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OCs © to me!

Chapter 5

"Are you supposed to be outside?"

"Probably not." Xehanort smiled as Venus sat beside him. His fingers, wrapped around the pencil, moved across the paper before him. "I'm almost done…" He wrote in silence, brow furrowed in concentration before he grinned, holding up the pencil. "It's finished! My book is finished!"

Venus wrapped her arms around him. "Yes! Finally! It's been 2 years! I'm so proud of you."

A soft blush crossed Xehanort's cheeks. "Thanks. I-I'm gonna go show my mom! She needs to look over the last few chapters before I put it all together. I might even show my dad. I mean, he can't hate me… it's my one last thing. I've got a year left to live."

"I'm sure he'll love it."

"Yeah…" the boy pulled his pile of papers close to his chest. "You wanna come?"

Venus rubbed the back of her head with a long sigh. "No, dad's at the bar again. He said I had to finish cleaning the house before he got back. I haven't even started. I'll see you later, Xay." She pulled him into one more tight hug. "Later."

The girl waved before jogging down the dirt road.

"Aw, she's gone already." Undine sat down beside her son. "So? Finished it?"

"Yep. Would you edit it, please?"

Undine took the papers in her hand. "Of course." The two of them stepped inside the large mansion, Xehanort beaming proudly as his mother began reading.

"Xehanort, what were you doing outside!?" Cathel stomped over, looking sad, angry, and scared… "Go to your room."

"Cathel, please. Xehanort was only speaking to Venus. He wanted to show her his finished work." The woman held up the manuscript. "He's been writing a novel for two years now and just finished it today. Aren't you proud of him?"

Cathel paused, looking at the title on the top page. "The Same Sky? Wait… This is about my mother's stories, isn't it?"

"Father…"

"I don't want that book in my house! Burn it!"

"What!?"

Undine shoved the book back into her son's hands. "He's worked so hard on it! How can you say that!?"

"I-I want it gone… all of it!" The man's hand ran down his face. Xehanort glared up at his father, ready to scream, to fight. But then he saw tears. His father was crying. "I don't want the hurt."

"Father…?"

"GO TO YOUR ROOM!"

The boy shuddered. He'd never heard his father speak like that before. His sisters poked their heads out of their bedrooms, looking down at him.

Undine gently pushed Xehanort toward the stairs. "Go on…"

Climbing the stairs, Xehanort waited until he was out of sight and then stopped. And he listened.

"Cathel, what do you mean? Why are you acting like this? Xehanort has a year left and you're just pushing him away."

"That's the point, Undine. I don't want to lose my son… the pain of knowing I can't save him… I don't want to have it or remember it after he's gone. It's too much. I'm going to get rid of all of his things, his name… everything. I'll put him in a nice hospital, where he can live out his time in comfort."

"Cathel…"

"I don't know what else to do! The thought of losing him… it's too much. I just want to get rid of it. And the only way I know how to do that is to make it like he never lived in the first place. That will fix it… right?"

Xehanort slammed his bedroom door shut. His heart pounded in his chest. His breath came in long, ragged breaths.

This had to be a nightmare…

It had to be.

He slammed into his bed, shoving his face into the pillow as hot tears spilled out of his eyes.

Why… why didn't he just die as a baby? What was the point? He was dying now, and no one would remember him! His last year would be alone in a hospital!

What was his mother doing to help him… nothing!

His sisters... nothing!

They wanted him dead.

That's what it was. They probably wanted him dead.

Well, he wasn't going to die on their terms.

Grabbing his bag, Xehanort stuck in some clothing and a photo of himself and Venus. Taking the manuscript of his novel, he wrapped it in cloth before sticking it into his bag. Just as dusk fell over the islands, the boy slipped out the window to his room.

Slowly, as he climbed down the tree to the ground, he went over a list of items in his bag, making sure he forgot nothing…

His medicine.

The thing keeping him from just dying faster.

He left it beside his bed.

Venus looked up as her front door opened. That couldn't be her father… it was too early. She set down the dirty dish in her hand, turning around just in time to see Xehanort come stumbling into the room, panting, hand clutching his chest.

"Xay?"

"Vee." He reached out, grabbing her arms. "I-I have to go. My father is going to put me in a hospital and try and make it so that it's like I never existed. I-I need your help."

The girl blinked. Cathel wouldn't do that! Not to his own son!

Or would he?

Venus pulled her friend into a hug. "Xay, just breathe." She waited, just holding him close, until his breath evened out and his heart rate slowed. "There. Now, what can I do to help?"

"I need your boat."

"Done."

"And I want you to hold onto this for me." He pulled back and took the manuscript from his backpack. "It's my book. If I don't come back, publish it after my father dies. Please."

"Xay…"

His arms wrapped around her. "I'll miss you, Venus."

"I'll miss you too." She returned the hug, her body shaking. "Please… come back one day. You're the only good thing I have."

"I-I will…"

Venus jerked away and ran to her room. Xehanort heard light thumping before she came back, clutching something to her chest. "Promise me… Promise me that you'll come back."

"I promise…" But could he keep it?

"Good." The girl took his hands, slipping something into them. "Here… it was my mothers. I-it's for good luck."

Her hands pulled back.

Xehanort stared down at the object in his hands. A star made of Thalassa shells; each shell was a creamy white toward the bottom, fading into a soft lavender. A wayfinder…

"Thank you. I promise, I'll bring it back."

"You better." She hugged him again.

Eventually, they parted, pulling apart against their wills as the boy stepped outside into the soft darkness of night, leaving the girl behind.

