hasn't updated story viewers in over three months, and by this point, I don't even know why I am still posting here. I just sincerely hope that this website doesn't die. And before you ask, No. I'm not going anywhere. I already used up my panic move last year (very stupidly on my part, I may add).
Regardless, let's continue.
Chapter XVI - Memories of Another
Xion's collapse into slumber had a strange effect on Kirux. His attitude and the way he acted around others had all wholly changed. He went about his days with a sense of determination that none of the Organization's other members had seen.
He started completing his missions at a breakneck speed, being sure not to waste a single second on things that weren't the immediate task at hand. When on a mission with Demyx in Agrabah, the pair had to enter a building with a locked door. Demyx was beside himself, saying things such as "How will we ever get in? Oh well." and "Guess we'd better head home and call this mission a failure."
Kirux responded by summoning a ball of dark fire and blowing the door off its hinges. He then stepped in, obtained what they had come for, gave it to Demyx, and left without another word.
Another change in Kirux was his use of his dark powers. He was using them more frequently, often in less than-necessary circumstances. He and Roxas were ambushed by a group of Heartless in Halloween Town one day, and Kirux dealt with them by releasing a large burst of dark energy all around them, expelling them all in one blow. It had taken quite a physical toll, but he shrugged off any attempt from his friend for aid.
…
Speaking of his friends, they had begun to notice his change as early as the first day. After returning from the clock tower (a day Kirux did not show up), Axel spotted Kirux carrying something large into Xion's bedroom. When he checked after the boy had left, he noticed a foldable cot on the other side of the room across from Xion's bed. He asked Kirux about it, but he barely got any response, only the boy saying, "I don't want her to be alone."
Roxas had noticed about a week later when Kirux was perusing the castle library, carefully examining the shelves and taking some books down on occasion. He was then seen striking something off of a piece of paper, likely a list.
Axel approached the younger Nobody as he watched, asking his friend, "What is he doing? He's been acting weird since Xion went to sleep."
The redhead could only shake his head and respond, "I wish I knew, bud."
Axel did know, though. He could tell very clearly what was going on. What he didn't know was how to confront Kirux on it.
Play: Xion's Theme (Musique Pour La Tristesse De Xion) - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Three weeks had gone by since Xion collapsed. The days had gone on with lightning speed, but for Kirux, it had felt a lot longer.
Tonight, he was in what had become his new usual spot: the cot in Xion's room that he had bought right after she fell asleep. He had been questioned on it multiple times by his fellow Nobodies, but he had stayed here every night since it had happened. He wanted to make sure she wasn't alone, not at night at least.
Xion's room was a lot bigger than he had realized, much larger than his own. She had a full desk where she kept various books, her journal, and a rather large bookshelf on the opposite wall. It was here where she kept a lot of her personal belongings: books on the heart, some "WINNER" ice cream sticks, and her seashell collection.
On the desk between her bed and his cot, Kirux had a rather large stack of books and a piece of paper with various titles listed. It was a list of books Xion had wanted to find and read, and Kirux had made it his secondary mission most days to find as many as he could. A few were in the castle library, but he sometimes had to go to other worlds to find them.
As the nights went on, he found himself reading what she had found, often reading out loud so she could listen in. Tonight was no different, as he was reading a novel on her list. As he was reading, he would often laugh at some of the dialogue, bantering to Xion many times about lines she would think were funny.
At one point, he just sighed and said, "If you were awake, Shi, you would love this book. I can see why it's on your list."
He looked at her sleeping figure, "You know how to pick the good ones."
…
With a smile, he returned to the book, continuing to read to her like normal. However, he got to one particular line and had to stop and reread it.
"Because I'm starting to wonder if this is what being in love is. Being okay with ripping yourself to shreds, so the other person can stay whole."
For whatever reason, Kirux could not continue after reading that line. He looked up to the ceiling, placing the open book on his chest.
He started thinking to himself, "Ripping yourself to shreds so the other person can stay whole…"
Kirux looked back over to Xion, who continued to sleep peacefully. She hadn't moved a muscle in the past few weeks, only the continued rise and fall of her chest, and as Kirux stared, he started to wonder.
During all of this time, he thought about what these past few weeks had done to him. He was sleep-deprived because of this cot (the store salesman boasting about its comfortability had lied to him), taking tons of hits from fighting the Heartless day in and day out, and his dark powers continued to have an adverse reaction whenever he harnessed it. And then every day, he returned here, where Xion continued to rest.
