![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Burning Heart Chapter 10
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.
10.
Xavier and Xehanort departed Haven's Bridge late in the afternoon. Radiant Garden ran several hours ahead, so it was well after dark when they stepped out of a portal in a empty room aside the castle's waterway. The room was brightly lit, so they were clearly able to see Even and Vexen waiting for them. Vexen was holding tightly to Even's hand and rubbing his eyes sleepily, but he perked up when he saw Xehanort. He immediately let go of Even's hand and walked over to introduce himself.
"Hello!" he said brightly "I'm Vexen. What's your name?"
Xehanort blinked. "Ummm, Xehanort." he said after a moment.
"Xehanort? Like my dad's friend?"
"Vexen," Even said as he stepped forward "You need to lower your voice, child."
Xehanort looked up at Xavier. "He talks that way too." he said.
"Where do you think I got it from?" Xavier replied as Vexen turned to face Even.
"Sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to talk so loud."
"I know that you didn't." Even said gently "But remember what I told you earlier?"
"That we need to be quiet so no one knows that we're down here, and that I'm not supposed to mention this to anyone."
Even nodded. "That's right."
Vexen turned back to Xehanort. "Wanna go play?"
"Not right now, Vexen." Xavier said "Xehanort needs to talk with your dad for a few minutes, and then we'll see, alright?"
"Why don't you go over there in the corner and read the book that you brought with you." Even suggested "We'll call you if we need you."
"Okay."
Vexen wandered off to the opposite side of the room, and settled into a large chair with a book in his hands, and Xehanort looked at Even.
"He's a Replica of you?" he asked.
Even nodded. "He is."
"And that doesn't... bother him?"
"No, he's known his entire life that he's a Replica; it was all he knew until I adopted him years ago."
"Adopted him?"
"Yes, I had been told that my Replicas had all died, so when I went back to where they were born and found him alive and very, very sick, I brought him here to be cared for. I came to see him as a son, so I legally adopted him to make sure that no one could ever take him from me and to make him officially mine
"How do you make a Replica?"
Even looked at Xavier for a second, confused, to which Xavier just shrugged. Even then turned back to Xehanort.
"There are many ways to do so." he said "The easiest way, and the way that Vexen was conceived, is to take the DNA of the person you want to replicate, and then gather data on then."
"Data?"
"For example, I can use ice magic. I gathered data on my power levels, magic type, and such things and used that data to give Vexen the ability to use ice magic as well."
"And then what do you do?"
"May I ask why you need to know?"
Xehanort looked down at the floor and said nothing, so Even looked to Xavier for an answer. "I think it should be obvious from looking at us." Xavier replied.
Even looked back and forth between them for a moment, and he frowned in thought. "Xehanort," he said after a moment "Why don't you go talk to Vexen for a moment? Xavier and I... need to have a discussion."
Xehanort looked up at Xavier, who nodded, and then the boy walked over to where Vexen was sitting. Even then looked at Xavier. "Step outside the door with me, will you?" Xavier looked at him in confusion, but he followed him out of the room. Once they were out in the narrow, red lighted passageway with the door closed between them and the children, Even looked at him. "What is going on here, Xavier?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why have you brought that child here, and why does he want to know about Replicas?"
"As I said before," Xavier said a little impatiently "I think it should be obvious."
"Pretend that I am Demyx and humor me."
"Xehanort is a Replica."
"Of who?"
"You really feel the need to ask that question?"
"Just tell me."
"Of me."
"And you have told him this."
"I have. I couldn't keep lying to him, Even." Even sighed and looked down at his feet, muttering to himself. "What?" Xavier asked, annoyed.
"I once said," Even replied. "that Xemnas could have understood how the Replica program worked. I now take that back."
"What do you mean?" Xavier demanded.
Even held up his hand. "Xavier, let me state this clearly. Xehanort cannot, under any circumstances, be a Replica of you."
"What!"
Even's head snapped up to glare at him. "Lower your voice!" he hissed. "Do you want us to get caught down here!"
Xavier flushed. "Sorry." he said quietly "But how? How can he not be a Replica of me? There is no other explanation of his existence."
