Author's notes: I got bored while listening to Within Temptation; Hand of Sorrow… so this fic is influenced by that quite a bit. I just felt like I couldn't get everything across in a songfic so… yeah… just something for inbetween the Keyblader Trio series.
BIG THANKS TO COPE FOR HELPING WITH SOMEBODY NAMES AND TO DAK FROM VT FOR HELPING WITH THE TITLE. YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!
Renovamen
All newborn children had blood test when they were born before the parents were even allowed to see the child. The parents were never told why. The doctors didn't even know. They only said that the tests were examined closely by the king's scientists themselves. All the children were handed over to their parents and then the scientists would move on. That changed one day.
A scientist examined the sample closely, closer than he had ever had to examine one before. It was late at night, around midnight.
"Tell the superior, we've found one." The scientist ordered the other person in the room with him, handing the sample to them. The person bowed deeply and strode out of the room, taking the sample with him. The scientist was excited; he had finally found one of them. But his excitement didn't show on his face. The scientist strode out of the room smoothly, and found one of the doctors.
"I am taking that boy whose blood sample I was given under the king's orders."
The doctor looked shocked. "But the parents…"
"…will get over it."
"I can't tell them that their son is being taken by the king! What might they say to me?!"
"I will tell them."
The parents could not defy one of the king's most loyal without being killed on the spot. And this scientist need not even lift a finger to do so. He walked into the room he knew that the parents were in; he needn't have directions.
The parents both looked up in surprise. One woman had pale, long hair and the man had short, silver hair.
"Hello ma'am, sir," the scientist nodded in acknowledgement. "I would like to congratulate you. Your newborn son has been accepted to be taken to the palace and to be raised and trained as the king's personal guard."
"Will we get to see him, ever?" The father asked desperately.
"Emotional attachments will get in the way of his duty. You will not see him and he will not see you."
"But…" the mother tried to find the words, "he's our son! You can't just take him from us!"
"Are you questioning the king's authority," the scientist demanded, sounding slightly agitated.
"Please, you can't take my son!"
"I can do what I wish."
"Zexion! It is time to go."
The scientist looked over his shoulder, and nodded. He turned towards the door briskly.
"Good day to you." He said to the two parents, and then left.
"The boy is being taken to the palace as we speak."
"Good. Thank you, Demyx."
The boy wasn't given a name. He was trained by the king's best warriors, even the top eleven, the king' s closest mages, warriors and fighters. The boy was taught sword fighting, archery and gunmanship, magic and hand-to-hand combat. At the age of thirteen he was appointed as the king's personal guard/servant/assassin and anything else he was needed for. At fifteen he began seeing flashes of… almost memory-like events.
The top eleven was now the top thirteen, with the addition of a young girl, and a strange, wolf-like creature. The top thirteen were called Renovamen, which could be translated into Rebirth, Revival, Regeneration or Renewal. The boy, who the towns people called 'Advocatus Diaboli', or 'The Devil's Advocate' due to his reported assassination of a couple in their beachside home when he had turned but only ten, had been told that he was 'of the same kind or even maybe 'species' of the Renovamen, but he had no parents, so he couldn't, technically speaking, have been reborn like them.'
The title 'Advocatus Diaboli' had found its way to the palace one day, so the servants began knowing the boy as Advocatus. The boy didn't mind it, although most of the Renovamen never called him by any name, except maybe Mase, Reno, Myde, and, sometimes, Arlene, Rludo (the L was silent) and Braig if they were in good moods. Arlene, Rludo and Braig said it more teasingly or as if they were speaking to a child. Myde just tried to be friends with everyone, Mase seemed like a bit of a child at times, and Reno, was well… Reno.
The boy didn't mind. He had a duty to fulfill and that was all he had to do. It was his only purpose; to do the king's bidding. That was what he was raised and trained for.
Advocatus stood at his spot beside the king's throne, his shoulder-length hair the same color as the monarch's; silver. A poor old peasant kneeled before the king, begging for rights to the will of her daughter, the woman Advocatus had killed when he was ten. This woman had come in begging for the contents of the will since the king had seized it.
"The will goes to the oldest son." The king sighed. He had told the woman this time and time again.
"Her son was stillborn! She has no child!" The woman replied.
"Zexion, take this woman to her home and explain to her on the way why she does not have right to the will best you can." He emphasized the word 'can'. The blue-silver haired young man, in his late teens, appeared from a section of shimmering air; Ienzo, or, as he was known as to the peasants, Zexion, the mage that had tutored Advocatus.
"Of course, your majesty." He bowed deeply before taking the old woman by the arm and leading her out of the palace. She turned and yelled at the king.
"In the name of Master Sora and Princess Kairi, your sins shall be the death of you!"
Advocatus looked over at the king. He knew that he'd be later ordered to kill her tonight. That was fine; just one of his duties to kill those who disrespected the king. The king sighed and stood. He strode out of the throne room, and Advocatus followed close behind. They stepped through a small door on the side, opening into a secret passage way, lit by a seemingly floating fire that flicked back and forth. Advocatus knew better, though.
"Hello, Mase."
"King Xehanort," Mase bowed his head. He was a 2 and a half foot tall at the shoulder, wolf-like creature with sapphire blue eyes. His fur looked like a blond color in the light, Advocatus knew, although in the dark it was impossible to tell. The fire was on the end of his tail. Mase acted as the guide through the pitch black passage ways. Mase then looked over at the Advocatus. "Advocatus,"
"Mase." He replied with a polite nod. The top thirteen were a higher rank than he was in his mind… even if Mase wasn't human. But he talked and was human-like in the intelligence department, so he deserved credit. Mase turned and began to walk down the passage way, the fire on his tail lighting the way. The king followed, and Advocatus was behind him. When they came to another door, Mase stood onto his hind legs and used his front paws to twist the doorknob around and opened the door. The king left the hall, followed by his guard. Mase stepped out and flicked the door closed with his tail.
"You are dismissed, Mase."
"Thank you, your majesty." Mase lowered his head, and then turned and ran down the hall. The king walked down the hall way, and Advocatus followed.
"Walk with me." The king spoke. Advocatus moved to walk beside him. "You know what I wish of you."
"To go to the old woman's house and assassinate her tonight."
"Yes."
"I will do it, your majesty."
"Good. This discussion didn't happen."
Advocatus moved again so that he was behind the king again.
Advocatus looked at the clock; 11:30. The fifteen year old assassin had fifteen minutes to finish preparation… But how to kill the old woman? With magic? No, the only mages were under the king himself. An arrow? A bullet? No. He'd use a sword. Advocatus grabbed his black leather pants, his long-sleeved tight-fitting black shirt, his army boots, and his katakana. After he was wearing the black clothing, and his katakana was firmly in his hand, he jumped out the window.
He landed gracefully in a tree three stories down. He jumped out of the tree and climbed up the wall surrounding the palace. He stood at the top of it and looked over the small town built around it. He jumped down off the wall and began his hunt.