Chapter 42: When We Exist
It was morning two days later when Sora and Xion next found themselves together. They had met for breakfast at the Benbow Inn, a small family-run business near the Gummi hangar in the First District. The owner, a middle-aged woman, rushed to each of the many colorful customers with only a couple of Moogles for help, which Xion couldn't help but feel sorry about. Apparently her son had gone away on some voyage, if the rumors she had overheard from other guests were to be believed.
Xion turned her attention away from Mrs. Hawkins and back to Sora, sitting across the table from her. He had cleared away his homemade pancakes quickly, leaving just a plate coated in maple syrup. Xion stared down at her own half-eaten meal and frowned, setting the fork down with a soft clink. They actually hadn't spoken much since they arrived, and the silence was aggravating her a little bit. Sora wasn't in a bad mood—on the contrary, he had made a lot of progress since they arrived—but she guessed there just wasn't a lot to talk about. They were starting to get antsy; not just her and Sora, but everyone. They all wanted to move out, find Aqua and Ven, and return to Hollow Bastion to stop Xehanort and save Terra. But…they just weren't ready, not yet. Mickey still hadn't found a way into the Realm of Darkness.
Xion picked absent-mindedly at her food, her cheek resting against her fist as she stared down at the plate. But behind her bored expression she was thinking of something to say, something to talk with Sora about. This hadn't exactly been the breakfast she had been hoping for. But to her surprise, it was Sora who broke the silence with a soft chuckle.
"Déjà vu, huh?"
Raising an eyebrow, Xion set her fork down once again and lifted her head from her hand. "What do you mean by that?"
Sora shrugged and looked aside, scratching his cheek lightly. "Well, this is the second time we've sat across the table like this, just us two, isn't it? At least this time the atmosphere isn't nearly as dark."
Xion felt her brow crease and she stared down at her hands in her lap. He meant Twilight Town, on her last day there when they had spoken at Kronk's. Before Vanitas appeared, before Roxas—
Xion shut her eyes to block out the image. "I…guess…" she said softly.
Sora's face fell and he looked aside. "Sorry. Did I bring up bad memories? That wasn't what I meant to do."
But Xion raised a hand and shook her head. No, he hadn't done anything wrong. "It's fine. To be honest, Twilight Town hasn't been on my mind very much lately." She let out a sigh and twirled the straw around in her glass, staring at the water. "I feel terrible admitting that."
"Well, there's been a lot going on."
"Yeah…" Xion took a sip of her water with her eyes downcast. She couldn't be gloomy, not when she had spent over a week chastising Sora for doing just that. Think, Xion. What to talk about? Brighten the mood, something…
Aha.
"Hey, Sora. Have you heard what Donald and Goofy have been up to?"
Sora seemed a little surprised at the sudden change of topic, but he took it in stride. "Yeah, they told me a few days ago. Gargoyles and witches? Crazy."
Xion grinned. "Isn't it? And did they tell you that Will girl is helping Donald with his Lanes Between spell?"
"No, I didn't hear that part."
"That's what Merlin said when I stopped by his house, yesterday." She had visited the old wizard to apologize for going into his house and using Pooh's book when he wasn't home—which it turned out he hadn't cared about. "He said they spend every day in the waterway, using that necklace of hers to give him a boost."
"That's great! I'm glad Donald and Goofy are keeping themselves busy." Sora pushed his plate away and rested his arms on the table. "Riku is, too. After he helped pay Scrooge back for that fire dancing thing, anyway." He grinned. "And you got off scot-free."
"That wasn't my fault! The orangutan snuck up on us!" But Sora only kept up his grin, making Xion's face flush more in embarrassment.
When he got enough of tormenting her, Sora leaned back in his chair and continued. "Anyway, Riku said he's thinking about getting his hair cut."
"Really? Why?"
"Well, have you seen it?" Sora tugged on his own hair as he spoke. "His bangs fall over his eyes, and the back is so long that it flies everywhere when he fights."
"I dunno, I kind of like it," Xion admitted with a shrug. "Makes him look, I dunno, mysterious? It's kind of, well… It's kind of cute, I guess…"
Sora exploded into laughter at that, practically falling out of his seat. Xion felt her ears heat up, and she knew her face was bright pink. Glaring daggers at the boy across from her slowed his laughter, but didn't stop it. Sora was still chuckling as he spoke. "That's what Yuffie said, too."
"Yuffie?"
"Yeah! She was with us at the hotel when he was talking about it. It was the first time ever that I had seen him so flustered. I wish I had a camera."
