Chapter 13: Consequences

The people of Twilight Town were thrown into commotion. The fighting that occurred in the Tram Common and the Train Station threw the world into a state of panic. However, the chaos seemed to subside as the ones involved in the battles were no longer to be found. The citizens were not at ease quite yet, as some tried to see if they could find a trace of the ones responsible for the destruction.

Unbeknownst to the people, the Nobodies who were the cause had slipped away. Fortunately for Xaik, her memories returning in full reminded her that there were various underground tunnels that ran all around Twilight Town. Though it only served to get them away from prying eyes, as the tunnels were like a maze - one which she was unfortunately not familiar with from her life before becoming a Nobody.

The three stopped somewhere in the tunnels, dragging along an unconscious Varijex. As they set him against a wall, they all caught their breaths. Even after Xaik got some potions and Scyrux helped with the healing process, they were all pretty worn out from their respective battles. Xeros inspected the tunnel entrances, making sure they were not followed, before returning to the group. Scyrux was kneeling as Xaik stood a little ways away, maintaining distance from Varijex.

Xeros noticed Xaik's distance, wondering what could be going on inside of her head. He had managed to stop himself from forgetting everything and, as a result, seemed to regain a semblance of his memory. The pain in his memories was severe, something Xaik was currently suffering herself. He wanted to do something to comfort her if he could. But they didn't have that luxury, as they had a very pressing issue at hand.

Xeros looked at Varijex, who sat with his head drooping. Varijex's naturally messy hair was completely disheveled and covering his face. Before Xeros could think too hard about that sore spot, his thoughts were interrupted.

"So, I don't mean to be the one to bring everyone down, but," Scyrux broke the silence. "What do we do now?"

"We've drawn too much attention to ourselves," Xeros replied. "It's best we move onto a different world."

"I agree, but… what about him?" Scyrux pointed at Varijex.

Xeros turned, looking at Varijex and then back to Scyrux.

"I mean, are we taking him with us?"

"That probably isn't a good idea," Xeros advised, lamenting the reality of their situation.

"Well, then what do we do with him?" Scyrux questioned. "I mean, we can't just let him go."

The two looked at one another, a tense silence creeping between them. Both of them had the same thought, but neither wanted to be the one to say it. Luckily, they wouldn't have to.

"You know what you need to do…"

The two turned, as they heard a whispered growl. They saw as Varijex slowly lifted his head, looking at them with contempt in his eyes.

"You know that I won't stop," Varijex continued, his voice muted. "You'll have to put an end to me, or I will finish what I started!"

Scyrux looked to Varijex with regret. He wished he wouldn't force this on them. Xeros, knowing Varijex the best, came to the same conclusion. Varijex was stubborn beyond belief and would not stay down for long. As much as he hated the idea, there were no other options. Xeros walked over to Varijex, as Varijex looked up to him.

"He's right." Xeros agreed.

"Xeros-" Scyrux tried to reason.

"He won't stop," Xeros interrupted. "We won't be able to beat him forever."

"You better believe it." Varijex said, through a strained breath.

Xeros held out his hand as he summoned Verechelen to him. Varijex looked to the staff, seeing the red blade as Xeros took it in both hands. Varijex let out a deep growl, as he let his head fall again.

"Do it," Varijex muttered. "Let's see if you really have what it takes to fight for what you want!"

Xeros raised his weapon, pointing the blade down. He looked to Varijex, head low and ready to accept his destruction. Scyrux turned away, not wanting to watch. The moment lasted for what seemed like eternity, as the end did not come. Varijex looked up, as he saw that Xeros was frozen. Seemingly paralyzed, Xeros stood with his weapon raised, unable to strike Varijex down.

…why did he make me do this…? The thought echoed in his mind, repeating itself as he was once again reminded of his tragic memory. He didn't want to do this. He couldn't do it. Xeros dropped his weapon, as it clinked and echoed in the tunnels. Varijex looked at him, frustrated that he was apparently unable to go through with it.

"Coward!" Varijex snarled. "You just keep making mistakes, don't you?"

"Enough!"

Varijex heard Xaik yell as his eyes went wide. He looked to see Xaik had come up from behind Xeros, pushing past him. Hammer in hand, she stared Varijex down. Varijex expected to see fury in her eyes like before, but this time, all he saw was apathy.

"We can't afford to waste any more time," Xaik stated, coldly. "The Organization will send more after us. They won't just let us go."

Xaik looked to the hammer in her hand, staring at the Nobody insignia that was laminated on it. She grabbed the handle with her other hand, gripping it tight.

"You wanted us to show you if we have what it takes to fight for what we want…"

Xaik said as she walked closer, placing her hammer on Varijex's head as he began to tremble. Xaik measured her strike, calculated. Varijex watched as Xaik raised her hammer up, holding it behind her head. There was nothing in her eyes, emotionless and without remorse.

"…then I'll show you."

Xaik went to swing but was suddenly pushed back by an overwhelming force.

"NOOOOOO!" Varijex screamed as a huge magnet orb repelled the other three, sending them flying.

They were caught by surprise, as they had no idea where this sudden power came from. Varijex continued to vocalize as he forced his arms out, loosening the whip wrapping around him. As the others were pushed against the walls by the ever growing magnet field, Varijex summoned a portal to escape. Before he left, he looked at Xaik one last time. She could see what looked like tears in his eyes, and terror on his face.

He vanished into the darkness, the portal collapsing as the three were free to move again. They landed, all gasping and regaining their composure. He got away! Xaik cursed. Xeros was in a similar position, realizing that his hesitancy allowed Varijex the opportunity to escape. Once again, they were in danger.

"We need to leave, now!" Xeros commanded as he then opened his own portal.

Xaik and Scyrux weren't sure where they were going to go, but it was best for them to not stick around. Scyrux rushed to the portal as Xaik ran up to the portal, stopping to look at Xeros. They exchanged a concerned glance before Xaik bolted in and Xeros followed her. The portal closed behind them as they left Twilight Town in search of a new sanctuary.

