Rokushi Week 2021: Nightmares; In Which Two Clueless Zombies Have Trouble Sleeping

A/N: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is the property of Square Enix and the Walt Disney Company. I do not own The Dresden Files. It is the property of Jim Butcher.

This is a creative work that I do not profit off of in any way.

Hello, my dearest readers! Hello!

I hope you all enjoyed Puppy Love and Taking Care Of Each Other. Now, we move on the Nightmares.

oooo

He's sitting there. The exact same spot. Same as always. This clocktower, it's your place. The place where the three of you always came to eat ice cream and watch the sunset. And he has always sat in that exact spot. You sat on his left and Axel sat on his right, but Roxas is always in the middle.

"Where did I think I could go. What a joke."

His voice is full of disappointment and despair. It hurts your heart to hear it. That's when you step forward. You wanted to be with Roxas. He's always been such a good friend. But, by your nature, you can't be together. It was doomed from the start and what Xemnas did to you will make it a certainty. There is no more time. But, one last ice cream…you can manage that much.

"Xion!"

You hand Roxas a bar of ice cream. Sea salt ice cream. Salty, but sweet. Like him. Sweet, kind Roxas…he'll get to live. It's for the best. The ice cream is far too bitter in your mouth…but it's still something that tells you you're real.

"Roxas…" you say, "I'm out of time."

You stand up and step out to the very edge of the clocktower. You reach up slowly and pull back your hood. You can hear Roxas gasp. You keep talking. You need to keep talking.

"Even if I'm not ready…I have to make this choice."

A choice. That's all you ever wanted for yourself. One final choice. The only choice…the right choice…

"You have poured so many memories into me…given me so much…that I feel like I'm about to overflow," you continue, keeping your voice steady. "Look at me, Roxas. Who do you see? If you see somebody else's face…a boy's face…then that means I'm almost ready. This puppet will have to play her part."

You are a puppet. You've never been anything other than a puppet. Not a person. Not a Nobody. You're nothing at all. Complete and utter nothingness.

"Roxas…This is him. It's Sora."

You walk out slowly. You do not fall. You cannot fall. Roxas stares out at you, completely astonished. You hold out your hand and darkness begins to shoot out.

"You're next, Roxas. I have to make you part of me too. Don't you see? This is why I was created."

That's when you charge. You need to fight. Roxas is desperate as he summons his Keyblade and engages. He swings his Keyblade over and over and over but you don't feel the hits. It's like they just bounce off you. He's not even trying…

"Stop holding back!"

And then you send out big waves of darkness. Roxas tries to dodge them and at first he does okay. But then you send out fire and lightning and more darkness. You combine it all into a big magical wave. It consumes Roxas from every angle and you hold up your weapon—a blade twenty feet long—and bring it down on him…you can hear him screaming and screaming and screaming.

And then Roxas shatters.

xxxx

Xion woke up with a start, forcing. herself not to scream. Her neck ached and her head throbbed. It was just a dream…just a dream…it wasn't real. That day on the clocktower…it hadn't been Roxas who died. It'd been her…it's been her slowly crystalizing and then disintegrating. It'd been what she deserved, for all the horrible things she'd done in the Organization.

Xion shook her head hard to try and clear her thoughts. It didn't work very well. She still could feel it—the heaviness of her Organization robes and the darkness ebbing from her fingertips. And she could still hear Roxas's anguished yell. She pressed her forehead to her knees, trembling. But her hair felt hot and sweaty. She pushed back her covers and walked to the bathroom as quickly as she could. Xion felt her bare feet press against the carpet and then the cool tiles of the bathroom floor. She groped for the water faucet and the sound of pouring water pounded against her ears.

"Snap out of it," Xion muttered to herself as she splashed cold water on her face. "It wasn't real. It was just a dream…"

A dream where Xion killed the person who meant the most to her. Roxas was her best friend. What did it say about her that she dreamed about killing him?

Xion's face began to burn with shame. It was a wicked, wicked thing to have dreamed about. It would have been better to have dreamed about Sora's memories again. But dreams…weren't those supposed to be what you wanted? Isn't that how it went? A dream was a wish your heart made…to think that she would ever want Roxas to…to…

Xion stumbled to the toilet, just in time as she was sick to her stomach. Xion felt her face begin to burn with embarrassment. Even though there was nobody here to see her cry…or throw up…oh, she was awful. Absolutely awful. She crouched over the toilet, trembling. The linoleum tiles were freezing against her bare toes.