But with that, the conversation died down. Xion sipped the last bit of her water as Sora waited patiently for Mrs. Hawkins or one of the Moogles to come by with their check; he didn't want to bother them, not when the place was so busy. It was in the middle of this awkward silence, as Xion stared down at the ice cubes at the bottom of her glass, when two other voices caught her attention.
"You up for some shopping?" one asked.
"Shopping? We've been to like every store here in the Second District."
"No, not the Second District! The Fourth District! I heard it's huge."
Xion frowned. "Fourth District?" she thought out loud.
"Oh, yeah. I've heard of that. It's new." She turned back to see Sora handing some munny to a Moogle, who flew off with their plates. "Apparently Traverse Town grew two new districts on its own; they just popped into existence a while back."
"Really?" Come to think of it, Xion had heard that as well. The Fourth was supposed to be huge, full of lights and stores. The Fifth was smaller, but had a large indoor garden. Goofy had mentioned it once, said he stopped by the other day to check it out.
Xion got an idea. Nodding to herself, she stood up and rested her hands on her hips. "Let's go."
Sora raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"
But Xion just grinned and waved a hand toward the outside. "What do you mean, 'huh'? Come on, let's explore the Fourth District!"
x-x-x
And so Xion had pulled Sora out of the Benbow Inn and into the back streets connecting the First District to Traverse Town's new areas. The streets had been a veritable maze, and after way too long wandering through the dark alleys, getting lost on overhanging roads, and running into dead end brick walls, they finally emerged into light.
"Wow…"
They stood on the middle of a plaza lit by a handful of lampposts and ringed by buildings that formed a sort of wall around them. The blue tiled floor beneath their feet had a fancy, extravagant design upon it. Across the plaza, on the far wall, was some heavily stylized graffiti, and to their left was fountain with vague shapes jutting out of it, perhaps symbolizing something. Water sparkled and danced as the drops were lit by the glowing of the objects in the was unlike anywhere else in the city, including the atmosphere; hardly anyone was here, giving it a calm, serene could be nowhere else but the Fountain Plaza, the entrance to the Fourth District.
The graffiti was of particular interest to Xion. Frowning, she walked across the plaza to investigate it up close. There was a nagging sensation as she ran her hand along the black cat head, the yellow letters that were so stylized you could barely tell they spelled out "CAT." Where in all the worlds had she seen this before? Her lips pursed as she stepped back to get a clearer view of the whole image. Somewhere, she had seen something like this. It had been too similar to be a coincidence; the cat was identical.
"But where?" she murmured to herself.
And then it clicked. There had been a world, before she had counted Sora, Donald, and Goofy among her friends. She and Sora had been there—for seven days they had fought for their lives. Shibuya. The Udagawa back streets, specifically. Why was graffiti from Shibuya in Traverse Town? A dreadful feeling was forming in Xion's gut as the pieces started falling into place.
"Do you hear something?" Sora suddenly asked beside her. Xion looked to him and then shut her eyes, straining her ears. It was faint, but there was definitely music coming from somewhere.
"Grab your key let's go out and have some fun
"Have you ever seen such a perfect day?
"What's in your mind? Let's do it one by one
"Have you ever thought such a day would come?"
"Time's up! Forget the theory
"Start up the brand new story
"Straight up and put it shortly
"This is the way my life goes"
Not just music, but a song. It wasn't one Xion could say she had ever heard before, but it was certainly a catchy tune. But where was it coming from? Behind the splashing of the fountain and the shuffling feet of what few people were in the plaza, it was hard to tell. Sora, though, seemed to have a good ear for it. Motioning for Xion to follow, he moved toward the fountain and around it. As they approached the far side the song grew louder.
"Someone said I am such a foolish girl
"Who cares? It's better than without a light
"Sometimes I need someone to hold me tight
"Explain to me what is justice what is right"
"Wait a minute, it's all been done before
"How long would it take to do it all over again?
"What's in your hand? Now drop them one by one
"Have you ever thought such a day would come?"
But when they turned the corner, they found the other side of the fountain without anyone there. So where had the song been coming from? Xion looked around at the walls and lamp posts, but there weren't any speakers or anything. And there wasn't exactly any place to hide, either. But they definitely hadn't been imagining that song.
"Do you think whoever it was went ahead?" Sora asked, motioning toward the door to the Fourth District proper.
Xion shrugged lightly. "Maybe, but unless they were running I don't think we'd have been slow enough to not notice them. It's not exactly a big fountain."
"Hm…" Sora climbed up onto the rim of the fountain and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Heeeyyy! Is anybody out there?! Helloooo!"
"Shut it."
