#axel is the sun and roxas is the bright sky but xion is the dark twilight night part creeping in but still a beautiful part of the scene

[thedorfmirrin]

Xion from Kingdom Hearts, I gave her a cute little outfit 💜

[jellyfishvibes]

I know the trios are named after their 'thing', the wayfinder trio all have wayfinders, the destiny trio are all from destiny island (they should probably be the paopu trio? like their symbol is the fruit not the island) and the sea salt trio are named after the ice cream they is the symbol of their friendship

Consider the case of the Sunset Trio, inspired by Axel's colour red speech, i just realized he was predicting their fate

Xion is pink/purple, her armour is pink, her half of the missing ache/pain of solitude is a pinksh purple recolour of missing ache, a majority of the shells she collects are pink/purple, when the sun sets the sky fades from bright blue to a purplish colour and then to a pink Xion is the first gone

Roxas colour is yellow/orange, his heart station is orangey yellow, his hair is the most yellow, before it was changed the way you told roxas and ventus apart in kh3 is that ventus had more blond hair, roxas hair was a darker yellow, after the colour of the sunlight and sky blend the sun gives one last burst of colour over the horizon, shining so bright it drowns out the blue and makes the whole sky yellow and then orange Roxas is next, in a blaze of glory

Axel, Lea, his colour is red, the red of his hair, of his charkrams or his flames of his keyblades of the blood he spilt for the organisation, the last colour the sky turns before it fades into the dark deep blue of night, is red Axel travelled the furthest, desperate to find those he was missing, travel all the way over to the other side of the battle field for them The last gone

And when the sun has set, the sky is blue, and the moon rises Only Saix remained, alone in that deep blue sky he was desperately trying to light up on his own But thats ok, the sun will rise another day and if you look, the moon will be up there in the light blue sky right next to it, dimmer, harder to see but still there

Ok poetic stuff over, Axel Roxas and Xion as the sunset trio, it also rolls over nicely from Sora, meaning sky, being the starting point of them, the canvas they were painted on so to say, and a nice roll into the implied trio in the next few games of Lea Isa and Subject x, who probably has a star symbol to go with her, celestial trio? space trio? and it rolls back into (if x is skuld) the daybreak trio of Skuld, Ephemer and Player/ daybreak uhh quintet? of the union leaders Feels good that Skuld, the norn of the future is connecting the daybreak and the sunset

[memorystormsanctuary]

Day 5 ~ Light or Darkness

Whenever I do these it seems at least one day ends up being from the pov of another Oc, and today is that day this year. Today’s prompt for @khoc-week is Light or Darkness and this is a prompt I had an easy answer for. Y has always been and always will be Light, in a literal and figurative sense of that as she is the goddess of Light trapped in a human form. She embodies many of the qualities of Light, being bright and happy, but also showing the lesser-known sides. As many don’t know her identity it can be hard for some people to see the Light in all she does. But her twin brother knows, and he has always seen her light in its entirety.

***

Everything about her always seemed to radiate light. X had heard countless people say it countless times. Something about her just always seemed to give off light. To X it was a given. Of course, she was always shining, she was Light in its purest form. But what made it interesting was the moments when people said it to him.

There were those who saw it in her happiness and joy. Sora and Axel were among those who had told X Y's happiness was so bright. Her smile turned the very world around them into the brightest day. Even when storm clouds rolled overhead and thunder rumbled in the distance. If she laughed it would be enough to make it seem there was no storm, the clouds part so the sun might shine. Something about the smile that graced her face and maybe in the dimples on her cheeks. The bubbly laughter that quickly passed from her to those around her, even X if she went on for long enough.

Perhaps in the same vein were those who saw it in her excitement. It had been specific to her bouncing and chattering away. Roxas had been the one to notice it in the moment. The way she flitted around like a bird, chattering on about things he didn’t understand but she was too excited to notice. Her light flickered and danced in those moments, like the fire at the center of the home.

The flickering fire continued on, in moments she was creating things. Yuki and Kairi both seemed insistent about it. That her explanations were so detailed and exact, they shone a light on the things they didn’t understand. A contained light directed at the shadows of doubt and misunderstanding to bring understanding. Like the light in a child’s room that chased out the shadows.

Others saw it in her calm. Riku, Xion, and Terra all agreed on that. When she sat, completely at peace with herself and the worlds as they were. The rare moments of true calm. In those moments she seemed to offer light in short bursts, a subtle soft glow. As her eyes caught sight of different things, a glow at small details in the world. When she saw her friends with her and the simplicity of it all. Her light seemed so contained, that they wished they could carry with them always. Like the fireflies in summer trapped in a jar that always seemed to fade far too soon.

On very special occasions someone would see it in the way she loved. Ventus was one of the few, and the only of this lifetime that had really seen it. Though he said it was clear even when she was just with her friends. She loved deeply and with such strength. It was electrifying, the way it seemed to power both herself and Ventus. The crackle between them, sparks almost jumping from their fingers. The force was great, and part of X worried as it was forced into a short time. One life. Trapping lightning in a bottle until it inevitably exploded.

The strangest perhaps were those who saw it in her moments of sadness. It was a moment that even X sometimes struggled to see the light he knew followed his sister. But something about the way she held in her tears and forced a smile. Aqua and Namine both claimed it was the moment her light shined the brightest. The way the sun could be seen even through rain clouds if they looked hard enough. Or the way Aqua had watched a meteor shower even in the Realm of Darkness, the streaks of light crossing the sky like tears for just a moment before they disappeared.

What X found the strangest was that no one seemed to agree with him about when her light was most apparent. Maybe it was because so few of their friends had ever been on the receiving side of it. X had been. And he had seen it directed at others. And no matter who was on the other side, he knew in those moments there was no denying her light.

In those moments there was a fire in her eyes that threatened to escape and set a blaze to the world around them. Her voice shook and crackled, like the wildfire in her eyes was contained truly within her. And sometimes it turned to a supernova, if she had held it in for long enough. He swore that sparks jumped off her fingers as she pointed and motioned. If the stars ever did explode the way she yelled and snapped was certainly how they would.

It had always confused X why anger was associated with darkness. When it seemed so clear to him it belonged to her.

[starrattlerofprydain]

The Other Girl (Ch. 1)

Summary: What if Roxas met Kairi during his days in the Organization?

AO3 / FF.net

Chapter 1: A Familiar Place  (Previous/Next)

So cold.

Those were Roxas’s first thoughts as soon as he stepped inside Xion’s room. His eyes immediately landed on his friend, who was lying in her bed. The boy worriedly approached her, watching as she slept there peacefully. At least, he hoped she was getting a peaceful sleep after learning what happened to her.

Not long before, Roxas was informed Xion had failed one of her missions and she collapsed shortly after, causing her to fall into a deep sleep. He recalled the same thing happened to him weeks ago. Roxas had slept for a long period of time until he suddenly woke up in a daze one day. The blond couldn’t remember much of what happened during all of that, almost as if it was a dream.

But Xion had been there for him. She was there for him every day, placing seashells by his pillow as she waited for him to wake up. No one knew for sure if Roxas was ever going to awaken, but it didn’t stop the girl from checking up on her friend. It was the least she could do. He made her feel…

Feel? Was that something Nobodies can even do?

Roxas continued to gaze at the girl before him as he softly muttered her name. He sighed and rummaged through his coat’s pocket, pulling out one of the seashells Xion had given him. He briefly inspected the small object sitting in the palm of his hand, remembering how his raven-haired friend went on about a world she visited during the time he slept. A place surrounded by the sea that seemed oddly familiar to him for some reason. But he’s never been to his place before… has he? Maybe it must have been a memory from before he became a Nobody.

Yeah, that might be it, Roxas thought before gently placing the seashell near Xion’s pillow. He watched her for a few more moments, hoping there was a small chance she might just wake up right away. But her eyes remained closed as her chest slowly rose and fell. No sign of her waking up anytime soon. Roxas wished he could stay longer but he had a mission to complete.

“I’m gonna get going now…” he mumbled, knowing she most likely couldn’t hear him. But he didn’t care. “I’ll be back later…I promise.”

The boy began to make his way out of the room, glancing at Xion once more before he slipped out and headed back over to the Grey Area to proceed with his mission.

-----------

The days passed and Roxas went on with his usual routine. He would visit Xion first thing in the morning in hopes of seeing her awake, only to find the girl still lying in the same spot on her bed. Despite this, it still put him in a better mood being able to see her. He reminded himself to leave her a seashell before he left on a mission, just like she did for him.

Once Roxas spent a few moments with Xion, he went to complete the usual missions assigned to him by Saïx. For some missions, he was paired up with some of the Organization members. And for others, he went solo. Just recently, he went to a new world called Neverland. Right away, the boy noticed the body of water surrounding the island he stood upon, which brought him back to thinking about that island where Xion found all those seashells.

Those thoughts were set aside when Roxas discovered he can fly in this particular world. After that exhilarating experience, he couldn’t wait to tell Xion about it. He even hoped they would be able to go on a mission together just so she could experience it for herself.

It was still a little strange though. He had a feeling he’s done this before. Was this just another memory of his past self? He brushed off the thought.

After Roxas completed his missions throughout the days, he would end it off by heading to the clock tower, where he would find his red-headed friend. It was nice having someone to talk to, even though he couldn’t help but miss Xion’s presence. At least Axel was there to reassure him that she’ll wake up in no time. Roxas sure hoped that was the case.

It was the same routine for a couple of days, until both Roxas and Axel made their way to the Grey Area one morning to see a piece of paper up on the wall where Saix would normally be standing.

“Another vacation day?” Roxas wondered out loud as he read the writing in front of him.

“Huh… well, I can’t argue with that,” Axel said, spinning on his heel and waving goodbye to his friend. “If you need me, I’ll be catching up on some sleep.”

Roxas watched as the tall man retraced his steps back to his room. The boy stood there in thought, smiling to himself as he decided to take this time to head over to Xion’s room. Maybe she might finally wake up today. Once Roxas arrived at the door, he peeked inside, noticing nothing had changed. He let out a small sigh and stepped inside as he walked over to the raven-haired girl.

“Looks like we have another day off today.”

Roxas stood by her side, his smile faltering slightly as he went on. “I kind of wish you were already awake, so we can spend the day together. Axel’s spending his time off sleeping again, so I guess it’ll be just the two of us.”

The blond seated himself on the side of the bed, thinking of what else he wanted to tell her. He could only say so much to someone who couldn’t respond back. Sometimes he still wondered if she could actually hear him...

Roxas’s lips suddenly curved back into a smile as he recalled one of his previous missions. “There’s this place I wanna show you. You probably won’t believe it, but I actually flew there! Maybe we’ll be able to go on a mission together one day so you can try it out yourself.”

He mindlessly kicked his feet back and forth off the bed, staring at the white walls surrounding them. “I think you’ll like that world. It’s got some nice sights, being surrounded by the ocean and all.”

The boy’s eyes wandered to all the seashells sitting right beside her, the same ones that were previously on his own bed. He thought about that place that Xion told him about, realizing how much he longed to go to the beach with her and Axel.

We’ll go together someday. Just like we promised.

Roxas stayed by Xion’s side a while longer, rambling on about whatever popped into his head until he decided to leave her be. From there, he went to his usual spot up on the clock tower, ice cream in hand, as he stared up at the orange hues in the sky. Normally by now, Axel would have probably joined him, though he figured the red-head must have still been taking his usual vacation nap.

The Nobody continued to sit there peacefully with his treat, wondering what was in store for him the following day.

-----------

“I’m sending you to a new world today to conduct recon,” Saïx informed.

Roxas nodded as he received his mission for the day. He wondered if Axel had already gone out, realizing he was nowhere to be seen that morning. Regardless, the boy did as he was told and made whatever preparations he needed to just in case, before he headed off into the dark corridor. Once he arrived at his new destination, he was suddenly met by a warm, salty breeze. The blond squinted slightly as he stepped out into the brightness.

And that’s when it hit him. Sandy ground... clear, blue skies... the sound of the waves… this must have been the world Xion visited.

Destiny Islands, was it? He thought to himself, noticing it didn’t take too long for him to start feeling the heat from the sun on his coat. Thankfully it wasn’t as unbearable as Agrabah. Roxas took in the sights around him, inspecting the place as he approached the shoreline.

This place… It still feels familiar somehow… not sure why though...

Roxas’s thoughts were interrupted when he heard some voices from a distance. Quickly, he made his way over to some large rocks nearby and hid there for the time being as the voices grew louder. The blond peeked up to see two boys running by the shore, followed by two girls, probably all around the same age as him. He noticed how cheerful everyone seemed to be, except for the red-headed girl, who looked like something had been troubling her.

Weird… she kinda looks like...

Roxas blinked a few times before he raised himself slightly to get a better look at this person. However, his movement must have gotten her attention because at that moment, she suddenly looked his way. Roxas froze for a second before he rapidly hid back down. It became quiet until he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him. He had to think fast.

Without hesitation, the blond got up and darted off to what looked like a cave. He glanced around and spotted another large rock, quickly hiding behind there. Just as he suspected, the sound of footsteps followed him to this area.

“Is someone there?” The soft voice asked. Before she was able to look around the cave, a faint voice from the other girl came from the outside.

“Kairi? Where’d you go?”

It became silent, then the sound of the girl’s footsteps slowly began to fade. “I’m coming!”

Roxas waited a few moments before he quietly peeked from behind the rock. Yep, nobody was there. He let out a sigh of relief as he sat up against the large object.

“That was a close one…” he mumbled, thinking back to that girl. “But… who was that girl?”

And why did she remind me of Xion…?

[imagine-organization-xiii]

Organization XIII - Favorite 60s Era Songs

Suggested by: some babes from discord who wanted me to do separate posts for each decade lmao

Xemnas - Georgia on My Mind by Ray Charles - 1960

“No peace, no peace I find, just that old sweet song that keeps you, Georgia, on my mind.“

Xigbar - Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond - 1969

“Look at the night and it don’t seem so lonely, we filled it up with only two. And when I hurt, hurting runs off my shoulders. How can I hurt when holding you?“

Xaldin - Stuck on You by Elvis Presley - 1960

“Hide in the kitchen, hide in the hall, ain’t gonna do you no good at all. ‘Cause once I catch ya and the kissin’ starts, a team o’ wild horses couldn’t tear us apart!“

Vexen - Are You Lonesome Tonight? by Elvis Presley - 1960

“Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again? Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?“

Lexaeus - Stand by Me by Ben E. King - 1960

“If the sky that we look upon should tumble and fall, or the mountain should crumble to the sea. I won’t cry, I won’t cry, no I won’t shed a tear, just as long as you stand, stand by me.“

Zexion - Do You Believe in Magic? by The Lovin’ Spoonful - 1965

“I’ll tell you about the magic, and it’ll free your soul, but it’s like tryna tell a stranger ‘bout-a rock and roll.“

Saix - When a Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge - 1966

“She can bring him such misery. If she is playin’ him for a fool, he’s the last one to know. Lovin’ eyes can never see.“

Axel - My Girl by The Temptations - 1965

“I’ve got so much honey, the bees envy me. I’ve got a sweeter song than the birds in the trees.“

Demyx - Wouldn’t It Be Nice by the Beach Boys - 1966

“Wouldn’t it be nice if we could wake up in the morning when the day is new?“

Luxord - Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles - 1969

“Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces, little darling, it feels like years since it's been here.”

