Disclaimers: I think we all understand that I don't own it.

Author's Notes: Beleabkfjdksjn,mijwfenju KEYBOARD SMASH. That aside, this is the last chapter of Silence is Golden! *cheers, then bawls* I'm a little sad to end it, but… I'm glad it's done at the same time. I have a few more (read: tons more) stories I'd like to work on, and knowing that I've finally gotten a multi-chaptered fic done will boost my self-confidence SO MUCH! I'll try to reply to all reviews (especially on this chapter) as best I can!

Also, if you're interested, I do have a LiveJournal account, where I spaz and rant, and post progress reports on my insanity and the fics I'm working on. There's a link to it on my profile, and I'm really very friendly. I'll take any comers.

Dedications: To Evil-Pixie-Dust. Because you are the best person ever, no joke. And it totally counts if I'm the one saying it, stop looking at me like that. To Dualism. Because I have such an author crush on you, no joke. To Sarehptar. Because I can, and I don't need another reason. To Besieged-Infection. Because you have my MSN and you aren't afraid to pester me to get this done. And because you listen to me whining about how this chapter wasn't being good like it was supposed to. To EVERYONE READING THIS RIGHT NOW. I LOVE YOU ALL, YOU HAVE NO IDEA.

Reviews:

Dannywolf: Thank you so much! I tried to get this chapter out sooner, I promise!

Bitter Candies: Don't worry! No one else wanted him to go either! Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoy it! (And I really did try…*tear*)

And so begins the last chapter….

The hazy September sun pressed against his skin like a living thing, dancing between the colder fingers of gusting wind. Shivering in pleasure, Zexion tilted his head back, air threading between the strands of his hair and lifting them playfully.

"Aw, come on, Roxas! Surely the sun isn't that painful! Aren't you glad you're getting out and living a little?"

"No, not really."

"You're just a constant downer, aren't you?"

"Have you ever considered that you're just too stupid to notice that I'm really not happy out here?"

"Me, stupid? Oh Roxas, you have to be kidding me!"

"Sora, get off me!"

Zexion raised one eyebrow, amusement crossing his face as he listened to Sora poke and tease his caustic blonde twin. A sigh escaping his lips, he closed his eyes to enjoy the warm sunlight. The ambient chatter of the fair surrounded him and faint scents of barbeque and candy drifted to his nose.

A hand slid across the back of his neck, and Zexion turned to smile slightly at Demyx. The blond musician scooted a little closer to him, enjoying the fact that he could, and ended up pressing most of his lanky form against Zexion's side, sighing happily.

Smile growing larger, Zexion reached out to brush his fingers against the ones on his neck.

"Zexy, are you having a good time?"

He curled his fingers, twining his hand with Demyx's as he briefly looked up. "It is more entertaining than I thought it would be."

Demyx laughed, the sound reverberating through his frame and into Zexion, and replied, "I told you so. You should just learn to trust me!"

"Perhaps."

Sora bounded up next to them, Roxas in tow and a smile cracking his features open. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! Riku said he was meeting us inside the big tent!"

A snort came from Roxas. "Yeah, because lover-boy couldn't have bothered to meet us out here."

Smiling dropping slightly but not disappearing, Sora turned to face his twin again, hands gesturing agitatedly. "Roxas, don't be like that! What in the world has Riku done to you?"

The blonde boy didn't answer, just shrugged and walked forward towards the fair. Sora rolled his eyes exaggeratedly and ran after him, tackling him with a good-natured laugh, their friendly tussling quickly turning into a mild wrestling match.

Demyx laughed at them, aqua eyes glittering. "Kids, stop fighting! And stay close, we don't want to get separated!"

"Yes, Mother," the twins chorused sarcastically over their shoulders as they straightened.

"…Mother?"

Zexion shrugged. "Don't ask."

With a sigh, Demyx acquiesced. "I'll take your word for it. Let's catch up."

Entering the fairgrounds, the English major looked around curiously at the booths, bits and pieces of items catching his eye. He made sure to keep up with Demyx, though, and they quickly caught up to Roxas and Sora.

"So, Roxas, how do you like the fair so far?" Demyx gently bumped the smaller blonde with his shoulder, a grin on his face.

"It's… kinda nice, actually. I didn't think I'd be running into so many people I know from college." Roxas waved idly to another person from his department that passed them, looking at a booth that was selling glass figurines. "Part of me just half-expects someone to just pop up and say-"

"Hey look, there's Axel!"

