The Price Rejection Part 2

[eiahmon]

Title: The Price
Rating: R for the mansex even if it's not graphic.
Disclaimer: Disney and Square Enix own it all, though I wouldn't mind “renting” Xehanort for a while. He's just so cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute – even when he's summoning his keyblade and yanking out hearts with it.
Summary: Alternate ending to The Price: Discovery. Instead of supporting Xehanort, Ansem rejects him. Who will Xehanort turn to now?

Part 2

In the morning, the five had breakfast at Even's small dining table, and they had lunch in their break room aside the lab, though they were careful to keep at least two of them between Xehanort and Braig at all times. For dinner they went out to a nice restaurant that was a favorite of Dilan's, and as they were sitting at their table on the terrace with menus in hand, it was then that they began to hear the whispers.

"... there he is..."

"... heard he was up to no good..."

"... spreading lies about one of Lord Ansem's apprentices..."

"...spreads his legs for 'em..."

Xehanort paled, and Even gripped his menu so tightly that he nearly tore holes through it. Dilan and Aeleus were in a similar state, while Ienzo looked upset about the things that were being said.

"... heard he's sleeping with the Senior Apprentice now..."

"... looking to get a promotion that way..."

Even stood up from his chair and glared at the other patrons of the restaurant. "I would think that most of you would have the sense to not believe everything you hear." he said firmly, tapping his foot impatiently against the paving stones that made up the terrace.

Most of the people lowered their eyes, but one or two met his gaze. "I heard it from Braig's own mouth." one of them said "He said that that man -" He pointed at Xehanort, who cringed. "- slept around and when he was caught, he cried rape."

Braig is going to be scrubbing prison cells for years. Even thought to himself as he glared at the man that had spoken. "Braig is a liar, and he's going to be in a world of trouble when I find him. Xehanort did no such thing. He is the victim here, and I will hear no more of these nasty, utterly false rumors. The next person that I hear speaking of them will deal with me.' The air temperature around Even dropped, and water in nearby glasses began to freeze over. "Am I understood?" The crowd fell silent, and there were several nods. Even nodded in satisfaction and sat back down.

Xehanort was looking down at the table. "I'm sorry, Even." he said quietly.

"Whatever for?"

"It's my fault. If it wasn't for me -"

"That is enough, Xehanort. None of this is your fault, and I won't have you blaming yourself."

"But -"

"Xehanort." Aeleus said gently "This is not your fault. All of it can be landed on Braig for running his mouth."

"But now everyone thinks that Even is... and that we're..."

"But I am not, and we're aren't." Even stated firmly.

"But -"

"That is enough, Xehanort." Dilan said quietly as he gave the younger a gentle squeeze on the shoulder "We know the truth, and that is the important thing."

"If it means keeping you safe from Braig, then I will gladly take the rumors." Even added, and then he reached over and lightly tapped the menu that Xehanort had laid on the table. "Now let's get something to eat." Xehanort nodded timidly and picked his menu up, and Even cursed a streak in his mind. Before Braig began to take advantage of him, Xehanort had been confident and strong, and his intelligence had made Even feel like an idiot child at times. Now he was reduced to a frightened shadow of his former self, and Even wanted to put Braig through the most horrid tortures imaginable for causing such a change.

After they had eaten (Even had to threaten Xehanort with a lap feeding again to get him to eat.) they walked back to the castle, and encountered Braig on the way. The sharpshooter was leaning against a streetlight, arms folded over his chest, and he grinned at Xehanort as they approached. The other's closed ranks around the newest apprentice, and Ienzo gave the one eyed man a world class sneer as they walked past.

Once they were back in their rooms, Xehanort looked down at the floor as he shuffled his feet and said softly: "Maybe I should go back to my own rooms, Even."

Even wasn't sure that he had heard right. "Why?"

"So people won't think that we're doing anything."

"You know what Braig will do as soon as he finds you alone."

"I don't mind. I don't want you to be tarnished by the same brush as me."

"Well, I do mind." Xehanort looked up at him then. "I don't care what the idiots in town say. If it means keeping Braig away from you, then I'll put up with whatever they say or do." He walked up to Xehanort and pulled him into a hug. "Braig is spreading these rumors to try and get you to separate yourself from the rest of us. He's frustrated and angry that we won't let him get to you, so he's doing this to make you leave our protection, so he can hurt you again."

