Every time Roxas went to a funeral, they would talk about heaven. This confused him, this concept of "heaven".
"Xigbar, what's heaven?" Roxas asked one day, bright blue eyes full of confusion.
"Well, kiddo, you'll have to ask Flamesilocks that question, he'd explain it better than I can." The older male replied, one golden eye focusing on Roxas.
"I told you, don't call me kiddo!" Roxas said frustratedly, and then stormed off. It was years before he remembered to ask Axel about heaven.
X-x-X-x
"Axel, wake up!" Demyx shouted as he shook the sleeping redhead, whom only cracked one eye open, and muttered, "What is it, Dem?"
"There's a monster in the castle, it's not a Heartless, and it's HUGE!" The frightened dirty blond replied, and Axel shot up out of bed.
"Do NOT wake up Roxas, do you understand me?" Axel said, glaring into the younger Nobody's eyes, voice showing the unspoken threat.
"I-It's a little late for that! I woke him up before I came to you!" He squeaked out, aqua eyes full of fear for his existence.
"Dammit, Demyx!" Axel shouted as he put on his trenchcoat and pants, and grabbed his chakrams. He ran out the door, determined to find the monster before Roxas did.
"Is that all you...heh...got?" Axel heard a weak but familiar voice say, and picked up the pace. This can't be happening! I can't lose my Roxas! Axel thought as he sped down the halls, until he found a beaten and bloody blond laying on the ground, trying to get up to avoid the oncoming attack from the monster. He pulled Roxas further away from the monster, and surveyed what he was up against. A large, muscular dog, almost as high as the Hall of Empty Melodies that he was fighting in, fur pitch black, with three heads. Those heads had red eyes that seemed to be burning, and very large, sharp teeth.
"What the hell is Cerberus doing outside of the Underworld?" Axel muttered when the dog growled at him, He quickly ran away from where Roxas could be hurt, also letting Cerberus chase him. Soon Axel was, unintentionally, backed into a corner, with a very pissed off three headed dog snapping at him.
"I've sure fucked things up this time, haven't I?" Axel muttered, repeatedly throwing his chakrams once he set them aflame, however, was not doing much damage to the beast. "Looks like I'll have to do this the hard way..." He then set his chakrams aflame once more, and instead of throwing them, jumped up to slice Cerberus' middle head up, this time doing some damage, however, the other two heads started snapping again, taking some good chunks of flesh from his sides and arms. He let out a yell of pain when a particularly large bite took some of his flesh in his side off.
Roxas. This was why he was doing this. For Roxas. He jumped up, this time headed for the dog's chest, and opened a dark corridor behind him. He rammed the chakram into Cerberus' chest, knocking him back into the portal, and quickly closed the portal once the beast was through it.
"Damn...I guess that took more out of me than I thought it would..." Axel said, barely a whisper, but pulling it together to get near Roxas. Once he was beside his lover, Axel collapsed to the ground. Roxas quickly rushed to Axel, taking his bleeding and dying lover in his arms. Axel looked up at him, and smiled a little.
"Roxas, have you heard of a place called ‘Heaven’?" He asked, green eyes shining, and gently placed a hand on his lover's cheek.
"N-No. Wait, yes, everyone talks about it at funerals...But I don't know what it is." Roxas replied, looking down worriedly and lovingly at Axel.
"Good… Because it does not exist, at least… Not to you and I."
"Then what is it then?"
"Why would you want to know about something that doesn’t exist?"
"A-Axel… Please."
"It’s where good people go when they die."
"Do we go there, Axel?"
"No… Nobodies go to nothing… A dreamless sleep… Never to awake."
"Axel…"
"Yes?"
"Don’t ever d-die."
"Roxas… I can’t control what I do right now. You got that memorized."
"P-please, Axel… Fight... Fight harder! For the ice cream, for the laughs, for Kingdom Hearts, for me!"
"Watch after things for me, Rox."
"N-No… Axel! Please."
"Roxas…" What Axel was about to say was cut off by his body going limp, and his hand falling from Roxas' face, that breath being his last.
"Axel? AXEL?!" Roxas started to panic, and checked his vital signs, and started crying when he realized that he was dead. His Axel...Was dead. "NO! WAKE UP! PLEASE! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME HERE BY MYSELF!" He yelled out, clutching his dead lover's body close to himself.
"Um...R-Roxas, what's going on?" A quiet voice asked from behind him, and he turned around to see Grace. "And why are there two Axels?"
"There's only one, Grace...And he's dead." Roxas replied, sadness apparent in his voice.
"But there's another one standing right there, silly! He won't be quiet, either, and he looks worried about you..." She said, pointing to just to the left of him.
"You...you can see him? That means you can resurrect him, right? I heard people with the attribute of darkness can resurrect people!" Roxas said, getting excited, and standing up to look at Grace.
"Well...I heard that, too, and I've seen the spell...but it's really hard to do, from what I gather, and I've never done it before..." She said quietly, looking down at the floor.
"You have to try, Grace! Please!" He said, seizing her by the shoulders.
"U-Um, okay, I'll try...But you'll have to help me gather the supplies, and make sure I can get to the body..." She said, a little louder this time, and led him out to help her get the supplies.
