Burning Heart Chapter 9

[eiahmon]

Title: Burning Heart
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Disney and Square owns 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: Nomura has stated that now that his Heartless and Nobody have been destroyed, Master Xehanort will be reborn. What if he is reborn, but not in the way everyone thinks?
A/N: Writing Lea/Axel is fun.

9.

Xavier groaned as he came to, and for a brief panicked moment, he thought that the blow to his head that he had suffered had rendered him blind, for he could see nothing but inky darkness around him. He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes, and he realized it was not his eyes but the fact that he was in a room that was completely dark. He could feel a cold stone floor under him and feel a draft coming from somewhere, and when he sat up, he heard metal clinking lightly. He then became of the weight on his wrists and realized that he was shackled to the floor.

Lucky for him that he somehow knew that no lock could stop a keyblade. The weapon appeared in a flash of light, and again he noticed that it wasn't one that he had been using, before he lightly tapped the shackles with it, which caused them to spring open. Shrugging the cold metal off onto the floor, he stood up and tried to feel his way around. Feeling the draft on his face, he walked slowly and carefully into it, using his keyblade like a cane to feel the floor in front of him, and in short order he came to a heavy steel door. He felt a stab of pain in his head -

The man was screaming, begging, pleading for mercy. Xehanort watched with cold eyes as Aeleus dragged the struggling man down the dark corridor towards one of the unoccupied cells and frowned. With such raw fear being displayed so easily, this specimen wouldn't last long against the Heartless at all. They would have to find someone else soon.

- and then it was gone, leaving him slumped down on the floor, leaning against the door, gasping for air. What the hell? Xehanort? Aeleus? Dragging a struggling man – a specimen! - to a cell? The Heartless? What had Xehanort done? Why?

Thinking about it was giving him a headache. Dragging himself to his feet, Xavier tapped the lock on the cell door with his keyblade, and it clicked open. Swinging the door open on surprisingly quiet hinges, he proceeded into the equally dark hallway. He reached out with his left hand and lightly touched the stone wall and used it as a guide as he walked slowly down the hall, listening for any sounds that might tell him if anyone was down there with him.

All was silent, save for the sounds of his footfalls and his breathing for several minutes, but after he had walked an unmeasurable distance down the pitch black corridor, a soft sound fell on his ears. He paused and cocked his head to listen, but the sound did not repeat itself. He started walking again, and eventually he came to a junction in the corridor. The draft was coming from in front of him, so he surmised that that was the way out, but then that soft sound fell upon his ears again, coming from his left. Keeping his hand on the wall to his left, he turned that direction and walked down another dark hallway, following the sound, though for the life of him he couldn't figure out why he was bothering. Surely getting out before Even told that he was down there was more important? Still, even as he thought about turning back, his feet carried him forward, until he came to a single cell door at the end of the corridor. Small whimpers occasionally sounded from the other side, and as temped as he was to open the door and go in, he admitted to himself that he had no idea who or what was imprisoned within.

“Why do you keep coming down here, Lea?”

Xavier jumped and just managed to stop himself from yelping in surprise as a voice, shockingly loud compared to the silence that had preceded it, echoed down to him.

Roxas?

“I can't just leave him down here alone in the dark all the time. We've been over this, got it -”

“- memorized. Yeah, I know, but every time you come down here, you end up depressed and drink yourself into oblivion.” Roxas' voice softened. “It's time to let Isa go, Lea.”

“No way am I leaving Isa down here all alone! Would you want to be left down here to rot with no one to visit you once in a while?”

“I wouldn't do anything to end up down here to begin with. Face it, Saïx was an utter bastard.”

“Yeah, Saïx was an utter bastard, but not Isa.”

“This is the last time I'm coming down here with you, so you'll just have to fumble around the dark from now on. I can't stand watching you do this to yourself. Isa never responds to you anyway; he doesn't respond to anyone anymore.”

“Well you'll be happy to learn that this is the last time I'm coming down here as well.”

“I – What? Seriously?”

“Yup, because you're gonna help me get him out of here this time.”

“What!”

“That keyblade of yours can open the locks on the door and open up his chains, and then I'm taking him out of here.”

Back at the junction of the corridors, Xavier saw a faint glow appear, and it bobbed up and down slightly as it brightened and came closer. Frantically, he felt around for a place to hide, but there as no where to go that he could find but inside the cell behind him.

“Are you out of your mind! Where will you take him? How will you hide him, and that's if you managed to smuggle him out into the city without being seen! If you're caught, they'll execute him on the spot and throw you in his cell to take his place!”

