The sun was setting over the Secret Forest.
A cloud of sparkling magic swirled around, until it coalesced in the shape of a human.
"Gah!" Lea instinctively jerked away.
The mysterious woman smiled. "Oh! Excuse me, dear. I certainly didn't mean to startle you. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Cinderella's Fairy Godmother.
Merlin continued the introduction. "She is a very powerful fairiy, here at Master Yen Sid's request. She's here to prepare you for your Mark of Mastery examination."
The Fairy Godmother turned to Kairi, then to Lea. "You two are nearing the end of your training. Correct?"
Both of them affirmed with nod.
Merlin continued, "Master Yen Sid conducted Sora and Riku's Mark of Mastery exam in the Sleeping Worlds. If you are to become true Keyblade masters, you must learn about the power of dreams."
They two trainees exchanged a look with each other.
The Fairy Godmother finished for him. "Listen carefully, dears. A dream is a wish your heart makes when you're fast asleep. Legends say that in ancient times, the world was blanketed in darkness."
Merlin covered this. The Keyblade War, thought Lea.
She continued her story. "Before the great battle, the legends say Keybearers escaped to another world, as if they fell asleep and awoke in a dream. They wished with all their hearts to keep the light alive. And of course, you can't erase what lives on in the hearts of children—worlds and their stories, and most of all, light. The power of those children's dreams is what kept the light alive and rebuilt the lost worlds."
What the Fairy Godmother said sounded familiar to Kairi.
"The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared. But small fragments of light survived, in the hearts of children. With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world."
"My grandma's story."
The elderly Fairy smiled at her. "Yes. It's just like the fairy tale. Each star in the sky is the dream of one of those children." Then she turned to Lea with a frown and her voice became more serious. "Lea. I can sense that you have a very precious dream, one that you nearly gave up on."
Lea was a bit taken aback. But she was right. It was the impossible dream of an obstinate child. Yet, somehow it still smoldered in his heart.
"What's wrong" asked Kairi.
Lea hadn't even realized that he had begun staring at her. It was a little embarrassing. "I'm not sure. I think I'm forgetting something. Don't know what."
"Lea, do you believe in your heart that your dream can come true?"
"Well..." Lea looked away briefly, then offered an answer. "That's why I'm here, right?"
His answer didn't inspire much confidence. The wise old fairy remembered a certain young man.
"Terra, in your heart, do you believe that dreams can come true?" "I do. But I also believe you have to make an effort to make them come true."
She continued to address Lea. "I know that you are very focused on your training. But you mustn't forget. The most important thing is to believe."
The conversation brought a vague recollection to Kairi. She remembered meeting Lea, then going by the name 'Axel'.
"Maybe waiting isn't good enough…" "Exactly! If you have a dream, don't wait. Act. One of life's little rules. Got it memorized?"
Kairi's curiosity was definitely piqued. What could Lea's dream possibly be?
The Fairy Godmother's admonishment reminded Lea of his good friend, Roxas.
"Aw, give it another try. Believe me on this!"
"All right… I believe you."
He closed his eyes. And then he felt himself rise off the ground. Roxas was right. He could fly. All he had to do was believe he could.
Lea said nothing. He only stared at the setting sun.
Isa was sitting on the ledge of the clock tower gazing off at the sunset, with Lea right beside him. He took a deep breath as he gathered his resolve.
"—Hey, why don't the two of us go off somewhere?" Lea said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
"Huh?" Isa stared at him.
"Let's just run away."
Isa shook his head and spoke weakly. "We don't have any place to run. You remember what that man with the black robe said, right?"
The previous day, a man in a black robe appeared out of nowhere. He was wearing his hood up, so his face was completely obscured. He disappeared almost as soon as he showed up. But Isa could not forget what he said just before he vanished:
"The X carved on your face is the same shape as the sigil of the recusant. It is proof that we have our eyes on you. It will tell us where you are at all times."
Isa touched his face. "It's because of...this mark."
"A sigil...of a recusant? What the heck is that?" Lea spat.
"I...don't know."
Isa told Lea everything he could remember while he was locked up. He woke up in a cell, alone. One day, a man came to take him from the prison. It was so dark he couldn't see him, except that he wore an eyepatch. He took Isa into another room nearby. At edge of the room, near the wall, a mysterious suit of armor and a key-like weapon were lying on the floor.
"These are but empty shells of the life they were once possessed. Like you are—empty and void of life. As your flesh bears the sigil, so shall your name be known as that...of a recusant."
Lea was quiet as he listened to Isa recount his experience.
"After that, I was taken back to cell. I don't know how long I was there. I couldn't even remember my name. I was simply called 'X' there."
