A/N: Hey again, guys! I decided to go ahead and put out the first chapter here, since I already completed it yesterday. So, definitely an exception if not the rule when it comes to story updates for this one. This chapter might feel a bit on the wish fulfillment side in terms of things I wanted to happen in KH3, but I couldn't help myself, for one! For another, I did include this for a reason...This will probably be the only chapter to feature an entire rewrite/restructuring of a boss fight-really, any moment-from the actual game. I'm also going to get a little metaphysical here, so be ready for that!

Hope you enjoy. Also, sidenote, I just watched Endgame earlier this afternoon! Still have not recovered.

I am colorblind

Coffee black and egg white

Pull me out from inside

I am ready, I am ready, I am ready,

I am fine

-"Colorblind", Counting Crows

Chapter 1: Xemnas

The sun was less than an hour away from setting on the Keyblade Graveyard when Xemnas observed the Keyblade wielder running toward him. As the last dying rays of light fell, the minor Heartless were only getting stronger, something the Keyblade wielder (or perhaps, with so many apparently possessing the weapon, he could just be called "Sora", Xemnas thought with scorn) clearly struggled with. Eventually, he wiped out the remaining Heartless in his way until it was just his old foe standing ready for a proper fight.

So, this was how it was to be fated. Another face-off with this boy. Xemnas wondered how much more he had learned since their last fateful encounter.

However, before Sora could raise his Keyblade against him, three even more familiar rivals showed themselves. On the one hand, Xemnas knew better than to be surprised at the intrusion on what should have been a duel. On the other, he had not expected these pitiful fools to recover enough to deal with the likes of him. After all, wasn't Saix supposed to have taken care of them? But, perhaps Saix…But, no, surely, he wouldn't have—couldn't have—lost.

Roxas laid a hand on Sora's shoulder. "Don't worry about Xemnas. We'll take care of him."

Xion nodded with him in agreement before looking pointedly at their former Superior. "Besides, Sora, you could use the rest. This is our fight."

"But, we'll call you for back-up if we need it," Lea drawled, ruffling up Sora's hair. "Granted, we won't be compelled to, but you know. If it gets too intense out there, it'll be nice to have the extra pair of hands."

Another surprise for Xemnas, close enough to listen in on the conversation, was that Sora took sitting out on his potential moment of glory rather well. He even smiled and let out a little laugh though weary.

"No problem, guys! He's all yours. Good luck."

"Luck?" Lea mock scoffed. "We won't need it."

"Let's hope not anyway," Roxas replied wryly.

They all gave Sora encouraging smiles as he took his steps away from the field of battle and gradually sat down for his respite. Of course, the smiles disappeared when they approached Xemnas, Roxas and Xion holding their weapons at the ready. And Lea, though weaponless, strode just as determinedly as his compatriots. As if they thought they had the slightest chance of defeating him. The boy would have been a better match—or, rather, a better rematch worth his time.

But, then, Xemnas put an end to that disdainful line of thinking…He could exploit this. Perhaps this would provide an opportunity equal parts challenging and entertaining. A sort of battle royal between him and three of the most outspoken traitors to his Organization. He met their hard gazes evenly, still quietly assessing the situation. If he could take out Lea, the clear weakest, first, then everything else would fall into place. Although with their Keyblades, both Roxas and Xion could pose as valid threats, he hoped eliminating their surrogate big brother (of a sort, he supposed) would greatly dispirit them. Roxas could still be the most difficult, with those dual Keyblades currently gleaming in the last throes of twilight…But, he would fall, too. They all needed to, as just punishment for offending every one of his sensibilities. For daring to go against the greater good.

"I had anticipated another challenge from young Sora," he finally spoke, "but you three will have to do, I presume. Doubtless in your eagerness for vengeance against me, you simply fled from your battle with Saix."

A hint of what could be considered relish washed over Xemnas as he saw the obvious pained expression across Lea's face at the mere mention of his former friend; whereas Roxas and Xion's faces only darkened with rage.

Xion, through gritted teeth, retorted, "Gloat all you want, Xemnas, but we already dealt with him."

