to light the darkness.

[lighthearted]

FREE-FOR-ALL THREADING WITH SORA. Go go go.

Comments

it's a common problem, really.

[lighthearted]

[Sora's minding his own business, wandering through areas of Traverse Town that he knows like the back of his hand by now. He isn't even that shocked when someone calls out his name, since most of the people here know him by now.

But when he glances over, the person he's faced with is... a complete stranger, really. He can't quite kick the feeling that she's familiar at the same time, and overall it's an odd reaction to have when just looking at a person.

Plus, she knows his name. That has to be clue!]

Hi? Have we met before? [He's smiling at her, but it's clear that he's a little confused.]

[mirroring]

[Should it really be so strange, to finally hear Sora speak?

Now that she's caught his attention, she's not sure just what to say to him. If she's a part of him again, if her existence as Xion has ended, just what is she supposed to be doing here?

She hesitates before answering. There isn't any point in hiding things, not from Sora, is there? Yet... he doesn't even know anything about this whole thing in the first place. He's smiling at her...

Coming to a decision, she shakes her head.] Not really. But I've heard about you.

[lighthearted]

You've heard about me? The famous Keyblade Master? [Sora isn't able to stop himself from offering a cocky grin, but in the end, that expression fades fast. While this girl is insisting that she's only heard of him, he really can't shake the feeling that they've met before.

And with his memories being so unreliable, can Sora really assume she's telling the truth? Not that he wants to call her a liar, but...

Maybe it'll come to him if they keep talking. He doesn't want to assume anything just yet. He might just be having a strange feeling at random.]

What's your name, then? It doesn't seem fair that you know mine, but I don't know yours. [And exchanging names is always the first step to friendship.]

[mirroring]

[That's enough to get somewhat of a smile out of her, a genuine one. Famous is right, considering... well, everything.

His being a Keyblade Master is the reason she was ever able to use one, after all. And Roxas...]

Yeah. I've heard about Sora the Keyblade Master. [The boy Xemnas was so intent on, the boy whose memories she held. An just how do you tell someone you're essentially their memories?] I'm Xion. It's nice to finally meet you.

[lighthearted]

Xion... [Sora taps his finger against his lips a few times as he thinks it over. The "X" is what stands out most, considering his experience with the Organization, but Xion doesn't seem anything like those creeps.

Probably just a coincidence, then, right?] Well, it's nice to meet you too! [He offers his hand so that they can shake.] How long have you been in Traverse Town?

[mirroring]

[Xion hesitates, more surprised than she would have expected by the offered hand. Sora really is... kind, isn't he?

She allows herself to relax, to smile again, and reaches for his hand.]

Traverse Town... [So that's where she is. But... Why?] I just got here now for the first time. But I think I'm a little lost...

[lighthearted]

[Oh no. The first time, and she isn't sure how she got here? That isn't good.]

Where were you before this? [Sora shakes the girl's hand and then pulls back, frowning slightly. He's hoping that whatever state Xion's world is in, it isn't too bad. But the important thing is that she, at least, is safe.]

[mirroring]

[And isn't that a difficult question? She'd been on her way to becoming part of Sora again, of course. But that's probably not the answer he's looking for, not judging by how he actually looks somewhat... concerned. About her.]

Twilight Town. I was... [She stops, the words sticking in her throat. "I was forcing my best friend to fight me so you could wake up." She can't say that, not yet.]

I was near the clock tower.

[lighthearted]

Twilight Town? But that can't be right...

[If Xion was in Twilight Town and then suddenly ended up here, that would mean that Twilight Town has been lost to the darkness. Sora's seen to that place's safety enough times that he can't imagine...]

It wasn't in danger, was it? [At this rate, he might have to go see for himself.]

[mirroring]

[It takes her a moment, but her eyes widen when she gets his meaning and she quickly shakes her head. No... If anything, the only danger to Twilight Town was the Organization itself (or her...). She has no doubt it's doing just fine.]

No! No... Twilight Town's okay. I didn't get here because something happened to it.

[lighthearted]

Really? Well, in that case, how did you get here?

[Sora's not aware of many ways to travel between worlds like that. It's not something the average person can do, which makes it even more clear that Xion isn't just a random stranger who happens to know about him. It's really starting to nag at him now...]

[mirroring]

[Xion momentarily looks away, brows furrowed. This is it, isn't it? Either she comes clean and tells Sora the truth or she lies outright. Whatever she does, she can't keep dancing around the subject, not anymore.

She brings a hand up to her chest, frowning, before looking straight back at Sora.

There really is no point in hiding the truth from him.] I died.

