The weekend arrived and Marluxia remained aloof about his plans to go clubbing. Everyone was going with, including Aqua, Sora, and Seifers new girlfriend, who's name Roxas never remembered to ask. It was after seven before everyone was ready to go. Roxas wasn't too thrilled with being left in the dark but by the sounds of it, everyone else was too.

"What do you think he's planning?" Demyx whispered to Roxas as they gathered on the first floor. Roxas shrugged.

They took several cars over to one of the clubs in town on the campus. There they found a large table in the back corner to order drinks. Once they were served, Marluxia cleared his throat.

"I'd like to thank everyone for coming," he started. "I know this must seem rather out of place but we're here today to celebrate. I have officially completed a contract and opened a business with a few of my fellow art and graphic design colleagues. This is our official launch party. Drinks are on me tonight."

"Alright!" Seifer whooped, excited at the prospect of free alcohol. Everyone said their congratulations and they toasted to Marluxia for a successful business career.

"What's does your business do?" Sora asked, sipping on his smoothie.

"We cater to the arts: music, theatre, art, and design. Believe it or not, our crew is running the club tonight. I know someone who's an excellent DJ," Marluxia explained.

"That's amazaing!" Demyx exclaimed.

"If you want in on the action, Demyx, I think I could persuade the DJ to give up his sound board for an hour." Demyx's face light up. He was left speechless, resorting to squealing with glee.

Once everyone had their fill of drinks, they hit the dance floor. Roxas wasn't sure if he wanted to join but one look from Marluxia and he knew he had no choice. Since the night was early, they just danced around with various people. Roxas ran into Kairi there and they danced together for a song.

When the night turned later, the crowd grew more energetic. The bass was turned up and the music was pumping. Roxas felt the familiar sensation of his heart pounding to the beat of the base. It made him feel nostalgic and lonely.

The song changed and Roxas recognized it. He had danced to it in a past competition. He saw Marluxia next to the DJ. 'Sly bastard.' Roxas thought. He felt the moves of the song come back to him the longer the music played.

"Hey Roxas!" Aqua greeted. "You want to dance?"

"Do you know this song?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah! I used to dance professionally too." Roxas was a bit surprised. He and Aqua picked up on the moves as the song played on. Soon the crowd was more focused on them.

As the song ended, it transitioned into another song flawlessly. "Get Terra out here!" Roxas shouted over the music.

"Why?" Aqua asked.

"Just do it!" Aqua was confused but he skipped over to the side and pulled Terra into the center. Roxas side stepped to the side and grabbed the first person he came across: Zexion. The song switched up again but the anthem felt different. Roxas noticed Demyx was at the music table, one hand holding a headphone to his ear.

"What am I supposed to do?" Zexion asked.

"Follow my lead," Roxas stated. The music hit a soft point and they froze, changing into slow motion movements. Roxas stepped to the side with each beat and pulled Sora into the circle. The others pulled people from the side and the music pumped back up. With each passing beat, more and more people were added to the group.

The song changed and the rest of the people on the sides joined the mosh pit formed in the middle of the floor. Roxas turned to a tap on his shoulder. Axel was behind him.

"Don't think you can avoid me all night," Axel teased. Roxas smirked.

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Roxas shouted over the bass. They danced together for awhile until the song changed to a group song. Then everyone danced together. If anyone messed up, they struggled to continue in a fit of laughter.

Time flew by and it was soon after midnight. The younger groups evacuated the building so the club was filled with mostly upper classmen, half of them drunk. As Roxas stopped for a drink, he noticed Seifer dancing and the teen couldn't help laughing. As the song changed, people started pairing up on the dance floor. Roxas decided it was a good time to take a break. He ventured to the bathroom and washed his face in some cold water.

"Hiding?" Roxas jumped as Axel appeared in the mirror behind him.

"Don't do that!" Roxas protested, chucking his paper towels at the red head. Axel chuckled.

"Not comfortable with close quarter dancing?"

"If you mean grinding, then no."

"How come?"

"It's weird." Axel walked over to Roxas and turned him around. Then he wrapped his arms around the teen's waist.

"Would it be weird if I were there?" he muttered. Roxas's face flushed.

"People will stare."

"No they won't. If you don't want to see them staring, then just close your eyes. Just pretend we're alone. What-da ya say?" Axel kissed his neck, striking the nerve that made Roxas turn to putty. Roxas couldn't say no. He found himself being led to the dance floor. Roxas kept his face turned downwards. His loose hair hid the redness of his cheeks. Axel wrapped his arms around Roxas's waist. "Just relax," Axel shouted in his ear over the music. Roxas closed his eyes and forced himself to pretend they were alone. Axel's chest pressed against his back, followed by his hips.

