So…it may have been over a whole year without an update. I have no words. I am so sorry.

Let's continue.

Chapter XIV - Truth and Reconciling

Play: Xion's Theme (Musique Pour La Tristesse De Xion) - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

The wind ripped through her hair and coat, causing the metallic drawstrings to jingle in the air. She was leaning against the wall, looking out into the abyss at Naught's Skyway. Other castle pieces floated before her, with Kingdom Hearts barely visible through the pillars.

Xion stood there with her arms as a headrest, simply content to watch the emptiness and listen as the wind howled. Today, nobody had come to bother her in this spot, which is what she had wanted. Simply to be alone with nothing but the wind and her thoughts.

And after the last few days, she had quite a lot to think about. It especially involved a certain man that had the same face as her friend.

Specific words of his had stuck with her, even days later.

"This Keyblade? Nothing but a sham. Worthless."

"You should find a new crowd. Trust me, those guys are bad news. For everyone, including your friend."

"Why don't you ask him what really happened when he went missing? I'm sure he'll explain it for real this time."

That last one had made her begin avoiding Kirux, despite his best efforts to try and speak with her. She had too many questions running through her head, and had not been ready to question him on it just yet.

The main question was why. Why did he lie? What had happened in that time he had gone missing? And why did this "Riku" guy know before she and any of their other friends had?

…

As if the universe was listening, she was getting an opportunity to ask, with footsteps approaching from her right. When Xion glanced over, she caught the timid eyes of Kirux as he slowly approached. He stopped when their eyes met and awkwardly raised a hand with a slight wave.

"Hi," Was all he could muster as Xion's eyes returned to the view before her.

All she gave in response to him was a quick and quiet "Hello."

Xion purposely kept her eyes away as Kirux walked closer, stopping about three feet away from her.

"Listen, I know I messed up and you're mad at me-,"

"Very much so."

"-and you have every right to be. I would just like a chance to explain myself. So…please?"

…

Xion did not give him a verbal answer, only waving her hand dismissively. It was only after Kirux muttered, "Is that a yes?" that she sighed and answered with words, "Yes, you may. Now hurry up before I change my mind."

Kirux was a bit surprised by her reaction but took the opportunity nonetheless. He walked over and stood beside her, almost mimicking her position. The two of them were both looking out in front of them when he started explaining.

"The day I got captured, I was on a mission in Twilight Town. I had chased this Heartless out into the woods, but it…got caught in the wind and blown up into a tree, if you can believe that. I was leaving when he showed up, the guy you fought on the bridge."

"Him? Riku?"

"Yeah, Riku. He showed up that day, said a bunch of cryptic crap, that there was a lot more going on that I don't know about, whatever that means. After that, he knocked me out, and I woke up in a dark room in a who-knows-what world. There was another guy there, who said that they brought me there for a reason, but-,"

He paused, looking down at his hands and contemplating what to say next. After a few seconds, he continued, "But they never did say what they brought me there for."

"So how did you get all of those injuries?"

"I managed to bust out of the cell they held me in, and nearly escaped the building. The front door wouldn't open, Riku tried to fight me, and he won pretty easily."

"I'll say."

…

"So if that's what really happened, why lie?"

Kirux avoided her gaze, shrugging his shoulders, "I dunno, I just…you were worried about me enough as is. I don't want to give you another reason to do so with my human self running around beating me up."

"I thought friends were supposed to be worried about one another."

"We are, and I worry about you just as much as you worry about me. But Xion, I…"

He stood from the wall and fully turned to face her, "Ever since I ran into Riku for the first time, he's been following me around, stalking me behind my back, and taking any chance he has to spout a whole bunch of nonsense about "a lot going on I don't know about". He's been bad news anytime we have interacted with him, whether it's been me or you. I don't know what he wants or how I tie into it, but…I just know that it isn't good. It won't be good for you, me, or our friends. And I…"

Xion turned to face him, and their eyes met once again. Kirux stumbled upon his words but finally found them.