"Huh?" The voice had come out of nowhere, and Xion and Sora looked around for whoever it had been. Still no one.
"Talk about noise."
It was coming from above! Xion turned around, toward the fountain, and looked up. Her eyes widened as a mixture of shock and joy filled her, and beside her Sora let out a sound halfway between a gasp and laughter. There, seated atop the tallest of the abstract shapes sticking out of the fountain, was a familiar face grinning down them.
"Neku?!"
Neku Sakuraba, Shibuya born and bred. What was he doing here? Neku turned off and pocketed his MP3 player, silencing the song and leaving the flowing water of the fountain as the only background noise. His headphones rested around his neck rather than on his ears, and they hadn't been plugged in to the MP3 player either. As Neku moved aside, Xion saw why: Shiki, Rhyme, and Beat were all sitting up there with them.
"What are you all doing here?" Sora asked as Neku hopped down to the ground. "Didn't we seal your Keyhole?" They had indeed, after defeating Luxord and saving Joshua. Xion bit her lip; it was just like Pinocchio and Geppetto.
"I have no idea." Neku moved his headphones back over his ears and motioned to the other three, who were climbing down as he spoke. "We all just woke up here in Traverse Town one day a while back. This…isn't your home, is it?"
Xion and Sora glanced at each other with nervous expressions. When they had parted, Shiki had promised that when everything was settled they'd meet again at their home. It looked like that reunion had happened sooner than Xion would have liked.
"No." Xion shook her head sadly and watched as Shiki helped Rhyme down. Behind the two of them, Beat fell into the fountain and swore as he took off his soaking beanie to wring it dry. "Traverse Town is a refugee world. Guys, your home—Shibuya is—" Neku held up a hand, cutting Xion's admission short.
"I get the picture. To be honest, I think we all figured it out a while ago."
"What happened?"
Shiki hugged Mr. Mew tight to her chest as she stared down at her feet. "Those Heartless things reappeared one day—in the Realground, not the Underground. Mr. H couldn't contact Joshua, and so we went to Shibuya River."
"Yo, it was crazy!" Beat jumped out of the fountain, splashing water everywhere. His eyes were wide as he gestured wildly. "Josh was kickin' Heartless ass all over the place, but he was runnin' away from his room! Told us to get the hell out!"
"After that there was a roar, a lot of wind, and then everything went black," Rhyme said softly. "Next thing we know we're all waking up in an alley in a town we had never been to."
It was just like Pinocchio and Geppetto after all. And, Xion imagined, many other worlds out there. Somehow he Heartless were getting inside of Keyholes that were already locked. Her mind went back to a conversation at Disney Castle. Riku had scene Vanitas at Wasteland, aiming his Keyblade at the Keyhole there. Mickey had wondered if he was behind it…
"Where's Joshua now?" Sora asked.
Neku shrugged helplessly. "Who knows? None of us have seen him since we got here. He was in a really foul mood when we all woke up in that alley. I think only Mr. H has spoken to him since."
"Mr. H is here too?"
"He set up a new shop in the Fifth District," Rhyme explained.
Beat placed his beanie back on his head. "Gotta settle in somehow, y'know? Yo, we all wanna get home again, but for now we're hanging in the Fourth District."
"What do you guys do to keep you occupied, though?" Xion didn't honestly think she'd be able to do it, to deal with having your home disappear. Just losing Stitch's world back when this all started had been traumatic enough, and she hadn't even been there for long.
"There's lots of stuff in the Fourth District," Neku said. "It's probably the closest thing to Shibuya we've got, though it's not really the same."
Shiki's eyes lit up and a wide grin appeared on her face. "Yeah! Like a huge shopping mall near the tower in the middle of the district."
Beat slammed his fist into his palm. "Yo, and the arcade is sweet! They even got a Tin Pin arena, how wild is that?"
Xion smiled and motioned to the district's entrance. "Well, enough pulling us along. Show us around! Sora and I still haven't been there."
Shiki pumped a fist in the air. "Alright, girls' night out! Rhyme, Xion, we're going shopping!"
Xion fought to keep her smile from falling. She felt her lips twitch. I have made a horrible mistake.
x-x-x
The Fourth District was much, much larger than Xion had been expecting. It was like a whole other world apart from Traverse Town, with bright neon lights and all kinds of shops along the sides of the thin streets; like Neku had said, it was a lot closer to Shibuya than to anywhere in Traverse Town. Standing in the center of the district was a tower visible from all around, streams of lights falling off of its tip and draping over the city. Beyond that, hanging over all the buildings, was a hot air balloon attached to a domed building with a flashing sign that said 'Colosseum.' According to Beat, that was the arcade.