"I guess I'm the one ripping myself to shreds so she can stay whole…and if that means she's okay, then I'm okay with it."
At that thought, he smiled.
…
Deciding it was time to retire for the night, he marked the page and placed it on Xion's desk. He looked back over to his friend and said "Good night, Xion" before he lay back on his cot. As he closed his eyes, one last thought crossed his mind.
"I can only hope you'll wake up soon, Shi."
Stop: Xion's Theme (Musique Pour La Tristesse De Xion) - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
The memories continued to flash, over and over.
The boy with the key, stabbing it into his chest and releasing an orb of light. The girl with red hair having that same light enter her chest, her eyes opening. That same boy falling backward into the girl's arms, as he disappears into a burst of light…
Play: Sacred Moon - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Xion shot upward in her bed, causing the figure standing beside her bed to stumble backward and fall onto the floor. She looked over and saw Kirux, a group of books having fallen on top of him.
When she noticed it was him, her head cocked to the side, "Kirux?"
Kirux looked completely bewildered when he saw her face, as if he had just seen a ghost, "X-Xion?"
When he noticed it was her, he stood up very quickly to meet her eye level, "You're finally awake!"
Xion stretched her arms out, yawning while saying to Kirux, "Good morning." When she settled, she turned her body toward him, remaining seated on her bed, "How long was I asleep?"
"A…a long time. It's been three weeks."
"That long?"
"Yeah. We were getting worried about you. Roxas, Axel, and I have missed having you around."
While Kirux was saying that, Xion's eyes gravitated away from him and toward the state of her room. She noticed the cot, the piles of books, and was finally beginning to question why Kirux was in her room right now.
"So…what's with all of this?"'
…
The question clearly caught Kirux off guard, as he stammered between his words trying to come up with a response.
"Well, I uhh…you see…you were asleep, and I…"
After a minute of fumbling words, he finally sighed and uttered, "I didn't want you to be alone, so I…stayed in here. I wanted to be there in case you ever woke up."
Kirux was purposely avoiding eye contact, clearly hiding his embarrassment from her. Meanwhile, Xion was just staring at him.
"You…did all of that for me?"
She saw a rather large blush forming on his face, and Kirux quickly hid it away, "That's…what friends are for, right?"
"Friends…sure. If that's what you want to call it, Ki."
…
Xion moved again, this time swinging her legs off the bed and sitting on the edge. She looked back up to Kirux, who had turned to face her, his blush having eroded.
"Don't you have a mission today?"
"Yeah, I do. I was about to head out before you woke up."
"Can I come with you?"
Kirux's eyebrows widened, "Come with me? You just woke up…"
"So? All the more reason for me to come."
"Don't you think you need more re-,"
Xion gave him a sour look, and stood up firmly, "I've been resting for three weeks now, Ki. I'm coming with you. That's final."
By the look on his face, Kirux was not entirely convinced, but he knew better than to try and argue with her about this further. So, he caved.
"All right, sure. Come on, let's go talk with Saïx."
Xion smiled, and together, they left her room and toward the Grey Area.
…
…
…
Kirux and Xion entered together, and their presence was immediately greeted by a man neither was very fond of.
"Well well, it lives on. There is just no keep you down, is there?"
Saïx approached the two of them, not looking too happy to see Xion up and at 'em. Without thinking, Kirux stepped between him and Xion, putting an arm out in front of her.
Despite this, Xion stepped back to Kirux's side, and sternly spoke to Saïx, "I want to go with Kirux on his mission today."
"Absolutely not. You belong in your room."
"Hey, Xion!"
Roxas and Axel approached the group, with Roxas immediately walking up to Xion.
"We're glad you're okay."
"About time you got up out of bed."
Saïx paid the interruption no mind, speaking directly to Xion, "Kirux is already scheduled to go with Roxas today. I did not think to pencil you in anywhere, Xion."
"That doesn't matter. Let me go with Kirux and Roxas. I don't want to be pent up in here any longer."
Kirux spoke up once she was finished, "Roxas and I will look after her. It'll be fine."
Saïx, in his usual fashion, gave what he said no mind, only turning away and saying, "Fine. If that's what suits you, then go. But don't come running to me if it breaks again."
