The Sapphire Sorceress
Disclaimer: The rights to Kingdom Hearts belong to Disney and Square Enix.
Act 54: Vector To The Heavens
"I'll set Kingdom Hearts free, then everything will be back the way it was! She'll come back... and the three of us can be together again!"
The World That Never Was: Grey Area ( Aqua's POV )
- Day 357 - Tears
What have I done? What have I become? As I gazed outside at the bleak world that became my home, looking at the person being reflected in the mirror I can see someone who wasn't chosen by Eraqus to become a Keyblade Master. Instead, the choices, decisions, and actions done by me have shaped the person I'm looking at into someone I couldn't recognize anymore...the worse thing is I could hardly express the emotion to care how much of a monster I'm becoming. Was monster even the right word considering I looked like I did before losing my heart, the only physical difference were these blue lines covering my body, and of course the lack of a beating organ in my chest.
It didn't mean I enjoyed this frozen state I've been trapped in since the first day I came here to join this collective of individuals who were going through the same problem I had to deal with now. I met faces that I liked, and others that I wasn't exactly fond of but at the end of the day we all shared a goal or at least that is what I thought was the case. Then, numbers began to decrease with around half of our group was cut in half, and I was nearly on the chopping block as well if I hadn't gotten on Axel's good side.
Looking at the "moon" in the sky that was slowly being feed with new hearts from the slain heartless that are wiped out by keyblade wielders like Kairi, Roxas, and Xion. These days having a true friend was hard to find let alone keep around, which meant fighting to keep them around no matter what to prove that you care about them. That is why I felt so guilty in being stuck in this castle for a private meeting with Xemnas, and the idea was to talk with me outside of the intimidating aura the Round Room can give off to lower ranking members.
Something...wasn't right about today. I don't know if these are memories from my past or my imagination running wild again, but I got this omen about something that was going to happen...
"You seem to be expression concern, Auxaq." Sure enough, the deep, commanding voice of Xemnas woke me up from my personal thoughts by walking behind me. Turning around I gave him a nod of respect, however, I've been wanting to ask him something for a while now, and when Xion came back yesterday these questions have been starting to bother me. With no one else around the time for asking such questions would be now...
"Where is Xion?"
"Right to the point I see, the desire to seek out the truth is what I admire about you, friend. It was resting in our healing pod the last time I checked up on the Replica."
"Healing? She is a Replica, so why does she need to regenerate despite not being a nobody..." The way Xemnas said that didn't sit right with me.
"True, but its design is more flawed than us since it is still incomplete..."
"I-incomplete?" What does he mean by that? Wait for just a second, the word incomplete why did I remember hearing that from someone before...
"Xion and Roxas have become linked with each other, and the process will end with one of them fully absorbing the other one."
That means one of them will disappear forever; the thing I had wanted to avoid in this choice everyone has brought up will happen soon. Why? Why didn't he tell me this earlier?! I could have tried my best to prevent this from happening somehow...
"There is nothing that can be done to avoid the battle with these two, but it doesn't mean you still can't have a choice in what will occur in the future."
"I...can't pick between them no matter how I feel about Xion and Roxas. There must be some other way out of this..." This can't be happening to me. They were both important to me and Axel, so why must I pick one over the other?
"Xion is considered a puppet by just about everyone within this group, but Roxas isn't considered by many to be anything other than a hunter of the heartless. Even with these two viewpoints you truly care to abut the both of them. Then, allow me to ask you a different kind of question. I thought you wanted to free your other friend, were you not? Ventus, the boy sleeping in Castle Oblivion can only be found by the use of a keyblade that you lack. One of these two options can help you find your friend, however, the both of them have been considering leaving this group."
Are they planning on leaving this organization? That would mean I would be along here with only Axel that I consider a close friend - the other thing is DiZ and Namine will seek them out to revive Sora if they are left to their own whims. If action isn't taken soon, the outcome will be that both of my friends will be gone forever.
"Of course, DiZ and that Imposter you know now as Riku shall be looking to revive Sora from his slumber. Hence, the choice you have to decide on must be made quickly before all is truly lost to you."
