I'm unsure if anybody noticed, but as I mentioned in the notes of Chapter 10, Skyler is back. Her own story, "Kingdom Hearts: The Ancient Light", is part of this AU and eventually, those two stories are going to connect. If anyone is interested, I hope that you will check it out. The update schedule will be TSOD: FM - TSOD: FM - TAL because the former (this story) is longer and will need more frequent updates.
Anyways, y'all have waited long enough. Let's continue.
Chapter XII - Vacation Days
Play: Sacred Moon - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Kirux was expecting the typical sights and sounds of the Grey Area when he first arrived that morning. The other members would be lounging about, one of his friends would be there and they'd talk for a brief bit, and Saïx would be brooding or ogling at Kingdom Hearts before giving him his mission, in which Kirux would depart.
But today was different.
Instead, Kirux was greeted by a poster that had been taped to the glass. As he approached, he noticed the writing on said poster.
The text read: "Operations Closed for Vacation".
"A vacation? Well sweet…" he initially thought.
But after a little more thought, he said in his mind, "Wait, what's a "vacation"?"
He stopped right before reaching the exit, taking the time to process his thoughts.
"Vacation. Surely you've heard of this at least once, Kirux."
And yet, the more he racked his brain, he still could not find an answer.
Soon, he saw Roxas coming towards the Grey Area, with Xion not far behind him. Surely they would have an idea, right?
Kirux waved them down, "Hey guys! Come check this out!"
Roxas and Xion both ran up, and Kirux pointed them toward the poster.
"Look. It says "Closed for Vacation". Do you guys have any idea what that means?"
Roxas and Xion read the poster, and then looked at each other.
…
…
…
Axel didn't know what he was supposed to expect when he entered the Grey Area, but what he got was not on the list.
As soon as he entered, he saw his three friends all there. That sounds like a good thing, right?
Wrong.
Because his three friends were all strewn about on the couches and chairs, laying down in ways that they were not meant for. What was even weirder was that all three of them had somehow found different ways to use the furniture incorrectly.
Roxas had somehow managed to position himself upside-down in a chair, which was somewhat impressive. Kirux was sitting on one of the couches with his head hanging over the armrest, his legs dangling over the front in a way that made Axel question his flexibility. Xion, despite being the most normal of the three with how they were sitting, still had her head rested in the middle of the couch while her legs dangled over the other armrest (she and Kirux were on the same couch).
The only thing Axel could think to say was, "Okay, what in the world happened?"
All three of them lifted an arm and pointed toward the poster in some way. Axel read it over and simply smacked himself in the face from the pure absurdity.
"Seriously? THAT'S what you're all…doing whatever it is you're doing over?"
"What does it mean, Axel?" Roxas asked first.
"Huh?"
Xion responded next, "None of us have ever had a vacation before. We don't know what that means."
Kirux was the last one to speak, "We all thought it over and couldn't figure it out. Now, we don't know what to do with ourselves."
…
If there were ever a moment when Axel most wanted to go and slam his head into a wall, this was that moment. However, he needed to be the one (and only) Nobody in this group with a level head, so he decided against the concussion. He didn't want to deal with that on his day off.
"Okay you three," he said while pinching his forehead, "Everyone up. Time for Axel to teach you three how a vacation day works."
That sentence made the three younger Nobodies perk up, and they all began to get up from their various positions. Hilariously enough, Roxas went to sit up and ended up just rolling off of the chair and falling straight to the floor. Kirux and Xion started snickering together as he got up, earning Kirux an elbow to the shoulder.
"Alright, that's enough. Now, time for me to explain."
He looked down at the three younglings, all staring at him attentively, waiting for the "Axel Words of Wisdom" that they so desperately needed right now. He could see the curiosity in their eyes, and for a moment, it reminded him that they were all, technically speaking, children. Their knowledge of the world outside of "do missions, fight Heartless, eat ice cream" was pretty much nonexistent, and it was his job to help them learn about it all.
He was both proud and loathful of this job that the universe had bestowed upon him. Nonetheless, it was his job.
"Now, you three wanna know what you're supposed to do today, right?"
The three of them nodded.
"Well, it's simple: whatever you want. That's the point of a vacation. It's a day off."
"So…we don't have any missions today?"
"Nope."
"We don't have to go and fight any Heartless?"
"Not unless you want to."
"Then what should we do?"
Axel shrugged, "As I said, do whatever you want. Anything you can think of, go ahead. Nobody is going to stop you."
…
The three young ones all took time to think this over, with Axel only standing over them and watching.
"Well, if you three doofuses need any more help, find someone else, because I," he yawned in the middle of his sentence, "have my day all planned out already."
