Chapter 57: Memories That Never Were

Bong. Bong. Bong…

Xion stopped and turned her head, listening to the clock tower far off in the distance. It was growing late, and outside it was probably a very pretty sunset. But the four of them were down in the tunnels this evening, their footsteps echoing as they moved uninterrupted through the twisting metal passageways that crisscrossed through the mountains.

Xion licked her ice cream, the salty-sweet treat cheering her up. She had been worried about stopping in Twilight Town again, worried about running into Hayner, Pence, and Olette, but so far they hadn't encountered them. After landing in the forest out by the mansion, they had made their way straight into the tunnel system at Donald's insistence.

It really had been a while since their last stop here. It had been before their visit to the Symphony of Sorcery, hadn't it? Twilight Town was the latest in the gang's search for an entryway into the Realm of Darkness, and hopefully it would provide greater results since it sat in the Realm Between. Donald had suggested focusing their search through the tunnels. If a way into the dark realm was here, he had said, it wouldn't be out in the open where anyone could find it.

"Xion, you comin'?" Xion looked over at Goofy, who stood in front of the open gate that led into the next section of tunnels. With a nod, Xion finished the last of her ice cream and then flicked the stick into a nearby trash can.

"Sorry about that, just thinking of stuff."

Goofy chuckled. "Gawrsh, you've been thinkin' a lot since we got here!"

"You think so?"

Goofy nodded and put a hand on Xion's shoulder as they caught up to Sora and Donald. "Sure, but I can't really blame ya. If ya ever need someone to talk to, you know your friends are right there to listen!"

Xion smiled and gave him a quick side-hug. "Thanks, Goofy. But I'm fine, really."

Up ahead, Donald held up a hand. "Shut your traps, guys! I hear something."

The gang came to a stop, straining their ears to listen to whatever it was that Donald had heard. Sora cupped his hands to his ears and Goofy held up one long ear while stifling another laugh. Xion frowned, listening to a soft beat in the distance. It could have been anything, maybe something as simple as dripping water. What did Donald think he had heard?

"Oh!" A voice came from around the corner, followed by the beat hastening up. Footsteps? Someone else was down here, and that someone rounded the corner with a big grin on his face. "Whoa! Hey guys, it sure has been a while!"

Xion gasped and shrunk back, moving behind Goofy as her friends greeted the newcomers. Hayner, Pence, and Olette were down here, and Pence was the one who had spoken. Oh no… She couldn't deal with this, not now.

"Pence! Hayner, Olette! Wow, it really has." Sora grinned and walked up to them happily, oblivious to Xion's worry. But as her friends greeted them with gusto, the Twilight Town gang's own smiles faltered.

"Is something wrong?" Donald asked.

Hayner, Pence, and Olette all glanced at each other, their faces clouded with worry. Hayner crossed his arms and shook his head. "Actually, yeah. We're really glad we ran into you and all…but we have some bad news."

"What kind of news?" Sora scratched his head, as unsure of what they meant as anyone else.

"Well, last time we met, you trusted us with that friend of yours…"

"Oh!" Goofy smiled and nodded. "We brought Naminé to you fellers after DiZ left!"

"That's right, I remember now!" Donald chimed in.

Olette rubbed her arm. "Well…we were hanging out with her, but pretty soon after you left…"

"One of those guys in the black coats took her!" Pence finished.

Hayner looked down at his feet. "And there was nothing we could do. Naminé almost looked happy to go… Sorry, guys."

"What are you sorry for?" At Sora's question, the three of them looked up at him, their concern and shame changing to confusion.

Goofy laughed. "Gawrsh fellers, that was just our pal Riku come to pick her up! Naminé is fine, don't you worry. She's with our other friend Kairi."

The Twilight Town gang breathed a collective sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness…" Olette muttered.

Hayner punched Sora in the shoulder. "Dude, you could have told us your friend would pick her up! We've been worried about Naminé for months with no way to contact you guys!"

