"Disappearing for days at a time. And all those things I hid from you with excuses, like 'you'll understand someday' or 'you're not ready yet'. Didn't you ever wonder what I was really up to?" With a definitive snap, he held out his arms and summoned his chakrams, two wheels of black flame.

He took a moment to gather himself, then looked straight across the arena to his best friend. Everything that Axel had done had been to protect Roxas and Naminé, to help them, to save them. He didn't want to fight Roxas back then— even if it meant returning Naminé's heart, because he knew from Ansem that Roxas would have to die.

There was no fear or trepidation visible anywhere on the redhead's face. Axel's frame was solid, ready.

"Of course you didn't. You didn't find the King's brief appearance in Destiny Islands that alarming, either. You put faith in the journey. That we'd find him and resolve this, and go home at the end of the day like good little boys who never stay out too late." A bitter, choked laugh escaped him. "The King and I were really close while you slept. He helped me escape somewhere terrible, but I left him. I was the one to leave him."

A circle of black flames surrounded the edge of the arena, rather superficial considering no one could jump in, but it still gave the place a certain heaviness and heat. Roxas could burn if he touched them, and dark flames scorched the worst.

"The truth is that I'm too dark. The taint that Ansem left on my heart hasn't been completely mastered. It never will be. It'll always eat at me no matter what you do. If I close my eyes even for a second I know it'll consume me— and then I'll destroy you and Naminé, everything."

The flames burned higher.

"If you want to save me— save her, and save yourself— you'll have to kill me."