Chapter 18: Here We Go Again!
Time of Day: ?
Weather: Foggy
Place: The Velvet Room
"Welcome to the Velvet Room, Sora," Igor greets. "Your actions as of late have been very commendable."
"I must applaud in your recent actions in obtaining the Devil and the Temperance Arcanas," Margaret says.
Two blue cards appear in a blue light above Margaret's book. Instead of directly going into her book as usual, they appear in front of my face. They then start to slowly circle around my head, each card becoming faster as they revolve around my head. Out of nowhere, they both fly into Margaret's book. She opens her compendium, and what's on the pages create a small smile on my face.
Both my parents appear on one page in a loving embrace, and on the opposite page, the Devil and Temperance Arcana are illustrated.
"This phenomenon is an interesting one," Igor says. "Instead of creating a bond, you rekindled it, making it stronger than it originally was."
"You've done well so far, but my dear guest… Your demeanor is lacking a certain amount of caution," Margaret says. "Be warned, the fog is about to grow rather dense once again. Your trials are far from over."
Aww, c'mon! Here I thought the rest of my year could be normal!
"In fact, this next journey can be proved to be more daunting than anything you have ever encountered before," Margaret continues.
God dammit. I almost died once, what's up next?
"You need not worry, as you have a great deal of time left," Igor says. "So do not rush, and feel free to proceed at your own pace. I must admit, your trials have become most fascinating!" Igor lets out a dry snicker.
I sigh. Looks like it's time to for things to get back in gear.
As darkness shrouds my eyes, the Velvet Room fades into mist.
September 13, 2015
Time of Day: Afternoon
Weather: Sunny
Place: Destiny High
After a week and a half of school, everyone is starting to get the back into the flow of actually waking up before 3PM. On the first day of school, Roxas and I actually skipped because we had to get our summer work done, so we had a shit ton of fun trying to explain to our teacher as to why we weren't there that day. We just had to get the resident hardass teacher, Mr. Xehanort. I swear, that bald jackass is about as heartless as the actual Heartless! Geez, the track record for my Junior year of highschool ain't looking so good. Mom and Dad are gonna slaughter me...
On another note, Riku is apparently having fun with his Senior year… Yeah, not really. People are still scared of the poor guy. Hopefully he's doing the best he can without us. Although, people are looking at him differently as of late, mainly because of what he during at the summer festival. Hopefully in a good way.
Kairi is apparently having fun going to school. It's probably because literally everyone treats her like a queen. Seriously, I don't even know if she's done one bit of work this past year. I think even the teachers are buttering up to her! Probably the only class where everyone isn't doing all of her work, is the one class she shares with me. I for one make the girl do her work so she doesn't become too much of a spoiled brat. Just because she's a celebrity status, doesn't mean she's gonna be lazy!
God, I think I'm sounding way too much like my dad right now.
What sucks though is that it's getting me major flak from the other students because I make her do work! Either it's that, or it's because when I walked into the classroom on my first day there, she came up to me, hugged me, and then proceeded to drag me into the seat next to her, saying it was "reserved for me" when in reality, she pushed some guy out of his seat. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm on literally every guy in the school's hit list now.
Luckily, I have Yuffie, Namine, and Roxas to protect me from any of Kairi's fans from assaulting me! Well, at least Yuffie. Namine doesn't look like she can put up much of a fist fight, and Roxas… He gets beat up by Yuffie all the time, so I don't exactly trust him with my well being. Ugh, if only I could summon my Persona in this world! Then nobody's gonna be messing with me!
Going past the thought of Izanagi beating up students with the Keyblade, it's after school, and I'm walking out of the school's front door talking with Yuffie, Roxas, and Namine. Riku's nowhere to be found, and Kairi is off at some club.
"I was kinda surprised," Yuffie says.
"By what?" Namine asks.
"That Xion guy!" she replies.
"Oh, the distinguished 'Detective Prince'?" Roxas mockingly asks.
"She's talking about the interview he had last night," I deadpan. "Would you try taking this seriously for once?"
"Geez, what's your problem?" he asks. Sorry bro, still a bit ticked off at what Margaret warned me about. And the hate note I got in my locker. Screw you, Wakka, whoever the hell that is.