"I cannot claim to know how he came to be. All I can say for certain that it is impossible for him to be a Replica of you."
"Why not?"
"Because without your heart to influence hair color, eye color, and skin tone, any Replica made from this body -" Here he lightly poked Xavier in the chest. "- would be a Replica of Terra."
"I am aware of that, Even." Xavier said angrily. "I never said that he was a Replica of this version of me. He looks almost exactly as my original self did as a thirteen year old. The only difference is that he's paler from a lack of tropical sunshine."
"That cannot be possible either."
"Excuse me?"
"That is simply not possible."
"Why is that then?"
"Where did they get your old body's DNA? I am assuming it was lost when your heart was freed from it years ago, so unless you left blood and tissue samples lying conveniently where someone could find them, there is no way they could have made a Replica from it."
"They had to have."
"Does he have memories?"
"Of course he does. He has memories of my original self's first thirteen years."
"Where did they get them?"
"Excuse me?"
"Where. Did. They. Get. Them. It's a simple question. The ONLY source of those memories is you, and I'm certain that you didn't go sharing your memories with anyone. And this is without the fact that the only person to my knowledge that is capable of implanting memories is Naminé, and she certainly hasn't mentioned anything like this."
Xavier's mind screeched to a halt as the implications of Even's words sank in. He leaned back against the wall in shock. "I.. I don't know. That never.. even occurred to me."
"Obviously." Even said dryly "I don't know where he came from or how he got here, but that child in there is not a Replica."
"What other explanation is there? If he's not a Replica, then where did he come from?"
"Is there a chance that he could be a long lost relative that just happens to resemble your original self?"
Xavier shook his head. "No, I was the last of my family line. There were no other relatives, of that I'm am absolutely certain." He looked up at Even. "Prior to him appearing the prison, was there any news or whispers of him that you were aware of?"
Even shook his own head in the negative. "No," he said. "Only the botched spell to summon you to the castle, and that..." He trailed off, and he and Xavier looked at each other.
"Is that even possible?" Xavier asked.
"Not last I looked, but it's the only explanation that we've got."
"Roxas did tell Lea that it reminded him of Luxord."
"Yes, he told me that too."
"Would Dilan know anything, as a prison guard?"
"I'd have to ask him, but he hasn't volunteered anything, and speaking of Dilan," Even reached into a pocket of his lab coat and pulled something out. He then held it out for Xavier to take. "He asked me to give this to you to give to Xehanort whenever I saw you. He said he found it in the child's cell a few weeks after you took him. I just now remembered it."
Xavier felt his lungs seize up as he accepted the trinket from Even; even in the dim red light, he clearly recognized it.
It was a Wayfinder, his Wayfinder, the Wayfinder that he had left behind when his original self had left the Destiny Islands decades ago. The red light glinted off the glass token that was carved and etched into the shape of a cresting wave, and though it was too dim to see colors, he knew that the dark color was dark blue, which lightened as it moved outward towards the ends of the shells.
"Xavier?" Even asked quietly "What is it?"
"This can't be." Xavier said more to himself than Even.
"Xavier, what is wrong?"
Xavier looked at him. "You are absolutely certain that Dilan found this?"
"Yes, he said he found it in a corner of Xehanort's cell a few weeks after you rescued him. Why?"
"Had it always been there? Or had it just appeared there?"
"I had to wash a thick layer of dirt and grime off of it after he gave it to me, so I'd say it had been there a while. Why?"
Xavier's throat closed up, which forced him to close his eyes and take several deep breaths to keep from fainting.
"Are you okay?" Even asked.
Xavier shook his head and took another deep breath to ease the tension in his chest. "This is my Wayfinder." he rasped out after a moment.
"Your Wayfinder?"
Xavier finally managed to get his breathing under control. "Yes. I left it behind when I left the Destiny Islands. I don't know what became of it after I left, but I..." He closed his mouth and shook his head again, unable to find the words that he needed.
