Chapter 2: Familiar Faces
Xion groaned and came too, finding herself laying on a pile of towels in a back storeroom. The sounds of laughter, jeers, and the clicking off glass came as very unwanted head pounding sensation. She blinked a few times and sat up, massaging her head.
"What happened?" she muttered.
She paused, hearing voices outside.
"The Core Organization takes care of their own, just let me take her to see Mixenin, she'll patch the kid up," came Axel's voice.
"If she is who I think she is, she was one of ours far before she was one of yours," came a man's steady, even voice.
"Damn straight!" came a woman's voice.
Those voices... no no no, not them to! Mom... dad...?
Pain.
Horrific pain burst through Xion's chest, making her scream. Why? Why was everything hurting so much?!
The door burst open, and four people rushed into the room. One was Axel, one was Xifta...
The other two..
The man, a calm controlled stoic face, his empty but serious eyes blue, his hair a short and lighter shade of brown, his bangs sweep to the left side of his face. He bore the Organization cloat, but unlike anyone else, he had something else. A necklace of what looked like the face of a lion on it...
Leon...
The woman, despite the empty edge to her violet eyes and smile that most nobodies had, appeared rather cheerful and spunky looking at first glance. Her coat was a smaller and slimmer version, looking much less heavy and offering more mobility. She had short black hair, and a bandana of sorts wrapped around forhead underneath her hair.
Yuffie...
Xion clutched her chest, breathing laboriously. "I don't... understand... why do I feel like... I know you...?"
The man, 'Leon' as the Voice called him, frowned intently, "Guess Axel was right, she doesn't remember anything."
"Pff, told you so," said Axel.
The woman 'Yuffie' sighed and knelt down, reaching over to ruffle Xion's hair, an empty-sad look crossing her face. "Heya squirt, sad to see you here with us. A Nobodies life isn't a life for you."
Xion stared at her blankly.
Mom... dad... don't be fooled, she's not who you think she is!
At this point, Xion didn't know which hurt more, her chest, or her head trying to figure out what was going on.
"Why would saying her name hurt her so much?" asked Xifta.
"I dunno on that," said Axel, "But uh, are you sure she IS ka... er... the redhead? Because uh, she has black hair, and I've never seen a Nobody change hair colors from their somebodies."
He reflected briefly. "Unless you count Dusks and the like, but losing their hair doesn't count, I think."
'Leon' crossed his arms. "While there are subtle differences, I recognize that face, eyes, and hair anywhere..."
He frowned. "As for why she doesn't remember us... I don't know."
Xion stared at him. "Are you saying you know who I am?"
'Leon' contemplated his answer for a moment. "Perhaps, but, if you collapsing is any indication, hitting you with all that information at once might be a bad idea."
Xion hesitated briefly before nodding. "Okay..."
That pain in her chest wasn't something she liked. While she wanted information, she didn't want it at that cost.
"There's one more point, you know the name rule," said Axel, "No matter how you re-arrange the remaining letters after removing the X, that sure as heck doesn't get you the redhead's name."
'Leon' didn't appear to care, he moved to Xion and offered a hand. "Up and at em kid."
Xion took the hand and let him help her up. "Thanks."
"Pfff, she said thanks," teased Yuffie, "Where's miss do everything herself and all that huff about 'I don't need help!'?
Hey! I do NOT act like that mom!
Xion really wished she had a face to the Voice to look at and talk to. This was really confusing her, and the Voice seemed to have some clue what was going on.
"Anyway, I should get her back to the castle to rest and...," began Axel.
"No," said 'Leon', "Were taking her to see Xithera, she can tend to her if she needs it."
"But, the kids still unstable from being born, Mixenin ought to take a look at...," began Axel.
'Yuffie' glared at him. "She shouldn't have even been up and out if she's unstable! She'll rest at our HQ for a bit."
Axel sighed and threw his hands up into the air. "Whatever, don't expect the boss to be happy about it, you're kind of overstepping your jurisdiction."
"She is our jurisdiction, your boss should have told us she was among the Nobodies the moment she arrived here," said Xifta, placing a firm hand on Axel's shoulders and forcefully directing him to the door.
Xion watched them. "He seemed like a nice guy, no need to boot him out."
'Yuffie' rolled her eyes. "Him? A nice guy? You do know number eight of the Core Organization is an assassin, right?"
'Leon' raised an eyebrow. "So are you."
