Chapter 12- Halcyons' end
Following the wondrous Christmas spectacle at Ansem's palace, things were quiet again; for the weeks after, Sairu and Kairi spent nearly every day together, despite the playful teasing from Lea and Isa, and surprisingly Squall. After Christmas, Squall proceeded to intensify the training sessions again, and even began teaching Sairu different stances for swords, and even learning to wield a bo staff and a spear in combat courtesy of Cid's tutelage, and even began to have one-on-one training sessions with Tifa, which despite the difficulties, he rose to the challenges with statuesque resolve, never faltering and always giving it everything. Yet, Ienzo began to spend less time with Sairu and Kairi, spending many a day researching with Xehanort, Dilan, Even, Aeleus, and Braig. But what really got Sairu was the cold, detached persona he adopted when he was out with Sairu and Kairi. Despite their concerns, Sairu and Kairi understood why he was studying, and tried their best to accept his lack of presence.
Yet, even when they went to visit at the palace, Ienzo was there for only minutes each time, and even in the presence of his stepfather, Ansem the Wise, Ienzo refused to remain for elongated periods of time, which concerned him greatly. "Apologies, children. I'm afraid Ienzo's homework has ensured that he will not join us today. I do not know what has come over the boy as of late" Ansem explained. After looking at one another, Sairu and Kairi decided that their only option was to confront Ienzo directly, whether he was working or not. Once Ansem retreated to his study, Sairu and Kairi silently agreed to check up on him, and when they approached his room, the sight before them was unconscionable: Ienzo's normally pristine bedroom was now littered with thousands of books scattered all over the floor, the desk and the curtains were drawn despite the glorious sunshine today. Then on the bed, draped in a blanket, there was a huge lump which they could only assume was Ienzo.
"Uh... hey, what are you doing?" Sairu called out, at which Ienzo removed the blanket. "What is it? Can you not see I am in the middle of important work right now?" Ienzo's voice coldly pierced the silence following. His cold tone shocked both Sairu and Kairi. "Ienzo, we just wanted to see if you wanted to-" Sairu tried to explain. "You need not have bothered. Please leave, I am busy" Ienzo interrupted, his cold tone lessening somewhat, but despite this, Sairu grew angrier at this last remark, while Kairi stared disbelievingly. "Hey, what did we do?" Sairu retaliated, then the bundle fell back to reveal Ienzo watching them with a cold gaze, an almost enraged expression adorning his face. "What you did is not the point; this research is at its most critical point. I have to ensure our formula is perfect. I cannot permit distractions, no matter what or who" he explained.
Hearing this, now Kairi looked positively furious. "Ienzo, calm down. You can take a break. Let's go and play monsters in a lab. I'll be the monster, okay?" Sairu asked facing his friend directly. For a second, Ienzo contemplated as he looked towards Sairu, but then... "Must I repeat myself? I told you, this research is critical. This could be a major breakthrough; if I stop now, I'll lose focus later. No, I have to work, I've already wasted time speaking with you" Ienzo responded harshly, at which point, Kairi spoke up. "How dare you... We're just trying to play with you, and you're being so nasty to us! If this is what you want, then fine!" she exclaimed in outrage before turning on her heel and stomping away. "Look what you've done" Sairu called to him, yet Ienzo's expression was frozen, whilst he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and turned to his desk.
Having witnessed this, Sairu clenched his fist tightly until they turned white, and without even thinking, charged at Ienzo and grabbed him by the collar of his lab coat. "What is wrong with you? Why were you so mean to Kairi?" he asked. Despite all that had happened, Ienzo remained in Sairu's grip, undeterred in the slightest, and understanding this was never going to lead anywhere, Sairu pushed his friend aside and ran out the door, without so much as a backward glance. Once he was out of sight, Ienzo returned to his desk, as if nothing had happened, but unseen to himself, an aura of darkness shrouded him as he returned to the notes and the journal on the table, single-mindedly focused on his 'breakthrough'.