'Fuck!' Roxas screamed in his head.

They swayed to the beat of the music. Axel either stared at the wall or peered down at Roxas's face. The teen wasn't exactly comfortable but he allowed Axel to do what he pleased. After a couple of songs, Axel leaned down.

"Hey, check out those two!" he shouted. Roxas cracked open one eye. He found Demyx with Zexion in his arms dancing nearby.

'Is that what we look like?' Roxas wondered. He started to feel bad. Demyx and Zexion looked like they were having fun. Axel was just trying to let him have some fun but Roxas was too worried about his public appearance.

"Don't worry about looking weird. Riku's got Sora in a death grip on the other side of the dance floor," Axel shouted in Roxas's ear.

"What?" Roxas turned his head around, his eyes scanning the dance floor.

"Riku must be drunk. I feel sorry for Sora. His face is redder than yours." Roxas stopped the pair and had to chuckle.

"I think Riku might have slipped Sora a drink," Roxas noticed.

"You're probably right."

"Hey chicken wuss!" Roxas and Axel turned to find Seifer coming up from behind them. His cheeks were flushed from his alcohol. He tripped and crashed into his girlfriend, laughing hysterically. "You got some-ding on your face," Seifer said, his speech slurred. "Why so serr-ous?" Seifer laughed and his girlfriend pulled him away so they could dance elsewhere.

"Talk about your typically college stereotype," Roxas commented. Axel laughed and kissed Roxas's neck.

By 2:00am, everyone was nearly exhausted. The club was closing in thirty minutes so many of the people started leaving. The bar had closed so there was no need to stay. Marluxia walked around and talked to his colleagues. They were all excited with the positive reception. Marluxia went to the back booth and found his drink. Demyx and Zexion were making out in the corner. Lexaeus nodded to Marluxia from the table.

"Still here?" Marluxia asked. Lexaeus shrugged.

"Not much else to do tonight," the quiet man replied.

"Don't you have to go in?"

"Four. I'll go in early once the club closes."

"Good luck. I'd hate to be you."

"Do you miss her?" Marluxia raised an eyebrow.

"Tifa? Mmm, yes. She'll be abroad one more year as we finish up our schooling."

"Still planning on a small wedding?"

"For the most part." Marluxia pulled a chain from under his shirt. There was a rose gold band on it. "She wants to get married in Japan now."

"Wasn't it Australia before?"

"And Russia the time before that." Lexaeus smirked.

"What about those two?" He nodded to the dancefloor. Roxas's face was buried in the front of Axel's shoulder. Axel's head rested on top of the teens. Roxas almost looked like he was dancing asleep. His arms were curled up against Axel's chest.

"What about them?" Marluxia pressed.

"How'd you get them to come?"

"I had them owe me a favor."

"Knowing you, I think everyone owes you a favor." Marluxia smiled.

"Some days it feels like that." Marluxia set down his drink. "I'd better go get them before they fall asleep standing up." Lexaeus nodded. Then he got up and headed out for his internship at the hospital. Marluxia walked across the dance floor and tapped Axel on the shoulder. The red head cracked open an eye. "Are you ready to go?"

Axel lifted his head off of Roxas's. "Sure. Let me wake up the kid." Axel poked Roxas in the face. "Come on. We're heading home." Roxas groaned and buried his head deeper into Axel's shoulder. Axel rolled his eyes. He put Roxas on his back piggy back style. The blonde was too exhausted to protest. He fell asleep on Axel's shoulder.

Marluxia rounded up what was left of their party. Then they drove back to the apartment. Axel made sure he drove Roxas home and they went five mph under the speed limit. When they got back, Axel carried Roxas up to his room. He tucked the teen in and curled up next to him. Marluxia entered the room last and glanced over at Axel's bed. Then he took a shower and crawled between the sheets.

XxXxX

February passed by and the snow finally stopped falling. The weather warmed up a bit as the days led into March. The biggest hype on campus was Spring Break. Everyone wanted to know where everyone was going.

Roxas planned on staying on campus since Axel wasn't going anywhere. He would be the only one in the apartment over the break. Demyx and Zexion had a car trip planned out. Riku, Seifer, Terra, and Lexaeus were headed home. Marluxia was off to Korea to see his fiancé. They had originally planned to meet over Christmas but the situation with Axel halted his plans. Roxas chatted with Pence about his plans. The cheery teen was going on vacation with his family to the Keys. Pence promised to try the Key Lime pie while he was there.

