Xikira woke in the morning with a big yawn.
She shook her head of messy blonde hair. She yawned again. She rolled over and buried her face in her pillow.
"Rise and shine, princess..." an idle voice filled her ear.
Xikira startled, rolling back the other way to see Xigbar standing over her.
"What are you doing here?" she said groggily. "It's so early..."
Xigbar gazed down on her, a strange look on his face. "If there's anything you want to do, you should do it today. You might not get the chance later - not for a long while, anyway."
"What?" Xikira sat up now, staring at him. Awake and alarmed.
Xigbar turned away, striding for the window to gaze out of it. "I'm not supposed to be telling you this early, but...tomorrow, you're going to be heading out to Castle Oblivion. New castle, new assignments. You'll be there...who knows how long? I couldn't say." He shrugged. He looked at her over his shoulder. "When Saix gives you the order tomorrow - on behalf of Lord Xemnas, of course - do your best to act all surprised, alright? Don't let on that you know, or that could cause me some trouble. You wouldn't want that, would you?"
"No! I'll act so well he won't even know!" Xikira said earnestly.
"Good." Xigbar started to leave her room.
"Thanks for the heads-up," Xikira told him warmly.
"Don't mention it - and I mean that literally. Anyways - ciao." He left her room with a wave of his hand, leaving her in silence.
Well...if Xikira was already awake, and she had things to do before tomorrow...
She knew exactly what she wanted to do - in her core.
She got out of bed and put on her Organization outfit, brushed her hair good and well, then she went out into the halls of the castle, in search of a room she had never been to before.
She stood anxiously in front of the white door, making sure to knock on it.
She heard little noises inside. Then-
"Uh...who's...?" came the voice within.
"It's me," Xikira called in softly. "I want to talk to you."
"Okay?"
Xikira thought that was good enough, so she opened the door and quickly stepped inside the room.
Roxas smiled when he saw her. He was sitting on the side of his bed, his hands in his lap.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey," she said back, as she sat down beside him.
"Uh - is something going on?" Roxas asked, hesitant.
"Yes," Xikira admitted quietly. "Roxas...I've been a really horrible sister, and I want to make it up to you. But...this might be my only chance for a while. I'm going to Castle Oblivion tomorrow - another castle that the Organization has."
"Wait, Castle Oblivion? Axel told me he has to go there too!" Roxas exclaimed. He frowned. "Everybody's leaving, it seems like..."
Xikira hesitated, a weight settling in her chest. Then she turned to Roxas and hugged him tight. "I'm sorry..." she whispered. "But we'll be back. And then we can spend more time together!"
Roxas hugged her back. "Do you guys...really have to go?"
Xikira let him go, sitting back and curling her hands in her lap. She looked away, glaring at the wall. "It's Xemnas's orders," she said bitterly. She sighed, looking to him again. Into his face, his eyes. She saw all that worry in him...and she realized with a start that if her emotions were real, then so were his. She reached for his hands, squeezing them and pulling them up to her chest. "Roxas..."
"W-what?' he stammered, tilting his head down at where she was keeping his hands trapped. Right over her...heart.
What could she say? What did she want to say? What did Roxas...need her to say? What would a good sister say...?
She let his hands go, reaching out for his head and pulling him in. Then she kissed his head and let him go again. "I...it's going to be okay. It- can't be that long. And- and I'll be back before you know it! So don't get yourself all twisted up with worry, okay?"
"Uhh...you're acting weird, Xikira."
She giggled. "Thanks, Roxas. I know. I'm sorry if I'm- freaking you out?"
"Just a little..." Roxas said, laughing nervously.
"Well, prepare yourself for more of this - at least for today - because I want today to be our best day ever," Xikira told him, a grin coming to her face that felt easy and nice. "You and me are going to Twilight Town after our missions are done! And then we're going to eat ice cream, and anything else that we want to do!"
"You really want to do that again with me?"
"Yes! Think of it like a...going away party."
"Alright?" Roxas blinked at her. But then he smiled. "Sounds like fun."
