DAY 186

Callum spent the next few days doing missions with other Organization members. Instead of heading to the clock tower after his missions were finished, he went to Xion's room, where he saw at her bedside and stared at her as she slept peacefully.

But one morning, finally, her eyes fluttered. She gasped and sat upright. Callum cried out and jumped to his feet. A wide smile spread across his lips.

"Xion!" he cried, and he threw his arms around her. "You're awake!"

Xion laughed quietly and hugged the brunette. "It's good to see you, Callum."

His chest swelled at the sound of her voice. Finally... she was awake and well. He pulled away, unable to contain the happiness that thrived within him.

"I have so much to tell you. And look." Callum gestured to the shells on her pillow. He stared at the ground sheepishly. "I saw them on your desk, so I left them by your bedside. That way, when you woke up, you would see them and think of the ocean."

Xion smiled. "Thank you." She reached down, picked up the blue and yellow thalassa shell, and held it to her ear. She closed her eyes and listened to the ocean waves crash in her ear. Callum watched her peaceful face. She opened her eyes again, meeting her ocean blue irises with his, and she smiled. He smiled back, thankful that they were back to normal. Xion looked at the shell in her hands. "How long was I asleep?"

"Twenty days." Callum bowed his head.

"That long?!"

"Yeah. You really had me worried."

"I'm sorry..." Xion rested her hand against her chest. "Kind of weird that we can feel anything at all. Without having hearts to feel with."

"Maybe the Organization is wrong. Maybe we can still do things real people can do."

"Yeah..." Xion looked up at Callum. "Don't you have work today?"

"Yeah, I do. I was about to head out, actually, but I came to check in on you first."

"I'd like to tag along with you."

"Are you sure? Maybe you should just take the day off and rest."

Xion reached out and gripped Callum's hands. He gasped quietly in surprise.

"Please? I'll be fine." Xion said.

Callum found it hard to stare into her pleading blue eyes. He cracked like an egg. "Okay, fine." he sighed.

Xion smiled and pulled herself out of her bed. She handed him back his thalassa shell. The two of them walked through the hallways. During that time, Callum spent it talking about all the things he encountered during the time she slept. Xion listened quietly and intently, never taking her eyes off the brunette. As they entered the Grey Area, Saix approached the two. Xion bowed her head shamefully. Callum scowled at Saix and stepped slightly in front of Xion.

"Well, well. It lives. There's just no keeping you down." Saix said.

"Good morning to you, too." Callum said.

"Saix, I want to go with Callum today on his mission." Xion said.

"You belong in your room." Saix said.

"Oh, hey, Xion!" Axel said, walking up to the two Keyblade wielders. "About time you crawled out of bed."

"Morning, Axel." Xion smiled.

"Callum will team up with Axel today, as scheduled. Xion, I'm afraid I neglected to pencil you in." Saix said.

"Don't keep me pent up in here. I need the exercise."

Callum was impressed that she was standing up to him. "Don't you want her to prove what's she's made of?" he said.

"I'll look after her. I promise not to let her out of my sight." Axel said.

Saix grumbled to himself. "Fine. Go, if that's what suits you." He turned around and walked away.

Callum laughed in relief and exchanged a high five with Axel and a smile with Xion.

"Now, let's go, before Saix changes his mind." Axel said.

"Okay!" Callum and Xion said.

Two powerful Heartless had appeared in Twilight Town, so Callum figured having an extra person to help out would make the mission a little more easier.

"This should be fun, huh? Tripling up like this." Xion said.

"Yeah. We should've convinced Saix to let Roxas join us. Then we'd have the whole gang." Callum chuckled.

"He'll be so bummed out."

"Just remember, this is still a mission. We're not on a field trip, guys." Axel said.

"Yes, sir." Callum and Xion said.

"It's nice to be back on my feet." Xion said.

"Just don't push it, you hear me? We'll pick up the slack." Axel said.

Xion nodded. As soon as the Nobodies entered the Sandlot, pink barriers appeared around the exits, excluding the option of leaving. The Heat Saber appeared and brandished its lava-colored blades. A Barrier Master circled around the area, so the gang had to focus on taking care of that Heartless first while avoiding the Heat Saber's attacks. Once the Barrier Master was destroyed, they focused their attention on the Heat Saber, and it fell immediately.

"If the Heat Saber showed up so quickly, maybe the Destroyer will do the same." Callum said. "Save us the trouble of having to look for it."

"If only it were that simple." Axel said. "C'mon, let's go."