Marluxia - At Last by Etta James - 1960

“At last the skies above are blue, my heart was wrapped up in clover the night I looked at you.“

Larxene - Feeling Good by Nina Simone - 1965

“Oh, freedom is mine and I know how I feel - it’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for me.... And I’m feeling good.“

Roxas - What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong - 1967

“I see skies of blue and clouds of white. The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.“

Xion - Moon River by Andy Williams (From ”Breakfast at Tiffany’s”) - 1961

“We’re after the same rainbow’s end, waitin’ round the bend, my huckleberry friend, moon river and me.“

[phoenix-downer]

A Step Closer to Home

Sora’s stuck in Quadratum, alone, but a familiar voice comforts him and gives him courage to keep moving forward. His friends are waiting for him, and he wants to return to them, no matter what.

~1935 words. Post-Kingdom Hearts III and Melody of Memory. Gen, Friendship. Introspection, Reflection, Slight Angst, Hope. Sora POV. Written for @sorazine​. 

Sora never thought he’d get tired of seeing other worlds, but he sure was getting tired of this one.

Maybe it was because he was stuck here. Couldn’t leave like he wanted to. It wasn’t like this was an ugly place, or even a bad place, but all the tall buildings and skyscrapers were starting to feel more like prison walls boxing him in than a testament to all the cool things people could do with the right technology. 

It was always cities, wasn’t it? Always cities he was getting stuck in. First The World That Never Was, and now this place. Quadratum, it was called. Full of more monsters he had to fight, but this time without the promise he would be able to get home. 

Home. What he wouldn’t give to see it again. He missed the feel of the sand beneath his bare feet, the cold of the waves crashing against the shore, the heat from the sun beating down on his back. He was an islander, through and through, and he felt lost without his home. Lost without being able to see all the stars in the sky. He could barely see them from here—the city lights were too bright for that. 

More than Destiny Islands itself, though, he missed his friends. There was an empty ache inside his heart where they should be. Did they miss him as much as he missed them? He almost wished they didn’t. Because if they did, that would just mean more pain for them, and they had already suffered too much. 

It was okay that he was wandering around the streets of Quadratum at night all by himself. Really. The more monsters he fought, the better, even though it was pouring down rain. He just had to keep fighting and fighting and fighting. One foot in front of the other, till he stumbled on a curb and fell with a plop onto the wet ground, the rain pouring down around him and chilling him to the bone. 

“Guess I really should’ve nagged Donald more about that coat, or asked Goofy to help me buy one,” he said as he huddled in on himself. His Keyblade lay on the ground nearby, and it glinted dully from the street lights. He was a little stronger than when he’d first gotten here, but it was still nothing compared to how he used to be able to fight. He was weak without his friends. Powerless. Always had been, always would be. 

He wouldn’t change what he’d done. He didn’t regret saving them. Carrying their pain in his own heart was a part of caring. Their strength was his strength, their weakness his weakness, their smiles his smiles, their tears his tears. 

But his tears weren’t their tears. They welled up in his eyes and dripped down his cheeks and mingled with the water on the ground, empty and sad and alone. No one came to wipe his eyes or dry his face; no one was here to share his pain like he’d shared theirs. 

Maybe his friends were crying for him back in the Realm of Light, but the connections had been cut off as he’d crossed over into this realm. They could be crying their hearts out, and he still wouldn’t know.

Man, being alone really sucked. The empty ache in his heart throbbed, and try as he might, he couldn’t get the tears to stop coming. Riku would be giving him so much crap for this right now if he were here, because Sora was doing the exact opposite of pulling it together. What he wouldn’t give for some tough love from his friend right about now. But the floodgates had been opened, and he’d just have to let it all out till there was nothing left. 

“I guess that’s the nice thing about the rain,” he remarked to no one as he wiped his eyes. “When the sky’s crying, no one else can tell you’re crying, too.”

It was like that story Kairi had told him once, about why it rained. One of her grandmother’s stories from Radiant Garden. The original rulers of Radiant Garden had lived in the skies, it was said, and when the king died, the queen cried for him so much that her tears fell from the sky and flooded the land. The people of Radiant Garden took those floods and built waterfalls and pools and canals, and those waterfalls and pools and canals gave rise to Radiant Garden’s beautiful flowers.

Sora had always thought the story was really sad, but sitting here soaking wet on the ground without a friend in sight, it just seemed so much worse. He felt as alone as that queen must’ve felt. But at least people remembered her and the king. No one would tell stories about Sora. He was just a nobody, stuck here in the darkness. Once he was gone for good, he’d fade into oblivion, and that would be that. 

Getting up was pointless. He’d just have to keep fighting, and for what? So he could dream about seeing Kairi and Riku and the rest of his friends again? Maybe it would be better if he just stayed here and—

“You don’t really believe that, do you?”

He wiped his eyes and looked around, but he couldn’t see anyone else. “Huh?”

“You don’t really think giving up is okay.” 

He grabbed his Keyblade and struggled to his feet. “Who are you? What do you want with me?”

“Relax, Sora. I know you’re feeling down right now, but you’ll be okay.” 

The voice was oddly familiar. Sora knew he had heard it before. Who—

“How do you know my name?” he decided to ask. 

“Because I’m you.”

Sora tilted his head. “Huh? Now I really am confused.”

He glanced at his reflection in one of the puddles nearby. It still looked pretty much the same as it did earlier, just with more ripples because of the raindrops. How could this voice be his? 

And yet, even as he thought about it, it made sense. The familiarity, the hunch that he knew this person. He would’ve recognized the heart of one of his friends immediately, and it wasn’t any of them. That must mean the voice wasn’t lying. 

“I’m not the ‘you’ you are right now,” the voice explained.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“From your point of view, I’m ‘you’ from the future.” 

“Oh,” Sora said as he tried to wrap his head around this information.

“I know you’re feeling down,” the voice said. “I know things are rough right now. And I’d be lying if I said you won’t face any more hardships before you make it home. Because you will, and you need to prepare yourself for them. You’ll have to face new enemies. Someone you think is a friend is gonna be an enemy, and someone you think is an enemy will actually be a friend.” 

Sora’s head drooped. Things were going to get even worse from here? A friend was going to betray him? How was that supposed to make him feel any better? Hadn’t he been through enough already? He just wanted to go home to his friends. Was that really so hard to ask? 

“I know all of that sounds bad, but don’t let it get you down,” the voice continued. “The night is always darkest before dawn, remember? But dawn will come. You’re gonna pull through this.”

Sora looked at his reflection in the puddle again. It looked very small and alone. “How do you know?” he asked the voice, and his voice also sounded very small and alone. 

“Your heart is strong. It always has been.” 

He let his Keyblade disappear. “But I’m only strong because of my friends. They gave me their strength. Without them, I—”

“Sora, take a look around you. What do you see?”

Sora sighed deeply. “I’m stuck in this city. My powers are a small fraction of what they used to be. I have to fight these monsters. And to top it all off, it’s still raining, and I’m wet and cold and I—”

“You’re right, it is raining. Do you know why?”

He kicked water onto the nearby curb. “Because the universe hates me,” he muttered with a pout.

“It’s the opposite, actually. Remember Kairi’s grandmother’s story?”

“The one where the queen of Radiant Garden cried after the king died? I was just thinking about it, actually.” 

His older self sure was a winner, reminding him of sad thing after sad thing. Yikes. He hoped he wouldn’t be a complete killjoy once he grew up. 

“This rain… it’s like the rain from the story,” the voice said. “Sora, this rain is the tears of our friends.” 

Sora’s breath caught. No way. There was no way. He hadn’t been able to feel his connections to his friends ever since he’d come here. But was that because he hadn’t been looking in the right place? 

He held his hands out as the rain continued to fall, as it dripped down his face and hair, and this time, he let it. This time, he closed his eyes and listened. 

“Kairi and Riku,” he said. He could feel their hearts now as the rain fell on his outstretched arms. He could sense their pain. “Roxas and Axel and Xion, too.” This was like when he’d journeyed through the Keyblade Graveyard a second time as he’d searched for Kairi. His hearts were still connected to theirs somehow, and he could feel what they were feeling. “Terra and Aqua and Ven, Naminé, Donald and Goofy and the King.” His eyes fluttered open. “They’re all still with me. How did I not realize it?”

“Sometimes our connection to our friends doesn’t look the way we expect it to,” the voice said. “But you’re right. This is their sadness and pain because you’re gone. And they know you’re sad, too. They all miss you. Their hearts are trying to reach you, and right now, this is the only way they can.” 

Sora wiped his eyes. He’d been so lost in his own pain that he’d lost sight of how his friends were doing, even though they’d been trying to reach him through the rain. He wouldn’t ignore his own sadness or pretend like everything was fine, but he couldn’t bear to make his friends cry like this, either. And they wouldn’t be okay till they’d gotten back what was lost. 

“They’ll stop crying when I get home, right?” he said. 

The voice chuckled. “Well, they’ll cry a lot more at first, but those will be happy tears. Then the crying will stop, yeah. And it’ll be replaced by smiling.”

“In that case, I better get back to them as soon as I can. I want to see their smiles again!”

“That’s the spirit!”

Sora smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Future Me. I know it won’t be easy, but I made a promise, and I’m gonna keep it. I will get home, no matter what. It might take a while, and I might go through a lot, but every step forward is always a step closer to home.” 

The voice was gone now, but Sora knew he wasn’t alone. As much as it made him sad that his friends were grieving because he was gone, the only way to fix that was to return to them. And return to them he would, so he could make the tears stop and bring back the smiles on their faces. 

For that, he would keep moving forward, one step at a time. 

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A/N: A big thank you to the mods for organizing everything and the artists and other writers for creating such beautiful pieces! It was such an honor to have been a part of this zine for one of my favorite characters of all time! 

[khtrashplatinumstars]

Ch. 11* ☆*~~~*☆

Location: Keyblade Graveyard

“Pain is being human Xemnas.”

“Really? It must take...incredible strength.”

To even hear this conversation over the rushing in her ears and the sound of her heartbeat was surprising. Lio was so focused on making certain that everyone landed safely, despite dropping everyone a good foot or two. She had gather the others by their links alone when by passing their battlefields along the way, landing where she had felt pieces of Xehanort disappearing. being parts of a Keyblade Weilder she could feel the small flickers of light within them disappearing, same as the rest of the Organization. If she was correct the younger time traveling one and the other, Ansem, were already dealt with, meaning that Xemnas disappearing was the final in the front lines for Xehanort’s army and judging by the fading feeling of his heart he too wasn’t long. All that was left was the old Master pawns in this fight.

A quick glance around the field, everyone was there and it didn’t seem that the sudden teleport nor drop seemed to throw them off too much. Wait, there were two missing, but she only felt one link snap.

“Wa, wait” She found it so hard to breathe her body felt like it was being ripped apart as she stumbled forward,nearly collapsing on top of Ventus, if Aqua and Terra hadn’t immediately reached out and helped her back to her feet.

“Are you all right?” Terra asked as she regained her footing.

Lio nodded, was no else feeling this suffocating magic?

“Luminary,” Xemnas called as those familiar pink eyes turned to him as his body begun to fade. “Olix wanted me to alert you that she is safe.”

Before Lio could respond the man was gone. Her gaze, along with everyone else on the battlefield turned to Xehanort high above them, twelve keys circling around him. The man’s voice was being drowned out by the rushing in her ears time and time again, only catching parts of his monologue, when she saw it. Something made her blood run cold.

 Kairi’s body.

“No…”

She watched in horror as the girl was stuck down. Through silence she watched the others attack Xehanort,being fended off easily, by the Master. The only sound that pierced through the silence was a scream of pain and anger, it was only when she found herself above Xehanort’s shield her leg raised in a high arch, angry tears in her eyes did she realized the scream was from herself as she swung her heel down, shattering the shield. Quickly pivoting as she pulled back her right arm, swinging forward without her gauntlet protection, punching through the second barrier put up to protect himself, which seemed to catch the man off guard as Lio grabbed the collar of his shirt pulling him forward.

“You’ve gone too far!” Lio hissed as she pulled him from his shield tossing him up.The Luminary flying after him refusing to give up her assault on the man.

The quick flow of strikes seemed to catch Xehanort off guard, use to go against a fighter who used a Keyblade and not Lio’s assault of punches and kicks. Even if he got to far away, she’d summon that annoying staff,transforming it to fulfill whatever need to get him back in range for her close combat.

“Enough!” Xehanort barked, as he swung pushing the woman away from himself, who jumped back her guard, refusing to drop as she glared at the man. “This is futile, Young Luminary. Even you are aware, that a Luminary can’t not use their weapon against a Keyblade Wielder.”

Lio huffed, he was right, Luminary’s were meant to protect their Keyblade Wielders, no matter the path one would take, “That may be true, but you’re not one of mine and you lost that title when you started this!” 

This time Xehanort was prepared for the Luminary to rush him, as he fainted with his blade, only to create a barrier. Lio hardly having enough time to stop herself landing against the barrier in a crouch, which triggered off an explosion sending the Luminary flying. This giving the old Master the time he needed.

“Kingdom Heart! I call upon your true form. Open now and show me the World to come!” He called as the X-Blade summoned darkness within the sky, illuminated only by the glowing heart that had taken the sun’s place.

“Stop!” Lio screamed her hand going to the X-Blade’s hilt. A surge of magic exploding around the two who refused to release the weapon.

“Foolish girl, you’re too late to stop it. Look at yourself.” Xehanort chuckled watching the woman struggle to keep herself together, cracks appearing in her skin, spread completely up her visible arm, and now creeping up her face, giving the same glow as Kingdom Hearts in the sky above them. “Eris was too foolish to have never told you that a Luminary is connected to Kingdom Hearts, you’re being torn apart from the inside out from the strength. She was always so busy trying to protect you from the outside world, from me. Going so far as to even put you in hiding and for what? To watch you fail, again.”

The brought Lio out of her rage,“What?” That split moment had the woman engulfed in light as she let out a gasp.

“Eraqus filled your head with such silly ideas, you alone should know that this is the only way.”

Lio swallowed a scream as wave after wave of magic flashed through her body further tearing it apart. “Don’t...don’t you dare speak ill of them!” 

“A foolish teacher and a foolish student.”

Another wave of magic flashed through the woman, as she struggled to hold onto the X-Blade before her. She didn’t want to believe Xehonart, but still she never figured how she ended up back in Stella Umbra.

“I suggest,” Xehanort chuckled, noting his opening, drawing back the X-Blade, before swinging down, “You take a seat.”

“Lio!” A cry came from the field below as Lio hurled to the ground.

 Aqua quickly casted a spell of ice, sending Ventus up toward the Luminary’s unconscious body hurling towards the ground, as Terra racing underneath the two. Ventus managed to grabbed a hold of Lio, the spell slowing their fall enough for Terra to leap grabbing the both of them before they could hit the ground.

“Lio.” Terra called, setting Ventus down as the other rushed over to them. “Lio, please wake up.”

The Luminary’s skin cracked like a broken vase, the light  of Kingdom Hearts spelling through the cracks, as hollowed pink eyes stared at Kingdom Hearts withing the sky. Her body gave a twitch as she gave a labored inhale, rapidly blinking her eyes as she panted heavily her body coming out of shock. Moving to stand as she collapsed surging with magic again and again, as she tried to get up and ignore the sensation of herself being torn apart but also keep herself together at the same time as she pulsed again and again.

“We have to go.” Lio whispered, her body flashing a bright light as more cracks appeared on her arms as she flinched at the magic running through her. “We have to go after him.”

“You’re not in any shape to do anything.” Axel stated watching Lio cling to Terra as she tried to get her feet underneath her.

Lio flinched closing her eyes tightly as she felt another surge of magic go through her, only relaxing and opening her eyes when she felt Terra squeeze her close to his chest, his heart racing against her open palm on his chest, a placid look to his face trying to hide his fear at her current condition. She knew the situation was bad, already having lost Kairi and Olix. Her eyes scanning the group trying to come up with some kind of plan to either get them out of there.

