A/N: Whew. So here's a brand new chapter to kick off February. Once again I would like to thank those of you that reviewed and everyone else that started following this story.

Through the Test of Fate

Chapter 5

Far Off Memories

A few months ago -

He woke up disoriented in an unknown room and brought a hand up to his aching head with a groan, finding it covered in bandages.

Where the hell was he? How had he gotten hurt?

Panic began to set in when he realized that he didn't know anything. Who was he? Where was he? Why was he here? Did anyone come see him?

Most odd was the fact that he was able to formulate actual possible answers. For example, he quickly figured out that he was in one of the hospitals of the wealthiest cities in the world. How he knew that was a complete mystery but he instead focused on what he remembered. It was a really hard task since he had no idea what he had forgotten other than his name, his family(?), and friends(?).

"You're finally awake."

A man in his fifties entered the hospital room with a gentle smile on his face. He had a full head of graying black hair and wore the usual doctor clothing.

"I was getting worried since it's been two weeks since you first got here," the doctor chuckled and sat next to him, "Tell me how you're feeling."

Even though he was freaking out on the inside and could not remember a lot of things, he was sure that this overly casual attitude was not common among doctors.

"I can't remember anything. Why am I here?"

The doctor's gentle smile faltered, "The person that brought you here never told us. She hid her face with a hood so we couldn't make out anything other than her voice being that of a young girl's. In any case, you came here with severe injuries. Though you received a few dangerous one on the head, you were in danger of losing your left arm."

His eyes widened at that. Just what the hell had he been doing? As much as he wanted to know he couldn't, it was so frustrating!

"Don't worry. The best doctor in Twilight Town, me, took care of your injuries so you'll be able to return to normal in no time. Err... Except for your memories I'm afraid."

The teen looked crestfallen before looking pleadingly at the doctor, "Do you at least know my name?"

"It was the only thing other than about your injuries the girl told us about," the doctor explained and smiled at the teen in a gentle manner, "Your name is Sora."

Going to school was a welcomed break for Sora. After training with Kairi for just a few days, it felt like an eternity since he last wore his uniform and head to school. The morning had been uneventful except for the dream he had, well calling it a dream was wrong, it was a memory. Thankfully Kairi hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary, otherwise he was sure that she would have insisted on an answer until he ultimately of said girl, he had told her to say in his apartment for obvious reasons. She had said something about feeling bad about not being useful but he shot her down by telling her that he owed all of his progress to her and that she should stop being so hard on herself. After saying this her cheeks had flared up like they did worried him not to know what kind of disease she had. Having a fever come and go so suddenly was a really odd symptom.

After the first class had ended, Sora sat on his seat feeling sorry for himself.

It hadn't even been a second after he set foot on school grounds before one of his more vocal teachers spotted him and took him to her empty classroom where she proceeded to scold him for being absent. This meeting ended with her telling him to stay after school for a whole month as punishment.

"I can't catch a break..." he muttered to himself.

"You got that right!" Exclaimed a youthful voice as a hand slapped his back. "Only you would be absent right after the radiant Ms. Tifa scolded you."

"Shut up Lea," Sora growled at the green-eyed teen with red hair sitting at the seat next to him.

Another teen approached the two, this one with spiky light brown hair, "Lea's right though. Why didn't you come to school? Are you at that delinquency age?"

"Tidus has a point," Lea spoke up with a nod.

'Point?! There's no point to anything he said!'

"Sora here is trying to call out for help and we're not hearing him. I say we do!" He stood up and pointed a finger at Sora, "We wont' ignore your cries for help anymore Sora! We will- Ack!"

Lea was cut off as a book was thrown to his face, courtesy of one annoyed Sora.

"Cut it out Lea. I was only busy with a few things and couldn't make it to school."

"What kind of things?" Lea asked while nursing his nose.

Tidus suddenly lit up, "Oh! You got a girlfriend. Didn't you bastard?!"

"Of course not," Sora shut him down immediately. There was no way he could tell them about Kairi. Even if he told them that she was just a friend the two would go mental and spread the news all over the school and, while he didn't care what people thought about him, them talking about Kairi would be problematic.

"Then what made you miss school?" Lea asked a bit more seriously, "Come on man. We've been friends for years, you can tell us."

'For years...I know,' Sora thought a bit sadly.

Only a few months ago he had woken up with no memories of his past life. According to the doctor those memories would never come back and since he was a Twilight Town student, the information was confidential. Anyway, one thing lead to another and he ended up lying about his condition to his parents. It still felt weird referring to them like that since they were strangers to him, but not as weird as before. The two cared about him deeply – no – they cared about Sora deeply, not the current him.

