Axel can't really remember the last time he hugged anyone at all, but in that moment, having Roxas here, and whole, and real in his arms is the greatest feeling he can imagine. He had never been okay with the idea of not speaking to Roxas again, but he had come to understand why Roxas had left. He hadn't really had a chance to try and make things right before it had all gone to hell, though, and by the time Roxas had regained enough of himself to remember him, it was too late.

He releases Roxas a bit reluctantly when the kid pulls back, looking up at him with those big blue eyes like he's looking for something he'd misplaced. He guesses in a way that's exactly the look. He swipes at his cheek with the heel of one hand and sniffs sharply, but thankfully has mostly maintained his composure. Mostly. Sort of. He shakes his head a bit.

"I... don't actually know, for sure," he says, and nods his head toward Sora. "Sora here told me a good bit about the future I'm still catching up to, but those are details I can't quite parse just yet."

He had always believed that one day they would all disappear, every one of them. Nobodies weren't supposed to exist, right? So one day they would simply return to the Darkness from whence they had been created. Coming back from that isn't something he had thought was possible, but... here he is.

He gives Roxas a smile and takes his shoulders, shaking his head again.

"It doesn't really matter, does it?" he asks. "I'm here. And you're here. And that means I'm not going anywhere."

When he'd told Roxas they would meet again in the next life, he hadn't realized just how right he was going to be, and it's the greatest surprise realization ever.