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[KH - KC] Memories
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pumpkin_bomb. ♥ I hope you enjoy it! If it's too short or OOC, please let me know, okay?
Title: Memories
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts [Kingdom Chronicles]
Summary: Xianthe remembers the times she had with Axel and Roxas.
Disclaimer: None of this is mine. D: KH belongs to Square-Enix and Disney, while Xianthe belongs to Tsu. I was just borrowing them for a quick story, okay?
Somehow, watching the sunset by herself wasn't fun. Xianthe sighed, letting her feet dangle off the clock tower as she gazed down at the sea-salt ice cream dribbling down her fingers. What was it about sea-salt ice cream and its ability to bring back painful memories?
If she closed her eyes and imagined, she could hear his familiar scoff. "Really, Xianthe?" He would laugh at her like always. "You and Roxas are something special."
"'M not a kid," She found herself murmuring, her lips contourting to the familiar pout she'd always used with him.
"That's right," Another voice chimed in her memory. "We're not kids. We're old enough to handle ourselves."
How long had been since she and Roxas were able to sit down and have a civil conversation? She couldn't even remember the last time she heard about him on the news or through the grapevine. For someone who would be so invested and involved in interworld affairs, Roxas fell under the radar.
He was... different. Not like Axel, who had perished long ago, or like her, who fled and escaped long before anything could happen to her. No, Roxas faced his fears and tackled them head-on. Dare she say it? They were close friends.
She should probably apologize to him some day. For all the things she said and did back then - for kidnapping his precious daughter - and for her bratty behavior.
But, as she stared up at the sky, she didn't feel like it today.
"I just wanna remember," She murmured to herself, dumping the ice-cream stick in the sack she bought it in. "We were so happy then."
+
After their mission had finished, they would meet her up by the clock tower for some good old-fashioned sea-salt ice cream. Xianthe had wrinkled her nose the first time she'd heard about it. Sea-salt ice cream? But didn't people dislike that kind of thing? It was ice-cream... that was salty.
But Roxas had convinced her to eat it, urging, "Come on, Xiiiii," He teased, using a nickname she'd beat him up for several times later. "It's good, I promise!"
Axel made a face at her, "Or are you chicken, Xianthe?"
"I'm not chicken!" Xianthe had glared at them both before she finally, slowly took her first bite of the icy blue treat. Her eyes widened in surprise before she eagerly finished off the entire stick. Both Roxas and Axel watched in amazement as she even started licking her bare fingers clean of the substance.
She stared at them amusedly, "What?" before Roxas began stuttering some stupid excuse about her looking different and something about camels (she wasn't even sure what he was thinking about!).
But Axel? He had just looked thoughtful. Leaning back, he continued eating his ice-cream as he commented, "For someone who was afraid to eat it, you sure liked it."
She wrinkled her nose, "It's just this time. Nothing weird."
"Oh?" Roxas grinned. "Then how does that explain the yo-yo? Or the baked mac-and-cheese casserole? Or the--"
Xianthe cut him off with a glare. Roxas stuck his tongue out at her. Then? They all burst into laughter looking at each other.
That was the first time Xianthe had ever had sea-salt ice cream.
+
How could she not be excited about today? Roxas was finally assigned as her partner for this mission! Xianthe eagerly brushed her hair back and even paid more at the Moogle shop than she usually did to prepare for missions.
"You're happy today," Xigbar chuckled as he looked up from the book he was reading.
Xianthe normally would've glared, but she just responded cheekily, "So? Missions are fun normally."
Demyx pouted, "But you didn't say that when we went on a mission together."
And for once, Xianthe didn't have a response to that. Instead, she merely replied, "You know how I hate water."
Xigbar chuckled while Deymx made a face at his older comrade.
Come on, Roxas! Hurry up and get here so that she could go ahead and avoid these two jokers! As if by magic, he walked through the door just then. Looking over his coat one last time, Roxas then waved at Xianthe.
"Morning," He cheerfully called. "What's up?"
"We're partners," Xianthe smiled at him. "So go ahead and accept that mission from Saix already!"
Roxas laughed, "Alright, alright! Jeez, I guess if it makes you happy."
He walked to Saix, heard his assignment, and finished rearranging his panels before he and Xianthe happily accepted their mission to Hallow Bastion together. That was the first (and thankfully, not the last) she had been partnered with one of her best friends.
