Well, here it is. I had to do a lot of cutting out information in this chapter, as I decided to save some pieces of information for later on in the story. Anyways, I do hope you enjoy!
[Reviving Hollow Bastion – Kingdom Hearts II]
Riku and Lea, after a long morning and some tea, found themselves at the heart of Ba-Sing-Se's lower ring. Around them, people dressed in rags and silks alike traversed the streets in search of fine family restaurants, rare goods, quality merchandise, farmers markets, good bargains and other such attractions. After the war, according to Lea, parts of Ba-Sing-Se's walls had been torn down by the Order of the White Lotus and the entirety of the city had been opened up to people of all economic classes and backgrounds alike. Not only that but the war soon caused the Earth Kingdom to unite as a confederacy of mutually protected city-states with representatives meeting at Ba-Sing-Se's Earth Counsel every month, giving cause for Ba-Sing-Se to finally open its doors to the world for the first time in centuries. As a result, the once isolated city has slowly been transforming into a central hub for commerce, notably following Fire Lord Zuko's treaty with the Earth Counsel to send trade fleets westward towards eastern Earth Kingdom shores, tariffs included. With more trade between Ba-Sing-Se and the Northern Water Tribe underway as well, new money was continuing to enter the city, allowing poor refugees a chance for a better life and the rich to enjoy an unparalleled life of luxury.
Of course, not everything was solved as poverty remained a large issue and immigration was at an all time high even after the war, giving cause for political parties to urge the counsel to tear down the Outer Walls. Disease slowly became a creeping issue due to overpopulation as well and even with advanced water bender doctors slowly entering the city, the city often served as an incubator and distributor of disease to neighboring cities and nations alike, causing for political factions to push for mandated, city-wide quarantines at the cost of the economic boom. Lea shrugged at this matter, though: people would always be poor, argue, and complain. Ba-Sing-Se wasn't going to become a utopia overnight, after all.
"But let's get back onto why we're out here," Lea narrowed his eyes, "I've been hearing some rumors about strange creatures appearing around the industrial district. I recall the Boss talking about several underground passageways that connect to different parts of the city, which so happens to include the industrial district we're about to visit. Word is a lot of local drug dealers use them to smuggle goods to rich buyers in the Upper Ring, although I've also heard about secret government deals going on down there."
"Man, a lot of rumors pass through that tea shop, huh?" Riku was surprised.
"Why do you think I stick around there?" Lea pointed out, "I use to run reconnaissance back in the Organization, you know."
"I thought you just stayed there for a free meal and the company," Riku smiled wryly. Lea sighed.
"Anyways, point is, with this many people in the city and a good hiding spot right beneath them, I bet we'll find some Heartless."
"And maybe even Xehanort," Riku caught on, "so what's the plan from there?"
"Before you continue," Riku felt his shoulder poked, "how about you fill me in?" He didn't even need to turn around to know who had trailed Lea and him. Riku cursed under his breath.
"It's nothing, Toph. We're just looking for our friend, that's all." Riku felt Lea jab his arm.
"What was that for?" Riku jumped, on edge.
"She can see through your lies, genius," Lea hissed.
"I can feel your lies, actually," Toph stated flatly, her eyes deadpan, "My earthbending is handy for more than just tracking two weasels in this large city. I can sense your heartbeat quicken when you tried to pass off that excuse."
"Well, we are trying to look for her," Riku protested childishly, "…we might just so happen to come across her if we find something else first. Right Lea?" Riku returned the sharp jab.
"Oh, yeah. That's right, actually. We don't know for sure if we'll find her, but this might be the lead we need…ah screw it, this is pointless," Lea threw his arms over his head, "we're looking for someone else, something dangerous. I'd like to leave it at that."
"Ah, now we're finally getting somewhere," Toph grinned, "And to think I would have believed you had you continued."
"Really?" Lea raised an eyebrow.
"No."
"Anyways," Riku tried to grasp control of the conversation before Lea spilled their entire back-story, "Look, we're not trying to do anything bad. Honestly, I came to Ba-Sing-Se to find this man and finally put an end to everything that he's done to me and my friends. He might be here, so Lea and I needed a place to stay. Iroh was kind enough to take us in. That's honestly it."
Toph considered this, not exactly frowning, but she definitely wasn't patting them on the back and sending them off with a smile.
"So why did you let me teach you, then?" she asked Riku.
