Man… I had a really hard time with this chapter.

Maybe its just all the shit I've been going through lately but I freaking broke down and cried in the middle of writing this.

Guys, I'm freaking depressed right now. I'm not on top of my game at all.

And I know it is just a phase and that life will get better, so I probably should have held off on writing this till then so it wouldn't end up so badly. But I don't know WHEN it will get better. It could be weeks, it could be years. And I can't make you guys wait. So I just did it and I hope it isn't too badly written.

This is not the last chapter.

"You're not listening to me!" Roxas growled as a nurse blocked his entry into the emergency room. "Damn it, let us in!"

Vexen sighed as he approached the disgruntled looking group and crossed his arms. "I assume you're here to see Axel. I'm sorry but in his current state, only family is allowed in."

Roxas shot a glare to the approaching blond doctor. "We are his family! Let us see him!"

Vexen shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't break the rules. I understand that he has a brother, so whichever one of you that is, you may go in. Everyone else will have to stay out. I'm sorry."

Roxas growled as Vexen retreated and turned to the others. "D-damn it! Why won't they let us see him!?"

Lexaeus bowed his head. "It must be bad, if they're only allowing family in."

"D-don't say that!" Roxas scowled and clenched his fists as tears began streaming down his cheeks. "I'm so pissed right now! We all deserve to see him! We all deserve to be in there! He needs us! He needs us by his side or he won't want to fight! And where the hell is Saïx anyway!?"

Demyx pulled Roxas away from the emergency room and into a hug with a sigh. "I don't know, Rox. Just try to stay calm."

"Calm!?" Roxas clung to Demyx and grit his teeth. "How can I be calm when…"

"Hey!" Saïx rushed up to the group standing down the hall from the emergency room with Naminé trailing close behind. "I got here as soon as I could. What the hell happened!?"

Roxas pulled away from Demyx and looked to Saïx with wide eyes. "We were just hanging out at Zex's place and listening to music and just having a good time. Zexion kept stubbing his toe on a book shelf when he was trying to step around Demyx and every time he did we would laugh cause it was so fucking funny. And we were just sitting around laughing and we were laughing so hard. And then Axel just started coughing, and he kept coughing, and blood was coming out when he coughed. A-and he just kept coughing up blood and it was everywhere and he couldn't stop coughing and then…" Roxas choked back a sob and shook his head. "Geeze, he just kept coughing! He kept bleeding! And he passed out and we called the ambulance but then we couldn't even wait because he stopped breathing! So we drove him here and now they won't let anyone in to see him and we've been waiting for almost an hour and they won't tell us anything! We don't know how he is doing!"

Saïx grabbed Roxas by his shoulders in an effort to calm him. "It will be alright. Just calm down."

"I can't calm down! They won't let me see him. Saïx, you're the only one they'll let in." Roxas looked to his lover's brother and cringed as more tears came forward. "I don't think he's gonna make it."

Saïx's face fell and he looked down at the floor. "Th-this is it then?" He turned to look at Naminé who was trying her hardest not to cry before turning his gaze back to Roxas. "Well then, come with me…"

Roxas looked to Saïx curiously and let the other man lead him up to the entrance to the emergency room.

Saïx looked down at the prudish nurse who stood guarding the door. "Is it still family only?"

Roxas watched with a sinking heart as the brunette bitch before him nodded with some sick form of smirk, obviously judging them by their appearance. He opened his mouth to protest against the woman once more but was stopped as Saïx wrapped his arms around him tightly. "Wha?"

"Well Saïx, go say goodbye to your brother for us. I know you wanted us all to be there with you but I know you can be strong." Saïx smiled and pulled away from Roxas slowly. "If they say we can't come in, then we can't come in. But he's your brother and at least you should be able to be there with him."

Roxas furrowed his brow in confusion before it dawned upon him just what the other man was doing. "B-but…"

Saïx shook his head and forced a smile. "No buts. Now come on, he needs you with him."

