"Does Xemnas know you intend to go gallivanting around the worlds?" Roxas asked. He had just woken up from a short nap and he was looking out the window watching their ship prepare for its descent onto Destiny Islands. Axel paused in his ministrations of tapping his pen on his notepad and glanced at the blond before resuming his tapping again. Roxas sighed, correctly interpreting Axel's silence as a 'no' and pulled his PDA from his pocket, punching in a reminder to let his boss know that they were alive. As the ship docked and they prepared to unload another thought struck the blond. "Do you have any idea where we're going to stay?" Axel was cut off before he could respond.

"ROXAS! OVER HERE!" Axel watched, intrigued, as the blond whirled and a grin broke out across his face. Axel followed his line of sight and saw a group of three pushing their way through the crowd to greet them.

"Sora! Riku! Kairi!" Roxas shouted, waving an arm in greeting. The brown-haired boy broke through first and jumped on the blond. Axel watched in shock as the two men mock wrestled, both grinning and laughing like lunatics.

"Alright you two. Break it up before I wind up having to treat one or both of you for injuries," said the silver-haired man, wrapping an arm around the other man and pulling him off the blond.

"Hey Riku." Roxas greeted, grinning and fist-bumping the man. Axel watched in amusement as the blond disappeared beneath the auburn-haired girl.

"ROXAS! We haven't seen you in FOREVER!"

"Kairi, he needs to breathe," the brown-haired man told her, amused. The young woman reluctantly released the smaller man.

"Hey guys," Roxas greeted, laughing. "Axel, this is my brother, Sora, his boyfriend, Riku, and our friend, Kairi," he stated, pointing to each person in turn. "Guys, this is -"

"Trust us, Rox, we all know who Axel Lea is," Kairi interrupted, grinning shyly at the famous author. Axel grinned roguishly.

"Roxas likes to think he can keep me all to himself," Axel teased as their small group began walking. Roxas rolled his eyes.

"Yes, the horror of having to share you keeps me up all night. I toss and turn," Roxas responded dryly.

"So where are you guys staying?" Sora interrupted. Noting the quick look between the two co-workers, Sora continued. "You can stay with me and Riku! We've only got the one guestroom, but it's a big bed and it's got an amazing view of the beach," he continued with unbridled enthusiasm. Axel tuned out the conversation, choosing to watch instead. He found it useful as a writer but it was difficult to manage. People often thought his staring was creepy. Today he was fortunate. The trio was too wrapped up in bringing Roxas up to date on all the changes to notice Axel watching them and after five years of exposure, Roxas was immune to the red-head's stare.

Sora and Riku were leading their group, walking close enough to each other that their hands often brushed. Sora often turned to talk to Roxas, who trailed a little behind his brother, but Riku remained quiet and watched Sora. Kairi trotted along next to Axel, occasionally interjecting with remarks of her own but mostly just walking in companionable silence. Axel didn't think he'd ever seen Roxas so relaxed.

"How long have you worked with Roxas?" Axel blinked, taking a moment to register the fact that the soft voice had come from the young woman next to him.

"Oh, uh, five years. How long have you known him?" Kairi smiled.

"All his life - so far. I'm in between Sora and Roxas. Sora was a year above me; Roxas was the year below me. I used to run all over this island with both of them and Riku. Riku was Sora's best friend. I was sooo in love with Sora! I thought my heart broke when he started dating Riku." She laughed and Axel felt himself smile.

"How long have they been dating?" he asked, curious.

"Now let's see...we were still in middle school and we had that freak storm..." At the look on Axel's face Kairi explained what had happened. "Riku and Sora had been playing on the beach when this freak tropical storm hit. The best we could figure out was that the magnetic energy of the storm opened a wormhole or something and sucked them to another world. What happened after that they never really said but they started dating when they got back. Let's see...they must have been about fourteen or fifteen."

