Face-Off

Sean tried to soak in what he just discovered; keeping things in proper balance, but the whole idea was overwhelming. His own uncle, his godfather, had deliberately made his life a train wreck so he could be a vessel for a microscopic galaxy that's entire composed of negative energies and forces. The young boy took deep breaths to try to calm himself.

After five minutes of collecting his thoughts, Sean made and analysis of what he should do: Get rid the Nebula that's in him now. What Regal did to him was of no matter unless he gets it out. And if Sean lived through this, he would stay from his uncle forever more.

Sean looked at the door which his dark-half now resides. Unlike the cold, metal door to which Sean first encountered, the door was now a pair giant wooden gates, crafted from a pitch black timber with extremely dull brass handles. Feeling anxiety in his entire body, Sean slowly walked up to the door, savoring the known around him before he ventured into the unknown. Sean felt his blood racing as a violent surge as he firmly griped the handle. Taking in one last breath, Sean opened the door.

000

It was another late night for Chaud. He was in his private office at his father's company. He came here not to do minor paper work, but look at the lightshow that was downtown. This is one of his favorite spots to brood alone. Well, almost alone.

"Chaud, sir," said Protoman from the computer screen on Chaud's desk, "is something bothering you?"

"It's that boy, Protoman," answered the teenager, "It was almost ironic that Lan, myself, and Sean, to be in the same room, fighting for the control of the net.The three of us… the grandchildren of the three inventors of the net, and the children of the ones who made the Second Generation of NetNavis. It was like fate was playing a cruel game with as a mere pieces."

Chaud recalled one of his personal memories before his mother's passing away. He was two years old, playing with the one year old Lan Hikari and the new born Sean Obihiro. Even at this age, Chaud had a photographic memory. He recalled all the simple games they played that use to humorous to ones of that age. And their reunion today, Chaud's memory now seemed tainted.

"We may choose our own destinies, Chaud, but fate has always been cruel under no circumstances. It is possible that Sean was forced into this, he might had shattered under the weight of the world."

"Sean is a good kid." Chaud stated, "I remember his mother, she was as loving as my own. And as for his father… Sean's father was great man. Sean just needs remember his parents what his parents taught him. And knowing Lan, he already has done just that."

"You were right, about one thing, Chaud. Fate seems to have an interest with you three, only it's just not always cruel."

000

Baryl was making a through search for the name 'Sean Shun Obihiro' on his computer, hoping to look up something about his nephew. When he finally did found something, the Netopia Colonel was not pleased. He pulled out his PET and address to his military AI.

"Colonel, Sean is currently a patient in the Beach Side Hospital in DenTech City of Electopia. I'm sending you right into the Hospital sever to find any information on his condition."

"Sir, yes, Sir." Said the military Navi, he then pixilated and vanished from his Personal Terminal and onto the PC.

Baryl gave out a heavy sigh and then prayed, "Sean, if you're anything like you parents, you pull through any condition that you're in."

000

Sean found himself pitch-black void. Although there was no light, Sean could see his hands and the clothes on his body as clearly as in daylight. Sean felt the numbing, cold-air on his hands and face.

"You have done well, Sean Shun Obihiro." Said a chilling voice, which was almost as twice as cold as the room. Sean turned around and saw the entity that tormented Sean with dark fire after he saw his painful memories. Sean stared down the faceless despot, looking at him at his one that was not covered by ludicrously long hair. Wanting to rush him, Sean realized he couldn't move his body, most likely a little magic trick, courtesy of Shuryou.

"I was taken by surprise by how you manage to break free of the Dark Flames of the Nebula Grey earlier. It was as though you had help from an excess source. But don't count yourself lucky. The Nebula has encountered that entity before, in past incarnations, and with each encounter, Mega has triumphed, foiling every possible victory of Nebula's. But he can not interfere with this affair."

"I thought we would fight," scowled Sean, "Not just listening to you babble on."