What can I do exactly? Stop DiZ and Riku? Get back my keyblade? No, the only thing I have to focus on is saving the lives of my friends before it is too late. They likely will be at the same place where it all began for the both of them.
"Twilight Town! That is where they must be right now." There is a chance to stop these events before it is too late.
"You know I gave you the direct order not to leave this castle, Auxaq."
"I am disobeying that order, Sir. I don't give a damn what consequence awaits me on my return. That being said, the girl I ran into again told me something strange. Kairi, she told me that our hearts are not lost to the darkness rather they are being kept inside of heartless."
"Did she tell you such a thing?"
"Indeed, and she apparently destroyed it freeing the heart that was mine from its clutches. Do you think that it is the same for the rest of us?" His amber eyes closed when I told him this, but when he nodded in agreement I was shocked.
"Yes, the girl speaks the truth about such a method being possible and-"
"Then, we don't need to use Kingdom Hearts!" I yelled out seeking out that girl's words as a sign of hope. "There can be another way..."
"Can you feel your heartbeat, Auxaq?" I gasped when I realized that despite what she said my heart was still not in my body.
"If such a method was possible," Xemnas waved his hand to point at my chest. "You would be living proof of such a theory being confirmed. The mere fact you are still a nobody only proves that the only ones who can restore ourselves are nobodies and not anyone else."
He...he is right I should have a heart by now, but instead I still feel nothing...
"Do not pretend you're in despair, a dear friend of mine. With the power of a keyblade, all of this misfortune will change for the better..." That would be my cue to leave then if Xemnas is not going to stop me.
Turning around I opened up a portal of darkness seeing Xemnas not move or try to stop me rather he looked pleased with that smile on his face. Was he expecting me to simply leave regardless of if I obeyed him or not? Whatever that doesn't matter at the moment. Xion and Roxas' friendship couldn't and won't end today if I have anything to say about it! The choice can also go to hell as well because I will not pick one over the other!
Twilight Town: Clocktower
Alright, I made it here with no sign of dusks or other members following me when I left our home base. I don't have a lot of time to track down Roxas and Xion if they aren't at the clocktower. Looking around at the bottom of the place I only found somebodies walking around with no sign of either of my friends being in the area, so they must be at the top of the building! Arriving through a portal I didn't find either of them waiting for me rather two popsicle sticks laying at the top of the building.
"They must have been here!" No one else would eat sea-salt ice cream up here besides my friends, so I was right on their tail but I had to figure out where they could be right now. I felt a sudden surge of energy coming from a place nearby this tower; it was a long-shot but I didn't have much else to go with leaving me to follow up on my instinct.
Why is this feeling becoming worse? I should be happy that my friends could still be okay, the choice won't have to happen if I can stop their battle before it is too late...
Unless this is because I am too late to do anything.
As I came near the building I began to forget why I am running over to this place as I saw Roxas standing by someone who was slumped over on the ground. Why is he holding his head in pain, and who is this girl...no I should know who this person is!
"Who are you again? It's weird. I feel like I'm forgetting something really important."
Wait a second. This is the girl is someone I want to save...what is her name!
"A-auxaq? What are you doing here?!"
What is her name? Come on, the answer is in my skull...
"A-auxaq? Please...go back to Axel. I-I don't want you here...to see this..." No! You can't fade away whoever you are, the state you are in means you won't be long for this world and I cast my Lore magic to slow her down.
"What are you trying to do?" I am not going to let this girl be hurt, Roxas. She can't fade away because there is a reason I am trying to save her life.
"P...Please don't do this Aqua. I can't be allowed to exist anymore otherwise..."
"You know my name," That must mean we know each other after all. "Who are you and what happened here?" Roxas quickly took the girl into his arms while I focused on keeping the girl stable.
"Yeah, and why are you in pain right now?" Roxas and I looked at her eyes which began to flicker with a strange white light in her vision.
"Please! Let me return to him, the boy who must awaken once again! There isn't much time left before..." She began to shake violently while I tried to keep her still with a Gravira spell: the goal of saving her was becoming much harder as she began to fight back.
"You don't understand let me go, Roxas!"