He allowed himself the indulgence of closing his eyes and letting out an angry hiss at this loss. Why would this even perturb him? He should have known that that would be the outcome. He was well aware of the history his former second-in-command once shared with Lea, but he had erroneously assumed that alliance was firmly in the past. There was no way he would dwell on the possibility that, in a moment of weakness, Saix decisively let these three win out of some delusional need for redemption.

"No matter," he continued, though his amber eyes glowered at them all. "None of you will be able to match me in strength. Saix may have been lenient, but you will not find the same mercy from me."

It was then that he allowed his laser swords to materialize as he directed his gaze toward Lea specifically. "And you, Axel…or is it Lea?"—he sneered with a curl of his lip—"I distinctly recall destroying your facsimile of a Keyblade not even an hour ago. Unless you plan on fighting me with your bare hands…In which case, you are making a grave and foolish error indeed. It would have been better for you if you had stayed behind."

"Not a chance." Lea snorted. "And funny that you mention my Keyblade because…well…"

He stuck his hand out in front of him, closed his eyes, and a slightly different variant of Keyblade formed in front of him. It was somewhat longer than some of the other ones, black from blade to hilt, with the exception of special features that Xemnas noticed in an instant: two smaller versions of the red and silver chakrams that the redhead used to be so infamous for wielding.

"I always carry a spare, lucky for me." Lea smirked.

His friends were similarly dazzled but were quick to recover with beaming smiles his direction.

Xemnas only stepped closer, laser swords pulsing with energy. "So it would appear. However, by the time we finish here today, you will all share the same fate."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Roxas retorted.

The three Keyblade wielders exchanged reassuring glances, checking amongst themselves to see if they felt ready. And then, with each of them giving some form of battle cry, they charged at him.

Without missing a beat, Xemnas extended out his swords to block Roxas' and Xion's attacks and phasing out before Lea could deal a blow of his own. He reappeared a few feet away, suspending himself in mid-air, and issued multiple dark balls of electricity at a continuous rate. Xion, Roxas, and Lea dodged and blocked accordingly, with a couple orbs bouncing off Keyblades and striking Xemnas, who kept phasing in and out of his foes' view. If he could confuse them in this manner, he would have them ensnared in no time. As it stood, he indeed took a few hits here and there but nothing that he couldn't handle. He would opt for a different approach in the form of lasers. So, while the three of them kept blocking and turning in all directions to keep him in sight, he circled around them with his lasers. All at once, they zeroed in on them, resulting in their receiving nasty shocks. They stumbled and fell yet recovered just as quickly.

Indeed, Roxas was the first to rebound and hurled Oblivion straight at Xemnas, who threw out another orb to block. Similar to a boomerang, the Keyblade faithfully returned to its owner in a flash.

In the meantime, Xion rolled over under Xemnas and impulsively struck her Kingdom Key toward his shoulder, where the blade momentarily embedded. Growling, he ripped the blade away, darkness bleeding out from the wound, and phased yet again to another location. He created a particularly massive electric ball with both hands and sent it out Xion's direction. As she tried to readjust her focus, she was almost too late in turning around. She let out an angry, frightened cry as she lifted her Keyblade in a last-ditch effort…only for Lea and Roxas to impede the orb just in the nick of time.

"Oh jeez, thanks, guys," she told them. "That was too close that time!"

"No problem!" Roxas smiled. "Want to try for a two-on-one?"

Before Xion could respond, Xemnas dropped in with his laser swords for a devastating maneuver. Xion and Roxas blocked in time but barely. As it was, they were beginning to sustain minor cuts and bruises. Together, they threw themselves into hitting wherever there was an opening (not that Xemnas would offer too many chances), engaging in a strange sort of uneven duel.

"Guess we didn't have much choice," Xion remarked to Roxas, maintaining her focus on the attempted stabs.

"We're going to get nowhere like this." He offered a Keyblade in response. "I got an idea! Get on this."

"Uh…"

"Just do it! Fast!"

Xion leapt up on Oathkeeper and proceeded to be launched far above Xemnas' head. He glanced upward and estimated where he could phase in order to avoid brutal damage. With a wave of his hand, he guided more lasers to surround her before phasing out above her, laser swords drawn.

"Reflect, Xion! Now!" Roxas barked out the order.