"Honestly, I was going along with it at first so I could stay with Lea, but after a while, I realized that earthbending and metalbending might help me catch the man. I thought you had something to teach me as well." There was no point in lying to Toph and Riku didn't want to drag this out any longer than he needed to. Still, he awaited the master's response.
"I can understand that," she simply stated, "you need to take something down that's hurting the people you love and you'd do anything to take it down. I think you're more of an earthbender than I gave you credit for, Flakes." She crossed her arms.
"I believe you…but," she walked up to him, placing a finger on his chest, staring him in the eye, "if you plan on using earthbending for something as dirty as revenge, then I'll be there to knock some sense into you. You got me?"
"…yes," Riku nearly squealed. Lea slapped his forehead.
"Well, there's no point in letting you two boneheads go in alone to an underground passage you've never seen." At this point, Riku wasn't surprised that Toph overheard everything they said, even in this crowd. What concerned him was what she said next.
"But that can wait until later. Iroh urgently needs you back at the Tea shop. He says it's important." At that moment, a large shadow befell the street as the hum of mechanization and an unnatural gust of wind bounced off the surrounding buildings. The crowd of people – including Lea and Riku but excluding Toph – witnessed a huge Fire Nation airship slowly drag its way through the murky air towards the Inner Walls with two smaller escorting blimps staying close to its flanks. Toph realized from the wind that an airship was drawing near and turned to Riku and Lea.
"We need to hurry. Come on!" she grabbed Riku's hand and began pulling him towards the direction of the tea shop. A second later they were running towards the Inner Wall, Toph pushing Riku ahead of her with Lea hot on their trail as the airship neared its destination.
Lea looked over at Toph with a raised brow, but thought nothing of it and continued running.
[Aqua's Theme - Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep]
"So, what is it that you want," Aqua growled, getting up immediately, summoning her Keyblade regardless of his 'surrender'. She hardly cared if he wanted to 'talk'; there was no reason for her to trust him so naively, so willingly. He managed to manipulate Terra before and nearly killed her on several occasions. He wasn't to be trusted.
"And you better give me something good," she pointed the Keyblade at his heart, "or I will not hesitate to send you back to the 'Master' dead."
"Wait," Xehanort shook his head, not in a position to wave his hands, "before you make any impetuous actions, just listen to me. I am not the Xehanort that has committed the atrocities you have seen."
"But you become that man. You cannot deny your crimes," Aqua tried keeping her composure, but the idea of Xehanort passing off blame nearly made her slice his head off...painfully. Aqua hated violence, but she hated Xehanort even more.
"Yes, I become that man, but let me assure you that I am not him. In truth, I despise what I've become more than anything," his head dropped, his eyes closing as if submitting to his guilt. Aqua loosened her grip on the keyblade, her body loosening from its tension. If what this younger Xehanort was saying held any weight, if he was a younger incarnation of Master Xehanort, then he wasn't responsible for what happened to her…at least not yet. That much, she admitted, would have to be true. Aqua didn't trust him, but now, more than anything, she was curious as to hear what he had to say.
"Go on," Aqua nodded, emotion tearing at the edge of her voice. Aang stood up, witnessing the standoff without speaking a word. He was strangely reminded of a similar occurrence nearly four years ago.
"The Xehanort that I have become…is no more than a puppet of the Darkness…a mere echo of my original intentions. Before I make my request, I need to explain two things to you." His eyes firmly remained on Aqua's.
"The first thing, my goal, is to unlock and destroy Kingdom Hearts."
What?! Aqua could hardly believe what she was hearing. Destroy Kingdom Hearts?
"But why? Why is destroying Kingdom Hearts so important?" Aqua shouted emotionally, balling up her fist. "We barely know anything about it. Why is it worth destroying so many lives?" Aang placed a comforting hand on Aqua to ease her pain. She nearly collapsed in physical and emotional exhaustion.
"Honestly, I don't think any lives should have to be destroyed to accomplish my goal. In truth, however, I am not sure." Xehanort spoke with melancholy, shaking his head before sighing. "As for why I want to destroy Kingdom Hearts…well, I don't think I've earned your trust enough for you to believe me just yet."
"So, then, what's the second thing?" Aang asked in place of Aqua.
"The second thing I want to explain…is exactly what happened to me after I set my goal on destroying Kingdom Hearts. How I became the Master Xehanort you are familiar with today." Xehanort took a seat on the training field with his legs crossed, his hands still above his head. Aang lowered Aqua onto the platform and sat down, legs crossed as well, as a sign of respect. Aqua breathed sigh of relief, but her glare never left the younger Xehanort. Aang signaled for Xehanort to lover his hands.