Lea was still silent.
Isa held a hand up to his chest. "All I know is those men did something to me during those experiments."
Lea looked up Isa. At his golden eyes and pointy ears. It was undeniable. The researcher and the guard both had those same golden eyes and pointy ears. Though Lea couldn't possibly understand what it all meant.
Isa didn't look at Lea. "If I wait and do nothing, they'll just make me go back with them," he said quietly. "I've made up my mind."
Lea could tell where this conversation was going and he didn't like it one bit. He looked up at Isa pleadingly. "I just...want us to always be together."
All he'd ever wanted was to be with his best friend forever. Hanging out, laughing at dumb stuff, eating ice cream, watching the sunset. That was his only wish.
Seeing Lea's guileless expression, Isa felt as if his heart were being squeezed. That was, of course, his most fervent wish, too. But given their circumstances, that was just a pipe dream. No matter how much you may wish for something, reality has a way of getting in the way. As much as he wanted to follow his heart, he had listen to his head. He gently grabbed Lea's hand and placed something in it.
Lea looked down. In his hand was a stick that read 'Winner'.
"It'll be okay," Isa said, perfectly calm. He leaned closer and placed his hand over Lea's. "You said it yourself, didn't you? Inside people's memories, you can live forever. As long as you keep me in your thoughts, we'll never have to be apart."
Back then, the thought of living forever inside of others' memories was comforting. It made him feel like he could be immortal. But now, it only sounded like one of those trite platitudes you'd see on a fortune cookie. Empty, hollow words devoid of any comfort.
"Thank you. For everything. I'll never forget you." Isa wore a soft, gentle smile. "Goodbye, Lea."
'Goodbye'. Lea's breath stopped for a second. The way his friend said it was so heavy, and filled with such finality. Lea couldn't hold back any longer. He broke down and sobbed harder than he ever had before in his entire life. Just like a small child. All the pain and anguish he'd been bottling up for so long now burst, like a dam. The tears just kept on coming.
Isa didn't know how to comfort him. He hesitated a moment before placing his hand on Lea's face, wiping away some of his tears.
But it didn't help. Lea was still utterly inconsolable. He only cried harder and sobbed louder. His shoulders were trembling and his bottom lip was quivering. This went on for some time until, just for a moment, he quieted down.
"...Promise me..." It became difficult for Lea to speak through his sobs. "...That we'll meet again…in the next life."
Isa's response was firm and sincere. "I promise. I'll be waiting for you."
Lea looked out at the clouds. You'll be waiting for me. You promised me that. I won't forget.
He stared at Isa, then wiped his eyes and gave a firm nod. A long time passed as they sat watching the sunset, without saying a word.
The silence made Lea increasingly nervous with each passing second, but he couldn't muster the courage to say anything. His legs dangled over the ledge and he swung his feet anxiously.
Then, at last, Lea watched as Isa slowly stood up, his gaze fixated far off at the horizon. He looked calm, unlike Lea who was still a mess.
The bells on the clock tower chimed the hour. To Lea, the sound was unbearable, like a requiem. With great reluctance, he got to his feet as well. His body had never felt so heavy before.
They stood still for a few more moments, basking in the scenery, side by side. It was the same red sunset as ever, only this time it was even more magnificent.
Isa finally looked at his best friend. He was still smiling.
"See you, Lea." He spoke so softly and gently, it almost sounded like a whisper.
'See you'. Lea liked that phrase a lot more. It was a temporary parting, with the assurance they'd see each other again. Like it was just the end of another school day.
Lea could barely breathe due to the choking sensation in his throat. "See you, Isa."
Sora Donald, and Goofy were all standing in front of the haunted mansion in Twilight Town. Sora had gotten a call on his Gummiphone from Hayner and headed straight to Twilight Town. Hayner, Pence, and Olette were also there, along with Scrooge McDuck.
Sora was piecing all the info he got from the trio. "So, the fake Ansem must've brought the real Ansem here."
He recalled what Ansem and Xemnas said in front of the old mansion, the last time he was here.
"In that case, by all means."
"Nothing would please us more than Roxas's return, of course."
"Yeah," said Hayner. "They were talking about bringing Roxas back."
That was when Scrooge decided to speak up. "Ansem the Wise..."
"You know him, too, Uncle Scrooge?" asked Donald.
Scrooge began to reminisce. When he first ran into Sora's group, he was trying to recreate a particular ice cream flavor. If only Ansem the Wise would have been there, maybe he could have asked him about the secret recipe.
