Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts and/or all the franchises associated with it.

A/N: One more chapter to go after this! Credit goes to Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep for the chapter title.

Sunset Dreams

Chapter 10: Memorized

Roxas

Sunset Hill, Twilight Town

At first, Roxas could only stand there staring in disbelief at the sight of his very first best friend lying motionless beneath the stone monument watching over Sunset Hill, his mind unable to process what he was seeing, but as the meaning behind the scene he was witnessing slowly started to sink in, his sapphire eyes began to sting with barely suppressed tears.

Can it really be him? He...disappeared. He faded away into the darkness...to nothingness...

"Go," Naminé said quietly in his ear, giving him a gentle push.

Roxas hesitated, unsure of what to do. As much as he wanted to be by his friend's side, he was scared that if he moved or made the slightest bit of noise, Axel would disappear, once again becoming nothing more than a mere memory inside the heart he shared with Sora.

"Friends forever..."

"He's waiting for you, Roxas," Sora insisted, giving him a warm smile. "You're the one he wants to see."

It was all Roxas could do to keep his emotions in check, emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him, and making his way slowly towards the unconscious Axel, he knelt next to his old friend's side and tentatively placed his hand on the red-haired Nobody's shoulder. "Axel?"

Axel didn't reply, not that Roxas really expected him to, and giving the red-haired Nobody's shoulder a gentle shake, he repeated the name, hoping for some sort of a response.

This time, Axel's vivid green eyes slowly fluttered open, and shifting slightly he lifted his head and squeezed the bridge of his nose, a slightly confused look on his face. "Huh? What...where am I?"

"Axel?"

Axel finally seemed to realize there was someone speaking to him, and blinking rapidly he glanced up in surprise, his green eyes searching for the owner of the voice that had interrupted his little nap.

Their eyes met, and Axel froze, his emerald gaze widening in shock.

"Come on, Axel's waiting..."

For a moment, they just stared at each other, and to Roxas it felt like time had come to a complete standstill, as if everything depended on this moment, including the very core of their friendship, and then Axel suddenly sat up so fast, Roxas had to scramble back a few inches to avoid the taller Nobody's scarlet head from connecting with the bottom of his jaw, which would no doubt have been rather painful, at least for him.

"Roxas?" Axel gasped in a voice barely above a whisper, staring at him in utter disbelief.

Roxas tried to respond, but for some reason the words didn't want to leave his throat. After several tries, he merely gave up and nodded, unable to look away from his friend.

He's really here. This is really happening...

Roxas jumped as Axel suddenly placed a hand against his chest, much in the same fashion as Hayner had done earlier, and shaking his head, the red-haired Nobody said softly, "You...you're real. But...how? You...and him..."

And finally, the words came.

"You were right, Axel. You and Naminé. I'm still here and I..."

Overcome by the intensity of his emotions, Roxas threw his arms around the red-haired Nobody in a tight hug, and Axel jumped in surprise, clearly startled by this sudden and most unusual display of affection, especially for a Nobody. "Whoa! Hey, cut it out, man! You're embarrassing me here!"

Roxas heard laughter behind him, reminding him that the two of them were not alone, and quickly pulling away from the red-haired Nobody, he managed a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I don't know what came over me. It's just, you know...I...I really missed you..."

"For a Nobody, you sure have a funny way of showing it," Axel replied, smirking at him before quickly leaping to his feet.

Roxas quickly scrambled up beside his red-haired friend and the two of them smiled at each other. "Oh, thanks! I don't know why you're so surprised. When it comes to being a Nobody, it's not like I ever followed the rules anyways."

"That, you didn't."

Axel studied him for a moment and face growing suddenly serious, the red-haired Nobody said quietly, "You're still you, even though..."

"Even though I look like a ghost?"

"No, I mean even though you're...you know, with him now..."

Roxas turned slowly to look at Sora, and the two of them exchanged a smile. "What do you expect? This is Sora we're talking about here. Even if I wanted to, he wouldn't let me disappear."

