Chapter XI: Salt in the Wounds
Thanks again for the reviews! Your knowledge feeds my brain…
XIIIXV: I'm sorry! If it makes you feel better, it got stuck in my head while I was writing. XD
Diabowserker: No, Xetah isn't a Replica. The sentence, "… becoming an exact replica of Xathe…" was a metaphor. That's a result of Xathe's over-dramatic way of thinking…
Xathe: I'm right here, idiot…
Me: I knew that. :3
Xathe: *grumbles* The Key To Darkness doesn't own Kingdom Hearts, Disney or anything associated with either…
[Song Inspiration: Written In the Stars by Tinie Tempah]
{WARNING: Graphic Language used in this Chapter! Read at your own risk. You've been warned.}
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Day 300
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…
Xathe knocks on the door three times. To Xathe's surprise, footsteps come to answer the door faster than he expected.
The door opens to reveal a slightly tall, brown-haired woman whose hair is put into a braid. "Oh, hello. I'm sorry; I thought you were going to be Cloud!" She giggles. This was Aerith…
"Um, hi. Wait… that's exactly who I'm looking for! Do you know where Cloud is?" Xathe asks, trying his best to sound like Tahe`… even though he was failing for the most part.
"Who are you exactly…?" Aerith asks suspiciously.
"You don't remember me?" Xathe asks, pretending to sound sad.
"D-Do you know me?" Aerith asks instead.
"But of course…" Xathe states. That common line of his sparks a light bulb in Aerith's mind.
"Tahe`?!" She gasps.
Xathe rolls his eyes and gives a 'Duh!' look. He is caught completely off guard by Aerith rushing into him and embracing him in a hug.
"What the hell?!" Xathe shouts. He was alright with pretending to sound friendly… but dealing with a hug was too far.
Aerith doesn't budge an inch and Xathe forms an irritated blush. He was becoming a bit… uncomfortable with the position he was in. 'Jeez! What the heck happened that made her so damn clingy?!'
"I-I thought you w-were dead…" Aerith whispers in Xathe's leather-covered shoulder. 'I swear to Kingdom Hearts, if she soils my coat, I'm going to be pissed…'
"I'm here, now, aren't I? What happened?" Xathe asks curiously.
Aerith steps away from Xathe and gawks at him in shock, "You mean you don't remember?" she gasps.
"Not really… no."
Aerith bites her bottom lip and looks away for a second before turning back to Xathe again, "Why don't you come in?"
"Fine," Xathe states in a monotone, walking in the door with her following. She shuts the door behind her as Xathe turns around to face her. "So tell me what happened. I can explain why I don't remember in a second, but first I need answers…"
"Alright… I'll try to explain, with the best of my knowledge." Aerith trails off.
A silence brewed in the air and lasted for several seconds. This was really starting to get on Xathe's nerves, "Well?"
"You see… it all started a few years back…" Aerith starts.
…
(Flashback)
"What is wrong with you?" Cloud spits.
"That's such a stupid question! You know that I have plenty wrong with me, idiot!" Tahe` counters the question.
"That's not what I'm referring to. You know what I'm talking about, so stop stalling!" Cloud shouts. Cloud usually played it cool… but this was going too far… especially for Tahe`.
"Maybe I want to do this… is that too much for you?" Tahe` spits.
"Yeah, it is. Why would you sign up for this? It's suicide… and overall, it's the wrong thing to do."
"You just don't understand. Don't even try to make assumptions about what I want to do! I have never felt so 'at home' before in my life. You can't even fathom the knowledge I'm receiving there!" Tahe` goes on.
(Cut-off Flashback)
…
"Hold on, back-up. I worked for whom, now?" Xathe asks, confused.
"You… you signed up to help with research about hearts under Ansem the Wise. Well… at that point of time he was starting to lose control over his apprentices. Those apprentices were who you were working for," Aerith explains.
"Oh. Okay, that makes a little more sense. Go on, then."
…
(Flashback)
"Why didn't you sign up under Ansem instead of this lunatic apprentice of his?!" Cloud asks, sighing in distress from Tahe`'s foolishness.
"His name is Xehanort. I signed up with him because his research goes over the darkness of the heart. That is the part I need to know about. And these studies and experiments are helping me better understand the truth about it. The gifts I can receive from it!" Tahe` explains.
"It's wrong, Tahe`. I thought after the whole situation with your father, you would have understood that the Darkness is wrong," Cloud tries to persuade him.
Tahe` shakes his head. "You're incorrect. The Darkness was never wrong! People only make it look wrong. I plan to use my Darkness to help people… while you stand idly by, and let it slowly consume you!"
Cloud is appalled by Tahe`'s accusation, "That's not true. I'm trying to find my inner light. What are you doing? You're literally signing up for people to force Darkness to consume your heart."
