The fight rages. They end in a tie.
"Wow, that was close, huh?" The girl next to me comments.
"Yeah." I reply.
The boy looks to me, waves from the stage. I wave back.
…wait a minute.
…I recognize the younger kid.
The kid was the same one as the one from that mission, the one who bullied me…
The world around me stops for a moment.
…Why is he here? Why am I dreaming of him…?
…why… can I see his face?
I turn to my friends, I still don't see their faces. I see the boy, who has his face, even though it's wrong.
But that kid…
…Seifer…
…why are you…
…here?
Xaik's eyes jolted open as she was suddenly awake. She looked to her surroundings, being in her room in the castle. She sat up in her bed, looking out the window to the same dreary cityscape that they floated above. Everything seemed normal in that moment, and yet, Xaik found herself wondering something. What was that…? She thought to herself. I don't… understand.
For some reason, she found herself dreaming about Seifer. But why him? What about him stuck with her to make her dream of him? She had not even begun to understand why she was seeing Xeros in her dreams, let alone why this one kid from her mission to Twilight Town was coming to her in her sleep. He was mean to her, but that was nothing new. Both Varijex and Saïx had him beat in that department. And even so, they only met once. It's not like she knew him.
Something clicked in Xaik's brain for a second as she was about to think. But her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden knocking at her door. She jumped a bit, before turning to it and hearing a voice come through.
"Hey, sleepy head! You up yet?"
The voice belonged to Scyrux. Xaik wasn't sure what time it was, but she got out of bed and rushed to the door. As she opened it, she was met with a rather strange sight. Scyrux was leaning against the doorframe, wearing a strange getup. Xaik assumed it was his pajamas, but he was wearing a green and yellow onesie that zipped up in the front. He had a towel over his shoulder, and his black underclothes draped over his arm. He smiled as Xaik stood, hiding behind the door.
"Good morning!" Scyrux cheered.
"Um, good morning." Xaik said as she rubbed her eye.
There was a moment of silence as Xaik was unsure why Scyrux was there, and admittedly, she was too tired and distracted by his outfit to engage in conversation.
"So, Xeros wanted to brief us on what we're all doing. He wanted me to come get you and make sure you meet with us in the Hall of Empty Melodies today."
Xaik shuffled a bit nervously, which Scyrux noticed. He had a short glimmer in his eyes before cracking a curious smirk.
"Oh… okay." Xaik replied. "I'll… get ready then."
"Alright. I'm gonna head over to the Bidet of Despair to take a quick shower."
The… Bidet of Despair? Xaik questioned the name Scyrux just said.
"Um… is that what the bathroom is called?" Xaik asked, genuinely curious.
"Honestly, with the names of rooms in this castle, wouldn't you believe it?" Scyrux jested. "See you in a bit!"
Scyrux turned as he was going to go and leave. Before he could get far, Xaik's curiosity got the better of her.
"Wait." She uttered, before shutting her mouth quickly.
Scyrux smiled as he turned to her, seemingly aware of what Xaik was thinking once again.
"It's the PJ's, isn't it?"
Xaik did not answer verbally, but did nod her head a bit. Scyrux chuckled as he then walked back over to her door.
"Yeah, just one of the few things I've picked up since coming here. I hate sleeping in the clothes I usually wear, you know?"
I guess that makes sense. Xaik thought of all these nights sleeping in her uniform clothes. She was getting very close to running out. Though the Organization seemed like they had a decent supply of black clothes, maybe she could lighten the laundry loads a bit by getting something to wear when she slept.
For a moment, the thought occurred that she had a laundry basket in her room, which sometimes would disappear and reappear with freshly cleaned clothes. But she never asked where the laundry was done, nor who was supposed to do it. She did, however, notice that Dusks would often handle menial tasks that the rest of the members couldn't be bothered with. Perhaps the Dusks do the laundry?
"I could try to get you something on my next mission if you want."
Xaik was broken from her laundry thoughts as she looked to Scyrux, with a awkward smile.
"It's okay, you don't have to…"
"No, don't worry about it! Anyway, we gotta hurry up. We don't want to be late!"
Scyrux turned to leave once more, before quickly turning back after a realization.
"Actually, maybe we should be. Then Varijex might be done with the briefing before we get there, haha!"
With those words, Scyrux left with a skip in his step and gave one last wave to Xaik as she went back into her room, shutting it. She then went to get dressed, preparing for the day and completely forgetting about her dream for the moment.
It didn't take long for Xaik to get dressed and ready, on her way to meet with the others. Unlike Scyrux, Xaik preferred to take her showers later in the night so as to avoid anyone else. She wandered through the halls, as she noticed some other members heading the way to the Grey Area. She quickly put up her hood as she went to walk by, taking note of the two who were passing her by. Both were small, like her. One was the boy with spiky blond hair she noticed before. The other looked like a girl, but it was hard to tell because she also had her hood up like Xaik.
As they passed her by, they were making casual conversation. Xaik didn't listen in too much, but it was unusual to hear them talking the way they were. It was kind of like how Scyrux talked to Xaik, the closest word to describe probably being friendly. Maybe having friends as a Nobody wasn't so strange after all. She continued on until she reached the Hall of Empty Melodies.
As she entered, she noticed that Xeros was speaking with Varijex, who looked about as pleasant as always. They were talking for a while, before Varijex summoned a portal and left through it. Now left alone, Xeros stood and began to wait; presumably for Xaik and Scyrux. Now in the clear from Varijex, Xaik began to walk toward Xeros. She heard footsteps echoing behind her as she was bumped into and an arm wrapped around her shoulder.
