AN: New. Chapter! Two in one day, because I'm on a roll. I am rejuvenated lol. I really liked writing this one, even if not a lot of stuff actually HAPPENS...besides lots of talking. xD I just love character interactions/interplay! :) And this was one I wanted to start getting into lol. Enjoy!
End of AN!
Master Xehanort strode through the portal of light, emerging into a spacious and familiar study room.
The Mysterious Tower.
He had visited oft, before, yet in the years and decades of past, he had ceased doing so. It did not help that the Tower itself was always shifting and relocating itself. An ingenious defense mechanism.
Yet he could not find it within himself to marvel at it today, or ponder its exact mechanics.
Amaya - for that was who she was, there was no doubt now, after all of the memories she had shown him, both of her past lives, as well as of the ancient Keyblade War as a whole - stood beside him...and his younger self.
The notion of perpetual reincarnation having credence, evidence, as well as all the wealth of details and revelations of the Keyblade War would also usually have been things he would have savored. Plucked and examined every last detail, leaving no stone unturned in his investigations and research.
Yet...the burning desire and curiosity within his Heart were absent. Only this new, all-consuming weariness and resignation - different even from the kind of exhausted numbness that had plagued him in the immediate aftermath of Scala Ad Caelum...
He knew the truth now, the truth he had long sought after, in more rich and exact detail than he could have dreamed - and he felt nothing.
Xehanort shook his head, letting his gaze roam to Keyblade Master Luxu, who stood leaned against the wall, a facade of casualness. He looked to Yen Sid, who stood before his desk, those familiar, aged eyes staring back at Xehanort. And then, there was young Terra, a curious oddity among the rest present in the room...
"The worlds have spoken of a great change in your Heart," Yen Sid began. "I had hoped...and I see it now with my own eyes. You have realized the foolishness and devastation your crusade has brought these worlds and their inhabitants, at last."
Any other day, and Xehanort would have bristled at those words. Sneered, refuted them. Struck back, even. Yet on this day...
All he truly cared for anymore, now, was the chance to...
"Yes..." he said, quiet and rough. He gazed at his old friend, and comrade in arms. "Perhaps I...am not the one fit to lead. To...guide these worlds, as they are, toward the future. Perhaps hands more capable, who see the World more clearly, are more deserving of such a task."
"Only 'perhaps?'" Luxu spoke up. "Then you're not all the way there, dude. And there's every chance you get all whiny and disappointed again, and decide to go back to the old grind, convincing yourself allll over again that you're the best guy for the job - after all, you talked yourself into it the first time, didn't you? You need to swear it off completely, for all time. Otherwise, you're a ticking time bomb that's better off being cut down to avoid it exploding again."
Xehanort let his gaze flicker over to the ancient Master. His lip curled. But he did not respond.
"While I would not have said it so ineloquently," Yen Sid began firmly. "I do agree with Master Luxu's assessment. If you cannot fully, truly commit yourself to a change of Heart and behavior, then I'm afraid you leave us no choice but to remove you for the threat you still may pose to us all."
Xehanort closed his eyes, turning his head. For a long moment, he was silent. Then, he sighed. "I am not the World's savior; I have not saved them, only done them harm. More harm than good. It is this harm...that I no longer wish to inflict upon them. My actions thus far have only aided the spread of darkness, pain, and misery. I see that now. I believe...I am rather tired. And this is...quite enough. Cut me down if you will - I will resign myself to whatever fate awaits me. I will...accept judgement for my many and great mistakes, in the way I have handled things...and I will leave it to others better suited, whose methods might prove more effective. Younger people, whose Hearts are more true, and stronger than my own has ever been. Those who do not sacrifice morals or ideals, in the face of even the greatest obstacles, struggles, and losses," he concluded, with a look toward his childhood caretaker.
She gave him a nod of warmth and encouragement in return. Approval that his Heart somehow still...craved, despite all else.
Yen Sid gazed at him intensely. "I would like to believe that is a far more genuine expression of your Heart's state, and not your biased mind." His eyes moved to find Amaya. "If a judgement of death is decided, will you intervene?"
Amaya gazed back at him, in a face of twisting sorrow and conflict. She shook her head, closing her eyes. She opened them again, and held Yen Sid's gaze. "No. I'd ask to be the one to render it myself to him. I understand who he is, and everything he's done. I'm only giving him this chance...because I took a chance of my own. But if the danger outweighs the risk...I'll do it myself. I owe...I owe his mother that, if the responsibility must be someone's."
Yen Sid appraised her, then gave a grave nod. "That is the question we must discern here today, for good and all."
