A/N-First off, I'd like to say...YAHOO! OVER 100K WORDS! :D I never thought it would get this long! Longest fic I've ever written. Longest story I've ever written. WOOT! Alright, now that's out of the way, onward with the story! Sorry if its a bit slow (I was going off of nothing for this), but it's going to pick up again real soon. I finally sat down and planned everything out. (Warning: planning is subject to change). So, enjoy this brief respite from fighting and enjoy some Axel/Roxas bonding. Yay! Read and enjoy!

Roxas woke in the middle of the night. The aftereffects of the light magic had worn off yet he didn't quite feel as empty as he did before. Roxas nuzzled his face into the pillow. 'My own light magic must have finally recharged. That's good to know.' He mused. Roxas lay awake in the quiet of the night listening to the soft waves lapping against the beach and crickets chirp lazily in the distance. The moon was bright, filling the world with its soft silvery light. Roxas was calmed by the serenity of Destiny Islands.

His ears picked up movement behind him. Sheets tossed and turned as someone thrashed in their bed. He heard a hiss the bed creaked slightly, signifying they sat upright.

"Good fuck am I sore," Axel muttered angrily. "Why the Hell am I in a bed? Better yet, where the Hell am I? Great. You're losing it Axel. First you lose your mind, then your back hurts like a bitch, now you're talking to yourself. Pull it together!" Roxas stifled his laughter as not to alert the red head he was awake.

Axel turned and put his feet on the floor. He winced as he tried to stand, figuring sitting was probably better anyway. He noticed his chakrams were leaning against the bedside table. "Well, there solves one mystery. Now where the Hell did my armor go?" he mused. They had stripped Axel of his armor so Selphie could take care of his injuries. It wasn't much of use anymore since there was no back plating. Axel ran a hand through his mass of hair.

"Okay, calm down. What's the last thing I remember? Isa took my heart. Right. That would explain why I feel so shallow. So then I somehow ended up here. I wonder if Roxas…shit! Demyx!" Axel quickly jumped to his feet and searched wildly for his friend. "Come on man, where are you?" He finally found Demyx sleeping sounding do to some anesthesia. Axel breathed a sigh of relief. Then he started searching again. "Okay, now where's Roxas. Don't tell me he left on the crazy train for good…" Axel spotted the blonde lying in the bed next to his. He quietly strode over and peered down at him. "He looks okay."

Axel walked around to the other side and knelt down to look at Roxas's face. He was a bit surprised when he found a pair of blue eyes staring back at him. Roxas blinked.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey?! You go bat shit crazy and nearly kill Dem and all you have to say is hey?!" Axel hissed. Roxas couldn't help his laughter from bubbling up. He didn't feel happy. It was just a reflex from what he remembered about Axel. Roxas buried his face into the mattress to stifle his giggles. "That's not funny Roxas!"

"Yes it is," Roxas muttered into the sheets.

"I'm being serious!"

"So am I." Roxas looked up at Axel. The man's acid green eyes were bright and full of concern. Roxas sat up and stretched. He slipped out of bed and started heading towards the beach. "Come on, before you wake someone up." Axel muttered under his breath but followed Roxas down to the beach. Roxas sat on the edge of the shore and let the warm water lap against his bare feet. Axel sat next to him and curled his toes in the wet sand.

"Okay, talk. I'm obviously missing something. Where are we?"

"Destiny Islands. I brought you here after Isa took your heart."

"Ballsy. So why were you going bat shit crazy and trying to kill Demyx?" Roxas sighed and began to fill in Axel of the details of what ensued over the past few days. He could tell the news hurt Axel greatly but neither of them felt the pain or the weight of his words anymore. Axel leaned back on his hands and stretched out his legs. The water lapped against his pants, soaking them instantly.

"So, you lost your heart too then. I was hoping that would have stayed a secret," Axel admitted.

"Secret? You were shouting for all the world to hear!" Roxas rebutted.

"I did what?"

"When Kingdom Hearts snapped, you started boasting to Xehanort how you "created me" and "had a duty to protect me" and all that shit. You only have yourself to blame for Xehanort finding out." Axel scratched the back of his head.