Xehanort shuddered, and Even heard a sniffle. "I can't take this anymore, Even. You've been so good to me, but Master Ansem hates me, and now everyone knows that I'm a whore -"

"You are not a whore, Xehanort, you are a rape victim."

"But I let him do that to me!"

Even walked them over to the bed, sat down, and pulled Xehanort down beside him. "You did, at first, but then you started to refuse. How many times did you tell him no? How many times did he ignore your refusal and do what he wanted anyway? He said he was going to tell you things about yourself that you couldn't remember, but how much information did he really give you? He told you that you were a master swordsman, but even I could tell that from watching you during sparring practice. You seemed out of practice, but it's obvious that you know what you're doing and that you're miles ahead of the rest of us in that regard. He told you that you have no family left, but we figured as much since no one here recognized you when we showed your picture around town, hoping that someone would claim you as theirs. He told you that your homeworld was destroyed and is now a barren wasteland. If your homeworld is such a wasteland that it's considered destroyed, how then could you be from there? People don't live in wastelands that cannot support life, child. If they had left, why did only you end up here? Where are the rest of them?" Even pulled Xehanort closer as the younger began to cry. "He told you that you were a whore, which is an absolute lie because whores are willing. You were not. He told you that no one would care if we found out. That too is a lie, because we do care, Xehanort; we care very much, and we don't want to see you hurt anymore." Even heard the bedroom door open, and he looked up to see Ienzo, dressed in his pajamas, wander into the room. The child climbed up onto the bed on Xehanort's other side and wrapped his arms around him.

"Don't cry, Xehanort." he said quietly "We love you."

Xehanort managed a watery laugh, and one of his hands came down to lightly rest on top of Ienzo's head. "I'm... very glad to hear that, Ienzo."

Even and Ienzo sat with Xehanort and held him until his tears came to a stop, and Even noted that the younger man had been crying quite a lot recently, though that was to be expected with the ordeal that he was going though. Abused by someone he had trusted, rejected by his surrogate father, and now the townspeople were believing lies about him, it was no surprise that Xehanort was so quick to tears.

Once Xehanort was in bed asleep, Even decided that since he could risk leaving the room to take Ienzo back to bed, then he could simply just stay overnight. (It wouldn't be the first time it had happened. Sometimes, Ienzo was a child in every sense of the word, and that included climbing into Even's bed in the middle of the night when he was frightened by a bad dream or wasn't feeling well.) As he tucked the child into the smaller bed, Ienzo wrinkled his nose in thought (A habit that the boy was trying hard to break himself of.) and said:

"We need to leave here soon, Even."

"Why do you say that?" Even had a pretty good idea, but he wanted to hear Ienzo's thoughts on the matter.

Ienzo rolled his eyes at the question. "Xehanort won't be able to deal with this much longer. He might... do something bad if he doesn't get away from here."

Even was in complete agreement. It was a fear that was always at the back of his mind; either Xehanort would try to harm himself, or his guilt and shame would drive him back to Braig, so the abuse could continue. "I know, and we'll discuss it with Aeleus and Dilan tomorrow over dinner."

Ienzo nodded in understanding, and Even patted the blanket around his shoulders before he left the room to go sleep on the couch again.

The following day, as they ate dinner around Even's table again, leaving Radiant Garden was brought up and discussed. Xehanort, of course, was shocked at the mere thought.

"But why?" he asked "Why would you even think of that?"

"Because this can't keep gong the way it has been." Dilan answered "This place is no longer safe for you, and with Braig running his mouth, things are becoming inhospitable for the rest of us as well."

"But this is our home!"

"It doesn't matter where we are at." Ienzo stated firmly "As long as we're together, then any place is home."

"Because home is where your family is at." Aeleus added as he smiled at Ienzo, who returned it "And we are a family."

"Quite possibly the strangest family ever to exist," Even said as he idly stirred his tea "but we are a family alright." There was a round of soft laughter around the table; even Xehanort laughed, something that Even was thrilled to see. Positive emotion from Xehanort had been a rarity since his release from the infirmary.