With her Keyblade extended, Xion created a reflective barrier around her as the lasers and Xemnas hurtled toward her. The lasers dropped while he bounced off the barrier, grunting in response. Somehow, their magic abilities had improved as well. Or perhaps he had never paid attention to their progress on missions.

Well, two could play at this game.

He phased in and out again, shouting, "Guard!" behind Xion, who was already on the way down. She gave out a little scream from surprise but not before swiftly striking Xemnas when his temporary shield vanished. She landed on the ground without any further injury.

If embarrassment could be keener to someone like him, he would have felt it then and there. He made his descent gracefully enough but still found himself staggering back from the blow to his abdomen. Either he himself had grown rusty from not engaging in battle for some time (unlikely), or he had severely underestimated these three and their cursed stubbornness. If he didn't tap into his powerful resources of energy soon, then he would be as good as finished.

He dared not linger on the thought too long that he had been holding back in the hopes that they would surrender. And yet, he had done exactly that. Too arrogant. Too careless. All of this hit home to him as he felt the first beads of perspiration slide down his face.

Xemnas recovered enough to start throwing everything he could into his attacks: dark electric orbs, lasers, and himself with his swords. He would send out orbs in waves of four while the traitors scrambled as to their next objectives. Feeling the full force behind him at one fateful moment, he shot a line of dark energy toward Roxas, who used both Keyblades to block. Yet, the line only strengthened as Xemnas leaned into it, making the boy stagger backwards. But, Roxas would not relent and had only moved a little, he noted. The rage in his blue eyes was apparent, the rebellious fire never extinguishing even as he sank under the pressure of this prolonged attack.

Now, just another volt of dark electricity, and he would be the first to kneel.

"You were nothing, you're still nothing, and you will forever be nothing," Xemnas proclaimed to the clearly tiring wielder, who only gritted his teeth in response. "Now go back to the empty vacuum from whence you came!"

In the exact second he unleashed more dark electricity, he heard an, "I don't think so!" before the attack rebounded on itself and hit Xemnas hard. He was propelled back several feet before coming to rest on his back. How could this be?

He let a disgusted sneer play at his lips as he lifted himself up on his elbows, watching as the dust clouds settled. Xion and Lea stood triumphantly before the latter charged as soon as Xemnas was able to rise to his feet. They clashed with their swords initially, Xemnas wisely choosing not to bank on the dark energy that had ultimately worked against him. Lea had yet to be a master swordsman—that much was apparent—but what he lacked in technical skill, he more than made up for in spiritedness. He found himself ducking and dodging at certain points, though he would be damned to bend to the weak link.

That was, of course, before Lea abruptly held up one hand and cleared his throat.

Xemnas paused in mid-hover, his swords still drawn. "What is this nonsense? Would you surrender to me so easily?"

Lea smirked, though an intense rage burned in his eyes as well. "Now, we both know that you know me too well for that to happen. I just…ah…need a moment."

And with a flourish, his Keyblade split into recognizable chakrams.

Xemnas kept his composure, though he sensed his eyes widen nonetheless. How could one's Keyblade possess multiple properties like this? This was not to be borne!

With him spinning his now dual weapons with flair, Lea held up the burning chakrams so his rival could get a good look at them. "Remember these?"

Of course he did—he could vividly recall the way the redhead spun them by way of showing off before going in for a merciless kill. However, he refused to humor him and only struck back with his own dual blades. "For all the amount of good those will do you…You always were one of the weakest."

"Aw, and here I thought you liked me!" Lea retorted before turning slightly and giving Xemnas a vicious slash, which was promptly blocked.

And then both men proceeded to launch themselves into a furious duel.

Roxas and Xion had fallen back to watch, partially out of weariness and partially out of consideration toward their friend. They must have been well-aware of Lea's long-standing urge to face Xemnas one-on-one.

Fools. He allowed himself a smirk while blocking the long-range fire attacks. This is all going according to plan.