"Pfff, am not! I'm a ninja!" countered 'Yuffie'.
'Leon' turned to the door. "Not to the Organization you're not."
'Yuffie's' face fell a bit, a bit of empty guilt on her face. "I... guess not."
Mom... what have they been making you do?
"Come on kid, let's go see the others, maybe that'll jog your memory in hopefully a less painful way," said 'Leon'.
Xion hesitated. "Umm... o-okay..."
"Hey, no need to be scared squirt, we got Xithera to patch you up if need be, just like all the times she had to patch you up after patrols," said 'Yuffie', her tone almost teasing again.
Pfff... I did NOT need to be patched up... er well... that much...
Xion contemplated the Voice for a moment and then the other's words. The Voice acted like she knew them, acted like they wee family to her. Were they? And was she right on their names?
"Who are you two?" asked Xion.
'Yuffie' shrugged. "I go by my real name in private, but, Xuffiey when out and about."
'Leon' rolled his eyes. "Not that it's much different than your true name."
Xuffiey poked his shoulder, hard. "Well excuse me Mr. Swap-My-Name-At-The-Drop-Of-A-Hat. I liked my real name thank you very much."
'Leon' sighed and turned to Xion. "Call me Nexol."
Xion frowned. Neither of those names matched what the Voice had said, but beyond that, they didn't... feel right for these two people.
She blinked and registered something. "You talked about real and true names?"
Nexol held up a finger. "As Nobodies, we lack our hearts, and thus, are not truly who we once were. Until we have reclaimed our hearts, we have no right to bear our true names."
"Yeah? Well what was you're reason for dropping Squall?" asked Xuffiey, "You never answered either of us when we asked all those years ago."
Nexol shot her an empty-hostile look. "None of your concern."
Nexol frowned briefly. "I don't personally understand the significance of the X, but, our new temporary names as Nobody's are anagrams of our old ones with an X put in it."
So then...
N-E-X-O-L
N-E-O-L
L-E-O-N.
That name was correct.
X-U-F-F-I-E-Y
U-F-F-I-E-Y
Y-U-F-F-I-E
The Voice was right then. On one hand, she was glad. Knowing real knowledge like that, it proved she wasn't crazy and that she wasn't just hearing an imaginary voice in her head. On the other hand, it meant what the Voice has said, about her not being who they thought she was, was probably right as well...
Of course I'm right!
No need to rub it in...
Truth be told, she was kind of sad about that, it meant Nexol and Xuffiey didn't really know who she was. Yet... why did she feel like she knew them? It was the strangest sensation, and made her unsure of what was the truth or not...
"Xuffiey, go gather the others to HQ," ordered Nexol.
"Aww, why me? I wanna stay with Ka... er... what did you call yourself again?" asked Xuffiey.
"Xion," answered Xion before pausing and thinking it over.
X-I-O-N
I-O-N
I-N-O
O-N-I
O-I-N
N-I-O
N-O-I
Were any of them her true name? None of them felt... right. The name Xion felt honestly more accurate than those did. Though, something about the last one tugged at her, as if she had heard it before...
"No. i, our first and greatest creation," came a man's distance voice, as if from a memory...
Xion staggered a bit as pain hit her, forcing Nexol to catch her. "You okay?"
Whose... voice had that been? It almost sounded like Vexen's...
"Yeah uh, I think you better get her to HQ sooner rather than later," said Xuffiey, "I'll go get the others."
Nexol steadied Xion and looked her over with empty-concern. "You're unusually unstable, most Nobodies are in Xuffiey's words, 'zombies', when they first wake up. You're coherent, but, in pain. You're an oddity."
There was a faint smile on his face. "You always were."
Hmph! I was not odd!
"Come, let's be on our way," said Nexol.
Xion followed him out of the room, through the bar, and back onto the streets of the World That Never Was. Xion couldn't help but sneak glances at the man who knew her but didn't know her. Something about walking alongside him down a street just felt... so familiar...
Suddenly, the area around her changed. Nexol's cloths changed into a different outfit, almost like a uniform, and Xion found her much smaller. The dark and gloomy city changed into a different one, full of wooden and brick houses, with people ambling about. Xion found herself watching as Nexol's eyes kept scanning the area they walked.
"You always have to keep your eyes peeled while out on patrol. You never know when a Heartless, a thief, or worse could jump out at you, understand Kairi?" warned and asked Nexol.
