The Tides Go Out

by Regiss

Four months later, the war between Maleficent's Heartless and Braig's Nobodies threatens to consume all worlds. In the middle of the conflict, Sora, Xion, and their friends continue the search for Riku while also dealing with Vanitas, who will stop at nothing to get Ven's heart. Sequel to Remember the Tides.

56. Memory of Xehanort - The Youth

Chapter 56: Memory of Xehanort – The Youth

Blue.

That's all that he could see. For miles around in every direction, all the way out to the horizon, it was all blue. Oh sure the shades varied, from lighter near the shore to darker out beyond, but that didn't change the fact that there was only one thing before him: sea. Waves in the distance, or gentle tides at the shore, he took it all in. Just as he had taken it all in yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that. Every day of his life had been spent staring at that vast, vast sea.

But what lies beyond it?

The adults said that there was nothing beyond the ocean. Why bother trying to explore? People who did always came back empty-handed and disappointed. Your place was in the town, following in your parents' footsteps, upholding the family business whatever it may be. Nothing but going through the same routine day in and day out. Kilika, Besaid, and of course Destiny Island… The world was the islands, and the islands were the world.

But that didn't make sense to him. If there was nothing out there beyond the ocean, then why did they know things that didn't exist? Everybody knew what a desert was, or what snow was, but nobody on the islands could ever claim to have seen them before. They all had words for buildings and creatures that simply did not exist anywhere but storybooks, so where had those concepts come from in the first place? Whenever he had asked, he had simply been told that he thought too much. Maybe he did, but that was only because there were things to get him thinking.

And then there were the ruins that dotted the islands, the ancient city of Zanarkand. On days where he was not tied down by island life, he would go digging through them rather than play on the beach with the others. He had seen amazing things carved into the stone, images of a map much larger than the one they knew. Pictures of great palaces over expansive sands, or vast hilltop kingdoms in the jungles. He had found gemstones that could not be mined anywhere that he knew of, bones of animals that others thought to be fiction. The people of Zanarkand knew something that their descendants were too blind to see. All of them except for him, anyway.

And so, with all of this in mind, he continued to stare out at the water. He watched it as the seagulls cawed above him, as the tides lapped at his feet and the wind rustled his hair. He stood perfectly still on the shore, staying even as the others called up their boats and made way across the water, toward their homes and families. His parents were used to him staying out after the others; they did not approve, but nothing they did or said could stop him. He had proved that enough times already.

But as he watched the sea, he began to feel something he had never felt before. There was always a restlessness in him, a desire to always be moving. He didn't like to stay in one spot for long, something his teachers at school had made note of over the years. But this was different. This wasn't being restless, this was unfamiliar to him. He was uneasy…nervous, almost.

Someone was watching him.

"Who's there?" He did not show his concern, keeping his voice level as he asked. Nor did he react as much as he felt he should have, only turning his head to the left as he sought out the newcomer. After years of keeping his thoughts hidden from his peers, it was second nature to him to disguise how he really felt.

The interloper was not another island kid, as he had expected. Instead he was a small, hunched man wearing a brown cloak. He moved across the sand smoothly, as if hovering. The boy raised an eyebrow as the stranger left neither footprints nor a path from his dragging cloak behind him in the sand.

"Xehanort." The interloper's voice was deep and powerful, going completely against his hunched appearance.

Xehanort narrowed his eyes. "How do you know my name? Is this some sort of prank?"

The hooded moved back and forth very, very slowly. It took Xehanort a moment to realize the man was shaking his head. Xehanort leaned forward to try and peer at the man's face, but it was no use. The hood shrouded him completely.

"I've come to see the door to this world," the stranger continued as if not hearing Xehanort's question.

"Huh?"

"This world has been connected."

There he went again, speaking without answering. Xehanort was beginning to believe this was some prank, and he started to grow agitated. "I don't have time for this." He turned toward the dark and began to walk away.