"Well I fucked up then. I honestly don't remember any of that though."

"You were acting unconsciously."

"That's still not an excuse for acting like a bastard." Axel sighed. "I'll have to apologize to everyone in the morning. And you're going to have to introduce me to these new friends of yours, Sora and Riku. They seem like an interesting pair." Axel chuckled to himself. "I actually see why Kairi came here. I was a shit ass excuse for a parent."

"You were still a kid yourself," Roxas reminded.

"As you once said, I had to grow up fast. I was no longer Lea the babysitter. I had to look after Kairi and Naminé. They were all I had left from my home world and I couldn't abandon them. They were terrified out of their minds. So I tried my best to raise them like an older brother. It never really worked out though."

"Naminé once told me that she thought you hated her and Kairi."

"Hate them?" Axel looked over at Roxas. "What? No. Why would she think that?"

"Because of what happened with your brother." Axel grew quiet. "She said you couldn't hate them like you wanted too because they were the reason your brother died."

"My brother died protecting Kairi and Naminé. He died a hero. End of story."

"Axel…" Roxas said darkly. The Knight chewed on his lip ring.

"Fine! Yes, I wanted to hate them. He had a chance to leave with the rest of the transports but he didn't get the chance because he felt obliged to save Naminé and Kairi. But you know what Roxas? It's my fault too," Axel seethed. "I was supposed to be there to look out for the sisters. I was supposed to watch them. They were my responsibility and I shrugged it off because I wanted to sleep in for once. Do you get it now? I was a selfish ass bastard! It got my parents killed, it got my brother killed, and it got my world killed. I was left with nothing!"

Roxas was a bit shocked to hear Axel's voice waver. Axel bent his legs and rested his elbows on his knees, hands pulling at the back of his hair. 'We're not supposed to feel and yet he looks just as tortured as when he first met Naminé after all those years. Is it possible the emotions are so strong they broke through his lack of heart? Or do the memories themselves have emotional scars in his mind causing him to react this way?' Roxas pondered.

He stared up at the silvery moon. It was full and offered a bright comfort to the stargazer. Roxas looked over to Axel and noticed he had buried his face in his folded arms that rested on top of his knees. He blinked and scooted closer to the Knight.

"Axel?" he pressed, poking the man's shoulder.

"Just leave me alone," Axel murmured. Roxas frowned. He moved so he was sitting in front of Axel, his pants instantly soaked by the incoming waves, and his legs sandwiched the red head's. Roxas rested his elbows on his knees and his chin on his closed fists. Axel lifted his head slightly and peered at Roxas with one of his bright green eyes. "What?" Axel snapped.

"Just watching," Roxas replied. Axel's eyebrow arched.

"Why?"

"You watched over me when my world was crumbling around me. Can't I be there for you as yours does the same?"

"Mine already crumbled," Axel reminded.

"It's still nice to have someone to talk to." Axel lowered his head. Roxas lifted his head from his fists and started to gently pull at the spikes on the back of Axel's head. Axel suddenly knocked his hand away.

"Cut that out! It tickles." Roxas raised his eyebrows.

"You're ticklish?" he asked, both intrigued and bemused.

"Y-e-s. Is there a problem with that?"

"No." Axel quickly realized his mistake as Roxas jumped him and began to tickle his sides. He squirmed and tried not to laugh.

"Roxas! Cut it out!" he giggled. He fell back on the ground and tried to roll away but Roxas had him pinned. The blonde tickled his sides until Axel couldn't hold it any more. A roar of laughter escaped his throat and tears streamed down the sides of his face. "R-R-Roxas! Stop! You're killing me-hehe!" Roxas stopped and sat down next to the exasperated Knight. Axel took a deep breath and wiped the water from his face. He looked over at the blonde and found him staring off at the blackened horizon.

"Everyone deserves to laugh," Roxas muttered. Axel felt his face fall. His tucked his arms behind his head and stared up at the starry sky.

"It's not as easy as it used to be," Axel admitted. "What gives, anyway? You're not exactly the playful type. That was more Kairi's thing." Roxas shrugged.