He still had no idea why he hid the fact that he had lost his memory but continued to do the same to everyone he met. Maybe it was because he was so scared of how people would react. He'd woken up utterly alone in a world he did not know. The amount of loneliness he felt was overwhelming but thankfully his parents and a few friends had visited him, all of them caring about him. That's why he couldn't tell them. If he did then they would act differently around him and make him feel that horrible loneliness again.

Sora knew he was pathetically weak. That's why, to make up for lying to his family and friends, he vowed to help them or any other person that was in trouble. He would fight for their sake in an attempt to redeem himself, at least in his eyes.

"A cousin came over that day," Sora finally answered Lea's question with a fake smile, "He was in town and went to my apartment for some reason. I couldn't just leave him alone since he doesn't know this city at all."

Tidus nodded in understanding, "Most of your family lives in Destiny Islands, right?" Receiving a nod, he turned to Lea with a smile, "No wonder. You country bumpkins have to stick together in the big city."

Lea grinned, "Of course. Remember the time we met Sora. He had a crumpled up map on his hands and was close to tears."

"I wasn't!" Sora shot back angrily. Despite not remembering what they were talking about, he knew for a fact he couldn't have cried that easily.

Lea and Tidus laughed as an angry Sora tried to make them shut up.

It was already dark by the time Sora finally got out of school. If there was one thing he hated about winter was how the clock was set back an hour making it so the sun set at around six. He felt as though the day was over by the time he got out of school.

He sighed as he slung his schoolbag over his shoulders. As he turned a corner he realized something strange. At fist he thought that it was just him being paranoid but now that he really thought about it, he had not seen a single person on the streets ever since he left school.

Even more weird was the fact that he was standing at an empty plaza surrounded by tall buildings, this was where the Struggle Tournaments were held according to some posters he had seen of the place around a week ago. Now he knew something was very wrong since he could have sworn that he was going the usual way back home and this place was in the opposite direction.

"I can't be going crazy..." Sora trailed off as he looked around the area but found nothing out of the ordinary except for the fact that there was not a single person in the vicinity. He briefly wondered if he should just go home before he recalled one of his conversations with Kairi.

"What are you talking about? I know every Keyblade is different but I thought all of them had similar powers when it came down to it."

"Of course not." she had scolded, "Some can use long range attacks, others can strengthen their blades, and some can even use hypnotic spells."

Sora's eyes widened as he summoned his Keyblade and held it out in front of him, "I don't know who's out there but come out now!"

At first there was no response, making him think he was actually going crazy, but before he could relax he saw a black hooded figured jump down from one of the buildings and land in front of him silently.

"Who are you?!" He questioned angrily but received no answer as the hooded figure summoned a Keyblade as well, one nearly identical to his own but with its handle and blade much darker. "I'm not going to ask again!"

The hooded figure's head moved from side to side before stopping to stare directly at him.

"You're...looking for Kairi."

The figure nodded and charged at the teen at a fast speed that left Sora little time to think but still managed to react just in time and raise his blade. Both weapons met with a loud 'clang' before he tried to push the figure's Keyblade away only to receive a kick to his chest. He landed on the ground but rolled with the momentum to push himself to his feet and run at the enemy.

The hooded figure remained still until the moment Sora swung his blade in a wide arc. Simply by ducking under the attack, the figure easily closed in on the teen to deliver a harsh punch to his face. He recoiled back before receiving another kick to his chest.

"Gah!" He cried out as he fell on the ground with a thud.

Yeah, he'd been insane when he thought that he was anywhere near ready to face these people. With only three hits he already felt his body stiffen up and his eyes blur. He bit back a groan as he shakily stood up and held his Keyblade protectively in front of him.

Almost instantly he was on the floor again with the Hooded Figure standing over him with an extended fist.

'Damn... This is insane!'

The figure watched him before suddenly walking away. Sora was at a loss of words as he sat up to see the retreating figure.

"Tell me! Who are you?" Sora questioned but received no reply. "What the hell is going on?! Why are you just leaving?! It doesn't make any sense!" He gritted his teeth as he watched the figure go before a thought came over him, 'What if they took Kairi and were only distracting me?'

Sora cursed himself for not thinking about that earlier and, biting back the pain, he managed to stand before running after the Hooded Figure. Thankfully the mysterious Keybade Wielder had not gone far. The person was walking on a nearby riverbank. There were still no people around and Sora noticed that his footsteps seemed to echo due to how alone he and the figure were, no doubt the person already knew he was following.

To no surprise the Hooded Figure turned around wordlessly. Unlike before though, the figure's fists shook in what appeared to be rage but he couldn't imagine why. It wasn't like he even landed a hit so why would this person be mad at him.

"..."

"Stop playing around. I'm tired of this!" Sora declared as he gripped the Keyblade's handle tightly.

"..."

"Can't you talk?!"

The figure looked down, startling him.

"W-What are you-"

"Sora."

The teen's eyes widened when hearing the figure say his name. Not just that but...that voice.