"Sorry, we didn't know he was going to come for her either!"

But as they continued to speak, Xion fell back into her thoughts. Naminé was with Kairi…that's right. They had recombined, she had completely forgotten all about it. Something struck her, a terrifying thought. Reaching forward, she grabbed Sora by the sleeve and pulled him back behind Goofy beside her.

"Whoa! What is it, Xion?"

"Shh!" Xion pressed a finger to her lips. "Keep your voice down, Sora. I don't want to worry them, but…" She glanced down at her feet for a moment before looking back up at her friend. "Sora, I never considered this, but do you think when Braig got Kairi…could he have wanted Naminé instead?"

Sora raised an eyebrow. "But why would he—" He snapped his mouth shut. His eyes grew wide and his face paled. "Xehanort's memory."

Xion nodded. "That's what I'm thinking."

"But do you think she would have helped?" Sora shook his head, his voice rising. "And Xion, if he wanted to get to Naminé then Kairi might be—"

Xion glared at Sora and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Don't think like that! Sora, Kairi is fine. I promise you that. We'll go save both her and Naminé, okay?"

"Right…yeah. Okay."

"Good, then let's—"

"Oh!" Xion and Sora both looked to their side at Olette's exclamation of surprise. Goofy had moved aside, putting the two of them right in the Twilight Town gang's line of sight. "Wow, hey! I didn't know you were friends with Sora, Donald and Goofy!"

"U-Uh…" Xion's mind blanked as Olette smiled brightly at her. Her throat dried up and her limbs went numb.

Pence and Hayner looked at her with a smile and a wary glare, respectively. "It was uh, Xion, right?" Pence asked. "Wow, it's been a while!"

"Y…Yeah. It…has."

Donald crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Xion, you know them? I mean…they know you?"

"We, uh…" Xion shook her head, and belatedly realized her hands were still on Sora's shoulders. She let go of them and moved them in front of her chest in a nervous gesture, then stared down at her feet. "We've met, yeah."

"I remember now." Hayner nodded to himself as he recalled their first and only meeting. "You were looking for some friend of yours. A little girl in a red dress?"

"…Lilo, yeah."

"Did you ever find her?"

"Yes." Xion still spoke without looking up at them. Her mind was still fuzzy, and she could feel her eyes starting to water. She was running through her memory at a thousand miles a minute, sights and sounds of the other Twilight Town assaulting her. This was exactly what she had been worried about happening when she met these three. "And Roxas isn't even here…"

"Huh?"

Xion gasped and looked up at them, really registering their faces for the first time. Oh no, had she said that out loud? "I, uh… I…" Xion shook her head and took a step back.

Sora reached a hand for her, but she stepped back again. "Xion?"

"Sorry, I have to go." Spinning around, Xion ran off down the tunnel. She couldn't hold the tears back anymore.

x-x-x

It was a quiet autumn night with a cool breeze. Birds settled in for the night, their chirping replaced by what few cicadas remained after summer. Lights went out across Twilight Town and the streets died down, but one apartment building near the center of the city still had a few windows lit up. One lit window was open, allowing the breeze to blow inside.

Freshly out of the shower, a pajama-clad Xion sat cross-legged in her computer chair, reading throughthis and that while brushing her wet hair. Her bed was occupied by Dodger, the dog snoring loudly with a smile on his face. Humming slightly, Xion set her brush down and turned her full attention to the computer screen. She scrolled through posts from classmates and friends on a variety of social networks, liking this or blocking that, but never moved to post anything herself or even comment.

"What about this?"

"Wow, Pence, it's so pretty!"

"Dude, that's perfect! Where'd you find this place?!"

Pence, Olette, and Hayner's voices came in through Xion's headphones, shocking her—she had forgotten all about them while she had been in the shower! Closing her web browser, Xion brought up a video chat with her friends. Olette and Hayner leaned into their cameras as they looked closely at Pence's image—or lack thereof. Where Pence's video feed should have been was a still picture.