"He's Donald's uncle—a business typhoon! Before the Heartless showed up, he traveled the worlds on a Gummi Ship with the King. He was helpin' to set up a traffic system."
"A transit system!"
"I'll tell ye kids a story. I first ate a particular flavor of ice cream in a town that I stumbled upon while traveling with King Mickey in the Gummi Ship a long time ago. It was called sea-salt ice cream. Soon after, I began to sell it in Radiant Garden. It was a big hit with the kids, especially two wee lads who stopped by every day. But Ansem the Wise was my best customer."
"An ice cream addict? Sounds a bit like Hayner," joked Olette.
Pence suddenly realized something. "Oh! So, that must have explained the password on his computer."
"We'll have to give Ienzo a call." Sora took out his Gummiphone and was about to push a button.
But before he could, Hayner interrupted. "Wait. There's something else we should tell you."
"Huh?"
The three kids looked at each other, then Hayner answered what all three of them were thinking.
"We all remember Roxas."
This time, Sora's trio looked at each other. "HUH!?"
Olette nodded, affirming Hayner's story. "It's true. It was the strangest thing. All three of us remembered him at the same time."
Pence, too. "Suddenly, we all remembered another lifetime we shared with Roxas."
Sora scrambled to make sense of what they were telling him. "But how is that even possible? Roxas lived in the other Twilight Town. The Hayner, Pence, and Olette that live there were made out of data."
Olette shook her head. "I have no idea. But it happened while we were sitting up on the station tower."
"Apparently, that's where alternate-us used to hang out all the time to eat sea-salt ice cream," said Pence.
Sora folded his arms in thought.
Goofy tried offering some helpful advice. "Remember what Ansem's code was all about, Sora."
"The heart is the pathway to memory," quacked Donald.
Sora glanced up at the haunted mansion one last time. While he slept in that mansion, that's when Roxas lived his life in the other Twilight Town. That's also when Ansem the Wise put the data inside of his heart.
Roxas's friends now remembered him. Sora had a feeling he probably shouldn't leave town just yet. Maybe something in this world would awaken Roxas's heart.
Did Master Yen Sid tell you?
Merlin has used his magic to bring us to a place where time doesn't matter. He's an amazing wizard. We're finally going to take our Mark of Mastery exam tomorrow. Even though hardly any time has passed in the real world, for us it's been almost a whole year.
Oh, and by "us," I mean me and Lea. He's really sorry for all the trouble he caused. I told him it's fine, but he won't stop apologizing. I'll admit I was a little scared of him at first, but I've gotten to know him better. All he ever wanted was to help his friend. Honestly, it's hard not to like him.
Every now and then, I catch him staring at me. When I ask what's wrong, he says, "I'm not sure. I think I'm forgetting something. Don't know what." Sora, I think it may have something to do with you. Your journey is all about helping people: some that you've never met before, and some like Lea that you have. They're all counting on you. It won't be easy, but I hope you'll remain the happy and cheerful Sora that I know. There's no heart your smile can't reach.
The day's lesson was now over and Kairi was writing a letter to Sora.
She always came to the hill here to watch the sun set after she finished training for the day. Sometimes Lea joined her, and sometimes he didn't. Today, she sensed someone coming behind her, and she turned around.
"What's wrong?"
Lea looked a little out of it and scratched his head. "Nothin', sorry."
"Lea… You're doing it again."
He was always saying he was sorry; by now it was almost habit. She'd told him he didn't need to so many times, but he kept doing it. The thought had crossed her mind that he was apologizing for more than just what he'd done to her as Axel in the past. Sometimes—I wonder if some of those apologies aren't meant for someone else.
"Ack, sorry."
Kairi couldn't help but smile, even as he did it again.
Lea sat down on a stone a short ways away from her as she went back to writing. "A letter?" he asked.
"Yup."
"To Sora?"
"Mmm, technically yes. But I won't send it. It's more for me."
A letter she didn't plan to send— This wasn't the first. She hadn't really expected him to get that other letter, either. Thinking of you, wherever you are…
"Ask Merlin. He'll deliver it for you."
"Yeah, but it's okay. I just like talking to Sora, even if it's on paper."
"Okay," Lea said, observing Kairi's face the entire time. He always did that. Lea didn't seem like the type of person to stare at others, but when they were together, he couldn't take his eyes off her for some reason. Somehow, Kairi knew he needed to—that it was part of helping him recover an important memory.
"Oh." Lea gasped before pulling out two sticks of blue ice cream. Sea-salt ice cream, to be exact. He offered one to Kairi. "Here."
"Ice cream? Really?"
"Yeah, I asked Merlin to pick these up. Ya know, we're both about to take our Mark of mastery exams tomorrow. Gotta celebrate."
