Kingdom Hearts: The Memories of You
A/N: Hello everyone! Happy Rokushi Day! (Yes I know I'm a tad late, sorry.) After a long hiatus, I'm back with this one-shot of one of my favorite pairings, Roxas and Xion from Kingdom Hearts! This is a retelling of the final scene between Roxas and Xion, just after the Xion boss battle. I am excited to show this to all of you, so let's get going!
"This is talking"
This is thinking
Roxas's POV
Day 357
"…Ugh." I wake up on the ground. My body is so sore, buy why? I just ran away from Organization XIII yesterday. Was I in a fight? As I stand up slowly, I recognize the base of the clocker tower in Twilight Town… Oh yeah, that's right. This is where I ran to, deciding to go to the usual spot so I could see the sunset… as if I could go anywhere else. But… wasn't I sitting up at the top? How did I get down here?
I look out to my right and see the sun was about to set, bath the land in a reddish orange light. Then I turn to my left and see a girl. She has blue eyes, short black hair, and is wearing the same black coat of the Organization. As soon as I lay my eyes on her, I feel my chest tighten. Is this… someone I know? If that's the case… why can't I remember… who she is? I try to think, but a jolt of pain courses through my head.
"Who are you… again?" I ask as I approach her slowly, placing a hand on my head, trying to numb the pain. "It's strange. It feel as though… I am forgetting something important." By the time I was standing in front of her, she had dropped to her knees. I could tell she was in pain, breathing heavily. Seeing her like this… it was painful.
"You'll be… better off now… Roxas." She said slowly. Then she started to fall over. Before she cold hit the ground, I catch her and turn her so I could see her face. Then I see small shards, almost like crystal, flowing upward into the sky. I turn and see that they were coming off of the girl.
"Am I… the one who did this to you?" I asked as I look into her eyes. For some reason… it pained me to even ask her that.
She shook her head. "No… it was my choice… to go away now." Relief rushed over me when she said no, like a set of weights had been lifted off of my chest. But… what did she mean by her choice?
"Better that, than to do nothing… an let Xemnas have his way." Xemnas was using her? I could feel the anger welling up inside of me. I left the Organization because Xemnas and Saix were using me, just because I could wield the Keyblade. Without it, they could not finish Kingdom Hearts.
Despite me wanting to ask her about that, I let her continue. "I belong with Sora. And now, I am going back… to be with him." I move my left hand and grab her shoulder, holding her firmly. I knew the name Sora, but I have never met him. So why am I… holding on this girl like this? Do I not want her to leave?
"Roxas." I refocus on the girl when she said my name. "I need you… to do me a favor. All those hearts that I've captured… Kingdom Hearts… Set them free."
This girl knew how to keep confusing me. "Kingdom Hearts… Free them?" How was I going to do something like that?
I notice something glimmering in the corner of me eye. I turn and gasp as crystals suddenly began to form on her feet. As they slowly grew up her lower legs, I held my hand out, as if I could have miraculously stopped the growth.
"It's too late… for me to undo my mistakes." I face her again, noticing a tear forming in her eyes. As soon as I see that tear, my chest starts to hurt even more. "But you can't let Xemnas… have Kingdom Hearts. You can't."
Then she smiled as she returned my gaze. "Goodbye Roxas. See you again. I'm glad… I got to meet you. Oh… and of course, Axel, too. You're both my best friends.
The tear started to get bigger as she, still smiling, placed her hand on my cheek. For some reason, it felt warm… as if my face was used to her doing this. "Never forget. That's the truth."
Suddenly, she disappears as a series of memories play in my head. The first came from the seventh day since I had joined the Organization… the seventh day since I came into being. Xemnas had called a meeting in the Round Room. All the main members of Organization XIII were there, all of us sitting in our appropriate thrones.
Once Axel and I had arrived, since we were the last to arrive, Xemnas began. "Good tidings, friends. Today is a momentous day. I am pleased to announce that a new comrade has been chosen to wear the coat."
A lone hooded figure, standing at the edge of the platform in the middle of the room, slowly made her way to the center. Or, at least, I thought she was a she based on the person's size and the style of coat she was wearing. When she stopped, she looked up slightly, allowing Xemnas to continue. "Number XIV."
I looked at her, remembering how strange it felt when I was introduced like this. She then looked up at me and smiled. I gasped a little. Not because she smiled at me, but rather how she smiled at me. When Xemnas looked at me a week ago, his smile seemed cold. However, her smile seemed… calm and peaceful. Though I would not know it until much later, her simple smile made me happy.
The scene then shifted to my twenty fifth day. I was working with the new girl, whom I now knew as Xion, and teaching her the ropes at Twilight Town. We were walking along the path to the clock tower when Xion stopped.
