Kingdom Hearts II The Untold Chronicles
Chapter Five – Love
"Wow! This Ansem is living large!" Shuku said. She looked around their dark room. It had a violet red scheme. There were many windows, very tall and covered with velvet drapes. Ashley had nothing to say. "Aww, come on, Ashley. Cheer up." Shuku went over to a large bed. Shuku jumped on it. "I like this one!"
Their chamber door opened. Xehanort appeared in another suit. It was deep purple with vertical grey lines.
"I'm glad to see you like your room." He smiled. Shuku bounced onto her rear then dismounted.
"I like the color, I'm not too much of a red fan, but violet red is okay."
"How do you like it, Ashley?" Xehanort asked. Ashley backed into the shadows. Xehanort sighed, but turned his attention to Shuku. "Would you like to see the garden?"
"I'd love to!" Shuku squealed with glee. "I love flowers—Ashley does, too." Shuku's eyes wandered to hers. She looked away.
"You can go to the garden… I don't feel like it…" Ashley whispered, heading towards a bed adjacent to Shuku's.
"Alright." Shuku was concerned, but Ashley wouldn't be going anywhere. Xehanort held down his hand and Shuku took it. They walked out of the room.
Ashley made sure that all the drapes were drawn tight. She didn't want any light in the room.
"Man, this place is great! Do we get free meals?" Shuku asked. The garden was a garden meant for a princess. Vibrant colors surrounded their feet.
"Of course." Xehanort responded. He had other matters on his mind, though. "About Ashley…"
"What about her?" Shuku seemed annoyed. Shuku knew that Ashley didn't want to be bothered.
"Could you tell me what kind of things she likes?"
"Well," Shuku shifted her eyes about, fearing that revealing some of Ashley's lesser personal likes would be betraying her. "She likes cherries." Xehanort nodded. There was a moment of silence.
"Is that all?" Xehanort asked. Shuku shrugged.
"She's simple."
"Then this shouldn't be too hard." Xehanort led Shuku though the garden, allowing her to pick out as many flowers as she wanted to compose a bouquet. "Lots of red ones! I love the color red." Xehanort smiled to Shuku. Shuku gave a big grin back. They soon sat on a bench to organize the bouquet.
There was a knock on the door. Ashley's eyes peered at the door with dislike.
"Dinner is ready. Shuku is down stairs waiting on you." Xehanort said, through a crack in the door.
"Go away." Ashley said quietly.
"What if I said I won't?" Xehanort walked into the room. Ashley hid in a corner of the room. "Could you at least eat, for Shuku?"
"NO! I won't eat for that—traitor!"
"Why are you being so distant?" Xehanort sat down next to her in the corner. The room was dark and bleak looking. "Shuku is your only friend."
"Yet, she associates with you!" Ashley crossed her arms tightly. "As far as I'm concerned, I don't have any friends."
"Don' t be this way." Xehanort shook his head slowly.
"I told you to go away! I don't like you or that stupid old man. I-I'll set you on fire I swear to…" Xehanort put his arm around Ashley. Her heart nearly exploded.
"I think all you need is a nice warm bath. Maybe, after that, you'll feel better." Xehanort smiled at her. Ashley became bashful and withdrawn. "I've picked out some clothes for you. I've already laid them out in the bathroom. If you don't feel like eating dinner then you don't have to come down."
Xehanort showed Ashley to the master bath. He shut the door quickly to let her be alone. Ashley stumbled to the large tub. It was a gleaming white, untouched by the filth of others. Xehanort had laid out a white night gown with cherries textile design.
"My heart…" Ashley whispered to herself. She couldn't believe Xehanort's kindness. "Belongs to you…"
Shuku and Ashley grew up well. They spent almost every waking moment with Xehanort. Ashley still remained quiet, but Shuku kept her going. When the girls were both ten, they would go through with the procedure of receiving their powers
It was a cold day in December. Xehanort led both Shuku and Ashley to Ansem's laboratory. The girls were still very distant from Ansem, but Xehanort had sworn to them that he would be leading the procedure. It was the only thing keeping them comfortable.
Xehanort helped them onto steel, cold operating tables. It took Ashley a moment to let go of Xehanort's hand. He smiled at them both.
