Prologue
The end is ending; these are the final days.
Fate is fated; we are set on opposite sides.
We stand apart; even the distance between our hearts is vast.
But though they call you "Destroyer" and I "Savior",
I have only one name for you, and you for I:
Friend.
Daxtin remembered…
Twilight Town. His home, ever warm in the eternal sunset. Even if he wasn't warm. He was an orphan, with no friends, no family, no connections or relations. A real nobody. Until that day…
The world froze, and creatures of black invaded. Living, creeping shadows flooded the streets, coming after him. They swarmed him, unaffected by the blows from the toy swords that were his only weapons. And he fell into the darkness.
"Is this how it ends?"
But rather than oblivion, was a revelation. By facing the trials given to him, he attained power: the aura blades, Joiner and Divider. Black and white, with blue-green orbs inset in the flat, blunted blades, they helped him to defeat the white monster that haunted this dream-like realm, returning him to wakefulness.
Remember: Always hold onto your light, and never forget your darkness. Your heart is what you make of it.
A creature in white, twisting and surreal, stole his necklace and led him away from the town, to the old abandoned mansion. And it was there that he met her.
After defeating the creature and retrieving the necklace, he watched as a dark portal opened, a girl in black suit stumbling from it. She asked for his help, and as she did, her pursuers arrived, constructs with armor and blades, yet summoned of paper.
"Damn… she's caught up with me,"
Together they defeated them, he with aura blades, her with a shaft of pure darkness, the Shadow Lance. For Anya was a Heartless.
"Please, you have to come with me. I can't stay here to protect you, and if you stay here alone, I can assure you that she'll track you down for helping me escape, and then she'll turn you into one of her servants."
He followed her through the dark portal, forever leaving his quiet existence behind and stepping into the unknown.
"I guess my summer vacation… is over."
One Year Ago:
She was lost, confused and dazed. All around her, people screamed and yelled, running in terror or fighting for their lives against the dark creatures that had risen from the shadows. The whole bloody scene stretched out before her, illuminated by the flickering firelight of the burning buildings. It was hell.
"Zan? Ignis?" she called helplessly, her voice lost in the chaos. She tried shouting. "Where are you?"
The only thing she attracted the attention of was one of the sinister shadow beasts, its yellow eyes glowing hungrily as it moved towards her erratically, its long jagged antenna zigzagging behind its head. The monster lunged forwards, extending its dark claws, causing her to shriek in terror.
There was a burning flash of brilliant red, and then the creature was gone. In its place stood a familiar figure.
"Brother…" she said, smiling with relief. Panic returned as she remembered the other. "Do you know where Zan is?"
He turned to answer her, but she couldn't hear the words from his lips. His voice sounded so far away. Was it getting darker? She reached for him as he came over to her, arms extended, but it all went dark before she could feel his warmth.
She slipped in unconsciousness, and but for a brief respite, would not wake for another year.
Destiny Islands. The first place he visited after leaving his home. It was there that they met Kairi, a Princess of Heart and mage adept. She explained what the dark creatures that had attacked Daxtin's home were.
"They're called Heartless. They're the darkness in people's hearts. When a heart leaves its body, it gets absorbed by the darkness. When that happens, a Heartless is formed."
What was intended to be a simple tour of the islands quickly turned for the worse.
"Heartless! I think they're heading to the Secret Place. Quick, we have to get over there!"
The situation quickly changed, as the Heartless were defeated by a new threat, a hooded figure in a black cloak.
"Silly shadow, silly princess, silly no one. Do you really think you can change anything? You, who know so little?"
In the end, they were forced to flee, sweeping up yet another, Kairi, in their aimless journey to escape the danger that now stalked the lands.
Anya, searching for a way to confront her sister, the one who had sent the paper constructs to capture her.
Kairi, determined to find her friends, Kir, the Keyblade Master, and Diant, who had been lost to the darkness.
And Daxtin… who did not know what he was looking for.
Nine Months Ago:
"Well... now what?" he asked calmly, with detached curiosity.
