Day 321
"Wait a second," Sora said in panic. He drew his sword, although the hand holding it was shaking. "You can't unlock my heart... won't I turn into a Heartless?"
"If it means saving Kairi, I couldn't care less."
Sora stared at Riku in disbelief. This was a nightmare. He knew that Riku had started hating him recently, but... destroying his heart? Had they really grown so far apart? He stared desperately at Riku, then ran forward, preparing to strike. It was his only chance. Riku blocked the attack, then swung his Keyblade in a wide arc and sent Sora sprawling to the ground, face-up. Riku lifted his hand and dark restraints appeared, pinning Sora to the ground. Riku approached him, readying the Keyblade.
"Riku..."
"I'm sorry, Sora," Riku said quietly. He lifted the Keyblade over his head, gripping it with both hands. "I actually do wish things could be different. But they're not."
Without another word, Riku plunged the Keyblade deep into Sora's chest.
Xurik stirred. He winced as he sat up in bed, then pressed a gloved hand to his face. He frowned - the dark material was wet. He touched his cheeks and realized that there were streams of water running down his face. Why were his eyes watering? Had something gotten in his eyes while he was asleep?
He felt like he had been dreaming... but that seemed to happen more and more these days. Were they his memories from when he had been Riku? They always felt vaguely out of reach... he could never remember his dreams by the time he woke up.
He made his way to the Grey Area sluggishly. It would be time for another mission, and yet he could care less. Why was he still doing this? Running around, doing Xemnas's bidding...
Well, he knew why. Xion and Roxas were still here. And Axel, but... well, things still weren't the same between them. If his friends were gone... would he even stay?
"I'm deploying you and Xion together today," Saix said as Xurik approached. His face brightened slightly - that was good. When was the last time he had a mission with Xion? It had been weeks. Perhaps the Organization didn't trust them to work together. Xurik glanced at Axel across the room. Had he told Saix or Xemnas that Xurik had seriously considered leaving the Organization? No... he couldn't have, or else Xurik would have been turned into a Dusk by now. At least Axel had some sense of loyalty, even if he wasn't above attacking Xion.
Xurik slashed through the Heartless, then stooped over, panting.
"What's wrong?" Xion said, running up beside him. Xurik took a deep breath, then stood up straight.
"I'm fine," he said, managing to smile. Xion stared up at him with wide eyes.
"You look pale." They were standing in the depths of the Cave of Wonders in Agrabah, but the torches on the wall illuminated his face enough for her to see.
Xurik simply shook his head. He had been feeling extremely tired lately... he attributed it to stress and the fact that his dreams kept him from ever feeling fully rested in the mornings. Fatigue slowed him down during missions, and his ability to use darkness took all of his concentration. Xion, on the other hand, seemed more energetic than ever. Not that he wanted to seem weak in front of her.
"Really, I'm fine." He lead the way deeper into the tunnel; Xion reluctantly followed. Finally they reached a large round cavern with no exit other than the one they had come through.
"Dead end."
Xion was silent for a moment, then began to walk to the right, stepping lightly over the sand and stones.
"I remember this..." As she reached the right-hand wall, she pointed up at an engraving in the stone. "It's a Keyhole... see?"
White light suddenly blinded her sight. She remember watching the tall vizier... Jafar?... unlocking the Keyhole and sending Heartless in to devour the Heart of Agrabah. She saw all this through Riku's eyes... the Princess of Heart, Jasmine, was cradled delicately in his arms as he took her forth into darkness...
The moment he saw her teeter, Xurik hurried forward and managed to catch Xion in his arms as she fell; her eyes fluttered open a moment later. Xurik gave a small smile. Xion's fainting episodes had been getting worse recently. Was she okay?
"You look so much like him," she said quietly, placing a hand on his cheek.
"What?" Xurik said, his smile fading. So much like who?
He suddenly heard skittering sounds behind him - a Heartless. Was it their target? He turned at the noise, but before he could react, Xion was suddenly out of his arms, dashing forward. She summoned the Keyblade, and in a single fluid motion, slashed the Heartless out of existance in one blow.
"H-how... How did I just do that?" Xion said, eyes wide. "Where did that power come from?"
Xurik winced. He had suddenly felt a rush of fatigue, enough to send him falling to his knees. Xion hurried over.
"Xurik! Hey, are you all right?"
