Heart to Heart Chapter 4

[eiahmon]

Title: Heart to Heart
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Disney and Square own it all; I only wish I did. Why in the hell cant I come up with these wickedly cool characters and twisted plots? Why?
Summary: Sequel to Burning Heart and Earth's Rebirth. A special assignment from Ansem sets Dilan's conscience on edge, and he reaches out to the only person that he knows can help, the one person that he though he would never speak to again; Xehanort.

4.

The morning after Xavier spoke with his parents about Xehanort, Lea returned from a stay at The Land of Departure, where Xavier had sent him just after Xehanort's rescue.

Two years previous, Lea had shocked everyone (especially Isa and Roxas) by summoning his own keyblade during a Heartless attack on his and Isa's house. That very night, as the two of them watched over a sleeping Isa, who had fallen ill earlier in the day, Xavier had taken Lea on as a keyblade apprentice. Lea had been a quick and eager learner, but he had many things to unlearn from years of teaching himself to use his chakrams. The hardest part had been breaking his habit of relying heavily on his natural skill for fire magic, so he could branch to other kinds.

"Many things are weak against fire," Xavier had told him "but not everything is."

Upon realizing that caring for Xehanort was going to consume most of his time, Xavier had sent Lea to The Land of Departure to train under Master Aqua for a while, so he wouldn't miss out on much needed practice. He knew that Aqua would teach him right.

Now that he had his own keyblade, Xavier insisted that Lea use its glider form to move between worlds, as it exposed the heart to less Darkness than the corridors did. The only time that he had permission to use the Corridors was in an emergency or when he was visiting Sora and company. They didn't want the existence of his keyblade to get out yet. If Sora or Riku were to see it, they would try to get Lea set up with a keyblade master for training, and if Lea were to tell them that he already had one, it could lead to a dangerous situation.

Lea didn't have any keyblade armor, but since he had his black coats, which performed the same function and were much less cumbersome in Xavier's opinion, that wasn't a problem. Lea was wearing one of his coats and whistling a cheerful tune as he walked into the hospital, looking for Xavier.

Xehanort was sleeping, so Xavier was in the office, going through some inventory lists when his apprentice walked in. The redhead grinned and tossed a large, red apple at Xavier, who caught it easily.

"Sent with Master Aqua's regards." Lea said easily "She said something about using apples to keep the doctor away, but I told her that couldn't be true, because I can't get rid of you for nothing."

Xavier laughed; he had missed Lea more than he would admit. "No. Sadly, you're stuck with me until you pass your Mark of Mastery." He looked down at the apple in his hands and recognized it as coming from the apple trees that grew on The Land of Departure. Xehanort and Eraqus had made many a snack out of the juicy fruit during their breaks from training, and he was pleasantly surprised that the trees had somehow survived the world's destruction and reshaping. He then looked back up at Lea. "Have you been home yet?"

"Of course," Lea waved his hand in the air vaguely in the direction of the house that he and Isa shared. "It was the first place I went. Had to check on Isa, y'know. I'm so glad that we've got neighbors that will keep an eye on him while I'm gone. If it hadn't been for that, I wouldn't have left, no matter what you said."

"And I wouldn't have sent you away otherwise. Isa's more important than a few weeks of training."

"So how's your lost boy doing?"

"Better. He's still got a bit to go, but he's much better than he was before."

"Good to hear." Lea pulled up a chair in front of the desk and spun it around so he could sit down and rest his arms on the top of the back. "Here's something you'll find interesting."

"Oh?"

"Roxas came by a few days ago, and he said that he heard from Sora that a little over a month ago, Master Yen Sid and the wizard Merlin tried to cast a spell to find you."

Xavier dropped his papers to the desk and gave Lea a hard look. "What?"

Lea shrugged. "It didn't work obviously, otherwise they would have sent the guards in already to get you, but Roxas said that the spell not only failed but failed pretty damned spectacularly."

"How so?"

"Remember how Luxord could warp time?"

"Yes, drove his opponents insane in battle if I remember correctly."

"Roxas said that that was what it reminded him of. Nothing happened as a result of the failure of the spell as far as he knows, but he still thought it was weird."

"That is strange. I haven't seen Master Yen Sid in over forty years, and I remember him as a skilled spellcaster that favored magic over his keyblade in battle. To have a spell fail in such a way is extremely rare for him."

"Maybe Merlin bungled it up then. Who knows, but that's not all that happened."

"Do tell."

"Roxas, Sora, and Riku are going to be taking their Mark of Mastery soon."