"I don't want him to hurt you again, Xion."

…

…

…

Xion wanted to stay mad at him. Her brain was even telling her as much.

"He lied to you, majorly. That isn't something that you can so easily forgive."

And yet, after a long silence between them, she sighed and said, "I…I'm sorry."

Kirux was not expecting that response, as his face showed bewilderment and confusion, "You what now?"

"I said I'm sorry. For being mad."

"No, you don't have to say sorry. I'm the one that screwed up. If anything, I should be apologizing to you."

Xion looked out toward the open air, "You're right, but I need to apologize too. I just…I fought Riku on that bridge, and he beat me. I dunno if I fared any better than you did, but he was too strong for me too."

Kirux wanted to comment on his experience but wisely did not, allowing Xion to continue.

"He said a lot of things to me after that. He…called my Keyblade a sham, that it was worthless."

"He what?"

Xion noticed Kirux's fists were clenching, to which she shook her head, "Don't. It's not worth getting mad over."

"I think that's something plenty worth getting mad over."

"It…" she stopped herself, pinched her forehead tightly, and resumed, "What he said to me, about my Keyblade, it…it hurt. I wasn't in the best state of mind then, and after hearing that you had lied to me, I lashed out. That is what I'm sorry for."

Her head turned and their eyes met again, "But that isn't all that he said."

"What else was there?"

…

"He said a lot of things about us. The Organization."

An eyebrow cocked up, and Kirux immediately questioned her, "Us? What exactly are we doing wrong?"

"I don't know, but he called us a "bad crowd". I don't know what he meant by that or anything else."

"You shouldn't listen to him. He's just screwing with us. All he does is lie to people and mess with their heads."

"Well, you two have that lying part in common."

Kirux gasped and put a hand over his chest indignantly, "How da-, alright, you've got me there."

She giggled at his response.

"Got you to laugh. Guess I'm making progress."

"Sure you are."

…

…

…

"Soooo…are we good now?"

She turned to meet his eyes, "Are we good?"

"Well, I thought since we-,"

"Since we've been talking that you're suddenly completely forgiven?"

Kirux's posture sank, his eyes almost reflecting the look of a sad puppy busted for misbehaving, "...maybe?"

Xion sighed heavily at his response, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Ki, listen. Just because you apologized doesn't mean I fully forgive you yet. A simple "I'm sorry" doesn't make up for that instantaneously."

Kirux said nothing as Xion continued, "If you want me to forgive you for lying to me like that, then there's one thing I want you to do."

"Okay, what's that? Pay for your ice cream for a week?"

When all he got was a glare, he frowned and answered again, "...two weeks?"

…

Xion stood up from her spot on the wall, turning to face a confused Kirux, "You wanna know what you can do? Here."

And then, she put her hand before her, with her pinky pointed toward her confused friend.

"Uhhhhh…what is this? What are you doing?"

"It's called a "pinky promise". I read about it one time. It's something that people do when they want to form an unbreakable promise."

"And…this is what you want me to do?"

"Correct. I want you to promise that from this point forward, we are going to be honest with one another. No more lies, no more deceptions. Got it?"

Kirux stared at her outstretched hand for a few seconds, still seemingly confused about what to do. Xion was about to pull her hand back before he finally responded, "Okay. Promise."

With that, he stuck his hand out, linked his pinky with hers, and they shook like a handshake.

…

When that was done, they put their hands back down, met each other's eyes, then began laughing.

"So, was that it?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Good, because I'm running low on munny right now, and can't afford to buy even more ice cream than I already do."

Xion then had a devious grin, and Kirux's mood immediately soured upon seeing it, "Well, since you brought it up…"

"Can you at least limit it to one bar per day?"

Stop: Xion's Theme (Musique Pour La Tristesse De Xion) - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

Nearly three weeks had passed since that day, and while Kirux's munny pouch continued to shrink, his relationship with Xion had only grown stronger.

