AN: Last few chapters have been kinda shorties, and this one's super connected to the previous one lol, so I figured I'd just give you guys another one today. xD I'm on a groove hot streak roll here lol.

Also...content warning for suicidal thoughts/dialogue stuff. Yeah...

End of AN!

Xehanort spied on the world of Radiant Garden from within the various Dark Corridors, listening and watching out of the invisible exits.

For hours, he existed in this solitary, dark state.

Until the time came when his efforts proved fruitful.

He had been returning to keep his eye on the central square, when he saw her.

She came striding down the street on the left.

Seeing her again, now, knowing all that he did...

Not the girl of memories - but this woman...

His Heart seized, and he was embarrassingly aware of the way his own breath...caught, at the sight of that flowing hair...

From behind, he could almost trick himself into believing this woman was truly, actually his-

He forced himself to return to the here and now - forced his Heart to stamp those emotions out.

He needed to be...he needed...

He continued watching her.

Simply watching.

He exited a portal into an alleyway, risking a more certain, closer observation. Watching her walk the winding, narrow streets between the houses and other shops.

He watched her move into a stone tunnel, through the wall that divided up the circular, walled city's districts.

He quickly cloaked himself in darkness and reappeared on the other side, out of sight of the tunnel mouth. He breathed, raised shaking gloved hands, and threw back his hood. He might have also done some smoothing out of his hair as well (who could say?).

He stood there, waiting for her to emerge.

He didn't think he had felt so unsure and nervous in his life before.

He did not get nervous!

But-

The woman emerged into light, the sun catching her face, that hair. She held a thick, small book to her chest. Not a sketchbook - but a...notebook, perhaps? A journal or a diary of some kind? He thought he had seen her with it before now, as well, come to think of it...

She didn't seem to notice him as she strode onto the new street, between small houses.

So Xehanort stepped out, boots clacking on the stone, and spoke.

"You are-" He stopped himself, realizing he hadn't thought through what he would actually say to the woman. An uncharacteristic sensation filled him again, as the woman turned sharply back to him.

Her eyes of amber widened, then a shaking hand was raised, and a Keyblade appeared in her grasp. She dropped the little book at her feet, taking her weapon in both hands. "You!"

Xehanort eyed her, telling himself he had nothing to fear from this woman, who could not possibly match his skills with the Keyblade-

And froze inside, as he realized he did not have a Keyblade anymore. She had destroyed it, impossibly so, and then, of course, just hours ago...his future self had destroyed the second one that she had given him...

Xehanort hesitated. He curled his fists at his sides. He could still manifest Ethereal Blades, if he so chose...and he did have the rest of his magical arsenal and powers to fall back on. However-

"I'm not here to fight you," he called out, trying to sound...well, casual and non-threatening. To be...friendly. He found it hard to recall the last time he had ever tried to be so, though. He felt another twinge of embarrassment.

The woman's blazing eyes said what her lips did not have to: she didn't believe it in the slightest.

Xehanort sighed, stepping forward. He raised his hands, showing his palms to her. "I mean it sincerely; I only want to talk." He paused, searching his mind - what was the word again? Ah, right. "Please."

"Stay back!" the woman said fiercely.

"I am not going to harm you," Xehanort said, exasperated and annoyed, continuing his approach. "You are Skuld, aren't you?"

"You know who I am," she said, in a voice of shaking emotion. Anger, or something else? He did see fear, but also- "Or...did you torture too many people to keep track of them all?"

Xehanort stopped. He breathed in, then out. "I can honestly say I have no idea what you are talking about. As far as I'm aware, I haven't 'tortured' anyone."

"It was right there in that castle!" Skuld shouted, throwing out an arm, pointing to the distant tower. "You locked me away in the dark, you hurt me - violated me - you- you ruined me! For ten years! I screamed until I couldn't anymore, I cried until it hurt to do that too, I-"

Xehanort stood there, feeling frustrated now. "Whatever was done, I have no recollection of it! Now, can we just-"

Skuld's weapon began to glow and crackle with powerful light energy, her hair fluttering around her. "I'm going to make you pay for-"

"If you'd just let me speak, I am trying to tell you that we are related!" Xehanort shouted over her, gritting his teeth now.

The woman stopped dead. The light vanished from her weapon, wisps on the air. "What are you talking about...?"