After a long time—maybe twenty minutes, maybe an hour—Xion's legs were burning so badly, she couldn't take it anymore. She raised herself up slowly, splashed more cold water on her face to get the awful taste out of her mouth and padded back to her bedroom. She didn't bother trying to pull the covers back up. She stared at the ceiling until her alarm clock went off…it was time to face the day, whether she wanted to or not.

xxxx

Xion was exhausted to the point where she had to focus to keep her eyes open. Breakfast with Axel and Roxas was a struggle. She almost nodded off over her bowl of cereal and Axel had to nearly shout at her to keep her from falling asleep.

"Sorry," Xion mumbled. Her bare toes curled against the kitchen floor and she hastily began to eat her cereal. By now it had gotten really soggy. Xion ate it anyway. It'd be awful to just waste food.

"There's nothing to apologize for, kiddo," Axel said, reaching out a hand to ruffle her hair. Despite how tired she was and the not-very-tasty cereal, Xion giggled. She never realized how much she liked it when Axel played wth her hair like that. "So, what's on the agenda today?"

"We were going to help Hayner and his friends," Roxas said. "We're saving for a beach trip."

"You need any help with that?" Axel asked. "You know, I'm happy to chip in."

"No," Roxas and Xion said in unison. "We want to do this ourselves."

Axel's eyes went wide for a moment and then he shrugged. Xion giggled. It wasn't something they did on purpose, but when she and Roxas answered questions at the same time, it usually made Axel groan. It almost made her forget how tired she was. She caught Roxas's eye across the table. He had such nice eyes…Xion felt a surge of shame.

"C'mon," Roxas said. "We're going to be late to help out."

Xion nodded and as Roxas leapt to his feet, she slowly pushed out her chair. As she walked towards the sink, Axel hooked an arm around her belly.

"Kiddo," Axel whispered into her ear. "Whatever's bothering you, you can tell me. You know that, right?"

"Yeah," Xion said. She felt her stomach flip-flop. She didn't dare look Axel in the eye. "It…if I feel worse, I'll talk to you…I love you, Axel."

"Okay…" Axel said. "But turn that frown upside down, kiddo."

With a wicked grin, he reached out a hand to run his fingers against her ribcage. Xion yelped. Ever since they'd moved to Twilight Town—finally having lives of their own—Axel had made it a bit of a habit to tickle her. He said it was his job as a big brother to make her laugh. In a fit of giggles, Xion squirmed away, but she had admit, it had made her feel a little bit better.

As she followed Roxas outside though, Xion felt her stomach twist into a knot. The air in Twilight Town felt still. Too still. It didn't feel like darkness. It just felt still. Roxas gave her a gentle smile and held out his hand. Xion hesitated before taking his hand but she felt a rush of warmth when Roxas intertwined their fingers.

He trusted her. He wanted to hold her hand. He wanted to be her friend. He really was wonderful…magnificent…remarkable…nice. How could she ever dream of killing him? The idea was awful.

"I think Hayner says it's gonna be poster duty for us all, today," Roxas said. "Mister McDuck is planning something big…not sure what though. Maybe a movie marathon."

A sudden image flashed through Xion's mind. Of Roxas, crying out while she summoned horrible magics to hurt him. To end him. To make him go away.

No! Stop thinking about that! It's bad to think about that! Don't think about bad things! Roxas is here…Roxas is safe…

No thanks to you…

Xion shook her head really, really hard. She couldn't bear to linger on those bad thoughts. She had to think of something else. Anything else.

"Xion," Roxas asked. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"I'm fine," Xion said quickly. Too quickly. Roxas raised an eyebrow and then stopped walking. He placed his free hand on top of their intertwined fingers. His hand was very nice…soft and strong. "Really, Roxas…I am fine."

"Axel's right," Roxas said. "You can talk if there's something bothering you. You don't have to keep any secrets."

Before Xion could say anything else, before she could even think of something else to say, she heard someone calling their names.

"Roxas! Xion!"