Having escaped his captors, Varijex made his way back to the castle. He appeared inside Calamity's Cell. He was breathing heavily; his panting echoed against the walls. He fell to his hands and knees, weak and exhausted. As he tried catching his breath, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see that Xemnas had entered the chamber with a disappointed look on his face.

"It seems that you failed to bring them back." Xemnas spoke, with a particular flavor of apathy.

"Lord Xemnas…" Varijex struggled to get up. "…I almost got them. I can assure you that next time-"

"I'm afraid," Xemnas turned away from Varijex, facing to his side. "There won't be a next time."

"I don't…" Varijex was puzzled, unsure of Xemnas's tone. "I don't understand."

"Your offer to me was your bargaining chip," Xemnas began, as he turned and gave a sideways glance to Varijex. "You staked your reputation, your abilities, your title. But you've returned to me empty handed."

Xemnas then faced Varijex fully, as Varijex stood up as much as he could manage. Varijex looked in Xemnas's eyes, no longer seeing mere disappointment, but contempt.

"Your strength was exaggerated. It has been made apparent that your abilities relied too much on the others."

"NO!" Varijex blurted out, even with the pain it caused his chest and throat. "You're wrong! I didn't NEED them! I AM strong enough!"

"I thought this false bravado you claimed would serve to make you into the Nobody you wished to be. But now I see that face…"

Xemnas looked at Varijex's face, the face of desperation. The face he saw long ago, when they first met.

"And it's clear that you're still as weak as you were when I found you."

Varijex snapped as he let out a scream. He summoned his sword to his hand as he began to glow. A magnet field appeared around him, causing the impaled swords to rip from the walls. They all began to fly around the room, wildly spinning around. Xemnas remained still as Varijex began to run at him. All the swords pointed toward Xemnas and flew at him.

"I AM NOT WEAK! I'LL SHOW YOU THAT I AM THE STRONGEST!"

Varijex ran, almost reaching Xemnas, when suddenly, Saïx appeared in front of him. Varijex's eyes went wide as Saïx held his claymore in hand, but Varijex couldn't react fast enough. He looked in Saïx's eyes as his whole face turned monstrous, his eyes went completely yellow and his blue hair flared. Saïx let out a roar as he swung his claymore.

There wasn't any pain. The impact was so fast that Varijex only felt the speed at which he crashed into the nearby wall. After falling and landing face down on the floor, Varijex heard the clinking of all the swords falling as his magnet field dispersed. He struggled to move as he noticed that he couldn't feel his body at all. When he looked to his hand beside his face, it began to fall apart, coming apart at the seams as it slowly began to fade into darkness.

The last things that Varijex heard as he laid motionless on the ground were footsteps approaching him. He saw Xemnas's boot as he loomed over Varijex.

"Far from it, Javier."

Varijex's eyes closed as his body completely disappeared, leaving Xemnas and Saïx alone in the room. Saïx made his claymore disappear, as he approached Xemnas.

"Shall we deal with the others now, Lord Xemnas-?"

Saïx tried to ask as Xemnas looked at him with calm, yet intense eyes. Saïx was unsure why Xemnas was looking at him like he was, but Xemnas would soon explain.

"Do not act of your own accord again, Saïx." Xemnas ordered.

"I was merely ensuring-"

Xemnas then walked over to Saïx, placing a hand on his shoulder. Saïx looked to Xemnas's face, as Saïx looked somewhat uncomfortable.

"I will handle the insurgents myself," Xemnas claimed. "Do I make myself clear?"

Saïx bowed his head, as Xemnas never broke eye contact.

"Of course, Lord Xemnas."

Xemnas took his hand off of Saïx as he left the room. Saïx merely stood and looked at the spot where Varijex's body once lay as he placed his hands behind his back. He took a look out the window, looking up at Kingdom Hearts before turning and leaving the chamber himself.

While this occurred, the others had escaped to a new world. Having rushed through the portal they took, Xaik came out the other side and looked around to her surroundings. Scyrux was already observing, and Xeros came out not too long after. The portal closed behind them as Xeros began to look at their environment.

Xaik noted that the place they were in was a rather worn down town. It was in disrepair, but clearly some efforts were being made to fix it. The place they appeared was in an area filled with many little houses, also needing maintenance. The paths were laid in stone. Xaik had never been to this world, neither with Xeros nor Scyrux. Xaik looked to Xeros as he traced a hand against one of the stone walls.

"We should be safe here," Xeros broke the silence. "But not for long."

"And, uh, where exactly is 'here'?" Scyrux asked, rubbing the back of his head. "I've never been to this world."

He hasn't either? Xaik wondered, thinking perhaps Xeros knew more worlds than she and Scyrux.

"Neither have I." Xaik agreed. "Where are we?"

Xeros remained silent, turning to the other two. His expression was hard to place, somewhere between pleased and filled with regret.

"My home…" Xeros uttered, with uncertainty. "…I think."

His home…? Xaik processed, before coming to the realization. Wait, he thinks it's his home?! That means-

"You remember?" Xaik let out.

"Hang on, wait, do you?" Scyrux said with an exaggerated tone.

"Vaguely," Xeros put a hand on his head, pensively. "I am not sure of many details."

"How?" Xaik asked, confused.

"During the battle…" Xeros looked at Xaik, now with somewhat distraught eyes. "I am not quite sure how or why. But I do remember some things now."

"Well, that's good, right?" Scyrux proposed.

"You'd think it would be." Xeros answered, somewhat beside himself.

Xaik and Scyrux became confused and concerned. Xaik had her own baggage with her past and Scyrux also had difficulties dealing with knowledge of his home. Xeros's opinion of returning to his home was not apparently something he seemed excited about, and his memory returning didn't seem to be something to celebrate. But whether this was because of the battle before or not was a question on its own.

Xeros didn't give the other two much time to think, as he turned to walk away. He gave them a look before going, signaling them to follow.

"That's not important right now," He stated. "We should think of what our next move is, before the Organization catches up to us."

Xeros began walking as Xaik and Scyrux looked to one another. Scyrux shrugged and started walking as Xaik let out a bit of a sigh and followed.

They all made their way through the town, which was bigger than Xaik expected. In the distance, she noticed a rather large castle that loomed over all. It was nowhere near the size of the Castle That Never Was, but it was still a sight to behold. They made their way to a little market square with various shops. Xeros stopped as he looked around, taking in all the details.

