Destiny Islands.
This tiny place was just one of the countless worlds that existed among the stars. It was quiet and unassuming, and at first glance, there appeared to be nothing special about it. However, it held a special quality that let it outshine all other worlds.
It was his home.
Home is where the heart is. No matter how far you travel, or how much time passes, your home will remain forever special to you.
Roxas was beginning to see that. Here, in the deepest recesses of Sora's heart, an exact replica of the islands existed. Having lived here for over a year now, the young Nobody could feel just how special this place was.
Roxas sat on a bent tree and watched the sun set as the gentle sea breeze caressed his face. It was his favorite time of day. When the sky was painted rich hues of red, yellow, and orange like this, he'd remember a world locked in perpetual sunset. Along with it came all sorts of other memories, both happy and sad.
Whenever a particularly painful memory would surface, Roxas would experience a sensation of being wrapped in warmth, like someone was giving him a comforting hug. Then, the pain would be a little less intense; a little more bearable.
It was just like Sora to try to help everyone, even subconsciously. Even when Roxas gave up his body in order to let Sora awaken after his yearlong sleep, Sora allowed the Nobody's soul to live on within him.
Roxas knew that when he remerged with his other half, he should have completely faded away. He was a Nobody, after all―never meant to exist. Oddly enough, though, he maintained a consciousness of his own. When he first discovered this shortly after Sora's reawakening, he refused the call of Sora's heart and stubbornly remained on its surface: a Station of Awakening.
It was admittedly selfish of him, but Roxas had been terrified that if he fully merged with Sora's heart, he would lose the last bit of existence he clung to. He wanted to be himself, not Sora.
However, no matter how much he wished otherwise, he was a part of Sora, and Sora was a part of him. Their souls were inexorably connected. As such, Roxas was always faintly aware of what was happening in the outside world. He could feel what Sora felt, and he even occasionally saw through his other half's eyes.
The reverse was also true, to an extent. When Roxas' emotions and memories were strong enough, Sora would feel them, too, although the latter couldn't figure out why.
Axel's sacrifice in Betwixt and Between had been the final straw for Roxas. His best friend was gone because of his other half, and he had been powerless to do a thing about it. When Sora and his friends reached Memory's Skyscraper, Roxas' rage and pain enabled him to temporarily tear his soul free from Sora's body. He then attacked his other half, dragging him down with him to the surface of Sora's heart.
Roxas desperately wanted answers. Why was Sora chosen by the Keyblade? Why was everyone so willing to help Sora, to the point of giving up their lives for them? And did Sora really have what it took to defeat Xemnas?
When Sora defeated Roxas, the blond Nobody knew he had his answers. He had lied to an extent; Sora was more than just a good Other, he was the best Other he could have asked for. The boy's heart even allowed Axel's lingering consciousness to speak with Roxas one last time. As Sora returned to the outside world, Roxas finally listened to the call of Sora's heart and allowed himself to sink into its depths.
And it was here that he stayed ever since, only emerging when Sora entered his Final Form. Roxas let out a small chuckle as he remembered the first time that happened. Sora had been fighting Xigbar and had attempted to enter into his Master Form, hoping to match the Freeshooter's teleportation with the aerial agility Master Form gave him.
The instant Sora transformed, Roxas was violently and unexpectedly yanked to the surface. To his astonishment, he became one with Sora's body, just like Donald and Goofy did when Sora entered his other Drive Forms. It was exhilarating; he could feel enormous amounts of power pulsing through him, and he felt more alive than he ever did before.
Roxas was still reeling in shock when he reappeared in Sora's heart after the transformation ended. Sora's magic clothes could only absorb his friends. Even though Roxas had attacked Sora and his friends and wore the Organization's coat, Sora's heart still considered him to be a friend.
Roxas' connection with his Other became stronger than ever. He could now see through Sora's eyes simply by concentrating hard enough on that connection. He was also no longer spontaneously dragged into Final Form; rather, a gentle tugging sensation in Roxas' chest alerted him to whenever his other half needed his help.
It was wonderful, this feeling of being needed. Even when Roxas was part of Organization XIII, he wasn't needed, specifically; his Keyblade was. Roxas himself was disposable to them. When the Organization couldn't use him anymore, they simply got a replacement in Sora.
"Roxas!"
Roxas didn't even have to look at the person who interrupted his musings; he knew the young man's face and voice as well as his own. So the Nobody merely nodded, not turning away from the sunset. The sound of crunching sand filled his ears for a few moments, and then he felt the tree he sat on lower slightly.
Roxas turned his head slowly, only to meet a face exactly like his own. A boy that could've passed as his identical twin sat beside him.
"Hi, Ventus," Roxas greeted.
Even after all this time, he was still slightly unnerved to see someone identical in appearance to him. He remembered the first time he met Ventus. It was shortly after Sora and Riku defeated Xemnas and returned home. Roxas had been going about his usual business when a voice eerily similar to his own greeted him. When he saw the voice's owner, he was naturally alarmed. The stranger looked more like him than his own Somebody. Even their clothes were nearly identical.
Roxas' first instinct was to attack the intruder, who very well could be a threat to Sora, but he soon thought better of it. There was no malicious intent in the stranger's eyes or actions; he seemed to just be trying to be friendly. Roxas let himself relax, although his new companion's appearance still unsettled him.
The two boys introduced themselves, and over time, relayed their stories to each other. Ventus, or Ven as he preferred, had resided in Sora's heart for far longer than Roxas. Ven's heart had been shattered twice in a bid to start a new Keyblade War over a decade ago, but Sora saved him both times. Now, his body slept while his heart slowly recovered within Sora.
Ven's tale had left Roxas astonished. Even as a young child, Sora was extraordinary. It reminded him just how lucky he was to have Sora as an Other.