"Wow," Axel stated, the opening of his new story already being outlined in his head. He'd need to know more about the layout of the islands - specifically the beach. "That would make for an interesting story." Kairi gave him a knowing grin and Axel laughed. "I get the hint. I don't suppose you could give me a tour of the island as well, since I seem to have lost my editor." Kairi laughed.

"Sure. We'll start first thing tomorrow. You can have tonight to get settled."

"Which side do you want?" Roxas asked, tossing his bag by the dresser. Axel took a cursory look around the room – the large sliding glass doors which opened onto the balcony, the mahogany dresser and nightstands, the king-sized bed centered on the far wall.

"Left," he responded, setting his own bag down by the left nightstand. "This could work out very well. If I have a sudden burst of inspiration I can just roll over and wake you up!"

"Wake me up for that and die," Roxas told him amiably. "Top or bottom drawer?" Axel waved a hand, indicating that he didn't care and Roxas began unpacking his clothing into the top drawer.

"So what can I wake you up for?" Axel teased.

"You can wake me up if you win the Pulitzer." The red-head made a face and Roxas had to bite back a laugh. "Now behave for five minutes while I call Xemnas." Axel just rolled his eyes and disappeared into the bathroom as the blond dug out his phone and hit speed dial.

"Want to explain to me why my top writer and editor aren't in my office handing me the final draft for Axel's latest book?" Xemnas asked in lieu of a greeting. Roxas bit back a number of sarcastic responses – he really needed to get a life outside of Axel.

"I'm being kidnapped for an as yet unspecified amount of time to go planet hopping as research for Axel's new book."

"What? What new book?" The blond mentally sighed and filled his boss in on Axel's latest idea for a novel. "Fine." Xemnas stated after hearing his subordinate out. "Just get the clean draft of The Looking Glass Wars e-mailed to publishing tonight and enjoy your romantic get-away."

"It's a business trip."

"As long as you come back with a draft you can call it whatever you want." Xemnas told him before cruelly hanging up. Roxas groaned before throwing himself face first on the bed.

"If you're trying to suffocate yourself, you're doing it wrong." Axel stated, exiting the bathroom in low slung pajama pants while towel-drying his hair.

"Fuck off," Roxas told him, sliding off the bed and entering the bathroom himself. He showered quickly before changing into plaid pajama bottoms and a loose fitting Hollow Bastion University t-shirt. Exiting into the bedroom he found Axel sitting on his side of the bed, laptop balanced on his legs.

"Did you tell Kairi I was working on a new novel?" he asked, not looking up from his typing.

"I told Sora. He probably told her."

"She told me about what happened with your brother and Riku. Do you think they'd mind if I used it?" Roxas shrugged, grabbing Axel's bag and unpacking it in the lower dresser drawer.

"Ask them at dinner." Roxas paused, fingers absent-mindedly tapping out a staccato rhythm on the dresser. "It used to be the biggest point of contention between us." Axel paused in his typing, staring at the blond's back. "But then I realized that whatever happened during those months wasn't just Sora's story to tell. And if Riku didn't want to talk about it, then Sora wasn't going to talk about it either. I think that was when I realized they were in love."

"They never had a falling out?" Axel inquired. Roxas shook his head.

"Not that I know of. The only time they were apart was when Riku went to Hollow Bastion for medical school. Sora stayed and joined the police academy."

"And what about you?" Axel teased.

"I celebrated having my own room."

"So unsociable," the red-head chided.

"I'm not unsociable. I'm sociably selective and I select not to be sociable with a lot of people." Roxas informed him, whacking him upside the head with a pillow. "And if you're going to be an ass about it, then I will grab my massive key-chain and key you."

"Now that's any idea..." Axel stated. His eyes glazed over as he began turning thoughts over in his mind. Roxas looked at him, waiting to hear what the pyromaniac would come up with. "A key as a weapon...but what kind of weapon?"