+
Wringing the water out of her hair, Xianthe couldn't help moaning, "Axel, you jerkface! You know how much I hate water!"
Axel smirked, "How was I supposed to know Christmas Town's snow was that dangerous?"
The rest of the Castle was oddly quiet, save for their usual bickering. Xianthe waited for someone else to enter The Grey Area and yell for Xianthe and Axel to shut up. (After all, someone like Zexion or Luxord usually hated it when she or Axel or Roxas ruined his concentration! And if Larxene were here, she'd probably make some rude comment or another.)
She waited for a second before grabbing a towel to finish drying her hair. "Where is everyone?"
"I don't know," Axel shrugged. Drying himself off with his own fire, he then knelt down beside his friend and created a small fire. "This should make it easier."
If she were capable of blushing, Xianthe knew that now would definitely be the time to become all flustered and call him a weirdo and--- but she didn't do anything. Instead, she serenely smiled as the rest of the water evaporated off her body.
Lightly kissing Axel on the forehead, she cheerfully said, "Thank you. I needed that."
Axel smiled differently for the rest of the day, Xianthe noticed. Roxas too seemed oddly weird - almost as if he'd been jealous of the whole situation - but she wouldn't comment on their actions unless it was really necessary. If they were mad at her, they needed to talk to her about it first.
That was the first (and thankfully, the last) time Xianthe had publicly expressed affection for her friends.
+
Twilight Town was starting to become their home away from home. Even though the three of them had the castle, neither Roxas, Xianthe, nor Axel really wanted to hang out in a place as dreary as their castle. There just wasn't any life in a place that seemed to be ruled in black and white. (It fitted their situation, yes, but couldn't they do something about the lack of color?)
Even though they couldn't always have sea-salt ice cream up on the clock tower, they made up in other ways. When the weather permitted, they ditched their long Organization coats for a day out in the sun. The ocean's waves called out to them - and they were convinced that they would enjoy a day without worrying about hearts and Heartless and Nobodies.
In fact? The day did them better than they had realized. Roxas found himself making plenty of sandcastles. Every time he managed to finish one, either Axel - or Xianthe - or a poor ocean wave somehow perfectly timed itself so that Roxas would have to start all over again. But Roxas didn't seem to mind the first time. Or the tenth time.
But when Xianthe and Axel finally felt pity for the fifteenth sandcastle, they did the unthinkable: they prevented the tide from reaching in and snatching Roxas's poor sandcastle from existence. Xianthe wasn't exactly sure how she or Axel managed to save the sand creation, but the smile on their friend's face was oddly more than enough for them.
For people who weren't supposed to be ruled by emotion, they were sure doing a horrible job of avoiding it. And, amusedly, that was the first time Xianthe had ever gone out of her way to help someone else.
+
He was gone. Xianthe threw her pillow across the room. How could he leave her like this? They were supposed to be friends! Til death do them part! Kicking her bed, she howled again. Roxas could not - and would not - leave them. No! No, no, no!
Axel sadly watched from the sidelines. He crossed his arms as he slowly, but steadily, made his way into her bedroom.
"Xianthe," His voice sounded eerily shaky. It wasn't as steady and confident as Axel's voice usually was, but then again: Xianthe was more emotionally unstable today too.
"Don't talk to me."
Without even flinching, he moved in front of her and completely enveloped her in his embrace. Without even thinking, Xianthe found herself embracing him back. The tears -- the ones she'd tried so hard to hold back -- kept falling down, no matter how hard she tried to push them back.
"I miss him so much," She murmured into his chest. "Why'd he leave us?"
He shrugged helplessly in response, "I don't know. Maybe he'll tell us some day."
And that was the first time Xianthe had ever cried over losing someone.
+
The sun would never set in Twilight Town, but she had had enough memories to last her a lifetime. Effortlessly exiting the clock tower, Xianthe gazed over a group of friends laughing and playing nearby. They barely acknowledged her - just as she barely acknowledged them - but that was enough for her.
Today was a day for her to remember. The good times as well as the bad... every day had been a precious moment for her to cherish and hold as her own. Sighing wistfully, Xianthe tossed the bag - and the stick - into the trash.
"Tomorrow is another day," She found herself saying as she disappeared into the darkness.
