Sorrow's Promise

Chapter 7

SLIGHT TRIGGER WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER. SEE CENSORED VERSION BELOW DOUBLE LINES.

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Roxas and I ended up spending the whole afternoon strolling around Twilight Town together. He was super easy to get along with, and I found myself laughing and chatting with him like we had known each other forever. It had been so long since I had actually had a friend, I had almost forgotten what it was like.

It turned out that when he said he and his friends had ice cream at the clock tower, he actually meant on the clock tower, as in dangling hundreds of feet in the air over the train station. He invited me to go up and see the sunset, but I had to politely decline. Heights had never really been my thing.

Instead, we took the train to Sunset Station, to an area of town called Sunset Terrace, and climbed up Sunset Hill. Apparently everything in this town was named after its unique solar situation. I had mentioned to Roxas that I didn't know how long I was going to be around, so he insisted that I see the infamous sunset from somewhere before I left.

"If you're not going to see it from the clock tower, this is the next best spot," he proclaimed as we topped the hill.

For the first time since arriving, I was actually able to see the sun itself, glowing almost blindingly bright just above the horizon, as well as the full expanse of sky, looking like it had been painted with watercolors. The oranges and yellows right around the sun gave way to various shades of pink farther out, which then turned to purple and finally faded into blue directly above us. Small, puffy clouds dotted the sky, and silhouetted birds soared gracefully across the sun.

"Wow," I breathed, not knowing what else to say. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life. Crossing the grassy hilltop, I sank down onto a wooden bench and leaned on my arms on the fence that curved around the area.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Roxas walked up next to me and crossed his arms over his chest.

"It's...breathtaking," I returned. "I'm from a big city, so you can never see sunsets like this. There are too many buildings in the way."

"Axel and Xion and I really like watching the sunset. I guess that's why we always come to town and sit on the clock tower. Or, at least we used to." He sighed. "Axel's been acting so weird lately, and he hasn't been showing up for ice cream. And Xion...she disappeared a few days ago. I'm really worried about her."

Tearing my eyes away from the sky, I looked up at him sympathetically. He was obviously going through a rough spot, but I didn't really know what to say to him to help. "I'm sorry," I offered weakly.

Roxas glanced over at me and gave a sheepish laugh. "Sorry, I don't know why I'm telling you all of this. Maybe it's because you remind me a lot of Xion."

Somehow I wasn't even surprised to hear that. "Let me guess, she looks just like me, except for her hair?"

His mouth twisted to the side in thought as he studied my face. "Yeah, I guess so. How did you know that?"

"It's a long story," I chuckled, amusing myself with my own private joke. "Oh, speaking of which..." I spun around on the bench and leaned forward to get a good look at the miniature version of the clock tower that stood right next to us. "I'd better get going. I have to meet someone at five o'clock back on the other side of town."

"Oh, yeah, I'd better get back and report to Saix before I get an earful," Roxas smirked. "Can you make it back on your own alright?"

"Sure," I nodded. "Thanks for the tour today. I had a lot of fun."