They darted in and out of each other's attacks, often clashing with neither one of them ready to yield. While one lunged, the other dodged. There soon appeared to be an explosion of both flames and electricity on the battle field, so fierce were these attacks. It was almost difficult to make out Lea through all the smoke and dust from the arid desert ground, so Xemnas decided a change in tactic was in order. He cut through the veil of smoke and some of the flames until he forced his laser blades to once again hit the deadly sharp chakrams. And held that position. If he had his full range of emotions, he wondered if perhaps he would gain the distinct pleasure of seeing the defiant light dissipate from Lea's eyes. Oh, this tricky one had always been quite the renegade. All talk but, as far as Xemnas saw it, little to no follow-through.

"Now will you share your last words?" he asked, one sword hand extending toward his opponent's skinny neck.

Lea glared, all fun and joking gone. "Why give you the satisfaction?"

"As I thought…," he mused aloud, before swinging both swords threateningly by way of emphasis. "It matters not. Those words will prove irrelevant if you lack both the thoughts and the tongue to utter them."

The two men reverted to their previous positions, gauging each other's moves and counterattacking decisively when seeing the need. Lea created a straight line of flames that only piled higher and burned hotter in front of Xemnas. The latter phased out but only just, still having to (albeit casually) diffuse what few sparks ignited on his cloak. He was just now starting to sense his hitherto unflagging strength and energy draining away from him—he, the most powerful Nobody across all the worlds. He would not let this stand as he, in one bold, last-ditch effort, set the field in shadow. At this point, the sun had completely set, giving him the advantage. It was now or never, victory or failure. With a wave of his hand, honing his focus in on this soft-hearted, foolish troublemaker, Xemnas once again lifted Lea off his feet. And, with his other mighty hand, he made his lasers strike his target repeatedly.

"We. Are not. Doing this. Again," the redhead gritted out, fighting the imposed stillness even as the lasers hit.

And then, in a crushing turn of events, these moments happened in quick succession: Lea threw down a single burning chakram, Roxas and Xion deflected the shower of lasers on their ascension, and he was sent hurtling toward the ground.

No…He could not…He refused to be defeated, not when he had been so damn close…

Yet, he was now beset by all three, as good as beaten. Roxas grabbed him by his silver hair and maintained a not-so-gentle grip on his head, while Xion as firmly pinned his arms behind him. Both Oathkeeper and Xion's replica Kingdom Key rested against his neck.

Meanwhile, Lea joined his chakrams into a single Keyblade once again as he strode purposefully toward the man who had tried exacting his loyalty. No amused light was in his eyes or even a quirk of a cocky smile on his lips. Rather, a cold look had settled upon his features, and his eyes were glazed over as if in deliberation. An expression that Xemnas was relatively unfamiliar with, yet he could surmise that surely, this was the same look Lea once wore as Axel shortly before dispatching past Organization members.

He only raised a brow at him, as if asking for his own last words.

Xemnas shook his head (or as close as he could get) as response, withholding his thoughts and intentions from the others until the bitter end.

And then Lea raised his Bond of Flame, teal eyes blazing.

"This is from Isa and me."

He plunged the Keyblade straight into Xemnas' chest. Thus, the former Flurry of Dancing Flames sent his most powerful opponent to his end while committing his most significant act of treason.

The shock of the blade piercing him was somehow more poignant than the pain, of which Xemnas was only acutely aware. Instead, he glanced ponderously down at his hands once Xion and Roxas released him. These hands that had demanded unbending loyalty from those he'd called inferiors. These hands that could virtually shape anything to his will. Hands that would no longer hold weapons of any kind.

He could only sigh in a kind of resigned self-deprecation. "Bested…yet again…"

Sora had joined his friends and allies at that point, the only one of the four looking at him with any sort of compassion. A compassion that Xemnas was cool and logical enough to know that he had not earned…had never earned.

"You said it yourself once…that you always had part of your heart. Well, you have all of it now, right? Was all this worth it? What do you feel?" he asked, though it was more of a barrage of questions fired off.

Such was this young boy's energy. Such was his curious nature. Xemnas tended to look favorably on these traits in others. In the past, he could weaponize them.

Indeed, an intriguing, thoughtful question that Sora had posed. Was all of this conflict, these divisions, worth it? It had been so easy to answer some time ago. Yet, now at the end of all things and at the trailing edge of a wretched life gone to waste, Xemnas was more skeptical. As more streams of darkness coursed from the hole in his chest, he began to feel a strange lightness, almost as if a great weight had finally been shoved off. Then, he winced as the first throes of genuine emotional pain swept through him upon the realization that yes, he had squandered what life he had.