"Anyway, he doesn't seem like he was the type that would go on TV," Yuffie says.
"Indeed, I prefer not to do such things," a voice to my right says. I turn towards the voice, and I see Xion in our school uniform!
"So why's the Tiny Detective wearing our school uniform?" I ask.
"I have a name you know," Xion hisses. "It's Xion Shirogane to you. Anyway, to answer you question, I've transferred her for the time being."
"And why, may I ask?" For some reason, something about this guy rubs me the wrong way. But I don't know what...
"And that's why I need to talk to you," he replies. "And only you. This concerns the rest of your friends, but I have reason to believe that you're their leader."
Time of Day: Afternoon
Weather: Sunny
Place: Destiny Islands- Riverbank
"I was hoping to disclose my current thoughts on the case with you," Xion says.
"What do you mean?" I ask. "The case has been closed for a while now."
"That's what the public has been told at least. Let me elaborate. First, there are commonalities between the victims," Xion continues. "They were always kidnapped before they were murdered. They were always locals who'd suddenly obtained a large amount of attention though a certain degree of media attention. In any case, I believe the victim's personal traits were of minimal importance. There are several of you who fit this profile, aren't there?"
I raise my eyebrow, and try to look analytical. "How do you figure that?"
Xion tips his black casquette hat. What, is he trying to go for a stereotype detective look? "There was a lengthy gap between the second and third murders… But there wasn't a gap between the number of disappearances that fit these criteria. Namine Amagi, Riku Tatsumi, and Kairi Kujikawa.
"That's true."
"All three of you went missing after you were featured on TV, but somehow only those three people managed to turn back up… Or perhaps you disguised yourselves as victims to avert police suspicion."
"What are you getting at?!" Yeah, no way in hell is this guy gonna accuse us of being the killers after all the shit we did in the Mirror World!
"Some of you were in contact with the victims, so perhaps one of you was…"
"Hey, wait a minute! You can't just-"
"I wasn't finished talking," Xion interrupts. "I considered it a possibility, but now I believe the exact opposite."
"How so?"
"You and your friends aren't the killers, but rather people who are somehow able to pursue the culprit in a way unknown to the authorities." Xion glares at me. "You obtain a new ally each time you rescue someone. If I look at it from that angle, all of the dots connect." If you look at it from my angle, I see someone trying too hard to be Sherlock Holmes. "But if that's the case, then something isn't right with Vexen's murder."
"That's true… He didn't get media attention, nor did he go missing," I add. Ugh dammit, why does this guy have to be so right?
"Above all else, there was an inconsistency with his corpse."
"But wasn't he found the same ways as Larxene and that Amano lady?" I ask. "Y'know, tied to a paopu tree?"
"True, he was found in a similar position, but we were originally unable to identify the cause of death for the prior two cases. The difference is that it was found out that Vexen died from blunt force directed to the head. The police are unable to satisfactorily resolve this issue, but they are desperate to close the case."
"So?"
"As a result, action must be taken to obtain… Conclusive evidence." As Xion finishes, nothing is heard except the wind blowing the grass, and the cicadas chirping in the background. "I wonder how all of this will pan out?" Xion turns around. "I don't think of this as a game, Sora Narukami."
"Neither do I, Detective Prince."
September 16, 2015
Time of Day: Night
Weather: Rainy
Place: Dojima Residence
Oh Drunk Zack, how will this household be without you? At least Usagi is asleep so she doesn't have to smell the booze and tobacco.
"Jesus, that stuuuupid Xion brat is such a…. Such a…" Zack pukes into the toilet.
I gently pat his back. "Just let it all out man, let it all out." After Radiant Garden, I know his pain.
"That smartass think he knows everything!" Zack yells. "Little bitch thinks he tell us how to do our jobs?!"
"What happened?"
"The bastard was bugging and nagging and being a prick about how we weren't handling the goddamn case correctly!" Zack hurls into his porcelain throne. "Out of all people, Terra... you know Terra, right?"
"Your ditsy co-worker?"