Xaik turned to see who her would-be assailant was, only to see Scyrux having just caught up to her and hanging off of her.
"I was thinking," He began. "Do you have a favorite color?"
"Uh." A favorite color…? "Well, I… um."
"Oh, sorry, that's probably not an easy question to ask without memories."
Scyrux looked a bit remorseful for a moment, as Xaik gave a light pat to Scyrux's arm on her shoulder.
"It's okay."
"Well, don't you worry," Scyrux said as he released Xaik from his grip, putting his hands behind his head in a leisurely manner. "I'll think of something for what I'm gonna get you."
As they walked and conversed, Xeros noticed the two as they approached him. He took a particular interest in their behavior towards one another. It was no surprise to him that Scyrux was so affectionate, as he had grown accustomed to it. But there was something pleasant about the two of them getting along.
"Hello," Xeros greeted. "And what is it you're getting?"
"Hey, Xeros! I was just talking about getting Xaik something comfortable to sleep in."
Xeros looked to Xaik, giving her another one of those analytical stares.
"Not a fan of the Organization's clothes, hm?"
"N-no, it's not that… it's j-just-" Xaik stuttered, thinking perhaps it was disrespectful to think that.
"I understand," Xeros stopped her. "To be honest, it's not the most advantageous attire. Personally I prefer to have a bit more breathing room. But it's necessary to protect us when we travel using the Corridors of Darkness."
"Oh… I see." Xaik replied.
Xeros then turned to the both of them fully, as Xaik stood at attention. Scyrux remained laid back as he usually was.
"Now then," Xeros began. "With you two here, I can finish the briefing before we can get on with today's order of business."
Xeros turned to Scyrux, as Scyrux stood a bit more straight and tried to look like he was paying attention.
"Scyrux, your mission for today is to do reconnaissance on a new world for the Organization. The Land of Dragons."
"Ooh, sounds like a cool place!"
"It is a new potential venture for the Organization. Please, be discreet this time." Xeros nagged a bit as Scyrux blew air through tight lips.
"Come on, I'm not that bad."
Xeros raised an eyebrow and gave a sarcastic "hm" as he then turned to Xaik.
"As for you, Xaik, I was given the report of your mission yesterday." Xeros's expression turned to something that Xaik could only describe as subtle pride. "You've discovered your own magic. Well done."
"Thank you…" Xaik said as she bowed her head a bit.
"I want you to practice with it more here today. Given the nature of your powers, there might be a more suitable training area, known as Sorrow's Lectern."
"Sorrow's… Lectern?" Xaik inquired.
"Yes, the portal to it is near the one to Beckoning Abyss. It won't be too hard for you to find. I'm sure you'll make good use of the time and space."
Xaik looked to Xeros, confused by his words. By the sounds of it, he was not going to be present for this training.
"Um… what about you? Aren't you… going to help me?"
"Unfortunately no," Xeros replied. "I intended on furthering your training, but Saïx told me I had more business to deal with in Twilight Town."
Twilight Town… Xaik remembered what she was thinking about after she woke up this morning. That's where Seifer lives. The thought rushed back into her mind, thinking about her dream. The itching in her brain came back, like when she was in Port Royal the day before; beginning to drive her mad. I… I need to go there. I need to know why…
Xeros noticed the strange expression that had befallen on Xaik's face. She then looked at him with a curious determination in her eyes.
"If you want me to practice magic," Xaik spoke up. "Then I'll come with you."
Xeros was surprised to see Xaik so forward about this. Normally, she was rather hesitant, as she was the last time that they went to Twilight Town.
"I think that's a great idea!" Scyrux chimed in.
Xeros pondered it a bit more, placing a hand on his chin. It was something to note, without question, but he decided to think it was a good thing that Xaik was applying herself. After all, he knew better than anyone that experience is the best teacher one can have.
"Very well," Xeros nodded his head once. "Then we'll go together."
"You two have fun on your mission. I'll let you know if I see any dragons in the Land… of Dragons." Scyrux laughed at the redundancy of his sentence as he held out his hand to open a portal.
He walked through as he disappeared into the dark. Xeros followed his lead, opening his own portal to Twilight Town. Xaik looked at Xeros, thinking only of what was plaguing her mind. She then stepped into the portal, as Xeros followed behind; completely unaware of Xaik's ulterior motives for this mission.
After passing through the dark, they ended up in Twilight Town again. This time, they appeared in the area where Xaik found Xeros fighting Heartless last time, the alley behind some buildings. They left the alley, heading into the common area. A tram drove around and the people walked around, going about their business. The two kept off to the side, as the people passed them by for a little while, as Xeros turned to Xaik.
"The mission is that apparently large swarms of pureblood Heartless have been on the move here. We're here to exterminate the threat, do you understand?"
Xaik was a bit distracted, looking around to see if she could find Seifer in the crowd. But her normally keen eyes were failing her, as she wasn't able to spot him amongst the citizens.
"Is something the matter?" Xeros questioned as Xaik realized that she had not been paying attention.
Shoot! She cursed to herself. I'm on a mission now, I can worry about finding him later.
"Sorry, I was just trying to see if I could-"
Wait a minute… Then it occurred to her that what she told Xeros could actually be both the truth and useful in this scenario. If her eyes would fail her, then…
"...trying to see if I could use my magic to find anything."