"Tied to the darkness... Soon to be completely eclipsed." Xehanort slowed to a pause when the cloaked figure continued to speak. What was up with this guy? Whoever he was under that hood, he was determined. Xehanort rolled his eyes and decided to give him a piece of his mind. He turned around—

"Whoa!" The brown hood was inches from his face. Xehanort jumped back in surprise, holding his hands out to catch his balance as he stabilized himself on the sand. That guy moved fast, and so quietly too! "Where did you come from?"

"You do not yet know what lies beyond the door."

Xehanort grimaced as, once again, the robed man seemed to completely ignore his presence. Still, he was beginning to piece everything together. There was no way anyone on the islands could sneak up on him like this guy had. And in that case… "You're from another world."

Once again the robed man shook his head slowly. "There is so very much to learn. You understand so little."

Xehanort inwardly smiled, confident now that he was correct. This enigmatic stranger was quickly losing the air of mystery about him, and more importantly he had proven Xehanort right. "You'll see. I'll get out and learn what's out there." He clenched a fist and held it up to the robed man. "I'm going to see it all."

There was a prolonged silence, but Xehanort did not waver or look away. Though he couldn't see the man's face, he could feel his gaze on him, piercing into his heart. "…A worthy effort," the main said at last. He took a step forward. "You can learn. You can understand."

Another step forward, and another. Xehanort's unease returned, but his confidence pushed it back down. He did not step away as the main approached. The sleeve of his robe rose, though the insides were just as cloaked as the hood and Xehanort could not see the stranger's hand. Xehanort watched carefully as the main's sleeve grew closer, closer, until it was a hair's breadth from Xehanort's chest. He was beginning to hold his breath, and he didn't know why. The robed hand pressed up against Xehanort's heart.

The second they made contact, Xehanort's mind broke into chaos.

Lights and colors flashed in front of and behind Xehanort's eyes. His feet gave out beneath him and he tumbled back, falling into oblivion. Sounds and images assaulted Xehanort from all around him, his surroundings an incomprehensible mash-up of people, places, and times he had never seen before. Among it all, three voices rang clearly above all others.

'This heart belongs again to darkness.'

'Let your heart, your being, become darkness itself.'

'Your hearts have led you to obliteration.'

Suddenly, the sounds and lights stopped. For one instant, everything went black.

Or was it an instant? When Xehanort opened his eyes again, lying on the sand of the beach, everything was orange. He snapped to attention immediately, his thoughts immediately going to a fire, but it was no such thing. As Xehanort pushed himself to his feet he only had a small amount of time to take in the fact that it was now sunset before he grasped his head in pain. A splitting headache pulsed between his eyes, and in fact pain wracked his whole body. He was exhausted, he felt as if he had just run five marathons and fought an army for good measure. Where had he just gone…?

What?

Xehanort shook his head. What did he mean, where had he gone? He hadn't gone anywhere, he was still on the beach. And yet…he felt different now. Something had changed within him on a fundamental level. He grinned; he had been right about places beyond the ocean, about other people out there. A plan, a path, was etched in his heart, and he knew that he would follow it.

Xehanort turned out to the ocean one more time. "This world…is just too small."

x-x-x

They had come for him. Xehanort didn't know how he knew that, but he knew it nonetheless. He knew, as well as he knew his own name, that beyond any doubt these mysterious shadows were here only because he was here.

He had first encountered the black creatures a week after his meeting with the man in the robe. While he was in the old cave by the waterfall on the play island, they had quite literally come crawling out of the shadows. While at first Xehanort thought them some sort of harmless animal, he was quickly proven wrong. They had struck out at him and forced him to flee, but that hadn't been the last he saw of them. Over the next couple of days Xehanort found himself constantly watched by beady eyes wherever he went.

And now he was surrounded by them.

Xehanort was in an alley, backed up against a wall with no one around to help him. He wasn't supposed to even be out here, he was supposed to be in school right now. But he had ditched class to go explore, he wanted to see Zanarkand again. So much for that, the black creatures had chased him here. They were blocking the only path of exit, and something told him that they weren't going to budge any time soon.

