Master Xehanort raised his head, lifting his aged form off of the bed, as the door to the gleaming white chamber opened.
The double doors swung open with a flare of light down the center (where they met to make the seal).
The pulsing chains along the walls dimmed.
He was not met with the sight of whom he would have expected, however - not entirely, at least.
Eraqus entered the chamber, accompanied by Hermod, Urd- and Vor.
Xehanort stared at the trio, his Heart seized by pain, by joy, by nostalgia...the complicated emotions of life. Emotions he would have, up until recently, forced himself to shun - and yet, now...he found himself welcoming them. Taking them all in and embracing them.
The three children - just children; they would always be children, for they had never had the chance to be anything more - stood before him, gazing back at him with undisguised emotions of their own: trepidation, anxiety, perhaps even fear. There was curiosity, there was mild horror, as they took in sight of his eyes.
Xehanort snorted softly, bowing his head and shutting his eyes. "To what do I owe the pleasure of such a visit?" he spoke.
"We wanted to see you again, with our own eyes," spoke Urd, tentative.
"Yeah, and we have a few questions to ask," said Hermod.
Xehanort opened his eyes. He raised his head, taking in the sight of them again. Drinking it in. He gave a small smile. "Ask away, then. I have no secrets, nor reasons to refuse to give answers to you."
"We've been thinking lately..." Urd began. "About what happened to us - before, and after. About the dreams we once shared. We talked about them with each other before, if you can remember?"
"Yes...I remember that day," Xehanort said quietly, his voice hoarse.
"The thing is: where did our dreams lead us to?" Hermod said, shrugging and then crossing his arms. "An early grave," he said, blunt and casual. "We all failed, and passed on. We didn't do much, did we?"
Xehanort gazed at the boy, his mouth parting. He closed it, glancing to Eraqus. "It would seem not, no..." he agreed, hesitant to voice the words. To hurt these children. How strange, yes? One who'd not had a problem hurting many a child to achieve his goals - and yet, these three...
"If becoming Keyblade Masters isn't for us..." spoke Vor, at last, stealing all of Xehanort's focus. "Then what IS? That magic mirror told me I couldn't become one - so I tried to make it easier by separating from my friends on my own. At least, that's what I thought I was doing. But then I realized how much of a mistake it was. I realized the only place I belonged was...with my friends...no matter where life took us, or what we became or not! I wanted to be with you! But, if I'm not Keyblade Master material - if none of us are - then what are we meant to do?"
Xehanort eyed the small girl intently. He tore his gaze from her with force of will, looking to Urd, and then to Hermod. And then, to Eraqus. "There are many roads one may take in their life, my friends...I became far too fixated on one path alone, on one solution to this World's myriad of problems. To focus on only one possibility, to the exclusion of the multitude of others, is pure folly. Keyblade Master? Protector of worlds, with sword in hand? That is hardly the road you should lock yourselves to...at your young ages. Even the dreams or aspirations you hold now, that you may cling to and believe will be forever...one day you will surely find yourselves reconsidering them. Finding a better one - one more agreeable with the truth of your Hearts."
"Yeah, we got that part, tell us something we don't know," Hermod responded.
Xehanort gave a small chuckle, pure and mirthful. "Go forth into these worlds, into your lives that you have fully ahead of you, and discover the answer for yourselves. And do not limit yourself to the Keyblade - to this small world of ours. Set your horizons far beyond that. A librarian, a chef, an artist - who can say what you will be? Simply explore, and go where your Heart takes you. Do not set store by family expectations, or anything else."
Vor nodded, holding her hands at her waist. Then she came forward, approaching Xehanort, staring up at his face.
"Vor-" Urd started, a wariness to her tone.
"I would not hurt her," Xehanort said softly. He paused. "It is more likely she would throw me across this room than any alternative, in fact. Do you not remember the boulder?"
"The what?" Hermod said, looking at him. He looked around, to Urd, then to Eraqus.
Eraqus shook his head, his lips twitching. "A story for another day."
Vor stopped before Xehanort. She screwed up her face, then she shuffled the last few feet of distance and hopped up to sit on the bed with him. She looked at him - away. Her hand slowly moved to touch his knee. Then, up to his arm. "Xehanort..."
"Vor..." he replied simply, his voice rasping, as emotions surged at her touch.
The girl shocked him in the next moment, by suddenly turning and throwing her arms around his body.
He sat there, in this shock, for a long minute of time. Then, he raised a shaking, old hand, and placed it atop her head.