"Good idea." Xeros chimed in, appreciating Xaik's resourcefulness.
Alright, focus. Xaik thought to herself as she channeled the magic within her. She closed her eyes as she began to hear many different sounds, a bunch of them clearly distant. She was picking out all the sounds, but it was difficult. She hadn't yet mastered her abilities, and Xeros noted this from the strained expression on her face.
Xeros placed his hand on Xaik's shoulder which broke her out of her concentration. She turned to see him giving the most reassuring look he could muster.
"You can do it. Find what we're looking for."
What we're looking for… Xaik thought about the mission at hand, as well as her own personal goal. I can do both of these things… She shut her eyes once more, trying to focus once again. I just need to find...
And that was when she heard a familiar voice in the air.
"-ome on, Hayner. No need to be such a sour-"
Xaik opened her eyes, having pinpointed the location of the voice of Olette, the girl she met the last time she was here. Though Olette and the others were clearly not fond of Seifer, she might use that to her advantage. Much like how she would avoid Varijex, perhaps they had enough information on Seifer and his group to avoid them. It's a start.
"I heard the people I encountered last time. Perhaps I could… ask them if they've seen the Heartless."
Xeros put his hand to his chin, thinking about it for a moment.
"I suppose using your knowledge of the locals may help us. Lead the way."
Xeros gestured Xaik ahead as they headed up one of the streets. Xaik made sure to check every once in a while for the sound of Olette's voice. She eventually could hear the other two speaking as her and Xeros walked toward them.
"-like it's a big deal, or anything."
"Yeah, you've got tons of time to prac-"
Their voices were coming steadily, eventually leading Xaik and Xeros to a back alley off the side of one of the main streets. Xaik walked down into it, Xeros following shortly behind. As they entered deeper into the alley, to their left was a staircase that seemed to lead back downtown. On their right, however, was a dead end that seemed to lead into something, as there was a fence with a gate. Behind it was some drapery which Xaik could now hear the talking coming from behind. She puzzled a bit, wondering what to do now.
They're here. She thought to herself. But what do I do about…? She then turned to Xeros, seeing him looking down at her, slightly confused.
"What is it?"
"Um…" Xaik murmured. "I think they're in there…"
"Then what are we waiting for?"
"Well, I…" I can't let him know why I really came. "...maybe I should go alone…?"
"Alone?" Xeros questioned. "Why?"
"B-because…" Think… why would Xeros want to go alone? Xaik tried to think of things that made sense to Xeros. "...you once told me we… need to maintain a low profile. It would be… suspicious if we both asked about the Heartless."
Xeros thought for a moment, before nodding his head and giving an amenable "hm".
"I'll leave it to you, then."
Yes! Xaik cheered to herself in her mind as she nodded and turned to walk away. She headed past the fence gate, standing in front of the drapery that blocked the outside world from this little nook. She took a deep breath as she then pulled back the curtain to see that Hayner, Pence and Olette were all hanging out. The little area they were in was very closed off from everything else; filled with a lot of boxes, barrels and other junk. Olette was the closest, sitting on a rundown couch. Pence sat on one of the boxes in the corner and Hayner was atop something Xaik wasn't sure of, a heater or vent perhaps?
The three noticed Xaik come in, all turning to her, each of them holding what looked like some sort of blue popsicles. They seemed somewhat surprised, as Xaik stood uncomfortably.
"Oh, it's you!" Pence let out. "Uh, Xaik, right?"
"Yes, hello." Xaik greeted.
"Hi. What are you doing here?" Olette asked.
"Well…" Xaik shuffled nervously. "...you said you would see me around, so…"
"How did you find us?" Hayner accused.
"I, uh… heard you guys talking."
"Wow, you've got sharp ears to hear us back here!" Pence exclaimed.
You have no idea. "Sorry to barge in, but I had to ask you guys something…s."
"Sure, what can we tell you?" Olette turned to Xaik, looking attentive.
"The boy that you guys helped me with… Seifer…"
"Is he giving you trouble again?" Pence grumbled.
"Yes… no… not exactly."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hayner looked at Xaik, confused.
"I just… I need to ask him a question. Do you know where I can find him?"
The three looked to one another, unsure of why Xaik was asking them such a question. But they all turned to her, as Hayner spoke up.
"Whatever it is you need to ask that jerk, don't bother."
Xaik was taken aback by Hayner's harshness, but Olette chimed in.
"Don't mind Hayner," She tried to speak gently. "He's just a bit upset. We were just in the Sandlot, practicing for Struggle."
"Struggle...?" Xaik grew a bit concerned. Maybe there was some Heartless activity to deal with after all. "Is there some sort of danger you need to prepare for?"
The three of them looked at her with confusion as Hayner shook his head.
"No," He began to explain. "Struggle is a game. We host tournaments here during the summers."
"Oh… I see."
Xaik nodded her head as she began to think to herself for a bit. In my dream, there was fighting. Does this have anything to do with that? She then turned back to the three, as she took a step back with intent to leave.
"I guess I'll check there. How does one… get to the Sandlot?" She asked.
"Just head down this alley and go down those steps. Follow the path and you'll find it downhill." Olette instructed.
"Thank you… I should… go, then."
Xaik turned to leave, as she then stopped quickly, almost forgetting.
"One more thing… have you guys seen any, um… monsters around here?"
The three looked to Xaik with wide eyes and then looked at one another. They all exchanged shrugs, not sure what Xaik would be talking about. They looked at her, with a bit of concern in their eyes.