"You won't be harmed if you stay low for a few days." The Hooded Figure explained in a girl's voice. She ignored the look of muted betrayal on Sora's face as she continued, "Kairi is my only target. You are not important to us, that's why you can go unharmed."

"You're...Xion, right?!"

The figure looked down before reaching for the hood and pulling it back to reveal Xion with a sad expression on her face.

"Yes. I am Member Number 14... Xion."

"Sora isn't home yet," Kairi muttered to herself while sitting on his bed.

He had told her that he would be home by six, six-fifteen being the latest. It was now six-thirty. There was no sign of him. From where she was she could see the street that he took to get home, even with it being night she could see it clearly because of the lamp posts.

Kairi was not one to worry. Not because she was incapable but because she always acted before she could get worried.

That's why she stood up, locked the door, and ran for the school to make sure he was okay.

With those people looking for them, she feared the worst.

Sora could only stare at Xion in shock. He'd been rendered speechless from the revelation. Even though he hadn't known her for long, he felt a special connection to her, one that he knew she felt too.

"I will capture Kairi."

"Why?"

"Because it's my duty."

Sora clenched his fists, "Kairi hasn't hurt anyone! She's doing her best to live! So why are you looking for her?! Why can't you just leave her alone?!"

Xion struggled to find the right words but tried to explain it in a way he could understand, "Someone like me cannot go against orders. I only exist to serve."

"What kind of crap are you saying? You're life is yours and yours alone," his eyes narrowed on the girl, "Whether you want to capture Kairi or not, it is your choice."

She looked at him blankly before summoning her Keyblade. Sora tensed slightly but she did not move to attack, she instead held it out in front of him.

"I'm sure you have noticed my Keyblade is very much like yours. Do you wonder why that is?" Xion asked suddenly. Not receiving an answer, she continued. "According to my Master's records, it is impossible for you to remember the experiment."

"What experiment?"

She looked at him dead in the eye, "The Body Modifier Experiment. More specifically, Sample Number 14." Xion dismissed her Keyblade as silence settled between them. "An experiment that allows my Master to place an artificial Heart on someone who is in a deep sleep."

"You mean like a coma?"

Xion nodded, "Of course, this needed a large amount of power, which you agreed to give."

"W-What?" Sora looked at her in horror. What could have made him do something like that in the past? Was he some sort of crazy scientist? Or just someone on the wrong side?

"You've always been my friend Sora. Ever since I was born," she explained as her mind thought back on her memories of him.

Six years ago -

"Her motor functions are coming back."

"Excellent. It appears the shock therapy was a success."

"The next tests will be ready by tomorrow."

"Good. Take it to its quarters."

A girl with long black hair wearing a patient's outfit sat on the corner of a room with a large widow.

People were looking at her again. They were doing that analyzing thing she had overheard before. Why did they though? All of her information could be found in her files.

A person entered the room and nodded. The girl understood and followed the person back to her living space, a plain white room with a single bed.

Once the person left the girl, she sat on the bed and stared blankly at the wall.

Like every other day she had nothing to do after those people analyzed her. Some times it would be painful but others she would only need to sit there with an odd machine on her head.

She blinked when hearing voices. Odd, no one ever came when her analyzed was over.

The door opened and a boy with brown hair entered her living space.

"Hi."

"..."

"My name's Sora."

"..."

"Um..."

"..."

The boy smiled, "You don't talk much do you?"

She nodded her head.

"Well don't worry about it!" The strange boy, Sora, smiled brightly, "I'm gonna keep you company because you look lonely here by yourself."

Looking at his smiling face... It felt like she'd seen him before.

4 years ago -

Xion ran through a small park covered entirely by a large glass dome. Behind her ran Sora, smiling brightly like always as he chased after her.

Sora was...he was nice!

Thanks to him she could talk and do all sorts of things!

"Gotcha!"

Xion laughed as Sora wrapped his arms around her neck and tickled her sides.

"S-Stop Sora!"

"Never!"

She continued to laugh until he finally let her go and moved to sit own on a nearby bench. Xion went to sit next to him but noticed that he had a gloomy look on his face again.

For some reason that was a common occurrence. Sometimes when he thought she wasn't looking, he would look at her with a sad look that was gone as soon as she looked at him more closely.

"Hey, Xion..." Sora trailed off as he glanced up at the clear sky outside of the dome. "I'm gonna have to leave for a while."

"Outside this building?" Xion asked, referring to the place that she had never left. The outside world was a mystery to her.

He nodded, "I don't know how long I'll be gone."

"You'll be back before a week right?"

Sora would sometimes leave for a week for reasons he never talked about. It was strange but she didn't try to make him tell her.

"More like...months."

"Eh?"

2 years ago -

"Did you bring me anything this time?!" Xion asked happily before breaking the hug with Sora.

"I always do, don't I?" He smiled that bright smile of his and gave her a small box, "It was hard to get so you better be exited."