"Well, considering the fact I was threatening to stab you with keys I think it's safe to assume you could use it as a knife." Roxas responded dryly.

"No..." Axel shook his head, his brow furrowing as he thought. "Something bigger than a knife. A real weapon...a sword."

"A key-sword?" Roxas asked doubtfully. Axel sighed and slumped back against the headboard.

"It does sound ridiculous, doesn't it? And I thought we were onto something." Roxas stared thoughtfully out the window.

"A sword is nothing but a large knife. It just has a longer blade..." he said, half talking to himself. "A key...blade."

"That's it!" Axel cried, shooting up in the bed and nearly upsetting his laptop. "Roxas, you're a genius," he stated, grabbing the smaller man and kissing the top of his head before rescuing his precariously perched laptop and typing away. The blond stayed frozen for a moment, half shocked at the red-head's sudden outburst.

"Uh, I'll just...give Sora and Riku your excuses." Roxas told him, slipping off the bed and heading toward the door. "I'll make sure to ask about using the story Kairi told you as the opening for the book." The blond received no response other than the clacking of the laptop keys and he quietly shut the door behind him.

"This is amazing!" Axel stated, scrambling after the petite woman in front of him, the cool mist of the waterfall falling on him as they passed. Kairi had led him down to the seashore, pointing out all the old places where she and her friends had gone as children. They had climbed into the old tree-house and nosed around inside the old shack before Axel was led along the dock. Kairi had showed him the smaller island where they had all practiced their fighting when they were little.

"Riku used to beat us all up," Kairi laughed. "I think Sora was the only one who could ever really match him. Though I can't remember if Roxas ever actually fought him. He usually had his nose stuck in a book. Anyway, we all used to play down here, along with some other kids from the island. Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie. Wakka and Tidus are big blitzball stars. Selphie went on to become a pilot." Axel let Kairi continued to ramble. He wasn't really listening to her – he was poking around and trying to take everything in. He could picture his characters preparing a raft, ready to set out – trying to discover if there was anything beyond the edge of their world. "Come on, I'll show you the cove," she stated, tugging on the taller man's arm.

The cove was on the other side of the island. Kairi and Axel carefully walked over the bridge, being careful to mind the gaps.

"What's that?" Axel asked, pointing to an old building with stairs next to it.

"The old watch tower. It's pretty much useless now." She stated, taking shelter from the sun under the shade of the coconut trees.

"And where does that ramp go?"

"Back to a cave on the seashore side of the island. And down that way is a little secret cave. Want to see it?" Axel nodded and followed along as the energetic woman took off, eager to show off the beauty of the island she loved.

They had to stoop to get in, as the cave was obviously meant for small children but once inside there were hundreds of drawings covering the walls. In the center of the wall, two people framed a star-shape.

"I never did find out who sketched that," Kairi said fondly, though a hint of sadness tinged her voice. The two people were Riku and Sora. Axel looked at the wistful smile on her face. Evidently, she still wasn't over her girlhood crush.

"What's it mean?"

"There's a legend on the island. It says that if two people share a paopu fruit, they'll remain a part of each other's lives forever. That's Riku and Sora, and the star between them is the paopu fruit. You've never had one?" Kairi asked, rousing herself from her melancholy mood. Axel shook his head 'no'. "Well, you'll probably be in luck today. I was informed when I picked you up that Riku and Sora were throwing a party today, so I'm sure you'll have the chance to try some!" She stated with a smile, leading the way out of the tiny cave. Axel blinked his eyes, trying to readjust to the sudden brightness of the day. "Come one!" Kairi called, laughing as she took off running. "Let's go back to town and see what the others are up to!"

The others, Axel thought, were up to insanity. At least that's what he could make of it. The house, which had been so peaceful when Kairi and Axel had left it, was in a state of turmoil. People milled about, laughing, socializing and stuffing their faces at the bar which had suddenly sprung up in the backyard. The crowd itself wasn't that large; Axel calculated that there couldn't be more than approximately thirty people walking around but...he didn't know any of them. Kairi had disappeared, off talking to an older man with orange hair who was introducing her to another woman with long black hair. Catching sight of unruly blond hair, Axel bee-lined toward the buffet table.

