Kingdom Hearts:
The Truth Behind Xehanort
( ) - ( ) - ( ) - ( )
Summary: Riku, Sora, and Kairi have finally returned to Destiny Islands after their two and a half year-long adventure across the universe. Things have finally settled down and everything has seemingly returned to the normal, boring way it was before. But when a letter from the King sets off a mysterious chain of events, can Riku save the one thing dearer to him than his friends? And better yet--what is this secret King Mickey has uncovered by going through the files on Ansem's computer...? "XEHANORT HAD A WHAT?!" "A fiancée, Riku. Xehanort had a fiancée." Pairings: Xehanort/OC; Suggested/Friendships: Any and All! (ie, Axel/RoxasSuggested, Zexion/LexaeusSuggested, Riku/SoraSuggested, Sora/KairiSuggested, Riku/Kairi/SoraSuggested, Zexion/DemyxSuggested, Xigbar/XaldinSuggested, etc.)
( ) - ( ) - ( ) - ( )
Warnings: Major spoilers mixed in, bad language, hinted shonen-ai, possible/suggested (graphic?) character death, gruesome and multiple fight scenes, graphic torture, and possible (attempted?) (graphic?) suicide. Warnings are subject to change as story proceeds.
( ) - ( ) - ( ) - ( )
Notes: 7-2-08 I don't own KH, FF(insert number here), any sort of anime/manga titles, or Disney, so anything related to them is not mine. I do, however, own my OCs, this storyline, and so on. Please excuse any problems with anyone's characters, as for about three of them, I truthfully have little to no experience and am going only on what I believe would be appropriate. And if you have any suggestions for anything, feel free to tell me! I enjoy flames, too--just not the perverted kind. X3
( ) - ( ) - ( ) - ( )
LUCRECIA'S JOURNAL, ENTRY THREE:
INFORMATION
((MKL: aka "and you thought luke skywalker had it bad!, part one"))
"So where are we going, again?" Lucrecia asked slowly, clearly confused. Xigbar glanced over his shoulder and grinned.
"Don't worry 'bout it, Luce," he assured her. When she merely stared doubtfully at him, he sighed and rolled his visible eye. "Fine, fine. We're goin' to the Heartless Manufactory."
"The where?"
"The place where the Heartless were first created," Mickey explained solmnly. Xigbar, Xaldin, and Lexaeus winced, not escaping the notice of Lucrecia or the teens.
"Oh," was all Lucrecia said, frowning. She turned her attention to her son, who was staring at the floor and apparently thinking hard about something. She blinked once when his form was briefly overshadowed by another, but when she opened her eyes, it was gone. But that form was...so familiar...
"Good of you to join us, Xigbar, Xaldin, and Lexaeus," a voice sneered from before them as the group suddenly paused on the stairway. "I was just coming to make sure none of you were killed."
Lucrecia's eyes widened and she suddenly smiled, shoving her way to the front.
"Even!" she cried, smile wide enough to split her face. Vexen jerked a bit in surprise and whirled around to stare at her, his own icy-green eyes widening.
"Lucrecia?" he asked rather stupidly. "Lucrecia Xen?"
Lucrecia merely smiled and took a few steps forward, giving him a hug. He stiffened a bit, but awkwardly patted her back in return, flushing a bit and shooting a glare at the snickering Nobodys.
"Even, it's great to see you again!" she said happily, pulling back and flashing him a smile. He shifted uncomfortably and her smile faultered. "Oh...right. It's...not Even anymore, is it?"
Vexen merely lifted a shoulder in response, causing Lucrecia to tilt her head. "So what's your new name?" she asked, curious. Vexen hesitated only a moment.
"...Vexen," he said slowly, watching carefully for her reaction. To his surprise, she laughed.
"S-sorry," she said when she was done, smiling at him and lifting a hand to stiffle any future giggles, "but...it sounds...odd!"
Vexen slowly started to flush again at that.
