A/N: Hope you liked the previous chapter! Just thought I should warn you that this is the second-to-last chapter, and then this story will be finito, fertig, finished! I'll write a longer note on the next chapter, where I'll get more into depth on how I feel on this story. Anyways, continue to read

Sail Into My Heart

Chapter 16 – Letting Go

"What do you mean Roxas?" Axel asked shocked, I tried to avert my gaze away from Axel, but he forced me to look him in the eyes.

"We just…can't go. Not when Roxel is so angry, he'll think that I'm abandoning him. I can't do that, I haven't looked after him for this long for him to hate me over something that could be prevented! I love him Axel, he's my baby."

"Rox, please understand. I know that he is your son, and that will never change, moving to Australia isn't going to change that. It's just…" Axel took a deep sigh, and took my hand, "he isn't a boy anymore Roxas. He's a man who has looked after himself for over 50 years. You have been a fantastic father to him, he says so, he just needs to cool down and think things through. Just like you do…" I pulled out of Axel's gentle grip on my hand. He would never understand.

"Axel, I don't care what you say. I'm not going; you go by all means if you feel like leaving me again…!"

"How many times do I have to try and explain myself! It wasn't my fucking fault…!" Axel yelled, raising his hand. I squinted in fear, expecting him to punch me. I pushed him back harshly, causing him to stumble backwards and fall to the floor.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck…!"Axel cried out in pain, holding his hip. I grabbed the phone and rushed to Axel's side, tears started to fall as I phoned for an ambulance.

"I'm so sorry Axel. Why the fuck did I do that? Why am I so fucking stupid? I'm a poor excuse for a person."

"Rox, don't worry about that now. When is the fucking ambulance getting here?" Axel squeezed his eyes shut in pain.

"In a few minutes, don't worry Axel, everything's going to be fine…!"

"Why did you do that Rox?"

"I don't know. I just thought that you were going to h-h-hit me, I j-j-just didn't think and p-pushed you…" I replied, in a stifle of broken sobs that I couldn't hold in.

"Baby, as angry as I am at you right now, I would never hit you, just always remember that." I nodded, stroking Axel's cheek. The ambulance arrived in moments, taking Axel away on a stretcher. I followed them into the ambulance, still crying but wiping my tears away with a handkerchief.

"What happened?" One of the doctors asked.

"I-I-I pu-"

"I fell over. Roxas was there though, luckily. He phoned the ambulance straight away." Axel lied, covering for me; I started at him in shock.

"Was that what happened sir?" The man looked to me again, I nodded, ashamed that I was lying, when really I had just become my disgusting father.

"Okay, could you tell me exactly where it hurts?"

"Just my hip, I haven't tried walking on it, but I don't think I can. I don't think it's broken." Axel explained, I grabbed his hand and let him try to squeeze the pain away.

The young man felt around Axel's hip area, checking for any broken bones. "You're right, nothing seems to be broken, but we can't be sure. We'll have an x-ray as soon as we get to the hospital."

After we arrived at the hospital, Axel was taken for an x-ray, where we learnt that thankfully nothing was broken or fractured. However, they revealed to us that he had dislocated his hip, so they had to put his hip back into its socket. That was the news I hated the most, because that meant I had to watch Axel be in excruciating pain that was caused by me. Axel cried when they did it, making me feel even guiltier. Once they had finished the procedure, Axel collapsed in my arms, exhausted from the pain.

"We'll let you rest now; we'll have to keep you in for a night to make sure that nothing else occurs. I'll leave you to give you some peace." My family doctor, Dr. Howard, informed us.

"Thanks Doctor Howard, we really appreciate it." I croak, grateful for his help, though I shouldn't really. I doubt he honestly cares; besides he's paid to look after people. Dr. Howard nodded his recognition and shut the door quietly behind him. I looked around the private hospital room that I insisted Axel had, as it was all my fault and I wanted the best care possible. The room was fairly small, but I was still able to walk around freely. I took that opportunity to phone Aqua, who promised that she would phone Terra and Roxel. Aqua, Terra and Kairi arrived twenty minutes after I phoned them, I hadn't left Axel side, and I still didn't when they arrived.

"What happened exactly?" Aqua asked, sitting in the other seat with Kairi on her lap.

Tears already started welling up, "I pushed him…"

"What do you mean Roxas?" Aqua asked me, Terra and Aqua both stared at me intently.

"Well, we were fighting, and he raised his hand, and I thought he was going to punch me so I pushed him…!" I started sobbing and shaking with guilt. "It's all my fault he's here, I committed domestic abuse! I've become my father!"