No! This was the final fight there was no backing down now. They had to make a stand here and now, Xehanort would not win.

That’s when she realized that the light surging through her was the same magic that her Keyblade Wielders used. Digging her heels into the ground, she stepped back from Terra, giving him a reassuring smile as she swayed a little. Placing a hand to her heart as she gathered the tether around her, ignoring the jolts of magic rushing through her. 

“Just because I’m down doesn’t mean you are.” She called, flashing a brighter light. Watching as everyone around her began to glow, her eyes locking with Sora’s, “He won’t win.”

Lio watched as everyone lined up before her, raising their Keyblades toward the heart within the sky. Watching as their combined powers pierced through Xehanort,as he was pressed through the sky. The battle field quickly becoming engulfed in darkness, as she quickly summoned her staff, collecting everyone as the field suddenly filled with light.

“Everyone all right!” Lio called, the ground was no longer underneath their feet, and she found herself in the middle of two tiers of their group. Their new battlefield was a sea of stars and despite the fact that she knew it was silent all around her she still heard the rush of what she could only believe to be Kingdom Hearts in the back of her mind. A quick check of tethers and she found all accounted for but one was flickering and bouncing around within the others. That’s when she noticed the missing brunette.

The woman shocked everyone as she suddenly released a massive halo around their group, only to find 13 figures surrounding them.

“Guards up everyone.” Aqua called, “These must be Xehanort’s XIII.”

“Lio, do you know where Sora is?” Riku called parrying one of the first attacks from their enemy's new form.

“His tether’s still intake.” Lio called without looking towards the silver haired youth as she shot a blast towards Roxas, who was parrying one of the XIII away from Xion, at the same time summoning a shield appearing behind Axel,who was covering Ventus. “I can’t pinpoint him at the moment, there’s a bit of interference but he’ll be safe wherever he is.”

“Are you sure?” Mickey inquired, noticing the Luminary’s skin was getting worse along with her pant.

“What about you?” Xion asked, watching the Luminary’s back, noticing the cracks along the shaft of Lio’s staff, the weapon no longer held in hand but being more of a beacon to keep the others drawn towards her.

“I’ll be fine,” Lio replied, a glance to her staff above her head, she figured that this form had held on long enough. It honestly should have shattered years ago, but the influx of power suddenly pumped into the owner was the tipping point. The woman hoped it won’t shatter just yet, sending another wave of magic forcing the XIII back, yet at the same time placed sparks of light within the others.

The Luminary watched as her Keyblade Wielders around her attacked and defended one another. The power of Kingdom Hearts filtering through her out into seven around her, mindful of being sure not to push to much on anyone at any time, yet also casting spells to fend off those of the XIII that might have gotten to for comfort, all while still attempting to pinpoint Sora and guide him back to where they currently were while he searched for whatever piece he needed. Not to mention the pain of trying to keep herself together. She absolutely refused to lose anyone else in this fight.

A flash of memory of her dragging Sora and Kairi back crossed her mind. She had hardly been able to reach out to them that time, only managing to snag their tethers before yanking them back to herself. A counter to the Spell of Awakening that Yen Sid had so carelessly supplied Sora with, and the youth had used it and ended in the afterworld! She in herself was almost stuck there when reaching out to them, wondering just how exactly it was that she survived, by all accounts it should have cut her life in half if not more.

“There you are!” Lio called suddenly, pulling up a shield around Sora and Riku as Sora reappeared, “Did you find it?”

Sora held the final piece up towards Lio, “That makes six.”

Lio gave a small cheer, only to watch as they were suddenly circled by the XIII. Casting a spell as she dragged everyone back towards her, creating a barrier around the barrier Aqua and the others had created, as the dark creatures stuck again and again.

“Uh, Ms. Luminary, we’ve got a problem.”Axel called, as the XIII made it through the first barrier and was now working on the second. Turning only to find Lio hunched over flashing a bright light again and again almost like a heartbeat that was getting faster.

“Lio,” Aqua gasped over her shoulder, not wishing to turn her eyes away from the enemy before her.

“Are you all right?” Terra called refusing to drop his guard if the creatures got through the barrier he was on the first lines to try and push them back.

Lio gasped time and time again,it was getting too hard to breath, each flash of light was temporarily blinding her again and again. Through unfocused eyes she watched as parts of the barrier surrounding them begun to shatter, she tried to keep them sealed in time, but with the XIII moving fast enough and working together, she herself trying to repair along with trying not to overload anyone with magic she found herself worried. She could hopefully get off another blast, it would maybe give the others enough time to escape, maybe she could teleport them away? No, with the amount of power going through her as well as her previous attempts at teleporting she was worried that someone would end up hurt or elsewhere, where she could put innocent lives in danger.

She would just have to leave this up to everyone else, they did wonderfully without her so far. She would trust them to end this fight. Crossing her arms at the wrist before her, she dragged in as much power as possible, ignoring the sounds of her body shattering, spilling further light as she hissed, “Be still!”

The XIII attacking the barrier froze as Lio  rose her arms, the cracks along the arms seeming to travel up her entire body at this point, bursting forth with light. A second spell surrounded the Keyblade Wielders around her individuality as she shined brightly. A circle of bright light surrounded everyone before exploding outwards sending the XIII flying managing to destroy most of them. The deafening silence suddenly filled with a resounding explosion.

The move being the tipping point as Lio immediately dropped into a comatose state. Unconsciously aware of all her Wielders but two being sent away, before she lost all their tethers.

‘Are you going to stay asleep?’

Lio huffed at the voice, it sounded so familiar, yet at the same time the inflection wasn’t one that she was used to hearing the voice in. Almost as if it was whispering to her.

‘They still need you.’

Lio managed to open her eyes at this, the overwhelming pressure of the magic of Kingdom Hearts was no longer effecting her and the cracks within her skin had disappeared along with the suffocating magic. She went looking for the voice but instead found herself surrounded by eight keyholes. Looking through each one, finding one of her Wielders in each one. She tried reaching out to them, but found a barrier within the way, no matter how many times she tried to grab them.

 Yet the voice calling to her didn’t belong to any of them. She found herself floating before a Keyhole of a familiar setting of the Keyblade Graveyard, finding two of her Wielders there instead of one. 

‘You’ve had them wait long enough.’

Lio turned as she heard the voice again, only to gasp as she felt a strong hand suddenly push into her back, forcing her through. She tried to turn at the last moment, yet only caught sight of a hooded figure, a soft smile was her farewell before the doorway closed to her.

Lio gave a grunt as she landed rather harshly, watching as the two she had seen turned towards her, “Looks like you found her, Starshine.” 

“Lio!” Sora and Kairi called rushing towards her, moving to hug her only to find that Kairi had passed through her.

“What, what’s happening?” Kairi gasped looking toward Sora and then Lio tears in her eyes.

“No, no don’t worry.” Lio smiled wanting to stop the panic, “You’re both fine, right now we’re still piecing everything together. We’ve got one more fight to go through, it will be a big one, but I’m sure that you’re aware of that.” She replied, holding out a hand towards Sora. “The others are on their way, but as of right now this last fight is yours Sora, will you be all right going in there alone?”

Sora smiled brightly, “As long as I got my friends I’m never alone.” He replied as Kairi took his hand. 

Lio gave a laugh, “That’s right, be safe. We’ll join you as soon as we can. You two look after each other.”

Sora nodded as he held Kairi’s hand tighter.

Lio rested a hand to his head, as the boy glew bright, she watched as the other Wielder's appeared behind the duo before her, “Let’s end this.” She called as Sora and Kairi disappeared.

“Lio!”

The Luminary looked up from where Sora and Kairi disappeared before her, finding the others racing towards her, clearly confused as to how they ended up back in the Graveyard of all places.

“Are you all right?” Terra asked, still not able to relax even when she assured him that she was.

“Are you feeling better?” Aqua inquired, noting that even though Kingdom Hearts was full, Lio no longer seemed affected by its power at least the cracks in her skin has disappeared and she appeared while again.

“Yeah.”

Axel blinked as he looked around, “What? Where are Sora and Kairi? They were just here.” 

Riku turned to the others as Lio motioned them towards herself as she moved towards the edge of the plateau they were standing on, “They were here right?”

Lio nodded, seeming to reassure Riku.

“As long as they’re together they’ll be all right.” Riku replied, as Lio gave a smile looking up towards Kingdom Hearts.

“But Kairi.” Xion muttered, only to look up and find Lio’s hand on her shoulder, something that Olix would do,they both did have a lot of the same quirks, that had brought back reassurance almost immediately. 

“Are you okay?” Ventus asked.

Everyone turned at the strange question, only to find Lio tears in her eyes, yet a bright smile on her face.

“Yes, we should follow Sora’s heart, the battle’s over.” She explained as her feet left the ground.

[axel-fics]

Hello again! If it's not too much to ask, could you do a fic about Axel reuniting with a previous nobody s/o when they both got their hearts back. Thank you!

Hello! Never too much to ask :P I really liked writing this one! 

A/N: [Y/O/N] = Your Organization Name

Come Find Me

Darkness. 

For what seemed like centuries, Axel could only see everlasting darkness in front of him. All he heard was what he could only compare to as a low, echoing sound from inside a cave that made his ears want to bleed. How long had he been there for? Days? Months? Years? He was afraid to find out the answer. He was afraid of everything right now. Will he ever escape, see his friends again? 

Will he ever see you again? 

What if you were trapped just like he was? This eternal darkness that filled him with such loneliness and despair. The last time he saw you was at the clock tower in Twilight Town, discussing plans to go against the Organization. After what happened to Roxas, you both realized that the Organization’s goals were no longer yours. How can Nobodies have no hearts, or feelings for that matter? Axel felt something strong for you, just as you had for him, and in an instant all of the Organization’s words meant nothing to you anymore. After the two of you went your separate ways to try and throw Xemnas and the others off track, you had lost contact with each other. Axel had no idea where you were, or if you were even alive at all. He could barely stand the idea of you truly being gone…

“Axel…”

A voice whispered to him in the darkness. “Who’s there?” His thoughts echoed through the darkness; did he say that out loud? 

“Axel, wake up.”

A bright light shone through the darkness, blinding Axel for a moment. He felt the warmth from the light spread through his whole being until it completely outshone the darkness around him. In an instant, he felt something hard and cold beneath him: the floor of the lab in Radiant Garden. The last place he stood when he was fully human. 

Slowly standing up, he surveyed the room to see Dilan, Aeleus, Ienzo and Even all laying on the ground, starting to stir from unconsciousness. Catching a glimpse of himself in the glass’s reflection, he walked up and held a finger to his face; the markings under his eyes were gone. 

“We’re… human again,” he realized. “We’ve been re-completed.” But who’s voice did he hear in that void of darkness? It felt so familiar to him…

Axel gasped. “[Y/O/N]!” He swirled around, half expecting to see you standing there, before running out through Ansem the Wise’s study to the main part of town. After running around the square shouting your name, he then came to realize that there’s no way you’d be here. You weren’t from Radiant Garden, but from another world. It would only make sense that you’d be re-completed wherever you were when you turned into a Nobody. 

Determined to find you by any means necessary, Axel tried to think back to conversations the two of you would have back in the Organization. The two of you had spent hours sitting on top of the clock tower, sharing whatever memories of your pasts you could both remember. You must have mentioned at least once where you were from. Sitting down on the nearest bench, Axel sunk his shoulders and rested his face in his hands, thinking as hard as he could. 

~*~

“Axel, the sunsets here are so beautiful!” 

“Mmm, best I’ve ever seen from any world. And I’ve been around.”“Ohhh, so you’ve ‘been around’, have you?” You teased him as you took another bite of your sea-salt ice cream and laughed at how flustered you made Axel. 

“Har-har, you know what I meant, [Y/O/N]. One of these days, your snarky remarks are going to come back right at ya.” Axel winked and gave you a smirk, which made your ‘non-existent’ heart flutter. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure,” you replied sarcastically. The two of you sat for another moment of silence before you spoke again. “The sunsets here do make me miss my world’s, though.”

“Your world? Why, are they better there?”

“Actually, yeah. I mean, this is beautiful and all, but nothing beats the ones at home. I used to sit on my rooftop almost every night just to watch them. Sometimes I’d bring a book to read until it was too dark to make out any words on the pages anymore, or I’d bring up some music and listen to it while staring at the sky. It’d be nice… to see it again.”

“Well, I for one need to see a sunset that’s better than Twilight Town’s, so how about you and I go some time? I think Roxas and Xion wouldn’t mind us going off on our own for one day.”

You smiled brightly at Axel. “You’d do that for me?”

“‘Course I would! It’d be cool to see your hometown.”

“Let’s go sometime this week then!”

Axel placed his hand on top of yours and smiled back at you. “Done deal. So, what’s the name of your world?”

“Crystal Boroughs.” 

“Crystal Boroughs, huh.”

“Axel?”

“Hmm?”

“If something were to ever happen to us… to happen to me… you can find me at the corner of Starlight Street and Milky Way Road. Got it memorized?” You pointed to the top of your forehead, mimicking Axel’s signature catch phrase. 

He laughed and placed a hand over yours, intertwining your fingers. “I’ve got it memorized, don’t you worry.”

~*~

The memory seemed both so fresh in his mind and distant at the same time. You two never got to visit your hometown; that same week was when everything fell apart. Axel sat on the bench, regretting not being able to take you to your hometown at least once. 

“Crystal Boroughs. Find me at the corner of Starlight Street and Milky Way Road…”

Axel shot his head up from his hands, your voice ringing through his ears over and over again. Crystal Boroughs. What if you were there, right now? He had to know; he had to find you and make sure you were safe. Jolting up from the bench, Axel ran down the nearest alleyway and concentrated with all his strength to conjure up a portal. Now that he was human, it was almost near impossible to do what was once a simple task when he was a Nobody. It took him a few moments, but he finally created a portal and ran through before it had the chance to close. In a blink of an eye, Axel stood in an unfamiliar town square, decorated with oil street lamps and navy blue and purple flags with stars on them. The cobblestone pavements were embedded with thousands of tiny crystals that sparkled no matter which direction you walked. The sun was just starting to set in the sky, turning everything in its wake red and orange. 

There wasn’t any time to waste, Axel had to find you. He started running around the town looking at every street sign he could find. Nebula Way, Galaxy Drive, one right after the other the signs flew by Axel and he started to wonder if he was going the wrong way. And then he finally saw it: Milky Way Road. One down, now to find the other. He pushed himself on, ignoring the burning in his legs from running, until he finally found Starlight Street. He made it. 

But you weren’t there. 

Axel panted and bent over, placing his hands on his knees. Sweat was dripping down his forehead and shear panic took over. Why weren’t you there? Where else could you be?

“You know, you should be looking up! I did say rooftop after all!”

Axel stiffened at the familiar voice and slowly looked up behind him, eyes widening. You were perched up on a rooftop two stories up, looking down at Axel with tears brimming your eyes. Snapping out of his trance, Axel ran up the fire escape up to the rooftop where you stood waiting for him. Standing a few feet apart, you both stood in silence before embracing in a strong hug; you wrapped your arms around his neck while he swirled you around. “I found you,” he whispered. 

“You remembered, Axel.”

“‘Course I did, I told you I got it memorized, didn’t I?” He smiled and kissed your cheek before placing his forehead on yours. “Oh, and by the way, name’s Lea.”

You giggled as you looked back up to him, looking into his sparkling eyes that started tearing up. “It’s nice to meet you, Lea. My name is [Y/N].” 