"Thank you," Xehanort breathed as his hands fell limply to his sides. The Kingdom Key remained between the three of them.
"Mind if I interrupt before we continue?" Aang asked.
"Go ahead," Xehanort nodded.
"Just so I don't get confused, may I call you First?" Aang requested. When Xehanort look at him in confusion, Aang explained.
'Well, you are the Xehanort to exist before all the other Xehanorts, right? My friends explained to me what you're older self has done, but I still get confused by all of you, so I wanted a way to distinguish you from the others in name."
"That's…understandable," Xehanort admitted, a rare grin emerging on his face. "Then sure, First is acceptable."
"Can we get to the point already?" Aqua snapped. "Just tell us you're story."
"Alright," Xehanort took a deep breath, "I'm assuming that you have enough familiarity with the Keyblade war, do you Master Aqua?"
"I do," she spoke.
"Then you know that the goal of it was to forge the X-blade using seven fragments of light and thirteen of darkness and unlock Kingdom Hearts, correct? Well, simply put, I spent most of my life under the assumption that you needed a balance of light and darkness to forge the X-blade. I was not aware of the true formula for the X-blade until I studied under Ansem the Wise and by then, my memories of my former life were mostly gone."
"As a result of this assumption, I spent most of my life training myself in the ways of both light and darkness so that I could seek out and find the X-blade, believed to be hidden somewhere within the Worlds after the first Keyblade War. However, I never found it. Instead, having built no immunity against Darkness and having never been taught how to channel it, my body slowly succumbed to Darkness as I used it more frequently. My body aged at a rapid pace…and my mind slowly began to erode, replaced by dark thoughts and an obsession to seek out Kingdom Hearts."
"As a result of this, I formed an idea, an experiment. What if I recreated the events that lead to the discovery of the X-blade? What if I had two forced, one light and one dark, clash so that it may be formed again and Kingdom Hearts unlocked?"
"Ven…" Aqua spoke the name.
"Yes, the apprentice who came to me, seeking a Master who was too weak to handle the darkness." First shook his head, looking down. "By then, I only cared about two things: self-preservation…and results. Having split Ventus and Vanitas at this point, I left him in my former friend, Eraqus', care so that he'd become stronger. As soon as I made the arrangement, I began seeking out ways to extend my lifespan and had learned of ways to transfer my heart and consciousness to another vessel. Soon enough, I returned to see Ventus's progression…and found your friend, Terra."
Aqua's eyebrows knitted in anger, her eyes pressing into First with one of eyes flashing amber, "And you took his body, his life, away, didn't you?!"
"…Terra still lives, even if my future self suppressed his heart." First spoke. "As for his consciousness, I hear his Lingering Will possesses his Armor. I believe Sora should know something about that, but beyond that, I cannot tell you much more."
That boy's name again… Aang thought. Aqua seemed to have calmed down, but only a notch.
"Fine then," Aqua spat, "so you became corrupted and still desire this goal to destroy Kingdom Hearts. Why should I believe you? Why should I believe you wouldn't do it again?"
"I'm…I'm merely a visitor in the timeline," First admitted, "I cannot change what I am fated to do, only attempt to change what is happening now."
"Then how do you expect me to believe that you, not your future self, but you won't continue to hurt and destroy? How do you intend to make up for all of the hurt, all of the pain, all of the suffering you made me and my friends endure? You know how long I spent in the Realm of Darkness worried sick about my friends? Twelve years, twelve years of fighting off Heartless, trying to find a way out of that sick hell of a hole. Meanwhile, Terra spent those twelve years controlled by a mind that isn't his and Ven spent it in a lifeless, fragmented body that resulted in your filthy experiment!" Aqua got up, her Keyblade raised at First's throat, both of her eyes amber as darkness radiated from her body.
"You know, I had to have my friends explain to me everything that had happened in those twelve years, everything that you caused, that I could have prevented but lost the opportunity to. They left it in the hands of a young boy, never even trained, to stop everything that you had to do. How is that fair? How is any of that fair, to make so many people suffer? Your existence is a mistake."
Aang got up immediately and placed a firm hand on Aqua's shoulder.
"Aqua, that is enough," he spoke as firmly as his grasp.
"Shut up!" she snapped at Aang.
"Aqua, you're letting your emotions get the best of you. Taking it out on First isn't going to solve anything."