He walked away from the group, the realization of what he said finally dawning on Kirux, who took a step toward the blue-haired Nobody, but Xion stopped him.
"Don't. It's not worth fighting over."
"I disagree."
Roxas stepped in, "Let's just go. I don't think sticking around for too long will be good for any of us."
He summoned a corridor after saying that, then turned to Axel, "Think you can handle him for us?"
Axel gave them a thumbs up and a smile, "Of course. Don't push yourself too hard, Xion."
"I won't. Thank you, Axel."
Xion quickly jogged through the corridor, with Roxas following behind. Kirux lingered, staring intently at Saïx as he stared out the window. Axel noticed and placed his hand on the younger Nobody's shoulder.
"Don't let him get to you. Go on, I'll talk him down."
"One day, I'm gonna set him straight…" Kirux gritted as he clenched his fist, and where neither could see, a small aura of dark energy formed in his hand.
However, Kirux did not act on what he was thinking of in his head, instead turning away and walking through the dark corridor. Axel sighed as it dispersed, stretching his arms forward and cracking his fingers.
…
He approached Saïx slowly, attempting to play things cool, as was usual.
"So, a three-man team, huh? That's a first."
"Don't think you're the only one who has noticed."
Axel's demeanor completely shifted, as did the look on his face, going from his typical smile to a stern neutral expression.
"Noticed what exactly?"
"The boy and the puppet. You understand what is happening between them."
He was talking about Kirux and Xion. Yeah, of course he knew. How could anyone not know about them by this point?
Regardless, he remained steadfast, "What about them?"
"You know exactly what. If it is allowed to grow and fester as it is now, it will only cause us more problems. And you know exactly what will happen when it causes us problems."
Axel gulped, understanding what he was saying. However, he still tried to defuse the situation, "Relax. It'll be fine. They'll get over it eventually."
All Saïx did in response was grunt and quietly let out, "I would not be so sure about that…"
Stop: Sacred Moon - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Play: Sinister Sunset - Kingdom Hearts II
The trio had barely any time to settle in on themselves before being thrust into action. Their mission was to track down and eliminate two large Heartless. They found the first one almost immediately, and it was giving them all they could handle.
The Heartless slammed its blades into the ground, creating a shockwave of fire that all three Nobodies had to jump to avoid. Kirux and Roxas landed on their feet, but Xion stumbled a bit.
"You good, Xi?" Kirux yelled over just as she regained her footing.
"I'm fine! Just gotta kick off the rust, is all."
"Well, kick it off quick. It's coming back!"
The Heartless had rushed them, quickly slashing both arms toward Roxas, who jumped out of the way, before immediately attacking Kirux. Kirux parried the attack, and he and Xion were able to smack the Heartless with their respective weapons, knocking it off balance. Roxas came in with another strike, and the Heartless was sent spiraling to the ground.
…
It quickly regained its footing, and before any of them could react, a second Heartless appeared behind it, carrying a massive book. It waved its arms around, and an aura of light appeared around the larger Heartless.
Roxas stood from his stance, shouting out to the others, "I've seen this before. It's a shield. We have to take the other one down before we can do anything to the big one."
"Right. You two distract the big one. I'll deal with the shield guy."
Roxas and Xion both nodded, with Roxas throwing his Keyblade at the Heartless and yelling, "Hey, come get us!" Xion simply led it toward a corner of the Sandlot, while Kirux ran toward the Heartless with the book.
Their target went after Roxas and Xion as the second Heartless floated around at a distance, maintaining the spell. Kirux was fast approaching and jumped to strike, but his attack missed as the Heartless quickly dodged. It continued to dodge his subsequent attacks, with a speed he could not keep up with.
"Oh, come on! Just hold still!"
The target Heartless slammed its blade hand into the ground, creating a smoldering cut. It had been aiming for Roxas and Xion, who had both quickly dodged. However, Xion stumbled over and was barely able to get her blade up and block the next coming attack.
"Kirux, could you hurry up? I dunno how much longer we can distract this thing!"
…
Kirux was growing increasingly frustrated, as yet another of his attacks did nothing but split the air before him. The Heartless floated away from him, mimicking a laughing gesture.
His anger started growing, and although he had been holding back to this point, he couldn't help as dark energy began growing in his left hand.
