With a gusty sigh, Lea let go of her and sat down heavily on the bed next to her again. Well, he hadn't really meant to be stern with her, and the last thing he'd wanted to do was make her cry... but he needed her to understand that there had been very little actual thought to his actions. It had been almost pure reflex, now that he thought back on it, and while he wasn't exactly surprised, given all they had gone through together. They had all made a promise to look out for one another, hadn't they? Maybe he'd never been the hero type, but that didn't mean he let his friends die when he could do anything about it. He'd already lost Isa long ago, and that hurt him still... the thought of losing Xion and Roxas was frankly unbearable.
He was quiet for a moment as she fought to keep her sobs quiet, and then he just reached over and silently draped an arm around her shoulders. Tugging her gently against his side, he shook his head.
"Xion, come on, don't cry," he said, "you know I never know what to do you when you cry, right?" He ruffled her head with his free hand and smiled faintly, though her head was still bowed so she didn't see it. "Really, I should be thanking you. Now... now we've all got hearts, right?"
Lea would never be convinced that Roxas hadn't had a heart all along. And Xion, as a replica and not a Nobody at all, had always been exempt. They were complete now, weren't they? This was a good thing! And though he hadn't known it would turn out this way when he'd made his decision, the risk had been more than worth it.
"Xion, listen to me," he said, ducking his head and waiting for her to look up at him. "If you'd been hit... if you'd been the one to die, we'd have lost you for good," he said. "Maybe even memories and all. You know that, right?" His face was pinched with discomfort, but not of a physical nature. "Me, I wound up better off than I was when we started this whole mess, and really I have you to thank for it. I mean, if you hadn't been such a darn great friend, I never would have put my life on the line tryin' to keep you safe, and if I hadn't done that, well, I never would'a gotten my heart back."
Leaning down a bit and knocking his forehead against her crown, he gave her a serious look.
"I don't gamble with my life unless the stakes are too high not to, kiddo," he said, "and the sooner you commit that to memory the better."
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He was quiet for a moment as she fought to keep her sobs quiet, and then he just reached over and silently draped an arm around her shoulders. Tugging her gently against his side, he shook his head.
"Xion, come on, don't cry," he said, "you know I never know what to do you when you cry, right?" He ruffled her head with his free hand and smiled faintly, though her head was still bowed so she didn't see it. "Really, I should be thanking you. Now... now we've all got hearts, right?"
Lea would never be convinced that Roxas hadn't had a heart all along. And Xion, as a replica and not a Nobody at all, had always been exempt. They were complete now, weren't they? This was a good thing! And though he hadn't known it would turn out this way when he'd made his decision, the risk had been more than worth it.
"Xion, listen to me," he said, ducking his head and waiting for her to look up at him. "If you'd been hit... if you'd been the one to die, we'd have lost you for good," he said. "Maybe even memories and all. You know that, right?" His face was pinched with discomfort, but not of a physical nature. "Me, I wound up better off than I was when we started this whole mess, and really I have you to thank for it. I mean, if you hadn't been such a darn great friend, I never would have put my life on the line tryin' to keep you safe, and if I hadn't done that, well, I never would'a gotten my heart back."
Leaning down a bit and knocking his forehead against her crown, he gave her a serious look.
"I don't gamble with my life unless the stakes are too high not to, kiddo," he said, "and the sooner you commit that to memory the better."