Wait... what had he just called her?
Xion blinked a few times and found herself back in the World That Never Was. What in the world had that been?
How... how dare you! That wasn't yours to take!
Xion grew baffled. What in the world was going on? What was the Voice talking about? What had she taken? She looked down in her hands, but saw nothing.
"What do you mean?" Xion asked the Voice.
There was nothing but silence. No, that wasn't quite right, she swore she heard a kind of hissing sound, as if someone was seething quietly to themselves. Xion sighed quietly to herself. She just wished the Voice would tell her what was wrong and why she seemed so angry.
She glanced at Nexol, finding him doing the same thing she had seen in that... weird vision thingy... keeping his eyes peeled, looking around... and up?
She followed his gaze up into the sky and then froze, gasping in surprise. "What is that?!
What the heck?
There, hanging up far in the sky, was a giant, bloated, heart shaped yellow moon.
Nexol stopped and turned to look at her, eyebrow raised. "You mean, since you've woken up, you haven't looked up in the sky even once?"
Xion shook her head. "No."
Nexol sighed. "That, Xion, is Kingdom Hearts."
Xion heard a sharp intake of breath from the voice.
No way... that's impossible... Kingdom Hearts is in the Realm of Darkness, how can it be here?
"What... is Kingdom Hearts?" asked Xion, to both Nexol and the Voice.
There was only a heavy uneasy silence from the voice, Nexol however spoke, "It's the method to re-attaining our hearts according to the Superior of the In-between."
"It is? How?" asked Xion.
Nexol slowly shook his head. "We're not entirely sure. It was completed some time ago according to the Superior, the constant clashing between the Keybearers and the Heartless has more than filled it."
He crossed his arms. "Yet, he says it's not ready yet, because there's so many of us Nobodies, he says it needs to be even stronger to give us all back our hearts, and restore the lesser Nobodies to their original forms on top of it.."
Xehanort's lying through his teeth! He's deceiving them, using their desire to be whole and normal against them, just like he did with my Master and her darkness... that... that bastard...
Xion contemplated both the Voice and Nexol's words, while she did not have the Voice's misgivings about the Superior, it couldn't hurt to be on the safe side, especially about something so important. "Are you sure it's the truth?"
Nexol frowned at her. "Why wouldn't it be?"
Xion hesitated, uncertain about how to proceed. "Well... I mean... is there any proof of what he says?"
Nexol contemplated it for a moment. "Technically, no, but, the power radiating off the moon is... hard to doubt."
Xion blinked a few times. "Power...?"
Nexol regarded her curiously. "Do you not feel it, the moon's power?"
Xion shook her head. "No...?"
I didn't either... maybe trying to suppress and lock everything of mine down might not be such a good idea... but I don't want to risk losing anything else... what should I do...
Xion was baffled at the voices words. What was the Voice going on about...
I have to know... is it truly Kingdom Hearts?
Xion let out a small gasp and buckled to her knees as an overwhelming sensation of pure raw power washed over her, emanating from above. She looked up in shock, w-was this w-hat Nexol meant... by sensing it? It was like a tide, coating her skin in a heavy warmth.
It's... similar in feel, but, it's not the same, not the same of the true Heart of All Worlds that rests in the Realm of Darkness, nor is it nearly as powerful. Still... Xehanort having this thing is... troubling...
"Hmm, I wonder if awakening your memories and other abilities will be as easy as just mentioning them," mused Nexol.
Mentioning them? No... she might not understand a lot of things, and be growing more and more confused by the minute, but, even she had made the connection. The Voice had something to do with her gaining the ability to feel the power of the moon. No, it wasn't even only the moon. She could feel those around her, the sensation of emptiness, of nothingness, emanating from each and every being walking around the world.
"Who... are you?" Xion asked the Voice, "How did you do that?"
Silence.
Xion felt a... burning sensation in her chest, and her face contorted. Why wasn't the Voice telling her? Why was she hiding things from her? This sensation... was it... anger? Did she remember how to feel angry? She just... didn't understand, this didn't feel fake or forced...
"It helps to suppress your senses when you don't need them, otherwise, the moon's power can be a constant headache," said Nexol.
Xion nodded and shied away from the overwhelming sensation from above, rising to her feet. Nexol nodded to her curtly and started walking again, Xion moving to walk slightly behind him to his right.