"What do you mean, 'now what'?" replied his companion lazily, scratching at his two-colored hair.
"Well, I'm just asking," replied the first speaker, "now that we've found our hearts–"
"Which was exceedingly simple, all things considered," interrupted the second.
"Now that we've found our hearts," repeated the other, "now what?"
"You forgot the part where we got keyblades," drawled his companion, his weapon flashing to life in his hand. He held it above him, turning it this way and that as he examined it in the sunlight. "Man, this is so cool. How cool is this? We've got keyblades. Us. That's so cool."
"Yes, very nice," said the first man indulgently.
"Actually, it is," said a new speaker, causing the two to look up from where they sat by the side of the road. The traveler flashed them a roguish grin, his own weapon flashing to life in his hand, a keyblade of gold and black. "Care to make a wager?"
"On what?" asked the first speaker suspiciously.
"Betting what?" asked the second with a smirk.
"Your membership," said the newcomer, "to an organization."
"An organization?" said the first man mildly.
"We were in one of those," said the second.
"We're not like Organization XIII," said the third. He smiled at the surprise on their faces. "Yes, I've heard of you two. Now, tell me… have you ever heard of the Order of the Key?"
Radiant Garden. The home of King Ansem the Wise.
"My name is indeed Ansem. As for the Ansem that you are familiar with, who tried not long ago to open Kingdom Hearts, a delusional quest spurred by his being taken over by the darkness… that man was my son."
Father of the Seeker of Darkness, King of Radiant Garden, Ansem taught them of the Heartless, Kingdom Hearts, and the Nobodies.
"A person is made of three components: heart, soul, and body. When the heart is removed, as when a Heartless is created, what happens to the body and soul? In most cases, without the heart, these just lose cohesion and return to nothing. However, with certain strong-willed individual, it continues existence. With a will and purpose, but no heart, these empty shells continue to live a twilight life, between light and dark, accepted by neither. That is what a Nobody is."
He also told them of Organization XIII, the order of the man in the black cloak that had attacked them at Destiny Islands.
"Originally, they were all Nobodies, trying to find Kingdom Hearts in an attempt to make themselves whole, to fill their empty shells. Over time, it has lost its meaning as an order of Nobodies, and become an organization of thirteen individuals, all working together to achieve Kingdom Hearts, though for various reasons. Some, merely for power, others to regain lost homes, and still others to restore themselves."
He also taught them of No Heart.
"Little is known about No Heart, though he seems to be connected intimately with Kingdom Hearts. Every resurgence of the Heartless and the crusade of the Keyblade Master against them marks a relatively small period of time. Further interspersed in these are the times when the Nobodies become involved. And marking the great epochs, the ends and beginnings of eras, are the times when No Heart appears."
And thus the stage was set.
"So how long ago was this?"
"About another four or five hundred years. And that brings us to the present. The most recent wielder of the Keyblade has been Kir, Kairi's friend. Through many trials and obstacles, he sought out and overcame my son, who had become a servant of the darkness in his travels and studies. I only pray a similar fate has not befallen my other son."
"Okay, so let me get this straight. Kir just saved Kingdom Hearts from the bad Ansem. But now, Organization XIII, the guys in the black cloaks, is after Kingdom Hearts again."
And so, their purpose clear, to save Kingdom Hearts, Daxtin, Anya and Kairi went forth against the Organization.
Six Months Ago:
"How creepy."
"How dark."
"It's perfect."
She smiled proprietarily at the grand hallway that lay outstretched before her as her sisters alternately gawked and gaped at the forbidding surrounding. She turned to her other followers.
"What do you think?" she asked innocently.
"I could get used to it," said the woman flippantly.
"Fine," said the warrior emotionlessly.
"It seems to have a bit of an air about it, what do you call it?" rambled the captain. "Oh yeah. Morbid."
"Kind of like her," said the red-haired sister.
"Zing!" laughed the honey-blonde sister.