Axel, too, suddenly seemed to realize they were not, in fact, alone, and studying the rest of the party, he raised his eyebrows in amusement. "You've been busy while I've been gone. Care to introduce me?"

Roxas had to smile. "I think you do a pretty good job of that yourself, and besides they already know you, or know of you."

"Still, best not to let moments like this go to waste." Axel inclined his head towards the Twilight Town trio and said carelessly, "The name's Axel, by the way. Got it memorized?"

"We know," Hayner said bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest and studying Axel with apparent interest. "You're that creepy red-haired guy who went and kidnapped Kairi from us!"

At this declaration, Axel placed a hand against his non-existent heart, doing a very convincing impression of looking incredibly wounded. "You know, that hurts right here."

Hayner's response was to snort.

Very loudly.

"It's nice to meet you, Axel," Olette interrupted, frowning at Hayner before once again turning her attention to Axel. "I mean, really meet you. I'm Olette and these two are Hayner and Pence. We're friends of Roxas'."

"So I've heard, or should I say so it appeared, but how..."

"They remember me from when I used to come to Twilight Town on missions for the Organization," Roxas explained, hoping Axel would understand. "Remember, Pence even helped us out that time when we had to take out a giant Heartless, plus search for a friend of ours."

"Friend?" Axel repeated, frowning in confusion. "I remember Pence, but I don't remember-"

"Never mind that right now. The point is, they not only remember me from the real Twilight Town, they also remember me from Ansem's simulation of Twilight Town. I don't really understand how that's possible, but it's the truth. Guess I'm not such a fake after all."

Axel glanced at him, and shaking his head, the red-haired Nobody said quietly, "You were always real to me."

"Axel..."

"So, creepy red-haired guy, why'd you go and kidnap Kairi like that, huh?" Hayner demanded, determined not to be ignored or forgotten.

"Seriously? Creepy red-haired guy? Come on, cut me some slack here, would you? And besides, I already apologized for that."

"He did," Sora confirmed, nodding his head for emphasis.

"Maybe, but-"

"Leave him alone," Pence interrupted, nudging Hayner in the ribs. "He's a friend of Roxas', isn't he? He can't be all that bad. We all make mistakes, even creepy red-haired guys like him."

"Exactly," Olette agreed, dismissing Hayner's concern with a wave of her hand. "Personally, for a creepy red-haired guy, I think he seems pretty nice."

"That's it!" Axel shouted, losing his patience altogether. "How many times do I have to say it? It's Axel! Axel! A-x-e-l! Get it memorized already!"

"Moving on," Riku interrupted, smirking in amusement at the irritated look on Axel's face, "how are you even here? You lost the last of your strength by helping Sora fight and then you faded away. Sora can vouch for what happened. How is it even possible for you to be standing here now?"

Turning his back on the party, Axel gazed quietly at the sunset hovering just over the horizon in the distance, and staring curiously at the back of his friend's flaming red head, Roxas had the feeling Axel was attempting to put his thoughts in order, to best make sense of what had happened to him.

When he did finally speak, it was in a surprisingly hesitant tone, which wasn't like Axel at all. "I'm not really sure. Before I disappeared, the last thing I remember seeing is...well, Sora's face looking down at me, and I remember...I wanted to see you again, Roxas, and I felt...regret, knowing that I would never get the chance to, knowing that...you were gone and that everything I'd done to Sora, it was like doing it to you, too..."

"Axel, I..."

Roxas didn't know how to finish that sentence, so instead he snapped his mouth shut and proceeded to stare at the grass beneath his feet.

"Listen to me, talking about feelings...A Nobody like me can't feel anything, so what do I know about regret and remorse? Only...I never had the chance to say goodbye, you know. I didn't want to leave believing that you were really gone, because if you were then...who would remember me? I...didn't want you to forget about me..."

"I want everybody I meet to remember me. Inside people's memories, I can live forever..."

