Rating: M

Summary: His doubts about Vexen and Zexion's abilities faded away as he approached it. It looked as perfect as, "…Roxas?" Axel breathed. The look alike opened its ocean blue eyes, giving Axel a questioning stare.

Trick or Treat?

Chapter 7

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Axel became very distant and very angry after that. Along with Zexion quickly learning to stay away from him, Axel went on his missions alone, spoke to no one and disappeared often. None of the other nobodies had a clue as to where he'd possibly go. Except for one.

Axel sat on the ledge of Twilight Town's tower, overlooking the town as he waited for the sunset. He'd gotten in the habit of alternating between there and Destiny Islands to watch the sun set every evening, since the only two things that ever meant anything to him had connections to them and both had disappeared from his life. He tensed slightly when he heard footsteps approaching. He'd recognized them in an instant.

"I heard what happened." Axel said nothing for a long moment, merely gazing at the setting sun.

"Did you?"

"I'm sorry, Axel, for your loss." The red nodded and Roxas turned to leave but hesitated when Axel spoke again.

"Just so we're clear, he and I never did anything more than what I did to you." The blond turned around, staring at Axel's wild spikes for a long moment. Then, hesitantly, he approached the red-head.

"Why did you do that to me?"

"I've already told you." Roxas shook his head.

"We can't feel, Axel." The red-head turned to look behind him, his eyes locking with the beautiful blue ones he'd fallen in love with. He felt a spark of anger ignite deep inside.

"That's a load of crap, Roxas!" He yelled, and in an instant, he'd gotten to his feet and Roxas was backing away as the red-head quickly began to close the space between them. Axel summoned his Chakrums as the blond backed into the tower. The smaller nobody raised his arms defensively as the weapons came at him, but merely closed his eyes as he realized he couldn't summon his keyblades in time to stop the attack. When he didn't receive the blow he'd been expecting, he hesitantly opened his eyes, gasping as he realized the red-head had merely trapped his arms between the spikes on his Chakrums, which were stuck in the wall at least halfway.

"L-let me go, Axel!"

"Why? Are you scared?" The blond closed his eyes again, shaking as the red-head touched his face. He was trying not to move so that he wouldn't get cut. "Are you?" Roxas scoffed at him but froze, eyes widening when Axel summoned a flame in his other hand, bringing it dangerously close to the blond's face. Roxas pressed his head back against the building, shaking harder. "Are you!"

"Y-yes…" he admitted, knowing that that's what the strange sickening sensation in the pit of his stomach had to be.

"But Roxas," he said gingerly, extinguishing the flame, "that's an emotion. A feeling. That can't be right, can it?" The red-head turned away, making the Chakrums vanish. Roxas, still shaking, slumped to the ground. He couldn't help but wonder what the other nobody would do next. Axel glanced back at him. "You can leave if you want, since that's all you seem to do anymore," he said. Then the red-head walked back to the ledge, sat on it, and continued to watch the sunset.

"Axel…" he said uncertainly. He'd changed so much. The red-head didn't move and after thinking it over, Roxas decided to chance approaching him. When he got close enough, he saw something he thought he'd never see. The older nobody was crying. Roxas repeated the red-head's name and those smoldering green eyes locked with his own ocean blue. "What… did you do with its body?"

"His name was Ven."

"…what did you do with Ven's body," Roxas asked carefully. Axel closed his eyes.

"I… stayed with it till morning and then burned it, spreading the ashes out into the ocean."

"I bet he would've liked that," Roxas said softly, sitting next to the red-head, simply wanting to be helpful. Axel wiped his eyes.

"Maybe." Roxas hesitated for another moment then reached over, putting his arm around the taller nobody, halfway hugging him. Axel stiffened then relaxed into the embrace when he realized what was happening.

"I'm sorry that I haven't been around… but what you did was hurtful to me." Axel nodded.

"I understand, but I'm not going to lie to you; I don't regret it." Roxas bit his lower lip.

"I appreciate your honesty." Axel glanced down at the beautiful blond.

"I still love you, you know." Roxas ducked his head down before disengaging his arm from around the red-head's waist and gripping the ledge.

"I know," he said quietly.

"If you aren't okay with that, I'll respect your decision."

"Axel… I don't even know what 'love' is. How can you expect me to be okay with it?" The red-head blinked.

"It's not hard to figure out… it's pretty much the deepest connection you can have with another person, where you care for them strongly and would do anything for them, and I assume you also have a strong desire to be with them. People with hearts also do things like what I did to you…" The blond's face flushed.

"I… still don't understand though."

"Will you let me show you then?" Roxas gazed up at the red-head.

"I don't know…" Axel shrugged, and glanced away.

"Why are you so afraid to take a chance and to live for today?"

"I'm not, I just don't know what to do," the blond admitted. Axel nodded.

"Alright, I'll leave you alone."

"You don't have to do that…" Their eyes locked.

"I know," the red-head replied before getting up and walking away.

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