The light rounded the corner, and two figures came into view. The shorter of the two had blond hair and was wearing an Organization black coat. The light seemed to be emanating from him, and it bobbed up in down in time with his footsteps. The second, taller, figure was also wearing an Organization coat, and his fiery red hair was styled into dozens of spikes off the back of his head.

Axel....

And to Xavier's dismay, they were walking straight towards him.

“Execution would be a mercy right now.” Axel said sadly “Why they didn't just do that to being with, I'll never know.”

Xavier pressed himself into the corner as the two walked closer. The light that Roxas was generating would fall upon him at any moment....

Axel – no Lea, Xavier reminded himself - jumped back in sudden surprise. “What the -!” He and Roxas stared in shock as Xavier tried to back even further into the corner. If the two of them reacted anything like Even and Aeleus had, then he would soon have a fight on his hands, something that he wished to avoid if at all possible.

“Xemnas!” Roxas shouted, and with a flash of light, a keyblade appeared in his hand.

“Xavier!” Xavier snapped in response even as he wondered where the boy's second keyblade was at.

“Xehanort,” Lea said easily “What are you doing down here?”

“I assume Even and Aeleus threw me down here.”

“Well, well, well, looks like you're trying to escape, so how did you get out or your cell?”

“No lock can stop a keyblade, you know that.”

The statement caught the two off guard.” Keyblade?' Roxas said questioningly as he stood up from his attack stance. In response Xavier simply held his hand out and the keyblade that he had used to open his door appeared in his hand.

“Wow, very impressive, Xehanort.” Axel said “Simply amazing, but we can't let you leave. Sora and the others have been looking for you for a long time. Besides,” He held his hands at his sides, and his two chakrams appeared in whirls of flame “if I catch you, I might be able to convince them to allow me to take Isa home.”

“I can let Isa out for you.” Xavier said, trying to stall for time. There was no other way out but through them, and they obviously knew the place better than he did. What's more, they had a light source; he did not.

“So can Roxas.” Axel said, and Xavier caught a faint whiff of smoke as the fire elemental prepared to attack.

“Yes, but he doesn't want to let Isa go.”

“And you do, I suppose.”

“I'm not going to stop you from taking him.”

“Neither is Roxas.”

“Damn it, Axel, I don't want to fight you! I'm just trying to find my family and my home!”

The smell of smoke faded as Lea relaxed slightly, though Roxas was still ready to attack at any moment. “Oh really? Last I heard, Xehanort had no family. Oh and the name's Lea, L-E-A, got it memorized?”

This was his chance. “I woke up someplace, and I couldn't remember anything. The family that found me adopted me, but then the Heartless came and....” Xavier swallowed thickly and blinked away a few tears that chose to appear at that moment.

“And?” Lea's chakrams had disappeared, and he folded his arms over his chest, still looking skeptical, but at least he was listening.

“My little brother and master are here in Radiant Garden, but everyone... everyone else is gone.”

“So how did Even and Aeleus happen to find you?”

“Emyd told me that they could tell me where to find Naminé, and that she could help me -”

Lea's green eyes brightened considerably. “You saw Demyx? How's he doing?'

“Well as far as I could tell.”

Roxas spoke up then, still holding his keyblade threateningly. “We're getting off track here. So you were told that Even and Aeleus could tell you where to find Naminé. Obviously that's not what happened.”

“Even shoved me through a portal, Aeleus thumped me on the head, and I woke up here.”

From the cell behind Xavier came a quiet moan, which caused Lea and Roxas to pause for a moment. Finally the red head looked at him. “I'm taking a risk here, Xehanort -”

“Xavier! X-A-V-I-E-R! Got that memorized?”

Lea chuckled. “Xavier it is. I'm taking a risk here. I came down here to get Isa, not get into a battle. Step aside so I can get to him, and I'll let you go. I won't even say that I saw you down here.”

“Are you sure about this, Lea?” Roxas asked warily “This is Xemnas we're talking about here.”

“It's simple, Roxas.” Lea explained “He escapes, and Isa mysteriously vanishes from his cell. People will assume that he took his former second-in command with him when he left. It will never occur to them that someone else had taken him.”

“That's it?” Xavier said incredulously, even as he wanted to sag with relief “You're just going to let me walk out of here.” His eyes narrowed in sudden thought. “Wait, I have a better idea. You lead me out of here, so I don't get hopelessly lost, and I won't tell anyone that I saw you down here.”

Lea's eyes flashed for a moment. “Is that a threat?”

“Take it how you will. If I'm going to get out of here without getting caught, I'll need a guide and a light. If you want to keep Isa safe, you'll need people to assume that I took him and fled. It will be much easier for the latter to be believed if they don't find me wandering around here without him.”