"Like I could ever forget about you."

"You did once," Axel shot back, without looking at him.

So that's it. That's why he was so worked up about it when I couldn't remember who he was after being sent to Ansem's simulation of Twilight Town. Axel...

Roxas stepped up beside Axel, and gazing at the sunset that had so completely captured his old friend's attention, he said quietly, "No, I didn't. Not really. Maybe in my mind, but you were always in my heart. Sora can attest to that, I think."

"Even before Roxas merged with me, I couldn't look at you without feeling...something," Sora admitted, unable to look at Axel.

Axel was silent for a moment, and instead of choosing to acknowledge the Keyblade Master, or his words, the red-haired Nobody instead continued on with his story, refusing to allow himself to become distracted.

"After those Nobodies got the better of me...Man, that still stings, but what the heck, I was the one who chose to take them all out at once, didn't I? Anyways...I don't really know how to explain it, but after using the last of my strength to help Sora fight and to open a portal to The World That Never Was, I could feel myself fading away into nothingness. Sora's face disappeared and then there was nothing. Blackness, emptiness, darkness...It was like my mind, my very existence, was floating in the darkness, suspended somewhere in the middle between both forces. Light and darkness, between the two realms, where no one could reach me."

"What happened then?" Kairi asked curiously, her attention completely focused on Axel's tale.

"I thought eventually I would just cease to exist, fade into the nothingness of who I was, but...that didn't happen. I was there in the darkness for what seemed like a long time, but every time I thought about just letting the darkness take me, of disappearing, I'd see your face, Roxas. I'd remember...all the good times we had. And then suddenly, it was like my mind started to grow stronger and I saw this...light in the distance."

"A...light?" Donald repeated, exchanging a look with Goofy.

"Corny, I know," Axel replied, laughing softly at himself, "but that's what I saw. It was really bright and warm, and...I felt like it was calling out to me, so I did the only thing that made sense at the time. I followed it."

"Gawrsh, really?" Goofy inquired, gazing at the red-haired Nobody in awe.

"Yeah, well...I was getting tired of all that darkness anyway. It wasn't much fun, that's for sure."

"What happened then?" Hayner demanded, sounding surprisingly eager to hear the rest of the story.

Axel hesitated before saying, "Then...I woke up and I was here."

"Here, where Roxas is," Sora finished, smiling slightly.

Axel nodded, but he didn't look at Sora, and watching the two of them Roxas couldn't help raising his eyebrows at their behaviour. Ever since the party came upon the red-haired Nobody, Roxas hadn't failed to notice the way Sora seemed hesitant to approach Axel, and by the looks of it, Axel had noticed, as well.

Instead of commenting on Sora's behaviour, though, Axel merely shrugged and said, "Something like that."

"Strange," Naminé said quietly, her clear blue gaze studying Axel's face. "Maybe...our memories...no...those who matter to us...their hearts...are a much more powerful force than we realize."

"I won't argue with that," Riku agreed, a slight smile on his face.

"It's always about your friends, isn't it?"

"So, Roxas...what's your story?" Axel suddenly asked him, interrupting the thoughts, which were not his own, floating around inside his head. "I know what you said earlier, but I gotta admit, I'm still a bit confused. And...what are you doing here in Twilight Town anyways?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story, but..."

Roxas quickly told Axel about everything that had happened to him since merging with Sora and then he proceeded to explain why they were in Twilight Town, thanks to a helpful tip from Chip and Dale.

"Weird," Axel said slowly, glancing down the hill towards Sunset Terrace. "It doesn't look any different here than it usually does."

"That's what's so strange about it. We've searched the entire town and still...nothing."

"Hey, you're not the one causing all this darkness, are you?" Hayner asked, gazing suspiciously at Axel.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but no. This has got nothing to do with me."

"Right..."

They haven't exactly taken all that well to each other, have they. At least, not as well as I'd hoped...