"I suppose I should to give you rundown of what everyones doing," said Nexol, "Our branch of the Organization is the newest one. It was formed when our home was consumed by darkness and everyone lost their hearts. We call our branch 'Nothing's Watch'. We help to keep order on the streets of the World That Never Was."
Something about this seemed familiar to her...
"Order?" she asked.
"You might be suprised," came a voice behind them, "But..."
Xion turned to see Xifta jogging to catch up to them, moving to stand behind Nexol slightly to his left, "Without the heart's inhibitions, people can be far crueler than they were in life, do things they never thought they would do. Those on the streets and in the lower buildings outside the Castle That Never Was don't have the safety or status of a core member of the Organization. So, we have to crack a few heads to put people in line from time to time."
Some things never change...
Xion gave Xifta a blank look. "Wouldn't cracking their heads hurt?"
Xifta snorted. "That's the point. Pain is one of the few things we can actually feel."
"Hope nothing spills out then," said Xion, scratching her head.
"Uh... it's a phrase Xion," said Xifta.
"Phrase...?" she asked.
Light, your really daft...
Xion slightly narrowed her eyes. "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all."
What are you, a three year old?
"Umm... I think I'm less than a day or so old actually," answered Xion.
*sigh*
"Umm, a phrase is a few words or a sentence put together that means something a bit more than the words themselves, I guess?" offered Xifta.
"Okay...," said Xion, not really understanding, or wait...
"You mean like... 'hit the town'?" she asked, "Or 'let's go chill'?"
Xifta nodded. "Yeah, like those."
Xion contemplated it for a moment. "How do you know what's a 'phrase' or not?"
Xifta shrugged. "Mostly you just learn them. Sometimes people will have a certain tone in their voices, though that's harder to do as a Nobody."
Hrm... guess she'd just have to learn as she went.
"Anyway, we're situated at the back of Fragment Crossing just outside the Alley to Between," said Nexol, almost sounding disgruntled, "I imagine Xuffiey will have gathered everyone by the time we're there. Let's get you re-introduced and have Xithera look you over."
They walked out of the Skyscrapper area, down a few streets, dark alleyways, and almost what looked like a junkyard before coming to a somewhat open area. She glanced up, sighting a glowing blue sign with symbols on it she couldn't read. There was a yellow panel door, with windows to the side of it, she guessed that was their destination.
Unlike the bar that had been renovated, the inside of the building was as dark and gloomy as the outside. Not to mention gray. They entered into a sort of reception area with an empty desk follow by a set of double doors behind it. They walked through, coming to an empty lounge, before making for another set of double doors.
Xion paused as she heard a multitude of voices emanating from within. They all... sounded so familiar...
Are they... all here?
She felt the pain starting to come back and took a hesitant step back, hand raised to her chest.
"Xion?" asked Nexol, eyebrow raised.
Go in... I have to... see them...
Xion shook her head. "I don't want to, it hurts..."
Please... just go... in...
Xion blinked a few times, recognizing the tired sound to the Voice's voice. She frowned briefly, before grudgingly deciding to obey, the Voice had actually said please. She took a deep breath, let it out, and walked up to Nexol. The man nodded to her and pushed the door open.
In was a room much like the room of thrones in the Castle That Never Was, just on a much smaller scale. The thrones did not have differing heights, they were all raised to the same spot in a circle around the room, about the height of a bar stool, and bore a number, a name, and a tittle engraved into them. Nexol motioned for Xion to stay in the center before he and Xifta took their seats. She slowly looked around, each and every throne were filled by figures in black coats. Each one she looked at sent a spike of pain through her chest, yet, having expected it, it wasn't as bad as it had been to see Xifta for the first time, but the constant jabs were not pleasant, at all...
The first throne was Nexol's and read: Number I, Nexol, the Lone Hero.
Dad...
The second throne was Xuffiey's and read: Numer II, Xuffiey, the Transparent.
Mom...
The third throne belonged to a woman with brown hair that was long and styled into a braid down her back, with curls on either side of her face. Her hair also had a pink ribbon tied into it. Her eyes was a bright but very-empty green. She seemed... unusually hollow, even for a Nobody from what Xion could tell. Her throne read: Number III, Xithera, Herald of the Gospel.
Aerith...
The fourth throne belonged to a man with short blonde hair, and blue eyes. He had an unlit cigarette sticking out of his mouth. Against his throne was leaning a long spear. His throne read: Number IV, Dxic, the Sky Diver.