[She can't quite bring herself to add anymore to that just yet.]

[lighthearted]

[While he's had the feeling that there was more to this the entire time, that doesn't mean Sora's ready for the answer that he gets.

He startles, eyebrows raising for a moment before they pull down into a frown. She died? But if that's the case, then why would she be here? Traverse Town isn't the place for something like that.

Unless... is she a Nobody? Oh no...]

I'm sorry. What can you remember about it? [If he gets some more details, maybe he can help her understand why she's here.]

[mirroring]

[She smiles at that, just slightly, a little sad. He's sorry, he says...

And that means so much more than he can possibly imagine.]

Don't worry. I made my decision.

I died to help someone else. My best friend... [Xion takes a deep breath, steeling herself.] Roxas.

And you.

[lighthearted]

[Dying to help a friend is something that Sora can understand. Not that he's ever had to do that (obviously), but it's something he can still relate to. If dying was the only way to save Kairi or Riku, it's not as if he would even hesitate.

But then Xion says something completely unexpected. Roxas?!]

Huh? [If he was surprised to hear that she'd died, this is about ten times worse.] Roxas? But... [But he's never heard of Xion. How can that be? Missing memories again?]

[mirroring]

[She can't say she was expecting him to just accept it easily, isn't sure he ever could have. Surely, these are all things no one ever told him, things no one could have told him about.

Naminé had been pretty clear, after all. No one would remember her.

So Xion simply nods.] Yeah, Roxas.

I know you've probably never heard of me... But that's okay.

[lighthearted]

But how's that possible? Roxas and I are linked... [Sora knows that he isn't aware of everything that his Other went through while he was asleep, or even before that, but he's got a decent idea of it now.

Honestly, he wishes he knew more, but he also realizes that Roxas' experiences are his own, and so maybe this is one part that his Other didn't want him to know about. Maybe...]

Was he keeping you a secret? [It sounds silly coming out of his mouth like that, but at this point Sora just wants to know. How is it that randomly running into a stranger turned into this? At least now he knows why Xion felt familiar.]

[mirroring]

[She only nods at first, figuring he's on the right track so far. Roxas and Sora are linked. That's right. She can't be entirely sure just what Roxas did after she died, but judging from the way he's speaking...

It's not exactly hard to guess.

Sora's next conclusion, however, surprises Xion, and it's all she can do to shake her head, her eyes wide.] A secret...? No.

Do you know Naminé? [More like, "Do you remember Naminé?" All considered.]

[lighthearted]

[It's really no surprise that Naminé's been brought up, seeing how she's the one who disrupted his memories in the first place. Maybe Xion is just another part of that -- and the fact that she's mentioned that name almost answers the question on its own.]

Yeah, I do. [Sort of, anyway. In the end, their interaction has been pretty limited, but that doesn't mean that Sora doesn't care for Kairi's Nobody in his own way.]

Is she behind this? Me not remembering you?

[mirroring]

Kind of... [She takes a deep breath to steady herself. At least he does remember Naminé then. That makes her explanation somewhat easier.]

When she had to fix your memories, some of them got mixed up. And they ended up with me... And to get them back to you, everyone's memories of me had to...

Everyone had to forget me. [Xion shakes her head and smiles at Sora, hoping it'll convey that she's really not bothered by it, not anymore.]

[lighthearted]

[So it does have to do with his memories being missing, in a way. Though even then, there's no way Sora could have predicted something like this. He takes a step back without realizing it and bows his head.]

Because of me... everyone had to forget you? That's not fair. [As if it wasn't bad enough that the Organization did all those terrible things to Roxas because of him. Now someone else has been caught up it too?]

[mirroring]

[She quickly shakes her head and, almost without thinking about it, takes a step toward Sora.

No, this wasn't what was supposed to happen...] I told you... I made my choice.

It wasn't your fault.

[lighthearted]

Did you really have a choice, though? [There's no way that Sora can deny the fact that there were more than a few people who wanted his memories to go back where they belonged -- and while that's what's fair, it still bothers him that others were affected as a result.] There were probably people pushing you to do that, right?

[mirroring]

[Naminé and Riku certainly encouraged her... and with Xemnas' plan looming over them, but...

No. She shakes her head.] There were a lot of people who wanted you to get back your memories. But there were people who didn't. [Like her boss.] I...

I did it because I wanted to, Sora. And because I wanted to help Roxas, too.

[lighthearted]

[Well, she does have a point there. If the Organization had it their way, he may not have woken up at all. Sora frowns, but when he looks up at Xion again, his eyes are clear. He puts a hand to his heart and smiles sadly at her.]

In that case, thank you.