Always standing in the shadows, he had allowed himself to be defined by someone or something else, whether that was Xehanort or Kingdom Hearts itself.

He stared directly at the four young people, who still had so much ahead of them. "I feel…the emptiness of where my companions stood. I took them for granted."

"That's putting it lightly," Roxas scoffed, though Xion placed a hand on his arm as if to keep him from going too far in his words. While her expression remained as fierce as her best friends', she nonetheless had much sorrow in her eyes. She seemed to understand a little of where he was coming from.

Xemnas breathed out another shaky sigh, more darkness seeping out. "Especially you three. I cannot ask clemency of those who I have most egregiously offended. I placed divisions amongst all of you in the Organization as a means toward my own ends. A folly I shall not live to repeat now…now that I have nothing." He stretched his arms across the wide expanse of desert, further emphasizing this. "Fitting, I suppose, for one so blindly seeking power."

"Excuse us for not feeling very sorry right now," Xion said shortly even as her eyes looked even sadder, on the verge of tears. "You treated us like dirt and manipulated me so much. How are we supposed to know whether or not you're pulling an act?"

The grief he had bestowed upon these former members—and the ones not present on this field—resonated within him a thousandfold. He himself couldn't say for certain who he was trying to convince with this dying spiel.

"Because…I have nothing left to lose." Another shudder of this foreign melancholy overtook him as he turned slightly away from them. "My first surge of emotion in years…for as long as I can remember…and it's loneliness…Do you see? A heart is just pain."

Lea scratched the back of his head, the stony glare he'd been maintaining fading from his face. "I mean, sure…But, it's worth it, because it means you actually care about things. And that you have the capacity to love…"

Lea's eyes held a more faraway look to them as he spoke, as if not quite here on this former field of battle.

Clearly, there had been more to Lea's relationship with Saix than even he could have suspected in those days. Xemnas still faced the vast, empty expanse of the graveyard, not giving concern to such petty matters. So what if pain meant love in some skewed way? And there would be nothing to care about, not where he was headed next. Thank Kingdom Hearts for it, he supposed.

"Pain…is being human, Xemnas."

He finally turned around at these words from the Keyblade wielder, glancing back to see him pointedly resting a hand against his chest.

To be human…Such a fate might remain an impossibility to him, for all the sins he'd committed. Some naïve voice that he didn't recognize within him still insisted that humanity would be a great opportunity to begin again, should fate work in his favor. The fact that he could identify loneliness and grief ought to serve as proof enough. The man from three years ago, five years ago, ten years…It was not the same man he felt he was now, as he began fading in earnest. Xemnas knew that he had to let go, as much as he was reluctant to greet whatever lay on the other side, for his own sake. Besides, hadn't he morbidly been basking in this feeling for the last few minutes? The sense of being lighter, no longer tied to who he was defined by, his schemes, and even his formerly sore muscles from the battle of his paradoxical non-existence. If this was what slipping away truly felt like, he could imagine himself embracing it.

And this hopelessly optimistic boy was right, at least according to his own philosophy. Even so, the wisdom he conveyed through those simple words impacted him as if it had come down through the ages, from the ancient Keyblade wielders who were.

Xemnas couldn't suppress a smile. "Really? Then it must take…incredible strength."

And lighter now…Lighter…Lighter still…

He floated—he did not know in what direction initially—as he still fixed his gaze on that small assembled group. Sora was the first to leave, aiming to join Riku, Kairi, and the king who all still battled Ansem the Seeker of Darkness some yards away. Xion walked alongside him, though stalled to furiously wipe at her eyes. Literally detached from both people and earth, he came to realize just how much agony he had put this girl through. For, it was no question now that she had become her own person and perhaps was never the puppet he'd once dubbed her.

They had all achieved the one goal he'd so desired for himself—the irony that he too failed in this effort among many others was not lost on him.