"That's what we told him," Xaldin said with a smirk.
"But he insisted," Xigbar went on, snickering.
"It isn't bad," Lucrecia quickly assured him, dropping her hand to clasp both behind he back, "just...different. I like it."
"Did you hear that, Xigbar--she likes it," Xaldin mocked. Xigbar shot him a playful glare.
"Shut up," he grumbled, folding his arms over his chest childishly. Lexaeus smiled a bit at the display.
"What are you doing here, Lucrecia?" Vexen asked suddenly, changing the subject as his eyes narrowed a fraction. Lucrecia blinked at him as he went on. "I was told that you were going to remain in Destiny Islands until we were sure the experiments were not going to harm anyone."
"And we see where that got us," Xaldin mumbled under his breath so only Riku and Kairi could hear. The two glanced at him curiously, but were saved from responding when Lucrecia gave a long, whithering sigh.
"My son," she gestured behind her to Riku, causing all of the Nobodys to freeze in looks of varying degrees of shock, "recieved a letter from King Mickey," she moved her gesture to the small mouse, who avoided everyone's eyes. "It said...it said that I needed to come. And that it involved 'Xeha and everyone'."
"What?" Lexaeus suddenly exclaimed as the Nobodys turned to stare at Mickey. The small mouse stayed silent.
"King Mickey, why would you do that?!" Xaldin demanded, eyes narrowed and a snarl on his lips.
"Dude, that's SO not cool," Xigbar groaned.
"You merely got her hopes up," Vexen growled, glaring at Mickey as the room's temperature quite literally dropped twenty degrees. "What were you expecting to tell her?!"
"About what?" Lucrecia asked, blinking in confusion. She glanced towards the teenagers in the room, hoping one of them might have an answer. "What are they talking about?"
"I have no idea," Sora said with a shrug. Kairi nodded her agreement.
"Something happened to my father?" Riku offered quietly, tilting his head in confusion. The Nobodys froze and exchanged looks before turning to Lucrecia, who pretended not to notice. However, after a few moments, she threw up her hands in defeat.
"What?" she demanded, arching an eyebrow. "He knows his nickname! I told him a few things! Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nickname?" Xigbar repeated, looking vaguely doubtful.
"Yes. Xeha. And I said he was a scientist, and that he was working under one of the greatest minds of this planet, and that he would come back..." She died off and swallowed before shaking her head and gazing at them pointedly. "He would come back as soon as he could."
"Does he at least know of--?" Xaldin asked, frowning.
"No," Lucrecia cut in, eyes narrowed dangerously. She paused a moment and, sounding much less confident, added, "I...don't think so. I might have mentioned him once, but...I don't think so."
"Confused!" Sora complained again, this time blocking Kairi when she went to hit him. He grinned triumphantly, then was hit from behind by Riku.
"Let them talk," the eldest of the three said, gazing pointedly at the brunette. Sora did not reply, instead grumbling something and rubbing the back of his head in annoyance.
"You could tell him now, so he will not be as surprised," Vexen offered.
"About the little one," Lexaeus added, giving Vexen a pointed look. The blonde merely nodded his agreement.
"Not until I see him," Lucrecia said, eyes narrowed dangerously. She looked at them pointedly as they just stared, obviously trying to comprehend that. "Well? Is someone going to lead the way or do I have to start screaming?"
"I'll lead!" Xaldin quickly offered, practically portaling to the front of the group and walking briskly downstairs. Lucrecia smiled innocently.
"Thanks, Xal." Xaldin did not respond as she began walking, sticking close to Vexen. "And as for you."
"Huh?" Vexen asked rather stupidly, brow furrowed in confusion. He seemed to be doing that a lot with Lucrecia around, something which was obviously out of character.