Xehanort tightly gripped the metal pipe that he had picked up. He knew it wasn't a real weapon, but it would have to do. Still, the only fighting he had done was against other kids on the island, and even then he was so estranged from the cliques that it wasn't often. This wouldn't be easy.

The shadows moved first, skittering quickly toward him along the ground. Xehanort, with no way to move further back, jumped aside as the creatures jumped up and swung their claws at his chest. He ducked under one that reached particularly high and kicked away a pair that tried to attack him from lower down. Letting out a battle cry, Xehanort swung his rusty metal pipe at the nearest creature.

The shadow's body billowed like black smoke and the pipe passed through it harmlessly.

"What?!"

For an instant Xehanort considered that he may have been facing illusions, figments of his imagination, but that thought was quickly pushed away. He had felt their claws, heard their skittering. These things were real, not just something born out of a boy's overactive imagination. And yet they clearly weren't normal, either; not only could they meld into the ground, but now weapons couldn't harm them?

Well in that case, he had to get out of here. Shoving aside another shadow that had leaped for his chest, Xehanort broke into a run down the alleyway and toward the island's open roads. But mere feet before he was home free, splotches of black opened up on the earth. More shadows leaped out of the darkness, these ones taller and sleeker than their insect-like counterparts. The new black creatures slashed wildly with their razor claws, forcing Xehanort to jump back—toward the smaller ones.

He swung around with the pipe despite knowing it would do nothing. The shadows, both breeds of them, didn't react to his sorry excuse for a weapon in the slightest bit. Gritting his teeth, Xehanort kicked at a pile of boxes nearby and caused them to collapse, then tried to make a break for it while the shadows dealt with the trash in their way.

He should have known better.

The sleek shadows vanished into the earth and shot up right next to Xehanort, quickly surrounding him. Xehanort tightened his grip on his pipe and narrowed his eyes into a dangerous glare, but it was all just bravado. Whatever these things were, he couldn't do anything to them.

The first shadow leaped, its claws ready to dig into his chest. Xehanort ducked under it only for one of its smaller companions to leap onto his arm and pull him further down. Three more grabbed hold of Xehanort, then four after that. Two of the taller ones even pitched in to pin him face-down onto the ground. Xehanort grunted and pushed against them, but they had him trapped.

And then…light. It was blinding, a brilliant white aura that radiated out from Xehanort's hand. The shadows recoiled, jumping away or getting vaporized by the shining power. The light enveloped the pipe, shifting to a blue hue as it did so. The pipe straightened and flattened, then elongated. It transformed, becoming a shape something like a sword and yet not. Gears and a clock were built into the hand guard, while a chain with an hourglass token attached to it hung from the hilt. At the tip of the glowing blue blade, attached to another clock, was a bizarre design that could only be described as several teeth jutting out.

Keyblade…

Keyblade…

Keyblade…

Xehanort stared at the weapon in his hand with a blank mind, barely registering what had just occurred. Before his thoughts could catch up to the rest of the world, the light around him began to dim. More of the shadows appeared to confront him, each one of them the taller, more humanoid variety. Xehanort's body began to move on his own. He took the weapon—the Keyblade—in one hand, held it before his face, slashed it through the air, and then spun it above his head before dashing toward the black creatures.

They slashed their claws at him, but Xehanort blocked the attacks with his bare arm, paying no heed to the streaks of red forming on his tanned skin. He brought his Keyblade down on the nearest creature's head, cleaving it in two right down its body. Before the others could react he spun on his heel and swung the Keyblade out, slicing the nearest foes and kicking up razor winds that buffeted the further ones.

More shadows charged at Xehanort, but once again he met them head on. Thrusting the Keyblade forward, he pierced right through the chest of an approaching one and into the creature behind it. The creatures collapsed into pieces of shadow as Xehanort slashed and struck at their comrades, the mysterious blade casting its blue glow on the area.