"Yes! Yes, that piece of crap!" Zack points at me with both hands. "Terra just had to say something, so then the brat calls us idiots for hiring such a bumbling buffoon!"
"Looks like you're having a tough time," I say as I comfort him.
"Ahhh, fuckit." Zack gets up from the floor. "I'm goin' to bed."
Time of Day: Midnight
"Good evening, everyone." Xion appears on the mirror in an eerie yellow glow. For some reason, he's wearing a lab coat that has sleeves too long for him. His voice is shrill, and has a slight echo to it. This is definitely his Heartless talking. "I am the Detective Prince, Xion Shirogane. Welcome to the experiment of the century, Le Projet de Marionnettes! I shall hereby undergo a body-altering operation!"
A what?
"I will use a glorious, yet secretive, method! Everyone will get to see as I embark on my new journey. Watch as I am born anew!" Circular saws and drills appear around Xion, attached to robotic arms. "It will be the day I start walking down a completely different path in life. I would like to share this commemorative day with all of you." Xion stares directly at me. "Be sure to come."
September 17, 2015
Time of Day: ?
Weather: Foggy
Place: Mirror World- Secret Laboratory X
"What is this place?" Riku asks.
"Kinda reminds me of those secret labs you'd find in some B-rated action flick," Roxas says.
Upon entering the Mirror World, Donald and Kairi worked together to figure out where Xion would be. They just so happened to lead us to this strange place. Roxas is right in the way he describes the place actually, because it really does look like a secret lab from a campy action movie! As we approach the entrance of the building, sirens go off, red lights flash, and a large metal door opens to the sound of gears turning. Inside is a long hall with a large metal door at the end of the room.
Yeah, something is definitely going to ambush us when we get near the end of the hall.
"Apparently, it sucks to act for movies with sets like these," Kairi says. "It's stuffy and hot as hell with the stage lights."
"Hey Donald, aren't the dungeons in this world made from people's repressed emotions?" I ask.
"Yes, but why bring that up now?" Donald asks.
"You guys remember what Xion said on the Midnight Reflection, right?" I ask. "He said that he was going to walk down a completely different path in life, or something like that. Doesn't it sound like he's rejecting his life as a detective?"
"What of it?" Namine asks.
"This secret lab… It looks like on of those old sets where a young detective solves a case, or where heroes would fight the villain."
"You have a point," Roxas says. "But if this came from Xion's mind, the guy doesn't seem as grown up as he makes himself look."
"I don't know about that, but there's one thing that makes sense to me," Riku says.
"And what's that?" I ask.
"Xion… He's definitely running away from something."
"WARNING! INTRUDERS!" Red sirens goes off, and a large TV shows up next to us.
"Ah." Xion shows up on the TV… Composed as ever? "It's about time you arrived. Dealing with this child is such a pain."
The camera video feed pans backward, and… What the hell is going on here? Why is Xion's Heartless on the floor? Shouldn't it be taunting her or whatever instead of bawling its ass off?
"Nooo! No, no, don't go!" the Heartless says. It's wearing the same oversized labcoat as in the Reflection.
"Are you kidding me?" Roxas asks. "That's Xion's Heartless?"
"Guys, heads up!" Kairi warns.
Out of nowhere, Heartless burst out of the walls. Some of them look like red and black mechanical blocks with spider legs. Other look like blue cannons and demonic gumball machines. What's odd is, they all have a cartoonish feel to it.
"PERSONA!"
"Riku, use Dark Follower to bust that door open, the rest of us will cover you!" I order.
"Got it!" Riku and his Persona slam through the wall of Heartless, and get to unsealing the large metal door. The rest of us protect him from oncoming assault.
"It's useless speaking with you." Xion turns away from his doppelganger. "I'm leaving."
"Why? Why are you leaving me here?!" his Heartless asks. "Why am I always left all alone?! It's so lonely, I don't wanna be alone!"
"You wear the same face as me. Are you implying we're one and the same?" Xion asks. "That's presumptuous. The difference between you and I is that-"
Xion's Heartless laughs. Its demeanor less fearful, and more cold and calculating. "Why delude yourself? You know the truth, don't you?" Large lights light up, focusing on Xion and her copy. "I am you! These childish gestures are no lie, they are the truth!" Heartless Xion stands up with its arms raised, with a crazed grin and wild look in its eyes.
