Chapter 14: Sorcery of Symphony: Hikari's Side

A/N: Hey everyone! Hope everyone is staying safe during these crazy times. Since I'm sure you're all on lockdown like I am, I figured you would need a little entertainment and what better way to get that then with a new chapter?

I hope you all stay safe and that you and your loved ones are in good health.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; I just own my oc's.

Enjoy!

/

"Have you ever heard of Forget-Me-Nots, Xehanort?"

Xehanort looked up at Taiyouko from his resting spot. Whenever they were stressed or had a rough day, they would hide in the garden where they first met. It was like their little safe haven. A spot where they could hide away from the real world and just be themselves.

Xehanort looked at the tiny blue flower that Taiyouko currently had in her hand.

"Not much, only that it has a strange name for a flower"

Taiyouko giggled a little as she twirled the flower in her fingers.

"I suppose. Some people say that even the flower itself forgot what its name was, so it went by 'forget-me-not'. They kind of remind me of you in a way"

Xehanort made a face at that.

"I didn't forget my name, just the memories of my past" he pointed out.

"Thank goodness for that. If you had forgotten your name, we would have had to call you 'forgot-his-name'. That's a bigger mouthful than Xehanort" Taiyouko laughed.

"Yes, thank goodness for that. Remembering my name is important. Not knowing who I was or where I came from is just an afterthought" Xehanort said dryly.

Taiyouko couldn't help but laugh full heartedly at that.

"Come on, you know I'm just teasing"

Xehanort tried to keep a straight face but couldn't hold it for long and smirked. How could he not when her laughter was music to his ears?

When Taiyouko's laughter subsided, she looked at the blue flower wistfully.

"They say Forget-Me-Nots will always remind you of happier times"

She turned to Xehanort and tucked the flower into the pocket of his lab coat.

"You should hold onto this"

"Why?"

Taiyouko smiled sadly as she propped her head on her bent knees.

"So, when you do regain your memories, you won't forget about me"

Xehanort quickly sat up and cupped her face.

"I would never, ever forget about you, Tai" he said seriously.

Taiyouko just looked out at the garden lost in thought.

"There are those who wish they could"

Xehanort turned her head gently so she would look at him.

"I'm not one of those people and you know that"

Neither said a word at that. No words were needed. They could see what the other was thinking by looking into their eyes.

Taiyouko blushed when she realized she kept staring at Xehanort and quickly averted her gaze.

"Um, there's, uh, one other meaning for the Forget-Me-Not. It's something meant for two people"

"Oh? And what's that?"

Taiyouko smiled and pressed a finger to her lips.

"It's a secret" she teased.

"Come on! You have to tell me now that you said something!" Xehanort whined.

Taiyouko shook her head.

"Nope. If you want to know, you'll have to figure it out yourself"

"Fine, I will" Xehanort huffed. "And when I do, I'm gonna rub it in your face"

The two of them laughed for a tiny bit. Moments like these were something Xehanort oddly craved. He didn't have to be pitied for forgetting his past. He didn't have to be amazed for being Ansem the Wise's apprentice. With Taiyouko, he could just be…him.

Taiyouko looked at Xehanort with a gentle look on her face.

What she said next would be forever engraved into his mind.

"Xehanort…do you love me?"

/

Xemnas stared at the dried blue flower that was wedged in between the pages of a worn journal. After becoming Xehanort's Nobody, he discarded everything from his time in Radiant Garden. Well…almost everything. The only two things he decided to keep was the journal he was given after arriving on Radiant Garden…and the Forget-Me-Not flower Taiyouko gave him all those years ago.

The tiny flower had lost its color from being pressed in the book. Yet, despite being frail and withered, it kept its shape.

'I didn't lie when I said I wouldn't forget about you, Tai'

"Yo, Xemnas!"

Xemnas quickly snapped the journal shut and stuffed it into his jacket. Coldly looking over his shoulder, he saw Xigbar approaching.

As usual, the mangled looking Nobody gave off the vibes of not having a care in the world. He slung his arm over Xemnas's shoulder, acting like they were close buddies.

"Heard from the kid that Hikari is starting to figure out what's going on" he said.

"Thought I'd be a pal and help take care of this mess"

Xemnas glared at him and swatted his arm off. He used to do that back on Radiant Garden. He acted like they were good friends when he knew very well that they weren't. There was always something about the sharpshooter that put him on guard.