Near the base of the tower, as Shiki had said, was a shopping mall. It was small compared to one might think of a mall being, but still larger than Xion had expected anything in Traverse Town to be. It was still so hard to believe the sleepy little town was only a few minutes' walk from this bustling place.
Rather against Xion's wishes (even if she didn't voice them), Shiki had gone through with her 'girls' night out' plan and forced Rhyme and Xion to head for the mall with her. Sora had shrugged helplessly when Xion asked for him to help her out of it. He, Neku, and Beat were heading for the Colosseum, and they had all agreed to meet up at Hanekoma's place in the Fifth District when they were finished. Would being separated from Sora cause problems? Xion doubted it, there didn't seem to be any enemies. Although Shiki's enthusiasm may wear her out just as much…
"How about this? It'd work great with your eyes, Xion!"
The three of them stood in the middle of a clothing shop, Xion and Rhyme standing back awkwardly as Shiki turned around with something in her hands. It was a blue blouse—at least, Xion thought that's what that type of shirt was called.
Only then did Xion realize Shiki was watching her, waiting for a reply. "Oh, uh…" She fumbled for some kind of answer; she really didn't like how it looked, but she didn't want to upset Shiki either. "The color's nice, but it's kind of frilly, isn't it?"
"You think?" Shiki frowned and turned the blouse around so she could examine the front. Then, examining Xion with a soft hmm, she turned around and put the shirt back where she had gotten it from. "Yeah, you're right. You have more of a boyish look going on."
"…Thanks?" Was that a compliment or no?
"That's cute in its own way, though." Suddenly, Xion found her wrists bound by Shiki's fingers. "Okay, come here."
"W-What? Hey!" Xion tried tugging herself free of Shiki, but the redhead's fingers didn't budge. What the heck, was this girl made of steel? This was ridiculous. She turned back to Rhyme, who shrugged helplessly before following behind them.
This place was a maze. Belatedly, Xion realized she had only been in a clothing shop once before in her entire life—back when she had woken up on Destiny Islands with amnesia. But in comparison, this was so much larger. The racks of hanging shirts formed a maze where the only points of reference were the escalators leading up to the next floor. Everything looked the same, and she would certainly have gotten turned around if it weren't for Shiki's iron-clad grip pulling her along.
That grip, however, released its chokehold. "Pick something out, Xion. I'll coordinate an outfit for you once you got a base piece." But as Shiki waited beside a clueless Xion for a few moments, she eventually let out a loud gasp. "Ohmigosh, that is so cute!"
"Huh? Hey, wait! I don't have any idea—" A lost cause. Xion held her hand out weakly as Shiki ran off to some skirt or something, she honestly didn't know what. "Great." Well…may as well start finding something. Maybe it could be fun.
"Sorry. When Shiki gets like this there's no stopping her."
"Oh!" Xion hadn't even noticed quiet little Rhyme next to her. She smiled at the other girl before turning back to the clothes hanging in front of her and looking through them one at a time. "I'm surprised, Rhyme. This doesn't seem like your scene."
"Yours either," Rhyme said with a chuckle. Xion smiled and shook her head. That obvious, huh? "Yeah, I'm not big on fashion or anything either. But Shiki likes it, and I'm just glad to hang out."
"She's kind of overbearing about clothes." Still, Xion appreciated the way Rhyme looked at it. Yeah, she wasn't really interested in this stuff either, but just having fun shopping with friends was totally fine with her. If that's what Shiki wanted to do, then she'd make the most of it.
Rhyme laughed. "She is! Neku told us once that she had him take his shorts off in the middle of the street because of a loose button."
Xion choked on her sudden laughter and turned back to Rhyme with a hand over her mouth trying to stifle it. "You're kidding!"
"Nope, all true!"
"Crazy." Xion turned back to the rack and continued looking for something that caught her eye. It was a lot easier to find clothes back on Destiny Islands that day so long ago, when all she had on her were the simple black pants and shirt she had worn under the Organization coat. Now that she had time to actually look and consider, she found that she wasn't actually coming across anything. Man, Shiki sure made it seem easy.
Rhyme seemed to catch on to Xion's concern. Maybe it was showing on her face. "How about this?" Rhyme tugged on a bit of blue fabric—a simple t-shirt with a seashell pattern imprinted on the bottom in white. Heh, Rhyme caught something perfect for her right away. The girl was certainly observant.
Xion held the shirt in her hands and nodded—nothing too frilly or showing off. Simple worked for her. And just in time, too; Shiki was on her way back with a denim jacket draped over her arm.