Thankfully, Even had caught on. "If this is yours, and it was found in Xehanort's cell, then that's means that -" They looked at each other. No more words were needed. By some unspoken agreement, they walked back into the room where Xehanort and Vexen were huddled together over Vexen's book. The pair walked quietly over to the children, and Xavier had to shake his head and few times to try and get his chaotic thoughts into some form of order. His mind shied away from the conclusion that he and Even had come to, but what other explanation could there be?
"Xehanort," he managed to croak through a throat that was still constricted, and the boy looked up at him.
"Xavier? You look like you've seen a ghost or something. Are you alright?"
A ghost from the past maybe. Xavier thought, and he had to swallow the hysterical laughter that bubbled up then from within him. Before he could say anything, Xehanort noticed what he was holding in his hand.
"My Wayfinder!" the child practically squealed with joy as he snatched the charm out of Xavier's hand. "You found it!"
"Indeed," Xavier felt his heart skip a few beats as the familiar, feared, yet still loved voice fell on his ears, and he slowly turned around to see Ansem, accompanied by many members of the city guard standing in front of the door. "Today is the day for finding things it seems."
Xavier did not expect the tears that appeared in his eyes then. "Master Ansem, " he whispered, and his heart ached to see the man that had once loved him as a son standing there.
"Do not speak my name, Xehanort!" Ansem snarled "You've no right!"
Xavier flinched back, and he heard a terrified whimper from Vexen as Even stepped forward.
"Master Ansem," he began. "please, let me explain."
"What I see is explanation enough!" Even's head snapped to the right as Ansem slapped him, which caused Vexen to wail.
"Daddy!"
"Get them!" Ansem barked as he gestured the guards forward "All four of them!"
Even abruptly straightened up as the guards moved towards them, with one heading directly for Vexen. "No!" he shouted. With a grunt borne of effort, he raised his arms to the ceiling, and a wall, composed of solid ice, formed between them and the advancing guards. "Xavier, go!" he shouted over the confusion as Ansem and the guards began to try and batter it down.
Xavier didn't have to reach for Xehanort; the boy was already clinging to his coat in terror. He reached out to get Vexen, but the child was running towards Even, crying.
The blond haired child grabbed onto Even's lab coat. "Daddy!" he wailed "What's happening!"
Sweat was pouring down Even's face from the effort of maintaining the wall as those of the other side damaged it. "Go with Xavier, Vexen!" he shouted over the hum of magic and the banging and hammering from the other side of the wall.
"No, Daddy, I won't leave you!" A large crack appeared in the wall then, and Xavier knew that it was on the verge of breaking as he moved forward in three large steps and grabbed Vexen by the collar of his shirt. "Daddy!"
He opened a portal behind them and threw Xehanort into it. "Come with us, Even!"
"I'm not leaving Ienzo!" Even yelled "Now go! I can't hold this for much longer!"
"Daddy no!" Vexen wailed as Xavier dragged him back and threw him into the portal.
"Damn it, Even!" Xavier shouted "Let me help you!"
"Get out of here!" Even screamed at him as another large crack appeared in the ice. "Take care of my boy!" Xavier backed up towards the portal as a large chunk of ice broke away to smash on the floor. "God damn it, Xavier! GET OUT!" Even lowered one of his hands and blasted ice at Xavier, which sent him stumbling back into the portal. It also caused him to lose his control over it, and it closed. Just before it shut, he saw the wall collapse and Even crumple to the floor as the guards swarmed him.
He landed hard on the grass covered ground by Haven's Bridge's keyhole just as a hysterical Vexen ran to where the portal had been. "Daddy!" the child screamed as he searched frantically "Daddy! Daddy, where are you!"
Xavier stumbled to his feet, and he was relieved to see Xehanort standing unhurt by the tree, still clutching his Wayfinder in a tight grip. The boy was watching Vexen's frantic search with wide eyed horror, and he slowly turned to look at Xavier.
Xavier put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" he asked. Xehanort nodded mutely, but his shaking and wide eyes spoke otherwise. It could wait though, there was another child that needed to be calmed down. Xavier squeezed his shoulder and moved over to Vexen, who was searching every nook and cranny in the tree, as if he expected to find Even hiding in one of them. It was only a matter of time until the child's screaming attracted attention, and that was something that Xavier wished to avoid. The quicker he could get the boys home, the sooner he could go back to find Even.
