Xemnas's Point of View

I had been keeping my distance from Alexus. I didn't want to force her to be with me, so the only time I was near her was during meals. I had been keeping this up since we came back to the castle. I had counted on the involvement I had with her in her home would be enough to have her come to me when she was ready to have a relationship with me. "Mr. Xemnas?" She began at breakfast one morning. I turned to her. "I was wondering-" She seemed to struggle in phrasing her question. I patiently waited for her to find the words she wanted to say. "Will I have a day with you soon?"

"Would you like to spend the day with me?" I asked.

"Well, only if you have the time. I understand if you're busy," Alexus replied.

"I will always have time for you, little one," I assured her. When we finished breakfast, I was unsure what to do with her. When it had been the two of us, she would play with her friend all day before coming home and having dinner with me. "Is there anything you want to do today?"

"I didn't have anything in mind. What do you do for fun?" Alexus wondered.

I laughed. "I don't have fun. I work."

"That sounds awful. Working all the time without any fun is bad," Alexus mentioned.

"Perhaps for someone like you, but for a Nobody like me, there is little point in any so-called fun," I explained.

"Oh. I guess not having a heart isn't as nice as I thought," Alexus sighed.

"It's not nice at all. That's why we're working on a way to regain those hearts. That is the purpose of my Organization. In the meantime, you'll just have to have enough fun for the both of us," I said. I thought it strange that Alexus didn't find the fact that I don't have a heart to be completely appalling. It had concerned me before when she thought that being a Nobody was a good thing. While I didn't want to put more space between her and me, I also didn't want her to believe such things in case she would attempt to become a Nobody herself. Everything I told her regarding my not having a heart had to be carefully planned and calculated.

"Do you still like me?" Alexus inquired, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Of course I do. Why would you think I didn't?" I answered.

"I haven't seen much of you since we got back to the castle. I thought that you might not like me anymore," Alexus admitted.

I hadn't wanted her to feel pressured to see me, so I had allowed her to be with the other members. I hadn't realized it seemed to her that I didn't want to see her at all. I struggled to come up with the words to explain this to a child such as herself. "I don't think a day will go by when I don't like you. You may come to me whenever you wish. I merely do not want you to feel obligated to see me."

"I don't understand you sometimes," Alexus sighed.

"That is probably for the best," I mused.

"Did you love Mama when you had a heart?" Alexus asked suddenly.

I was a bit caught off guard by the question. "Yes," I stated. It was the short answer. The long answer was that Xehanort, who had entered this body, had loved her mother, but I wasn't about to tell her that. For Alexus's sake, I had been referring to myself as Xehanort. Alexus didn't need to know any different.

"If you had a heart, would you have come to us?" Alexus wondered.

"I was not able to. Your mother's father would have known, and I would have gotten us in even more trouble. However, I have been able to occasionally communicate through magic. It is how I knew when your mother died," I replied.

"I wish your magic could bring her back," Alexus mumbled.

I had to think back very carefully on what a normal reaction to this statement would be. An idea formed in my head. "Come with me." She followed me to The Altar of Naught. "Look up at the sky. Do you see the two bright ones?"

"Yes," Alexus answered.

"The one on the right is where your mother and I were born," I explained. I hoped it would be a small comfort to her.

"You were born on a star?" She questioned.

"Of course, as were you. I suppose I haven't explained this to you yet. Every star is another world. You see their light in the night sky," I explained.

"Wow. So I've been on stars all this time, and I didn't even know it?" Alexus gasped.

"That is right. Someday this world will have a special heart-shaped moon in the sky called Kingdom Hearts. When it is completed, I will be able to have a heart of my own. Unfortunately, we cannot create Kingdom Hearts at the moment, but we will someday," I mentioned.

"So when Kingdom Hearts is complete, you'll have emotions again?" Alexus wondered.

"Yes," I replied.

"Then you can have fun with me, Papa?" Alexus inquired.

I was completely caught off guard. She called me Papa. For the first time, I knew without a doubt that my heart had begun to reform inside of me. Though I didn't mind, I was sure Xehanort would prefer something more formal, such as Father, but I would address it later. "Yes, Alexus. Then we can have as much fun as you would like." For the first time, I viewed her, not as a child I had taken into my home in Xehanort's stead, but as my daughter. I found myself being pleased with her and wanted to reward her. "Would you like some ice cream?" I knew she was fond of the frozen treat.

"Yes, please," Alexus replied excitedly.

I guess it's been a month since I've updated this. Thank you, empourer, for following.