Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 7

Isa frowned, not liking the way Prompto had regressed at all. He may not have liked having him around at first but he had gotten used to him. And helping Noct with his exercises had been interesting, turning it into games. So to have lost Noct to some otherworldly force and to have Prompto now withdrawn and quiet again, hurt. They were trying to give him space to grieve while also trying to keep him from pulling away totally. They didn't know how Prompto had become Merlin's ward, but he had known the other boy they had met a while back, Ventus, who they hadn't seen since. He had the feeling that Prompto had lost everyone several times and that was why he was struggling so much.

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Xehanort left his 'Master's' study, annoyed. How dare he limit his research! His past was still mostly blank but he knew the experiments were important. Something about his guest had been familiar, had he known him? But that…Mickey…hadn't seemed to recognise him. It didn't matter, if Master Ansem was in his way, then he would need to be removed.

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Merlin smiled as Prompto conjured a ball of fire over the palm of his hand. He had mostly focused on defensive and healing magic, now he was starting to work in spells that had offensive purposes as well. He was just glad that after six months, Prompto was beginning to recover from the shock of having Noct literally ripped from him. Lea and Isa had been a help with that, and some of the other children had also reached out to Prompto, getting him to join in their games, lessons, and training for those who were learning weapons. The more varied his skills the better honestly because his future…

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Prompto looked up as he heard happy humming, seeing a small redhead moving about the gardens, picking flowers. He watched her for a while and then she looked up, smiling shyly at him, so he waved. Apparently that was all the acknowledgement she needed as she skipped over to the wall he was sitting on. "Hi," he offered and she smiled brightly…for a second she reminded him of Aqua for some reason.

"Hi. My name's Kairi, who are you?" she asked.

"Prompto."

She held out a flower to him. "Would you like one?"

Prom stared at her before carefully taking it. "Thank you." She felt…so bright. Like there was no Darkness to her at all, how was that possible.

"You're the sad boy, aren't you?"

He blinked. "The sad boy?" he asked in confusion.

She nodded and scrambled up the wall beside him, so he grabbed her and hefted her up the rest of the way. He put his hand in his magic pocket and pulled out a bag of lollies, offering them, and she giggled but took one. "You're always sad, even when you smile," she told him as she sucked on the treat. "You hurt, here," she pressed a hand to his Heart, and he felt warmth bloom under her hand. Was she maybe a potential Keyblade wielder or something? He'd have to ask Merlin.

"Kairi!" a voice called.

"I have to go, bye Prompto!"

"Bye Kairi," he waved as she ran towards an elderly woman, her Grandmother?

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"Hmmm, well that is interesting," Merlin agreed when Prompto finished telling him of his meeting. "That can be our next project!" he waved towards the library and Prompt groaned but headed for the room. He trusted Prompto to recognise something like that in someone he met, he had been training under Master Eraqus after all. There was so much Light in Radiant Garden that it could cover individual Lights unless he met them personally which explained why he had not sensed the girl.

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Yen Sid watched the stars, mind troubled. There had been no sign of Aqua or Terra since she had gone after him. Even he did not know where she had hidden young Ventus and without his Heart there was no way to wake him anyway. The only one he knew was safe, was young Prompto, the stars had told him that much although they kept his location secret. Had Eraqus had the chance to perform the Bequeathment Ceremony before his death? He hoped he had, then they would have the first of a new generation in the boy. Mickey could not watch over the Worlds along forever after all.

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Lea sat beside Prompto, handing him an ice cream, he hated to do what he was about to but it had to be done. They were getting into that castle and getting answers no matter what.

Prompto looked at him and blue eyes widened. "You're leaving," he whispered.

Lea winced, he knew enough to know that Prompto was Ven's little brother, that there'd been two others as well and that none of them had come back for Prom. Then Noct had appeared only to also be taken from him. It made him feel all kinds of horrible for even thinking of leaving but Isa refused to wait any longer. "We're just going to be up at the castle."

"You better be," he muttered, and Le reached out to ruffle the nine year old's hair.

"That's a promise, got it memorised?" he asked, and Prompto nodded, still upset but better.

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Xehanort watched as the shocked Ansem was banished to the Realm of Darkness, his Apprentices turning on him, believing he had gone mad…all because of his work. The man had dared to stop his experiments and now he had paid the price.

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"Something's wrong," Prompto stated, looking between Lea and Isa.

"Master Ansem…he went mad and now he's gone," Isa admitted, sounding shaken.

"What?" Prom gasped in shock. "You're leaving right?" he demanded, but they both shook their heads. "But who's in charge then?"

"Xehanort's taken over," Lean admitted, and Prompto froze.

No…it couldn't be. Master Xehanort? He'd never trusted the man, there was just something about him…that reminded him of his creators.

"Xehanort?"

"He's the newest apprentice, well outside of us. Pretty young too, but older than us."

Oh…it couldn't be him then. Just someone with the same name. With all the Worlds that existed, that had to happen a lot.