He moved like a man possessed. Step, slash, duck, slash, reversal, step, slash. Xehanort couldn't comprehend how he had these skills, knew all these moves. He had never been awful in play fights with the other island kids, but never especially skilled either. Yet while Xehanort's mind held no answers, his heart and body seemed to be used to fighting.

"Look out!"

An unfamiliar voice caught Xehanort's attention and he spun to face it, but found himself centimeters from a shadow's claws instead. Just before the creature thrust its hand into his chest, four golden chains flew out of a burst of light and wrapped around the shadow's limbs. The chains tightened and glowed brightly, and the shadow vanished. Immediately afterward, the last few remaining shadows were destroyed by a wave of glowing water.

Xehanort lowered his blade and turned to his saviors with a curious eye. One wore blue and the other white, but their appearances were lost on him when he caught sight of the weapons held over their shoulders.

The one in white grinned. "Hey there. What's your name?"

x-x-x

Their names were Eraqus and Yen Sid, and they—like the man in the brown robe—had come from another world. They told Xehanort that they and their Master had come to the Destiny Islands chasing those black creatures from 'the darkness.' While Xehanort didn't claim to understand what that meant, what he did know was that they had the same sort of weapons as the one that had suddenly appeared in his hands. What was a Keyblade? He had to know.

They had introduced them to their mysterious Master, who had taken an immediate interest in Xehanort almost as great as Xehanort's own interest in him. After several days and a meeting with Xehanort's parents, Eraqus and Yen Sid's Master had agreed to take Xehanort in as his third apprentice in the Keyblade. It would not be easy, he had warned, but Xehanort didn't care. He would finally be leaving the island, and that was what mattered.

And he had indeed. Xehanort had watched with awe as Eraqus, Yen Sid, and the Master had summoned armor from thin air and transformed their Keyblades into strange flying contraptions. They had opened something called the Lanes Between and carried Xehanort through them, a thrilling experience that had flown by Xehanort. But that was only the tip of the iceberg, and the world they had arrived in had absolutely floored him with its towering hills and bright, shining castle.

Now, Xehanort was climbing stairs in the Land of Departure with Yen Sid, Eraqus, and the Master up to the room he would be staying in during his time here. It was, Eraqus explained, a large dorm complex that was built to hold much more than only three young men. Even then, it may sometimes hold one less than that; Yen Sid would occasionally visit another world to learn magic from a blind woman living alone in some bayou. On those days it would just be Eraqus and Xehanort alone in this large wing of the castle.

"And if you'd like, we do have a few games to play on those slow days." Eraqus motioned to a lounge with an impossibly tall ceiling, one with a chessboard sitting on a small and shiny table. "Yen Sid and the Master aren't that interested in chess, so I've never really had a chance to play it since I came here."

"I've never played myself," Xehanort admitted. He allowed himself a smile, feeling more at ease here than he had in years. "But I'd be happy to have a match with you now and again." At that, Eraqus broke into what may have been the largest smile Xehanort had ever seen.

Xehanort looked around the lounge again, taking it all in. This was his home now. It was polished and shiny, and everything was so…bright. This world was absolutely bathed in the light, and it was different than the sunlight that always coated the Destiny Islands. That was warm, but this was beyond that. It was welcoming.

Xehanort's eyes ran along the walls, looking at clocks, curtains, calendars…and then he saw something that seemed to call out to him. Above the doorway, sitting on a golden frame, was what appeared to be a Keyblade. It was black and silver, with a goat's face near the hilt and two blue eye designs embedded into the weapon.

"What is that?"

"Pay it no mind," the Master rumbled in a kind, if warning, tone. "It is simply a remnant of the Keyblade War. Do not worry yourself about it."

"Keyblade War?"

But the Master shook his head. "As I said, do not worry about it. Now, why don't you finish settling in? Yen Sid and I will be downstairs. Perhaps you can take Eraqus up on that chess game now."

Xehanort frowned, cast one more glance to that Keyblade on the wall, and then bowed. "Yes, Master." He believed he had just discovered something: this world had secrets.