"As I told the boy, Hikari is my child so I'll take care of this problem"

Xigbar threw his head back as he cackled.

"Oh, please tell me you're still not going with that act?" he laughed.

"The cat's out of the bag. She knows that her real father is Lagu-"

He was cut off as one of Xemnas's eternal blades was inches from his face. The look Xemnas word was downright murderous and horrifying.

"Never utter that name again" he hissed.

Xigbar simply wore a shit eating grin.

"Oopsy-daisy, did I hit a nerve?" he taunted.

"Whatever. If you still wanna play pretend and act like you have a wife and a daughter, who am I to judge?"

He walked up to Xemnas and got real close to his face.

"Just don't get too caught up in your little fantasy, ya hear? Wouldn't want you getting cold feet when you know what's in store for your 'precious daughter'"

Next thing he knew, Xemnas wrapped his hand around his throat and squeezed it tight.

"Don't get cocky with me. That attitude of your is how you ended up like this in the first place" he said darkly.

He flung him aside, not caring that Xigbar was coughing and rubbing his neck.

"I'll tend to Hikari and make sure she doesn't hinder out plans" he ordered.

"I suggest you fulfill your part and stay out of mine"

With that, he opened a portal and stormed away.

Xigbar glared at the sport Xemnas once stood and growled.

"This little game has gone on long enough" he muttered.

"Time to end it so I can get to the good stuff"

He saw the Mysterious Figure pass by, and an evil grin spread across his mangled face.

Perfect.

"Hey, kid" he called out.

"Wanna do something fun?"

/

Hikari's mine was going crazy as so many thoughts hit her. She wasn't in the dream realm and it seemed like she hadn't been for a while. It explained why Xemnas and that strange boy were about to show up. She was still trying to wrap her head around what was going on.

Lulu made a noise, telling her they were about to arrive at their next location.

What she saw, she couldn't believe. Coming up ahead was none other then Yen Sid's tower.

"I made it out of the exams! Now I can tell Master Yen Sid what's going on"

As soon as Lulu landed, Hikari jumped off and ran inside.

'Finally, I can see what's going on'

She reached to the top of the tower and flung the door to Yen Sid's study open.

"Master Yen Side! Mickey! Something went wrong with the exam and I-"

She stopped short by what she saw. While Yen Sid was nowhere to be seen, Mickey for sure was. However, he looked very different to when she last saw him. He sported a red robe and Yen Sid's hat on his head.

"Wait…if I'm not back at the real tower…does that mean I'm in the dream version of it?"

The fact that Lulu was trotting around the room should have been a dead giveaway. She wouldn't be here if Hikari was at the real tower.

"I guess this is another one of Mickey's dreams then"

She went closer to Mickey where she noticed he was sleeping…or at least she thought he was sleeping. The King's eyes were closed, but he kept waving his hands as if he were performing a magical spell. The magic would glow from his hands before trailing towards this very strange music stand that was behind him.

"What's Mickey using a music stand for?"

Hikari went up to the stand and slowly reached for the music sheets.

"Careful! You don't want to touch that!"

Hikari jumped when she heard Mickey's voice. Thinking he woke up, she turned to talk to him. However, she saw he was still sleeping.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you like that but it's kinda tricky for me to talk right now" Mickey's voice echoed in her head.

Hikari didn't know how he was able to do that but thought it would be best not to ask.

"What's going on with the music sheet, Mickey? Why don't you want me to touch it?"

"A monster possessed it" Mickey explained.

"It's releasing darkness that stops anybody from going in there to fight it. To dispel the darkness, we need a 'sound idea'"

"And where exactly do you find a 'sound idea'?"

"What?! You mean you'll find one for me?" Mickey asked.

Hikari shrugged.

"Of course," 'It's not like you would be able to in your current situation' she thought.

"Oh, thank you!" Mickey cried.

"So, what is a sound idea?" Hikari asked.

Another music stand appeared next to the possessed one.

"Inside this musical score should be a power that can sweep away any darkness" Mickey explained.

"But you gotta be careful. In between those clefs and notes are monsters-not as strong as the big one, but still pretty strong"

Hikari nodded in understanding. A few Nightmares wouldn't be much of a problem to her. She dove into the music sheet where a musical world awaited her.

/

The music sheet brought her to an enchanted forest where there were trees and flowers as far as the eye could see. Everything felt so peaceful as Hikari walked through the forest, hearing the birds chirping.