Hayner, Pence and Olette. Xion smiled at them, but Roxas gave a great whoop of joy as he ran towards them. He clapped Hayner's hand in a firm handshake and then bumped fists with Pence. Olette smiled at Roxas and then turned to Xion.

"Good morning," Olette said brightly. She smiled, but then it faltered. "Xion, you look a little tired. Are you alright?"

Is it really that obvious?

"Fine…" Xion lied, rubbing her arm. "Really…"

"Alright," Hayner said. "If we're all going to go to the beach, then we should split up. That way, it's three different jobs. Roxas, you and Pence go up to Market Street. I'll take the tram station. Letty, Xion, you two can take the terraces across town."

"Don't call me 'Letty,' Hayner," Olette said. "But sure, we can take care of the terrace. C'mon Xion."

"Right…" Xion said. Her eyes lingered on Roxas, but she couldn't bear to look at him for long. "I'll follow you, Olette."

xxxx

"Okay, spill," Olette said, as she finished plastering a poster to a wall. She crossed her arms and Xion thought Olette was trying to look tough. It didn't work very well. "What's been bothering you?"

"I…" Xion looked over her shoulder. Silly of her…there was nothing behind her. They were at the very first corner of the stairs that led from the train station. "It's…I had a bad dream is all…a really bad dream."

"Nightmare," Olette said. "That's what it's called, Xion. You had a nightmare last night."

"So that's what it's called," Xion whispered. She tilted her head up and curled her fingers into fists, pressing her fingernails into her palms. "I didn't know what the word was…sorry."

"I told you before," Olette said as she led Xion down the path to put up another poster. "You don't need to apology for not knowing stuff. But a bad dream? Why not stay home? You look…well, not so good."

"I didn't want to worry anyone," Xion said. "I thought that if I stayed home…it'd make Roxas worry. And what happened….it wouldn't be fair. After I…"

Xion paused. Olette and the others weren't completely aware of just how bad things had gone in the Organization. They knew a lot of it though…would she have to explain what she'd dreamt? Xion felt tears begin to prickle. Olette took her hand and intertwined their fingers. Olette's hand was softer than Roxas's, not as warm.

"Maybe it was something you ate," Olette suggested gently. "I had a bad dream last week—banana pudding. Does it to me every time. You eat anything that made you feel sick? Any major change in habit?"

"Nothing comes to mind," Xion said. "Nothing's really changed…at least, not much has changed since we first came here…it's different than before…um…"

"You don't have to go into that stuff," Olette said. "But if you want, you can spend the night at my house tonight. If you've been having nightmares, maybe a little change in environment is just what you need."

"Thank you…" Xion said, before shaking her head. "But no…I can't. I don't…I'm flattered, but I don't think…what if I have a nightmare at your house? And I wake you up? And then we both won't be able to sleep. I really do appreciate the offer…but I'm gonna have to say no."

Olette bit her lip but then turned her head to set up another poster. Xion scurried up to help her. Olette gave a small, reassuring smile.

"Okay…but I'm telling Axel myself if your nightmares get any worse."

"I don't think they will," Xion said. She wasn't sure she believed it, but maybe if she kept telling herself that, she could make them go away on her own. "Thanks…"

xxxx

Roxas…he's going to ruin everything. He can't do anything right. He's never been able to just leave you alone. He wants you to go back to the Organization. You do not want to go back there! You are never going to go back there! You will make sure that Roxas never takes you anywhere you don't want to go again!

"Xion," Roxas says, and he sounds so hopeful…it's disgusting. Roxas is so clueless and oblivious to absolutely everything. "Xion, you're back!"

Back? Of course, he'd say that. He's just trying to get you to lower your guard so that you'll go back with him. Well, that ends today…

You raise your Keyblade and point it at him. Roxas takes a step back, holding his hands up. Trying to stop you. Everyone is always trying to stop you. Nobody ever lets you get to choose anything.

"Xion…what are you doing?"

You're doing what's best for you. Not what's best for Xemnas. Not what's best for the Organization. Not what's best for Axel or Roxas or Demyx or Luxord or Riku or anybody else but you! It's your turn to get what you want! It's not fair that everyone else gets to do whatever they like but you have to do all the hard stuff.

You pull your Keyblade back, so that it won't trip you. Roxas looks relieved for a moment, but then you start running towards him. He only just manages to summon his Keyblade to protect himself.