Xehanort tried to focus, to breathe again. This was his opportunity. He took another step forward, raising a hand to her, his palm up. "We share...the same blood - Skuld. I only just learned it myself recently, but we are- family. You are- you're my distant ancestor. And so, I am your descendant." He hesitated. He had never spoken of this out loud, to anyone before. "My...mother...her name was Moreth. She- looked so much like you. The resemblance is- rather startling, to be honest. But the connection is undeniable. And then there's my dreams- well, not my dreams, but memories that I thought were-"

"No..." the woman whispered, shaking her head. Her weapon fell to her side, held in one hand. Her face was paling. Shaking. "You're lying. I don't know what the goal is, but this trick isn't going to-"

"It was Amaya who told me," Xehanort interrupted quickly, stepping forward once again. And then again. "She showed me - her memories - our connection. She was your best friend, wasn't she? From Daybreak Town? She knew my mother, she knew I was a descendant of yours, and she agreed to care for me because of that fact-"

"Stop it, shut up, shut up, right now!" Skuld shrieked, slashing her weapon before her. She thrust it forth at him, her face taut and wild. "JUST STOP IT ALREADY!"

"I am telling you the truth! Ask her if you're unsure, then! She will tell you the same thing!" Xehanort exclaimed, his patience snapping now. "Whether you believe it or not, we are related! You and I - and the silver-haired boy, as well. Ephemer-"

Skuld lunged across the distance in a blur of motion and an aura of golden light, crackling and explosive. Her weapon swung for his midsection, shrouded in blue and gold light.

Xehanort raised his hands and summoned his twin, blue Ethereal Blades, falling into his defensive stance (one not used since his training days). His eyes widened as her blow slammed into his weapons with far more power than he could have anticipated. A shockwave of force and an eruption of light sent him flying backwards, slamming flat against the stone wall of the tunnel entrance - cracking it. He fell forward, gasping as pain flooded his backside.

He saw a flash of motion, raised his head-

And saw the woman standing over him, with her weapon raised high.

She didn't even hesitate to bring it swinging down for his neck.

Xehanort triggered his Time powers in an instant - his body flickered - and the weapon passed through, slamming down onto the stone ground where he had been. Because he was now five feet to the woman's right, rising to his feet again and raising his weapon before him.

The woman gave a downright feral growl, whipping around and setting her burning orange eyes on him again. Not just burning - but shimmering with tears- Rage and pain alike- emotions in duality that Xehanort suddenly felt hitting him in waves-

Xehanort teleported back a good fifteen feet, keeping his weapons raised. He watched her burst into a rapid run in his direction, pursuing him still. A woman beyond reason, beyond talking-

A flicker of air behind the woman suddenly stole his focus-

And then a purple blast of darkness struck the woman in the back.

She gasped, her weapon falling, her body careening forward. She skidded several feet on the stone, on momentum alone, before coming to a stop.

Dark tendrils burned on her back, wafting up from her form.

Her body trembled, her breathing coming quick and shallow...

Xehanort lifted his gaze from her - to the silver-haired visage of Terra, vessel of his present and future self.

His older self stood with one hand behind his back - his blue and silver Keyblade in hand. He lowered it with a satisfied look, his gaze on the woman at his feet. The man stepped around the woman, then he used a boot to flip her over. He stared at her face, a momentary surprise, emotion, crossing his features. Then- it was gone. He glanced over at Xehanort, arching an eyebrow. "Is there something you wish to say?"

Xehanort looked down at the woman. Her eyes were now staring up at his older self - fixated on his face - wide and jittering in their sockets. She seemed...rather terrified, now. On verge of fainting, even, perhaps. "I didn't need you to interfere," he spoke coolly. "I had the situation well under control."

His older self laughed. "Yes, I saw that - clearly you did." He waved a hand, and the woman rose up into the air, hovering beside him. "Come, boy. If you want to satisfy your curiosity about her, I will give you all the time in the world to do so - away from the heart of our enemies." He turned away, striding off into a dark portal, the woman drifting along behind him.

Xehanort nodded stiffly, following in the wake of his older self.

Back in their base, his older self gestured a hand, sending the woman floating back to rest against a metallic spire rising from the floor. He wriggled his fingers, and tattered old chains rose up from a corner and flew over to the woman, winding themselves around her - binding her to the spire securely.

Xehanort gazed at her, watching as she lifted her head, gasping with obvious pain and effort. He strode over to her, standing before her. Looking down at her.