He hesitated for a moment, then sighed and nodded, wearily getting back to his feet. "Yeah, I'm just... really tired these days, that's all. I think all the excitement lately is wearing me out. Sorry to worry you."
Xion shook her head quickly. "No, don't apologize. Are you sure you're okay?"
Xurik nodded, giving his best fake smile. "Who do you think I am? Come on... Roxas will be waiting for us."
"You're really, really okay?" Xion repeated later, once they were sitting on the clock tower. Xurik rolled his eyes.
"Yes... I swear I'm fine." To be fair, he did feel a bit better now. Perhaps all he needed was a chance to sit down.
"Why?" Roxas said, surprised. "What happened?"
"Nothing, I just... I don't know. Fighting wears me out these days, that's all."
"Oh," Roxas said quietly. "Well, maybe you should get some more rest. If it's really a problem, Saix might give you a day off."
"Right, because Saix doesn't already think I'm a failure," Xurik said, rolling his eyes. He grinned, then punched Roxas on the shoulder. "Besides, now they have another Keyblade. If I push it too much, the Organization might decide that they don't need me."
"Nah. The Organization wouldn't replace you. You're... Xurik."
Xurik said nothing. He knew that wasn't true, but Roxas was too naive to see it.
"Roxas... you know Xemnas ordered us to bring Xion back by force, right? I don't think there's a lot that the Organization wouldn't do."
The boy lowered his head. "Well... yeah. I guess you're right. But... still..."
"What?"
"If you hadn't been ordered to bring back Xion, she'd still be gone." Roxas turned to Xion. "Wouldn't you?"
Xion lowered her head. "Yeah. I probably would. I'm sorry I hid from you guys."
Xurik sighed. "I just can't believe that asshole attacked you."
Roxas's eyes widened. "You mean... Axel? He did that?"
Xion shook her head. "Guys... come on. I wouldn't be sitting here with you if Axel hadn't done that. He's your best friend, Xurik... don't be mad at him."
"Well, sorry," Xurik said, annoyed that she seemed to be taking Axel's side. "I'm going to be mad at anyone who attacks my friends... even if it's one of my other friends."
"Yeah, but... did you ever think that maybe Axel was just doing what he could to get Xion back? Maybe he missed her." Roxas stared off into the sunset. "I know I'd do whatever it took to find you two if you ever went missing."
Xurik lowered his gaze. Little did Roxas know that Xurik had seriously considered leaving the Organization a couple of weeks ago. What would happen if he had? Would Roxas have chased him down? Attacking him, like Axel had done to bring back Xion?
What if Xurik didn't want to be found?
"Axel!" Xion called out, running up to Axel as soon as she found him. He had be lounging around Naught's Skyway, looking pensive. The man turned to her; his expression was unusually stony. Was the feud with Xurik having an effect on him as well?
"You need something?"
"What?" Xion said, taken aback by the absence of his usual cheerful demeanor. "No, I just... something's wrong with Xurik. I thought you might know what's up. He says the Keyblade wears him out now when he goes to use it." She lowered her head. "And suddenly I find myself fighting the same way he does..."
Axel gave an indifferent shrug. "Well, you know him better than me."
"Why... why would you say that?"
"Ask yourself what's doing it to him."
Xion's eyes widened. Axel knew something. What wasn't he telling her? A feeling of dread began to fill her as paranoia kicked in. "I'm... not sure." What did he know?
"Oh, you're not sure?" Axel, who had been looking aloof until now, fixed her with a hot, piercing stare. "What, did they forget to build you with common sense?"
Xion gasped; she felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Axel knew. Knew that she was just... a puppet. A creation. But how did he know? And for how long?
"Oh, come on, don't look shocked. You already know you're a Replica. A puppet whose original purpose was to duplicate Xurik's powers. If he's getting weaker and you're getting stronger... well, that just means you're borrowing a little more than you oughta be."
Xion lowered her head, unable to meet Axel's eyes. Her face was burning. She couldn't read the sentiment in Axel's words. Was he... angry? Judgmental? Distrusting? Did he still even consider her a real person? Could that have been why he had no qualms about attacking her?
"What should I do, then?"
"I can't make that decision for you." Axel's expression softened; he pressed a gloved hand to Xion's shoulder. "You're no puppet in my book. You're my best friend. Mine, Xurik's, and Roxas's. Got it memorized?"