The sun was finally starting to set; the rays shone across the entire town in an array of different colors, from yellows to reds and melding into purples. The crystals in the cobblestones sparkled brightly, lighting up the entire town. It looked as if a sea of stars was stretched out across the entire town, glistening in the sun's setting rays. No wonder the town was called Crystal Boroughs. As the two of you sat watching the sunset together, Axel couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“What is it?” You titled your head in confusion. 

“You were right. This sunset beats them all.”

And for the first time in what seemed like forever, everything felt right. You and Lea were finally together, where you belonged. 

[chikoriita]

The Search for Sora Ch.1

Read on AO3.org

Kairi came to the island everyday without fail now. It wasn’t like there was anything else to do. Nothing was the same anymore. After everything she had been through, her parents did not pressure her to open up. Kairi didn’t even know where to begin with them. The day she returned, she was inconsolable. All she could remember were tears and frenzy. Her tears, Riku’s tears, and frantic s that she didn’t have the answers to. How could she? The second to last memory she had was pain; a sharp pain in her back and a dull pain in her heart. The last memory was gazing into his blue eyes, his thumb caressing her hand. How was she to know that he would disappear the next instant? She took in a deep breath. If she had known- No. She couldn’t go back to that thinking.

Every morning before dawn, she took her little row boat to the Kid Island. From dawn until dusk, Kairi waited on the beach for any sign. This wasn’t the first time she’d been apart from him, but previously, she didn’t remember him. Was that a blessing or a curse? Last time he returned to her, he came down from the sky right there. She couldn’t risk missing Sora when he returned. This beach was where they spent their childhood. With Riku, they planned their journey to see new worlds on the raft.. If he showed up anywhere, it would be here.

“Want some company?” She looked to her left to find Riku standing beside her.

Kairi patted the sand next to her. “Always.” He hadn’t been on world for a week, and she missed him. These days he was either settling the newly recovered like Roxas, Naminé and Xion or meeting with Master Yen Sid. If not for Riku, she would have been broken beyond hope. He and Sora were the first friends she had, the first people she remembered meeting in her new life.

He took the seat beside her. They sat in heavy silence for a few minutes, but Riku was here for a reason. “I’m worried about him too.”

She looked upward and closed her eyes. “I’m not.”

“You’re not?”

Kairi shook her head. “Sora’s been through so much. How can we undermine that by worrying about him?” She laughed harshly. “Anyway, who am I to judge?”

“It is not your-”

She cut him off. “Save it. I know. Still, I just hope… wish that he isn’t alone.”

Riku put his arm around her shoulders. “That was his reasoning too. He didn’t want you to be alone. Not for one more second, he said.”

Her eyes welled up once more. At least once a day, the tears came back, but she refused to shed anymore. “I wouldn’t have minded!” She cried and dropped her face into her hands. “Not if he was safe.”

He pulled her into a hug. “I failed you both.” The words came out harshly against her hair. “I wanted the strength to protect what truly mattered. What good is that power if I couldn’t protect you? Or him?” A tear drop fell onto her face.

“Do. Not. Say. That.” She held him tightly against her. “We can’t change the past.”

“I should have stayed with you during the battle instead of letting you go off with another novice.” He pulled away from the hug. “Not anymore. I’m not losing sight of what’s important any longer.”

She smiled softly. “Wait till that lazy bum comes back. He doesn’t know how much we miss him.” Riku laughed deeply.

They returned to the silence of before with only the quiet crash of the waves to accompany them. The Destiny Islands were a paradise; other than the night of darkness, Kairi couldn’t remember a cloudy day. It was the flowering season on the island. Even that was ruined by the Keyblade. The same flowers that grew on the island made up her keychain, and she refused to summon her Keyblade anymore.

Kairi shook the thought of her Keyblade away and stared into the horizon. Wait. Who was rowing toward them? No one came out to the island anymore.

“Who is that?” Riku asked, trying to make out the figure. Kairi squinted and saw the tell-tale hairstyle. The guilt settled on her stomach once more but a whole new reason this time.

Selphie rowed faster and faster as if someone was chasing her.

“What is she doing here?”

Riku chuckled. “I don’t know. She looks excited though.” Kairi elbowed him in the stomach. He hadn’t been here for the last year and half. An excited Selphie was more than anyone, even a Keyblade Master, could handle.

They stood up as she tied her boat to the dock. She jumped out with a familiar device in hand. Riku raised his brow. “You gave her your Gummiphone?” He whispered standing up. Kairi followed suit, brushing the sand off her skirt.

“I didn’t need it anymore,” she muttered back.

“You. Guys. This thingamajiggy you have. It’s amazing. There’s a device that takes your picture instantly. I can search for anything. Can you believe how much info-”

“Selph, stop.” Kairi held out her hand, accidentally summoning her Keyblade. Her friend paused mid word and hand mid gesture.

Riku smacked her shoulder. “Good job, Kai. You need to control when you summon it.”

“I don’t want to summon it anyway.”

He didn’t hear her, or he chose to ignore her. Good. She didn’t want to argue with him about that today anyway. They waited a few more seconds for the stop to wear off.

“I didn’t realize your magic was so strong,” Riku commented.

Kairi winced. “It wasn’t before,” she admitted. Maybe if it had been…

“-rmation on it!” Selphie continued where she left off.

Kairi couldn’t stay annoyed at her. Selphie was hyperactive, and most of the time, it was a welcome distraction.

“Good to see you haven’t changed, Selphie.” Riku ruffled her hair.

Selphie grinned in return. “You’re so sweet.”

“Did you come rushing over here to show me my phone?” Kairi asked. She didn’t mind Selphie using the phone. Since she renounced her position as a Guardian, she didn’t need it or the Keyblade anymore. Selphie was free to use it.

“No. I came here to show you the message on the phone.” She stuck the device into Kairi’s face. Personal space was no barrier for Selphie Tilmitt.

Kairi unlocked the phone and went to her inbox. There was a message from Olette. Olette?

Chip and Dale gave up on maintaining any sort of world order after this last debacle. With King Mickey’s blessing and a stern warning from Master Yen Sid, they opened up the GummiWeb to everyone. Mr. McDuck was their first customer, buying up the entire stock of Gummiphones made by the chipmunks. He was not entirely lucrative, however. Scrooge McDuck may be greedy and frugal, but he appreciated the Guardians and their allies from the bottom of his heart. Every ally received a free Gummiphone with no strings attached. Last she heard, the Twilight Town gang went nuts with the news.

She swiped the message open and nearly wept once more. It was a picture of all of their friends in Twilight Town. Lea and Isa. Roxas, Naminé, and Xion. Hayner, Pence and Olette. All of them posed around a crown symbol embedded in the brick behind them.

Kairi paused and thought, Lucky emblems aren’t crowns. Crowns were for-

“What’s the text say?”

Text? She completely missed the message accompanying the picture.

“We found new emblems all over Twilight Town while on a lucky emblem hunt for Mr. McDuck. These are different. They’re not hidden at all. It’s like someone is trying to send a message. Call me when you can,” she read aloud and gasped. “Riku. Do you think- No it has to be a joke.” She pulled back to throw the phone into the ocean. Riku plucked it out of her hand.

“Call first, toss later.” He dialed Olette’s number. Kairi took the phone back from him when the call was accepted. There was a scuffle on the other end of the call.

“Kairi!” A pang hit her heart at the sight. Xion looked straight back at her with a wide smile on her face. She seemed to be in the Usual Spot, the little alleyway the Twilight Town kids made their hangout. The setting sun streamed through the open rafters above her and bathed her in light. Kairi had to admit; light suited her.

“Hi Xion.” Out of all those connected to his heart, Xion was her favorite (she claimed Naminé as her own). Roxas was brave and Ventus kind, but Xion understood Kairi’s pain. After all, she originated from Sora’s memories of Kairi; that alone made her special.

“We miss you and Riku- Roxas, give that back!” The camera pivoted once again to show Roxas.

“Correction. She misses Riku. You are beyond him in every way,” Roxas says to the camera. Riku grunts from behind her.

“Give him a break Roxas,” Another voice says off-camera. Was that Naminé? He points the camera toward her. “Hello!” She waves daintily. The small modicum of class Kairi had before her adventure started all went to Naminé.

Roxas turned the camera back to himself. “Kairi is still my favorite. The original,” he whispers loudly to the phone. “Ow!” he laughs.

“Stop kissing up and give Olette the phone.” Kairi heard Axel say as the camera shifted one more time to the owner.

“We all miss you. But there’s more important things to talk about. Look at this!” She rotated the camera, which now faced a brick wall.

“No way,” Riku whispered. Selphie leaned in closer to see what was on the screen. Kairi didn’t believe it either. There was a bright yellow crown shining on the wall.

Olette continued speaking. “These aren’t any secret. Someone wants us to find them. This one arrived just before your call.”

“It arrived?” Kairi asked. She couldn’t take her eyes off the pulsing crown. It called to her.

The other girl nodded. “These symbols, they show up out of the blue and disappear around a day later. We thought it was a joke, but then we found one yesterday.”

“It’s not just here.” Xion added. “Lea suggested asking Ienzo; there have been two sightings in Radiant Garden.”

Kairi turned to look at Riku. “It can’t be a coincidence, can it? He wears that necklace all the time,” her voice broke at the last word. Selphie put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“I hope you don’t mind,” the camera shifted once more to reveal Pence, “but the GummiWeb is full of kids from Twilight Town posting pictures of these symbols. They showed up around the same time… well, you know. So we started a way of tracking where these symbols are.”

“How can you do that?” All this technology was new to the three of them. Even though Riku spent the better part of the year with Ansem the Wise, do not ask him to decipher anything with a computer.

“We posted on the GummiGram that any future crown symbols should be tagged #SearchForSora. Maybe the way they show up means something.” Olette said. “We’ll keep you updated. Bye!” The call ended with a chorus of goodbyes from the Usual Spot. It was a balm to her bruised soul to know that the battle was not in vain. Seeing former Nobodies living their lives gave Kairi hope. It was the little hopes that kept her spirit alive.

“Anything is better than nothing,” Kairi whispered, closing her eyes. Once again, her friends were doing more to help Sora than she was. All she could do is wait on the beach for him to come back.

“Maybe…waiting isn’t good enough.” She remembered a younger, braver Kairi saying once on a beach. What happened to that courage? How could she let Xehanort take that spunk away from her?

“These crowns mean something. I’m going to figure it out,” she said with her right fist clenched around Destiny’s Embrace once more.

“Not without me.” This time, she raised her brow at Riku. He summoned his Keyblade as well. Selphie took a few steps away from them. A wise choice.

“Don’t you have better things to do than babysit, Master Riku?”

He put his Keyblade away and took a step toward her. She did not retreat. Riku narrowed his eyes, and she met his measure for measure. She would not back down this time. He sighed and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Please. Don’t do this without me.”

“Riku, don’t you understand? You’re the one who will end up saving him. It’s always you.” She spoke the truth. If Kairi was part of Sora’s light in the darkness, then Riku was the other half. His inspiration. “You focus on finding him.”

“No. Not without you. Sora said his journey began the day he lost you, but he forgot to mention that I lost you too. I can’t lose either of you anymore. So if you are planning to do this, then I will be with you every step of the way.” His voice cracked.

Kairi’s face crumpled. She promised herself that today she wouldn’t cry, but just like every other day since her return, she failed. Kairi wrapped her arms around her best friend and wept. “Well, then let’s go find our lazy bum.”

Next

Shout out to @elitesora​ and @anheiressofasoldier​ who wanted to read this.

[squiishiichaos]

How We Cope: Prologue

(Chapter 1)

Sea salt ice cream fixed everything, or so Roxas believed.   

He believed it back in the Organization, when Xion disappeared and Axel felt like an enemy.   Believed it in Twilight Town, even when all his closest friends began to forget who he was.   But right now, sitting on the clock tower, watching the sun set in a glory of reds and purples, the salt tasted like tears and the sweetness so unbearably bitter.

Somewhere in town, Axel and Xion were busy—again.   Had been since the three of them returned home together.  Home, he thought with a painful scoff, is this really home?  Roxas wasn’t sure anymore.   He wasn’t sure about a lot of things anymore.  In fact, his friends were the only thing he was sure of, and even that—something he thought irreplaceable and eternal—felt fleeting these days.  

A sigh rustled through his bangs, mingling with the tepid breeze.   He could hear the hustle and bustle from the Bistro down the way, hushed within the din of friends and family watching old black and white movies play for the umpteenth time.  Somewhere down there, Olette, Pence and Hayner were practicing for the next Struggle tournament under Saix’s officious tutelage in between intermittent odd jobs for petty cash.  Seifer and his gang—older and only slightly more mature—were probably at the sandlot, trying to convince Axel he had no stake in their territory—even though he definitely did—while Xion and Namine were distracted at the Haunted Mansion, getting all the details finalized for move-in day.  

 I should be excited, he told himself—again.  He’d been doing that a lot lately.  Reminding himself to feel.   It was an odd concept.  After sharing a heart and being a nobody for so long, he thought having his own would make it easier.  That the emotions would just come flooding through him. Joy.  Sadness.  Fear. Exhilaration.  But he still felt so damn empty.  Like a piece of him was missing.  A piece that would always be gone so long as—

“What are you doing up here, alone?”  Roxas couldn’t help a glare at the voice.  Standing within the shadow of descending twilight, familiar silver hair shone as bright as a full moon over emerald green pools.   With his arms crossed over his chest and eyes narrowed into a curious glare, Riku was probably the last person he wanted poking into his private time.

“Why do you care?”  

“I don’t,” Riku shrugged, “just figured it’d be impolite not to ask.”

“Since when are you polite?”  The Silveret rolled his eyes as he made himself comfortable against the wall of the tower.  The distance only amplified all the negative energy grown between them.   “What are you even doing here?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?”  

Roxas scowled.  “Annoying me.”   Riku’s smirk was laced with snark.

“Guess again.”   That voice—that expression—brought back a host of equally bittersweet memories atop a wave of nostalgia.   He looked away from those imploring green eyes and let out a huff of exasperation.

“Fine.  Don’t tell me, then.” He shrugged his shoulders and gazed out at Twilight Town.   With the sun set behind the great expanse of dense buildings, the navy blanket of night hung over them in a world of starless darkness.   A host of blinking lights kept the night alive with the sounds of activity continuing to flourish in the onset of night-life.   If he looked hard enough, he was sure he could catch one of his many friends down there, getting excited for one of the many talented acts ready to provide music and entertainment to the youth of the bustling town.  

I wonder how long until they come looking for me.  Maybe I should get—

“What about you?”  

Without missing a beat—or looking up—Roxas retorted, “what about me?”

 “Shouldn’t you be down there, helping get everything together for the move?”  He should be. After all the munny they’d all pitched in to buy the Old Mansion and then refurbish it, he should be right there with the rest, divvying up rooms and picking out decorations from any antique store that might sell to teenagers.  Should be earning another cache of munny for the first time their self-constructed renovations fell apart and they needed to rebuild—again.  Should be excited about the prospect of finally sharing a home with his family and having a real place he could call his own.

Should be—though—was the key phrase.  

“Even the Wayfinders are here to help,” Riku continued after he still remained silent.  Despite all his waning self-control, Roxas couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes.

 Of course, they are.   “They’ve got this under control.  I’d just be in their way.”  He could feel that emerald stare piercing into his back.  Heard footsteps soft on solid stone as Riku calmly made his way across the short distance, sitting beside him with an equally quiet rustle.   Bathed in the golden lights off the bustling town below, his pale glow seemed almost ethereal.  Backlit in hues of greens, blues, and reds; Roxas thought—not for the first time—that darkness never stood a chance against a being who was so unfathomably bright.