"Xion, don't argue with it!" Yuffie warns. "You'll just-"
"NO!" Riku interrupts. "He has to face this. After all… We had to do the same." Riku's voice is filled with a determination. I haven't seen him like this since…
Since he fought his own Heartless.
"The fools all say it, don't they? 'You're only a child! Just a measly child!' As long as they need you, you'll always be their little Ace Detective," Xion's Heartless rambles.
Gears around them start to grind together, and the platform under the two rise up. "But once you've finished the job, it's back to being a little brat. You haven't the means to deal with society's two-faced nature. You're just a lonely child."
The Heartless grins. "I wanna be a big kid now!" it mockingly says. "Then they'll see me for who I really am. I want a reason for me to stay. I want a reason for me to live!"
Xion falls onto his knees. "That's enough… I can find my own reason for living."
"You are but a child. How can you change that essential truth?"
Xion clenches his head. "Stop it!"
"At your core, you admire the sort of 'strong' and 'cool' men who populate detective fiction. But in trying to emulate them, you must know that, in truth, you're nothing of the sort."
"Shut up!" Xion's voice becomes more shrill.
"Xion Shirogane… Isn't it such a cool, masculine name? But a name doesn't change the truth."
"Stop it!" Xion gets back on his feet.
"It won't let you cross the gender barrier, so how could you become an ideal man… If you were never male to being with?!"
Wait.
What?
"Did I hear that right?" Namine asks.
"S-So he… Is a she?" Riku asks.
"I won't throw a tantrum, as that would accomplish nothing! How often have I heard that throwing a tantrum won't solve anything?" the Heartless asks. "They made you cry, didn't they? Yet here you are, mimicking those same men. What exactly are you trying to justify?"
Xion's doppelganger walks close to him… Err, her, and stares Xion right in the eyes with its dead amber eyes. "You needn't suffer anymore. I know exactly how you feel. After all, I am you."
"No!" Xion backs away.
"Don't say it!" Donald says.
"No, we have to let her deal with it!" Riku's Persona readies his fists. "Otherwise, she'll continue to suffer!" They punch through the metal door, bringing us to Xion and her transforming Heartless.
As it laughs maniacally, it sinks into a pool of darkness. Once its laugh dies out, it bursts out of the pool at breakneck speed, revealing its true form.
It's a human sized wooden puppet with giant demonic bat wings. The wood it's made of is decaying, and dark, pulsing veins wrap around every part of the body. It has two crazed red and yellow eyes, and sharp rotten teeth. On its chest is a Heartless emblem, and in its hands are toy laser guns. They look harmless, but knowing how Heartless work, those look like they can cause some serious damage.
"I am a Heartless… The true self… I am the demon you revoke!" the Heartless chants.
"We just got do our thing, and kick this Heartless' ass!" A strong, pulsing aura is radiating from Riku and his Persona, Dark Follower. What's got him so determined to help Xion?
"How dare you act so high and mighty!" the Heartless complains. "I hate tough guys who let their emotions get the best of them!"
"Oh, then you're gonna love dealing with me!" Riku retorts.
"Fine then!" Drills and circular saws are pointed at us. "It's body altering time!"
Xion is grabbed by four mechanical arms, and is put on an operating table. Her arms are bound by mechanical large mechanical locks. "Stop it! Let me go!"
"What, are you guys sick of yourselves too? Time for the special operation!" Heartless Xion points its gun at Roxas' Persona, Twilight Thorn. A purple beam shoots out of it, instantly dissipating Roxas' Persona. He falls onto the floor, and I run to pick him up, but something doesn't seem right. His skin is all loose and leathery, and his hair is a pure white!
"Huh? Did she modify muh body?" Roxas asks in a dry, raspy voice.
"No, you're just really old!" I say bluntly.
"She what? I can't hear ya old chum!"
"Wha- What happened to Roxas?!" Donald asks.