Once the campus cleared over the weekend, the atmosphere became quiet. Roxas worked on finishing what little homework he had. When Monday came, he decided to take a personal day. He watched TV shows on his laptop and munched on instant ramen.

The sound of his phone vibrating caught his attention. When he picked it up, he hesitated before answering. The word HOME was printed in bold on the screen.

"What?" Roxas asked quietly.

"ROXAS!" Ventus screamed into the phone. Roxas flinched at the sound.

"What's up?" Roxas asked, pausing his show.

"When are you coming home?"

"I wasn't planning on coming home."

"WHAT?! You have to come home sometime. It's soooooooo boring here without you. Couldn't you come visit for a few days?" Roxas looked at his calendar. There was nothing planned the entire spring break. "Please?" Ventus begged.

"Just a couple of days."

"Yes! Thank you Roxas! When are you coming?"

"Tomorrow afternoon sound good?"

"Perfect! Mom's on a trip and dad will be thrilled to see you!" Roxas chuckled.

"How's Naminé?"

"She was kind of bummed last year but she's better now. I think something happened at school. You'll have to ask her about it."

"Got it. I'll see you tomorrow."

"BYE!" Roxas hung up and sighed. Then he dialed Axel's number.

"Yeah?" Axel answered.

"I'm going home tomorrow for a few days. Do you want to come with? I can introduce you to my siblings if you want."

"Sounds like fun. It's been years since I've been in back in Hollow Bastion. When do you want to leave?"

"Eight sound good?"

"Sure."

"I'll come pick you up."

"Roger." Axel hung up. Roxas went around his room and packed a bag. He made sure to pack his headphones. There was a reason he wore them when he went to sleep. He didn't pack any homework since he knew he wouldn't get any done.

When morning came, Roxas climbed into his car and picked up Axel from his apartment. Then they started the long drive back to Hollow Bastion. They stopped for lunch around noon and then continued on their way. As they pulled into town, a flood of memories came back to the pair. Hallow Bastion hadn't changed.

"Traffic still stinks here," Axel commented as they passed through the metro area.

"Tell me about it," Roxas grumbled. He pulled off the main road at his exit and they ventured into the suburbs. They passed by the large homes first where all of the rich people lived. Then they entered the neighborhoods where all of the houses looked the same. Axel was glad Roxas was driving since he was already lost. He had grown up in the metro area. The suburbs were new to him. The car slowed and they pulled to the side of the road. Roxas turned off the car and took a deep breath.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Do your parents know you're home?"

"No, but I didn't come home for them anyway."

"Right." The guys climbed out of the car and grabbed their bags. Roxas went to the front door and stopped short.

"Shit," he whispered. Axel wondered what Roxas was talking about. Roxas unlocked the front door and stepped inside. The house was modest with a warm touch. Axel thought it looked rather nice. The living room was to the left as they stepped in and the stairs to the upper and lower levels were on the right. Past the stairs was a hallway to Roxas's and Ventus's room. In the back of the main floor was the dining room and kitchen.

At the sound of the door opening, there was a pause of silence. Then Roxas was attacked by a bear hug from his brother.

"You're home!" Ventus cried. Roxas ruffled his hair. Axel was amazed how similar Ventus and Roxas looked. Besides their age, they were practically identical. A woman in a dirty pink bathrobe stepped out of the kitchen.

"So this is where you've been." Roxas's mother looked tired and ragged. Her blonde hair was pulled back messily behind her head. "Do you know how many calls from the hospital I got? Are you just draining away the money we give you? Did you ever think of calling?"

"Whatever," Roxas growled. "I'm staying for a few days. Then I can get out of your hair."

"Keep up that attitude and you'll start paying for college on your own."

"I already pay for half."

"Don't get sassy with me!" Roxas slammed his fist against the door.

"Just leave me the Hell alone!" he barked. His mother scowled and went back to the kitchen, muttering under her breath.

"Great, now I'll have to cook for him. He never eats anything I make so why do I even bother? And he brings a friend! You think he'd have the gall to let me know!" she growled.

Axel remained silent as Roxas tried to calm himself down. Ventus was clutching to his brother's shirt. Roxas pushed his brother away and slammed the front door shut. Then he stormed off to his room. Axel followed silently behind. Roxas's room was very empty. His bed only had some basic sheet on it. There was a desk and a dresser. Both were void of objects. As Roxas went to his closet, Axel peeked in some of the drawers. They were empty.