"Uh, no," Pence replied. "No monsters here."
"Okay. Thank you, again." Xaik turned to leave, but as she pulled the drape aside, she stopped once more, turning back. "See you around…"
She then walked out of the little area, exiting the fence gate. She saw Xeros waiting for her, leaning against a wall. He noticed her come out as he got off of the wall and she approached him.
"Did you find out anything useful?"
"I think so…" Xaik responded. "Apparently there's some sort of… 'struggle' in the Sandlot."
Xeros gave a slight smirk, as he then put a hand on Xaik's shoulder. Xaik reeled slightly, but looked at Xeros's face as he looked pleased.
"Good work." Xeros pulled his hand back. "Let's go investigate. Do you know how to get there?"
Xaik merely pointed in the direction of the stairs behind Xeros. Xeros looked to where Xaik was pointing, before turning back and giving a nod. He then turned and began to walk down the way they were supposed to to reach the Sandlot. Xaik followed Xeros down, hoping to find some answers about her dreams from Seifer.
As they came close to what appeared to be the clearing they were looking for, Xaik noticed a strange sensation that was thumping in the back of her head. It hit her sort of like déjà vu, which did not make sense to her. Then it only got worse as they seemed to finally reach the Sandlot.
Wait… no… Xaik stopped in her tracks. This place… this… this is… Having finally arrived, Xaik realized that where they were was the exact same place from her dreams. She knew that sometimes dreams could be tricky and you could see things that resembled reality by coincidence. But there was no mistaking this; what she was seeing with her eyes was the same as her dreams, to a T. The buildings that surrounded the area, the sandy ground, the benches she sat on in her dreams. Even the wooden stage from her dream was there, and on it was Seifer, his friends standing nearby.
Xeros took point when they arrived in the Sandlot, keeping a close eye for any Heartless. But as he looked around to see nothing out of the ordinary, he let out a breathy "hm".
"There doesn't seem to be a struggle here. Are you sure-?" Xeros turned to Xaik.
He was met with Xaik, looking like she'd just seen a ghost. This put him on edge, as he had no idea why Xaik was looking as pale as she was. He turned behind him, making sure that he had not missed anything. He then looked back at Xaik, still frozen and staring off into the Sandlot.
"Xaik? What's the matter?"
"This place…" She thought aloud. "...I know this place…"
"What do you mean?"
Xaik looked up to Xeros, now with a completely shocked and confused expression. Xeros wasn't sure why, but the look in her eyes almost resembled what one might describe as fear.
"I saw this… in my-"
Before Xaik could finish, they heard a scream come from the Sandlot. Xeros turned and Xaik was broken from her trance as they saw people running. Seifer and his group were surrounded by Shadows as the rest of the citizens fled for their lives.
Xeros quickly summoned his weapon to him, leaping into action. Xaik remained frozen as Xeros glowed his usual glow, signifying his gravity magic, and using it to fall toward the enemy. He landed on the stage as the Shadows all surrounded it. They crept up, climbing on top to reach Seifer and the others. Xeros knelt down as he placed his hand on the stage. A red and black circle surrounded the stage, widening. With it, all the Heartless began to tremble, being crushed under an invisible weight.
"Go!" Xeros commanded as Seifer and the others ran away.
Now free of any obstacles, Xeros began to exterminate the Heartless swarm one by one. I don't understand. Xaik watched as Xeros was fighting on the stage and she couldn't act as the sensation that had begun in her began to pound in the back of her head. This is like my dream. She held her head as reality was seemingly collapsing around her. Why is this happening? What does this mean?!
Xeros, finishing up his dispatching of the Heartless, noticed that more began to appear around him. These ones were larger, they floated in the air. They were red, armored with a hat and their beady yellow eyes peered from their dark heads. They all had the Heartless insignia on them. Xeros recognized these as Scarlet Tangos. Which meant-
As he realized, one of them puffed up, as it shot a fireball at him. He quickly shot up into the air, but another one shot a fireball at him in the air. He turned, spinning his staff as he deflected the fireball. He swung the blade end at the offender, destroying it. Realizing he was surrounded, he used the opening he created to fall toward the sides of one of the buildings. He landed on it, looking up towards the Heartless as they turned to him. He then glowed, now shooting himself toward the Heartless.
With the Heartless in a circle, he had an idea. Focusing his magic, he created a small red and black field in between all of them. Using this orbit he created to swing around, he attacked each one in quick succession before they were able to react. With the last of the Heartless destroyed, he dispersed the pillar of gravity he had created, and landed safely on the ground, looking to see if he had eliminated all of his opponents.
He then looked over at Xaik, realizing that she was still standing there. But his confusion over her lack of action was interrupted when he noticed that more Heartless had appeared and were closing in on her.
"Xaik, look out!" He yelled out.
Xaik turned behind her, seeing the group of Heartless that had snuck up on her while she was distracted watching Xeros. These ones were different from the Shadows; they had blue bodies, bright red claws, and armored helmets that opened and closed as if it was alive. One lunged at Xaik, swiping at her with its claws.
She jumped back, barely dodging the blow. As she rolled back, she held out her hands to summon her hammer. The Heartless began to leap at her, one after the other, trying to gang up on her. At first, she swung and struck them away as they jumped out at her, backing away with each one. But soon they overwhelmed her with the constant stream of attacks. Eventually one of them jumped, spinning and kicking her in the face. She was knocked back, as another one followed up and kicked her again. The impact sent her flying back and rolling on the ground as she dropped her hammer. She slammed against the nearby bench, letting out a yelp. She groaned in pain as she laid on her side, falling limp on the ground.