Of course, there was still the issue of how they were going to leave since none of them knew anything on interworld travel, and it was a subject that Even's thoughts kept coming back to over the next several days. Despite his words at the restaurant, rumors continued to spread around town about Xehanort, each one worse than the last. Ansem did nothing to suppress the rumors, which many took as confirmation of their truth, so within two weeks of their meal at the restaurant, Xehanort faced open hostility whenever he left the castle. Even's own parents, whom he'd had little contact with since Ansem had taken him in, wrote him a letter urging him to distance himself from "that monster that's taking advantage of you." Enraged, Even had torn the letter to shreds, and leaving Xehanort under Aeleus' watchful eye, strode angrily through town to their house and proceeded to tear them apart with the sharp edge of his tongue. No, Xehanort was not doing anything to him, no Xehanort was not the promiscuous slut that rumors made him out to be, and no, he was not going to abandon Xehanort during a time when he needed his family most! Leaving his parents (His grandparents had been gone for years.) in stunned silence, Even had returned to the castle, and had secured himself in a quiet corner of the library to think.

Ienzo's parents had died when he was only four, and he had no other family left. Aeleus was also an orphan, though he had been sixteen when they had died, and he had already been living at the castle for a few years when they passed. Dilan's parents were still alive, but he had no contact with them at all. He had been removed from their house at the age of seven, because they were barely functioning alcoholics that allowed their only child to starve and run around in clothes that were little more than rags, so they could keep themselves in drink. Even wouldn't miss his family if someone paid him to, and of course, Xehanort had no family that they knew of, at least not on Radiant Garden. Ansem was against Xehanort, which meant by extension, he was against the four of them as well, and Braig did not bear mentioning. The townspeople were hostile, and Even knew it was only a matter of time until the hostility turned violent. The five of them had to get out, as quickly as possible, and they had nothing and no one holding them there.

Of course, there was still the problem of exactly how they were going to leave.

After several more days, an unexpected solution presented itself. Ansem received a visitor from another world, a king. Even tried to ignore the fact that the king was a three foot town humanoid mouse, but he – Mickey, he said his name was – was clearly intelligent and what's more, he was a Keyblade Master. Even had read about the keyblades, but he had never seen one before. He met the king briefly when he went to Ansem's study to inquire about an experiment. Xehanort, as always, hovered behind him like a timid shadow, and Even noticed the strange look that the king gave the white haired man, like he knew him somehow. Ansem didn't notice it, and neither did Xehanort, so Even opted to keep it to himself for the time being.

It was later, when he was called to escort the king back to his ship so he could return home, that Even realized that this mouse could be their ticket out. Xehanort was with Dilan, Aeleus, and Ienzo, so he stopped on his path to the castle's front door, and the mouse looked at him in bemusement.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked in that odd voice of his.

"Your Majesty." Even said quietly "Before you leave, me I speak to you privately?"

"Certainly. Lead the way."

Even lead the King to Xehanort's unused rooms, and, once they were seated, cut straight to the chase. "You know Xehanort, don't you."

The mouse looked down at the floor, looking saddened. "I do, or rather, I did." he replied quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"It is a long and rather complicated story."

"I've got time, Your Majesty. This is very important; I need to know."

The king sighed. "I understand. Brace yourself." And then he began his tale. Even listened with horrified fascination as he learned of Terra and Master Xehanort, the possession that left Master Xehanort's heart in control of Terra's body, and how Xehanort had woken up, without his memories.

"I imagine that one of them used a keyblade to seal their hearts away." Mickey stated "Which would lock them both out of control of Terra's body, seal their memories away, and allow the third personality, the one you know as Xehanort, to emerge and develop. If one of them were ever to regain control, the Xehanort you know would be lost, and the original personality of whichever one was freed would return."

"Could that happen?" Even asked urgently. Master Xehanort regaining control would be a disaster for all of them, and while Terra wouldn't be so bad, he didn't want to lose the Xehanort that was partway between and brother and a son for him.

"It could." the king said "It could happen gradually over time, or someone could unlock the hearts, but since there are so few keyblade wielders left, that is unlikely." On the wall a clocked chimed, which made Even jump. "I must return home, but there is one more thing that you should know. It is about Braig."

"Braig?" Even looked sharply at the mouse seated across from him. "What about him?"