Roxas snorted, a half-frown twisting his lips. "Come on, Demyx. That's not funny."

The musician shook his head and said blankly, "No really, there's Axel." He pointed at a booth across the crowded street that seemed to be selling swords and knives. Outside of the tent stood a man that Zexion could have sworn was the offspring of a tank and a bulldozer, with cold blue eyes and auburn hair, but no sign of the thin redhead.

"I am not going over there."

"Aw, come on, Roxas…. Demyx could just be mistaken…," Sora pleaded, tugging on Roxas's arm.

"Absolutely not. You know Demyx has perfect vision, and he knows Axel. There's no way he's not right. I am not going anywhere near him."

Demyx let out a sigh, and Zexion tilted his head curiously at him. Shaking his head, the blonde shrugged back and moved towards the booth, a small smile playing about his lips. Unable to resist his curiosity -and because Demyx had already begun walking over- Zexion cautiously slipped through the moving crowd, hearing Sora and Roxas arguing behind him. He knew that eventually the brunette would be able to get his stubborn twin into the tent if he really set his mind to it.

Or if he whipped out the begging eyes.

A forge had been set up underneath the tent, its heat filling the small area. The warm glow of the fire illuminated the form of a thin, lanky man bent over an anvil. Working on the piece of metal in his tongs, the man sent a few powerful blows of his hammer to each side, carefully shaping it. His fire-truck red hair was pulled back in an unruly ponytail, and it was impossible to tell his eye color under the protective glasses he wore, but as he turned to reheat his work, Zexion caught sight of a telltale pair of teardrop tattoos under his eyes.

Axel.

Turning to face the front of the tent, the redhead pushed up his glasses with the wrist of one hand, revealing the cleaner skin around his fever green eyes. He heaved a sigh, leaning back and bracing his hands on the back of his hips to stretch.

"Hey, boss-man! I don't suppose you could toss some beer or something back here?" the redhead called out jovially, twisting from side to side.

A grunt came from the front of the tent as the giant answered. "Drunken blacksmithing isn't the best idea, Axel. Get back to work."

Axel laughed vividly, and Zexion glanced over to see a smile on Demyx's face. "Some water, then! It's fucking hot back here, and it's just not me this time! Jesus, who decided to put the forge under the tent?"

"Safety regulations."

"I'd think that the possibility of heat stroke would make this just as dangerous! C'mon, Lexaeus, throw me a bone here!"

Looking back behind him, Zexion saw Sora tugging Roxas into the tent. They were too far away to really hear anything over the roar of the forge, and Roxas was digging in his heels about going any further, something painfully angry and nervous hidden in his eyes.

It was at that moment, of course, that Demyx decided to lean forward, pressing his water bottle to Axel's shoulder.

"Hah! Even the customers are taking better care of me tha-" Axel turned to face Demyx and his eyes widened in surprise. A smile stretching his lips slowly, the redhead reached out and tugged the musician into a warm hug, exclaiming, "Demyx! How've ya been?"

And Demyx just laughed, acted like Axel hadn't disappeared without a word, began chattering to him about everything that had happened over the summer. Zexion felt his eyes narrowing, and stepped up beside his boyfriend, hovering behind his shoulder. Too green eyes flicked to him, and Axel's grin became almost vicious.

"Sooo…"

Zexion flinched slightly.

How he hated that word!

Axel just grinned more. Tilting his head over his shoulder to check on the piece of metal, he spread his hands to the side helplessly. "Come on Zexy, don't be like that!"

A shrug and a glare.

"Yeah, yeah, I missed you too." Axel held up a hand briefly, turning back to the forge to grab the glowing iron with a pair of large metal tongs. After he set it on the anvil and flattened it a bit more with a few blows from his hammer, he turned back to them, curiosity written all over his face. "Wait….are you still not talking? Dem, I thought you would move faster than that! Come on now!"

Demyx sent the English major a pleading glance, coupled with a slight flush across his cheeks that had nothing to do with the heat of the forge.

"Just because you feel the need to run your mouth all the time, Axel," Zexion sighed, his voice still slightly raspy around the corners, "doesn't mean the rest of us do."

He felt a little glow of satisfaction as Axel's jaw dropped. Perhaps he should do that more often.

Tilting his head to the side, the redhead's smirk softened into a smile and he nodded, pleased with something. "Good. It only took the two of you a year to get your heads on straight."

Demyx flushed deeper, hissing slightly, "Axeeeellll! Shut up!"

"Aw, Demy…."