Her head lolled back, those amber eyes alight in the dark - locking with his silver.

"Please..." came her voice, distant, breathy, and quiet. Filled with emotion.

"Please what?" Xehanort said, tilting his head down at her.

"Just kill me..."

"What...?" Xehanort frowned. She wasn't making much sense. Had his older self's attack done more harm than realized?

"I can't do this again...I won't..."

"What do you mean?" Xehanort asked, hoping to get a little clarification here.

Her head fell to one side, along with her body. Then she righted herself, her face twisting with pain. "He'll break me again. My mind, my Heart. I can't go through it again, so please, please just kill me...the pain, the experiments...I can't, I can't...just kill me this time, please..."

Xehanort frowned, as an intense wave of emotion struck him. As he gazed into that face. It was like a physical blow, her feelings. They were so intense, so extreme-

She truly meant it?

"I don't intend to hurt you," Xehanort stated calmly. "I told you: I just want to talk."

The woman shook her head, her lips moving without sound now. Trembling at him uselessly.

"Well, this is the friend you wanted to meet," came the voice of his older self, derisive. "Is the reality matching all that you expected, boy?"

Xehanort looked at the man. "What does she mean - experiments? Pain? She is talking about you, isn't she, not me?"

His older self sighed. "After I had first merged my Heart with that of Terra's, after my failed attempt at removing his Heart from this vessel, the result was the loss of my memories. My very identity. For a year thereafter, I was a man who knew not who he was, nor where he came from. Thus, I was desperate for answers. This woman was a unique subject, and one who I felt might hold the key to the return of my own memories at the time. Naturally, I did all I could to unlock her secrets. I was, perhaps, more rough with her than I should have been."

Xehanort remained silent, his eyes returning to the woman's face. Pale, wild, her hair plastered to her stained cheeks and sweating forehead... "And we have no need to...subject her to such experiences again?" he spoke.

His older self frowned. "That remains to be seen. I would not want to waste her, since we do have her here once more. I never did learn the full contents of her Heart - only fragments, and flashes."

"No need," Xehanort said, glancing at the man. "I told you already: I know all there is to know about her past. She was an ancient Keyblade Wielder, and friends with our caretaker. She was a Union Leader and a-"

"I cannot take whatever information you gleaned from Luxu on faith," his older self said firmly, annoyed.

"It was not from him: it was from Amaya. We can trust her to have been truthful to us, can't we?"

"No, we cannot! We are not even certain if that was truly her or not."

"I am certain of it."

"You are young, lacking in experience - clearly," his older self retorted. "You are too close to those years, still too capable of being influenced by boyish feelings and memories. They are affecting your judgement, your ability to read a situation."

Xehanort looked at his older self, pressing his lips together. "Are you saying that I cannot be trusted, then, as well?"

"Not in these matters, no," his older self said bluntly. "Evidently not. They held you for a week, filling your head with who knows what lies and manipulations. You are not seeing things clearly right now."

Xehanort stared at the man, disbelief coursing through him. A strange sense of- offense? Confusion? He looked down at the woman again...

Her lips moved silently, her eyes staring right at him. He knew what she was saying without needing to hear the word.

Xehanort stood, breaking her gaze. He looked to his older self, into those golden eyes.

"Something you wish to get off your chest, boy?" the man said, his eyes narrowing.

Xehanort felt a sudden touch - a pull to his black coat. He glanced down, staring at the woman's outstretched arm, straining in her binds. Grasping the very hem. Those eyes still staring up at him...

Another, powerful wave of emotions blasted at his Heart - seeping into it, permeating it- terror, panic, desperation, pleading- the face of his mother, in haziest, fragmented memory-

He pulled free of her grasp, shaking his head.

"No."

His older self relaxed, turning away. "Good. Then let us move past this childhood curiosity, and instead discuss our plans for the future. In lieu of Kingdom Hearts, and my many plans I once held for it, I will settle for another power - one that will still lead me to ascend beyond that of all others in these worlds. One that will allow me to mold and control them. It is an ancient tale all its own, of a legendary-"

Xehanort curled his fist at his side, and a Dark Portal formed beneath the woman; the darkness rose up in bubbles and tendrils, eating away at the chains rapidly, and she dropped down into it instantly, disappearing from sight. Xehanort opened his hand again, letting the portal close immediately after.