"This may be your mind boy. But it's the part of the mind that I control, the part that people like you fear to tread but still wish for it. The part of the mind that is unchained.

"You are familiar with the story of Genesis, boy. When the creator of the world stated that there would be light, there was light; soon after, the world was made. But in the beginning, there was darkness, and even now it still exists. It's in every mind, every heart, every soul. It is only chained by the unnatural laws that you call Light."

"So what you're saying is that for every time someone says 'Hello, Good Morning,' to someone else, to you it's unnatural?"

"Indeed. It is proper for people to live for themselves and not to laws that been stated by anyone else. Have what they want and desire and only live that way. To live their way and die their way."

"Without laws, there would anarchy and no control. Is that a world you want to live?"

"That is natural."

"So, you're just living a life without regard to anything decent, thinking that you're just above everyone else. Good thing we're not really related, otherwise I would be sick."

"Am I not related to you, Obihiro? I was made from sorrow and pain that you felt during your parents' passing, as well as the anger you felt in life."

"But it was a lie, Uncle just set me up to bring me down, making me into some sort of street punk for his little experiment."

"Doctor Regal has made you smarter, giving you intelligence that of his own, as well as his knowledge world."

"Regal is wrong about the world. He's a deluded scientist that lost his both his humanity and sanity."

"Thus making him worthy to past judgment on all. You should be honor that he freed your mind."

"Like crud he did."

"You disappoint me," said Shuryou in a expressionless tone, "Now I have to convince you that you're Uncle's teachings are indeed true. I shall begin at he most basic…"

To the moment that Shuryou turned his back, Sean felt that he could move again. Taking his chances, he began to charge the despot to strike him down with the keyblade. But just before a foot in striking range, something snag on Sean's foot. To the boy's surprise, it ws a metal chain wrapped around his leg, just below the knee. Sean heard a noise that sounds like a downpour of rain against a window. Suddenly, dozens of metal chains appeared and began to crawl like snakes at high speed to Sean. They began to cover Sean, ensnaring his entire body like he was Jacob Marley from the Christmas Carol, leaving little movement to Sean, while bringing great weight to him.

Sean tried to move with his new restraints, but he felt a sharp, but relatively small, prick… the chains are covered with tiny bards!

Shuryou turned to Sean and began to finish where he left off seconds ago, "…is that you are a complete fool to think you can just restart you're life after today. Did you really suspect that you will go on with you're life? Do you know how many lives that you endangered or killed?"

"It wasn't me," said Sean, even though the chains had wrapped around his head, just below his nose, "It was you, it was always you. Every scheme, every button pushed, every second of it was you and you're precious nebula of yours."

"Those chains are the lives that token away. And they want to seek vengeance from the one who did this, and who better then the child who's mind who created me." Just then, the chains began to tighten around Sean. They were starting to make him force him down.

"Now do you see?" asked Shuryou insincerely, he kneeled down and look Sean in the face, "When you are hated, you'll be hated for ever. People will either hate or trick you. Why trust them? Why try to? They will betray you in the end."

Sean shook his head to this; he began to resist the crushing bind on him. Physiological, Sean was fighting the guilt that felt for the crimes that were committed by Shuryou. Even though he and the despot were two separate beings, someone has to take responsibility for his actions. Using his extraordinary will power, many of the chains constricting Sean snapped, some still remained undamaged but it was still enough to give Sean proper movement again. The featureless face of Shuryou clearly showed some once of fear from the tone of his voice. He just saw a young boy overcoming the devasting criticism of others.

"How?" he ask, backing away from the unflappable sight before him.

Sean pulled down the chains that covered his mouth, with a determining gleam in his eyes, "I may take responsible for what you did, and I might be despised. But I have to do something!" Sean took a step forward and Shuryou took a step back, "If I just sit around and let some smug, arrogant, JERK like you just coming back to haunt me, then my life will be terrible. So I have to at least try to make things better….my parent s would want that." Somewhere while preaching this, Sean's threat trailed away from his dark counterpart to himself. He stop for moment to contemplate. He then lifted his head and glared right at Shuryou.