Though she was still shaken up, hearing those words from Axel filled her with unbelievable amounts of relief. As usual, she found it peculiar that she was able to feel what seemed to be emotions without a heart.
"Yeah. Can I ask you one other thing?"
Axel paused for a moment, then shrugged. "What's that?"
She lowered her gaze, thinking back to her vision in the Keyhole chamber in Agrabah. "I saw a boy today who looks just like Xurik. Is he who I think he is?"
From around the corner, Xigbar stood in the shadows, hiding but hearing their every word.
Day 322
"Riku is having a powerful effect on her," Xigbar reported the next day, looking from Xemnas to Saix.
Xemnas nodded from his chair in the Round Room. "Yes, it was not supposed to gain a mind of its own - nor become the person we see. But in the end, it only proves the puppet is the more worthy vessel." He spread his arms. "At last, the time has come. Saix, are the devices ready?"
The man nodded. "All three will be operable in a matter of days. What do you want to do with Xurik?"
Xemnas considered this for a moment before answering. "Both of them have connections to Riku, but we only need one of them under our thumb. Let Xion take from Xurik the rest of what he has to give." He shrugged. "Or let him destroy her first and get it all back. It makes no difference to me. Either way, Riku's power will be ours."
Day 352
Once Xion was awake, she found herself unable to go back to sleep. Her dreams had become more intense, and all the more tiring in the morning. Once she had been barely able to remember what she had dreamt about, but now every morning it was as if she had just finished watching a movie replaying Riku's life. The memories were so vivid now...
Meanwhile, Xurik was growing weaker by the day. Was she really draining his power?
She didn't deserve to exist anymore... she knew that. Nobodies were supposed to have no right to exist, but she was the real affront to the world. Then why was she still here?
Because Axel, Xurik, and Roxas still needed her. Didn't they? Or was she just afraid of death? She buried her face in her hands. Why couldn't she decide?
"I'm going to wreck everything... what's the right thing to do? Sora would know..."
During their meeting on Destiny Islands months ago, he had given her the chance to make her own choices. She was grateful... but this also made those choices that much harder to make. Did she go on existing, or give herself up? Who needed her more, her friends? Or Riku?
There's never a right answer, really, Sora had told her. That's something I've had to learn. Sometimes you just have to do what works best for everyone - something that makes the most people happy.
She put her hands in her pocket and pulled out a seashell. They made her think of Xurik... but also of Sora. "I have to make the most of the time he's given me..."
"Morning, Xion," Xurik said, waving as he approached. Xion glanced at him, looking gloomy.
"Good morning."
"Hey, listen, I-"
"Sorry, I gotta go," Xion said suddenly, cutting him off. She walked away, and Xurik watched her, feeling hurt and confused. She was acting strange again. What did it mean?
"Xurik," Saix said suddenly, approaching from behind. Xurik winced; the man's condescension was the last thing he needed today. "How are you feeling today?"
To his surprise Saix spoke with an odd friendliness. Well, not exactly friendliness... that was something the cold man was probably incable of, but... if nothing else, he wasn't acting like he hated Xurik's guts. Or was he just concerned about Xurik's recent bouts of fatigue?
"Fine," Xurik said indifferently, although it was a lie. So much was wrong... the wall that had developed between him and Axel, Xion's distant behavior, the fact that he could barely hold the Keyblade without feeling exhausted.
"I have an urgent mission especially for you and your Keyblade. There's a Heartless that's surfaced in Halloween Town. I was hoping you might exterminate it for us."
Xurik raised an eyebrow. This was unusual... the Organization had been putting him on solo missions less and less lately. He wanted to shoot out some bitter response about how they should just send Xion or Roxas's Keyblades... but that would make him seem weak and lazy.
"No problem," he said instead, summoning the Keyblade and slashing it through the air. "Consider it done."
"Hey, whoa whoa whoa," Axel said suddenly, approaching them. He looked worried. "Xurik, you really wanna do that?"
Xurik turned to the man. He used to get angry when he looked at Axel... but now it just made him feel sad. He missed the way things used to be between them.
"Of course," he said defensively. The urge to snap at the man had left him. "You think I can't handle it?"
"No, it's not that," Axel said quickly. "It's just, lately you-"
"Shouldn't you already be out on your mission, Axel?" Saix interjected testily. Axel glared at him, but Xurik nodded.