"Whoa!" She opened the box to reveal a small brown bear plush toy with a red headband. The girl lit up immediately, "Thank you Sora!"

"That's the character you like right?"

"Yeah!"

They shared another hug before he pulled away and patted her head. "I heard you're gonna be leaving this place in a few weeks."

"Right!" Xion nodded, "Master says I can finally leave now that my training is over."

She noticed he flinched at the word 'Master' but he quickly shrugged it off and smiled, "Let's make a deal then. Once you get out of here, I'll take you out for sea-salt ice cream."

"Is it delicious?"

"Of course!"

A few months ago -

"Memory loss?"

The doctor nodded with a downcast expression, "Unfortunately those memories will never return. The damage he suffered was too great for me to fully heal. I had to prioritize motor skills over memories."

Xion nodded and wordlessly entered the hospital room where Sora lay. His head was heavily bandaged and he had a cast on his left arm. Not for the first time she wondered what it was that he did whenever he disappeared.

Now she would never find out.

It made her happy to know that he'd never be in the same danger again but it made her sad to realize that he would not even remember her name.

Despite feeling this way she knew that it was no use to linger on such things. Someone like her was not made to feel emotions like these, she could not cry.

She tried to distract herself and her eyes found a paper bag at his bedside. Curious, she took it and looked inside.

In the paper bag was a bear plush toy wearing a tuxedo and a top hat, the same series as the one he'd given her long ago.

…

It turned out...

She could cry.

"I won't let you die Sora," Xion declared, "That's why I need to capture Kairi before anyone else finds you."

Sora shook his head, "Xion... I'm not sure what our relationship was but I can't let you get Kairi. I made a promise to protect her."

She frowned, "Then I have to fight you-" Her eyes widened when he dismissed his Keyblade and held up his hands in surrender. A relieved smile formed on her face, "Good. Now tell me where-"

"I won't let you capture Kairi," Sora interrupted, making Xion glare at him. "And I don't want to fight you. I may not have any of my old memories but by the way you want to protect me, I can tell that you and my past self cared for each other deeply. That's why...even if I end up getting hurt, I won't trample over the feelings of my old self!"

Xion gritted her teeth as her Keyblade appeared in her hand, "I will seriously attack you Sora. If you insist on protecting her then I'll make you forget about that promise!"

With that said she charged in at him. Fully expecting him to dodge her swing, she gasped when he didn't move and her blade cut through his torso, causing a shallow wound that drew blood. She froze in horror as he fell on the ground with blood staining his school uniform.

"W-Why...? Why didn't you dodge?"

"I already told you," Sora gritted his teeth as he rose to his feet and raised his hands again, "I won't fight you."

"What's your problem?!" Xion exclaimed as her eyes brimmed with angry tears. A blue aura surrounded her as the wind in the area grew violent, making Sora shield himself with an arm. "I'm doing this so you don't get caught up in fights again! I'm doing this to protect you! I'm doing this because I care about you! So why?! Why?! Why don't you quit?!"

Sora smiled in response, making Xion shed tears.

That smile...

It was the same as always.

Xion looked down before releasing a loud scream from the bottom of her heart. Months of loneliness resurfaced as a harsh wind exploded around her, hurling Sora against a building's wall. His world went blank before he landed on the ground.

Sora woke up to the sound of sobbing. Confused, he sat up to see a crying Xion at his side. He looked at her oddly before she tackled him to the ground with a hug and cried on his chest.

"X-Xion!"

"Sora!" She cried as she hugged him tighter, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for hurting you."

He patted her head with a fond smile, "Don't worry about it. I'm okay."

She nodded but did not let go. Seeing him again after he lost his memories had hurt, but now she realized that she should have never left his side. He was still the same person. He hadn't changed.

"Hey...Xion."

"What is it?"

"Don't say stuff like 'my life belongs to him' anymore," he asked softly, "I'm sure my past self would agree. You have to value your life. It doesn't belong to anyone but you."

She remembered the way he would flinch whenever she said 'Master' and now knew why. It was because he didn't want her to think of herself as some sort of tool. Because he thought that-

"You're just as human as anyone else."

Xion continued to cry on his chest, making him chuckle and pat her head.

"Come on, don't cry anymore."

"I-I'll try!"

Sora smiled as he held the crying girl.

Kairi watched the scene from the shadows while panting. After having checked the school she tried to sense him only to find out that he was with someone wielding a Keyblade. Her fears proved to be wrong as she arrived to see Sora holding a sobbing girl.

She recognized her as Xion, Number Fourteen. Among the Keyblade Wielders she was one of the most quiet ones. Whatever made her cry and how she knew Sora was a mystery to her but it looked like he wasn't in any danger.

Seeing as he was going to be okay she made her way back home. It would be rude to intrude on their privacy any longer.