"Do you have any idea how worried your wife was the last time I spoke to her?!" she cried, eyes narrowed dangerously. Vexen flinched as Xigbar innocently ducked back to trail at the back of the group with King Mickey, who still had not responded to anyone's questions. Riku gazed at them doubtfully as Sora and Kairi exchanged confused looks, Lucrecia going on. "My name-alike was in Traverse Town, and she had given up hope that you were even alive! It took me nearly a week to get her out of her self-induced slump!!"
Vexen hunched his shoulders a fraction, giving the illusion that he was a child being repremanded by his parent.
"And you," she whirled on Xaldin, eyes narrowed dangerously, "your girlfriend was begging me to help her try and find someone who had seen you alive! The poor girl looked ready to tear her hair out by the roots!!"
Xaldin visibly flinched and adverted his gaze, leaving Lucrecia to completely skip over Lexaeus (who was frowning and shaking his head) and instead turn her sights on Xigbar, who was still hiding at the back of the pack. He caught Lucrecia's piercing stare and hestitated a few moments before slowly nodding his understanding to the silent accusation in her eyes.
"Well?" She turned her gaze around the three men as Lexaeus clearly thanked any gods out there that he was being spared from the accusations. "Have any of you contacted your families since this," she gestured wildly at them, "happened? A letter? A phone call? Something?!"
They all avoided her gaze, and just when she was about to start yelling, Xaldin meekly called, "We're here."
Lucrecia smiled at that, all trace of anger seemingly gone as she nodded her thanks.
"These are the great founding members of Organization XIII?" Riku snorted, arching an eyebrow as he folded his arms over his chest. "I'm not impressed. They're getting verbally abused by my mother and aren't fighting back!"
"Your mom's scary," Sora decided quietly. "That might be why.
"She's being a mom," Kairi whispered back. "She's overly-protective and wants them to get back together with their...families."
"The mother of Organization XIII?" Riku offered quietly, smirking a bit. Kairi and Sora snickered in response.
"Riku," Lucrecia suddenly said, frowning a bit at him from at the bottom of the stairs, "aren't you coming?"
Riku quickly put on a smile and nodded. "Yeah, Mom! Be there in a sec!"
"Your mom's pretty cool, though," Sora went on, unaware that Mickey and Xigbar were listening in. "I mean, she's kinda tamed four members of the Organization in, like, fifteen minutes."
"Actually, little dude," Xigbar piped up with a grin as the teenagers jolted at his sudden enterance into the conversation, "she had thirteen years to do that. She lived her before, y'know. Hung out with us a lot."
"She lived in Radient Garden?" Riku asked incredulously. Xigbar nodded silently, then glanced up, dropping his voice to a whisper.
"I can't tell ya any more than that, but if ya ask, I'm pretty sure she'll explain."
Kairi opened her mouth to question that, but before she could, they made it to Lucrecia. The conversation screeched to a hault.
"Okay, we're here," Lucrecia said slowly, gazing pointedly at the four Nobodys. "Now where's Ienzo?"
"He's going through the files," Lexaeus said slowly. Lucrecia turned pointedly to him.
"And where are those?"
Lexaeus pointed towards the only doorway, which lead to the spot where Lucrecia had seen the Heartless. She hestiated only a moment before boldly striding through, pausing when she got into the area. She saw a head of silver-blue hair in the middle of the room, files scattered all around, and she noticed that his head was tipped forward so that his hair covered his face. However, despite the fact that Lucrecia had not seen him for nearly sixteen years, Lucrecia knew in her Heart who it was.
"Ienzo?" she called meekly. The figure stiffened and slowly raised his head, hair still covering the right half of his face and a single visible purple-blue eye widening in surprise when he saw the woman in the doorway. Lucrecia felt tears form in her eyes as she lunged forward, dimly aware of others in the doorway behind her. "Ienzo!"
Zexion was too shocked to respond, letting Lucrecia practically tackle him as she cradled him close, his face positioned between her breasts as she sobbed and stroked his hair, falling to her knees so she could do so.