"Shut up! You don't fucking know me!" Tahe` shouts harshly.
"Apparently you're right. Because the real Tahe` would never argue like this… or speak with such a foul mouth."
Tahe` was beginning to lose control over his anger.
"The real Tahe` wouldn't let the Darkness control him… the real Tahe` would fight it, and strive towards the Light within him."
Tahe` clenches his right fist tightly.
"The real Tahe`… would remember what was most important to him. He would remember that, no matter what hardship the Darkness put upon him… that his friends would be there for him the whole way…" Cloud trails off.
"You're wrong, Cloud.'Cuz… this is the real Tahe`. This was who I was meant to be all along. I finally understand what my father meant about the Darkness… before he disappeared. He was so right… and I was too stubborn to see it…"
Cloud winces… afraid of what Tahe` is going to say.
"The Darkness isn't evil… all it is… is an extension of Light itself. All Light will soon return to Darkness, as it began. It's all a cycle: from Darkness to Light, and then to Darkness again. It's how the universe's life goes… and how all life goes."
"Don't talk like that, Tahe`-…"
"And I, Tahe`, will boldly take the first step that humanity has always been too ignorant and fearful to take. The first step of the universe's evolution. Xehanort is supporting a life-changing cause. Why wait for the wonderful gifts that the Darkness could supply us with? Why not bring out those gifts now?"
Cloud was in complete shock by Tahe`'s newfound philosophy.
"You don't understand now… but that's understandable. Humanity has always been too scared of the Darkness to embrace it and understand it. That's why I signed up for this research. I will help change the World to the way it was meant to be. You'll understand one day. You may even thank me…" Tahe` sighs, turning around and getting ready to walk away.
"So… you think you're helping an unjust cause… by letting traitors use you as their guinea-pig? By becoming their newest experiment?"
"It's more than that, Cloud… you just… wouldn't understand."
"What? What are you even talking about? What is it that I wouldn't understand?" Cloud spits.
"…Project XV…"
(End of Flashback)
…
Xathe sits down in a chair, using his right hand to pull at his black locks of hair. This was so much to take in. It seemed… even in his past life… it was some-how revolved around Project XV…
"What happened afterwards…?" Xathe deadpans.
"You left… Cloud watched over you for a little while after that. He was curious of what studies Xehanort and the other apprentices were performing on you. One day… Cloud sneaked into the lab that they were doing their final testing on you in. Cloud described it… with much detail…" she trails off.
"What?" asks Xathe.
"To cut it shorter… he said that they tricked you into performing one last test that, supposedly, would help complete their task of learning about the heart. In reality, they wanted to test their new machine that was meant to remove a person's heart to make them become a Heartless…"
Xathe is starting to get the picture… and it's not pretty what the outcome is.
Aerith stops a sob from coming out, "Cloud said that the only thing he saw… was the fear in your eyes once you realized the truth. But it was far too late. He watched the great fire, that always burned in your eyes, burn out so… unceremoniously. He said… you looked so empty before he watched you die."
"I… died?" Xathe asks.
"That's what Cloud saw. The last thing he saw… before he couldn't bare to watch anymore… was them taking your Heartless, and putting it in a strange chamber. The last thing Cloud described was… the chamber had some sort of pink liquid in it… and Tahe`'s Heartless instantly fell into dormancy. He had no idea what they did with it afterwards," Aerith finishes.
Suddenly Xathe remembered a couple months back, what he saw in the laboratory back at Organization XIII.
…
(Flashback)
Time seems to go in slow motion as he walks past the room. The room was once the laboratory that Vexen frequently worked in, at one time.
Inside, was a giant desk in the center of the room, with lots of scientific tools and experiments. Around the desk, attached to the walls, were 13 big, glass tanks that all held strange pink liquid. Xathe's eyes open wide with surprise.
The liquid wasn't what surprised him… but what was in it besides the liquid. The tanks also held a Neoshadow in each one. The Neoshadows floated ominously in the liquid, in dormancy. They were very much alive…
But as fast as he looked in, it disappeared as he walked away from it.
(End of Flashback)
…
The Neoshadows that Xathe saw… the chamber that Cloud described. They were both connected. But… how?
"I'm sorry… I just-… I think I need some time to think things over, Tahe`. I have thought you were dead for so long and… this is kind of hard to take in… considering what happened so long ago…"
"What happened?" asks Xathe, curiously. He desperately wanted to know everything.
"I'd rather not talk about it. But… let's just say that, you left us for your father."
"My father?
"Yeah. He was supposedly a very cruel old man. Cloud hated the vibes that your father gave him. Cloud only saw him but for a second… but he won't forget it…" Aerith trails off again.
"Who was he?" Xathe asks impatiently.