It was an image of a lake in the forest surrounding Twilight Town. The shallow water was crystal clear, the smooth stone at the lakebed visible underneath the shimmering surface. The picture was taken at sunset, casting a faint orange glow over the area while the sunlight sparkled on the water. Of course, that wasn't the only source of the orange that overtook the picture; it was autumn after all, and the leaves on trees all around the lake were varying shades of red, yellow, and orange.

Xion quickly turned on her own webcam. "Sorry guys, it totally slipped my mind! I was about ready to get in bed."

"Don't worry about it," Pence responded. The forest lake vanished, replaced with his grinning face.

Hayner nodded. "Yeah, we didn't even notice you were gone."

"O-Oh, okay." There was a slight pang in Xion's chest at those words, and she didn't know why. Her gaze flickered to the edge of the screen, where she was used to one other video feed joining in on their conversations. Roxas wasn't there, and no one knew what was up with that. Since they lived in the same building Xion had gone to look for him earlier, but no one at his apartment was answering.

"So, what are we supposed to do?" At Olette's question, Xion turned back to her friends.

Pence shrugged. "Well like I said, it's for my short film class. My teacher said that he wants us to look as natural as possible in this. No scripts."

Hayner slammed his forehead down on his keyboard, causing a bunch of gibberish to show up in the text chat. "No scripts?!" he shouted.

"Hayner, keep it down!" called a voice from behind his door.

"Oh, shut up!" Hayner shouted back. He lowered his voice and rubbed his temples. "Anyway, what are we supposed to do without a script?"

"Pence, can we see that picture again?" Olette asked.

"Sure." Pence looked away from the camera for a moment, likely at the second screen Xion knew he had, and clicked with his mouse a few times. A moment later a file popped up in their chat log. As Olette voiced her thanks, Xion opened the image and examined the area further. It didn't look like it was all that far from town, you could see the clock tower in the distance over the trees. The mountain with a famous ski resort was in the picture, too. Hm…what could they do?

Well, if it was warm enough, maybe film themselves having a picnic? Xion wasn't sure what Pence's teacher was looking for, but it sounded fun to her! She moved the picture's window aside and looked back into her webcam. "Hey—"

"I've got it!" Hayner jumped up to his feet, his chair falling to the ground with a clatter from the sudden motion. Xion and Olette looked away from the full-body shot; he wasn't wearing anything over his boxers.

Someone slammed their hand on the other side of his door. "Hayner!"

"Yeah yeah, I heard you!" Hayner rolled his eyes and picked up his chair, flipping it around backwards and sitting down with his arms over the back. "Here's what we'll do: beach party at that lake!"

Olette, the red in her cheeks going from that earlier image vanishing, looked back at the screen and raised an eyebrow. "I dunno, Hayner. This close to winter?"

"Hey, come on, it'd be so cool, like our own private beach!" Grinning, Hayner leaned forward until his face took up his entire video feed. "Without crowds, you could show off a bit." He winked and laughed.

Olette's face instantly turned an even deeper red than before. "Y-You just turned it from a 'maybe' to a 'no'!"

"Aw, come on, Olette, you know I'm just messing with you!"

"Pence, please tell Hayner he's being childish."

"You're playing that card and calling me a kid?!" Hayner groaned and leaned back. "Come on Olette, say something already. If Roxas were here he'd be all for it, knowing Xion would be in a swimsuit again!"

Xion felt heat flood into her face. "H-Huh?!"

Pence laughed. "I don't think Olette's gonna talk to you any time soon, Hayner."

"Olette, come on, take a joke!"

Olette crossed her arms and looked away. "Pence, do you hear an annoying bug or something?"

Xion sighed and rested her chin in her hands. Usually when those three got into their conversations like this she could at least talk to Roxas, but not tonight. Shaking her head as they continued talking, Xion said goodbye without getting a reply and turned off her webcam. Stretching her arms above her head, she stood up from her chair and walked over to her bed, forgotten.

x-x-x

Forgotten, huh…

The wind ruffled Xion's hair as she sat under the moonlight sky. She didn't know how long it had been since she had gone off on her own, but she had made it up to the clock tower to watch the sunset and that had long since passed. The stars, what little of them were left, now hung over Twilight Town while a warm breeze warning of the oncoming summer blew over and around her.