Zexion stopped paying attention to the friendly banter between the two, knowing how it was going to turn out anyway. They would play-fight, tease each other until someone gave in and started laughing. He took the opportunity to watch them instead, studying them in the glow of the forge.

Axel had gotten thinner, if such a thing was possible, the already-cutting lines of his face sharpening to lean, angular points. His eyes were the same vivacious green, though instead of just one teardrop under the right, there were now two –one beneath each eye. His hands still waved idly as he talked, drawing pictures in the air to illustrate his points.

But….

Something…is different.

Zexion watched as the redhead slid his eyes over Demyx and Zexion, searching the people behind and around them almost anxiously before returning them to the chattering blonde. Axel was shifting from foot to foot, tensing and relaxing his shoulders as he looked around. Surprise coursed through the pale English major, and he raised an eyebrow, cobalt eyes wide.

Axel was looking for someone.

And Zexion would bet Luxord his book collection that it was Roxas.

Demyx was in the middle of chatting to Axel about his summer when Axel's too-green eyes flicked to a point behind him. The redhead froze, and it seemed as though every inch of his body was suddenly aching to get near whatever it was he was looking at.

Or whoever, Demyx realized with a start.

"Roxas," Axel whispered, his voice somehow carrying over the roar of the forge.

Looking over his shoulder, Demyx saw Roxas, turned away from them, his shoulders tight with fury as he stalked out of the tent.

Axel leaned after him unconsciously, jerking himself back a second later. Hands smoothing erratically over the tablecloth, fingers squeezing wrinkles into the fabric, he looked around nervously, uncertainly. Demyx just sighed. Apparently, some things didn't change.

"Go after him, you idiot," he said, smiling lopsidedly.

Casting a worried look at the forge, and the still-heating piece of iron inside, the redhead hovered in place. A large –scratch that, massive (how big was this guy?)- hand clapped down on Axel's bony shoulder, and ice blue eyes stared down at him.

"I'll watch the forge. Go."

And Axel nodded, handing his hammer to the large man and stripping off his gloves and leather apron as he hurried out of the tent.

Demyx looked at Zexion.

His slate-haired boyfriend raised a single eyebrow, quirked a smile, and shrugged, gesturing at all of the stands around them. "I didn't see which way Roxas went, and Sora gave up on making them talk like reasonable people and went to find Riku. Axel, however, went that way." He pointed to their right, already scanning the booth next to them, which was full of books.

Laughing slightly and knowing that he would probably be able to find Zexion there later, Demyx started to follow Axel. Seriously, with his hair, you'd think it'd be easy to find him…, the blonde sighed, shaking his head. Dodging between the people, he tried to keep an eye on the tall redhead, swearing under his breath when he reached an intersection with no clue which way Axel had gone.

"Let's see…Left or right? Or straight?" Demyx mumbled to himself, looking each way in hopes of seeing Axel's distinctive hair. Finding nothing, he heaved a sigh. "…Right it is, then. Insane people always turn right."

"Roxas, wait!"

In the middle of hurrying down the tent-lined street, the musician halted his steps, whipping his head in every direction wildly. Catching a flicker of flame-red hair behind one of the stalls, he darted between two tents, into the small grove of trees surrounding the entire fair.

Peeking around the edge of one of the trees –he wasn't eavesdropping, damn it, he was concerned about his two friends-, Demyx saw Axel finally catch up to Roxas, wrapping a thin-fingered hand around his wrist. Roxas, not looking at Axel at all, wrenched his hand away from the redhead, panting hard, eyes wide and pained.

"Get away from me," Roxas whispered, fists clenched tightly.

Demyx noticed that he didn't keep running, though.

"No." Axel stood his ground, a frown on his angular face. "I want to talk to you."

Roxas whirled to face him, and Demyx flinched from the obvious fury in his eyes. "So talk. Asshole."

"I left earlier this year-" he ignored the snort from the shorter blonde, "-to go on a blacksmithing tour with Lexaeus. My boss. He normally works here, but this was his year to go around to other smithies and see how they're all doing. That's not the only reason, since I didn't have to go, but…" he shook his head, "that…doesn't really matter. I left because I needed to." Axel shrugged casually. "And now I'm back. And I won't be leaving again."

