Missing Scenes #6

[eiahmon]

Title: Completion: Coming Home
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Nope, natta, negative.
A/N: I thought about having this in Completion, but decided that it would cheapen things too much.

#6
Coming Home

"I'm sorry." Even whispered as he laid his hand over where the ashes and bones were "I'm sorry that, now that you're gone, I just now came back here for you I'm sorry that I didn't care for you. I'm sorry that I was so cruel to you. I'm so sorry, and I wish I could bring you all back, but while I can recreate a body perfectly, I cannot recreate your hearts and souls. Have you gone on, to whatever afterlife awaits? Are you living new lives even now? Please don't be trapped here, and if you are, please go on. Don't stay here, trapped in misery and anger." Taking a deep breath, he reached out with his senses and felt... a heart, coming slowly towards him. He opened his eyes and held up his cupped hands just as a disembodied heart came down to gently rest in them. Sadness and fear engulfed him as he held it.

Master? whispered a voice that sounded so much like his own, and he knew immediately who it was.

"No. 8?"

Oh, Master, you came back. You came back for me.

Even smiled weakly as tears began to track down his face. "Of course I came back for you."

I'm sorry, Master. I tried to protect the others, but nothing I did seemed to stop him. Please don't be angry with me.

"No, I'm not angry with you, 8. You did the best you could, and that's all I could ask of you."

They all left me, and I tried to get them to stay and wait for you, but all but one vanished into the light. I wanted to go too, but I waited here instead for you. Did I do right?

"You did fine, No. 8. I love you, and I'm here with you now."

You... love me?

"I do. I have my heart back, and I can feel for you what I couldn't before."

I love you too, Master. I was so sad when you died, and I tried to keep going, but it was so hard, and it hurt so much.

"I know, child, I know. I have you now, and I'm going to take you home with me." He reached out and touched his face to the heart in his hands as happiness and joy flowed from it.

No. 23 stayed too, but when you took No. 47 out of here, he said he had no reason to stay any longer, and he vanished into the light. I had hoped that you would come back soon take me home too.

Even smiled and kissed No. 8's heart, and a happy laugh sounded in his mind. "I am going to carry you within my own heart, and I want you to sleep. When you wake up, I promise that I'll be there waiting for you. Do you understand?"

Yes, Master.

"That's my good boy." Even smiled through his tears, and he gently clasped his hands to his chest and felt No. 8 enter his heart and settle in. "Now go to sleep."

Goodnight, Master.

"Goodnight, child." No. 8's heart fell silent then, and Even felt his heart go to sleep. He smiled and laid his hand over where the heart was resting within his own, and then he gathered up what he had come for and returned home, where he said nothing to anyone about finding No. 8's heart. The time wasn't right.

******

As much as he wanted to have No. 8 back with him as soon as possible, Even knew that he didn't have what he needed to create another Replica, and since he was on thin ice with Master Ansem, running across the worlds looking for the equipment wasn't the best idea. So it wasn't until three years later that he was able to keep his promise. He spent the week after Terra's birth cleaning and readying the equipment, and then he took his own DNA and data and conceived a new Replica. Over the next month, he and Vexen watched it grow, and when it was ready, he reached out with his own heart and gently prodded No. 8 awake.

Master? came a sleepy voice, and Even smiled.

"It's time to wake up." he said gently "Are you ready to be reborn?"

Yes, master! No. 8 responded eagerly Yes, I'm ready!

Even smiled again at the child's eagerness. "Then come on out." He held his hands up, and he felt a tugging sensation followed by the sight of a heart coming to rest in his hands once more. He held it up to eye level. "Your new home is waiting. It's sedated right now, but it's ready for you and will be born in a few more days. Go now."

No. 8 laughed in pure joy and sped over to the glass tube containing the new Replica. Like Terra had six weeks before, the body glowed softly for a minute, and then Even and Vexen could see the heart within, resting.

"Daddy?" Vexen said quietly, and Even turned to look at him. The child normally just called him "Dad" these days, but he fell back to calling him "Daddy" whenever he was upset, sick, or feeling insecure about something.

"Hmmm?"

"Was No. 23 there too?"

"No, Ewen -" Vexen had picked the name out of a book of names that the original Vexen had found on one of the larger worlds years ago. "- was the only one there." Even pulled Vexen to him and held him tight for a moment. "He did tell me that No. 23 had been there, and that he had stayed to watch over you. When I brought you home, he vanished into the light because he knew that I would take care of you and keep you safe." Vexen gave him a tearful smile, and Even held him for a bit longer before letting him go. "Now how about we gather the things Ewen's going to need when he's born, shall we?"

