Hmm…why am I continuing this? It's better than making lots of little stories, might as well put them together.
***
The sound of waves, familiar, slow, echoed in her ears. She was listening to someone talk, a girl, bright red hair, blue eyes, smiling white teeth that flashed in the red sunlight.
Red. Blood. Battle. Heartless scrambling, slashing. A one man war to get her back.
Not one man. Three man. Help from two others. A duck. A dog.
Black dog, white duck.
White. Crystal pod. White room.
A girl in the white. He can't remember her.
She remembers him.
But she can't, doesn't, and won't hurt him. Not even if you kill her. A mansion, tinged red by the setting sun, alone. Drawings…
Whose memories are these? Not the boy's.
A young man, Zexion, facing someone else. Riku. The boy. He smiles, confident, unbothered by the Nobody.
Darkness. Gave in. He gave in.
The waves roar louder. Familiar. Slow.
A fight. He wins.
How could he beat his best friend?
Not the same memory.
Gone. Whose are these?!
Not her thoughts, her memories. Her memories have them! Her friends.
Axel. Smirking, clever, green eyed Axel.
Dangerous Axel.
Roxas. Smiling, cheerful, blue eyed Roxas.
Determined Roxas.
And Riku. Mysterious, kind, icy eyed Riku.
Where was he?
The waves are too loud for her to bear; she just wants it to stop…!
Xion woke up, panting, clutching her bed sheet. Sweat covered her entire face and body. What…had happened? Those nightmares…
They were getting worse.
She clutched her face, closing her eyes. But when she closed it, her scattered thoughts showed her more memories that weren't hers.
Oh no.
She opened her eyes, staring at the black gloves, gloves as black as darkness behind closed lids…She shook her head, eyes widening, as her gloves changed to white, with metal discs on the back…Then back to black.
"I need to see Riku." She gasped, getting out of bed.
***
Twilight Town, wasn't that where he hid out at?
Or, at least that's where she saw him, a lot. She was glad it was night, the darkness, (still permanently tinged red, a Twilight Town special), stretched over her head. The stars, (bless them, she missed them in the World That Never Was), and the moon shed some light, enough for the Nobody to transverse by.
She was also very glad she had learned how to open Dark Portals, or else she would have to wake Roxas up…
She hesitated, standing outside the mansion. She was grateful Riku had trusted her enough to say where he was, but that didn't change the fact she was nervous, for some reason, to talk to him directly.
She used her Keyblade to quickly unlock the gate, heading inside the old mansion. To one with a keen eye, they would notice footprints in the dust, and even though the mansion was run down, there was a sort of…feeling…that the place wasn't deserted.
Walking up the stairs, Xion hesitated, standing outside of a door. She could hear something…a scratching?
She swallowed nervously, opening the door without knocking.
White. Her eyes burned just by looking at it, it uncomfortably reminded her of her dreams. She shook her head, opening her eyes again.
White. And splashes of color.
And, sitting at a table amid that whiteness, was a girl.
She had blonde hair, blue eyes that looked too wise for her young face, and a sad smile that faintly touched her lips.
"Wh-Who are you?"
The girl paused, lifting her head. "My name is Namine." She added quietly, "Xion."
"How did-"
"Riku told me. I've been expecting you…" She showed her the sketch she was working on, it depicted Xion entering the room they were in.
"Namine…he told me about you." Xion wasn't sure what to think, so she settled for just walking farther into the white room, devoid of dust.
"I know he did." She replied, her voice quiet, slow, and steady.
"How much do you know?" Xion asked incredulously.
"More then you realize." She folded her hands in her lap, nodding her head slowly. "You're confused…right?"
"Very." She sat down, for the moment her search for Riku forgotten.
"I'm not surprised. I would be too. I can only answer so much…" She lifted her head, studying her. "I'm sorry about the nightmares."
"You mean…those are your fault?"
"Yes. You see, Xion, you're…not a Nobody."
"I-what?"
"You're not a Nobody." She replied, her voice still annoyingly calm and steady.
