A/N: We are finally on the final stretch. Only three more to go counting this one! Enjoy!
"The brave death... the last breath... the silence – whispering all that was lost." ~ Steven Curtis Chapman
Axel was dying. Sora figured he shouldn't have cared – he was a member of the Organization, he had tried to turn him into a heartless, and for pete's sake, he'd kidnapped Kairi! Considering the fact that he was dying because he'd tried to help him though... well, yes, he cared.
But there was one thing Sora just didn't understand. "What were you trying to do?"
Axel looked him in the eyes, his own brimming with grief.
"I wanted to see Roxas..." he replied quietly, his voice shaking just a tiny bit.
There's that name again, Sora thought. Who is Roxas?
"He... was the only one I liked." Axel cracked a smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "He made me feel... like I had a heart." A strange expression crossed him face. "It's kinda... funny. You make me feel... the same..." he trailed off.
Sora blinked. What?
Axel backtracked, obviously trying to save face. "Kairi's in the castle dungeon." Lifting his hand, he used the last of his strength to open a dark corridor. "Now go!"
The two of them looked at each other – and for the first time, Sora saw Axel for what he was; not an emotionless murderer, but a boy. A scared, lonely, broken boy with nothing left to live for. Looking at the pyro's face, Sora could see the broken eyes of someone who had lost everything.
As the dying man looked at him, Sora knew he was seeing someone else. The keyblade wielder felt sorry for him.
And then he was gone.
Okay, that was more than 200 words. A lot more. But I couldn't bear to cut it down any more than I already had. It would've downplayed the mood.
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