Part 23

I woke up, with Xunakiy not in the bed with me.

"Xunakiy—"

"Yes?" I whirled around and I found her leaning against the wall.

"Umm…"

"I was waiting for you! I'm pretty sure everyone hasn't waken up yet, so I think we should make breakfast, don't you think?"

"Umm…sure…"

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing."

"Okay." She smiled. "But if you ever need anything…" She gave me a thumbs up. "Just ask me!"

"I will."

"But then again…" She tapped her cheek. "I forgot that I didn't plan out what we should eat for breakfast..."

"We have left over pancake mix, right?"

"Oh yeah!"

As she rushed out of the door, I couldn't help but feel as if something was wrong about today. When I looked out the door, Xunakiy was far off into the hallway. Taking the chance, I ran off to Saix's room. But when I tried to enter, there was some sort of barrier that kept me from going any further.

"What are you doing here?" I jumped. "C'mon, Zexion! Everyone's waiting! Let's go!" Xunakiy took my sleeve and dragged me back to where everyone else was waiting.

"Alley—oop!" Once again, I found a pancake flung into my face.

Slowly, the newly made pancake slid off of my face.

"Two pancakes in two days…" I sighed. "Anyone care to guess who threw that?" Everyone pointed at Demyx with a frying pan, and then Demyx tried to point at Axel, to which Axel responded with an angry glare.

"I didn't do it!" Demyx yelped.

"Oh please, it's obvious!" Larxene smacked on the back of the head.

"That hurt!"

"So what if it did!?" Demyx responded with a shrug.

"Enough squabbling, I want to get on with the pancakes…" Roxas murmured.

"Roxas-senpai is right!" Xunakiy shot her hand up.

"Exactly." Axel agreed. "So shut up and eat."

"But a pancake is never complete without…MAPLE SYRUP!" Xigbar shouted.

"I'm not putting that crap on my pancakes!" Axel objected.

"Hooray for the syrup!" Marluxia cheered.

"See!" Xigbar shouted. "Marly's going with the program!"

"Who are you calling Marly!?"

"Your name's long."

"I don't give a damn about your name, I just want my pancakes…"

"Roxas is an eager beaver today!" Demyx hugged Roxas. "It's a surprise to see you excited about something!"

"Wanting something doesn't mean you're excited about it."

"Yes it does."

"No it doesn't."

"It doesn't?"

"On with breakfast!" Xunakiy broke everything up. "Let's eat before we start up another argument!"

"But arguing with each other is what we're about!"

"We. Are. Eating. Breakfast."

"O-Okay…"

Breakfast went on silently, until everyone noticed that I wasn't eating the pancakes.

"I'm not hungry." I said when I noticed all of them staring at me.

"Of course you're not!" Larxene put a hand on my shoulder. "You just don't have any syrup on your 'cakes!" She grabbed the bottle and poured what was left inside onto the pancakes. Before I knew it, my pancakes were drowning in a lake of thick, brown, sticky, glop.

"Onee-chan!" Xunakiy made an annoyed face. "Of he isn't hungry, he isn't hungry!" She looked at my plate, and then she switched her plate with mine. "You can eat mine!"

"Oh. Um…thanks…"

"Isn't that cute!" Demyx shouted.

"A moment of romance!" Marluxia joined in.

"How the hell are pancakes romantic?" Axel asked.

Not paying attention to their argument, I quickly got over with breakfast and tried to get back to Saix's room before anyone noticed…which I was able to successfully accomplish.

"Dammit!" I yelled out. The barrier from before was still there, and I still couldn't get through. I tried slamming into it, punching it (despite my weak muscles), and throwing my books at it. I couldn't break through at all. "Why can't I break it?"

"Are you asking yourself that?"

I looked back and found Xunakiy staring at me. For some unknown reason, everyone else was there also…but they all just stood there with expressionless faces. I noticed that Saix and Xemnas were the only ones not present.

"Why are you here, Zexion-kun?"

"I'm trying to find a way to get your heart back!"

"Is that it?"

"Yes." Suddenly Marluxia faded away. "What the hell—" Then Larxene faded. "Wh-What's happening?"

"Are you asking me?"

"What?" Axel and Demyx faded at the same time. "Well, you and I are the only people here…so…I think it's logical that I'm asking you."

"Logical?"

"Yeah." Then Vexen faded.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!"

"Then…" She took two steps forward. "Are you sure you aren't asking yourself?"

"Wha—" I could hear two more people fade behind her. I couldn't see who they were because I had my eyes on Xunakiy.

"Sometimes…the questions we ask…can only be answered ourselves." In-between her words, another two faded. "But I think this one can be figured out by both of us."

"Considering that everyone's fading, for no reason, and I can't enter that room…" Xunakiy took another few steps, so that she was right in front of me. "We're in a dream, right?"

"Yes…" She buried her head in my head, and I gave her a hug to try and comfort her.

After hearing the last one fade away, I saw a bright light flash through the hallway. Now we were in a field. The one I saw before going to the festival.

"When I get my heart back…" She began to cry. "Promise you'll meet up with me when you get yours back?"

"Of course I'll do that…because…" I took a deep breath. "Because I love you."