"Roxas." Confused and surprised that she would just call my name, I turned to see her pulling off her hood. Once she had finished, Xion smiled and said to me, "Best of luck today."
I was shocked. First, she had barely spoken to me since we started working together yesterday, so hearing her say that was astonishing. Second reason was her face. It was soft, and she had vibrant blue eyes and short black hair. Wow… She's beautiful.
After realizing I was just staring at her, I snapped out of it and finally said. "Yeah." I hoped Xion couldn't her the nervousness in my voice, but I turned away just to make sure. "Let's go." I started to walk away, grateful to hear her footsteps behind me. Though she couldn't see it, I smiled as I connected a few dots in my head. Xion… a pretty name for a pretty girl.
Then came a memory from my 96th day. Xion and I had been working together for over twenty consecutive days at that point. We did this, from an idea Axel had, to help Xion remember how to summon her then forgotten Keyblade. However, Saix was going to be splitting us up. Thanks to some prodding from Axel, this was her last chance. Not wanting to see my friend turned into a Dusk, I lent her my Keyblade for the mission at Beast's Castle.
We had just finished, Xion destroying the Heartless we had been sent to find. She then handed my Keyblade back. "Thanks Roxas. You can have this back."
I looked at her, both hopeful and concerned. "Do you remember anything?"
Xion shook her head as she frowned. "I don't know… but let me try again." She then slowly brought her right hand, her Keyblade hand, over her chest. She then slowly brought the same hand out to the side. Suddenly, like a natural occurance, Xion's Keyblade appeared.
As she looked at the Keyblade, confused as to how she had summoned it, I ran up to her and grabbed the hand she was holding it in. "You did it!"
Xion smiled widely and, with her other arm, wrapped me in a hug. "Roxas! It worked!"
I was surprised at what she was doing, but then I wrapped her up in a hug of my own. "I am so happy for you, Xion."
After hugging each other for a moment, we realized what were doing. We each other's blushing face as we jumped away, embarrassed by what we had done.
"I-I can't wait to tell Axel this. Let's go," I said quickly, trying to snap out of my embarrassment.
"Y-Yeah!" Xion quickly followed suit as she opened a portal to Twilight Town.
Once she had gone through, I followed after her, thinking to myself: That was… a nice hug.
Next came a scene from the 193th day. I learned earlier, on my 171st day, from Xaldin about love, a type of emotion. He didn't talk about it much without some form of disgust for it, so I asked Axel about it. He said it was above being friends, but he still confused ne. So, at the end of the day, I was headed back to my room, contemplating what I learned from them.
So love is an emotion… but it has a power to it as well? It's higher than being friends, but why won't tell me- My thoughts were interrupted as I bump into someone.
"Oh, I'm sorry- Xion?" I said as I looked at my friend with surprise.
She then looked up at me, smiling. "Roxas! I haven't seen you since we were on our mission! How are you doing?
"Good. Just a normal day, I guess. What about you? Are you feeling alright?" I asked, returning her smile with my own.
"It was mostly good. I'm glad I preformed as well as I did. Well… until the later part. I think I am still a little tired from the experience." Xion had been unconscious for three weeks and finally woke up today. Despite my concern, she went on a mission with Axel and me. Then… she had collapsed again.
"I was scared, so I'm glad that you are awake again. I'm still mad at what Saix said, though." He had continually referred to Xion as an "it" and "a puppet". The thought made me boil with anger.
Xion then put a comforting hand on my shoulder, calming me down. "Don't worry about it. Axel would probably light him on fire if he did it again." We both broke out in laughter, imagining Saix running around with a burning coat, screaming for help.
That's when I remembered what I was thinking about earlier. "Xion, do you know what love is?"
Xion sobered up when she heard me and looked down as if she was thinking. "That's an emotion, right? Why do you ask?" She said as she looked up at me again.
"I learned what it was from Xaldin. I tried to learn more from Axel, but I'm still clueless about it."
"I'm sorry, but that's all I know. I hope you can find the answer you're looking for! I'm going to go and get some sleep." Xion turned to her right and walked up the stairs. Halfway up, she spund around and said to me, "Goodnight, Roxas."
For the first time in my life, I was breathless… without being hit really hard that is. There was a window Xion stopped in front of that let the light in from Kingdom Hearts. Though the light was dim, it caused her face to fine and made her blue eyes even more vibrant then they usually do. After a moment of staring in awe and wonder at her, I said shakily, "G-Goodnight, Xion." Then I quickly walked down the hall to my room, praying that she didn't see my now blushing face.