She sat on the very edge of the platform, her thin frame balanced perfectly over the abyss. She had done it every day for nearly a year, and even after all the time that had passed it was like riding a bike: she never forgot. Her knees were pulled up to her chest and her arms hugged them in place. As she stared down at her legs she blinked away growing tears. An ice cream stick hung limply in her fingers. She had bought another bar, but it had been too salty. She paid it no mind as half-frozen liquid dripped down onto the station stairs far below.

Being forgotten…scared her. It was a feeling she wasn't used to, but she knew it wasn't a new one. She had had these same thoughts when Sora had forgotten about Kairi back during their time in Shibuya. She felt the same ache in her heart, however fleeting, when Zidane had pretended not to know her. It probably came from the conversation with Naminé she had in the old mansion, before everything had gone so wrong.

"No one will remember you when you're gone. There won't be any 'you' to remember."

Xion could hear the blonde's voice on the wind and buried her face further into her knees. That conversation felt like a lifetime ago, but it still hung over her like a shadow. If something ever happened to her… Xion shook her head; she didn't want to follow that line of thought. But that said, this situation wasn't really being forgotten, was it? After all, she had never actually been Hayner, Pence, and Olette's friend.

"But what does that matter?" she muttered. She squeezed her watering eyes shut and sniffled. "It's all the same to me…"

Her body shaking, Xion tightened her arms around her knees and took in a deep breath to try and calm herself down. It did just the opposite; in the middle of her breath, Xion broke down. She choked out a sob and tears began to stream down her face. Her body shook more, her shoulders heaving and shaking with every sob and sniff that came out of her. Xion rubbed a hand across her face and tried to stop, but it just got worse. The ice scream stick slipped from her grasp, salty tears falling with the salty dessert. Burying her face in her hands, she continued to cry.

She cursed Braig. She hated him, and Vanitas. It was their fault, they were the ones who caused her all this pain. If it wasn't for them, then she wouldn't have these fake memories. She wouldn't have all those weeks of time spent laughing and playing with Hayner, Pence, Olette, and Roxas. Roxas…she had lost him twice now, and the worst part was that the digital Roxas would never know where or why she had gone. And she had…he was…

They weren't her had never really known her. He had never really…

"Roxas…"

"You want to talk about him?"

Xion gasped and looked up at the voice to find another girl standing above her. Olette smiled down, her face bright despite the darkness of night. Xion stared up at Olette for a few seconds before realizing that she was holding a handkerchief in her hand. Muttering a small thanks, Xion took the handkerchief and started wiping her eyes as Olette sat down beside her.

"…Sorry you had to see that." Xion sniffled quietly and wiped at the corner of her eyes one last time before lowering her legs and resting her hands in her lap.

Olette shook her head. "Don't be sorry, we've all been in there. Sometimes crying it out is the best solution."

"Somehow I doubt that you've been in this situation."

"Oh really?" Olette let out a small giggle, but it gave way to a sigh. She swung her feet slowly and looked down at the ground far below. "Well, I guess I don't know what you're dealing with, but I've definitely had my share of episodes too. When I was little, before I knew Hayner and Pence, I had this friend named Serah. Serah Farron." Xion hid her confusion; she didn't recognize the name, had this person not been a part of the virtual Twilight Town?

"She…" Olette drifted off for a moment, wringing her fingers together while she considered her words. "Serah and I were inseparable. We played together all the time; there wasn't a person in our neighborhood who thought of us separately from each other. But well, things change, I guess." Olette shrugged and rubbed her arm. "In middle school, Serah and I kind of drifted apart. I met Hayner and Pence, and she made some new friends, and we just found new groups."

