Coup
Chapter Two: Heartless
"Impossible!" Ansem suddenly roared. "I have researched for years and—"
"Have failed to do what I so simply accomplished," Even said. "With Xehanort's help."
Everyone looked to the silver-haired apprentice.
"The key is a cold, stable environment," Xehanort explained hesitantly.
"After all, aren't most humans cold and senile?" Even asked.
"It is not that!" Xehanort said, obviously flustered.
"Oh come now," Even said. "Can you think of any other probable reason?"
Ienzo rolled his eyes and whisked a book out of nowhere, reading.
"Must you always be this much of a show off, Even?" Elaeus asked. "It's very unbecoming."
Even chucked. "Follow me, my fellow apprentices. And witness a miracle."
Even's lab was surprisingly clean for the amount of time he spent in it. Everything was organized, and nothing was misplaced. The lab was large, and it had tables and counters running along the walls, along with shelves, surrounding the table in the center of the room.
On the table in the center of the room, a tube sat, covered with a black cloth. Through the black covering, Xehanort could see a small dab of light moving up and down.
Even grinned, gripping the black cloth in his long fingers and ripping it off dramatically, shooting the cocky smirk he owned at Ansem.
Inside the tube was a glowing ball of energy in the shape of a heart. The color throughout was white, but it would pulse a very pale yellow every second, like a heartbeat. It floated in the blue liquid inside the tube, which, true to Xehanort's word, was cold to the touch.
"This is the product of months on end of research on my part," Even said proudly.
"I want this thing gone!" Ansem said suddenly. "Xehanort! Even! Both of you…to your rooms!"
Xehanort squeaked in fear and ran, afraid of being yelled at, but Even lagged behind. "Master Ansem, I am a grown man… You cannot send—"
"To your room, Even!!" Ansem shouted, sending Even running.
Ansem pinched the bridge of his nose as the other apprentices muttered to themselves worriedly. Ansem turned to them, saying, "I do not want any of you to make the same mistake they made."
And he strode off.
Xehanort paced his room, his feet shuffling along the plush carpet, growling to himself as his stomach growled at him—he didn't get to finish supper.
"How could he punish me in such a manner? It was not I who captures the heart essence, but Even! It is he alone who should be punished, not I."
His musings faded to nothing as he heard thunder rolling outside. He sighed and plopped onto his bed, sighing…
Until a particularly loud crack of thunder shocked him to his feet. He rested a hand over his rapidly pounding heart and looked randomly to a board near his bedpost.
It was a photo board. Since having lost all memories of his previous life, Xehanort liked to keep every nice and important memory on this photo board. It was his security blanket.
One was a photo of him with the five other apprentices, all posing for the camera. Xehanort was in the middle, with Ienzo and Braig to his respective left and right, and Elaeus, Dilan, and Even in the back, Even giving his one rare smile.
Another was a picture of him and Ansem the Wise, standing in front of Hollow Bastion, both with the widest smiles ever. It was the day Xehanort called the castle his home.
Then, there was his heart drawing. The picture had come with him from the past and was his most valued possession. He didn't know what it was, or even who drew it and why…but he knew it was important.
His eyes wandered to the window…and his heart stopped.
Sitting on the window sill, looking into his room, was a black, but-like creature with glowing yellow eyes. Its eyes stared into his very soul, and he screamed.
He screamed like the day he realized he couldn't remember.
He blacked out.
Nng…
"…ay…?"
My head…
"Indeed."
The voice shocked him to near consciousness. A hand lay on his shoulder, very lightly shaking him.
"Xehanort?" Another shake. "Wake up, Xehanort."
He did not respond.
"You said you checked his vital signs. Why isn't he—"
"Master Ansem, leave him be. His vital signs are just now beginning to return to normal after the trauma."
A grunt.
"Hm! He's awake."
"Xehanort, can you open your eyes?"
Xehanort tried. He really did. But his eyes only opened halfway.
"That's it…"
His eyes sprung shut again at the light.
"No no no, you can't go back to sleep."
"Um, Master, I would recommend leaving him be for now. He needs to sleep."
It was right then that Xehanort's mind finally snapped to awareness. His eyes flew open and he quickly sat up, startling Ienzo, who was at the foot of his bed—Bed? Xehanort thought—as well as Ansem, who sat next to his head.
"Calm down, Xehanort," Ansem said comfortingly.
"W-What happened?" Xehanort asked.
Ienzo and Ansem looked nervously at each other. "We were hoping you could tell us," Ienzo explained. "We heard a scream and found you unconscious in your room."
Xehanort looked confused. "I…cannot…remember…" he trailed off.
"It is alright," Ansem said, not noticing the irony in his apprentice's last statement. He made a move to stand, saying, "I know what Even did. I am going to find him to make sure he is properly punished for stealing the heart essence. Then, he will tell me where it is."
"But Master," Xehanort protested. "It is in my room."
"We searched," Ienzo told him. "It was not there."
Ansem lay a hand comfortingly on Xehanort's head, ruffling his hair, saying, "Your heart rate is dying down from the trauma, but you need to rest."
"Xehanort! Run!!"
He ran. There wasn't anything else he could do. He knew his friend could handle the bug-like shadows…but something inside him made him fear for his friend's safety.
He turned to look back, only to see the blue hair of his friend as he was knocked to the ground, his large weapon knocked from grip as the shadows scratched at his friend's face.
Crying, he kept running, the shadows continuing to follow him, all too much like a magnet. He aimed his hand behind him, without looking, concentrating on the power until it built up to massive levels…
Xehanort's eyes were wider than dinner plates as he was roughly snapped back to reality in time to see Ansem's red robes fluttering as the man left the room. Ienzo was eying his patient with concern.
"Xehanort? Are you feeling well?"
"I…do not…know," Xehanort said, looking at his hand. Powers?
"Did you regain a memory?" Ienzo asked.
Xehanort looked at him like he had grown two heads. "How—"
"Did I know?" Ienzo finished for him. "I do not know myself… I just sensed that something big happened. Beyond that, I cannot explain."
"What did you see?" he asked suddenly.
Xehanort told him in a nutshell what had happened.
"Blue hair…I am sorry, Xehanort. I do not know anyone with blue hair."
Of course he doesn't know anyone with blue hair. Who in the worlds would have blue hair? It was all just a figment of Xehanort's imagination...