His older self whipped around, his mouth agape with pure shock and confusion. "What do you think you are doing, boy?!"

"Oh, I'm sorry: I meant no, I will not allow that to happen to her. I should have clarified." Xehanort raised his chin at the man, holding his gaze. "If she is not necessary for our plans, there's no sense in keeping her around. And you were just about to speak of your plans in front of her. I wonder, truly, which of us is not seeing things clearly. Were you not concerned that she would get word back to our enemies later?"

His older self summoned his weapon to his hand at his side, striding forward with powerful, purposeful steps. "Insolent brat! You are not here to question, you are here to obey! I brought you across time to aid in my ascension, to be here to witness it with your own eyes-"

"Forgive me if I don't have as much boundless confidence regarding succeeding at it as you do," Xehanort interjected sharply. "Only, it has been many many decades since my time, and you still seem to be no closer to it than you ever were. Plan after plan, time after time, delay after delay - failure after failure. It's more likely than not that this next attempt of yours will be thwarted as well, isn't it? Perhaps you are the one chasing foolish fantasies and impossible dreams that you will never attain."

"Hold your tongue, boy, if you know what is good for you!" his older self snarled.

"Or, what, precisely?" Xehanort responded, his fists crackling with lightning. "You can do nothing to me but return me to my own time. That's not much of a threat, now is it?"

His older self laughed loudly, a wide grin stretching on his face. "Perhaps - but while I have you here, I think you'll find I could do a great many things, before we get to such a point."

Xehanort scoffed in the man's face. "Take your best shot, then. I'll wait."

"You believe you can stand against me?"

"Perhaps. But then, that would only mean that we have both lost our minds, would it not?"

His older self's face contorted with rage. Darkness surrounded his body in an aura-

Then, it vanished. The expression eased, as the man closed his eyes.

His Keyblade disappeared.

He turned away.

"I have no wish to be in conflict with my own youthful self," his voice issued, controlled and quiet. "I suppose the mistake was, indeed, mine. I forgot what it was like to truly be where you are - when you are from - in my life. I apologize for losing my temper with you."

Xehanort stared at the man's back, surprise once again burgeoning in his Heart.

"I will let this matter go - let her go - and we can both forget this entire incident," his older self continued. "You would agree that it is for the best, wouldn't you? You saw her reaction to you - and to myself. Regrettably, your attempt at a dialogue with her has ended in failure. You are correct: she is better off being away from us. She will never accept us, and she deserves better than to be around the one who has caused her such grievous harm in the past. The best thing you can do for her now is to leave her in peace - do you concur?"

Xehanort frowned, looking down at the floor. "...Yes."

"Good, good." His older self turned to face him, a smile on his face. He strode forward, raising a hand and grasping him on the shoulder. "Now then, about these memories you've seen...if I am to determine whether they are truly factual - or not - I will need the one who channeled them into you in the first place."

"The girl, Namine?"

"Indeed. We will need to...acquire her, and then we shall convince her to do what she did for you - for me this time," the man answered, calm and measured. "As well..."

"Yes?"

His older self clapped him on the arm, then let his hand fall away. "You were right that I have also forgotten what was once held most dear in my Heart, with the passing of so many years. You had your little excursion to satisfy curiosity, to bring closure to your youth - I shall do the same."

"Not with Skuld?"

"No. With the one you claim is real, returned to us - the one whom you have spent the past week in the presence of, allegedly. I wish to meet with our...childhood caretaker, myself. If it is truly her, if you believe it to be so...I must know for myself."

"She will not come quietly," Xehanort said, a twinge in his chest. "She is probably as strong as yourself and Luxu."

His older self smiled, nodding. "If she was so willing to get you into a private place to speak with you, she will be willing to speak with me as well. There will be no need for us to fight."

Xehanort nodded back, relief in his Heart. "Yes. I'm sure she will be."

"Then I will go to see her, and you will go and wait for the opportune moment to retrieve the Princess's Nobody."

"Yes. I believe I've heard mention of a world in the Realm Between - Twilight Town," Xehanort answered. "I believe she can be found there."

"Then find her." His older self was already conjuring a portal, striding through it on his own.

Xehanort remained where he was, alone in the silence.

He gazed around himself, at the decrepit old laboratory.

He looked to the spot where Skuld had once been.

He raised a hand, clenching it into a fist.

"As you wish..."