"Ienzo, Ienzo...oh my little Ienzo, it's you...I know, it's you...!"
"M..." Zexion began, voice hardly more than a whisper. He pulled back his ashen face enough to stare up at the familiar, yet unfamiliar features of the woman who was holding him. "M...Mo...ther...?"
"What did he just say?" Sora gasped in the doorway as Lucrecia sobbed and nodded, still holding Zexion close to her. He was completely ignored.
"Ienzo, it's me," she agreed between breaths, tears still running down her face in rivers. "It IS me. Oh Shiva, I...I was so worried! I missed you! Oh Shiva, I missed you so much!"
Zexion was still too stunned to reply, gazing over her shoulder and not really seeing the others standing there.
"M-Mother?" he repeated. Suddenly it seemed to hit him and he pulled back from the hug, staring up at Lucrecia in shock. "Y-you're...here? Now?"
"Yes," she quickly said, a watery smile on her face as the tears continued to fall. "Yes, Ienzo. It's me. I'm here, right now. I'm here..."
"That's touching," Xigbar mumbled to Xaldin. The younger of the two rolled his eyes and gave his old friend a look.
"Xigbar, shut up," he muttered, annoyed. Xigbar, for once, did as he was told.
"You've grown," Lucrecia said quietly, gently stroking the left side of Zexion's face. She continued to smile at him and closed her eyes, shaking her head before opening them again to gaze at Zexion with the kind of love only a mother could show. "You've grown so much...and yet..." She suddenly looked confused for a few moments. "...you're...supposed to be..."
"Twenty-six," Zexion confirmed softly, gaze drifting to the side. "Twenty-seven this November."
"Then...why?" Almost as soon as the question left her mouth, Lucrecia gasped and quickly felt at Zexion's chest. The still-teenager's ribcage rose and fell in time with his breath, but there was no steady thump beneath that. Lucrecia felt tears begin to form in her eyes again as she pulled Zexion to her again, tears once more falling down her face. "Oh Ienzo...I...I'm so sorry." Vexen seemed to wince from behind her, but only Kairi seemed to notice. "I should have been here...I...maybe I could have done...something. Anything..."
"There was nothing." Zexion's voice was slightly muffled, but Lucrecia heard him none the less. He made no move to pull himself from the embrace, but at the same time, he also made no move to add to it. "If you had stayed, you would have either been turned into a Heartless or sent to another planet. There was nothing you could have done."
Lucrecia shook her head at that, continuing to hold her elder son close. "No," she mumbled, closing her eyes again, "that would have been something. At least I would have gone down fighting."
Zexion hesitated a moment at that before slowly pulling back from the embrace, his single visible eye locking with his mother's almost-identical ones, the other underneath his hair undoubtedly doing the same. "No," he said firmly. Lucrecia blinked open her eyes in surprise and pulled back a fraction, noting the seriousness of Zexion's expression. "Because you were not here, you did not end up being...this." He grimanced a bit at that and uncontiously lifted a hand to where his Heart should have been, although he did not seem to notice that he had done so. "And that's more than a lot of the residents here can say."
Lucrecia stared at him for a few moments...and then she smiled, climbing to her feet and dragging Zexion with her. Her child nearly fell over as she did, caught off-guard, but Lucrecia managed to catch him. She continued to smile as she gently cupped his face, then quietly asked, "And your name? According to Xigbar, everyone has changed their names...what's yours?"
Another moment of hesitation from her son. "...Zexion."
After thinking it over for a few moments, Lucrecia smiled and nodded. "I like it. It suits you."
Zexion's lips quirked up in an almost-smile.
"Ah, that reminds me!" she suddenly said, turning around and quickly dragging Zexion over to the group. "Zexion, you remember your brother, I hope."
"Riku," Zexion suddenly said, eye narrowing a fraction. Riku growled.
"Zexion," he responded coldly. Lucrecia was immidiately confused and glanced between the two, still keeping a tight grip on her elder son's hand.