Xavier raised an eyebrow. "Really? Keyblade training normally takes years under an experienced master. For Master Yen Sid to allow three self taught novices to take the exam must mean that something serious is about. Do you know what he'll have them doing?"

Lea shrugged again and scratched at the back of his head. "No, but Roxas said he'd let me know once he found out. Is there a set test for the Mark of Mastery?"

Xavier shook his head. "No, the master determines how to test his apprentices, and it varies from master to master as a result. Master Limahl put Xehanort and Eraqus through a combination of a obstacle/survival test out in a Heartless infested world. He was always nearby watching them, ready to intervene if they ran into trouble that they couldn't handle, but they didn't know that. Both of them passed obviously. Eraqus preferred to use a simple demonstration of skills on his own students."

"What about Xehanort?"

"Xehanort had only two apprentices." Xavier said quietly "Ventus and Vanitas."

Lea tilted his head back. "Oooooh, right. Forgot about that." He then abruptly straightened and looked at Xavier. "Wait, what will you have me doing then?"

Xavier smirked. "Now Lea, that would be telling. Besides, you have a few years to go yet before I'll even think about letting you take the Mark of Mastery."

"Only a few years? What happened to 'takes years'?"

"How old are you now, Lea?"

Lea scratched his head again. "Uhhhhh... 34, I think. Not really aging for 10 years kinda screwed up my counting."

"And there is your answer. You only gained your keyblade two years ago, so you have much learning to do and not much time to do it in. I don't want you to be in your 50's when taking the Mark of Mastery. It's why I've been pushing you so hard and why I sent you to study under Master Aqua while I took care of Xehanort."

"Oh, okay. I guess that makes sense then. Wait, Xehanort?"

Xavier nodded. "He's a Replica of me, created to take Xehanort's punishment. They even implanted memories into him, so he thinks he was abducted from the Destiny Islands the day after he turned 13."

"Are you going to keep him?"

"I am."

"Good. Poor kid; he'll need all the family he can get. Hey, here's a thought. Do Replicas age? Will he grow into an adult, or will he stay a teenager forever?"

Xavier frowned in thought. "You know, I don't know. I'll have to ask Even the next time I talk to him. I need to ask him a few other things about Replicas as well. Vexen is doing well and is stable, but I don't know if they have a set lifespan or if they will eventually deteriorate and die, so I'll have to speak to Even and ask him sometime soon."

"You do that." Lea said as he stood up. "I'm going to head home. Isa's making a special dinner to welcome me home, and he'll shove his claymore up my ass if I'm late."

Xavier's frown turned into a laugh. "Better head home then before you end up with a raging beserker after your hide."

Lea turned and walked out of the hospital. "See ya in the morning!"

"Bright and early!" Xavier called after him, and he shook his head and smiled as the door shut behind his apprentice.

******

Xehanort's first surgery took place three weeks after his rescue. It nearly didn't happen at all. As soon as he realized that they were planning to anesthetize him, Xehanort shook his head frantically and refused.

"No," he said he scooted across his bed away from Xavier. "I don't want it."

"We're just going to put you into a deep sleep while we fix your bones, little one." Xavier said soothingly "We don't want you to be awake and feeling what we're doing."

"No!" Xehanort shook his head again. "I don't want to go to sleep!"

"I promise that you won't feel a thing."

"I don't care! I don't want it!"

"But you need it, Xehanort. I know that those badly healed breaks are hurting you, so we need to get them fixed."

"I don't want them fixed." Tears were running out of Xehanort's eyes as he squirmed away from Xavier's outreaching arms. "They're not hurting me!"

"Yes they are, child."

"They're not!"

"Xavier," Taylor said from the doorway "He needs to calm down. He's still not strong enough to be getting so upset before surgery."

"I don't want to go to sleep!" Xehanort wailed, and then he whimpered. "Please don't make me."

"Why do you not want to go to sleep, little one?" Xavier asked gently as it occurred to him that the child may have a good reason to be frightened.

"Because I was asleep when they took me away." Xehanort whispered, and he curled up in as tight of a ball as he could and looked away from them.

"They took you from your bed?"

Xehanort nodded, and Xavier scooted across the bed to sit next to him. "No one is going to take you from me, Xehanort. I promised you that you are safe here, and I meant it." He held out his arms, and after a moment's hesitation, Xehanort inched over and leaned into the offered embrace. "I won't leave you while you're asleep. I'll stay with you the entire time."