"May I help take care of him?"

"Of course you may. Now, what all do you think he'll need?"

"Ummmm," Vexen thought for a second. "Clothes?"

"Yes, he'll need clothes to wear, though he'll probably just wear a hospital gown with socks and a diaper for the first few days, like you, Terra, and the others did. What else?"

"He'll have to be fed right after he's born, right? So we'll need something to feed him. Will we have to bottle feed him or spoon feed him?"

"Probably spoon feed him, since he already knows how to eat, which is why we didn't have to feed Terra with a bottle. Is there anything else you can think of?"

"He'll need to be kept warm, so we'll need to get him some blankets." Vexen paused as something seemed to occur to him, and then he smiled widely. "I'll give him his blanket back."

"Are you sure, little one? He did give that to you."

"But he's a baby now, so he'll need it more than I do. He can have it."

Even smiled again and kissed the top of Vexen's head. "I'm proud of you, Vexen. That was a very mature decision. Now let's get those things together."

"Right."

******

Six days later, Even found himself lost in memories of No. 8's birth all those years ago as he began to drain the fluid from the tank. Once the fluid was gone, he and Vexen opened it and pulled Ewen out. Even spanked him to get him breathing, and once he was crying they laid him down on a table and tied off and cut his umbilical cord. They then dried him off and dressed him before wrapping him in his blanket. Even then gathered him up, sat down in a chair, held him on his lap and cooed to him, while Vexen went to fetch a bowlful of the starting formula that the original Vexen had come up with to feed to the newborn Replicas.

Even cradled the crying child in his arms and rocked him and searched for any hint of recognition in the teary green eyes. Terra had recognized Xavier within an hour of his birth, so he was hopeful that Ewen would do the same. To his disappointment, Ewen only cried and showed no signs that he knew who Even was by the time Vexen returned.

His cries quieted as Vexen spoon fed him, and once the bowl was empty, he settled into Even's arms and went to sleep. Even carefully stood up, carried him into the small bedroom, and gently laid him down in the same bed that Terra had slept in. He whimpered softly as he settled down, and Even spent several minutes just watching him sleep before he left the room to start on the cleanup.

******

That night, Even was awakened from where he had fallen asleep in the chair beside Ewen's bed by soft crying. A quick glance to his left showed that Vexen was sound asleep in the room's second bed, so he looked to his right to see Ewen shifting in his own bed and crying.

"What's wrong, little one?" Even asked quietly as he stood up and gathered the child to him.

"Ma... master." Ewen sobbed, and Even felt relief flood his heart that the child recognized him.

"I'm here with you, child. It's alright now. You're home safe with me and Vexen."

"Master." Ewen cried again, and Even rocked him and stroked his hair, as it dawned on him that he was going to have to break this child of calling him master as well. Hopefully, since he and No. 8 had once been very close, it would be easier to do. He was also going to have to get him used to Ansem's presence. Vexen still did not like Ansem at all, but he acknowledged that the man was different than he had been before, and the two of them could be in the same room without Vexen having a panic attack.

Even laid Ewen down and then he took his boots and lab coat off and climbed into the bed and laid down beside him. Ewen snuggled close to him, and he began to quiet as Even tucked the blankets around him and wrapped his arms around him.

"Go back to sleep, Ewen." Even said softly. "I'm here."

"Master." the child said sleepily, and his green eyes opened and looked directly at Even. "Love... you."

Even smiled and planted a soft kiss on Ewen's forehead. "I love you too, little one. Now, it's time to go back to sleep. You have your whole life waiting for you."

Ewen tucked his head under Even's chin and yawned, and then he fell asleep, wrapped securely in Even's arms.

******

A/N 2: Believe it or not, Even and Evan are two completely different names with different meanings. Evan is the Welsh version of John and means "The lord is gracious.". Even is a variation of the Scandinavian name "Eivind" meaning "happy warrior", which in my opinion does not fit KH Even at all. I've read that Even is also a variant spelling of Evan, but it's one I have yet to definitely see, since KH is the only time I have seen that name, and the games do not state what name it is exactly. Depending on where you look, Ewen is either a variation of Evan or a variation of the Irish name "Eoghan" which means "born of the yew". See, now you can say that you've learned something today.


#5 Believing -- #7 Pensieve
Back to the Main Archive