"...did I...miss something?" she asked after a few moments, tilting her head. "I...wasn't aware Riku even knew you existed."
"Little brothers tend to look over obvious similarities when they meet new 'friends'," Zexion merely said, smirking a bit. Riku glowered at him before turning to his mother, expression quickly changing to shock.
"I have a brother?" he asked incredulously. He shot a look at Zexion and added, "And it's Zexion?!"
Zexion suddenly appeared surprised, glancing up at Lucrecia with a quirked eyebrow. "You never told him?"
"I was...waiting until you and your father could come," she admitted quietly. Zexion continued to stare at her for a few moments before turning his attention back to Riku, frowning a bit.
"That would explain a lot," he mumbled quietly.
"Mom," Riku said, eyes narrowed as he gave Zexion a look like the Nobody was a rabid dog, "did you conviniently forget to tell me something else?"
"What do you mean?" Lucrecia asked, brow furrowed in confusion as she grabbed a handcerchief from her pocket and wiped the drying tears from her cheeks with her free hand. The other was refusing to let Zexion go, not that he seemed to mind.
"Oh, I don't know!" Riku threw up his hands in exasperation and looked about ready to die. "That Ansem the Wise is my dad or something!"
"Great-grandfather, on mom's side," Zexion said with a smirk. Riku gave him a deadpan look.
"...you're not serious."
Zexion's smirk widened. "Perfectly so."
"..." was Riku's inteligent response. He turned around and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and letting out a long, low breath. He took a few moments to calm down before turning back around and giving his mother a pointed look. "...I think it's time you told me who my father is before I kill myself."
"You might anyway," Zexion said with a half-shrug. Riku shot him a glare.
"Who asked you?!"
"Riku!" Lucrecia suddenly exclaimed, eyes narrowed dangerously. Riku winced at the tone of voice, along with everyone else in the room with the exception of Mickey. "Don't speak that way! I don't care what might have happened in the past--and if I knew, I have no doubt Zexion would be as much to blame as you are, if not more so, since he's the elder sibling--as long as I'm here, you will not speak that way! Understand?"
"Yes, Mom," he mumbled, eyes dropping to study his shoes. She seemed satisfied and instead turned to Zexion, frowning.
"And as for you." Zexion's brow furrowed in confusion as he wondered what, exactly, he had done wrong. "You are not helping. Keep your comments to yourself!"
"Yes, Mother," he responded rather meekly. Again Lucrecia seemed satisfied and smiled innocently at them.
"Now get along, will you?" she asked innocently. "In the meantime, I believe Sora has a story to tell."
"Eh?!" Sora immidiately cried, eyes wide. Lucrecia gave him a pointed look.
"Riku's refusing to tell me what's happened during your absense, and Kairi has been on Destiny Islands for at least a year of it--that much I know for a fact. These guys," she jabbed her thumb towards the apprentances, who were conversing in tones too quiet for anyone else to hear, "probably wouldn't be able to tell me the whole story. So that leaves you."
Sora opened and closed his mouth a few times, then turned to gaze hopelessly at Riku, who merely gave him an "I'm busy here, leave me alone" look before returning to his glaring at Zexion, who was staring back apathetically in return.
"Fine," Sora sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing his nose. "But I don't know everything, so I'm gunna need some help...especially with Riku's part."
"I'm not saying anything," Riku said, eyes narrowed at Sora. The brunette frowned, but did not press his friend.
"Okay, so, it all started when we wanted to build this raft so we could explore the worlds..."
( ) - ( ) - ( ) - ( )
Lucrecia stayed silent through the whole explination, listening intently as Sora spun his story. Riku had caved when Sora said that he had been sleeping for a year and finally told her what happened there, with the Nobodys cutting in to correct biased statements when it came to them. Every time they mentioned "Xehanort", Lucrecia visibly winced and Zexion immidiately squeezed her hand, but Kairi was, as usual, the only one to notice.
