Falling for a Nobody
Chapter 7: Birthday
Disclaimer: All rights to the Kingdom Hearts Franchise belong to Square Enix and Disney
AN: This chapter is what I consider to be the beginning of the TRUE story I want to tell. And it looks like it's gonna be far bigger than I originally imagined.
The small artificial Kingdom Hearts shined into the Superior's bedroom, its light nearing yet never touching Xemnas. His navy blue eyes slowly opened, noticing that it was late into the next day. He glanced to his left, noticing that Aqua was still beside him in her nightgown. Simply being in the girl's presence comforted him. He lowered his head and glanced at the beauty laying beside him. Her hair was a tangled mess, reminding him of the countless times he saw her morning hairstyle when they were growing up together. He noticed that her hair was even more ruffled than his. Smiling, he freely felt it with his hand, and locked his gaze with hers as her cerulean orbs slowly fluttered open.
"How'd you sleep?" he asked.
The girl grinned. "Pretty well. I'm amazed at how soft this bed is."
He smirked. "Well I fiercely opposed those firm mattresses Master Eraqus forced us to sleep on."
"The worst was after our strength training," she stated.
He shook his head. "No, it was far more painful after magic lessons."
She narrowed her eyes. "Strength training!"
He met her gaze with his own. "Magic lessons!"
Stepping out of bed, Xemnas quickly threw on his his trademark coat over the black vest and leggings he already had on. After brushing his teeth in the bathroom, he stepped back into the bedroom to find Aqua staring at him from the comfort of her covers.
"Where are you headed?" Aqua asked.
"I feel like I've remembered something important," he answered. "But to fully recall it, I need to go my special room that your armor was stored in."
The girl nodded, and Xemnas began walking away.
"Terra," Aqua called out.
He turned back towards her, noticing the smile on her face.
"I'm glad I'm living here with you," she stated.
The man grinned. "Me too."
He narrowed his eyes, regretting that sentence. "Well, I'm not glad I'm living with ME, because that's impossible. I mean, you can't live with yourself. I meant-"
When Aqua began giggling, he stopped rambling.
"You're as clumsy with your words as ever," Aqua teased.
Glaring, he smirked as he flicked his hand, sending a pillow crashing against her head.
"Hey!" Aqua yelled.
She launched her own pillow at him, yet he dodged it by stepping out of the room. His happy mood soon grew serious. He needed to understand these emotions. He needed to finally know the truth. And today, Xemnas felt somehow that his life mystery was finally going to be solved.
Blurry gray clouds slowly faded away to reveal a circular plateau. An old man was standing underneath a floating ball of light.
"I swore I would survive," the elder said. "And see what awaited beyond the Keyblade War."
Smiling, he extended his arm toward the nervous young man standing across from him. "And it is your darkness that shall be the ark that sustains me!"
The ball of light flew towards the young man. He pressed the piece of armor on his shoulder, and his eyes widened with fear when he saw it was too late. In a flash of light, the man was suddenly covered in armor emitting a black aura. The old man smiled, and closed his eyes as his body faded into balls of light.
The man threw off his armor. He was different now. His hair was silver, his skin tan, and his eyes an ominous hue of yellow. Smiling, the man opened his lips.
"This heart belongs again to darkness," he said. "All worlds begin in darkness, and all so end. The heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within it…it grows…consumes it…such is its nature. In the end, all hearts return to the darkness whence they came."
Summoning a demonic gray Keyblade, the person began to walk away. Suddenly, a dome of orange chains surrounded the plateau.
He looked up in puzzlement. "What?"
Then, feeling a familiar presence, he turned around to see the armor kneeling with a brown and blue Keyblade inserted into the dirt.
The man glared at his opponent. "You're body submits, your heart succumbs…so why does your MIND resist?"
Silent, the armored figure stood up, and grabbed hold of the hilt. He lifted the weapon from the ground, ready to fight.
