Chapter 21

Divine Intervention

Xemnas walked the hall in silence, he couldn't stop the rest of his order to die but he could spare himself, but what was worth to spare? He had nothing whether he was living or dieing, it wasn't like Hollow Bastion that time he had two lives left this time he would die regardless and nothing could help him anyway.

"What are you doing now?"

Thinking he was being asked a question by one of his former teammates he tipped his head back and answered with, "I don't know anymore really."

He could hear footsteps getting closer till whoever it was stood right behind him, "Can't you guys take a hint!" he growled turning around to see Sephiroth glaring at him.

Sephiroth expected him him to draw his keyblade, but Xemnas just stood there hollow eyed and that usual light of pure stubbornness burned out of him. He had to admit he was shocked, "What are standing there for draw your keyblade like you did before, am I not the one you are plugging away to destroy with that sorry team you have."

Xemnas waved him off and continued on his way, "Good luck with that dark swiped my weapon already with Dispair, and I'm off the team now, besides Dark will just kill me in the end anyway what's the use."

Sephiroth shook himself a bit, "Xemnas have some pride in yourself, besides Dark can't kill you as long as you remain incomplete, he thinks he can do a lot of things only because he has divine power over darkness. Truth is he doesn't even control that weapon he displays like a trophy, it is forced to obey him but it really can act for itself, Dispair was the spirit of someone who refused to die there long ago and his heart black as sin was encased in that weapon."

Xemnas turned back a bit curious and returned to his enemy, "Is that true?"

He nodded, "Every word, once Dark finds out he will kill Riku only to get what he needs to decimate you, not even walking away will ensure your life, Dark is a control freak with a hunger for power that never will end, he is a sore loser who cares not to make things fair, and as long as he lives he will always be able to destroy anyone just because he sees fit only increase his own power."

"And you are really the good guy and the whole plunge the world into darkness is just a story." Xemnas rolled his eyes, "I'm not stupid Seph."

"What if I said that I will ensure your life, and Riku's, you seem to be becoming attached to them anyway, which is why you're running from them. You don't want to have to see what it will be like if you're gone, only because you can't handle the heartache anymore. Not so easy having a heart isn't it." Sephiroth new he had him now Xemnas' sudden attachment to anything could and would always bring him down, it happened to xehanort before why would Xemnas be much different.

"Ok how?" Xemnas couldn't refuse even if he wanted too, he wanted to make up for what he did, but that couldn't happen if he was dead. Besides he barely got much time with kairi, though at the time her life and his life along with the world was only part of his experiment, now things were different or so he hoped.

Sephiroth grinned summoning a familiar weapon that Xemnas knew well, "This is your spear is it not? Take this and continue your journey, at the end I will I take you to The Void where you can kill Dark long enough to live, if he is killed outside the walls he will come back but if he is killed in The Void then he will perish permanently and Dispair will fall onto the soil where it was last in human form, and wait for the son of Dark to be born in hoping that he will be better then his father."

"Aren't you even listening to yourself, The Void is my death bed, I go there I die does it click now." Xemnas was frustrated.

Sephiroth walked over to a window and motioned for Xemnas to look down into the remaining heartless, "Even I would die in the Void, but if I get that then I'd survive."

Xemnas peered down, "What, the keyblade?"

Sephiroth nodded, "That's why I needed your keyblade, but really any will do, with the keyblade and my power anyone can survive there."

"And why are you doing this?"

"Dark is my enemy, as long as he lives my goals will never come to pass, Xemnas your life hangs in the balance here this all is determined by how much you wish to live, remember that without my help you are doomed to die anyway. So what is your answer?" Sephiroth held the weapon out for Xemnas to grab it.

"Nothing to lose, as long as I don't think to hard about it." Xemnas mumbled and grabbed the spear feeling it strengthen him, and right now his old powers while being a heartless didn't seem so bad.

Sephiroth watched him get a feel for the weapon wonder why was he regecting his own heart, not wanting to feel was the same as throwing a heart away. If so what was his true goal was only to become complete, but would he risk Riku's life now? Regardless he thanked Xemnas then turned to see that the heartless in the main room had multiplied again, "What!? How is that happening I control these heartless they can't appear without my approval!?" he wouldn't allow this and broke out the window to deal with the disobedient heartless personally.