"What are you going to do, Axel?" Xion asked him as he walked out of the Grey Area.
"First, I'm going to sleep. Then, I'm going to sleep again. And then, once I'm done doing both, I'll sleep once more."
"You're just gonna spend your whole day in bed?"
"Like I said, kids. Spend the day how you like it, and this…is how I like it."
With that, Axel left, leaving the three other Nobodies behind to figure out their days for themselves.
…
…
…
"So…" Xion said as they had all taken a seat, properly this time, "What do you guys wanna do?"
"What exactly are we supposed to do? It doesn't feel right to sit around and do nothing all day." Roxas answered her, with him leaning back in his chair so much that he looked like he was going to slide off of it.
"Axel said we can do whatever we want. So, what do each of us want to do?"
"Is it possible to sit and just eat ice cream all day?"
"Uhhh…" Kirux had to think for a second before he answered, "I don't see why it wouldn't?"
"Okay…how long do you think it would take me to burn it all off?"
"I dunno. Maybe a couple of missions?"
After hearing this, Roxas rose from his chair, stood up straight, and proclaimed, "Well, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to Twilight Town to spend my day eating as much ice cream as I possibly can."
Despite the look of triumph on Roxas's face, Xion herself looked concerned, "Are you sure that's a good idea, Roxas? What if you get sick?"
"Trust me, Xion. I think I've eaten enough ice cream in my short life to understand my limits."
"That makes no sense."
Roxas ignored their comments, and was already departing, "I'll be going now. Have fun with whatever you two end up doing."
Soon enough, he was gone, and Kirux and Xion were the only ones left in the Grey Area.
…
"And then there were two…"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Kirux shrugged, "I dunno, I just…can't think of anything."
The two of them settled into silence, with Xion still thinking and Kirux just staring at the ceiling, unable to think of anything.
"Seriously, it shouldn't be this hard to think of something to do, right? Surely there has to be something…literally anything…"
It was then that Xion broke the silence, asking him, "What about training?"
Kirux looked back at her, "Huh?"
"You know…we could do some training? It would be a good way to pass time. Besides, I've been wanting to get better at using the Keyblade, and…"
She trailed off and looked away from him, brushing some hair out of her eyes, "And it would be nice to…have a partner…you know…?"
Kirux could see that on her face, she had a small blush forming on her cheeks, which she was trying to hide from him.
Now, in a normal situation, somebody would see this and smile, see what they were doing, and feign ignorance while understanding and buying into the situation.
There's only one problem: Kirux is a doofus.
Instead of, you know, the normal reaction, Kirux got flustered himself for literally no reason.
"Oh, uhh…I mean, I guess…" he stammered, his own blush starting to form.
Kirux was internally thanking that Axel wasn't here to see this. He didn't want to deal with whatever he would have said about this.
…
"So…what do you think…?"
Kirux was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't register what Xion had said at first. He looked back at her, and she turned to meet his eyes again, still blushing.
"Oh, right, uhh…"
"Come on, man. What's with you? She asked you to train with her, not to do something…inappropriate. Besides, what else are you going to do?"
"Y'know what…training sounds good. I'll join you if you'd like…"
Xion nodded, "I would…like that very much…"
"Cool, well…where were you thinking?
"We could go to Twilight Town? The forest by the mansion is pretty open."
"Sounds good."
With that, the two of them stood from their respective chairs and headed out of the Grey Area.
Kirux's mind was still going on about that last moment of what he liked to call "Kirux and Xion Moments to Soon Be Forgotten", as he was thinking to himself, "I am never bringing this up with Axel. Ever. That conversation would be the death of me."
Despite this, the two of them exited the castle through a dark corridor.
Stop: Sacred Moon - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
"So, you got anything specific in mind you want to do?"
They had made their way to a semi-open area of the woods, where the rooftops of the town could barely be seen through the trees. The pathway to the old mansion wasn't far off, either. With the sunlight barely breaking through the trees, it seemed like a nice relaxation spot
But neither of them was here for rest or relaxation.
Kirux was standing a few feet away from Xion, who was pacing back and forth, thinking.
"I'm not sure. Did you have anything in mind?"
"Uhh…not really, no."
"Man, we're off to a great start."
…
As Kirux was thinking about something specific for them to do, he heard Xion say, "Oh! I've got it!" immediately followed by the sound of a Keyblade appearing.
When Kirux turned to her, he noticed that Xion had indeed summoned her Keyblade to her hand, and she had this…weird look on her face.
"Whoa whoa," he said, trying to potentially de-escalate the situation, "I hope you didn't drag me out here just to kill me."