"I suppose I'm to be returned to my own time, then, regardless?" spoke Young Xehanort. "One less problem to worry yourselves about..."
"Mmm...you present a considerably lesser risk than your current self, and the few crimes you have committed at this point are lesser," Yen Sid responded. "As well, I will take into consideration that you opposed your older self in order to release Miss Skuld from her captivity." He paused. "You have been successfully bound before, in Heart and magic. It will be done again - to you, and to your older self, regardless of the outcome."
Master Xehanort's younger self showed surprise. He glanced away. In addition, Xehanort felt a wash of emotions come from the young lad's Heart, concealed from all but him: embarrassment...
Master Xehanort lifted his head. A small smile tugged at his lips, rueful. "Your magical might exceeds my own, to be sure, old friend, but not so much that it could completely eclipse my Heart in such a way," he stated, as a mere matter of fact. No arrogance, no pride. That was all gone from him, it seemed. Only this hollow...weight.
"Yes, I am aware," Yen Sid said. He looked to Amaya, and then to Luxu. "That is why myself, Miss Amaya, and Master Luxu shall be combining our power to perform the binding magic upon you. As well, we will channel the magicks of this very Tower, adding and amplifying our own to newer heights unseen."
Xehanort's mouth dropped open. Then he laughed. "Yesss...I suppose that would do it, wouldn't it. And I assume, as well, that you will want to destroy my Keyblade, as my younger self's was."
"Naturally," Yen Sid agreed.
Xehanort nodded slowly. He raised a hand, conjuring the old, silver and blue weapon. He released it, allowing it to float across the study. "Do with it what you must, then."
Yen Sid raised a hand of light, and the Keyblade was enveloped in a shimmering of particles. They swarmed the weapon, it began to flash brightly...a thrumming filled the room...and then it exploded into shards of metal, scattering on the floor. Yen Sid let out a breath, lowering his hand. It may not have seemed so, but it had taken quite an effort, Xehanort knew. Even for those of their caliber, destroying a Keyblade was no trifling feat. It required a great deal of force and power.
"You will also be aware of what Miss Namine is capable of," Yen Sid went on, to his credit, as if nothing strenuous had just occurred. "Master Luxu is opposed to allowing her to commit such an act, even upon the two of you, not wishing her to bear such a weight and regret in her life - however, he has also said that if it proves necessary, the girl will certainly go through with it regardless. Like you, she is not one to take advice or commands from others."
"I am aware," Master Xehanort said quietly. Whether the threat was valid or not, it was quite a thing, to think that at any moment his very Heart could be torn apart, his memories scattered, his knowledge lost...to the whims of a temperamental teenage girl.
"Then we will perform the binding ritual now," Yen Sid stated.
Master Xehanort bowed his head, placing his hands behind his back. Merely awaiting his fate...
Yen Sid stepped forth. Amaya moved to stand on his left - while Master Luxu positioned himself to the right.
The three raised their hands, directing their palms at himself and his younger self.
A pure white, intricate magical circle formed on the floor beneath Xehanort. A powerful, hot wind flew up around him. Around the edge of the circle, various, colored crystals began to appear, rotating and crackling with electricity. Then, lightning flew from one to the next, connecting them in a chain.
Beams of energy flew up from the tops of the crystals, and a second, identical magical circle took shape overhead.
Multicolored waves of magic filled the gap between the two magic circles, forming magical walls to fully encase Xehanort.
He merely stood there, head bowed, hands gripping tightly to each other. His younger self, in contrast, could not seem to help staring all around himself in undisguised wariness, and perhaps even fear.
Around them, the Tower rumbled, and he felt an incredible surge of magical energies that overwhelmed his senses.
The very walls began to glow, golden streams of energy flowing out of them to enter the magical circle.
Powerful bolts of lightning flew down from the ceiling, hitting the center of the magic circle above him.
The colorful walls swirled around him, and a brightest light shone around him, blinding him.
Then, it faded away.
The light, the colors, the magic circles.
The rumbling ceased, the glow faded from the walls.
Xehanort did not need to test it to know the binding had been a complete and unbreakable success. For now, at any rate; if he'd been so inclined, he was sure he could have found a way, given enough time.
But he no longer found himself so inclined.
His younger self did perform a test, attempting to conjure either magic or darkness. He failed, either way. His face settled, and his hand dropped.
"So, what happens to us now?" the younger man spoke, in a voice of attempting-to-sound-casual. But Xehanort knew himself better than that.