"It's so peaceful here. If I wasn't in the dream worlds, I would have thought I stepped into a dream"

That brought up the problem she was dealing with before she entered this world. Sitting on a tree stump, she decided now would be a good time to process everything that was happening.

"So, I know I'm not in the dream world, but it seems like I'm not in the realm of light either" she thought.

"Xemnas is able to travel here despite not being a dream, yet at the same time Dream Eaters are here. And now that I think about it, Riki Bat wasn't with me on the last world either. Does that mean Riku isn't here either?"

She sadly looked at the ground. What did this mean for Riku? Did that mean he was stuck in the dream world with Sora? Or did it mean he was in the same boat as herself?

She never felt more alone as she did at this very moment. She was in a situation she couldn't figure out and she had no one that could help her.

"I wish you were here, Riku" she whispered.

"You'd probably know what was going on. I never realized how lonely this exam made me feel until recently"

Lulu nudged her head against Hikari's and huffed in her face. Hikari smiled weakly and stroked Lulu's snout.

"I guess moping isn't going to help me figure this out" she sighed

She stood up and motioned for Lulu to follow her.

"Come on, let's go find Mickey's sound idea and then we can figure out what's going on here"

They walked towards the edge of the forest where they found a huge meadow filled with flowers. Up on one of the hills, Hikari noticed a music sheet floating.

"That's gotta be the sound idea Mickey mentioned"

She quickly ran up the hill and grabbed the music sheet.

"Perfect. Hopefully this will help Mickey out"

She went to leave but stopped when she got a better view of the meadow. It looked so peaceful and beautiful with the flowers blooming. It reminded her of the gardens back in Radiant Garden.

Back to when everything was peaceful.

/

"Where are you?" Xehanort called out.

He walked around one of the many gardens that made up the town. Walking around, he tried looking for a certain little girl.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are"

Behind a rose bush, Hikari stifled her giggles as she tried to hide from her father figure. Xehanort sighed dramatically as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Where oh where did my little princess go? I hope she didn't disappear"

Hikari giggled some more, thinking that she was doing a really good job at hiding.

Just then, she felt a pair of hands grab her and pulled her from her hiding spot.

"Got ya!" Xehanort cried.

Hikari squealed and laughed as he started tickling her. He held her up and nuzzled his nose against hers, a gentle smile was on his face as he hugged her close. The one thing that Hikari would always remember about this day was how safe and warm she felt in her father's arms.

/

'Safe and warm' was the only thing that came to Hikari's mind as she stared at the flowers. It was hard to believe that once upon a time, Xehanort could be so playful and caring. She could still recall feeling safe in his arms as he held her.

'Why did it have to change? Why couldn't life be as simple and innocent like back then?'

When she heard a portal open, she didn't need to guess who stepped out. It seemed like every time she thought of Xemnas, he could magically appear.

She could feel him standing behind her on the hill.

"Such a peaceful looking place. Almost reminds me of the gardens back on Radiant Garden, wouldn't you agree?"

"Perhaps" Hikari said. "Or, much like this world, it never existed. It's just a dream that was made up in your head"

She looked over her shoulder to stare at him.

"Why are you still following me?"

"I thought I told you it's only natural for a parent to worry about their child"

Hikari got angry and spun on her heel to face him.

"And I already told you to stop pretending to be my dad" she snapped.

"I have a dad"

She could have sworn she saw his hand twitch, but she wasn't entirely certain. Xemnas had a dark grin plastered on his face as he thought of a certain man.

"At least I had the decency to be apart of your life and raise you" he said darkly.

"Can't really say the same for him though. In order to be a father, you need to be a part of your child's life"

Hikari grew angrier the more Xemnas spoke.

"That's not his fault! He was after-"

"An evil sorceress on another world" Xemnas finished.

"That's what your mother told you, yes?"

Hikari narrowed her eyes as she stepped back.

"How do you…"

"Know that? Because that's the story your mother told me. The story she wanted you to hear"

"Wanted me to hear?"

Xemnas tilted his head in thought.

"Come now, dear. Don't you find it a little odd that your mother never told you about him until just recently?"

When Hikari didn't say anything, she realized Xemnas had a point. Why didn't her mother talk about her father? Surely if she loved him like she said she did, then she would have talked about him. Yet…why did she suddenly feel so uncertain?

Xemnas went up to her and lifted her chin so she could look at him.

"Believe whatever you want but the fact of the matter is that I'm the only father figure you've ever had. That title belongs to me"

Hikari glared at him and swatted his hand away.