"Remember who you're talking to," said the white-blonde sister with quiet menace. The other two quieted down, but didn't seem overly concerned. "Now, to business."
"And exactly what sort of business might we be pursuing, if I may be so bold as to ask," drawled the captain.
"Conquering the universe, of course," she said with a slim smile.
"Oh. I like that. Sounds like a plan."
The Undercity. They had arrived in the World That Never Was, but before they could approach the Organization's hideout, they first had to navigate the dark and empty maze of black buildings and neon lights that covered the surface below the floating white castle. It was there that they met him. Diant, now a member of Organization XIII
"But why? Why do you want Kingdom Hearts?"
"Because with it, anything is possible. Because with it, I can find Kir, I can save the worlds, I can right wrongs. Because with it, I can go home."
Diant believe that he was tainted by darkness and could not dare return home before using Kingdom Hearts to cleanse himself of that. He had been the pawn of the Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, and this was the only way he could think of to atone, no matter what the cost.
"Kingdom Hearts… will make me whole. Kingdom Hearts will cleanse me of my sins, my darkness. Only then can I go home. Only then, will he be gone."
For Diant's greatest evidence of his fall from light stood before him: his own Nobody, Daxtin.
"You're a Nobody. More specifically, you're my Nobody. It's true. D-I-A-N-T, D-A-T-I-N. Plus an X for betrayal. Betrayal of the whole. You shouldn't exist. You don't exist. You don't feel, have emotions, or a heart. You're just my shadow, nothing else. So give up already and let me be whole."
The two inevitably clashed. It was not until Kairi chose sides that things came to a head.
"I can't let you hurt Daxtin."
"Kairi… What do you care about him? He's nobody! He's just a shadow of me!"
"Maybe he is. But he's also my friend."
"And I'm not?"
"I… I don't know. Right now, I'm not really sure if I know you."
Their bond severed, Diant forced them to flee. They would meet again, but not before confronting another enemy: Anya's sister, the prophetess and paper witch, Emeline.
Three Months Ago:
"Oh, hey, it's you," said the hooded figure in white in mild surprise.
"Do I know you?" asked the scarred warrior.
"Don't you remember me?" replied other, pulling back his hood and flashing him a cocky smile.
"I… I think so," said the man. "I don't know. My memories, they… they're coming back, I think, but slowly. You're… you're…"
"Well, don't worry about it," said the other with a shrug. "We weren't that close anyway." He looked around the town curiously. "Hey, what do you say we grab a bite to eat? We can talk about old times. You can spill that mysterious past you had, and I can see if I can fill any gaps in your more recent memory, yeah?"
"…whatever," said the brunette.
Kami. An artificial world built by the witch, Emeline. She had captured the Sephiroth, Angel of the Abyss, for his enormous power, and now her citadel was under assault by Organization XIII, who also wanted his power. Daxtin and his friends had come to free Sephiroth and make sure neither side had the enormous destructive force that he represented.
"He's only been around for the past four or five hundred years. Before then, he was two people, the One Winged Angel, and a fierce warrior named Cloud. But at some time or another, Sephiroth overcame Cloud, and absorbed him into his darkness, becoming the Angel of the Abyss.
"Sephiroth, Angel of the Abyss, has the most powerful battle aura in the universe. The amount of power he gives off unconsciously is more than you give off when trying your hardest. Now, imagine what anyone, especially Organization XIII, can do if they have a nexus of power that strong in their hands.
As members of the Organization fought against Emeline's knights, the brothers Yazoo, Loz and Kadaj, Daxtin, Kairi and Anya infiltrated her castle and succeeded in freeing Cloud, who had been separated from Sephiroth during their capture by Emeline, and then Sephiroth himself. The two fought before disappearing, once again free to enact their endless dance across the universe. However, this still left the three teenagers stuck on Kami, and they were unable to escape without notice.
"Hello, sister. The boys are busy fighting, so I thought I'd take the chance to talk to you."
"About what?"