"I thought it might cheer you up."

"Cheer me…? Roxas, I can't feel anything. There's nothing to cheer up."

"I don't think that's true." Axel's face turned into a mask of confusion. "I think that we are still able to feel emotions but without hearts we aren't able to identify them. Thus, our feelings turn into an empty confusion. I've seen memories bring up emotions in both you and Naminé. It can't be a coincidence."

"You're thinking into this way too much." Roxas gave Axel a shove.

"I'm just being observant."

"Does it really matter that much to you if I'm showing an emotion?"

"It means you're in pain. And if there's some way I can help shoulder it…"

"Shoulder it?" Axel sat up and looked to Roxas. The blonde turned his head to meet Axel's eyes. He seemed a bit befuddled by Axel's interruption. "Roxas, it's not something for you to worry about. It's my problem." The soldier lowered his gaze. He turned his head back to the shore and started to draw lines in the sand with his finger. Axel caught his hand, gaining the blonde's eye contact again. "Roxas, stop trying to take on everything. You're killing yourself."

"What am I supposed to do? Just sit by quietly and watch while others suffer?" Roxas snapped.

"No. You let people deal with their problems."

"I don't like my friends to suffer through their problems alone." Axel blinked.

"We're…friends?" Roxas turned his gaze back to the sand but kept his head towards Axel.

"Well, yeah. I consider us friends at least."

"Oh…" Axel dropped his eyes to the sand. He released Roxas's hand and folded his arms back on his knees, this time resting his chin on top of his arms.

"Do you not like friends?" Roxas asked, looked up at the Knight.

"No, it's just…it's been awhile. It's been just me and Demyx for so long…" Axel chuckled. "I guess I actually forgot how to make friends." Roxas chuckled and leaned back on his hands. He yawned and felt his eyes grow heavier. "Tired?"

"Yeah. I guess I just need some more sleep." Axel stood and motioned for Roxas to follow. He wandered farther up the beach so they weren't on the water's edge. Then he sat down and motioned for Roxas to sit next to him. Roxas sat and wondered what the Knight was up to. Axel lay back and hooked his arms behind his head.

"Don't need you drowning in you nod off," Axel explained. Roxas nodded and lay down on the sand next to Axel. His eye lids drooped and he found it very hard to stay awake. "You shouldn't sleep with your face in the sand," Axel commented.

"And where else am I supposed to sleep?" Axel shrugged. Roxas sighed and rotated his body. He flopped down and rested his head on Axel's abs. The Knight lifted his head slightly and peered down at the back of Roxas's head.

"Comfy?" he asked.

"Ngh," Roxas replied, already falling asleep. Axel chuckled and lay back to watch the stars.

"Night, Roxas." Axel felt the blonde's breathing even out as he drifted off to sleep. He felt a smile pull at the edges of his lips.

XxXxX

"Shit, where did they go?" Sora panicked. He searched everywhere around the medical center but there was no sign of Axel of Roxas. Sora felt his heart race. He ran down to the beach to see if they happened to wake up. Sora stepped onto the sand and stopped dead. Relief and amusement washed over him.

Axel lay sleeping on his stomach, his head resting on his folded arms. Roxas had nested himself into the sand. His head lay on the small of Axel's back and tilted into his right shoulder. His hands lay on top of his stomach.

Sora rolled his eyes and shook his head. He walked over to the pair. It was early in the morning and Sora was on the dawn patrol. He loved waking up early to see the sun rise as he walked the beach. When he went to check on everyone in the medical center before his patrol, he found Axel and Roxas had not returned to their beds from their night outing. Sora knelt and gently shook Axel's shoulder.

"Hey," he greeted. Axel moaned and buried his face further into his arms.

"Go 'way Kairi," he mumbled.

"Um, it's Sora." Sora received no more answers from Axel so he went to Roxas. He gently shook the blonde's shoulder but the soldier didn't wake from his slumber. Sora sighed and stood. "I guess I leave you two here then. I expect you to be here when I get back," he scolded. The sleeping pair failed to answer. Sora nodded to himself and headed off down the beach.

