Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom hearts 1 or 2, they're the property of square enix and Disney. No money has or will exchange hands as this story was purely written for entertainment value. Original characters, worlds and storylines do belong to me.

Authors note: The dreams and flashbacks in this story are not necessarily in order, I decided to put them in the order that would best suit the story.

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Chapter 1 Bond of Flames

"You think I somehow forgot that we can't feel the way whole people can?"

"No… that's not what I meant… I-" Roxas tried to correct himself before Axels temper flared further.

"You what?"

"It's just that the way you talk… it makes me imagine that I'm a whole person again when really isn't it all just an illusion?" The blonde explained hoping that they could reach some understanding. As much as he enjoyed watching the fire wielder get angry the thought that he had caused that anger didn't rest easy with him.

"Do you think that because Xemnas tells you is it or because that's what you really believe?"

Roxas considered the question for a moment. "I don't know… I can't remember who I was or what it's like to really have emotions and since no one here will tell me, his word is all I have to go on."

"You could always believe me." The fire wielder corrected as he came to sit next to the blonde on the window seat of his room, watching the endless darkness and the glow of kingdom hearts as it grew slowly above the castle.

"I just don't want this 'feeling' to be degraded… I don't want to discover that this isn't what it's really like for whole people." Roxas tried to explain, his eyes never leaving the window. "We're supposed to be nobodies…I don't want to pretend to feel like the rest of them do."

"I don't get it." Axel told him flatly. "If you don't remember what it was like before surely you should just go with your instincts, we still have those you know." He was glaring somewhat amused by the reaction on Roxas's face. He resisted the urge to reach out and pull him closer knowing that this was something important and no time for distractions.

"I only know that when I'm around you I don't feel so lonely." He paused, needing to form what he wanted to say in his mind before he spoke it aloud. "I guess I feel as though I belong somewhere, something I don't get when I'm with the rest of them." Roxas told him, finally turning to face him and shifting closer. "I need to be close to you or I ache… my 'heart' aches and when we're together I forget about this world, this castle you're all that matters." On his final admission he dropped his eyes to the floor, scared to see the reaction on Axels face as if he may have gone too far.

A gentle hand touched his face, stroking him tenderly until his azure eyes met the emerald pair waiting for him.

"That's exactly what I was trying to describe, you make me feel as though I'm whole again, and that's how it feels…felt to be alive." Axels voice was soft and Roxas felt himself falling towards him wanting to be held in those strong arms.

But instead he felt tentative lips meet his own; applying a gentle pressure instead of the firm one he was used to. Reciprocating he realised perhaps for the first time that he didn't care about the completion of Kingdom Hearts and in that moment he could even forget about the Keyblade… this was all that mattered.

Eventually though they broke apart albeit slowly, "Turn around." Axel said as softly as before and Roxas smiled turning so his back lay against Axels chest and his legs lay between the older boys. It made him feel safe and warm; a feeling he hoped he'd never loose. With arms wrapped around his waist met by his own they watched the swirled pink light that entered the heart shaped moon above them.

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Sora drifted slowly from sleep, rolling in the covers as daylight greeted his eyes. He took a moment to realise where he was, almost expecting to have woken up in castle oblivion. But the view outside his window threw all thoughts of that from his mind, their play island gleamed brightly in the sunlight and the palm trees swayed in the summer breeze.

Home, I'm home. He reminded himself for what seemed the hundredth time since they'd returned two months ago. But he couldn't shake the feeling that resided in his heart, a deep aching that seemed to accompany his waking hours… and then there were the dreams. Vague images from his nobodies past filled his unconscious mind, some were clearer than others, the last one had been.

Pushing what he could remember from his mind and feeling as though he'd witnessed something which was meant to be private he busied himself with getting up and dressed, knowing that Kairi and Riku would be there soon. They were heading once again to their island; it was the weekend - something that had become precious now that school was back in his life. They were planning to camp on the island over night, staying in either the tree house or the shack, none of them were quite ready for the cave yet.

"Sora they're here!" he heard his mum calling and glancing at the clock he realised he was already late… he still had to find his sleeping bag.

"I'll be right there!" he shouted and started rummaging around his room.

"No you won't." a voice told him from the door, "Which is why we came up to help." Kairi told him smiling, Riku walked past her and headed straight through the wardrobe she giggled at the expression of annoyance on his face.

"Thanks guys." Sora said, walking over to Kairi and gently kissing her cheek before going back to his searching. She blushed slightly, still not entirely used to their developing relationship but enjoying every moment of it none the less. She could still hardly believe they had come back to her.

"Come on Kairi, you're almost as lazy as he is." Riku told her having fruitlessly searched the wardrobe. She smiled at him, knowing his irritation was only an act, he was as happy to be there searching as she was. It was normal and it was wonderful.

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Having eventually located the sleeping bag, which Sora had hidden under his bed (behind a pile of comic books and school supplies) for safe keeping the three of them had headed across the small gap of water in their small boats.

Kairi had appointed herself the task of sorting out their sleeping area in the tree house as the boys sparred on the beach. It was quiet up there and once she had finished; putting Soras bag between hers and Rikus she sat on the ledge watching her two friends for a while.

The sun was high in the sky and reflected sharply across the water and the two sparring keyblades as they moved swiftly across the sand. She could hear Sora laughing at Rikus taunts and couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips.

Her year without them had been confusing and painful, forgetting Sora had been the worst thing about it but now that all seemed like a distant dream. Aside from the voice of her nobody that occasionally entered her thoughts life was pretty much what it had always been.