"You promise?" Xehanort asked in a tiny voice, and Xavier pulled him onto his lap and held him tight.

"I promise, Xehanort, I promise that I'll stay with you."

"You won't let anyone take me away?"

"I won't."

Xehanort hid his face in the surgical gown that Xavier was wearing over his clothes, and then he nodded. "I'm ready then. Just... just don't leave me alone, okay?"

"I won't, little one. I'll stay beside you the entire time." Xavier adjusted the child's position, so Taylor could easily reach his left hand. "Now Taylor is going to give you an injection in the back of your hand, and when he does, I want you to count backwards from 10. Can you do that for me?"

Xehanort nodded, but he kept his face hidden and Taylor gently took his hand and injected the anesthetic into the back of it. "10, 9, 8, 7..." Xehanort began to relax in Xavier's arms. "6... 5..." He fell silent then and went limp on Xavier's lap.

Xavier stood up from the bed and carried him into the small operating room and laid him down on the table there. Taylor eased the breathing tube down his throat and into his trachea to deliver a mix of room air, oxygen, and anesthetic to keep him comfortably asleep while they worked on him. They were going to try and get as many of the bones straightened as possible, but they were walking a fine line. Breaking a bone stresses the body, and they didn't want to overstress the still weak child too much, but surgery of any kind is stressful, so they wanted to get them taken care of in as few attempts of possible.

Taylor made the incision in the boy's upper left leg while Xavier watched his vital signs and monitored the levels of oxygen and anesthetic moving through the mask. The first bones on the list were the large thighbone, the femur, and the larger of the two lower leg bones, the tibia. The femur looked as though it had suffered a lateral fracture, either from being kicked or stomped on, while the tibia seemed to have suffered no trauma. Xavier and Taylor had already speculated that brittle fracture, due to malnutrition and no sunlight, had caused the smaller bone to break. Breaking any bone is painful, but the femur is the largest bone in the body, and the fracturing of it had to have caused unbelievable agony. The fact that the child survived and the bone partially healed on its own was a miracle in of itself. With no medical care and abuse coming in from all sides, the shock alone could have killed him.

Taylor exposed the two malshaped bones, and Xavier tried to ignore the whine of the bone saw as he cut through them at the site of the previous breaks. The femur produces more blood than any other bone, so Xavier continuously had to suction it away as it welled up and obstructed their view. Finally the bone was broken into two, and Taylor carefully set them, held them in place, and then nodded at Xavier.

Xavier held his hand out over the broken bone. "Heal," he said softly, and there was a quiet shnick! as it healed back into a single piece instantly. They then repeated the procedure on the tibia, and Xavier healed the skin and parted muscle. They moved their attention to the upper arm bone, the humerus, which had been broken multiple times, and the ball and socket joint of the shoulder, which had been dislocated and then healed in that position. They had to break the humerus is two places – the other breaks had healed straight – and once it was taken care of, they had to cut the tendons and ligaments that supported the shoulder joint so they could pop the ball back into the socket. A quick Curaga spell put the tendons and ligaments back together and realigned them and the muscle back in their proper position. Another Curaga spell, and the incisions closed.

With that done, they cut the anesthetic flowing through the breathing tube, which they they pulled out, and began to wake Xehanort up. Xavier carefully carried him back to his room, laid him down in bed, and covered him with heavy blankets. Shivering was often a side effect of anesthesia, so they wanted him to be covered as he woke up. Taylor stayed in the operating room to clean up there, while Xavier settled down in his usual chair and waited for Xehanort to come around.

After a few minutes, Xehanort began to shift ever so slightly in bed, and then he groaned softly.

Xavier moved from the chair to the bed. "Xehanort? Can you hear me? Open you eyes."

Xehanort groaned again, and his right eye opened a tiny bit. The pupil slowly focused on Xavier, and a second later, Xehanort's other eye peeped open. Xavier smiled at him. "That's it. It's time to wake up."

"Xa'ver?" Xehanort slurred the name.

"I'm here."

"Didn't... leave me?"

"I was with you the entire time, like I promised."

Xehanort managed a wan smile. "Thank you."

Xavier smiled back at him and tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear. "You're welcome, little one."

******

They gave Xehanort's body three days to recover from the stress and shock of surgery before taking him in a second time. This time they took care of his other arm and his ribs, many of which had been broken several times. A few days later, he had a third surgery to repair his right leg and foot. Seeing the damage laid open in front of them, the multiple breaks and the crushed bones of the foot and ankle, Xavier and Taylor were amazed that they had gotten the child to stand and walk so easily. Finally, they did a fourth surgery to remove the worst of the scar tissues across the boy's back that was restricting his movement some.

