Y'know what's weird? This story has been going on for over five years now. Yes, I have been writing this story for over five years. We're also not even halfway done with just the first part (yes, there are two parts). So yeah, that's neat (I need to do better).

Anyways, enjoy.

Chapter XVII - A Different Path

"Kirux?"

She pushed his door open and immediately noticed his empty bedroom. The bed was neat and well-made, and his desk was clean, which was rare for Kirux. The room looked as if it had been abandoned for weeks.

Xion frowned, sighing before she shut the door. "Where is he?"

"Lookin' for Kirux again?"

She looked up and saw Axel walking toward her, as he continued to talk, "It's late, y'know. You should be heading to bed soon."

"I know. I just wanted to check on Kirux. He hasn't been the same since his eyes changed."

Axel's face changed, his smile disappearing and his arms crossing over his chest, "Well, he can't say I never warned him something would happen. I told him to keep that stuff in check."

Although deep down she knew he was right, Xion still scowled at him, "Don't be like that. Besides, the last time he did it was to protect Roxas and me. Shouldn't you be a little more concerned about your friend?"

"Of course I'm concerned about him, but I also warned him about what could happen if he kept using that power. And now look at what's happening."

She wanted to speak up again but had no rebuttal this time. She and Kirux have been on plenty of missions since his eyes changed colors, and despite knowing that his dark powers had caused the change, Kirux continued to use the powers. He even started showing even less restraint when using it.

However, Xion pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. She focused on finding Kirux right now, as she looked back to Axel, "Either way, I'm going to find him. Have you seen him since getting back to the castle?"

"Only once, he was heading toward the library. Looked like he was in a hurry too."

"The library. Got it. Thanks, Axel."

She walked past her friend, only to stop as he called out to her just before she reached the end of the hall.

"Xion, when you find him, tell him to try and lighten up with those powers. I know he may doubt it, but…the rest of us are still worried for him. He won't listen to me about this ordeal, but he'll probably listen to you…maybe."

Axel ran his hand through his hair as he said that last part, causing Xion to giggle. Axel still had a soft spot regarding her, Kirux, and Roxas.

"Don't worry. I'll talk to him."

"Thanks."

With that settled, Xion turned away and left, heading toward the castle library. Axel's smile faded, and he sighed before walking toward his room.

"Please listen to her, Kirux…"

…

…

…

It took her a few minutes to reach the library, but once she opened the door, she wasn't expecting to find Kirux immediately.

He was at a table, passed out with his head resting on an open book. He was fast asleep and looked like he had been for a while, multiple other books strewn about on the table he was resting at.

Once Xion saw him, she smiled as she approached, stopping by his side. She touched his back, speaking aloud as if he could hear her.

"You lazy bum…"

She looked down at the table to see what he was reading, noticing the long lengths of text and the many images of a heart on its pages. She carefully slid it out from underneath Kirux's sleeping head, sure to keep him from slumping down forcefully. Once he was settled, she turned her attention to what Kirux was reading.

Saving the page he was on with her finger, she checked the cover, reading the title.

"Ansem Reports: Discovering the Secrets of the Heart"

…

The title piqued her interest immediately, so she returned to the last page Kirux was on and read a part of it. One particular section stood out.

"I believe darkness sleeps in every heart, no matter how pure. Given the chance, the smallest drop can spread and swallow the heart. I have witnessed it many times. Darkness...Darkness of the heart. How is it born? How does it come to affect us so? As ruler of this world, I must find the answers. I must find them before the world is lost to those taken by the darkness."

"He was reading about the darkness and the heart."

She glanced over at his still-sleeping figure before returning to the book, deciding to read further. It talked about the darkness and the heart quite often, detailing the author's many experiments on both subjects. Each part went into every minor detail of the experiments, some on topics Xion would not dare to consider. The thought of why Kirux was reading such a book crossed her mind many times, but she figured it was pointless to speculate. She would ask another time.

…

Once she reached a point where she felt it appropriate to stop, she closed the book and turned to return it to Kirux, only to turn back toward him and find him awake and staring at her.

She jumped when they made eye contact, eliciting a light chuckle from her friend as he said, "You better have saved my page in that. I wasn't done with it."

"Sorry. I found you asleep with this and wanted to know what you were reading. It's…interesting, to say the least."

Kirux stood from the table and walked over to her, taking the book from her offering hands, and speaking again while reading the cover, "I just thought it might have some answers as to what's been happening with me. Or at least give me a better idea on how to deal with it."