Xion furrowed her brow. She could understand losing a friend and how it would hurt, she really could, but Olette's scenario wasn't really comparable to hers. Still, she sat quietly as Olette began to shake. That clearly wasn't the end of the story.

Olette wiped at her eyes as they began to water, though she didn't cry. She swallowed and stared down at her hands. "Serah…died a few years ago. It was a car accident."

Xion's heart fell, and she felt her skin pale as the blood rushed out of her face. Her body went numb. Death… That was… It was a terrifying concept. Xion had killed before; she had killed Roxas and she would never forgive herself for that, but she knew that Roxas was inside her heart and always would be. But Olette's friend…

"I'm sorry," Xion whispered.

"Don't be," Olette said with a shake of her head and a soft smile. She still wasn't crying, even if she did sniffle a little bit. "Serah's life was short, but it was a good one. I made peace with it a long time ago…and besides, she's never really gone, right?" She placed a hand over her chest. "Our friends are all in here."

Through the night's darkness, Xion smiled at Olette. Maybe her case wasn't as literal as Xion and Roxas's, but she was still right. Your friends were in your heart, and nothing could change that. Just because Xion had met the digital versions of the Twilight Town gang, and just because she wasn't with them anymore, it didn't mean that they were any less her friends. And who knows? Maybe she could be friends with the kids here, too.

"Thank you, Olette." Xion turned to the other girl and handed back her handkerchief.

Olette let out another soft giggle. "Sure, you kinda needed it."

But Xion shook her head. "I don't just mean the handkerchief. You helped me more than you know. So, really…thank you."

"Well… Glad I could help." Olette folded up the handkerchief and slipped it into her pocket, then tilted her head back and closed her eyes to feel the night breeze. "A big part of getting over Serah's death for me was talking about it. I don't know your story, Xion, but I'd be happy to learn if you would tell me." She turned to Xion and tilted her head. "Who exactly is Roxas?"

Xion rubbed her cheek for a moment, unsure. She wasn't nervous or not ready to share that, but it seemed kind of beyond Olette's comprehension. Not that she was dumb or anything, but inter-world troubles had their place and it wasn't in Twilight Town.

Olette seemed to take Xion's contemplation for hesitation. "Sora explained some stuff," she said, and Xion turned to her in surprise. "But not a lot, he just said he was your friend and we should ask you about the details." A gentle smile. "I was hoping you could tell me more. But we don't really know each other, so if you don't want to…"

Xion shook her head and Olette trailed off. "No, it's fine." She stared up at the night sky, her eyes moving along the stars and watching the lights sparkle. "Roxas was…is…my best friend. We saw each other almost every day for a long time. He helped me through a lot of hard spots, and I did the same for him."

"What does he look like?"

"Huh?" Xion turned back to Olette, who was looking right at her. "Uh… He wore black a lot. Bright blue eyes and spiky blond hair, too."

Olette smiled. "I thought so."

Wait, hold on. "You knew Roxas?"

But Olette shook her head. "I didn't know him really, but I think I met him once. Definitely saw him a couple times, too…and you." She grinned slyly at Xion. "I wasn't sure until I found you up here on the tower tonight, but I know I saw you in one of those black coats with two boys, Xion. Don't think we never noticed you guys up here."

Xion smiled back and rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. "I guess we would have been seen eventually, huh?"

"You sure fed the rumor mill for a while, too! No one knew what to make of you guys." But Olette's mood fell for a moment, and when she spoke again her voice was slightly softer. "So what happened to them? If you don't mind me asking."

"The redhead, Axe—I mean, Lea… He went away for a while, but we met up again recently. He's out on a trip, but we should see each other soon." Xion sighed and shook her head. "Roxas is…away."

"Is he…?"

"No, he's not dead. We've talked a few times since—since he left. But not often. I think he's doing fine, though. And I think… I think I'm going to have to go soon, too." Xion's smile faltered, and she moved a hand over her chest to listen to her heartbeat. Ven's heartbeat.

