The Absent Silhouette shot straight towards our heroes. But before they could swing their weapons, they found themselves thrown into the air like magic…everyone that is except Aqua.
"What the?!" she said as she swung her Keyblade but the Silhouette dodged and flew into her.
As soon as it did she started to glow a brilliant bright light. Suddenly Roxas felt the blade-lock and the gunblade magically pulled towards the glowing woman.
Suddenly the light separated from Aqua, leaving the blue haired woman lying bewildered on the ground behind it.
"Ok that was weird." Aqua said as she sat up and the others floated back to the ground.
The two weapons floated up towards the light and instantly a black gloved hand shot out of the light and grabbed the blade-lock as another grabbed the gunblade.
The light faded and where it once was, stood a woman, with short silver hair. She was wearing what appeared to be a variant of the old Organization XIII robes except instead of the robes she had a black leather vest with silver trim and she also wore a black cape and cowl with a hood. The rest of her attire was the typical black leather pants and the black boots and gloves with the decorative silver trim.
"Oh Jenova, why couldn't it be Xaldin?" Namine grumbled as she recognized the woman and Roxas started getting a Migraine again as a flood of memories entered his mind.
"Easy…I'm not the old gravity witch you're familiar with." The woman replied.
"Prove it!" Namine growled as she prepared to throw a Thundaga blast and Cissnei prepared to throw her shuriken but the woman merely stood her ground.
Finally just as the two launched their attacks, a reflect sphere blocked the attacks. What shocked them was that Roxas was the one who blocked the attacks, not the woman.
"Roxas?! What are you thinking?! She'll kill you!!" Cissnei warned as Roxas shook his head.
"No…she won't." he replied as everyone in the room, sans Roxas and the woman, arched a confused eyebrow.
"What are you talking about?" Sora asked.
"I know who planted that memorial for her…it was me." Roxas explained as Namine and Cissnei look stunned. Riku was noticeably surprised.
"I think it would be best if…Luxa, explained." Roxas said as he turned to the silver haired woman who gave him a small smile.
Luxa turned and looked at Aqua.
Suddenly Sora quickly realized what everyone else had missed.
"Wait you're Aqua's nobody!" Sora said as Luxa nodded, "And Kairi is Aqua's daughter, which makes you Namine's-"
"-Mother." Namine said as she realized it and Luxa nodded. Namine scrunched up her face and turned her back on the woman.
"If that's the case, then I don't have a mother." Namine said as Luxa lowered her head in sadness and Aqua scratched hers.
"Ok…I give...what the heck is going on?!" she asked confused.
"Namine, she never told me why she did what she did until she faded…but it wasn't me that caused her to fade…it was Sephiroth." Roxas explained as he approached his girlfriend, "During my last battle with her, I could feel the one thing that practically all nobodies are born without…emotions."
"She was doing her best to protect a ten year old secret from the daughter of her other, and if you were killed after learning that secret than Kairi would know the secret when you had your Reunion…but my appearance on the scene caused her to have to revise her plan…she had to destroy you before I learned the secret and told you…in the end it would be more merciful to reunite you with Kairi than not to." Roxas explained as Sora scratched his head.
"Was there English in that explanation?" Sora asked as Aqua approached her nobody.
"I think I know what that secret was…it was me wasn't it?" Aqua asked as Luxa nodded silently.
"Oh…" Kairi said in realization, "…because I hadn't learned of your fate yet…that's why you had to keep Namine from finding out…if she found out and died…I'd find out when she and I had our Reunion."
"That's correct Kairi." Luxa replied with a smile as she looked towards Namine "It was never my intention to destroy you…just keep the truth away from you…deep down I wanted more than anything to be with you…but I couldn't…that's why I tried to tell Roxas with my dying breath to find the Room of Sleep, where Aqua and her armor was stored…but I faded away before I could."
"But why hold me hostage?!" Cissnei asked annoyed.
"Because you would bring out Roxas, and then I could cause both him and Namine to reunite with their others…" Luxa replied as she turned to Riku, "…which was your goal after all wasn't it?"
"Yeah but we didn't know about the Reunion thing until five months ago." Riku replied as Luxa smirked.
"Yes I recall seeing Zexion battling you four before learning that his other was murdered by Xaldin." Luxa said as Namine turned towards her slightly.
"You really…wanted to be with me?" Namine asked, "…and not destroy me?"
"Yes Namine…It tore my figurative heart out to even consider it…but I knew you would be happier if you reunited with Kairi." Luxa said as she dropped to her knees and dropped her weapons.
"I know I don't deserve your forgiveness…and I doubt that I will ever receive your forgiveness." Luxa said, "…and if you don't want me around, just say the word and you will never see nor hear from me again."
Namine turned towards the kneeling woman, her human heart feeling the truth resonating in her mother's words. Finally she reached a decision and smiled with a sigh.
Namine slowly walked over to Luxa and after a moment, pulled her into a hug.
"Stay with me." Namine whispered into her ear, causing Luxa to smile as she put her arms around her daughter and her ear to Namine's chest. She then opened her eyes in surprise as she heard the faint thumping of a heart inside.