The mouse spoke then of how Master Xehanort had been aided in his scheme to steal Terra's body by Braig, and how, even now, he was sure that Braig was just biding him time, waiting for Master Xehanort to wake up so they could pick up on their plan to start the Keyblade War over again, where they left off.

Even slumped down in his chair, shocked. Did that explain why... ?

"Even?"

"Your Majesty, what I am about to tell you goes no further than the two of us."

"Agreed."

"Braig abused Xehanort... sexually, for several months." The mouse gasped in shock. "Ansem discovered them, but he refuses to believe that Xehanort was the victim and has sided with Braig on the matter. The other apprentices and myself side with Xehanort, and we have been doing our best to protect him since then, but things have become very difficult for us. Without Ansem's support, most of the townspeople are actively hostile to Xehanort, with many of them believing that he is abusing us. Xehanort is quite upset over the entire mess, and he blames himself for all of it, even though we have told him multiple times that it is not his fault. Could... could such abuse.. awaken one of the hearts? Or both of them?"

The king shook off his shock. "It is.. possible, if Xehanort were to feel enough bitterness, anger, and guilt, it could possibly break the seal on the hearts. Since Master Xehanort used the darkness in Terra's heart to take control, the darkness in Xehanort from all the negative emotions would easily allow him to take over. If Xehanort felt as though he was seriously threatened, it might also break the seal. "

"That's what Braig is doing." Even whispered to himself "He's trying to awaken Master Xehanort, and if he gets a free sex toy out of it so much the better for him." He shook himself and looked beseechingly at the king. "Your Majesty, can you get us out of here? Can you take us to another world, where Xehanort will be safe?"

"I can, and I will. How soon can you be ready to leave?"

Even thought about it for a moment. As much as he wanted to leave now, he knew that they couldn't. Ansem would try to stop them if he saw them trying to leave, and they were in no way ready to go. "We will need a few days, at least."

"Can you hold on for another week then? That will give you time to pack, and put your affairs in order."

Even nodded. "Yes, I believe that will work just fine."

The king nodded. "I will return then in seven days to take you to another world."

Even sighed in relief as a huge weight was lifted off of his shoulders. "Thank you, Your Majesty. We will be in your debt."

The mouse waved that off. "Master Xehanort was a monster, but Terra was a good man, despite the darkness in his heart, and your Xehanort is innocent and deserves to be safe." He stood up from his chair, and Even followed suit. "I will return in a week."

That night, as they shared dinner around Even's table again, Even related how the king had offered to take them to another world in a week's time. He kept the part about Terra and Master Xehanort to himself. No one needed to know that information unless it became apparent that the elderly Keyblade Master was on the verge of regaining control. Ienzo actually cheered at the news, and everyone, especially Xehanort, looked relieved that they were going to be leaving.

"Be discreet about packing." Even warned "We don't want to tip our hand. Pack only what you need and a few personal things. We can always replace the rest later."

"I guess that means you have to leave your books behind then." Aeleus said with a grin, and Even sighed as he cast his eyes over his personal library, which was second only Ansem's in size.

"I'll manage." he said finally "Getting Xehanort to a safe place is more important than books." Dilan proceeded to fake a heart attack at those words, which resulted in him getting Even's napkin slung at his face, which caused the rest of the table to break into laughter. Finally, they had a solution.

******

The five apprentices carried on like normal for the next week, though Even noticed that everyone was much more relaxed. Even Xehanort's restless sleep finally calmed and settled. The king somehow managed to send a letter directly to Even (Magic must have been involved, he told himself.) stating that he would arrive at the castle at midnight on the seventh day. Even passed the word around, and on the night of the seventh day, he left Xehanort in the care of Aeleus and Dilan, as they waited along with Ienzo for time to pass, and went for a walk around the darkened castle that had been his home for so long, to say goodbye.

It's just bricks, and mortar, and stone. he told himself as he walked the halls, listening to the sound of his booted feet against the polished stone floor, but he knew he would miss it anyway. Finally, he walked into the dark and silent library, and lightly ran his fingers over the spines of the books, many of which had been his closest friends when growing up. Now he would never -

A hand fisted tightly in his hair, and his head was slammed face first into the bookshelf in front of him. Before he could even begin to contemplate what had just happened, he was yanked backwards and thrown down on his back onto one of the writing desks that littered the room.