Xemnas watched him and stood back thinking who could be doing this, dark wasn't around he was sure of it. His mind wandered to that little replica Vexen made, he did eventually die, he was entirely fake. It was a long shot but if he was right then the replica wouldn't be able to be disseminated in the void.

It was the only thing that made sense so he jumped out of the window and flew down toward a crowd of heartless and landed in the middle, Sephiroth came tearing in after him dropping meteors around the area.

Xemnas looked over at him noticing now that his clothes had changed, "Sephiroth! Explain now!"

Sephiroth was broken from his concentration and dropped the rest of the meteors on himself, he now understood why Xemnas was able to lead his order, not even he would cross someone who could sound angrier then they really were, "What!?" he yelled after being thrashed by his own meteors and losing one to many feathers in the process.

Xemnas sighed at the sorry sight in front of him, "Why do I have to wear the clothes that my heartless wore?"

Sephiroth wanted to kill him right there, "Ok, one: because they come with the weapon, two: at least you don't look like crap, and three: be thankful that you are clothed."

Xemnas pointed the spear at Sephiroth's face, "At least give me my shirt back." he demanded.

However Sephiroth wasn't in a willing mood nor did he see any reason why he should, "If your that unhappy then you can strip them off right here, I wouldn't recommend it though." he answered then went back to slaying heartless.

Xemnas twitched a little not believing what heard, he hated not having his coat already he didn't want to think of stripping in public. For crying out loud he even slept in his clothes in his own castle, just who was his heartless anyway!?

After shaking off the thoughts he summoned a guardian and plowed through the heartless, his new guardian was a fierce lioness type of heartless. he rushed through the crowd and was met by Riku who had a wyvern fighting at his side.

Riku stopped and fell on Xemnas' guardian, "Why are you dressed like that for!?"

Xemnas glanced over, "search me? Sephiroth gave me the weapon and the clothes ask him." he answered then walked away ordering his guardian to follow.

"Sephiroth! You've joined him now!?"

Xemnas thought for a minute, "In a way I guess I did but only because he agrees to save me from death."

Riku brandished his keyblade, "How can you trust him over us?"

"Because Riku his plan cannot work if I die for whatever reason there is, and he won't let me stop this journey that's why he came to me offering me freedom even when I questioned him. I trust him because I have nothing to lose but my life, once I'm promised my life he goes next."

Riku twitched not liking Xemnas' reasoning, he had more to live for besides to mend his mistakes, what about them, or Saix the berserker seemed like his only true friend out of the rest of them from the order, what about Kairi who he was confusing and hurting with his actions and words, "You say you have nothing, what about us we might be your former enemies but we forgave you even though I wanted to kill you while you were down."

Xemnas peeked over his shoulder, the lioness mimicked his actions, "Oh that's nice to hear. Maybe I was wrong to trust you."

Riku didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know he was specifically talking about him, "Then what about Saix? No matter what you do he never once spoke bad about you, either you got him trained well or he's the most loyal friend I've ever seen!"

Xemnas drew an X in the air with his finger, "Have you not noticed then scar on his face, he is trained. Now if your through I will be searching for that replica Vexen made."

Riku just stared as Xemnas walked away, "Then what about Kairi!" he shouted catching Xemnas' attention again.

"What about her."

"What!? How can say that like she's not even human, she was devastated when you fell in the pit with your damn fortress, for so long she wondered where she lived and who were her parents till one day she gave up trying to remember." Riku was mad even more then Xemnas had seen or his heartless had seen, his keyblade even went ricocheting off the hard steel.

Xemnas was surprised but he was seeing more of himself in this young man every second that he tagged along with this group.

"And you say you have nothing." Riku spat then gathered up his keyblade and went to walk away but was grabbed and stopped, he looked over his shoulder at Xemnas who didn't look so calm and collected anymore, he actually looked sad.

"Riku do you want to know something else, I see parts of me that are missing inside you, you are the reason I remain incomplete if I go down you would also."

Riku shook at the thought of being drug into the abyss for no reason other then to kill someone else, "Then why did you try to stop that, since you hate me so much?"

