Chapter 39 – Sunset

Roxas took a big bite out of his ice cream and sighed in contentment. Sitting up here on the clock tower again with his two best friends, knowing they were safe and whole, their futures stretching out before them in limitless possibilities—

He couldn't think of a better way to spend the day. The three of them didn't say anything because they didn't have to say anything. Just being around each other was good enough.

Axel took one last bite of his ice cream and slurped it down in contentment. "Hey, would you look at that," he said, showing his stick to Xion and Roxas. WINNER was written on it in bold capital letters.

"Mine too," Xion said and smiled. Roxas finished his ice cream and sure enough, his said WINNER as well.

Axel chuckled and held all three up to the twilight sky. "What are the odds?"

"I used to think we had the worst luck in the world, but now I'm not so sure," Xion said. "Now I think we're the lucky ones."

Roxas smiled. "Yeah." Looking at Axel and Xion, at the people who had helped him grow a heart—

He was feeling pretty lucky right now.

They lingered on the clock tower for a while like that, just like old times. And afterwards, they went to claim their prize, to finally see what this winner business was all about. The ice cream man took their sticks from them, his eyes going wide and his bushy eyebrows about shooting into his hairline.

"You're all winners, huh?" He looked at their grinning faces and smiled. "Well, I'll be darned. Congratulations, you three. Hold on a minute, let me get you your prizes." As he disappeared into the back storage room, he muttered, "Figured it would happen someday, you're my best customers."

When he reemerged, he told them to hold out their hands and close their eyes. Roxas felt something press into his palm, and when he opened his eyes, a sea-salt ice cream charm was in his hand. He glanced at Axel and Xion, and they had matching charms in their hands, too.

"They're perfect!" Xion cried. "Just the right size to attach to our Keyblades."

They thanked the ice cream man and strode to the edges of the Tram Common. There were people from all different worlds wandering around, checking out the stalls and riding the tram and taking pictures of the charming scenery. Twilight Town had been one of the first worlds to open up to visitors, and the locals were making the most of the boom in business.

"Kida, quick, come here!" said a very excited-looking guy with a crooked pair of glasses perched on his nose. A young woman with white hair and blue eyes joined him, and there was a necklace with a strange blue glow around her neck.

"What is it, Milo?"

"You have to try this!" He handed her a bar of sea-salt ice cream. "It's salty and sweet at the same time!"

As Roxas watched the happy couple discover how awesome sea-salt ice cream was, he couldn't help but think, This is what we fought for. This is the peace we've finally won.

When they were in an area clear of other people, Xion summoned her Keyblade and attached her charm to it, and her blade transformed. It turned light blue, and the hilt was gold with the ice cream charm hanging off it. The purple asters weren't purple anymore; they'd changed colors to match the sorts of flowers Roxas had seen on Twilight Town before.

Roxas and Axel likewise changed out the keychains on their Keyblades, and their Keyblades transformed, too. They all had matching sea-salt ice cream Keyblades, and Roxas couldn't help but smile.

"We're keeping these on for a long time, got it?"

Axel nodded. "Until we see each other again."

Roxas looked from Xion to Axel. "What do you mean, until we see each other again?"

Axel just smiled sadly, and Roxas's heart sank.

"You're not staying with us?" he asked, his head drooping. He'd just gotten Axel back. He didn't want to lose him again.

Axel let his Keyblade disappear and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, turn that frown upside down. I'll be back, I just want to go to my other home for a while." He lowered his voice. "Isa needs someone to help him figure out his life, and that someone has to be me, got it memorized? He insisted on being tried for his crimes, and he needs someone there to vouch for him because he sure isn't gonna do it. Plus, they need people to testify at Xigbar, Xaldin, Luxord, and Vexen's – I mean, Braig, Dilan, Lourd, and Even's – cases, too."

"Yeah, yeah." Roxas had heard they were all going on trial on Radiant Garden for the things they'd done under Xehanort's control. Even Even. He'd probably get a lighter sentence, since he'd sort of turned sides and could use his research to help people, but the others probably wouldn't be so lucky.