"Vexen," he said as he placed his hands on the child's shoulders.
Vexen pulled away and continued to search the tree. "Daddy!" he screamed as tears ran down his reddened face. "Where are you!"
"Vexen!" Xavier grabbed the child by his upper arms and forced him to turn and face him. "Even is not here." he said in a gentler tone.
"No!" Vexen tried to pull away. "I want my Daddy!"
"Shh, shh, shh, shhhh, I know, but he is not here right now. I need you to calm down, Vexen."
"I want Daddy!" Vexen tried to pull away again, but Xavier pulled him close and held him tight.
"I'm going to go get him, Vexen. I promise that I will bring him back to you, but I need you to calm down so I can take you someplace safe. Then I will go and get your Daddy."
"I want him now!" Vexen wailed as his screaming turned into crying, and Xavier scooped him up into his arms.
"Xehanort? Let's go." he said, but Xehanort did not move. "Xehanort?" He stepped closer to him and knelt down in front of him to see that the boy was crying. It pained him to see, but he didn't have time to comfort him. "Let's go, Xehanort." he said quietly "I need you to follow me and not dawdle. Can you do that for me?"
Xehanort nodded and wiped at his eyes with the hand that wasn't gripping the Wayfinder tightly. He then grasped onto Xavier's coat and followed silently behind him as he set off across the fields towards home.
******
The sound of a crying child had attracted the family's attention long before they opened the front door, so they were all gathered in the entryway when he came through the door, with a crying Vexen in his arms and a silent Xehanort hanging onto his coat.
Xavier's mother was the first to move. "What happened!" she gasped, and Xavier could tell that she was itching to reach out to Vexen.
"I.. I can't explain right now." Xavier replied as his thoughts began to spin around inside his head. "I just need you to look after these two for a while. I have to go find Even."
Xehanort finally made a sound then. "You're going back there!" he yelled "After what just happened!'
"I have to find Even!" Xavier snapped at him as he handed Vexen over to Masa. "Who knows what they're doing to him!" Vexen wailed as Masa carried him out of the room, and Xavier lowered his voice. "I can't leave him there."
"Who knows what they'll do to you!" Xehanort protested as he held on tightly to Xavier's coat. "You promised that you wouldn't go!" More tears spilled out of his eyes, and Xavier had to pry his hands off of the blanket leather.
"I'm not leaving you; I'll be back."
"No, you won't be!" Xehanort backed away, crying "They'll catch you, and then they'll do to you what they did to me!"
"They won't, Xehanort." Xavier said firmly as he knelt down to look up into the boy's teary eyes. "I will be back. I swear."
Xehanort turned and ran off into the parlor, crying, and Xavier stood up. He wanted to follow the boy, comfort him, hold him, and assure him that he would be coming back, he didn't have time. There was no telling what they were dong to Even, or even if he was still alive. It didn't take long to execute someone, though he was certain that they would hold off on that. First, they would attempt to get every morsel of information about his – Xavier's – location first. Only then would they think about execution. He wished that he wasn't going in alone, but there was no time to find anyone to go in with him. He had to go it alone if he wanted to save Even.
He nodded at his parents, turned away from them, and vanished into the darkness of a portal.
******
He stepped out of the portal into the dark areas under Hollow Bastion. The musty scents of water, mildew, and moss filled his nose as he paused to listen. He could hear no voices or sounds of people, only the gentle sounds of running water. He had explored the castle's waterway extensively during the three years he had lived in Radiant Garden, but it was not beyond the realm of possibility that things had been changed. He carefully stepped out of the nook he had portaled into, whereupon he paused again as he heard a faint shuffling behind him. He turned around, but the tiny storeroom behind him was completely dark, and he could see nothing else. He listened for another moment, but he heard nothing, so he cautiously stepped out into the main corridor.
It was likely that they had taken Even to the castle dungeon for the interrogation, and last he knew, it was possible to reach the dungeon via the waterway. Dim lights set into the walls gave him just enough light to see where he was going as he walked towards where the door that divided the two should be.