Your Keyblade smashes against it…Roxas is tossed backwards. He falls flat on his back. You raise your Keyblade…and then the streets of Twilight Town vanish. You're not in Twilight Town anymore…there's only darkness. Is this the World That Never Was? All you can see is Roxas. You can't even see your Keyblade…

Then, the darkness fades and you're in…some sort of rocky area. Lots of rocks. Is this a canyon? Or maybe a mountain? There's no snow here and there's no trees…it's hot and dry and it makes you even madder.

Roxas is there. And so is a girl with red hair, wearing ugly pink clothes. And Axel is there…wait, why does he have a Keyblade? He's not supposed to have a Keyblade! It's not fair that he has a Keyblade! Not fair! Not fair! Not fair!

You scream and charge at them. Roxas fights you—wait, he has two Keyblades! And then the ugly girl swings at you—her technique is awful. And then Axel throws his Keyblade at you. It hits you in the chest. It hurts…everything always hurts. You fight. You fight with everything you've got.

You knock Roxas to the ground. And then the girl. And then Axel…you channel all the anger and hate and rage you can muster. Your Keyblade is different now—all black and sharp and pointy…and then you send out a blast of fire. Black fire…it consumes all of them. You hear them scream and scream and scream…and then you begin to laugh.

xxxx

Xion woke up crying. She had fallen out of her bed. The carpet was hard underneath her body, but it was nothing compared to the pounding in her head and in her heart. It felt like someone had used a hammer against her head. Xion stumbled to her feet and ran for the bathroom as her throat burned. She couldn't…she wouldn't…she…oof!

"Xion?" Roxas asked. He was standing in the doorway to the bathroom. Xion could hear the faucet running. "Are you alright?"

"Fine…" Xion lied. "I was just thirsty is all…um…Roxas, what are you doing up?"

Roxas didn't answer. He ducked his head away, like he was nervous or ashamed. But that wasn't right. Roxas had nothing to be ashamed of.

"Roxas…" Xion said, taking his hand. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"I…I…I dreamed about that day you collapsed," Roxas said. "Right after you first woke up? I dreamed that Axel and I weren't fast enough to help you…and then the Heartless…it was bad Xion."

"I…I had a bad dream too," Xion said. "Last night and tonight too…about hurting you…hurting Kairi…hurting Axel…"

"You did?"

"Yes…

They stood there, staring at each other. Xion could still hear the faucet running. Roxas grimaced and reached back into the bathroom to shut it off. He took deep, shaky breaths in front of the mirror.

"I'm so tired…" Roxas said. "I wasn't this tired when I went to bed, but now…"

"Yeah," Xion said. "Me too."

She felt her knees begin to give way. Xion stumbled, but Roxas caught her around the elbow. The angle was a little awkward, but she could feel his heartbeat. Roxas's heartbeat. He was alive…

"I need to sit down…" Roxas said. "I don't want to go back to my room…you want to sit on the couch with me?"

"Yes," Xion said. "I'd like that very much…"

She let Roxas take her hand again and he led her down the stairs to the living room. As Roxas sat down on the couch, Xion sat beside him. After a moment, she twisted around, so that she could rest her head against Roxas's chest. She tucked her bare toes into one of the cushions. For a long time, neither of them spoke.

"I'm here now," Roxas said. "You don't have to worry…"

"You don't have to worry either," Xion whispered. "I'm not going anywhere."

She leaned tighter against Roxas and then Xion felt her eyes beginning to droop. She was so tired…but Roxas was here…Roxas was alive. And he was hugging her…and she was hugging him.

Xion felt herself drifting off to sleep, but she didn't think she had to worry about nightmares anymore. As long as she and Roxas were honest with each other…there was nothing to be afraid of.

Xion slept, but she did not dream. But it was the most restful sleep she could remember in a very long time.

She didn't get to sleep very long though. Axel woke up early to watch his cartoons, and promptly decided to sit on top of both of them, since Roxas and Xion had fallen asleep on his favorite spot of the couch.

"AXEL!"

"You're in my spot!"

A/N: And there we have it, my dearest readers! A happy ending for Roxas and Xion after so many bad dreams!

I hope you enjoyed, my dear, dear readers! Please leave a comment if you're so inclined. I appreciate each and every one of you!