"Wait, what- Kirux, are you dumb? Why would I ask you out here just to kill you?"
"The inconspicuous location, the fact that we got this day off, and nobody would expect it if-"
Xion physically face-palmed while shaking her head, "Goodness Kirux, you're so dumb sometimes… and that's what I like about you."
She did whisper that last part, but Kirux heard her (not the words, just the whispers), and asked, "Huh?"
"Oh, uhh-nothing! It was nothing! Seriously!"
She looked away from him, trying to regain her composure.
In her mind, she was yelling at herself, "Come on Shi! Don't be stupid! Just tell him what you wanted to do."
…
"Okay, so…I had an idea. That we could just…kinda spar? Or something? How about this? We go until…one person is knocked down or gets their weapon knocked out, or something like that. Best two out of three wins?"
Kirux took a second to think it over, while Xion stood there nervously.
"Alright, I'm in. Best two out of three. What does the winner get?"
"Winner gets…ice cream paid for for a week."
"Oh hell no, I'm not falling for that again."
"Relax! Unlike Roxas, I will keep my word. Promise."
Although he looked skeptical, Kirux did agree, and summoned his sword. He twirled it around in his hand before finally readying himself, "Don't go easy on me, Shi."
Xion smirked, also readied herself, and responded, "I don't plan on it."
Play: Sinister Sundown - Kingdom Hearts II
Xion was the one that made the first move in this "fight", moving up to attack Kirux. He stood his ground and got himself prepared to block her attack.
She swung from the ground up to him, and he swung downwards to meet her. Their blades collided, the powerful "clang" ringing out through the woods around them.
They held firm, both trying to overpower the other. Eventually, Kirux was able to shove Xion away and lightly stab at her, which she dodged. From there, he finally moved and went on the offensive, taking multiple swings and jabs at Xion, who parried and dodged it all. She then swung at him to get him to back off, which worked.
"Do you always only fight with one hand?"
"I rarely need to use both."
"You will need to soon enough."
…
Xion pointed her Keyblade to the sky and shouted "Water!". Small streams of water appeared at her sides and swirled up and around her before meeting at the tip of her blade. They combined into one large projectile that was heading straight toward Kirux.
"Uh oh," he murmured before diving out of the way, rolling, and ending up on his knees. The water projectile hit the ground and a wave engulfed where he had once stood, soaking the grass in a near-perfect circle.
Kirux was so enamored by her use of that magic that he didn't see Xion coming, and was unable to get his sword up properly to defend himself. She swiftly knocked it out of his hand with a quick strike and pointed her Keyblade at his head and face.
Xion was smirking at him, "I win."
"You said best two out of three."
"I'm aware of that," Xion backed away and backed away so he could stand up again, "Now hurry up and get ready again so I can beat you again."
"Well someone's getting cocky. Where did you even learn water magic?"
"Demyx taught me it one day when we were on a mission together. He used it against a group of Heartless and agreed to teach me…in exchange for me picking up the rest of the slack that day."
Kirux summoned his sword back to him and got ready to go again, "Yep, I would expect that out of Demyx."
"Yeah. Anyways, ready to lose again?"
"I could ask you the same…minus the 'again' part."
…
This time, Kirux was the one that moved first, but he didn't go straight for Xion. Instead, he tried a trick that he had used against Riku.
He shot a fireball toward Xion, which burst before it could reach her and created a smokescreen, limiting her vision in the clearing.
Xion stood there confused, frantically looking in each direction. She could faintly hear Kirux's footsteps in the smoke, but they were sporadic and were coming from all directions.
Finally, Kirux appeared again, or at least his sword did. He had thrown it through the smoke and towards Xion, who was barely able to deflect it away and into a tree, right before a blast of dark fire came flying towards her as well.
Xion was able to block the attack, but the force was enough to send her backward and stumbling off of her feet.
Kirux then repeated what she had done to him not a few minutes prior: knock her Keyblade out of her hand, and point his weapon at her.
This time, he was the one doing the smirking, "All tied up now."
"Oh come on, that's not fair."
"How so?"
"I can't use darkness with my magic, you cheater."
"Hey, you were the one that made the stakes so high. I mean, free ice cream for a week?"
Kirux had backed off so that she could stand again, just as she was grumbling out loud, "Oh yeah? Well, I wanna win that ice cream too. So don't be surprised when I go extra hard against you right now."
He heard her summon her Keyblade back, "Oh, I would hope that you do."
…
The atmosphere had changed, seemingly out of nowhere. What had once become a light-hearted scrum between friends had now become a full-on duel over a treasured prize.