"Well that's good, right? You'll be seeing Roxas soon, then."

"Yeah…"

"Yup, that's right! The reunion is coming real soon!"

The voice came from all around them. Xion jumped to her feet immediately and looked around rapidly, searching for the source, while Olette stood up more slowly and glanced nervously around the area. "What was that?"

The atmosphere shifted around them. The night breeze fell away, leaving dead air sitting near the top of the tower. Even in the night, the area around them seemed to darken. Xion's eyes narrowed and she felt a pang in her chest, as the atmosphere grew heavy in a way she hadn't felt since Hollow Bastion. The power of darkness was flowing into Twilight Town, and it was manifesting in front of the clock tower.

"Olette, get back!" Xion held both her hands out, pushing Olette back toward the wall with one and summoning her Keyblade in the other.

Purple and black energy swirled around in front of the two girls, coalescing together and forming into an oblong shape: a corridor of darkness. The corridor collapsed to reveal a scarred, one-eyed man standing in the air as if it were ground. Xion glared at Braig and held her Keyblade forward with both hands.

"What do you want?!"

Braig's eyebrows moved up as he smiled. "Reminiscing about your boyfriend? So sorry to hear it, Poppet."

"Don't play games with me, Braig. I'm not in a good mood."

"Games? As if." Braig stretched his arms above his head and then rolled his shoulders. He wasn't taking this seriously at all, and Xion wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Sora wasn't around, so Xion knew she couldn't fight reliably. If Braig attacked up here she probably wouldn't even be able to defend herself, let alone Olette. Not to mention the lack of footing… "I'm just here to check up on you, Xion."

Xion tightened her grip on Two Become One. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Braig frowned and rubbed his neck. "Xion, you think we're blind? We know you guys are working on saving Aqua and Ventus." He shook his head and looked Xion dead in the eyes, even from a distance. "Have you given any sort of thought as to what that would mean for you?"

Xion grit her teeth and shook her head. "Don't play dumb, you know that I have. That's the reason you're here, so you can make me question it! I know how you work, Braig."

"Oh do you, now? I guess I should feel worried you've figured me out?" Braig barked out a laugh. "As if! You don't know the first thing about what's going through my head right now."

"You thinking about sharing, then?"

"Gee, I just don't know…" Braig held his hands out to his side and then grinned. "Tell me, Xion. How confident are you in your abilities?"

Xion bit her tongue for a moment. Did Braig know about her and Sora's reliance on each other? She gulped and put on a steadfast mask. "Confident enough to beat you!"

And Braig laughed once more. "Let's see then!" Purple light flared from his hands and his spike-covered arrowguns manifested. Braig aimed the two weapons forward and Xion heard twin clicks.

"Look out!" Xion shoved Olette aside as Braig pulled the trigger. Purple lights lit up the night, a barrage of magical bullets raining down onto the top of the clock tower that could be seen across Twilight Town. There was little room to move on this narrow balcony, but Olette was pushed to safety. Xion, however, wasn't so lucky. Each and every one of Braig's attacks hit their mark, assaulting Xion in the back.

Xion lurched forward, catching herself before she fell, and she spun around to fire a blast of Aerora at Braig. That was a mistake, however; as soon as the spell was cast, Xion felt her magic reserves drain away. She wouldn't be able to handle casting more than a handful, and Braig wasn't anywhere near melee range.

"Ooh, getting feisty, huh? And I see you've got a pal to protect… Let's see what you can do!" Braig's image blurred and he reappeared an instant later directly above Xion and Olette. Olette let out a scream and a moment later another barrage assaulted the two of them from above. Grabbing Olette by the hand, Xion raced toward one of the two pillars on the ends of the balcony, explosions at their heels.

"Stay here!" she commanded the other girl, and then she spun around and deflected the final barrage with her Keyblade. The magical bullets struck right back at Braig and knocked him off his balance. His control of space wavered only for a moment, but long enough that he fell back toward the narrow platform. Xion jumped up and met him in the air, slashing her Keyblade across his chest.

