Disclaimer: No, I do not own Kingdom Hearts, nor do I own a locket myself. The AU fanfic idea's mine though! :3

Well, after two week's worth of debating and the likeliness of going through an asylum because of all my mentality, I've decided to remake Trinkets & Destinies. I still think that this really won't be that much of an improvement, but I tried. To new readers, welcome out there, and hi! ^^ To those who've been with me since the beginning of T&D, thank you for coming back and rereading this, and I hope you all enjoy this as much as the original! ;3; Many thanks to everyone, including archsage328, Xantaxa539, TheSapphireBlueRose, ShadowofaHeart, XIIIXV and khdayskh1314. You guys have been awesome encouragement, and I hope you guys are still reading. ;3; And thank you too to Harman Flint for all the advice. I love you all! :'D

"I'll come back to you. I promise!"

"I know you will!"

But would you still remember?

Memoirs of a Locket

Definition of 'school' in the minds of possibly every living student:

A prison that's only worth going to if you: (1) Actually learn how Algebra will be useful in future endeavors; and (2) the fact that most of the prisoners would very much interact socially rather than beat you up.

And yet another downside to this closed-in space: Time seems to slow down that it makes walking turtles seem faster than the speed of light.

Did I get that right to all of you who currently attends this godforsaken place? Didn't I totally just read your minds? And yes, that is called 'sarcasm.' Not including the facts I've clearly stated about school though. My mind is set on not loving these lessons.

I stared at the clock, narrowing down my gaze at it as if it'd go faster. It was just five more minutes! How long could it take really? It felt like forever's already passed! But time certainly was ticking, so then I have to completely blame the teacher for droning lectures on just to make it as boring as classes was intended to be. But I'm pretty sure that boring teachers had a messed-up childhood or something, so I don't hate them for being so dull.

I glanced around the silent classroom and saw my twin sister grinning at me mischievously from the other side of the room, and I immediately shook my head at the sight before looking away. I knew what she was thinking, and I definitely didn't give a shit. My decision was final: I was not going to The Event That Cannot Be Named.

I tried to formulate a plan to bounce out of here stealthily, but no idea struck me like how it usually did with a Struggle Bat. This was how desperate I was to escape the classroom - mostly her - as soon as I could before Kairi could pose and strike at me. Once I'm in her grasp, my chances for freedom become low and my chances to sticking with my Don't Wear A Freaking Dress Policy would become even lower. Please don't forget that I'm human, not a doll like how my sister oftentimes sees me as.

I glanced at the clock again and saw that there were five more seconds left. For the life of me, I started to count the ticks I seemed to hear from it.

Five...

Four...

Three...

Two...

Derp- I mean one!

Riiiiing!

"Yes!" I did a silent squeal as I excitedly leapt out of my chair the very moment when the school bell's chime echoed throughout the classrooms and halls. I could tell that everyone else was glad that it was dismissal too since most of the students let out loud sighs of relief, but no one was as happy as me, since I simply detested lectures and, as I've suggested, what came after them.

Immediately, everyone was engaged in a conversation while they obviously tuned out whatever the teacher was announcing, and by the looks of it, the teacher couldn't care less. Unfortunately, this setting was perfect for sneaking around, so I looked around for any signs of suspicious movement of a certain redhead girl. She was currently nowhere in sight, but since she's been learning tricks I didn't care about from my mom (I'm really starting to wonder if I'm adopted or not), I couldn't let my guard down for a second.

I crouched down and started crawling towards the door to the halls, still observing everything. Students were starting to leave, so wherever she could be to do camouflage, she would probably be in obvious sight by now, but I still couldn't see her. She's either gotten better at being a ninja or went ahead first. My mind tells me that it's safe though, so I followed it unconsciously with my instincts still screaming out a loud no. 'Yeah, nothing to worry about,' I insisted with a sigh from my mental debate between instincts and thoughts. Being a terrible person in making decisions, I made an action to get out of this classroom.

"Xion~!"

... And just as I got up and walked out, I was met by a tackle glomp from the one person I was hoping to avoid. Darn it, I knew I should've listened to the chorus of no's! Stepping back, I glared at the girl hugging me like a teddy bear. "For the last time Kairi, no! I will not buy a dress for prom! I don't - and will never - have any intention to go!" I silenced her before she could reply so I could add one more afterthought. "And would you please stop using Yuffie's ninja tricks. You're seriously cheating here."

"Xion, you know, that as the older sister, I will go through any lengths just to let you join in prom because I insist that you must to go!" my dear (annoying) sister Kairi, who reminded my that she was older than me by a few minutes, pouted as she kept shaking my arm up and down. Is this some sort of artificial earthquake? "Sora's already asked me out for prom, and I'm sure Riku would take you if you asked! Besides, when do people get the chance to have prom thrice? We're one of those fortunate people to have the most magical moments in high school at second year! And the first prom is always the most important though, so you have to go with me!"