Cid...
The fifth throne belonged to a strong set man. He had spiky blonde, and blue eyes that regarded Xion impassively. Like Dxic, he had his weapon leaning against his throne, a huge bandaged sword. His throne read: Number V, Dolucx, Nothing's Edge.
Cloud...
The sixth throne was Xifta's and read: Number VI, Xifta, Hand of Nothing.
Tifa...
The seventh throne belonged to a young boy, younger than Xion was. He had a mess of blonde hair on his head, and appeared very scrawny, even with the coat he bore. It was... kind of awkward to see the boy sitting on a throne much to big for him. Even awkwarder was the sword resting next to his throne. It was almost as big as the boy was himself, did he really wield that? But wait... the sword itself... something almost seemed wrong with it. At first glance, it looked like a normal sword, a long silver blade with a golden handle, yet, the blade itself was cracked, seeping gray energy that coated the blade. The handle was also tinting gray slightly. It looked... broken, incomplete, much like a Nobody if Xion had to guess. His throne read: Number VII, Xurrath, Calamity's Blade.
Arthur...
The eight throne belonged to a large man with brown skin, the first time Xion had seen anyone with that color before. What stuck out even more than that to her though was the giant gun arm coming of of his coat, not to mention how bulky and odd he looked in it to begin with. She looked away from it and studied the man. A hardened face, short cut hair on his head and full facial hair on the rest. His eyes were black, and at the moment, tightened. He did not look pleased to see her standing before them, though, she didn't think he was 'angry' at her per-say. His throne read: Number VIII, Baxerrt, Nothing's Fury.
Barret...
The ninth throne belong to a young woman with short brown hair, a fair complexion, and wide green eyes. Out of all of them thus far... she got the smallest sense of recognition, she seemed familiar like the rest, but not fully recognized. Her throne read: Number IX, Xunparzel, the Tangled Weaver.
Rapunzel...?
For a brief moment, the cloaked woman on the chair changed. Xion saw a slightly younger woman with ridiculously long blonde hair walking down a street in front of her. In a single blink, the image was gone. Yet, that image and name restored the familiar sensation the others had. She was a bit curious about what happened to the woman's hair.
The tenth throne belonged to a man with brown, dreadlock hair, and brown eyes. He had a little bit of facial hair, a mustache, a little bit of hair on his chin, and, oddly enough, what looked like two mini-dreadlocks coming off his chin. His throne read: Number X, Xajck, Greed's Embrace.
Jack...
The eleventh throne belonged to a boy with tousled, black hair and almond shaped brown eyes. The posture of the boy seemed... sad... though, he wasn't paying attention to Xion. He had tiny little flying robots resting on his throne, on his shoulders, and running along his arms. He stared at them silently, an empty but longing look in his eyes, as if he were missing something, and using them to try and fill the void. His throne read: Number XI, Xiroh, the Empty Intellect.
Hiro... but no Baymax...
The twelfth throne belonged to the strangest inhabitant of the room. It was a tiny blue furry creature in a tiny version of the black coat. It had large black tear-shaped eyes, a domed nose, and large ears with pink insides. It was kind of adorable and oddly funny looking in it's coat... except for the bland, off-putting look it had on it's face. While it was somewhat familiar to her, the feeling of familiarity wasn't nearly as high as it was with the others. She doubted she had known it well in her previous life, well, if she had at all, she really didn't understand the sensation. It's throne read: Number VII, Tixtchs, the Ever Yearning.
Is that... Stitch?
The final throne belonged to a young woman. She had shoulder length black hair, and narrowed black eyes. Her expression was serious looking, yet, almost uncomfortable, flickering around the room towards her companions in their branch of the Organization. Like Tixtchs, she lacked the high level of familiarity the first eleven had. Yet, she swore she had seen her before. Sitting on her shoulder, oddly enough, rested a small red serpent like creature with whiskers, arms, and legs. Xion's eyes flickered to the throne, it read: Number XIII, Xumnla, the Silent Reaper.
That's... Mulan? But whose... the little dragon thing...? Wait... is that her friend... Mushu?
WHAM!
Xion nearly jumped as Baxerrt slammed his gun arm down on the arm of his throne. "God dammit, where the hell is the good in the world if you ended up like the rest of us?"
Xion stared at him blankly.
Xithera's eyes calmly turned to the man and spoke coldly, "There is none, otherwise, we would never have lost our homes, our hearts, and become like this."
