The next month was one of the most contradictive times of Axel's life. He adored being with Roxas every moment he could yet he abhorred every moment they were apart. There was less tension between everyone at the apartment yet the tension kept growing inside with each creepy e-mail he received from the mysterious Xemnas. They had transformed to wanting to meet Axel to wanting to kill him. Axel knew he should report the campus but he still had no idea who Xemnas was. For all he knew, the mysterious man was working with the campus security.

Roxas still remained aloof of the mysterious e-mailer, as was everyone else in the apartment. Axel finally confided in Marluxia. The pink haired man was just as perplexed and concerned as Axel. Marluxia rubbed his chin as he read the latest e-mail.

"It's no use in hiding. I know your secret. You will be punished," Marluxia read under his breath. "Sounds like this is pretty serious. How long have you been getting these again?"

"Since about September. At first I thought it was just a weird mix-up between e-mails, but then he started getting weird and personal," Axel replied. "They stopped for awhile when I didn't respond so I assumed he gave up. Then as soon as the semester started, he was back in full force."

"I'm going to take a guess and say he knows you are married to Roxas."

"Same. That's when the death threats started."

"Oh dear. We really should report this."

"Could you…?"

"Yes, I'll take the call. Honestly, Axel, you never change." Marluxia pulled out his phone and dialed the campus security. Axel started to organize his side of the room while Marluxia filed the report. There was a sudden silence and it echoed throughout the room. Axel looked up, unsure of the cause of Marluxia's lack of speaking.

"Yes, I understand. Thank you," Marluxia muttered before hanging up. His face seemed a bit pale. Marluxia took a deep breath and turned to Axel. "We have a problem."

"What do you mean?"

"No one by the name of Xemnas goes to this college."

"But I checked last fall and he was on the registry. Maybe he graduated or transferred schools between semesters. That would explain the sudden gap in e-mails."

"I asked about that but it appears no one by the name of Xemnas has ever gone to this school." Axel felt his stomach flip. "Axel, I think we're dealing with something more than a crazed student."

XxXxX

April.

Axel's birthday was fast approaching and he felt squeamish. He desperately wanted to tell Roxas about the e-mails but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Spring break was spent with Roxas, Demyx, and Zexion at the beach. Riku and Sora came back early and joined the party to going to the beach every day. It helped take their minds off of the end of the year that was looming over their heads, which meant cramming and finals.

Axel found himself lying on the living room couch staring at the ceiling. Roxas sat on the floor at the coffee table working on his homework. He chewed liberally on his eraser. Axel sighed.

"You ready for your birthday?" Roxas asked, not looking up. Axel twisted the ring on his finger.

"I guess."

"You don't sound excited."

"I'm not really looking forward to it."

"Why's that?" Roxas looked up, his eyes concerned. Axel met his gaze and his heart melted.

"I'm worried."

"About what?"

"About…I don't know." Roxas shifted positions so he was sitting on the couch with Axel's head on his lap. His fingers brushed against Axel's face.

"You can tell me." Axel closed his eyes. He could feel his body shake at the fear welling up inside of him. Roxas's touch eased his frazzled nerves.

"I'm scared," Axel admitted quietly. Roxas leaned down and kissed Axel's forehead.

"I'm here for you."

"That's what I'm scared about." Axel opened his eyes, finding Roxas's confused expression staring back at him. Axel ran a hand over his face. "Someone wants me dead, Roxas." Axel could feel the blonde stiffen. "They keep sending me death threats and I'm scared. I don't know what to do."

"Did you report this?"

"Marluxia's looking into it with every last spare second he has, bless his fucking soul. I can't stand being around police after…well, after I rolled off a cliff. They just press you for questions you have no idea how to answer. It makes me feel uncomfortable." Roxas ran his fingers through Axel's hair.