The gray clouds covered Xemnas's mental vision once more. Slowly though, they began fading away. As they did, two glowing figures, the same two who had been atop the plateau, stood over an infinite abyss of darkness. One of them, a bald old man with menacing yellow eyes and deformed ears, opened his mouth to speak.
"Darkness rules your heart," he said "It gives me control. Muscle and sinew that once obeyed you now rebels against you. How you can remain here at all confounds the mind."
The other person, a muscular young man with spiky brown hair, shook his head. "It's still my heart. You think you can just come in and take over?"
The young man, Terra, clenched his fist. "I'm not gonna sit by and let that happen."
The elder smirked. "Don't even entertain any notions of escaping me boy."
His spread out his arms. "In the end, your heart will be engulfed by mine forever."
"Wrong," Terra said.
The ancient man, Master Xehanort, looked at him in confusion.
"You're gonna get shown the door, old man," Terra declared.
Xehanort crossed his arms behind his back. "As I recall you couldn't even handle your own darkness. How then will you triumph over mine?"
Terra smiled, calmly closing his eyes. "You'll see soon enough."
Puzzled by what he meant, Master Xehanort slowly began to sense a familiar presence with the boy. "Oh, so that's how it is, is it? Someone else has set foot in your heart. Eraqus, you sly fox."
The hero opened his eyes. "I'm not afraid of what the darkness holds now. Even if you do wrest control of my heart from me…even if you cast me into the deepest, darkest abyss…you'll never sway me from the one cause that pushes me to keep on fighting."
Terra confidently nodded a bit. "Whatever the cost, I'm ready to pay it."
Xehanort relaxed his arms, letting them swing to his side. "Brave words to be sure."
The old master spread out his arms. "But I'm a patient man. We can take as much time as we need to settle this little property dispute."
The Keyblade Master stopped moving his hands, focusing his attention on Terra. "However, know this. You are just one of many roads that I may choose to take."
Terra narrowed his gaze, yet the other wielder of darkness smiled.
"Trust me…I've made sure of that," Xehanort assured him with a dark chuckle.
Terra crossed his arms. "Well if you choose to leave this heart, it won't end there. I'll hunt you down. I'll make sure to put an end to your twisted scheme."
Xehanort raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that your one cause then? You're motivated simply by your hatred of me?"
The boy smiled. "You couldn't be more wrong."
"Well then I'm very curious to know," Xehanort said. "What ARE you fighting for?"
Terra reached into his pocket, pulling out an orange charm. Xehanort stared at it, pondering what this object was and what it represented.
"Aqua and Ven," Terra said. "I need to see them again. I need to BE with them again."
He looked up at Xehanort, his deep blue orbs filled with determination. "And I don't care what happens to my heart. Even if I lose my emotions, my soul will remain. And within that element of my existence lies my mind, the very thing that defines how I think and what I think about. As long as I have that, it doesn't matter what you do to my body or heart. My mind will NEVER change."
Xehanort grunted. "This is true. But I think I could do without your soul."
Terra laughed. "Are you growing senile already? You'd die without my soul. It gives you life."
"It gives people life," Xehanort agreed.
He deviously smiled. "But Heartless are another story."
Terra narrowed his eyebrows in puzzlement. "Heartless?"
The old man laughed, his hoarse voice blaring throughout the empty space. "I suppose you wouldn't know about them. Simply know that if I deem it necessary, I will force this body to remove our heart. That way, your mind will have no influence over me."
Terra gritted his teeth. "You're insane. After all this trouble, you're willing to toss aside this vessel?"
"That's exactly what I plan to do," Master Xehanort confirmed. "And don't forget…there ARE other candidates whose bodies would be suitable for me."
"Then let's assume your plan works," Terra says. "Let's say you separate our heart. How are you going to even gain control of this body? The person that we've formed has a separate identity from either of us."
Xehanort shook his head. "No. The person we reside in now is the combination of my emotions and your body and soul. Since your soul contains the mind though, this person is actually making decisions that YOU would in his situation. Except, when he listens for a voice of reason or guidance, he only hears mine."