"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you, two, beautiful, young ladies." Xehanort wrapped the restrains around their backs. Ashley and Shuku were on their bellies, looking at one another.
"Shuku, if something were to go wrong…"
"We've already talked about this. Ashley, don't worry. We've never believed in a god—but there must be a plan for us to live." Shuku said. Ansem grabbed Ashley's arm with a needle in hand. He leveled the sedative, the liquid landing on the floor. Ashley flinched. Ansem ruthlessly injected Ashley. Xehanort looked down with sadness in his eyes as he sedated Shuku. They closed their eyes and the operation would begin.
"Xehanort, put on your goggles, this could get messy." Ansem said, pulling his down. Xehanort sighed, but did as he was told. Xehanort put on thick, brown gloves. The gloves looked like they were for picking something up very hot. Xehanort reached into a safe. He pulled out a white crystal. It looked like a diamond but it radiated bright white light.
"Now, it's time to test my theory about the Kingdom Millennia Crystal." Xehanort grabbed a scalpel. He made two long incisions on Shuku's back, the blood flowing freely. He put the scalpel down, next to other medical equipment. "King Mickey discovered this crystal in the center of Kingdom Hearts. The crystal was an open and lock mechanism for Kingdom Hearts. King Mickey removed it and asked us to hide it. When we told him about two girls who would be great candidates to protect it, he was grateful. Kingdom Hearts has been permanently closed ever since. King Mickey is ready to reopen the door and he will need you girls to do so." Xehanort said, taking a seat level to Shuku. "Ansem, the electric bone saw, please." Ansem handed Xehanort the bone saw.
"Be careful, don't get to close to her spine, you could paralyze her." Ansem reminded. Xehanort's forehead was already sweating. He pulled his medical mask up higher. Xehanort knew he had to get very close to her spine in order to brand them for King Mickey. Xehanort was a little sick. All for King Mickey's sake. Xehanort started to feel that the man he looked up to, Ansem, was as ruthless as King Mickey.
Xehanort started the electrical bone saw. He revved the saw. He pressed the rotating blade into the incision, the flesh and muscle tissue flying. Xehanort hacked at her rib bones for half an hour. Her rib bones looked like they could hold the wings to brand them.
"The crystal saw." Xehanort demanded. Ansem passed it to him. A hack saw composed of a titanium-platinum blade to cut the Kingdom Millennia Crystal. He cut the crystal into quarters. "A quarter of the crystal into each of your sides. Your bodies will be the soil that blooms the flowers of justice. And the Kingdom Millennia Crystal will be the seed…" Xehanort said in a form of prayer…
Xehanort and Ansem stood back looking at their masterpieces.
"It really—worked." Ansem awed. He wrote on a clip board. "You are by far the best apprentice I've ever had. No one has pulled off an experiment this big under my apprenticeship! And all you had was only a tall-tell legend. You're fortunate King Mickey invested the crystal into your research. I'm giving you your long awaited A plus."
"Thank you, sir." Xehanort ignored his blabbering. Xehanort didn't see the girls as an experiment or a key for the King. Xehanort saw them as his little girls—little girls that were given a second chance in an environment they could thrive in. And in their struggle to thrive they turned into young ladies.
Unrestrained and unconscious, adorable, small white wings were cresting on their backs. The large incisions down their backs were already healed because of the crystal's power. Shuku and Ashley glowed in heavenly light.
They were sore, but they could live with it. Within six months, Shuku and Ashley had massive wings. Their clothing was tailored to accommodate the wings. It only meant they had to wear halter tops all the time and that didn't bother the youthful ladies. Their wings gave them pride and nobility. They walked silently with their heads held high.
Five and a half years later, Shuku and Ashley were presented to King Mickey at a formal night festival called, Sen no Tsubasa no Matsuri The Festival of a Thousand Wings. Their presence was known across the castle and kingdoms. Ansem sold them to King Mickey for 50,000,000 munny a piece. Xehanort stood in the shadows and waited for the festival to be over. Shuku waltzed over to Xehanort, with a drink in her hand. Shuku was wearing a white halter top, skimpy dress. Shuku was 16 and Xehanort was 28.