He threw his left hand out toward the Heartless, summoning a bundle of tendrils made of darkness toward the Heartless. The creature was grabbed and pulled toward Kirux, who stabbed it and planted his sword into the ground. The tendrils retreated into Kirux's arm, and the Heartless disappeared. Meanwhile, behind him, the shield dropped on the target Heartless, of which Roxas immediately took advantage and blasted it with a Blizzard spell.
"Thanks, Kirux!" He immediately yelled over to his friend, who was standing to the side staring at his hand.
"That was new. Where did that one come from? That felt…good. Should use that more often."
While he was contemplating this new ability, Roxas and Xion struck the Heartless simultaneously with their Keyblades. It fell backward onto its back before bursting into a cloud of light, the heart it contained flying into the air.
Stop: Sinister Sundown - Kingdom Hearts II
Play: Lazy Afternoon - Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories
The two Keyblade wielders dispersed their weapons and walked toward Kirux, the three meeting near the center of the Sandlot.
"That was awesome, dude! Where did you learn to do that move?"
"I dunno. It just kinda came to me…"
"It always "just comes to you". You sure you're not practicing this stuff when Axel doesn't know?"
Xion's interest was piqued after hearing what Roxas said, "When Axel doesn't know what? That you're using the darkness?"
Kirux crossed his arms, "Look, it's just like using any other power, okay? Nothing more than when you guys use fire and ice magic. I can handle-,"
"You're leaving out quite a bit, you know," Roxas cut in, "You always come back exhausted after using powers like that, you always complain about soreness, and then there's the fact that your-,"
Now it was Kirux's turn to interrupt, throwing his hands into the air and turning away, "Okay! That's enough out of you! Can we please just keep going?"
Roxas was grinning, patting his friend on the shoulder as he walked past, "Relax a little. I know your girl is back and you wanna act tough, but you gotta be honest."
Kirux scoffed indignantly, "My WHAT?!"
His friend laughed, picking up the pace and walking ahead of a flustered Kirux and a grinning Xion. She walked next to her friend, nudging him with her elbow.
"You missed me, didn't you?" She teased, of which Kirux turned away to hide his blush. Xion laughed and went to follow Roxas toward the clock tower. Kirux composed himself, thinking, "Really regretting bringing Xion along right now."
Once better composed, he ran to catch up with his friends.
…
Kirux caught up with Roxas and Xion, the former walking ahead with his arms behind his head. Xion slowed down to walk side-by-side with Kirux, who urgently asked her, "How're you feeling? All good?"
"I'm okay. Getting back up to speed slowly but surely. I'm glad I've got you guys to help me, though."
"It's the least we can do. We were all really worried about you."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you all."
Kirux reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder, "You don't need to apologize to us. We're just happy you're okay."
"Some of us more than others."
Roxas could feel Kirux's glare burning a hole in his back, only reacting by laughing. Xion giggled herself, but Kirux ignored it.
Stop: Lazy Afternoon - Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories
The three of them arrived at the top of the hill, at Station Square. Roxas and Kirux walked forward, but Xion trailed behind. Her walking slowed, and Kirux heard her exhale before turning around, seeing her just as she hit the ground.
"Xion!" He shouted as Roxas also turned back to see what had happened. They both crouched down to her sides, with Kirux rolling her over and onto her back, keeping her head lifted with his arm.
"What happened?"
"I don't know. One minute she was up, the next she was falling over."
"Did the Heartless do anything to her?"
"We haven't seen any since the Sandlot!"
"Maybe one of them hit her, I dunno."
While the two discussed, Xion was mumbling in her sleep. It was quiet and indiscernible, neither Kirux nor Roxas picking it up. However, what they did pick up was the sound of Heartless appearing behind them.
Play: Fight and Away - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Their next target appeared, a large robotic Heartless with smaller versions of it also appearing around it. The largest one, their target, charged up a large laser blast. It aimed and fired at Kirux, who rolled backward while Roxas used his body to protect Xion.
Kirux rolled onto his feet, as Roxas picked up Xion in his arms and yelled over to him, "I'll take care of Xion! You just focus on taking down that thing!"
"But you have a Keyblade. I ca-,"
"Forget about it! We'll deal with that later! We need to protect Xion!"
"Protect Xion…"
Kirux looked toward the Heartless, and although it had no proper face, he could tell it was glaring at him, ready to fight. The smaller ones all gathered around him too.
"That laser nearly hit me. It could have hurt Roxas, or Xion…"
Out of nowhere, he heard the all-too-familiar voice in his head.