Sora offered a comforting hand to Xion, who gently shook it off and continued on her way, her face taking on a clear resolve. Roxas was next to leave the cliffside, only giving a stiff nod as if to acknowledge that this was indeed a fitting end to someone once proud in his so-called lack of true emotions. Xemnas knew Roxas was a hardened individual for one so young, quick to anger when wronged and consequently slow to forgive. However, if he was anything like his counterpart Sora, he would forgive all of these horrible transgressions eventually. It would take some time, of course, and there was still a chance he would never be forgiven. And Xemnas could now accept that, too. Again, what choice did he have, since he no longer had an anchor to any world?

Lea lingered the longest, gazing at the very spot his former "Superior" had faded as well as out over the horizon. Although his face was initially unreadable, he soon clenched his hands into fists and tried to tamp down what looked to be sobs. He too had been through so much at the hands of Xemnas and the sins committed out of blind self-absorption. Logic told him that not only was Lea still grappling with these memories of being alone for so long but mourning the loss of a very dear friend's presence as well.

Roxas clapped a hand on his best friend's shoulder, causing him to relax with a wry smile.

"Lucky bastard"—for Xemnas' spirit lingered long enough to be in close proximity to these words—"He gets his humanity back and then doesn't get to deal with any of the consequences. Sure. Sounds fair."

Roxas pointed out, "But, you heard him. He's got nothing now. No home. No friends. All he does have is a heart that finally feels the emptiness of those things. That's a fate worse than death, if you ask me."

"Yeah…" Lea looked back out over the horizon as the moon started to rise. "You're right, Rox. Guess we're the lucky ones. It's funny…He put us through more pain than anyone should go through, but I'm not even mad any more. Maybe because he finally learned something from all this. Maybe he's got a fair shot."

And with the patting of a somewhat confused Roxas' shoulder, Lea wandered off toward the next objective as well, even beginning to whistle as if ready and eager for anything. So, now, they had all gone from the site of his fading, each person dealing with the vacancy in their own way. He himself would be the last to call it a loss, which would have defeated the purpose of his non-existence.

He had once demanded compliance without love, for what need had he of that useless emotion? Didn't it make one weak? However, upon his most recent revelation, he could look to these young people who were solely motivated by love: love for their homes, love for their friends and families, and love for each other. Perhaps he had been the weak one all this time, something he wouldn't have cared to admit to himself all those years ago. Or even as recently as a few days ago, when Xehanort was rounding them all up like soldiers out on a fruitless crusade to further his own vile agenda. He hadn't stopped to consider that he had been reduced to a pawn—he'd only sought revenge.

Regardless, when under Kingdom Hearts' influence, perhaps they were all mere pawns in the end. How they lived or died made no difference to it.

At last surrendering to the inevitable, Xemnas felt his spirit being tugged upwards, guided only by the notion that total darkness waited for him. There would be no Final World, which legends described as being full of pure light and for those on the brink of reemergence or eternal sleep. There would be no chorus of angels to welcome him but no horned demons touting pitchforks either. He would never encounter his former comrades-in-arms again, or at the very least, he doubted it. Only nothingness, the loneliest fate of hanging in limbo day in, day out, if days were measured there. What a short-sighted, arrogant fool he had been to proclaim too early that Roxas would return to an empty vacuum. Oh, irony of ironies that same vacuum would pull him inwards instead, where time and space served no function.

Kingdom Hearts absorbed him, and with his final coherent thoughts, Xemnas mused that it was oddly comforting to be a part of it instead of staring longingly at it from a distance. As he had done, ever since he'd started his Nobody life, so long ago…

Fate, fickle mistress that it could often be, had other plans for the once prideful leader of Organization XIII. And it all started with simple rays of light. Before then, Xemnas had grown to become well-acquainted with the complete darkness that enveloped him. It was not something malevolent that surrounded him but, rather, a neutral, almost calming presence that brought him the inner peace so long denied him. Perhaps not some grand, flowery idyll as far as afterlives went, but it was more the equivalent to an enduring sleep in which he could languish forever. Considering how much energy he had expended, whether through strategizing or battling, Xemnas did not mind this. On the contrary, he embraced this state of flux in spite of the tedium. This rest was surely more than he deserved.

When the first few rays began to break through the perpetual darkness, he was confused. Was there some outside force summoning him back? Or would his spirit be well and truly dissolved, swallowed by the light?