"No, I don't intend to go with Riku or even step foot in school during that day. You're over exaggerating things, and I don't give a fu-" I suddenly stopped myself from continuing that sentence not because that I didn't want to curse, but because I was glancing behind the redhead and the crowd of students that seemed to blend everyone in perfectly. At the corner of my eye though, I saw very distinct, charcoal-colored spikes bouncing around. So he wasn't waiting for me again was he? At least I'm sort of used to it.

"Kairi, Sora's calling for you!" I put on a surprised look and pointed at some random person in the crowd. Kairi's ears perked up at the name of her best friend and quickly turned around. "Really? Where? Sora, help me convince Xion!" This was dismissal protocol! No way would I go shopping with a girly sister! I had just a few precious moments to spare, so I looked around for certain familiar faces. 'Where are they..?'

And... there!

"Haha, nice try Xion, but-" Kairi turned around, a look of triumph on her face, but I was already gone, chuckling to myself as I looked at my friends who helped me out. A green-eyed brunette, a blonde guy with grey eyes and a chubby boy with chocolate-colored hair and eyes looked at me with grins plastered on their faces, making me I grin back gratefully. "Thanks for the save you guys! You have no idea how much I wanted out from that!"

"We have a clear idea on what goes on between you and your sister Xion." Olette giggled as she gave me a slight pat in the back. "Besides, we could see you struggling from the other side of the hall."

"Scratch that Olette, we could probably see her argue with her twin from the moon!" Hayner exaggerated with a smirk, his eyes showing an active, mischievous emotion. "Has there ever been a time you guys got along?"

"From my extensive collection of memorable pictures, I've only seen Xion grin when Kairi was five feet away from her," Pence spoke, looking through his camera as he said this. All I did was roll my eyes and stuck my tongue out at them. "If you guys had a sister like her, you'd want to run like hell."

"Nope, that's just you," Pence and Hayner said aloud, laughing at their equal agreement. Olette just rolled her eyes and stayed silent, not wanting to agree with any side. I facepalmed to myself and mentally made a note to stop treating Hayner and Pence them to ice cream for a while. Before I realized it, my feet were taking me outside of school, and I walked a few feet ahead of them. "Look, I'm going ahead first. I'll go to someone that actually agrees with me."

"Well then, good luck with that!" Hayner grinned as they walked off to the sandlot, while I went uphill to meet up with someone. If only the train hadn't left yet. All patience left in me was completely gone by now.

"I'll always be waiting."

Yep, I definitely knew where he was.

To say the least, this… person that I've come to somehow consider a friend of mine, would wait for me everyday after school. No matter how long I'd take, he'd still be there by Sunset Hill's train station, waiting for me while leaning on the walls. Even if he seemed pissed every time, I liked to imagine that he was happy to see me, in a way.

"Vanitas!"

I ran up to my charcoal-haired friend as I got off the train while grinning at him. As usual, he just rolled his eyes at me and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Why does it take a brat like you forever to get away from a place you get bored with?"

Even though I was used to it, I still pouted and crossed my arms in front of me. "You know it wouldn't kill you to be nicer or to wait for me at school so I'd have lesser trouble with Kairi. Didn't you see how she was practically doing harassment to me?"

"Well, as long as I wasn't involved, I wouldn't care either way." Vanitas shrugged as he walked down the stairs and me sliding down the railings. Incoherent words were muttered under my breath as I shot him a glare. "Couldn't you be considerate, at least once?"

"Yeah, I can definitely do that… in your nightmares anyway." The amber-eyed teen smirked while shoving his hands in his pockets. "Besides, why the hell would I obey anyone like a good puppy?"

"But we're friends!" I stated out loud as I freely let my hands fly up in the air. For a second, I thought there was a change of emotion in Vanitas's eyes, probably even his face distorting into a cringe, but it was gone before I could tell what it was. Again, he just rolled his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets, silently walking a little distance away. Damn friendly bastard.

"You know, it'd be best if you were friendlier to Xion, or else I'll just kick you way over to where the sun doesn't shine."

Finally! Someone agrees with me! Leave me here as I rejoice with someone who's actually on my side!

... Wait a second... I forgot.

That voice was not good to hear with Vanitas around.

Crossing my fingers, I turned around only to sigh heavily in disbelief at the sight of an older-looking teen with silver locks and aquamarine eyes. "Riku, don't fight with him today, please. It's just as pointless as it was last time."

"But Xion, he's such a huge jerk, even to you when you guys were still kids," Riku shot back, pure annoyance in his eyes as he stepped nearer. As usual, Vanitas only looked amused at the sight of a pissed off Riku. Everyone sort of knew that Riku was always defensive, especially around me, I guess. Think of it as a platonic thing between siblings, except that we're just really good friends.

