JSYK (Just so you know), a nil clone is one of those frustrating things Xemnas used in the final fight with him. JSYK.

Chapter Eight

Aqua awoke and sprang to her feet. Today was the day.

She raced down the hall towards Xemnas' room and burst through the door. The Nobody was still sleeping, cute feet splayed and slanted. She got up onto it and bounced.

He was soon awake. He rolled over to look at Aqua and smiled. "It's today!" she said.

His eyes lit up. He rolled out of bed and stretched like Terra always had, touching his toes with both hands and bending backwards to pop his spine. He shook out his hair. "There's something important you need to know," he said.

Aqua bounced into a sitting position on his bed. "What is it?"

"I'm not allowed to leave the world," he admitted, "so if they catch me, I lose my position as Superior for however long they want. We have to be careful."

Aqua sighed. "This complicates things." She stood up and looked over his clothes. "First of all, these will be too obvious." She ripped off his shirt, revealing his muscular midsection.

He squeaked. "What should I wear then?"

Aqua pulled open his wardrobe and searched for other clothes. She found a grey shirt and pulled it on him. "There."

Xemnas looked down at himself. "Well...whatever. I'll give the 'where is he' problem a temporary solution." Suddenly, he was in two places at once, except that in one place, he was robed. The robed Xemnas looked at her blankly, then looked at the other Xemnas.

"Nil clone," the real Xemnas said. "It'll solve that problem, but someone might be able to tell the difference between me and him."

"I can," Aqua said. The clone had an entirely different aura, or rather lack of aura.

Xemnas sighed. "That's right. It has no being. But at least it'll stall them." He moved his fingers into a snapping pose, then caught himself. "We shouldn't go by corridor. Every corridor made here is known of. We should go by light."

Aqua nodded and concentrated. Before them appeared a swirling portal of light. She grabbed Xemnas' arm and they walked in.

Xemnas seemed dazed by the brightness inside. He shielded his eyes and gripped a tight hold of Aqua's arm as they walked through. "Aqua, I can't see. It's too bright..."

It ended soon, though, and they found themselves standing at the edge of a seaside village. A few sunbathers walked, roller-skated, or jogged casually along the wide stretch of sandy beach.

Xemnas looked amazed. He let go of Aqua and scanned the area. He smiled and turned back to Aqua, too ecstatic to really speak.

She smiled and laughed. "You look like a two-year-old," she said. "We need to get bathing suits."

She led him to one of the store and walked in. There were a variety of swimsuits lining the walls, as well as hats, shirts, and cover-ups. She made a beeline to a pair of grey swim trunks and held it up to him.

"These would look cute on you!" she exclaimed with girlish excitement.

Xemnas looked unsure. "I don't know, Aqua..."

She laughed and poked his stomach. "Go try it on!" She pushed him into a changing room and slammed the door. She was browsing throughout the women's section when she heard the door open.

Xemnas looked great in the swimsuit. He blushed. "Well..."

Aqua squealed; she couldn't help herself. "You look so cute!" She wanted to rush over and hug him. "Change back and I'll buy it."

Xemnas smiled and went back into the changing room. Aqua checked her munny. Plenty for the day. She saw a particularly nice bikini; it was blue with multicolored flower designs on it. She grabbed it as Xemnas walked over.

"That looks nice," he said. "You should try it."

Aqua rushed to the changing room and quickly switched her clothes. Xemnas was right- she did look great. She changed back and ran to the clerk, who was reading an issue of Reader's Digest. He quickly rang up both swimsuits. Aqua paid, bagged it herself and walked out. She didn't notice the person outside the door until the snap-flash of a camera went off.

Aqua blinked. "What the-"

Xemnas grinned over his new instant camera. He grabbed the printed photo and shook it out, speeding up the development.

"How did you get that?" she asked.

"I bought it," he said, looking at the photo. "I've been saving up for something special." He pocketed the picture.

"If you're not allowed to leave," Aqua asked, "why would you be saving up?"

"Because occasionally Xigbar takes me on a trip," Xemnas said.