"It tried to hurt your friends…make it pay…"
Kirux threw his hand out and summoned his sword, as dark energy began to flow throughout his whole body, seeping in and out of his skin.
"Back…the hell…away from my friends…"
He closed his eyes and continued to build up dark energy, as the smaller Heartless began to swoop down toward him.
…
The Heartless fired smaller lasers around Kirux, all of them missing and landing all around him. Once they were only a few feet away, his eyes reopened, and the darkness finally released. Kirux screamed as it erupted around him, enveloping his body in a purple and black haze. The Heartless that swooped toward him vaporized instantly, while the target Heartless was knocked back before recovering.
More of the smaller Heartless appeared, surrounding Kirux and charging their blasters. He just watched, only finally reacting by speaking quietly, "Come and get me…"
…
The Heartless all fired their lasers at once, each blasting on a path to make contact with Kirux. However, he lifted his arm, of which the dark energy formed a shield that absorbed all of the lasers before firing them back out toward one of the Heartless, destroying it. He then bounded forward, striking down two with two quick slashes before they could even react.
Two more Heartless remained, and one began to charge another attack, but Kirux interrupted when his left arm reached out and the tendrils returned, grabbing the Heartless and pulling it back toward him. He discharged his sword, and with his bare hand wrapped in dark energy, punched the Heartless into the ground. He resummoned his sword immediately after, turning his attention back to the last Heartless.
The final small Heartless tried to fire another flurry of lasers, but Kirux reached it before it could. He grabbed the Heartless and slammed it into the ground, leaving only him and their target, which left only him and the target Heartless. Kirux stared it down, as it rotated its blasters and returned the stare.
Kirux said nothing, only running forward as the Heartless charged its major laser blast. It fired at him, who stopped, slammed his arm into the ground, and a shield of dark energy surrounded him. It protected him from the blast, and he began rushing the Heartless again before it could charge another attack.
He jumped up, and with a single slice, cut one of the Heartless's arms off. When he landed on the other side, he immediately jumped up once again and repeated the move, eliminating the Heartless's other arm. The Heartless started sputtering and spazzing before it collapsed on the ground, the bottom wheel part of the body having stopped spinning.
Kirux jumped up onto the Heartless, standing on its "chest" and staring into its eyes. Without another word, he brought his sword up and stabbed the Heartless, implanting his sword down to the hilt within its metal body. He jumped off the side, as the Heartless burst into light. He put his hand back out, and his sword reappeared in his hand, as the dark energy began to fade from around his body.
Stop: Fight and Away - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
As soon as all of the energy faded from around him, Kirux dropped his sword and collapsed to his knees. His body was incredibly weak, still feeling the dark energy flowing through him. It was normal for him to feel tired like this after using his powers, but he had never gone that far before.
Despite it all though, he was able to stand and walk over to Roxas, who was holding Xion in his arms. She was sleeping, but as Kirux approached, she whispered, something that neither Kirux nor Roxas could hear.
"Sora…"
Kirux reached them and crouched next to them, asking Roxas without looking at him, "Is she okay?"
Roxas answered quietly, "Yeah, she's fine. She's not harmed. But…"
He looked up to Kirux, who kept his eyes on Xion, "But Kirux, are…you okay?"
Kirux kept his eyes low, focusing only on Xion. He shook his head after hearing what his friend said, "You don't need to worry about me. Let's just get Xion back home."
"You sure?"
He did not get an answer from Kirux, who only stood up and summoned a corridor of darkness, turning back to Roxas and saying "Let's go."
Roxas, although skeptical about his friend's condition, did agree that getting Xion back home was best. So, he picked Xion up, and the two of them went through the corridor back to the castle.
…
…
…
The two of them were walking back to Xion's room at the castle, passing through Twilight's View when they were stopped by a familiar face.
"Now that didn't take long. Did it break again?"
Saïx was standing in their pathway, his arms crossed and his signature look of neutral-anger on his face. As soon as Kirux saw him, his fist clenched. He was about to take a step toward Saïx, but Roxas stopped him.
"She isn't an it." Was all either of them said, the words having come from Roxas. He advanced, past their blue-haired superior with Kirux, who glared at Saïx the entire way as they walked past.
Saïx watched them sternly, not saying anything as they continued on their path. After a few seconds, he shook his head and walked away.