"Y-you have a…a heart?" Luxa asked surprised as she looked at the blond who smiled and nodded.
"Roxas, Axel, and all the other surviving Nobodies too." Sora added as Luxa stood up.
"How may I ask?" She asked.
"They earned them." Aqua said with a smirk.
"Oh that's right…the Kingdom Knights can grant Nobodies hearts if they please." Luxa said as Aqua held up a finger signaling to wait.
"Yeah but you'll have to earn yours too." Aqua replied, "…and since you have emotions, it will be easier for you."
"Thanks." Luxa said as the others smiled…everyone except Cissnei.
"I'm not exactly easy to win over 'Luxa" Cissnei said as she approached the nobody, "You're going to have to earn my trust."
"Sounds fair enough…especially considering the fact I held you hostage once." Luxa replied with a nod.
"Well…" Forte said he leaned over, "…I guess you're all off on some great adventure, while Forte get's left behind in the background."
"If we could take you with us Forte we would, but you're just too big to put onto either one of our ships." Roxas replied, "But if you want us to bring you anything, like sheet music, we could."
"Thank you Roxas…" Forte said with a smile on his iron face, "But that won't be necessary, the thought alone is enough for me."
"Well…I guess it's goodbye again." Sora said as he turned to Beast and Belle.
"I guess so…by the way how's Zexion doing?" Beast asked.
"Oh he's doing great, he has a heart, his other's murder was avenged, he has a great job, and a girlfriend too." Sora replied.
"Though I'm not sure that I would count Yuffie as a good thing?" Riku said with a laugh as Beast looked at Aqua curiously.
"Haven't I seen you before?" he asked as Aqua replied with a squirrelly "Uh…No." and ran off as Beast remembered and roared off after her.
Fortunately Aqua and the others escaped from the Castle without injury.
When Aqua's group saw her and Luxa appear on board the Shera, they were definitely surprised.
"So you're Aqua's nobody…hold it you have a nobody?!" Ven said to the blue haired woman.
"I think it happened when I was captured back in Rocket Town…remember he took me to that secret lair somewhere…the Deepground facility I'll wager but anyway…" Aqua explained, "…I had Kairi asleep and then Sanzun tried to take my heart like a heartless would. But instead of becoming a heartless I fell into this weird death like state until he put my heart back…I think that's when Luxa here was born."
"That's what I recall." Luxa said with a nod as something occurred to Aqua.
"Umm it just occurred to me, there's something we really need to discuss." Aqua said as she took Luxa aside.
Aqua led her nobody to her quarters where she locked the door as soon as they were inside.
"Look, I'm aware that you know everything I know and there's something I must ask you to do." Aqua said as Luxa looked at her expectantly.
"(Sigh) You can't tell Kairi anything about her father." Aqua said as Luxa nodded.
"I know…you want him to be remembered as the man that he was…not the man he became." Luxa replied as Aqua nodded.
"You have my silence." Luxa replied as Aqua sighed with relief.
"Good…now is there anything you need me to do?" Aqua asked as Luxa thought.
"Well…is there anything I can do to help on this quest?" Luxa asked as Aqua nodded.
"Yes…go with Kairi. Protect her to the best of your ability." Aqua replied as Luxa smiled softly.
"I'll protect her as if she were my daughter…which in a way, she is." Luxa replied and vanished in a black portal to the Fahrenheit.
On board the Fahrenheit.
"So we're going to Port Royal now right?" Zack asked as the group, plus Luxa, had gathered on the bridge. Zack, Fuu, and Wall-e had already been introduced to the Silent Enforcer and had accepted her as part of the crew.
"Yep…I've always liked the part in Mom's stories of the old days when they battled that space pirate." Kairi replied as Sora smirked.
"You just like Pirate stories in general…" Sora said as he flashed back on his last encounter with pirates in Port Royal, "…but they are usually never as 'romantic' or as 'exciting' as they are in the books or movies."
"I know that…but that doesn't mean that I don't like them." Kairi replied as Sora shrugged.
"Well then…" Namine asked from the controls, "…shall we be going?"
"Arr Matey!" Fuu said with a snicker as she pointed to her eye patch.
"Ha! Looks like Fuu's all set!" Cissnei said as the rest of the crew snickered.
"Yeah, we should probably get into costume for this one." Roxas suggested as the others nodded and headed for the storage rooms while Namine radioed the Shera.
"Shera come in." Namine said into the headset.
"This is the Shera…what ya need Namine?" Cid replied.
"Just letting you know that we're heading for Port Royal now, so we'll see you around." Namine said as she put in the coordinates.
"Ten four on that, we're heading to Olympus Coliseum for something that Aqua says is important…though what I'll never figure out until we get there." Cid replied as the gummy ships started heading away from each other.
"Acknowledged Cid, see ya round." Namine said as she turned off the headset and the Fahrenheit lurched into hyperspace with the Shera blazing off in the opposite direction.
End Chapter 10.
Luxa is one of the two characters I own…she was initially intended to fill the role of the new female member of Organization XIII in the 358/2 days fanfic.
But recent true data reveals that the new character's name is Xion and she has blue hair like Aqua...but for the sake of the story's continuity I'm keeping my OC in the story.