"You're forgetting my trump card," Terra told him.
Xehanort shook his head. "Are you referring to that empty suit of armor?"
"The one that defeated you, yes," Terra replied. "It retains most of my rage, and somehow a mind identical to my own. If you couldn't defeat this being when you were in complete control of my body, you never will."
"Never say never," Xehanort scolded. "I merely have to hone my skills. Besides, I was obviously still adjusting to your body, especially since I didn't use the Guardian in that fight."
"Well when you used that abomination against Aqua, you still lost," Terra countered.
MX pointed toward him. "Don't pretend that you didn't intervene. If you hadn't stepped in, I would have had her on the ropes in minutes."
"You overestimate your power," the rock warrior said. "And in the end, your darkness will never defeat me. Eraqus's heart has merged with mine, and his light is far more resilient than you think."
Xehanort chuckled. "Well like every light, it will inevitably fade."
The illuminated Nobody symbols decorating the room slowly dimmed. Xemnas sat on his throne in shock. He had never even considered that his former self had the hearts of two people. No, THREE people. Terra mentioned that Eraqus's heart had become part of his. It seemed that what Terra had said about his mind was true after all. Although it's often overlooked, a Nobody is the body AND soul of a person. Which meant Terra's mind had been guiding Xemnas this entire time, even though he wasn't always aware of it. In fact, he no longer even had any elements of Master Xehanort. Now he understood why he always had the urge to find Aqua and Ven.
Ven. With Aqua in his life again, Xemnas had nearly forgotten about his other friend. He needed to find out where he was. Even now, Xemnas felt a strong desire to find the boy and be with him again. And he felt that the only person who knew his friend's fate…was Aqua.
Still contemplating over this shocking revelation, Xemnas calmly walked out of the room. When he opened the door, he was surprised to find Xigbar waiting for him.
"Were you eavesdropping again?" the Superior asked.
Xigbar smirked. "Yes, but I didn't hear you talking to yourself."
Xemnas nodded. "That's because I've finally remembered the truth."
Xigbar's lone amber eye widened for just a moment. Xemnas noticed this, narrowing his gaze at the second-in-command. In a blur of movement, the freeshooter found himself being held against the wall by his boss. Swirls of darkness gathered in the fallen hero's hand, and Xigbar gazed at it in shock. Master Xehanort's Keyblade was inches from cutting his neck.
The cowering Nobody gulped. "This is familiar."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Xemnas hissed. "You hid this from me for years!"
"Boss man, calm down!" Xigbar begged. "Can't we peacefully discuss this?"
Xemnas continued to glare at his subordinate. "Fine. But I expect an explanation."
"Of course!" the sniper exclaimed.
The two stood there, neither one making a move to talk. Xigbar awkwardly scratched his back, which only made his associate grit his teeth.
"Well?" the Superior yelled.
The marksman's eyes widened in shock. "Geez, you really are ticked off. Let's have a few drinks to relax."
"I'm interested in your reasoning for lying to me, not refreshments," he coldly replied.
Xigbar folded his hands together. "Trust me, you need something to cool you off."
Groaning, Xemnas reluctantly followed the man into a dark corridor, determined to get answers.
Terra's Nobody impatiently tapped his fingers on the hard table. Finally, Xigbar stepped away from the refrigerator, holding on to one drink for himself and handing the other to Xemnas.
The two-eyed man stared at him. "Why? Why did you hide this from me?"
Xigbar sighed. "In case you haven't remembered, Terra and I were enemies."
The precisionist pointed to his eye-patch. "He's the one who gave me THIS. I was scarred forever because of him. So I was afraid that if I told you the truth, you would start trying to be like him."
The brown-haired figure took a quick sip from his glass. "Did you have any other reasons?"
"Yes," Xigbar said. "Your other former personality, Master Xehanort, was my old partner. We wanted to use the Heartless if the Keyblade War didn't go so well for us. When you showed up in Radiant Garden, I thought Xehanort was improvising or something. But when it turned out the new Xehanort really was suffering from brain loss, I grew worried. I feared that everything would fall apart."