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As Sairu ran away, he realised he didn't know where to go, but neither did he especially care; all that he cared about was what he had just borne witness to; Ienzo was always smart, but this was an unhealthy obsession, that stirred ever since Christmas. Sairu wasn't sure how or why, but he couldn't help but blame Xehanort for this. As he ran, Sairu then heard someone call out to him, and he skidded to a halt, to discover it was Ansem the Wise, who watched with sorrowful eyes, noting Sairu's shaken self. "What is the matter, my boy? You look as if you have seen a ghost" as he approached cautiously. Once he was closer, Sairu proceeded to look at Ansem with, to Ansem's horror, yellow eyes, yet it was only for a split second, and once he blinked, Sairu's eyes had reverted to their normal brown colour. "Take a deep breath... Now tell me what happened" Obeying, Sairu inhaled and exhaled deeply and said "Ienzo was so mean to us. He was working hard, and when we spoke, he just told us to get out. He's never been that mean before"
"Well, I did give you fair warning that he was hard at work. You chose to ignore what I said, but this is not the time to blame each other. Might I suggest you go and find your friend. I shall speak to Ienzo" Ansem replied as he rose to his feet. "But I-" "Sairu, please allow me. Ienzo will see reason if I talk to him; right now, Kairi needs you. Go to her" After a few minutes of silent protests, Sairu eventually conceded and ran from the castle doors whilst Ansem set his stern gaze to the corridor he was heading towards. Steps outside the door, Ienzo opened to discover his stepfather looking at him with disappointed expression. "We need to talk" Ansem stated bluntly, whilst Ienzo looked hesitant. "Forgive me, Master, but I have much work to finish. Please allow me to continue" he stated politely yet firmly, trying to close the door, but Ansem wedged his foot to keep the door from closing. "This is not a matter that can wait. I came across an enraged Sairu, and he explained you were the cause of his current state. I despise having to exploit my authority, but I will not leave until this matter has been resolved. Is that understood, Ienzo?" he stated authoritatively, locking eyes with Ienzo, who actually seemed to shrink back under his stern gaze.
But Ienzo then proceeded towards the desk to collect some papers, and another set of papers fell to the ground. Instinctively, Ansem proceeded to pick up the page, and after assembling them in their chronological order until he noticed something peculiar about the title of the paper: Report 0 by, to his horror, Ansem. "Ienzo, what is this document? I demand you tell me why my name is featured on this text" Despite his harsher stance towards him, Ienzo proceeded to look up to Ansem with a stoic gaze. "We like to call it... progress" he simply stated. "Indeed" another voice spoke out, and in the doorway, stood Xehanort, who now bore an expression of sheer confidence. "Xehanort? What is the meaning of this?" Ansem demanded, frightened yet enraged. "Why don't you read it and see for yourself?" Xehanort coyly retorted.
Heeding Xehanort's words, Ansem decided to examine the report, but as he read the abstract, his stern expression erupted into horror, and the papers slipped from his hand as he looked at them, both with expressions of absolute confidence. After a minute of silent horror, Ansem's expression returned to sheer outrage as he eyed them. "These reports... these experiments... How could you, Xehanort, Ienzo?! Did I not teach you any better? We scientists must regard life with sincerity and respect! To disregard these principles is inexcusable, regardless of who we are. We scientists must respect the boundaries that separate men from monsters. But you, Xehanort, and even Ienzo, you dared to cross them, even when I taught you otherwise" Ansem argued, yet ceased when Xehanort proceeded to chuckle evilly.
"Do you not see, Master? It is because you taught us otherwise that we dared to step into the unknown" Xehanort countered, which earned Ansem's horrified intrigue. "From your teachings, I came to understand that the boundaries of ethics are but guidelines on our roads to discovery. We scientists indeed must consider the ethics of our research, but nothing in life can be given, only earned through arduous struggle. Then it occurred to me: to attain ultimate knowledge of the heart, one must be willing to sacrifice their precious morals. We will discover the secrets of the heart only when we have lost them. It is human nature to understand the value of something only when it is lost. Even Ienzo and our colleagues understand this, and thus, together... we will discover the mysteries of the heart".