Only a few minutes later, Xehanort discovered something else: he was not good at chess.

x-x-x

"Hey Yen Sid, what do you know about the Keyblade War?"

"I do not think that's something you should look into, Xehanort."

"Yeah, that's what they all say…"

"But if you must… I may have seen an old book in the library a long time ago."

Dust fell as the heavy doors, undisturbed for ages, were forced open by a struggling young man. As Xehanort entered the Land of Departure's library, he looked around in the darkness with an unimpressed stare. Like every other room in the castle, the ceiling of the library was almost impossibly tall; in this case, so tall that it was swept up by the shadows. As Xehanort walked further into the room, the old magic that surrounded the area reacted to his presence. One by one, magical lamps flared up with self-casting Fire spells. Lights flicked on along the walls and spiraled upwards, revealing the library to be a massive circular tower with no ceiling in sight even when lit up.

Books lined nearly every inch of the walls, leaving only enough room for the lamps, the occasional window, and the ramp that moved up the length of the tower alongside the lamps. From the center of the circular floor, Xehanort tilted his head back and wiped a few strands of hair from his eyes. High up above, paths and staircases crisscrossed each other as they connected different points of the spiraling ramp, allowing easier movement in case there were multiple people trying to get somewhere in the library. There weren't any tonight, however, and Xehanort had a feeling that there hadn't been for quite a while.

Without another thought, he began to move up the ramp. He had only the vaguest sense of where this book was, as Yen Sid didn't quite remember where he had seen it. It was going to be an especially grueling search without even having knowledge of how this library was organized. Where were the history books, for example? Or should he be searching in mythology? For that matter, what was even the title of the book? What did it look like?

Xehanort paused for a moment and spared a glance over the edge of the ramp. It was almost surprising, he had traveled so far in such a short time. Or perhaps he had just been too absorbed in his thoughts. He was at an almost dizzying height, and yet there was still so much more up above him. Looking around at the books in the immediate area, Xehanort let out a sigh.

"I suppose I might as well get started."

The echo of his voice again reminded Xehanort just how empty this tower was. He moved past a window that opened into the shining night sky and looked up toward the ceiling, only now just barely visible. He was certain the castle wasn't actually this tall on the outside; it had to be a sort of magic. Oh well.

Xehanort ran his hand along the spines of the nearest set of books. Shepherd's Journal, Grimnorum Arcanorum, Khartoum, Encantus… They all looked pretty old, but none of them stood out to him as being what he was looking for. Xehanort grimaced as he knelt down, moving past a storybook with a stuffed yellow bear on the cover and tossing aside a black journal with a stylized silver D on the front.

As he thumbed through book after book, Xehanort slowly but surely began to move further up the ramp. He spent hours in the library, leaving no stone unturned and no book unchecked. While moving across a wooden bridge to the far wall, Xehanort paused in the middle and turned back. The journal with the D on the front was lying on the floor where he had left it, its pages opened and facing up. An image on them caught his attention. Frowning, Xehanort moved over to the journal and picked it up in one hand.

Sketched onto the yellowing pages with an immaculate hand was the image of a large heart-shaped moon surrounded by black. Xehanort furrowed his brow at the image, it was unfamiliar but…it triggered something inside of him. Some kind of—

"Ungh!" Xehanort stumbled forward, dropping D's Journal and grasping his head.

'Behold the endless abyss! Within it lies the heart of all worlds: Kingdom Hearts!'

The voice rang out in Xehanort's mind and his hands moved from his head to his chest. "Kingdom…Hearts…?" he gasped out through labored breaths. The voice…it had sounded just like that man in the robe he had met on the islands. Who was he?

As Xehanort caught his breath and stood up, he thought he heard someone calling him. …No, that wasn't right. Not someone, something. It wasn't a voice really, more like a…a feeling. Some sense that something in here—a book?—was pulling him toward it. Quickly moving out once more, Xehanort scanned his eyes around the library. He didn't look through each and every book anymore, didn't meticulously scan every shelf. He didn't need to, the one calling out to him was pulling him along like a magnet.