The area was silent save for the running water and his own footfalls, though off and on he swore he heard another pair of footsteps behind him. Each time he stopped though, they stopped as well, and no matter how hard he tried to peer into the darkness behind him, no source could be seen. Finally, he continued on, though he still looked over his shoulder frequently. The footsteps had to be echoes of his own.
The waterway was deserted, even when he reached the more brightly lit areas. He had expected to have to fight his way through to the dungeon, but there was no one. As he neared his destination, the sounds created by the flowing water became louder, loud enough to drown out the echoes of his footsteps, and he shoved worries of it to the back of his mind as he reached the door to the dungeon.
The heavy steel door was not locked, and part of him found that puzzling, but he ignored it when he realized that, at some point after Isa's rescue, lights had been added. Set into the walls, looking similar to the ones that lit the waterway, they dispelled any shadows that he could have used to hide in. To make things even more difficult, he could hear nothing in the prison itself; no voices, no cries, no sounds of an interrogation in progress. Was Even already dead? Had they taken him somewhere else? He leaned against a wall, closed his eyes, and reached out with his senses, feeling for Even's heart. The dungeon was large, but he hoped he would be able to sense it down here with him.
At first he felt nothing but the hearts of others locked down here for various crimes, but then... there! From somewhere far ahead of him and off to the left, came the feel of a heart that he knew well. He remembered it well from three years of being close to it as Even soothed him during his stay in the infirmary, calmed him after his forgotten nightmares, tended to him while he was sick. He kept his thoughts focused on it as he set off in a brisk pace down the corridors, silently willing it not to wink out of existence on him.
Before he realized it, his brisk walk had turned into a jog, and then into a full run. He no longer cared about making any noise; his only concern was about getting to Even in time and getting him someplace safe. He ignored the echoing footfalls from behind him; Even needed him. As he neared the location of that precious person, faint voices echoed down to him, one of which was Even's. The voices covered the jingling of the beads on his coat and the sounds of his footfalls against the floor as he ran down the corridor towards a solitary door. He slowed to a walk as he neared it, and he paused just outside of it to listen. He could hear four voices aside from Even's, and it didn't seem as though the interrogation had been truly started yet. Even didn't sound as if he was in pain or distressed.
Xavier listened for a few more minutes to determine where the owners of the voices were in the room. Even was in the center, and his voice never moved, so he was likely restrained in some way. The others were standing in front of him, spread out in a line. Good, that would make things easier. He carefully stepped over to the door and eased it open. The hinges squeaked, which let those in the room know that he was there. The four men standing in front of Even turned to face him, but before they could draw their weapons, Xavier pointed and let his magic fly in a blanket sleep spell. The four slumped to the ground, and he stepped over them to get to Even, who was standing in the center of the room, chained to the ceiling by his wrists.
"You're late." the scientist told him evenly.
"Well, if you wanted, I could have delayed things until they got started on the torture." Xavier replied as he tapped the shackles with his keyblade.
Even sighed with relief as he lowered his arms and began to rub them. "Brat."
"And you love me for it."
"Did you get Vexen and Xehanort away safely?"
"I did, they're at my home waiting for you, so let's get out of here."
Even shook his head. "I can't leave."
"Why not?"
"Because once they find me gone, they'll go after Ienzo next."
Xavier nodded in understanding. "I'll take you someplace safe, and then I'll got check on Ienzo, okay?"
Even sighed and nodded, and then he portaled out. Xavier followed.
He portaled directly into his family's living room, and a chorus of shouting voices greeted him.
"Daddy!" Vexen's voice was the first to fall on his ears, and he looked over to see the child run into Even's open arms, but Even's reply was lost in the babble of voices around them.
"Quiet!" Xavier barked, and the room fell silent save for Vexen's quiet sniffles. "What are you all yelling about?"
It was Jascha that answered. "Xavier, Xehanort followed you through the portal."
Xavier felt the blood drain from his face. "What? No!" He stepped away from Even, "I'll be right back." and portaled out.
He stepped out into the interrogation room he had just left, and a feeling of pure terror washed over him and froze him in place for a moment before he was able to make himself move.