"Operation 01 has failed. Subject A has been turned senile and elderly," the Heartless analyses. "Only solution is to change the frequency of Laser Version 3.14 and try again on another subject!" Xion's doppelganger laughs maniacally. Every laugh sounds like tortured screams. "Time to commence Operation 02!"
As the Heartless readies its weapon, I pick up Roxas and we all run for cover.
"No! I don't want wrinkles!" Namine screams.
"I'd rather die!" Kairi yells.
"Is that what you're seriously worried about?!" Yuffie asks.
I run behind a metal table on it side, and put Roxas back down. "Hey Sora, you've been such a great friend to me," Old Roxas says.
"Not the best, really," I reply.
"I feel as though we've been friends for decades…"
"It hasn't even been half a year since we met."
"It feels like just yesterday we entered the Mirror World to go lookin' fer Xion!"
An explosion goes off behind me. "Roxas, that's now!"
"Time for the second experiment!" The Heartless points the laser at the girls. A beam almost hits them, but Donald jumps into the blast!
When the light from the blast disappears, Donald is nowhere to be found.
"Oh my god, she killed Donald!" I scream.
"No!" a squeaky voice says. "Down here!" I look down at my feet, and there's a miniscule version of Donald. "The Heartless only made me smaller!"
"Curses!" the Heartless yells. "Another failure!" Xion's Heartless flies toward her. "Sorry for the wait, I just wanted to test out the laser calibration. Now let's begin the TRUE operation!" The Heartless flashes a crooked grin as it points a drill at Xion.
An orb of purple lightning strikes the drill, sending it flying. "Don't forget about me, freak!" Riku yells.
The Heartless shoots its gun at Riku. He doesn't change appearance, but he's knocked over, and debris buries him and his Persona.
"Izanagi!" Izanagi rushes toward the Heartless, ready to strike, but Xion's Heartless quickly dashes away. It raises its hand, and a vortex of wind appears under Izanagi. I can slowly feel air being sucked out of my lungs the longer Izanagi stands in the vacuum.
"Sora!" I look toward Kairi, with her Persona, Aurora, scanning the battlefield. "It's gonna use the same attack, so it'd be best if you switch to something that resists wind!"
"Pegasus!" Izanagi shatters into millions of azure-colored ethereal shards of glass. Then out of a tornado full of clouds and lighting is a pure white stallion with giant snow white wings. It has a blue tail and mohawk.
Xion's Heartless creates another tornado, but Pegasus uses its wings to disperse the violent winds. He then proceeds to flap his wings with increased force, sending powerful gusts of wind back at the Heartless. To no avail, the Heartless keeps on flying at what seems to be mach speed!
"Why is this thing so fast?"
"It's going to use a fire attack next!" Kairi warns.
"Witch Doctor!" Pegasus disappears from the battlefield in the same manner as Izanagi. What replaces him are black and green clouds, with ghosts arising from the ground. When the eerie smokes clears, a man with a skull mask, in a purple suit appears. He has a necklace of bones, purple cards in his hands, and a matching top hat emblazoned with a skull and crossbones.
"Try this on for size!" the Heartless yells as explosions go off around us.
Witch Doctor raises his hands, and shadows start chasing the Heartless. The shadows are fast, but they still can't keep up with the speedy asshole. "Will you stop moving for just a second?!"
"How about you shut up, you pest!" the Heartless shoots it laser at me. I try to move, but my legs won't move for some reason!
"No!" Kairi screams as light engulfs me.
When the light around me disappears, I don't feel any different. I don't feel old, and everything looks the same size as it was. "Hey guys! I think-" I cover my mouth. Why is my voice higher than it normally is?
"Yes! Yes! Yes! The operation was a success!" The Heartless celebrates. What do you mean successful?
"S-Sora…" Kairi says. "Y-You're a-"
"Girl!" Yuffie screams.
WHAT?!
I scream, but I quickly cover my mouth my high pitched shriek. I shuffle my hair, and it's much longer and less gravity defying. Wait, does that mean… I look down, and my chest is slightly bigger.
I have boobs… I don't know if I should feel mortified or ecstatic.
