Chapter 2: On Top of the Clock Tower

I sat in the Grey Room on a couch next to Xion, who slowly drank a glass of team, humming to herself.

The room was completely empty besides to two of us, and her humming filled the whole room. She looked up at me, smiling, not breaking from her humming. I smiled back, and felt her hand fall on mine.

She quickly stopped as two people entered the room.

It was the guy with the X scar, Saix, followed by a blonde haired kid.

"You two, you're going on a mission with Roxas. Get going," he told us.

He raised his hands, a black and purple vortex opening, and Roxas walked in. Xion and I stood up together, and walked into the vortex.

We sprinted through the streets of Twilight Town, the sunset glaring off the storefront windows, large monsters hovering in the air. I materialized my red and blue keyblade, and jumped at one of the large heartless. My blade swept right through the monster, particles flooding out of its abdomen. Roxas jumped up into the air, and started to bring his keyblade down on the monster's head. I pushed off the ground, launching straight up, and catching the heartless between Roxas and my keyblade. The monster exploded into darkness, and a large crystal heart, the size of both of us, floated up into the air.

"Next one?" I asked Roxas. He nodded, and we both rushed toward the sandlot. As we entered, a large suit of armor, turned its head around. Its appendages were dethatched from its body, and its head spun around countless times.

Roxas and I ran around separate sides of the armor, it attention being drawn to me. I guided it around the sandlot as Roxas attacked it. He dealt one powerful blow to its side, knocking it down. As the last piece of armor clattered to the floor, I skidded to a stop, and jumped onto the heartless. The both of us quickly beat it down, and stood there, waiting for the next one.

I looked around, not seeing Xion with us. "Yo, Roxas, where's Xion?"

"I don't know. She'll turn up eventually," he said, shrugging. As he started to walk up a small slope leading out of the sandlot, a scream echoed through the town. We sprinted toward the Central Station and as we got there, skidded to a halt. A dragon shaped heartless slowly lowered down inches away from Xion. As it landed, the gust from its feet pushed Roxas and me back a little. It reared its head, and its mouth grew white.

"Over here, punk!" I yelled, distracted the monster. It stomped over to me, and I rolled out of its way, I brought my sword up on its tail as Roxas ran over to help Xion up.

"You okay?" I asked her.

"Yeah," she replied. "Now let's destroy this thing!" She ran in head of us, jumped at the heartless' wing. Her keyblade slid right through it, and she glared back at us.

"Right!" I yelled, running at the dragon. I turned toward me, and I quickly slid under its wings, feeling the wind from them lift my hood off my head. I stood up on the other side of the heartless, bringing my keyblade up into its chest. I saw Roxas running in from the side, his blade slicing through it. Xion jumped off the wall of the clock tower, her Keyblade being lodged inside of the monster's head, and Roxas' blade passing through it again. The monster stood there, stunned, and I jumped back into action. I slid under the monster and closed my eyes. As I stood up behind the monster, I heard a single heartbeat and felt the blade of my Keyblade expand. I slammed it into the monster, seeing the large crystalized heart form and soar into the sky. Our keyblades disappeared and Xion let out a sigh.

"Hey, wanna go grab some ice cream?" she asked.

"Sure," I replied. We both looked at Roxas.

"I can't. I have to go do something with Axel," he said, opening a portal. "Thanks for the offer though."

"Yeah, see ya," she said. As he disappeared, she clapped her hands together. "Let's go get that ice cream."

We sat up on the top of the clock tower, looking out at Twilight Town. I took a bit out of the Sea Salt Ice Cream, and leaned back. I saw Xion lean back next to me, holding hers between her lips. I held up my hand and smiled.

"I like this power," I said, closing my eyes.

"Huh? The power of the keyblade?" she asked, sitting up and looking at me. "I don't think I've ever heard Roxas say that."

"Yeah, I like it. It gives me power. Not the power like Saix or Xemnas, but the power to fight. Fight against oppressive forces, fight for those who are unable to, fight for those who I love," I said, looking over at her.

"Love?" she asked.

"You don't know what that is?" I asked. She shook her head. "From what I remember, I was never in love, but I've heard it's a feeling like no other. Your heart constantly races, and it makes you feel like you can do anything." We leaned back down and stared up at the passing clouds.

"I never used to be like this, you know," Xion said. I looked over at her confused. "Open to others. When I met you, I felt a bit of me in you. You were a Nobody who was new, and was, well, a nobody," she said, giggling a little. "It was Roxas that opened me to the world, with a bit of help from Axel." She looked into my eyes. "I'm kind of glad they did."