"You're not my father" she hissed.

"You're a manipulative asshole who toys with people's hearts and tricks them into making things for your way…just like what you've been doing with this exam"

Xemnas just smirked, not phased that he was caught.

"So, you caught on. You always were a clever little girl"

"You would never be part of my dreams, so that was a dead giveaway" she spat.

"I don't know what your plans were, but I will not be your puppet!"

Xemnas's smug look dropped a bit at that.

"You were never a puppet" he said.

Hikari scoffed at that.

"Oh really? Then what am I to you?"

Xemnas never said anything to that. That was all Hikari needed.

"Figures. You can't even come up with a good enough lie"

She went over to Lulu and jumped on her back.

"I'm going to find out what you're up to and when I do, you'll be sorry you ever tried to trick me again"

She flew off, leaving Xemnas alone on the hill.

Another portal opened as the Mysterious Figure stepped out.

"That went well" he said dryly.

"She's not as soft as she appears. However, with her knowing of our plans, she's surely going to mess them up"

He looked at Xemnas with a smug look.

"You've had your fun, but now it's my turn. We can't have her warning Sora or Riku, now can we?"

Xemnas just glared at the boy, remaining silent. The Mysterious Figure shrugged and went back to the portal.

"Don't worry. I won't hurt her…much"

He left Xemnas alone on the field where the older Nobody thought of various things.

/

Hikari quickly jumped out of the music sheet and returned to Yen Sid's study. She needed to get as far away from Xemnas as she could.

Rushing over to Mickey's sleeping form, she held out the sound idea.

"Mickey! I found the Sound Idea!"

"Thank you, Hikari. I can tell you found us a sound idea. I guess we should try and put it to work"

Hikari placed the sound idea on the corrupted music stand. The darkness surrounding it faded a little, but it still held on.

"That strange…is one sound idea not enough?"

"Don't worry. Help will be here soon" Mickey said.

No sooner had he said that, another sound idea appeared and merged with Hikari's. Much like in the Land of Musketeers, Hikari felt an all too familiar presence.

'Riku…'

"Wow! The sounds are all joining together to make even more powerful music!" Mickey cried.

To prove his point, the darkness covering the music stand vanished as the sound ideas played their songs. Hikari smiled as she heard its melody. The two tunes worked well with each other, bouncing off one another to create harmonious music. Much like how Hikari and Riku worked so well together.

"Together, we always fix things. Right Riku?"

She suddenly realized a sound idea was missing.

"Where's Sora's? His should be here too"

She couldn't ponder on that cause Mickey quickly got her attention.

"Hurry! Now's your chance to fight that monster!"

"Got it!"

Jumping on Lulu's back, she faced the music stand.

"Be back in a jiff"

She flew into the music sheet, ready to take care of the Nightmare that was ruining it.

/

Hikari was shocked yet relieved when she saw the Nightmare that was trapped within the music sheet. The trickster Spellican had somehow ended in this world when it escaped back in Traverse Town.

"That's the Nightmare from Traverse Town!"

Urging Lulu on, she flew after the Spellican to finally be rid of it. The Spellican noticed Hikari closing in on it and quickly flew off. The bird zipped between musical notes as Hikari aimed spell after spell at it. The darn thing made a rude gesture as it dodged one of her attacks and flew off.

Hikari growled as she tried to aim her keyblade at it.

"If I don't pin that thing down, it'll get away again"

Lulu let out a cry. Her body glowed as light chains sprang from her and shot out towards the Spellican. They wrapped around the bird, pinning it in place.

"Lulu, how did you do that?" Hikari asked.

"Well, whatever you did, it stopped that thing from getting away"

She jumped off Lulu's back and landed on the Spellican. Jamming her keyblade into the bird's head, she was finally rid of the troublesome Nightmare.

"I'm sure Joshua will be that I finally got rid of this thing for him. Now let's see how everything is on Mickey's end"

Getting back on Lulu's back, she flew out of the music sheet to see how her mouse friend was doing.

/

Mickey was wide awake when she returned to Yen Sid's study. It seemed that by defeating the Spellican, it freed him from his magic induced slumber.

"Thanks, Hikari! Don't know what I woulda done without ya!"

Hikari smiled and patted Mickey on the head.

"I'm always happy to help you out, Mickey"

Mickey grabbed a mop and bucket.