"...and then we came back home," Sora finished with a smile. "The end!"
Silence followed his ending as Lucrecia slowly closed her eyes, breathing deeply. She processed everything she had just heard, trying to take out the obvious bias in some parts of the story, but she was having a harder time dealing with the "Xehanort" parts than the whole thing with Riku. She knew her son meant no harm, but to think that Xehanort...
"...and Xemnas?" she finally said, opening her eyes and scanning the faces of the Nobodys there. "Is he back, too?"
They all hesitated and, to her surprise, it was Lexaeus who answered.
"Yes," he said quietly. "But...he's still recovering from the wounds he recieved in the fight with Sora and Riku."
"Xemnas is back?!" Sora cried out, eyes wide as he lunged to his feet. He had sat down when Riku began explaining what happend in Castle Oblivion, not that Sora remembered any of it.
"He's in no condition to fight," Xaldin immidiately said, eyes narrowed dangerously at the children. Sora merely glared in response.
"He was in perfect condition to try and kill us after capturing Sora," Riku growled dangerously, coming to his friend's defense.
"You will have to go through us before you come within a mile of his room," Vexen sneered in response, eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Guys, calm!" Kairi quickly exclaimed, moving to stand between the two groups with her hands raised.
"Yeah, really, dudes," Xigbar went on with a serious expression, joining her. "We don't need infightin' before we even tell 'em why they came. Least wait until we're settled in and they've got a chance to think over everythin' for that."
"Agreed," Lexaeus said with a nod.
"I'm not happy with this," Sora complained, eyeing Xaldin with clear annoyance.
"Sora," Kairi groaned as Xaldin protested loudly.
"Xaldin!" Xigbar added, giving his friend a pointed look.
"Everyone BE QUIET!" Lucrecia suddenly shouted. The room fell into silence as she stared at them, eyes narrowed dangerously. "If I hear one more word about this, I will personally settle the disagreement."
Zexion watched with a slight smirk as everyone cowered, now finally pulling his hand from Lucrecia's grip to fold his arms over his chest. "Perhaps the King should explain why you were called here," he offered quietly. Everyone obidiently turned to look at Mickey, who had been watching everyone intently during the whole exchange. He blinked in surprise at suddenly being remembered.
"Welp," he said slowly, blinking again as the others stared at him, "you guys know 'bout the Organization returnin', but we're still tryin' to find out why..."
"I thought Xemnas already explained this," a voice said smoothly from the staircase. Kairi whimpered and hid behind Sora as the brunette growled and summoned his Oathkeeper Keyblade, glaring at Saïx as he strode dramatically into the room. He ignored the teens and instead focused his gaze on Lucrecia, a wry smile falling into place on his face. "Lucrecia."
"Sïa!" she exclaimed, blinking rapidly in surprise before she grinned. She quickly moved over and grabbed him in a hug, which he oddly returned. "It's good to see you again!"
He merely smirked as she pulled back, his height (he was more than a head taller than her) making her seem almost miniscule in appearence.
"I see you're doing well," he responded with a nod. She smiled in response before said smile slowly fell and she tilted her head.
"Sïa, you, too...?" she asked quietly. When he seemed confused, she gently poked his chest, and he winced a bit.
"...yes."
"And your new name?"
"Saïx," he said stiffly. Lucrecia smiled and nodded.
"Saïx," she repeated slowly, testing the word. "I like it. A lot."
"Awww, that's no fair!" Xigbar complained, pouting childishly as Xaldin smirked at him.
"Seems you're not so special anymore, Xigbar," he snickered. Xigbar stuck his tongue out childishly in return.
"What did Xemnas explain?" Riku asked slowly, standing protectively in front of Kairi. Saïx glanced over and frowned a bit.
"He explained that Nobodys can never truely die," he said, voice oddly soft and, if you wanted to push it, reassuring.