"Exactly!" Xikira said excitedly, putting her hands together.
Roxas laughed, shaking his head at her. "Still weird."
Xikira waited in the Grey Room for as long as she could - until Saix showed up.
But though the other members arrived slowly, departed for their own missions, there wasn't any sign of Elrena yet.
She caught sight of Lauriam, once, trying to get his attention - but he gave a tiny shake of his head and strode into a dark corridor.
"Xikira - get on with your duties," Saix called to her.
She sighed and stood. She made her way to the new portal in the lounge, giving Saix a customary flipping off as she passed him. His eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything.
Xikira was almost...kind of disappointed that she couldn't get a reaction out of him anymore.
Maybe she should try pulling the Isa card again...
With anger and spite in her chest, she stopped, turning to him.
"Whatever childish insult you've just thought of, I don't care to hear it - go," Saix said instantly.
Xikira felt her lips spread - into a smile. "It's not an insult. I was just going to tell you I think Isa was a nice boy - and a cute one."
Saix's jaw dropped, stopping mid-growl. He looked at her with incredulity. For a split second, there was some flicker of an expression on his face - an all new one. Then he spun away and stalked off for the exit quickly.
Xikira held her head a little higher as she turned back to the portal.
It had been totally worth it!
"Hey!" a voice said loudly, as quick footsteps approached.
Xikira turned back again to see Axel there. He had his hands on his hips, looking down on her with a frown. "What?" she said.
"You think you could stop antagonizing him like that?" Axel said lowly.
"I'm not antagonizing him. I'm just telling him the truth. He's a dick; Isa wasn't," Xikira said plainly. "I like Isa more."
Axel's expression changed. Something in his eyes shifted. His arms fell, and he sagged on the spot. "Yeah...same here..." he murmured. "But you've still got to cut it out, all right? It's not doing anyone any good. One of these days he might really snap on you."
"Are you worried about me?" Xikira asked, surprised.
Axel froze. He shrugged, straightening. He looked away, turning his nose up at her and crossing his arms. "Roxas is - I'm just the messenger. Anyways...I did my job. I don't care if you end up getting a claymore to the face one day. That's all on you. Whatever..."
Xikira watched Axel walk away before she at last entered the portal, crossing into another world.
After destroying roaming packs of Heartless in a world full of talking animal people who were really good at a fighting style called "Kung Fu" (and beautiful scenery she admittedly got distracted by), her job was done.
Now she could have fun.
She returned to the Grey Room and immediately went to sit at her favorite sofa. She put her hands in her lap and began the wait for Roxas.
Then she remembered who else she'd been waiting all day to see, when the woman herself came...stumbling into the lounge out of a portal.
"El- Larxene," Xikira said, waving and jumping to her feet. "Hey-"
"Shut up," Elrena snapped instantly, striding past her.
Xikira's arm fell. She frowned. "What?"
Elrena crossed the whole lounge, seating herself as far from Xikira as possible. She fell onto a sofa of her own, then het her head fall, her hands pressing to her face.
"Are you okay?" XIkira called to her, as softly as she could.
"Just don't...talk," Elrena ground out. "I've had one hell of a headache building up today, and your voice isn't helping it any!"
"O-okay..." Xikira ducked her head and twisted her hands in her lap. "S-sorry?" she said tightly.
A great, big sigh from Elrena. "Whatever," she snarled.
Xikira clasped her hands tight, swallowing hard through a burning lump.
She sat there silently, just like Elrena wanted.
She watched for any more RTC portals - but none of them were Roxas yet.
In fact, Roxas showed up last!
He walked into the lounge, relief on his face. His gaze immediately found Xikira. He smiled at her.
She smiled too, rising. "Are you done for the day?" she asked.
"Yep," Roxas nodded.
"Good! Let's go, then!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him down the hall out of the Grey Room.
"We're not going to Twilight Town?" he said, confused.
"We are! But I need to grab some things first!"
"What?"
"I don't want to spend my day with you in this stupid coat," Xikira told him. "It's going to be great - I'll get to show you my other outfits!"
"What's wrong with the coat?"