"That's where those ended up," Roxas muttered. He tossed a pair of ripped jeans onto the floor with a couple of other assorted clothing articles. Axel peeked into the closet. It was filled to the brim with all of Roxas's childhood possessions. Either he was hiding them or his family was.

"Fuck," Roxas swore as he tried to pry out a sweatshirt from the bottom of a pile of boxes. The top box tipped onto his head, showering him with picture frames. Several of them cracked as they hit the floor. Roxas picked them up and chucked them into his closet, spraying glass over his belongings. He slammed the closet door shut and picked up the clothes he had dug out of the closet. He went to his bed and stuffed them into his bag.

Roxas stopped moving as Axel wrapped his arms around Roxas's shoulders. His breathing slowed as he tried to calm down.

"I'm sorry," Roxas snapped.

"Don't be." Roxas leaned his head back against Axel's shoulder and closed his eyes.

"I'm just sick of this place."

"I'll leave whenever you want to." Roxas released a drawn out sigh.

"Hey Roxas?" Ventus stuck his head around the corner of the door frame. Roxas turned to his brother.

"What's up?"

"I redecorated my room while you were away. Want to come see?"

"Sure." Ventus glanced at Axel.

"Um, who's your friend?" Axel let Roxas go and squatted in front of Ventus so they were the same height.

"My name's Axel. Got it memorized?" Axel tapped his temple with his finger.

"Sure! My name's Ventus, but you can call me Ven if you want. Do you have it memorized?" Axel burst out laughing.

"Sure do." Axel stood and waited for Roxas and Ven to lead the way. Ven's room was smaller than Roxas's and was filled with furniture and various belongings. The walls were dark blue and he had a white comforter on a lofted bed.

"Check out what Naminé did!" Ven exclaimed. He shut the blinds and turned off the lights. Star constellations were painted on the ceiling in glow in the dark paint.

"Not bad," Axel commented. Ven turned on the lights and climbed on top of his bed.

"Space, huh?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah. It was either that or aliens but mom didn't approve of that."

"Figures."

"Hey, you should go see Naminé. She's up in her room. She got home right before you did. She'd love to see you."

"Okay." Roxas ruffled his brother's hair and lead Axel out of the room. Ven watched them leave, intrigued to why Axel was hugging Roxas earlier. Roxas brought Axel upstairs to the first room on the right. Inside, the walls were covered in artwork. Everything was decorated so it was white. Naminé turned around at her desk.

"Roxas!" she exclaimed. She ran to her brother and gave him a hug. "I was wondering if you were ever coming home."

"I'd always make a trip home to come see you and Ven," Roxas commented. Naminé smiled and went back to her desk, although she remained standing. Axel took his time to look at all of the pictures.

"Who's your friend?"

"This is Axel." Axel turned at the sound of his name. Naminé walked over and offered a hand to him.

"Nice to meet you," she greeted. Axel shook her hand.

"Same," he said with a smile. "You're quite the artist."

"Thanks." Naminé put her hands behind her back and looked around the room at all of her projects. She spun around, her light blue sun dress twirling with her. "If you like one you can take it with you," she offered.

"Maybe later. I hear you had issues at school," Roxas stated, changing topics.

"Some of the seniors were giving me flack for being your sister. I think the rest of the school got sick of it. One of the juniors, Wakka I think, chewed them all out one day at lunch. The rest of the school sided with him and the seniors stopped bothering with me."

"Good. Let me know if you have any problems, okay?" Naminé nodded.

"Of course."

The sound of the front door opening caught their attention. "Dad's home!" Ven cried from the first floor. Naminé smiled softly.

"You should probably say hello." Roxas nodded and dragged Axel from the room, who was still caught up in staring at all of the pictures on the wall. Roxas brought Axel back to his room. He avoided the bickering couple in the kitchen. Roxas sat at his desk while Axel found a place on the teen's bed.

"Nice family," Axel commented. Roxas shot him a dark look. Axel held up his hands, meaning he meant no offense. Footsteps came down the hall and Roxas's father appeared in the doorway.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey," Roxas replied half-heartedly.

"I see you're doing well. You got your lip re-pierced too." Roxas turned his gaze to the floor. "Is everything going okay?"

"Yeah."

"Do you have enough for the rest of the semester?" Roxas pulled out his phone and checked his account.