He returned to the table and started gathering the other books he had collected, then moved toward the shelves to return them to their correct places. Xion fidgeted with her hands awkwardly, remembering what Axel had asked her earlier but unable to find the words.

Eventually, while Kirux was still returning his books, she found the right words, "Kirux, wouldn't the best idea be just to stop using your powers?"

He had just slid the final book back into its proper place, and sighed while his hand lingered on the shelf, "I'm gonna assume Axel told you to say that."

She gulped, "How in the world did he know that?". However, she remained composed, slowly moving toward him, "Even if I did, you must admit he's right. Everything started as soon as you started using those dark powers more frequently, and if what you told me is true, then wouldn't the best idea be to stop?"

Kirux turned away from the bookshelf, but kept his eyes away from Xion, "I know all of that, I just…We risk our lives daily to fight Heartless and complete our missions, I wish he would just trust me enough to handle myself."

"He does, but Ki…he's just worried about you. You're not…uhh…"

She tapered off, causing Kirux to look in her direction, "I'm not what?"

"I don't want to offend you, Ki. But you're not exactly the most…y'know…"

Xion struggled to find the right word for what she was trying to say, either piquing Kirux's curiosity or his concern, as he began to reach toward her just as she found the right word.

"...careful."

"What? I'm plenty careful."

"Kirux, you had to jump across a massive gap on one of your first missions and nearly fell to your death."

"I was chasing someone!"

"And then you went out on a mission while visibly injured, which led to you getting captured by Riku."

"He got the jump on me. If it were one-on-one, I would've beaten him."

"And then there are all the times I've heard of you using your dark powers indiscriminately, despite Axel and the rest of us expressing concern about your health and safety."

This time, Kirux needed help finding a rebuttal. He looked away from Xion, putting a hand in his hair and whispering, "I've gotten better with it…"

She crossed her arms over her chest, cocking an eyebrow up at him, "You sure about that?"

He didn't respond to her.

"Listen Ki. The last thing I want is to be intrusive and try to tell you how to live your life, but if you continue down the path you're currently on, then…"

Xion trailed off, fiddling with her hands and repeatedly repeating the word "then" under her breath. Kirux's concern grew, and he approached his friend, reaching out and lightly putting a hand on her arm, hoping that would help her regain her composure.

Xion stopped her rambling, and looked back up at him, taking a long moment to gaze into his eyes.

Kirux had asked "What is it?" at some point, but Xion's mind had wandered away and was focused intently on his eyes.

Something about the change in his eyes had always given her a feeling of unease, a feeling she could never pinpoint perfectly. Before Kirux's eyes had changed, looking at him felt calming and brought her ease. But since the change, it has been the opposite.

Worst of all, it didn't feel like Kirux. It felt like whenever she looked into his eyes, she was being stared back at by someone else.

With these thoughts running through her head, she sighed, looking down at their feet, "I fear that eventually…you won't be yourself anymore."

Play: Melancholia - Final Fantasy XV

Kirux tried to say many things after Xion gave her last statement. He struggled to find the correct words, much like before she had spoken. He let go of her arm, but his hand still lingered.

He had something he wanted to say, but the words continued to evade him. Eventually though, after some long thought, he found the right words and turned his attention back toward Xion. He moved his hand from her arm to her shoulder, tightly holding on as he spoke again.

"Xion, look at me," which she did, and they made eye contact again. After a few seconds, Kirux continued.

"No matter what happens, I will always be me. This power and whatever it does to my body won't change anything. I'm still Kirux, through and through, and that won't change."

She had heard that before, a few times now from him. Each time he said it, however, it started to become less and less believable.

Xion reached a hand up and took hold of his hand, the one on her shoulder. She whispered his name, in a calm tone barely loud enough for him to hear.

Her eyes went back down, as she began speaking louder this time, "Just promise me…that no matter what happens…let me be there for you. Please. You don't have to go through all of this alone, and I…"

"I know. I understand. We'll figure it out together."

With all that said, he pulled Xion toward him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders in a hug. Xion reciprocated, winding her arms under his and burying her face into his shoulder. Kirux could feel her holding him extra tight, so he stroked her hair softly. For a while, they stood just like that. There were no words exchanged during that time. There was nothing more that needed to be said.

After a while, they pulled away from one another, with Kirux saying, "Come on, let's go. We got work to do tomorrow."