"I need to get going too," Xurik said. He already felt useless enough, especially compared to Xion, who was growing more powerful by the day. If he could complete at least one mission by himself, maybe he would get back some of his self-respect.
Axel looked upset and defeated. What was wrong with him? Was he just concerned that Xurik would be hurt?
This feud was stupid. Xurik just wanted his friends back, and he knew that Axel had to feel the same. To show him that his attempts at concern hadn't gone unnoticed, Xurik gave Axel a light punch on the shoulder.
"But let's meet up on the clock tower later... all right?" He gave a small smile, then vanished into the corridors of darkness, headed to Halloween Town.
"But -" Axel said, reaching out his hand, but it was too late. Saix shook his head.
"Can't you just let things run their course?"
Axel frowned. He understood that Xemnas was just trying to do what was best for the Organization... wasn't he? He knew that, he wasn't about to oppose the Organization's wishes...
But he couldn't just stand back and watch his best friends get destroyed.
Screw the Organization, Axel thought silently, then smirked bitterly. Xurik really was rubbing off on him.
"Morning, Axel," Roxas said, approaching from behind. "Ready for our mission? Saix told me we need to get going."
"Of course he did," Axel said quietly. Suddenly he turned to Roxas, a small smile on his face. "Know what? Change of plans. We're going on a different mission."
Xurik wandered through Halloween Town, avoiding its residents whenever they happened to come out of their dingy houses or coffins. So far, there was no sign of any particularly strong Heartless here... just a bunch of the usual Shadows, Gargoyles and Wight Knights. As he made his way deeper into the town, heading towards the graveyard, his mind drifted back to Xion. Why had she been acting distant this morning? He hoped she wasn't considering leaving the Organization again. If she was, he wished she would at least tell him. He wanted to stay beside her no matter what, even if that meant-
His thoughts were cut off as a huge black sword whistled through the air, missing him by just a hair. He jumped backwards, blood pounding through his veins as the Invisible Heartless swooped down at him again. This time he was ready though; he summoned his Keyblade in a flash of light, and blocked the attack before it could hit him. He forced the Heartless back.
Where the hell did this come from? How did it get so close before I noticed it?
No matter - he would deal with it like every other Heartless. As the Invisible drew back for another attack, Xurik gathered together all of his concentration, then thrust his hand forward. To his pleasure, a black orb shot out, smashing into the Heartless's chest. That was a relief; lately he had trouble using any darkness.
But his confidence soon faded as he realized that the attack, normally one of his most powerful, had barely left a scratch. Xurik's eyes widened, but he didn't let it phase him - he quickly got back into the battle, trading blow after blow with the creature.
But no matter how many times he managed to strike the Heartless with his Keyblade, it barely seemed to be affected. On the contrary, Xurik was now more fatigued than ever; his breath was growing labored and ragged, and he was finding it hard to stand straight. The Heartless just seemed more powerful than ever.
"I have to finish this," he said quietly. "It's either me or it..."
He took a deep breath, funneling all of his energy into the Keyblade; it began to radiate darkness. This attack would take every last bit of his concentration - he would be unable to fight any longer after it. But even in his weakened state... this attack should do the job, and destroy every last fragment of the Heartless's being. If it didn't work, though...
Well, then he should have listened to Axel's warning about taking it easy before going on this mission alone.
His Keyblade was ready. The Heartless seemed to be preparing a powerful attack of its own. Xurik raised his Keyblade high above his head as he charged, shouting, putting all of his energy into this final attack. The two swung their weapons at each other as they met in the middle, and -
"STOP, both of you!"
Xurik flew backwards, shocked by the force of the blow, his face singed from the heat of the flames. He hit the ground painfully, his Keyblade clattered to the cobblestones next to him before vanishing. He sat up, stunned as he realized that Axel was standing between him and Xion. Roxas was standing off to the side, looking surprised and angry.
Wait... Xion? Then the Heartless...
"Xurik?" Xion said, sitting up, eyes wide. "Wh...what are you doing here? The Heartless I was fighting - it was you?"
"This mission was a setup," Axel said coldly.
Xurik's eyes widened. "What? But... Saix..."
"Axel explained it to me on the way over here," Roxas said quietly. "It was a trap - they wanted you to battle each other."