Aqua shrugged. "C'mon, let's get moving."

xxx

Saix knocked the Superior's door. "It's Saix."

"Come in!"

Saix pushed it open and stepped in. The Superior was standing at the window, gazing up at his ambition. He had his hand on the window longingly.

Saix bowed respectfully. "Superior, if you want to see Kingdom Hearts, just go up to the Altar."

The silvernette turned to look at him. "Indeed." He faced the moon again.

Saix went over to the window near him. "You traumatized Roxas yesterday."

The Superior sighed. "I know. Give him a day off for compensation." He pressed his face to the window.

Saix shook his head. "Superior, please, keep your dignity and go to the Altar."

The Superior looked straight into Saix's eyes. "Are you ordering me or giving a suggestion?"

Saix gulped down bile. "Suggesting, sire. Forgive me."

"Apology accepted, Saix," the sovereign said coolly, then snapped open a dark corridor. "Come."

Saix nodded, understanding his reasons, and escorted his Superior to the Altar of Naught through the corridor.

"Leave me, Diviner," the Superior ordered, lifting his arms to Kingdom Hearts.

Saix nodded and, after glancing wistfully up at Kingdom Hearts, left.

xxx

Aqua sat on the wall that stood between the beach and the town, and Xemnas joined her. A cool ocean breeze drifted past them, tossing Xemnas' silver hair back dramatically. Aqua watched it for a while, then let her eyes wander to the spikes of hair behind his ears and on the top of his head. She imagined his entire hair in earthy brown.

Her stomach growled right at that moment. She hadn't eaten in a day.

Xemnas looked over at her. "Um, you're hungry."

Aqua blushed. "Yeah. I'm starving. Let's go to that restaurant." She stood up and ran over there, Xemnas in tow. They found a table outside and sat with menus.

Aqua flipped through hers and selected a cheeseburger and fries meal. "What are you getting?" she asked Xemnas.

He was staring at the table and running his finger along a crack, menu ignored.

"What's wrong?" Aqua asked.

"I don't eat," Xemnas sighed. "Nobodies don't get hungry, so I don't eat."

"Then why do you have a kitchen?"

"Because some of the others eat for nostalgia, to awaken memories associated with certain flavors."

Aqua smiled sadly and shrugged. "I'll order for you."

The waiter came, and Aqua ordered while Xemnas sat in pensive silence. After that, Aqua had to ask him something. "Why are you so quiet right now?"

"I'm checking on my clone," he explained.

Aqua nodded. "Is it working?"

Xemnas nodded.

Aqua smiled and said, "Tell him I said hi."

Xemnas closed his eyes for a second then made a small grin. "He says, 'I want you to know that I don't talk to strangers.'"

Aqua slapped Xemnas quite hard. "Ask him if he felt that."

Xemnas shouted and grabbed his face. "Him and I agree that Xehanort felt that!"

Aqua laughed and patted his head. "Sorry, Xehanort."

"Sorry makes it all better." Xemnas rubbed his cheek vigorously. "It stopped stinging, at least." He leaned his elbow on the table and unconsciously allowed a thumb to slip into his mouth, just like Terra used to.

Aqua smiled and giggled at his utterly blank yet cute expression as he seemed to stare through everything. "Earth to Xemmy, Earth to Xemmy."

Xemnas blinked. "Huh?" He blinked again and looked up at her. "What's this Xemmy thing? That's new."

Aqua shrugged. "You were zoning out again, and your thumb was in your mouth." She stopped there.

Xemnas muttered, "I always do it. Xigbar teases me about it, just like he teases me about everything."

"Like all your habits?" Aqua assumed.

Xemnas nodded.

"Out of curiosity," Aqua began, "what are your habits?"

Xemnas shrugged. "Well, I stretch in the morning, I do that thumb thing, I chew my lip, I pace, I do this-" he had been making dramatic gestures as he spoke, and now he did a grasping thing with his fingers- "and sometimes I wear some armor on my left arm, just for the hell of it."

Aqua nodded and mulled this over. Terra had always chewed his lip, stretched, that thumb thing, but the pacing, melodrama and dramatic grabby-hands were from Master Xehanort.