"Xaik!"
Dazed and in pain, Xaik could only watch as the rest of the Heartless came at her. But before they could reach, Xeros landed in front of her. He slammed his hand down onto the ground, as Xaik noticed that she was heavier than a second ago. The Heartless that jumped into the air, suddenly slammed down onto the ground. They tried to get up, but we're unable to due to the increased gravity. With a swift motion, he swung his weapon over his head, all around him, slashing through all of them. He then let it spin in the palm of his hand as they all disappeared in black smoke. He then gripped it to stop the spin, as he made it disappear.
He turned, kneeling down to Xaik. Xaik looked at him, her vision blurring. It hurts… He seemed to be speaking, but Xaik wasn't hearing him quite well. Xeros… I'm… sorry… The last thing Xaik saw was Xeros lifting her up and opening a portal before everything went black.
The next time Xaik woke up, she found herself in her bed in the castle. Her eyes twitched as she opened them, as she saw that Scyrux was sitting next to her bed. He was holding hands over her, as they were glowing a green color. Xaik noticed that with the glow, her body became less achy than it was.
He was watching over her, moving his hands around while his eyes had that particular gleam in them. Noticing that she was waking up, his eyes and hands ceased to glow, but his face lit up as he turned behind him.
"Hey, she's waking up!" He turned back to Xaik. "How're you feeling? If we had hearts, I'd say that you gave us quite a scare." Scyrux spoke with a slight chuckle.
Xaik looked as she noticed that she was not wounded as she thought she might be. She was not in any pain, much to her surprise. Not so much as a scratch on her, thinking that whatever Scyrux was doing, it definitely healed her of whatever damage she had sustained. She turned her attention away from her own body to see Xeros was standing by her door, leaning against the wall and looking with what almost seemed like genuine concern. She then looked at Scyrux as he gave her a once-over, his eyes glowing briefly.
"Well, you look fine to me." His eyes ceased to glow as he looked at Xaik's face. "I took care of your injuries while you were out. You don't have anything to worry about."
Xaik struggled to get a word out for a moment, as Scyrux looked at her attentively.
"Th-thank you…" Xaik then lifted her head, turning to Xeros. "I'm… sorry…"
Xeros pushed himself off the wall by the door, walking a bit closer.
"You're okay, now. It's good that you weren't gravely injured." He gave a bit of a stern expression before continuing to speak. "But I need to know. What happened back there? You froze. You let yourself get hurt."
"I know, I-"
"Why?" Xeros questioned.
He's right. Xaik thought to herself. If it hadn't been for him saving me… She couldn't stop thinking about what a fool she had been. She nearly got herself killed because she wanted to come along on the mission. She let herself be compromised by her dreams.
But why did she dream of that place? It still made no sense. She had hoped that finding Seifer would help, but all she did was raise even more questions. It was no longer just about Seifer. Now, she realized that each time she dreamt of herself and that boy, it was always under the glaze of a red sky. The buildings in her dreams all looked like they did there. The Sandlot, perfectly and accurately recreated in her mind as she slept. She wasn't just dreaming of someplace during sunset. She was dreaming of Twilight Town.
"I… dreamt of that place." Xaik muttered.
"What?" Xeros inquired.
"The Sandlot. I dreamed of being there."
Xeros's face scrunched in an unusual way, as he wasn't understanding Xaik's statement.
"People often dream of places they've been. That's not unusual, and it doesn't explain what happened to you."
"But that's the thing…!" Xaik uttered, desperately.
Xeros furrowed his brow as Scyrux looked at Xaik, unsure of where this was going.
"I'd never been there before…" Xaik proclaimed.
"What do you mean? You went there with Xeros a little while back." Scyrux raised an eyebrow.
"Not there," Xaik retorted. "But I saw it in my dream. Exactly as it was…"
Scyrux and Xeros both looked to Xaik, who looked at them desperately.
"What… does this mean? It was so familiar to me… as if I'd been there before…" She let out.
Xeros puzzled over the meaning of this. He put a hand to his chin, trying to think of any and all possible logical explanations as to why Xaik claimed to have knowledge of a place she had never been. How could this be possible? He thought to himself. The only way that she could dream of a place in such detail is if…
Xeros stopped his thinking when he realized that there was one, logical explanation that made sense. At first, he didn't want to think about it, accept it, or even believe it. But all the evidence was pointing to one possibility.
"Maybe you're remembering it?" Scyrux asked, very casually, but with an underlying slight expression of concern.
Xaik looked to Scyrux, like a deer in the headlights. Is… She pondered. Is that what's happening…? Am I really… remembering things?
"That can't-" Xeros paused, before turning to Scyrux. "Do you really believe she is remembering her past?"
Scyrux then turned to Xaik, his eyes glowing that usual shimmer, focusing heavily on Xaik. Xaik was too caught up in her own head to really notice as Scyrux's eyes stopped glowing and he turned back to Xeros.
"I think so, yeah." He said, nodding.
Xeros's eyes widened for a moment, his normally hooded eyes now fully exposed. Scyrux watched as Xeros's eyes seemed… emptier than usual. He ceased to move, his eyes making slight shifts back and forth. He knew that look in Xeros; this was not his typical analytical gaze, nor was it the look of curious thought. It was a face Xeros once showed Scyrux, when Scyrux had mentioned his own memories to Xeros.