XxXxX

Ienzo was quickly faced with the same problem as Sora. He since the medical area was full, he went to spend the night in Sora's apartment. He wasn't roused as early as the Militia but he had the same idea of visiting his friends as soon as he woke up. When he found Axel and Roxas's bed empty he quickly panicked. Ienzo frantically searched for the faint glow of Axel but didn't see it. He then set out in search of Sora. He headed towards the beach and bumped into the Militia on the way.

"Oh! Morning Ienzo," Sora greeted as he was coming back from his patrol.

"Sora! Axel and Roxas…" Ienzo stared.

"They're on the beach," Sora reassured the boy. Ienzo let out a sigh of relief. "Scared you too, huh?" Sora asked with a chuckled.

"Yeah. What are they doing down at the beach? They should be in bed recovering."

"From what I can piece together, they went for a walk last night and fell asleep on the beach." Sora looked up at the sky and the sun was working its way into mid-morning. "You want me to bring you to them?"

"If you don't mind. I can't see them as clearly as before." Sora nodded and led Ienzo down to the beach. They walked over to the sleeping pair and Sora had to stifle his laughter. Axel was sprawled out on his back with a trickle of drool leaking from the corner of his mouth. Roxas was flopped over the red head's stomach, face buried in his folded arms with his cheek pressed to Axel's side. Ienzo could see the faint outlines of their bodies and failed to hold back a snort.

"They've been like this all morning," Sora stated.

"They're like a couple of kittens," Ienzo commented.

"Now that you mention it, they do look like a pair of kittens." Ienzo walked over and sat down on the small of Roxas's back. The blonde grunted from the excess weight and started to wake.

"Axel, get your fat ass off of me," he grumbled.

"S'not me…" Axel mumbled, turning his head to the other side. Roxas groaned and lifted his head from his arms and blearily looked over his shoulder. He blinked and tried to focus his eyes.

"Oh, it's just Ienzo." Roxas flopped his face back down and went back to dozing in the sun.

"M'kay…" Axel moaned. Sora couldn't hold back his laughter. Ienzo quickly joined him while the lazy pair tried to tune them out. Ienzo lost his balance and fell onto Axel's chest. Axel jerked away. "What the Hell?" Ienzo kept laughing and rolled onto the ground, holding his sides painfully. Sora was hunched over in a fit of giggles. It left Axel confused. He gave Roxas a shove. "Hey, wake up fat ass."

"No," Roxas snapped. Axel sat up and Roxas barrel rolled down Axel's legs into the sand. Roxas sat up, annoyed. "What gives?"

"It's time to get your fat ass up." Roxas scowled and pushed himself up into a sitting position. He glared at the giggling Ienzo and Sora.

"What did you have to do that for?"

"You two!" Sora gasped between laughs. "You're just priceless!"

"Fucking kittens!" Ienzo giggled.

"Hey! Watch your language!" Roxas barked. Ienzo stuck out his tongue at the blonde.

"Tell that to Demyx." Ienzo finally got a hold of his laughter and sat up, crossing his legs. "His mouth is atrocious."

"I'll be sure to chew him out later." Sora took a calming breath and straightened up, wiping the water from his eyes.

"I'm glad you two are feeling better. Are you…lucid…Axel?" Sora asked cautiously.

"Um, I guess so," the Knight replied, scratching the back of his head. "Who are you exactly?"

"Oh! I'm Sora." Sora held out his hand and Axel shook it firmly.

"So you're Sora. I've been told of the infamous Sora-Riku pair. Where's your other half?"

"He's meeting with the King." Axel's face paled.

"Not that King," Roxas protested, smacking Axel's leg.

"King Mickey," Sora added. Axel chewed on his lip ring. "Something the matter?"

"It's nothing," Axel muttered, lowering his gaze to his lap.

"You're horrible at lying," Ienzo pointed out. Axel glanced at him.

"How are you doing, kid?" he asked.

"I'm doing great. Roxas and Demyx have taken good care of me. My language not so much though. Sora and Riku are cool too."