Roxas just stared at him, eyes disbelieving and wide with anger. Silent for a second, his face hardened into a glare before exclaiming furiously, "You can't just-!" He shook his head, clenched his fingers around open air. "Just fucking waltz back into my life like nothing happened! You can't do that! I, I-I'm not like Demyx, okay? I can't-! You can't-" Dragging his hands roughly through his hair, the blonde paused, eyes closed for a brief moment to battle back his tears. "You c-can't disappear for months and never say anything , never tell us you're leaving, and-" and it was a lost cause, as the first drops of wetness slipped past to stream down his cheeks "-and come back like nothing's changed! I don't-, it doesn't work like that! It just doesn't, damn it!"

A deep silence stretched through the clearing, the surface of it only scratched by the muted noise of the fair. Demyx felt as though his breathing was too loud, too much, that it would shatter the buzzing pressure of silence against his ears and they would hear him and know that he was there.

Axel watched him, his face almost supernaturally calm, and tilted his head to the side, baring his right cheek and the teardrop tattoo on it. "I got this before I left, Roxy. I'm sure you know why."

The blonde sucked in a sharp breath. "…You can't do that to me, Axel…" Roxas's voice was a broken thing, all glass edges, razor-sharp and bleeding. Hanging his head to hide his eyes, the blonde's shoulders curled up defensively. "It's not fair…. Damn it, it's just not fair…."

"Roxy…" Axel's voice was soft, and his eyes never wavered from Roxas's face. Anxiety finally bled through his features as his hands flexed nervously, unsure whether to reach out or stay still.

Roxas's shoulders hunched further, his face turned down and away from Axel's bright, searching gaze. "Don't call me that," he ground out.

A slight smile flickered across the redhead's lean face and some of his tension slipped from his lanky form. He took a single cautious step forward. "Roxas," he purred, and it was gentle, cajoling, completely unlike how Axel normally said anything.

"Don't call me that either." His shoulders were tight and shaking, his bottom lip bitten almost bloody and set in an angry scowl. Fists clenched, he stood, tense arms straight down his sides before they flexed, coming to cross over his chest rigidly.

"Roxas." Once more, he stepped towards the blonde, his hands reaching out to gently cup the boy's elbows.

Even from where he stood, hiding behind a tree and trying -and failing- to not look like he was a total creep, Demyx could see the moment Roxas gave in. Tears slipped from furious blue eyes, and there was a wounded sound from the smaller blonde. "…I hate you…," Roxas whispered, blinking furiously.

Axel just smiled, tugged him closer until Roxas was almost leaning against his chest. "No you don't, Roxy."

A sniffle. "Yes I do!" and Roxas pulled back a little, angry again and trying to set up walls around his heart once more. "I do! You left, you bastard! Of course I hate you!"

"I came back."

"Not soon enough," Roxas ground out, though his voice crumbled in the middle of it, and his eyes dropped, furious and despairing. "Not soon enough."

Too green eyes closed in a strange acknowledgement of that fact, and Demyx wanted to dart out from behind his cover, scream at him -no, no, don't give up, you can't just give up on him, you asshole!- but he bit his lip hard and stayed put, knuckles white with the effort it took. He was afraid to blink, didn't want to look, couldn't stop looking because what if he missed the turning point? What if he missed the moment when everything would go either really good, or really bad?

What if he couldn't bear to watch?

At a movement from the two in the middle of the clearing, Demyx's attention snapped back to Axel and Roxas.

"Maybe not soon enough, but it wasn't too late, though." And with those soft words, the redhead pulled Roxas towards him gently, long-fingered hands still resting on the boy's elbows. One of his hands slowly slid up Roxas's arm, giving him plenty of time to pull away, and cupped his jaw. Tilting the shorter boy's face up, Axel leaned down to press a gentle kiss to Roxas's lips.

The blonde trembled in place, trapped, though Axel was only touching him on his cheek and elbow with tender hands.

And then -with a low, needy whisper of breath- Roxas kissed him back, wrapping his arms tightly around the taller man's neck.

Politely, Demyx looked away from the kiss, ears flushing a vibrant red.

"…you're still an asshole," Roxas mumbled, and the musician glanced back. Roxas had tucked his head into Axel's shoulder, still clinging to him though his eyes were a shining, sad, elated blue. The redhead, his arms resting around Roxas's waist, hummed in agreement, his cheek resting in blonde hair. "I mean it."

Axel huffed a laugh and slowly, oh so slowly –Demyx personally thought that Roxas never wanted to leave the circle of Axel's arms, he was moving so slowly- the blonde pulled away from him, taking a few steps back. Cocking his head curiously, Axel just watched him, a smile in his eyes. "I know you do."