"I don't hate you Riku, I just don't know anything beyond anger, sadness, and jealousy. I excepted Sephiroth to save us both, never question my actions again are we clear."

Riku grinned as Xemnas let go, "So what got you like this, Kairi?" his grin faded when Xemnas backed off like a beaten animal. "So you really can care about someone, and even cry." his smirk was back again.

Xemnas jumped at the last word and quickly wiped away his tears, then pointed at Riku angrily, "Keep that in your head damn it!"

Riku found it funny that even though he was trying to sound threatening, he came of like kitten's type of fierce rather then a lion like most times, "Deal. Just don't go threatening to run off like that again."

Xemnas nodded, "Deal." he answered he wouldn't run away again from now on.

That said the two strolled back to the rest of the group while Sephiroth flew around killing every last heartless.

Riku however thought about something else, "Oh, Saix got a nasty scratch under his eye from Marluxia, Momo tried to help but it's getting worse."

Xemnas immediately froze then got the most nasty look that Riku had ever seen.

"You ok?"

Xemnas went shooting off cursing Marluxia's name the whole way back to the group.

Riku laughed to himself, "So mister heartless really does have friends. I'll make sure I never fight with Saix then."

back with the group Saix who was bleeding badly had been forced out of the fray even after that though he still wanted to fight, he fought with the whole group till he started getting weak.

Momo turned toward Sora she had never seen anything like it, whatever poison that was on Marluxia's scythe it would not allow the wound to heal.

The berserker still protested being away from the battlefield even though his words were slurring together and sounded something like he wanted ice-cream.

Vexen had only stuck around for a few minutes before leaving Sora wasn't sure if the burns he had gotten would heal but Vexen wasn't worried. Now though they were down two members and the next one was nearly dieing, it couldn't get worse now.

Thankfully Xemnas came blazing into the area soon, he was pissed and looked ready to kill the next person. But regardless Kairi once again jumped on him knowing he was finally back to his old self.

Xemnas flipped after getting attacked, he didn't understand Kairi's actions, but it seemed he had a lot to learn from them for now though everything was to confusing. For the last few hours or days he'd been thinking to much and had nearly forgotten Kairi, he owed Riku for reminding him.

But for the moment even though Kairi did need him around, he knew if Saix was hurt by Marluxia then it might be over, so he freed himself from the girl and went to see Saix, even just remembering Marluxia right now pissed him off.

He walked in the small room where Saix sat on the ground, Sora was standing against the door well he seemed to not have heard Xemnas walk in, "So how is he?"

Sora was oblivious and blankly answered, "Not good." till he recognized the voice and whipped around, "Xemnas, why did you come back don't you want to live!?"

Xemnas glanced back, "Even if I quit Dark would still find a way to kill me in the end, Sephiroth made that very clear." he answered he knelt down in front of Saix who probably never noticed him, "How many times did I tell Marluxia not to use that stuff." for what seemed like the hundredth time he passed a curing spell over the wound mending it.

Marluxia had been a murderer before joining, his most common weapon was a custom made poison that he would cover a knife blade in and even if the cure was found it was never fast enough. He had neglected to tell Xemnas that till after he was already part of their numbers, by then Xemnas had seen a display of fighting talent that would ensure that he wouldn't be kicked anytime soon.

Now that mistake was another thing that could never be forgotten, he chose not to think about the end result instead he could only think about the amount of hearts Marluxia could get for them. A decision that he would forever regret, "He'll be fine as long as he rests for some time." Xemnas ordered not wanting to see Saix on the battlefield anytime soon.

Sora nodded agreeing completely, or well about Saix. However Xemnas seemed like he was sacrificing himself for nothing, wrongs could be made right in time he didn't have to die for it. Now though was not the time to argue, "So do you know how to defeat these heartless? They never stop coming, we keep killing them and they never go away!?"

Xemnas knew that if he was wrong they'd get thrashed but anyway, "Vexen one of my order made a replica of Riku, I think that..." he trailed off when Sora collapsed.

Axel peeked in from the battle for a second and could only stare with amazement and a slight jab of anger, "Xemnas! The hell did you do to him!?"

Xemnas had the deer in headlights look, "I'm not even sure right now!"