"You called me Master," Xemnas said.

Aqua blinked. "Uh...wha?"

Xemnas looked at the table. "You called me Master Xehanort. Xigbar calls me Master Xehanort sometimes."

"That makes sense," Aqua mumbled to herself. "Braig knew Master."

"What makes sense?" Xemnas asked, then sighed. "Oh. You're not going to answer me, are you."

Aqua shrugged. "You wouldn't get it."

They sat in silence until the waiter arrived with both meals. Xemnas' was spiced chicken and brown rice and a few side dishes. He looked at it nervously then sniffed it. Aqua laughed when she saw his mouth watering.

"Take a bite," she giggled.

Xemnas picked up his fork and stabbed the chicken. He stuck it in his mouth, and the love was instantly visible. He attacked the chicken like a starved dog. It was soon gone.

Aqua was laughing quite hard.

Xemnas' expression was adorable. "Aqua, I can't believe I haven't had this in so long," he marveled. "I'd forgotten how good it is. How I have missed out over the years!"

Throughout his little monologue, his eyes almost looked blue, but they were yellow when he finished, then blue when he scarfed down the rice.

Aqua realized she hadn't eaten anything yet. She devoured the cheeseburger and licked her fingers of excess juice.

The flash of the camera went off; Aqua looked up angrily as Xemnas shook out the photo. She flicked him in the nose. He grabbed it and pocketed the photo. She looked at his plate: cleared.

"Xemmy, you're such a pig," she groaned, then smiled and laughed.

Xemnas shrugged. "I haven't eaten in four years." He ran a tan hand through his silver hair.

"You know who's preferred meal that was?" Aqua asked, grinning deviously.

"Who's?" Xemnas looked up at her.

Aqua said, "Terra's."

Xemnas blinked. "...you ordered for Terra, for me."

Aqua nodded and crossed her arms smugly. Xemnas snapped a photo of her pose. They both laughed, but Xemnas' faded quicker. The waiter came and left the check. Aqua paid, and they both ran down to the beach.

They stopped at the cold water. Xemnas stepped in and wriggled his bare toes. The water was so clear they could se their own feet. Aqua laughed and pushed Xemnas gently, the splashed through the water. He smiled and gave chase with a harrumph.

Some of the beach-goers glanced over their books or away from their sandcastles at them, but they were mostly ignored. A child laughed and gave chase as well. He soon tired, though. Aqua and Xemnas were much stronger, having the bodies of heroes.

Aqua came to a stop near a path leading up to some changing rooms. Xemnas skidded up next to her, sand stuck to his wet feet and pant cuffs. He was shaking out a photo, panting and sweating. She pulled the camera off his neck and snapped a photo of him like that. He laughed, and they both crowded into a third photo.

Xemnas put the camera in the bag, then took his trunks and headed into the men's room. Aqua went into the women's and changed. She ran out and waited for Xemnas.

He came out and shook his hair. She tackled-hugged him, hanging on to him with her legs and arms. He was able to hold up against her weight. He smiled and said, "Off, please. I'm not carrying you."

"Alright." Aqua jumped down and patted his strong shoulder. "Whatever you say."

He shrugged as they walked down to the beach. People ran past, playful children and surfers alike. They walked out into the water and went until it reached about their waists.

Aqua smiled. "You like?"

"Yeah." Xemnas looked down at her and smiled a true Terra smile.

Aqua giggled and playfully swiped some water at him. He was unprepared, so he got splashed. He smirked and smacked a small wave at her. She went down onto her back, laughing, and kicked a torrent at him. She looked up; he wasn't there!

She stood up and searched around for him. Suddenly, he popped up and splashed her. She screamed and spun around. When he let his guard down, she splashed him, and got him this time. "I win," she bragged.

Xemnas smiled, then did something she hadn't heard before. He laughed. "I suppose that's true."

A surfer swam past them and for the first time they noticed the tall waves. When a particularly large on came past, Aqua was hit full force and blown off her feet. Briefly, under the water, she saw steadfast Xemnas grabbing her hand and pulling her against the wave. The wall of water passed, and the undertow kicked in, and Aqua was pulled by it into Xemnas' embrace.