"Hey, you're going to be fine, girl. We will take you away from here. I'm leaving that world where I came from, and you can come with me. What do you say-" A loud boom could be heard as I saw a keyblade was sticking out of Roxas body as this girl was holding the same weapon he used...to hurt my friend!
"I'm sorry, Roxas!" Before I could freeze Roxas he suddenly trapped places with this girl who was now holding him as he body was beginning to shimmer like the nobodies in Castle Oblivion.
"Oh, please...forgive me, Roxas! I didn't mean for any of this to happen!"
"No...this isn't your fault Xion. None of this is anyone's fault..." His eyes turned around to look at me while I began to hold my hands over my mouth in horror.
"You didn't do anything wrong and...I hope you find your Ven someday..." No! Roxas! Don't go away but it was too late as Roxas began to disappear inside of - Xion! I remembered her name now!
"Oh, Roxas why did this have to happen!" She began to weep as she closed her arms around Roxas and his fading form as it was slowly drowned in the darkness of her own black cloak while I fell onto my own knees in the realizing that it was because of me, the choice I made, and my decision to save Xion's life that Roxas...had to give up his own life.
"He and I...we battle to the death of our existences...the both of us were considering simply leaving Organization XIII. That is why I went to see Namine about being absorbed by Roxas to stop...this from happening." Was that the final phase of this Replica Program? Either Roxas or Xion would remain once this "battle" was finished?
"Xemnas, the other nobodies were aware of this process and allowed me to fight Roxas without stepping in to help me." They let this happen to Xion?
"I had wanted Roxas to defeat me, and then he would free Sora's memories allowing him to get back those memories that were lost to him. It is unfortunate that the outcome has become this..." She stood up to hold out her hand over her face, and I wasn't sure what she doing with herself.
"It would seem that by absorbing Roxas I've gained a proper shape and form. No longer am I simply a blank slate that has no real shape, appearance, and identity. This body has a true face, a real voice, and now I can truly call myself Xion." What does she mean by that exactly? Did she look different than before because I didn't see much of a difference with her face?
"Roxas...is he truly gone?" She shook her head while extending out her two hands, a bright light quickly revealed a different looking keyblade...in both of her hands?
"He is still here within me. Those memories he has gotten are stuck inside of my head as well, but most importantly what he wanted to do next..."
Next? She must be talking about leaving Organization XIII like he said before all of this went down. I should be heartbroken about all of this, the tears of guilt leaking down my face but instead I could feel nothing. There was no regret or suffering inside...the reality of being a nobody was finally sinking in.
"I can see why you can't express your feelings without a soul inside of yourself, Auxaq. The heart or rather lack of one is what makes you different from Kairi. With that said, the time for us to return to our home is now."
"What?! I thought you wanted to leave this group with Roxas?"
"That won't accomplish nothing. Sooner or later they would find us, so it would make sense that I return there with you to be at my side. I'm sure Axel will have choice words for you, but that won't be much of an issue once I speak with him."
Axel. He would be furious with me over this despite the fact I only wanted to help save Xion from being destroyed no matter how I would try and explain things to him. Before I could say more Xion opened up a portal of darkness while looking at me with her blue eyes that seemed more sharper than before she absorbed Roxas.
"Come, my friend. We must return to where we should be..."
I didn't respond to her rather I followed her into the portal as she remained eerily quiet when we got back to the castle. Any tears that could have dropped from my cheeks disappeared as the darkness of the pathway between worlds came over my hollow body.
The World That Never Was: Fragment Crossing
- Day 538 - Believe
At first, things seemingly had returned to normal for almost everyone. When Xemnas saw Xion in her full state as a nobody like everyone else he seemed pleased about this, but he also felt sad that Roxas was no longer around the place saying that is was an unfortunate part of Vexen's design.
"Roxas was a dear friend of ours who was taken away much too soon; the sacrifice he made to give this replica a body and form will not be overlooked. Welcome to the beginning of your new life, comrade."