Her swing moved into another, and then another. Xion unleashed a combo barrage against Braig, but with every move her body grew progressively slower. She landed on her feet awkwardly and had to step back a few times to catch her breath. Already she was starting to pant heavily. Sora, where are you?

Braig recovered quickly enough. He held his arrowguns up again and started firing. Xion gasped and rolled out of the way, but that was easier said than done in this place. She tried to scream as she toppled forward, but the sound didn't come out of her breathless throat. The ground rushed up to meet her—and someone grabbed her from behind.

"Olette, I told you to hide!"

"I'm not letting you fall off of here!"

Xion grimaced and dug the teeth of her Keyblade into the wall, then used what stamina she could muster to fling herself back up top. Braig let out a low, impressed whistle, and Xion glared at him while moving protectively in front of Olette.

"You always gotta glare at me like I just drowned your goldfish," Braig snapped at her.

"Shut up!" Xion dashed at him as fast as she could with her legs that felt like jelly. Braig ducked under her next swing, but Xion brought her knee up and slammed it into his face. As Braig reeled back, she connected the Keyblade with his arm. She spun around and slammed it into his other side, then held it up again and brought it down on his head.

Braig vanished, reappearing again in the air where he had first appeared.

"I'm gonna tag out." Braig held his hands up in surrender and his arrowguns vanished in twin flashes of light.

"You what?!" Xion leveled her Keyblade at him with one hand, though despite her bravado she was breathing heavily and her arm shook as she held the weapon forward. "We've barely fought!"

"Duh, that was the point! Xion, I only came here to see if you're strong enough to claim your destiny." His golden eye flashed in the darkness and he leaned forward with a feral grin. "And yep, I say you are. I'll see you at Hollow Bastion, Poppet. And when we meet again…"

Darkness began to swirl through the air again, enveloping Braig and forming into another corridor. "Wait!" Xion shouted and jumped after him, but a hand grabbed her by the wrist. Xion looked back to see a worried Olette holding on to her, keeping her from jumping into the darkness.

Braig had vanished, but his voice lingered in the air. "When we meet again, the χ-blade will be forged!"

With Olette still holding her by the wrist, she stared at the spot where Braig had been moments ago. Her heavy breathing was lightening up ever so slowly. Xion lowered her free arm to her side and dismissed her Keyblade in a flash of light. She felt Olette let go of her and her other hand fell down to her side as well. Xion slid down to her knees and let out a frustrated scream into the night.

x-x-x

But meanwhile, worlds away…

Trumpets and dreams flared outside as another parade passed through the city streets, but in a small alleyway a local fortunetelling shop was passed over entirely. Another quiet day was already half over without any customers. Business wasn't exactly booming lately, and that meant no funds. Things weren't looking up.

Facilier was the name of the shop's owner and manager, some called him the Shadowman. He was known throughout the city of New Orleans as a cheat and greedy, but his fortunes were spot-on. He got that through his communions and bargains with the Loa spirits, and he was quite proud to be one of the most powerful practicing Voodoo witch doctors in all of Louisiana. It was just unfortunate that his reputation in the spirit world didn't exactly bring in the customers. The Loa struck deals, but there wasn't much he could do to get them to put munny in his pocket. Not without getting into big debt with them, anyway, and the Loa always wanted their debts paid back in full.

As Facilier sat brooding in his little shop, using his tarot cards to play solitaire (not like anyone wanted their fortune told today), his mood darkened. Lately, he had come across a different type of Loa, one he had never encountered before. These darker Friends on the Other Side didn't ask too much of him, which was surprising. The Loa usually demanded ritual, animal sacrifice, prayers, tributes, and the like. These new Friends of his, though, only asked one thing in exchange for their service…

Hearts.