"Four hundred." Roxas's dad pulled out his wallet. Then he walked over to Roxas and handed him two fifty dollar bills.

"Gas money." Roxas's father turned to Axel. "And you are?"

"Axel," the red head stated. He shook the elder man's hand.

"Carrie's boy?"

"Yeah."

"Ah. I'm Auron. I worked with her before she moved. You went to high school with Roxas, didn't you?"

"For a short while." Auron turned back to Roxas.

"How long are you staying?"

"A few days," Roxas replied, picking at the varnish on his chair.

"I don't suppose your mom is making food for you."

"Probably not." Auron sighed and pulled another fifty out of his wallet.

"It's on me tonight." Roxas stuffed the money in his wallet.

"Thanks dad." Auron ruffled Roxas's hair.

"Call me if you need more money. Nice to meet you, Axel." Auron took his leave. There was a long pause of silence.

"Where do you want to eat?" Roxas asked.

"Won't matter. We can go into the metro if you want."

"'Kay."

"Hey Roxas?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we make a couple of stops after we eat? There's something I remembered I wanted to do if I came back here."

"Sure." Roxas checked the time on his phone. It was almost four. "We should get going. Traffic's going to be a hot mess." Roxas stood and headed for the door. Axel caught him on the wrist. Roxas turned to his frined. "What?" Axel stood and kissed Roxas gently on the lips.

"Don't worry about it so much." Roxas blushed and averted his gaze.

"Thanks Axel." They headed out of the house, Roxas's mother's voice carrying out after them. They headed into the metro where Roxas picked out a café to eat at. They ordered gourmet sandwiches and mixed coffees.

Roxas wasn't up for talking as they ate. Axel tried to cheer him up but it was like Roxas had reverted to the person he was when he first came to school. When they finished eating, Axel gave Roxas directions. They ended up at a floral shop. Axel returned to the car with a bouquet of flowers and a small bag. Roxas shot him an odd look but Axel didn't acknowledge it.

They then drove back out of the metro. Roxas felt like he knew the road when he was told to turn right. His heart froze at the sight before him.

Hundreds of graves lay on the ground and memorials stood against the cold air. Roxas drove forward slowly until Axel told him to stop. They got out of the car and walked across the lawn, passing by unique gravestones along the way. Axel finally stopped in front of one grave. He fished a box out of the bag. Inside was a corsage. Axel tore it apart to remove one white flower. It hand thin spindles shooting out from the center, reaching farther than the pedals. Axel placed the single flower on the base of the grave.

Saïx's grave.

"Hey," Axel said softly. "I came back. I know it's been awhile but I remembered this time." Roxas stood next to Axel and stared down at the grave. It was made from light grey stone with Saïx's name carved into it. A crescent moon sat on the top of the stone. Roxas looked down at the flower. "Hymenocallis. It was the flower you wanted to get for your date to the prom that year. You didn't even get the chance to ask her."

Axel wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "I wasn't there for you. Now I have someone else to take care of. I care for him…a lot. I'm sure you would have been a stick in the mud about it, but I hope you understand. This is what I want." Axel knelt down and bumped fists with the grave stone. "I'll see you later, okay?" Axel stood and wiped his eyes again. Roxas took hold of Axel's free hand.

"Do you want to see them?" Axel asked. Roxas desperately wanted to say no, to run away, or even shake his head, but he found himself giving a slight nod. Axel gripped his hand tighter. "Lead on." Roxas brought Axel deeper into the graveyard. They walked along the road for five minutes before turning off to the left. Roxas brought him up to a large statue. There was an angel clutching his chest tightly, his wings spread out behind him as he lay curled up on his knees. Fifteen names were etched into the white stone at the base.

Roxas knelt and traced the letters of the names of his friends.

"Hey guys," he said. His voiced cracked and tears spilled out of his eyes. Axel laid the bouquet of flowers at the angel's knees. Then he wrapped his arm around Roxas's shoulders. Roxas sobbed as the memories of his friends came flooding back.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…" he gasped between sniffles. Axel drew Roxas into his chest and held him close as the teen continued to pour out his emotions. Axel reached out and traced the names of Roxas's friends.

"You were lucky to have him as a friend. He never stopped caring about you." Axel lowered his fingers and looked down at Roxas. He stroked the teen's hair gently. "Just let it out. It's okay. There's no one here."

Roxas screamed into Axel's chest. His sobs wracked through his body.