Roxas could hardly fight the tears welling up in his eyes at Saïx's generosity. He was giving up his ability to say goodbye to his brother so that Roxas could be with him instead. He smiled kindly and mouthed a "thank you" before brushing past the snooty nurse blocking the entrance. The long hall was filled with many injured people, and nurses bustling back and forth. He spotted the blond doctor right away and hurried over to him. "I'm Axel's brother, Saïx. W-where is he?"

Vexen looked down at the blond young man before him curiously before sighing and leading him down an adjacent corridor. "This way. He can't be kept with the other emergency patients. Tuberculosis is contagious, I'm sure you know."

Roxas nodded and followed hurriedly after the doctor. They turned down another corridor before finally coming to an abrupt stop. Roxas peered into the window curiously but inside was dimly lit and he could hardly see. "H-how is he?"

Vexen looked down at Roxas and then glanced into his patient's room. "It looks grim. We've noticed that patients with his particular condition don't tend to last very long once ill. He's currently on oxygen. He isn't breathing well at all. Your brother will more than likely succumb to his illness before the morning. There is little more we can do for him now, other than pray." Vexen turned the handle on the door and stepped aside for Roxas. "You may see him now."

Roxas stepped into the room hesitantly, the horrible sound of the oxygen tank already making him feel ill. But he couldn't turn back. He approached Axel's bed slowly and pulled up a chair to sit beside him. Axel appeared to be asleep. He reached out and grabbed his lover's hand in his own and brought it to his lips. "H-hey, Axel. Wake up."

Axel groaned and opened his eyes slowly. His gaze fell on Roxas and he smiled. "Now there's a surprise. They told me only family could come back here…"

Roxas glanced to the door, but the doctor was already gone. He turned his eyes back to Axel and forced a smile through his tears. "Y-yeah well… I wasn't about to let that stop me."

Axel chuckled softly and weakly squeezed Roxas' hand. "I'm really sorry, Rox."

"Don't." Roxas shook his head sending tears flying in every direction. "Don't start saying you're sorry."

"But I am. None of this should have happened." Axel sighed and stared at Roxas sadly. "I love you Rox. This isn't how I wanted to leave things."

"I know." Roxas stood slowly and pulled the oxygen mask off Axel's face long enough to press his lips to his lover's. "I love you Axel."

"Lay beside me, Rox." Axel made an effort to scoot over to make room for the blond on the bed. "I want to feel you holding me."

Roxas nodded slowly and climbed onto the bed to lay beside Axel. He took care not to pull on the many cords protruding from his lover's body as he settled down and wrapped his arms around him. He listened sadly to the sound of the heart monitor beeping slowly just a few feet away.

Axel smiled and snuggled closer to Roxas. "I'm glad that you got back here to see me."

Roxas swallowed down the lump in his throat and nodded. "Yeah. So am I."

Axel snickered and nuzzled Roxas' neck. "Sweet lovely death, I am waiting for your breath. Come sweet death…"

"One last caress…" Roxas raised his hand to Axel's face to thumb over his cheek gently. "You're not going to try to fight this, are you?"

"Nah… I don't got it in me." Axel pulled his oxygen mask down and pressed his chapped lips to Roxas' forehead. "We all gotta go some time. And I can't keep doing this to you. So no, I'm not gonna fight. I'm sorry, I hope you understand."

Roxas whimpered and clung tighter to Axel. "I do. But…"

"No buts." Axel smiled and kissed Roxas on his nose. "It won't be long. Stay here with me until then."

Roxas nodded as his tears overwhelmed his face. He held on tightly to Axel and closed his eyes. Minutes passed by and just like a few nights ago at the beach, they seemed to take hours. Roxas was unsure just how long they laid there, but he listened to the heart monitor beeping. It beeped slower and slower and slower. And then…

That. Horrible. Long. Beep.