"What?" he managed to stutter out as someone grabbed him by the head and slammed it twice against the hard wooden surface of the desk top. Pain exploded in his skull, and Even moaned as the room tilted crazily around him, and Braig's face, crazed with anger, filled his vision. He felt his legs being lifted, one at a time, and his boots being tugged off as Braig began to speak.

"It has been weeks, Even. Weeks! That I have had nothing, no sex, no contact with him at all!" Part of Even's dazed mind realized that the sharpshooter was talking about Xehanort as he felt a pair of hands unsnapping his pants. "Since you won't let me near him -" Even felt his pants being pulled off, followed shortly thereafter by his boxers, leaving his lower body exposed to the chilly air of the library. "- you'll have to take his place!" Even realized just what Braig was planning to do as the marksman unsnapped his own pants and shoved them down to his knees. A second later, he felt something, large and hard and hot, touching his entrance, and he moaned again. He raised his hand to blast Braig with ice magic, but his head was lifted up and then slammed back down to the desk again. Darkness crept in on the edges of his vision, and he hoped he would pass out before Braig could rape him as he felt his legs being pushed apart.

"What are you doing!" Xehanort's voice, Even dimly realized, was shouting, and a second later, the thing touching him vanished before it could be used on him. Through sight that was rapidly fading as he began to lose consciousness, he saw Xehanort charging at Braig, swinging some kind of weapon...

Ah, a keyblade. From what little he could see of it, it was not the weapon that King Mickey had described as Master Xehanort's. That meant it was Terra's... Xehanort swung the keyblade, striking Braig on the side of the head, and he struck him again, and again, and again, lost in rage. That couldn't be allowed to continue... didn't want to wake Master Xehanort up after all...

"Xeha... nort." Even managed to rasp, and the younger dropped the keyblade and turned to him.

"Even? Even! You're going to be okay! Don't fall asleep! Help! Someone help!" Even closed his eyes with a vague smile, proud that Xehanort had finally stood up to Braig. "Don't go to sleep, Even! Somebody help me! Even's hurt!"

Running footsteps, and a door opening. Even felt someone pick him up and begin to carry him away. "Stay with us, Even." Aeleus' voice. Even only smiled vaguely as the darkness swallowed him, and he passed out in the big man's arms.

******

His head was throbbing. When Even came back to himself, the throbbing in his head, which was in perfect time with his heartbeat, became the first thing he noticed. The second was that he was lying on a bed somewhere. The third was that someone was sitting on the bed beside him.

"Xehanort?" he said as he cracked his eyes open.

"No," Ansem replied as Even managed to get his eyes to focus "Xehanort is not in here."

He was in the infirmary, Even realized, and he then recalled the events that had landed him there. "Where is Xehanort? How long have I been in here? What time is it?"

"You've been in here for a few hours. Aeleus brought you in here earlier with a severe concussion. The doctor will be surprised to see you awake so soon. As for the time, it is just before midnight."

Damn, they had to meet King Mickey soon. "Where is Xehanort?"

"Xehanort is being taken care of. According to Braig, he caught Xehanort attempting to take advantage of you, and when he tried to stop him, Xehanort attacked him."

"That's a damned lie!" Even snarled as he tried to sit up, but the room spun around him and the throbbing in his head worsened, which made his stomach roll. "Braig tried to rape me, not Xehanort!"

"Why do you insist on protecting him after all he's done? Braig has taken him to my office, and I will decide what to do with him later. Taking him in obviously was a mistake, and what do you think you are doing?"

Even didn't answer; he threw the blankets back, and trying to ignore how the room was still spinning, his felt like like it was going to explode, and how his stomach threatening to forcefully eject its contents, got to his feet and began to stagger out of the infirmary. He had to get to Xehanort.

"Even, stop this foolishness and return to your bed this instant! Xehanort will get what he deserves and -" Whatever Ansem had been about to say was cut off as Even turned around and blasted him full on in the face with the most powerful ice magic he could muster. He heard a thump as the man's body hit the floor, and not stopping to see if he had injured or even killed the man, and not really caring if he had, he continued his wobbly trek out of the infirmary.