"So I disappear for part of a day and you throw a party. Roxas, I'm hurt." Axel stated, grabbing a cold beer out of a tub.

"Oh, you're back. And here I was hoping Kairi would push you out of the tree-house or the watch tower." Roxas stated dryly, crossing his arms as he leaned his back against a tree.

"Does your brother often throw spur of the moment parties, or just for us?"

"Yes, we have spur of the moment parties all the time. Now shut up and eat something; I know you didn't have breakfast before you left this morning." Axel smiled before glancing at the buffet table.

"What is all of this?"

"Well, I'm sure you recognize chicken wings when you see them. And I know you've seen a coconut before. And that's the island's specialty, paopu fruit." Axel made a thoughtful noise, picking up the fruit and taking a bite.

"Mm, this is pretty good. Want some?" he asked, holding out the rest of the fruit to the smaller man. Roxas flushed before narrowing his eyes and scowling at the other man. "You okay? You're not allergic or something, are you?"

"It's nothing," Roxas mumbled, grabbing the fruit out of Axel's hand. Turning around and leading the way to the house, the blond missed the small smile on the red-head's face.

"That was sneaky." Axel started as Sora sidled up to him. He was standing in the kitchen, looking out at the backyard where Roxas had been pulled into an impromptu conference with Riku. Axel could feel himself flush. "No, no, I approve." Sora reassured. "You two are good for each other."

"We're not actually..." Axel explained.

"No, but you're working on it." Sora smiled before turning and looking out the window. A small frown marred his features.

"Are you okay?"

"He's been acting funny all day," Sora answered, nodding in Riku's direction. The two watched as Roxas suddenly burst out laughing and began pushing the silver-haired man into the house.

"Well, I think we're about to find out why." Riku and Roxas slipped through the sliding doors and the small blond nudged the older man forward.

"Sora?" Riku asked softly. The brown-haired man turned and Riku got down on one knee. "Will you marry me?" he asked, pulling out the small jewelry box and flipping the top open. Axel silently moved away from the couple, situating himself next to Roxas.

"Riku...I...Yes!" Sora answered, laughing. Riku sighed in relief and stood, slipping the ring onto his fiance's finger. "Is this why you've been acting weird all day?" Riku just grinned.

"Talk about shock factor," Axel whispered. "I think your brother thought that Riku was getting ready to dump him."

"Nah, he was just terrified to ask." Roxas confessed. "He almost talked himself out of it." Axel tilted his head to the side, watching the two men.

"That could be us someday," he mused thoughtfully, leaning against the wall. Roxas snorted.

"Right."

"You wouldn't marry me?" Roxas jerked in surprise, his head whipping around to look at the writer.

"I didn't mean...I guess I just never...thought about it." Axel hummed.

"I've got notes I need to type up," he stated, pushing himself upright and heading for their room.

"Need some help?" Roxas asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Sure you don't want to celebrate with your brother?" Roxas shook his head and Axel stared at him for a moment before shrugging. "I could use the help." Roxas heaved a sigh.

"I keep telling you that, but you're so damn adamant that you don't need a psychiatrist." Axel rolled his eyes and Roxas grinned, following him back to the guest bedroom. Roxas paused at the threshold as the gravity of Axel's words sunk in. The red-head had pretty much told him that he would ask Roxas to marry him one day. The idea of that was a lot less scary than the blond thought would be. Taking in the sight of Axel typing away on his laptop - glasses perched on his face - Roxas realized that he would be totally fine with that.

A/N: Alright people, this is your chance for input. This story will go one of two ways. They can planet-hop or go back to Twilight Town. If you're all for the planet-hopping then leave me a review telling me which planet you want included!