Sean began to charge forward again. His swiftness was still hindered, but Shuryou was still dumbfounded by Sean's feat made things even. Sean thrust his blade forward just as Shuryou reminded himself where he was, so he fell down right before he made contact with the keyblade. He then slowly walked away from Sean while crutching down and kept his one eye on the boy as a snake would watch its prey. Sean took notice how his darker half's eye has now lost a certain appeal that made him fear it. The now felt like the tables have turned.

"For a moment, I thought you were a real." He said in a stern voice, "Then I remembered that you're just a program. A program that is supposed to break me, live off of me, and make me into something I'm not."

"Have you been listening to yourself?" asked Shuryou darkly, as he stood up, "Even if you do destroy me, I still left an effect on you. How can you even plan to live a normal life after this? You're no longer a child, but to young to be a man."

Giving no answer, Sean rush at his darker half, now at a quicker pace, but this meant little to Shuryou as he extend and opened his hand and made a scythe that composed of blue, 'viral' looking blocks to appear out of thin air. Griping his new weapon firmly, Shuryou parried Sean's thrust, causing both himself and Sean to be in a dead lock, the blade edge of Sean's keyblade was caught on the rigid form of the snath of Shuryou's scythe. Seeing an opening, Sean tried to land a punch on the despot's right side, but his opponent saw the oncoming attack and slap Sean's arm away with the back of his pale green hand. Shuryou then kicked Sean's leg, breaking the boy's stance as well as the deadlock. With his free weapon, Shuryou whack Sean across his face with the blunt end of the scythe, but with its rigid design, it left small cuts on the side of Sean's face. The dark despot continued to twirl his weapon as watch his true half on the indiscernible ground, rubbing his wounds.

"Now do you see," said Shuryou as he put a stop of his twirling, "I just beat you. You lost. No mother to clean your wounds, no father to help you stand tall, and no friends to cheer you on. But even so, all of them would reject you for what you did. Your body and soul are mine."

Shuryou walked up and loomed over Sean, staring his ice cold, black and red eyes into Sean's ruby ones, making the young feel like he was staring right at death. Shuryou lifted his Scythe over his head, all the while never breaking his eye contact with Sean. The boy's body was locked up with fear, and in one mere second, the craved blade of the scythe came crashing down on Sean…

000

Once you atone for what you did,

I promise to be your first friend.

000

… the keyblade in Sean's hand moved by it's own and blocked the scythe's deadly blow. Seeing this, Shuryou began to back.

"Impossible," he muttered under his breath

Sean looked at his blade and notice that it was glowing, he could even faintly make out another person standing besides him, whose hand on his own, as though he held up Sean's arm to protect him. Sean knew who it was, but the name was absent from his memory. The boy had brown eyes and brown hair, which was held up a blue headband. This was a friend to Sean. Someone who Sean can trust. Someone who will never hold anything against him, someone who will not turn his back on him. Was it his voice that Sean heard right before Shuryou's strike was blocked?

000

Sean… when you put you're mind to it,

You can overcome anything in the world…

Even yourself when you're down, like now…

000

Sean slowly got up on his feet. He felt warmth inside of him he had long forgotten. The cold around him started to fade away. It remind him one cold night, when his was a baby, how his Father came in and wrap him up a warm blanket, Shuryou did not like the looks of Sean's second wind.

"How can he be talking to you? He is dead!" he said in pure fear, he obviously heard the same voice just as Sean. He then began to try to put up a false sense of control, "So…you want to try again? No matter. Even if you win, you'll still have deal with all the pain you cause. They won't understand what would happen here today, The world would spit on you, cuss you out, and leave you for dead. You would be murder, and everyone will cheer when that happens."