He turned to see Xaik was looking around, but then met eyes with him. They shared a glance, unsure of what to make of the other's thoughts. Both wanted to ask each other more about what had happened during the battle, about the memories that had returned to them and how they were handling them. But both knew it was more important to try to resolve the more significant problem, that being what to do about the Organization.

"Xeros…" Xaik began. "We need to do something soon… don't we?"

Xeros nodded his head, giving a solemn "hm".

"The Organization's reach extends to many worlds," Xeros explained. "And given everything we know and are capable of, I doubt that they will leave us be."

Scyrux, who had been observing their surroundings, then turned his attention to Xeros.

"So, do we just keep world hopping and hope they give up?"

"I don't think that's feasible, no." Xeros responded, bluntly.

"Then… what options do we have?" Xaik asked, somewhat desperately.

Xeros looked to Xaik, as Xaik could see something new in Xeros's eyes. Xeros stared at her, not with those analytical eyes she had grown accustomed to. The way he was looking at her reminded her of the eyes of a friend, someone who would not let any harm come to her. As he had shown in the battle with Varijex, Xeros's eyes spoke of a determination that seemed sincere, even with his lack of a heart.

"We fight," Xeros stated, confidently. "We take them down before they do us."

Fight? Xaik was stunned. Against the Organization?

"Do you think we can beat them?" Scyrux questioned. "Varijex was bad enough on his own, do you think we can take on the entire Organization?"

"We don't need to take them all down," Xeros retorted. "We just need to take down Xemnas. We can be certain that Saïx will also be an obstacle, but if we beat Xemnas, the rest of the Organization will fall apart."

Xaik and Scyrux looked at one another, debating Xeros's logic.

"I guess we don't have any other choice, huh?" Scyrux lamented for a moment, but then gave a determined look. "But it beats the alternative. Let's do it, us against them."

Scyrux held out his hand as he looked to Xeros. Xeros looked at Scyrux's hand, not quite understanding the gesture, but placed his hand on Scyrux's. The two gave each other a reassuring look as Scyrux nodded his head, Xeros returning the nod. The two looked at Xaik, as she then looked at their hands.

So, this is it? Xaik approached the other two. Us against them? She looked at Scyrux as he gave her a smirk, one that told her he was not sure of how this would turn out, but that he was going to stand up for them. It probably won't be easy. She then turned to Xeros, who was looking directly into her eyes, still showing her with his stance that he would not let anything happen to her. I don't even know if we can win… but even so…

Xaik placed her hand on the others' and looked at them, with her own steadfast will behind her eyes.

"I will stand with you," Xaik announced, as they would begin preparing for the battle ahead.

They spent some time in the market, looking for anything that might help them. They each bought potions of some descript, and perused for other useful items. While Xeros and Scyrux were continuing to shop, Xaik had finished her preparations and took to sitting nearby. She was a bit lost in her thoughts, but took notice of a sight that piqued her interest.

A group of young people were passing by. Each of them were crafting some simple jewelry. They all were joyously putting charms on necklaces and bracelets, showing one another. But two in particular caught her eye, as she noticed that one boy had crafted a necklace for a girl. The girl took the necklace in amazement, as she seemed grateful to the boy.

"I have something for you."

A sentence rang in Xaik's mind as she thought of a memory from long ago.

He holds out a necklace. The necklace has an interesting star-like charm with wings on its sides.

The one I was looking at with him once.

I am in disbelief, and express it.

"I had to work a lot of odd jobs for it," He laughs. "But I thought it'd make you happy."

He hands me the necklace. I place it around my neck, smiling.

I was happy…

…but now that memory is tainted.

Xaik shook herself back to reality as her memory of Varijex, or rather Javier, was reminding her of the awful sensation that had begun to well within her. Though she could not feel anger or sadness, she knew that for the rest of her life, that memory would never hold the same meaning as it once had. Xaik looked at the other people as they showed off their crafts, and had another thought.

Those memories are not what's important. Xaik reasoned. What's important is now. Us right now and the memories that we have made ourselves… together.

Xaik stood up, walking over to the young people. They turned to her, as she put on her best smile as she asked her question.

"Excuse me, where did you get those?"

A little time had passed as Xeros and Scyrux got everything they thought they would need. Though they had seen Xaik sitting in a spot nearby, they noticed that she had disappeared. The two looked around for a bit, almost worrying, when they noticed her rushing toward them. As she approached them, she caught her breath and Xeros and Scyrux gave her a concerned look.

"Hey, you doing okay?" Scyrux asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Xaik let out, regaining her composure. "I just had to run and grab something."

Xaik then held up a few small bags in her hand as Xeros and Scyrux looked at them. In one bag were small, black strings. In the other were metal charms of varying color, but all were shaped like hearts. Both were confused, and they gave each other a quick glance before looking back to Xaik.

"What are these?" Xeros questioned.

"They're charms," Xaik explained. "I just thought… since we're going against the Organization, regardless of the result… we may never get our hearts back."

The three stood, quietly lamenting the fact that Xaik had brought to them. Xaik had already come to grips with losing her heart, even being within arm's reach of it. Xeros and Scyrux now understood the sacrifice they were making by deciding their course of action. But that moment would not last, as Xaik took one of the charms and strings out of their respective bags.

"But I realized something," Xaik began. "Though we may never get our hearts back… we will still have each other. No matter what happens… I wanted us to have something to remind us of the choice we made. The friendship that we all share."

Xaik held out her hand to Scyrux as Scyrux opened his. She placed a green heart charm in his hand as Scyrux looked at her.

"I thought you might like green." She smiled at him.

Scyrux looked at the charm, twiddling it in his palm with his thumb. As he stared at it, he thought about his decision, before looking back to Xaik and giving a seemingly genuine smile.

"That's perfect." Scyrux chuckled. "Thanks, Xaik."

As Scyrux looped his charm into the string and tied it around his wrist, Xaik then reached in the bags to pull out another charm and string as she held out her hand to Xeros. Xeros looked as he held his hand open and Xaik placed the deep red charm in his hand.