Oh Aerith... you never lost... hope before...
The pain in Xion's chest was steadily increasing, and the Voice sounded more and more winded, tiny, miserable, and pained.
They're... my family and... friends... don't you dare... treat them wrong...
Suddenly, the pain eased a bit, and her chest relaxed as the Voice went silent. Xion wondered briefly if the Voice had gone to sleep again, or more likely, been overwhelmed and passed out. This... was almost to much for Xion herself to handle...
Nexol cleared his throat. "I would like, friends, to introduce Xion, number Thirteen of the Core Organization according to Axel."
There was a small murmur around the room.
Xithera was the first to speak, "That name does not convert into Kai..."
Xuffiey coughed loudly. "Don't say it, I don't want her to have another pain attack. She has a uh... memory issue you could say. Certain things seem to trigger it from what I've seen, and that name is one of them."
Xurrath's eyebrows furrowed. "Memory issue?"
"You... are all so familiar to me," said Xion with hesitance, "But... I don't remember any of you."
There was an awkward silence to the room as the nine who hadn't known that regarded her silently.
Xurrath sighed. "Great, she has it even worse than us then."
There was a collective look of empty-pity direction her way, one that made her slightly narrow her eyes and tighten her hands into fists. She ought to have been glad for such concern, if she could feel it, but, for some reason, the notion of being pitied made her a bit annoyed.
"Ha, there's the look," said Dxic, chewing on his cigarette, an empty-amused look on his face, "No need to get your panties in a bunch kid, we're just worried for you, well, as much as we can be."
Xion glared at him.
He leaned forward and raised an eyebrow. "That a problem, kid?"
Xion spoke, her voice sounding oddly different. "You can take your worry, stick it on your spear, and shove it up your ass."
Xion blanked for a moment and brought a hand up to her mouth, baffled. Where the heck had that come from...?
Dxic roared with empty-laughter. "Haven't heard you say that one in a while."
A number of the others chuckled softly, some of them giving her empty smiles.
Xion however only felt more and more confused, and a bit dizzy.
Dammit... why can't you... let me sleep?
Xion didn't... understand... she... just... suddenly felt as tired... as the Voice sounded...
She raised a hand to the side of her head and swayed a bit.
"Uh, you okay kid?" came Dxic's voice.
"Most likely not," came a voice from the doorway, "Overwhelming her as you are now is not a wise decision."
Xion turned her head, they all did, to see Axel and the Superior walk into the room.
The Superior turned his head briefly to Axel. "It would seem I need to speak with our... compatriots, sooner than I thought I would. Finish what you started, take Xion and show her our world."
Axel nodded and walked up to Xion, tapping her on the shoulder. "C'mon, let's get going. I'll finish showing you the world, then let's get you to bed, no offense, you look like you're about to drop."
Xion nodded absent minded and mumbled a faint goodbye to those present before walking out the room...
The Superior watched his puppet go, barely containing what little anger his fledgling heart could feel. She was not yet ready to interact with those Kairi had once known and held so dear. He had high hopes when he initially placed Kairi's heart within the puppet, yet, the Princess was a stubborn one. Rather than instantly be consumed, the girl had shielded her heart as best she could and resisted the process. It had forced him to... improvise... and place Xion as his thirteenth member of those who would one day be his vessels. He held no such intention with the puppet, he could not possess her even if he wanted to, but, she needed to have a close eye kept on her.
Though, that thirteen wasn't entirely locked in place. He had so many options now, it was almost staggering. The Organization with all it's branches gave him so many potential avenues it would have made his mouth water with anticipation if he could properly feel it. Even in this latest branch before him, there were plenty who could serve as vessels if he so chose. The man, Dolucx, Cloud as he had been, had held a great darkness inside him before he had fallen to nothingness. The boy, Xurrath, had immense potential, though, was a bit young for his liking. Even Xithera, a once strong woman of light, had come to embrace nothingness with such fervency it was tempting to choose her as well.
Truth be told, since Aqua's Heartless was finally disposed of, it's was one of the two remaining reason's he hadn't enacted his plans yet. The first was as he said, there were so many options he didn't know whether to keep his current choices or not. The second, was his puppet. If the puppet's purpose was fulfilled, Kairi's heart consumed, and the Princess of Heart replaced, it meant victory was all but assured. He would make puppets for the rest of the Princesses of Heart, and for the seven Guardians of Light, and so easily orchestrate the creation of the X-Blade and the return of the true Kingdom Hearts to the Realm of Light, followed by his remaking of the world.
