⊕ 03 [action]

[erodingearth]

[This takes place on Friday, the last day of the experiment.

Terra's been feeling a strong desire to train today. Pullups and pushups in the clearing, combat training in the battle dome... He's got stamina to spare, but there's no doubt he's pushing himself; usually he has the sense to stop once in awhile.

He can be seen in the forest near house 39 exercising in the morning or over in the battle dome past noon. ...Or maybe even passed out on the grass on his way back to the house, towards midnight.]

Comments

[perplexme]

I'm not sure how it works for those two, but...with Sora and I? We're connected. I can see all of his memories and he gets a few glimpses of mine. Or did. It hasn't happened since we've been here. But beyond that, Sora and I were able to function separately for a long time, almost a year. [But that's leaving out everything that happened during his year with the Organization including the flood of memories and the comas and the killing of his best friend who was an imperfect replica, but, you know, details.]

Back home though I had to merge with Sora so that he could continue fighting the darkness. He was only at about half his strength without me there.

[erodingearth]

So even though he returned to his normal form, Sora was still weakened because he made a Heartless and a Nobody. I think I get it. [Maybe he should ask Ven if he felt connected to Vanitas.] ...Is that the same case here, in Luceti?

[perplexme]

Sorta...Sora's still pretty powerful even without me being merged here. We both are. It's sort of strange, especially when there was a time that not only were Sora and I separated, but his Heartless was around as well. I think if everyone merged with Sora again he'd be at a much higher strength, yeah, but he's got enough skill and experience to make up for it.

I guess I do, too.

[erodingearth]

If Sora's as strong as you say, and you're his Nobody, there shouldn't be any guessing about it. [But wait, that's not what Roxas was getting at.] When you were ... created, you didn't have any of Sora's skills?

[perplexme]

I had to learn them just like he did. The only thing I was born with was the ability to wield the Keyblade, but I didn't understand why at first.

Xion was able to use it, too.

[erodingearth]

[... ...So was that the same as Vanitas? Then how had he picked up all of his skills?

He's so wrapped up in that disconcerting thought that he almost misses what Roxas is saying.] Xion too?

[perplexme]

Yeah, Xion too. We didn't understand it at the time, but because of how she came to existence she could wield the Keyblade with me.

[erodingearth]

She's... [The way that Roxas said that is a little ominous.] She's different, isn't she?

[perplexme]

Yes. She's not a true Nobody. She's...a replica.

[erodingearth]

[Though his expression doesn't really change, Terra's confusion is visible in the way he blinks several times.]

Some kind of backup plan then. [That's the only reason he can imagine anyone going to such lengths.] But she's ... a girl.

[perplexme]

Yeah, she is. [A+ for figuring that out, boys.] She was meant to be a replica of Sora if Sora and I didn't go through with what the Organization wanted, but she ended up taking on the form of someone else. Someone really important to Sora.

[erodingearth]

Not much success on the whole "replicating" part, huh? [The only friends he knew of Sora's were the ones in Luceti, so...] She's supposed to resemble Kairi?

[perplexme]

No, she replicated enough to where she started regaining Sora's memories, too. And she had Sora's powers but like me she had to learn. [He nods though.] Sora's strongest memories were of her, so that's why when they created Xion, she took that form.

[erodingearth]

Replicating memories. That sounds like it'd cause a lot of trouble. [Anything about tampering with memories troubled him. What if memories were all you had?]

[perplexme]

...a friend of mine was busy trying to put all of Sora's memories back together. She messed them up and had to fix her mistakes. While she was doing that though, Xion and I started getting all of Sora's memories. That was the first hint that there was something more to our existence.

[erodingearth]

So all three of you were that closely connected. [How strange. He'd never thought of memories as something that far-reaching between people.] What happened?

[perplexme]

I don't know all of the details...and all of Sora's memories of that whole year are erased. All I know is what Naminé told me and what Axel's told me. Do you still want to know?

[erodingearth]

[Well, considering what they were talking about before...]

Now I'm not so sure. We're far off from our original topic, aren't we? Organization XIII?

[perplexme]

Considering that Naminé was working under Organization XIII's orders? Not entirely off the mark. But what do you want to know about the Organization? We'll start there.

[erodingearth]

You said you stayed with them, and it sounds like you worked for them too. Are they also Nobodies?

[perplexme]

Every single one of them. That's what the point of the Organization was; it functioned as a group of Nobodies who all had the same goal of creating and fulfilling Kingdom Hearts.

[erodingearth]

But you don't work with them now.

[perplexme]

After everything that happened with Xion...I left. I had to leave to find answers. The Organization wasn't giving them to me fast enough.

[erodingearth]

You said both of you were getting Sora's memories. [And the way Roxas had just explained...] Your experiences were different from hers?

[perplexme]

Seems that way. We were both having connections to Sora, but even now...I share a lot of his memories. She doesn't. I think it's just because I'm half of him, and she was meant to be him. It never worked out the way it was supposed to, but I'm glad. Sort of.