…
They finally reached Xion's room after a while, with her now resting in her bed. Kirux was seated in a chair directly next to her, while Roxas was going over some of the books that were on Xion's desk.
"So, you grabbed all of these for her while she was asleep?"
"She had a list of ones she wanted. I thought she would appreciate it."
"How long did it take you to find them?"
"Not that long."
Roxas put the book down, then walked back to stand next to Kirux, "Any change?"
Kirux didn't speak, only shaking his head. Right after then was when the door opened and Axel entered. He rushed in, stopping right next to Roxas to catch his breath.
He breathlessly asked Roxas, "What happened? Is she okay?"
Kirux responded, keeping his eyes on Xion, "We don't know. We were just walking in town and she collapsed."
"Did the Heartless get to her at all?"
"No, it wasn't them. She just collapsed all of a sudden."
Kirux took his eyes away from her and looked up at Axel, "It's weird for you to be worried about her."
"Oh come on, that's not true. I worry about all three of you all the time."
Roxas crossed his arms and grinned at Axel, "I thought you hated complications."
"Look, guys…I meet up with you three every day for ice cream, right? I don't have to do that, do I?"
"No, not really."
Axel then walked between Roxas and Kirux, dragging the latter out of his seat, and wrapped his arms around the two of them, "You two wanna know why?"
Kirux, bitter about being dragged up against his will, "Why's that?"
Play: Friends in My Heart - Kingdom Hearts II
"It's because you all are my best friends. And for you guys, I will deal with complications."
Kirux had been thinking things over to himself while Axel was talking, but when he said that, his mind started thinking on it further.
"Best friends…you know, that sounds about right. Whatever that means."
Roxas shared a similar sentiment, as he was smiling and he elbowed Axel, "Yeah, that's right. We're all best friends!"
Then, the three of them heard giggling, and saw Xion sitting up and laughing at them, "That's sweet of you, Axel."
She had woken up while they were talking to one another and was now sitting up on her bed. Kirux smiled at her, asking, "How're you feeling?"
"I just got a little dizzy. Sorry to worry you guys."
Axel released Kirux and Roxas from his grip before he reached over and ruffled Xion's hair, "Don't go and scare us like that again, you hear?"
"I won't. Sorry again."
"It's okay. Now, we guys will get out of your hair and report back to Saïx. Kirux, Roxas, let's go."
"Right. See you, Xion. Come find us if you need anything."
…
Roxas and Axel began leaving, while Kirux and Xion's eyes met. Kirux smiled at her and turned to leave, but as he reached the door, he heard Xion scuttle out of bad and call out to him.
"Kirux, wait."
He stopped and turned back to her, asking, "What's up Xi-,"
He was interrupted by Xion quickly closing the gap between them, wrapping her arms tightly around him and pulling him into her. For a few seconds, this is how they stayed, as Kirux had no idea what she was doing nor how to react.
Eventually, he did speak to her, "Wha-what is this, what are you doing?"
He could feel Xion laugh lightly, "It's called a hug. I read about it. It's something people do with those they're close to. And…I'm just really thankful that you've been here for me for so many things."
Kirux remained frozen for a few more seconds while he processed what she was saying, but when it finally clicked, he reciprocated the gesture, tightly squeezing Xion into his chest.
"Of course, Xion. Any time."
For the next few minutes, this is how they stood. Silent, enjoying the moment they found themselves in. Yet another moment that brought them even closer, neither wanting to be the one to break it apart.
Stop: Friends in My Heart - Kingdom Hearts II
Eventually, however, they did part. It was then that Xion noticed something different about Kirux.
"Hey Ki…"
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Were your eyes always that color?"
Perplexed, Kirux blinked a few times, "What do you mean?"
"Your eyes, they're…different."
He walked over to her desk, where she had a small mirror, and sure enough, he noticed the same difference. His eyes had turned a dark shade of orange now.
"What in the…?"
"How in the world did this happen? My eyes are brown. They wouldn't have just changed like that. What did you do, Kirux?"
Xion walked up next to him as he was staring into the mirror, "It wasn't like that this morning."
"No, it wasn't…"
"Did…something happen after I fell? During the mission today?"
"Well, you fell, then the Heartless showed up. I dealt with it by…"
It was then that it clicked, and his eyes widened. He looked down at his hand, seeing a very tiny speck of dark energy still lingering in his palm.
"The darkness…"