Xion's Heartless starts laughing. "Now, back to the original patient!" It flies back to the bound Xion.
"Stop it….Please don't hurt them anymore!" Xion pleads.
"Why care about others when all they do is hurt you?" the Heartless asks. "I've been bad at making friends since I was little. Even after my parents died in an accident, and Grandfather took me in, I never made any friends. Grandfather would secretly let me help with his clients' cases, and before I knew it, I was the prodigy detective! At first, everyone went nuts about me, but then the bastards frowned up on me for my age or gender! With time, I can become an adult. But… But I can't do anything about being a girl! That'll never change, even after I grow up!" Xion's Heartless points its guns at Xion. "That's why I'm going to give you a new life as my present to you."
"Cut the crap!" Riku's Persona breaks through the rubble. "I suck at making friends, too! So what?" Riku's Persona summons its bat wing-shaped sword, and chucks it at Xion's Heartless. It misses, and the Heartless retaliates with another barrage of laser blasts. Riku and Dark Follower are damaged, but they stand their ground. "I could use some help here, Sora!"
"Got it!" Oh dear god, I'm never gonna get used to this voice. I put both my hands in front of me, and six arcana card appear in a hexagon. I clasp my hands together, and the cards shatter.
"Take flight, Sephiroth!" The sound of glass shattering is accompanied by a pillar of fire bursting out of the ground. From the inferno ascends a man in dark clothing and silver hair. He has a ridiculously long sword in his hand, and one pitch black and navy wing.
Sephiroth flies into the air at speeds I can't even begin to comprehend. He's able to catch up to Xion's Heartless, and slash it using his sword, sending the enemy flying into a wall. Sephiroth pummels the Heartless into submission as a follow up, until the Heartless falls onto the ground below.
"The damage you've caused it has slowed it down exponentially!" Kairi tells us. Kairi's Persona focuses on Sephiroth floating in midair. "Guys, we have to get out of here now!" He raises his left hand above him, and the ceiling of the laboratory burst open, revealing large meteors falling towards us in the sky.
As everyone scuffles for the exit, I pick Roxas back up, and Riku unchains Xion then carries her in his arms.
As I run out the exit, I put down Roxas. "Is everyone okay?" An explosion goes off behind us, and sends each of us flying.
"Reflect!" Donald's Persona extends its wings, and a large dome of light shields us from the incoming waves of fire and debris. The entire dome is engulfed in flames, but we're all protected under the dome. Once the fire fades away, we're welcome to a sight worthy of an post-apocalypse flick. The earth is scorched, the laboratory is nothing but rubble and charred debris, and any nearby buildings are practically non-existent. As any residual flames die out, the magic barrier Donald summoned disperses in a spray of light.
"Remind me never to do that again," I tell everyone. I put down Grandpa Roxas on the ground, and Riku puts Xion down.
"So… You heard everything, huh?" she asks.
"You really don't want to be a girl?" Riku asks.
"It just doesn't fit my ideal image of a detective. If people saw me for who I really am, I'd be looked down upon."
"Screw them then," Riku argues. "I can tell you don't really want to be an adult so soon, much less being a guy." He points to Xion's Heartless in it's human form. It's on the ground crying again. "Try facing yourself. It's the only way you'll get past all of this."
Xion looks toward her copy, and walks up to it. "All this time, I've been pretending you don't exist. You've always been a part of me. I am you… And in turn, you're me."
Xion's Heartless looks at her with teary eyes. "It's been my dream to become a cool, hard-boiled detective… Please do your best to make that happen."
"I'll be sure to do just that. I'll accept myself for who I really am."
The Heartless is engulfed in a blue light. As the light fades away, a woman in armor appears. The armor is colored white, pink, gold and black. It has mechanical green wings, and a golden sword. Xion's Persona turns into a arcana card, and lands in Xion's hand.
"You're a devious bunch," Xion says. "I can't believe you've kept something like this hidden for so long. No wonder the perpetrator has eluded the police for so long."
"Woah, what the hell happened?!" I turn around, and Roxas is back to his old self. "What happened to the Heartless? Why's everything destroyed?"
"Hey, I'm back to normal!" To my right, Donald is back to his old size.