He smiled a bit. "But things went like we wanted. Even without any memories, you began delving into research and began to create the Heartless. Yet one day, the unexpected happened."
Xigbar pointed toward the Keyblade. "You summoned that weapon, and used it to unlock our hearts. By doing so, we were turned into Heartless and Nobodies. Though if I had to suspect…I'd guess Terra forced you to do this.
Suddenly, Xemnas felt a sudden chill come over him, his Keyblade vanishing as it fell on the floor. He could barely move a muscle. In fact, as he tried to stand, he dropped down. Angry, he grimaced at Xigbar. "What…did you do to me?"
"Drugged your drink," Xigbar responded. "You won't be going anywhere for a while. Which should give me enough time to take care of Aqua."
"WHAT?" Xemnas screamed.
"I have to, Xemnas!" Xigbar shouted. "You're becoming too attached to her. You're becoming more like Terra every day! You even LOOK like him now! And eventually, you'll fully turn into him, and leave us behind so you and Aqua can live in peace. As long as you two have hearts, you don't care at all about the rest of us."
"That isn't true," Xemnas claimed.
"As if!" Xigbar told him. "The truth is, Terra hated me. And when you turn into him, you'll despise me and the rest of the Nobodies just as much. And if nothing else, you won't complete Kingdom Hearts because you wouldn't trust us with that power."
The Superior remained silent for a moment, unable to counter any of those statements.
"Please, Xigbar, spare her!" he begged. "Even without your emotions, are you so foolish to waste our only Keyblade wielder?"
"Do you think I'm blind?" the freeshooter inquired. "I recognize your weapon. You've been able to use it this whole time! But why haven't you?"
The Superior sighed. "Has it ever occurred to you that a Keyblade is much more than a powerful weapon? Keyblades are counterparts to Kingdom Hearts, but whereas Kingdom Hearts can affect one's heart, Keyblades could be designed to transform one's mind. Whenever I use it, I hear Xehanort's voice...trying to brainwash me and turn me into a puppet. Sometimes I even begin having deranged thoughts about the Keyblade War when I use that cursed weapon."
Xigbar shrugged. "Well get used to it. Once Aqua's gone, you'll have to be the new Keyblade wielder."
"Never," Xemnas hissed. "If you so much as step within five feet of her, I'll rip your head off."
"Whoa, you sound angry!" the sniper exclaimed. "Unfortunately, you really don't have a choice. Catch ya later, buddy."
As Xemnas seethed with rage, Xigbar slipped into darkness. The Superior tried to relax, knowing full well that Aqua could handle the traitor on her own. But the freeshooter was no fool. He would make sure that this time, she wouldn't survive. And Xemnas coud only lie in pain, unable to even move his fingers.
Clothed in her usual outfit, Aqua slowly strolled down the hallway. Suddenly, Xigbar appeared before her in a wisp of darkness. Realizing he was armed, Aqua quickly summoned her armor and Keyblade.
"Alright, Aqua, it's about time you learned your place," he barked. "I'm ending this."
Behind her helmet, she couldn't help but smile. "You know you can't defeat me. I don't even understand why you're attempting this."
"Well alone, no," Xigbar admitted. "But tell me, Aqua, do you know how a Nobody is formed?"
She silently glared beneath the visor.
Xigbar snapped his hands, opening another dark corridor. "When a person submits to darkness, the Nobody is the body and soul cast behind. But the HEART, on the other hand, becomes something far more dangerous."
A man concealed in a brown robe stepped out of the portal. His back was hunch over, and his face was completely obscured. Aqua took off her helmet to have a better look at the figure, but still couldn't recognize him. A lone ball of light floated out of the robe.
Xigbar smiled. "Have you ever seen Master Xehanort without his body?"
"WHAT?" she yelled in disbelief.