Sighing into the silence, Roxas crossed his arms.

"Sora got a boyfriend. Over the summer." Roxas's voice was a little muffled by the wind, and he heaved another large sigh, glancing to the side.

"Oh, did he now?"

"I blame you."

"Wh-what? Roxy, you can't blame me for your brother getting a boyfriend over summer break!"

"I can and I will. Watch me."

Axel threw back his head and laughed, rubbing his face with his hand in fond exasperation. "Now this, this I didn't miss."

Snorting, Roxas crossed his arms again, a smirk curling around the hidden curves of his lips. "Yes you did. You missed everything about me, admit it." Demyx tilted his head at the tone underlying the words and furrowed his eyebrows, confused. Damn, Roxas's meanings are harder to puzzle out than Zexy's… first he insists that he doesn't want Axel back, now he's gloating and something else….

Whatever the translation was, Axel apparently understood, as his manic grin softened into a smile. "Alright, alright, you caught me. I did miss you. Even your temper and tendency to make me out to be the bad guy."

Roxas shrugged, smirk growing. "S'not my fault if I'm right."

Axel grinned back at him and put a hand on his lean hip, beginning to gesture when a scuffing noise echoed through the clearing. The redhead's eyes narrowed and he whipped around to see what made the noise.

Demyx held very still.

But he didn't have to worry about being caught, because Zexion walked into the clearing, a clearly amused expression on his face and a book in his hands. "Don't you two have anything better to do besides bicker when you're supposed to be at a fair?"

Surprisingly enough, Axel just laughed a little, a sardonic cant to his smile. "Don't you have anything better to do than eavesdrop- oh wait… that's right."

"Drop it, Axel."

The lean man shrugged, grinned wider. "Make me, stalker-boy."

Aaaand, that's my cue, Demyx thought, standing up and running into the middle of them with a smile on his face. "Axel, Roxas, Zexy, there you all are!"

Roxas turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Like you weren't listening in this entire time…. Smooth, Demy."

"Oh hush, Roxas," he muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, Mother."

Demyx just smiled back guilelessly, walking over to stand next to him as Axel advanced on Zexion. Two pairs of eyes watched their argument with amusement.

"Zexion, why do you keep listening in on everything?" Axel sighed, spreading his hands wide.

"Why do you keep holding private conversations in public locations?" Zexion shot back.

The two blondes looked at each other and Demyx began to giggle helplessly, Roxas covering his mouth in an effort to stop his own laughter.

Some things really never changed.

Gesturing at Demyx though his words were directed to the slate-haired man, Axel retorted, "Don't you have places to go? People to do?"

"I don't want to. Something tells me you've already done them all."

Sputtering incoherently for a bit, Axel's hands darted through the air, raking tensely through his hair. "I have not, and you know it!"

Roxas gave up trying to not laugh.

"You're a filthy, filthy little eavesdropper, did you know that?" The blacksmith scowled at all of them, arms crossed.

Staring back at him unrepentantly, Zexion shrugged, sending Demyx and Roxas into even more fits of laughter.

Axel almost growled, ignoring the laughing pair of blondes beside him, jabbing a finger towards the shorter man. "What the hell do you have to say for yourself?"

"Me? Speak? Oh you forget, I'm mute."

"That's no excuse, do you hear me, Zexion! None! Get back here!"

Wiping his eyes, Demyx straightened, looking up at the sky as Axel chased Zexion around the clearing. White and blue-grey clouds sprawled lazily against the blue background. The sun shone brightly around their corners, dappling the clearing with gold-green light. Demyx looked around at all of this.

And he smiled.

Zexion stood just outside Axel's reach, smirking slightly at him. "Come now, Axel. Surely you can do better than that?"

Huffing out another breath, the redhead scowled. He glowered briefly at Zexion before his fever-green eyes lit up. "He still doesn't know about that, does he?"

Blinking, the pale man tilted his head slightly. "Who doesn't know what?" And then he blinked again, eyes widening as realization suddenly hit. "Axel, no, don't-!"

"Oh, Deeeeemyyyyx!"

The musician turned to him, curious. "Yes, Axel?"

Zexion ran over to the taller redhead, reaching up to clap a hand over his mouth, which Axel easily dodged. Laughing through his words as he evaded Zexion's attempts to shut him up, Axel slowly drawled, "Welllll, I just thought you might want to know that –ow, careful with your elbows there, Zexy, you might actually hurt someone-" Zexion couldn't stop a snarl from rising to his lips, and he deliberately slammed his elbow harder into Axel's stomach. "-that dear, wonderful, lovely Zexion here has been listening to all your 'secret talks' to him since you started them." Axel paused, tilting his head in thought. "Or at least pretty soon after that."

