[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.
[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...]
[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.]
[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.]
[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?]
[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.
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.]
[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.]
[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.]
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.]
[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?]
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?
[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.]
[Even though she says that, she looks sad. Sora can understand how it's a bittersweet thing, and he lets out a small sigh before he pulls Xion into a hug.
It doesn't matter that they barely know each other. In a way, they're closer than any two people can be, and they're definitely connected.]
[Xion doesn't resist when he hugs her and, after several moments, wraps her own arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. It's... not so bad, is it? Getting to meet the person she'll be part of now?
She can't even bring herself to say anything else. All she can do is nod into his shoulder and repeat her earlier words.]
Thank you.
I HOPE THIS OKAY. It seemed like an appropriate way to end the thread...
[Suddenly, the body that's pressed against Sora's chest dissipates. It's slow, but there's nothing that Sora can do to stop it as Xion becomes a part of him, her body dematerializing and eventually becoming small pinpricks of light that hang around in the air.
Sora gasps for air as he feels his heart fill with a new warmth. While he wanted more of a chance to speak with Xion, apparently this is how it has to be.]
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No! No... Twilight Town's okay. I didn't get here because something happened to it.
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[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...]
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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.]
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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.]
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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.
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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?]
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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.
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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.]
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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.]
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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?
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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.]
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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?]
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No, this wasn't what was supposed to happen...] I told you... I made my choice.
It wasn't your fault.
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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.
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In that case, thank you.
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Xion returns the smile, hesitating for a moment before speaking again.] I'm glad I got to meet you, Sora.
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[He moves forward hesitantly and then puts a hand on her shoulder.]
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When he puts his hand on her shoulder though, her next words are out before she even realizes it.]
Is Roxas... Roxas is okay too, right?
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Yeah, he's right here with me. So... if the time comes that you have to return to me, you'll be with him.
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Did he get to meet Sora like this, too? She hopes he did.
--Just as she hopes she isn't actually on the verge of tears, happy tears?] Thank you... Thank you, Sora.
I'm really happy to hear that...
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It doesn't matter that they barely know each other. In a way, they're closer than any two people can be, and they're definitely connected.]
It's no problem. Really.
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She can't even bring herself to say anything else. All she can do is nod into his shoulder and repeat her earlier words.]
Thank you.
I HOPE THIS OKAY. It seemed like an appropriate way to end the thread...
Sora gasps for air as he feels his heart fill with a new warmth. While he wanted more of a chance to speak with Xion, apparently this is how it has to be.]
... You'll be safe here. I promise.
SCREAM THIS IS PERFECT <3
;A; SOBBING FOREVER but yes...