Suddenly, sparks of dark electricity began bursting from the glowing sphere. It began to grow darker, taking on a humanoid form. It had black antennas, solid yellow eyes, and bandages scattered across its upper body. Instead of legs, the creature's lower part narrowed into a short curve. And then Aqua recognized it. The monster that she had fought years ago was now standing before her. And then she began seeing the similarities between Xehanort and the transformed Terra. Both had tan skin, yellow eyes, and white hair. She finally understood. Xehanort was the one who possessed Terra.
The warrior gritted her teeth. "You...it was YOU!"
The demonic being laughed. "What's wrong, Aqua? Aren't you happy to see me?"
She flinched at first, not expecting the creature to be able to talk. Yet it had the same voice as Terra did when Xehanort was possessing him.
"I once thought that nobody deserved death," she claimed. "But you, Xehanort, will never have a shred of mercy from me!"
Smiling with a sharp grin, the demon charged at Aqua as the Keyblade Master readied her stance.
Xemnas felt helpless, and could only ponder how Xigbar was going to pull it off. Yet that didn't matter. All he could feel was absolute rage at how powerless he was. Then, overwhelming determination swept him.
He lost his heart when Xehanort possessed him.
He lost his master when Xehanort killed him.
He lost his home when it was destroyed by Xehanort.
He lost Aqua when she fell into darkness so that he could be saved. But so long as he controlled his body, he would never lose her again!
Finally, he was able to clench his fist. Holding out his hand, Xemnas summoned the Keyblade of the dark master.
He held it up with all the will he could muster, angrily grinding his teeth. "HEAL!"
Xehanort raised his deformed black arms, blasting a wave of lightning that danced across the floor toward Aqua. The ocean mistress cart-wheeled to the side, easily dodging the attack. Just as her heels touched the marble, Aqua saw a gun pop out of thin air right in front of her face. She back-flipped, narrowly escaping a laser barrage as the bullets skimmed above her nose. Before she could even land, the Keyblade warrior found two guns emerge out of nowhere. Panicking, she quickly summoned her barrier, deflecting the shots. As she held the barrier. Just as Xigbar stopped shooting, Aqua turned to her left to see the monster forming two orbs of darkness in its hands. Hearing a noise behind her, Aqua whipped her head around to see Xigbar charging a huge amount of energy from his crossbows.
Xehanort hurled the objects towards her, just as Xigbar fired his crystal. Unlike some fighters, Aqua had an incredibly good memory. Recalling that Xigbar's attack would home on to her, she tensed the muscles in her legs, waiting for just the right moment. Then, just as the shard was about to pierce through her, she jumped high into the air. Glancing down, she realized that Xehanort was charging at her, the front of his body covered in a cyan aura. She gripped the hilt of her weapon, the blade igniting with flames. Orienting herself so that she was now diving, Aqua dashed towards Xehanort, striking him with all the anger and fire she could in a single blast. Engulfed in flames, Xehanort groaned, and helplessly slammed against the marble floor. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her side as she was about to land.
Turning to her right, Aqua realized that Xigbar had launched another volley at her, and was preparing another. Out of the corner of her eye, Aqua saw that Xehanort was firing more electricity waves toward her. Slowly exhaling, Aqua felt all her troubles fade away as the sharp end of her Keyblade grew tenfold in a bright glow. Dashing forward, she evaded both their initial attacks, and struck both of them with her enhanced Keyblade in one quick swing. She continued to swing the weapon, scratching the Nobody and Heartless as they failed to avoid her attacks. Growling with frustration, Xigbar jumped into a portal, and appeared behind the girl. Yet before he could even fire, her Keyblade smacked him across the face, as she began twirling it in circles around her. Finally, she thrust the hilt against the ground, sending out a bright shockwave that knocked both opponents back.