Cobalt eyes closed tightly, their owner wincing. That…wasn't the way he had wanted to tell Demyx that he had been eavesdropping on him….

"Z-Zexy?"

"What this …filthy ingrate," he glared at Axel, who grinned innocently, "has said may not…be entirely untrue…."

Demyx covered his eyes with his hands, flushing an attractive shade of red. "Oh god….just…shoot me now, please. That's really embarrassing…." Peeking between two of his fingers, he asked cautiously, "Since…last year?"

Nodding, Zexion rubbed the bridge of his nose. This wasn't going too badly….

"So…you've had to listen to me babble to you…for a year now?"

Zexion nodded again.

"Shit, that's embarrassing. Can someone please just kill me?" Demyx laughed sheepishly, his entire face covered in a blush.

Axel slung a lanky arm around Demyx's shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. "No, no, you're too much fun to mess with for us to kill you! Now, come on, Roxy said something about little baby Sora getting himself a boytoy? Tell me all about it."

A grin sliding across his face, Roxas shuffled forward, grabbing Axel's little finger on his free hand. Axel shot him a softer smile, squeezing his finger gently as he steered them back towards the fair.

They walked back into the main fairgrounds, sliding between the streams of people easily. Zexion watched Axel and Roxas tease and poke Demyx, make sarcastic cutting remarks about everything they saw, and shook his head, a fond smile crossing his face.

Watching as Demyx finally shook the pair off him, the pale man stepped towards him, leaning up to brush a kiss against his temple. Wide ocean-eyes blinked at him and Zexion murmured, "Love you."

Demyx turned red again, smiling back. "Love you too."

"Oh, there you are!"

All four of them turned towards the cheerful voice, seeing Sora drag a silver-haired man behind him. The brunette nodded at them all –seemingly unsurprised at Axel's presence- and gestured to his companion.

"Everyone, this is Riku. Riku, this is my mom, Demyx, and that's my dad, Zexion. The short blonde one is my twin brother, Roxas, who you've already met, and the tall redhead he's currently clinging to is my new brother-in-law, Axel. You can meet all my cousins and aunts and uncles later. They're back at the college."

Amused cool aqua eyes swept over all of them and returned to Sora. "I just shouldn't ask, should I?"

Sora grinned up at him, crossing his arms behind his head. "Nope. You really shouldn't."

Watching Axel smirk as he began to indoctrinate Riku into his peculiar brand of sarcasm, Zexion figured that all of these people weren't so bad after all. They were all still idiots in their own ways, but….

But he liked it like that.

Curling one hand around his new book, and sliding the other into Demyx's, he gazed around the fair, feeling the wind and the sun on his skin and the scents of food and people against his skin. Soon enough, school would bear down on all of them, and nothing would seem as strangely wonderful as it did on this afternoon, but none of that seemed to matter.

His head was tilted up by gentle fingers on his jaw, and Zexion blinked at Demyx's smiling face.

"I love you, Zexion."

And as Demyx kissed him gently while everyone else was distracted by the fair, by each other, Zexion just sighed into the kiss, pressed himself just a little closer.

Just let himself be.

And prayed for none of it to be forgotten.

…

…it's …finally done….

*cries*

So, really I'm not going to go through and mark all the numbered things again (*is too lazy for that*), but I still have one thing to mention.

Go back and reread the scene between Axel and Zexion in the clearing, where they're sort of insulting each other. But when you do, just think of this: I was imagining it like insult sword-fighting in Secret of Monkey Island.

You have no idea how tempted I was to put this somewhere in their argument:
"You fight like a cow!"
"How appropriate, you fight like a dairy farmer!"

….

I still sorta wish I had….

Beta'd by: Evil-Pixie-Dust, because she is a lovely, wonderful person who deserves SO MUCH PRAISE for having to put up with me and my insanity in real life as well.

Alright, this is a thank you to everyone out there who's reading this right now! Especially everyone who's been with me from September when I started this! All of your reviews really helped me so much! It was special motivation to get this chapter done as soon as I could! (Or at least, as soon as I could while still being happy about it!)

So, THANK YOU ALL!

…and if you'd like to read something else by me, might I suggest Mnemonic?

*runs away, because that was a terribly obvious self-plug right there*