Chapter 5—Burnt Out Legacy

Roxas stared down at the two keyblades in his hand. The Oathkeeper and the re-forged Kingdom Key. The blond could clearly see the markings of the darker metal used to forge the pieces back together. What he didn't get was why him? Why had the keyblade picked him of all people? A nobody no less.

"You think too hard." A large hand set on him and he looked up at his comrade of sorts among the dreary city in which he lived.

"Someone has to think between the two of us." He smirked and the red haired man looked wounded.

"So cold Roxas!" He smirked and then dropped down in the chair across from him.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing work for our leader Axel?" He asked and Axel scratched his jaw idly.

"I got it done." He shrugged. "Saïx has the girl and will probably torture her for information and then turn her into a nobody. He is rather cruel like that."

"Marluxia will be furious."

"Marluxia is always furious." Axel waved a hand away. "I don't know why Xemnas puts up with him but… Ah, it's not for me to say."

"Because he needs him. He needs all of us." Roxas tipped his chair back and put up his feet. "We are important. We are the Thirteen Travesties."

"Thirteen nobodies of higher intelligence made to wield Kingdom Hearts." Axel waved his hand as if to brush the topic away. "Let's talk about happier things."

"We don't have the capacity to be happy."

"Jeez… Always a realist aren't we Roxas?" The red head asked as he put his hands behind his head. "I much prefer to think of… being something other then a tool."

"Why?"

"Unlike you or any of these other bums… I chose to give up my heart… and then I killed my heartless."

"Why would you do something like that!" Roxas sat up and stared at him confused.

"One day you'll understand." Axel stood up and headed towards the door.

"Tell me Axel." Roxas stood up.

"When we met… if I had a heart… it would have been love at first sight." The door swung shut as Roxas stared at the swinging door with wide-eyes. How the—

"Why do you always do this to me Axel!" He called into the empty room. "We don't have hearts! We'll never have hearts!"

The oath and the promise are never broken.

Yuffie sat beside Leon in the dinning room. Her older brother looked tired, but he had gone out on a late patrol the night before. She set a bowl of soup in front of him.

"I heard that you found the keyblade wielder last night while I was hunting for Yuna." She whispered as she sat down.

"I did… a trinity." He smiled thinly at her, one of the few people that he smiled for. "I want you to help me guide them."

"But Laguna…" She looked fearfully.

"He had us trained to do this. It is time for us to honor our family, the same way that he did with my mother." Leon tapped her on the top of head. "This is what we've been trained for."

"But I thought…"

"No one could have expected for this to happen. It… doesn't seem possible that nobodies would ever get a high enough process to want to… control Kingdom Hearts. But they do. And because of that… we have no choice."

"What if they open the door to darkness? Then what will we do?"

"Everything that we can." Leon stated firmly and then almost wilted before her eyes. "Everything that we can."

He is fabled, the Lunar Divider—otherwise know as Saïx. He was the unofficial second in command of the nobodies. Xemnas' right hand man. He was sheer proof that number had nothing to do with your place in the order. He stood on the balcony beside his master in the World That Never Was looking out into the dark sky with no moon in the direction of Radiant Garden.

"The magic is too strong for us to break into the first district. Those of the Organization can get in almost as if they are human but not… the lesser and only on occasion do the very strongest of the heartless make it through… if the patrols don't pick them off first."

"This may yet be to our advantage. After all… Ansem and I both have the same goal. Kingdom Hearts." The two silver haired men regarded each other carefully.

"What of Maleficent and Pete? Those bumbling fools might get in the way." Saïx commented as he sat on the ledge. "I gave her the hint… that Radiant Garden is the base world as you asked me to."

"She will help us gather hearts of course. The keyblade master will be distracted by her hordes of heartless while we defeat Ansem and take Kingdom Hearts for ourselves. Neither of them are a challenge. After all, we could always send Roxas or Axel or even Larxene out for some target practice and be rid of them. The plan… is perfect."

"Good." Saïx replied and yet again they regarded each other almost as if they were wary of each others intentions. As nobodies they knew no emotion and maybe they didn't know trust either for they regarded each other with a lack so deep that they might as well have been enemies working towards a common goal.

"I understand that… The Shiren-Kagi family is based in Radiant Garden."

"There is nothing left of the Shiren. Freeshooter saw to that." Saïx pointed out. "They were on the Destiny Isles fighting with the keyblades and there they perished."

"That is not good. If the keyblade master doesn't learn how to connect the worlds… then we'll have even more work on our hands."

"But it is for us to do at our leisure surely? What need do we have for the other worlds until Kingdom Hearts is fulfilled."

"We need their hearts. There isn't enough hearts in just Radiant Garden." He lifted a fine silver eyebrow. "For Kingdom Hearts a great many hearts is needed and then my dear Saïx… we can have the hearts we so desire."

"Does this mean you will once again don the name Xehanort?"

"Of course not. That name doesn't have power befit me. Xemnas shall always be my name. The leader of Organization Thirteen."

Saïx sighed, long suffering. "The creator of the Thirteen Travesties."

"It won't be long. Once we destroy what is left of the Shiren-Kagi Family… There will be nothing in our way."

Riku shrugged on a jacket and climbed out of the apartment building and on to the roof. He walked the length of the room with measured, even steps before he jumped the little ledge that led him to the next roof. He continued on this way until he was to the end of the block where he stopped and stared out into the dark night towards the barrier. They'd finally gotten some kind of report from Destiny Islands. There had been few to no survivors. There was nothing left of his family. Of their legacy but him.

"Everything seems rather fragile doesn't it?" A voice whispered behind him.

He jumped and turned to see a man in a black coat but he couldn't see his face and wondered if his life was in danger. He didn't recall ever seeing anyone like this, although there were thousands of people within the barrier. Maybe… He shook his head, he couldn't let his guard down.

"You don't know whether or not to fear me…" The hooded person cocked their head to its side. "Maybe you should?" It was a question and that only served to confuse Riku even more.

"When they realize that you're alive they are going to want to kill you. Riku Shiren." He crossed his arms. "Xemnas could send any number of assassins after you."

"Are you one of them?" Riku threw his arm out and the Way to Dawn appeared in his hand.

"Assassins are silent, they do not warn… got it memorized? I have my reasons for wanting you alive. Important reasons." He turned to walk away. "One last word of warning… beware the one called… DiZ."

"Who are you!" Riku ran forward but a black portal appeared in front of the being and they disappeared. He came to a stop where the being had stood and shook his head. "I am so not prepared for this."

He jumped the ledge and looked up into the moonless sky and sighed deeply. He took a hand and carelessly pushed silver hair out of his eyes and put his keyblade away. Tomorrow, he'd ask to talk to the King and then maybe… maybe he could figure out what he was supposed to do. As the last of the Shiren family.

"Maybe it's a good thing that they'll all die out with me. The end of this burnt out legacy."