Roxas glanced nervously between his two best friends, uncertain of what to do, but before he could attempt to keep the peace, Hayner blurted out, "He's my best friend, too! Uh...just so you know."

Axel raised his eyebrows, a slight smile on his face. "I never said you weren't, did I?"

"Well, no, but...just don't forget it."

"Cool it, man. Already memorized. Any friend of Roxas' is a friend of mine. No worries there."

"I...oh..."

Wait a moment...

Roxas suddenly froze and staring at Axel, he felt a sudden flutter in his stomach. "You've said those words before. To her..."

"To who?" Axel asked, scratching the back of his head in confusion.

"Later," Riku interrupted, exchanging a look with Naminé.

Earlier, Roxas had felt a deep sadness inside him at the fact that Axel would never have the chance to remember Xion, but now it looked like maybe Axel would get his chance after all.

"See, I'm immortal!"

"So then...you don't have a problem with it?" Hayner interrupted, unwilling to allow the change in subject. "With me and Roxas being friends?"

"Why would I have a problem with it?" Axel shot back, looking mildly offended by this accusation. "By the looks of it, I already gotta share him with our Keyblade Master here and all of his friends. What's one more person to add to the list?"

"Really? Cause our spot is the station tower, too, you know, and we eat sea-salt ice cream up there all the time and fight in struggle matches against each other, and-"

"Whoa, back up a minute!" Axel interrupted, holding out his hand to silence Hayner. "Let me get this straight. You like sea-salt ice cream, you love to battle, and you think Roxas is a pretty cool guy?"

"Do I ever!" Hayner agreed, beaming at the red-haired Nobody.

Axel stared at Hayner for a moment, and putting his arm around the blond struggler, he said thoughtfully, "You know, I think this might just be the start of a beautiful new friendship."

"Okay, now I'm scared," Pence muttered, exchanging an amused look with Olette.

Roxas, on the other hand, couldn't have been happier. "Thanks, Axel."

"Huh...what do you know. I guess he was right."

"What are you talking about?"

Axel studied him for a moment, and smiling faintly, the red-haired Nobody said, "Guess I'll never kick that old habit of picking up stray puppies after all. Not that I'm complaining."

"Oh, thanks! Who are you calling a stray puppy?"

"Forget it. Just a thought."

"Besides, it's not like you aren't the same way, Roxas," Riku smirked, twirling his Keyblade lightly in his hand. "Just ask your Other."

"Hey!" Sora shouted, looking mildly indignant. "I can't help it, okay?"

Roxas ignored the duo from Destiny Islands and said with feeling, "I still don't understand how you can be here, but...I'm glad you are. It just...wasn't the same without you."

"My sentiments exactly. Guess I have Sora to thank for that, though, right?"

"He does seem to have a knack for bringing people together again, doesn't he..."

They gazed at each other for a moment, and once again growing serious, Axel said, "You were wrong by the way."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"'No one would miss me'...I thought you had more faith in me than that, even if I am a Nobody. That was not cool, Roxas."

Roxas felt himself blushing and turning his face away, he mumbled, "I'm sorry for what I said to you at the end there. For not believing you when you were only trying to protect me."

"Don't be. You were right, weren't you?"

"Still..."

"It doesn't change anything. We're still best friends, right?"

"Of course we are!"

"Then what are you worried about?"

Roxas blinked in surprise, and smiling at the red-haired Nobody he was forced to admit defeat. "You haven't changed a bit."

"You have," Axel countered, putting an arm around his shoulders and smiling down at him. "And I gotta say, I think I like this new you even better than the old one."

"Hey, Axel...can I ask you something?"

"If it's about Twilight Town again, sorry, I got nothing."

"No...that's not it..."

"Well, what is it then?" Axel asked curiously, his vivid green eyes glimmering with sudden interest. "Spit it out already."

"It's about her..."

"Who?"

Roxas looked up at his friend and gazing directly into Axel's eyes, he said quietly. "Xion."