Still, Ansem the Wise had been reinstated as Radiant Garden's ruler, and his decision to give them all a fair trial was a lot more merciful than some of the alternatives could have been.

Roxas turned to Xion. "What about you, Xion? What will you do?"

She twirled a strand of hair around her finger. It had gotten longer over the past few months – almost as long as Kairi's.

"Well, actually… I've got a journey of my own to go on, too." She smiled sadly. "Sorry I didn't say anything till now. I didn't want our time together to be sad."

Roxas sighed and kicked the pavement under his shoes. "Sheesh, you guys, why didn't you tell me?"

"We'll be back," Xion promised, putting her hand over his. "Roxas, this is something I need to do," she added softly, and he understood. When Axel had cast them away to spare them from becoming pieces of the χ-Blade, they'd had time to talk about a lot of things. And he knew what she needed right now was time and space away from him to move on completely and heal.

"It's hard to do that when I see you all the time," had been her exact words, and he'd understood, even while it kinda hurt, knowing he was hurting her.

Still, saying goodbye wasn't easy. Roxas had lost them both too many times for goodbyes to be anything but painful. But the new Gummi Ship port on the world and the passports tucked into their pockets would make it easier to see them again, at least. For that he was grateful.

"Promise me, you two – promise me you'll keep the sea-salt ice cream charms on your Keyblades till we see each other again," he said.

"It's a promise."

At least they could be with him in spirit for the times they were physically apart. It was with that thought he went to go find Naminé. Even while he was sad to say goodbye to Axel and Xion, his heart still sped up at the thought of seeing her.

Because they didn't have to depend on Sora and Kairi anymore. They could be together every day, just like they'd promised.

Naminé smiled and offered Iggy another earthworm. He was big enough to perch on her shoulder now, which was what he was doing right now. His tail feathers were a brilliant red and gold, and he was turning out to be a very handsome bird, really.

"There, what do you think?" she asked, showing him what she'd been working on for the past several hours. A drawing of him in all his fiery splendor.

He chirped appreciatively, bending his beak down to peck at the drawing's face.

"That's right, that's you," she said, scratching his head. "You'll be all grown up before you know it."

Problem was, Twilight Town was surrounded by forests, and that was not a good home for a creature that could spit fire at will. Especially not with all the new visitors roaming around.

Which was why she was grateful the Riku Replica had agreed to find him a new home. She continued to stroke his feathers as he squawked in contentment, unaware of their impending separation.

"I'll come visit you, I promise." She gave his fluffy head a kiss, and he froze and turned to look at her. The squawk he made this time sounded suspiciously like her name.

"I know, I know, it's all rather sudden. But you'll be happier somewhere you can really fly."

He cocked his head and chirped, then spread his wings. One of them brushed against her cheek, and she giggled.

"Just like that." She offered her hand, and he stepped onto it, his beautiful talons a warm gold in the afternoon light. "Riku, hold out your hand," she instructed.

The Riku Replica coughed and swallowed, but did as she asked. Iggy looked from Naminé to him and remained firmly on her hand.

"It's okay, you can trust him," she promised. She moved her hand closer to the Riku Replica's, and Iggy tentatively reached his foot out towards him. "There, that's it," she said, and he hopped onto his hand.

The Riku Replica's eyes went wide with wonder as he watched Iggy adjust himself. "He's a lot lighter than I was expecting."

Iggy squawked and puffed out his chest feathers, which made Naminé giggle and the Riku Replica crack a smile.

"He's quite vain, too," she said, trying to stifle her giggles. "Better watch out for that."

Iggy walked up the Riku Replica's arm and settled on his shoulder, pecking at his hair as he tried to deal with the fact that someone had a hair color he wasn't used to seeing.

"Naminé," the Riku Replica began, "I know all those memories you gave me were fake, but… I just wanted to say… they felt real to me." He scratched Iggy's head and smiled sadly.

"I know. They felt real because… because I wanted them to be real."

"Just not with me."