"Nice to see you again, Master. It has been a year or two since we last seen each other, right?" Xehanort nodded. "In a suit as always." Shuku smiled.
"It's good to look professional." Xehanort was in a grey suit. "Where is Ashley?"
"She's standing in the court yard like a prop. I got tired of that. King Mickey is starting to treat us like props. I wish you would have said we were being sold. Do we get any of the munny?"
"No, that's the lab fee." Xehanort snorted.
"What?" Shuku yelled.
"I'm just kidding!" He gave a warm smile. "We'll give you both munny to help you guys get on your feet in this new town." Shuku snuggled up to Xehanort.
"I owe you my life…" Shuku said, getting onto her toes. She wrapped her arms around Xehanort's neck and leaned in for a kiss. Xehanort gulped. He didn't know how to react. He wasn't Shuku's father and she had matured into a fine young lady. Could he say no…?
He couldn't.
Shuku and Xehanort shared an intimate kiss. Shuku took his breath away with a grown woman kiss. Shuku pulled away with a catty grin.
Her eyes were on fire. Her hand shook. She wanted to share a drink with Xehanort. She couldn't understand the feeling. Was it rejection? She let go of the glasses and her hands went to her face. The glasses shattered on the ground, drawing attention to her failure. Her fingers curved around her eyes as if she were going blind.
"I—I—I… Ah, I—I—I—I—I don't understand…" Ashley interrupted. Shuku let go of Xehanort. He looked at the broken glass and spilled drinks.
"It's exactly what you think…" Shuku was honest with Ashley. Ashley had labored breaths, her heart slowly crumbling.
"I—I don't understand…" A crowd was starting to form.
"Calm down, Ashley. It was nothing, a simple thank you kiss." Xehanort began to explain. "I love you both, equally!"
A poor selection of words.
Those beautiful, white wings became tainted. From the top, to the bottom, they slowly became black as that night. Ashley looked from left to right at what gave her pride—they were black with hate and spite. She didn't want to be seen; she wished that she was the smallest flake of snow! Her loss of control was visible. Despite all the training that Xehanort gave, it left Ashley in her emotional distress. Her body became engulfed in flames. The flames were intense, but they did not consume her body.
"Calm down, Ashley!" Shuku called out. "Regain control!" With a jump and the flap of her wings, Ashley took off into the sky. She left a red tail in the sky. King Mickey observed the whole thing.
"I didn't pay you to bring me something with defects! Fix her!" King Mickey whispered to Xehanort when Shuku was distracted.
"Yes, sir." Xehanort said. He looked at the sky, watching Ashley's red tail fade. "I didn't know…"
Xehanort had a pretty good idea where Ashley had gone to. There was only one place she'd go to in King Mickey's kingdom, and that was the hot springs at the bottom of Mount Mickey. The mountain was volcanic and she could rest in an environment of heat.
Xehanort walked up to the biggest hot spring, and she was there. Her festival dress, similar to Shuku's, was tattered. She was relaxing in the nearly boiling water. Her face was almost submerged, only her scared eyes were above the water to view her scenery. Xehanort noticed that only one of her wings was still black. The other had changed back into its angelic state.
Xehanort's movements caught Ashley's eye.
"I see you're starting to forgive me…" He tried to make conversation. Her response was a shift in the water. "Look, I didn't know Shuku was going to thank me so well," Ashley threw a stone at him. "Er I didn't know she'd thank me that way. And I also didn't know you'd react this way." Xehanort made the approach towards the heartbroken Ashley. She allowed him to come close. Her black wing slowly turned white as he got closer and closer. It made Xehanort smile. It was a sincere smile from the heart. Ashley was embarrassed her wings told on her, but she couldn't hide it. His presence made her safe and truly alive. It was difficult to stay angry at him.
Xehanort slid into the water, sitting next to Ashley on a man-made stone bench for visitors.
"I'm still angry…" Ashley lied through her teeth.
"But you've forgiven me, haven't you?" Xehanort posed.
"I hate it when you talk to me like that!"
"Then why haven't you've told me that you've hated it?"
