002 ✘ and i rationed my breaths ✘ backdated to 4/22

[worldsapart]

Characters: AU4 Xion and YOU
Setting: [01] Dorm halls ; [02] cafeteria ; [03] floor eleven
Format: I'll match you!
Summary: Xion/Soraface/Fey kept herself locked away in her room for a week (except for the collar check-up) after her death. Finally, she's dragging herself out
Warnings: ANGST ANGST ANGST


[ 00 ; room 2-01 ]
[Falling... falling... into darkness...]


[ 01 + 02; dorm halls and cafeteria ]
[If you happen to be in the dormitory hallways, there's someone you're likely to see. There's a black-coated small figure with a full head of brown spiky hair making his(?) way towards the stairs. If you get a good look at their face, it's pretty clear they're out of it. And, somehow, the hair is more messy than it should be. Whoo, bedhead.

In the cafeteria, Xion can be found sitting by herself, picking at the food on her plate. Despite the almost overwhelming force of her hunger, she doesn't... really want to eat. She knows she needs to, because it would maybe give her the energy to combat how absolutely tired she feels, but... bleh.]


[ 03 ; floor eleven ]
[She died.

That's what happened, right? They had found her otherself, Axel had grabbed her, and then they turned to fight all the way back down... It wasn't that she was tired, or hurt too bad, or anything. She was doing fine. With Oathkeeper and Oblivion drawn and Riku and Sora at her side, she had felt like maybe... she could take on the world, you know? She thought that they were gonna be okay. And then, and then -- She doesn't know how it happened, where it came from, but that not-Heartless bird came in and knocked her feet out from under her, carried her off the ramp, and then she was falling. She tried to Aerial Recover, but she was too far away, she couldn't grab the ledge, and Oblivion couldn't break through the stone enough to hook on, and she...

And then she died. Because that's what happens when you fall from a who-knows-how-tall tower, right?

But she's here. She's still here, somehow. She's even managed to find ice cream. It's not sea-salt -- it doesn't really taste like much of anything, really -- but it's ice cream in bar-on-a-stick form, and the familiarity is all she can ask for right now. That's why she decided to seek out this floor after she found the ice cream. It isn't, and won't ever be, the Twilight Town clock tower. But, then... She doesn't want it to be. That would bring back too many bad memories right now.

Your... friend? Roxas, do you think I could be a friend?

When Axel gets back, let's ask him. Then all three of us can have ice cream together!

It hurts. She manages to fight back a sob by distracting herself with ice cream.]

It's not salty... and it's barely even sweet. [She tries to smile a little, for herself. For him. She whispers,] Eating ice cream by yourself... really isn't the same, is it, Roxas?

Comments

2

[lethechained]

[Naminé is not usually one to interrupt passersby. At least, not without reason. It's still strange to her, sometimes, to live somewhere so... populated. Or-- well, it's not so much that as she's not used to actually being around said population, able to walk by them and greet them or not greet them as she chooses, to look upon them and be looked upon without (too much) fear of the consequences.]

[... But in this case, when she turns the corner into the dormitory hallway and saw a very familiar spiky mass of hair, she can't help immediately coming to a stop, staring openly. Sora...?]

[worldsapart]

[A familiar head of blonde hair shakes Xion from her zombie state.

Wh...] Naminé?

[She's here, too?]

[lethechained]

[... No.]

[Something's off. Even before he(?) opens his mouth, she knows something isn't right. At first, she wonders if yet another Sora's been brought to the tower, because not only is he in the wrong clothing, even without trying she can sense that something is different about this one. She's hesitant to try, in fact, a tendency that's grown quickly recently, but no effort is required to sense enough to put her on her guard. The tension in her frame isn't totally obvious, but when she turns to face Xion fully, her movement is a bit stiff.]

... Hello.

[She's not smiling. Cautiously, she starts to focus on that feeling, on that wrongness, still reserved about using her powers but attempting to start to get a feel for things.]

Do I know you...? [It's not harsh or offensive, but it might be subtly strained.]

[worldsapart]

[That question makes her falter, but... She has to remind herself it isn't anything personal. Maybe Naminé is from her otherself's universe and future, and thus... doesn't remember them at all. Or maybe Naminé just can't recognize her with this different face.

Xion nods slowly.]

Yes... I... At least, I think you do. I'm... Xion.

[lethechained]

[That wrongness just gets worse and worse the deeper she searches, and soon enough she's using her powers with less and less thought as she quickly becomes distracted. It's so strange. This is almost like--]

[Xion.]

[The name is confirmation of a theory that had only just begun to form. Visibly surprised, Naminé falters herself.]

