Bittersweet Memories [Eraqus]

[Xion]

This place, all over again. It never changed, did it? Always the same people. The same faces. Same buildings, streets. Twilight Town never changed. She liked that... that everything remained untouched by time. So that everything was exactly the way she vaguely remembered it. Like a blurry picture, the time she had spent... in the afterlife, probably, had become quite hazy, hard to see. Her memories had partly vanished, but Twilight Town was the only place she knew she'd never forget.

The most memorable thing about it? That sunset. It was beautiful. A perfect mix of bright oranges, reds and pinks, with the slightest trace of a nightly sky at the edge. The ever lasting day. A day that would never end, and a night that would never fall. It was a sight to see, and it remained as breathtaking as ever. It hadn't changed either. And, that was okay. If it had, she wouldn't have recognized the place. Or, if anything, she would have found it to be rather different. Such a pretty sight... she thought, nostalgically. Xion might not have a heart, she might not even be allowed to exist, like all the other nobodies, but she remembered. Those memories of spending time with her friends at the clock tower, eating ice cream and just... talking about whatever they could come up with. The conversations had blurred from her mind, as well, but that was okay. The memories were there, they just... weren't as clear as they should be. And, really, Xion didn't care.

How long had it been since she woke up? A week at most? Xion didn't really remember that. She remembered having awoken in an alleyway, dazed, confused, and really tired. At least she hadn't been surrounded by the Heartless again. She doubted she was in condition to summon her Keyblade right now, seeing how exhausted she was. A whole week had gone by, and she had travelled the worlds restlessly, looking for safe places to stay at. But... there was something... odd, something out of place, that she couldn't quite place together. She'd come across a series of worlds that she didn't even know of, and that she hadn't wanted to explore. Sure, seeing new places was fun, but, really, she had something important to focus on, like...

... like finding her friends again. She needed to see them, so very badly! She was dying to meet with them again, go for ice cream, sit on the clock tower, and just talk. Like the old times. She might not really remember anymore, but there could always be new memories, right? New good moments. Laughter, tears, new treasured moments... what did it really matter, if she had forgotten? Or, if they had forgotten, even? The thought hurt a little bit, but it wasn't much - they could always meet again, and start over.

Xion walked down the streets, absent-mindedly, looking around at Twilight Town with a sad smile on her place. It never changed. Twilight Town always remained the same, and she loved it, even though...

... even though it made her nostalgic, and sad.

[Master Eraqus]

Master Eraqus was in immense pain, though to look at him it was difficult to tell. His pain wasn't physical, though his body still ached, but rather it was mental. He remembered his final seconds clearly. Xehanort's strike. Terra's expression. The terror his heart had felt in its last moments. Terra, Aqua and Ventus had most likely been forced to fight Xehanort by themselves, and Xehanort most likely had cohorts. When he had re-awakened coughing as though he had been shot in the lung, that was exactly what was in his mind. Since he had managed to reach the city of Twilight Town, that was all that filled his mind. When he arrived, he could hardly stand; he had needed to summon his glider in order to make it the rest of the way in to town. Now, he was well enough to stand. Well enough to fight. And yet... he knew he couldn't leave yet.

It was a feeling he had. Somewhere in this town was someone with that same power he had. Perhaps more than one. And to leave town wounded would merely be asking for him to be killed before he could find his apprentices; to think that his own health was keeping him back now. Now, all he could do was wander Twilight Town, hoping to stumble upon whoever he was looking for.

Today, standing in the town square gazing about, he saw someone coming down into town from the road to the train station. A young girl, black hair and a black cloak. Somehow, he knew that was who he was looking for. Her stance, the look in her eyes almost hidden by sadness and a kind of longing. Master Eraqus moved to speak with her, taking a fairly slow pace next to the melancholy looking young woman. He couldn't say he didn't understand; he had worries of his own. "It's not often I find someone your age who can use a Keyblade. My name is Eraqus, a Keyblade master. I thought I felt the power of a Keyblade while I was here, and decided to see who it was. I apologize if this seems strange; it's complicated to explain."

[Xion]

She wasn’t sure of why Twilight Town had always seemed so utterly fascinating for her. It had been the first world outside the Castle that she had visited. The first place she’d gone on a mission to. The place where she’d learned to summon her Keyblade. It… felt like home, even though it probably wasn’t home. It was where she had a life. The Castle that Never Was had only served as a stage to a play she had never wanted to be a part of; her true home was Twilight Town. Xion knew it perfectly. That was what it felt like. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

If only… if only she could regain those missing pieces of memory! She might as well gain new memories, but it wouldn’t be the same. What if her life became even more complicated than it already was? If the Organization went after her? What if they caught up with her and dragged her back into the Organization… or worse, turned her into a Dusk for her rebellion? She couldn’t consider that possibility, but… if it did happen… then what would be of her? Life as a Dusk… wandering around restlessly, without thoughts of your own, didn’t sound too appealing. She doubted anyone would be able to stand such a life… she couldn’t help but shudder at the thought.

Wandering around quite aimlessly, Xion found herself staring into the ice cream shop. She was very, very tempted to go an buy a popsicle right now. She wasn’t sure of why. She wasn’t really… hungry. It just felt like something she needed to do. It just… felt so strange, not having an ice cream at the clock tower, as usual. But, she didn’t bother to even look for money in her pockets. It wouldn’t have been the same without Axel and Roxas, and if the few memories that she still had weren’t fooling her, they had probably forgotten that she had even existed, at some point. It would be a little bit awkward, she guessed…

Her thoughts were broken, though, as a stranger approached her, and addressed her. He seemed to know she possessed a Keyblade… really? She wasn’t sure of how that was even possible, but she did not dare ask anything. Instead she just stared at him blankly for a few seconds, before looking away again. Was he even aware of the existence of Organization XIII? Probably not… otherwise, he probably wouldn’t have addressed her so calmly. Why would anyone even bother to pay attention to someone like her, who didn’t possess a heart and wasn’t even supposed to live?

Nobodies weren’t meant to exist. Why had she been brought back?

”I-It’s okay,”she stuttered lightly, tucking a small lock of dark hair behind her ear. She tried to smile, though a little bit shyly. ”Umm… I’m Xion… nice to meet you, Sir,”she mumbled, bowing her head in respect.