Empty Promises

Xion jumped and immediately dashed at her face, trying to hide the fact that she’d been caught crying. A second later, she recognized who’d caught her - too late to keep Roxas from realizing, but she still tried to play it off anyway, keeping her face mostly turned away.

“O-Oh, Roxas. You… startled me.”

Even now, Roxas was never really sure what would flip Xion’s switch.

And he realized, pretty much in the act, that reaching out to her at a time like this was...probably not going to have the result he wanted.  But he couldn’t just ignore it, either.

Still, if Xion didn’t want to draw attention to it off the bat, Roxas wasn’t going to make her.  “Uh--sorry, I didn’t mean to, I just...”

The limp caught Isa’s attention. His eyes fell to Roxas’s torn, bloody pant leg but said nothing, since it seemed as if Roxas didn’t want to draw attention to it. Still, as much as it looked like the sort of ordinary injury any normal teenager might get, and not one of the combat wounds common in the Organization, it was still pretty bad. Isa raised one eyebrow in a pointed sort of way, but made no comment on it.

Actually, Isa was kind of surprised Roxas was speaking to him at all. He hadn’t moved so much as a muscle once he’d finished putting his drink down, mostly expecting Roxas to glare at him and storm right off. If anything, Roxas seemed more inclined to lurk about. Was he self-conscious about Lea or Xion catching him scraped up?

“No one else is home. Your secret’s safe.”

Roxas was all wound up for Axel to come in and start up, and that hadn’t really bothered him in the Organization because Axel never did that kind of thing in the Organization.  Sure, he’d pass Roxas a potion or help out if he noticed Roxas struggling, but he didn’t actually act all worried or make a thing of it.

It was different, and Roxas didn’t like it.

Still, it was a surprise to hear that Saix was here by himself apparently, and Roxas frowned at the door and back in puzzlement.  Would Saix lie?  Roxas couldn’t actually remember a time when he had; just times he’d omitted information.  And he certainly didn’t have a reason to, that Roxas could see anyway.

  Xion understood where his worry was  coming from, his parinoia  over her came with a  reason that was m ore or less her own doing.

Nonetheless she nodded her head and reached for him, her hands going to cup his  own in a gentle reassuring squeeze. She was truly grateful to have a  friend like  Roxas. 

“I promise with all my heart, I will tell you if I ever feel uncomfortable. I  won’t hide or lie about my true feelings ever again to you. I did once and it was  half the reason  why I lost you both in the first place….never again.” She whispered.

“I vow it. I mean t hat Roxas.” She murmured before leaning  forwards and kissing his cheek lovingly. The ebony haired girl’s lips lingered there for a moment before she pulled away with a sheepish giggle. 

“I really am lucky to have you. Th-Than you, for caring so much about me.”

He smiled sadly at that.  And Roxas knew how hard a decision that must have been for her to make; he vividly remembered chasing after her in Twilight Town or even at Never Was, always pestering her for answers.  And there was a part of him that would always be sad he hadn’t gotten them in time, but...he could see now, how that would be hard to endure.

“Thank you,” he said, and then made a surprised noise when she leaned that close.  The peck on his cheek made him laugh and twitch like it was a tickle, surprised.

“Haha, what was that for?”  It wasn’t a gesture he was very familiar with, but a lot was changing about the ways in which the three of them showed affection.  Axel in particular seemed a lot less withdrawn than he had been without a heart, and it wasn’t like Xion had to worry about getting teased or looked down on by the other Organization members anymore.

 “That or you just like holding grudges.” Xion joked. She sighed though and shook her head. 

“He has a long way to go to fully atone, I get that. What he did to us…to Lea. To all of us was wrong and it wasn’t like he wasn’t in control of his actions. He knew what he was doing. He just did it out of jealousy but-…I at least wanna try to start showing him he has a chance to fully be redeemed by us y’know? If we just reject his kindness, it won’t do anyone any better.”