"Let me go!" Xehanort's voice. Xavier ran through the open door into the corridor as another voice echoed down to him.
"Yer comin' with me, ya little brat! Now quit giving me trouble or I'll strip the skin off yer back!"
"No!" There was a slap, followed by the sounds of clinking chains and shuffling feet, and Xehanort began to cry. "I don't want to go!"
"Well yer goin'! Now stop stallin' before I give you something to cry about!"
Xavier streaked down the corridor, and then he saw him: Xehanort, with his hands chained together, was being dragged along by an absolute bear of a man that made Aeleus look small. Either Xehanort's crying drowned out the sound of running footsteps or the man simply wasn't paying attention, either way it wasn't until Xavier leaped at him, keyblade flashing, with a pure roar of rage that anyone dared hurt his boy that he realized that someone else was in there with them.
Xavier's weight and forward momentum slammed him to the floor, and he reared his left fist back and sent it smashing into the bastard's face, breaking a few bones in the process.
"Xavier!" Xehanort wailed in relief, and Xavier turned to look at him, but before he could say anything, there was a growl from beneath him. The large man moved, began to get to his feet, and he casually backhanded Xavier. The blow sent him flying across the corridor to slam into the opposite wall before he dropped bonelessly to the floor.
"Well well well, two fer one." the huge man sneered, and then he slapped Xehanort again, knocking him down "Quit yer sniveling!"
Xavier staggered to his feet and spat out a mouthful of blood, as well as the broken remains of a tooth. "You get your hands away from him!" he snarled.
"What ya gonna go about it?' the bastard gloated as he dragged Xehanort to his feet by the chain that bound his hands together. "I've been under orders to find this brat for a while now, but it looks like I got you too." He threw Xehanort against the wall and punched him in the stomach, which knocked him right back down to the floor. "Dontcha move now. I have some business to take care of."
Xavier saw red. "I'm going to rip out your heart and eat it!" he screamed as he charged. The big man merely laughed, but that laugh stopped abruptly when Xavier gathered the power of darkness around him and sent it flying towards him in a wave. This second attack, aided by darkness borne of rage and a fierce desire to protect, hit much harder than the first. The bastard was knocked backwards to bounce off the wall like Xavier had a few seconds before, but it did not stagger him for long. Seeing that he wasn't going to be able to get away any time soon, Xavier opened a portal some distance down the corridor. He didn't dare put it closer for fear that the huge man in front of him would be able to chase Xehanort through it.
"Xehanort, run!" he shouted as he jumped back to put himself between the child and the guard. He heard Xehanort whimper and begin to shuffle away, but he did not turn to check on him, as much as he longed to. Instead he waited, keyblade at the ready, magic crackling on his fingertips, for the guard to make a move.
The guard, dressed completely different from the guards in Radiant Garden, grinned. "My turn, keyblade master." He closed the distance between them in four large strides, only to fall forward as Xavier turned the water on the ground under his feet to ice. He slipped and fell, which forced Xavier to scramble backwards to prevent from being landed on. He didn't move in to attack or do anything else but wait. He didn't want to risk getting incapacitated until Xehanort was safely through the portal. He could hear him coughing as he walked towards it, and the sound only made the darkness around him grow. This bastard had hurt his boy, and he was going to pay.
Running footsteps fell on his ears then, and he realized that all of the noise had attracted attention. Hopefully Aeleus and Dilan would be with the crowd and would somehow be able to create a distraction or at least a delay that would allow Xavier time to get to Xehanort and get them both through the portal. That hope died as quickly as it had lived though as the guards that appeared were all dressed the same as the one in front of him. He recognized the uniform then; they were dressed the same as Dilan had been the day he had rescued Xehanort from the offworld prison. They were guards from there, here to take Xehanort back.
Xavier growled and prepared for battle. They were not going to take his boy back to that place!
He then heard more booted footsteps from behind him, and Xehanort shrieked.
"Xavier!" Xavier whipped around to see the guards swarming Xehanort, dragging him away, even as he struggled weakly to get away from them. "Xavier!"