 Silence settled in an uncomfortably refreshing coat around them.  In the absence of one of Riku’s motivational friendship speeches, there was a calm quiet about their isolation that provided the first bit of peace Roxas had felt in a while.   It’d been quite some time since he’d come here with someone and just basked in the freedom the Tower provided.  Especially now, when all anyone could ever talk about was the Old Mansion.  About how great their lives were now that danger was avoided.  But Roxas knew better.   Had seen enough tragedy in his short life to know that good things never lasted long.  

A part of him wondered if maybe Riku felt it, too.  If their time spent cloaked in darkened shadows gave them a perception of the world the others couldn’t quite grasp.   Or was it because Riku, too, understood the gravity of the things they’d lost.   Had certainly lost enough in these last few years to accept grief and mourning as a personal routine one eventually got used to.  That’s a sad thought, he realized. Is that why he’s been alone so much lately?

Just as the silence around them became unbearable and that question quaked dangerously in his throat, he was interrupted by Riku looking up at him from beneath his growing bangs.  “Yeah, I wasn’t much help, either.”  

Roxas felt his lips threatening into a grin.  He killed it on an annoyed sigh.  “Well, if you’re gonna hide up here, the least you could do is get us some more ice cream.”  

There was that cocky grin, crooked up at one edge with a playful level of sarcasm. “Oh, is that the price for admission?”

“Would you prefer another death match?”  The Silveret snorted, probably atop a roll of those glowing pools.  

“Why?  So, you can lose again?” It was Roxas’s turn to snort, looking away from the cloak of night to glare at the other boy.

“Hah!” He barked, “You only won because of the power of darkness!  That’s almost grounds for disqualification in my book!” Riku rolled his eyes again.

“Okay, but you wield two keyblades.  How is that fair?”  Roxas shrugged, his grin smug across his lips.

“I don’t write the rules, Pretty Boy.”  As soon as the admonishment left his lips, his eyes went wide and jaw clamped shut in disbelief.  Why’d I say that?   He wondered to himself as another awkward silence fell over them.   The Blonde gulped down whatever words might follow that.   Kept nice and still while he waited—and hoped—that Riku might just decide to leave and save them both the hassle.  

But he didn’t.  Just sat there, basking in the turbid silence with his eyes trained ahead on the city. Every now and then, he’d blink against the bright lights winking beneath the blackened night.  In their star-like glow, his silver hair now sat a constant orange hue, peppered every now and again by flashes of electric blue or acid green.   Laughter rang loud and raucous for a moment, and Roxas watched from his periphery as those pale lips slid into an easy grin.

Finally, the Silveret let loose a low sigh and leaned back on his arms, looking up at the sky above.   “So…were you serious?”  He asked, distracted only by the wink of distant stars ahead.  “About the match, I mean.”

“Why? Do you really want another go at me that bad?”  He cursed his voice for the bitter edge it grasped towards the end. A little lilt to it that almost sounded hurt.  A part of him hoped Riku would just ignore it like all his other false cues tonight, but—of course—this was the one he took.

For a moment, green stared deep into ocean blue.  So many people had told him since his rebirth how similar his eyes were to Sora’s.  How they were a bit less green than Ven’s.  Brighter—somehow—than Xion’s.   This was the first time in all those weeks that someone had looked at him without judgment in their eyes, or the lingering traces of sadness.  The first time anyone had acknowledged that there was someone there besides shadows and a mirage.  

After what felt like decades, Riku’s lips lifted into a fond smile, and his eyes narrowed into a soft stare.  “Yeah,” he said, “I think I do.”

Roxas scoffed.  “Time and place, Pretty boy.”   Some confidence returned to Riku’s form as that smile shifted into a smirk.

“You’re really gonna let me choose?”

“Well, yeah,” Roxas countered, “I can kick your ass anywhere, might as well let you choose the venue.”

With another snort and a sidelong look up at that endless night sky, Riku grinned.  “I’m gonna hold you to that.”

[nadziejastar]

Do not get offended, but I think you're pretty obsessed with the relationship between Axe/Lea and Saïx/Isa. I do not deny that their friendship has been fundamental and essential in many aspects regarding the development of their characters, decisions and stories. But sometimes I think that you always try to go further, gilding the lily, only looking for details to justify a relationship beyond friendship, giving your theories as real, when it's clear that this is not the case.

Eh. I feel no reason to be offended because I know that what you’re saying about me is simply not true. I mean, I am obsessed. But…I have an obsessive personality. For better or worse, it’s how I have always been with anything that interests me. But I’m not obsessed in the way you are characterizing. It sounds like you’re saying I have shipping goggles on and I am deluding myself into seeing “signs” that don’t exist just because I’m so obsessed with this fictional pairing.

But that’s not the case. I’m so “obsessed” because I think there was a really great idea behind this ship, and it would have made a great story if it was allowed to run its course. But it was so underrated compared to Roxas/Xion/Axel that it got treated extremely badly in canon.

Axel: Well, I think you can be inseparable even if you’re apart.

Roxas: Really?

Axel: Sure, if you feel really close to each other. If you’re best friends.

Roxas: What’s it like having a best friend, Axel?

Axel: Couldn’t tell ya. I don’t have one.

Let’s not forget that this isn’t the first time Square-Enix has used a combination of sunset and waning crescent moon imagery for their characters. Final Fantasy X did this, too. Nomura is quite fond of that game. He knows damn well what those symbols mean.

Yuna: I want my journey to be full of laughter.

Tidus: Okay.

Yuna: If we should get separated, just whistle. I’ll come running. I promise.

The Okinawan word tida means “sun”. Yuna means “moon”. Most people probably know their story. They are Twin Flame lovers. Complementary opposites. Light and Dark. Yin and Yang. Inseparable.

Yuna: Pretty…

Tidus: Sure is.

Yuna: I wish I could live in a place like this. Peaceful… Living with a smile on my face every day.

Tidus: You can, once you beat Sin, right?

Yuna: But then a new Sin will be born anyway.

Tidus: Well then, you can just beat it again.

Yuna: I wish I could.

There are two particularly important scenes. One is the sunset on the Highroad where Yuna was recording a sphere saying her goodbyes to everyone.

Yuna: “So… So this is what it feels like. It’s a much more wonderful feeling than anything I had ever imagined. Wonderful…but it hurts, sometimes. I wonder. I…I just want to say, thank you for everything. Maybe…maybe that’s why it hurts. When I… When I think about us never being together again at all…”

She accepts that they cannot be together, even though she loves him.

Tidus: “Let’s go to the sea, before the sunrise. The city lights go out one by one. The stars fade…Then the horizon glows, almost like it’s on fire. It’s kinda rose-colored, right? First in the sea, then it spreads to the sky, then to the whole city. It gets brighter and brighter, till everything glows. It’s really…pretty. I know you’d like it.”

Yuna: “I’d like to see it, someday.” Tidus: “Well you can, Yuna. We can both go! Yu..?”

Yuna: “I can’t. I just can’t! I can’t go!”

And the other is the lake where they share their kiss under the moonlight. Tidus tells her that the sunset in Zanarkand is so beautiful and he wants her to go.

Yuna: “Stay with me until the end. Please.” Tidus: “Not until the end…Always.”

Yuna: “Always, then.”

She can’t, but they promise to always be together.

Yuna: “Everyone…everyone has lost something precious. Everyone here has lost homes, dreams, and friends. Everybody… Now, Sin is finally dead. Now, Spira is ours again. Working together… Now we can make new homes for ourselves, and new dreams. Although I know the journey will be hard, we have lots of time. Together, we will rebuild Spira. The road is ahead of us, so let’s start out today. Just, one more thing…The people and the friends that we have lost, or the dreams that have faded…Never forget them.”

Yuna was planning on sacrificing herself to bring peace to Spira. She kept it a secret from Tidus so he would not be sad. His cheerfulness made her journey happy. She lives, but Tidus fades away in the end. He kept the fact that he was a dream a secret so Yuna would not hesitate defeating Sin. She never wanted to forget him.

Axel: “As long as we remember each other, we’ll never be apart. Got it memorized?”

She was always very guarded about sharing those memories with anyone else. Axel always gave off the exact same sense of secretive sentimentality that Yuna did when it came to his memories. He had the sense of a person who was heartbroken over a lost love. The day Axel said his memories of the past were what he valued most, it’s titled “Too Precious to Lose” in Roxas’ Diary. Yuna would whistle into the air sometimes. Tidus taught her how. It was like Axel eating ice cream all the time. It just helped him feel connected to his memories.

Lea: “I want everybody I meet to remember me. Inside people’s memories, I can live forever.”

Isa: “I know I won’t forget you. Believe me, I try all the time.”

Lea: “See, I’m immortal!”

Sunset and waning crescent moon are used as symbols of death, tragedy and parting in both games. The final stage of a cycle. The ending. I would argue lost love as well. Isa basically died and Axel is left with nothing but the memories of him as he looks into the sunset. The Moon Rabbit is a symbol of self-sacrifice, just like Yuna. Moon characters in general tend to be very empathetic and willing to sacrifice themself. Tidus couldn’t accept Yuna sacrificing herself. Same as Axel. Sun characters are bright and cheerful and inspire hope and optimism.

The letter χ can be pronounced both “key” and “kye” (leading to some confusion) and symbolizes the perfect crossing of light and darkness. The χ-blade can be forged via a high-dimensional clash between those two poles. It is believed that the Recusant’s Sigil also derives from χ. —KH3D Glossary

Gilding the lily is basically trying to improve what is already perfect. Basically you think I’m imagining signs of a romance when it’s a perfectly good friendship, right? I’m just seeing what I want to see. I guess that’s one big disagreement I have with you right there. I don’t think their relationship, even platonically, was handled well. At all. Isa and Lea’s platonic friendship turned out to be pretty pointless in canon, if you ask me. Didn’t amount to much of any substance or value. That’s not what I wanted to see.

Xehanort: Behold… These lifeless keys used to be full of power–united with the hearts of their masters. On this barren soil, Keyblades of light and darkness were locked in combat…as a great Keyblade War raged. Countless Keyblade wielders gave up their lives, all in search of one, ultimate key. And it will soon belong to me…

TAV’s main theme was their unbreakable connection. No matter what, they always found their way back to each other. That’s the power of the heart. What was Lea/Isa’s main theme in canon? Anything involving the Recusant’s Sigil? Nope. Anything involving the power of the heart? Y’know, what Kingdom Hearts is all about? Nope. Just sequel-baiting. I guess Isa was also a plot device for fan pandering, too. I don’t view anything in the story with a shipping bias. I think Lea/Isa was written like total shit in canon. Doesn’t matter how much I like the ship. I’m not going to lie to myself and say it was well-written. I know how to separate my wishes from my observations.

Terra: Yep, hard to believe there are so many worlds out there besides our own. The light is their hearts, and it’s shining down on us like a million lanterns.

And I am just observing what is there. I think that everything you said sounds more true of all the Axel/Roxas arguments I’ve seen than Lea/Isa ones. People seeing things beyond a platonic friendship when there is absolutely no textual basis in the story to support that interpretation. It all comes down to artistic intent. You analyze the story the same way you would during English class. Critical reading. Why are events being presented in such a manner? What message is the author conveying?

Xemnas: There hangs the heart of all hearts–Kingdom Hearts–shining down on us at last. See the countless hearts that have gathered? Hearts full of rage…hate…sadness…and bliss. There, in the sky, hangs the promise of a new world.

There is a TON of evidence supporting the existence of artistic intent for a very specific idea. Xehanort is trying to forge the X-blade by initiating a clash of opposite polarities. An idea inspired by Freemasonry, hence the black and white checkerboard theme associated with him. Scala ad Caelum is Latin for “Stairway to Heaven”, a big idea in Masonry. And Masonry uses the two luminaries, the Sun and Moon, to represent Light and Darkness. The letter “X” is all about opposite polarities, as well as death and endings. Saïx sports a big fat “X” on his face as his defining characteristic (which is never explained). Lea and Isa are described as complementary opposites in the novel.

Naminé: We don’t disappear… We’re only reborn.

Axel: I’m not like you and Roxas. It’s because I don’t have a heart. I don’t want to disappear, but I’m not upset or sad about it.

There are seven Guardians of Light. There are seven colors of the rainbow. Light is made up of seven different colors. Lea’s Keyblade is based on the Phoenix, a solar bird. It represents the red Rubedo stage of alchemy. It’s called the “Flame Liberator”. In alchemy, the Phoenix symbolizes “the freeing of the spirit from the bounds of the physical”. It’s about spiritual enlightenment and eternal life. They made a point in Days of showing that cutscene about the red sunset right from the get go. It was important.

Axel: Hey, Roxas. Bet you don’t know why the sun sets red. You see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest.

The Sun sets red because red light travels the farthest. In Luxord’s tarot deck, “The Sun” is Hazard Gear.The Sun card represents a feeling of optimism and fulfillment, and the dawn which follows the darkest of nights. Saïx’s weapon in this category is called “Light Year”, and is shaped like a Reiki angel. Reiki is a method of energy healing using one’s aura—their inner light. The weapon has a pale yellow aura. The color of renewed hope and emerging spiritual awareness. Axel’s weapon in this category is a red weapon called “Omega Trinity”, and it is shaped like a transmutation circle. The name is referring to the Tria Prima of alchemy. Sulfur (Sol), Mercury (Luna), and Salt (the Philosopher’s Stone).

“The Moon” is Dual Gear. Dual means involving two parts. The Moon represents your fears and illusions. Axel’s weapon in this gear is “Dive Bomb”, as in Dive into the Heart. And Saïx’s is “Luminary”. It’s also shaped like Reiki, and is gold. The ultimate aura color of enlightenment. Both “The Sun” and “The Moon” are shaped like the 4 of Pentacles. This card indicates that you are trying very hard to cling onto people or possessions out of fear of losing them. “The Sun” is pink, which is associated with love and forgiveness in Tarot.

Saïx: Pitiful Heartless, mindlessly collecting hearts. The rage of the Keyblade releases those hearts. They gather in darkness, masterless and free…until they weave together to make Kingdom Hearts. And when that time comes, we can truly, finally exist.

Isa is a Moon character, and pretty much all of his weapons are feminine terms. He has a weapon called “Queen of the Night”. In Japan it is known as “Gekka Bijin”, meaning “Beauty under the Moon”. This white flower only blooms one night a year, usually under a full moon. This weapon is listed under Glory Gear. In Luxord’s deck, this is “Strength”. This card is about inner strength and the human spirit’s ability to overcome any obstacle. It represents the ability to ‘tame’ your animal instincts, gut reactions, and raw emotions, and channel them accordingly. The symbol on the card it the Two of Cups. It represents a partnership that is built on the union of forces, a strong connection and a balanced and equal partnership. Each party’s emotions are intertwined with the other’s, and each participant’s feelings have profound effects on the other. It symbolizes the joy of two becoming one.

“See anything interesting out there, Poppet?” Xigbar patted her on the shoulder.

Meanwhile, Axel plopped down on the sofa and pretended he wasn’t listening in. Xion turned to look up at Xigbar. “Just Kingdom Hearts.”

“Is it all that interesting?”

“It’s kind of pretty.”

Xigbar let out a low chuckle. Axel didn’t see what Xigbar found so entertaining about that reply. But then he could never quite follow what he was thinking.

Xion looked rather confused herself. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing—you’re just making so much progress.” Xigbar kept laughing, as if there was an uproariously good joke in it somewhere.

