Legacy

"Sorry." Roxas scribbled at the very bottom a piece of paper. He almost found it entertaining that he wasn't even signing a proper signature in which you could read all of the letters of his name; it was hastily written, much like he had done on homework papers during high school. He placed the note on top of the red comforter on his bed. It was placed directly in the middle of the fabric but tilted slightly, as if it weren't perfectly arranged.

Roxas was a researcher in a small mathematics facility that operated closely with the government. He spent his day trying to crack codes of various securities, the rationale being that if a highly trained professional couldn't break it than national security threats couldn't. The reasoning wasn't wrong, for the most part; he'd spent some time on a new theorem development program, but he couldn't think creatively enough for the job.

He grabbed a black hoodie emblazoned with the logo "XIII" on the back; a gift from his friend Naminé. Before leaving the flat entirely, he locked the door with an ornate black colored key and locked it around his neck securely. He walked down up to the tenth floor, passing the doors of his friends and coworkers.

Once he reached the roof, the frigid wind blew at him and he wrapped the sweatshirt around himself more securely. The April night was unseasonably cold, especially for Florida. He stared down at the ground, the bright lights beneath him speeding past and heading into the blur of the heart of the city beyond.

"I wonder…" He breathed softly, his breath causing a cloud of condensation to rise in front of him. He stood on the ledge recklessly, contemplating something important as he looked at the machines beneath him.

"Wonder what?"

He spun around quickly, viewing bright red hair momentarily. "Axel?" He questioned, voice rising slightly at the end as his foot stepped backward and encountered empty space. He fell backwards, head throwing itself backwards as he looked up, a knee-jerk reaction from when he was little and looked at the stars above him in the northern Illinois sky with his brother, Sora. His head tilted forward once again, just glimpsing Axel's face, and he reached toward the man.

Axel reached for Roxas at the same time, barely missing his fingers as the younger fell. "Roxas!" He shouted as his friend grew farther and farther away from him, eyes wide open as his body crumpled onto the cement beneath him. "Oh God, ROXAS!"

Axel bounded down the stairs, taking full flights at a time, until he pushed the growing crowd, two of which who were calling paramedics, away from the small man's broken body and swore a string of words no other could accurately match. An eye fluttered open and the corners of his mouth twitched. "Ax?" He breathed, seeming to take his entire will to do so.

Axel reached for Roxas's bloody hand. "Roxas, I'm sorry, oh God, I'm sorry, don't die."

"Don't." He breathed again. "Was gonna… anyway." The corners of his mouth twitched again, the small broken form of a smile renewing itself. "Not you…"

"Why did you wanna do that, you dumbass?" Axel halfway shouted, eyes tearing up.

"Note… bed." He stated shortly, eye fluttering closed. "Don't cry." He consoled him, squeezing his hand with something akin to a ghost's strength. This only caused Axel to actually begin crying. "Stupid." Roxas muttered again.

"No, that's you!" The redhead retorted loudly. The paramedics came rushing through the crowd, glancing over the scene quickly before strapping Roxas into several different braces and lifting him onto a gurney.

"Are you family?" A man with a notepad asked Axel, despite his not thinking so. Axel answered 'friend' and was allowed on the ambulance ride, gripping Roxas's hand the entire way.

"Survive, you jackass." Axel muttered to Roxas just before he was wheeled into the emergency room.

The twitching returned. "See you, Axel." He breathed through the oxygen mask, barely able to be heard, before he disappeared behind the swinging white doors.

That was the last time Axel saw Roxas alive.

Heeding the other's advice, Axel unlocked Roxas's door with his own copy of the key, this one decorated in bright silver, blue, and yellows. He looked around the neat apartment sadly before proceeding to the bed and picking up the note.

Everyone,

I'm sorry that you have to find out this way about my passing, but I'm not confident enough to tell you in person and you would stop me anyways. (Especially you guys, Axel and Demyx.) I see no other way, which leads to this development. The Organization has decided to expel me, and the only other way to get out would be erasing my memories via being put comatose. I'd rather die than forget all of you.

Hayner, Pence, and Olette. My trio. Thank you for sticking with me when we were younger, and even into our college days. You guys were the best friends I could ask for during those years, and I needed it. Take care of each other, and please realize your feelings. Sorry I'm missing out on that play this Sunday.

Demyx. My favorite sitar player. Please don't flood your room, last time you did that the bill was outrageous. You rock to your own beat, don't lose that. I'm sure you'll find someone eventually. Please don't go emo like Zexion, or complain when I say that, you know it's true. I wish that all of your ambitions come true.

Sora. My brother, my twin. We did some crazy shit when we were little, huh? You were always the most excited, had the brightest eyes and the biggest smile. Keep smiling for both of us, because I live through you. So long as you are here, remember I am with you.

Naminé. My childhood friend, my sister. You've helped me through some tough times. I regret that this time it couldn't work. You know my head better than anyone. I know you'll accept my decision, even when nobody else can. Knock some sense into that knucklehead, please, you'll do fine. Love you, Nam. Thanks.

Axel. My best friend. You're probably going to take this the hardest, I know already. I'm sorry I couldn't stop myself. Whatever you say, it is not your fault. I want you to keep living, and loving, and doing crazy shit like setting fire to your pants when you're drunk at 4 AM, and all those things that make you Axel, you freak of nature. I'm going to miss you the most of all. I love you. If I see you before I die, I'll know that God has fulfilled my final wish and go happily. Sorry.

Roxas Strife.

Axel traced his finger over Roxas's name, tears rolling softly down his cheeks as he reread his part several times. "It's not my fault?" He wondered softly. "But I didn't realize…"

"It wasn't your fault." A small voice chimed sadly from the doorway.

Axel turned around to see Naminé leaning against the doorframe. "He'd been talking to me recently, fighting with this. I thought he was okay. If it was anyone, it was me." She walked slowly toward him and took the note from Axel's outstretched hand. "Of course I understand, Roxas." She whispered as tears began to stream down her cheeks.

The redhead hugged her gently. "He wanted to." Axel murmured softly, as if comforting her. "I was there just before he died, he was smiling." Naminé began sobbing and both sat on the bed late into the night, comforting each other.

Roxas considered his legacy to be simple, and it was fulfilled absolutely. Hayner and Olette got together and eventually married, thanks to the advice to consider their feelings, a final duty to their friend. Demyx continued in his band, achieving a great career and getting together with a hyperactive martial-arts expert named Yuffie. Sora was an actor, and it was said that his performances had the vitality of two people each time he took the stage.

Thanks to that night, Axel and Naminé began going out with one another, their first date being a walk along the beach ending as they sat atop the clock tower of the small town where they had all grown up. He was rarely far from their minds, and their first child was named Roxas in tribute to his memory and their promise to never forget their blonde best friend.

It was ironic, however, when the headquarters of Xenmas, the company where Roxas was formerly employed, burned down no matter where they were located. The townsfolk and newspapers blamed a curse put in place by the death of Roxas Strife.

Whenever he heard about it, Axel scratched the back of his head and grinned, remembering how Roxas had told him to keep doing crazy shit like burning things at 4 AM.