"I think he's ready to go home." Taylor said quietly as they watched Xehanort sleeping afterwards.

Xavier nodded. "I think you're right."

******

In the morning, after Xehanort had eaten breakfast, Xavier casually tossed a set of clothes that Elissa had sewn down on the foot of the bed. Xehanort stared at them for a moment, before he looked up at Xavier, puzzled.

"What are those for?" he asked.

"They are for you, child, unless you want to wear a hospital gown out of here?"

Xehanort's eyes widened. "I can leave the hospital?"

Xavier smiled. "Yes, now go take a shower and get dressed."

Xehanort threw the blankets back and scrambled into his small bathroom. He was strong enough to walk around and take care of himself, but just to be safe, Xavier waited outside the door and listened for any signs that the child needed help in some way. Xehanort managed fine on his own though, and about ten minutes later, he came back out, accompanied by a cloud of steam, dressed and looking eager to get going. Xavier gestured him to a nearby chair, where he helped him with his socks and shoes. He then slipped a coat over the boy's still thin frame, and walked him towards the front door. He put his hand on the door handle and paused.

"Are you ready?" he asked, and Xehanort nodded eagerly. Xavier opened the door with a smile, and the spring sunlight spilled through the open doorway. Xehanort stared at the outside world in silence as a breeze ruffled his hair.

"The sun's out." he said quietly "It's been so long. I haven't seen it..." He ducked his head and scrubbed at his eyes for a moment before he looked up at Xavier. "Where do you live?"

"Not too far from here," Xavier replied "But much too far for you to walk right now.

"How am I getting there, then?"

"My father's going to pick us up in just a... Ah, there he is."

Xehanort squinted in the bright light at the sound of clomping hooves, and he frowned in puzzlement. Xavier hid a smile behind his hand at the sight; horses did not exist on the Destiny Islands, so Xehanort had no idea what he was hearing. Finally, a horse and buggy appeared, coming up the road from the hospital, and Xehanort took a step back.

"What kind of animal is that?" he whispered.

"It's a horse. We use them for for pulling carts and wagons, and for riding."

"They aren't... mean or anything are they?"

"No, not normally, but like any other animal, they can get that way if they're mistreated. My family's horses are well cared for and don't have a mean bone in their body, so you have nothing to worry about there."

Xehanort nodded, but he still took a step closer to Xavier as the buggy approached. Xavier gently laid a hand on his shoulder as the buggy pulled up in front of them and stopped.

"Hello there!" Jascha said cheerfully from the driver's seat "You must be Xehanort."

Xehanort whimpered as he ducked his head, and then he quickly stepped back to stand behind Xavier. Xavier turned to face him and leaned down to look him in the eye.

"He's not going to hurt you, Xehanort." he said softly "Remember that you are safe with me, and no one will hurt you here."

Xehanort shook his head slightly and looked down at the ground, shaking, and said nothing. Xavier gathered the frightened child to him and held him for a moment until his shivering subsided. "Are you ready now?"

Xehanort nodded, but he didn't look up as Xavier walked him up to the buggy and helped him climb in. Jascha looked upset at the boy's fear, and Xavier shrugged his shoulders at him as he sat down in the seat next to Xehanort, who nestled close to him and hid his face. The short ride to the farm was silent save for the creaking of the wheels and the clopping of the horse's hooves against the road, and Xehanort kept his face hidden in Xavier's jacket the entire time. When they reached the house, Xavier was pleased to see that it appeared as though no one was home, though he was certain that his mother was there at least. That was confirmed when he ushered Xehanort through the front door, and she was there, waiting for them.

"Hello, Xehanort." she said gently, and Xehanort looked up at her briefly before he cast his eyes back down towards the floor. He didn't attempt to hide though, and Xavier remembered that Dilan had told him that almost all of the boy's abusers had been male, so he likely didn't find women as frightening.

"Please don't be afraid, sweetheart." Elissa continued as she leaned over until she was eye level with him "It's going to be okay. You're safe here."

Xehanort kept silent, and after a moment, Xavier began to walk him towards the stairs. "Let me show you your room." Xehanort didn't look up, and rather than have him fall up the stairs because he wasn't paying attention, Xavier simply scooped him up and carried him up to the second floor and to the room that the family used as a sickroom.