"Scyrux once gave me pajamas that matched my hair," Xaik explained with a slight flush in her cheeks. "I thought one that matched yours would be nice."

Xeros noticed a strange flush in his own cheeks as he looked to Xaik. He noticed the one in hers, and he suddenly realized what the sensation in her body had been all those times he'd seen it on her face before, as the same sensation was now within him. He took the charm and looped it, then tied it. He held the bracelet in his fingers as he then put it on his wrist, admiring the shine.

"That's very thoughtful, Xaik." Xeros nodded his head, a smile almost creeping along his mouth. "Thank you."

Xaik gave a smile as she then pulled out her own charm, a magenta color, as she made her own bracelet and put it on her wrist. She held out her arm to look at the heart dangling on her wrist. The other two did the same as they all looked at their bracelets.

Xaik then went to put away the rest of the charms and strings she purchased, as they came in a bundle. She stopped for a second, noting the extra materials that could be used to make another bracelet. Xeros and Scyrux noticed Xaik staring at the materials and a silence took them for a second. Xaik shook herself out of it as she then shoved the remaining materials in her pocket. Scyrux also broke out of the thought they all shared. He turned to look at Xeros, whose gaze lingered for a while.

Xeros's stare was clearly indicative of something going on in his head. There was a moment where he seemed lost, but the next, he was determined again. He saw Scyrux looking at him, and gave him a reassuring nod. Though he could have checked with certainty, Scyrux decided to trust his friend that he was okay. Xeros looked at Xaik as she nodded her head.

Time to settle this.

In the alleyways of the Dark City, a Corridor of Darkness opened in the silence of the dreary metropolis. Xeros rushed out, immediately taking cover behind a wall. Scyrux and Xaik came out not too long after, following in Xeros's example. Xeros turned a corner, investigating the alleys to make sure there were no signs of enemies.

"[What are we doing out here?]" Scyrux whispered. "[Why didn't we go back into the castle?]"

"[It's too dangerous,]" Xeros answered, also in a hushed tone. "[Going directly into the castle would put us at risk of ambush.]"

Scyrux and Xaik both nodded in agreement as they looked around. Xeros took the corner, signaling the others to follow. As the three made their way through the streets, all seemed clear. In fact, it seemed too empty, even for the World That Never Was. Normally, one would expect there to be some Heartless roaming about. And though Xeros was certain that the Organization would account for such an assault, it seemed unguarded. And that in and of itself was suspicious.

As they eventually made it to the square with Memory's Skyscraper, they took the last wall cover before the wide-open space they would have to cross. Xeros looked around, still seeing no signs of activity. He looked back to Scyrux and Xaik and signaled them to move.

They made a rush to the other side but before they got across, they heard the sound of several Dusks appearing around them. Dozens, in fact, accompanied by what Xeros recognized as four Berserkers and two Sorcerers. They summoned their weapons as the lesser Nobodies crowded around them. The three stood back to back, surrounded from all sides. But as they all looked back at each other, they nodded. These odds were not unlike any they had already faced before.

They all spread out, beginning their attack on the army of Nobodies. Xaik began eliminating droves of Dusks with swings and soundwaves. Scyrux immediately began attempting to paralyze the Berserkers as they moved in, dragged by their huge hammers. And Xeros took to the skies to face off against the Sorcerers as they floated above them, wielding their red cubes of energy. Each one was fighting hard, leaving no enemies unscathed.

After finishing a crowd of Dusks, Xaik noticed that Scyrux was having trouble with the Berserkers. She ran back, turning to help as Scyrux managed to hit one of the Berserkers and freeze it. Xaik came in, jumping up and smashing the Berserker as it disappeared into white sparks. Scyrux gave a thumbs up as he turned to deal with another one. Xaik saw that a third was making its way to her, trying to smash her with its hammer.

She swung upwards, deflecting the hit with her own hammer and then rushing in, spinning and smashing her hammer into the Berserker's side as it went flying and slammed into another group of Dusks, destroying them all in the process. The hammer fell to the ground as she turned to face the other Berserker. Okay, just one more to go!

As she turned, she saw the frightening sight of the Berserker's hammer coming right at her. She lifted her guard, but it knocked her off balance. It then swung its body at her, knocking her hammer out of her hands. As it went for a smash, she rolled out of the way, landing with the dropped Berserker hammer on the ground. As the foe charged at her, leaving her no time to call her weapon back, Xaik acted quickly and took hold of the Berserker hammer on the ground.

Though heavy at first, soon Xaik found herself having no trouble at all lifting the weapon. In fact, it was as if the weapon was lifting itself. She noticed a strange sensation coursing through her body. What is happening?she thought, as soon her arms began to swing on their own. Seemingly controlled by the hammer, Xaik's body went on a rampage, swinging and taking out the Berserker in front of her before it could react as well as the last Berserker that Scyrux was dealing with.

Narrowly avoiding being hit, Scyrux jumped out of the way of Xaik's warpath.

"Whoa!" Scyrux exclaimed. "Take it easy there!"

"S-sorry, but it's not me!" Xaik yelled.

The cursed hammer continued to drive Xaik forward as she steamrolled through more Dusks until eventually, she couldn't hold it anymore. She let go of the hammer as it disappeared and she fell to the ground, landing on her feet. She shook herself. Note to self. She held out her hand to summon Sonic Oscillation. Never do that again.

With the Berserkers dealt with, Xaik turned her attention to try to help Xeros. The Sorcerers had him on the defensive, attacking him with numerous red cubes. Xeros would deflect, swoop and orbit out of the way, but was having a hard time creating an opening as the Sorcerers were fairly nimble in the air. Xaik noticed that one of the Sorcerers had its back turned, so it was a good opportunity to attack it now. She charged up her magic, sending a soundwave at it.

At the last second before impact, the Sorcerer produced a wall of red cubes to protect it from the rear. It then turned its attention to her as it floated down to retaliate. Xeros noticed the opportunity, falling toward the distracted Sorcerer, slashing and destroying it. Xaik realized that what she did gave Xeros the chance to actually strike the lesser Nobody properly.