"Quit it with that stupid nickname," she glared, "that boy is Xehanort, that boy has taken more from me than anybody ever has."
"Well then, deal with it." Aang spoke boldly, his hands gesturing forcibly. "If you're not going to be reasonable, then listen to this. You're not the only person who had everything they known taken away from. You're not the only one whose seen the people you love suffer. A lot of people have to deal with loss, but taking your anger out on something or someone is only denying reality. If you want to mend the hurt, then it's your responsibility to make things right within yourself Aqua."
"But…"
"But nothing. You know how many times I wanted someone to bring my people back? I can't just ask someone to magically bring back everyone I loved. Instead, I have four empty air temples and a hope that I can refill them somehow with a new generation of airbenders. So what do you intend on doing, Aqua?" Aang huffed, his hands falling to his sides once again.
"I…I don't know…" Aqua's eyes returned to normal as she fell onto her knees. First watched her with a sorrowful expression, but thought better of intervening. Rather, he continued to bow his head in shame as Aang knelt down, letting Aqua cry. A few minutes passes, the wind caressing Aqua's cheeks coldly as a reminder of the elephant in the room. She looked up at First.
"I won't apologize or anything," she spoke, "but I suppose there isn't anything you can do about it."
"I understand," he nodded in response.
"Can you continue?" Aang asked.
"If that is alright," he looked at Aqua, who did not object.
"Well, I suppose saying what happened beyond there is meaningless, as I imagined the Princess of Heart has told you," First adjusted himself to sit more comfortably, his arms now wrapped around an extended leg.
[Sacred Moon - Kingdom Hearts 2.5]
"I'd like to get to the heart of the matter. My future self intends on recreating the events of the Keyblade War, as you know, but after speaking to his past selves, had realized that there was a critical element he had forgotten needed to summon the X-blade and Kingdom Hearts. That is where you come in, Avatar." He looked at a stunned Aang now.
"He needs Raava and Vaatu, two major fragments of light and darkness, to complete the X-blade. The spirit that makes you the Avatar, Raava, allows you to bend all four elements and maintain balance in this world, and she was the one that has granted you a temporary use of the Keyblade, Aang, but she is also the oldest fragment of light to exist. Vaatu, her eternal opposite, has been sealed in the Tree of Time over 10,000 years ago in your Spirit World by Avatar Wan, which is only accessible during a special event known as Harmonic Convergence. Together, Raava and Vaatu represent the forces of light and darkness meant to balance out your world. Xehanort needs both of these spirits to act out the Keyblade War alongside his seven fragments of light and thirteen of darkness. Other than the Keyblade Graveyard, your world is the oldest in existence and has existed before the original Keyblade War, which is why he wants to complete his mission here."
Aang gulped, trying to process everything First had told him. Aqua, on the other hand, took this information in with a fist clenched. While Aqua had managed to put her emotions in check, her mind still anxiously dissected First's information.
"I have a lot of questions to ask, honestly, but something stands out," Aang raises a point, "I understand he needs Raava and Vaatu, but how is he supposed to get to them? I mean, Raava's in me, right? And Vaatu can't be freed until that event happens, if what you're saying is true."
"That's why the future version of myself sent his armies to the Southern Water Tribe," First explained, "As you may know, Avatar Aang, one of the greater, untouched Spirit Portals are located there, which if opened can lead to the Tree of Time. Only the Avatar is supposed to be able to open the portal without conflict, but Xehanort intends on using the Heartless and Dark Spirits to force it open. Eventually, he plans of setting Vaatu free…"
"But how did Xehanort gain control of the Spirits?" Aang asked.
"The Heartless are enough to corrupt a Spirit, but I think Vaatu might be indirectly helping Master Xehanort so he can be freed from his prison. As powerful as my future self is, that Spirit will most like overcome him even more than his own darkness," First spoke grimly.
"So now that we know what Master Xehanort intends on doing, what exactly do you want from us?" Aqua asked with narrowed eyes, "Why do you disagree with your future self so much if he's going to accomplish your goal?"
"Simply put, I do not believe my future self will accomplish my goal," First stated, "Rather, I believe he will consume Kingdom Hearts with that abomination of a Keyblade and use its power to create a world to his liking where he becomes a twisted God."
"And you want to destroy Kingdom Hearts, right?" Aang asked, "But I don't understand why. What exactly is Kingdom Hearts?"