She blinked up at him - at his hand. "You really are old..."
Xehanort laughed. "Yes...I have thoroughly wasted my life, Vor. Be sure that you don't fall into the same trap. Live a good, full life - give back to these worlds, in a way that benefits them, not worsens them."
Vor gave a small nod, then hugged him all the more, pressing her face against his form.
It was the strangest thing...Xehanort could not quite recall ever being hugged this way before in his life. Not by Eraqus, and certainly not by his friends in his actual time and age of youth...
Perhaps by his caretaker, by Amaya...yet he could not conjure a single memory of such either. Nothing that did not smack of fantasy and desperation, at any rate.
But this, here and now, with Vor...
It was certainly real.
A wonderful, warm reality he was undeserving of...
Kairi leapt for a Nightmare, slashing and yelling out-
It exploded into smoke as a blur of motion and light streaked in front of her.
Kairi aborted her swing, landing and stumbling, twisting on an ankle!
Luxu's hand shot out to catch her shoulder - steadying her, as he turned back to face her.
Kairi glared mildly, letting her weapon vanish and setting hands on her hips. "Okay, do you have to be a complete show-off with everything you do?" she said.
Luxu grinned down at her, as he twirled his weapon intricately with a single wrist's turns and twists, before resting it on his shoulder. "Yeah, actually, I kind of do," he admitted freely.
"Why...?" Kairi asked.
"A millennia of holding back, and now I'm free to just let it aaaallllll out? Come on." Luxu tilted his head at her and pointed at himself - pointedly. "Pure catharsis, pr- Kairi."
"Well, I suppose I can let it slide then," Kairi said, letting a small smile come to her face as she turned away.
"I appreciate it."
"You'd better!"
"Heh..." Luxu turned away, gazing off into the distance. "You know, The World That Never Was didn't actually count as a Sleeping Keyhole," he said, offhand.
"Why not?" Kairi said.
"Because it's a special world, able to exist in the Realm Between and the Sleeping Realm simultaneously."
"So did Traverse Town not count, then, either?" Kairi asked.
"Hmm...no, I think that one counted," Luxu replied, raising a finger - tapping the air in her direction.
"Why? What's the difference?"
"Traverse Town becomes whatever someone needs it to be, but it doesn't actually have the properties of The World That Never Was. So, it probably just put itself to sleep on its own, in order to be here for you when you needed someplace to land safely. And then, when you unlocked its Keyhole, you sent it back on its way to the Realm of Light again. Simple."
"I guess that makes some kind of sense," Kairi nodded. "So I need to save three more worlds to get this Power of Waking, then, not two."
"Yep. And then you can go and portal straight to wherever Ephemer is now."
"Is that how it works? I thought it was just for traveling between Sleeping Worlds - or going between this realm and the Realm of Light. And for waking up and restoring lost or sleeping Hearts."
Luxu let his weapon fall from his shoulder, dismissing it at his side as he turned back to her. "Look who's been paying attention - full marks! The Power of Waking has a few different facets to it - ways that you can use it. And one of those other ways is to use the ties with the Hearts of those you're close to in order to open a pathway directly to another world...and if that connection is strong enough, or if you have a lot of them in one place, you can even pop out directly nearby said people you're connected to. No need to go searching for them on foot once you get there. Opening Light Portals can work the same way, if your bonds - and Heart - are strong enough..."
"So, the stronger or more numerous the connection, the more precise it is."
"Sometimes, yeah - but don't go counting on it," Luxu replied, shaking his head at her.
Kairi nodded, then looked out to the horizon. She strode out onto the narrow cliff of flowers, gazing at the cloudy skies and colorful landscape - the sparkling lake below. She put her hands behind her back, the breeze swaying at her hair and clothes. "Even with all the Nightmares, this is a beautiful world - isn't it?"
Luxu shrugged. "Guess so? I've never really been one for the whole 'admiring the world's natural beauty' thing."
"Well, maybe you should. You've probably been to more worlds than anyone else alive...seen so many amazing things...you never once cared to just stop and look?"
"It was sort of my whole M.O not to care - so, no." Luxu paused. "Well, there might have been a moment or two, early on, but...trust me, it lost its luster after a while. I can't even remember anymore."
"Sounds like a waste."
"Yeah, well..add that one to the list of titles: World's Biggest Waste."
Kairi looked back at the man. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
"No...you're probably right," Luxu sighed. "Don't get your panties in a bunch about it."
"What?!" Kairi's jaw dropped. She glared. Hard. Then she sighed, too, throwing up her hands and stalking away.