"You're safe with me," Roxas reassured him. "I'll protect you with my dying breath." Axel averted his gaze to the floor. He tried to speak but it felt like his throat was filled with paste and sand. Roxas continued to stroke his head. The blond sang softly under his breath. Axel felt the tension ease in his muscles as the sound of Roxas's flawless Japanese echoed in his ears. He closed his eyes, feeling hot tears spill out of his eyes. Roxas shifted so he lay on top of Axel. They wrapped their arms around each other.

"I love you," Roxas muttered.

"I love you too," Axel croaked. Roxas sat up and kissed Axel softly, followed by kissing the tears from Axel's face.

"Whatever you want to do, Axel, I'm here for you." Axel swallowed hard.

"Can I just hold you? Please?" Roxas smiled and snuggled against his husband's chest.

"Always."

XxXxX

Roxas took Axel out for dinner on his birthday. The rest of the apartment came later and they had their round of drinks. It was a day to celebrate.

"What are we doing tonight?" Demyx pressed as they headed for the door.

"We could play Brawl," Sora recommended.

"Or go bowling," Marluxia added.

"How about a movie," Axel suggested.

"Right on! What are we watching?" Demyx asked.

"There's a new anime flick we could watch," Sora chipped in.

"What's it about?" Roxas asked.

"Some futuristic plot with guns and giant fighting robots. Oh, and plenty of oversized boobs." Seifer grinned.

"Now here's a kid that knows his audience," Seifer commented. Zexion grabbed the door and they filed outside. Roxas stepped outside and squinted against the harsh light of the setting sun. He turned to Axel. The man practically glowed in the golden rays.

'God, he looks like he popped out of Twilight.' Roxas thought.

A car pulled up to the curb and a tall man stepped out. He had silvery-white hair that ran down to his shoulders. The party shifted to the side to let the man pass, as they assumed he was picking something up from inside the restaurant. Roxas's gaze was captured by the stranger. The man wore black slacks and a white shirt with his sleeves rolled up. Roxas suddenly felt uneasy. He watched as the man reached behind him.

'He's just grabbing his wallet. Calm down.' Roxas reassured himself. He blinked as something glinted and reflected the sun into his eyes. Then his eyes went wide.

BANG!

Roxas screamed Axel's name but he couldn't hear his own voice.

The stranger had pulled out a gun and shot Axel. The red head hadn't been facing the stranger so he was totally unaware. Axel fell to his knees and collapsed against the wall of the restaurant, blood oozing from his shoulder. Roxas watched as the man gave him a dark stare and walked away to the alley behind the restaurant.

"Roxas!" Marluxia screamed. The blond snapped out of his daze. Sora and Zexion were trying to stop the bleeding on Axel's shoulder. Riku had his phone out and he was calling for an ambulance. Roxas clenched his fists and took off down the sidewalk.

"Wait!" Demyx cried. Roxas didn't hesitate.

The man had crossed the line.

Roxas entered the alley and found the man waiting for him. The man examined his gun with a bored expression.

"Glad you could make it, Roxas," the man said in a deep voice.

"Who the hell are you?! Roxas barked.

"Xemnas."

"You're the fucker who's been e-mailing Axel!"

"Yes. Did it bother him? Did it hurt him?"

"What are you talking about?"

"He took Saïx from me."

"We're you stalking him too?"

"I loved Saïx, even if he didn't return my feelings. He tore my world apart, but you were the one who shattered it, Roxas. I hate Axel, but I loathe you."

"What are you talking about?"

"You killed my brother."

"You're brother?" Roxas felt his blood run cold. "Xigbar."

"Yes. You two destroyed my life."

"But I don't even know you!" Roxas protested.

"It doesn't matter. You won't be around long enough to understand. I sent those e-mails to lure Axel out and kill him, but he was too busy fucking you. Now I get the pleasure of killing both of you." Xemnas raised the gun at Roxas. The blonde dropped as the bullet ripped over his head. He charged and slammed into Xemnas, causing the man to drop the gun. Roxas slammed his fist to the man's face. Xemnas staggered.