Apparently, the body she had was, in fact, female with how everyone reacted when they got a look at her face, hair, and eyes that looked different than how they previously saw her when she was still a replica. Axel, the hothead was enraged to hear what happened to Roxas as expected, and he held me personally responsible for his demise. The rift between us had gotten much worse, and he also hated just looking at Xion yesterday let alone speaking with her about how Roxas felt about this. I didn't have to worry about that today since my duty was simply to watch Xion destroy the roaming heartless that were lurking around this huge empty city.
I rarely explored this section of our homeworld, the neon signs hanging around the place, several empty buildings without any sign of life, and the power which is supplied to the entire city came from a plant nearby us. Despite the lack of people living in this city it was strangely beautiful to see while Xion was easily destroying the shadow heartless that, are currently being used as test subjects for her newly gained power as a full-fledged nobody. Watching her use those two keyblades in battle was quite a spectacle.
She was far faster than when she was still a replica, and her skills with the two blades were vastly improved as well in the rapid speed in her strikes and blows. Between this and her enhanced magic through absorbing Roxas into herself she truly was a force to be reckoned with now. I even began to wonder if she was slowly becoming master-level if she was only going to become stronger than she was with the unintended fusion with Roxas. The swarms were easily dispatched, and while I couldn't provide much help I tried offering support to which she refused to accept.
'This must be what Vexen and Xemnas wanted. Their project ended up turning out to be a success, the only real consequence is who needed to be sacrificed in order for this outcome to come to fruition.' Still, something about all of this wasn't sitting right with me like there was a thing I was missing about all of this. Walking up to Xion who finished up with the last remaining shadows I tried to brighten up her mood with a friendly wave of my hand along with a fake smile.
"You've gotten the hang of this from all those months ago when you first arrived here. Granted you were a replica back then however you progress through the following missions and events had brought you a lot of experience."
"Yes, that has proven most useful in building my strength necessary for my survival within in the ranks despite not truly being a member of this group at that point in time."
I'm not sure if it swayed the opinions of those within our group, but at least when they saw you during that meeting none of them seemed to have a grudge against you except for Axel, of course. Their mindset no longer saw her as a puppet with no identity rather as a nobody just like we all are in the end. That is all I wanted from them, in the beginning, to not judge someone by their cover or what they might seem like, the real judgment should come from learning about their real character over time.
"This isn't complete," She pointed at her chest which confused me. "This body is not complete yet..."
"Well, the heart is what is missing, and while you might not be made like the rest of us I'm sure with our Kingdom Hearts you can get a heart of your very own." Yes once that is complete even Xion will be able to become a real person to complete her new sense of identity.
"No! That isn't what I was talking about in terms of my incomplete state. Don't you remember how I was created? The components of Sora and Roxas were part of my data; the secret element that you've forgotten about is you. Vexen knew with a Keyblade Master my status is a complete nobody would make me strong enough to stand up to most of the other members except for Xemnas himself."
Okay, so what exactly? You were given details about me that only means you've mastered your talents much better due to this build. Then, she looked up at me with the a...creepy smile on her lips reminding me of when I saw her before in another place.
"Only with you can I truly become a Keyblade Master like you once were, Auxaq." She held out her black gloves like she was trying to reach around my neck, her body continue to advance while I began to retreat backward. The rain begins to fall down on my hair as the liquid suddenly covered my vision while Xion refused to stop approaching me.
"Stop kidding around, Xion! You...joking like you have a heart or feelings."
"Wrong. I can feel something right not sheer euphoria! To think you will be joining your precious friend inside of me truly warms up this cold, lifeless body of mine." I have to get away from her, but she would follow me through a portal. Rushing past her I began to run through the city hoping that she wouldn't be able to follow me through this sudden surge of rain falling down from the bleak skies above me. How did it come to this? Me running away from my friend while she was harping about trying to - absorb me into herself like in the dream? Don't tell me when I sat in that chair this future was something I saw...
Was everything that's been happening part of some greater kind of plan? I have to - get back to the others and stop Xion from doing something that will hurt us both in the end. Then again, the punishment would be fitting for the crime I've committed despite not intending to cause such a fusion in the first place. How would Roxas feel if he saw me inside of Xion...
No. He wouldn't want me to express guilt or even allow myself to end up where he's stuck in simply to please my conscious, which I'm surprised I can still have in this empty shell. No matter how things happened, the last thing he would want me to do is simply give up at this point. He would fight on if he was in Xion's position, right?