"If you really want to fight, then come at me pretty boy!" Vanitas quickly got into a fighting pose with a deranged-like look on his face. All I could do was facepalm, deciding to stay silent. I did not want to get involved in their fights any longer than I usually had to, so I quietly left the scene as they're about to battle it out with each other. Was it really necessary? I'll never know. But I'm pretty sure that it'll end with a draw. Again.

Arriving at the top of Sunset Hill, I walked over to the only bench in sight and sat on it to watch the sunset. Ah, high school. It'll never fail to amuse me with the most weird events happening to you everyday. Letting out a slight yawn, I stretched out my arms and legs. The sunset was beautiful today, like it usually is every other day. I felt sleepy, but I didn't want to get home yet, really. I favored the sights here rather than Dreamland's summoning.

I looked at the sunset, a strange kind of melancholia taking over me, before rummaging through my pockets and taking out a somewhat small, star locket that I could never open. Despite the fact that it was mine, I never had the key that was meant to open the small keyhole found on it. Sure I've tried prying it open a few times and even used a clip. But even with my mom's expert help, it's still remained unopened all these years.

I held it close to my heart and shut my eyes, smiling as I did so while feeling the warm rays of the sun. Even though I never knew - or remembered - how I got it, this little locket always made me smile, no matter what the circumstance usually was. It was like a soothing music box, except that you had to touch it to hear its music I guess. Weird comparison, I know. But no one said I had to be perfect with all those sayings.

"You won't forget me, right?"

Blinking, I opened my eyes and stood up to look around the barren place. Did I fall asleep? How long was I out? Not long I hope, or else Yuffie would let me eat leftovers from our neighbor Aerith. I winced at the thought. She never did become a good cook, despite the fact that she was such a sweet person.

I held out my hand and hesitantly to see that the locket was still in my hand, its silver surface gleaming because of the sunlight. I sighed from relief and stared at it again, getting caught in a daze. If only looks could kill... or at least break. I'd really prefer it to open up so all its secrets would hopefully be revealed to me. But then, I was probably just staring at it because it looked pretty. I couldn't help it, the little trinket was just so cute and... nostalgic, somehow.

And it just made me all the more guilty to not wear it until I could figure out why this was so precious to me and my Heart, and why I can't remember at all.

"Promise."

I was so awe-struck and dumbfounded with my little locket that I didn't notice a figure inching slowly but surely closer to me. And it took me a few moments to process that someone had sat beside me. Curious, I looked to my left and saw a spiky-haired blonde with cobalt blue eyes staring at me in... surprise? But, me being Xion, I was just as startled as he was since his sudden appearance made me jump and fall from the bench, making contact with the ground.

"Ah!" I heard the boy gasp as I groaned in blushed from embarrassment. Really world? Really? Do you all hate me that much? The blonde quickly rushed over to my side and offered his hand. "Are you okay?" He asked worriedly with sincere eyes. Wow, they were pretty to look at.

"Yeah, I'm real... peachy." I gratefully held the guy's hand as he helped me up. Note to self: Jumping from benches was definitely not a good idea. "I was just surprised to see you there. I'm usually really conscious of my surroundings."

"What, do you do recon for a living?" He chuckled and I couldn't help but giggle slightly. It was part true though, with Kairi around anyway. "But still, sorry to have scared you. I was just... wondering about something."

"Aren't we all?" I replied flatly with a small smile, and he returned a grin. "I haven't seen you around here. You new?"

"Yeah, I had to move from my old place after a, uh… certain accident." His face fell as he said this, and I immediately regretted asking. I didn't like seeing anyone sad. I prefer smiles, thank you very much. "I just got here this afternoon, and I'm still trying to figure the place out since my friend ditched me."

"Well then you'll definitely get lost once you get to the main town," I stated, trying my best to divert the subject at hand to a new topic, before flashing him another smile. "Out with it then, where do you live? I know this place like the back of my hand, and I could give you a quick tour!"

"You sure are an energetic one huh?" He laughed gleefully, and I quickly felt my face feel hot. Something at the back of my mind was bothering me just by looking at this guy, but what? "Can I ask for your name then?"

Hearing that question, I mentally facepalmed myself before holding out my hand. Why do I always forget introductions? "Sorry! I've been rude! N-nice to meet you! I-I'm Xion!" I stuttered out and held out a hand, my cheeks growing hotter by the second. What's happening to me? I never stutter!

Despite my poor display of an introduction, much less at speaking, he still smiled at me and shook my hand gently. Sweet Mother Nature, is it possible for a guy to be this kind? "My name's Roxas. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Goodbye."

... So? Whatcha think so far? Drop a review? Leave advice, suggestions, constructive criticism? Anything that isn't a flame is much appreciated, and I will reply to them as soon as I can! :3