"You're sweet, Lea."
He had gone back to staring at Kairi once she started eating her ice cream, only this time he seemed a little happier.
"What?" she asked him, puzzled.
Lea averted his eyes awkwardly. "N-nothing, I just…"
"You're trying to remember what you forgot?"
"Well, I, uh… Yeah… Yeah."
Flustered, he turned back toward the sunset, perhaps recalling something. Something deeply meaningful to him.
"So, tomorrow—you and me in the ring. You ready?" Kairi asked, waving her stick of sea-salt ice cream around like a Keyblade.
They would have to fight tomorrow for real.
There was a hint of melancholy in his voice when he answered. "'Course."
"Don't hold back, Lea. Promise?" Kairi said. She had no doubt that Lea was the better fighter between them.
Lea still had his eyes on the sun. There was no telling what was on his mind.
Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion.
Without even thinking twice, Lea instinctively reached out and grabbed Isa's hand. He caught him as he dangled and pulled him back safely onto the ledge.
Isa didn't utter a word.
Lea was still firmly gripping him by the wrist as he led him back downstairs, in front of Central Station. A whistle could be heard coming from inside building, indicating a train had arrived. "C'mon. Let's go."
Isa meekly followed Lea, staring at the ground. But then, he suddenly pulled his hand away.
Lea turned around.
"No. This is for the best."
"So it's better for you to disappear?" he protested.
"I've already made my decision. Why can't you just accept it?" There was no discernible emotion in his voice.
"You think I should just accept that you'll be gone forever!? Is that it!? No, I'll never accept that!" He took the 'Winner' stick from his pocket and gave it a vicious glare. Then he launched it over the brick ledge as far as he could. It flew over the rooftops and was soon out of sight.
Isa was still looking at ground. He was as calm as could be. "My mind's made up. There's nothing you can do to stop me."
This comment only served to enrage Lea. "Why!? Why are you being so stubborn!?"
There was determination in the boy's voice. He spoke clearly and calmly as he finally looked up at Lea. "Because I don't want to be their puppet."
He meant it both literally and figuratively. He didn't want to follow Xehanort's orders or be manipulated by him in any way. But he also thought back to what he'd been reduced to when he was laid to rest in the Chamber of Repose and called 'X'. An unthinking, unfeeling shell without any memories or self-awareness. A doll to be toyed around with by someone else.
But to Lea, it was just a bunch of excuses. "Then I will! I'LL do all the dirty work so you won't have to! Okay!?" He didn't know how that would even be possible, but the words spilled forth nonetheless.
At that, Isa gasped. Lea's previous words echoed in his mind:
"I always get stuck with the icky jobs."
"No!" He closed eyes shut and shook head vigorously. "That's the last thing I want!" He looked at Lea pleadingly. "Please, you have to understand!"
Lea couldn't understand. "That is IT! I've heard enough of your nonsense! You're coming with me. By force, if necessary! I don't care if I have to DRAG you!"
Strong rays of sun create dark shadows. The brighter Lea's light was, the darker the shadows he cast over Isa's heart.
Don't you understand!? Don't you think I want us to stay together, too?! I want to be with you forever! Of COURSE I do! But I CAN'T! All I ever do is cause you trouble!
"DON'T YOU GET IT ALREADY!?"
Lea was taken aback by Isa's sudden outburst. He certainly wasn't calm anymore.
Isa shouted his laments at the red sky. "You'd be better off if I just disappeared!"
No! Lea immediately rushed over to his friend.
Isa felt himself losing control and fell to his knees. No. I'm going to...change into a monster... Trembling, he looked at Lea with a pitiable expression. "...Don't hold back, Lea."
Seeing his expression, Lea's heart sank and he completely froze.
Before long, Isa's eyes were glowing yellow, like a Heartless. The scar on his forehead swelled and expanded. He was like a werewolf underneath a full moon.
Lea had no time to react before Isa went totally berserk. He came at Lea with a savage blow, sending him sprawling on the pavement. But Lea got right back up. Each time he got up, he was viciously thrown about again.
"Stop it!"
What do I do? What should I do?
He tried his best to get away, but there was barely anything he could do.
"STOOOP IT!" Lea screamed at the top of his lungs.
At that, Isa seemed to finally hear him and flinched for barely a split second—but it was enough for Lea to dart behind him and knock him out with a blow to the back of his neck.
Lea collapsed to his knees beside Isa. He wasn't sure whether it was right to use force on him. But he was sure—mostly sure—that it was the best option out of the ones he had at the time.
He cast his eyes at Isa, sprawled out on the stone pavement. He wasn't injured.