"I'm sorry!" he cried. "I tried but I wasn't strong enough! There was nothing I could do. Why did you have to die?" Axel rubbed Roxas's back to help soothe him. "I'm not strong enough to move on. I hurt you and then I hurt myself," Roxas muttered, his voice at a lower volume. "But I met some people. They helped me get back to my life. I met Axel and he cared for me. I'm sorry, Aerith, but my heart belongs to him now. I will never forget what you did for me. Leon…you were always the level headed one. You were going to go to a high ranked college. I'm sorry, I took that away from you. I made us miss our last competition, Cloud. We were going to win, or so I keep hoping. We were supposed to practice that night. I'm sorry I never made it."

Roxas pulled out of Axel's arms and leaned his head against the monument. "I'm sorry to everyone. You deserved better."

"And so do you." The guys whirled around to see a dark haired girl behind them with a bouquet of flowers of her own.

"Yuffie…" Roxas breathed.

"I've never seen you so broken, Roxas. You were always the strong one." Yuffie stepped forward and placed her flowers next to Axel's. "I never understood why we were supposed to hate you." Axel noticed Yuffie's shirt was a bit too short for her so her stomach poked out. A large scar blemished her hip from where she had been shot years before. Yuffie knelt down a put a hand on Roxas's shoulder.

"Cheer up, Roxas. It's over now. Go have fun. They would have wanted you to," Yuffie stated, motioning towards the monument. Roxas wiped his eyes and sniffed.

"How did you move on?" Roxas asked. Yuffie stood and put her hands behind her back.

"I stopped paying attention to what other people were saying. The more I listened to them, the more I was angered by things that didn't matter. I let myself be the judge of how things worked. Then one day it hit me: our school was full of pricks and ass holes." Axel had to stifle his chuckle. "But there are some decent people who went there. They were the people who were picked on. Anyone who was different was singled out. Thinking back, if the shooing never happened, I feel as if things would have still turned out the same. Maybe not a serious, mind you, but those who left broken and hollow would have left broken and hollow. That's just how it goes. Did you ever move on, Roxas?"

The blonde teen sat back and rested his chin on his knees. "Maybe. I had some help."

"Well, I hope you can find some closure."

"Did you ever find closure?" Yuffie nodded.

"It was weird. One day I came here a complete wreck. I just wanted things to go back to the way they were, but then I saw a little girl standing out here. She stood up on her tip toes and placed a flower on the monument. I walked over and the little girl handed me a flower too. It was the little white ones Aerith used to press in her books. When I knelt down to take it she put it in my hair. "Don't be sad" was all she said before she ran off. I guess it was after that I realized Aerith was still with me, even if she wasn't around anymore." Yuffie pulled something from her pocket. It was a pressed white flower. She held it in the palm of her hand.

The wind blew and the flower floated gently downward until it landed on Roxas's foot.

"She's still with you too," Yuffie commented softly. Roxas picked up the flower and studied it. The wind blew it out of his hand and it stuck to Axel's cheek. When Axel went to remove it, the flower blew away in the wind, taken to some far off land. Roxas got to his feet. He turned and hugged Yuffie.

"Thanks," he murmured. Yuffie stepped out of the hug and held Roxas at arms-length.

"Chin up," she said with a wink. Then she turned with a wave and headed back towards the grave yard gates.

Axel stood and waited for Roxas to say something. The teen turned back to the monument. Then he bowed deeply.

"Arigato gozaimasu!" he shouted. Roxas stood up straight. He rubbed the tears from his face and let out a huff. "Farewell." Roxas turned to Axel. The elder male strode over and grabbed his outstretched hand. They turned and made their way back to Roxas's car.

The sun on the horizon, basking the world in an orange glow.

Roxas tightened his grip on Axel's hand. He had the closure he needed. His heart felt lighter as the past suddenly didn't seem to weigh so heavily on his mind. The light pulse of Axel's hand made Roxa's heart beat along with it. A light smile brushed across his face. Roxas looked up at Axel. The elder male glanced down at him, curious if he was alright. The teen's smile reassured him.

"You want to head back?" Axel asked.

"Yeah. Hey Axel? When we get back to school, could we go get some ice cream?" Axel smirked and shoved Roxas playfully, never letting go with his hand.

"Anything for you." When they got to the car, Roxas leaned up and kissed Axel on the cheek.

"For the greatest friend in the world." Axel leaned down and kissed Roxas on the lips, savoring the salty flavor.

"For the one who gave me a heart." They climbed back in the car and headed to Roxas's house.