Aqua quickly rose from her seat, pushing Kairi towards Terra. She hugged me tight, stroking my hair. "It's not your fault Roxas, you were abused by your father at a young age, you were scared, you went with your instinct. You were trying to protect yourself, the only problem with that Roxas was that you protected yourself from the wrong person. I'm sure Axel wasn't trying to hurt you, he loves you, I've seen the twinkle in his eye whenever he sees you." Aqua broke away and stared into my eyes. "You brighten up his day Rox". I smiled at Aqua's comforting and motherly actions; she wiped away my tears with a tissue and gave me another hug.

"She's right Roxas." Terra broke his usual silence, he patted my back comfortingly, obviously not wanting to show his really soft side.

"Yeah, she is right. She always is." I turned round to face Axel, who was staring at me now, no longer asleep.

"I'm sorry Axel."

"You have got nothing to be sorry for now baby, I've already forgiven you." Axel sat up, pulling me up to be with him on the bed.

"I love you Axel." I whispered.

"I love you too Roxy."

The heavy, wooden door creaked loudly as it was opened; we all looked to see Roxel with Soku standing behind him with a bouquet of flowers, obviously arranged by her.

"Am I disturbing something?" Roxel announced, breaking the silence. I got up from the bed and shook my head.

"Then could I speak with you outside for a couple of minutes please, Dad?" I nodded once again and followed Roxel out into the hallway, after Soku gave her flowers to Axel.

"I'm sorry, Roxel. I won't go to Aus-"

"No. I'm sorry Dad, for being so rude, disrespectful and ungrateful for all the amazing things you've done for me."

My eyes widened in confusion, "I-I don't understand Roxel."

"You shouldn't be apologizing. You should go to Australia, where I know you'll be happy for a very long time. You deserve to have something you want; you've put your whole life on hold for me, Dad. And I'm so very grateful for it, I was being selfish before, if it wasn't for Aqua reminding me of the sacrifices you've made for me, I wouldn't be here. I would still be the stubborn and selfish person sitting at home, moaning on and on to Soku about what happened. She told me of the time that you quit your job to be with me when I was sick, and when you had to put your life's dream of becoming an actor on hold for me, because you knew that we would be moving around a lot. You looked after me all on your own, and I never appreciated it. You've been looking after me for so long, we both don't know how to let go, and that's what I'm doing, letting go, but I'll always love you Dad. So to show you how much I love, and appreciate you, here you go." Roxel handed me a photo album, and an envelope, which looked to be packed full. I looked through the photo album first, seeing all the drawings that I had attempted to draw of Roxel as a baby, and real pictures of him growing up when I had managed to save up for a camera. Then there were pictures of us two together, hugging when Roxel was twenty years old, my favourite picture. Soon I go to the more recent pictures of our family, one of Terra when he was born, and a picture of Kairi as a toddler in a floral dress. There were many others that I was elated to see, but there was one that I was dumbstruck to perceive, it was a painting of a boat floating in a clear-water lake, with Axel's signature in the bottom right corner.

"Where on earth did you get this?" I asked him, my mouth gaping wide.

"Aqua went to an auction where they were selling things that were on the Titanic. She gave it to me to put in the album. So really you've got her to thank…"

"Thank you Roxel, you've been the best son that a father could ask for." I hugged him tightly, kissing him on the cheek. Roxel slowly pulled away, I wiped the tears that he had cried and kissed his cheek again.

"We should go back in Dad." I nodded and led Roxel back into the room. I showed everyone the pictures that Roxel had put in the album. Kairi showed particular interest in the pictures that she was in, which was no surprise! I thanked Aqua for the picture that she had miraculously bought; Axel started crying as soon as he saw it, recognising it as one of his own masterpieces. We all talked about the memories that were in the album, we would laugh at the embarrassing ones and cry at the sweet ones, such as Aqua and Terra's wedding. We all stayed there until visiting hours had ended; however, I refused to leave and slept next to Axel all night. I may have woken up a bit groggy due to the lack of sleep, but I woke up next to a pair of breath-taking green eyes so I didn't care. I was with Axel, so nothing else mattered.

A/N: Hope you liked it, I'm not going to lie, but this chapter was a bit of a drag, as I couldn't really think of what to write. However, I sat myself down and forced myself to write, as there's a deadline people! I only have a week of my summer holidays left, and the days are somehow getting shorter! Anyway, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! All reviews are appreciated, so I extremely appreciate bitterbeauty813 who has been there, and reviewed from the start! The next chapter will be the last, unless you guys persuade me to write another chapter which you're gonna have to review to do;) I'll mention all the people that have reviewed on the next chapter, as it is the last, well it could be unless you guys review ;) Anyway, keep reading!

~HereGoesMyReputation