The day after they had made up, they were paired on a mission together, and the two clicked working together much differently than before. It was as if the promise they made had somehow brought them closer.

For Kirux, it was a major relief. Having the thought of her being angry at him like she was before, no matter how much he deserved it.

Although, one thing had evaded him during this time, and that was his wanting to ask Axel about those "feelings" that he had been experiencing. While it was nice that he and Xion had made up, he had also had plenty of moments just like he had had with her in the woods during training.

He had had plenty of times when he could have asked, yet he always hesitated and ended up leaving it be. Something was holding him back, and Kirux could never quite figure out what it was.

Regardless, he still planned on bringing it up with Axel. Sometime. Maybe soon.

…

…

…

It was nighttime, or whatever counted as "night" in The World That Never Was. On the outside, Kirux was in his room, fast asleep after a long day of work.

However, what one was not able to see, was the dream he was currently having. A particularly vivid one at that.

Much like he had had in the past, his eyes opened to an endless void, with only the platform he stood on having any discernible shape. From a far-out view, it was a circle stained glass platform, featuring a large image of himself. All of his friends' faces had special circles for themselves up near his head, as well as a shot of the Twilight Town skyline, the clock tower front and center.

Kirux looked around to see if he was alone, and to his surprise, he wasn't. Directly behind him, cloaked in a strange shadowy silhouette, was a figure in a brown cloak. The hood covered any facial features, and the figure walked with a low hunch.

It took him a second to realize, but it dawned on him that he knew who this was. This was one of the voices that had spoken to him in that dream when he was captured by Riku.

"You again?" Kirux said out loud as he turned to face his mysterious visitor.

Play: What Lies Within - Final Fantasy XV

(Note: From here forward, this will be the "official" theme for Kirux.)

Even though this man(?) was standing directly in front of Kirux, their voice boomed all around him when they spoke, "I am surprised that you remembered who I am."

"Well, I do still owe you for helping me escape Riku. That was you, right?"

"Indeed. A keen eye, you have."

"It wasn't that difficult to deduce. Now,"

He looked away from the hooded man, "You wanna explain what this place is?"

"This place is the deepest depths of your mind. When you first arrived, all that time ago, it still was taking form. Now that you have experienced more and grown, it's taken shape."

Kirux's eyes drifted down to the platform they stood on, noticing the image of himself and all of his friends.

"That's…me."

"It is. This is your mind, Kirux. What you live through, what you experience, takes form right here."

"That's cool and all, but I doubt that's why you brought me here."

His eyes returned to the cloaked figure, who had remained in place since the beginning.

…

"The reason you are here tonight is to discuss the power within you, and how you have yet to take advantage of what it can bring."

Kirux crossed his arms over his chest, "What power?"

"You are one of the lucky few in this world that can wield the power of pure darkness. You have used it in the past on occasion, but I have noticed your hesitation."

"Oh, you mean that…"

He put a hand up and stared into his palm. He never forgot the first time he used that power, while on a mission with Axel. He had used it that time in an act of desperation, and then again when captured by Riku. However, a part of Kirux was hesitant to even try and conjure that kind of energy again.

"I've thought about using it from time to time, but anytime I have, it hasn't gone well for me. Trust me, I've seen what it can do. But I'm not entirely sure if using it is good for me. Physically, I mean."

"It is understandable to be hesitant. However, the only way to grow tolerance when using your dark power is to continue harnessing it."

The figure then started moving toward Kirux, "As you grow stronger, your powers will grow alongside you. Only through harnessing the darkness can one learn how to control it properly."

He stopped only a foot away from Kirux, lifting one of his robed arms toward his chest, "You have a gift that not many hold, Kirux. It would be a mistake not to cherish such a gift."

…

…

…

"A gift, huh?" He said to himself.

He wouldn't lie, the prospect of having that kind of power was hard to ignore. Kirux was not blind to see what kind of power that energy had.

