Roxas bowed his head, the light breeze trickling around the back of his neck. He eyed the words in front of him, over and over again, but it still didn't entirely feel really.

"Hi dad..." the blond spoke quietly, not wanting Leon or Axel to hear him, even though they stood across the grave yard. A sad smile crossed his lips, "It's been a while..." his eyes glossed over. "I called you the other day..." he shook his head, "I know there'd be no answer... but still... My birthday passed." A tear fell, he wasn't holding it together as well as he thought he would. Sniffling, he looked to the sky, trying to regain his composure.

The young adult gave up, looking back down he continued to speak. "I graduate today," he offered a smile to hide the tears. He had planned a whole speech to give his father, but all of that was pointless. Instead his mind traveled back, through time.

The woman put the piece of yarn over Roxas' head and around his neck, he looked at the giant smily face attached to it, reading his name aloud. His teacher walked away, joining the rest of the kids that had been dropped off by their parents. Roxas looked up at his father, nervous to leave the man's side. "It'll be alright Roxas," His father grinned. "Every one is nervous their first day of school," his father bent down to his level. "Just think, before you know it, you'll be graduating and wishing you had these days back." His father held his hand in both of his, kissing it before he stood up. "Just don't grow up too quick, I'm enjoying these days."

Emotions were trying hard to take hold of him, but he did his best to fight it. "I do," he licked a salty tear off his lip, "I wish I had all those days back..."

His father was nothing more than a memory now, and he made sure to tell only the good ones. Axel had been there for him more than he could ever pay back, but the redhead was right.

Roxas couldn't live in the past, he needed to go forward, he needed to keep moving and not stop. The moment he stopped, was the moment he'd break, and for his father, for Cloud, for Tifa, and for himself. He just couldn't afford to. Looking up he saw the redhead approaching, he didn't bother to wipe the tears away, but instead offered a sullen smile.

"You okay?" the man asked gently.

The blond pulled him into a hug, kissing him briefly. "Probably not," he chuckled around the tears.

He always wanted more in life, now that Life was giving him the chance, the blond was doing his best not to back down. It was a lot harder than he thought though. But he was managing as best as he knew how, and that was all he could do. Roxas knew, he knew he wasn't always going to 'be alright', but that wasn't how he was going to stay, every second held a chance for him to get better. Every day was a roller coaster, having ups and downs, and some weeks were just spent down. Some days he was stuck, and couldn't seem to move from the bottom of that roller coaster. But he wasn't going to stop trying.

There was so much more 'life' he still had to live.

Taking it all, day by day, was the only way he could keep moving sometimes. But the happy moments, the 'ups', were worth the fight. No matter how rare they felt.

"I will be... eventually." Wiping the tears away, he smiled to his boyfriend, "Let's get moving."

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And this is the end of the story. My baby is complete.

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Tis complete... makes me happy/sad.

Thanks for all the reviews, the favorites, the follows, and the alerts. They've all been reassuring, to say the least.

You guys are awesome.

Really, I mean it.

I'm going to be continuing to write, Cigarette Burns is my next baby to finish, but it might be a few days. Just to get into the feel of that story again.

"I need a heart, that carries on through the pain, when the walls start collapsing again. Give me a soul that never ceases to follow, despite the infection within. Awaiting my end, breathing out the day that finds me new. Redemption begins, bleeding out the flaws in place of you. Awaiting my end, breathing in the day that finds me new. Redemption begins... Redemption begins."

Uploaded: March 5th, 2017