Xemnas blushed, as did Aqua. The back of his long hair was plastered to his neck, but somehow the defiant bangs and spikes still stood tall. He looked away from her eyes when she tried to meet them. "...this is awkward," he muttered.

Aqua forced some quiet laughter and simpered. "Yeah." She pushed away from him. "Let's go back to shore."

They walked back, occasionally getting slammed by a wave. They chose an empty spot near the water and sat down. Some people glanced at them, assuming they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Xemnas was quiet again, most likely thinking or checking on the clone. He looked uncomfortable in his wet shirt. Aqua tugged it off of him. He turned to face her and raised an eyebrow. She laughed and fluffed his hair.

A child no older than five came over at one point and began building a sand mound at their feet. He was so absorbed in it that he unintentionally buried Xemnas' feet. Xemnas didn't react, just wiggled his feet a little. Aqua laughed at his reaction. The child persisted, and soon Xemnas was buried to his knees.

A young lady, apparently the child's mother, came over and lifted the boy up. "Sorry if he was bothering you," she said.

"Not at all," Aqua assured her with a wave of her hand. "He's a good artist."

The mother nodded. "I know. He's always building sandcastles, but he never built one on someone." She looked at Xemnas.

He shrugged. "I don't mind." He looked at the mound.

"But there's no one there," the boy whined.

The mom and Aqua raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Samuel? There's a man right there."

"There isn't!" Samuel squirmed out of his mother's arms and pointed at Xemnas. "There's no one there!"

"Samuel!" The mother picked her son up. "I'm sorry. I'll deal with him." She stormed off.

"That was odd," Aqua murmured.

"Not really." Xemnas freed his feet. "Apparently, some people can't see Nobodies."

"Why not?" Aqua asked.

"There's nothing there to see." Xemnas began shaping the sand pile with his wet hands.

"Oh." Aqua joined him in the shaping. She wondered what this would look like to someone who couldn't see Nobodies. Xemnas didn't seem to mind. Of course he didn't. He was a Nobody.

The mound soon began to resemble a castle. Xemnas grabbed a seagull feather off the ground and began drawing details into the sides. Aqua stuck some seashells in. They were acting like kids, but Xemnas didn't really know and Aqua didn't care. When he finished, Xemnas stuck the feather on top of the castle. Aqua admired their work. "I like it."

Xemnas nodded. "Same, but I wonder if it will survive high tide." He scooped out a little moat around it with his hand, then dug it deeper, and deeper.

A gull flew down and landed next to Aqua. "I have a new pet," she said as it waddled up to her and squawked.

"Indeed." Xemnas scooted over next to her and reached out to the bird. It didn't react until he touched it. Then it cawed loud and flapped its wings excitedly. He withdrew his hand, and it calmed down. "Oops."

Aqua picked it up. "It doesn't like you," she smirked.

Xemnas waved a hand over its eye. It didn't react. "Only if I touch it."

The gull smelled some food and flew off. Aqua noticed scratches on her hand from its feet. They began bleeding slightly. She touched it, but her hands were covered in sand and salt water, so she quickly withdrew it. Xemnas reached forward and touched the wounds. She gasped because it stung badly, but he stopped her from pulling back with another steady hand. Small ivy energy patterns swirled out from his fingertips and her hand was healed.

Aqua said, "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Xemnas dug the moat wider and deeper still. He seemed too intently focused, his eyes hard and giving nothing away. He was thinking.

xxx

The Sentiment stood sentinel on the cliff overlooking the battlefield, searching for nothing in particular. It replayed the scenes of four days before in its mind, each moment of Aqua's visit over in the blurry, monochrome shapes it saw everything in.

When Xehanort had taken Terra's body and the Sentiment had been born, its memories had been slowly disappearing. It had forgotten almost everything of its past, forgotten who it was, lost all emotions except for a deep-rooted boiling rage created by a man named Xehanort, for some reason long lost. All that mattered was revenge.