So, what now? He can't...control himself anymore.
Tears poured down Lea's face and he shut his eyes tightly.
What should I do? What's the best thing?
He stared at Isa's face for a long, long time.
Maybe we can both disappear from here together, and go somewhere.
But Lea couldn't bring himself to move.
"...Promise me...that we'll meet again…in the next life."
"I promise. I'll be waiting for you."
No! Waiting isn't good enough! If you have a dream, don't wait. Act.
"I'm bringing you back!" Lea screamed with all his heart. "No matter how many times you leave, I'll always bring you back!"
It was a wish—an oath, and a promise.
With that, he stopped crying, wiped away his tears, and finally found the strength to lift himself to his feet.
He picked up Isa off the ground and put him on his back. "I'm sorry."
He know this isn't what Isa would want. He didn't want to be anyone's puppet. Maybe, in a way, Lea was treating him like a puppet too, by taking away his choice. Maybe what he was doing was wrong.
Light and darkness. Two polar opposites. Good and bad, right and wrong were the same thing, right? However, wasn't good or bad just a matter of perspective? In the end, maybe there was no good or bad, right or wrong. All it came down to was what you wanted to do and what you didn't.
He lifted his hand and, sure enough, a dark portal opened up.
It led to Radiant Garden. Or rather, to Hollow Bastion.
Lea turned toward Kairi and froze, eyes wide.
That girl!
The face of Kairi had...changed. Well, no, not exactly. She still had the same face. But she had dark hair and was wearing a black coat like his.
The sea-salt ice cream slipped from his hand, and then silent tears suddenly spilled down his cheeks.
"Huh? Are you okay? Lea!"
Startled, Kairi hurried over to him. She had never seen a man older than her cry like this before. Not this hard, certainly.
"Yeah… Sorry…"
"You're crying. What's wrong?"
Lea wiped his eyes and got to his feet, the barest trace of a bashful smile on his lips. "Something in my eyes."
"Lea…"
He shrugged. "I'm…gonna go. Sorry."
At Kairi's feet, the fallen bar of sea-salt ice cream was resting among the four-leaf clovers.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy were sitting on the clock tower with Hayner, Pence, and Olette.
It felt like Sora had been here before. Maybe because Roxas had come here with his friends.
"We all remembered him while we were sitting up here." Hayner took a bite out of his ice cream.
Olette did too. "Like some long-lost memories just...came back to us."
Pence recalled all those times eating ice cream with Roxas. "Yep. And we suddenly remembered this friend we had all along, but we just didn't remember until now."
Sora started on his own ice cream. I guess it's kinda like what happened when I was asleep. Everyone forgot me. Even Kairi.
Hayner started out at the sunset with a wistful expression. "I promised Roxas we'd go to the beach."
Suddenly, Sora's heart felt so hollow and empty.
He stared out at sunset as his ice cream began to melt.
It had been 352 days since Kairi began her training with Lea.
Kairi was face-to-face with herself as she observed herself in the mirror.
"You know, I was a little afraid at first…but now I'm ready. No matter where I go or what I see, I know I can always come back here."
"Yeah, of course!"
"I'm glad… Sora, don't ever change."
"I wonder if I've changed at all. If I've been able to face my fears."
On her bed sat a suitcase from Yen Sid, delivered to her by Merlin. The case was open and empty, and next to it was the dress she always used to wear.
Kairi did a little twirl in front of the mirror. Her new outfit was the same color as her old dress, but this one had a belt and a hood. On the left side of her skirt was a frilled section with a checkered pattern, while on the right were solid black pleats. There were also two big pockets.
She surveyed her new outfit, then took another look at herself in the mirror and grabbed a little bit of her hair.
Riku cut his hair recently, didn't he?
Her own hair had grown some in the time she'd spent training with Lea.
Which way would Sora prefer it? Short or long?
Kairi took a pair of scissors from a desk in the corner of the room and studied them, opening and closing the blades experimentally. She then went back over to the mirror and took hold of the ends of her hair.
Hmm, maybe shoulder length. Let's just hope I can cut it right!
The setting sun stung his eyes. Lately, he'd been just a bit of a crybaby. Could it be because the upside-down tears had disappeared from his face?
"Hey, Lea!"
He turned to look, squinting a bit. "Hey. Liking the look. Cut your hair, too," he said somewhat distantly. This was his first time seeing Kairi's new haircut.
"Mm-hmm. So you gonna try yours on?" Kairi asked.
Lea seemed at a loss for a moment, then shook his head. "Uh…I dunno. Maybe later."
"But you always wear the same thing."