"I remember that," Sora admitted, still staring at Saïx with suspicion as he dismissed his Keyblade. However, he stayed tense. "He said that 'Nothingness is eternal.' That, just like Light and Dark, Nothing will live forever."
Saïx nodded slowly. "In essense, we are the very definition of Nothingness. I believe it was Yen Sid that said, 'Nobodys do not truely exist at all'. And because we do not exist, we do not die. The same thing goes for Heartless, the definition of the Dark, and the Keyblades, the definition of the Light."
"So wait," Riku suddenly said, eyes widening in surprise, "Xehanort's Heartless..."
The ex-apprentances-plus-Saïx-and-Lucrecia gave a group wince.
"Would still be alive," Saïx confirmed. "Not nessicarily still inside of you, but he would still be alive, somewhere."
"And we've gotta report from Twilight Town that there's a super-strong warrior that's got a Heartless-looking creature followin' it," Mickey went on solmnly. "That's why I called. You three 'cause you're the Keyblade Weilders, and Lucrecia because..."
He died off and gazed curiously at Lucrecia, who smiled slightly. "Because I wanted to reunite my family again," she decided to say. She gave Zexion and Riku a pointed look. "Even if they've been cruel to each other without my knowing it."
"He was the one being cruel," Riku mumbled rather childishly. Zexion merely rolled his eyes.
"I have a question," Sora suddenly said, frowning. The others all turned to look at him as he eyed the Nobodys before him with suspicion. "Why're you guys helping us? I mean, you were against us for more than a year and a half..."
"Because we wanted to regain our Hearts, and we thought you wouldn't help if you knew that," Lexaeus said quietly.
"Truthfully, we destroyed a lot of world, and we're not proud of it," Xigbar went on, frowning a bit. "But we wanna fix it now."
"We're willing to put aside our differences," Xaldin finished with a nod, staring pointedly at Sora. "And besides, Lord Superior insisted. He wanted to try and fix things with the universe and the overall feelings when it comes to Nobodys."
"It seems you said or did something that affected him," Saïx admitted. He was gazing curiously at the two who had defeated his master, eyes narrowed a fraction. "Whatever it was, he suddenly decided that saving the universe was more important than trying to regain our Hearts. And if he has decided that, I will follow him."
"As will I," Vexen admitted, feeling vaguely forgotten ((MKL: oops...he was until i re-read the chapter. XP))
"We all will," Zexion added softly. He was gazing at the stairway, determination flashing in his visible eye. "To the ends of the universe."
There was a solmn group nod. Lucrecia merely smiled and nodded as well, Sora, Riku, and Kairi seeming not quite understanding what the force behind the statement was, but not quite as aprehensive about the situation, either.
"I'll forgive them," Kairi suddenly said, gazing pointedly at Saïx. The blue-haired man blinked once, then gave a half-smile, half-smirk and nodded.
"I guess," Sora said with obvious uncertainty. He scowled suddenly and folded his arms over his chest, gazing pointedly at Xaldin. "But I want you guys to agree that I can kick your...er...butts should you do anything to make me think you're going to hurt someone on our side!"
Xaldin merely smirked.
"We agree," Vexen said, shooting Xaldin a pointed look. The younger rolled his eyes, but indeed nodded his agreement.
"...I trust Sora's judgement," Riku reluctantly said. "But I'm still a bit reluctant. And if any of you come anywhere near my mother with any sort of malicious intent, I swear--"
"No need to worry about that," Zexion cut in. "I am sure everyone here respects Mother just as much as we do."
There was a series of enthusiastic nods from the Nobodys present (save Vexen, who merely smirked).
"Numbers Eight through Thir...Twelve are unaccounted for," Saïx suddenly said, frowning a bit. "If they agree, I believe they should be given the chance to join us as well."
"Here, here!" Mickey said with a smile. "I'm all for it!"