"Well, now that things are back to normal, I better get back to my chores. Don't want to get in trouble with my master"

He looked a Hikari with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"We'll see each other again, right?"

Hikari smiled softly and nodded.

"Of course, we will. Now get your chores done. You don't want to make Yen Sid angry"

With that, Mickey scurried out of the study to clean the tower.

Now that she was alone again, she let her smile drop and sighed.

"Now that I took care of the dream version of Yen Sid's tower, I gotta figure out how to get back to the real one"

She looked around the room, trying to find any clues.

"There's gotta be a connection between the two of them. Maybe if I find a weak point around here, it'll get me back"

She searched high and low in the room but came up with nothing.

"Maybe outside?"

She left the study and descended to the main floor of the tower.

"I gotta get back to the realm of light and warn Yen Sid. Something is not right with all this"

She headed outside to search some more and spotted something right away. Standing a little way from the entrance was the Mysterious Figure. Hikari's hand curled into a fist when she saw him. It was bad enough that she dealt with Xemnas earlier.

Having had enough with the Organization, she decided to avoid him and get away. This was one of the reasons why she needed to return, and she didn't have time to hear this creepy kid speak in riddles.

The Mysterious Figure didn't say or do anything as she started to walk towards him. When she passed him, his hand flew out and yanked the ribbon keeping her hair back. Hikari stumbled from being yanked. Touching the back of her head, she glared at the boy when she saw he had the ribbon Riku gave her.

"Give that back" she growled.

The Mysterious Figure ignored her and stared at the ribbon.

"They say a red ribbon acts as a bond between two people. Whoever holds each end is bound together, their lives forever entwined. For such a simple object, it holds massive power"

Hikari grew angrier when she saw him toying with it and lunged for him.

"I said give it back!"

The Mysterious Figure held up his arm to block her. As her hand touched him, she was suddenly bombarded with memories. Images of a young keyblade wielder flooded her mind. She saw the Mysterious Figure grow to become a keyblade master who would eventually turn into…

"You're…you're him" Hikari said shakily.

She pulled her hand away and stepped back.

"You're Master Xehanort"

Young Xehanort wore a shit eating grin as he pocketed Hikari's ribbon.

"Took you a while but you're much sharper than Sora. The fool doesn't even realize he's still in my trap"

Hikari felt her body go numb. She had wondered what was going on Sora's end of the exam. Unlike with Riku, she couldn't sense her best friend. Could this be the reason why?

"What did you do to him?"

Young Xehanort started walking around her like a predator stalking its prey.

"You think you've been taking this test Yen Sid set up for you, but you've really been part of mine" he said.

"As I said back on the Grid, you think these worlds are dreams, but they're not. Why would I be part of a dream when I'm not one? The truth is you've never really entered Yen Sid's test"

Hikari glared at him.

"So, I was right. I really wasn't dreaming"

Young Xehanort stopped his pacing and shrugged.

"Yes and No. At the beginning you were placed in the dream I set up for you so I could keep an eye on you. However…as this little test continued, you steered away from the path I laid out for you"

He glared at Lulu who was acting as a shield for Hikari.

"All thanks to that Dream Eater" he spat.

Lulu dug her hooves into the ground and made a noise. Hikari processed what Xehanort was saying to the clues she picked up during this exam.

"So…this whole time…you made us think we were taking our Mark of Mastery exam, but in reality, you were trapping us so you could destroy us?"

Young Xehanort gave off a bone chilling laugh.

"Destroy you? Oh no, I need you" he said.

"While you were taking your test, I had a test of my own. I wanted to see which of the three of you would fall deeper into slumber. You all showed promise, however only Sora appears to still be in a deep sleep"

Hikari felt her heart jump up into her throat. Sora was in danger and he didn't realize it. What made it worse was that neither she nor Riku knew how to get to him to save him.

Young Xehanort opened a portal and started walking towards it.

"Thanks to you and Riku, you've both shown me that Sora is the perfect candidate to be my little sacrificial lamb"

Hikari summoned her keyblade and lunged at him.

"I'll kill you before you lay your hands on him!"

If this creep thought she was going to let him harm Sora, then he was sadly mistaken. Young Xehanort summoned his own keyblade and blocked hers. He tilted his head in thought as he pressed into her weapon.

"You know, in order to be a Keyblade Master…you need to have a keyblade"

With a flick of his wrist, he shattered her keyblade to pieces. Hikari looked on in horror as she saw her most trusted weapon destroyed.