"I think you need to talk to Cloud for the rest of the story… he wouldn't appreciate me doing this. He wouldn't appreciate me talking to you, period…"
"Damn it! Why are you people so bent on confusing the hell out of me?! First the Organization, and now I can't even get answers from me old friends?! What the fuck is wrong with you damn people?!" Xathe shouts, very angrily.
"Tahe`!" Aerith gasps, backing up in fear.
"All I want are some fucking answers… and this world just loves to tease the hell out of me! Well all of you have gone way beyond my limit of self-control! I'm to the point, that I don't even care who has information or not anymore! I might as well just kill everyone! Since everyone seems to get in my way!" Xathe screams, steam might as well have been shooting out his ears, he was so red in the face.
"Tahe`, please calm down! I'm sorry!" Aerith pleads with him.
Xathe slowly gains his calm back and stands straight. His glare did not waver from Aerith's eyes. It was obvious that he was extremely ticked…
"I'm just gonna go. You want space? You've got your damned space!" Xathe shouts, walking out the door and slamming it behind him.
Aerith looks to the floor with much sadness… if only Tahe` had come back on better terms than these…
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…
…
Xathe walks out of his dark corridor inside of the grey room. He was still very angry, but at least he could keep his cool… not counting the harsh glare in his eyes.
"Have fun?" Xetah teases, walking up to Xathe.
Xathe simply pushes him lightly aside, "Fuck off."
Xetah's eye twitches as Xathe walks away, "What's his deal?" Xetah crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow. Sure the eyebrow couldn't be seen under his hood, but it was still kind of obvious.
…
…
…
Xathe rushes down the hallway that he walked through a couple months back. He had to see something… if he was right about this, then his hypothesis about Project XV was correct.
Seeing this would expose the hidden secrets of Project XV.
Sure this was just a guess… but something felt strangely truthful about it. Xathe had to know the truth of the project!
He finds the huge door to the laboratory, but this time it's sealed shut. Xathe stops and examines the door closely. Somebody sealed it from the outside… with some sort of magic lock. Whoever sealed the door wasn't playing around. They knew what they were doing, and had a reason behind it, too…
This just made Xathe's curiosity burst through the ceiling…
But how was he going to unlock the magic seal?
Suddenly, a Keyhole appears in the center of the seal. In response, Xathe's Keyblade summons on its own, inside of Xathe's grip. He understood now…
Xathe uses both hands to aim his Keyblade towards the Keyhole and the hole begins to glow. Instantly, a beam of light shoots out from Xathe's Keyblade and enters directly through the Keyhole.
He's taken back by the gust of wind that shoots out from the magic seal as it unlocks. The wind blows Xathe's hair back dramatically as the seal disappears along with the Keyhole. There was now just the door…
"…"
Xathe charges at the door and slams it open with his Keyblade, breaking the door off its hinges.
He leaps forward and plants his feet on the floored steel door. Xathe aims his Keyblade out dramatically, but then is caught with shock by what he sees inside the laboratory.
His Keyblade disappears in a flash. Xathe takes cautious steps towards the table in the center of the room. What he saw… was so much more than he expected…
All the chambers with the Heartless inside of them were destroyed. The pink liquids that the Heartless floated in were spilt across the floor, still bubbling. The Heartless were, apparently, genetically enhanced… because their bodies laid, dead in front of their pods. They didn't fade away like regular Heartless. Their bodies were almost realistic.
"Well… whatever project they were planning on using these things for must have failed if they killed them all and sealed the door…" Xathe sighs with disappointment.
He looks over and sees the table is completely cleared off except for some sort of journal. Xathe's curiosity kicks in once again and he walks over to the table, picking up the journal. He's tempted to read it, but he knows this is the wrong time. He needs to find a place where he knows he's alone and not under the watch of Xemnas…
Suddenly, footsteps are heard, coming down the hallway towards the laboratory.
Xathe is startled, putting the journal in his coat and disappearing into a dark corridor. The dark corridor fades instantly.
…
The cloaked man walks over to the laboratory and stops to see the broken hinges and the door laying flat on the floor inside the room.
"Looks like curiosity is going to kill the cat…" the man chuckles, walking away without even a second glance.
…
…
Mysterious…
Good chapter, no? I hope you're enjoying the story. And for those of you who are offended by the graphic language… yell at Xathe, not me. I'm just the author!
Xathe: At least I can take criticism…
Me: Shut up!
Well, it's Christmas Break, guys! So that means I'll be updating more frequently, now! :D
Xathe: God, I love updates! :)
Riku: When do I get to come in, again?! D:
Me: Soon. Be patient, gosh.
Xion: And what about me?
Namine: Do I get a part?! :D
Axel: Trolololo! :3
Too many questions! You'll have to wait 'til tomorrow or the next day to find out! -The Key To Darkness