"What do you two think?"
Xion glanced at the jacket, then at the shirt in her hands. "Blue on blue? I mean, you're the expert, but…"
"Huh? Oh!" Shiki chuckled and shook her head. "Sorry, this was for me. But hey, you picked something out! Can I—oh!"
Shiki's bright, wide eyes seemed to sparkle as her gazed locked downward—onto Xion's chest. Xion raised an eyebrow and took a step back, into the clothes rack. The hooks jingle and shook, but Shiki only grinned at whatever she was staring at. Xion was starting to feel a little self-conscious and raised her hands up.
"W-What is it?" She could feel her cheeks heating up.
"That's so cute!"
"Huh?" Quicker than Xion could react, Shiki reached out and snagged a metal chain between her fingers. Oh, Stitch's summon charm; well now she felt foolish for getting embarrassed.
"Where'd you get this, Xion? I can't believe I didn't notice it before!" Come to think of it, Xion didn't have that during her trip to Shibuya, did she? Shiki kept gushing over it. "The blue stone totally works with the shirt you chose, too!"
"Uh, it's from a friend."
"Aw, really?" Shiki's face fell, but she recovered quickly enough. "That's fine! I wouldn't want to butt in on a friend's image and use accessories they had first." Huh? Wait, even there she goes into fashion and 'image'? "Anyway, Xion—you have the shirt, you have the necklace. What do you think will work with them?"
"You're asking me?"
"Of course! It's your outfit."
Xion mentally groaned, but she took Rhyme's advice and pushed the negativity aside. "Uh, to be honest I have no clue."
"But you put together what you're wearing now, didn't you?"
Xion tugged on the edge of her white and pink jacket. "Honestly? I just copied it off a mannequin. I was kind of in a rush back then." Rhyme chuckled beside her, and Xion had to smile at that.
"Hmm…" Shiki tilted her head back and brought a finger to her chin in thought. "Really? I mean, that's okay I guess, but fashion's about making a statement about yourself. I mean, I sewed my clothes myself."
"No way! Really?" They looked professionally done. "Well, uh… I mean, I like what I'm wearing."
"Oh! I didn't mean it looks bad!" Shiki waved her hands in front of her. "It's just surprising to me, you know? How little you really seem into fashion, I mean. The city is every girl's battleground."
Xion frowned slightly; she had fourteen years' worth of memories from a boy's point of view, and besides that she hadn't exactly lived a normal life. Of course she didn't get any of this. But then, she didn't actually tell Shiki that.
Shiki did notice Xion's expression, though. "Did I go too far? Sorry… I guess I get kind of into it. Neku's warned me before to go easy on people when we're shopping."
But Xion waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine, really. I totally get it. Anyway, uh, I think I'm going to stick with this when Sora and I are out fighting. But hey!" She held out the seashell-print shirt. "We came here to make me an outfit, and I can still wear it when this is all over and done with, right? Work your magic, Shiki."
Shiki took the blue tee and held it out in front of her. She placed one hand on her hip and pursed her lips as she examined it. "I think I have a couple ideas. What's your favorite color, Xion?"
"Orange."
"Hm… Orange bottom probably wouldn't work, but maybe an accessory or a long-sleeved shirt under this one…" Shiki was speaking more to herself than to Xion or Rhyme now. "Yeah, I can work with that! Now…" Handing the shirt back to Xion for the time being, Shiki grinned and turned left. "Rhyme, it's your turn."
"Huh?!"
Xion chuckled as Shiki began to hound the younger girl and drag her off deeper into the clothing maze. Folding the blue shirt up, she carried it over her arm as she followed Shiki and Rhyme through the twisting paths between racks and shelves.
Contrary to Xion's sputtering and general awkwardness, Rhyme was all smiles and laughter as she nodded on with everything Shiki said. Xion was jealous; this girl was a master of the art. But when Shiki promised to be right back and vanished into the fabric jungle, Rhyme let out a sigh of relief.
"You're handling it like a pro," Xion said with laughter in her voice.
Rhyme smiled. "What can I say? Maybe Shiki's enthusiasm is rubbing off on me. To be honest I have started paying a bit more attention to this stuff lately." Rhyme put away a hat that she had been looking at and turned to face Xion. "You sure you should be hanging out here when you and Sora need to fight the Heartless?"
Xion shrugged. "Until some of our other friends decide what the plan is we can't really do anything. Besides…" She picked up a tank top and examined it. "I think Shiki might be rubbing off on me a bit, too."
It was then and there that Shiki suddenly popped up in front of Xion with a pair of black denim shorts. Xion dropped the top in surprise. "Well?"