After I changed, I fell onto my bed, reflecting on what had happened. What is this… feeling? Xion is my friend, so why am I acting like this? What is this warmth in my chest? Is this… what love is? Do I… love Xion? Then I fell asleep, dreaming happily of Xion.
The final memory came from the 352th day. The Organization had tired to set up Xion and me. We fought each other, believing the other was a Heartless, before Axel stopped us. After hanging out at the bell tower at Twilight Town and getting an explanation about what was going on, Xion, Axel, and I came back and went to our rooms, it was night, but I couldn't sleep.
I knew why. I have to talk to Xion. I got out of bed, threw on a white shirt and black gym shorts, and snuck out to Xion's room. Beofre I could knock on her door, she opened the door, causing both of us to gasp in surprise.
"Oh, Roxas. I was about to see if you were still awake," Xion said in a slightly hushed tone. She was wearing a simple grey nightgown, which made her eyes shine brightly.
I smiled. "Hello Xion, I need to talk you. May I come in?"
"Of course." She replied, smiling back at me. We walked into her room. I've been here a few times before, just to ask questions or to hang out some after missions. So I didn't surprise me that she did not change much about the room. It had a simple layout, with just a closet, a bathroom, a desk, and a bed. What did surprise me was seeing seashells next to her pillow on the bed.
"You still have those sitting there? I got you those seashells a long time ago." Unlike the rest of her room, which was bath in the same light grey tone, the shells stood out with bright colors such as blue, yellow, green, and light pink.
"Of course. They're a gift from one of my best friends. I couldn't just leave them in a drawer. Plus, the shells are pretty to look at." I smiled again as Xion plopped onto her bed. She patted the spot next to her, telling me to sit next to her. I started to move, though slowly as I felt a funny sensation rise in my chest and reach down my legs.
Come on legs move. I'm already here, so it's a little late to be getting nervous. I inwardly command as I finally make it to the bed and sit next to Xion. As soon as I stopped moving, that feeling in my chest grew more noticeable.
"So Roxas, what did you want to tell me?" The girl next to me asked with a smile… a peaceful and beautiful smile.
No, Roxas! Focus! Admire her late, but for now… "Do you remember… when I asked you about… l-love?
Xion perked up even more at this. "Oh yeah! I remember! You got me curious, so I started looking into it when I could. But I didn't find much about it, though. Did you find an answer?"
I nodded. "Y-Yeah, I think I did. I think love is… a feeling of wanting to be with someone. You want to see them more… you want to be around them… and you would do anything for them."
"Wow. That sounds amazing. How did you figure it out?"
I looked away, as if my feet had become the most interesting thing in the world, and blushed lightly. "W-Well…" Come on, Roxas! SAY IT ALREADY! "It was… because of… y-you."
Xion's eyes shot wide open in surprise as her face became flushed with red. "M-Me?"
Seeing her like that made me blush as much as her. She was so cute I couldn't help it! I turned away again. "Y-Yes. The first day I saw you, when you smiled at me, I felt… that there was something special about you."
"After the days and months passed, I kept learning more and more about you. At first, I wasn't sure why. But recently, I figured it out."
"I love the way you smile. I love the way your eyes shine. I love you personality. I feel strange if you are not around. I get mad when Saix insults you. I would do anything for you… and I would go anywhere with you… and I would fight with you and for you."
Then I looked at Xion, staring in her beautiful eyes. "So, among many things, I learned one very, very important thing. Xion… I love you."
Xion, blushing with an even brighter red now, turned away from me. The feeling of nervousness in my chest was instantly transformed into a weight that was slowly crushing me. Did I scare her? Did I say too much?
I looked down back at my feet, trying to conceal the fear growing inside. "I'm sorry if I scared you, Xion. But after what happened today… I had to let you know. If you don't feel the same, I understand."
"Roxas."I looked up and then I felt her lips land on mine. I'm glad her eyes were closed so she couldn't see how big my eyes were in total shock. She pulled back after a moment, a light pink blush covering her cheeks that made her look all the more beautiful. "You must be an idiot if you thought I didn't feel the same way about you."
As soon as she said that, she smiled one of the most beautiful smiles I had ever seen. With that, the weight vanished and I felt like I could fly around her room without pixie dust. "X-Xion."
"I found myself thinking about you a lot as well. You're kind… brave… loyal. You always know what to do to cheer me up. If I ever needed help with Saix or anything or anyone, you're always the first person I go to. Whenever I see you smile… I feel as though everything will be alright. So… I love you too, Roxas."
"Xion." I couldn't say much else about what I had just heard. I was so happy I couldn't form any other words.