Then the man pulled out a knife from inside his sleeve. He swung at Roxas and the blonde leapt back out of the way. Xemnas flicked the blade and sliced Roxas's cheek. A thin red line appeared on Roxas's face. Xemnas tried to cut Roxas again but the blonde hopped out of the way. The man grabbed him by the front of his shirt and started beating Roxas with the hilt of his knife. Roxas tried to block the blows but Xemnas had the upper hand.

Roxas ripped his shirt free, tearing the fabric. Xemnas wheeled about and kicked Roxas. The blonde was sent sprawling. As Roxas staggered to his feet, Xemnas, buried his knife into Roxas's back.

"GAH!" Roxas screamed, feeling his muscles tear. Xemnas jerked the knife free and kicked Roxas in the stomach. The air left the blonde's lungs. He felt Xemnas land a blow on his throat. Roxas choked, and fell over, unable to speak. He saw the knife flash in Xemnas's hands. His eyes widened.

Xemnas screamed in rage as a knife buried itself in his shoulder. Roxas looked up to find Seifer standing over him. He tried to call out the older man's name, but his voice failed him. His voice box had been crushed.

"Axel's okay," Seifer growled. Roxas breathed a sigh of relief. Xemnas staggered to recompose himself. He swiped at Seifer, but Seifer had been in a knife fight before. The younger man pulled out a second blade and countered the bloodied knife. Roxas watched as they exchanged swipes. He felt someone next to him and found it was Marluxia.

"It's okay, Roxas. We're here for you," Marluxia murmured. Roxas struggled to stand. He turned to find Sora and Zexion holding Axel on their shoulders. Riku was still on the phone. Demyx shifted nervously as he watched Seifer fight with Xemnas.

At the sight of Roxas, Axel lunged forward and hurried over. Roxas caught him before the man fell on his face.

"You're bleeding!" Axel gasped as blood oozed from Roxas's back. Roxas tried to speak but it hurt. He smiled weakly. Roxas turned at the sound of Seifer grunting. Seifer had been kicked aside and Xenmas looked livid.

"You destroyed everything!" he roared. Xemnas bent down and picked up his discarded gun. Roxas's eyes went wide as the barrel pointed at his heart.

BANG!

Roxas felt himself tremble. A hot piece of metal sat lodged in his diaphragm. It hurt to breathe. Roxas wanted to scream but his voice wouldn't let him.

'AXEL!' Roxas screamed in his head.

Axel had his arms wrapped protectively around Roxas. The bullet had passed through his chest before lodging itself into the blonde's gut. Blood trailed from Axel's lips. Roxas could feel the grip on him weaken.

"Roxas," Axel breathed. "Don't forget…we promised…" Roxas stood frozen as Axel slid off of him in slow motion. Axel collapsed on the ground, his eyes glazed over.

"YOU BASTARD!" Seifer roared. He bolted to his feet and rammed into Xemnas. Riku dropped his phone and ran over with Sora. The Riku and Sora restrained the man while Seifer beat the shit out of him. Roxas fell to his knees, his eyes locked on Axel's body as it shivered and poured blood onto the pavement.

'No! Don't leave me!' Roxas screamed in his head. He ran his hands over Axel's body. His palms turned up red.

The police arrived and pulled Seifer off of Xemnas. The white haired man was quickly arrested and Axel was put in an ambulance. Roxas was put in a separate ambulance a few minutes later. The pair was quickly rushed to the ER. The other six apartment tenants got a ride to the hospital. When they arrived, it was chaos.

Doctors swarmed around Axel's gurney while Roxas lay still on his, oxygen mask covering his face. Demyx buried his face into Zexion's chest, squeamish with all of the blood. Sora chewed on his fingernails while Riku stood with his arm around the brunette's shoulders.

