Memory Cave

[voidtreckermods]

After the passengers see a glimpse of a life that is not their own they appear in a cave. It is light, a strange moss glowing on the walls and ceiling illuminates the cave nicely and it is large enough for them to pace around in without trouble.

They are not alone. In the cave with them is another voidtrecker. Maybe someone they know well, maybe someone they have only seen in the aisles of the train. But they are together in this cave together.

The cave has no exit, at least not yet. They know that it will, eventually. When the time is right.

But for that time to come, they first must talk...

(OOC: For reference: memories!)

Comments

Xion | Taiki

[voidtreckermods]

Re: Xion | Taiki

[nobodys_puppet]

Xion was more than rocked by the power of that memory. As soon as she arrived she fell to her knees, hands to her chest. It hurt. Why did it hurt? She was shaking as she fought to stay even that much upright. She didn't know where she was or why or how. And she didn't know that what had hurt was the strength and depth of... emotion.

Oh the fear she understood and recognized. But pride... she wouldn't have been able to name it, to explain it, to know what it was. It was a lot for someone who thought she had no emotions, who really did but tended to feel things in a smaller way...

[longforgottenpromise]

The first memory had been strange, a place he did not recognise, people he didn't recognise, words he didn't recognise. But there were things he did know. The wariness, the worry, the general feeling of not ever being good enough just for... anything really.

This memory held the same, but more. A rooftop, ice cream. Lea or Axel, being forgotten.

"I could still tell something was missing... That I'd forgotten something important." Those words haunt him even as he opens his eyes in a cave, tears that were partially still Xion's and partially his spilling from his eyes.

I feel like there's something I'm missing. A promise that should never have been forgotten.

But through those tears he sees... "Xion." He's at her side at once, hands going to help her up. "Are you alright?"

If he was seeing her life then she was seeing his and he feels guilt. There's so much... That no one should have to see.

[nobodys_puppet]

Her shaking hands, gloved again, went into his. "It hurts," she gasped. "Why does it hurt? Like something inside is trying to explode out...."

[longforgottenpromise]

"Xion?" His voice is even more worried now as he held onto her hand. What had she seen?

He can think of... Too many things that she might have seen to make her hurt like this and he feels guilty about every single one of them.

"I'm sorry Xion... What... What hurts?" Something inside trying to explode out?

[nobodys_puppet]

"My chest... Like something trying to push out of it." But it was fading now, thankfully. He shaking was a little less as well.

[longforgottenpromise]

"Your chest..." He reaches out hesitantly to touch her arm. "Just breathe, I'm sorry... For whatever hurt you, whatever you saw."

He looked around, he knows there is no exit, he can feel it. "We will figure a way out... Then we can go and find Axel... I mean Lea..."

Axel had been the name she had used in the memory but he knew him as Lea. He understands being called different things by different people, but he should use the name he has been given.

[nobodys_puppet]

"The dark corridors?" she suggested, since he already knew she could do it, anyway... And she did want to see Axel. He could explain this, she was sure. He'd know what that had been.

[longforgottenpromise]

"It's worth a try." This cave doesn't feel bad, it doesn't feel like a place they need to escape from. But at the same time, clearly something strange is going on. They are trapped here.

He gives her space, for her to summon one of her strange portals.

[nobodys_puppet]

She nodded and thrust out her hand, focusing her portal on the area right outside the train. From there they could find Axel, she was sure. The portal formed and she nodded. She figured he would follow and walked into the portal and...

[longforgottenpromise]

He nodded back quietly, following her into the portal. He had travelled with her through them before so he was used to the strange feeling, the bright colours, the darkness and then...

He stepped out, back into the cave. He looked around. "Oh."

It seemed, escape was not possible that way after all.

[nobodys_puppet]

She frowned from under her hood. "Is this the same cave...?" Maybe she should try leaving a small mark, so they knew if they came out in a different cave that looked the same, or if they somehow had just... looped? Was that even possible?

[longforgottenpromise]

"I think so..."

He looked around, "It feels the same." He can't explain that. It just... did. "It feels... We have something to do here. Before we can leave.

He doesn't know much about her powers, but he understands that this wasn't normal. He reaches out carefully to touch her arm.

"I... Sorry I think I saw some of your life, before."

[longforgottenpromise]

It was strange, whatever this was. But there was something telling him to complete the ritual, to touch the syrup and see another memory of Xion's.

He watched his own memory play out silently, he had once forgotten this. Forgotten this day and all the days of the fourteen months prior to this day. But since he had remembered... This day was never far from his mind.

His stomach twists as he watches the young version of himself, trusting, anxious and worried. Making so many mistakes...

Because Asen was wrong of course, his mistake wasn't choosing Gyousou. That was about the only thing Taiki had done in his life that wasn't a mistake.

The memory shifted to Xion's life and he watched, rising anger. He's still... Confused about many aspects of Xion but this memory is clear. This man treating her so harshly. A failure, a betrayal. Xion's fear, the knowledge she is to be destroyed.

As she runs he can only hope she managed to escape somewhere.

As they exit into the cave he moves to her straight away, reaching for her hand.

"Xion?"

[nobodys_puppet]

She looked up at him, shaken and confused. "Why... does this keep happening?" she asked in a small voice, before looking down at her gloves, and at his hand reaching. She neither reached towards him or pulled away.

[longforgottenpromise]

He doesn't take her hand, just leaving his hand hovering, as if she were a frightened horse he was trying to calm.

He doesn't have an answer, he has no idea why they are here, what it means or why they are seeing each others lives.

"I don't know." His answer was honest at least.

[nobodys_puppet]

"Is Naminé doing this?" she asked quietly. She hadn't seen the other girl in quite some time, but Xion didn't know anyone else who could give memories from one person to another. And the door had appeared last time when she had mentioned her...

[longforgottenpromise]

"I don't think so... She's not here..."

Hadn't been on the train for a while and nothing like this had happened before. There had been the dreams but that seemed to have a different explanation.

"It's happening to a lot of people..."

[nobodys_puppet]

"It is?"

[longforgottenpromise]

"Yes." He sounds surprised, but he tries to keep any judgement out of his voice.

She reminds him of himself. Not now. But before. When he was on earth. Just... existing. Not paying attention. His thoughts turned so inward that he barely interacted with the world at all. It was too dangerous, he couldn't care, couldn't get close to anyone. They would only be hurt because of him.

"That's why everyone was on the mountain."

[nobodys_puppet]

"Not just to watch the sunset?"

[longforgottenpromise]

He shook his head, it hadn't been to just watch the sunset at all. Even if the sunset had been very pretty.

"No it seems there is something about this island, it has... shared our memories. I don't know why."

But for some reason he and Xion had been made privy to parts of each others lives.

[nobodys_puppet]

"Are... we going to become one person?" she asked quietly. Was this version of her... made of him?

[longforgottenpromise]

"One person?" That... Sounded worrying. He shook his head. "I don't... I don't think so but I don't know..."

"I don't know how that could happen."

[nobodys_puppet]

"It's happened before," she said with a small shrug.