It was only one of two bedrooms in the house that had a fireplace, so if someone fell ill or was injured during colder weather, they moved into the medium sized bedroom until they were recovered. At one time, it had been Isa and Lea's room, and before that, it had been Xavier's during his recovery from the meningitis that had struck Master Xehanort down shortly before Braig had abandoned him in Haven's Bridge. Once Xavier had been deemed well enough, he had moved into a different bedroom, the one he currently occupied.

A fire was already going in the fireplace, and the room was pleasantly warm when Xavier carried Xehanort through the door and sat him down on the bed. The teenager looked around the spartan room for a moment – since it had no permanent resident it had only the barest essentials, though Xavier noted a newquilt lying across the bed – before he looked back down at the floor again.

"Do I have to stay here?" he asked quietly "Can't you take me home?"

Xavier sat down beside him. "Not yet, little one. I still have to find the Destiny Islands before I can take you back."

Xehanort looked up at him just as a single tear ran down his face. "I just... I want..." He fell silent and shook his head. "I just want to go home."

Xavier reached out and gently stroked the boy's hair. "I know, and I wish I could take pick you up and carry you back to your parents, but I can't do that now."

Xehanort looked away and heaved a sigh. "I know, but... I miss them, and I..." He paused and leaned against Xavier, who wrapped his arms around him. "I'm scared."

"I understand, little one. I know that you're afraid, and again, I promise you that you are safe with me."

Xehanort said nothing in response, and Xavier was content to hold him for a while, but after a few minutes, he spoke again.

"Do I have to meet your family today? May I just stay up here for now?"

"For now, but you're going to have to face them soon."

"I don't think I can handle seeing too many people right now. You said that no one would hurt me here, but your father's voice made me think I was back there for a second, and I don't want that feeling again."

"What you're feeling, little one, is called Post Traumatic Stress, and it's perfectly normal after going through what you suffered, but hiding will not make it go away."

"It will go away, will it?"

"It time, it will."

Xehanort looked up again him again. "How much time? Days? Weeks? Months? Years?"

"There is no way to know. It's different for each person." Xehanort sniffled and wiped at his eyes, and Xavier made a mental note to ask Isa if he would be willing to come and talk to him. He, of all people, knew best the fear that Xehanort was feeling. Isa hadn't been fearful of everyone around him, largely because he had been mostly isolated while imprisoned, but Xavier hoped that Xehanort would still be able to relate to him. Finding someone that understood his fear would help him immensely.

"Xavier?" Xehanort asked hesitantly, and Xavier looked at him. "Would you please stay in here with me, at least for today? I don't, I don't want to be alone."

"Of course, I will. I'll stay as long as you need me to. Do you want to lie down and take a little rest?" Xehanort looked at the bed, which even Xavier had to admit looked rather inviting, and nodded.

"I am a little tired." he admitted, and then he looked back at Xavier. "Promise you won't leave me?"

"I promise."

Xehanort shrugged his jacket off, and Xavier draped it over a nearby chair before he helped the boy take off his shoes. Xehanort laid down against the pillows, and Xavier pulled the new quilt over him.

"This looks new." he said with a small yawn, and Xavier smiled at him and brushed his hair out of his face.

"My mother loves to sew, so she likely made this for you."

"Nice of her." Xehanort mumbled sleepily as he curled up on his side and closed his eyes. "I like it. It's warm."

"She'll be happy to hear that. Now go to sleep. I'll wake you for lunch."

"Xavier?"

"Hmmm?"

"Thank you for letting me stay."

Xavier leaned over and kissed him softly on the side of his head. "You're welcome. Sleep well, little one."

******

Xavier dropped into bed, exhausted, and closed his eyes. Finally, he would be able to get some sleep. It had been a long day, even though it had consisted mostly of sitting with Xehanort while the child clung to him. His mother had brought lunch up for them, but Xehanort had been so nervous that he had only been able to choke down a few bites of it before putting down his fork. Xavier had tried to get him to eat more, but the teenager had insisted that doing so would make him sick, so he had let it go.

When the sun dipped below the horizon in the early evening, the encroaching darkness, plus the return of the rest of the family had only worsened Xehanort's fear, and the boy cried if he thought for a second that Xavier was going to leave him. The teenager hadn't been able to eat any dinner, and there had been a few times that Xavier feared he was going to be sick. He had patiently explained that he would be sleeping in the bedroom right next door and would be able to hear him if he called out, but the child had been so terrified of being alone it had taken over an hour of holding him on his lap and rocking him in the rocking chair before he had finally fallen asleep. Xavier had carefully tucked Xehanort into bed, stocked the fireplace so the fire would last for a few hours more, and then gone to his own room to get some sleep.