They searched the town, only running into the local Heartless. They headed up to Station Plaza.

Callum heard a thud behind him. He turned around and gasped.

"Xion!" he cried, rushing over to the girl laying on the ground. "What's wrong?!"

Axel propped the girl up, and the two boys both stared at her.

"Xion..." Callum said to the unconscious girl.

They heard warping behind them. They looked and saw the Destroyer appear. Light collected at the tips of its arms and it shot a beam at the group. They both jumped out of the way, and Callum immediately summoned Omega Weapon and charged at the Heartless.

"Take care of Xion!" Callum said to Axel.

He jumped in the air and slammed his Keyblade against the Heartless's head. More light collected at the tip of its arms and it shot double lasers. Callum ran in a circle to avoid them. Minute Bombs appeared afterwards, and Callum cast Fire on them to light them up. At the brink of their explosion, he smacked them with his Keyblade to send them up into the Destroyer. The Heartless shot another laser at Callum, and it hit him in the chest. He cried out as the laser slammed him into the wall of the plaza. He groaned and slid to the ground. Using his Keyblade to stand, he panted heavily and stared at the Heartless.

"Okay, then. Two can play at that game!"

Power surged through Callum. He pointed his Keyblade up and light collected at the tip. The light expanded and pulsed.

"Light!" Callum cried, and the ball exploded, shooting smaller balls of heat-seeking light at the Heartless. They sliced through the Destroyer and its Minute Bomb minions. They disappeared, and Callum watched their hearts drift up into the sky. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

Callum suddenly remembered the girl passed out on the other side of the plaza. He sprinted over to Axel and Xion. He took Xion from Axel and held her in his arms.

"Xion..." he said, gazing at her peaceful, slumbering face.

Xion mumbled quietly. "Sora..."

Callum gasped. "Who-?"

"Relax, Callum. She's not hurt." Axel said.

"But..."

"Let's just head back, all right?"

Callum sighed and stood up, carrying Xion bridal-style. Her head bobbed over and rested against his shoulder.

As Callum and Axel walked up Twilight's View on the way to Xion's room, they crossed paths with Saix. Callum immediately tensed with anger. Saix set his eyes on Xion, sleeping in Callum's arms, and he smirked.

"Well, that didn't take long. Did it break again?" Saix said.

Callum shot Saix a nasty glare. "She's not an "it"!"

The two Nobodies walked past Saix.

"Keep your mouth shut." Axel hissed as he passed by Saix.

They entered Xion's room, and Callum laid her in her bed. He straightened up and gazed broodingly at her.

"Axel! Callum!" The Nobodies turned to the door and saw Roxas panting against the door frame. "I saw... I saw you with..." He saw Xion laying asleep in her bed and gasped. "Oh, Xion..."

"Why does this keep happening?" Callum said quietly. He looked over at Axel. "So, you are worried about Xion?"

Axel raised his eyebrow. "What are you talking about? Of course I'm worried about her."

"Well, you don't like it when things get complicated. You usually shrug it off and awkwardly change the subject."

Axel crossed his arms and stared momentarily at the wall. "Let me ask you something, Callum. Each day, the four of us meet up there at the clock tower for ice cream. Now, why do you think that is?"

"Because we're friends." Callum said with "duh" in his voice.

"Right. But if you think about it, I don't need to go out of my way to meet you guys, right? You want to know why? Because you guys are all my best friends."

"Really? We are?" Roxas said.

Axel looked between the two Keyblade wielders and tapped his temple with a half-smile. "Get it memorized, all right? We are best friends."

A soft giggle filled the room, and the three Nobodies jumped and looked to Xion. Her eyes opened and she looked at them with a smile.

"Thanks, Axel. You're sweet." she said.

"Xion!" Callum said. He and Roxas laughed at Axel's discomfort. "How are you feeling?"

"I just got a little dizzy before, that's all. Sorry to worry you guys."

"Don't scare us like that anymore." Axel said. He and Roxas filed out of the room. Callum paused for a moment, his amber eyes meeting Xion's ocean blue ones.

"Take it easy, okay?" he said.

Xion nodded and smiled. She reached out and placed a hand on Callum's arm.

"Thank you... for caring about me." she said quietly.

Callum reached over and clasped her hand firmly. He smiled at her and watched her close her eyes and drift back to sleep.

If only you knew how much I cared about you, Xion.

Callum laid her hand back down on the bed and walked out of the room. He paused at the door and looked back once more at Xion. His chest fluttered, and he rested his hand against it.

Is this... what love is...?