"That's good to here." Axel scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "About your brother…"

"I know what condition he's in." Axel frowned slightly.

"Yeah. He's not doing so hot."

"But we know something you don't." Axel arched his eyebrows.

"Zexion's next in line for the crown," Roxas stated flatly. Axel nearly choked on his own spit.

"WHAT?! You're joking, right?!" No one replied. "Holy shit. Wait, so that means…" Axel turned to Ienzo and flinched.

"Yes, he's in line after Zexion," Roxas confirmed. Axel swallowed roughly.

"Don't worry. I won't lock you up in the dungeon," Ienzo teased.

"I'm glad?" Axel said, unsure what else to say. Ienzo chuckled.

"I can see why you and Roxas get along so well."

"How do you figure that?" Roxas asked.

"Axel makes up for Roxas's lack of expressing emotions while you both like to brood heavily on your thoughts," Ienzo explained.

"I don't brood!" Axel protested. Roxas snorted and Ienzo rolled his eyes. "Okay, so I brood. There's nothing wrong with that!"

"Never said there was." A hush fell over the group.

"Hey, you guys want breakfast?" Sora asked. "I was going to make French toast. You two are welcome to join."

"What about the others?" Roxas asked, concerned for the other heartless nobodies.

"Selphie has them covered. Aqua's been helping out too so they should be fine."

"Sounds fantastic. I'm starving!" Axel exclaimed.

"That's because you haven't eaten since you got here," Ienzo pointed out.

"All the more reason to eat." The group mobilized and headed for Sora's apartment. It was inside the city portion of the island where all the shops and houses were located. The apartment itself was fairly roomy and furnished with bright colors. Sora headed for his room and disappeared for awhile. When he returned he lacked his armor and sported a pair of blue pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt. He headed into the kitchen and started pulling out ingredients. Ienzo found a spot on Sora's couch and waited patiently. Roxas set himself to cutting fresh fruit while Axel was worked the stove. After he burned three pieces of toast, Sora quickly had him switch jobs with Roxas.

Halfway through cooking, the door to Sora's apartment opened and Riku stepped inside. Sora greeted him cheerfully and Riku asked if he didn't mind more company for breakfast. Sora was overjoyed to have more company coming over so Riku left to gather the others. When Riku returned, they were greeted with a surprise.

"Your Majesty," Sora and Roxas greeted politely, nodding their heads respectfully.

Axel dropped his knife and nearly stabbed himself in the foot.

King Mickey smiled and bobbed his head at the cooking trio and Pluto bounded in after him. Roxas wasn't sure if he was more surprised by the fact the King and his group was joining him for breakfast or the fact they were also in their pajamas. The guys were dressed in flannel pants, t-shirts and tank tops. Minnie wore a form fitting night gown and her hair was tied back in a long braid. They were introduced to two new faces. It was a pair of twins with short brown hair that fell into their eyes. One was much more energetic and introduced himself as Dale. The other was more thoughtful and introduced himself as Chip. They were the King's pilots and mechanics.

Riku helped Sora set up more chairs around the table while the royal party seated themselves. Ienzo joined them at the table and busied himself with entertaining Pluto. Roxas continued his work at the stove but he noticed Axel was silent as he continued to cut up fruit. There was something on the Knight's face he couldn't read.

'Is there something between him and the Disney royal party?' Roxas wondered.

King Mickey excused himself from the table and walked into the kitchen. Roxas thought he was going to come talk to him but was surprised when the King leaned against the counter next to Axel. Axel towered over the King but the King's presence seemed to make the Knight shrink back.

"Axel," the King greeted politely. Axel froze, knife still stuck in a strawberry.

"Hi," he whispered. Roxas stared at the pair in confusion. Mickey smiled warmly and clasped his hand on Axel's shoulder.

"I'm glad to see you're doing well." Axel chewed on his lip ring.

"Yeah…" Mickey patted Axel's shoulder and walked over to Roxas.

"Hello Roxas," he greeted.

"Good morning," Roxas replied, flipping a piece of toast.

