For Axel Lovers request

     *CAUTION* SOME SPOILERS TO BIRTH BY SLEEP




         The City of Light has become much quieter over the past decade; not that you were really complaining. So many changes occurred that it was hard to keep up with everything. And now, there were only a few familiar faces left, and you were okay with that. The drama of your childhood seemed to fade away with all of those who are long gone, leaving you to begin life anew. But on this particular day, you decided to take a nice walk in your old neighborhood. Maybe it was the rain that had recently passed, leaving a nice glistening look over the cobblestone roads that invited you to take a stroll. Or maybe it was that small hole in your heart that never seemed to heal. One thing for sure, you wanted to go to smile again.
     The first thing you came across was your old home, which was now occupied by a new family with a little boy about the same age you were when you lived there. He sat outside on a bench with a neighbor, each of them eating a popsicle. The blue tint to the frozen dessert made you believe it was sea-salt, a flavor you used to love. They cheerfully waved to you as you passed and you smile in return, taking in their positive energy. At the end of the row of houses was a fountain where you used to sit by, always throwing coins in and making wishes. Out of curiosity you patted your pocket and heard a tiny jingle noise. Eagerly, you sat down with your back to the fountain and one coin in your hand, almost like it was a tradition to do so. Closing your eyes tightly, you whispered the wish and tossed the coin behind you. Strangely though, there was no splash. You opened your eyes and quickly turned around, only to be met with a young man sitting on the edge of the fountain above you, holding your coin.
" Excuse me, but I believe you've stolen my wish." You say to him.
" You really believe in this kind of stuff?" he argued, flipping the coin up and down.
" It's not stuff, it's real."
" Oh yeah? What'd you wish for?"
" I can't tell you and it won't even come true if you don't toss it in the fountain." The young man rolled his eyes and jumped off the ledge to stand next to you.
" Fine then." His back was to the fountain and just as he was about to toss the coin, you grab his arm.
" Look, I don't know who you think you are but you can't go around taking peoples' wishes away." he looks at you in surprise as you take your coin back.
" You say wishes, but what if they're memories?" he calmly said. It piqued your interest but you weren't about to let one random guy change your mind. And that was just it. You've never seen him around town, that's for sure. Faces new or old, you knew everyone that lived in this radiant city because it was all you had. You had to fill your memory with something right?
" They're wishes, they always have been. No one throws coins for memories, that doesn't even make sense." The young man seemed to get offended.
" I've made so many wishes and have yet to have one come true. All I have left are my memories, so that's what I believe in now."
" Your heart isn't strong enough, that's all." you replied curtly as you turned away.
" Don't have one." he said with a laugh. Still, you didn't turn around, not wanting to see his face. How could someone joke about something so horrid and laugh about it. " You know, you're just as stubborn as I remember." His tone changed completely, almost sounding playful. You stopped in your tracks as if phased by his words. Just as you turned around, he was already behind you, his green eyes smirking at you.
" Okay, I thought you were weird before, but now you're just insane."
" You used to tell me things like that all the time."
" Cut it out! We have never met before."
" That's a little harsh. Look me in the eyes and say that again." he leaned down from his towering height over you. His eyes were taunting, but you didn't want to look away. Somewhere deep in that hole in your heart, you could remember only one other person having those green eyes.
" You're no one I've ever met before." you whispered as you pushed against his chest. As you did that, your hand froze right there, unable to remove it. Shyly, you look up at him and his smirk completely fades. His hand is placed over yours as he moves it to the lower left, where a heart should be beating.
" Who are you?" you quietly asked. The question of what he was didn't seem to matter nearly as much.
" I just want you to know that I never gave up on you." he let go of your hand and started to walk away.
" Wait!" you called to him. His eyes were the most empty you've seen them look. He came close once again just to place one chaste kiss on your forehead. " Lea?" his gloved hand that held your face wiped a stray tear from your eye.
" I guess you're right, we've never met before."
" At least tell me then."
" It's Axel." it looked like it hurt for him to say those words.
" You're what's left of him after he went into the Castle." you recalled all those years ago. His eyes finally made their way back to yours. " You left me."
" I had to."
" You never told me what happened so I assumed you and Isa were dead!" you shouted at him. The words left almost a physical pain as you mentioned the third companion.
" Isa is just like me now."
" Well I'm very happy for both of you." you retorted.
" Do you honestly think we're the slightest bit happy with what happened? I will never be happy ever again! I live off of my memories. And most of them are about you!" Axel yelled back.
" What do you mean?"
" I wasn't joking about not having a heart, so I have no emotions. When I think about you, I pretend that I do. But all I remember is how happy you were with Isa."
" Only because you didn't say anything! I waited so long for you to say something and it never happened." Exactly what you tried to avoid when deciding to come here just blew up in your face. The hole seemed to get larger and made you heart hurt more. Axel quickly came up to you and grabbed your shoulders, trying to calm you down.
" Easy there, everything will be okay."
" No it won't! Now that I know you've been alive all these years and you never bothered to tell me, it's only making it worse." From that hole in your heart, an eerie darkness began to seep out, causing you to collapse on the floor. Axel hurried to your side and held you close, begging for you not to join his fate. In your clenched hand was the coin you made a wish on. He took it from you and quickly whispered his wish and tossed it into the fountain.
     The sky was covered in reds when you opened your eyes. Blocking your view of the sky was Axel as he leaned over you. Carefully you look around and notice you're laying on the floor against Axel's chest as he sits against the fountain.
" What happened?"
" My wish came true." he said with a smile.
" Really?"
" There's darkness in your heart. You almost succumbed to it, but my wish came true just in time."
" Why's that?"
" I don't want you to end up like me." he solemnly said.
" But then we can be together, two people with no emotions living off memories." you say, restating everything he told you earlier.
" You don't deserve that. Nobody does."
" Why'd you do it then?" you sat up, placing your head on his shoulder. He looked down at you and smiled.
" We didn't really know what would happen. Emotions or not, you were the one I always cherished."
" I never wanted to believe that you were really gone."
" Then don't. I'm not gonna leave you ever again."
" Oh really?" you asked playfully.
" I'm telling you now when I should have said it years ago."
" Good." His lips reached yours, finally giving you the kiss you've waited 10 years for.