Lea regarded him for a long moment, and then a whimper came from the cell. “Agreed. We lead you out in exchange for making our story believable.”

“Our story?” Roxas asked, but he made no other sounds of disagreement.

Xavier nodded. 'Agreed then.” And with that he tapped the lock on the cell door with the keyblade in his hand. The lock opened, and Lea pushed past him and walked in. Roxas followed, and after a moment's hesitation, Xavier went in as well.

The cell stank. The smell rocked Xavier backwards, and he had to swallow the bile that rose in his throat and breathe through his mouth like Taylor had instructed him to do when dealing with foul smells. It smelled of unwashed body, sickness, and human waste. By the light that Roxas was giving off, he could see that the cell was tiny, not even enough for a grown man to lay out in. Xavier had to lower his head a bit to prevent it from bumping the ceiling. Flies buzzed about in the tiny space, and he found his eyes drawn to a still figure lying naked on the floor against the opposite wall. The sounds of labored breathing echoed in the space, and there was another soft moan as Lea knelt down on the floor beside the figure.

Roxas' warm yellow glow allowed Xavier to see bone white, papery skin stretched over an emaciated frame, hair that was so filthy that it was black and filled with bugs, and worst of all, the scratches and claw marks around Isa's closed eyes, as if he had tried to tear them out of his face. The doctor in him demanded that he look closer to see in there was anything that he could do, so he knelt down next to Lea and began to look Isa over.

His pulse was weak, slow, and unsteady. His breathing was labored and shallow and carried the fetid smell of a massive respiratory infection. Isa gave a weak, watery cough that shook his frail body, and then he went still again. His eyes, green, were dull, unfocused, and glazed with fever when Xavier gently peeled back the lids to look at them. The skin of his wrists and ankles had been worn away by the too small shackles that he was locked in, and his hands and feet were freezing cold, even though the rest of him burned with fever. Even though he was conscious, Xavier seriously doubted that he was aware, and he knew with a certainty that, without medical attention, he wouldn't survive for much longer. Even with it, he still might not make it.

“He needs a doctor immediately.” Xavier said quietly as he tapped his keyblade to the shackles to open them. Bloody flesh came off with them, but Isa gave no sign that he felt anything as Lea took off his black coat and carefully wrapped him in it.

“I'll have to take him to another world then.” Lea said quietly as he gently gathered Isa into his arms and stood up.

Xavier stood as well. “No, he won't make it. He needs one now.”

“I can't exactly walk into the local clinic and ask them to treat him, you know.”

“That's why we're going to take him to my master. Taylor is a doctor, and will at least be able to stabilize him long enough for you to get him offworld to a hospital. Can you open a portal to the central square?”

“No one is going anywhere.” said a voice from behind them, and they spun around – with Lea cradling Isa close to him – to see Ienzo, grown and dressed the same way that Even had been, standing in the doorway to the cell.

“We don't have time for this, Ienzo.” Lea said irritably.

“Oh but we do. We have all the time in the world. Breaking a prisoner out will not look good to Ansem, Lea, Roxas, and consorting with Xehanort will make it even worse.”

“Xavier!” Xavier snapped for what seemed like the millionth time. He was getting so tired of people calling him by that name. Ienzo's blue eyed gaze focuses on him at that.

“And what are you doing, Xehanort? Planning to reform the Organization, starting with your second-in-command? Saïx was such a fool for getting close to Xemnas, and look what it cost him.” He gestured to Isa's dying body.

“Says the man who tried his damnedest to become Xemnas' second-in-command himself.” Xavier snarled “The only reason that you didn't was because Saïx had you eliminated first! Or have you forgotten that already, Zexion!” The former Cloaked Schemer was unable to completely contain his flinch at the sound of his Nobody's name, but Xavier ignored it and continued on. “As for me, all I want is to find my family and find a way to restore the world that I call home, but can I do that? Noooooo! I've got all these people that seem utterly convinced that I'm evil incarnate, and I'm sick of it!” Roxas and Lea looked at him in shock, and in Lea's case, slight admiration, but he ignored them. “I'm not Xemnas! I am not Xehanort! I don't REMEMBER being them! I don't remember anything that they are accused of! I woke up one day in a bed with no idea who I was or where I came from, and if the Heartless hadn't destroyed the world that my adoptive family is from, I would still be there, working on my apprenticeship and helping out on the farm! So don't you dare, don't you dare, accuse me of anything, for I have done nothing but travel the worlds to try and find some answers! And right now, I'm trying to get Isa the medical treatment that he needs to live, and you are standing in my way! So unless you want to know what it feels like to have a keyblade rammed through your chest you will step aside and not say a word about any of this!”