Then, a mysterious voice spoke to him. You have done much harm to others. That much remains unchanged. However…you have also sought an ordinary life in which you can live independently of the other selves you were tied to.

Although he hadn't a physical voice with which to verbalize anything, Xemnas had a plethora of questions.

The loudest question he could only think. Then, what will be my purpose?

The mysterious voice was quick to respond. To live as you see fit. But, be forewarned…This is your one and only reprieve. Should you revert to wickedness and cruelty toward others, you will cease to exist.

Of course there would be a caveat. Wasn't there always? However, he found that, in spite of it being an entity, the voice was far more trustworthy than Xehanort had ever been. Yes, Xehanort, a Keyblade Master but also a weaver of fantasies and a spinner of lies. In selling the appeal of the Real Organization XIII to him and the others, he had promised them Keyblades, immense riches, seats of power…and, after a point (to be sure), absolute freedom once they'd finished doing his bidding. Naturally, there had been a caveat too, in that instance: disobey him, and he would cast them into darkness forever.

He was not without fault—he had wrought so much pain and chaos under this despot's rule. What else could he say, now that this chance had been thrust before him other than…?

I understand.

The rays soon expanded until nothing but light washed over him, the shadows retreating until they vanished. Then, Xemnas felt as though he was falling, the law of gravity intervening where no natural law had before, pulling him down toward a destination yet unknown to him. It was as though he had transformed into a shooting star, sailing across the sky before the crash. Now, instead of experiencing the sense of lightness, he had taken on some earthly weight, or so it seemed.

Falling…Plummeting faster than he could estimate the speed, wondering if Kingdom Hearts (if that was what spoke to him) had played a sick joke and meant to kill him again…The clouds as well as the soaring birds came into being first. Next, rocky outcroppings that met the horizon…And finally, the ground seemed to rise up to meet him, so rapidly he'd been falling.

When he regained consciousness, Xemnas glanced down at his hands, which almost startled him. He couldn't explain how, and maybe there were some mystical enigmas of the worlds that could never be solved. All he knew was that he had been restored to his original body. Awestruck, he stared at his hands for some moments, flexing his fingers and clenching them into fists. He couldn't help but appreciate how he could move, breathe, and be able to look at corporeal things as viscerally as he had before. In spite of his old robes that, if seen, would make other people look askance, he deemed that this would be a new, proper beginning. He had been given this gift, told not to waste it, and he certainly didn't intend to throw away one second.

Xemnas felt a smile threatening his lips as he took in his surroundings of the stark blue cliffsides and the vast expanse of flat land on which he now stood. His smile faded as soon as it had come…Yes, he remembered this place that he once knew as Hollow Bastion. It may have been restored to its proper state as Radiant Garden, but he was not naïve. There were still these specific locations that had remained unchanged, even if the city itself had. He stood not far from where he had stood on a jagged outcropping not so long ago, surveying territory he meant to claim as his own while watching a certain Keyblade wielder slay a thousand Heartless.

That voice had been correct in reminding him that his past could not be altered in order to hide the man he was. Memories of that time were already making themselves known, coalescing like thunderheads before a rain storm. Of course, that wasn't to say he couldn't create new memories, ones far less concerned with world domination. It was strange, feeling so rejuvenated yet not knowing what to actually do, especially in terms of engaging in more selfless acts. Was he capable of making good on his silent promise to the mysterious voice? Could he be of real use to people without feeling the urge to twist and mold them into what he wanted?

He held his hands out in front of him again, skimming over them with a thoughtful gaze. Ordinary life, he supposed, always meant more questions than answers, if being back here was anything to go by thus far.

"Hey! Were you the meteor?"

So, he had looked to be a shooting star, after all. Peering through his strands of silver hair, he saw that the voice belonged to a petite young woman with short black hair. She appeared to be in traditional ninja garb, complete with sash tied around her forehead and a shuriken strapped to her back. With some amusement, he noticed that she'd placed one hand to her weapon already, as if on reflex. He couldn't say that he blamed her instincts.

With another small smile that still felt so alien to him, Xemnas meant to come off as disarming. "In a manner of speaking, yes. I was brought to this world, but I do not quite know by what or whom."

"OK. Weird…" Keeping her hand on her weapon, she approached him with a face both suspicious and concerned. "Well, are you OK? Because you left quite a mark there."