“Plus Lea really wants this to work, the four of us living together and I-I do too…I’ve never had a family before Roxas.” Xion murmured quietly. “I want this to work more than anyone…”

“I know it’s not the same as it was with Axel but-…heh…maybe Sora’s kindness is rubbing off on me. I am technically a part of him.” She teased. “He never could reject anyone…maybe I just can’t either. Even when I know I should.”

“Wh--hey!”

“I don’t hold grudges.  I just don’t forget bullshit.”

(And if Lea heard Roxas say that word, he’d probably make that face again, but honestly.)

“...But you’re right, and I want it to work too.  I just...don’t want it to be because you’re not telling us something, you know?  You keep this stuff to yourself, you always have, and I...understand, I think.  But.”

He made a fruitless sort of gesture, not feeling like he’d cut to the heart of the issue at all.  “Just...promise me you’ll let us know if you’re uncomfortable.  Okay?  Before it’s a problem we have to do something about.”

 “Yeah. He even looked surprise. It was super weird seeing him anything but calm or in utter rage mode, but he hasn’t been the latter since we kicked his butt as Saix.” Xion explained. “I didn’t know he knew any other emotion between those two.” She teased with a shrug, holding his hand a second too long before sheepishly pulling her smaller one out of his hold.

“And I-I erm…I guess.” The girl’s smile faltered ever so briefly before looking away and rubbing her hand over her arm in a shy manner. “I like to think he and Saix were two different people entirely…I don’t feel as afraid in his presence as I use to be. He constantly apologies too and he-he doesn’t need to. I’ve already forgiven him. I just think-….he hasn’t fully forgiven himself.”

“I don’t really like bringing it up with him. I just want a fresh start between the four of us y’know? Let the past fade away and all that stuff. He just-…I think it’s why he always offers me to come along with him. He’s trying to be a better person, my friend. That’s all that matters to me.” She murmured quietly. 

“He’s apart of our family now Roxas. We should accept him just like we did Lea right?”

He made a thoughtful noise, letting Xion’s hand go when she was comfortable with that.  It was true, Isa hadn’t been cruel or cold, and did seem interested in making things right.  And...well...jeez.  It was so hard for Roxas to hate someone who could relate so much to his own issues with Axel.

Not that he hadn’t tried his hardest.

"Axel’s...kind of a different story.”  One no less fraught with drama and betrayal, sure, but overall, Roxas had found Axel a lot easier to forgive.  “I don’t know.  I think we can accept him, if we want to.  But I don’t think we just should, or we have to.  What happened with Saix was complicated, but all this...doesn’t just make it go away.”

 “We got a lot of stuff in french I can’t actually read?” Xion shrugged. “All I know is that it’s expensive! Apparently little chef got it all for us. Isa was a little freaked out from getting ingredients from a rat of all things but he’s cool with it now. Should’ve seen his face though? I couldn’t stop laughing to be honest.” The ebony haired girl teased. 

“I’m pretty sure spaghetti at least is in there somewhere. But anyways how was your day today? Sorry I was missing from most of it.” She gave an apologetic smile before standing up, offering her hand to help him back to his own feet. “Lea said he’d be running a little late getting home. Wonder what he’s up to.”

“Isa was freaked out?”  Roxas was so unfamiliar with that as a thing that could actually happen that he almost didn’t register Xion’s hand up, blinking at it insensibly.  “By Little Chef?”  How and why would that be?  Roxas wouldn’t really expect Isa to be freaked out by anything but a clear and present threat, and even then...

Regardless, Roxas couldn’t really fathom what would be freaky about a rat that also cooked.  (Granted, even with the false memories Namine had given him in Twilight Town, there was still a lot to be desired from his education.)

“Huh?  Don’t worry about it,” he added, accepting the hand up and grinning.  They still spent a lot more time together than they had back in the Organization, and if there was something weird about a day apart meriting a tackle-hug, no one told Roxas.

“It...wasn’t too weird, with him?” he checked then, in a hedging way.  “Isa, I mean.”  Roxas had forgiven a lot, but his own conflict with Isa was specifically about Xion, and he wanted to make sure she was comfortable.

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