Frustrated and furious, Xigbar floated into the air, his body glowing with a dark aura, while Xehanort dived into the ground, disappearing from sight. Recognizing both of these moves, Aqua nervously felt goose-bumps crawl across her skin. Refusing to give up, Aqua held out her Keyblade, her body outlined with a white glow. A pool of darkness formed beneath the girl, who seemed to be standing still, and Xehanort leapt out of it, his hands reaching for her. Yet for some reason, he passed right through her. Confused, he turned to see three different images of the girl surrounding Xigbar. Two of them were frozen, while the third was attacking. Xigbar vanish from spot to spot, his arms shooting dark crystals emitting a purple glow. He fired from every angle, yet even though the shots were headed for her, they hit the floor, as if she were transparent.
Exhausted, Xigbar stopped teleporting, only to see the real Aqua strike him repetitively across the face. He dropped on his knees, grunting with pain. Just as Aqua was about to swing her weapon again, she felt a pair of powerful arms grab her. The warrior struggled to free herself from Xehanort, but had no success.
Xigbar slowly stood up, chuckling as he charged his guns. "Well, Aqua, looks like it's finally over."
She kicked and hit the monster with her Keyblade as hard as she could, yet it wasn't enough. She couldn't break free. Realizing she failed, Aqua closed her eyes as she waited for the pain.
A sharp stab echoed throughout the hall, yet as the girl opened her eyes, she realized that her body hadn't even been harmed. Raising her head, she saw Braig's face distorted in pain. The Nobody dropped to his knees, and then to the ground. Aqua's eyes widened to see Master Xehanort's old Keyblade inserted into the sniper's back. As the Nobody slowly faded away into nothingness, Xemnas stepped forward, picking up his weapon.
Aqua smiled. "Terra."
Xemnas pointed the blade at the foul beast before him, realizing who the creature had to be. "Release her now, Xehanort!"
Rather than make any move to compromise, Xehanort laughed. "Why should I? She's only been a nuisance for my plans. Though it seems I'm not the only one who's been busy. Look at you, Terra. Here you are, emotionless and inexistent, and yet you've built an empire of your own."
"I did all this so I can one day be with my friends, not out of sheer curiosity like you!" Xemnas countered.
Suddenly, Xehanort raised one hand, which gave Aqua enough time to get free. The girl bounced off the monster's chest, leaping toward her love. Yet just as she did, Xehanort's raised hand turned into a fist, and a dark purple inferno ascended from the floor. Xemnas watched in absolute horror, only to see Aqua's armor mostly burnt off. Her eyes began to water, and she helplessly fell against the ground. Before he could even step forward to help her, Xehanort rushed towards him. Grimacing at the beast, Xemnas began to unleash a ferocious combo on the creature. Xehanort growled in pain, his head lowered toward the floor. When he looked up, he saw Xemnas's weapon transforming into an all too familiar cannon. Before he could make a move, Xemnas fired the weapon, the blast directly hitting Xehanort. He fired it again, and again, until all three spheres of energy had exploded against his archenemy.
Xehanort screamed in pain, every dark shred of him evaporating. Satisfied that the foe was gone, Xemnas quickly knelt beside Aqua, casting heal on her.
"It's too late, Terra," she spoke.
He looked at her, sadly watching her cry. "Aqua, don't have that attitude! I can save you. I HAVE to save you!"
She shook her head. "I wish you could. But I can already feel the darkness overtaking me. It's just too much."
Tears flowed down her cheeks until her entire face was soaked. "Now I understand…how you fell. This power…it can't be stopped.
Xemnas's eyes began to water. "Aqua, please. I can't let you go. I just can't. We've been through so much together, and our future won't have any problems. Xehanort's gone now!"
She nodded. "You're right, he is. I'm so sorry…that I couldn't prevent him from doing that to you, Terra."
"There's no reason to be sorry, just be hopeful!" Xemnas demanded. "You're too strong to give up now! Don't die!"
"I can't...keep going," Aqua said. "The darkness is surging within my body. I don't know where I'm headed or what it'll be like. I just hope…I can see the master again. I need to apologize for all this. I brought Xehanort back to this realm. I should have been able to save Ven and help you defeat Xehanort at the Keyblade Graveyard. Everything that's happened is my fault."