Xaik, no longer pondering the potential of her memories returning to her, turned her attention to the other two. She saw Xeros's face, confused as to what was going on.
"Xeros?" Xaik muttered.
Xeros snap-turned his head to Xaik, but his eyes were unchanged. This startled Xaik a bit, as she'd never seen Xeros look so intense. His eyelids dropped, as his gaze also went down.
"I suppose that is the only logical explanation." He said as he turned away, going to the door.
Xaik and Scyrux merely watched as Xeros reached for the door, opening it slowly and stepping out. He then turned back to the two, staring through the doorway before leaving.
"Congratulations on regaining your memories, Xaik. Cherish this gift."
He then shut the door as Xaik noticed a strange sensation within her. Something wasn't right with this. This was supposed to be good news for her, and yet all there was in her was… the only way she could describe it was bad. It rubbed her the wrong way. Scyrux sighed as she looked to him, then he turned to her.
"Well, I guess we should celebrate, right?" He chuckled awkwardly.
Celebrate…? "What do you mean?" Xaik asked.
"You getting your memory back."
Scyrux mustered a smile, as he then bent down to grab something from off of the ground. He lifted a box that he had placed at his feet. Xaik looked to the box, white that was tied with a nice blue bow. Scyrux held it out, as Xaik looked at it, then to him. He waved it towards her, gesturing to her to take it. Xaik grabbed it as Scyrux watched her, expectantly. She wasn't sure why, but she figured that he wanted her to open it.
Xaik looked at the beautifully tied knot, as she then grabbed one of the ends. She pulled, loosening the bow. She pushed the rest of it off as she set the box on her lap and lifted the top of the box. She then looked to see pink fabric, neatly folded inside the box. She grabbed some straps that she saw, as she lifted it up.
"I never asked you what your favorite color was, but," Scyrux rubbed the back of his head. "I thought pink would work. You know, because of your hair?"
Xaik held up a pink, silk nightgown. She had forgotten that Scyrux had promised to get her some pajamas. She looked at it, thinking how it was a nice nightgown. She turned to Scyrux, who chuckled to himself.
"Now you don't have to sleep in your clothes anymore. So, uh, happy remembrance day?"
Xaik could tell Scyrux was trying to be comforting, and it was working to some extent. The sensation that was bothering her had ceased for the moment and she smiled at him, figuring that it would be the appropriate response to receiving a gift.
"Thank you." She said, as Scyrux then cracked a bigger smile.
He stood up from the chair, seemingly triumphant in his gesture to her.
"You're welcome! I guess I'll let you rest for now."
He turned and went for the door, as he then looked back to her before opening it.
"Just holler if you need anything, okay?"
Xaik nodded as Scyrux waved, opening and leaving Xaik's room.
Once again, Xaik was left alone, and the sensation began to crawl back into her mind, creeping and consuming her thoughts. Why…? She put the gown aside and moved the box off of her bed. Scyrux thinks I should celebrate this… She got up out of bed and began to change. And this is a good thing… She took off her coat, her clothes and changed into her new nightgown. So, why is everything… so wrong?
Xaik looked down at herself, seeing the nightgown draped over her body. She looked down the front, then down the back, as she felt the soft touch against her skin. She sat back down on her bed, looking at the box. She looked at the bowstring in particular, remembering Xeros's words.
"Cherish this gift."
Those words were the clue to the strange sensation that had overcome Xaik. I'm remembering things. She put it together. But he… still hasn't. What once was something they shared in common, now was entirely in question. Did she truly not remember, as Xeros seemed unable to? Or was she merely blind to her memories; her past somewhere in her mind, within her reach this whole time?
These things she did not know. Whatever the case was, it still did something that Xaik wasn't sure what to think of. And that it put her in a different place than she once was. In a different place from Xeros.
Meanwhile, in another part of the castle, Varijex had returned from his own mission. He had appeared back in the Hall of Empty Melodies where he departed, but found no one there. He decided to go to see if Xeros was in the Grey Area so he could put in his report and then be done for the day.
He had made his way to the Grey Area, but found no trace of Xeros. Thinking that he probably had not finished his own mission for the day, Varijex thought about what to do. He considered going to Saïx directly, but he'd rather jump off the top of the castle than do that. As impatient as he was to be finished with his day, it was better to wait for Xeros to come to him. At least then, Varijex could maybe enjoy some solitude in his room.
He found that this was a fruitless endeavor, as when he arrived at his doorstep, Xeros was there waiting. Varijex rolled his eyes at the sight, groaning loudly so that Xeros could hear. And much to Varijex's dismay, Xeros seemed to respond to his reaction with the kind of vigor that he often gave when he was looking to start trouble.
"Don't you have better things to do than to STALK me?" Varijex growled.
"Oh?" Xeros responded, coyly. "Did the mission not go well, Jexy?"
"SHUT up." Varijex said as he stopped in front of Xeros. "I'll have YOU know that my mission was a SUCCESS. So JOT that down and send it to Saïx, you NUISANCE!"
Believing himself to be done, Varijex went for his doorknob, only to be met with Xeros still staring him down. Varijex tried not to engage, but Xeros's gaze was still there, out of the corner of Varijex's eye. It irritated him, so Varijex turned to Xeros, who clearly wanted something. Varijex knew that look, but there was something else to it. Something Varijex was not as familiar with. And it rubbed him wrong.
