Noi - Part II
Mysterious Tower - Xion's Heart
Night 01

Xion

The darkness seemed to go on forever.

Xion's footsteps fell strangely upon her ears; the void through which they strode seemed to swallow sound as it passed beyond arm's reach, leaving naught but the dimly-lit silhouette of her twin to guide Xion through the darkness. Even their voices sounded strange and foreign, the absence of an echo making it somewhat difficult to speak. Noi, at least, seemed wholly unperturbed by the otherworldly characteristics of the void within Xion's heart; she strode purposefully onward toward a shimmering pinprick of color in the distance, carefully following a path that Xion was unable to see.

"You know," said Noi suddenly, startling Xion out of her reverie, "it wasn't always like this. This place used to be full of color... and light, and warmth. Then one day, it all just vanished. Poof." She snapped her fingers. "There was no warning. It was like someone flipped a switch." Sensing that she wasn't expected to add anything, Xion contented herself with watching the sway of Noi's back as she ambled ever deeper into the void. "It was lonely," her twin admitted in a voice that surprised Xion with its meekness. "At first..."

"... I told myself that it was fine," mumbled Xion, picking up the thought when Noi had trailed off. "I thought... that I had done the right thing. Giving up my life for Roxas' sake. It was the heroic thing to do."

"The thing about heroes," said Noi, "is that they act in the moment. 'Be brave', people say. 'Don't hesitate'. 'Protect'. 'Save'. … And yet those voices always seem to forget the most important part. The part that allows heroes to act on behalf of those they would save without regard to their own well-being." Noi slowed to a halt, forcing Xion to do the same. Though they had been working their way toward it for quite some time, Xion was nonetheless surprised to find herself standing atop a crystalline tower. Wrought in glass and light below her feet was a beautiful mosaic of Noi; her twin seemed to be smiling, yet half of her face was darkened by a shadow that warped her features into an expression of abject misery. The imagery, as well as the meaning behind it, made Xion feel as though she had been punched in the gut.

"You didn't free yourself from Sora's heart," said Noi in quiet voice. "That was Sora's decision. Sora's sacrifice." She allowed the word to hang in the stagnant air for a solitary heartbeat before continuing. "Sora knew how lonely you were. He knew that you felt abandoned. When Roxas was recalled to his heart, leaving you feeling as though your efforts had been for nothing... he knew. When Axel followed in your footsteps and surrendered his life for Sora-"

"Stop," said Xion, unable to muster the effort to yell. She settled for raising a trembling hand to halt Noi's speech. "Please, just... I know all of this. Why are you telling me things I already know?" Noi's expression was unreadable. She held Xion's gaze for several moments before sighing and turning her attention to the mosaic beneath her feet.

"Because," she replied, "you've yet to move on. You knew, almost immediately, what had happened when you awoke and found yourself lying on your back in Twilight Town. Yet you chose to ignore it; you settled instead for a comfortable lie that allowed you to live out your fantasies with your friends at your side. Sora?" She waved a hand dismissively. "Sora became an afterthought – and inconvenience who nipped at your heels with fangs of guilt. So you ran. You ran from responsibility. You ran from the emotions that rose up and threatened to engulf your heart whenever you paused to reflect on the consequences of your actions.

"Eventually, it became too much for your heart to bear. You're a fundamentally good person, and the disparity between your heart and your actions gave rise to a schism that eventually ripped your heart in two. All of those negative emotions? The things that you didn't want to deal with because they endangered your dream?" Noi paused as if to be sure that Xion was paying close attention. "They were shunted onto the other half of your heart; the part that had broken free." She paused once again.

"And so I was born."

Xion felt a familiar tightness take hold in her chest she digested everything that Noi had said. Were she to be honest with herself, much of what her twin had divulged was accurate. Even so...

"I'm not like you," protested Xion, painfully aware of the desperation in her voice. "I'm not- I don't hurt people, I don't... I'm not running from anything. I just want to... to..." She trailed off, unable to find the words she sought. What did she want to do? Spend time with Roxas and Axel? Well, yes, of course, but... then what? The current predicament faced by the realms of light would have to be dealt with, yes, and then...

Noi's expression was grim. "You can't keep this up forever," she said, not unkindly. "Everything has its end. What of the realms of light? What of Sora? What of his friends? They miss him. They miss him every bit as much as you've missed Roxas and Axel." Xion was unable to muster a reply, settling instead for sinking to the ground and drawing her knees to her chest. The glass was oddly warm. For a time, no one said anything. Silence settled upon the tower like a burial shroud.

"... Even if you say all of that," mumbled Xion after eons had passed in silence, "I still don't understand what you want me to do. I can't just make this go away. The realm of darkness if still drawing closer, Sora is still trapped within my heart, and... and I don't know what to do."

"Don't ask me," said Noi flatly. "I'm not the one who can save you."

"But-" began Xion, despairing, but Noi shook her head.

"What you need," her twin explained, speaking slowly and clearly as if to emphasize every word, "is a hero." The faintest suggestion of a grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. "I only know of two heroes. One of them is... indisposed. But the other? I wonder. I wonder if she could be convinced to pull herself out of her self-pity, accept responsibility... and do whatever she has to do to save the world."

Xion stared, wordless, trying desperately to ignore the lump she felt rising in her throat.

Noi held out her hand.

AN: Not going to lie, writing that ending was more than a little emotional. More to come.