These words pierce right through Sean's heart. Though they were taunting from Shuryou, they were the true. The very idea of being rejected for the crimes he didn't commit made the fear inside of Sean return. The though of being scorned and jeered almost seem to make it difficult to breath, almost like Sean's heart just stopped.

000

Inspector Oda began to panic as Sean's vitals began jump around on the monitor. He hit the Nurses' button several times and told the nurses what was happening while assuring them he has the right to remain in the room after visiting hours. After that, the old peace keeper just had to wait and watch.

000

The Sean felt the warmth within him fading away; he felt the chill of the void around him gripping around his heart as a cold claw. His vision started to blurry and fuzzy. He could faintly heard Shuryou saying, "You are mine." Sean kneeled over on the intangible ground.

"I believe it should be fitting for you to see your Station of Serenity." Said Shuryou. And with a snap of his fingers, the two were now standing a circular platform, covered by a violet colored water that seem to over flow on the sides The water was at least twice as freezing than the void.

Sean's vision had faded terribly by now, but he could still hear his dark half just fine.

"This water is really the blood of Nebula Grey. Though he is composed by the flames of rage, he's blood is as cold as space itself. And your heart is now he's source. As you can see, you're entire heart is immersed in it. You can not stop it. To do so you have deal with your loses and your sins, something that a child like you can never do. The run-off goes straight to towards the dark galaxy, giving life and form to the dark energy that … ves form…soldiers… as Darkloids." Sean's hearing was now starting to fade. But as Shuryou voice started to grow faint, he could hear a voice of a woman.

000

Sean…

000

Shuryou stopped talking, as he heard the voice as well. But since Sean was now the death's edge, he could who was talking. It was princess; dress in a glowing silver gown, a purple flower was place over her ear, underneath her long, body width brown hair. Holding her hand, was a knight in a sliver mail with a gold tunic. His hair was brown too, but shorter and considerable messy compared to princess. In fact, Sean could see distinctive cowlicks in the knight's hair. The two were in a meadow of pure green grass and flowers of assorted colors. The princess's eyes were weeping as she addressed to Sean…

000

Though I cried when you were overcome with rage…

I am relieved that you broke free…

Your father and I will always love you… with all our hearts.

000

"Mother," Sean then began to use his keyblade to support himself as he got back on his feet. The boy's vision was barely coming back to him, as though he just awoke from a nap. Shuryou tried to move to kill the boy with his scythe, but now, he felt frozen in place.

"You can not win against me," warned Shuryou, annoyed at how many times Sean gotten up. "You are at death's edge. You're not fit to fight me."

"Who said anything about fighting?" ask Sean weakly, he started numbing cold fading away from his feet. "There is no use fighting it. You're a part of me. And no matter how much I try, you'll always be in my heart, feeding off me at the worst of times, just like you did for the past five years.

"But this time around, it will not be the same. Someone gave me this keyblade, gave me his power, and gave me his friendship to help me through the pain of that I have. From losing my parents, to the crimes that you committed through me.

"As for the people who will reject me, they have every right to be angry… they lost so much. But if they are anything like me, they would try to make sure that no one else will feel their pain. That would be the most human thing to do."

Sean then walked to center of the platform, raising the weapon high as he said, "Whoever gave me this, he didn't meant for me to use a weapon to destroy the darkness in me, but to really help me. And for this… I thank him, my first friend," Sean stopped for a second as he remembered the name of the boy that gave him his hand, "Lan Hikari." With that said, Sean then striked his keyblade straight into the center of the platform, through the cold water and hit the solid ground of it.

The water level then began to drop, as though Sean had turned off the flow of the water. The portrait that WAS the platform slowly came into full view as the last of water went over the edge and into the dark abyss. It was a full picture of Sean, in his current set of clothes with his grey hair and red eyes, standing independently. Where he stood was the border line of a dark and light side. On the light side, the head shots of Lan Hikari Sean's parents were there along with a heroic looking NetNavi in blue armor. On the dark part, was Shuryou, Bass, and a wolf like golem creature that Sean noted looked familiar.