He rubbed his eyes and yawned; he hoped that Xehanort's fear would settle down soon. Being so afraid constantly would have a negative impact on his health and set him back, and that he couldn't afford. Hopefully, Xehanort would at least sleep through the night; he needed all the rest he could get to handle the child's fear come morning.

Xavier settled down, and he allowed himself to relax. He just needed to get Xehanort through this difficult adjustment period (Which hopefully would be brief, but he doubted it.) and things would get easier from there. He yawned again as he began to drift off, and within another minute or so he was asleep.

******

Please, don't hurt me anymore! I just want to go home!

What have I done wrong? Why are you doing this to me!

Don't come any closer! Stay away!

It hurts! Please, no more! I'm sorry!

******

Xavier bolted upright in bed just as a scream shattered the silence of the house. He leapt out of bed and ran from his room to Xehanort's to find the teenager huddled in the shadows of a corner, crying. He heard others coming to investigate the scream as he knelt in front of the shaking child and hoped that none of them came into the room. Xehanort was frightened enough as it was.

"Xehanort?" he said gently as he scooped the boy up and settled down into the rocker with him "It was just a nightmare, little one."

"Xavier!" Xehanort wailed as he grasped Xavier's nightshirt with both hands and hid his face "Please don't go! Please don't leave me alone!"

"I'm not going to leave you, Xehanort. Now calm down. It was just a dream. I have you, and you're safe."

Elissa walked quietly into the room then, and Xehanort jumped in fright and nestled as close to Xavier as he could.

Xavier rocked him. "It's alright. It's just my mother. She's just building the fire back up. See?" Xehanort slowly turned his head towards the fireplace just as Elissa put a few more logs on to brighten up the room. Xehanort shuddered and hid his face again as she walked out, and they could hear her shooing the others back to bed.

"Please, may I stay with you tonight, Xavier?" Xehanort pleaded desperately "I won't be a bother. I'll just sleep on the floor. Please, I don't want to be alone!"

Xavier used his thumb to wipe some of Xehanort's tears away. "You have to stay in here, child. The rest of the house is too cold for you, and you are most certainly not sleeping on the floor."

"Don't leave me alone. I don't... I can't. Please don't go!" Xehanort began to cry again, and Xavier held him close.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay in here with you." Xehanort whimpered through his tears. "Shhhh, I'm right here."

Xavier rocked Xehanort until the boy calmed and began to fall asleep, and then he stood up, intending to put him back to bed. No sooner had he done so though, than the teenager's eyes flew open, and he clung tightly to Xavier's nightshirt again.

"Don't go! Don't leave me!"

"I'm going to be right next door, Xehanort."

Xehanort wailed, and Xavier sighed and scooped him back up. Now what?

"Xavier," came Elissa's voice from the doorway, and he turned his head to see her standing there "Lie down with him."

"What?" Was she telling him to sleep in the same bed with him?

"Lie down with him, just like I did when you were sick and frightened after you were brought here. There's nothing wrong with it. He's upset and scared, and he needs you to hold and comfort him. If he has another nightmare, you'll be able to wake him quickly, and I'm sure that he'll sleep much better with you to hold on to."

Xavier looked back at the crying child in his arms. Xehanort was looking at him with tear filled eyes, pleading with him, and holding his shirt in a white knuckled grip.

"Alright," he conceded with a sigh "If it will get you back to sleep."

Xehanort gave him a teary smile, and Xavier laid him down on one side of the bed, closer to the fireplace. He then laid down beside him, and he couldn't resist a small smile when Xehanort snuggled close to him. Elissa walked into the room them, and she pulled the quilt over the both of them, before she kissed them both. Xehanort shivered at the touch, but he did not cry or make any sort of protest. Elissa then left the room, and once they were alone, Xehanort closed his eyes and settled down with a sigh.

"M'sorry I'm so much trouble." he mumbled sleepily.

"It's no trouble, little one." Xavier replied gently as he wrapped one arm around Xehanort and pulled him closer "You can't help your fear now."

"I wish it would go away."

"It will in time. Now go to sleep. I'm right here, and I'll keep the nightmares away."

Xehanort smiled slightly, and he fell asleep quickly. Xavier, however, remained awake for a while longer, watching the dancing flames in the fireplace. As he finally began to nod off, he thought he heard someone crying softly, and a single tear ran down his face.

Chapter 3 -- Chapter 5
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