"You've been coming here a lot, lately," Ventus noted, bringing Roxas back to the present. "Is it because of her?"
"Yeah," Roxas replied after a moment.
When Sora had been tricked by Xehanort and his heart had been trapped in sleep, he saw visions of all sorts of people. Dream versions of Naminé, Roxas, Riku, Kairi, and Ven's friends Terra and Aqua appeared before him.
And then there was her.
Before Sora and Roxas' shared eyes, Naminé had transformed into another girl―one who wore the Organization's coat. As soon as she appeared, Roxas' throat constricted, and a stabbing pain lanced through his chest. Short, ebony hair framed her face, which was identical to Kairi's. The girl was a stranger to Roxas, and yet there was something hauntingly familiar about her.
Roxas could clearly remember her expression. She looked so sad―guilty, even.
The pain in Roxas' chest blossomed into thriving agony. He immediately recalled his consciousness, but he knew that some of his feelings would still be transferred to Sora.
The warmth of Sora's heart enveloped Roxas, easing some of the intense hurt, but tears still streamed down his cheeks. He was now certain he knew the mysterious girl, but he couldn't remember ever meeting her.
Since then, Roxas would occasionally catch a glimpse of the girl within Sora's heart. She was like a fleeting shadow or a ghost―there one instant, gone the next, but Roxas was certain she was real. Ventus had seen her once or twice, and Riku actually spoke to her when he dove into Sora's heart in order to awaken him. Her favorite place seemed to be the very tree Roxas and Ventus now sat on.
"I wouldn't worry," said Ven. "If anyone can help her, Sora can."
"Right," Roxas agreed. "Even Ansem thinks so."
Ansem the Wise. He too, had a place in Sora's heart. A digital copy of him resided in this peaceful place, along with his research. The only time Roxas saw him was when he appeared to speak with Riku.
Ansem once told Roxas to share his hatred with Sora. Ironically enough, when the two of them merged, the opposite happened. As much as Roxas wanted to hate Sora, he just couldn't. Even his hate towards Ansem seemed to have evaporated. Sora was a truly remarkable person.
The sound of footsteps caused Roxas and Ven to whirl around. Roxas' heart stopped. It was the black-haired girl.
"Roxas… And Ventus… Right?" she asked softly.
"Uh… Y-yeah…" Roxas stuttered, shocked at the fact that the girl had actually approached them.
"Can I join you?" she asked.
"Sure. Go ahead," Ven said cheerfully.
"Thank you," the girl mumbled. She quietly walked up to the tree and sat down so that Roxas was between her and Ventus. The trio was quiet for some time, with the waves and the gulls providing the only sounds.
"Hey, guys," Roxas said at last. "I bet you don't know why the sun sets red. See, light is made of lots of colors, and out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest."
"What's that about?" Ventus asked in a teasing manner. "You trying to show off or something?" The three of them burst into laughter.
"You know," the raven-haired girl said after everyone calmed down. "I didn't think I'd be able to do this again."
"Do what again?" asked Roxas.
"Just sitting here like this and laughing without a care in the world," she responded. "I used to do it all the time with my friends."
"What happened?" asked Ven. The girl lowered her head sadly.
"I had to…go away," she answered. "It was a decision that was best for everyone."
Roxas felt pain creep into his chest again. He had a bad feeling that he had something to do with the girl's fate.
"It's strange," the girl continued. "I thought I would disappear completely, but instead, I found myself here."
"That's just the way Sora is," Roxas explained. "He'd never abandon anyone." The girl laughed softly.
"Yeah, I guess so," she said. "But…"
"You miss your friends, don't you?" Ven cut in. The girl nodded in response. "I know how that feels. It's been twelve years since I last saw Terra and Aqua."
"That long?" the girl cried.
"Yeah," Ven replied. "It hasn't been easy…but Sora made it easier."
"Now you sound like Neku," Roxas laughed, remembering the antisocial boy Sora met in the Sleeping Worlds.
"It's true, though," said the girl. "Sora's impacted all of us."
"And everyone else he's met," Ven added.
"Yen Sid wasn't kidding when he said Sora is the key that connects everything," said Roxas. "And he's the key to ending our hurt."
"Right," agreed Ventus. "I'm sure we'll all see our friends again before long." The raven haired girl nodded, her mood having improved. Roxas turned his head towards her.
"I forgot to ask earlier…" he said. "What's your name?" The girl appeared surprised for a moment, and then smiled.
"Xion," she replied.
"Xion…" Roxas repeated thoughtfully. The name struck a chord with him, causing a warm, pleasant feeling to bubble up inside him.
He knew her, really knew her, possibly even more than he knew Axel. The memories were there, somewhere deep within Sora. Roxas vowed that one day he would remember everything about Xion, and he was certain his other half would help him in that regard.
"So, what now?" asked Xion.
"Now, we wait," answered Roxas. "As long as we believe in Sora, there's no way he can fail. That's the power of the heart."
"His friends are his power, and he's theirs," said Ventus.
"Even us," said Xion.
The last rays of the sun slipped below the horizon, filling the sky with stars. The three young people looked up at the countless shining lights. Roxas was reminded of the letter Kairi sent to Sora.
"There are many worlds, but they share the same sky. One sky, one destiny."
Our destinies are in your hands, Sora, Roxas thought.
LunaClefairy: Wow. I cannot believe I just wrote this. This idea came to me when I was tossing and turning in bed at 12:30 in the morning, unable to sleep because it was so hot and humid in my dorm room. Originally, it just included Roxas' thoughts on the scene where Xion appears to Sora in DDD, but it grew into this.
I don't really like the ending. It's kinda…meh. But I hope everyone enjoyed this!