My Heart Will Always Belong To You
By Slim Gohan
Disclaimer: I make no profit off of the story. Kingdom Hearts and all of its related characters are property of Disney and Square-Enix. Also, some of the dialogue at the end is paraphrased/taken from the Davy Jones/Calypso scene from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, also owned by Disney.
Summary: Luxord wins his way into the Chamber of Repose, to settle things with an old friend.
Luxord knew Xion was a puppet, and never revealed her true face. Every time he would look at her from behind, he would notice that her hood was always up, hiding her secret visage.
So, why is it that every time he looked at Xion face-to-face, he would see her. He would see the ocean in her eyes, her short, yet flowing hair as blue as the sea itself.
And still, as Xion turned away, her face would vanish, and only the hood remained.
Luxord didn't know what to make of anything. He knew that Xion was in no way connected to her, but yet, that was all he saw. Still, he had to know, and now was the best time for action…but he had to keep this hand close to his chest. He had to find the one member of the Organization that could answer his question, but wouldn't question his motives. Xigbar wouldn't know…although, he forfeit, via a game, another piece of information that would be helpful to the cause later on.
The Gambler smiled as the answer hit him. Xion was close with the dynamic duo of Axel and Roxas. Now, of the two, which wouldn't question his motive? Understanding Axel may be a task not worth the trouble for Luxord, and staying on the red-haired assassin's good side was usually a plus.
Roxas on the other hand…
On the missions they have been paired together on, Luxord came to understand something about the young Keyblade Master…that he often wore his heart on his sleeve...no pun intended, and was very easy to read. Roxas would not question his motive.
With that, Luxord opened a Dark Corridor, and walked through, with Roxas' location being the goal.
"Alone again…" Roxas sighed, as his ice cream melted in his hands.
"So, Roxas, this is where you typically come after your missions?" Luxord came into view, and leaned on the corner of the clock tower. Roxas was startled, and in the process dropped his ice cream. He didn't know how to deal with this interloper to his and his friend's sacred space.
Luxord smirked. "Don't worry. I'm here of my own volition, and will not stay long. Your secret grounds, which I assume you share with Axel and Xion, will stay a secret."
Roxas sighed in relief, but turned his head toward his visitor.
"Why are you here then, Luxord?"
"I am here only to ask you a question. Nothing more, nothing less."
"What is it?"
"What color is Xion's hair?"
Roxas paused for a moment, and furrowed his brow. "Why would you ask that question?"
"I deduct that since you two are the closest of friends, she has taken off her hood around you. She obviously doesn't feel that comfortable around anyone else in the Organization, so my curiosity has been peaked. I don't particularly care to know any of her secrets and fears, just the color of her hair. That seems harmless enough, right, Roxas?"
Roxas thought for a second, and concluded that what Luxord said made sense.
"Black. "
Luxord's face drew silent, as he allowed the information to process.
"Her hair color is black."
Luxord, accepted the information and nodded. "Thank you Roxas. You've helped me immensely, and for that, I offer this piece of information willingly. Axel had a mission in Beast's Castle, and was running slightly late…due to his forced partnership with Demyx. You might want to wait a bit longer…and buy yourself a new ice cream."
Luxord opened a Dark Corridor, and walked through it, leaving Roxas alone again.
"…seriously, what was that about?"
"Roxas, if you're talking to yourself now, then you have more problems than I previously thought."
Roxas looked up, and saw the smiling face of Axel walking toward him.
"Axel, why would Luxord want to know Xion's hair color?"
Axel raised an eyebrow. "Hair color? I have no clue. I can never understand what that man is thinking."
Roxas shrugged in agreement.
Axel then perked up, as if he remembered something. "Hmm…I wonder…Roxas, have you ever walked by Luxord's room at night, and heard a song playing?"
Roxas thought for a second, and then perked up like Axel did. "Yes! It sounded like a song from a music box."
"Yes, that's the one! Does it have something to do with what he asked me?"
Axel nodded. "I think there's a connection. It might have something to do with some lingering sadness in his past that he can't get rid of."
"But Nobodies can't feel emotion."
Axel looked down, and a melancholy washed over his eyes. "Yeah, but we still have our memories, and we still remember how those events impacted us."
Luxord sat in his room in thought. There was a sober song playing from a locket, that was swinging back and forth in his hands.
"The only thing that makes sense is that Xion is a replica that takes the shape of the one we have the strongest connection with…perhaps, because Roxas doesn't have a strong connection with anyone other than Axel, he can see her for what she is. Still…every single time I look at her, I see those ocean blue eyes. It seems that once more, those eyes are drawing me to her once more."
He stood up, and put the locket back in his pocket. "It's time to act on Xigbar's information."
Luxord opened up one more Dark Corridor, and vanished.
Sitting in his seat in Where Nothing Gathers, Xemnas was alone in thought, until one of his Organization ended his solitude.
"I was not expecting company, Luxord."
"Superior, I have a question. And I know this answer is not one you will not surrender willingly."