"WHAT?" Varijex barked.
"Just turning in for the night?"
"What's it TO you?" Varijex crossed his arms at Xeros.
"How dull." Xeros shrugged. "And here I was thinking if you succeeded in your mission, it must have been easy."
"You know THAT better than anyone."
"Then don't you think you should challenge yourself?" Xeros put on his cockiest face. "You're the one always telling me to try harder."
Varijex stepped away from his door, stepping up to Xeros. He got in his face, as Xeros stood his ground. Something that drove Varijex crazy, even if he thought it worth some respect.
"THAT only applies to YOU and everyone else who is lesser than ME." Varijex scoffed.
Xeros gave a breathy chuckle and tilted his head, cracking a slight smile. Also infuriating to Varijex.
"Excuses. Another thing you tell me you don't like hearing."
Varijex then grabbed Xeros by the collar as he brought him in a bit close. The thing Xeros saw in Varijex's eyes was the look of unbridled rage that was welling up. Xeros admired this about Varijex, seeing that passion in his eyes at the challenge.
"You looking to GET beat?" Varijex's breath was blowing into Xeros's face.
"If you can manage it."
Varijex sneered at Xeros, but something was not quite right with this. Varijex knew the game. They'd played it since the very beginning. However, Xeros's eyes cried out for something else. This wasn't their typical verbal sparring, leading to them actually sparring. Xeros was laying it on a bit too thick. It was too obvious of bait. Varijex squinted at Xeros, who was hoping Varijex would play along.
Varijex pushed Xeros back a bit, before turning and holding out his hand behind him. He opened a portal, turning back to Xeros. Varijex gestured his head at Xeros to enter. There was a bit of relief in Xeros's eyes as he walked through, Varijex only growing more suspicious as he followed shortly behind. They both came out of the portal, appearing in front of Memory's Skyscraper.
With the way things were, Varijex sought some distance so he could properly assess- and throttle- his former pupil. Going to Calamity's Cell or the Hall of Empty Melodies ran the risk of interruption. Xeros had turned to Varijex, holding out his hand and summoning Verechelen to him. Varijex took his fighting stance, his Solderdraw appearing in his hand behind him. The two stood, waiting to see who would make the first move. Typically, Varijex would be the one to initiate, but Xeros surprised him with the first attack.
As Xeros leaped forward, slashing down, Varijex put his guard up. He looked as Xeros merely smirked. Varijex pushed up, Xeros falling back and landing a bit away. Xeros quickly closed the distance once more as he continued to attack. Varijex retaliated, and the two began exchanging blows.
The fighting was intense. Varijex wanted to commend Xeros to some extent, but he noticed what was wrong with this fight. Xeros wasn't fighting like himself, he was fighting like Varijex. Even before, when he was goading Varijex into this fight, Xeros was acting a bit more like him. Varijex didn't know why this was, as it had been a long time since Xeros fought like this. It reminded him a bit more of how things were when they had first trained together.
And one thing Varijex would not stand for was Xeros acting green. On one of Xeros's swings, Varijex held out his hand to summon a magnet orb to catch Xeros's blade. Xeros, blindsided, got a punch to the face as he fell back. His weapon was caught in the magnet orb, as Varijex stood a bit more relaxed. Xeros rubbed his face as he was on his back, looking up to Varijex who was scoffing at him.
"Weren't you supposed to be CHALLENGING me?" Varijex grabbed Verechelen, releasing it from the magnet spell.
He inspected it for a moment, before turning back to Xeros. He tossed it at Xeros, who caught it. Xeros glowed for a moment to raise himself off the ground as Varijex took his stance once more.
"I thought I taught you better than THAT."
Varijex then attacked, swinging his sword in a chain against Xeros. Xeros kept up with Varijex, keeping his guard up. On the final swing, they clashed once more as Xeros gave a slight sigh.
"You taught me a lot of things." Xeros then pushed Varijex back, swinging as they clashed again.
"You'd do WELL not to FORGET." Varijex said as he pushed Xeros off and slashed, Xeros falling up and flipping over Varijex.
Xeros thrusted his staff at Varijex, who rolled out of the way. Varijex threw his sword at Xeros, who pulled his staff in and up, catching Varijex's blade in the hook and deflecting it upwards. Xeros spun his staff, and pointed the blade end at Varijex. He tilted his head for a moment before moving in for another attack. But before he could reach, he noticed something odd.
Varijex had begun to glow, as he cracked a crooked smile. Xeros then turned back to see that his sword was spinning in the air, coming right at him. He blocked the sword just before it was able to strike, but felt something tug on the back of his head. Varijex, seizing the opportunity, grabbed and yanked on Xeros's ponytail. He pulled back as Xeros let out a muted yell, falling on the ground again. Varijex stepped forward to grab his sword, turning back to Xeros, who seemed to be getting a bit frustrated. Xeros had already stood up, ready for the next move.
"I haven't forgotten." Xeros replied, panting.
"Could've FOOLED me."
Xeros then rushed forward as the two began to exchange more blows. Xeros's barrage of attacks was pushing Varijex back as they ended up getting onto the foot of Memory's Skyscraper. He pushed Varijex up the steps, as Varijex tried to maintain his balance going backwards up the steps. A disadvantage, but he would not allow Xeros to get the upper hand.