That was the first time Xianthe acknowledged that she had been living in the past.
pumpkin_bomb. ♥ I hope you enjoy it! If it's too short or OOC, please let me know, okay? Title: Memories
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts [Kingdom Chronicles]
Summary: Xianthe remembers the times she had with Axel and Roxas.
Disclaimer: None of this is mine. D: KH belongs to Square-Enix and Disney, while Xianthe belongs to Tsu. I was just borrowing them for a quick story, okay?
Somehow, watching the sunset by herself wasn't fun. Xianthe sighed, letting her feet dangle off the clock tower as she gazed down at the sea-salt ice cream dribbling down her fingers. What was it about sea-salt ice cream and its ability to bring back painful memories?
If she closed her eyes and imagined, she could hear his familiar scoff. "Really, Xianthe?" He would laugh at her like always. "You and Roxas are something special."
"'M not a kid," She found herself murmuring, her lips contourting to the familiar pout she'd always used with him.
"That's right," Another voice chimed in her memory. "We're not kids. We're old enough to handle ourselves."
How long had been since she and Roxas were able to sit down and have a civil conversation? She couldn't even remember the last time she heard about him on the news or through the grapevine. For someone who would be so invested and involved in interworld affairs, Roxas fell under the radar.
He was... different. Not like Axel, who had perished long ago, or like her, who fled and escaped long before anything could happen to her. No, Roxas faced his fears and tackled them head-on. Dare she say it? They were close friends.
She should probably apologize to him some day. For all the things she said and did back then - for kidnapping his precious daughter - and for her bratty behavior.
But, as she stared up at the sky, she didn't feel like it today.
"I just wanna remember," She murmured to herself, dumping the ice-cream stick in the sack she bought it in. "We were so happy then."
After their mission had finished, they would meet her up by the clock tower for some good old-fashioned sea-salt ice cream. Xianthe had wrinkled her nose the first time she'd heard about it. Sea-salt ice cream? But didn't people dislike that kind of thing? It was ice-cream... that was salty.
But Roxas had convinced her to eat it, urging, "Come on, Xiiiii," He teased, using a nickname she'd beat him up for several times later. "It's good, I promise!"
Axel made a face at her, "Or are you chicken, Xianthe?"
"I'm not chicken!" Xianthe had glared at them both before she finally, slowly took her first bite of the icy blue treat. Her eyes widened in surprise before she eagerly finished off the entire stick. Both Roxas and Axel watched in amazement as she even started licking her bare fingers clean of the substance.
She stared at them amusedly, "What?" before Roxas began stuttering some stupid excuse about her looking different and something about camels (she wasn't even sure what he was thinking about!).
But Axel? He had just looked thoughtful. Leaning back, he continued eating his ice-cream as he commented, "For someone who was afraid to eat it, you sure liked it."
She wrinkled her nose, "It's just this time. Nothing weird."
"Oh?" Roxas grinned. "Then how does that explain the yo-yo? Or the baked mac-and-cheese casserole? Or the--"
Xianthe cut him off with a glare. Roxas stuck his tongue out at her. Then? They all burst into laughter looking at each other.
That was the first time Xianthe had ever had sea-salt ice cream.
How could she not be excited about today? Roxas was finally assigned as her partner for this mission! Xianthe eagerly brushed her hair back and even paid more at the Moogle shop than she usually did to prepare for missions.
"You're happy today," Xigbar chuckled as he looked up from the book he was reading.
Xianthe normally would've glared, but she just responded cheekily, "So? Missions are fun normally."
Demyx pouted, "But you didn't say that when we went on a mission together."
And for once, Xianthe didn't have a response to that. Instead, she merely replied, "You know how I hate water."
Xigbar chuckled while Deymx made a face at his older comrade.
Come on, Roxas! Hurry up and get here so that she could go ahead and avoid these two jokers! As if by magic, he walked through the door just then. Looking over his coat one last time, Roxas then waved at Xianthe.
"Morning," He cheerfully called. "What's up?"
"We're partners," Xianthe smiled at him. "So go ahead and accept that mission from Saix already!"
Roxas laughed, "Alright, alright! Jeez, I guess if it makes you happy."
He walked to Saix, heard his assignment, and finished rearranging his panels before he and Xianthe happily accepted their mission to Hallow Bastion together. That was the first (and thankfully, not the last) she had been partnered with one of her best friends.