But when he thought back on all of the times that he had used it, it made him hesitant. There was also a nagging feeling in the back of his head that always told him "No, you can't. It's too dangerous." He didn't know who to listen to in those times.

…

Kirux took a step back, letting his arms fall to his sides, "I'll think about it. Besides, what's it to you? Why are you even in my mind?"

"I'm just a simple advisor. Nothing more. I only exist in your mind to help guide you on your journey."

"My journey to what, exactly?"

The robed man then started walking backward, "You shall see. We will speak again soon, Kirux. Remember my words."

He disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke, leaving Kirux alone on the stained glass pedestal. It was not long before Kirux was enveloped by a similar smoke, and his vision went dark.

Stop: What Lies Within - Final Fantasy XV

Play: Waltz of the Damned - Kingdom Hearts II

Of all the places to be at this moment, on a mission was the last on Kirux's preferred list.

He had been attentive enough to know where he was (Beasts' Castle), what he needed to do (eliminate a giant Heartless), and who he was going with (Roxas). Aside from all of that, his mind had always been in a different place.

The words he had heard from that man in his dream still stuck with him. What was it about his powers did that guy want him to use them so badly? It could only end badly, right?

Then again, it wasn't like that guy had any sort of power over Kirux. He only appeared in dreams or sometimes in his head at random points. Kirux didn't need to worry about him doing anything to his body or mind or anything.

…

Regardless, his mind was keeping him preoccupied, and it finally got the attention of Roxas.

"Yo, Kirux. You in there bud?"

A hand appeared in Kirux's vision, and it snapped him out of his thoughts. He and Roxas were standing in the middle of the ballroom, having only just arrived in this world for their mission.

"Huh? Wha? What is it?"

Roxas placed his hand on his hip, "I was wondering if you were doing okay. You've been out of it all morning."

"I'm fine, I promise," he started walking as he talked, "I've just got a lot on my mind lately."

"Is it about you and Xion again?" Roxas questioned as he followed behind.

"No. I told you, we're past that already."

Kirux opened the door to the main entrance hall, as Roxas continued with their conversation, "I mean after all of that. For two days she wouldn't talk to you. Then all of a sudden you two are as close as ever. What changed?"

Lifting his arms behind his head, Kirux continued while walking, "We talked it out. I dunno why that's such a big deal."

"Come on, it wasn't that simple. Xion made you do something, didn't she?"

The nagging from his friend was getting on Kirux's nerves, but he held in any anger. Instead, he just sighed heavily and answered, "Listen, man. It's complicated. All I'll say is that Xion and I had an issue, we talked it out and settled everything. That's why we're cool now. Is that answer good for you?"

"I was just curious. Not trying to start any issues."

"It's fine. Let's just focus on the mission for right now, alright?"

"Sure."

…

…

…

Roxas opened the door to the courtyard, and the two descended the small staircase.

"So, what kind of Heartles do you think it'll be?"

"Dunno. The last one I took down was a giant robot thing. Any ideas?"

"What if it's like…a giant gargoyle, and it shoots fire out of its mouth, and it's carrying a giant spear that has-,"

Kirux's rambling was interrupted by a loud roar, and then something came flying over the front gate to the bridge. It was the Beast, the one who owned this castle. He had been knocked unconscious from whatever had sent him flying.

Kirux and Roxas both exchanged stunned looks, with Roxas adding, "What could have done this to him?"

"I don't know. But we better get out there and deal with it."

The two decided to leave the Beast there, not that they didn't want to help. Whatever had done this to him needed to be taken out immediately.

They ran up to the door to the bridge, and out to meet their target.

Stop: Waltz of the Damned - Kingdom Hearts II

Kirux and Roxas ran forward together, looking up to see what was ahead of them. When the two of them saw it, they both stopped.