Amaya strode forward, and she touched her hand to the young man's arm as she spoke to him. "As I told you: in this time, your choices matter. What you do affects everything and everyone around you. And as long as you're bound to that Replica body, not even your current self can send you back to your time. You're anchored, and the only way to change that is to remove your Heart from the body. So, you're stuck here," she concluded, with a small smile. "And while you're here, you are going to be watched over, cared for, and you are going to hopefully make better life choices than you did before. Because you're going to have a life, child: a better one than you did...and do."
"What are you saying?" the young man said slowly, staring at her.
"If you would have just gotten a damn therapist, this shit probably could have been nipped in the bud," Master Luxu spoke.
The young man glanced at Luxu, frowning. "What?"
Amaya gave Luxu a look. The man shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets and glancing away. The woman trailed her hand down Young Xehanort's arm, grasping at his hand now. "I am going to be taking charge of you again. Your current self will be handled a little differently. But both of you will still be getting regular visits from people like Master Yen Sid here. You'll be monitored extremely closely. In the name of that...there is one last thing I think Master Yen Sid wants to do."
"And what would that be...?" Young Xehanort said warily, once more.
"A magical trace will be placed upon you both," Yen Sid spoke. "Embedded in your very Hearts. In the event that you attempt to flee or escape your circumstances, for any reason, you will be tracked and found again."
"Clever," Master Xehanort said simply. "But complicated to do correctly."
"I assure you, I am capable," Yen Sid replied.
"Of that, I have no doubt," Master Xehanort murmured. "You always were a notch above myself, in matters of the mystics."
Yen Sid stepped forward, raising a hand of swirling magic, burgeoning symbols in the air. Setting to work. As he did, he spoke on. "Moving on to other matters. You are aware that the scientists of Radiant Garden's castle are nearing completion of the artificial human constructs - 'Replicas' - which will be used to provide a second chance at life, and a first, to several young people."
"Yes," Xehanort said, nodding.
"They have been informed of our request for several more Replicas to be added to the bunch," Yen Sid continued. "The ones that will be used, it is hoped, to give the chance at a full life to your fallen friends and classmates, who were lost to tragedy decades ago now. They have agreed to this, and have been working particularly hard on your behalf."
Xehanort felt the flickering of emotions in his Heart. A fleeting sense of what he had not had in a long time - hope - as well as uncharacteristic...fear, and nervousness. But he nodded, working to keep it all from showing on his face. He was not certain he succeeded. "That is good news."
"Indeed." Yen Sid's eyes bore into him. He glanced at Amaya, then Luxu, sharing a strange look with the pair. Then it passed. Yen Sid finished his work, and two floating symbols of a half-moon flew to enter the chests of Xehanort and his younger self. "Now then, the last matter to attend to, is the restoration of Terra's Heart to his rightful body - and you, to yours."
Master Xehanort looked over at the young Master, Terra. The young man was staring back at him, looking remarkably serene - strong. No anger, no rage, no uncertainty.
So it came to this, then, after all.
With the aid of magic, and the differing time flows of the worlds, Xehanort's old, aging body could last him perhaps another ten, fifteen, even twenty or more years, if he was fortunate indeed.
Xehanort considered requesting a Replica body of his own instead. Even if it changed to mimic his aged appearance, it would still be a far stronger, sturdier construct at heart than his old human body - enough to last him many decades more to come, surely. And he could always alter its shape to be that of him in his younger years, to match the strength and hardiness of the construct more truly. However, he was certain such a suggestion would be rejected; they would not want to give him such an advantage, after all. Even without Keyblade, magic, or access to darkness, that would be a step too far.
Of course, standing in a room, powerless, with three extremely powerful wielders and mages, it was not as if Xehanort could have just refused to go along with what they wished, even if he were inclined to...
So he merely nodded, sighing again. "Very well."
Terra strode forward without fear nor hesitation. He looked Xehanort in the eyes. His own eyes. His own face. He raised a hand, placing it on Xehanort's shoulder.
A light glowed around them both - and then Terra's form evaporated into light, and Xehanort felt a warmth pulsing in his chest.
Again, Xehanort truly might have been once fascinated by whatever means or power the Princess of Heart had used to give Terra a corporeal form again with no Replica and no original body in sight...but he let it go.
Xehanort instead focused on what he must do next.
It was not magic, but matters of Heart and body - and thus it was one thing he was capable of, even with his Heart locked so tightly like this.
Xehanort willed his old, preserved body to return to him. It materialized before him, looking the same as it had.
Amaya summoned her Keyblade, stepping in and raising it to the center of his chest - Terra's body. The end of her weapon glowed, and Xehanort was released...