Then I saw Xion lean forward again. This time, I leaned forward as well and met her halfway. The kiss… was truly amazing. We weren't attacking each other, but we weren't slow either. It was as if… if there was anything we left unsaid… our kiss conveyed the true measure of our love for one another. It was simply… amazing.
When we separated after a few seconds, we looked at each other in a state of pure bliss. "Wow," We both said in awe of one another. Then we laughed out how we were in sync.
Xion then moved over and rested her head in the crook of my shoulder, smiling. "Thank you Roxas. For being the kind of guy you are."
I smiled back as I gently wrapped my arm around her shoulder, holding her close. "Thank you, Xion, for being the most incredible person I know." We just sat like that for a few minutes, making small talk and just being happy in each others' presence.
After a while, I let go of Xion and stood up. "Thank you for listening to me, Xion. I should get back to my room now. Goodni-"
Xion grabbed my left hand, stopping me in my tracks. When I turned back, she was holding her head down, and… was she shaking a little? "I'm sorry, but… I want you to stay. After what happened today, I can't imagine what would happen if I truly meant to hurt you. I don't want to do that… I don't want to fight you again… and that thought of me turning into someone… some thing like that scares me."
Then she looked up, her eyes watering and pleading with me. "So, will you please stay the night with me, Roxas?"
Seeing this side of Xion shocked me. I was like when she told Axel and me that she forgot how to summon her Keyblade. I could not stand to see her like this. So I smiled and said, "Okay, I'lll stay with you tonight. But I'll have to wake up earlier to get back to my room. I don't want you to get in trouble with Saix."
Her eyes sparkled as she got up and gave me a hug. "Thank you, Roxas!"
"Anything for you, Xion," I said as I hug her back. Xion let me climb into the bed first, so I laid on my back. Then she snuggled up on my right side.
"Goodnight, Roxas. I love you." Then she kissed my cheek and laid her head on my chest.
I kissed her on the top of her head. "Good night, Xion. I love you too." Then we both drifted off into a peaceful and blissful sleep… the best sleep I had ever had.
The memories faded way as I looked down. Here, in my arms, was Xion. The girl I loved… the girl I was forced to fight… the girl I would have given anything for.
Suddenly, I felt her hand start to slide off my cheek and I realized what was happening. I grabbed her hand before it could fall next to her side. "No! Xion. Don't go. Who is going to help me mess with Axel? Who else am I going to have ice cream with? We promised, didn't we Xion? We promised to go to the ocean together some day, right? So please, Xion, don't go. Don't go. I love you, Xion! Please don't go!" Tears were streaming down my face as I was almost yelling, my voice dripping with desperation.
Then, Xion reached up and gave me a kiss. I was shocked at first, but I soon kissed her back. I could tell from the kiss that she was not regretting anything that had happened… not blaming me for what I had to do. She still loved me all the same.
She pulled back slowly, smiling at me with that same familiar beautiful smile "I guess… that wouldn't be completely true. I was happiest when… I was with you. Just as you told me…. I would do anything… for you. I cherished every moment we had together."
"I love you too… Roxas. That… is… the whole truth." Then she closed her eyes, having a peaceful expression to match her smile. The crustals rapidly grew up her body and then, suddenly, light bathed Xion's body. The light soon began to break into smaller orbs and float into the sky. As the weight in my arms faded, I let go of her hand as I looked up, watching the orbs rise and disappear.
My heart sank as Xion's weight and the orbs of light vanished. I look down to where Xion was. In her place, I see a small trickly of light land on a pink and yellow seashell. As I reached to pick it up, I see a final memory. I see Xion, as if I were sitting next to her on the top of the bell tower, with the sun setting in the distance. She turns and smiles at me. It was a smile of happiness… one that had the hope of the two of us being together.
"Xion…" I feel tears fall don my face again. Why couldn't I save her? Why did it have to happen like this? Why… WHY?!
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" All my anguish, anger, and sadness was unleashed as I scream at the top of my lungs. After taking a moment for my breathing to settle down, I stare out over to the sun. It had sunk below the horizon, painting the sky in a bright red light.
I flip my hood onto my head and open up a corridor of darkness. As I step through, one final thought crosses my mind. Wait for me, Xion. I'll do what you asked of me. I will release Kingdom Hearts. I'll go through the Organization if I have to. Nothing will stop me.
And then… We can be together again.
A/N: XION, WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO?! WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE STAYED WITH ROXAS?! *sighs* Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this. I had fun making the changes here and there (despite how sad it is). Please read and review, it will help me out as I try to get back into the swing of things. I still have some summer classes to do, but expect some new material coming out later this summer. God bless you and have an awesome day. Peace!