At the conclusion of Xehanort's monologue, other figures appeared, familiar comrades, all with the same look of confidence: Braig, Dilan, Even and Aeleus. At this, Ansem proceeded to step back in horror at the scene that unfolded. As Xehanort casually approached his former mentor, Xehanort's eyes shone an eerie yellow, full of malice. But then, Xehanort stopped in right in front of Ansem, and surprisingly stated "I thank you. If it were not for your teachings, we never would have made the progress that you yourself yearned for. Now, your part is over, and we will continue onwards... towards our desire" And with those final words, a dark corridor opened behind Ansem, and with a firm push, Ansem fell back into the dark corridor, and once he was completely out of sight, the dark corridor vanished.
"Now, we can proceed with our plan. Are the subjects ready?" Xehanort asked inquisitively. "I would say so. I'll go prepare them" Braig stated matter-of-factly and in an instant, he was out of sight. Dilan and Aeleus proceeded to take their leave, proceeding to their places in their project. As Xehanort turned to Ienzo and Even before him, he directed his attention towards Ienzo. "Are you remorseful of our master's banishment, young one?" Xehanort asked. Ienzo shockingly, scoffed at his last remark before giving an evil smile. "It matters not. Our project is near completion. Nostalgia and sentimentality are of little importance now" he replied, single-mindedly. "And... what of your friends?" Xehanort asked in confidence. Ienzo involuntarily flinched at that last remark, but remained silent all the same. "No matter. Let us proceed... to the darkness of the unknown" With these last words, Xehanort, Even and Ienzo proceeded on their way.
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Meanwhile, after the business with Ienzo still echoing in his head, Sairu had finally emerged in the central square, and after stopping to catch his breath, Sairu proceeded to look around desperately and, over to his 1:00, he noticed a familiar red head crying in the corner. With that, he ran off towards her, concerned and downtrodden. "Kairi!" he called, and as she rose her tear-stricken face towards him, her crying renewed again. "Kairi, are you alright?" he futilely asked, knowing the answer as he uttered his question. As she ceased drying her eyes, she looked at Sairu, broken inside. "No... I've never seen him so mean before. I knew he was a hard worker, but this was too much, even for him. How could he... say that to us?" Feeling he had to do something, Sairu then said "It's okay. Mister Ansem went to talk to Ienzo. Everything's gonna be alright"
After hearing that, Kairi rose to her feet, and gave a sad smile. "Yes... you're right. Thanks so much, Sairu" Kairi responded gratefully. "Come on, let's go back to your house... I can make your favourite food" "Okay, let's go" Kairi added excitedly, but as soon as she took his hand in her own, a violent tremor shook the very ground they stood on. "What was that?!" Kairi hysterically cried. "Earthquake?!" Sairu queried, horrified at what was happening; then, he noticed the sky shrouded in black clouds, with pink lightning crackling, ready to strike at the drop of a hat.
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Meanwhile, Xehanort had successfully created a portal to the objective of his research: a large, ornate door coloured a deep mahogany brown colour, the sort of doorway one would find in a mansion of sorts. Though the doors stood together, blocking passage, with Xehanort's lifted hand, the door seemingly answered his will and proceeded to open, from which dark clouds erupted forth. In response to this, creatures of the deepest black appeared in incalculable droves; only their eyes, an eerie yellow colour, could be seen in the darkness. "The time has come... Go, and finally sate your hunger" Xehanort addressed the dark creatures, and in response, the Heartless dashed towards the doorway and within minutes, their attack proceeded to ravage the world.
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Within seconds, the clear blue sky became shrouded in darkness, turning day into night at unimaginable speeds. With the coming of the darkness, the creatures emerged, an endless swarm of black creatures with yellow eyes emerged. As soon as they emerged, panic spread like wildfire: citizens began running frantically, plant life and unfortunate souls consumed alike. In the midst of all the bedlam around them, Sairu and Kairi instinctively began running, hand in hand. But their path was blockaded by these dark creatures, forcing them to run around in circles, just trying to keep them away.