"No!" He let the portal close, and let the darkness in his heart fly free as Dark Volley, mowing down those around him, while still being careful not the harm the child that they were taking away. "Xehanort!" He turned to chase after them, but his senses, honed to a fine point from years of wielding a keyblade, screamed a warming. He ducked and moved to the right just as a large, meaty fist sailed by him close enough to disturb his hair with the breeze it created.
"Xavier!" Xehanort's voice was further away, and Xavier ducked another punch. Snarling in rage, he spun around, ducked under a third punch, and planted Dark Gaze right into the bastard's chest. The guard's grin vanished in an instant, and he groaned faintly as he heart floated free of his body. Said body then collapsed to the floor, and Xavier turned and began to run in the direction of Xehanort's calls. He used his magic to shove the others out of his way. He had no time to get caught up in another battle.
"Xavi -!" Xehanort's voice cut off abruptly, and the feeling of terror vanished with it. Xavier skidded to a halt; he somehow knew that Xehanort was no longer on Radiant Garden. He looked around as the guards from the prison as they closed in around him, intent obviously on capturing him. Too bad that wasn't going to happen.
"You're coming with us, Xehanort." one of them said. "Don't do anything stupid. It won't matter if we catch you alive or dead."
"Unfortunately for you," Xavier replied "I have a child to rescue and then a home to go to, so I'm afraid I won't be coming with you today."
"You have no choice!" barked another.
Xavier smirked and raised Xemnas' kinetic shield, which he forced to wrap around him in a complete circle. He then opened a portal. One of the guards cursed and ran forward, only to slam into the shield and bounce off of it. He landed a few feet away in a heap, and Xavier used the distraction of the other guards to portal out.
He didn't go home however. He had a pretty good idea where Xehanort had been taken, but while he had been there before, he had been taken through the Corridors of Darkness by Dilan. He had no idea where the prison was, so he needed Dilan's help.
He stepped out of the portal in Dilan's apartment, and he was not surprised to see not only Dilan, but Ienzo and Aeleus in the room as well. The three of them appeared to be unhurt, but it was obvious that they had been waiting for him.
Ienzo stood up to meet him. "Even/?" he asked without preamble.
"Safe and unhurt." Xavier replied.
"And you?"
"I need Dilan's help."
Dilan stood up and looked at him warily. "What do you need?" he asked.
"I need you to take me back to the prison."
"Why?"
"They took Xehanort. I'm not leaving him to there to be tortured again."
"What about Ienzo and Aeleus? We've been expecting Ansem to come up here at any moment."
"I will take the three of you to where Even is waiting, but from there, I need to get Xehanort. Agreed?"
Dilan looked back at Ienzo and Aeleus, who nodded. He turned back to Xavier. "Agreed."
Ienzo stepped closer as Xavier opened a portal back to Haven's Bridge. He gave Xavier a long, searching look, and then he walked into the swirling darkness without a word. Aeleus followed, and Dilan went after him. Xavier followed them through and closed the portal after him.
He stepped out aside the barn, just behind the others, and he wasn't surprised when he saw Even and Vexen walking over to greet them.
"Are you three alright?" Even asked.
Ienzo answered for all of them. "We're fine. Xavier fetched us before Ansem could come."
Even sighed in relief. "Good. I was worried. We're not going to be able to go home after this, you know." he added in a quiet voice.
"I know." Ienzo said just as quietly.
Dilan turned to Xavier then. "He has a point. If I take you to where Xehanort is, how will I get back here if we are separated?"
Xavier tried not to growl at the delay. "Simply find Roxas; he knows how to get here. Now will you take me there again?"
Dilan turned to Even and nodded, and then he turned to Xavier. "I will." He opened a corridor and stepped into it. "Follow me."
Xavier didn't stop to think or even explain where he was going to Even. He followed Dilan into the Corridor of Darkness without hesitation.
******
They stepped out into a familiar concrete building, and the sense of terror and pain slammed into Xavier hard, nearly knocking him backwards. He didn't need Dilan to lead him, he followed the feel of Xehanort's heart and emotions down the dimly lit corridors. He was vaguely aware of Dilan following as he stalked down the halls, searching for his boy. Heaven help those that had hurt the child, because Xavier was in no mood to be merciful. As they moved down the corridors, his ears picked up on Xehanort's voice, distant at first, and then gradually getting louder as they drew closer to him. The child was crying, and occasionally a shriek would ring out, which only angered Xavier more as they walked. By the time, they reached the cell that Xehanort was in, his dark aura was flaring and snapping around him.