"Okay…"

They left the library together, splitting off once they reached Xion's room. Kirux wished her a good night before walking toward his room. He didn't notice that Xion didn't enter her room immediately, but stared at him as he walked away. She watched as Kirux rounded the corner, out of her eyesight.

She sighed before entering her room, her thoughts still on Kirux even as she went to sleep.

Stop: Melancholia - Final Fantasy XV

Kirux skidded back, his boots making a deep indentation into the dirt. He gritted his teeth, tightening his grip on the sword in his hand. The four Heartless, a group of Neoshadows, had surrounded him in the Twilight Town forest, just barely in sight of the mansion.

"Man, I hate these guys," he thought as he watched the Heartless's movements, keeping a close eye on them. One did jump toward him, trying to slash him across the neck. Kirux dodged it, slashing the Heartless on the chest, then again at the neck. The Heartless disappeared, causing the other three to (literally) jump into action.

Kirux was able to roll out of the way, firing a blast of dark fire toward all three of the Neoshadows. Two shots met their targets, but the third missed and hit a tree. The final Heartless dove into the ground, creating a dark pool in the earth as it slid toward Kirux.

"Oh no you don't," he whispered as he reached into the pool, grabbing the Heartless and ripping it out and into the air. It dangled from his hand as he held it by the neck, taking swipes at him to no avail.

Kirux said nothing, as dark energy flowed through his arm toward the Heartless. The energy started to engulf the Heartless, and when Kirux tightened his grip once, the Heartless practically shattered. It evaporated into a cloud of black and purple fog, quickly dissipating with the wind.

…

He took a second to relax, although not dispersing his sword from his hands. That was a good decision, as a familiar face soon approached him.

"You know, I've never seen someone pull a Heartless out of the ground like that. Takes a certain kind of power to do that."

Kirux turned to see Riku, who was casually walking up to him as if they were longtime friends. He kept his guard up, scowling at his taller twin, who put a hand up in response to Kirux's clear hostility.

"Relax. I'm not here to fight. I just wanna talk."

"You've got a lot of nerve wanting to "talk" after what you did."

"From my perspective, your friend was the one who attacked me first. I was just defending myself."

"You're gonna have to again if you don't get to the point."

Riku sighed, shaking his head. He took a few steps closer to Kirux, only causing the Nobody to tense up again. With that, he stopped.

"Listen, believe it or not, I want to help you and your friends. I hate to keep repeating myself, but a lot is going on that you don't understand. The group you're with isn't telling you the whole story. Just…"

Riku put his hand up, summoning a dark corridor, "Come on, there's somewhere I want to show you. Someplace where they won't be watching or listening."

He walked toward the corridor, but Kirux protested, "Whoa whoa, last time I went anywhere with you, I ended up with a concussion and three bruised ribs. Why would I go anywhere with you after last time?"

Riku stopped, looking down at his feet before turning back toward Kirux, "Do you wanna help that girl you're always with or not?"

Xion. He meant Xion.

Kirux froze when he brought her up, but before he could question Riku about it, he stepped through the corridor to wherever he wanted Kirux to follow.

"What does he want with Xion?"

His sword faded away, and now he debated what to do with himself. He didn't want to trust Riku, not for any reason. But what if he knew something about Xion? What if he could help Xion?

Kirux paced back and forth, contemplating his options before stopping right in front of the corridor. He stood there for a few more seconds, thinking about an answer before finally making one.

He whispered "goddamnit" under his breath before walking forward, entering the corridor. It closed right behind him, leaving the forest empty and quiet.

Kirux emerged from the corridors in a world that he had never seen before. He had emerged on a beach, the sound of the waves slamming the pale, white sand echoing across the island. Some palm trees were a few feet away from him, one curved over the side with some star-shaped fruit hanging from the leaves.

He took a look around, not finding Riku at first until he heard the footsteps from behind.

"I knew you'd come around."

Plays: Destiny Islands - Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories

Kirux turned to him, still keeping his guard up. It was Riku, after all, "What is this place?"

Riku walked toward him, walking past him and toward the curved palm tree, "This is the Destiny Islands. It's my home world, mine and my friends."

"You were born here?"

"Well, not here, to be exact. There are a couple of other islands to the west of here, where we all lived. But my friends and I spent just about every free moment we had on this island here."