Xion? But--

[... but every bit of new evidence points that direction.]

....

What happened to you?

[There's an obvious answer, but it's not one she wants to assume. Xion's answer might seem redundant, when Naminé's already got an inkling, and could probably find the truth with enough searching, but everything's so-- complicated. If nothing else, asking might draw the memory to the surface.]

[worldsapart]

[... so Naminé does know her. It sounds like she knows her story.

She doesn't want him to forget her, she never wanted him to forget her, but more than anything, she never wanted this. She's watching him fade right before her eyes, fade into wisps of black smoke and white whispers and she can't do anything about it --

She doesn't manage to resist the shudder.]

I... [Her voice trembles.] I failed. I failed, and I ruined everything. Roxas...

[lethechained]

[... She feels sick. It's not just the words, it's-- everything else that she can sense. This isn't the Xion she's already familiar with, that much is for certain. There's a shudder of her own that the blonde girl does manage to suppress, her lips pressing together.]

You're... from a different timeline.

[One where Xion--]

[The very thought is nearly as sickening the second time. She'd never wished Xion's fate upon her, never wanted the girl to suffer, but the alternative--....]


... I'm so sorry.

[worldsapart]

It's not your fault.

[Xion wants to reach out for her, to try and comfort her, but she -- She doesn't know what's going on in Naminé's mind, she doesn't know what she thinks about this whole thing, she... she doesn't know if she has the place.]

It's not your fault, Naminé... It's mine.

[lethechained]

....

[Not her fault. Not her fault, when Sora's memories were damaged in the first place because of her? When he had to go to sleep because of her? When Roxas and Xion had to go back to him, when there was no other option because of her? And it's-- not her fault?]

... No.

It was never your fault.

[worldsapart]

I should've been able to fight it. I should've had better control. If I couldn't have enough control to not... k -- to not hurt my best friend, how... is that not my fault?

[lethechained]

It was hard for you. Not just anyone could have stopped themselves. You shouldn't-- you shouldn't have had to fight.

[worldsapart]

But... It's not your fault, why I had to fight. If Xemnas hadn't... [Xion's hands ball at her sides. Suddenly, something comes into her mind, something she can accept, something she can willingly grasp.] It's his fault.

[lethechained]

But--....

[But Xion wouldn't have had to go back to Sora, and maybe if that hadn't been necessary, there would have been something that could have been done.]

But maybe if things had been different....

[worldsapart]

No... If things had been different, maybe I wouldn't have been able to meet Roxas and Axel. And... And I wouldn't change that for the world.

[lethechained]

[... It's true.]

[It's true, and yet still, Naminé finds herself weighed down by guilt. Still frowning, she sighs. What she did gave Xion life, in a way, or at least gave life to the person that Xion became, and it also took it away... or at least changed the form it took. It's hard not to blame herself, even knowing that.]

... I guess... you're right. Things-- might not have turned out the same way. [In both the good sense and the bad one.] ... I'm sorry, Xion, that it had to be that way.

[worldsapart]

[Naminé seems to accept that, at least. Xion's glad.

She exhales slowly.] ... I'm sorry, too.

[lethechained]

....

[She tries to smile. It's almost entirely a failure.]

But, you know... it's not quite the same, here. [There's no Organization to push them around, for one.]

[worldsapart]

No...

[Xion tries to smile, too. She's a little better at it. Maybe it's because of all the practice Sora had.

I still... can't believe it...

I really flew! Wait 'till I tell Kairi. I wonder if she'll believe me. Probably not.]

This place... even for being the way it is... At least we have these chances.

[lethechained]

[Naminé's had practice, too - but it's been harder and harder, lately, and this-- this has been a very jarring experience. The second attempt, though, works out much better.]

Yes. It's a second chance for many of us. [Third chances for some, too.] It's... a wonderful opportunity, even if this isn't-- ideal.

[worldsapart]

Maybe, if we work together... We can make it ideal.

[lethechained]

[She blinks, looking slightly startled. Then, slowly, her smile quirks larger, just a little.]

That's a nice thought. [And she means it, too, even if she's not sure it's possible.]

[worldsapart]

I'm sure that if everyone in the Tower works together, there's something we can do. There are so many people... and a lot of power.

[lethechained]

[Her lips purse slightly, smile fading. One hand raises up to lightly press fingertips against her own collar.]

That's true, but... I don't know if it's enough.

[worldsapart]

That's what they want us to think. Together, we could make things better, I'm sure of it.

[lethechained]

[... She could say that it's hopeless. She could say that there's no way to get the collars off and no way to win with them on.]

[She doesn't.]

It's-- very brave of you to say that, Xion.