The sky began to crackle with thunder, the rain began to downpour even more forcing me to put the hood over my head, and I could see a good use for this cloak beside protecting me from the darkness that I use for travel between worlds. Looking back I saw no one running behind me, but I didn't feel secure just yet considering that she could merely be luring me into a false sense of security. When I ran to the skyscraper the area began to increase with heartless activity, so many stronger versions of those shadows began to come out of the ground.
What is going on exactly? While I knew that I should investigate this further without a weapon to fight off this amount of heartless it would be foolish to confront them on my own. On the other hand, running back to the others back at the castle would not be a good idea since I wouldn't be able to figure out what is going on here not to mention what's happening with Xion. Suddenly, the samurai nobodies appeared before me and held out their swords barring me from going further ahead.
'Master is about to battle someone on her own. This duel must be upheld with her honor being intact.'
"Don't you guys obey Roxas," They were actually coming to protect Xion who I'm guessing is fighting off these shadows once I heard the sound of a keyblade hitting a creature. "He was...absorbed by her meaning you shouldn't be serving a nobody who is-"
'Master is still alive within that other keyblade wielder. Our loyalty to our master is still unwavering...' They would protect their master even after being stuck inside of Xion? It isn't like these heartless are much of an issue unless...
"She is about to fight someone?" Looking over the white samurai I could see a black figure standing at the very top of the skyscraper building. The person was wearing our organization's black cloak meaning that it could be the Imposter: Riku. Why would he show up...except to bring in Xion!
"He's trying to capture her for DiZ!" I knew without my help she could end up getting captured considering how powerful Riku has become since overcome Ansem...at least for a while considering how much darkness I sensed from him the last time we saw one another, so chances are he would easily be a match for Xion even with her newly found power.
'You mustn't interfere with this one-on-one battle. The reputation of our master is on the line.'
"The life of my friend is also on the line here!" Growling I knew it wouldn't do me any good to fight these guys leaving me in the role of a mere spectator. Not only was I helpless in doing anything to stop this, you all refuse to stop in to help your "master" out of respect and pride of her being a keyblade warrior.
Hearing the sounds of blades cling with one another I barely was able to get a glimpse of the fight taking place in the middle of this dark city. Running past the nobodies by leaping onto a building I could see Riku or whom I assumed was this person was battling Xion with her two keyblades one light and the other dark in color. They were moving all around the place making it hard to see them, but I could tell both of them were evenly matched in their skills and power meaning the fight could go either way.
Before I could go further those samurai nobodies came to block my path once more. Damn, why now when I am so close? Looking down I could see Riku gaining the upper hand in their duel making me worry about Xion's fate being in the hands of such a cruel person like DiZ.
"Even with a heart, that man seems to want to spread nothing but hatred..." She can't fall into his hands meaning she has to overcome this opponent!
'Have faith in your friend and our master. Despite what she might have tried doing she is trying to uphold Roxas and his last wish.'
His last wish? I figured that meant she would want to leave Organization XIII, but the head samurai shook his hand while pointing his sword at the "moon" of our world. The artificial Kingdom Hearts that was slowly increasing in size, shape, and power from the hearts drawn into it.
'The final wish our master desired to fulfill before being absorbed into Xion. His keyblade would plunge itself into the center of that false Kingdom Hearts.'
He - wanted to destroy Kingdom Hearts?! That would mean he would break up the only hope nobodies have of getting their hearts back for themselves, the motive doesn't many any kind of sense! He wouldn't do that to me, to his friend Axel, and to everyone else by robbing them of our last chance of being normal again!
"She wouldn't do that...would she?" Jumping through the buildings I got closer to the battle taking place watching Xion gain the upper hand now, or at least for the moment since I knew Riku was still stronger than what he was showing at this point as she tried slashing him again.
"Sora, the boy you were crafted from. You absorbed his Nobody...this can't be the truth. Sora! You can't be gone inside of this replica."
"I - Roxas is still within me. Submerged within this body however he is still alive in a sense."