"Create another opening!" Xaik called out to Xeros, as he gave her a nod. Xeros turned to face the other Sorcerer, rushing at the Sorcerer in the air as it began swinging the red cubes at him. Xeros moved out of the way of the attack, attempting to counter. The Sorcerer dodged and swooped around him. It was about to shoot more of the cubes at Xeros, when suddenly a loud BWOOM erupted and a flash of purple energy blasted the Sorcerer, destroying it on impact.

As he watched the white sparks fly, Xeros looked down and saw Xaik nod her head, having just sent a soundwave at the distracted Sorcerer. Xaik then turned her attention back to the remaining Dusk crowd as Scyrux was cracking his whip at them, paralyzing whatever he could. But something was amiss, as he noticed that the Dusks weren't trying to dodge. Xaik noticed it too as she stood her ground, ready for the wave to move in.

But they didn't. Xeros, having also noticed this, descended onto the ground. All three stood, back to back in wait for an attack that would never come. Xaik was faced toward Memory's Skyscraper, noticing a corridor appear in front of them. Xeros and Scyrux both kept to Xaik's back, but turned their attention to the portal. From it, they watched as Xemnas himself stepped through, looking rather perturbed, yet apathetic at the same time.

As the corridor closed, Xemnas looked to the three, his chin high.

"It is time to put an end to this meaningless conflict," Xemnas boomed. "You need not throw away the opportunity to regain the things you want most."

"You're the one throwing us away, Xemnas!" Xeros retorted.

"You do not understand the severity of your actions," Xemnas replied, lowering his head. "Your misinterpretation of my intentions and the reactions you have given are only proof that you no longer serve our goal."

"That's your problem, Xemnas!" Scyrux snapped back. "If serving your goal means you take our friend from us, then we don't want any part of it!"

"Such words were expected of you," Xemnas sneered. "Despite your transgressions, I will allow you one last opportunity to return to us. Obey… and you will be spared."

Xaik then stepped up, holding her hammer out towards Xemnas. She glared at him as he looked at her, unamused.

"You told me you saw potential in me," Xaik began. "And you were right. I had so much more potential in me, even without my heart or my memories… And I will use that potential to create a life for myself! Even if I don't have a heart, I will protect this life, no matter the cost!"

There was a moment of silence as Xemnas let his head drop. They all looked as he then slowly raised his head, staring intensely at them. His rigid stance loosened as his arms hung out a bit further by his sides. As his eyes focused on them, he took a silent breath.

"An unwise choice…" He uttered in his deep, monotone voice, almost with regret. "…one that you will suffer for, as your other comrade has."

Xeros's eyes shot wide open as he then pushed past Xaik, staring Xemnas down.

"What did you do to him?" Xeros demanded.

Xemnas remained silent, merely glaring at Xeros. Frustrated by the vague answer, Xeros rushed Xemnas. He glowed red-black as he fell directly at Xemnas, blade pointed down. Xemnas stood his ground as he then waved his hand and created a shield of energy to protect himself. Xeros impacted with the shield, and it seemed to shock him with energy. Xeros backed away as Xemnas took the shield down and tried to counter. Xeros moved out of the way, attempting his own counter as Xemnas then surrounded himself in a dark sphere, passing through Xeros.

The sphere went through Xaik and Scyrux as they braced for an attack. The sphere passed through them harmlessly, but as the sphere disappeared, Xemnas stood behind them. He summoned two red blades of energy from his hands as he swung at Xaik and Scyrux. They both dodged the attack, both going different directions. Scyrux rolled away as he saw Xemnas merely walking toward him, Xemnas's hands crackling with energy. Scyrux tried to whip him, but Xemnas dodged it. He summoned his blades again, taking another swing at Scyrux.

Before Xemnas could hit and Scyrux could attempt to dodge, suddenly Xeros was in the way. Xeros blocked the energy blade with his staff as Xemnas began to fight with Xeros. Xemnas was slashing, spinning around Xeros with grace and precision. Xeros, however, was holding his own easily, as he was well versed in multiple-degree combat. Xemnas noticed this, and surrounded himself in the sphere of darkness once more when Xeros took another swing.

This time, Xemnas moved toward Xaik as he attempted to attack her. Xaik did her best to block and dodge, but Xemnas was rather fast. Xaik got nicked and singed a bit, but she saw an opening and went for a swing. Xemnas went to block it, but found himself surprised by the amount of force behind the swing as he was knocked back. He back flipped to regain his composure as he stared at Xaik. As she noticed the gaze, it eerily reminded her of Xeros's analytical stare, but somehow colder.

Xemnas then turned as he heard a whip crack, managing to dodge another attempt by Scyrux to paralyze him. Scyrux kept whipping at him as he would disappear and reappear in the dark sphere, getting closer. He closed the distance to Scyrux as Scyrux backed away from him. Xemnas then turned, seeing Xeros about to try to intercept. But this time, Xemnas was prepared. He held out his hand as he shot out beams of energy at Xeros.

Xeros stopped, deflecting the beams that Xemnas was shooting. As Xeros spun his staff to block the beams, Xaik moved in and charged up her hammer. She swung and sent a soundwave at Xemnas as he used his other hand to create a shield once more. Suddenly, Xemnas noticed something wrap around his arm. He turned to see Scyrux had managed to catch him in his whip. As Scyrux was about to use his magic on Xemnas, Xemnas grabbed the whip and yanked it, pulling Scyrux down onto the ground and toward him.

The whip loosened as he then noticed Xeros had moved. Xemnas looked up to see Xeros had positioned himself up in the air above him. As Xeros swooped down, Xemnas blocked the strike with his own blade. Then he noticed something was wrong. Suddenly, Xemnas was getting heavier, as he noticed a red-black circle on the ground surrounding him. Xeros was altering the gravity, weighing Xemnas down as he turned to see Xaik had moved in on him.

Xaik swung as Xemnas tried to put his guard up, but once again found himself underestimating her strength as he was knocked away. This time, he slid on his feet as the dirt was kicked up and he eventually stopped. He then looked at the three as they all stood, poised and ready to continue the fight.