"Kairi, you coming?" Sora shouted and she waved to him.

"Be there in a minute." And she jumped from the entrance, landing as neatly as she could onto the rough path below.

Running over to them she watched Sora switch his keyblade from Oblivion to one she had never seen before. Despite this though it was still familiar and the small chakram attached to the chain on the end reminded her sharply of a member of organisation XIII.

"Bond of flames." Riku told her, leaning over to explain what Sora hadn't gotten around mentioning yet; he seemed almost mesmerised by the blade in his hand "Axel gave it to Sora on the way to the world that never was just before he faded." She looked somewhat shocked by this.

"I didn't realise… I just thought he'd faded with the other nobodies, Sora told me he apologised for the kidnapping but didn't say anything else." she sounded saddened by the knowledge although she really didn't know why she should have been, she barely knew him. But then she realised that without his actions she wouldn't have ended up in the world that never was and that – if nothing else she could be thankful for.

"He died protecting Sora, took out an army of dusks in the process."

"Because he wanted to see Roxas right?" Kairi asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah." Riku looped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring hug, not knowing what else to say. He looked ahead to his best friend who was still staring intently at the blade and practicing moves along the small expanse of beach. For a moment his mind took him back to watching Roxas do the exact same thing… only the blade was different. The similarity was eerie but not unexpected; they were two halves of the same whole after all.

"You should go spar with him."

"Why? So he can fight with someone he can actually beat?" Kairi asked her voice a little more light hearted than before.

"We drew actually" he smiled at her, "I was thinking more that you might enjoy it, you seemed to last time… or were you just flirting with Sora."

Her face turned scarlet. "Both." She answered before running to her boyfriend in case Riku asked anymore questions.

Kairi willed her keyblade to appear in her hand as she approached Sora, he saw her and grinned widely, Bond of flames dropped to his side.

"My turn!" she told him enthused

"You sure you're ready?" he taunted, fire playing behind his eyes.

She laughed "Always Sora." And she stepped back, dodging his first attack with ease but he caught her with the second. Kairi loved a challenge though and had been practicing with Selphie, no where near Soras level but better than he though she was and his eyes widened when she landed a hit.

Riku, who was stood watching a small distance away laughed openly as he watched his friends challenge each other, tension growing between them as they did… it was going to be an interesting weekend.

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Kairi sat snuggled up against Sora; he held her close to him and fixed the blanket that was wrapped around the two of them. Riku had headed off to find some more wood for their fire and, she suspected given them some time alone.

"You're getting better." He told her as they watched the flames rise and fall in front of them.

"Thanks, you and Riku are good teachers… when you're not bickering." She added, the two boys had argued for most of the afternoon about the best combinations for attacks and magic.

"Hey, that's called a difference of opinion." Sora smiled and tilted his head down to kiss her rose scented hair, taking in the smell of her shampoo he pulled her closer still.

Feeling the familiar tingle flow through her body that accompanied his touch she shifted in the sand to be facing Sora and stared into his deep blue eyes.

"I still can't believe you're here." She told him honestly, her happy go lucky appearance disappearing in the wake of serious violet eyes; she had wanted to say something about it for a while now but didn't want to dampen their happy mood. Talking about the end of their adventure always seemed make Sora distant and sad.

He took her hands in his, holding them to him in an attempt to prove his existence.

"Sometimes I can't either Kairi, but I am." Sora smiled warmly and honestly. She could see so many emotions flicker across his eyes and was inwardly thankful for his openness. The familiar lump rose in her throat, one that had stopped her so many times from saying what she wanted to but she needed to say it. Now that she and Sora were together she didn't want to be apart from him.

"If… If you ever leave again… I want to come with you, you and Riku." The words tumbled out with a determined air to them and Sora almost laughed, almost but didn't. Laughing about this wasn't going to solve any problems. Kairi wanted a truthful answer.

"Honestly I don't think it would be a matter of you being taken with us. Now you have a keyblade I think you'd be needed just as much as we would." A red flush greeted his cheeks with the admission and Kairi's smile beamed.

Leaning forwards she placed her lips gently on his and as he released her hands she wrapped her arms firmly around him. Sora reciprocated the motion, pulling her gently down to the sand with him lips still moulded to hers and the blanket in a tangled heap on top of them both.

Weaving his fingers through her red hair, aglow with the sight of the fire behind her he couldn't help but smile against her. Noticing this Kairi moved to look down on Sora; she gasped quietly and moved her hand to his cheek, wiping away the tear that formed there.

"You're crying." She sounded worried and she rubbed her salt water stained fingers together. "Are you okay?"

Sora looked confused and released the hand tangled in her hair to touch his face. Kairi was right…. But how?

"I'm fine… I'm more than fine Kairi. I don't understand why." He paused, knowing that this had happened before but unable to understand how Twilight Town and this were connected. Before it had been because Roxas was leaving his friends, now he failed to see the connection between kissing his girlfriend and anything his nobody would have done; at least that he could remember. He tried to search through what he could recall from his dreams but the faces were distorted so he gave up.

Looking up at the concerned look on Kairis face he reached up and pulled her close to him again.

"Must be because of the fire or something stinging my eyes." He told her, they both knew he was lying but he couldn't think of another way to explain it.

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I know there wasn't much Axel Roxas in this one, there will be more next chapter. constructive criticism and reviews are more than welcome xx