"A lot," Xikira muttered.
She took him to her room, letting go of his hand once they made it through the door.
"Those are my other clothes," she told him, pointing to the folded outfits under her desk pridefully.
Roxas peered at them. "So that's...what you're going to wear instead?"
"Yes!" Xikira beamed as she unzipped and threw aside her coat. She yanked off her gloves and kicked her boots off. She dropped and kicked her skirt away; Roxas ducked to avoid it. "Oops. I didn't mean to almost hit you!" she apologized (mostly just remembering last night, when she'd done something similar to Lauriam - but on purpose).
"Uh, it's okay?"
"Good! So do you want to buy new clothes too?" she asked, pulling her chosen dress out from under her desk.
"Why would I want to do that?" Roxas said, confused, eyeing her.
"Because it's nice to have other things to wear," Xikira stated, smiling at him as straightened up, examining her dress before her. It was her long, dark blue one. A personal favorite.
"It is?"
"Yes," Xikira answered, carefully stepping into her dress now. She pulled up her dress, adjusted it, then frowned. She adjusted it a bit more, moving the thin straps on her shoulders, nodding to herself. She kicked out her feet, then retrieved and replaced her boots. "So what do you think?" she asked Roxas.
"Hm...I think I'll stick with the coat," Roxas said, patting his chest.
"Okay...but don't regret it later."
"I won't," Roxas laughed. He fell silent. Then he kind of just stared at her, up and down.
"What?" Xikira said, tilting her head at him and placing her hands together at her waist.
"It's just...weird," Roxas said, shrugging again.
"What's weird?"
"You...not wearing the coat. You look - really different."
"Oh...But is it a good different? Don't I...look nice in this?" she asked hesitantly, rolling her now bared shoulders. She really didn't think she'd ever get used to it - it just felt strange. She preferred her dresses with sleeves!
Roxas tilted his head right back at her. "Uh...yeah?" he said, just as hesitant now.
"Thanks!" Xikira said, in a high voice of exuberance.
Roxas startled. Then he laughed. "You're welcome...I guess?"
Xikira beamed. She snatched her munny pouch off the desk, then turned and raised a hand to make a dark portal. "Come on! We're ready to go now."
Roxas followed her as she rushed through the portal without waiting.
"There's more to ice cream than sea salt!" Xikira exclaimed in the middle of Tram Common.
"I know that," Roxas said, amused. "But I'm sticking to what I know best, okay?"
Xikira tried out rolling her eyes, like she'd seen Elrena do so often - and Xigbar, a few times too. "Sure!"
"Now this is a curious combination," said the woman running the ice cream shop in Tram Common. She eyed them both with a smile. Her gaze found Roxas. "Where's that Axel man you're usually with?"
Roxas startled, as if he'd forgotten she was there. He turned to her, rubbing his head. "Uh..."
"He's busy," Xikira said simply. Probably.
"And who are you now?" the woman asked of Xikira warmly.
Xikira smiled, drawing herself up. "I'm his sister. We're twins."
The woman's eyebrows raised. "A sister? A twin...? And you never mentioned her before!" she rounded on Roxas again.
"Uhhhh...sorry?" Roxas finally said awkwardly.
"We didn't start spending time together until recently," Xikira spoke up again lightly. "It was...sort of an oversight? But I'm fixing that now. With...sea salt ice cream..." she muttered out between her teeth, digging into her dress pocket to pull out her munny and slap it onto the counter.
"I see," the woman laughed, taking the munny and handing them the ice cream. "Well, enjoy yourselves!"
"Thanks," Roxas said, giving a smile as he walked off.
Xikira lingered, glaring down at her ice cream. Then she shook her head and followed after Roxas.
"If you didn't want it, you could have got something else," Roxas told her as they walked up the main streets of Twilight Town.
"This is what you do with Axel - so I want to do it too," Xikira told him.
Roxas nodded, and they continued their walk in silence together. Then- "Hey...you're not going to throw it off the clocktower again, are you?"
"You're still upset about that?" Xikira giggled.