That's right. I've been wearing this black coat for ages now.
Almost as if he were dodging the subject, he answered, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it. This is how you pick me out of a crowd. I make myself easy to remember."
"How thoughtful," she said.
Lea laughed off the comment, slightly embarrassed. "Nah, not really…"
Kairi sat down next to him and watched the sun make its descent. Before long, she was looking off into distance. "Somewhere inside me is Naminé."
Naminé? He wasn't expecting Kairi to mention her.
She held her head to her heart. Naminé was my shadow. I felt what she felt. Because her feelings were my own. "Naminé and Roxas were made when Sora freed me from his heart. So now that she's a part of me again, and Roxas is a part of Sora again, I figured I was all right. But it's not. Not for her or Roxas."
Kairi's shoulder-length hair stirred in the breeze, while Lea listened quietly.
"Nothing's as it should be."
Lea recalled a conversation he had with Naminé on Sunset Hill.
"Go where? It's not like we have homes to return to. We don't exist, remember?"
"Yes, it's true. We may not have homes. But there is someplace I want to go... And someone I want to see..."
Naminé stared at the notebook in her lap, which showed a picture of Sora holding hands with Roxas.
"Same here."
"I know." Lea nodded in agreement. The sun was almost completely set.
But Kairi understood now. She knew the sky glowed faintly red for a while even after the sun was gone, creating a moment between light and darkness—when the sky was most beautiful.
I've never talked about Ventus before. I was always afraid that if I talked about Ventus to anyone else, that I would never meet him again.
Lea gradually began to speak. "Way back when I was a kid, I met this other weird kid. Somehow we became fast friends. Never saw him again—nearly forgot about him, too. Then I met Roxas. Couldn't believe it. The two of 'em were identical. Oh, I didn't tell Roxas. Didn't want him to go vanishing on me, too."
That had to be a secret Lea held dearly. He hadn't even told Roxas, after all.
"The kid's name was Ventus. He's one of the lost Keyblade wielders we're looking for. Think he's still got me memorized?"
Lea wasn't referring to just the play date they had a decade ago. He was desperately hoping that he'd remember him as Axel, and all the days they spent together in Organization XIII.
Ah, I see. Lea met Ventus a long time ago. They were connected this whole time—all of us were.
Kairi put a finger to her head and smiled: "Oh yeah. Very memorized."
Lea laughed at her imitating his pose.
"Our training's almost finished."
"Yeah…"
The two of them had spent almost an entire year together and become good friends. But now that time was coming to an end.
"Wow. The sunset is beautiful." There was sincere admiration in Kairi's voice.
Lea stared at Kairi, like he often did. Then he blinked and turned back to the sunset.
Everything became distorted. The world blurred around Sora…
"What!?"
Suddenly, there were no buildings. There was no sky or sunset. All his surroundings were black.
"What's going on!?"
Eventually, he looked down to see he was not in Twilight Town. He was on top of a platform. A Station of Awakening.
"What is this? My heart?"
On the platform was a picture of himself. Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Kairi surrounded him. All those dearest to his heart.
Sora turned around and noticed a shadowy figure standing there. "An Organization member? Here!?"
He instinctively brandished his Keyblade and took fighting stance, then charged.
But the figure produced a Keyblade and deflected the attack—and the Keyblade was identical to Sora's.
Sora couldn't contain his shock. "Wait… That Keyblade… It's just like mine."
The figure didn't respond. It only began to violently slash at Sora.
Sora immediately blocked the savage repeated blows. This is so similar to that time.
"Are you…?" Sora faltered. "Is that you, Roxas?"
The figure only kept up the assault.
I can barely keep up!
Soon, the hooded figure pointed the directly Keyblade in front of his face.
Sora could sense deep pain in this hooded stranger. "Don't do this," he said as he gently took hold of the Keyblade.
The figure gasped, and Sora could tell that they clearly had a girl's voice. She looked away from him and shook his hand off her Keyblade. Then, seeming to push something down inside herself, she spun around and swung her weapon at him.
But…it seemed almost as if she was fighting herself more than Sora. She hammered her Keyblade against his over and over, and he simply weathered the storm.
"Wait…"
Under the vicious barrage, memories came pouring into Sora all at once.
"Roxas... This is him. It's Sora."
With her hood removed, I saw that her face changed into someone I'd never seen before.
"You're next Roxas, Don't you see? This is why I was created."
With her coat thrown off, Xion was a puppet. I didn't want to fight her. But she attacked me.
"Please Roxas—end me."
As I was fighting, I began to lose what I knew. Who was I fighting? I was rapidly forgetting things that were important to me. And before I knew it, an unfamiliar girl with black hair was collapsing in front of me.