Marluxia went over to Roxas's bed. Roxas's eyes were pleading. Marluxia glanced over at the doctors working on Axel. The EKG screamed and they ripped off Axel's shirt.

"Clear!" one doctor screamed. Marluxia flinched as he heard the shock jolt Axel's body. He turned to Roxas to see the blonde had tears falling down his face. After two more tries, the doctors paused in their work.

Finally, the stepped back.

"Dead," one of them muttered. Roxas's eyes went wide. He scrambled to his feet, ripping the wires and tubes from his body.

"Roxas!" Marluxia protested. He tried to push Roxas back into the gurney but Roxas pushed him aside. The blonde collapsed on the floor in hysterics. He crawled across the floor, leaving a gruesome red smear in his wake. "What are you doing? We can still save you. Roxas!" Marluxia tried to help Roxas to his feet but the younger man pushed him away.

Roxas stopped when he saw a hand being offered in front of his face. He looked up to find Seifer holding a hand out to him. Roxas took it and was pulled to his feet. Seifer threw Roxas's arm around his shoulder and helped the injured man limp along the floor over to Axel's body.

"Almost there," Seifer muttered. "Just hold on a bit longer."

They reached the gurney and Roxas clung to the sides. Seifer helped him onto the bed next to Axel's body. Then he stepped back.

Roxas ran his hand over Axel's cheek. Tears spilled from his eyes.

'We promised, Axel. I remember. Wait for me.' Roxas closed his eyes. 'There's no use living without you. You are my world. I'm sorry, Axel. I couldn't protect you.' Roxas leaned over and kissed Axel's cheek. Then he rested his head on Axel's shoulder.

Marluxia and Seifer watched as Roxas's breathing slowed. Blood dripped off of the gurney as the wound on Roxas's back bleed freely. Under his shirt, a massive bruise formed around his stomach as his internal organs bled.

'Haruka…'

Roxas shuddered and fell still.

He was pronounced dead a moment later.

XxXxX

"Daddy! Where are we going!" the little girl with pink hair complained.

"Patience," Marluxia replied, smiling at this daughter. Tifa smiled at her daughter's silly actions. The small girl twirled around with a flower in her hair.

As they approached the graves, they noticed they weren't alone.

Seifer stood at the graves in a black suit. Sephiroth sat on his shoulders with his usual blank expression. Seifer had won the court. He was Sephiroth's legal guardian the moment he graduated from college.

The last month was strange in the apartment. Hardly anyone spoke. It was awkward when Roxas's parents and siblings stopped by to gather his things. Even more so when Axel's parents stopped by to get their son's. Despite the commotion of packing, there was one thing that wasn't packed. Seifer had pilfered Roxas's headphones and kept them in memorial.

It was strange now that five years had passed.

Marluxia, Tifa and their daughter, Missy, arrived and they spread their flowers on the pair of graves. Axel and Roxas lay side by side, their epitaphs reading their names and inscriptions: To meet again in the next life.

"Do you think they knew?" Marluxia asked quietly. Seifer glanced at the pink haired man.

"Yeah, I think they knew."

"I wish it didn't have to end like this." Seifer scoffed.

"Why? Because they're gone? Ha! Ten bucks says we haven't seen the last of them."

"They're dead, though."

"Yeah, but don't forget: sometimes we get a second chance." Marluxia smiled.

"I hope you're right."

XxXxX

Two angels lay in the sand. Their heads rested on the other's ankles, their knees tucked together like two perfect pieces of a puzzle. Soft, white wings spread behind them. They lay in silence. They were chained to each other by collars around their necks. A set of numbers was branded on their wrists.

One read 6-VIII. The other 6-XIII.

The times they died.

One of the angels stirred and opened his eyes. They clasped hands with the other angel and tangled their fingers together. The other angel awoke and smiled softly.

"See you in the next life," one whispered.

"Yeah," the other replied. And they were ripped apart in a flurry of white feathers.