"Hn," was Riku's simple response, coupled with an eye-roll for added effect.
"I'm sure they'll willingly agree, if they're anything like you six," Lucrecia said with a smile. The Nobodys merely shook their heads and/or smirked in response.
"Whelp," Mickey suddenly said, smiling again as he clasped his arms behind his back, "I think it's gettin' late. These guys," he gestured towards the Destiny Island-ites, "have got a lotta things ta process. Can one of you guys show them to some rooms?"
"I'll do it," Lexaeus offered quietly, raising his hand. He paused and nodded his head at the group. "This way."
Sora and Kairi hesitated only a moment before following, Kairi with surprisingly less weariness than Sora. Then again, Sora did have Roxas influencing him to some degree, and Roxas was on high-alert around other Nobodys from the moment he entered the Organization. Riku and his mother lingered behind a moment.
"I'll come in a bit," Lucrecia assured her son with a smile. Riku hesitated again, eyes darting around to gaze at all of his former enemies, so Lucrecia laughed quietly and reached forward, pulling Riku into a hug. "Good night, Ri-Ri," she mumbled into his hair, planting a soft kiss there.
"Mom," Riku grumbled, only half-resisting as the Nobodys snickered at him. Lucrecia chuckled quietly and let him go, watching as he jogged off to catch up with his friends, pausing only a moment to wave a goodbye before disappearing from sight.
Silence echoed through the room until the footsteps of the four drifted away. Lucrecia was suddenly all-business.
"Where's Xeha," she said seriously, gazing at the Nobodys in the room with narrowed eyes. They all looked hesitant, so she repeated the question with a bit more force. "Where. Is. My. Xeha."
"...I'm...not sure if it's a good idea to let you see him," Xaldin said quietly, frowning as the shadow of worry shined in his eyes.
"Dude, as if!" Xigbar snorted, rolling his eye. "She can handle it." He paused a moment and his expression softened into a smile as he nodded at his old friend. "'Sides, she's probably worried sick about the guy. Hasn't seen 'im for nearly sixteen years."
Lucrecia smiled her thanks. "Mother," Zexion said quietly, frowning. Lucrecia glanced down and smiled, taking her child's hand in both of her own.
"I can handle it, Zexion," she assured him softly, gently squeezing for emphasis. He stared at her for a few moments before sighing quietly and turning his gaze to the side.
"I...cannot stop you."
Lucrecia smiled and turned towards Vexen, who looked a bit out-of-place all of a sudden. "Vexen, would you mind taking me to see him?" she asked calmly. Vexen hesitated, eyes flickering to the side a moment.
"I--I supose I could," he muttered, clearly a bit unnerved by something.
"I will take you," Saïx said suddenly, giving Vexen a pointed look. The blonde shot him a thankful one in return.
"Vexen worked on his injuries," Zexion whispered to his mother, who had to bend forward a fraction to hear him. "He...seems reluctant to return."
"I see," Lucrecia mumbled, nodding. She smiled in understanding at Vexen before letting go of Zexion's hand and taking a step forward. Determination flashed across her face. "Lead the way, Saïx."
The blue-haired man nodded silently and turned, starting up the stairs. Casting only one more look over her shoulder to smile at her old friends and give them a breif wave, she turned back around and disappeared up the stairway.
Silence again followed their leaving.
"Do you think she can handle it?" Vexen asked, frowning in mock concern.
"She can," Zexion assured the elder man, nodding with a seriousness that looked odd on his young face. "She will."
"She's a strong woman," Mickey said with a smile, reminding the remaining ex-apprentances that he was still there. He took a step forward and gazed after her, remembering the way that she took the whole story of Kingdom Hearts in stride. "She'll be fine. 'Sides, she's Riku's mom. She's definately stronger than she looks, right?"
"That depends," Xaldin merely said with a sigh.
No one had the Heart ((MKL: -smirks- pun intended.)) to ask him what he meant.