Roxas looked wounded. "N-no! Just...are you?"
"No - here - you...baby." Xikira shoved her ice cream into his hands, brushing back her hair with a laugh.
"I'm not a baby."
"Yes you are. I'm a baby too," Xikira responded factually. "We're only twenty-four days old."
"Twenty four days...yeah..." Roxas perked up, grinning at her. "Hey, you keep track of the days too?!"
"Yes!" Xikira grinned too. "I like knowing how long it's been for me. And when we reach three-hundred and sixty-five, we'll get to have a birthday party!"
"A birthday...party...? What's that?"
"It's the day you get to celebrate being a year older than you were. You celebrate...all the things you've done and seen in life, I guess, in the last year. All the new things you've learned," Xikira explained slowly. "You get to wear stupid hats, and eat cake and stuff."
"I guess that doesn't sound too bad," Roxas mused. "I've done a lot in just the past twenty-four days. I...couldn't even imagine what I'll have done after...three-hundred and sixty-five days."
"Me neither," Xikira confessed quietly. "Even with...all the things I want to do in my life, I don't think all of it would even fill half a year. Not even a month, even."
"The things you want to do in your life?"
"Yes. Like...going to a festival, or the beach - getting to wear a bikini and mess around in the sand, or go swimming - or dating and kissing and school and..." Xikira trailed off, sighing. She glanced at Roxas, brushing at her hair again. "There's a lot."
"Sounds like it," Roxas agreed. "And I don't even know...what any of what you just said means, myself."
"Well, you can always ask," Xikira reminded. "I told you before, remember?"
Roxas brightened. "Yeah...okay, so what's a festival?"
"It's another kind of celebration," Xikira said. "It's about...the past. History. The good things people did before us."
"That kind of makes sense," Roxas nodded. "And what about the beach? Bikis and...all of that?"
"That's just a place where you can go to have fun," Xikira laughed. "Bikinis are a kind of clothing you wear there. Well, girls wear them. Mostly, I think?" She shrugged, shivering at the breeze over her skin. "You can either have fun with sand, building castles and things like that, or you can go play in the water. You can swim around, splash people, or go under and look at what's down there."
Roxas was staring at her very attentively now. "What's down there?"
"Fish and stuff, mostly," Xikira replied, smiling.
"Huh..." Roxas blinked, then started taking bites of his ice cream. He looked at the second one, then gave it a good bite too, shaking his head. "How about that other stuff you said? 'Dating' and 'kissing?'" And school?"
"Well, school is where people go to learn stuff," Xikira said simply. "People like us - our age. We should be in school..." she added, again with a kind of anger and bitterness she couldn't help.
"And that's all you do there?"
"Well no. You can make friends too. Kind of like you made Axel your friend."
"Friends..." Roxas stared ahead, frowning for some reason. He shook his head. "And those other things? What's that all about?"
Xikira shrugged again as they reached the top, turning right to head into the train station plaza. "Kissing is what I did to you this morning. When I put my lips to the top of your head - remember that? It's what family does to show that they love and care about each other, I guess. Mostly. But, sometimes friends can do it too."
"So that's why you did that!" Roxas exclaimed. "I get it now! It was because you cared."
"Exactly." Xikira paused. "Though, you can also kiss people's foreheads and cheeks and mean the same thing. But kissing on the lips means something else entirely."
"Oh? What's it mean?"
"It's sort of connected to 'dating', actually. It means...um...I'm not sure," Xikira sighed.
"You're not?" Roxas looked disappointed.
"Kairi's memories...I haven't really found any clear information on that in them," Xikira admitted. "I think it's kind of like showing you love someone, but...in a different way? Or maybe more? Anyways, dating is kind of like hanging out with a friend, but it's- different too. I'm really not sure..." she concluded, defeated.
"Well when you figure it out, could you tell me?" Roxas said eagerly.
"Of course!" Xikira beamed.
"Thanks."
"No problem!"
After getting back from her day out with Roxas, Xikira retired to her room in high spirits.
She sprawled on her backside on her bed, a smile on her face.