Reaching under his shirt, Facilier pulled out the glowing red pendant that he kept close to his chest at all times. Hearts, he had learned, held a lot more power than anyone had ever given them credit. His new Friends wanted hearts, and he would happily oblige. With the power they had given him, Facilier would be able to achieve a lot more than just putting munny in his pocket. The problem, of course, was that nothing was free. Like the Loa, the Friends on the Other Side worked with give and take. They had given him power, they wanted their payment, and he was running out of time.

"But what to do?" Facilier glanced around, his gaze falling onto a discarded newspaper sitting on his table. Some new bigwig from a foreign country was coming to New Orleans later today. Maybe his heart would be enough to put Facilier's Friends at ease until he could get more. Until he could get the brightest heart, the heart that was sure to pay back his debt…the heart of the city itself.

Facilier's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. Gasping, he tossed the newspaper aside and gathered his deck of cards. Facilier held out his hand and his shadow acted on its own, golden eyes flashing for a brief moment before it tossed the Shadowman's coat and hat over to him from the nearby rack. Pocketing his tarot cards, Facilier grabbed his cane and opened the door with a toothy smile on his face.

The sucker—er, customer —was a man whose skin was paler than any skin Facilier had ever seen. Facilier raised an eyebrow but kept a smile plastered to his face. "Welcome friend, welcome! You new to Louisiana? Come to visit our fabulous city for Mardi Gras, have ya?"

"I may stay," said the main with a shrug, "but I've actually come by because I heard of a man who could see the future."

Facilier stared at him for a moment and then laughed loudly. He spun around, bowed low, and tipped his hat. "Well I'm just honored! You come all the way to New Orleans for me? I'll give you the best fortune you've had in your life, my man!" Opening the door further, Facilier swept his hand out and motioned to his table.

The man entered with a nod, stepping through the dark room and admiring the variety of Voodoo totems and tokens hanging on the walls. Well, only some of them were real; others were just for the tourists. Tell a man a bauble will bring him good fortune and he'll pay you half his funds. Facilier closed the door behind him and held out his hand once more, and his shadow replied with a high-five.

With a snap of his fingers, the lights in the room clicked on and illuminated his table. Facilier followed his guest forward with a spring in his step. "Sit down at my table, put your mind at ease. If you relax it will enable me to do anything I please." As the man sat down, Facilier slid into his own seat, his shadow pushing it into place for him. "I can read your future, I can change it 'round some too. I look deep into your heart and soul…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out his deck. "Make your wildest dreams come true. Go ahead sir, pick three cards and three cards only."

Smiling, the man picked three cards from the top of the deck and handed them back to Facilier. Facilier nodded and spread them out face-down onto the table. "Let's see what we have here, my good man. Now…" Moving his hand over the leftmost card, Facilier flipped it face-up in the blink of an eye. The image was of a forest of thorns and green fire. Facilier raised an eyebrow; this was something new to him. Maybe some more context…

"Behind door number two..." Flipping the next card, the middle card, revealed a black bird, a crow or a raven, sitting on a dead tree before a full moon. "Ah, here we are. You've lost something, haven't you? You're searching, my good man. And whatever you're searching for, you're close; very close."

"Is that so?" the man asked, leaning back in his chair. "And the third card?"

Facilier frowned. "Well, let's see, shall we?" The third card was—Facilier's eyes went wide and it slipped from his hand. "N-No! Why?!" Facilier jumped to his feet, his chair clattering to the ground. The image on the card was a black thorny heart crisscrossed with red—the symbol of his Friends on the Other Side! Were they impatient? Had they sent this man to collect their payment?! "L-Listen, I have a plan. Just gimme a little more time!"

The man, still leaning back in his seat, eyed the card with interest and then looked up behind Facilier, at his quivering, golden-eyed shadow. "So, you do control the Heartless after all. But you don't seem to know what they're capable of."

"C-Capable of?"

The man shook his head. "I'm not here for them, don't you worry. I've come representing another group. My name is Diablo, and we would be very interested in working with you." He smirked and held his hand out. "What do you say? Won't you shake a poor sinner's hand?"