in contemplation, causing me to shiver. "I'm curious…" he began, tilting his gorgeous head at me, "what do you remember about us having sex?"

I frowned. What was that supposed to mean? "You don't believe that I have all my memories back?"

Axel shrugged and patted my head. "I dunno…there has to be something that got jumbled up in there, right?"

I sighed and tried to think. Well, I was pretty sure we had already had sex, right? I knew for sure we had been fooling around a lot…then we were kissing…Axel had, um, done stuff to me, but…

My eyes widened down at him. Wait…we hadn't had sex before, had we?

At his knowing smirk, I sputtered helplessly. "B-But…Olette had said that we…and I kept thinking…and it seemed like…"

The redhead actually had the nerve to laugh at my confusion. At my appalled glare, he calmed down and gave me chaste kiss. "Relax, I'm not laughing at you per say. It's just that you're so cute right now I can't help it. Anyway, as for sex, we never actually did anything. We got close, that's for damn sure. You seemed to believe that the things we were doing counted. And maybe it does. But as for penetration…no."

I was speechless. So we hadn't done it…wow.

"Now do you still want to fuck me?" Axel asked me in amusement, propping himself up on his elbows and smirking up at me like he was having the time of his life. I sat up so that I was straddling him, a movement that made both of us groan a little as our groins rubbed against each other.

I felt a little lightheaded. Axel was just as hard as I was, if not more so. Deciding to answer Axel's question, I breathed, "Yes."

This time there was no question in Axel's eyes. That one movement had filled him with uncontrollable lust, and I could tell that he wasn't going to doubt my urges again. A husky voice choked out, "Come here."

I leaned back down, moving my hips again as I took his lips for my own. And suddenly, it was a frenzy; a race to feel as much skin as possible. Hands on flesh, flesh on flesh, moans becoming louder than the racing cars…it was perfection.

For the most part, we were evenly matched in our dominance, but as soon as I felt my pants being unzipped and tugged off of my body, shyness overcame me. Reddening, I pulled back a little, avoiding his eyes.

His movements slowed instantly, his focus shifting to me again as his green eyes met my blue. I could tell he was struggling to restrain himself. Shakily, he asked me, "what's wrong, Angel?"

I wrestled with what my response should be, but after living so many lies for so long, I just couldn't bring myself to lie to the one person who had stuck by me.

"I-I'm…shy." I mumbled, letting him see my vulnerability this one time.

Axel stared at me for a long moment before gently taking my hand and placing it to his heart. It was beating even faster than mine. As my eyes widened, he whispered, "Angel…this belongs to you."

"I-I…um…"

"Angel." He repeated, forcing me to look him in the eye with a gentle hand on my jaw, "I'm yours. I love you."

I melted in his embrace. My fingers intertwined with his on their own accord. Oh, how I loved this man. "I love you too, Axel."

He smiled at me confidently, as if he had known this since the dawn of time. "Yeah, I know."

We kissed, and it was sweet and filled with love. We halted all movements in that kiss, letting our feelings instead be communicated in the soft caressing of our lips. And finally, when that kiss was over, we let the heat fill us once more.

"Oh…ahh, Ax-Axel!" I breathed, dripping everywhere, as his lips attached to my nipple and his hand began pumping me way too fast. "W-Wait, not so…not so…ah!"

"What was that?" Axel teased, but there was nothing funny about the hungry glint in those darkened green eyes. "You want it harder? Faster?"

This time I couldn't even form a response. That hand was tightening and moving so fast and it felt like nothing I had ever experienced. I tried to beg him to stop, to tell him that I was about to come, but I couldn't seem to form any words except for "ahh", "mmm", and "yes, Axel, yes!"

Rather forcefully, my body tightened and released, spurting all over Axel's hand and arm. Not that I cared in that moment. I was too busy crying out his name, having the most intense orgasm I could ever remember experiencing.

When it was over, I fell limply against Axel's chest, trembling slightly in his arms.

Breaking the comfortable silence that followed, Axel's voice registered, murmuring, "How did it feel?"

Reason came flowing back to me. Shit…Axel hadn't come yet! What was I thinking, being so damn selfish? I should have held out for penetration!

"Shit, A-Axel, I'm so sorry! I should have tried harder to hold out, and…and…ahh!"

Axel was fingering my entrance, making my voice run away from me again. When I fell silent, he rolled his eyes and chuckled deeply. "I wasn't asking because I'm jealous. I was asking because I want to hear you tell me how I'm making you feel."