Riku stopped at the base of the tree, leaning back against it and facing the sunset. He beckoned over to Kirux, saying, "Come on, sit down. Let's have a chat."

Kirux, despite Riku having not done anything thus far, remained cautious as he got closer to his other self. He eventually passed him by, then boosted himself up onto the curved tree, also facing out toward the sunset. The view, while he could admit was nice, had nothing on Twilight Town. However, the way the sun gleamed over the ocean as it descended on the horizon was a sight to behold.

…

After about a minute of Kirux staring off at the sun, Riku finally spoke, "So, I see that the transition has started for you."

"The what?"

"Your eyes. They changed color. Don't think I didn't notice it, Kirux."

"You know, I'm starting to wonder if you've just been screwing with people with that blindfold."

Riku chuckled, "Maybe I am. Anyways, the transition. How long and how often have you been using the dark powers?"

Kirux's eyes moved away from the sunset to his hands, which he had raised so he could look at them. When he didn't answer Riku, he continued talking.

"I'm sure you don't need me to tell you the problems with what you're doing."

"No, you don't."

"Then why continue? Look at what it's doing to you. You know, it doesn't just stop when your eyes change colors. It'll keep getting worse, Kirux. Until eventually, you'll end up becoming someone or something completely different."

"I know!"

…

…

…

"I…I know. I don't like having these powers, but sometimes it comes out of nowhere. One minute I'm fine, the next I'm shooting darkness out of my hand like it's nothing. Sometimes, I feel like I'm not even in control of my own body. I know these powers are bad for me and that I shouldn't be using them…"

He hesitated, then clenched his fists, "But at the same time, it feels…good. When I use these powers, I'm basically unstoppable. They make me stronger, and with that strength, I can keep the ones I care about safe. And if keeping them safe means tearing myself apart…then, I'm okay with that."

Riku stood up straight and turned to face him, "You would willingly let yourself be consumed like that?"

Kirux scowled at him, tossing himself off the tree so he could stand to face him, "Yes, I would. What would you know about it?"

Riku crossed his arms, "More than you would know, Kirux."

"Sure."

…

…

…

Kirux shook his head, "This isn't getting us anywhere. You mentioned Xion before we came here. What about her? Tell me now or I'm gone."

Riku sighed, drooping his head and whispering to himself something Kirux didn't catch. Eventually, he did speak again, "Remember when I told you about Sora? And his memories?"

"Yeah. What about him?"

"Well…some of his memories have started to…leave Sora. And to be frank, I think they're going from him to one of your friends."

"How is that possible?"

"I'm not sure. But, if what I think is true, then I need you to understand. I don't want to be your enemy. I want to help you and your friends, you just have to trust me, Kirux."

Riku dropped his arms, turning away from Kirux and summoning a dark corridor, "I'll come find you again if anything comes up. For now, keep an eye on your friends. I have a feeling your superiors are gonna start ramping things up soon."

He turned to walk away, but Kirux stopped him by saying, "Wait, so you think we're cool all of a sudden? You still hurt Xion, and I haven't quite forgiven you for that."

Riku turned back to Kirux, "If you were smart, you'd be more afraid of what your superiors are going to do to her."

That caused Kirux's demeanor to change. Where there was once anger and a certain cockiness had vanished to fear. He whispered "What?", but Riku ignored it.

"I'll see you soon, Kirux. Whether you like it or not."

And then he walked into the dark corridor, leaving Kirux alone on the islands.

Stop: Destiny Islands - Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories

After Riku left, Kirux had felt like he'd been hit by fifteen trucks all at once.

Sora's memories were leaving him? To be honest, Kirux had completely forgotten all about Riku telling him about Sora and his issues. But somehow, Xion was connected to all of this now, maybe Roxas too. And what did Xemnas and Saïx have to do with all of this?

It was all way too confusing for him right now. What he needed was to lay down and relax. Clear his head for now. Then, figure out how to fix all of this later.

So, he summoned a dark corridor back to the castle, and once he got there and entered his bedroom, he plopped down onto his bed, pinching his forehead as he lay there.

"That guy always has to give me a headache…"

…

…

…

Meanwhile, in another area of the castle, Xion woke up, sitting up in her bed. She put a hand up to her forehead, whispering to herself.

"Another dream about him…"

Her eyes opened, then moved to her window. She stared up at Kingdom Hearts, its iridescent glow shining down on the castle and the Dark City around it.

"These are my memories, from when I was human. They have to be…right?"