But when it saw Aqua again, many pleasant feelings broke the self-imposed misery and gave it a sense of self again. She made it feel like Terra.

But something was off. Aqua had seemed so sad, so not herself, like she was hiding some dark secret. There had been something about her scent- and the scents intermingled with it. One in particular caught the Sentiment's attention. So dark, so familiar...Xehanort! But not quite...something slightly different.

Something happened that happened often. It forgot that last thought.

Aqua had been with Xehanort! Why would she do that? Xehanort was the enemy. Was Aqua working with him? Or had the Sentiment's fragmented mind made Aqua up? Had it really been fighting Xehanort, instead of Aqua?

"Xeha..nort..." Its furious rancor returned and it crushed away part of the cliff by pressing on the Gaia Bane. "You...will pay..."

xxx

Sunsets at beaches were undeniably beautiful.

Most beach-goers had left by the time the sun cast red over the crystalline waters. Slow waves caressed the shores at high tide and slipped over the sitting forms of Aqua and Xemnas.

They had had a great time that day, swimming and chasing and denying claims of love. The castle hadn't survived, and they had watched as it collapsed to mush. Now, they sat side by side in the gentle waves.

"I've enjoyed this day," Xemnas said as a wave rolled in.

"Me too," Aqua agreed. "It's a beautiful sunset."

"Yes."

"I used to watch the sunsets with Ventus and Terra, in the Land of Departure."

"It's been so long since I've seen a sunset," Xemnas muttered dolefully. "It's always night in my world. I was beginning to forget what they looked like."

They were quiet for a while.

Xemnas sighed. "I envy you."

"Why?" Aqua asked.

"You have a heart," he said quietly, "you have emotion. You have misery and sorrow, anger and hate."

"And hearts have love," Aqua whispered.

"I don't want to exist without feeling anymore," Xemnas said. "I want a heart. Hearts are power." He set his face in an expression of true determination, an expression Terra once used. "I will get all of us Nobodies hearts."

Aqua grabbed his shoulder. "I wish I could give you that." She leaned against him. "Are you sure you don't have a heart?"

Xemnas grabbed one of her hands and placed it on his chest. Nothing pushed beneath the surface, nothing warmed him. "I am sure."

Aqua held her hand there and they listened to the waves sweep the shore. It was a soothing sound, a sound of caring. She wanted to show this nothing that she cared. She raised her face to his cheek and gently pressed her lips against him. He loosened up a little and leaned against her. They both closed their eyes.

When Aqua pulled away, she saw a young man sitting there next to her, an expression of pure peace on his face, blue eyes glittering as he looked at her. She leaned close to him again and that second kiss felt just like Terra.

xxx

Xemnas stepped out of the light corridor and saw his clone honoring Kingdom Hearts. Wordlessly, he cast it into oblivion with his mind. He stepped back into the corridor and went to his room with Aqua.

When Aqua had kissed him, he had felt some old feeling awaken inside him and fill him with warmth. The warmth still lasted, even as he put his robe back on and sat down at the open windowpane. Aqua sat next to him. "I have to thank you," he said.

"You're welcome." Aqua leaned against him.

Xemnas sighed. "I don't know who I am anymore. Since I've met you, I've felt different... confused. I feel two ways about you. Can you tell me who I am?"

"I don't know if I can," Aqua said. "Terra was possessed by Master Xehanort. I don't know who you are."

Xemnas stared up at Kingdom Hearts, his creation, his path to true life, his path to power. "A long time ago, my master once told me that he would find a way to help me get my memories back." He paused and thought about that, how all the other apprentices promised to help him, especially Braig. "You can sleep in my bed tonight. I'll go somewhere else."

"That's nice, but I might not come back tonight." Aqua stood up and created her Keyblade Rider outside the window. She stepped on and summoned her armor.

Xemnas sighed as she flew out of the world. She was hiding something. He stood up and began searching for somewhere to sleep.

"Leaving again, Xemnas?"

Oooo, cliffhanger. It's all speeding up now :3 R&R appreciated. Thank you.