"What?!"

Young Xehanort dismissed his keyblade and grinned darkly.

"To think you've come this far with that joke of a weapon"

Hikari fell to her knees in shock. She couldn't take her eyes off her broken keyblade. Young Xehanort turned on his heel and headed for the portal.

"Your usefulness has come to an end. How do you expect to save others when you don't have a weapon to protect them with?"

He closed the portal behind, leaving Hikari alone in pain.

Hikari couldn't stop staring at her keyblade. Ever since she started this journey, she's always had it. It helped her get through tight situations. It was a part of her, much like she was a part of it. She very carefully picked up the shattered pieces in her trembling hands.

"After all this time…how could it end like this?"

Tears welled up in her eyes. She had gotten so far in this exam and now it came to a crashing halt. A Keyblade Master needed a keyblade. She couldn't save anyone without her trust weapon.

"This can't be happening! There are so many people counting on me…so many scared lives that are waiting to be saved…I let them down…I failed them"

She dropped the broken pieces of her keyblade to the ground and buried her face into her hands. The weight of the world suddenly crashed on her. She set out to save Lumen and her friends from their tragic fates. She promised that she would save them…to ease their pain. But now…now that promise was destroyed like her keyblade.

The reality of everything caused her to break down sobbing.

"Terra…Aqua…Ven…Lumen…Sora…Riku…I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

She cried her heart out, knowing that Lumen would never be saved, that she and her loved ones were doomed to suffer.

Lulu slowly approached her master. The air around the Pegaslick seemed to grow thick as she lowered her head and nudged Hikari.

"You can't give up" a voice echoed within the Dream Eater.

Hikari stopped her crying a tiny bit when she thought she heard her Dream Eater talking.

"Lulu?"

The Pegaslick nudged her head against Hikari's.

"You didn't fail them" her voice echoed.

"You never needed your keyblade to protect others. Everything you've done…all those lives you helped along your travels…that was all your doing. It was your heart that got you this far. You saved all those troubled souls simply because you kept them close to your heart. It's like what you told Xehanort, your heart is a safe haven that will protect those who need help. It's that power alone that will save your friends, not the keyblade"

Hikari recalled the promise she made when she was a little. Placing a hand over her heart, she could feel it beating strongly.

"My heart is a safe haven"

She closed her eyes as she felt the words sink in.

"That's right…I said I'd protect those who needed help…that I'd keep them safe when they felt scared and lonely"

She opened her eyes. Her tears were gone, only to be replaced with a look of determination.

"And right now, my friends need me now more than ever"

She got up to her feet and brushed herself off.

"I gotta save Sora. I don't know what Xehanort wants with him, but I know it's not good"

She looked at Lulu, knowing she was the only source of help she had now.

"Do you think you can track him down? If he's caught in a dram it should be easy for a Dream Eater to spot him"

Lulu nodded much to Hikari's relief.

"Perfect"

She looked at her keyblade one last time, picking up the handle part of it.

"I'm sorry I failed your exam, Yen Sid. But…right now I don't care about some stupid title. Once Sora's safe, I'll figure out how to retake it"

She jumped on Lulu's back and headed off towards her next mission.

"I'm coming Sora!"

/

Back in the enchanted meadow, Xemnas still stood on the flowered hill.

The conversation he had with Hikari still rang in his ears.

"Just what am I to you?!"

Xemnas closed his eyes. In a very rare moment, he dropped his hard guard, letting his face show emotion. All the events that had transpired up to this point finally seemed to have worn the older Nobody.

As the wind blew through his silver locks, he finally uttered what he intended to say to Hikari.

"You're my daughter…that's what you are to me"

Knowing there was nothing left on this world, he turned to leave. He needed to see what Young Xehanort was planning to do to Hikari. Much like Xigbar, there was something about the boy that put him on edge.

He stopped walking, when out of the corner of his eye he saw a very familiar flower. Approaching the flower bed, he knelt down and plucked a single Forget-Me-Not flower.

Taiyouko's voice echoed in his head as he recalled that memory from long, long ago.

"Xehanort…do you love me?"

His fingers curled around the flower.

"What do you think?"

/

A/N: Holy cow that's a lot to unpack with this chapter.

Does Xemnas love Taiyouko? He did seem pretty weird in this chapter, perhaps something is going on that we don't know about?

And poor Hikari! How will she be able to save Sora without a keyblade?

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

Take care!