He has another weapon with the same shape called “King of the Night”. In alchemy, the Sun is the Red King, the Moon is the White Queen. This is Raging Gear. In Luxord’s deck, this is “The Devil”. The Devil card represents your shadow side and the negative forces that constrain you and hold you back. The Devil card appears in a reading when you have been tricked into thinking you have no control over your shadow self or these negative forces, and that you can never break free from their hold. It is shaped like the 10 of Pentacles, which is an omen for success, no matter what your current lot in life is. Axel’s weapon is the yellow stage of the Phoenix wings. Citrinitas represents “the transmutation of silver into gold,” “the yellowing of the lunar consciousness”,  and “the dawning of the solar consciousness inherent in one’s being”.

In alchemy, the Red King and White Queen are associated with the Emperor and Empress arcanas. The Empress represents the feminine principle and is Valiant Gear. Axel’s weapon is purple and called Double Edge. It is shaped like the Third Eye chakra, which is on the forehead, and controls the ability to “see” things with the mind’s eye. It’s where Saïx’s “X” scar is located. Saïx’s weapon is “Moonset”, which is when the sun rises and the moon disappears in the sky. It’s pink and shaped like the symbol of Vesta, a goddess of chastity known as the “Keeper of the Sacred Flame”.

The Emperor represents the masculine principle and is Ultimate Gear. Axel’s weapon is called “Rapid Spinner” which refers to the chakras and is shaped like the Crown Chakra. The highest one that connects a person to higher consciousness. Saïx’s weapon is called Horoscope and is shaped like Venus/Sagittarius (a fire sign). It is pink, an aura associated with love, affection, compassion, healing, and a new or newly revived romantic relationship.

Star and Crescent—the symbol on Isa’s jacket in the epilogue—is a Sun and Moon symbol meaning a union of complementary opposites, and romantic love. Alchemy is all about a union of complementary opposites. The Sun and Moon’s marriage and sexual union is a symbol of the Philosopher’s Stone, along with the Phoenix, gold, and the color red. It’s all there in the story. I certainly didn’t put it there. The writers did. Some people might just say that Sun and Moon imagery is not necessarily romantic. 99% of the time it is, though. But if ALL that wasn’t enough, there’s the way Axel was paralleled with the Beast.

Beast: The last rose petal is about to fall… When it does, I’ll lose– No! I can’t bear it–I don’t even want to think about it!

Axel: I guess the closest thing we Nobodies have got is our past. You know, memories of the stuff we couldn’t bear to lose, back when we couldn’t bear to lose it.

The Beast’s rose is like Axel’s memories. The rose represents the Beast’s last hope to return to his past. And it also represents his desire to love and be loved by another in return.

Beast: Belle… I couldn’t bear to see you…or the other’s hurt. A master protects his castle… I don’t want to lose you.

Roxas: That still doesn’t explain what love is… Is love fighting to protect what’s most important to you? Where does its power come from?

Love is fighting to protect what’s most important to you.

Roxas: I found out about love on today’s mission–that it’s something powerful.

Axel: That’s true. It is. But I’ll never get to experience it.

Axel’s memories are what he considers most important to him. “Because that’s all we have to remember the pain of losing something.” The Beast is tired of strength. He wants to experience love, but thinks he never will. Axel doesn’t care about Xemnas’ promise of power. He wants to complete Kingdom Hearts to experience love, but thinks he never will. Wink wink, nudge nudge. I’m sorry, but you don’t just write things this way by accident. It’s all intentional.

Axel: Love is what happens if there’s something really special between two people.

Roxas: More special than friends? Like…if they’re best friends? Inseparable?

Axel: Well, you can care about your friends, I guess, but that’s not what I’m talking about.

I’m not imagining any of it.

Roxas wouldn’t let it go. “Do you think we would, if we had hearts?”

“Once Kingdom Hearts is complete, I bet you’ll be able to figure it out.”

The magic words again, Axel thought. It’ll all make sense when Kingdom Hearts is complete. But was that true? No one had ever seen it happen before. So who knew?

Still, all they could do was believe in it. Pitiful Heartless, mindlessly collecting hearts…

It all supports the idea of Lea and Isa originally being viewed as a romantic pairing by the writers. I don’t get what you mean by me giving my theories as real. I’m not claiming to be a Square-Enix insider or anything. I post my opinions and I assume that the people reading are smart enough to decide for themselves whether they find them persuasive or not. I don’t have to force anyone to think anything. If the evidence is strong enough people will be able to see it themself.

[echoequinox]

Xion Appreciation Week - Day 1

I’m writing a fic a day for #XionAppreciationWeek, in honor of my favorite and the best Kingdom Hearts character! :’) 

I’ll be posting them both here and on AO3. You can find the AO3 fic here, titled “Affection”. 

The rest, I’ll put links up as I post new chapters!

>Day 1: Remembrance Day 2: Return Day 3: Separation/Reunion  Day 4: Light/Darkness  Day 5: Ice Cream/Seashell Day 6: New Beginnings Day 7: No. XIV (Free Day)

The sunlight was harsh and glaring and she gasped, an arm raised to shield her eyes from the bright light. After a few moments she was able to blink it away, finally able to take in her surroundings.

It was strange, to even be able to have surroundings to take in , considering Xion was dead. Still, she wasn’t going to take this gift for granted. She closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of ocean air, the feel of sand through her gloves and cloak, resting for a long while on the beach. If this was the afterlife, or whatever served as an afterlife for something like her - not a Nobody, not a Somebody, not… really anything - she could get used to it. Too bad Roxas isn’t here, she thought with a smile. We said we’d go to the beach together.

She was jarred from her rest by a loud snore, blinking in the sunlight again as she glanced around the beach. She’d thought she was alone. Wasn’t this her afterlife? Eventually she spotted him, lying in the sand arms behind his head as he snored. She laughed quietly, shaking her head and eventually standing, making her way across the sand to him. He looked… older. His rounded face had started to sharpen. He was a bit taller, lankier too. She cocked her head as he yawned, opening his eyes then jolting to a start.

“WHOA!” he gasped and she laughed, despite the intense feeling of deja vu. “Gimme a break-” He paused, turning to look at her. “Oh, sorry, I thought you were… someone else,” he laughed.

“Do you remember her name?” she asked, sitting next to him, looking out at the sun.

“I… I’m supposed to, but I don’t know if…” he frowned, rubbing his chin. She smiled, removing her glove and reaching over to touch his hand, making him gasp in response. “K-Kairi. That was her name, right?” Xion nodded and he laughed. “I can’t believe I almost forgot Kairi.” She pulled her hand back and he frowned. “Why… do you look like her?” She laughed harder, shaking her head.

“That’s… complicated, Sora,” she smiled. “I’m… your memories of her, if that makes any sense.” He nodded slowly.

“That’s why I remembered her,” he said, brushing his fingers to hers again, and she felt a part of her start to fade, gasping and recoiling. “S-sorry!”

“No, I…” She frowned, rubbing her wrist. “I think… that’s supposed to happen. I… you’ll eventually take all the memories of Kairi, and I’ll fade away.”

“That’s not fair. You seem really nice. You don’t deserve to fade away.” She smiled, lying back against the sand, closing her eyes.

“I don’t deserve to exist at all, Sora. I was… they used me, to try to contain you. I’m a part of you, in a way, and now it’s time to go home.”

“Oh.” They were silent for a while, Sora eventually reaching over to rest his hand on her sleeve, careful not to touch her hand. “We can sit for a while, though, can’t we?”

“Sure,” she smiled. “If you want to.” He grinned, nodding.

“You deserve that, at least.” She laughed.

“You really are as nice as they said you’d be,” she shook her head.

“Who did?”

“Naminé, and Riku.”

“Oh! You met Riku?”

“I fought Riku,” she laughed. “I mean I lost, but I did fight him.”

“That sounds like Riku,” he chuckled.

“They miss you,” she said, turning over to look at him, Sora doing the same. “Riku, Kairi, your friends.”

“I miss them too,” he said softly. “I feel like I’ve been away for a really long time, and I haven’t seen my friends in ages.”

“You have been,” she smiled. “Almost a year, now.”

“Oh.” Then, after a bit, “Why are you wearing that cloak?”

“This?” she asked, looking down. “It’s what we all wear, in the Organization.”

“No, I mean, why are you wearing it NOW? You’re on a beach,” he laughed. “Isn’t it stuffy?” She scrunched up her face, then stood, shrugging off the coat, her boots, the remaining glove, finally in just a t-shirt and her pants, settling back against the sand.

“This feels weird,” she chuckled. “I’ve never… been out without the cloak.”

“Good weird?” he smiled and she shrugged.

“I dunno. I guess?” She laid back down on her side, closing her eyes. “The sand is gritty.”

“It’ll do that,” Sora laughed and she smiled, opening one eye to watch him. She’d come from him. She’d BEEN him, briefly, when she’d almost completely become his copy. Why, now, did she appear as what Roxas saw? What Axel did? Was this really who she was? “I only remember her name.” Xion started, looking up at Sora, who was staring at the sky.

“Huh?”

“Kairi. I remember her name, but nothing else. I mean I know she LOOKS like you, but I can’t say how she looks different.”

“Here,” she started, reaching toward him.

“N-no,” he laughed, pulling away. “You don’t have to do that yet. Just… can you tell me?” She frowned, pulling the cloak under her head as a makeshift pillow and closing her eyes.

“Red hair,” she began. “Blue eyes. Her face is like mine. Or, it was, in your memories. I don’t know how she’s changed. She was… strong. It was hard to see, from the outside. She got taken, her heart taken from her, but she was so strong. When you got turned into a Heartless, she would’ve sacrificed herself for you.”

“Really?” he asked, and she opened an eye to see him grinning.

“Really. She wrapped her arms around you as Heartless were trying to attack, and it dragged you back from oblivion. That was when Roxas and Naminé were made.”

“I don’t know them,” he frowned.

“It’s okay. They were… my friends, is all.”

“Oh.”

“She had energy, too,” Xion smiled wistfully. “She could never keep up with you and Riku on the islands, but she never needed to. Trying was enough, being with you both was enough. She always did her best. She organized the trip you three were going to take on the raft. Resourceful, smart.”

“I miss her,” Sora said.

“Me too…” She was resentful, but deep down, she knew Sora deserved to remember her.

“Tell me about your friends.”

“Oh. Um… Roxas, and Axel. And Naminé, too, I think. Roxas… is like you. He’s got that fire, that drive, you know?” He laughed, but nodded. “Axel was… funny. He was always making Roxas and I laugh, keeping us happy. I… I think I’m really going to miss them…” He turned to her and she realized she had tears in her eyes, turning away from him and wiping her face.

“I’m sorry, Xion,” he said softly.

“It’s okay,” she laughed, sniffling. “It’s… I’m okay. This has to be okay.” He didn’t respond and she shook her head. “I’m fine, Sora. I promise. Besides, we can’t just sit here on the beach forever, you know?”

“I guess not,” he chuckled. She gasped as his hand brushed hers, just for a second, and flipped over to face him. “S-sorry, I just… wanted to see something.” She frowned, studying his face, his eyes moving back and forth, jaw set as he tried to process. “I… I’m getting your memories too.” She started, jerking, eyes wide.

“Y-you-?”

“I don’t mean to!” he laughed. “I just… I think if you’re fading away, ALL of your memories are gonna be coming back to me, mine and yours.”

“That’s… interesting,” she frowned.

“I sort of… I wanted to see…” He frowned, rubbing his neck awkwardly. “You’re… lonely.”

“Oh. Um… yes? My friends are gone.”

“No, I mean… Have you ever… had a hug?” She blinked. “Like, you know, when someone wraps-”

“I know WHAT a hug is,” she smiled. “I just… I don’t know. Not really, I don’t think.” He frowned.

“When you’re ready - to go, I mean - do… you want me to hold you?” She blushed bright red, looking away and hugging her arms to her sides.

“I, um,” she said, voice cracking. “S-sure?” He nodded and she paused for a long moment before slowly inching forward, resting her head against his chest.

“You sure?” he asked softly and she nodded.

“Thank you, Sora,” she sighed, his arms around her, and she could feel herself starting to peel away, memory by memory. “The world deserves you more than it deserves something like me.”

“You won’t be gone forever,” he smiled, resting his chin on her head. “I have your memories, Xion.”

“I guess I will live on through you,” she frowned.

“No, I have YOUR memories. The memories of Xion. Those memories mean you’re real.” Her eyes welled up with tears and she buried her face in his shirt, crying softly as he held her, piece by piece fading away.

Someone would remember her. Her memories existed. That meant she was real.

[currantlee]

Language: English Rating: Teen and Up Audiences (T) / P12 Warnings: Discussion of Death Fandom: Kingdom Hearts Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Songfic Characters: Xion, Roxas, Naminé (mentioned), Sora (mentioned), Ventus (mentioned), Axel (mentioned) Relationships: Roxas/Xion (RokuShi) Words: 3,689 Chapter: 1/1 Beta: @theeeveetamer Notes: inspired by Until the End, a RWBY song that I get heavy RokuShi vibes from for some reason. There might be continuity and / or characterization errors in here. Full notes on Ao3, as always. Other Platforms: -

A new day is gone without a trace All memories are dark and light is fading

To someone who had never been to Twilight Town before, time must have seemed to stand still due to the eternal state of twilight this world was stuck in. Xion had, however, made out a pattern long ago. While the sun itself never changed its position, but the colors of the sky faded between the pastels of a sunrise and the bright reds of a sunset over the course of the day and night.

Currently, some clouds were obscuring the sun, their grey causing the sky to appear in a darker, more navy tone of blue than usual, alongside deep reds and violets. And those colors were still too bright to reflect her current mood.

Today had been another day of fighting to get out of bed because the exhaustion was almost too strong to bear. Another day where her dreams of a normal life slipped away, as she couldn’t even keep up with school. Another day of the headaches – the ones caused by Naminé’s memory powers, though Xion couldn’t fault her for those. She was just as exhausted from using those as Roxas and Xion were, if not even more. And yet… Another pointless day with no results. Not even a trace of their vanished friend, despite all of the effort, the headaches, the exhaustion…

That feeling… It was just so… Xion wanted to scream, she wanted to punch something. Why did it have to be this way?! They deserved an outcome of their hard work – and Sora deserved better than being lost.

The longer this went on, the more those bright memories were tainted with a darker color, like drops of darkness fell onto them, obscuring and eventually extinguishing all the light that came from them. Everything Roxas, Naminé and Xion herself tried in order to help find their lost friend seemed to never be enough, and that didn’t help to brighten up her mood either.

… Maybe, it was better to accept that Sora was gone… So he could rest in peace. He wouldn’t want them to feel bad because of him all the time, Xion knew that.

A tear rolled down her cheek. No. They couldn’t just give up like this. Kairi would never get over Sora’s disappearance. Besides, he was the reason why both she and Roxas even existed – because he had never given up on finding a way for making the impossible happen. He deserved that they did the same for him now.

Besides… If he was gone… Wouldn’t that mean their days were numbered as well?

Xion held her hands in front of her face, against the ever-setting sun, just to see if they were still there. The clock of the tower started to ring – Xion could feel the swings of the noise whenever this happened while she was up there. One, two, three… Nine times.

The faded light bathed her hands in a reddish orange, almost as if it was shining through the flesh of her replica body. Was she fading away too, again?

“Hey Xion.”

She turned around to see a familiar blonde standing behind her. Xion felt a smile tug at her lips, but the fear of fading was stronger than that and all she managed was a short twitch of her lips before she spoke. “Hey Roxas.”

She gestured to the empty space at her side. A wide smile spread across his face as he took her offer and pulled out two familiar packages from his pocket, handing her one. “Here. It won’t help with the headaches, but… I figured it might still do some good.”

