Summary: Naminé finds herself wandering aimlessly in the Final World. Once she meets a certain dream eater, Naminé begins to ponder what her role might be- and how she can save those she's hurt.
Overflowing Memories
"Naminé. Naminé, are you there?"
From the endless silence came a voice, soft and familiar. Naminé awoke with a start. Before her lied an endless expanse of sky, reflected by the ocean below, devoid of a vanishing point. The mix of blues and fluffy clouds above had lulled her into a dreamless sleep. When had she fallen asleep here? Time, it seemed, didn't really exist in this space. Naminé couldn't tell how long it'd been since she arrived in the World of Ocean and Sky. When she first arrived, Naminé wandered this realm for what seemed like days.
The sky above was her only clue to some sense of time passing. The clear blue would morph into purple, orange and grey hues at dusk and melt into a sea of dark blue at night. The stars would then dust the night sky rather than the billowy clouds overhead. Then, in the morning orange and red stretched into yellow rays as the clouds came back in again. It was only when the sky shone a bright blue that she saw floating stars hovering over the reflecting ocean. The stars were made up of small twinkling lights-and radiated a warmth that made Naminé's heart swell. Those stars would echo phrases waiting for reconnection with loved ones or the passing statement of a precious memory from long ago. Sometimes, she'd come across stars that would radiate a deep chill and hear cries of regret and longing. It was then she wondered that maybe this place was hiding something.
Soon, after wandering for so long, Naminé felt herself getting sleepy. It was probably then that she had dosed off. Now she still felt sluggish, but there was a strange lightness as well. It was if a burden she was carrying had faded. It was strange…this place. How could a place be so beautiful and peaceful yet feel so ominous? Sora had said that this place was safe, but…a part of her wondered how long she could last here. Do hearts fade away in this world?
"You won't fade away. Not for a long while anyway." A muffled voice chirped. Naminé looked down and saw a small… cat-like creature facing her. It was standing on two legs, with two little paws swinging at its sides. A coral cape flowed behind it's back, tethered by a large coral coin-purse hanging from its neck. It's black and grey stripes made its blue eyes shine, eerily as if they were sewn on. It was cute in a sense, but also made her wary.
"Who are you?" Naminé asked, her voice echoed through the vast space.
The little creature sighed slumping it's shoulders. "I am Chirithy, just Chirithy. And who are you? How did you get here?" Chirithy bobbed their small little body back and forth. Was it nervous? Naminé couldn't be sure what this creature was, but its voice expressed a warmth that was all too familiar.
"I'm Naminé. Sora sent me here. I'm his….friend." Naminé felt herself swallow. Right, a friend. For some reason Naminé felt, reluctant to say that she was Sora's friend. Deep down she knew Sora would be sad if they weren't friends. Even if he didn't fully remember her, a piece of their time together remained. Somewhere, deep inside that feeling of friendship was still there. Naminé felt it even now, that unbreakable connection to him.
"Hmm… Naminé? Who is this Sora?" Chirithy's question dragged her consciousness back to the present. Chirithy stared up at her expectantly, it's body still teeming with bounding energy. Naminé felt a grin form on her face. It was a strange sensation. Earlier, she had felt herself fade. Was she really "feeling" anything or was it her mind that made her think so?
"Um, Sora is…well. Hmm he's hard to describe-spikey brown hair, big grin, equally big shoes, and usually don's a hoodie?" Naminé pondered. 'Oh! And he carries a large key.'
Chirithy stepped back and failed its arms. "A keyblade wielder! Really?!" Chirithy squeaked then coughed to regain their composure. Naminé tried not to laugh at Chirithy's display of excitement. Really, how long had the little creature been alone here? Apart from the two of them, Naminé hadn't sensed or felt anyone else here. Well…so far. From the way Chirithy was acting, it was if it couldn't contain its joy from being able to speak with another being.
"Yes, a keyblade wielder. Have you seen him?"
"No. Not recently." Chirithy looked down with a pinched brow. "But I do think someone like that has been here before, many times. Too many times. I worry about them honestly."
Naminé felt a knot form in her throat. She had a chilling feeling there was something about this place that could be dangerous. "Who are you worried about? And what is this place?" Naminé asked. She began looking around her. Possibly, maybe Sora had made his way here again. However, all around her she could only see the endless expanse before them. There wasn't a trace of anything but the endless sea and sky.
Chirithy put a paw up near its chin. It let out a low humming noise as it continued to sway. "Well, this is the "Final World" a place where the edges of sleep and death touch. Those whose hearts and bodies perish at the same time arrive here, and they sometimes remain. The boy who visited here also had a keyblade. He's visited here many times during dreams. But, the more often you visit, the more used to this world you become." The little creature lifted a paw to point towards her. "You must be a special case. You must have travelled here through other means. Your heart doesn't seem like it was thrown from its body. "
"I came here through memories, Sora's memories of this place to be exact. I traced them here." Naminé admitted. But, edges of sleep and death- that was why she was feeling so sleepy here. If this place was close to death and sleep, what did that mean for Sora?
"Traced? Ah, so you came here of your own free will. That means you can leave any time as well." Chirithy gave her a firm nod. A smile shone in its eyes. "Go help those that are calling for you."
"Those, who are calling for me?" Naminé uttered. She didn't think anyone had called for her. For the longest time she had been enveloped in silence, that is until Chirithy appeared. But…wait, there was a voice. It was still there, pulling from the far reaches of Sora's heart.
"Look deep inside your own heart, then you'll find the way to those who need you," Chirithy stated. It held a paw up towards her. "May your heart be your guiding key, Naminé." With a blinding flash, Chirithy transformed into a small ball of light and chirped as it traveled back up into the sky.