Play: Vim and Vigor - Kingdom Hearts II

In front of them, taking up the entire length of the bridge, was a massive Heartless that rolled toward them on wheels. Its face took up the entire front, with its eyes behind pieces of metal just above the wood of its mouth. Standing on its roof were three much smaller armored Heartless, each carrying a bow. One of them even fired an arrow over the gate and into the castle courtyard.

The Heartless finally stopped a few feet away from Kirux and Roxas. They both stared up in awe for a few seconds before the situation kicked in, both summoning their weapons in hand.

…

The two of them ran towards the Heartless, with Roxas stopping once to blast it in the face with a fireball. The blast made contact directly in the mouth, and it sent the Heartless back a few inches.

As the smoke cleared, Kirux jumped up and started attacking. He struck the face of the Heartless multiple times with his sword, ending his spree by shooting his own fireball. Again, the Heartless retreated but would then begin rolling forward again.

The smaller Heartless began shooting down at Roxas and Kirux with their bows. The arrows would almost always miss, but one shot did manage to get Kirux in the shoulder. It didn't impale itself into his skin, but it did cause quite a jolt.

It was then that the larger Heartless began attacking. Its mouth opened, and large bombs began rolling toward Kirux and Roxas. The two both dove to the sides to escape the first one, but soon more were being sent out directly toward them. Roxas was able to strike one away with his Keyblade, but Kirux wasn't as lucky. He got his sword up, but the explosion still sent him backward.

Despite the knockback, Kirux landed on his feet, skidding backward before stopping a few feet before the door. More arrows continued to rain down around him, which he had had enough of.

"Those guys up top are gonna cause us trouble."

"I'll keep the big one distracted if you can take them out."

The only issue for Kirux stood in how he was going to get up there, and the Heartless wasn't going to give him much of a chance to figure it out. Its mouth opened up, and a massive hammer appeared, slamming the ground as the Heartless advanced.

The shockwaves from the impacts knocked both Kirux and Roxas off their feet, and another swing landed even closer to the two, it sent them both flying toward the edge of the bridge. Roxas landed against the wall, but Kirux flew over the edge, only barely grabbing on and dangling above the long fall below.

"You okay?!"

"I'm fine! Focus on the Heartless!"

Roxas got back up and ran back toward the Heartless, which had started rolling forward again. It completely ignored Kirux, and he was soon near the back of the Heartless.

He looked up and saw that he was next to one of the bridge's statues, the peak standing just above the top of the Heartless. Kirux started thinking to himself.

"If I can get up there, I can take down those archers…"

So, Kirux pulled himself onto the ledge, and then up the statue. He noticed Roxas was deflecting fireballs coming from the large Heartless, all the while dodging arrows. But he was in bad shape and needed help.

Kirux got to the top of the statue and then jumped onto the roof of the Heartless. He immediately summoned his sword back, just as the archers noticed what had happened.

He kicked the closest one down toward the front, then quickly dispatched the others with two quick slashes. Roxas struck down the last one when it fell right in front of him. The two met eyes, and Kirux gave him a thumbs up.

…

However, the Heartless wasn't done. It quickly accelerated backward, hitting the edge of the bridge on the far side. Kirux had flown off quickly, landing directly in the center.

"Kirux!"

Roxas was about to run forward to help him, but the Heartless had opened its mouth again. A large battering ram appeared and began charging energy. Kirux was stumbling to get up, while Roxas stood firmly back by the main gate.

"Kirux, you need to move! Now!"

But Kirux knew that he wasn't going to be able to get out of the way. Not in his current state.

Suddenly, a voice flashed in his head.

"You have a gift. It would be a mistake not to cherish such a gift."

"Fine, if that's what you want…then that's what you'll get…"

…

Kirux dug in his heels, and firmly stood his ground with sword in hand. He closed his eyes and focused hard, trying to conjure any sort of dark energy.

Although he couldn't see it, Roxas could see as darkness began to flow around Kirux, even seeping into his body at points. He stared in awe at what he was seeing, just as the Heartless' battering ram finished charging its energy.