He found it in just another shelf, sitting as if just another book among many other books. There was no revelation, no spark of power when he pulled it from its resting place, but when he laid eyes upon it Xehanort knew that this was what he was looking for. While obviously ancient with its yellowing pages and old leather cover, the book wasn't quite as dusty as the others, no doubt because Yen Sid had said himself that he had come across it before. Its cover was a deep blue accented in white, with a heart emblem on the front decorated by three spikes and two wings.

The Book of Prophecies.

The name came unbidden to him. There was no title anywhere, and yet somehow Xehanort knew exactly what it was he was holding in his hands. His skin grew cold as he moved a shaking hand to flip the ancient tome open and rest his eyes on the first page.

"Far away there is a World of fairy tales.
"It is a World filled with light.
"The light gave birth to many lesser worlds, and then embraced them.
"The source of light is Kingdom Hearts, and the key that protects it is the χ-blade.
"So long as it endured, it was believed that the World's light would shine eternal."

"However, bright light casts shadows that beget darkness.
"Darkness brings anxiety and fear, awakening desire.
"Formerly hidden in the depths of the heart, darkness turns to chaos and begins to spread across the World.
"To halt the advancing darkness, those who desire light forge Keyblades in the image of the χ-blade and set out on an adventure across the World."

Xehanort frowned, only recognizing a handful of the words the book was using. What was the χ-blade? And there was that Kingdom Hearts again… A source of all light? Then why hadn't he ever heard of it before? The book also only mentioned one World. Just what was all this? Looking around, Xehanort found no tables or chairs. Shrugging, he slid his back down the wall and rested on the floor of the ramp, reading the book in the firelight. He was not prepared for what he learned. Unions, Foretellers, Daybreak Town, Realm of Sleep, Keyblades, χ-blade, Kingdom Hearts…

And on the final page there was nothing but a single line, one that made Xehanort's blood run cold:

"On that land shall darkness prevail and light expire."

x-x-x

It had been an accident.

They had come to a new world, a place called Disney that had a powerful source of light. The Master had tasked them with protecting it, but Xehanort had not been thrilled. He wanted adventure, not to sit around with talking animals. Grumpy and angry, Xehanort had gone out to practice his magic when he had—accidentally!—set an entire apartment complex on fire.

Eraqus had not been happy.

"You are completely irresponsible!" Eraqus shouted at Xehanort from an alleyway. The three Keyblade apprentices were hiding that they were responsible for it; they wanted the locals on their side, and Yen Sid had successfully put the fire out. Telling them they were responsible for it would only sour the mood.

Xehanort took in a deep breath to calm his nerves. Even now, even away from the islands, he still kept his emotions hidden and within him. But he was sure that Eraqus could see his anger in his eyes and hear it as he spoke. "You're just too by the book, Eraqus." There was nothing wrong with practicing.

Eraqus sighed. "Our Master said-"

Xehanort scoffed, crossed his arms, and shrugged. "Our Master says a lot of things. He says to always wear armor in the Lanes Between, but I don't and I'm fine."

"You what?!" Eraqus stepped forward, and Xehanort grimaced. Perhaps this wasn't the best time to reveal that, but he didn't need it. The darkness wasn't a threat like the Master said. "The darkness will-"

"That's an argument for another day, Eraqus." Yen Sid interrupted by stepping between the two of them. "Right now, aren't we discussing Xehanort's leniency with his fire magic?"

Xehanort rolled his eyes. Now Yen Sid was against him too? "I told you, it was an accident."

"Well we can't go around having you burn homes to the ground, Xehanort." Eraqus crossed his arms and leaned against the wall as he continued to glare daggers at his companion. "We need the locals on our side if they're going to let us protect the Cornerstone of Light."

Xehanort found it very hard to keep his voice down. "Are we seriously doing that? We finally leave the Land of Departure just to come here? I didn't sign up for this so I could be stuck to one world." It may as well have been the island all over again.