We sat there for a moment, looking into each other's eyes. She directed her attention back toward the sky, and I simply responded, "I am too."

We walked through the portal, arriving at the Grey Room. Larxene stood behind the couch, her arms draped over Axel's shoulders, Roxas next to Axel.

"Back a little late, huh, you two?" Axel asked.

Xion didn't respond. I chuckled and little, and nodded to Axel. He nodded back.

The two of us walked out of the room and down the hall. "I thought Axel helped you open up and become more social," I said.

"He did," she said. "But since yesterday, he's been acting like this."

"He's just kidding around, I said, rubbing the top of her head. It's just a things guys do to others. Especially those younger than them. It's a way of showing superiority," I told her.

"Really?"

"I might not remember much, but I'm sure my parents and even older friends did that to me."

She turned around, smiling, and hugged me.

"Thanks."

I rolled out of the way as a golden antlion rocketed out of the sand. I held the keyblade in both my hands, the weapon feeling heavy.

"Are you sure we can beat this Heartless?" I heard Xion yelled. I looked over at her and nodded.

"Of course we can. We're keyblade wielders!" I shouted back, and jumped at the antlion. It turned to face me in mid-air, and roared. I was knocked back onto the sand, and the Heartless burrowed again. I jumped back next to Xion, standing back to back with her.

"How are we going to beat it?" she asked,

"I have an idea, but I don't know if it will work," I told her. "I can get it to try and attack me, and as it goes into the air, you can attack it."

"All we can do is try," she said, nodding. We jumped apart, and I stood in the sand, the only place the antlion could find me.

The ground rumbled slowly, and sped up. As I started to lose my balance, I jumped out of the way, the antlion shooting up out of the sand. "Xion!" I yelled. She ran up to me, and I threw her up at the monster. As the Heartless started to move down, Xion's keyblade pierced its face. As the blade dug through it, darkness poured out of it. She landed next to me as the crystal heart disappeared into the sky.

She high-fived me. "Great thinking," she said.

"Thanks," I told her. "You did great too." We slowly walked back into Agrabah, and to the portal.

"Wanna grab some ice cream?" Xion asked before she stepped into the portal. "Roxas and Axel haven't been around lately, so I thought it would be nice for us to spend some time together."

"Sure," I replied, scratching the back of my head. She walked through the portal, and I followed her, arriving in Twilight Town.

Three weeks had passed of Xion and me going on missions together. After ever mission, we grabbed some Sea Salt Ice Cream from Twilight Town and eating them on the top of the clock tower.

It was the start of the fourth week from when I met Xion. I heard someone yelling from the Grey Room. I ran closer and looked in. Axel, Roxas, and Xion were standing there, Axel yelling and pointing at Xion.

"You're nothing but a Replica!" he yelled, jabbing her shoulder with his finger. "You don't even exist!" He turned toward the hallway and stormed right past me, and I slowly walked in. Roxas stood there, silent.

"Hey, Tizenot," Xion said, looking up at me.

"Hey," I replied. "What was that about?"

"Oh, nothin-" Roxas began, but Xion cut him off.

"Axel did some digging around thinks I am a 'Replica'," she said.

"What that?"

"It's a copy, a puppet. They're not real beings," she said, looking down at her feet. We stood there for a moment, completely in silence, until I started to say something.

"Well, I don't think you're a fa-"

"You three, missions, now!" Saix said, walking into the room.

"Got it!" Roxas and Xion said. Opening up portals. I stood there, in the middle of my sentence.

"Tizenot, let's get going," Xion said.

"Yeah, coming!" I told her, running into her portal.

Xion and I sat at the top of the clock tower in Twilight Town, slowly eating our ice cream in silence.

"Hey, what were you going to say before we were sent out on our mission?" Xion asked.

"Oh, that," I said, chuckling. I took a bit of my ice cream and looked into the sunset. I sighed and turned to face her, my heart racing. "I was just going to say that I don't think you're a fake."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you're like a real person to me," I told her. "You have feelings, emotions, and you're in control of your own actions. That's real enough for me to not call you a puppet."

Tears formed in the corner of her eyes and she blushed. A smile broke out over her face, and she chuckled. "Really? You mean it?!"

"Of course I do," I told her. She hugged me, and thanked me. We sat there hugging for a while, until she quickly let go.

"Sorry, I just needed someone there for me. Axel was yelling at me for hours about being a puppet," she said, taking a bite of her ice cream. I sat closer to her, and put my arm around her shoulder.

"Even if you are, just remember that you have someone close to your who thinks you're real," I told her. She looked into my eyes and smiled.

"Got it," she said, nodding. She put her head on my shoulder and slowly at her ice cream.