Naminé chewed her lip. There was nothing she could really say to that. At the time she'd thought she'd known what love was. She'd thought she'd loved Sora. But now she knew better. She'd wanted Sora to end her loneliness. She'd wanted to make Sora love her so that she would feel worthy of love. And love like that was not truly love at all.

The memories she'd planted in the Riku Replica's head, to make him care about her – how were those any different? And yet, she knew they were, somehow. They must have been the key to triggering the development of his heart.

"I don't blame you," he said softly. "Fake or not, those memories are precious to me."

"Then… I hope you make new ones. Real ones based on real love."

Because Naminé understood what love was now. Love had sacrificed itself to save Kairi. Love had plunged itself into the darkness to spare Terra a terrible fate. Love had shattered its own heart to keep the worlds safe. Love had healed Sora's heart and Ventus's heart and given her and Roxas and Xion new bodies. Love had taken on the darkness to set Terra free. Love had let itself disappear and be forgotten so that Roxas and Kairi could be remembered. Love had let itself die so that its friends could live, then had come back to rescue those same friends from their imprisonment and raise them into glory.

Love was selfless and giving, and it never, ever forgot the people it had given everything for. Naminé knew she could tell the Riku Replica all that she knew about it now, but that wouldn't be the same. This was all the sort of thing he would have to discover himself if it were to mean anything at all.

But she knew he would. He wouldn't be alone anymore, and that was the first step to figuring all of this out.

As she wandered to the hole in the wall where she'd agreed to meet Roxas, she closed her eyes for a brief moment, the dappled sunlight shining through the trees warm on her shoulders.

Kairi?

There was a pause, then her Other's voice came into her head. Hey, Naminé. What's up?

Thank you, for everything.

Of course, came Kairi's voice, soft and gentle.

Will you tell Sora that for me as well?

You can tell me yourself, you know, came Sora's familiar voice. Naminé giggled into her hand. She half wondered if she'd been interrupting something. Probably so. She was too polite to look most of the time, but a quick glimpse earlier had told her the chains binding Sora and Kairi together had taken on a new dimension after they'd come back from the castle.

Probably has something to do with all that kissing, she thought with another giggle.

She could practically picture Sora raising his eyebrow. What's so funny?

My connection to Kairi and Roxas's connection to you… Let's just say… we can still, er, feel hints of the things you guys are feeling. Not all the time, just every now and then.

Oh, geez, sorry about that, Sora muttered, and Kairi was the one giggling this time. I cut off the direct heart connections between me and everyone else so you guys wouldn't have my feelings bleeding into you all the time. Guess I missed a spot check or something. He sighed. Either that or we reactivated the connection again somehow. Maybe it was bound to happen by keeping that part of your powers intact.

Naminé giggled into her hand. It's okay, really. She didn't mind still being connected to Kairi. The important thing was that she could live a normal life now, free from all the people who would have been after her for her memory-altering powers. While she could still see the chains and memories binding everyone's hearts to Sora's, she could no longer take them apart, just put scattered ones back together.

Would she miss the ability to rewrite memories? Perhaps, but she was finally on equal standing with all of her friends. They no longer had to wonder if she was manipulating their memories. And she no longer had to deal with the temptation. All she could do now was restore lost memories, and she wanted to use that power for good, to help and heal those who had lost something precious.

And Roxas… well, when she'd asked Sora to take her memory-altering powers away, Roxas had told her his feelings for her wouldn't change. Her face flushed as she thought of the way he'd reaffirmed his absolute trust in her, no matter what decision she made. Sora had given them both a look that was downright proud after that.

Anyway, I wanted to say… thank you, Sora. Thank you, Kairi. Thank you for everything. And thank you for showing me what it means to have a heart.

As she caught a glimpse of Roxas waiting for her on the other side of the wall, that heart thudded in her chest, wonderful and real and very human.

And now she could give it to him, fully and completely. It was with that thought she took his hand and they went to do something they'd been meaning to for a long time now.