"'The Cornerstone is a physical manifestation of light. As Keyblade wielders, it is our duty to safeguard the light.'" Eraqus said, quoting the Master's words from before they left. "Therefore, a Keyblade wielder should be the guard for the Cornerstone."

"Yes, I heard the Master before we left. But why us?" Xehanort asked. "I want to head out and explore!"

Yen Sid shook his head slowly. "The Master has assigned us to this until a suitable Keyblade wielder has been found. Just have some patience, Xehanort. We'll be gone soon enough."

Yen Sid spoke with such a finality that neither Xehanort nor Eraqus continued. They glared at each other for several long moments before Eraqus averted his gaze, earning a small smirk from Xehanort. Without another word, Xehanort turned down the alley and began making his way toward the hotel.

x-x-x

They were playing chess again. It had become a sort of ritual for the two of them: after morning Keyblade practice they would go up to the tower and settle in for a few rounds. It was comforting, Xehanort had come to think, just him and Eraqus all alone up there. And he had gotten quite good at the game too, or at least he liked to believe he had. Moving pawns around the board, luring his opponent into traps…it came naturally to him.

Xehanort and Eraqus were foregoing a table today, sitting on the ledge near the window instead. Eraqus sat with one leg propped up and the other dangling off the side as he looked over the game board, the window near him open. Xehanort sat in front of a closed glass pane, leaning over the board with a bored expression on his face. He was only halfway paying attention to the game, his mind wandering to all he had learned during his research. The Keyblade on the wall seemed to taunt him with its presence.

"Have you heard of the ancient Keyblade War?" As Eraqus began to make his move, Xehanort asked the question that had been plaguing him. Eraqus hesitated, his hand hovering over his game piece, and Xehanort continued. "Many years ago, Keyblade wielders started a war over the ownership of light."

Eraqus nodded slowly and moved his piece forward. "Yeah, the Master's favorite story." He voice was cheerful, but Xehanort did not miss the Eraqus had hesitated—and the mistake he had made.

Xehanort smirked slightly, both at his friend's response and his rather amateurish move he had played. "So…" Xehanort moved his next piece and then picked up Eraqus's, removing it from the game. "You know the lost masters." It wasn't a question, because he already knew Eraqus's answer. "They're the ones who started the Keyblade War."

Once again, Eraqus froze at Xehanort's words. It was only for an instant, a fraction of a fraction of a second, but Xehanort noticed it nonetheless. Eraqus would have to be a fool to think he wouldn't have. Eraqus held his piece in his hand as he listened to Xehanort's words before speaking. "Never heard of 'em." He made his move, setting the piece down.

Xehanort closed his eyes and resisted the urge to shake his head. He reached forward and spoke to Eraqus without looking at him. "You can drop the façade."

"I don't know what you mean."

Now Xehanort did shake his head. Eraqus's feigning ignorance was obvious; certainly he'd never win any poker games. Still, though, if that was the way Eraqus wanted to play it then Xehanort would comply…for the time being. The two of them sat in silence as they continued to play their game, the only sounds the clinking of chess pieces moving across the board.

After several more turns had passed, Xehanort could tell they were nearing the end of the game. Eraqus was doing better than he had expected, but he seemed agitated. If Xehanort wanted to see just how much his friend knew, then he would have to push harder.

"'On that land shall darkness prevail and light expire'," he said, quoting the line he had found. "But you knew that, didn't you?" Xehanort moved his next piece forward and removed Eraqus's from play. "The future…it's already been written."

Turning his attention from the game, Xehanort looked up at the Keyblade, still hanging there where it had during his entire time in this world. The Master had told him not to concern himself with it, but Xehanort knew—he knew it would become his. He knew that the oldest, most ancient of all Keyblades was his destiny. And soon, very soon, it would become a reality.