Xemnas closed his eyes for a moment, opening them as he suddenly disappeared into thin air. The three were shocked to see Xemnas vanish as they looked around. Xeros thought to move towards his teammates to protect them, but this time instead of going for Xaik or Scyrux as he had been, Xemnas went after Xeros. As he appeared behind him, Xeros turned to defend himself, only to be struck in the side by Xemnas's blade. Xemnas followed up with a kick, knocking Xeros away.

"Xeros!" Xaik called out as she turned to Xemnas.

She ran in, vibrating as she charged Xemnas. As she swung, Xemnas went to block. But this time, instead of taking the impact directly, he moved to the side and around Xaik. Xaik could only watch as Xemnas ended up behind her and struck her with his blade, putting her on the ground. Xaik landed on her stomach, groaning as the burning of the energy blade stung through her coat.

Xemnas walked over to Xaik as she tried to get up. Xemnas then looked as he saw Scyrux standing ahead of him. Scyrux was poised, ready to try to stop Xemnas.

"This one claimed to do whatever it took to protect your lives. And the other shows tenacity, a strength that drives him to defend them…" Xemnas spoke as he moved past Xaik, towards Scyrux.

Scyrux switched between looking at Xaik to make sure Xemnas wouldn't try anything, but also keeping an eye on him in case he would attack instead. Xemnas held out his hand, gesturing toward Scyrux.

"Yet you, one so versed in life, do not seem to have that same strength of will to do these things, the determination that would turn a person into a Nobody…" Xemnas lectured, trying to get into Scyrux's head. "Ironic, isn't it? That you, titled The Dynamic Optimist, only pretend to feel, to care. Such wasted potential."

Xemnas lowered his arm as his hands began to spark again, ready to summon his blades once more. Scyrux looked at Xemnas with a strange expression, resembling something like anger. This surprised Xemnas, given what he knew of Scyrux.

"You know it is all for naught. This fight, as meaningless as your existence-"

Scyrux cracked his whip at Xemnas as Xemnas side-stepped to avoid it. He looked to Scyrux, somewhat surprised. Scyrux began to glow as he pulled his whip back, giving Xemnas an intense glare unlike any Scyrux had ever given before.

"You're right," Scyrux agreed. "At first, I didn't think any of this mattered. I didn't think I could care, so I never really tried…"

Xaik got up onto her hands and knees as she looked up to see Scyrux, getting serious for once. Xeros, who was also recovering from being knocked down, saw Scyrux facing off with Xemnas.

"But you're wrong about one thing, Xemnas!" Scyrux argued. "The drive that turned us into Nobodies when we lost our hearts… that's the same drive that allowed us- allowed me to push past that feeling of emptiness and form our bonds!"

Scyrux then took a step forward, taking a firm stance on the ground for his next move.

"I'd lost sight of that drive, but my friends reminded me that I do have the capability to care! Enough to stop you from destroying what we have!"

Scyrux then cracked his whip, which was glowing along with him, at Xemnas. Xemnas avoided the attack as Scyrux followed up with more attempts. As Xemnas tried dodging, he found himself surprisingly matched in speed, until eventually he was caught by the arm. Scyrux pulled as he yelled out, and the glowing of his whip began to change. Xemnas began to glow a green aura as he found it hard to move.

But more so than that, Xemnas noticed that the green aura surrounding him was being drained from him, as he began to feel weaker. The green energy transferred from the whip into Scyrux, making him stronger. Xemnas began to fall to his knees as he looked up to Scyrux. He held out his other arm as it began to glow and an orb of energy appeared from it.

"Insolence." Xemnas uttered, firing the orb from his hand.

The orb flew over to Scyrux. As it reached him and expanded into a large field, Scyrux let out an agonized yell, no longer able to focus. The glow left his whip as Xemnas freed himself. The field continued to hurt Scyrux while he stood in it, until it dissipated and Scyrux fell to his knees, then falling over completely.

"No!" Xeros called out, now up on his feet and ready to attack.

As Xeros was about to rush in, Xemnas disappeared again, only to reappear and fly around Xeros, leaving a circle of beams around him. As Xemnas vanished and moved away from Xeros, Xeros turned to Xemnas.

"Fire!" Xemnas commanded.

The many blades that surrounded Xeros then closed in on him, hitting him from all sides as he cried out in pain. He fell down once more, Xaik began to panic as she rushed to try to help. Xemnas looked towards Xaik as she moved in to attack.

Xemnas's hand began to spark as an orb surrounded his hand. He then flicked his wrist as a bolt of energy shot out of his hand. Xaik's eyes went wide as she held out her hammer to block. They clashed, with the sparking energy pushing against Xaik's hammer. Xaik planted her feet, trying to maintain her stance and not get knocked back. Xemnas then focused, putting more energy into the blast.

"Kneel!" Xemnas called out.

With a burst of energy, Xemnas managed to knock down Xaik's guard as he followed up with a few shots of his blades at her. Xaik took three to the torso as she fell backwards.

"Xaik…!" Scyrux muttered, his body in agony.

He tried to get up, making it onto his knees. Xemnas turned to him and vanished, reappearing and grabbing Scyrux by the throat. Xemnas effortly picked him up as Scyrux choked in his grasp. He had no strength in him to even grab onto Xemnas, let alone break free. Xaik and Xeros were in pain; their injuries prevented them from stopping what was happening.

"It seems you do have some drive in you," Xemnas gripped Scyrux tighter, as Scyrux found it harder to breathe. "Allow me-"

Xemnas then threw Scyrux forward, suspending Scyrux in the air in front of him. As Scyrux floated in Xemnas's grasp, dark threads appeared from Xemnas's hand and began to wrap themselves around Scyrux. Xaik and Xeros could only watch in horror as the threads enveloped Scyrux in a cocoon of sorts. And with a flash of dark energy, the cocoon broke and Xaik and Xeros were in shock at what had happened.

Scyrux was gone. Or rather, all that was left was a Dusk.

"-to rid you of it." Xemnas finished his sentence, coldly.

No! Xaik cried out in her mind, as suddenly there was a loud scream from further away.

"XEMNAS!" Xeros yelled with a fury never before seen or heard from him.