"I'll be back," said Shuryou, now disappearing (ironically, over his portrait on the platform), "It will happen when you let you guard down. Whenever you are alone, wounded, you will summon me back. Like, or not."

"True," said Sean basically, "But I will never be alone. Never again."

Shuryou then faded away into his portrait. Sean stared at it with heavy eyes. The sound of claps made him alert. He turned around to see a glowing techno-color ball of light floating. Sean could have sworn he saw a linear form of a body around the sphere.

"Congratulations," the sphere said to the boy, "I see that Lan's and Voltnutt's powers have rub onto you."

"Who are you?" Sean asked, he felt very tired and keep hardly concentrate after what he has been through.

"I'm the counter balance that Shuryou said before, the force that always defeated the Nebula's attacks at every turn. I'm the form of light that is in people's hearts, just as Nebula is the form of darkness of hearts."

"Do you have a name? Why are you here?" Sean was now only a few winks from falling asleep, he was quite delirious at this time.

"I go by the name Mega, but over time, I've been called by other names. In this form, I have been called X. I have also been known to go by Trigger and Xis. But in this world and timeline, I am known as two separate beings that share a strong link to each other, I am sure you know them well.

"As for being here, when you were consumed by the dark flames earlier, I felt my universe being calling to be stronger for you. And I did, leaving the power in the Keyblade that is in your hand. It originally was to set you free from your prison. Its strength comes from bond that you share with my universal double. That's why it saved you from Shuryou's final blow; it wanted you to keep your promise with Lan. You'll find its use just as helpful today in the future."

"I heard and saw my parents," said Sean, mustering the last of his strength, "Where are they?"

"During the battle, you're body was going through a state of shock, leaving you close to crossing over. What you saw and heard today were indeed you're parents, in a small taste of heaven. Have you seen the real heaven, your only desire for the rest of you life is to death."

"Heaven," said Sean weakly, "this means that… that…" The boy didn't finish, because he then fall asleep, his body glowing brightly as it began to disappear.

"Yes," said X, watching Sean sleeping peacefully, "it means that there is still hope for you yet. Enjoy you're time awake, Sean Obihiro. You deserved it." And with that, X disappeared, back to the space between time and space

000

The long night ended and the orange rays of the raising sun peered through the window. After showing the Nurses his identification and his police badge, Oda was now telling what happen prior to the nurses' arrival.

"… and then his heart rate was unbelievable, probably over a hundred thousand per minute."

"Well, according to the charts here. He suffered a serious panic attack. It would be a miracle if he doesn't wake up to be mental disable."

After saying this, Sean yawned long and loud, all the while stretching his arms. He sat up on the bed and started to open his eyes.

"Urgh… what a dream," the boy said to himself, he then took notice of his surroundings, "Uh… who are you people and why I'm in a hospital?"

000

Lan Hikari woke up as the orange light of the sun filled his room, rubbing the sleepiness away from his eyes, he sat and saw Megaman waiting for his brother's wake for a while.

"Why is it that modern alarm clocks fail to wake you up, but the oldest one, the Sun, gets you up in full alert?"

"Uh, Megaman," moaned Lan, "Do you have to nag at the start of the day?"

"I'm sorry, Lan. How did you sleep last night?"

"Weird, I dreamt that Sean was about to be killed by his disguise, but at the last second, I saved him by moving his arm. By the way, Sean had a wired weapon, it had our colors, you know, but the real deal about it that it was a sword, but looked like a key. The later one, I was a ball light and telling Sean some weird stuff. Weird, huh?"

"Lan…" said Megaman in astonished tone.

"What is it, Megaman?"

"I had the same dream, only I WAS just that ball!"

The expression on the two boys' faces was complete amazement.

"Let's go and visit Sean," said Lan.

"No complaints here."

After putting his NetNavi into his PET, Lan changed clothes, got a blueberry muffin from the kitchen and raced towards the Metro-Line on his skates.