"That's a lie!" Xemnas screamed.
Rather than answer, Aqua raised her hands toward Xemnas. The Superior hugged her, refusing to let go.
"Terra…I can't even express how much you mean to me," she told him.
"Please…just keep talking," the man said. "Don't stop."
He waited for a response, yet heard none. Pressing his ear against her chest, he sadly heard the heartbeat fade away.
Xemnas felt water run down his face, yet ignored it as he lightly brushed away Aqua's wet tears.
He lowered his head, his sorrowful tears dropping against the ground. The person who he was willing to do anything and everything for…was gone. Despite all his effort, he had lost her too.
The Superior looked at her face, a perfect face with unrivaled beauty. Sniffing, he tried to hold back his cries.
"Aqua," he sadly muttered.
Dark waves slowly crashed against the shore, approaching but never touching Xemnas. As he sat alone in the desolate realm, the Nobody glanced upwards, his shadowy blue eyes glistening in the moonlight. He glanced at his reflection in the water, realizing that Zexion's spell had never worn off even a bit. It was better that way though. Even without emotions, Xemnas was much more like Terra than Xehanort. Plus, he personally thought the new appearance was much more attractive. Hearing a dark corridor opening, he turned to his left. A slimmer and shorter hooded figure emerged.
The Superior smiled. "You have arrived."
The figure silently sat next to him on the boulder.
"Today's the anniversary," the silver-haired man declared.
He turned to his left, facing the being. "Five years have passed since your birth."
"Those long years felt like a decade," the mysterious figure responded.
Both Nobodies remained quiet for a while. Finally, Xemnas began staring out toward the ocean. "Fate has a cruel sense of humor. You and I understand this better than anyone. In my case it made sense. The embers of darkness were always in my heart, until one day they ignited a conflagration that imprinted my destiny in flames. Yet of all the people to become a Nobody…I never thought you would."
The companion turned to Xemnas. "I don't regret it. Though I suppose I CAN'T regret it."
"So when you have shown your feelings in the past…you've just been pretending like the rest of us?" the Superior asked.
The person nodded. And for the next few moments, Xemnas stayed silent. Suddenly, Xemnas reached into his pocket, pulling out an orange star-shaped charm.
"Do you still have yours?" the man asked.
"Of course," the unknown being said. With a gloved hand, the anonymous person pulled out a similar charm, the only difference being that it was colored blue.
Turning towards his friend, Xemnas took off the figure's hood. He was always amazed to see how different she looked. The girl was now a woman, with even more graceful hair that grew past her shoulders. Although the glamorous locks on her head had stayed blue, her eyes had become a fierce shade of yellow, the shade he once had years ago. Yet her face, that beautiful face, was essentially the same.
She tried to smile back, wanted to return his kind efforts. But that's all they were, attempts. She could never truly feel happy on this infamous day. On this day, she changed forever, and was forced the embrace the very thing she swore to destroy: darkness. It no longer pained or frightened her. In fact, it empowered the woman, and she was proud to call it her mastered element. However, this darkness had done more harm than good. This new existence, or inexistence really, had emptied her of any true emotions. The former heroine could feel nothing as positive as joy or as negative as guilt. Emptiness defined her now.
The same deprivation of emotion had happened to Xemnas at his birth. When that transformation had occurred, he was Terra no more. Emotions influence one's identity, and without real feelings, Xemnas would always be a little different from Terra, regardless of their mind being one in the same. Thus, even though her mind had not changed, the loss of her heart had fundamentally altered the woman.
Xemnas smiled, trying to at least appear to be happy. His mind forced him to want to do this, to want HER. Terra's memories had defined him, just as her memories defined her. And those memories were filled with joyful moments between the two when they had hearts. Their memories urged them to be with each other. The two kissed, each valuing the other despite lacking true emotion.
Breaking the kiss, he softly moved his hand through her hair. "Happy birthday…Axuqa."
The woman grinned back at him, incapable of caring about who she had been and focusing only on who she had become.
She was Aqua no more.