She gestured behind him, where there was upturned earth where he must have crashed then slid. Indeed, he hadn't realized that even this spot had an imprint somewhat shaped like him.

"Yes…surprisingly."

The woman's lips twitched as if to keep from laughing. "No kidding! You should be dead right now."

She had no idea.

"I think I know who you are," she continued, her eyes narrowing, even while she maintained a light, friendly tone of voice. "But…what's your name?"

The value of a name, whether a true one or one a Nobody got saddled with when well-acquainted with the darkness. Yet, what else could he go by?

He let out a short sigh, wondering what this decision would cost him. "Then, you have some memory of me then. Your suspicions are correct. I am Xemnas."

The woman tightened her grip on her shuriken, though she looked neither frightened nor angry, but merely alert. Gauging his next move in order to plan hers accordingly.

He lifted his hands, which could no longer draw his laser swords out of thin air. "It is the only name I know to go by. Otherwise…I do not intend to cause any more harm."

Was this only because the voice held him in thrall with its warning? Or was he somehow urged to do better? He could not say.

"And that's supposed to make me feel better…how, exactly?" the woman asked, even as she relaxed the hold she had on her massive weapon.

A pang akin to what he would call sorrow (another emotion he didn't usually tap into) stung him then as he truly looked at this woman. She was likely a bit older, but with her question and appearance, she reminded him of Xion. Every trivial thing was going to call to mind a moment where he had acted like a tyrant, wasn't it? Was this second chance meant to be a curse rather than a blessing then?

"Pain…is being human, Xemnas."

Indeed, it would have to be a daily reminder he'd learn to cope with.

"It's not, if I must be honest," he admitted, dropping his hands with another smile. "Perhaps it is consolation only to me. All I know is that everything seemed so hollow in the past…and that I intend to provide a more meaningful future for myself."

"Eh." The woman shrugged. "That's definitely a better answer. Not great but, you know, you haven't killed me. So, I'll take that as a sign of good faith…for now!"

She seemed much more chipper as she closed the remaining distance between them, hand extended. "In that case, my name's Yuffie. There's going to be quite a few people back in town interested in you showing up."

He couldn't say that this was news that shocked him.

"I have no doubt," he replied, cautiously extending his hand in kind.

They shook hands. And it occurred to him that this was the first time—perhaps ever—that he used a gesture in welcoming and not as a threat.

A/N: Don't worry, I don't intend to make Yuffie/Xemnas a thing...that would be kind of icky tbh. _

Some of my thoughts in writing this chapter:

I had some minor disappointments in 3, but probably none greater than Lea having some great lines toward Xemnas...and then not having a real Crowning Moment of Badass imo. I would have thought it would make more sense for him to achieve something on, say, Roxas' level of badassery, considering his character arc from CoM onwards. But, nope. And also, the switch in Keyblades is admittedly an aesthetic choice on my part-I do kinda think his flame Keyblade is kind of corny-looking, and the Bond of Flame from KH2 looks way cooler. All in all, I just wanted to make Lea more than just comic relief...He felt a bit like a flanderization in the game tbh, even with all the great character moments Nomura still managed to give him.

Also, why couldn't the Sea Salt Trio have taken Xemnas on? Why did Sora have to fight everyone's battles for them? Another thing that admittedly bugged me about 3. So, yep, I wanted to "fix" that, too!

No Kairi getting kidnapped (again...) in MY story. :P

And I could yammer on about other details, but I really want to address Xemnas himself. I wanted to make a simple gesture like the one at the end of this chapter feel like the big deal it is...simply because I think it's best to start small with the idea of Xemnas getting redeemed. Theoretically, if we're going strictly by canon, he is well and truly done. However, this is more to answer a "what if" on my end on how he would be worthy of redemption. His last speech did hold some potential, and it's honestly one of my favorite moments in the whole game's story. I'll admit, he is a complex character, especially in terms of making him even remotely decent considering how much crap he pulled on everyone. I kept Xehanort full-stop evil without redemption, though, so I guess that's one thing!

Hope you enjoyed this. Next chapter will focus on Xigbar/Braig, as I'll be doing this in order of ranks. Talk about complex characters...ha!