"Who are you...again? It's weird. I feel like I'm forgetting something really important."
The girl slowly opened her eyes.
"You'll be...better off now...Roxas."
I held her up.
"Am I...the one who did this to you?"
"No...It was my choice...to go away now. Better that than to do nothing...and let Xemnas have his way."
The girl put her hand on mine.
"Goodbye, Roxas. See you again."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"I'm glad...I got to meet you. Oh...and of course, Axel, too. You're both my best friends. Never forget. That's the truth."
In that moment, I remembered. Xion.
"No! Xion...Who else will have ice cream with?!"
But she was disappearing.
"Xion…"
All that remained of her was a thalassa shell.
"It's all right! You can stop now! It's all right…"
"Xion."
The girl froze as the name left Sora's lips.
He said my name—not Sora, but someone else. I know that voice. I'd know it anywhere.
Xion grabbed her head and screamed. Tears fell down her cheeks as the Keyblade dropped from her hand and she toppled over.
Sora caught her just as the wind blew her hood off, revealing her face. It was the same girl he encountered in the Sleeping Worlds. "It's all right now."
She felt like she was finally home, nestled in Sora's arms. She looked up at him, seeing another boy's face. "Roxas."
"Now I remember everything. I remember you, Xion."
"Roxas." She gently caressed his face. "There were so many things I wanted to tell you."
Sora placed his hand on top of hers.
"On the day you first called my name, it made me feel like I had a heart. If I hadn't met you and Axel, I wonder how my everyday life would've been. Day after day, I spent my time going to the same place with the same two people. The days were the same as every other. Even so, the red, setting sun, the taste of ice cream. Those days when nothing happened were the most precious to me. All of them are my treasure. I wanted to tell you that."
"What's the matter? You worried about the new kid? Well, this is…uh…" Axel scratched his head again. "What was that name…?"
Saïx answered instead. "Number fourteen. Xion."
"Right. I knew that. Xion."
Roxas softly repeated it, too. "Xion…"
"Thank you for calling out my name."
"How did you find such a great spot?" Xion wondered.
"Let's sit down."
"Okay."
She sat in front of the clockface, gazing toward the sunset in the distance.
"Here ya go." Roxas handed her an ice cream.
She stared at it curiously. "What is it…?"
"Sea-salt ice cream. Go on, try it."
"Thank you for inviting me to the clocktower."
"Oh… Did you bring me these?"
She picked one up and held it to her ear. Maybe the ocean waves in her ears had really been seashells the whole time.
"Can you hear it?" asked Roxas.
"Yeah… The sound of the waves."
"Thank you for picking up shells for me."
"I'm going to set Kingdom Hearts free! Then everything will be the way it was! She'll come back…and the three of us can be together again!"
"Her? You mean Xion? It's a struggle just to remember her name now, isn't it? Either way, I can't let you do anything crazy."
The young man still held Xion's Keyblade. But something was different about it.
Roxas shifted, preparing to fight. "I have to find this Sora person, and freeing Kingdom Hearts is the only way! I want Xion back. I want my life back!"
"Thank you for coming to bring me back."
"Well, Axel and I are friends." "Do you think…I could be a friend?"
"Thank you for letting me be your friend."
"If only things could stay like this forever..."
"I wish... those same old days could have continued on longer..."
"Next time we get a day off, let's all go to the beach, huh?"
"We wanted to go to the sea..."
Roxas, Axel...and Xion.
Sora now knew the truth. Back in Castle Oblivion, he had forgotten Kairi. Those precious memories became lost in the shadows of his heart. And as Roxas also resided in the shadows of Sora's heart, she was a part of Roxas, too.
These memories—they don't belong to me. I need to give them back. That's the only way to end this hurt.
Xion closed her eyes. She was smiling as she disappeared in Sora's arms, and the bright blue stained glass of the Station of Awakening returned to normal.
There inside his heart, the stained glass began to dematerialize. Suddenly, Sora was surrounded by Roxas, Axel, and Xion's most treasured memories, which took the form of countless photographs. They floated up and away.
"The memories...are returning..."
"Axel..."
Huh? That was the first time that Kairi had called him by that name since they'd been training together. It was the name Xemnas had given him, by taking his old name and adding the Recusant's Sigil to it. It was a name he'd discarded, along with Xemnas.
He slowly turned to look over at her. And sure enough, it was the face of that other girl again. After a few moments of staring, he remembered her name this time. It was—
"...Xion..."
He only had to blink once and she was back to normal.