"Alright, look, I-"
Luxu broke off in an instant, and then a roar of flames blew past Kairi!
She whirled and leapt to the side, summoning her weapon!
But the attack hadn't been aimed for her.
She looked out from the cliff, and watched as the streaking comet of fires split into a dozen more, which all surged across the sky toward some large, flying Nightmare! It was some kind of bipedal bird monster, with a pointy wizard hat, and riding on an actual, glowing magic broomstick!
Luxu's attack converged on the Nightmare in seconds, curving inward and slamming into it in rapid succession; explosions went off in the air, one after another, lighting up the sky and creating loud booms that disrupted the clouds, punching swirling holes in them.
After a few moments, the explosions ended, and the smoke parted.
The Nightmare was twisting and vibrating in the air - and then it blew up in a puff of smoke, leaving large Dream Pieces to float on the winds...
Kairi stared up into the sky. Then, at Luxu. She relaxed slowly, letting her weapon disappear.
"Sorry..." Luxu offered, reaching up to rub his neck. "Didn't mean to freak you out, pr- Kairi. My bad."
Kairi exhaled, then turned and kicked off from the ground, rocketing into the open air. She flew across the sky, reaching the Dream Pieces. She twisted and darted about to gather them in her arms. She hovered with them, focusing on them as she squeezed them all together...
The air flickered nearby, and Luxu appeared in the air with her - seemingly standing on thin air, like it was solid. He raised a casual hand and gestured to her. "Hey. What exactly are you doing up here - and what are those things...?"
Kairi glanced at him. "You don't know? I thought you knew everything."
Luxu shrugged. He grinned. "Never actually, technically been here before, to be honest - not till now."
"I'm using the Dream Pieces left behind by that Nightmare to create a new Spirit version of it. I hope, anyways. That's how it worked with Beatrice..."
"Right - your big buzzy bee buddy. Hah, want to try saying that ten times fast?"
"I'd really just like it if you could stop talking for a good ten seconds straight, at least," Kairi replied.
"Gotcha! No problemo." Luxu mimed zipping his lips, then crossed his arms, his eyes focused on her.
Kairi breathed, and pushed the Dream Pieces together, fusing them in a flash of light. She drifted backwards in the air, squinting at the ball of light and swirling crystals...
Then it burst, and smoke flew out, as a new Spirit was born! It did seem to be the same exact one that Luxu had defeated - just with different colors now, and the Spirit emblem on its hat.
The bird creature fluttered its wings and looked around, craning its neck. Then it flipped off the broomstick and curled the "fingers" on the end of a wing around it, holding it like a magic staff now. The glowing orb at the top swirled mystical blue.
"Okay, what do we call you," Kairi pondered, beaming at the Spirit. "How about...Flappy? Maid Magic? Wingy...?"
"How about burnt chicken? Overdone turkey?" Luxu spoke. "Good on a stick?"
Kairi glowered. "Stop making suggestions! You're awful!" she snapped out.
Luxu raised his hands to her. "Alright, alright - I was just joking around."
"Well, stop. My new friend needs a serious name! So unless you can actually help-"
"How about Comet - or Star?" Luxu said. "It had a neat little trail behind it..."
Kairi stared. She smiled, tilting her head. "So you can appreciate the beauty in the world."
"Only when I'm forced to," Luxu joked, looking away as he scratched his hair.
"Comet it is, then!" Kairi declared, turning to beam at her new Spirit. She floated forward and squeezed them into a hug! And Comet hugged her back with their fluffy wingy bird arms!
"Great, new friend - awesome job - now shouldn't we get going? This world's a bust. At least as far as finding Ephemer is concerned...and there doesn't seem to be anybody around in need of help, does there?" Luxu went on.
Kairi let Comet go, drifting backwards. She frowned, looking around. Then, up at the clouds. She paused, waiting. Five seconds. Ten...
No Keyhole appeared to light her way.
Why?
Comet's- former self- had been a pretty big, unique looking Nightmare, to Kairi's eyes - surely they'd been the one responsible for keeping this world trapped in this looping dream...
So why wasn't the Keyhole appearing now?
Kairi looked at Luxu, giving her head a shake. "I don't think we are done yet. No Keyhole."
Luxu blinked at her in surprise. Then he nodded. "I guess we're not," he agreed. "What now, then - Kairi?"
Kairi looked around herself - down to the ground. Off over distant hills and cliffs...
"We'll just have to go figure it out. Come on."