"No! You can't be stuck in there, Sora! Fight out of her already!" Riku charged at Xion again only to get hit by her two keyblades, instead of Riku having the edge it seemed Xion was proving to be the stronger one out of these two.
"Leave me alone! I'm aware of your intention of reviving Sora, but I can't give up my new independence..."
"All right then. You've left me with no other choice."
"You don't mean..."
"I have to release the power in my heart - the dark power that I've been holding back. Even...if it changes me forever." A sudden tornado of darkness covered Riku's body, and once I saw what happened...fear and dread came over me.
"Ansem...no Xehanort!" That heartless who tried using the Princesses of Heart, and the person who took out my friend in Castle Oblivion. None of this can be happening to me...
This fake Ansem took hold of Xion and defeated her without any sort of trouble. I can't, the tragedy of losing another friend of mine can't happen again. I have to save here, but DiZ will likely show up soon that is the right time to strike...and sure enough, he came through a portal of darkness.
"DiZ...she has absorbed Roxas into herself."
"Oh, don't tell me you're going to allow that to hinder your thinking. Ridiculous. This puppet might have merged with that abomination however it doesn't mean we still can awaken Sora from his lazy dreams. A Nobody cannot feel anything or have the right to exist. Such a creation like this Replica should have never even been born!"
"Says you!" I couldn't hold back anymore, the legs of mine went into action while I used my Slow magic to ensure I don't hurt myself while jumping down to confront these two before they could steal her. The rain was beginning to cease, and yet my imagination felt like the drops of liquids were vectors being sent from the heavens down to the earth.
"How annoying. At least we can finally be rid of you for good, and such a failure of a keyblade warrior you are of Eraqus." Before I could blast DiZ "Ansem" took hold of my body with that heartless behind him.
'I'm failing myself and everyone again. Is this truly my final moments? No! This can't be the end for me not this soon! I refused to surrender to these people!'
"Enough of this struggle, so do the universe a favor and let your worthless existence-" I felt something in my right hand, the object was...my keyblade? The petals revealed my previous keyblade: Stormfall. That can't be possible; this keyblade had been destroyed and here it was in my hand.
'Is this the full aspects of my power? To recreate a version of my previous keyblade?"
"Damn! She's regained the power of her keyblade." Not wasting time I attacked Riku/Ansem with a series of blue balls of light that knocked him back.
"We can't waste our strength fighting this blight on creation. Grab the girl while I distract her." Oh, neither of you are getting away from me! Pointing my keyblade into the air I created several balls of light covered in blue, the spheres all coming down at Riku knocking him back further while I charged in to grab the unconscious Xion, but then DiZ threw some kind of glowing sphere into the air resulting in a huge blinding light. The next thing I saw was nothing...Xion...Riku...DiZ. There were all gone from this place...
'Master? What happened to her...' I ignored the samurais behind me, the legs under me caved in forcing me onto the ground as I couldn't fathom what just happened.
"I failed...to protect her...to save him..." All over again because of Xehanort. That man DiZ took Xion away...
The rain had ended while the torment inside of myself only continued. Despite wanting to cry out and scream - nothing would come out of my body. There was no reaction from me as the memories and days of my time spent with Roxas and Xion flashed before my eyes. Without those two, the friendship I had with Axel is gone leaving nothing left besides this fake keyblade that somehow felt real to me.
"I can't feel anything...I am nothing...this keyblade and body of mine are simply falsehoods..." Looking up at the clouds parting from the sky there in the center was the one true light that was left.
"Kingdom Hearts...there is the light that I crave to have...the only way I can truly express myself is to complete it...by myself." It was something I needed to believe in to keep myself going from this point forward.
[ At least 358/2 Days is finished. Kairi and Aqua's paths have been set ensuring they will be in conflicting points of view. Aqua is quite the "villain" at this point, but unlike most of the other members, I wanted to show how she's been emotionally destroyed by the events of this arc. All of this building up to her world crashing down with the only solace she has being her "keyblade" returning to her side, and the "hope" of getting her heart back through Kingdom Hearts. With that, the next update will be the KH2 side of things hope you all will enjoy that.
Edit: Had to reupload because it didn't work last time. :/ ]