Wringing the water out of her hair, Xianthe couldn't help moaning, "Axel, you jerkface! You know how much I hate water!"
Axel smirked, "How was I supposed to know Christmas Town's snow was that dangerous?"
The rest of the Castle was oddly quiet, save for their usual bickering. Xianthe waited for someone else to enter The Grey Area and yell for Xianthe and Axel to shut up. (After all, someone like Zexion or Luxord usually hated it when she or Axel or Roxas ruined his concentration! And if Larxene were here, she'd probably make some rude comment or another.)
She waited for a second before grabbing a towel to finish drying her hair. "Where is everyone?"
"I don't know," Axel shrugged. Drying himself off with his own fire, he then knelt down beside his friend and created a small fire. "This should make it easier."
If she were capable of blushing, Xianthe knew that now would definitely be the time to become all flustered and call him a weirdo and--- but she didn't do anything. Instead, she serenely smiled as the rest of the water evaporated off her body.
Lightly kissing Axel on the forehead, she cheerfully said, "Thank you. I needed that."
Axel smiled differently for the rest of the day, Xianthe noticed. Roxas too seemed oddly weird - almost as if he'd been jealous of the whole situation - but she wouldn't comment on their actions unless it was really necessary. If they were mad at her, they needed to talk to her about it first.
That was the first (and thankfully, the last) time Xianthe had publicly expressed affection for her friends.
Twilight Town was starting to become their home away from home. Even though the three of them had the castle, neither Roxas, Xianthe, nor Axel really wanted to hang out in a place as dreary as their castle. There just wasn't any life in a place that seemed to be ruled in black and white. (It fitted their situation, yes, but couldn't they do something about the lack of color?)
Even though they couldn't always have sea-salt ice cream up on the clock tower, they made up in other ways. When the weather permitted, they ditched their long Organization coats for a day out in the sun. The ocean's waves called out to them - and they were convinced that they would enjoy a day without worrying about hearts and Heartless and Nobodies.
In fact? The day did them better than they had realized. Roxas found himself making plenty of sandcastles. Every time he managed to finish one, either Axel - or Xianthe - or a poor ocean wave somehow perfectly timed itself so that Roxas would have to start all over again. But Roxas didn't seem to mind the first time. Or the tenth time.
But when Xianthe and Axel finally felt pity for the fifteenth sandcastle, they did the unthinkable: they prevented the tide from reaching in and snatching Roxas's poor sandcastle from existence. Xianthe wasn't exactly sure how she or Axel managed to save the sand creation, but the smile on their friend's face was oddly more than enough for them.
For people who weren't supposed to be ruled by emotion, they were sure doing a horrible job of avoiding it. And, amusedly, that was the first time Xianthe had ever gone out of her way to help someone else.
He was gone. Xianthe threw her pillow across the room. How could he leave her like this? They were supposed to be friends! Til death do them part! Kicking her bed, she howled again. Roxas could not - and would not - leave them. No! No, no, no!
Axel sadly watched from the sidelines. He crossed his arms as he slowly, but steadily, made his way into her bedroom.
"Xianthe," His voice sounded eerily shaky. It wasn't as steady and confident as Axel's voice usually was, but then again: Xianthe was more emotionally unstable today too.
"Don't talk to me."
Without even flinching, he moved in front of her and completely enveloped her in his embrace. Without even thinking, Xianthe found herself embracing him back. The tears -- the ones she'd tried so hard to hold back -- kept falling down, no matter how hard she tried to push them back.
"I miss him so much," She murmured into his chest. "Why'd he leave us?"
He shrugged helplessly in response, "I don't know. Maybe he'll tell us some day."
And that was the first time Xianthe had ever cried over losing someone.
The sun would never set in Twilight Town, but she had had enough memories to last her a lifetime. Effortlessly exiting the clock tower, Xianthe gazed over a group of friends laughing and playing nearby. They barely acknowledged her - just as she barely acknowledged them - but that was enough for her.
Today was a day for her to remember. The good times as well as the bad... every day had been a precious moment for her to cherish and hold as her own. Sighing wistfully, Xianthe tossed the bag - and the stick - into the trash.
"Tomorrow is another day," She found herself saying as she disappeared into the darkness.
That was the first time Xianthe acknowledged that she had been living in the past.