The castle corridors had never seemed so long as he stumbled down them, with graying vision and a head that screamed in pain with every beat of his heart. At one point, he collapsed to his hands and knees and vomited up the remains of his dinner all over the floor, and part of his just wanted to collapse and let the bliss of unconsciousness swallow him. But then he remembered his promise -

You are safe with me, Xehanort. This I promise you.

- and he forced himself back to his feet. He couldn't pass out; he had to keep going. Xehanort needed him. It took him forever to reach the maze of corridors that led to Ansem's study, and as he leaned against the wall to try and clear his head, he heard something that chilled his blood and made him start moving again.

Xehanort's screams.

The sounds echoed down the high ceilinged halls, and as Even slowly dragged himself forward, they kept coming, breathless screams of agonizing pain, occasionally broken by sobbing and pleas for help. Every one caused a stab of pain in Even's heart; it was obvious what Braig was doing to him.

"Even?" Even looked down to his left, panting with exertion, to see King Mickey looking up at him in concern. "I've been looking for you. What happened? Are you alright?"

"No time, have to get to Xehanort, in Ansem's study with Braig."

Another scream and then: "Somebody help me! Please, it hurts! It hurts! It hurts! Someone please, make it stop!" The mouse's face clouded with anger, and his keyblade appeared in his hand as yet another scream echoed down to them.

"Heal." Green light surrounded Even, and he felt his headache, dizziness, and nausea melt away as if they had never been there. The hall stopped spinning, and he pushed away from the wall and began to run down the hall towards Ansem's study, with the mouse somehow easily keeping up with him. When they reached the door to Ansem's study, they found Dilan and Aeleus trying to break it down, while Ienzo stood nearby, with tears pouring down his face. The door was damaged where they had tried to break it, and Aeleus was in the process of using his ax sword to chop around the lock, but the solid wooden door was much stronger than it looked, and the process was going to take time. Time that Xehanort did not have.

"Somebody please!"

"Stand aside!" Mickey commanded and such was his tone that Aeleus immediately obeyed. The mouse aimed his keyblade at the door, and a thin beam of white light shot out from the end of and connected with the door lock. They heard the click of the lock retracting, and Aeleus kicked the door open and ran inside. Even was right behind him.

Braig was standing at Ansem's desk with his back to the door, Xehanort's bare legs on either side of him, kicking feebly. Braig had simply pinned Xehanort down on his back on the desk, and pinned his wrists down as well. In one of Xehanort's hands was Terra's keyblade, but he couldn't get his hands free to use it. The smells of blood and sex were heavy in the air, and Even had to fight to keep from being sick as Aeleus struck Braig hard on the side of the head with the flat side of his ax sword. Braig collapsed to the floor in a boneless heap, and Even stepped over him to get to Xehanort.

The younger was only wearing his white dress shirt, though Braig had torn the front of it open, and his entire body was covered in bruises from where Braig had evidently beaten him. Most worrying was the large amount of blood that was smeared on his thighs, pooled on the desk, and soaked into the carpet, with more dripping out of him. Xehanort's screams had dropped to cries once Braig was out of him, but even those cries began to weaken as Even reached him and gathered him into his arms. He had lost so much blood.

"Heal." Even heard the king speak again, and the green light flowed over Xehanort's battered form. Immediately, the blood loss ceased, and the bruises faded, and Xehanort laid his head on Even's shoulder, wrapped his arms around him, and just cried.

"It's alright now, Xehanort." Even soothed as he rocked the younger apprentice and tried to ignore the blood that he could feel soaking through his hospital pajamas "We're here with you. I've got you. It's alright. You're safe." He spent a few more moments cooing to Xehanort before he looked past the white haired head that was lying on his shoulder to Dilan and Aeleus. "We need to leave now. I want you two to take Ienzo and go get our things. Once everything is gathered together, Aeleus, I was you to come back here and carry Xehanort. He needs time to calm down before we can take him through the castle, but we have to leave as quickly as possible." Because I think I might have killed Ansem, and we need to be gone before he's found. he thought but didn't say. Aeleus and Dilan nodded, and Aeleus handed him the rest of Xehanort's discarded clothing, and then, without a word, they took Ienzo and left the room at a run. King Mickey took up station by the door and kept silent as Even spent the next few minutes calming Xehanort down and carefully redressing him. Not long after, Aeleus reappeared, and Even gently handed Xehanort over to him. Xehanort was still crying, but he was much quieter than he had been before as Aeleus cradled him securely in his arms and carried him out of the room and down the halls. They met Dilan and Ienzo on the way, and Dilan handed Even the suitcase that he had packed for himself as well as a second one that had been packed for Xehanort, while Ienzo slung a small bag of his own possessions over his shoulder.