But such thoughts were for another time... he was here to deal with the puppet's 'accident'.
His thoughts turned to what Axel had told him. To try to pull and consume Kairi's memories, feelings, and abilities so quickly was risky, very risky, especially when the Princess of Heart was struggling against her during the process. It was almost embarrassing, to not have considered that the puppet would bump into Kairi's past during her brief tour of the World That Never Was. It was mistakes like this, not considering potential dangers, that had cost him his victory against Aqua all those years ago.
"Superior, with all due respect," said Nexol, his voice thin, "Why were we not told Kairi had been turned into a Nobody?"
So, they had come to the conclusion the puppet was their dear Kairi? Amusing, though, not unexpected. He had expected to have to deal with that conclusion eventually, just not quite right at the start.
"Because," he said, "Hers is a special existence."
Xithera crossed her arms. "Yes, about that. How does she even exist as a Nobody?"
Xuffiey gave her a confused look. "Eh?"
Xithera returned it crossly. "Did you not pay attention to the briefings we were given? Kairi is a Princess of Heart, how did she even turn into a Nobody when she can't have formed a heartless? Am I not correct in such a question, Superior?"
The Superior was, for once, glad to not be able to properly feel. Such a pointed question might have risked a wince or some other subtle betrayal. He'd have to be mindful, Xithera was quite intelligent, and difficult to deceive if he had to guess.
He cleared his throat. "Correct, she should not have been able to create a Nobody, for, she never created a Heartless."
Xithera gave him a pointed look. "Then how, pray tell, is she here as one of us? If she even is. Her presence is strange, she does not exactly feel like the rest of us."
A dangerous, a very dangerous question indeed. A replica was similar to a Nobody, yes, but not quite the same. Especially when said replica had a heart inside of it. It was time to weave a tale he supposed.
"Have you wondered, my friends," began the Superior, pulling down his hood to reveal his old face, "Just how the presence, how, the Leader of the Heartless, was defeated?"
There was a bit of silence before Xurrath spoke up, "Are you saying Kairi had a part to play in that?"
"A part to play? From what I understand, she was the catalyst," said the Superior, "If not for her, the Heartless would have finished off the rest of the Realm of Light, and then eventually found her way here to finish what she started."
"What, exactly happened?" asked Nexol, "How could Kairi have beaten that thing?"
The Superior shrugged. "We don't know. We did not have eyes or ears in place at the final confrontation. All we know, is that Kairi and the boy Sora went off alone to, whether to challenge the Heartless or enact some plan..."
He began his lies and treachery, to pull the wool over their eyes. "We're not entirely certain. The pair went into that final battle... and only Sora came out of it. From what little we've been able to ascertain, she sacrificed herself against the Heartless, against a dark power not seen since the Keyblade War of old, or perhaps, even greater than what darkness existed in the age of Fairy Tales. That creature, was one of such power and darkness that it broke all rules, doing things that should not have been possible."
Which, was in a sense, truthful, Aqua's Heartless had done many things that astounded and baffled him. Consuming entire worlds full of hearts, and the world's hearts themselves into herself was surprising, how could one contain so many hearts, surely even Heartless had limits to the amount they could feed? To continue, he had never considered that it was possible to forcefully break open a Keyhole, it went against logic and the rules of the Keyblade. What was locked should stay locked unless unlocked by another Keyblade. Not to mention, when he had learned that Aqua's Heartless had begun to awaken Aqua's memories, to consume her heart entirely, it had sparked true fear in him. When a heart was 'consumed' by darkness and a Heartless born, the heart still existed, it wasn't actually consumed or destroyed, just wrapped in a shell of darkness while the true self slept. But, what Aqua's Heartless had been doing, to try and fully intake and consume the heart at it's core...
If that process had completed, even he, with all his vast knowledge and research, wasn't sure what that Heartless would have become.
He supposed 'the end' was the only accurate way to describe what the final outcome would have been.
"So... you're saying that Heartless had some role to play in it?" asked Xifta.
The Superior nodded. "Of course. It is safe to assume that the Heartless extracted Kairi's heart..."
There was a collective set of pained winces at those words and the most likely set of images passing through their minds.