"You guys are back to normal!" Hey, I don't sound like a girl anymore! I look at my chest. "Yay, I don't have boobs anymore!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Roxas asks.
Xion laughs. "You guys are pretty interesting." She starts to fall over
"I got ya!" Riku swifty catches her.
Xion smiles. "I should probably tell you that I never doubted that you guys would come for me."
"Think before you do things, okay?" Riku warns. "That's not being a genius, that's just being plain reckless!"
"But at least… Now we know for sure that this case isn't really over."
October 6, 2015
Time of Day: Noon
Weather: Cloudy
Place: Destiny High- Rooftop
"So I was at home when I got kidnapped," Xion says. "It started when my doorbell rang. When I opened my front door no one was there. Then out of nowhere, someone covered my mouth with something and a bag was put over my head. I was tossed into something reminiscent of a sack, and then picked up and carried me on their shoulder."
"How could you remember all of that?" Riku asks.
"I was psychologically prepared for it," she says. "Anyway, judging by the culprit's actions and body type, I'd say the culprit is definitely a man. I heard no voices or conversations, so it's easy to presume he works alone. After that, I was shoved into something flat, which I assume is when I was thrown into a mirror."
"So all of that happened the moment you opened your front door?" I ask. "Damn, this guy doesn't waste any time."
"There is no question that the culprit is the same in each case," Xion says.
"What about that Pence guy who killed Vexen?" Roxas asks.
"That was just a copycat killing. But the question remains, though as to how he learned of the world inside the mirror."
"That's actually been bothering me for a while," Yuffie says. "Why would he decide to kill Frosty the same way as he tried to kill us?"
"I believe that he didn't understand the other world as well as the true culprit," Xion explains. "Even though I now can enter it myself, it would never occur to me to use it for murder. Pence's criminal act did verify one thing though."
"And what's that?" Riku asks.
"The killer isn't retrieving the bodies and binding them to paopu trees, that's just what happens when you're killed on the other side."
"So he isn't trying to send some cray message?" I ask.
"It'd be great if we could ask Pence in person, as a way to test our speculation."
"But if you were so calm, couldn't you have asked him? I don't mean you needed to catch him, but really just get some info out of our killer."
Xion slightly blushes. "T-to tell you the truth, I was really… Scared. Sorry."
"No need to be." I wave my hand at her. "In that situation, anyone would be. You do have major balls for trying out your whole theory though."
"Hey Sora, way too soon to be saying that," Riku deadpans.
"Wait, what do you… Oh crap, that was uncalled for!" After just finding out that Xion was pretending to be a guy, saying she has balls should be the last thing I should say...
"A-Anyway, this case isn't just a job to me anymore. Because I was captured, this just became personal, and I want to find out who did this to me. So please, allow me to join in your efforts! Please let me use Poppet to help you guys!" Poppet? Must be her Persona's name.
"Yeah, the fact that you got a Persona means you're pretty much part of the team already. In fact, these will make you an official member!" I take out a pair of round blue glasses and hand them to Xion.
Xion smiles. "Thank you! I'll make sure that we'll find the identity of the person that did this!"
The funny thing about the chapter is that night I uploaded the previous one, I decided to stay up until like 4AM writing this one! I even got halfway through it! Here I am a week later, staying up until 4AM finishing writing the chapter!
As you can see, I have really bad sleeping habits.
Also, has there been any confusion to anyone about Xion? Because before this chapter, I used the male pronoun 'he' to describe her, which might have confused people. If you played Persona, you'd already know why I used that pronoun, but if you didn't, you probably would've chalked it up to a mistake.
Anyway, since the fight that occurred before the one in the chapter was a while ago, I feel like a refresher of the names of everyone's Personas is called for.
Sora- Izanagi
Roxas- Twilight Thorn
Yuffie- Tomoe Gozen
Namine- Konohana Sakuya
Riku- Dark Follower
Kairi- Aurora
Donald- Merlin
Xion- Poppet
To be honest, I don't think I've mentioned the name of Donald's Persona at all. Sorry if I've confused any of because of that.
Anyway, thanks for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed!