A little storage space under the tracks—it was out of sight and just big enough for three people to hang out.
“Oh yeah, that place. Sure, let’s check it out.”
A musty smell pervaded the spot under the tracks, and motes of dust twinkled in the beams of light from between the crossties overhead.
“This is their ‘usual spot’…?” Axel remarked.
“If there’s nothing here, we’ll just keep looking other places.”
Roxas meandered around the little room. It was well-furnished for a shed, with a couch and a dartboard, and it felt like people had been here recently. Like they were always coming in or out of here…
“Watch this!” Axel threw a dart at the board.
“Hey! We have to investigate.”
“C’mon, it’s just a couple darts.”
Axel tossed one more, which neatly struck the bull’s-eye.
There hadn’t been anything on the dartboard when Roxas looked at it moments ago. “Wait, where did you find those?”
“Over there by that oil drum.” Axel pointed to the metal drum next to the entrance.
Roxas peeked behind it and saw a scrap of white. “Hey, I found something…”
“What?”
“…A piece of paper.” Roxas fished it out. There was something drawn on it, which appeared to be…Twilight Town.
“Looks like a map,” said Axel, peering over his shoulder.
“Somebody’s written notes on it, too.”
“The spooky steps… The friend from beyond the wall… The moaning tunnel…,” Axel read, screwing up his face in confusion. “The doppelgänger… The animated bag…?”
Roxas read the last two. “And a ghost train and a haunted mansion. There’s seven altogether.”
“But what is all that stuff?” Axel leaned closer, examining the map.
“I guess we can’t just ask the one who hid it here… Pence, I think his name was,” said Roxas.
Axel shrugged. “As if. It’s probably the easiest way to find out.”
“As if. We still have to find him first.” Roxas imitated the gesture, albeit with considerably more drama.
“Ugh, okay, no more Xigbar impressions,” Axel said, cracking up.
“You started it!”
Roxas lost it, too, and it took a few minutes for them to recover from their fit of giggling.
“The others said he went to the tunnels,” Roxas managed finally. “Let’s go find him!”
They left the shed under the train tracks—the usual spot for another set of friends.
Axel and Roxas found their quarry in a room deep in the tunnels.
“Hey there, Pence,” Axel called.
Roxas was a bit surprised at this tactic. Wasn’t it the Organization’s rule to have as little contact with humans as possible?
Pence eyed Axel dubiously. “Uh, do I know you?”
“Probably not. We just had a question.”
“Oh yeah? Well, shoot. Let’s see if it’s anything I know.” Despite his healthy suspicion, Pence seemed willing to provide answers.
“Is anything weird happening around here? You know, in the town? I mean…there are lots of odd little quirks and mysteries, right? Like, say, the ‘spooky stairs’…”
Axel had gotten that line of questioning just from looking at the map? Roxas hung back, watching them.
“Ohhh… So you guys are investigating the Seven Wonders of Twilight Town, too?” said Pence.
“Uh, right. Something like that.” Axel nodded slightly too hard.
“Hmm. I wasn’t going to tell anyone about it until I finished my investigation, but… Okay. I’ll tell you what I’ve got so far.” Pence lowered his voice, as if the intelligence was crucial. “Based on my discoveries, the Seven Wonders all have the same source…”
Roxas held his breath.
“…Dumb rumors and urban legends.”
“Wha—?” Roxas blurted before he could stop himself.
“Like the spooky stairs? Total sham. The truth about that one is just embarrassing.”
“Just another sleepy town, huh?” Axel exhaled in disappointment, as though he hadn’t really expected a more interesting answer.
“Buuut there is an Eighth Wonder,” said Pence.
“An eighth…?” Roxas echoed.
“Yeah, you know, the tree out in the woods? If you shake it, every other tree in the forest starts rustling, too…,” Pence intoned, adopting the manner of a storyteller sharing a ghostly tale.
Roxas and Axel exchanged a glance.
“Weird, huh? But I haven’t seen it firsthand, so I can’t tell you much. Not yet anyway.” Abandoning the creepy mood, Pence grinned. “Oh, and people say they feel like they’re being watched, even though it’s deserted.”
Roxas cocked his head curiously. “That does sound strange.”
“Wouldn’t be much of a wonder if it didn’t! I’m gonna look into that one later.”
Axel nodded. “Good luck.”
“Thanks. Well, better get back to my investigation. Try to keep this to yourselves, ’kay?” Pence promptly left that section of the tunnel.
“Well, that told us nothing.” Roxas sighed. They hadn’t learned a single tidbit that might pertain to Xion.
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” said Axel. “He said people have been feeling some kind of presence in the woods outside town, right? So maybe that’s where Xion’s target is.”
He had a good point, Roxas thought. Pence had already solved the mystery behind all the other Wonders. So it was possible that the unsolved one had something to do with Xion. “Okay, let’s go look into it.”
They set out for the woods.
It’s no use.
I don’t know what to do.
In the woods outside Twilight Town, Xion huddled under a tree, clutching her knees to her chest. The humid air smelled of rotting leaves.
No matter how many times she wished and pleaded, the Keyblade would not come to her.
She might be able to manage with magic, but without the Keyblade, even if she took down the giant Heartless, the heart wouldn’t be captured. If she went back only to report another failure, Saïx would know that she couldn’t wield the Keyblade anymore.
And then…she might be terminated.
What do I do? What can I possibly do…?
Suddenly Xion heard voices. She looked up with a gasp.
“Around here somewhere?”
That was Roxas.
It was nothing unusual for Roxas to be in Twilight Town, but he was with that Organization member with the flaming red hair… Axel, it had to be. The one who was Roxas’s friend. The two of them were peering up at the trees.
Hiding there between the branches was the giant Heartless—the Veil Lizard. It resembled an enormous chameleon, but it didn’t just change color to camouflage itself. It could become entirely transparent. Xion had tried to fight it with magic once, but it just ran off.
The trees shivered.
“Heh, we got a live one,” said Axel.
The enormous creature broke from the shelter of the woods in a mad dash for the haunted mansion.
“C’mon, Roxas. Don’t let it get away!”
“I know!”
Axel and Roxas darted through the trees in pursuit.
Xion took a deep breath to calm herself, then got to her feet to follow them.
The Veil Lizard revealed itself in front of the haunted mansion.
Roxas stood ready with the Keyblade. “You think this is it? Xion’s target?”
“Most likely.” Axel gripped his chakrams. “No wonder the mission’s taking so long. It blends right into the scenery.”
“So where’s Xion?”
“Still out trying to find it probably.” Axel wreathed himself in flames.
“What should we do?”
“What, I gotta spell it out for you?” Axel shot a jet of fire at the Veil Lizard.
“Right!” Roxas charged, and their attacks landed in a near
ly simultaneous explosion.
And then—another figure came rushing out of the woods, someone in an Organization cloak.
“Xion!” cried Roxas.
But…how did he know? Axel couldn’t tell if it was Xion or not with the hood up. Roxas could, though, apparently.
“Roxas!” Xion called, turning, but the Veil Lizard seized on that moment of distraction to lash out with its tail and knock her aside.
Yes—her. That was Axel’s first time hearing Xion utter a sound, but it was definitely a girl’s voice.
Roxas shouted her name again, about to run to her side, but Axel grabbed his shoulder. “Hey, focus! We have to take down that thing first!”
“…Right.” Roxas whirled to strike at the Veil Lizard.
It seemed like just yesterday they had gone on their first missions together, but Roxas was so much stronger. Not just in his fighting skills—there was something else, Axel suspected, and he wished he could find out what. He got to act as support, flinging his chakrams at the thing from a distance.
“Here goes!” Roxas sprang into the air and dealt a nasty blow that finished off the Veil Lizard. Light swallowed it, dissolving their foe into nothing but a glowing heart floating up and away.
Without sparing a moment to revel in the triumph of defeating a giant Heartless, Roxas ran straight to Xion and cradled her. “Xion, are you okay?”
“…Roxas?” Her hood was still hiding whatever expression might be on her face.
“Are you hurt?”
“Thanks… I’m fine.” Her voice was so faint. “It’s just…”
Axel figured they might as well get her out of here. “You can tell us all about it. But first, let’s find somewhere to sit down. Like a nice hangout spot. You two go on ahead.”
He started walking. Ice cream was in order.
So he bought three ice cream bars at the shop and ambled up to the clock tower. He wanted time to think. There were things here he didn’t quite get.
Why does Roxas fuss over Xion so much…?
Axel couldn’t imagine being able to trust someone whose expressions were always hidden—whose face he had never even seen. Not that there was a whole lot of trust or faith to speak of between members of the Organization—or between Nobodies in general. Still, it just didn’t make any sense to him.
Roxas’s words echoed in his head.
“I promised the three of us could have ice cream together.”
How had Xion won Roxas over so thoroughly that he’d make such a promise?
Actually, he would be hard-pressed to say how he’d gained that confidence himself—but after all, he was the first to spend much time with Roxas as a mentor figure. And he thought he’d done a pretty good job of looking out for the rookie.
That wasn’t the case with Xion, though. What could have happened while he was off at Castle Oblivion…?
It was still nagging at him as he climbed the stairs to the clock tower. “Well, worrying about it won’t give me any answers,” he muttered.
He found Roxas and Xion sitting in their spot. “Screaming for ice cream yet?” He squeezed past them to take a seat by the corner, then handed a treat to each. “Here ya go.”
“Thanks.”
That was the first time Xion had said anything to Axel. And yet, the hood still kept her face in shadow.
Roxas wasted no time chomping into his ice cream, but Xion only sat there holding hers by the stick.
“Eat up,” Roxas told her. “It’s gonna melt.”
She nodded. “I know.”
Still, she made no move to taste it.
“What’s wrong?” Axel asked. “Not hungry?”
The only thing he knew about Xion was the feminine timbre of her voice. And talking to girls wasn’t really his strong suit. He had a general impression that all it took to upset them was pushing the wrong button. Or even gently tapping the wrong button.
Roxas was watching her with concern. “You wanna talk about what happened?”
For some reason, it seemed like Roxas could see the look on her face, Axel thought. But how? No one else could.
She kept silent.
Finally, Axel had to say something. “We’re here for you if you want to get it off your chest. Right, Roxas?”
He nodded. “Yeah. That’s what friends are for.”
Then Xion finally replied. “I…I can’t use the Keyblade anymore.”
The Keyblade?
What was she talking about? Xion could use a Keyblade, too? This was news to Axel.
Although, if she was another Keyblade wielder, that did something to explain why Roxas was so concerned with her.
“And without the Keyblade, I can’t do my job.” Even with that hood pulled up they could see the slight tremble in Xion’s shoulders.
“What happened?” Roxas pressed.
“I don’t know… But if I don’t defeat Heartless with the Keyblade, the hearts they release just find their way into other Heartless. I swat them down in one place, and they pop up in another.” There was a tremor in her voice, too. “I’m supposed to be collecting hearts. Those are my orders. Without the Keyblade…I’m useless.”
She hung her head. Melting ice cream dripped onto her hand.
“Can’t we do anything, Axel?” Roxas pleaded.
Axel shrugged. “I wish…but them’s the breaks. Can’t collect hearts without a Keyblade.”
He had only just found out that Xion could use a Keyblade in the first place. If there was a way to fix her sudden inability, finding it was above his pay grade.
“They…they’ll find out they don’t need me…and they’ll turn me into a Dusk…”
Xion’s voice was shaking more noticeably now. Dealing with girls who were about to cry was way above his pay grade.
“C’mon, Axel, think of something!” Roxas insisted.
Why can’t you think of something? The retort nearly left Axel’s mouth, but he gulped it back down.
Roxas was the only one of them who could use the Keyblade. It wasn’t like Xion could take it…
“Like I said, there’s just no way to— Wait.” Axel paused, looking back at Roxas.
He noticed the look and blurted in excitement, “You thought of something?”
Beside him, Xion was still hunched over, hidden under her hood.
“Roxas, what if you worked double duty?” Axel suggested.
“What do you mean?” Roxas and Xion both said at once.
Axel got the feeling she was actually looking at him for the first time. “Xion, you make sure your missions are with Roxas until you can control the Keyblade again. Then he can collect the hearts, and no one ever has to know you’re not.”
Roxas beamed at him. “That’s perfect!”
“Well, there’s a catch—you’re gonna have to gather twice as many hearts.”
He nodded firmly. “I can handle it.”
“…You don’t mind?” Xion worried.
“Of course not!”
“But—” Her head drooped again. Most of her ice cream was melted.
“Hey, friends get to lean on each other now and then,” said Axel. “Roxas gets it.”
Affirming his words, Roxas turned to her with a warm smile.
“So…does that mean…you and I are friends, too, Axel?” Xion asked timidly.
Axel hesitated, staring into the sunset instead of at her. What do I say to that?
He wasn’t sure what made it click, but now he felt like he understood why Roxas and Xion got along so well. Xion’s face was still hidden from him…and yet, there was something special about her, something that explained it.
Something he hadn’t noticed at all the first time he met her.
“Any friend of Roxas is a friend of mine,” he finally replied, looking back at Xion.
Huh? His breath caught for an instant.
Her hood was down, and a raven-haired girl was watching him.
When did she take it off? Did I miss it because I was staring at the sunset?
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Her face, though—it reminded him of Naminé’s.
What did that mean? Whose Nobody was she?
“Thank you… Roxas, Axel, thank you!” she gushed.
“Just eat your ice cream,” Axel said, covering his discomfort.
Xion finally started in on the remains of her melted ice cream, and the three of them basked in the light of the sinking sun.
The next day marked Roxas’s seventy-fifth with the Organization.
“Morning, Roxas,” Xion greeted him in the lobby. She sounded cheerful.
Axel was there, too, in the corner.
Roxas answered her with a grin. “Hey.”
“Are we ready to give this a shot?”
“Sure.”
They both turned to gauge Saïx’s mood. If he didn’t grant them permission to work together, their plan was dead in the water. But they had discussed that hurdle with Axel yesterday.
Axel was leaning against the wall in an attitude of total disinterest—except for the wink he gave them.
“C’mon,” said Roxas.
Xion nodded, and they walked side by side to the one in charge of their fate.
“Um, Saïx,” Roxas began.
“Ah, there you are, Roxas. Your mission today…” Saïx scanned through the papers he held.
“Actually, we wanted to ask you something. Could Xion and I work together?”
Saïx raised one eyebrow. “Together?”
“I guess…not…?” said Xion in her tiny voice.
“What could possibly possess you to ask at a time like this? We’re shorthanded as it is. You can’t expect—”
Axel stepped in to interrupt Saïx’s griping. “Why not? Sounds like a good idea to me. Put two half-pints together and you get a whole.”
Saïx turned to him with a scowl.
“If you let us pair up, we can take care of tougher missions for you,” Roxas added before Saïx could get another word in.
But Saïx shook his head.
So it’s not going to work, Roxas thought, his shoulders slumping.
When Saïx spoke again, though, it wasn’t what they expected. “Fine. As you wish.”
Roxas and Xion nodded, though they didn’t need to be told to hide their glee.
After sending off Xion and Roxas, Saïx spun around to face Axel behind him. “What are you playing at?”
Kingdom Hearts 358-2 Days Page 11