"...and consumed it. As such, especially considering both the raw darkness the Heartless held, and their direct proximity to the Door to Darkness, and beyond it, the Realm of Darkness, may have allowed for a... breech... in the 'rules', and allowed for the creation of that which should never have been," said the Superior, "Not that any of us were supposed to exist to begin with. Is she truly any different from us in that regard?"
"No, I suppose not," said Xithera, "None of this should have come to pass to begin with."
No, it shouldn't have... Aqua should have become his vessel, he should have won. Yet, lingering on the past was foolish, not when the future still held such potential.
"Agreed," he answered simply.
He cleared his throat and continued his lies, "I am aware, of your past relationships with Kairi. However, because of the... unusual process in which she was reborn into nothingness, her memories were marred, and while she may be familiar with you all, trying to pull at what is buried, is a risky thing. It could risk damaging her, and I will not tolerate that. She is an special existence, unlike any Nobody that has ever come before her. Her capabilities and potential, as the Nobody of a Princess of Heart, are uncharted. Her value to us is unparalleled within all the Organization. But, until the day she reclaims her true name, her purpose, and her memories, she is not Kairi, or Xikira as I would have named her Nobody self. Instead, she will be Xion, No. I, an imaginary name for a persona that doesn't truly exist."
Nexol looked thoughtful. "I see. Is there any way we can help with her recovering her memories? It seemed like she was slowly starting to remember a bit when..."
The Superior held up a hand for silence. "Perhaps, but not right away, and not in the heavy handed method you are using."
A cruel smile crossed his face. "She must recover herself, yes, and become, complete, but it must be slowly. It must not be rushed however, lest she be damaged in the process. Ease her into it, allow her to stake claim on each and every memory, power, and ability Kairi had, and she will eventually become who she was meant to be."
The collective nodding from the group pleased him immensely. How easy it was to deceive those who only saw what they wanted to see. The puppet would certainly 'become' Kairi in time, oh yes, and they would help her fulfill her function in doing so. The puppet would consume Kairi's heart one day, become her, replace her. Vexen told him the puppet would most likely physically change to match Kairi fully once she had eaten the Princess's heart. Not that the differences between the puppet and the Princess were that much to begin with.
When the time was right, oh how he would enjoy lording over those gathered here that they had helped to kill their dear Kairi. "Do you all understand?"
There was another collective nod before the Superior gave a curt nod back, turned, and walked out of the room. These people would serve their part, and help deliver unto him, the object of his desires, his loyal keybearing puppet Princess of Heart...
Author's Notes:
So you think Xehanort, but, we will see, wont we?
Also, coming up with Organization X names is kind of a pain in the butt. I'm open to renaming options if you guys can think/agree on good ones. That goes for titles too.
Reviews:
JessiRI's question: Sora's Nobody will not exist in this story. As for the Kingdom Key D, I don't have a purpose in mind for it as of the moment.
TheKeeperOfWorlds: "The shear size of the upper community here makes for some VERY interesting dynamics to play out."
Yes, it does, but, it also presents a difficulty. Using all these people effectively is a very challenging thing to do, and one I'm not certain I did a very good job in with the 2nd book. In here, the cast is even larger, containing the thirteen members of the Core Organization, the thirteen members of 'Nobody's Watch', and eventually Aqua's Nobody, Olette, Sora, and anyone else I might potentially use.
Flourite: Slight misconception. The Superior is not Xemnas. He is Xehanort's Nobody, not the Nobody of a Aqua/Xehanort mix (and certainly not a Terra/Xehanort mix since that didn't happen in this timeline/fanfiction). I keep him called 'the Superior' because I'm not entirely certain if Xehanort would have either kept his true name, or added another X into it (which is really long and awkward to try and come up with a name for). Not to mention, Xehanort simply choosing to go by the name Superior is such an ego thing I'm not sure I'd put it past him.
I'm not planning on him ever saying the word 'indeed'. Xemnas used it far to much...
Questions relating to Xion/Kairi's interactions/relationship: Not spoiling how that's going to turn out, wait and see...
Chika and G119: Thanks, glad you enjoy.
Random Yet Important Question:
How do you guys feel about the whole 'time travel' thing with Xehanort(s) in cannon? Is the concept of time travel something you'd want to see in this? Because, that is a big, branching pathway in the future depending or whether or not that happens. There are MANY ways I could take book four, I haven't really begun planning it yet (which is probably a good thing, since ya know, were only on chapter 2 of book three).