The Heartless shot forward, with the battering ram leading the charge. It was heading straight for Kirux. Just as it was about to make impact, Kirux opened his eyes and shot his hand up.

A blast of dark energy shot out from his hand, sending out a shockwave that knocked back the Heartless, as well as slowing time down in the area of effect.

Roxas had covered his eyes, but he reopened them once Kirux started striking the battering ram relentlessly. There was no precision to his attacks, just blind swinging and rage.

Eventually, Kirux corked back, grabbed his sword his both hands and swung as hard as physically possible. The contact unfroze the Heartless, sending it flying backward and back into the wall.

Kirux was breathing slowly and heavily, as he collapsed to the ground. His sword disappeared from his hands. He could barely hold himself up by his arms, as his whole body was weak.

In his mind, he heard the same voice. The one from his dream again. It chuckled, and then muttered a "Good…"

…

Roxas ran up to Kirux's side, frantically asking "Are you okay?"

Kirux croaked out a response, "The Heartless…take it out…"

"What…?"

"You have…a Keyblade…take out the Heartless…"

Roxas hesitated to leave him behind, but they did still have a mission to do. So, he ran over to the Heartless, pulled out his Keyblade, and struck it one more time.

…

The Heartless thrashed around before settling when the wheels popped off. In a burst of light, it disappeared, and a large pink heart floated away into the sky.

Stop: Vim and Vigor - Kingdom Hearts II

Roxas sent his Keyblade away and then ran back to Kirux, who was trying (and failing) to stand back up.

"Whoa dude, relax. I got you."

He slung one of Kirux's arms over his shoulders and carried them back toward the main castle gate.

"I've never seen anything like that. How did you do that?"

Kirux's response was light, as his energy was slowly returning, "I…was just trying to stop it. Y'know?"

Roxas laughed lightly, "Well, you sure did. And a lot more."

"No thanks to you…"

"Keep talking like that and you can walk back to the corridor."

"Please don't."

…

…

…

The two had returned to the main courtyard, where they had left the Beast behind earlier. This time, however, he wasn't alone. A woman in a blue dress had come to his side, trying to help him.

"Who's that?" Kirux questioned.

"I don't know. I think she lives in the castle with him."

"Coying nonsense."

The two looked over, where Xaldin had appeared out of literally nowhere.

"Xaldin? Where did you come from?"

Xaldin didn't even bother to look in their direction, "It's none of your concern."

"You know, if you were here the whole time, we could've used your help."

Kirux got no response from that statement, as Xaldin was staring at the Beast and the women in front of them.

"Love, from a beast? How utterly ridiculous."

"Love? What is love?" (Baby don't hurt me)

"An emotion. The very thing that deludes those two as we speak."

Kirux was able to stand on his own, although holding his side, as he pressed Xaldin for more, "What does this "love" emotion mean for people?"

"It doesn't matter. We Nobodies do not possess hearts, so we will never understand the stranglehold this emotion has over people's hearts."

Xaldin turned away from them, "We have no further business here. Return to the castle and complete your mission."

With that, he disappeared into a corridor, leaving both Roxas and Kirux confused. Roxas just shrugged it off, saying that they could ask Axel about it, but Kirux was thinking to himself.

"Love…"

I'm so glad this is done. Hope y'all enjoyed it.

-Broncozfan623

(Update 8/18/23: Hey, Arika, or whatever the hell your name is. I'm only gonna say this once. Stop writing reviews on my stories. I don't care about your stupid questions, and I certainly don't care that you think you have the power to boss me around. I didn't forget when two years ago, you told me to unalive myself because I shipped Roxas with Xion, and I certainly do not give a FUCK that you prefer any of these characters with anyone else. So, please do the following ever so kindly. Fuck off and get a life, you absolute loser. This is the first and only time I will acknowledge you, and if you try and post any other nonsense here, I won't even bother reading it before I delete it.)

(Update 8/24/23: Lol, nice try)