It was sea-salt ice cream… Of course it would be sea-salt ice cream. She finally managed to crack a smile. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

Silence fell between the two as they unpacked their creamsicles and started eating while watching the sunset. The clouds had finally unveiled the sun, and by now the sky and the town were illuminated in bright yellows, reds and oranges. The clouds glowed in a lovely, warm pink.

“It’s almost like the old times,” Roxas said after some minutes of silence.

Yes… Almost. “Where is Axel though?”, she asked.

“He said he’d catch up later,” he responded.

“So it’s just like the old times,” she remarked chuckling. “Thinking about it, he used to be late from time to time.”

“True.” Roxas grinned briefly before his eyebrows twitched and he let out a small wince. “Ouch…”

Xion’s heart slightly hurt hearing that – like it was being pulled on. She knew that feeling… It meant that she was worried about him. “Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah… Can you hold my ice cream for a second?”

She nodded and Roxas handed the creamsicle to her with a grateful smile. Then, he proceeded to massage his temples.

Xion raised an eyebrow. “Brainfreeze?” A small nod confirmed her suspicion.

She knew he hadn’t been sleeping very well ever since Sora’s disappearance. He tossed and turned after going to bed, sometimes for hours before finally entering the realm of dreams. And even then, it weren’t always good ones.

To be frank, Xion hadn’t had the best sleep in her short life either, but at least it found her quickly after another long, exhausting day of work. The dark circles under her eyes grew deeper with every day nonetheless, just as Roxas’s did.

The lack of sleep, Naminé’s memory powers… All of that combined often led to headaches, triggered and untriggered ones. Maybe the ice cream hasn’t been a good idea after all, taking that into consideration.

“Don’t worry too much about it,” Roxas interrupted her line of thought with a slight smile. “It’s just a headache. Nothing I can’t handle, really.”

He was right in a sense – they had been through far worse. Still… “Maybe you should take a break.”

She remembered the evening of Sora’s disappearance like it had happened the day before, even though it had been months ago at this point. Roxas had collapsed almost immediately after that event, going as far as being rushed to the Destiny Islands hospital because their friends were concerned he might have a heart attack. In the end it turned out that there were only deviations of his heart rhythm, But that was bad enough from what little Xion understood about medicine. Almost as if whatever stabilized his heart rate was gone… Just like Sora.

She remembered holding his hand in the emergency room. Ven had asked him how he was feeling, to which Roxas had responded by panicking over possibly dying, something that had made her want to scream and run away – but she stayed and took his hand into hers, trying her best to be strong for him. She couldn’t remember if his hand had ever been as cold before, and thus she had taken it as a bad sign.

The environment hadn’t exactly contributed to calming her down either. All the sterile white, the machines and the staff running around shouting things she didn’t understand…

This beeping thing at Roxas’ bedside was the worst. It had wires attached to his chest and Xion couldn’t shake the feeling that it was doing something to his likely already damaged heart. Roxas seemed to think the same as he had ripped the wires off after the staff had finally left them alone – only for the machine to make a long, loud, agonizing beep and the doctors rushing into the room again, assuming his heart had stopped beating. It had been a mess.

After that, a kind nurse had explained to them that it was a heart monitor, that the noises were supposed to represent Roxas’s heartbeat and that it would alert the staff in case his condition worsened – but Xion got the feeling that Roxas still didn’t like the fact that he was hooked up to this thing.

She didn’t like it either. Even though it was just for monitoring purposes, knowing all of this had made it even more agonizing. For hours, the beeping had been more or less irregular. Sometimes Xion thought it was finally over, only for Roxas’s heart to skip another beat and go back to beating irregularly. And once the noises – or more like his heart rate – finally became permanently predictable, he had been asleep and the clock displayed a time way past midnight.

Fortunately, nothing like that had happened to him ever since, despite the fact that Roxas kept pushing his limits. He was determined to find Sora and, Kairi and Riku excluded, he was probably the best bet when it came to finding any clues – and he knew it.

“I wish I could do that,” he whispered. “Just… Move on, you know? Finally have a normal life.” He let out a heavy sigh. “But I don’t want to…”

He didn’t finish his sentence and Xion was reminded of her thoughts from earlier, when she had held her hands against the light of the ever-setting sun to see if they weren’t fading away. She wondered if he had thought about this as well.

Roxas shook his head a little. “I have to keep going. It… It just feels like a part of me has been ripped away,” His voice sounded a bit weary – the exhaustion was coming through. “Besides, there is something I want to ask Sora.”

An answer he might never get, Xion thought. “What is it?”

“I just don’t understand how he could stay so calm,” Roxas mumbled. “Kairi said he knew it was coming. I just… I don’t understand…”

“I do.”

She thought back to her own disappearance – Xion didn’t like to call it death, even though that was technically what had transpired on that fateful day. It had been here, on the clock tower, just a few feet away from where they were sitting right now. Thinking about it, it wasn’t too dissimilar to what happened to Sora.

Back then, she had sacrificed herself so he could live… Just like Sora had sacrificed himself so Kairi could live. Probably the only significant difference was that Sora and Kairi had actually shared a personal bond when this happened, while Xion and Sora… The only thing she had shared with him was what had been rightfully his.

Taking this into account, sacrificing herself for Sora had felt like the right thing to do. Xion didn’t regret it – especially because in the end, she had been given this second chance at life, which she was beyond grateful for. But there was another reason why she didn’t.

“His favorite person was with him until the end,” she explained whispering. “Trust me, when you know you’re not going to last much longer, then having someone special with you when it happens… It makes you happy, you know?”

Roxas blushed a little hearing that, and a warm, pleasantly tingling feeling spread out inside Xion’s belly. It was rare that he did, but she liked the sight of his cheeks flushing in that rosy color.

It was only for a short moment before his expression turned back to a more solemn one. “Maybe,” he said quietly. “I don’t know.” After all, he had been alone when he had abandoned his existence so Sora could wake up from his year-long sleep.

… She had never realized that before.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“You were all alone.” She couldn’t manage to say more – it would only tear old wounds open again.

A lump formed in Xion’s throat when she remembered the way Roxas had cradled her during her last minutes. Despite having found out who she really was and what her only intended purpose had been, despite having fought Roxas only minutes prior, despite him not remembering who she was – it didn’t feel bad back then. Knowing that he was going to be the last thing she saw had somewhat eased everything else.

Thinking about how Roxas didn’t have that… He had never revealed the details surrounding his own “death”, but Xion knew enough for her eyes to become watery and her heart hurt thinking about that – like it wanted to cry for him.

“Oh.” Roxas lowered his head. “Yeah…”

Xion decided that it was best to not discuss that topic any further, especially due to that growing, tight feeling in her stomach. It made her so uncomfortable, nervous even… She wanted to run, despite knowing that it wouldn’t help. She couldn’t run from fading after all…

… Maybe the ice cream could do something about it? It had always worked during their Organization days, right?

She wordlessly handed Roxas’ creamsicle back to him and continued to eat her own, trying to suppress this unpleasant feeling.

… The ice cream was sweet. And salty. As usual. And the cold left a somewhat… Tingling feeling on her tongue. Combined with the taste of course. When she closed her eyes, she could almost feel the rays of sunshine on her face. Everything was fine…

“I think I would still have gone on a rampage, even if you were with me… When I faded away.”

Xion dropped her ice cream when he spoke up again. So… He did want to talk about it? A cold shiver ran down her spine thinking about it – not because of him. She trusted Roxas, and she knew she could talk to him about anything. But the thought of talking about this… And maybe getting the answer that the clenching feeling in her stomach was right about what was to come… The thought of hearing it from him…

Xion wanted to scream, but she didn’t. Instead, she raised her voice again. It shook a little. “Well, I think we both know you would have gone nuts…”

“It’s just not fair,” Roxas said as his free hand curled into a fist. His expression had grown a lot darker, and Xion wondered what he was thinking about – Sora’s disappearance or his own. “None of this is fair…”

And he was right about that.

It wasn’t fair that someone as good and kind-hearted Sora had paid for saving them and countless others with his own existence. It wasn’t fair that they spent their days in countless futile attempts to find any clues on his whereabouts despite all of their efforts. It wasn’t fair that the life they had fought for still wasn’t theirs in a way. And most of all, it wasn’t fair that all of this had been for nothing if they were just going to fade away again anyways…

Maybe the Organization and all of those other people had been right after all. Maybe it didn’t matter how hard they tried because Nobodies could never be Somebodies, never live more than a lie after all…

A tear rolled down her cheek.

“Xixi?” Roxas’s voice softened as used her nickname that he only called her by when they were completely alone. Knowing that she might not get to hear it for much longer made more tears streak down her cheeks.

“I don’t want to fade away again, Roxas,” she blurted out sobbing. “I just want to live!” There was so much she still wanted to do, so many unfulfilled dreams… “I just want you to live…” Her voice, already high and squeaky, finally broke.

“Xion, why do you…”

“When you were admitted to the hospital, I felt horrible inside!”, she sobbed loudly, almost yelling even. “Roxas, I was so scared…”

She stopped talking abruptly. Was that what this clenching, almost hurting feeling was? Being scared? Fear?

Before she could think much more about it, she felt the warmth of Roxas’ hand on her own.

“But I’m still here…”

“How do I know you will still be here tomorrow?”, Xion sobbed. “How do I know I’ll still be here tomorrow?”

“Because I don’t intend to go anywhere.”

Roxas’ voice was so warm and calm… So comforting that a new feeling sprouted in Xion’s heart, one that wrapped around her like a warm blanket and somewhat soothed the pressing ache that was her fear. Funny how she could have two seemingly opposing emotions at the same time – was having a heart this complicated for everyone? It could be so difficult to feel…

“Do you want to talk about it?”, Roxas asked.

Yes… No. She didn’t know.

“It might help.”

Maybe. But then again, he had enough to worry about at the moment. If he hadn’t already had the same thoughts as she had, then she didn’t want to put them into his mind by telling him… Even though Xion knew he wouldn’t offer it if he didn’t feel like he could take it.

On the other hand… She had already let some of it slip earlier. Still, she didn’t want to scare him as well. Maybe it was better to talk about something else. Something she knew made both of them feel bad.

“It’s just…” So much for that plan. How was she going to say this without diving into the subject of being scared of dying again “We haven’t found a single clue yet…”

“I know,” Roxas murmured. “That’s why I have to keep trying.”

“You mean we have to keep trying,” Xion corrected him.

Roxas shook his head in response. “Xion, you don’t have to continue if you can’t,” he declared. “If you need a break, then take it…”

She knew he didn’t mean to do that, but this answer sent her over the edge again. More tears ran down her cheek. “But breaks only mean losing more time…” Time they might be running out of. She sighed. “Sometimes I wonder whether we should just give up and enjoy the time we have left as while we can, you know? It’s what Sora would want.”

It’s what he did himself, Xion added in her thoughts. Ironic how he hadn’t given up on two people that were supposed to not exist anymore, but had been quick to accept his own fate (as long as it meant that the people he cared about were safe).

And here she was, suggesting to give up on him, the person who had not given up on them, so they could live their best life. And her reasoning for it? Something he had supposedly wanted… She was so selfish.

Xion wanted to choke. “I’m a horrible person,” she said instead. “After all he has done for us…”

“Please don’t compare yourself to Sora,” Roxas interrupted her swiftly. “He is far too selfless for his own – or quite frankly anybody’s – good. Just look at what it’s done to all of us.” He sounded angry once again now. “When he returns, I’m going to punch him for all of this, I swear! Especially for making you feel bad about yourself!”

And afterwards, he would likely pull Sora into a fierce hug. Xion knew Roxas well enough to know that he couldn’t stay mad at him for…

Before she could finish her line of thought, she felt Roxas wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

Xion felt a blush creeping into her cheeks and suddenly there were butterflies in her stomach. Not actual butterflies of course – more like what she imagined actual butterflies would feel like if they were living in her stomach. That was the best way she could describe the tingling sensation.

It was part of a strong emotion, but not unpleasant at all – in fact, Xion liked it. She always got it when they were close like this, although she hadn’t quite figured out what exactly it meant yet.

She hugged him back. Maybe that could squeeze out a bit more of that feeling… He rested his head on hers when she did so, adding to their closeness.

Xion liked their hugs a lot too. They were tight, but in a way that made her feel secure, not trapped. The warmth of Roxas’s body reminded her that they were still here, together and alive – which was so much more than she could ever have dreamed of.

The tears stopped running soon, and her breathing evened out – the butterflies still fluttered though.

It was only after a while that Roxas spoke up again, not letting go of her as he did so. “Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

Roxas pulled away from the hug. He looked pretty serious. “It’s about what you said earlier,” he warned her. “If you don’t want to be asked about that, then I won’t ask.”

To Xion’s surprise, while the feeling in her stomach from before returned as he mentioned it, it didn’t return with the same intensity as before. If it didn’t get any stronger… There was nothing to lose, right?

“It’s fine, go ahead.”

He still hesitated a bit, Xion could tell, but somehow, that made her heart jump a little bit.

“What makes you think we’re going to die again?”

Blunt as always – even when he was trying to be considerate. Had she not been scared, she would probably be amused by it. In any way, it made responding a little bit easier. “I just thought,” Xion whispered, “we owe our existence to Sora. But now that he doesn’t exist anymore…”

Her voice had gotten even quieter in towards the end, and she didn’t manage to finish the sentence. She just… She couldn’t say those words.

Roxas didn’t respond verbally. Instead, he took her hand and laced their fingers together.

Xion sighed. She just wished that he would say something to keep her thoughts from spiraling into that direction again…

“I actually had the same thought a while ago.”

Oh no. That… That wasn’t a response Xion had wanted to hear. Well, at least she didn’t give him that thought in the first place. That was a small relief. Still… Could that mean that it was true?

She swallowed. “When?”

“At the hospital.”

Right… His panic after Ven’s question. That was what started it all.

Roxas was looking at his hands now – with a guilty expression. “I’m sorry for telling you back then… I didn’t mean to scare you like I obviously did.”

Xion shook her head. “Don’t be sorry, Roxas.” She squeezed his hand a little tighter. “It’s not like it was your fault. This entire experience was pretty scary to be honest. For everyone involved.” But it was over. She sighed – somewhat in relief. “You’re okay now, aren’t you?” She had to make sure.

Roxas grinned. “Aside from the headaches, I’d say I am.”

For the first time since her outburst, Xion managed to crack a tiny smile. Only for a small moment though. “You think you… We will be okay?”

“I think we will. It just doesn’t feel like the end of our story and quite frankly, it doesn’t make any sense… Besides, the last time I thought it was going to end it didn’t.” He wasn’t wrong with that. “But the truth is… I don’t really know for sure. And no matter how much I try to reassure myself that it won’t happen… I’m still scared it will.”

It was such an honest answer – and truthfully, Xion shared his feelings about the entire situation. Thinking about it, it made no sense why either of them should fade away again. And yet… Logic and emotion were two different pairs of shoes.

This was probably the scariest thing about the entire situation: they could make assumptions and draw logical conclusions all they wanted – they would never know for sure what was about to come. It was supposed to be the exciting thing about the adventure that was life, Xion supposed, but in this instance, it scared her, even more than the thought of fading again, and almost as much as the thought of losing Roxas did.

“Hey Xion?”

“Hm?”

He squeezed her hand a little tighter. “Whatever happens… I promise, I’ll be here until the end.”

