Jazzerman here, I do not own any of these characters, they are owned by their respected companies, as many as there are. You've heard this crap before. I DO own the OCs. If you'd like to use them in a fic, just tell me.

Am I Heartless?

Part 20

Maleficent smiled as she looked down from her tower at the army of Heartless she now controlled and were still pouring from the bowels of the castle. Although the witch was delighting in this sight Pete was nervous, this many Heartless was going to be very hard to control and they had no aid like they had long ago like Captain Hook, Clayton, Jafar, or even Ansem the Seeker of Darkness to help maintain control over the Heartless.

"Are you really sure you can control them all Maleficent?" Pete whimpered.

Before Pete could go on with his usual whining the witch answered him in a very agitated tone. "Of course I can, as long as the door between the worlds remains open I have power over all the Heartless on this side. Now be quiet or I will feed you to what you fear most you bloated toad."

Pete backed away from Maleficent's hard glare but he did shut his mouth and remained that way. He knew better than to continue to complain when she got this way. Still Pete knew this wasn't as bad as if could be, that blasted raven could be sitting on her shoulder and looking at him like he was dinner as it liked to do.

---

Upon reaching the town that they found that it was in the same condition as the road. The dark sea of grass had grown over ever every inch between the houses, leaving only the main road that wound on deeper into the valley. The houses were made of smooth black uneven bricks and tin roofs. At the back of each house had a single chimney made of the same bricks that made up the walls, solid wooden doors that were locked firmly, and each had a pair circular windows on each side of the doors. This gave each house the vague yet defiantly familiar appearance of a Heartless. After entering one of the houses thanks to Yuffie picking the lock they found that the home was rather Spartan in comparison to their homes back in the Destiny Islands and Radiant Garden. The house had only a bed with a hard mattress and black sheets, a crude dark wood table with a trio of chairs of similar make and craft, and in the corner was a small empty trunk. These houses seemed to have never been occupied by anyone since it was built. But that was odd on many levels, who would build a house and not plan to live in it?

"Who do you think built this town? The Heartless?" Sora asked, loosely directed at Riku.

Riku skeptically shook his head. "I don't think so. With the exception of Orin and Xehanort the Heartless have never showed any kind of intelligence. Perhaps there was once a race of people that lived here before the Heartless destroyed them."

"But if that's true why are these houses so neat and tidy? The floors are clean and the bed is made." Kairi pointed out, "It's more like who ever lived here just locked up and left on their own accord."

What Kairi pointed out earned a short silence as the group thought about that. If these people had fled the Heartless and were hiding someplace the house wouldn't be this tidy. Who would fold a bed when fleeing for your life when any sensible person would take the blankets to keep them warm on the road?

Riku looked out the window near the bed to look at the other houses. This town seemed to ring with an empty, almost lonely silence that permeated every feature of this town. Still this town was more hospitable than the Organization's castle in the Land that never was.

"Hey guys, you have anything to drink? I'm pretty thirsty?" Kairi asked politely, idlely rubbing her dry throat with one hand.

"I saw a well not far from here, but I don't know how good the water is for us." Riku said, pointing out the window in the direction of the well. "But if you want water we should go with you just in case."

The gang exited the house and walked towards the well, which was made of the same kind of large black stones as the houses stacked in a circle with a small wooden bucket attached to a long rope which was tied and secured around a large black gray boulder that sat next to the well.

Kairi took the bucket and slowly lowered it down into the depths until she ran out of rope then pulled it back up making sure to do it so it didn't bump against the walls and spill. Upon getting it up onto the edge Kairi discovered that she had pulled up nothing but the rope and the bucket.

"What's the deal? I thought all towns had working wells." Yuffie complained upon seeing the empty bucket.

"I guess this well went dry some time ago." Sora said, tossing a rock down into the depths of the well to test if it was truly dry. To the surprise as the sounds of the stone knocking against the rock walls of the well until it reached the bottom. But instead of the sound of rock hitting rock was a loud THWACK of hitting something living. There was a brief growl of irritation before the gang above around the well found themselves enveloped in darkness then standing in what they thought was the bottom of a deep hole. However they quickly recognized the roughly rocks that lined the walls as the walls of the well they had just been standing around.

"Well, isn't this a surprise. This is the last place I expected to run into you again." Said a deep and yet oddly familiar voice from behind them.

Turning each member of the group got into a combative stance, each of them let out in unison; "Xehanort!?"

Indeed it was the Seeker of Darkness, or at least what was left of him. From the waist down there was nothing left, his right arm was missing it's hand and his left arm was missing completely. His face and torso had missing portions that resembled large cuts, no doubt made by a Keyblade. The injuries on his body seeped small plumes of black mist that made the gang feel a little nauseous. With great difficulty the Heartless of Ansem's old assistant looked up at them with his one remaining eye.

"Ah... Riku, I see you're looking well." He rasped, coughing out black mist as he spoke. "I suppose you've come to finish me off. I must say I'm touched."

Riku instantly summoned Way to the Dawn and pointed it in Xehanort's face, or what was left of it. Xehanort's only response was to smirk at Riku as if nothing he could do could hurt him further.

Yuffie fumed, here laying propped up against the wall was what remained of the man who had taken away her home and nearly decimated it with the power of the Heartless.

"Xemnas, my Nobody trapped me here in this well after you forced me out of your body Riku. This was all that was left of me I'm afraid. Xemnas was using me as a source of information about the Hearts in exchange for healing me. As you can see he has honored that agreement very little. Tell me, did you destroy him?"

"Yes we did." Sora said proudly.