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Mickey sat in the gardens, smiling as Daisy berated Donald for something. He still felt guilty at his failures during those days, but being home was helping. He wanted to find Prompto, to give him a home, but would it be the right thing to do? He'd be the only human in their world and for a child… if he couldn't give him a home with them then he wanted to at least be sure he was living somewhere good and had everything he needed. He had no doubt the boy would grow to wield a Keyblade and when that time came, he would need people to help him. Master Yen Sid had admitted that all he knew was that Prompto was alive and well. They both wished they knew where.

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Merlin frowned as he watched the castle, things were changing and not for the better. There was a Darkness festering within those walls and it was beginning to spread. He knew Prompto had begun sensing it, the child's dreams turning Darker. If it continued, he may need to take Prompto to Yen Sid for his own safety, at least until the trouble passed.

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He stared at the two fading bodies laid on the floor of the laboratory. One, a man with long blond hair with an arm outstretched towards the other, a silver-haired youth. Darkness rose off of them like smoke. Perfect.

"Hey! Is this how you wanted it?"

He turned to face the other who was storming towards him, obviously upset. Oh well, that would not be a problem soon enough.

"Xehanort! You wanna fill me in?" Braig demanded.

He raised his arm, summoning his Keyblade, shocking the other man. "I am..."

"Hey! Do you remember now, or... Wait, did you never lose your memory?"

He didn't answer, instead leaping forward to sink the Keyblade into Braig's Heart. "That's not my name. I'm not 'Xehanort'," he told the dying man.

Braig's eye was wide with shock as he removed the Keyblade, the man collapsing to the floor, exhaling loudly. A heart surged from his chest.

"My name... is Ansem," he told the body that was already beginning to change.

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She watched the World from the Darkness, smirking in glee. Perfect…it was utterly perfect. She would take this World and make it her own. The inhabitants would become Heartless to serve her or be lost to other Worlds, she did not care which.

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"Isa?" Lea whispered in horror as he saw Dilan collapse…dead…a strange heart floating up from his body.

They hesitated, not sure what to do, and then Xehanort spotted them, strange weapon in his hand.

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Prompto stared up at the castle sadly, he hadn't seen Isa and Lea in weeks and he was worried about them…and the growing Darkness he could feel. He'd seen Kairi and he was worried she could feel it too, she seemed quieter, tired even. No one else seemed aware of it, Aerith and her Mum had vanished ages ago, Merlin said they had returned to their home World.

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She raced through the Central Square, she had to find her Grandmother! Strange creatures emerged from the ground in an attempt to block her path. She turned and ran another way only to be blocked again, eventually trapped against the main gates to the castle. Kairi tried to open them, but they wouldn't move. She looked around wildly, Prompto where was Prompto? He could help her, he had magic!

She whirled around coming face-to-face with a tall white-haired man in an equally white

coat, the group of creatures assembled behind him. He looked down and reached

toward her and something in her screamed to run but then everything went dark.

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Prompto saw the shadowy creature and blasted it with a fireball. "Run!" he yelled to the others and they scattered even as he rushed towards Merlins. Whatever the things were, the were Dark! He'd never felt anything like them before. Were these the Unversed the others had been sent after before they left him? Or were they something even worse?

"Merlin!" he called as he ran into the house, only to realise with a growing sense of dread that his guardian was gone. He spun around and saw the creatures moving to the door so he slammed it shut and rushed up stairs to his room. He packed his most important possessions in his magic bag and then ran for the forest room to hide.

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Xehanort stared at the young girl suspended inside the device, speaking to her as he worked. "This world will be engulfed in Darkness - everything you care about and everyone you love. If you truly possess the power of a Princess of Heart, your heart will resonate with a Keyblade wielder's, and I believe you can lead me to that wielder's world. That is the only possible way to save ours. You see, this is more than an experiment - it's hope. Like most, you probably believe that nothing exists outside of this world you live in. And yet, there are countless other worlds. You can see them sparkle brilliantly in the night sky. Through that sea of stars, fate will guide your ship to where you are meant to be."

He continued typing on the input device in front of him and the hood of the machine began to close over the girl. "However, if you arrive in a world that's neither of Light nor Darkness, but somewhere on the other side, your task will be far from easy. If that happens, you must abandon your search - we have failed."

He watched as it powered up and jettisoned, sending her into the Lanes, to make it to safety or not. He turned away and prepared to leave. Let the witch have this World, they would begin anew elsewhere and then Kingdom Hearts would be his.

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He hadn't been ready for such a fight and now he was losing, their World was losing. He threw out his magic, trying to at least protect the children, sensing Prompto in the safety of his home, before the Faerie Sorceress managed to banish him from the World, even as he fell, he felt his home fall to the Darkness, heard the dying cries of its people.

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Prompto could feel the magic collapsing around him, cowering in a ball, terrified. He wanted his family! He wanted Merlin. He wanted Noct! He screamed as the magic gave way, pressing down on him, crushing him. No!

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Yen Sid spun to face the window, staring at the stars only to watch in horror as one blinked out…Radiant Garden was gone. He could sense Merlin, weakened and far away and then he listened as the stars cried…for Prompto.

TBC….