"I don't know… how about, everything? Like how you can control your darkness now. Congratulations. I was wondering how long it would take you to gain control of it. I was pretty sure you would succeed this time. You did it fairly fast. I think it was the boy's help."
"This time? What do you mean?"
"You wouldn't remember."
"Why wouldn't I… my memories. Why can't I remember anything before running away from you? What did you do with my memories?"
"Wouldn't you like to know, sister?"
It was then that Emeline told Anya the truth, a truth that would not be revealed until later, partly because of Anya's shame, but also because at that moment, Xatheron, leader of Organization XIII, and embodiment of No Heart, arrived to confront Emeline.
One Month Ago:
"How is it coming?" asked the king.
"Pretty well, pretty well," said the engineer. "Just about finished up synching everything."
"And the princess?" he asked.
"Well, she says she's okay, but…" replied the other man, scratching his beard lazily. "There's a reason that there's supposed to be seven of them. I mean, sure this program's all well and fine, but trying to open the Door to Darkness with one girl? Technology has its limits."
"Yes, but the heart does not," replied the king sagely. He turned his attention to the girl in question, who was standing in the middle of a large, complex design drawn on the floor before a giant, heart-shaped gateway. "Isn't that right?"
"I'm fine," the redhead repeated. "I can do this."
"You sure?" asked the engineer dubiously.
"I am," she said confidently. There was a sudden surge of power, and then a flash of light as a churning, multi-colored portal opened in the gateway behind her. "I'm going to find him."
Once again, they found themselves in the World That Never Was, this time for the last time. Already the Organization's numbers were diminished. Exeamine, Maieri and Fuuen had fallen at Kami in the fight against Emeline's knights. Griever, once known as Rann, former captain of the guard at Radiant Garden, had abandoned Organization XIII when he learned Kingdom Hearts was not the key to his enigmatic goal, Meili. Maxinaeus, the Organization's gate guard, had fell before Kairi, Daxtin and Anya as they broke into the World That Never Was, but not before imparting a gift of darkness upon Anya, bringing the Heartless side of her to overflowing. It was in the Undercity that this took its toll, when they met once more with Emeline.
"I can feel it, you know. The darkness in you, overflowing. What that Organization fool did isn't helping you either. You contain your power like a wild beast, afraid of it. And yet the harder you squeeze, the more it slips out of your grasp, out of your control. It's a constant war between whether you control the darkness, or if it controls you.
"She'll never be able to serve me as she is now. So I'm going to release her darkness. Then it's do or die. Become the darkness, or succumb to it."
At the mere snap of her fingers, Emeline unleashed the Heartless within her sister. And so Daxtin and Kairi faced off against Anya's dark side as Anya herself fought within her heart with her darkness. The fight on the outside, however, was interrupted by another member of Organization XIII, Kyara. In the end, though, Anya recognized the darkness as a part of herself, accepting it and thus conquering it. With her newfound power, she defeated Kyara, clearing the way for the trio to enter the Organization's stronghold, the floating Castle of Naught.
Once inside, they encountered another Nobody of the Organization, Lexyni, who would have defeated them but for help from an unexpected quarter: Kir, the keyblade master. Together, they defeated the Blinking Acrobat, only to come under attack by Organization XIII's sniper, Darian. They were saved by a hooded figure, but when they tried to thank him, he attempted to leave.
"Wait, don't go. You don't have to leave us. You're my friend… Diant."
Their hidden savior was indeed Diant, who had finally decided to leave the Organization, after realizing that it was not his past sins of unwittingly helping the Seeker of Darkness that put him in conflict with his friends, but his current actions of helping Organization XIII were what distanced them. Now united, friends new and old were ready to face the rest of the Organization. But first, Anya was to reveal the truth to them.
At the same time, Xatheron, leader of the Organization, was discovering his own hidden truth as he was confronted by the Organization's VIII, Roxtarit. In the form of a burning chakram in his gut.
"Why? Why would you betray us?"