I promise I’ll be here until the end

[imagine-organization-xiii]

okay so hear me out: songs or lullabies that the org members or their s/o's would sing to their children :D

adhajkshfkafhkajs anon you are a genius, i love it

Xemnas - Brahm’s Lullaby - Jewel

“Lullaby and goodnight - in the sky, stars are bright. May the moon’s silvery beams bring you sweet dreams. Close your eyes now and rest, may these hours be blessed til the skies bright with dawn, when you wake with a yawn.“

Xigbar - Lullabye - Billy Joel

“Remember all the songs you sang to me when we went sailing on an emerald bay… and like a boat out on the ocean, I’m rocking you to sleep. The water’s dark and deep inside this ancient heart, you’ll always be a part of me.“

Xaldin - The Parting Glass - Ed Sheeran

“Of all the money that e’er I had, I spent it in good company. And of all the harm that e’er I’ve done, alas it was to none but me. And all I’ve done for want of wit, to memory now I can’t recall. So fill to me the parting glass, goodnight and joy be with you all.“

Vexen - Serenade of Water - Ocarina of Time (No Lyrics)

Lexaeus - Desert Lullaby - Chris Stuart

“Dream little baby, dream of a valley green - far over mountains by the sea. Dream little baby, one day no more you’ll roam, then you’ll awake and find a home.“

Zexion - Iris (Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box) - Lizz Robinett

“When I think of the memories we shared long ago, there’s a part deep within me that wants you to know: though I left without warning - without a goodbye - I have faith that soon someday you’ll be by my side.“

Saix - You’ll be In My Heart - Celtic Woman

“Come stop your crying, it’ll be alright, just take my hand, hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you - I will be here, don’t you cry.“

Axel - Song of the Sea (Lullaby)

“Oh, won’t you come with me where the moon is made of gold, and in the morning sun, we’ll be sailing. Oh, won’t you come with me, where the ocean meets the sky, and as the clouds roll by we’ll sing the song of the sea.“

Demyx - Everything’s Alright (To the Moon) - Lizz Robinett

“When this world is no more, the moon is all we’ll see. I’ll ask you to fly away with me…. until the stars all fall down, they empty from the sky, but I don’t mind - if you’re with me, then everything’s alright.“

Luxord - Lullaby from a Secret Garden - Sleepsong

“Lay down your head and I’ll sing you a lullaby - back to the years of loo lee la lay. And I’ll sing you to sleep and i’ll sing you to morrow, bless you with love for the road that you go.“

Marluxia - Nocturne - Secret Garden

“Now let the day just slip away so the dark night may watch over you. Velvet blue, silent true, it embraces your heart and your soul.“

Larxene - The Rainbow Connection  (The Muppet Movie) - Gwen Stefani

“Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what’s on the other side? Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide.  So we’ve been told and some choose to believe it. I know they’re wrong, wait and see. Someday we’ll find it - the rainbow connection - the lovers, the dreamers, and me.“

Roxas - A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes - Ilene Woods

“A dream is a wish your heart makes when you’re fast asleep. In dreams you will lose your heartache’s, whatever you wish for, you keep. Have faith in your dreams and someday your rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.“

Xion - Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Judy Garland

“Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high, there’s a land that I’ve heard of once in a lullaby. Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.“

[khtrashplatinumstars]

Ch. 6 ☆*~~~*☆

Location: Castle that Never Was

There was something about the Organization that deeply confused Olix, she couldn’t exactly place her finger on it. Yet the more time she spent existing with them the more the feeling nagged and lingered around her. Most of the members she didn’t feel so strongly or indifferent towards, but at the same time she felt drawn to them.

Such as Marulixa and Larxenze, she knew they were plotting against Xemnas, their actions never seeming pure to the man but she never acted on it. It wasn’t her right to provide that information and she was never requested to give it so she kept silent about it.

She preferred to stay clear of Xigbar and Luxord, something about the men made images of a sun being overshadowed by a moon, an eclipse of darkness taking over something so wonderful and bright. Such as a night sky void of stars.

Vexen, Zexion, Luxord, and Xaladin all seemed to be living lives that were just repeats, ghosts stuck in motions from long ago. Despite a passion being there, there was no emotion, no feeling, no heart behind it.

She enjoyed Demyx’s carefree attitude but she knew that he was hiding something. Something she did not care to go after.

There was also Saix, she seemed drawn to him for some reason other than constantly being forced at Xemnas’s side and often within his company. The duo often spent quite some time together, she always felt the lingering gaze of the man that did not trust her, that was wary of her. It was the same gaze he often gave Xion and Roxas. One of longing to be with them, or perhaps be them.

Xion and Roxas were two of the only being she did not become wary of, they were sweet, reminding her of a person she knew long ago, or maybe it was a dream of someone she knew. She wished to get close to them but Axel often made it difficult. She didn’t feel the same gaze that Saix gave her when she was with Xemnas, but it was cautious as if he were worried about the two younger ones.

She was never allowed to get close to them either way, as Xemnas often kept her away from them, she never understood why. Yet then again Xemnas was one of the strangest, he treated her very fragile, often times she would see a linger in his eye for something she couldn’t see, perhaps a memory that also did not belong to him.

A few times he seemed to have slipped when calling for her, a woman’s name that made Olix freeze in her steps, only to realize that it was not her own, but she couldn’t help but respond to it. 

“Olix.” 

The rough familiar voice of Saix called to her as she had just returned from a recon mission with Demyx. “Yes?”

“Xemnas wishes to see you.” The golden eyes glared to her, it often sent the others in fear, but she saw the sadness behind them too many times to be frightened. “Now.”

“Yes, of course. I can have my paperwork finished afterward.” She didn’t care to get on Saix’s bad side often, even though their first interaction she was able to stop him with no troubles.

“Number 8 will follow up,” Saix stated, getting a groan from Demyx. “Go now.”

Olix gave Demyx an apologetic gaze before whisking herself away, as she moved through the empty halls she just barely managed to faze her way through Xigbar hanging from the ceiling. “Pardon me.”

“Oh where are you into a rush to?” Xigbar chuckled, getting over the fact that she had moved through him, a sensation no one got comfortable with when she did it.

“Xemnas has requested me.”

“Oh the big boss, he sure does like you.” Xigbar stated.

“How so?” Olix inquired, normally not one to get into a conversation with Xigbar as he often made her uncomfortable for some reason.

“One on one time. It’s so sweet that he treats you better.” Xigbar chuckled, his single eye staring down to her from the ceiling. Only for the man to jump down and proceed the way she had just came. “Well, I took up too much of your time already and you don’t want to keep the boss. Have fun on your date.”

Olix didn’t even wait for him to walk away as she turned moving to where Xemnas was waiting. Xigbar constantly made her skin crawl, but for some reason that scar to his cheek made a smile come to her face all too often.

“You wish to see me?” Olix inquired stepping into the room where Xemnas was waiting. seeing him staring up toward the dark sky.

“Yes,” Xemnas called turning towards her, noting the way she was looking towards him, trying to find something there. “You mission how did it go?”

Olix blinked, he would get the report from Saix. That is if Demyx actually did his job for once. “We had no troubles.”

“Did you meet the Keyblade Wielder?”

“Keyblade Wielder?” Olix questioned, only to see a flash before her eyes. “Yes, he seems to the one creating Kingdom Hearts for you.”

“Yes, did you run into any other Wielders?” He asked stepping towards her, noting that those violet eyes were staring into his own deeply, she was trying to find something that he had buried a long time ago.

“None other.” Olix stated, only to turn as she noticed that he had opened a portal.

“There is something I wish to show you,”  Xemnas stated, moving through the portal, knowing that Olix would follow him no problem.

As Olix stepped from the portal the woman glanced around, where ever Xemnas has taken her was underground as there were no windows to see through, nor any light within the room not cast from the lights above despite a few seeming to flicker.

“Are you familiar with where we are?” Xemnas called, as Olix turned to him.

“I can not say that I am,” Olix replied, her eyes drifting from him only to widen at the item behind her.

A mash of blues and silver, upon closer look she realized that it was armor, and a keyblade. One that looked so familiar but she knew that the only ones she had seen were the ones that Roxas and Xion could produce and this Keyblade looked nothing like theirs. The ones they produced were defaults, ones yet to mature, this Keyblade had grown with someone, it belongs to someone.

“Who is this?” Olix asked before realizing that she had said anything or that she had even approached the armor. A shaky hand went out to touch the Keyblade only to suddenly find herself overcome with fear as she pulled back afraid of the outcome. 

When she realized that Xemnas hadn’t respond, she turned only to gasp as she narrowly avoid a red light. Lifting her hands as she summoned her weapon, a glass orb managing to deflect the second swing, and getting distance only to stumble over the armor, a flash of something across her vision causing her to react to slow to Xemnas’s hand which found its way around her neck.

“Do you not recall your old friend?” Xemnas inquired, as Olix reached up to lessen the hold on her neck. Xemnas didn’t squeeze but he held her firm in place.

Olix stared in confusion, this all felt familiar. As if it happened before, but not to herself.

“I will ask you this one Olix,” Xemnas hissed. “Where is the Luminary, Lio?”

Olix blinked, that was the name he called out to in a voice that wasn’t his own, but why did he want to know. She had no idea who or what a Luminary was. Nor what connection it had to this armor. She had no idea what it had to do with her, but Xemnas believed that she had some type of connection.

Xemnas glared at the woman, he kept her close at the request of the others. He has been waiting for her to make the mistake of slipping up and revealing where Lio was. Of becoming so comfortable with Roxas or Xion that she would be able to display a way of getting Kingdom Hearts sooner, where others had failed. To provide some missing part.

Yet the woman before him, despite having similarities to the Luminary that had gone missing, was just a blank canvas. Still, that tug he hadn’t felt since his last interaction with the Keyblade Wielders protector suddenly sparked again once Olix appeared. Was he wrong in thinking that this woman before him was the Luminary’s Nobody?

Frustrated he released the woman, watching her collapse to the ground her hand brushed against the helmet of the armor, only for tears to spring to her eyes. 

He watched as Olix slowly reached out, taking the helmet within her hands, as she rose it to look into the vision. Recognizing something that he himself could not see, as she closed her eyes resting her forehead against the forehead of the armor with a soft sob of,

“She’s one.”

Xemnas went to question her again only to find Olix had fainted when the helmet fell from her hand to rest in her lap. Even now she protected them.

[echoequinox]

Xion Appreciation Week - Day 7

I’m writing a fic a day for #XionAppreciationWeek, in honor of my favorite and the best Kingdom Hearts character! :’)

I’ll be posting them both here and on AO3. You can find the AO3 fic here, titled “Affection”.

The rest, I’ll put links up as I post new chapters!

Day 1: Remembrance Day 2: Return Day 3: Separation/Reunion Day 4: Light/Darkness Day 5: Ice Cream/Seashell Day 6: New Beginnings >Day 7: No. XIV (Free Day)

She blinked awake. This was… familiar. Why was this so familiar?

She gasped, bolting up right, looking down at the sand below her. She wasn’t in her cloak, this time, just normal jean shorts and a t-shirt. In her peripherals she could see her bright purple hair. This was now, not then. But it still wasn’t real. Still a dream.

She stood, shaky, and looked around, frowning. Last time she’d been here, she wasn’t alone. Instead there was-

Sora snored loudly and she relaxed, smiling and strolling over to him, choosing instead to sit beside him while he slept, rather than waiting to wake him with a surprise. She sat with her knees against her chest and tentatively reached out, touching his wrist with two fingers. She wasn’t fading, which was a good sign. It meant she probably wasn’t dead. After a moment he yawned and she recoiled, watching as he stretched, finally opening his eyes and yelping, jumping at the sight of her.

“Good morning,” she smiled.

“X-Xion?” he blinked. “Your hair-!”

“Is- does it look dumb?” she blushed and he laughed.

“No, it’s just so purple!” She snorted and nodded.

“Yeah it does that when you dye it.” He sat up, reaching forward and playing with the edges and she felt her face go hot. “Um, do you know where we are?”

“We’re at the islands, aren’t we?” he smiled, then it faltered. “Or… no, that’s not right.” His brow furrowed and she cocked her head.

“Sora?”

“I went to save Kairi,” he muttered. “But… things went… wrong.” He looked up, panicked. “Kairi! Is she-?”

“She’s fine, Sora,” she replied, taking his hands in hers. “She’s okay. She’s been living on the island, going back to school.” He slowly relaxed, smiling broadly.

“Really?”

“Yeah. She said someone called ‘Selphie’ teases her, and she’s worried about a school dance coming up.”

“Oh, man, the Sadie Hawkins,” he laughed, lying back against the sand, staring up at the sky. She swallowed hard before scooting close, nestling up against him and doing the same, watching the clouds. “I wish I was back there. Do you think she’d ask me to go with her?”

“Is that even a question?” she laughed and he grinned.

“Guess not.”

“We hung out, a few times. She brought me seashells from the island, it was really sweet.”

“She did?”

“Mhmm, all sorts. Really pretty ones, and conch shells, and thalassa shells-”

“Wait, she brought you thalassa shells?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Oh, no reason,” he laughed and she frowned. “How’s everyone else? How’s Riku, and Donald and Goofy?”

“Donald and Goofy went home,” she explained. “Riku is out looking for you, right now.”

“Oh,” he frowned. “Where are we?”

“I’m not sure,” she shrugged. “In a dream, I think. That’s the only way I could be here.”

“A dream…” he sighed. “I hope he finds me.”

“I hope he does too,” she smiled, flipping toward him, her head on his arm, her arm across his chest, closing her eyes. “Is… this okay?”

“Yeah, of course,” he chuckled. They were silent for a while, Xion feeling his breathing, the warmth of the sun, listening to the gentle lapping of waves. “Are you doing okay?”

“I’m fine,” she hummed. “Why?”

“Just like, in general. You have the cool new purple hair, which is neat. What about everything else?”

“I dunno,” she sighed. “I think Roxas wants to date. But he and Axel and I are still going strong, which is nice. I’m better friends with Naminé and Kairi now. I was starting to get to be better friends with Riku before he left. Oh, I’m gardening now.”

“Oh yeah?” he smiled. “How’s that?”

“It’s fun,” she laughed. “It’s a really pretty and fun hobby.” He nodded, silence for a bit, before:

“Do you want to date Roxas?” She frowned.

“I don’t know. He’s really sweet, you know? And he cares about me. I don’t know if I want to date him though.”

“Got your eye on someone else?” he chuckled.

“You- uh, y-you know,” she blushed. “Just… I dunno. I don’t know if I’m… compatible with anyone? I dunno if they like… get… me enough.”

“What do you mean?” She groaned, burying her face in his shoulder, half in frustration and half to hide her blushing.

“Just, everyone says they GET it, like what I’ve been through, and how hard it’s been, and like going through the Organization and stuff, and like maybe ROXAS does and Axel kinda but like… I DIED and then I had to join up with Xehanort and-” She groaned loud, squeezing her eyes shut. “I dunno, Sora. It’s just frustrating.”

“I know,” he said softly, and she felt his hands threading comfortingly through her hair. “I’m sorry.” She sighed, pausing. He did know. He’d almost gotten taken by Xehanort, he died for Kairi. He understood more than most others would. She clung tighter to him, blushing a bit brighter. This was… a frustrating development, for many reasons.

“Um, Sora?” she said softly, pulling away.

“Yeah, Xion?”

“I, uh-” She gasped, pulling away as her vision started to blur.

“Xion? Hey, Xion?” Sora asked, patting her face as things started to fade.

“I think I’m waking up,” she mumbled and he frowned.

“Oh.” She rubbed her eyes, trying to stay in the dream, looking down the island and seeing someone running toward them, a white vest and light jeans.

“Look at that,” she laughed and Sora gasped. “He did find you.”

“Hey, Xion?” she looked back to him, blurry through her waking vision, but she could still make out his broad grin. “When I wake up, maybe we can talk more. About like… I dunno, how I… get you.” She went red and laughed, lying back against the sand as the black started spotting her vision, pulling her from the dream.

“I’d like that, Sora,” she smiled. “I’d like that a lot.”