Xion clenched her fist. "Explain."
"I'm trying to restore Sora's memories." She lifted her pad, turning the page back, and showed her a scene with a younger Riku, a boy, and a girl on a bent tree. "Roxas and you both are getting affected by the change. You, physically…and Roxas, mentally."
"What…"
Namine frowned slightly, her fingers tracing the designs. "I'm very sorry. Xion…Roxas is Sora's Nobody, but you're…" She looked up. "I don't have to tell you."
"Tell me! I want to know! I have a right to know!" Xion said heatedly. What was…this girl talking about
"Okay, Xion. You're…an imperfect replica of Sora, constructed from his memories. The ones that escape me sometimes."
No…that couldn't be!
It absolutely could not be!
"You-you-What? What gives you the right to even think that?"
Namine pushed a strand of her hair back behind her ears. "Xion, it's the truth. Please, believe me. You wanted to know, though I think some things are better left unsaid..." She lifted her head slightly, looking at a picture of Roxas and Axel on the wall, her eyes roved over the picture before slowly going back to her.
"Why even bring it up?" Xion said heatedly.
"You wanted answers. So…I leaked some thoughts, purposely, for you. I gave them to you. So you would know where to find me. I had to make sure you spoke to me before Riku."
"What…are you?"
"A witch." She said the word calmly, but her face twisted into a frown that didn't belong on her gentle features. "With power over Sora's memories, and through him, you. And Roxas." Her fingers tapped a crayon against the table, the blunt end leaving behind thin, red streaks.
Xion got to her feet, still wheeling from the revelation.
No.
It couldn't be.
But somehow…she knew.
Xion left the room quickly, leaving behind that strange girl and her stranger words, racing to get out of the mansion, when-
Someone grabbed her shoulders.
"Decided to leave the Organization, finally? Where are you going?"
"Riku!" She paused, whirling around, eyes wide. "I can't…Do…tell me she's lying!"
Riku stared in surprised as Xion covered her face, feeling the tears flow. He carefully circled his arms around her, hugging her to his chest.
"What's the matter?" He asked.
"Namine…"
"Oh." His tone had changed.
Xion looked up at him. "Did...don't tell me…"
"It's the truth. I'm sorry."
Xion, for a moment, just wanted to close her eyes and let Riku comfort her. She still felt better when he was there, but somehow…she also felt really cold. A depressed feeling had lodged itself in her chest, refusing to move an inch.
"I had no idea." She whispered. "Did you always know?"
"When DiZ told me, I couldn't believe it. I thought you were…I don't know, some other form of Kairi's Nobody."
Xion gasped, pulling away from him. "Kairi…I heard her name in my nightmares!"
Riku gently took her hand. "You don't look very well, Xion. Listen to me. Only because you're a Replica doesn't me you have to be a clone!"
"Yes it does!" She felt angry at him now. "You told me to back to my true self, just to wake up your best friend! I bet that's the only reason you've been hanging out with me!"
Riku yanked off his blindfold, his icy, blue-green eyes narrowed. "That's not true. I enjoy your company, Xion. Just let me explain."
Xion knew the sun was beginning to rise, the glass back door to the mansion was reflecting the red rays across the dusty mansion foyer. She walked forward, stepping across shattered glass from a broken case.
"Xion, listen. At first, I just wanted to wake my best friend up. We might be able to find a compromise, if you just listen!"
"'At first' you say. Well, now what? What made you say that?"
Riku's answer was long in coming, then:
"I didn't count on falling in love with you!"
Xion stared at him, then around the room, then back at him. His eyes had turned dark again, but that was a side effect from not having on his blindfold to see through the darkness. Besides that, he looked like the words were killing him to say.
She turned around, and fled. Fled because she didn't know what else to do, fled because she had nowhere else to go.
Fled from the truth.
She didn't count on Axel being outside, coming up behind her when she locked the mansion door, like she had never entered.
***
There's a lot of
truth in here, actually. Some scenes are made up, though.
Whatever. Review, I guess.