"Kingdom Hearts…contains what the world used to be, supposedly. A world before Keyblades existed, when the worlds were united under one sky, where light and darkness lives in harmony. Your world, Aang, is the solitary echo to such a world's existence."
"Are you referring to that legend, of the world before the Keyblade War?" Aqua inquired, curious.
"The worlds you know now, the In-between, everything you've always known Aqua, these are the fragments of the world that once existed. The Keyblade destroyed this world as people chased after its power." First got up from his spot and formed a portal of darkness behind him. The Kingdom Key disappeared off the ground as First turned around to face the portal.
"Wait, what do you mean by that?!" Aqua yelled. "Explain yourself. Who said you could leave?" Aqua continued to protest, but even she knew it was pointless.
"Like I said, I don't think I've earned your trust yet to believe me, even if I did tell you." First turn around in response, "So I will tell you this. You can find your friends in Ba-Sing-Se where an old firebender makes tea. Aang should know what that means. Once you make it to the city, it won't be difficult to find us from there. If I tell you more, unfortunately, my future self will get suspicious."
"My proposal for you…is to find my future self and his armies and defeat him before he brings this world to ruin. Make sure the X-blade is formed, but do not let Xehanort have it at all costs. When you come to trust me, I will explain the rest."
First walked into the portal and left the plateau in silence.
"Iroh, what's the emergency?" Riku, Toph, and Lea had run all the way back to the tea shop, expecting trouble. Riku had spoken first.
"Did something happen?" Lea questioned. Toph, however, seemed at ease. Iroh was sitting in a chair, sipping tea quietly across from an important looking man, likely in his early twenties, garbed in red robes and surrounded by two guards armed with spears.
"Ah, welcome back," he spoke solemnly, "I am sorry for calling you back so soon, since it seems that you had something of great important to take care of. However, I would like you to listen to my nephew's request."
The important looking young man turned in his seat and that's when Riku notices the burn scar on the left side of his face. His expression was grave.
"I've heard much about you from my Uncle, Riku and Lea. My name is Zuko, Lord of the Fire Nation. It's a pleasure." He bowed respectfully, which Riku and Lea returned quickly. Toph, however, seemed more casual around him.
"It's nice to have you back with us, Zuko," she smiled, patting him on the back. One of the guards looked like they were ready to cut her throat off, but Zuko waved them off.
"She's an old friend of mine," he explained to the guard, then turned to Toph, "I wish I could have come with better news."
"What happened?" Toph asked, pounding a foot into the earth to create a chair to sit on.
"I was hoping you knew where Aang was," he asked, a hint of desperation at the edge of his voice.
"I haven't seen twinkle toes since I established my school for Metalbending, to be honest," Toph shrugged, "although I heard from rumors that he was visiting the air temples for some reason."
"I see…" Riku could even tell that Fire Lord Zuko was on edge, although he felt it wasn't his place to ask anything. Regardless, though, what Zuko wanted and what Riku needed seemed to align, so Riku was more than willing to find an excuse to help Iroh's nephew, especially if Iroh summoned him here.
"Is there any way I can help?" Riku asked, Zuko turning his attention to him.
"Wait. Don't you need to find your friends first?" Toph asked.
"Well, in truth, she was looking for the Avatar as well. We need his help," Lea pierced Riku with a death glare, which Riku tried to ignore. This was the only chance he'd get to find the Avatar properly and he knew that Kairi was looking for him as well. If Riku had to give up a bit of his intentions to do so, he didn't mind at all.
"Me and my companion are good fighters as well," Riku offered, "so we won't be a burden to you, I hope." Before Zuko could respond, Iroh sat up, finishing his tea.
"I have a feeling that what they are searching for and what you need to do is connected," Iroh told Zuko, "I cannot explain it entirely, but your destinies seem to be intertwined. You seem to be searching for a common thing. That is why I sent Toph to go get them before you came."
Zuko considered this briefly, but nodded in acceptance to his Uncle's advice.
"Thank you, Uncle," he turned to Riku, Lea, and Toph.
"I will tell you what I told my Uncle, but you cannot breathe a word about this to anyone else or there will be a panic."
"My sister, Azula, and an army of white, no faced men have been spotted destroying settlements in the Eastern Earth Kingdom. If my information is right, the she'll be heading to Ba-Sing-Se in a matter of days. I'm not powerful enough to handle her and her army on her own."
"I need to find the Avatar…before it's too late."
Hope you enjoyed. As always, Stay Golden.
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