"Who are you…again…?"

I held my head in my hands. Nothing made sense. Who was I? How did I end up here, and why had I fallen? Maybe…maybe…someone had pushed me off the clock tower…? The only one around, though, was this…oddly familiar black-haired girl.

I staggered towards her, my vision fading in and out. "It's weird…I feel like I'm forgetting something…really important." I said, approaching her. She was on her knees, weakly wobbling back and forth. Everything about her seemed so familiar but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Her image was fuzzy, and I felt like I was blacking out.

Then, she spoke. For someone so sickly looking, she appeared to be…at peace.

"…You'll be…better off now…Roxas."

And then it hit me. I was Roxas.

My eyes widened slightly as I remembered who I was, and that this was Twilight Town, and that I come here nearly every day.

The girl in front of me lost her breath and began to fall over. Before I could think, I reached out and caught her head in my arm. Her body sunk to the ground and I held her up, but only as a…sort of courteous gesture. I may have not known who this girl was but something about her appealed to me enough to catch her. I stared at her limp body for a moment before a small sparkle caught the corner of my eye. And then another. And another. I turned my head to see several shining shards, almost like crystal, glistening in the sun, lifting off of the girl's body and rising, fading into the air above us. Holding this girl made me feel as though I had just broken a mirror.

I turned my attention back to her, squinting in confusion. "Am I the one who…did this to you…?" I asked, taking in her condition and putting two and two together.

"No," she answered right away, somewhat startling me. Her expression seemed pained, as if talking was hurting her. "It was my choice…" she continued, "…to go away now."

I didn't understand that one bit, so I let her continue.

"Better that, than to do nothing…and let Xemnas have his way."

Xemnas? Oh, the…guy I work for? The lead of the Organization, that Xemnas? How could she know Xemnas?

"I belong with Sora, and now…I am going back… to be with him…" she went on, her voice fading ever so slightly in between words. I watched as she slowly brought her small hand up to her shoulder to meet mine, where I was holding onto her. She spoke my name again. Every time she said it, I felt as though I was coming close to realizing who she was and how she knew me. "Roxas…I need you…to do me a favor."

Favor…?

"All those hearts that I've captured…Kingdom Hearts…set them free." She winced in pain as she drew out her words.

Wait a second. "Kingdom…Hearts…free them?" I asked myself, quietly. Why would I do that? All those missions I've been on…all the Heartless I had fought…why would I…set them free?

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of crackling. I looked down to the source, the girl's feet. I was shocked to see them beginning to crystallize. I reached out to them, as if there was something I could possibly do for her. Who was she, and how had this happened to her?

"It's too late…for me to undo my mistakes," she continued. I couldn't believe she was still talking through the pain. My gaze turned back to her. I could practically feel the hurt in my eyes as I stared at the small girl, dying in my arms. She looked up to me. Her expression was pained and yet ever so calm. "But…you can't let Xemnas have Kingdom Hearts. You can't."

I felt horrible for not understanding why she was requesting all this from me.

My eyes wandered back down to her body, the crystals rearing closer to her midsection. Her voice brought me to look at her as she said her farewell to me. To Roxas.

"Goodbye, Roxas…see you again. I'm glad I got to meet you. …oh, and of course…Axel, too." She let out a weak chuckle. "You're both my best friends."

Those last words made me cringe. I was her best friend, and yet…I didn't…understand…

I watched her as she brought her hand up to my face. The moment she laid it on my cheek, I felt somewhat comforted, and I leaned into it, feeling my expression soften. "Never forget…that's…the truth."

She lay silent for a moment and I furrowed my brows…something was coming…I…I knew…!

I gasped, feeling her cold, gloved hand move away from my face. I grabbed it as it was falling back to her. "No! Xion!" I cried, grasping her hand as if my life depended on it. "Who…Who else will I have ice cream with?" I asked her. I don't understand why those were the only words I could speak as I held my best friend in my arms in her final moments. Only this time, she didn't respond. A smile on her face, her eyes remained closed, and a small ringing pierced my ears. It was the sound of the crystals, finally making their way up to her torso. My mouth gaped as I was at loss for words. I couldn't let her go. Not just yet. Not like this. I wasn't prepared to…to just…let her leave me. I began to panic. I hoped that if I held onto her hand, maybe she wouldn't go. But I was wrong. The crystals overtook her head and the light shined into my eyes. I looked down at my hand, the one that was holding hers, and opened it; except I no longer held her hand, but instead…a tiny handful of gleaming crystals, which too rose to the sky upon release.

I looked up slowly, my eyes stinging, maybe from the light, or maybe…something else. I watched as the glistening shards faded into the sunset, as if…as if Xion had never existed. I watched until I felt a lump in my throat and my lower lip began to questionably quiver. I looked to where I had held her in my arms, only to find a small shell in her place. I reached out to barely touch it…but I stopped, as I felt as though something was about to burst out of me. I hunched over. The image of the shell on the ground grew blurry as I felt something wet and warm fall out of my eyes and stream down my cheeks. I didn't know what it was, or what was happening…what this feeling was at all. I didn't have a Heart. How could I feel? The only thing I knew for certain…all this pain…all this sadness…only she could make me feel this way.

"…Xion…" I whispered.