Xion blinked as she picked up and put back the tank top. Wait, was Shiki suggesting them for her? Hadn't it been Rhyme's turn?"They're kind of…short, aren't they?" That sounded dumb. Of course shorts were short.
Shiki rolled her eyes. "You're sixteen years old Xion, show off a little bit. With all the action you and Sora do I just know you've got some nice legs under those leggings." Show off? Xion glanced at Shiki's outfit, and then looked away with a blush and a frown. How on earth did any guys get things done with her around when she dressed like that? Xion certainly didn't have any interest in showing that much skin. But…well, maybe a bit…
A cry of alarm resounded through the store then, tearing Xion's attention away from shopping. Heartless? She held her hand out and prepared to summon the Keyblade, but hesitated. Sora wasn't nearby, so fighting wasn't a good plan. Could they find a way to flee? Maybe there was a back door. Xion began glancing around the store when another surprised shout came from right beside her.
Xion covered her ears jumped away from Shiki, whose eyes were wide. "Ohmigosh! Oh, oh my god!" Shiki squealed.
"What?" Rhyme and Xion asked at the same time. Xion relaxed, though; judging by the reaction, it wasn't an enemy. Straining to look over the wall of clothes racks, Xion instead moved her way out of the maze and into the open to see what all the fuss was about. Shiki was right behind her, giggling like a little girl the whole time.
"It's really her!" Shiki exclaimed.
Rhyme poked her head out from behind the two of them. "Is that who you're talking about?" She pointed to the entrance of the shop, and Xion followed the direction of her finger.
Coming in through the sliding glass doors was a short little woman with a big head. Her favorite color seemed to be black, from the color of her clothes to the frames of her big, round glasses. Not to mention her black hair, styled as a short bob. She sniffed at her surroundings before walking forward at a surprisingly quick pace for such a small person.
A man dressed in a suit, who Xion could only assume was the store's manager, approached the woman with a smile on his face. "Miss Mode, it's a pleasure to have you here and—"
"Yes, yes. Thank you darling, but I will be determining the pleasure." The woman's voice was nasally and with a ridiculous accent that Xion couldn't place. "You said you had models for me so that I may crush that De Vil like the fly she is in our fashion show that I am far too busy to attend?" Yeesh, and did she ever stop talking?
"Yes ma'am! Only the finest men and women—
"Ha! I will be the judge of that. You will defer to my designs and do everything I say before I again become sane."
"Y-Yes, Miss Mode!"
The two of them walked past Xion, Rhyme, and the star-struck Shiki without a second thought. But as they continued down the walkway, the little woman did raise a hand and wave it lightly. "Fabulous outfit, darling. You have a real future ahead of you."
Shiki's face went white, and she went from schoolgirlish awe to a stunned daze. "D-Did Edna Mode just compliment me?"
"Who?"
"Edna Mode!" Shiki recovered from her shock quickly and placed her hands on her hips. "The biggest name fashion designer in Traverse Town! Her stuff is everywhere!"
Rhyme rubbed the back of her head. "How do you know her, though? She's certainly not from Shibuya. Even I'd have heard of someone that big at least once if she were."
Shiki giggled. "Like I said, the city is every girl's battleground. I gotta stay on top of the game, so I keep up with all the hottest trends and biggest names, no matter where we are."
"That's what I call devotion," Xion said. She glanced back at the black shorts still in Shiki's hands and shrugged. "Alright, Shiki. Let's see what you've got for me."
Shiki grinned. "Really? Great, come on!"
x-x-x
They finished an hour or two later, and Xion couldn't hide her surprise at how long it had taken. As the three girls walked through the streets of the Fourth District, Xion held the shopping back awkwardly. She had tried on the outfit Shiki had put together back at the store, much to her embarrassment. Shiki and Rhyme had complimented her (which certainly didn't help the awkward blushing) and she did like it, but as she had said earlier she was going to stick with what she already had for the time being. Maybe once everything was over and they were all safe at home on their worlds she'd stop by Shibuya wearing these clothes, though.
The Fourth District gave way to the Fifth. It was quieter than the bustling shopping center that they had just left, but still loud and bright compared to the rest of Traverse Town. Xion eyed the large building in the middle, which had to be the indoor garden she had heard about from Goofy. It took up most of the area, with thin alleys separating it from the rest of the buildings. There didn't seem to be any way to reach those alleys without wading through some shallow pools of water, which Xion personally thought wasn't exactly smart design. Shiki seemed to agree, with the way she groaned as her boots got wet.