"My gummi ship is this way." King Mickey said, and he began to lead them out of the castle towards the Bailey, with Aeleus, carrying Xehanort, behind him. Ienzo followed Aeleus, Even followed Ienzo, and Dilan brought up the rear, carrying his bag as well as Aeleus'. The gummi ship was the strangest thing that Even had ever seen, but it was a welcome sight nonetheless. King Mickey climbed up in the pilot's seat and began firing up the engines while Aeleus carried Xehanort aboard and gently strapped him into a seat. Dilan stowed their things, while Even made sure that Ienzo was securely belted in as well. He then buckled himself in between the two, while Dilan and Aeleus took their seats. King Mickey retracted the gangplank and closed the door from the controls in front of him, and through the clear glass dome over them, Even caught a glimpse of Ansem running out of the castle, with a half naked Braig right behind him. The two of them were shouting something, but their words couldn't be heard over the whine of the engines as Mickey smoothly brought the ship into a hover over the ground, and then the ship blasted off into the sky.

Just before the castle shrank out of sight, Even was pleased to see that his ice attack had given his former master a nasty case of frostbite on his face.

Once the blue of the sky gave way to the blackness of space, the king told them that it was safe to move about. Ienzo immediately leapt from his seat and pressed his nose to the glass of the canopy, staring in fascination as the universe unfolded around them. Dilan and Aeleus spoke to each other in low voices, and Even looked over at Xehanort to see that he was still crying softly. Unbuckling his seat belt, he went over to him and wrapped his arms around him.

"We really left." Xehanort said quietly "I'm really safe now."

"Yes," Even said gently "you are."

Xehanort dissolved into fresh tears and laid his head against Even's chest, only this time, his tears were of relief. Even stroked his hair and murmured soothingly to him as Dilan draped a blanket that he had found in the back over him, and after a few minutes, Xehanort's cries slowed and stopped as he fell asleep in Even's arms.

******

Even watched from a comfortable spot under a palm tree as Ienzo and Aeleus built a sand castle on the beach below. The two were discussing in low tones the design and size of their castle, and Even couldn't help but smile as he watched them. Nearby Dilan sat under another palm tree, with his nose in one of the books that he had brought with him from Radiant Garden. He smiled again as adjusted the brim of his straw hat as he looked around for Xehanort, and he spotted him sitting on the fishing pier a short distance down the beach, watching the setting sun in silence.

While Even, Ienzo, and Aeleus needed sun screen and straw hats to protect them from the sun, Xehanort simply tanned even more than he already was. Dilan, the lucky bastard, neither tanned nor burned. With a small sigh, Even heaved himself to his feet from his comfortable spot, which got him a quick glance from Dilan before the lancer returned to his book, and walked down the beach to the pier. Xehanort gave no indication that he noticed that Even was there until the blond sat down beside him, with his legs dangling off over the water that was sloshing around the pilands that supported the pier.

"No one here knows me," Xehanort said after a few minutes as he continued to stare at the setting sun, and a cool breeze rustled a few strands of his white hair. "Yet this place feels so familiar to me, so maybe it really is my homeworld. Maybe my family moved when I was a baby and that is why no one knows my face here."

Even nodded. "It is possible."