When he next saw an opening, he did a strong downward smash at Xeros with his sword. Xeros blocked it, almost being forced down to a knee. Varijex pushed down hard, adding his own magic to pull his blade down. Xeros struggled, but maintained his position. Varijex reeled his leg back, as Xeros watched Varijex kick him. He knocked Xeros back, but he managed to use his own magic to catch himself in the air to keep from falling.
He took a stance in the air as Varijex stared at Xeros.
"I do remember." Xeros continued. "You made sure of that."
"DO you?" Varijex said as he pointed his sword at Xeros.
"Yes," Xeros floated a bit closer to Varijex. "You're the one who taught me the importance of being strong. How that strength would be used to achieve our goal."
"And WHAT goal is THAT?" Varijex questioned.
"To get new hearts. To restore what was lost."
Varijex tilted his head, looking at Xeros with a strange curiosity. He knew something had not been right, and now he was starting to get to the heart of the matter, so to speak.
"Getting new hearts, you got THAT part right. Restoring what was lost? What does that EVEN mean?"
"Like our pasts. Our memories. As others have." Xeros let out, not really thinking.
"Others? What others? What are you TALKING about?!" Varijex yelled out, waving his hands in the air.
"Xaik started remembering things." Xeros blurted out.
Varijex's eyes widened as Xeros stopped floating and landed on the ground. Xeros's eyes became duller than usual, as he started thinking about how he couldn't possibly comprehend what was happening with her. Because he was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice that Varijex's hand dropped to its side and his free hand found itself on his head. He was looking frantic, turning away from Xeros for a moment. Xeros continued to think aloud, letting out his confusion.
"I don't understand. I thought that she was like us. When Kingdom Hearts was completed, that's when we would get those things back." Xeros pinched his forehead between his fingers and thumb, unable to process this. "Isn't it unusual? Why is this happening to her? What is so different about her that she can have her memory restored without having gotten a new heart?"
Xeros stopped his train of thought as he turned back to Varijex, who was turned away. Wondering if perhaps he'd also thrown Varijex into chaos over Xaik's recovery of her memories, Xeros realized he might have perhaps overshared. This was not like him to do so; Varijex and him did not talk about such things, who knew what this information would make Varijex think?
This, of course, was shortly rectified, as he noticed that Varijex had stopped slumping and raised his head up, still facing away. He then turned to Xeros, looking at him with fury and disappointment.
"PATHETIC."
"What-?" Before Xeros could finish, Varijex lunged at Xeros, slashing at him. He forced Xeros's guard, as he once again brought him down to a knee. Xeros noted the unusual strength Varijex was displaying, as it was unlike he had felt in a while. It was almost as if he was being serious.
"Who CARES about THAT? There's ONLY two things you need to remember. ONE."
Varijex then pressed down harder, grabbing onto Xeros's staff and pushing with that as well. Xeros tried to fight back. Varijex then pulled back, yanking Xeros's staff and throwing him aside as Xeros fell and rolled onto the ground. Varijex walked over as Xeros tried to get up. Varijex pushed Xeros down with his foot, putting him back on the ground. Xeros was laying on his stomach as he heard something next to his head.
He saw Varijex's sword stabbed into the ground next to his face. He then looked up to see Varijex glaring at him, his eyes wide and uninterested.
"Don't EVER let your guard down when you fight ME. TWO."
Varijex pulled his sword from the ground, kicking Xeros over onto his back as he placed his foot on Xeros's chest. He held his sword next to his face, as Xeros looked up the blade, up his arm and to Varijex himself. Varijex was sporting a look of crazed determination this time, as Xeros listened well.
"Your memories and your past DON'T matter. You KNOW I don't CARE about my past. And I DON'T care if THAT little squirt is remembering hers. And neither should YOU."
Varijex leaned in, as he pressed down a bit harder onto Xeros's chest.
"That runt is BAD news. Do NOT let HER get in YOUR head. All that MATTERS is getting a heart, and the POWER that comes with it. GOT it?" Varijex commanded.
Xeros looked away, but then looked back to Varijex, who was glaring expectantly.
"Of course." Xeros replied, softly.
"I can't HEAR you."
Xeros looked up to Varijex, his own determined gaze meeting Varijex's eyes. Varijex liked what he saw in that moment.
"I told you, I haven't forgotten. I know what matters."
"You BETTER."
With those words, Varijex made his weapon disappear as he lifted his foot off of Xeros. He held out his hand as Xeros took it. Varijex pulled Xeros up, forcefully, getting him on his feet. He let go of Xeros hand quickly, as he scoffed through his nose.
"Next time, bring your A game," Varijex said as he waved at Xeros, dismissively. "You're NO fun to fight when you're like THIS."
Xeros nodded, giving an amicable "hm" as Varijex looked back at him.
"You can GO now." Varijex ordered.
Xeros obliged, opening a portal beside him. He stepped through, leaving Varijex on his own. He came out of the portal in his room, as he thought to get ready to go to bed. As he was preparing, changing into his own nightclothes, he cursed himself for letting himself get too caught up in this nonsense with Xaik. He told Varijex otherwise, but he had forgotten what he was taught. The thing that was most important was not whether they remembered who they were before losing their hearts. It was what they were going to do about it.
He had to remind himself of that. And he knew if there was one person he could rely on to remind him, it was Varijex. As Xeros dressed himself in a simple, plain white t-shirt and blue shorts, he looked out the window to see the glow that entered his room. He walked over to it, as he looked outside. He looked up to the heart-shaped moon on the sky. As he looked to it, he thought to himself, over and over.
This is what matters. Nothing else.