"You love me…"

"If I could, I would say with all my heart." She looked up and smiled.

"I-I…" Her smile faded. "I wish I could tell you…but…"

"But what?"

"It's too late."

I opened my eyes, and I was lying on the floor. I was in a room that was lighted by the moon, Kingdom Hearts. I was also holding something. When my eyes drifted down…I saw that I was holding a bloodstained sword. When I looked what was in front of me, I saw a pool of blood with no body.

"It…it couldn't be…"

"It's just what it looks like."

When I sat up, I looked over to my right. Xemnas.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't believe someone like you hasn't put the pieces together?" He curled his lips into a smile. "You were the one who killed her."

"I…I couldn't have—"

"After that heartless was killed off, Number XIV got her heart back, and you attacked her."

"I couldn't have done that…"

"But you did anyway."

"There's no way…"

"I'll say it again so you can get it through your thick head." He smiled. "You. Killed. Her."

That sentence hit me like a ton of bricks. Coming from anyone else, it would still hit me, but with Xemnas…those words echoed throughout my head. Those three words…

"As with some unforeseen circumstances, it seems your heart was somehow merged with hers and when you killed her, you got your heart back." He laughed, which of course, was disturbing, and traumatizing. "How does having your heart back feel like…Ienzo?"

"Horrible."

"I thought so."

"Why should I have my heart back…when she doesn't?"

"Because you killed her."

"SHUT UP!"

"Hmm?"

"I said…shut up…"

I started crying. It was sad. Having someone you love…being taken away from you…was sad. And with the person you hate…being there to take it and shove it in your face…made everything worse.

"You can't accept it?"

"I…can. I can accept it. But…I just want you to…"

"To what?"

"TO JUST SHUT THE HELL UP! I DON'T NEED ANYTHING FROM YOU OR ANYONE ELSE! I JUST WANT—"

Her.

"I get what you're trying to say to me." He slowly walked over to me, and then I was knocked out.

When I woke up again, I was in the castle dungeon. The dungeon was dark, so I couldn't see anything. When I tried to close my eyes again, I saw something with the color crimson red. I tried closing my eyes again, and found out that…the blood was still on my gloves.

"Blood?" Did that blood belong to her? I'm pretty sure I screamed after I figured that out. I took my gloves off and threw them against a far wall. But when I tried to close my eyes again, all I could see was blood.

"WHY IS THIS HAPPENENING TO ME!?"

Fate.

"Who's there!?"

I'm just a simple voice that's talking to you. And like I said before, everything happens because of fate. But it's because of fate that you're hurting right now…

"Yeah…" I sighed and calmed down. "Looks like we'll get to know each other because I think you're the only one I'll be talking to you for the rest of my rotten, crappy life." I thought about the voice, it wasn't anyone I knew, but…it sounded familiar.

Sometimes things are always not so wonderful as they seem to be. Hurt by the things you thought would be wonderful. Knowing the facts, you hide yourself from the pain, and wish things would be undone. Left alone with nowhere else to run, you're reaching out for hope but you will realize you're left alone…

"So you know how I feel then…"

I looked back on a lot of things. There was the time when she first joined, our date, and our promise.

"That was the promise I couldn't keep." I started crying again. "I'm such an idiot. Killing her is just the same as leaving her…"

Sometimes we give each other promises, even when we know we can't hold them. We break these promises, and break each other because of it. The sad thing is that even if it's just a small promise that you break…it's bounded to our hearts and might effect us. Next time… maybe no one will trust you because… you broke that little promise from before.

"Are you trying to make me feel worse?"

I'm trying to help.

"How?"

Sometimes it's really hard to let go of things. You really don't want to let go but at the same time you want to change and let go, so you can keep on living your own life. should you let go of these things and transform into something new…or hold on to the past and create your new future.

"Like saying things that don't make any sense to an idiot like me is going to lift my spirits."

I can take you to see her.

"Huh?"

She's still alive due to my efforts. I can take you to see her.

"She's alive…"

Yes. And I can take you to see her…at a price.

"Price?"

I'm afraid I can't bring you to her without you giving that payment.

"Whatever it is…I'll give it to you."

Why?

"Because…all I want…is to see her. That idiot and her idiotic smile." I noticed that the voice didn't respond. "Are you still there?"

Why did you call her an idiot?

"I have my reasons…"

So you want to see her? Okay.

Suddenly I felt something wrap around my limbs. I tried to struggle but then I realized that this was the voice's way of taking me to another world. It felt really weird, but then the darkness climbed upwards.

It might take longer than you think, but you'll be alright. Submitting yourself to the darkness, just like someone else before you. You have a strong heart. Even without it, your strength showed. Heh. No wonder Yukina chose you.

I closed my eyes and I there was no longer a floor beneath me. Now I was just drifting in the darkness, which isn't as bad as it sounded.

Now I'll take your price.

"Wha—"

((There you have it. I know it's shorter than usual and it's CRAPPY. This chapter is shorter because I actually included two fighting scenes, but they were crappy, so I left the fighting scenes out. Don't hate me! I'll be posting the new fanfic's first chapter in about two weeks tops! Look forward to it! Please don't hate me for posting up such a crappy final chapter!))