As a Heart alone, he moved across the room, reentering the only viable vessel left to him.
His own, original form.
Master Xehanort opened aged eyes, gazing at Terra. The silver hair and golden eyes, influences of Xehanort's presence, were slowly fading away before his eyes.
Xehanort looked down at himself, raising wizened hands. He clenched a fist, shaking. Already, the aches and weight were coming back to him. Such an acute awareness. He sighed, letting his arms fall to his side. He placed his hands behind his back and turned away from Terra.
"This is it, then..." he rasped, in his old voice. "Where my road ends..."
"Or perhaps this is where it begins again," Amaya spoke.
Xehanort glanced at her. Her eyes were inspecting his older form, his true form as it was, now. He shook his head. "No, there is nothing left for me."
"There is so much left for you - I'm going to show you," Amaya refuted, a firmness to her eyes. "Both of you."
Master Xehanort looked away.
"As condition of your continued existence, and a gesture of good faith to us," Yen Sid began to speak again. "I would ask, Xehanort, that you tell us what it was that you planned to do - now that you had given up on your aspirations for Kingdom Hearts."
Master Xehanort felt surprise go through him. Immediately he felt the urge to refuse, to deflect and defend, to-
But it did not matter anymore, he told himself again. It was...truly...over. This was the end. His end.
He raised his gaze to his old friend, and his mouth moved. "It was my new plan...to seek out the Ultima Weapon," he ground out, a part of him still unwilling to part with his secrets and goals so easily.
Yen Sid gasped, his eyes widening. "WHAT?! You...colossal fool, Xehanort!" he exclaimed.
Xehanort supposed it was amusing, to see his old friend in a rare moment of complete lack of composure. He could count the number of times on one hand, indeed, over their years together in the past...
"Did you truly believe you could handle such a weapon?" Yen Sid went on ruthlessly, still so aghast.
Xehanort curled his aged fist. He cocked his head at the man, gritting his teeth.
"Holy shit, the Ultima Weapon? Are you serious?!" Luxu spoke, in hushed tones of disbelief. And amusement. "We could have just sat back and let you take yourself out for us! We would have won by default! Greatest plan you ever had, man. Kudos to that!"
"What is this weapon - this 'Ultima Weapon'?" Terra spoke up, confusion written on his young face. "I've never heard of it before."
"Neither have I," Amaya stated, her quiet eyes boring into Xehanort's.
"It's an ancient legend - a myth - something that sprang up thousands of years ago," Luxu began. "From what I've gathered over the centuries, it's supposed to be the second most powerful Keyblade, after the X-Blade and the power of Kingdom Hearts, itself. Earliest legends had it that it could wipe out entire armies with a single swing - cleave mountains in two. More recent legends and stories, sprung up over time, have said it was capable of cleansing continents, or even cracking worlds in half. It varies, getting more grand and outrageous over time.
"But all the stories share the same basis: that the Ultima Weapon has achieved this by absorbing the power of the Hearts of those it slays. Every enemy it cuts down, it takes that Heart into itself and uses it to increase its power. After centuries of its use, passing it down and around - using it for personal battles and large-scale wars alike - you can imagine just how many Hearts its accumulated within itself by now...if it's true. As the name implies, it was supposedly forged thousands of years ago to be the ultimate weapon in the universe, a masterpiece of a Keyblade, unlike anything else in existence. Unique in its function and capabilities," Luxu concluded, in those faux casual tones Xehanort so loathed.
The man could at least treat the subject matter with the reverence and mystique it deserved...
"A Keyblade made to absorb Hearts, just for power..." Amaya whispered, looking rather horrified. Disgusted, even.
"There's no line people won't cross for the sake of power," Luxu said, shrugging. "Nothing is off-limits, if someone's really set on it. And there are a hell of a lot of people in the universe - in history - who have wanted nothing more...than all the power they could get their hands on." He turned, giving a squarely pointed look at Xehanort.
Xehanort huffed, looking away.
"I can't believe you were actually going to go for it, though," Luxu went on, now in gleeful tones, a wide grin stretching his face. "If even half the legends are true - man, you would have walked right into that one. Unless you thought you had some way to get around or subvert it?"
"I had...ideas..." Xehanort muttered, in half-hearted defiance - and defense of his plans. Former plans...
"Sorry, but I'm still lost here," Terra said, looking to Luxu. "Can you explain a little more?"