"Who's to say I can't change it? And maybe light will prevail." Xehanort turned back to Eraqus as he moved his next piece forward. His king. Xehanort narrowed his eyes at the bold move before smirking. "There is more to light than meets the eye," Eraqus finished, turning up from the board to look at his silver-haired companion. "You might be surprised."

Xehanort smiled and shook his head, then moved his own king forward to meet Eraqus's in the center of the board. He too turned up and met Eraqus face to face, looking him in the eye. "Oh, I hope so."

x-x-x

Xehanort's eyes opened slowly, the brightness of that large, open room giving way to the dark, dusty bedroom from before. He sat in a chair, not on a ledge, and there was not a chessboard before him but a sketchbook instead. He looked up and found bright blue eyes staring back at him, framed with red hair rather than black.

Kairi's hand released her hold on the colored pencil, and Xehanort looked down at the sketchbook once again to see what was drawn upon it: the now familiar black and silver key, hanging from a mounted display on a wall. The blue eye symbols seemed to glow in the sketch as brightly as they did in his memory.

"Did it work?" Xehanort looked back over his shoulder at Braig's question. The one-eyed man stood right behind him, one hand on the back of Xehanort's chair as he leaned forward to investigate Naminé's drawing. Further behind him, Vanitas leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

"I'm done. You got what you wanted." Kairi—no, it was Naminé, that's right—said to Braig. "Now let Kairi go. Let her return to Sora and the others."

Braig rested his hands on his hips and tilted his head back, humming thoughtfully. He rolled his neck and looked down at Xehanort once more. "What do you think, boss?"

Naminé gasped and turned to Xehanort, who eyed her in turn. Xehanort frowned and crossed his legs, resting one cheek against his fist as he watched Naminé fidget under his gaze. While she had certainly gathered a great deal of confidence in her time, she still acted like a scared little girl under his gaze. Not that he could blame her, anyone would have felt the same. Here was a man who had lived four lives and two lifetimes. The World was at his fingertips.

Xehanort smiled. "No."

Naminé jumped up to her feet immediately, her fingers tightening into little balls. A little girl trying to act tough, adorable. "We had a deal!"

"The only promise made was that you would restore my memory, and in turn Braig would not hurt Kairi. We have both upheld our end of the bargain." Xehanort pushed his chair back and stood up. He began to turn away, but paused and reached down to pick up the sketchbook from the table.

He flipped through the book, admiring the artwork. It was all stylized, but at the same time remarkably lifelike. Every line felt like another part of his memory brought to life. She may as well have hooked him up to a printer and printed the images out. Xehanort stopped at an image of Destiny Islands at sunset and grimaced, crunching the sheet up in his hands and tossing it aside to reveal the next page underneath: the Keyblade Graveyard, with Kingdom Hearts shining brightly above it.

"You really are quite talented, Naminé…" He held up the sketchbook before her and ignited it in dark fire. Naminé gasped and reached for the book, but the moment she moved forward blue bolts flew out of every shadow in the room. Floods grabbed onto Kairi's limbs and piled onto her back, weighing Naminé down and pinning her to the floor. "But it's time to put the past behind us and move forward to a new future…my future." As the last remnants of the sketchbook vanished, Xehanort turned his hand upside down and let the ashes flutter to the floor.

"See to it that she's kept alive, but don't let her leave this room. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the Chamber." Xehanort walked past Braig and Vanitas, both of them not having moved an inch. "Don't need me."

---

I couldn't resist! This final Memory of Xehanort chapter was supposed to be chapter 57, but the E3 trailer got me too excited and I just had to bump it up to 56. Because of that, the old 56 (now 57) already has some work put into it so it should hopefully be out quick.

But wow, that E3 trailer! Exciting, isn't it? While Xehanort and Eraqus's conversation about the war has been planned since last year, I'm glad that the new trailer gave both more context to it and the official English translation. Some stuff from the χ browser game was also in this chapter, but that won't be important to the story for quite a long time, you don't need to worry about it for TTGO. And since we're not doing the story of 3D, where and when did Xehanort go when he spoke with Ansem? Hmm... ;)