Naminé smiled as her friends splashed each other in the shallow surf. She was watching them from her towel, the umbrella and sunglasses and sunblock providing her shelter from the warm sun.

Seeing them goof around together was nice. The boys had even spent a few minutes comparing their bodies once the t-shirts had come off, having some ridiculous competition about things like muscle size and number of scars. Olette had giggled and rolled her eyes before going off to search for seashells and flowers instead.

"Come on in, Naminé, the water's fine!" Hayner called to her, interrupting her reverie.

She chewed her lip. "I've never gone swimming before."

"Neither has Roxas, but we can teach you guys," Hayner said.

"Who knows, you might have to fight underwater someday. Or fight an enemy that uses water magic," Pence added. He grabbed his water gun and shot Hayner in the face with it, only to get tackled by Hayner and dragged underwater.

Point taken.

"Besides," Olette pointed out, bouncing the beach ball from one hand to the other, "I need another girl on the team. The boys outnumber me, and we can't play keep away without you."

"C'mon, Naminé," Roxas said. Naminé's stomach lurched at the way he said her name. He held his hand out to her, and she relented.

"Okay, hold on." She stood and went to the water's edge, dipping her bare toes in the surf before jerking them back. "It's cold!"

"You have to let your body adjust, little by little," Pence explained. "Slowly walk into the water until you're at about waist level, and we'll go from there."

Naminé did as he instructed. Their friends spent the next few hours teaching her and Roxas how to swim, and by the end of it Naminé was fairly certain she wouldn't drown the next time she was thrown into a body of water, despite the copious amounts of salt water she'd accidentally downed.

Then the Twilight Town gang had to head home for dinner. Naminé was left with Roxas, and the timing seemed just a little too perfect.

"Thank you for today, Naminé," he said, spreading his purple and white striped towel next to hers. He kicked off his sandals and sat down on it. Salt water glistened on his arms and chest, the late afternoon sun reflecting off it.

"Of course." Naminé rubbed more lotion on her arms and legs. She would not let her first time at the beach end in a miserable sunburn. "Want any more?" she asked, offering him the small pink bottle.

"Sure. But I can't really reach my back."

"Oh, um, I can do it." He turned around, and slowly, hesitatingly, she rubbed the cold cream into his back.

This is no big deal. I'm just helping him put sunscreen on.

But her cheeks burned all the same. It felt nice, to touch his bare skin, to feel where the knots and muscles were underneath it.

"You're really tense," she remarked, then shifted her weight to get into a better position. "Here, let me help." She massaged his shoulders, enjoying how the knots loosened under her touch. He sighed, and a thrilling sensation tingled down her spine.

When she was finished, he offered to do the same for her. But her skin was so sensitive to his touch that he could barely smear enough of the sunblock on her back to form an even layer. She giggled and flinched and twisted as he tried, and in the end the whole thing devolved into a tickle fight, which she was losing, and badly.

"Roxas, stop." She laughed and tried to pry his tickling fingers off her. He found a spot on her hip that was especially ticklish, and she kicked like crazy to try to get him to leave it alone.

Her legs got entangled with his, and they tumbled onto the sand, side by side. Her heart pounded in her chest as he brushed a strand of wet hair out of her face.

"Naminé," he breathed, his tone stirring up something deep within her.

The last rays of sunlight were sinking below the horizon, and the waves lapped against the shore, steady and even as a heartbeat. His hot breath tickled her cheek, and his skin smelled like saltwater. He brought her closer, closer, till she could taste the salt on his lips and feel the grains of sand in his hair. She lost herself in him, in the flood of sensations overwhelming her. All breathtaking, all wonderful, her body responding to his in ways she never would have dreamed were even possible before he'd entered her life.

When they finally broke apart, she felt an aching sense of loss, even though his arms were wrapped around her, his legs still entangled with hers.

She wondered what it would take to make the feeling go away. Now that the worlds were safe from Xehanort, at long last they could venture down that path together, one step at a time.

Catching his lips with hers again, she began their journey.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed Part 2 of the epilogue. Next week will be the final chapter, surreal as it may seem!