Xemnas only looked bemused. A reaction Luxord was not expecting.
"Really? I will be the judge of that."
"To make peace with my memories, I would like time in the Chamber of Repose…"
Now Xemnas furrowed his brow.
"…but, I know you would never grant that unless you were required to. So, my question is, would you care for a high-stakes game?"
"If I win, what do you have to offer me?"
"Information."
"On what?!?"
"Do you really think that Marluxia was the only one planning a coup d'état of your power? I could tell you, and you can do with that knowledge as you will."
Xemnas thought deeply. Could he risk not knowing that bit of information? Still, the cost was very, very deep. So, the question was…the stability of his plan to gain Kingdom Hearts versus relinquishing a deep secret…
Xemnas smiled. "Name your game."
Luxord didn't smile, despite things going his way. He still was in fear of the consequences. "Blackjack."
"One game will settle all. Be sure you use an untouched deck. I will not be cheated under any circumstances."
"As you wish."
They both left their posts, using a dark corridor, and ended up in the same place – Nothing's Kitchen. Luxord produced a deck, untouched, unopened. Xemnas sat down, and Luxord followed. Luxord passed Xemnas the deck, which was inspected by the Superior. After seeing that it met his qualifications, he cut the seal, and passed it back to Luxord.
Luxord took the cards out, removed the Jokers, and shuffled. There were times in his life where he may have…given himself an advantage, so to speak, but this was not one of those times. Xemnas was watching his every move to make sure the shuffling and the dealing were handled fairly. He set the deck down, and put one card, face down in front of Xemnas. Then, one card face down in front of him. He gave Xemnas one card face up – the Ace of Hearts. He then gave himself a face up card – the 10 of Diamonds.
Xemnas checked his face down card.
"Hit me."
Luxord did as commanded. Xemnas then smiled. "I'll stand."
Luxord knew Xemnas did not have 21, because he would have flipped the cards over, and kept the secret to himself. However, the sinister grin the superior wore suggested that he was fairly close to the magic number.
His goal was still active, but the success depended on what his face down was.
Luxord checked his face down card, and smiled.
"I'll stand."
"Are you that confident, Gambler?"
"I could say the same for you, Lord Xemnas. Care to reveal your hand?"
Xemnas flipped over his cards. To go with his ace, he revealed the 7 of spades, and the 2 of clubs.
"20."
Luxord revealed the Ace of Spades.
"21."
Xemnas snarled, but a deal was a deal.
"This is your only visit to the Chamber. Do not ask to go again, or your existence ends."
"Fair enough, Lord Xemnas."
Xemnas pulled out a disc, and tossed it to Luxord. Luxord caught it with two fingers, and held it like a card.
"The passwords are Another, and the original names of the first six Organization members. The Chamber is in Hollow Bastion, below the Heartless Manufactory. You are on your own from there."
"Thank you, Superior."
"In return, you will tell me who the rouge agents are, Luxord."
Luxord stopped, and considered. It was wise not to anger the superior any more than he had. "Look into the actions of Axel and Saix. There, you will find your rouge."
"Also, tomorrow, you will do recon on a new world. I believe it is called Port Royal. It would be wise not to be out for too long, Gambler of Fate."
Luxord nodded, opened up a Corridor, and vanished from sight.
Xemnas chuckled, now amused at the whole situation. "Never has an epithet been truer. That one truly gambled with his fate today. I'm surprised his memories were this strong, that he would actually act on them. "
In the depths of Hollow Bastion, a Dark Corridor appeared in the Computer room. The security camera caught the hooded intruder, but before it could get a close up of the mysterious presence, time halted, and the camera went blank.
Luxord walked over to the computer, and inserted the disc into the slot. A password box popped up on the screen. As per Xemnas' instructions, he typed in the word ANOTHER. Six more password boxes popped up. There, he typed in the names XEHANORT, EVEN, BRAIG, DILAN, IENZO, and AELEUS, and hit enter.
A passage lit up beneath. The disc popped out, and Luxord put it away. He then took the side staircase down to the floor. Once there, the floor beneath him lit up, and a door opened a secret passage, with a beam ramp, not unlike those within the Castle that Never Was. Luxord walked into the passage and to the beginning of the long staircase, as the door closed automatically and the beam ramp dissipated.
Luxord then began the long walk down toward the Chamber of Repose, with only one thought in his mind…
"I must meet her once more, if only to ease my memory. Of all emotions to remember…why does it have to be this melancholy longing?"
Luxord finally came to the end of the stairs, and entered the hall. He stopped, and walked all the way down the hall, until he came to his destination. The door opened, and Luxord walked in. The door quickly shut behind him, allowing the privacy he needed so desperately. He walked over, and sat down in the chair in the center of the room. The room illuminated itself bit by bit, and lit up the blue armor that was directly across from him.
Luxord removed his hood, revealing to the Armor his face. He took out the locket from his pocket, and opened it. The sober song began playing, like a song from a music box.