His body gained new strength as he rushed forward at break-neck speeds. Xemnas turned as Xeros came at him with a flurry of attacks - the only thing visible were streaks of red. Xemnas summoned his blades as he blocked the hits, put on the defensive. Xeros didn't stop attacking as he kept yelling, grunting and otherwise vocalizing in desperate anger.

There was a point where Xeros attempted a stab at Xemnas, and Xemnas blocked it. Xeros hitched the ethereal blade on the hook of his staff, pulling it away from Xemnas as he created an opening. He then pushed Xemnas, his hand laced with magic as he sent Xemnas falling to the side of the building nearby. Xeros moved in to follow up on his opportunity to continue attacking.

As Xemnas fell, he quickly oriented himself as he then put his feet "down", landing on the side of the building and pushing off of it back to Xeros. Xeros saw this, but it was too late to react. Xemnas then flew right at him, hitting him with a three hit combo with his blades. Xeros let out more pained yells as fell to his knees. Xemnas then stood behind him, turning to see Xeros as he tried getting back on his feet, using his staff to hold himself up.

"There is no use in continuing this fight," Xemnas insisted. "Give up."

Xeros turned, panting heavily, as he gave Xemnas a defiant glare. Xeros then rushed in after Xemnas again, but was too slow and weak to land a hit. Xemnas effortlessly blocked the attempt, retaliating with another two strikes to Xeros. Xeros fell to his knees, but persisted in not falling down. Xemnas was not amused by Xeros's tenacity as he summoned a blade and raised it up.

"Xeros!" Xemnas heard from behind, as he turned to see Xaik charging up her magic.

Xaik swung and shot a Soundwave at Xemnas, who merely disappeared before it hit. He reappeared in front of Xaik, startling her as he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up. As he held her in his grasp, he heard something coming from behind. When he turned, he saw Xeros coming in once again. Xemnas scoffed as he then spun and threw Xaik at him. Xeros stopped his advance to catch Xaik.

He grabbed her in the air and held her in one of his arms as Xemnas then rushed in, ready to strike. Xeros blocked the blow with his staff as Xemnas continued attacking. Xeros was deflecting most of the blows - taking a few, but making sure Xaik would not get hit. Xemnas then slashed upward and pushed Xeros's staff up, leaving them both vulnerable to attack.

As Xemnas attempted another slash, Xeros spun, dropping his weapon, and held Xaik in both arms as he bodyblocked the hit. The blade struck his back with stinging pain, but Xeros kept Xaik safe. Xeros, what are you doing?! Xaik was unable to move, her face buried in Xeros's chest as she could hear the blades making contact and Xeros's grunts and groans.

After a few more hits, Xeros wasn't able to stand on his own, as Xaik put her arms around him and held him up. Xemnas stopped his attacks, noticing that Xeros was now too weak to fight back. Xaik kneeled down, allowing Xeros to rest on his own knees.

"Xeros…" Xaik held onto him, desperately. "We can't give up… we have to do something!"

"Meaningless," Xemnas lectured. "You are far too weak to fight. Accept your fates."

Xaik looked at Xemnas as he stared them down. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, gripping tight. She looked down as Xeros was straining, trying to get up. He then pulled himself up, looking at Xaik. They looked into each other's eyes, as Xeros could see what looked like fear and desperation in Xaik's eyes. Her eyes were wide and watering, crying out- pleading with Xeros to stop. This didn't sit right with him, as he noticed a peculiar sensation within.

He looked at Xaik's horrified face and could only think, Don't cry. He realized then that he would do anything to keep her from harm. He failed to protect Scyrux, to save Varijex… but, as he took her face in his hand, wiping one of her tears off her cheek with a finger, he looked at her and gave her a smile. A smile that said, Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you.

Xaik was stunned at this gesture as Xeros stood up, wobbly and unbalanced. He pulled away from Xaik and stood in front of her as he turned to face Xemnas once more, taking a deep breath. Despite the pain, he stared Xemnas down while Xemnas looked weary of Xeros's stubborn demeanor.

"Why do you persist, when you know there is no hope?" Xemnas demanded.

"Because…" Xeros said, through heavy breathing. "…unwise or not, it's my choice."

Xeros then rushed forward, making one final attempt at an attack with only his bare hands. Xemnas deflected the blow with his hand, grabbing Xeros by the neck as he raised him up. Xaik tried to stop what was about to happen, but Xemnas held out his free hand and shot one beam at her to knock her down. Xaik sat up, grabbing at her chest as she looked to see Xemnas doing the same thing to Xeros as he did to Scyrux.

Unable to stop it, Xaik watched as Xeros's body was enveloped in the dark threads. No…! She no longer could see him as he was fully cocooned. …stop…! Then, the dark flash burst from the cocoon and a second later, it broke. Xeros was gone, leaving only a Dusk.

"NNNOOOOOOOOO!" Xaik screamed.

The scream was deafening to all. Xemnas went to shield his ears as all other sounds left. The scream shattered the windows of the buildings as the ground and air trembled from the vibrations of her cry. The Dusks that had been watching the fight all trembled as the whole World That Never Was was left ringing from the mighty shriek. Xaik couldn't even hear anything, there was nothing but white noise as she looked at Xemnas.

Her body began to glow as the vibrations quaked within her and the ground. The tears she cried evaporated instantly from her cheeks with how intensely she was shaking as she looked to her brightly shining hands. The power surging through her was unlike any she had ever experienced before, and she was going to use it to get vengeance.

She clenched her fists tight as she put her arms to her torso, charging up her magic within her body. She let it build, to the point where she couldn't contain it anymore. Xemnas, who was recovering from the deafening screech Xaik let out, looked just in time to see Xaik glare at him with furious eyes.

Xaik let the energy she built up explode out of her as she let out another yell, but this one created a blast all around her of sonic magic. The explosion struck Xemnas as he was sent flying back and crashed into a nearby building. The Dusks that were too close were destroyed or pushed back, while others avoided it. Xaik then summoned her hammer to her as she was still overcharged. With this limitless power, she swung and sent several sound waves at Xemnas, who was embedded in the wall.