All of a sudden, Kairi proceeded to scream when she realised that they were now surrounded by dozens of the black creatures, and while Sairu was terrified, he held his nerve and instinctively, stepped in front of Kairi and held his arms out, acting as a shield. "Don't! It's too dangerous!" Kairi yelled pleadingly, but Sairu's nerves of steel held strong. "NO! I won't let them hurt you!" Sairu exclaimed in return. Despite the fear she emanated, Kairi suddenly felt lighter at his determination to protect her. Suddenly, as she closed her eyes, the necklace she wore shone a faint glow that seemed to drive the creatures back slightly, and then, the light reached out to Sairu until it surrounded him, while she herself faded away from sight and earshot.
Sairu, however, was oblivious, as his gaze was directed towards a familiar face: Squall, dressed in a white T-shirt, black trousers and black boots with his signature pendant and weapon in hand. With one swing, in a blinding sweep of silver, a number of the creatures were destroyed. Despite this, Sairu noticed an expression in his brother's face he had never seen him wear before: sadness. "There you are! Thank goodness. Come on! The ship's ready!" Squall exclaimed, relieved as he ran towards him. "Yes! Let's go, Kairi!" Sairu exclaimed as he turned behind him, but his excitement vanished faster than a strike of lightning "Where are you?! Kairi! KAIRI!" he called despairingly, but was greeted with only the sound of the wind, and a clap of thunder.
"I'm sorry, but we have to go!" Squall called as he picked up the boy. "NO! I won't leave her! We gotta find her and Ienzo!" Sairu protested, but Squall gave him an enraged expression and despite his struggling, Squall's strength was too much as he held Sairu firmly in his left arm, running to the docking bay under the remains of their home. Aboard the ship, Aerith, Cid, Yuffie and Merlin waited with baited breath, which they released once they saw that Sairu was with Squall. As soon as Squall stepped inside and sealed the airlock, he set Sairu down again, who proceeded to run to a nearby porthole. All the while, he screamed and banged against the window, trying futilely to escape. Within minutes, Cid activated the engines and they were out of range, entering the abyss of interspace.
The sight before them was beyond horrific: the once beautiful Radiant Garden, ravaged by a black blanket of chaos and despair. In the next few minutes, it then simply vanished from sight as if it were a structure of sand being blown into the wind. Once it was gone completely, Sairu finally gave in, collapsing to his knees, clutching his head in agony, and shaking violently. Aerith had stayed by his side the whole time, and despite her best efforts, failed to provide any solace for him or anyone as she embraced him. In the end, however, the trauma was too much for the boy's fragile mind, and he fainted in Aerith's arms, much to everyone's horror.
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The next time young Sairu opened his eyes, he found himself in a completely different room than he had ever seen: a cramped room adorned with many objects, ranging from a cuckoo clock to photographs and paintings hanging on the walls over striped wallpaper. In one corner, near a door emblazoned with a number three, stood a large bed where he laid, with Aerith leaning over him, concerned yet relieved when she saw he was awake. As Sairu proceeded to sit up, he then saw his family, save Merlin, present. Everyone was glad in their silent ways that he was alright, but their sad expressions were the most prevalent ones seen: Squall sitting on the floor, hugging his knees, Cid standing to one side with a single tear trailing over his right cheek, and Yuffie sitting on the end of the bed, with puffy red eyes.
As soon as he was done looking around, Aerith took note of Sairu's depression, his lowered head, and the defeated expression in his eyes. To them, it must have been the trauma of their home disappearing; but to Sairu, it was more than that. First, he had been with Kairi who suddenly vanished, and he couldn't find Ienzo to make amends with his best friend either. Memories of their time together echoed inside his head, making it feel like it had been somebody's drum. That feeling caused Sairu to cry again, and he was held once more by a despondent Aerith, with everyone in silent agreement: it was best to say nothing.
"That day... is my singular worst memory. I thought Kairi was behind me the whole time. But she disappeared. What made it worse was the sour note I parted with Ienzo on. But I completely forgot, hoping to see him again overtaking my petty feelings about his actions. I couldn't smile for months after that; even with all my family together, the only thing I was grateful for, I felt more alone than ever. But time heals all wounds, so they say. And it was true when I met her..."
Here we go, the next chapter. Enjoy and please review!