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“So… are we there yet?”
“Roxas, we're nowhere closer than when you asked me that a minute ago.”
“Oh come on Xion, at least give me a hint!”
Roxas hadn't really expected his day to go this way. Blindfolded and being guided by one of his best friends through the streets of what he hoped was still Twilight Town, with no indication as to where they were going.
The morning started out normal enough.
His phone woke him up with a reminder to meet up with Hayner for a few sparring sessions of Struggle at the arena. He'd only agreed to it after Hayner went through a painstakingly long conversation with him about how ‘it's been ages since we hung out!’ and ‘you need to start getting out of the house more!’.
The blond couldn't disagree with the fact that he hadn't been in the mood for doing much lately. Aside from his weekly check ups with Ienzo at Radiant Garden, Roxas didn't leave the comfort of his new home unless he needed to.
Everyone from Axel, to the Twilight Gang, to even Riku at one point—that was an awkward interaction for the both of them—would check on him and extend invitations to do various leisurely activities. He always found a way to turn them down while somehow reassuring his friends that he was fine, even if he knew that wasn't always the case.
The one constant that remained in his life however, was his training.
Roxas would occasionally visit Ventus, Aqua and Terra in the Land of Departure and borrow their training grounds. He sometimes worried he was overstepping, but would quickly get shut down by Aqua when he wanted to voice his concerns.
“It's normal for you to want to stay in top shape with your skills. You never know when you might need them.” Aqua would say with a reassuring smile, yet a hint of what the blond recognized as pity was visible in her eyes.
He knew what she was hinting at.
They both knew he wanted to be prepared for whenever they had any leads on Sora's whereabouts.
It had already been four months, yet no matter how much scientists searched in the depths of their minds, there were still no clues. Not in Xion, not in Naminé, not in Kairi.
And certainly not in Roxas.
“Alright! We're here!” Xion's chipper voice came from his left side, bringing the blond back to reality. He'd nearly forgotten what he was doing.
Earlier in the day after sparring with Hayner, Xion had shown up with Olette and practically dragged Roxas away from the two, claiming they had plans that the duel wielder had no prior knowledge of. After that, she'd presented him with a blindfold and begged him to humor her while she took him someplace special.
To tell the truth, he could never say no to her, and thus he'd agreed to embark on this wild goose chase.
“Then can I finally take this silly thing off?” Roxas found his voice after a beat of silence. He tried pushing the unpleasant thoughts out of his head and instead focused on the curious side of him that wondered where the raven had taken him.
Xion let out a sigh, and before he knew it, his blindfold was being removed and the girl was talking once more. “Okay, fine! Ta-da!”
As the blond's vision began to adjust to the sudden brightness, it didn't take long for him to recognize his surroundings. The duo was standing by the entrance of the infamous Bistro, near one of the many outdoor tables the establishment had to offer which Roxas guessed was reserved for them—the chairs were pulled and drinks were already in place.
Confirming his suspicions, the raven walked over to the table and took the seat near the entrance, gesturing towards the empty spot in front of her while doing so. “I already got us our usual.”
A chuckle went past Roxas’ lips as he adjusted himself on the chair. “Gee, didn't think you'd go all fancy on me. I didn't even know you could ask for an order ahead of time.”
“You can't, usually. But I called in a favor from Little Chef thanks to Mr. Scrooge.” Xion began stirring her cup with a small silver spoon, which brought the blond's attention to his own beverage.
The steam of what was undeniably chamomile tea wafted into his nostrils, with a yellow color reflecting in the cup along with other herbs he didn't know the names of, but could trust would get the job done in bringing him comfort.
Only Xion knew of his new interest in teas—a suggestion he'd taken from Master Merlin when he noticed how restless Roxas had become over the past few months. He never expected it to work as well as it did, but now chamomile was one of his favorites, and it seemed like his best friend kept a close eye on this.
A smile spread on his lips as he turned to look at his companion. “Thanks. Though you didn't have to bring me here, we could've just sat down at my house. Maybe call Axel to watch a movie together.”
“Sorry to break it to you Roxas, but I think the Bistro makes better tea than your poor antique kettle ever could.” The girl quipped with the hint of a smirk tugging at her lips, but it vanished as quickly as it came, replaced with a more neutral expression. “Besides, we haven't really hung out outside your house much. If Aqua hadn't told me about your training in the Land of Departure, I would've thought you spend all your time indoors these days…”
“Here we go…” Roxas winced slightly at the comment, trying his best to not look bothered by it. His gaze turned downward. “Look, Xion—”
“No, Roxas.” The raven cut him off with a curt reply, firm yet gentle, just the way she was. “I know you're trying to make sure we don't worry about you, but I just want you to know that we do because we care. And it's not like it's a bad thing! We're all worried about Sora, too.”
The blond began to fiddle with the rim of his porcelain cup, staring at his yellowish reflection in the flavored water. “It's been months… you'd think we would've found something by now. Especially me, I mean, I'm his Nobody!”
“You were his Nobody.” Xion reached over and placed a gentle hand on top of his unoccupied one. It felt warm. “You're your own person now. It's not your responsibility, so stop putting so much pressure on yourself. If you're going to worry, at least let us worry with you… please?”
After finally daring to take a look upwards, Roxas’ eyes landed on Xion's, which held nothing but patience and understanding. The blond knew his friend wanted nothing more than to help, and truthfully, he's always known this. Not just with her but everyone around him who'd been checking in.
He didn't want to worry them, and yet here he was, doing just that.
A small smile stretched on the corner of his lips as he gave the raven's hand a gentle squeeze. “Sorry. I'll let you in on whenever I'm feeling down from now on. No more secrets.”
Xion raised a questioning eyebrow. “Promise?”
“Haha yes, I promise!” At that, he finally freed his hand and reached for his now lukewarm cup. “You know, if anyone was gonna give me this pep talk, I'm glad it was you.”
“Was there another option? I mean, can you imagine Axel sitting across this table right now?” Xion giggled at that last question, bringing Roxas along for the ride. Their spiky flaming friend was many things… but emotionally intelligent was not one of them.
As the girl returned to her own cup and started talking about a girl's trip she was planning with Olette earlier, the blond could only stare fondly with a calm sigh.
Nothing had been magically solved—Sora was still missing, and unless they found any leads soon, Roxas would continue to worry.
But so would his friends. And at the very least, in that sense, he would never truly be alone, which brought him comfort somehow. The fact that together they would never stop looking, no matter how long it took.
Perhaps his former ‘Somebody’ was right.
Friends could truly be the greatest power of all.