She snatched up her sketchbook and held it to her chest, then she kicked her legs as a bout of some emotion came over her. A high, long noise escaped her mouth.
Xikira was interrupted by a sudden knocking at her door.
She sat up quickly, setting her sketchbook aside. "Hello?"
"Um...hi..."
"Elrena?" Xikira said cautiously.
"Yes...look, um, I'd- like to...come in and say...sorry...you know...?" came the woman's hesitant, strangled voice.
"Okay."
The door opened, and Elrena came stalking into the room. She came right over to Xikira's bedside. And then she just kind of stared at her, her hands at her waist. She tossed her head and huffed. "Alright...so...I'm sorry about earlier. I wasn't in the best of states at the time, and I didn't...entirely mean to snap at you like that."
"Entirely?"
"Well, duh, part of it was making sure nobody else caught on to the fact that we're...sort of- you know- friends now and whatnot?" Elrena said quickly, glancing away with flushed cheeks. "Buuuut...I suppose I should have actually told you about that little detail beforehand...so that one is- that's my bad, okay?"
"So you really don't...hate me again?" Xikira said hopefully.
Elrena stared down at her. She sighed, then sat down gingerly on the bed. Just as awkwardly, she reached out and put her arms around Xikira. "Hey, didn't I tell you before? I can't hate you now, kiddo. Not after what you did for me. What you gave me back. My- myself. I know that I haven't been...the greatest at expressing that to you...but...well...shit, see, I don't even know how to say it! That's just how- thankful I am for you. For what you did! And for-"
Both of them turned as the door opened again unexpectedly.
"Phew, it's just you," Elrena murmured.
Lauriam nodded to her, striding over to them. Taking the sight of them in. "Are we bonding, or apologizing? It looks to me like apologizing."
Elrena flushed again, deeper than ever. But she nodded. "Yeah, yeah - I know. I took your advice, alright? You happy?"
"Yes," Lauriam smiled. "And proud."
"Like I need- approval..." Elrena muttered. But she did look pleased. "Anyways! So - there. Could you...forgive me, Xiki...?" she went on, releasing Xikira and sitting back. She looked...really anxious. Scared, almost. "If I fucked up our friendship again too badly, that's-" she started to babble.
"I forgive you," Xikira said softly, smiling at her.
"You do?"
"Yes." Xikira leaned forward and hugged Elrena back, briefly. She drew away and looked to Lauriam, a squirming in her stomach. "And- I'm...I'm sorry too!" she blurted. "For- last night! For the...dress thing. Being mad at you. I shouldn't have- you're my friend! Friends don't treat each other that way!"
Lauriam slowly lowered himself to one knee, getting more on her level. "And I'll accept your apology, Xikira," he told her simply. "Thank you for saying that. It's...impressive for one your age, you know. To have that kind of self-awareness and humility. I'm proud of you, too."
"So...we're still friends?" Xikira whispered.
"Of course we are," Lauriam laughed. "It would take...far more than simple, immature acting out to make me stop being your friend. It's expected, Xikira. Though, I wouldn't say you should make it a habit," he added quickly. "That might cause me to reconsider things."
"I'll never do it again!" Xikira promised.
"I believe you."
Still... "Xigbar told me this morning that I'm going to Castle Oblivion tomorrow."
"Did he?" Lauriam said neutrally.
"Yes!"
"Well then, if nothing else...I'm glad you won't be caught unawares," Lauriam said lightly, rising to his feet again.
The three of them stayed like that for a minute, in silence.
A nice one, Xikira thought. Not a strained, horrible one anymore.
"Okay, yaaaay, we're all buddies again - now what's the plan for tomorrow?" Elrena spoke again. "Seeing as we're all going to be headed to the same place."
"Wait, you two are going, too?!" Xikira beamed at them.
"Don't get too excited, kiddo - it's not a vacation," Elrena retorted - playfully!
"Yes it is!"
"Um, no it's not! Didn't you hear me?"
"Yes - and, also yes!"
"Ugh..."
Lauriam shook his head at them, amusement written on every line of his face.