That last part was moaned lowly into my ear, making me dizzy and wanton. More fingers played with my entrance as I gasped and writhed and died in the intense heat I always felt when I was with him.

"It…it feels…" I began, but failed when a finger actually slipped inside of me. I cried out in surprise. I thought it would hurt but…it didn't. If anything, I wanted more of it.

"Go on." Axel pressed, putting a second finger inside of me and stretching me out. I wriggled a little and sighed contently. Without thinking, I responded, "Everything you do always feels so nice."

He laughed outright in surprise as yet another finger was added. "Nice was the only word you could think of?" He said, making fun of me.

Unable to resist pouting a bit, I whined, "Why do you always make fun of me?"

Axel smiled and removed his fingers, his eyes sparkling as my body quivered slightly in protest of the lack of heat. "I only make fun of you because I love you."

"How does that make sense? You—" I started as he quickly slid a condom on, but instantly stopped talking when I felt Axel's hardness at my entrance. I swallowed nervously. "I guess it's time."

Axel slowly entered me, and I could tell he was being very careful, but I couldn't stop myself from gasping in unexpected pain. Shit. It had been a very, very long time since I had last had sex. I was…

"So tight," Axel groaned, shaking his head in regret. "Damn, I should have thought to bring lube today."

"T-That would have b-been…really…ugh…optimistic, d-don't you think?" I ground out, laughing despite my pain. Axel grinned down at me affectionately.

"Of course it would've been. But I would've done anything to get you back." He murmured and lovingly he reached down to wrap his hand around my hardness.

I moaned, effectively distracted from the pain as Axel handled me again roughly. God it felt so great. Nothing was better than Axel's hands…except maybe his eyes…or his mouth…or his whole being.

After a while, I began to grow uncomfortable, and I don't mean out of pain. I started to leak, aching for more than just Axel's hands. I needed friction. Heat.

"Axel…move…" I begged him, groaning in frustration. He gazed at me, trying to discern if I was really ready, or just being stubborn. It was a little bit of both. Slowly, he began to rock, waiting for me to fully adjust. After a while of this, I began to get a little antsy.

"Axel, faster!" I whimpered, pushing back and meeting his thrusts to get his attention. He moaned and finally obliged with a low, "fuck yes." Suddenly he was thrusting faster and love and heat and bliss was spreading throughout my body.

At some point I had bit his lips and scratched his back, demanding to ride him, which he wholeheartedly agreed to. So I was moving and he was moaning and we were both slowly dying until the pleasure finally peaked and I was riding out the best orgasm I had ever had.

A split second later, Axel came too with a moan that was so deep and intense that I actually felt pleasure from the sound. In the glance that followed, I saw in his eyes a concentrated, buried need and insatiable hunger for me that I had never noticed. But just as quickly as it came, it faded, and instead his eyes became filled with love and devotion. I smiled and crawled in his arms.

"That was…" I gasped, trying to find the words for it. Damn, I couldn't even think straight.

"Wonderful." Axel finished, breathing heavily. We both looked at each other again and broke out in cheesy grins.

I raked my eyes over his body one last time to memorize it which was about the time I realized Axel was bleeding. "Holy shit, Ax, you're bleeding!"

Axel burst out laughing, rubbing his back absently. He hadn't even noticed. "Oh yeah...guess I am."

Now I was the one that couldn't stop laughing.

I had just had sex with Axel Highwind. If someone had told me last year that I would end up dating the most popular boy on the islands, going through life-altering therapy, and eventually falling in love with my soul mate, I would say they were crazy.

Now it just seemed surreally…perfect.

"Roxas…be my boyfriend?" Axel asked me softly, running a hand gently down my cheek. I rolled my eyes and shoved him. Dummy.

"Of course!" I yelled good-naturedly, shoving him again for good measure. "I wouldn't have sex with you if I didn't want your heart as well as your body!"

Axel just smiled up at me. "Good."

And from that moment on, good was how we stayed.

September

Dear Angel,

I miss you already.

Damn, let me start this letter a different way. The last thing I want to do is make you cry again. After the way you cried when I first moved-in to my dorm, the last thing I ever want to see is you in tears. Especially when in response to me. So let me talk about some good things happening right now.

My classes are amazing! No more struggling to pass classes I don't care about. Here, I learn and play with fire everyday all day. I know you always worry about me burning myself, but I just can't help it. Besides, isn't my courage part of why you love me?

I miss you already.

Thank god for Demyx being my roommate, though. Being so far away from you and the rest of the gang is hard on me. At least I have him. Zexion visits a lot, which makes me wonder if he plans to eventually transfer here for him. Demyx thinks that they're codependent, which freaks me out frankly, but he always just smiles and looks blissfully happy, so I guess I have to support it.