"Aw, jeez. You just don't get it, do you? Man, I thought it'd be obvious by now. You guys are seriously pathetic. Back when I originally joined, it was practically the Organization's official pastime to figure out anagrams. But from your surprise, I guess you dimwits never tried it, huh? It's so obvious. Just take out the X, rearrange it… 'Roxtarit' spells 'Traitor'. How much more obvious could it be? You guys are totally blank with a capitol 'B'. I mean, Kensuke's the only one who figured it out, and he doesn't really count, you know?"
In truth, Roxtarit's identity was actually Axel, the Flurry of the Dancing Flames, his spirit resurrected from the Realm of Darkness by a new master, and given the mission to function as a double agent within the Organization and cause their downfall. And the mastermind behind this was none other than Emeline. However, her true identity was something else. She was not Anya's sister, but her Nobody. And more than that…
"Emeline and I, we aren't normal beings. We aren't just a girl who happened to be separated. You see, our true name… our true name is…"
"Xenthora."
Xenthora, the second vessel of No Heart. She had manipulated the Organization into making Kingdom Hearts for her. She had separated with Anya, creating a weapon with which to destroy the Organization after they outlived their use. And it was she who had captured Daxtin, placed him in Twilight Town and erased his memories, as another instrument in the Organization's downfall. But therein lay the problem: Daxtin wasn't like other Nobodies. It was almost like he had a heart. And this made him a wildcard, capable of both fulfilling and destroying Xenthora's plans. With this in mind, they hurried to stop her.
As they did, Xenthora was taking care of her own problems. When she revealed that she did not have what Axel had worked for her for, Roxas, he grew enraged. She eliminated him. But as she did, another figure confronted her: Kensuke, the Organization's VI, and Roxtarit's compatriot.
Daxtin defeated the Organization's last member, the musician Xencarsse, then hurried on to the Altar of Naught, where Xenthora, ready to inherit Kingdom Hearts, awaited them.
Seven Days Ago:
"We're almost done," said the blonde girl, putting down her drawing.
"We… we are?" said the black-haired girl uncertainly. "With…"
"Restoring his memories. And your own," she said.
"Yeah…" said the other. Then, more confidently, "Yeah. And then he'll wake up, right?"
"Of course," she replied with a smile.
"But then we'll forget you…Na…um…" she trailed off, unable to finish.
"Don't worry," she said, still smiling. "It's my punishment for what I did. And we can always meet later."
"Yeah, that's right. You'll still be here when it's done, right?"
"Actually… that was something I wanted to tell you," said the artist. "I… I have to leave now. There're some people I need to find."
"But… are you sure? Will he be all right?" asked the other with concern.
"He'll be fine," she replied soothingly. "This White Room is all set to finish things up. It should only be a matter of days now, a week at most."
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"I'm going to find the Order of the Key."
"Let me go with you!" urged the other one.
"No, it's all right," replied the blonde with a smile. "You need to stay here to finish the memory process. Besides, you stayed here to help him. That's why you gave up…" she fell quiet at this.
"Gave up what?"
"I'm sorry. I said you wouldn't forget him but…" she trailed off again. "I'm sorry." Sighing, she stood and put down her drawing pad on the chair, then turned for the door in the room of endless white. "I have to go now. Maybe when we meet again, we can be friends. Even if I don't deserve it."
The dark girl watched as the artist left through the doors. Then she turned her attention back to the boy floating in the glassy, flower-like pod.
"Soon. You'll wake up soon."
Xenthora unleashed upon them the depths of darkness, trapping each with dark reflections of themselves. They were brought out of this realm, however, by Kensuke.
"You fox-faced bastard. I thought I killed you."
"You should be more careful about things like that."
Kensuke, it turned out, was yet another traitor within the Organization, and there was more to him than met the eye.
"I beat you within an inch of your life, transferred you onto paper, and then shredded said paper, obliterating each scrap as I went. You shouldn't have had a dead corpse left, much less be standing here, defying me. Who the hell are you?"
"Just the younger brother of the Seeker of Darkness, heir to the throne of Radiant Garden, and son of King Ansem. That's all. My name's Riku. And I'm here to stop you."