"Goddamn it!" Ashley cursed to make Xehanort get angry.
"Your foul little mouth won't make me angry, anymore." Xehanort moved closer to Ashley.
"Your suit is getting wet. You should get out."
"Why haven't you told me that you didn't like the way I've talked to you?"
"Because!"
"That won't cut it." He was strict. "I bet you didn't like the way I looked at Shuku, either. I bet you didn't like it when I helped her hone her water abilities when you were so far behind. I bet you didn't like me leaving you behind."
"Be quiet, you asshole!"
"I bet you didn't like eating dinner by yourself when I went away to see the King for business. I bet you didn't like it when Shuku got my praise when she fought you for first time and won. I bet that really burned you up on the inside. I bet you didn't like it when I kissed Shuku. Yes, I kissed her. Why haven't you said that you didn't like it? Why?" His words were torture.
"I don't know!" Ashley burst into tears. The water around Xehanort started to get hotter. "I don't know because I… Because I…"
He had pried too much. Ashley was starting to lose control and become engulfed in flames, once more.
"Don't fly away! Use your words for a change! Tell me…" Xehanort said. Ashley didn't say anything. The heat died down, again. She felt worthless. Xehanort began undressing himself. He took off his blazer, tie, shirt, and then his under shirt. Ashley dried her eyes a bit.
"W-What are you doing?" She asked, confused.
"I'm getting comfortable. I can tell I'll be here a while." Xehanort said, stretching out his arms.
"You'd stay?"
"Of course I would." He looked at her. Those red eyes. Ashley's heart was his, once more. She cuddled up to his chest, resting her head there as Xehanort put his arm around her. Ashley began explaining how she felt from the beginning, with kind, gentle words.
"The second night that I was at Ansem's castle and you coaxed me out of the room for a bath… I-I started falling in love with you…"
"Do go on." Xehanort was intrigued.
The sun had risen. Xehanort walked back into town with Ashley in his arms. She was wrapped up to the best of Xehanort's ability with his blazer. Xehanort could take the climate change, but Ashley could not. He wanted her comfortable. He went straight to King Mickey's castle. Shuku was already at the front gate.
"Well? Is she angry at me?" Shuku asked in a morning robe.
"No. She could never be cross with you. She was angry with me." Xehanort said. Ashley was slowly waking up.
"Oh my. What happened last night?" Shuku asked with a wide smile. "You didn't deflower the poor thing, did you?" Shuku followed behind Xehanort once she saw his red face. "I think you did…"
"I did no such thing!" He exclaimed. "You should be ashamed of yourself!"
"I have people skills, Ashley does not. Therefore, I have no shame. She's learned to cope with my popularity. Even if my popularity involves me getting my first kiss before her." Shuku boasted.
"I hope I wasn't your…"
"No you weren't."
"Oh. No—wait! I wasn't?" Xehanort was shocked as he carried Ashley up the castle's stairs.
"No way!"
"Who did you kiss? I've always kept a close eye on you!"
"I'm a growing girl that already knows the tricks of the trade."
"Tricks of the trade? You're a whore now?" Xehanort couldn't believe his ears.
"This is what happens when you go away for a year or two, Xehanort. You lose face with people." Shuku reminded. "And to clarify, I'm not a whore."
"So? Who was it?"
"Some servant."
"Servant? You could have done better than that!"
"A boy is a boy, with or without their not-so-obvious labels." Shuku said.
"My word! Then you've helped me make up my mind!" Xehanort opened the castle door, the guards aware that Xehanort was returning "property."
"Make up your mind about what?" Shuku asked.
"I'm going to stay here a while and make sure Ashley is current on her training." It was quiet between them.
"You totally deflowered her!" Shuku accused.
"No, no! You have it all wrong! The girl still burst out into flames when she's angry o-or fatigued. You stopped leaking water years ago!"
"You know, maybe she still bursts out into flames to get private tutoring from you, Master." Shuku giggled. Xehanort was becoming redder every minute he talked to Shuku. He focused on carrying Ashley down the main hall. Ashley narrowed her eyes. She was glad Shuku was being herself. They had both failed to realize that Ashley started paying attention at the first mention of deflowering.