Just above the water, in a small building painted white and yellow, hung a humble sign—'WildKat'. As Shiki opened the door and the bell above it rang, Xion peeked inside. Sora Neku, and Beat were already there, seated at a table and chatting. She set her bag down and leaned back in a chair, worn out just as she had expected to be.
"Up for a cuppa joe?" Xion looked back at the man speaking: Sanae Hanekoma looked just as she remembered, right up to and including the need to shave. Grimacing, she shook her head.
"No thanks, Mr. H."
"Haha! Right, sorry. Not a coffee fan, I forgot."
As Mr. H left, though, Xion wasn't left alone. Sora excused himself from Beat and Neku's table (quickly replaced by Shiki and Rhyme) and joined Xion at hers. "So how'd it go?" Xion's reply was to lift up the bag of clothes and then drop it back down. Sora eyed it warily. "You really bought a whole new outfit?"
"Yeah, I guess I did. Shiki sure has a way with words." And also an apparently bottomless wallet. How much munny did she spend? She had so much more bags than Xion or Rhyme did.
Sora smirked. "I'm sure Riku'd love to see it. Maybe it'd match his long hair."
Xion felt her face turn red once again and she shoved Sora in the shoulder. "Shut up," she said with a groan over his laughter. She honestly hadn't even considered… Her mind wandered, and she wondered: would she have worn that around Roxas? Her face began heating up again and she shook her head wildly. Sora laughed again.
The bell at the door rang once again, to Xion's surprise. For some reason it was weird to consider that Mr. H got actual customers instead of just the kids from Shibuya, but he must have to kept the shop open. She didn't look over at the door at first, but Sora's shocked expression convinced her to turn around. And then she understood why.
Pale blond hair, a button-up shirt—Joshua.
"Josh?" Neku jumped up to his feet. "Where the hell have you been, man?"
"Out," was all that Joshua said as he leaned against the door. He glanced over at Sora and Xion and smiled softly. "I had a feeling I'd see you two again. It was only a matter of time."
"Yo Joshua, we been lookin' for you!" Beat shouted. Joshua glanced at the Shibuya kids with—what was that on his face for a moment? Sadness? Regret? Them he moved over to Sora and Xion's table.
"Sora, Xion, can I talk to you two for a minute? In private."
The two exchanged glances before standing up. Xion left her shopping bag at her feet and followed Joshua to the door. Whatever he wanted was serious, because even Neku and the others had grown quiet despite not seeing him for ages. Mr. H, back behind the counter, gave Joshua a simple nod and then turned back to the others. "So, who wants lunch? On the house."
The door open and shut soundlessly. The mood was somber as they exited Mr. H's shop. The thoughtful, almost sad expression on Joshua's face never left. He stared down at his feet, his hands in his pockets and shoulders slacked. It seemed to affect the Fifth District itself; even as Xion knew it was the same out there as it had been a minute ago, things felt dimmer, quieter.
They moved down the stone steps with the garden building to their left, coming upon the shallow pool at the entrance to the district. Joshua crossed it without paying it any mind, and as it seemed he wasn't going to slow down and wait for them Xion and Sora crossed as well. The only sound was the splashing of three pairs of feet as they made their way to the central walkway connecting the garden to the Fourth District, where Joshua finally came to a stop.
His shoulders moved as he let out a sigh. His head rose slightly, so now he stared at the lights reflecting in the pool instead of at his own feet. What in the world was up with him? Granted, Xion hardly knew Joshua at all, but this seemed extremely out of character. She glanced at Sora, who frowned and took a step forward.
"…Hey Josh, what's up?" he asked softly.
Joshua took a deep breath, his shoulders quivering slightly. "In their world…" he began, turning around as he spoke. There was a bittersweet smile on his face, one not of victory but of defeat. "…something happened that brought their existence to an end."
"What do you mean?"
Josh glanced aside, his already sad smile fading away. "Heartless. The Heartless destroyed Shibuya—and everyone who lived there with it."
"…Yeah, Neku and the others told us the Heartless reappeared." Xion shook her head. What did Joshua mean? "But they're not gone? They're all at Mr. H's, we were just there! And how did the Heartless destroy Shibuya anyway, we locked the Keyhole!" But she already knew the answer.
"Yes, it should have been locked. But a masked Keybearer opened it up." Of course. Sora nodded with concern on his face; he had realized, too. King Mickey's fears were true—Vanitas was unlocking Keyholes of worlds they had already visited and allowing the Heartless to destroy them. "The Heartless, they came, and… Neku and his friends never stood a chance."
"But I still don't understand…?"