Did I tell you I joined the Psychology Club? Yep, I'm officially a member now. I think I'm going to double major in it. I still want to keep my Pyrology major, but I can't stop thinking about helping people who dealt with the same shit we did not too long ago. So yeah, look at me baby, being a double major and being all smart and shit.

I miss you already.

I know I'm doing a piss poor job of writing you a love letter, which is exactly what I promised. But now that I'm writing to you, it feels like we're face to face, so now all I can think about are day-to-day topics. Sorry.

Anyway, I miss you already even though it's already been a month and I just saw you like two weeks ago. Not to mention our weekly Skype chats. But still. It's not the same. Regardless, I miss you and can't wait for you to come over next weekend so we can work on your Research paper, which is definitely the worst part about Junior year.

Later baby.

Love,

Axel

Dear Ax,

I am so happy to hear that you're loving college. I have to admit, I was a little worried you would hate all of those classes, but looks like I was worrying for nothing. You've always been so optimistic and strong…of course you'd make the best of it!

Wow, Dem and Zexion are that close, huh? I see Zexion occasionally here when the gang comes to visit me, but mostly he's either brooding or planning out his next visit to see you guys. I think they really are codependent. Jeez, we'll have to make sure to watch that.

Hmm, a double major in Psychology? Of course I'm all for it! The skillful way you handled me and my problems…it'd be selfish for me to discourage that! Other kids will need that kind of understanding. That is so great, Ax. I'm so proud of you.

And hey, I didn't cry that much when you moved-in. It was just really hot that day and I was sweating a lot. So shut up.

Everything is good here. My classes are tough but I'm sure yours are harder. I had to have a talk with Hayner the other day because—and don't freak out about this—he asked me on a date. I yelled at him for about an hour because he told me he didn't think we were right for each other, and the long distance thing never works. I told him that generally the split-personality thing never works either, so I think we'll be fine.

I know what you mean about the face-to-face feeling. God, I swear it feels like you're sitting right in front of me as I write this. Weird.

Remember when you took me to go see the kid in the coma? The one that I had...well, beat into comatose? Thank you, by the way, for that. You stayed by me the whole time while I apologized profusely to his parents. I never told you how much that meant to me. Well, anyway, guess what? HE WOKE UP TODAY! Oh Axel, I can't even describe to you how happy I was for him. He hates my guts, of course, and he wouldn't accept my apology once he realized what had happened and that he had lost so many years from his life. But I don't care if he never forgives me. He shouldn't. I'm just happy that he has a life now.

I'm sure I miss you more than you miss me. And I know I shouldn't say that. But I miss you every day.

Love,

Roxas

P.S. Any cute boys up there who don't have as many problems as I do?

Roxas,

No. I barely even look at anyone else. Just ask Dem. He's the one who told me that I would never make any friends if I kept ignoring everyone else that gave me a wink and a smile. So don't be ridiculous.

Love,

Axel.

P.S. Thinking of you...wherever you are.

Epilogue

It's funny now to think back to that time when I was damn near convinced that I had to be an angel. I thought I couldn't cheat. Thought I couldn't steal. Thought I couldn't lie.

But everybody lies. And in trying to be an angel, I was lying to myself.

Axel Highwind is the best thing that has ever happened to me. And even though he goes to a university that is pretty far from me, I feel just as much love for him away as I feel when he is right next to me. He helped me become the person I am, the person I was meant to be, but just didn't allow myself.

At school, as soon as I stopped caring about what others thought of me, I stopped noticing stares and whispers. So after while, they just faded away, and everyone slowly began to accept me for who I really was: a human being.

Namine visits me from time to time, and we spend our days talking and reminiscing. The best part about having her back in my life is having a friend that knows me just as well as Axel does. It fills a bit of the gaping hole that arose out of loneliness for him.

My life isn't perfect, but never again will I try to make it so. From now on, I'm going to just live it and be myself.

And having a sexy boyfriend who looks at you like you're his cat-nip—his unwavering desire—never hurt either.

Done! What did you think? Like it? Love it? Completely hated it? Well, leave me a review if it so pleases you. If not...until next time! :D

P.S. Here are the chapter title songs AKA the songs that inspired each chappie:

1. Devil Inside by Utada

2. Crush Crush Crush by Paramore

3. Breathe Me by Sia

4. Obsession by Innerpartysystem

5. Shake it Out by Florence and the Machine