*I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of their characters.


Two who were never meant to meet…

Xion walked towards the beach alone. She marveled at how after Sora had saved him and that Aqua lady from the Realm of Darkness, Ansem the Wise had managed to create bodies for her, Roxas, and Naminé. Yet, she also felt a pang of sadness, for she was alone. Once he had a body, Roxas had decided to spend almost all of his time with Naminé. Although she liked Naminé, she had to admit that at times she felt like a third wheel. On top of that, Riku had managed to find someone from the islands that he had connected with, so she couldn't even hang out with him anymore.

She was broken out of her reverie by the appearance of a dark portal in front of her. She tensed, ready to summon the Keyblade that she had earned when she gained her new body. Her eyes narrowed as she saw a person walk out of the opposite side of the portal. However, she was surprised by the person's hair, for she had only seen one other person with that particular shade of hair…

"Is he related to Riku?" she thought to herself. He apparently hadn't noticed her there, for he continued to walk to the edge of the water. She watched as he stopped and stood, just staring out in towards the ocean.

"Wow… it's just like how I 'remember' it," he sighed. Xion perked up at the odd inflection in his voice. Though similar to Riku's, this boy's voice was more sad and bitter. In a way, it reminded her of her own voice when she had first found out she was a Replica. She decided to find out who he really was.

"Hey there!" she called out, walking towards him. He spun towards her, and she stopped in her tracks in shock. He looked EXACTLY like Riku!

"Who're you?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes at the black-haired girl standing in front of him, surprise gracing her features. He concealed his surprise at how similar she looked to the red-headed girl from his, no, Riku's memories.

"My name's Xion. Hey, are you related to Riku, by any chance?" she replied. He gave a bitter laugh.

"In a way, I guess I'm related to Riku," he said bitterly. Xion's eyes widened as she recognized the tone of his voice, the very look that crossed his face when he said this. It couldn't be…

"Are you… a Replica too, then?" she asked disbelievingly. His jaw dropped open in shock.

"'Too?' You mean there's others like me?"

She nodded. "I'm a Replica of my friend, Roxas."

He stared at the girl in front of him. He couldn't believe it! He thought that he was the only Replica Vexen had ever made. Yet, if she was a Replica herself…

"Wait, isn't Roxas a guy's name? If you're his Replica, then why are you a girl?" he demanded. There was no way that she could be a Replica.

She sighed, "Well, apparently Vexen made me with Roxas' memories, and I took the shape of the person that means the most to his Somebody, Sora."

"You mean Kairi." She nodded in response, only mildly surprised that he would know that. After all, if he was Riku's Replica, then he obviously had some of his memories.

"So… what's your name?" she asked.

He look towards the ground as he answered, "I… I'm not sure."

"What do you mean?"

He sighed, "Well, let me tell you my story, and you'll know what I mean."

As he told her his story, Xion's eyes widened in shock. She thought she had a hard time back when she was a member of Organization XIII. Compared to him, however, her life had been a cakewalk.

"…and after I faced Riku for the last time, I pretended to fade in front of him. Ever since then, I've been wandering," he finished.

Xion saw the sadness in his face as he said this. She saw the unshed tears that had more than once threatened to spill over. Instantly, she made a decision.

"Would you… like me to give you a name?" she hesitantly asked him.

He looked up at her, surprise filling his features. "You would do that?"

Xion smiled as she replied, "Of course! After all, although we may be Replicas of other people, we are uniquely ourselves. We deserve names just as much as everyone else!" She then put her pointer finger on her chin in a classic thinking pose.

"Hmm… what should your name be?" she mused. She snapped her fingers as a name came to mind. "How does Repliku sound?"

"Repliku… hmm," he said, rolling it around in his mind. "I like it!"

"Yay! I'm so glad, Repliku!" she said, clapping her hands together in excitement. She took a couple steps forward until she was standing next to him. Together, they watched the ocean.

"Hey, Repliku?"

"Hmm?"

"What made you decide to come to Destiny Islands?"

"Well," he answered, "For a long time now, this place had been showing up in my dreams. At first, I thought it was just due to Riku being from here. But, as time went on, I started to feel a need to come visit this place for myself. After all, if you think about it, this is where it all began. If Riku and Sora hadn't left the Islands, you and I would never have been created."

Xion smiled, "You're right. I guess I never thought about that."

The two of them returned to watching the ocean. Suddenly, something brushed Repliku's foot. He looked down to see a sea-shell that had been washed up by the waves. He bent down and picked it up.

"Ooo, a Thalassa shell!" exclaimed Xion. As Repliku looked at her in confusion, she explained, "Thalassa shells are my favorite sea-shells of all time! They're only found here on Destiny Islands."

"Really?" he asked, intrigued.

"Yeah! Kairi told me that according to the legends here, sailors would use these shells to make lucky charms that would ensure a safe voyage. She actually made one for Sora way back before he received the Keyblade!"

"Wow, that's amazing!" responded Repliku. Suddenly, his face filled with confusion as he realized what she had just said. "Wait… you mean you've talked with Kairi?"

"Actually, not just Kairi, but Sora, Riku, Roxas, and Naminé! This is where we live now, after all! Roxas and I live at Sora's house, and Naminé lives at Kairi's," explained Xion.

"Oh," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. Xion noticed that his face started to look worried.

"What's wrong, Repliku?"

"I…I think I better go," he answered.

"Why? You just got here!"

"I... don't want Sora or Riku to see me here," he replied.

Realization dawned. "You're afraid that they won't forgive you for what you did," Xion stated. As he nodded, she placed a hand on his shoulder as she stated, "I'm sure they'll forgive you. After all, Organization XIII was manipulating you. I know they'll understand."

"How can you be so sure?"

She smiled and turned her face out towards the ocean. "Because Roxas forgave me for trying to kill him."

"What?" he said disbelievingly.

She turned back towards him and said, "You told me your story. Now, let me tell you mine."

As she told him her story, his eyes widened in shock. Yes, he had felt that what Organization XIII had done to him was unforgivable. But to try and force someone to absorb her best friend… that was the lowest of the low. Never had he felt more thankful that Sora had given them what they deserved.

Suddenly, the two of them heard a woman start to sing, "In you and I, there's a new life…"

"Oh, that's my cell phone, hang on a sec," said Xion as she rummaged through her pockets. She quickly pulled out a cell phone and opened it.

"Xion here… oh, hey Naminé, what's up?...Really? Who's going to be there?...Is Riku going to bring his girlfriend?... So, it's just going to be us six, huh? Actually, hang on a second." Xion covered the mouthpiece of her phone as she looked over at Repliku and asked, "Hey, would you like to join us for dinner? Apparently, Naminé decided to have a get-together to reminisce about all the adventures that we had."

"Are you sure they won't mind?" he asked nervously.

She grinned as she replied, "Oh, I'm sure they won't! After all, I know that Naminé will be happy to see you again, and I also know that Roxas would love to meet you!"

"Then… yeah, I'd love to come!" he said, getting excited by the thought of seeing Naminé again.

"Great!" she responded. She removed her hand and spoke into it, "Naminé, you there? Yeah, listen, I'm going to be bringing a friend… Yes, actually, it is someone you know… Nope. It's going to be a surprise… Just make sure you let Sora and Riku know that I'm bringing him… Yes, him. It's a guy…Okay, Naminé, see you then!" She closed her phone, then looked back at Repliku.

"Ready to go?" she asked him.

He nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be!"

As the two of them walked away from the ocean, suddenly Xion felt him reach for her hand. She looked over at him, then smiled as she took it. They weren't going to be alone anymore…