"See you soon, Chirithy." Naminé sent Chirithy off with a light laugh. What a strange but sweet little creature. As Chirithy left, she had seen a dream eater mark on its back. From Sora's memories, she concluded that dream eaters were denizens of the sleeping realms. Was Chirithy someone's' dream eater? He seemed almost familiar to her, but she couldn't place why. Naminé shook off the feeling. No, dwelling on this wasn't doing her any good. Chirithy was right, she needed to find who was calling to her.
Naminé tried to reach out to Sora's memories- but something pushed her back-a sudden rush of coldness overcame her, it was if she was floating in a dark abyss- had Sora fallen after fighting? Suddenly, a panic set in. Was there anything she could do?
"Naminé, can you hear me?"
Suddenly, Naminé heard a voice, his voice. "Roxas? Yes, I'm here!"
Roxas, was it really him? After parting ways in the world that never was, Naminé could only see Roxas through Sora. They had never spoken, but she could sense he was still there, quietly residing within Sora's heart. If he was calling out to her now, then what happened to Sora?
"Naminé, Sora's in his own heart right now- well he traveled there. Sora's been battling Saix and Xemnas with Kairi and Axel. But- there's someone else there with Saix. I know them, but my memories are sealed within Sora. Can you help me?"
Someone else? Naminé searched within her own memories and found a flicker of what reminded of that person. That girl, the one Naminé herself had convinced to abandon her own existence. All of it, was for the sake of awakening Sora, she knew that. But, ever since then, Naminé didn't want to forget what she had done- the pain she had caused. And so- she crafted a memory, one that wouldn't be touched by the girl's held memories returning to Sora. This small flicker of a memory, the memory that she had to save her one day.
Naminé nodded and resolved to fix the broken connections. "Yes, I can do it. Roxas-I'm going to pull out her name. I'll reconnect the pieces of memories you shared with her. The time the three of you shared I'll return it all back to you."
Naminé closed her eyes and dove deep into the depths of Roxas' memory. She found herself floating over high above Roxas' heart-station. Pages of memories floated around her, snapshots of the times he shared with Axel in the organization. Near them floated crystal shards, with flickers of faint memories. Naminé gathered the pieces up- and sorted through each one. Like a jigsaw puzzle, she began to connect the pieces back to the snapshots. One by one they began to fill in with the image of a girl in a black coat. At first, her figure was blurry- devoid of a true shape. Soon, Naminé came to the last shard- it was waiting to be placed inside the last page.
On the page was a picture of the girl, fading into pieces. She was being held by Roxas. His expression bore the agony of having to face his dearest friend. Naminé felt a tear run down her cheek- it was if Roxas' emotions were flowing into her. She took a deep breath, then placed the last piece back where it belonged. The pages dashed around her in a whirlwind before collecting themselves into a stack. A light enveloped the pages, forming a red bound cover to enclose them. The phrase, "Friends in my Heart" engraved themselves on the cover.
Naminé clutched the book in her hands, then hugged it tightly to her chest. She sensed the warmth radiating off of it. "Roxas, let me return her to you now- Xion."
As Naminé spoke her name- the book dissolved into small lights leaving her hands devoid of that warmth that once was there.
"Thank you, Naminé. Now, I think I can convey it to her, that she can stop now." Roxas' voice dripped with agony. Roxas must have been distressed watching Sora try to help his friends. Namine herself knew all too well how painful it was to sit on the sidelines and not be able to help. Now, she hoped, that maybe this could be the start of a new beginning for him, and…for Xion.
"Yeah, go and get her back." Naminé smiled as the girl's name left her lips. Finally, now she could pay her back for that sacrifice. The girl who bore no name, No. I, now she could finally be free.
"One last thing."
"What?"
"Can you trace our bond, me, Axel and Xion. I think that's the way to bring her memories back too."
Naminé gave a firm nod. This was the last thing she could do. She felt her form starting to fade. The connection she maintained to the Final World was waning, soon it would pull her back. Naminé held out her hand and willed for a connection from Roxas' heart to reach out at the right time.
"Roxas, all you have to do is say her name, and then- I know Sora can do the rest." Naminé felt tears streaming down her face. Those memories, memories of Xion- they were beginning to overflow. Her heart, it was filled with so many painful yet precious memories. They would be enough to bring her back, Naminé was certain.
Suddenly, she felt a presence beside her, it was familiar yet new. Naminé looked over her shoulder. At the sight of him she couldn't help but grin. "Roxas." Naminé's voice cracked as she swallowed back her tears. There he was, clad in that black cloak, looking the same as he did when Riku brought him into the lab. Never did she think they would meet again like this.
"Naminé, we'll see you soon." Roxas gave her a soft smile.
Naminé held up her pinky, "Promise?"
Roxas nodded, then held up his own. "Promise."
In that moment, Roxas was yanked from her vision. Naminé found herself staring off into the expanse of sea and sky once again. Unlike her last arrival, Naminé felt her form fade quickly. As her hands became clear, and her eyes became heavy- Naminé laughed. Finally, her powers didn't feel like a burden. Now, the Memory Witch could rest easy.
"I'll be waiting."
A/N: This story was inspired by the thought of "Naminé's Journey" in Re:Mind. After considering what Naminé's journey could have looked like during remind- I thought about how she might have reacted once she arrived in the Final World. Who would she meet there? I knew meeting Chirithy would be a sweet interaction to explore so thus, this fanfiction was born! I also thought about what being in the Final World would mean for her, and what she could still do while residing there. After Re:Mind, I wondered how Roxas may have remembered Xion's name. Of course, memories bubbling to the surface had Naminé's prints all over it, and so- the last interaction was born. I really would have liked Roxas and Naminé to interact to resolve a bit of closure on her part in Xion's "death" in KH3. So- why not write a fic with that in mind? I hope you enjoyed it and can give a review!
Thank you for reading!