"Me and Xion?"
"They would do that?" Xion said quietly.
"But why?" Xurik said, standing up and rubbing his sore back. Axel shook his head, and Xurik sighed.
"Axel, come on. Don't just shake your head. Enough secrets... haven't we all been through enough?"
"Xurik," Xion said, touching him lightly on the chest. "Don't."
Xurik looked from Xion to Axel to Roxas. Finally he laughed despite himself.
"Fine, fine. I'll keep my nose out of it for once. I'm just glad you showed up, Axel. If it weren't for you..."
"I don't want to think about what would happen if I lost either of you," Roxas said. He grinned. "Come on... let's go to Twilight Town. For old time's sake."
Xion shook her head, wincing.
"Brain freeze," she said finally, laughing. Xurik smirked.
"Been a while since we all hung out like this, huh?" Roxas said with a smile.
Axel nodded. "Well, we have had our share of drama. Hey, I just remembered - did you guys know you should be checking your ice cream sticks?"
Xion frowned. "Really? For what?"
Axel held up his half-eaten sea-salt ice cream. "Once you finish your ice cream bar, check the stick. It might say WINNER."
Roxas's eyes widened. "Hey, wait a second... oh yeah!"
"'Oh yeah' what?"
Roxas turned red, then shook his head. "Uh... n-nothing. So what do you win?"
"Beas me. It's gotta be something good, if you're a WINNER!"
The four of them laughed. Xurik beamed, a warm feeling gathering in his chest. He missed this... it truly felt like old times. The only difference was that now they were all older... more experienced, more mature, more like real people. All four of them had gone through a lot in the past several months. It had been almost a year since he and Roxas came into the world, hadn't it? Roxas kept track of the days better than he did, but they had to be at least a week or two away from the anniversary of their birth. Their birthday, perhaps?
"Wow," Xion said finally, after several minutes of silence. "The sun sure is beautiful. I know we've seen a lot of sunsets, but today's puts them all to shame. If only things stayed like this."
Xurik didn't need to point out the obvious - that the sun never moved in Twilight Town, so the sunset was always identical. He didn't need to... Xion's point was clear. It wasn't the actual sunset that was special, it was these afternoons together. Having his friends by his side made this sunset more beautiful than anything in else in all the worlds.
"We could leave," Xurik said quietly. "Then we'd never be apart again, and every sunset could be this beautiful."
Axel said nothing; Xion turned to him.
"Xurik... we don't have any place to run."
"Yeah," Roxas said, giving Xurik a sad smile. "The Organization would find us. Besides, we're Nobodies."
"So what? What do real humans do? They settle down, make lives for themselves, live happily. We don't have to have hearts to do that. Even if I don't have a heart, I'm... happy. Happy whenever I'm with you guys."
Axel put a hand on Xurik's shoulder. "Even if things change, we'll never be apart-"
"As long as we remember each other... right?" Xion giggled. "Don't worry, Axel - we got your hokey speech memorized."
Axel smirked. "Just checking."
"I'll have these moments memorized for a long time," Xion added quietly. "Forever, I hope."
Roxas nodded. "Me too. Forever..."
"But why do things have to change?" Xurik turned to them. "The Organization isn't willing to let me and Xion live at the same time. Today... they wanted one of us to kill the other. What if they'd gotten what they wanted? And what's to stop them from trying again?"
Axel shook his head. "I'm not going to let them destroy you. I'm not about to defy the Organization, but... no way are my friends going to kill each other."
"Friends stick up for each other," Roxas said, grinning. "I'll protect you too. We'll just be extra wary from now on."
Xurik hesitated, then nodded. That was good enough for him. It was clear enough that Xemnas couldn't be trusted, but... opposing him openly would definitely get them turned into Dusks. If they could just keep an eye open and defy all of his plans to trick them, they would be safe.
Xion and I can coexist. I don't want to live in a world without Xion... I'd rather sink into oblivion.
"Riku..." Naminé said quietly, staring up at the memory pod.
DiZ approached her from behind, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It appears we've come to a standstill. This has gone on long enough." He turned to face the spiky-haired boy, who stepped forward with a grim look on his face.
"Sora... I think you know what needs to be done."
Sora didn't meet his eyes; he merely nodded silently.
"Yeah... I know."
If it was either Riku or Xion... how could he choose one over the other?