"Sure, sure," Luxu nodded, looking far too pleased with himself still. "No problem, kiddo. See, according to the legends, there's a major complication involved for anyone wanting to go searching for, and actually wielding, the Ultima Weapon. According to the legends, Ultima Weapon is...a much pickier Keyblade than most. It won't accept just anybody who picks it up: even if you do find it, if you try to wield it and it doesn't think you're worthy enough for that...it'll suck your Heart in, too. Turn you into just another battery - a power source, added onto the rest. The second you touched its handle - woosh. Sucked riiiight on in there, never to be seen again. Condemned to exist as a small piece of an amalgamation of raging, mournful, lost, victimized Hearts!"
The man paused, then laughed as he finished with, "Anyway, that's what the stories say."
"And yet, as we are all aware, there is always some truth to be found in legends," Yen Sid stated quietly. "If these tales were true...would you have truly risked your own Heart and plans on such a gamble?" he directed at Xehanort.
"They may have been exaggerations," Master Xehanort gnarled out, his voice croaking. "However, even were they not - I did in fact have ideas on how to avoid such a fate."
"And what were these ideas, precisely?" Yen Sid asked.
Master Xehanort growled, then dropped his old head. "Obviously, I would have tried the simplest method of testing the legends, and had someone else try and take the blade in my stead, at first. Someone under my command and control."
"Your younger self?" Amaya's voice came, with anger and shock.
"What?" his younger self startled. He looked to his elder, his lips parting. "Me? You were going to-"
"If worst had come to worst, I would have simply extracted your Heart and sent it back to its own time, safe and unharmed," Master Xehanort uttered.
"You have no idea what that could have done to him," Amaya refuted. "I still don't understand how you could become someone willing to even use, manipulate, and throw away your own self as a tool. Do you not even see yourself as a person?"
"No matter what happens here, he will always return whence he came - there is no risk for him," Master Xehanort defended, raising his head to her now. "And, after, I could have simply pulled his Heart back again, from a point a little further on."
"That doesn't mean that the hurt he feels, the things he does and experiences, don't matter," Amaya said passionately. "How could you possibly-"
"Well, it doesn't matter now, does it?" Xehanort cut across mutinously. "Obviously I am no longer going to seek that blade out...nor do anything else with my remaining years of life, apparently."
Amaya stared at him, sadness and anger etched. She sighed. "Xehanort...there's so much left to be done."
Xehanort turned away, looking out toward the large, moon and star-shaped windows behind Yen Sid's desk and chair...
And froze, as he felt a familiar thrill of sensation shoot through his Heart.
"Hm?" Yen Sid noticed his gaze, turning to look as well.
Luxu and Amaya looked, as well, both looking confused.
"What is it, child?" Amaya spoke slowly.
Xehanort narrowed his eyes at the window - and the image came into shimmering focus.
A featureless, dark humanoid figure, surrounded by purple flames, was standing within the wide sill of the large, star-shaped window, framed against the backdrop of high mountain peaks covered in trees and dirt pathways.
"...You..." Xehanort breathed, his old voice rasping and wheezing.
"Hm?" His younger self turned to look as well - his silver eyes narrowed - then he gasped with visible shock. "I see it, too."
"What is it that you are seeing?" Yen Sid demanded, wary and alarmed. "I see nothing."
"You never could," Master Xehanort responded, his gaze never wavering from the motionless figure in the window. "Only I...have possessed the ability to see the Darkness for what it is in these worlds. The True Darkness..."
"True..." Luxu's face paled. His mouth twisted. "You're saying there's one of those fuckers here, right now? And you- you can see them?"
"We have always seen them," Young Xehanort quavered, his silver gaze fixed to the sill, just the same.
Luxu summoned his Keyblade - the Keyblade of his Master's, that once Xehanort had inherited across time and ages - and stepped toward the window. "Seeing as the jig is up, why don't you show yourself," he said, hard.
The purple flames rose, billowing - and the Darkness vanished, only to reappear on solid ground, in the study with them properly now, facing Luxu directly.
It would not have taken a genius to realize that the Darkness was now visible to all present - the expressions on the faces of Luxu, Yen Sid, Amaya, and young Terra made that clear as day.
Amaya immediately moved forward, interposing herself between the Darkness, and the two Xehanorts.
Xehanort might have dismissed her as a woman ruled by her emotions, sentimental, naive...yet he had witnessed the memory of her doing so once before, for his sake. Battling, baiting, and giving her own life simply to ensure he would live on, safely and freely. Her emotions were true - not foolish idealism. She...had always had this remarkable strength of will. The strength...plain.
The Darkness turned its featureless head, a face with no eyes gazing around at them all. Unconcerned. Casual.
"You're a colorful bunch," the Darkness stated, in a genderless, yet slightly humorous voice.