But Joshua paid her question no mind. "In order to keep them from fading altogether, I gathered up the very last remnants of their dreams…and looked for a place to give them refuge."
Sora and Xion were utterly silent as Joshua began walking along the edge of the bricks, his hands in his pockets again. Remnants of their dreams? But…they were just talking to Neku and Shiki, and Rhyme and Beat! Mr. H too!
"It was then this world appeared to answer my call, and Rhyme's dreams allowed us to reach it." He stopped to their left, his back to them and his hands limp at his side. "Here, I thought they might have a chance—that the pieces of their dreams could make them whole again."
Xion was beginning to understand, and she felt sick. She hoped desperately that what Josh was implying wasn't true, but what else could he mean?
Joshua turned around, that sad smile back on his face. "Imagine my surprise when I realized dreams take bodily form in this world—that Traverse Town is as much alive as anybody living here, and it will help us any way it can." That's why it had created the new districts, after all. He started walking back to where he had been a moment ago. "It struck me: by linking their dream pieces back together, maybe I could make them exist again. Maybe…I could give them another chance."
Of course. Xion shook her head and stared down at her feet as Joshua stood before her and Sora. Beat and Neku, Shiki and Rhyme—their friends weren't real. They weren't even dead, they were…living memories. Practically ghosts, if that. Was it so easy to make somebody? What even constituted a 'real' person? Heart? She brought a hand to her chest and listened to Ven's heartbeat.
"It can't be that simple…" she whispered, more to herself. But Joshua caught it.
"Well, why can't it? By ourselves, we're no one. It's when other people look at us and see someone—that's the moment we each start to exist. All they needed was someone to see them, connect with them. And the two of you were a big part of making it happen."
By ourselves, we're no one… We start to exist when others meet and connect with us. Yeah, that was true. Xion's mind went back, further than she had recalled in a long time—to Organization XIII. Hadn't it been her friendship with Axel and Roxas that had defined her? Had made her who she was? She had been just a blank slate before, without even a face to call her own. And—she clutched her shirt tightly—wasn't there more to her then just a Nobody holding Ven's heart? She had to have a heart of her own…right?
"But, isn't there a way to fix this?!" Sora asked as he held his hands out imploringly. "There has to be! Joshua, your whole job is reviving people from the dead!"
But Joshua just shook his head and let out a small, sad chuckle "Until Shibuya—and all the other lost worlds—are restored, that's all they'll ever be." He looked up at them, and Xion saw something she had never seen on Joshua's face before—pain at his inability to do anything. "Sora, Xion… The worlds end with you. You're the ones deciding their fate."
The two Keybearers stared at each other as Joshua made his way back to Mr. H's in silence.
x-x-x
Joshua opened the door to Mr. H's little café and closed it behind him as silently as he could. As Shibuya's Composer—former Composer—leaned against the door in silence, his mind ran over what he had disclosed to Sora and Xion. They had to know—the hope for the entire universe rested on their shoulders. But still, he hated feeling so helpless. He hated not being able to do anything himself.
Joshua looked up at Mr. H, who was leaning his crossed arms against the counter top. The man nodded his head toward the tables, which got Joshua looking that way as well. Oh. His heart fell, and his throat went dry. Neku was approaching him.
"Joshua."
Joshua swallowed as subtly as he could, trying to hide his unease. "Yes, Neku?"
"Tell me—are we really gonna make it home?"
His fears were not unfounded. Joshua averted his gaze from Neku as he placed his hands in his pockets again. What a question. As far as Joshua knew, they didn't even know what had happened to Shibuya. Could they comprehend such a thing? What was he talking about, of course they could. They weren't dumb.
Regardless, Joshua still didn't have an answer for Neku. He had to give something; the boy was still staring at him. Joshua swallowed again and shut his eyes. "But Neku, I thought you couldn't afford to lose. Give up on yourself and you give up on the world."
Neku slouched. "Right... So I'll see you there?"
Joshua tried hiding his surprise. He was sure he failed at that. "Me?"
"Yeah. You're my friend. It's your home, too."
Joshua chuckled softly, sadly. He walked past Neku, toward the counter where Mr. H was waiting. But he stopped beside the boy and smiled softly. "Am I sure I'm not talking to Sora right now?"
"Huh?"
"…Thanks."
Maybe Joshua didn't need to do anything out there. It's like Mr. H always said: If you want to enjoy life, expand your world. You gotta push your horizons out as far as they'll go. If he was here, with his friends, connecting with them—maybe that was enough.
…I'm never writing another story with teenage girls out shopping ever again. I had no idea what I was doing (lucky for me neither did Xion). Hope you enjoyed it all the same.