Now, with that treasured prize being ice cream for a week, you would think that the two assailants wouldn't be taking this that seriously.
But then you wouldn't know Kirux and Xion.
Now, the two of them had seemingly pulled out all of the stops to win this fight. Xion ramped up her attacks heavily, while Kirux found himself more often than not using dark magic.
It was a cycle. Xion would move to attack him, and Kirux would defend. He would use dark magic to try and throw her off and gain an opening, but she would repel it and attack again. Repeat this over and over.
Xion had just begun another barrage of strikes against Kirux's sword, and he was beginning to wear down. It came to a point where even after he had jumped away from her, with his back against a tree, Xion immediately started coming to attack him again.
"Man, this is getting way too intense. Maybe she is trying to kill me now."
Kirux wasn't able to get his sword up, but he did have another idea. Like with the smokescreen, he had taken bits from his fight with Riku, specifically things that Riku had done himself.
He put his hand up, and a barrier had formed around him, causing Xion's Keyblade to bounce off and having her stumble backward.
Kirux took the opportunity he was given, not to try and beat her, but to get her to calm down.
"Okay, time out. Isn't this getting a little out of hand?"
"What do you mean?"
"Come on, Shi. If I hadn't gotten that barrier up, you could've taken my head off."
"Relax, I wasn't gonna hit you."
"As the one who would've been the recipient of that strike, I disagree."
Xion just scoffed, "Relax Ki, it's not a big deal. Now let's finish this."
…
She started running towards him and pulled back to swing again. Kirux rolled away before she got to him, with her Keyblade striking the tree and cutting straight through the wood.
Kirux turned back to Xion, who looked like she was about to keep going, but the tree that she had just slashed through was teetering, and then, it started to slowly tilt in her direction.
He immediately jumped into action, running towards Xion as it started falling. He yelled out "Look out!" as he dispersed his sword, dove forward, and tackled Xion out of the way before the tree collapsed onto the ground, a small cloud of dirt and dust filling the air.
Stop: Sinister Sundown - Kingdom Hearts II
After a few seconds of lying there, Kirux pushed himself up and looked towards Xion, who still held her Keyblade and had a few blades of grass stuck in her hair.
"Are you alright?" He asked her with a poorly hidden hint of concern.
She groaned audibly, eventually answering with, "Yeah, I'm fine."
She looked back toward him, and their eyes met.
And it was only now that they realized the situation they were now in.
On the ground, with Kirux on top of her, and with their faces only inches away from one another.
It was earlier at the castle all over again.
…
Kirux immediately pushed himself up and away from her, taking a spot on the grass next to Xion, "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! I just…I was just trying to…get you out of the way and…!"
Xion didn't answer him verbally, but she was covering her face with her hands, trying to hide the blush that was somehow larger than the one from that morning.
Kirux was blushing as well, but he was trying to avoid her seeing it again by looking away. His mind was also racing, with thoughts that he wished he wasn't having right now.
"I know that was a weird situation and there was nothing behind it, but man…she's just so…I say pretty too often because it's beyond that. What was that other word for it that I heard about? Wasn't it…beautiful? Yeah, I think it was that. Beautiful. Her eyes, I could just-,"
Kirux physically smacked himself upside the head to try and get those thoughts away and think something else.
"It's only with her," he was thinking now, "Why is it only with her? This never happens with Roxas and Axel, so why is it always Xion? Maybe I really should ask Axel about this…"
…
…
…
The two had settled down now, regaining their composures while still laying in the grass together. Things were silent, as the birds and the wind gave the only sound they needed at that moment.
Kirux was the one that broke the silence, "Well, that was…"
"...intense?" Xion finished for him, "Yeah, I'm sorry. I…don't know what came over me."
"Don't worry about it. It's no big deal."
"Okay, and umm…Ki?"
"Yeah?"
He heard Xion turning towards him, so he did as well. She still had a small blush lingering on her cheeks, but she didn't look away or anything this time. This time, her eyes were intently focused on his…and Kirux was losing it in his head.
"I'm…glad you came out here with me, and…that I got to spend my day with you. It was…nice, all things considered."
"Damnitdamnitdamnitdamnitdamnitdamnitdamnit" was what was going through Kirux's head, repeated over and over again.
But on the outside, he just smiled at her, "It was my pleasure, Shi." He then sat up and asked, "You wanna head home or see if Roxas and Axel are at the clock tower?"
"I'm not feeling the clock tower today. Let's go home."
"Okay."
Kirux stood and offered Xion a hand, which she gladly took. The two then left the forest, but there was one thing neither of them noticed.
They hadn't let go of one another's hand.