The truth was that, after King Mickey had dropped them off here, he had pulled Even aside and quietly told them that the Destiny Islands were Master Xehanort's homeworld and that the Keyblade Master's family had long ago died off. The two of them had hoped that the feeling of home and familiarity invoked by being there might counteract the negative emotions generated by being the victim of so much abuse. The fact that the place was absolutely beautiful and that the locals were friendly and welcoming was just a bonus. Already Aeleus and Dilan had set themselves up as local handymen, who fixed everything that needed fixing. Ienzo was due to start school in a few more weeks, and the child had admitted that he was actually looking forward to it since he had already made a few friends among the local children. (They included a small silver haired boy named Riku that gave Xehanort the strangest looks off and on. Ienzo had asked him if he knew Xehanort, but the child had simply shook his head and said nothing.) As for Even, he stayed at home with Xehanort and took care of their house while the others were away. Xehanort was still not completely over his ordeal, and they all knew that full healing could take months. He wouldn't sleep in a room by himself, suffered from frequent nightmares, and touching him in any way without warning him first resulted in a frightened shriek. Their neighbors had been told that Xehanort had been imprisoned and tortured in their previous homeworld, which explained his fear without invading his privacy. The neighbors had been sympathetic and many had commended Even on his devotion to his friend.

Xehanort raised his hand and summoned Terra's keyblade. Even had been very relieved when King Mickey had confirmed that it was indeed Terra's keyblade, not Master Xehanort's. That meant that the elderly Keyblade Master's heart was still sealed away, though there was the chance that Terra's heart could still fully awaken. "Did I tell you want happened the other day?"

Even looked at him curiously. "What?"

"I found a small cave over there," He gestured vaguely in the direction of the waterfall "and I found an odd shaped door inside. I was looking at it, trying to to figure out what it was, when the keyblade just appeared in my hand. A keyhole then appeared in the door, and this beam of light shot out of the keyblade and hit the keyhole. I heard a lock clicking, and then the keyhole vanished. It was strange; maybe I'll ask King Mickey about it the next time he visits."

The king occasionally visited with news from the other worlds, including Radiant Garden. During his last visit, he had quietly told Even that Braig had vanished after the marksman had tried to have his way with one of the local girls without her consent. The girl's father and older brother had beaten Braig within an inch of his life, and the last anyone had seen of him, he had been dragging himself towards the castle. No one had seen him since. Ansem had taken on a few new apprentices, though with the news that five of his previous ones had fled in the middle of the night, whispers had begun to circulate, and the title had lost most of its luster.

Mickey had also somehow managed to shrink down the rest of their possessions, including all of Even's books, and had brought them as well. He had then returned them to normal size, and upon Ienzo's exclamation of how cool that was, blushed and admitted he had learned those spells from his own master.

Xehanort leaned against Even's shoulder. "Thank you, Even.'

"For what?" Even asked as he put his arm around Xehanort's shoulders.

"For protecting me, for being there when I needed you, for putting up with me, and for caring."

Even smiled when Xehanort turned to look at him, and the red sunlight reflected off of his brown eyes, eyes that were no longer filled with fear and misery. Even smiled again and placed a chaste kiss on Xehanort's hair. "You're welcome, child."

Laughter off to their left made them look up to see Aeleus and Dilan roaring with laughter as Ienzo gleefully jumped all over the sandcastle that he and Aeleus had built.

"Hey, Even!" Dilan shouted over the gently lapping waves "What's for dinner?"

"Whatever you feel like cooking!" Even shouted back, and he laughed himself as he stood up and offered a hand to Xehanort, who took it and stood up as well. Dilan, Aeleus, and Ienzo walked back to the pier, and the five of them climbed in their row boat, which Aeleus easily began to row back to the main island.

Later as they gathered in their kitchen, laughing as Dilan and Even cooked, Ienzo set the table, and Aeleus and Xehanort teased the cooks about being "good wives someday.", Even thought that this is how things should be. A family, a strange family at that, sharing a home and a meal. Just the five of them, no one around the hurt any of them, no one to blame them for things that were not their fault.

Just family, as it should be.

A/N: Holy god, this thing is the same length as "Dead Flowers"! It just kinda.. got away from me. There were two things that consistently bothered me while writing this. One was that I could never come up with a good reason for Ansem to be so hostile to Xehanort when all the evidence pointed to him as the victim. Though I suppose since KH2 shows that he can be a cruel bastard when angered, and since what he sees as a false accusation towards Braig angered him, I guess that can work. Still too flimsy for my liking though. The second thing that bothered me was I kept thinking that Xehanort was too teary. One half of my brain would say "That is a reasonable reaction to being repeatedly raped, esepcaily if your rapist is allowed to run loose and makes no secret that he's itching to get his hands on you again." and then the other half would say: "But he's still a crybaby." *shrugs* Sometimes, you just can win, even against yourself. XD


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