However, this all fell apart as Anya and Emeline met in battle… and Emeline won. Taking in her estranged sister, her Heartless, her other half, Xenthora was completed.
"And now, we are one."
In quick succession, she knocked out Kensuke, banished Kairi, and defeated Diant. Then, she left for Kingdom Hearts, leaving Kir and Daxtin to follow.
Inside the realm of Kingdom Hearts, the two faced against Xenthora, eventually defeating the second Vessel of No Heart and freeing Anya. They escaped back out of Kingdom Hearts and into the World That Never Was, sealing the door behind them. However, Anya was still half of Xenthora, and as long as she lived, No Heart had a vessel.
As she writhed on the ground in pain, Daxtin, Kir and Riku only able to look on helplessly, aid came from an unexpected quarter: the closed doors to Kingdom Hearts, revealing, not Xenthora, but Emeline, the girl who was possessed, but no longer.
"Do we know you? Are you actually Xenthora?"
"My name's Emeline. Xenthora's writhing on the ground right now inside Anya."
A ceremony was made: Emeline and Anya would contain No Heart. Riku would use his royal blood to write the seals. Then Daxtin would use the aura blades to join them in eternal banishment.
But it would cost those three their lives. And Daxtin refused to throw them away.
Instead, he divided No Heart from them, and in the depths of nothingness, he faced the nameless faceless figure.
"You, foolish Nobody, can do nothing. You are alone, and alone, you are nothing."
"Then I'll just have to help him,"
Daxtin was not alone. Diant was there. Together, the two of them fought against No Heart, finally triumphing with their combined powers. And as No Heart disappeared from the Realm of Light, the worlds were all made right; lost souls returned to their homes, hearts separated from bodies returned, Heartless banished and Nobodies fixed. And so, Daxtin began to fade.
"Maybe. I am just nobody."
And so he disappeared. And yet, he didn't. He found himself nowhere, surrounded by nothing… yet undeniably existent. And then a voice.
"Awaken, Daxtin."
…and then he remembered no more.
Today:
He pulled aside the heavy, stone door, letting in a flood of light and fresh air into the dark, dusty room that had not had either for a year. A set of stairs, carven from the stone, led the way down into the darkness.
"Lead the way," he said with a fox-like smile at his companion.
"I should push you down these," she replied with casual malice as she walked past him. "Just to make sure it's not trapped, of course."
"Of course," he agreed, following her down.
A flickering flame of paper burned above her palm, lighting the way with a flickering white glow. They walked down for what seemed ages, straight down into the dark. After a long silence, broken only by their steps, they came to the bottom. There was another stone door, which the man pulled aside with some effort before the slender girl he travelled with walked into the room beyond.
The inner chamber was a small, simple square room with only one feature: a stony, coffin-like stone box, covered in the dust of the past year.
She placed a graceful hand atop it before brushing off the top and blowing away the covering layer. There were no marks, excepting one: that of a key.
"So this is it?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied. "This is our final hope."
She stood back as he moved aside the heavy stone lid, dropping it heavily on the floor besides the box. She then stepped forwards once more, looking over the edge and inside at what lay there.
"And now… awaken."
Finally: Welcome to Sin of Remebrance. This is the third and final book of Kingdom Hearts: Memorandum, and the sequal to both Memories of Nobody and The Forgotten Castle. However, reading those two is not required; I will do my best to fill in all gaps and treat every character like a new character with necessary description. Some things may not be as meaningful, and a number of hints will not be as obvious without prior knowledge, so I recommend reading MoN and TFC anyway.
Sin of Remembrance will feature a large cast of characters both old and new, including a number of characters from the original games. Also, this will wade out the most into unknown territory, going with my own made up ideas of how Kingdom Hearts works and so on, all of which will undoubtedly clash with the canon that will be presented in Birth By Sleep. But oh well. That's the point of fanfiction.
I hope you enjoy it. I'll try to update regularly, but don't hold your breath; this one looks to be the longest yet of the three.