"You'll be alright… no one can hurt you now… come morning light… you and I'll be safe and sound…" ~ Taylor Swift
It seemed like an eternity before the roar of the wind ceased. Xion shuddered and hugged herself, expecting the gusts to return at any moment. Shivers ran down her spine, spasming her arms and legs.
A pair of arms wrapped around her tiny frame, pulling her head against a warm chest. The scent of woodsmoke filled her nostrils, instantly calming her. Unknowingly, she clutched him tighter, drawing as much comfort from his presence as humanly possible.
Warm breath blew lightly against her ear. "It's over…" he choked, voice faint with relief. She felt him bury his face in her neck, felt his body shudder. "You're safe now…"
Not "we're" safe. "You're" safe.
Did Axel care nothing about what would happen to him?
Xion clung to him for dear life. They hadn't seen each other in a very long time, and so it was a relief just to hug him again. She needed him more than ever now. She barely noticed the others approach, barely heard Kairi ask what had happened or Sora tell them that they needed to get moving.
None of that mattered. Axel was there, and Roxas was nearby. Everything was right again.
For the first time in a long time, Xion felt truly safe.
To conclude this most recent set of chapters, I'm sorry to announce that I am planning on discontinuing this series. I'm not really happy with how it's turning out. However, if enough people ask me to keep on writing it, I'll continue. If ten people request that I keep on posting chapters on this set before next month, I'll finish it. If not, it's going out the window.