Kairi began to recall another life that she didn't remember until just now. "The three of us loved watching the sunset like this. I always wondered why it was so beautiful. We ate sea-salt ice cream and had silly conversations." She smiled fondly. "It really was fun."
Kairi was still looking out at the crimson horizon.
"When I sit here watching the sunset with you guys, I get the strangest feeling…like I used to watch the sunset and talk about nothing with someone else. It's the same when I watch the sea."
"So you mean that...you have memories of your past?"
"No... It's not quite like that. Well, I dunno. What do you think? Are these memories?"
"Huh... I wouldn't know, either."
"You have memories, don't you?"
"Yeah, sorta. Though it's not like they've ever really done me any good."
"It always felt familiar when I'd watch sunset with you and Roxas. It's because I had memories of watching it with Sora, back on Destiny Islands."
"I used to watch the sunset there at that clock tower with someone else, too..."
Kairi felt her chest tighten. Axel. You were lonely, weren't you?
"Do you remember that day we all watched the sunset together for the last time?"
Lea nodded solemnly. "Yes... I do."
"I chose to go away because I couldn't just let Xemnas have his way. I didn't want to be his puppet. That's why I had no regrets."
"…What should I do, then?"
"I can't make that decision. You're no puppet in my book. You're my best friend. Mine and Roxas's. Got it memorized?"
Lea felt incredibly sad. He told her to make her own choice, hiding the fact that, deep down, he thought it was probably better that she not exist. And he figured she'd come to the same conclusion sooner or later, too.
"I knew I was going to disappear. I knew everyone would forget about me. It's really sad to be forgotten. Because if you're forgotten, you have nothing."
Lea looked at her pleadingly and offered her yet another apology. Although this one was the most heartfelt one she'd ever received. "I'm so sorry. For everything."
Kairi could only shake her head. "No, it's okay. Because you came back for me. Remember?"
As he stepped outside the dark corridor and in front of the old mansion, there was Xion, as he suspected. He shook his head. "Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs…"
"Axel…" Xion said, her voice hushed but otherwise normal.
Axel was a bit relieved to see that she looked like herself. "Xion...what are you gonna do?"
She answered plainly, staring at the ground. "I've decided that I have to go back where I belong."
"Well, to be honest, I always thought that was best, right from the very beginning," Axel replied. "But you know, it still really bugs me. Something about this just stinks." He clenched his fist.
"It's for the good of everyone," said Xion.
"But how do you know that?" Axel demanded. "Everybody thinks they're right…"
"This is right," Xion said firmly.
"They're gonna destroy you!" But when he finished, the face he was yelling at wasn't Xion's anymore.
Axel gasped. It was the face of—
...Isa! Why!?
Xion responded to the memories of the person looking at her. Xion would take on a different form based on the memories of anyone strongly bound to Sora in some way.
She raised the Keyblade against him. "Please don't hold back, Axel. Promise."
Axel jerked his head away. He felt himself getting more and more agitated. He looked up at her once more, but, still seeing Isa's face, he had to look away again. He chose to direct his anger at the grass so as not to look at her.
"What's your problem?!" he roared, then had to catch his breath.
Who was Axel yelling at? Xion in the present? Or the Isa from his memory? Or, perhaps he was addressing both of them at the same time.
"You both...think you can do whatever you want."
Finally, he looked back up at her, still seeing the face of the person who was once most precious to him. "Well, I'm sick of it." He summoned his flame-wreathed chakrams to his hands. "Go on, you just keep running. But I'll always be there to bring you back!"
It was a plea, a cry, a bitter lament, and a vow.
Kairi stared into Lea's jade-green eyes. "You told me to decide for myself, so that's what I did. But then you tried to stop me. I didn't understand it. But still, I was so, so happy that you came back for me. Thank you."
Lea looked her in the eye. "I just...couldn't lose my best friend. Not again."
She smiled at him. "Lea. Can I ask you something?"
"Hm?"
"What was your dream?"
It was more of a pipe dream, really. A childish fantasy.
Lea once again turned back to the sunset and answered, slightly embarrassed, "I just…wanted to be with my best friend forever."
I remember that I disappeared in Roxas's arms in front of the clock tower. Roxas went to sleep too, and only Axel was left. Axel really might have been the saddest one of us all.
The two sat in silence for a time and simply watched the sunset.
"Now that we're going back, I'm worried about everything." He heaved a breath that wasn't quite a sigh. His eyes looked moist—maybe he'd been looking at the light for too long.
You were always helping me. You always gave me and Roxas someone to lean on, but you had no one to lean on yourself.
"Well, you don't have to worry alone anymore, Lea," Kairi reassured him.
The sun continued to set. Just like back then.