Xehanort snorted, smirking at the idea that these kids had defeated the head of that pitiful Organization. "Well I had hoped to do that myself when I had regained my strength, but it seems like I won't be able to do either."

"Okay, why are these houses here? Who built them?" Kairi asked, wanting to get right to business and not have to look upon his unwelcome face again.

"I made them long ago just in case my experiments were to succeed. Sadly only one of them barely came close to my expectations. That was before I discovered something about the transformation from human into a Heartless. Apparently something I did not foresee was that all my research and experimenting was a complete waste of time because people who willingly remove their hearts keep their sentience upon becoming a Heartless. Imagine my shock then I discovered that I had been going through all that for no reason. Comical isn't it? For all my worrying I got what I wanted in the end either way." As Xehanort ended in a string of loud string of coughs, creating a trail of wisping clouds that stretched upward like smoke from a cigar.

Riku drew the Way to the Dawn back so he could aim for a more deadly strike. This only resulted in making the Seeker of Darkness laugh.

"I cannot blame you for wanting to destroy me Riku and I surely cannot stop you in this state." Xehanort's face remained stoic as he stared straight at Riku. "I am truly at your mercy but if you want to know anything about what Maleficent is up to you would be making a grave mistake."

Riku gritted his teeth and lowered his Keyblade, his glare sharpening as Xehanort's smile grew. Even in this state the Seeker of Darkness could still pull people's strings. Kairi stomped past Riku and stood glaring down at the seriously injured Heartless with a look that would make any normal human back off and take her seriously. However Xehanort was not human anymore.

"Ah Kairi, nice to see you again. I see you've matured since I saw you last." Xehanort mused, completely immune to the death glare the young woman was directing at her. "Tell me, how has Sora been treating you? He had quite the thing for you if I recall correctly."

Kairi was rendered completely dumbfounded by that statement and looked back at her spiky haired friend who was blushing slightly and adverting his gaze from her. She turned to say something in retort to Xehanort but the words would not come to her. Clearly Xehanort had not lost any of his sharp wit laying here at the bottom of this well.

"Oh yes him." Xehanort said in an uninterested tone, as if remembering a minor detail of what happened last week. "He's not a very good imitation isn't he? You know I gave him memories of having feelings for you just to round out his mind so he would not end up like all the others."

Yuffie stammered, now able to understand why the antennaed boy he wanted to be around her as much as possible but was always so shy around her. Suddenly Yuffie felt a sore spot begin to develop in her chest as her mind drifted back to what happened when she kissed him. Yuffie turned and walked behind Kairi so she could get her head together without being seen. While time had figuratively stopped for the ninja girl as she sorted things out it did not for the others.

"Others?" Sora went on to ask another obvious question.

Xehanort nodded. "Oh yes, I made many others before 'Orin' as you call him. All failures that amounted to nothing I'm afraid. But let's get back to business, you want to know what the witch is up to correct?"

Riku and Sora looked at each other, they knew there was more than what Xehanort was saying but they knew that this information was much more urgent. Besides by defeating Maleficent they probably would be saving Orin in the process.

"Alright spill it, what's she up to?" Sora demanded.

Xehanort sighed seemingly very weary of these children. "Sadly her plan lacks any true form of originality but it is effective none the less. Maleficent has used my own creation to wedge open the door between the Realms of Light and Darkness. She has gained the power to command the Heartless just I once had and is much stronger than when I first encountered her."

"and with the door open..." Kairi quietly mentioned, fearing that she already knew what was going to happen

"I see that you are not as witless as you appear child." Xehanort quipped, loving being able to irk these children once more in his existence. "She has an almost endless army is at her command to recreate the End of the World and eventually Kingdom Hearts."

That got their attention, no one was truly sure how strong was.

"I've been losing more and more of my strength everyday here in this world. Soon I'll fade away like a dream at sunrise." Xehanort spoke as if his passing would be mourned by the entire general populous.

"More like a nightmare..." Sora muttered.

"But what about Orin, what's he got to do with her plan?" Kairi asked.

"She must have needed someone to open the gate to this world for her. I made sure only a Heartless could unlock the door I discovered to this valley. But I have to warn you, Maleficent's power has grown so powerful that she can now bend any Heartless to her will. If she were to discover me she could even force me to do her bidding." Xehanort snorted, loathing the idea that Maleficent could use him as she saw fit. He would rather fade away than allow her to debase him like that. "That imperfect specimen of mine may not be anything like you know anymore."

"Then we have to go back." Yuffie said sternly, looking at her friends. "Maleficent could be attacking the town right now."

"I can send you back to the Realm of Light. Before you object Riku I know that you do not trust that I would ever do you a favor, however I know that if Maleficent were to succeed in creating and controlling Kingdom Hearts she will have succeeded where I failed. I want you to make sure she does not live to do that." Xehanort was speaking the truth, as much as it pained him to aid those who defeated him he knew this was the best option he had.

Riku gritted his teeth and agreed reluctantly to allow the antagonist to send them back. That was if he could, chances are he'd warp them right into a pit of Heartless to have their hearts ripped from their bodies. Still with that possibility the rest of the group agreed as well. With a look of strain on what was left of Xehanort's face he enveloped them in a corridor of darkness, sending them away. Leaving Xehanort alone in the dark with a smug grin on his face, perhaps this day wouldn't be as bad as the thought it would be.

To be continued...

A/N: Few things; I didn't get anyone to proofread this one so hope it's okay, I discovered that in Mortal Kombat Armageddon they have a minor character named Orin (surprised the heck out of me) and lastly, reveiws plz... please...?