The gravel road crunched under his feet as he made his way toward the docks. As he reached the shore, a lone figure stood on the dock.

Xehanort slowly approached and the figure turned. Who was that?

In the moonlight, the boy could see another boy, a year or so younger than himself. The boy wore strange brown pants, a purply-black turtleneck with straps crossed in an X across his chest, and a long cream coat. His wavy black hair, pulled back in a ponytail, waved in the ocean breeze.

"Who are you?"

"I could ask you the same question."

Xehanort took a step closer to the boy. "Where are you from? I've never seen you before."

"I um… I'm from very far away."

"You're from another world, aren't you!?"

The boy flinched. "N-no!"

"Liar!"

"Eraqus." A man with short navy blue hair and hazel eyes, wearing a teal kimono walked their direction. "Have you made a new friend?"

Xehanort grinned. "Are you from another world!?"

The man smirked down at him. "And why would you ask that, young man?"

"You're not from this island, and I've seen the other populated island before. And your clothes are weird."

"Very good job." The man chuckled. "I am Master Fuji Sato. That is my student, Eraqus Falkr."

"Are you a Keyblade wielder?" Xehanort blurted out, and without waiting for an answer, he dropped to his hands and knees. "Please, take me with you! I want to be a Keyblade wielder!"

Sato(1) looked down at the boy. When the child looked up at him, he could see desperation. Pure desperation. "What do you think, Eraqus? Would you like a fellow student?"

"Really?" Eraqus shoved his hands in his coat pocket. "I mean, yeah, but you're going to accept him just like that?"

"I might."

Sato knelt down to the boy's level. "What's your name, boy?"

"Xehanort… Xehanort Himitsu."

Xehanort.

What a strange name.

"Xehanort, stand up." Sato stood, waiting for the boy to do the same. "Normally, I would not make decisions this quickly, but I was told that someone here needed help and a new chance. I believe you are that someone." He turned to his student. "Eraqus, here." He tossed the boy a strange star-shaped object. "In five minutes, bring him to our world."

"Yes, sir."

Xehanort watched as the man lit up. When the light faded, Sato stood wearing a suit of armor. He summoned a Keyblade and threw it into the air; it flashed and became a bike-like glider(2).

The master mounted the glider and shot into the sky, leaving the boys alone on the beach.

"Xehanort wasn't it?"

"Yeah, and your name is Eraqus…"

Eraqus looked up at the sky. "So, why do you want to come with us? Isn't this your home? Don't you have family here?"

"Not anymore."

"Oh…"

Xehanort sighed. "And I've said goodbye to the one person I needed to."

Eraqus stared at the other boy. He wasn't opposed to the idea of getting a new friend, actually he liked it. But this boy was alone outside at night with a packed bag.

Was he running away?

"Well, I think it's been long enough." Eraqus held out the object in his hand. "This is a star shard; it'll take us to another world. Put your hand on it when you're ready to go."

Ready to go… to a new world. This was it. The chance he'd longed for.

He had one year left to live, and he was going to live it! He now had the chance. He was going to be a Keyblade wielder.

Even if it was only for one year.

His hand touched the star shard, and immediately light engulfed the two boys.

Xehanort didn't remember much of that journey. A tunnel of light, twisting and turning in all directions.

Suddenly, the light vanished.

Xehanort opened his eyes, blinking in the sudden sunlight. Wait, why was it daytime?

Then he saw it.

He stood on a dock, the sea shining away to his left. On his right, he saw a cone-shaped hill, covered in buildings. Then there was another hill. And another. And another. All connected by cables with small boxes that traveled along the lines.

On top of the hill on which they stood, a building, much like that of a castle, towered above them, reaching up toward the sky.

"Amazing isn't it?" Eraqus giggled at his new companion's awestruck and utterly stunned face.

"Xehanort." Fuji Sato came walking down the road toward the two boys. "Welcome to Scala ad Caelum. Your new home."

Ugh… why was time so weird?

Xehanort rubbed his eyes, sitting up. The soft bedsheets rippled around him. He must have fallen asleep not long after arriving. He vaguely remembered some sort of potion to make him sleep longer and get him in a mental sleep schedule… or something.

Wait… where was he?

He dreamed about meeting a Keyblade Master, Fuji Sato, and his student, Eraqus. And going to a place, another world.

Did that… really happen?

He blinked, looking around the room. A small room with cream walls; gold ornate molding surrounded the ceiling and a single window, framed in opaque white curtains, that took up most of the wall which his bed sat against. His bed was made of smooth mahogany with white and gold bedsheets. A wardrobe, desk, and chair of the same wood leaned against the wall to his left and a chest and bookshelf stood against the right wall.

Xehanort stood up, walking around the room, looking in and around everything. It was all empty.

All but the wardrobe. A set of clothes hung inside.

Xehanort dressed, putting on the dark blue pants, black turtleneck with straps crossing in an X across his chest, black boots, black wristbands, and a sleeveless coat with brown accents.

It felt weird to wear clothes like these… but they seemed fitting.

Knock! Knock!

"Come in."

The bedroom door opened and Eraqus poked his head inside. "Good morning! Oh, looks like you found the clothes the master left you." He stepped into the room. "These are traditional Keyblade warrior clothes apparently. Pretty cool, huh?"

"I guess so."

"So, you ready, Xehanort?"

"Ready for what?"

Eraqus grabbed the hand of his new friend and fellow student. "For breakfast… and then you start training!"

And now we start the real story!

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Footnotes:

(1) Fuji is his surname and Sato is his given name.

(2) Like Terra's.

Psalm 118:24

"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it."