He paused a moment outside the door to determine where the voices were coming from. Like Even, his voice was in the center of the room and wasn't moving, and there were five others scattered about the room, with one of them right next to Xehanort. He carefully peeked through the iron bars in the door, and he had to bite back a snarl at what he saw.
Xehanort was bound to a chair in the center of the room, and his face was swollen, bruised, and bloody. They had also stripped his clothes off of him, and his skin was marred by welts and lashes. Beside him stood a guard, and he was holding some kind of weapon to the back of the child's head, likely intending to kill the boy if he made a wrong move. That made it dangerous to approach this the same way he had rescued Even. That left only one other option.
He was vaguely aware of Dilan behind him as he reined in his aura, opened the door, and stepped into the room with his hands up.
"Xehanort!" someone snarled, and Xehanort looked at him through hopeful eyes that were nearly swollen shut.
"At ease," Xavier said calmly. "I come in here with a proposition for you."
"We don't care to hear what you have to say." said one of the guards.
"Then I will kill each and every one of you right now." Xavier replied as he let his aura flare again.
"Not before we kill your brat." said another, the one standing behind Xehanort.
"That won't change the fact that you will all be dead anyway."
"Fine then," a third spat. "Name your proposition."
"I propose an exchange," Xavier said, still holding his hands up in a non threatening manner. "Myself for the boy. He goes free, and I take his place."
"And if we refuse?"
"Then I go with my original plan and kill every single one of you. Of course, if you agree to my deal, then you'll be the ones known throughout the universe as those who finally managed to catch Master Xehanort, and I'm sure that will send plenty of rewards and such your way. If you refuse, I kill you all, and if you manage to kill my boy, then I will make your deaths as slow and painful as I can. I might accidentally destroy your hearts in my grief and rage. So, do we have an agreement?"
The five men looked at each other and nodded. "We have an agreement."
Xavier smiled at them. "Let the boy go, and you'll have me."
One of the guards stepped forward, released Xehanort's restraints, and pushed him out of the chair. The boy whimpered in pain and stumbled to his feet, while the guard behind him kept his weapon trained on the back of his head. Xavier held his arms out, and the child stumbled into his embrace, crying softly. He thought about portaling out, but it wouldn't be fast enough. Xehanort would be dead before the portal could close.
"Shhhh," he crooned to the weeping teenager in his arms. "It's alright." He cast a healing spell over the boy before he wrapped his arms around him again. "There is someone waiting outside the room who is going to take you home."
Xehanort shook his head. "You come too." he mumbled through lips that were still a bit swollen.
"I can't, little one. I have to stay here."
"Not without you."
"Everything will be alright. Your grandparents will take care of you. Never forget that I love you."
"Love you too."
Xavier held him tight for another moment, brushed his hair out of his face, and kissed him on his forehead. He then gently pushed the child away and summoned the boy's coat. He draped it around his shoulders, and then gave him a gentle push towards the open door. Dilan was waiting on the other side. "Go, little one."
Xehanort stumbled through the door, still crying, and Xavier sensed his heart as well as Dilan's moving away. Before he could begin to contemplate why Dilan had not portaled out immediately, hands seized him by his shoulders and arms and dragged him backwards. He didn't fight or resist as his coat was pulled off of him and the rest of his clothing was cut away before was shoved down into the chair that Xehanort had vacated and strapped in. A deal was a deal after all. He focused on Xehanort's heart as it moved further and further away, even when one of the guards approached holding a metal rod that was glowing white and yellow with heat at one end. Xavier eyed it as it was brought closer; he knew that they were planning to use it on him somewhere.
The face of the guard holding the rod appeared in front of him then. "Now it's time to play."
The face smiled.
Xavier's world exploded in pain.
Chapter 9 -- Chapter 11
Back to the Burning Heart Archive
Back to the Main Archive