Each one hit Xemnas, the BWOOMS and BWUBS were all he could hear with each blast right in his face. The onslaught was too much for him to defend against, as Xaik looked at Xemnas. She saw him, weakened and stunned, as she let the vibrations in her body continue to increase in frequency. When she looked at her hammer and her hands, they were blurry from the speed at which they shook, almost to the point of pain.

Xaik looked to Xemnas as he tried to get out of the wall. NO, YOU DON'T! Xaik raged inside as she then raised her hammer up. She slammed it down with a mighty roar as the sound wave traveled through the ground. It homed in on Xemnas as he managed to get out of the hole, just in time to dodge it. Xaik then turned to him, slamming down and sending another wave at him. Xemnas continued avoiding the attacks as Xaik sent wave after wave at him.

Fed up with Xemnas escaping her, Xaik grew immensely enraged as the vibrations were now hurting her.

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY!" Xaik screamed out.

She then jumped up, raising her hammer high as she then slammed it down to send a multi-directional wave through the ground. The sound wave traveled through the floor. Xemnas didn't realize Xaik had created an area of effect. The wave touched his feet, then traveled up into his body. The Dusks that did not manage to escape the wave were destroyed instantly, as the vibrations that were sent matched the frequencies of their bodies. As they coursed through Xemnas, he could feel them tearing him apart from the inside, like a glass shattering from a loud sound.

Xemnas let out a loud yell as his body shook from the vibrations. Then, when they dissipated, he fell to his knees. Xaik ceased glowing and shaking as she saw Xemnas attempting to catch his breath. She was panting something fierce as she then walked over to Xemnas, her body aching from her injuries and the buildup of magic. But that wasn't going to stop her, she needed to put an end to this.

As she reached Xemnas, he raised his head to look at her. Xaik's breathing became more erratic as she looked into his eyes, as she clenched her teeth. She grabbed her hammer with both hands and raised it up.

Jingle. Xaik heard, coming from her wrist. She looked up to see the bracelet charm, the one that she made with Xeros and Scyrux. As she looked at it dangling around her wrist, she noticed tears begin to form in her eyes.

Before Xaik could snap out of it, there was a tugging as something wrapped around her wrists. She looked back to see some Dusks had jumped in, trying to defend their master. Xaik was about to retaliate and break free, when she remembered. The others! She hesitated, fearing she would harm Xeros or Scyrux since she couldn't tell them apart from the rest of the Dusks.

Then, a sharp pain in her side, as she looked forward to see Xemnas having recovered and striking her with one of his blades. He then spun and struck her with a kick. He knocked her back, and she rolled onto the ground. She groaned in pain, face down on the floor. As she scratched at the ground with her fingers, trying to get up, Xemnas got up on his feet and took a deep breath.

"It seems Saïx was right about you," Xemnas spoke, brushing himself off and stretching his body. "Your will is a liability, a danger to us and our goal."

Xaik managed to get up onto all fours as Xemnas approached her. Her deep, pained breaths were echoing against the floor, as she was too worn out to get back up. She could see the Dusks that were not collateral damage were all dancing about, swaying in the air with seemingly gleeful abandon. She could hear the footsteps of Xemnas's boots, but she did not turn to face him. She merely stared at the floor, suffering in pain and trying to catch her breath.

I can't… do anything… she thought to herself, cursing her ability to do nothing against this. In her lamenting she realized that, despite everything that she had done, everything she accomplished, it was all for naught. She failed to protect her friends, to defeat Xemnas when she had the chance, and now there was nothing left for her. There was this idea of irony that crossed her mind, something about her being a Nobody, unable to act. A nothing… that can only do nothing. The thought stung, somehow, given how her friends tried to fight until the very end.

"How unfortunate," Xemnas's voice boomed as he stopped in front of Xaik. She looked up at him. "Such potential in you, but you lacked obedience. Now you will return to the darkness from which you came."

Xemnas summoned one of his blades as Xaik squinted at the bright, red light. She looked back up to Xemnas who was scowling at her. I guess this is it, Xaik thought as she looked down at the energy blade staring her in the face. She looked beyond the blade, seeing the Dusks as they pranced about. I am sorry, she apologized to Xeros and Scyrux, wherever they were, You didn't deserve this… I hope you can forgive me.

Xaik then heard the hum of Xemnas raising his blade up. She looked up at him, but then looked past him as she saw Memory's Skyscraper. Then she thought back to that day they all shared, before everything went wrong.

"I will choose to believe in you."

Xeros's words echoed in her mind as she went from lamenting to reminiscing. Everything that had happened, all the things she experienced. It all came back to her in a rush, creating a new sensation within her. What… is this…? Though she didn't think she had a heart, Xaik swore that for a second, she could actually feel again. Because where there was once emptiness, there was now something else there. The joy of having experienced the bonds that she formed, and the pain of losing them.

Xemnas noticed the change in expression as he looked up to Memory's Skyscraper, unaware of the gesture and its meaning. He looked back to Xaik, trying to understand her gaze.

This is… familiar…

This sensation…

Am…

Am I…

…feeling?

I remember…

…what it was like…

…it felt…

…like this.

With this rush of what seemed to be emotion filling her, something inside clicked as all of her memories, past and present, became clear. And one thing that had escaped her since the very beginning suddenly came back. The thing that she had been missing, something which kept her from truly having her own identity.

Xaik then looked at Xemnas, giving him a defiant stare as she understood that though the consequences were great, she needed to stand by her decision. And remembering what she did was proof that her choice, though regretful, was the right one.

"You once asked me… if I knew my name." Xaik uttered, weakly.

Xemnas sneered at Xaik as she squinted her eyes, scowling at Xemnas.

"Kai."

With that, Xemnas swung and struck Xaik down. As Xaik's body began to fade into the darkness, the Dusks ceased dancing. Xemnas looked down at the empty spot where she once laid as her body completely disappeared. He exhaled shapely through his nose as he turned away.

"Truly… unfortunate."

Xemnas then walked away as he headed back to the castle. The Dusks followed his lead, but two Dusks stayed for a moment. They looked down at the spot where Xaik had perished. Then they raised their heads, turning to follow the rest.

The battle was over, and eventually, this story would fade into obscurity…

But what seemed like the end to this forgotten story…