For a long time, he just sat there staring at the armor while the music filled the air.
After what seemed like an eternity, he took a deep breath, and started talking.
"Hello, old friend. " Luxord shut the locket, ending the song. Strangely, the music still filled the room, with the same song from his locket.
"You still remember the tone of the song from our home world…Hikari."
He held the locket tightly. "It has been a while. From the looks of the both of us, it seems we've changed for the worse."
He smirked, but never broke his eye contact with the armor. "Xemnas wants me to do recon in Port Royal. It's a waste of time, considering I know that world like palm of my hand. I know who the players are, and the demons of the sea that should be avoided. You know too…you explored the world with me, back when we...." He couldn't finish the sentence.
"I'll go anyway, to see if things have changed. I hoped they would team me with Roxas, our new member. He looks a lot like one of your companions." Luxord paused for a moment. "Or Xion, a puppet Even made. Every time I see her, I see you."
He sat back in the chair. "There is something I need to get off of my chest. A shattered promise, if you would."
A scowl took control of Luxord's face. "All that time we traveled together, all that time we worked together to fight the Unversed and the entities that ruled the Dark…all the support I gave you in hopes you would become a Keyblade Master, all the time you left me alone…it was all because of a fleeting agreement that you and I would meet again… I waited, and waited….and you weren't there."
He stared intently at the armor. "Why weren't you there?"
The sober music stopped playing. To his surprise, a voice echoed throughout the room in response. "I didn't have a choice. I was bound by duty and by friendship to finish the war! You knew I had to go…would you have cared for me if I were any other way?"
Luxord turned his head away from the armor. "I don't care for you."
The Mysterious Voice's owner took an astral form around the armor, revealing her true form. Her face revealed a deep sadness in her eyes.
"Many things you were, but cruel was never one of them! You have corrupted your purpose, and thus…I see you've corrupted yourself. And now, what you said was mine is now gone!"
The astral form moved forward, and placed her transparent hand on Luxord's chest. Suddenly, something came over him, something that he hadn't experienced in years…emotion. There was warmth running through his body, along with happiness, guilt, melancholy, and several other feelings that replaced the emptiness inside.
The astral form ran her hand slowly up his chest, and to his cheek, and softly caressed it. Luxord moved his hand toward hers, but he felt nothing. He quickly withdrew his hand. She removed her hand from Luxord's face, and the feeling was gone once more.
Luxord looked down. "Have you ever regretted leaving me?"
The astral form stared at the man, silently. Luxord had his answer.
"You loved another, didn't you? It was one of your companions, wasn't it?"
The form stayed silent.
Luxord looked up. "ANSWER ME!" He took several deep breaths. "After everything that's happened in the past…you owe me that much, at the very least."
"Yes, I did."
If he had a heart, it would have been broken in two. Still, there was some bitterness. "Even after the promise we made…even though I was just a man who lived and died with my games, and you the respected warrior of light, we still promised each other that we would meet again, and settle everything between us…"
"I couldn't help what happened! I meant to keep our promise! I tried…but, I failed. I hurt you so deeply, I know. Maybe I'm the reason you are what you are now…my guilt toward you is one of the feelings that keeps me lingering here. I should have been there…you were so important to me, and you deserved that much…"
Luxord nodded, but said nothing.
The astral form's face fell at his lack of a response. "You've taken the same form as him…Xehanort. What is your name now?"
"Luxord."
"And you've joined him in his Organization. You know that he'll cast you and your partners-in-crime aside once he claims what he wants."
"Yes. I'm well aware of his plans."
"Then why?"
"Why did I join Xemnas? I lost my heart years ago, and the event in which I actually lost it just made things official. I didn't have a purpose, or anything to hold on to after that, so I'm gambling on his vision.
The form fell silent.
"What is your future going to be? Do you have revenge against your Master Xehanort."
"I cannot say for sure, but if I ever have the opportunity, he will feel my wrath! As for my future, I feel that it may involve the newest keyblade master."
"Did Xemnas ever tell you his name?"
"No. But I feel that he is connected to one of my companions."
"Remember the same 'Sora,' then. I'd wager that he would be Xemnas' downfall."
"What of your fate, Luxord?"
He sat there in thought for a while. She was uneasy that the answer was taking this long. Suddenly, Luxord then took out the locket, and the music started up once more. He stood up, and faced the astral form. She looked up and met his gaze.
He looked once more into her ocean blue eyes, and turned around. He started to leave, but stopped by the door. He turned his head toward her, with a gaze that reflecting his longing. He spoke softly, so even if anyone was listening in, only the two would hear what was said.
"The only thing I know is that....Even now, Aqua…my heart will always belong to you."
Aqua let a few tears fall to the floor, and Luxord left her for the very last time.
I hope you enjoyed the story, which, to my knowledge is the only story that pairs Luxord and Aqua. I hoped to draw a comparison with Luxord to Davy Jones, and I really would like to know how you, the reader, thought I did in that comparison, as well as how the story was. Thanks for reading.