"You want to know why Axel's so uptight." Roxas smirked.

"You don't miss much." Mickey shrugged.

"I try not to." The King started to neatly stack the toast Roxas had already finished cooking. "Think of our relationship as like a counselor and patient. I went to Traverse Town after hearing about what happened to Radiant Garden. I talked with the refugees and offered them my help. One stood out amongst the rest."

"Axel."

"Yes, although he was Lea back then. When I walked past the first time, he reminded me a lot of how he was yesterday: unfocused and hollow. The adults there warned me he was being distant so I wanted to try and cheer him up. That was a feat I never expected to fail at. Nothing I said or did made a difference. He just stared distantly at the ground and hugged his stomach. I was worried for him since he wasn't like the other kids. They were also terrified and scared but they were at least reacting. Axel appeared to have given up completely. I learned he didn't sleep, he refused to eat and, when provoked, was rather violent. I decided to intervene.

"I took him back with me to Disney Castle. I tried everything but nothing worked. His health declined. We had to set him up in the infirmary. I was actually concerned he was going to let himself die off slowly." Mickey stopped stacking toast and sighed. He glanced at Axel who had moved onto putting the fruit on the table. Sora and Riku were setting out plates and flatware. "There came a point where he was teetering on the edge of death. We tried IVs and tube feedings but he always ripped them out. I remember lying awake that night stricken with worry.

"You see, I've never had kids of my own so I wasn't really sure what I should be doing to help Axel get better. I finally just got up and went to the infirmary. I sat up all night with him in my arms and Pluto by our feet. I kept praying for an answer, for something! I remember watching the sun rise through the window and I broke down. There was nothing I could do. I had failed. I cried and nuzzled his head. Over and over I whispered how sorry I was.

"In his weakened state he woke and mistook me for his brother. He broke down and we just cried together. Pluto rested his head on Axel's lap and Axel passed out again. I immediately called for my nursing staff. They hooked him up to all sorts of tubes and machines. I sat by his bed side for days. I don't quite remember when I passed out but I remember waking up to someone putting a blanket around my shoulders. When I looked up, I found Axel was putting one of his spare blankets on me. His eyes were still unfocused but he hadn't ripped out the wires or tubes. I wrapped him up in my arms and lulled him back to sleep.

"After that his condition started improving. He started eating again and we managed to get a few words out of him. A month went by and he started to break out of his shell. The day he asked to go back to Traverse Town to take care of his friends was one of happiest days of my life. He told me he had to look out for a pair of sisters he used to watch out for back in Radiant Garden. The next day we returned him to Traverse Town and I didn't see again until five years ago."

"In Hollow Bastion," Roxas guessed. Mickey nodded, stacking toast again. Roxas finished the last of it and turned off the stove, setting the pan to a colder burner to cool.

"At first I didn't know it was him but when he made eye contact with me his face fell. I instantly recognized the expression. I was happy to see him alive and doing well but I think he took it the wrong way. You see, I went to Xemnas to try and form a peace treaty. I had no luck. Axel must have thought I hated him for becoming a Knight. In truth, I didn't care. I was just happy to see him alive. And seeing him here, awake and happy, brings me more joy than you can know."

"So why did you take him under your wing?" Roxas wondered.

"Because I couldn't let him die in his own sorrow. And I'm glad I didn't." Mickey took the towering plate of toast to the table and Roxas followed.

Breakfast was an interesting affair. It started out quiet but then turned into a circus as everyone became more comfortable. Even Axel warmed up and started to have fun. It eventually turned into a whipped cream war as Goofy tried to flick a spoonful at Ienzo but missed and hit Sora square in the face. Sora in turn retaliated but his shot went wide and his Donald between the eyes. Donald threw a strawberry and Sora blocked it, ricocheting into Roxas's eye. Roxas threw a piece of toast at Sora and hit Riku in the face. Then it only escalated from there. By the time they were done eating, everyone was in a fit of giggles and covered with various food debris. Pluto happily licked people's faces.

As Roxas helped everyone clean up, he thought of something he didn't notice before. Being around his friends made him feel like he actually had a heart.