Other than his slight flinch at the sound of his former name, Ienzo looked completely composed and unruffled, though the look in his eye that wasn't hidden behind his bangs had changed slightly. Xavier couldn't put his finger on exactly what was different about it, but he was totally unprepared for Ienzo's reaction to his rant.

“Very well.” he said “I will allow you to take Isa to this doctor – yes, I heard everything that was said – and in turn you will explain everything to me. If you are telling the truth, then I will convince Even and Aeleus to not tell anyone that you are here. If you are lying.... well, things will get unpleasant for you. And, in case you're wondering how I will know if you're being truthful,” He smirked. “Let's just say that I can smell a lie.'

Xavier looked to Lea and Roxas, and the nodded to him, so he turned back to Ienzo. “Agreed.' he said simply, and Lea opened a portal. Roxas went through it first, followed by Lea and Isa. Xavier went next, and he stepped through the portal to the area that he had appeared in when he first arrived in Radiant Garden. It was dark out, something that he was relieved for, even as he wondered how long he had been lying unconscious in the cell. Ienzo stepped through the portal next, and it closed behind him, and Xavier began to lead them to Taylor's house.

The light was on in the kitchen, and the door swung open when Xavier knocked. Taylor took one look at the group on his doorstep, before his gaze focused on Isa lying motionless in Lea's arms. He stepped back away from the door and held it open. “Bring him inside, quickly.”

The group walked into the house, and Taylor led them up the stairs to the bedroom and directed Lea to lie Isa down on the larger bed. Xavier spared a glance over to the smaller bed to see Alexander sleeping soundly under the blankets before he turned his attention back to Isa.

“I need you help, Xavier.” Taylor called, and Xavier walked forward to assist his master like he had done so many times before as Taylor spoke to the others in the room without taking his eyes off of his patient “He needs to be in a hospital. Why have you brought him here?”

“We can't take him to a hospital.” Xavier replied “I'll explain later, but please trust me when I say that he cannot be seen.” Taylor looked up at him, but only for a moment as he began a cursory exam.

After only a few minutes, he looked back up. “You are absolutely sure that you cannot take him to a hospital? There is little I can do for him here, and he will die if he doesn't get help soon.”

Ienzo stepped forward. “What do you need? I can get it for you if you give me a list.”

Taylor rattled off a long list of things, including antibiotics, bandages of various kinds, supplies needed for an IV drip, and many other things that Xavier couldn't keep track of. Ienzo, on the other hand, simply summoned a large book – his Lexicon, the Book of Retribution, Xavier realized – and began writing everything down. Once the list was complete, he snapped the book shut, opened a portal, and stepped through.

Lea whispered anxiously to Roxas: “What if he doesn't come back?” and the blond keyblade wielder had no answer. Xavier was wondering the same thing, but he shoved it to the back of his mind as he and Taylor did what they could for Isa while they waited. They sat him up and propped him on pillows and blankets to help him breathe a little easier, cut his filthy, bug infested hair off, bathed him as best they could, and cleaned the claw marks and scratches around his eyes. The rest would have to wait until Ienzo returned.

Thankfully, they did not have to wait long, for about ten minutes after Ienzo left, a portal opened into the room, and boxes began sliding through. Taylor directed Lea and Roxas to bring the boxes over to the bed, and the elderly doctor began unpacking the supplies with Xavier's assistance. Finally, Ienzo came through carrying an oxygen tank and tubing, and the portal closed behind him. Taylor immediately directed Xavier to set the oxygen up, while he carefully inserted an IV drip into the large vein inside Isa's right elbow. Ienzo set up the stand for it, and soon antibiotics, a mucus thinner, and fluids were being delivered through the line directly into Isa's bloodstream. Xavier slipped the nasal cannula behind Isa's ears and carefully inserted the two little prongs into his nose, before he reached over and turned the oxygen on. Taylor put a second IV in Isa's other arm, this one to deliver much needed nutrients, and then master and apprentice turned to cleaning and dressing the open wounds around his wrists and ankles. Finally they carefully dressed him in the hospital gown that Ienzo had sent through in one of the boxes, covered him with blankets, and sat back away from the bed.

“It is out of our hands now.” Taylor said as he wiped his forehead “Either he'll pull through or he won't.”

“Isn't there more that you can do?” Lea asked desperately, and the doctor only shook his head.

“Both of his lungs are filled with fluid, and he had been starved nearly to death, child. Frankly, I class it as a miracle that he has lived this long. I would rather him be in a hospital so he could be closely monitored more easily, but there is nothing that they would do that we haven't already done.” He looked at Xavier sternly. “And you, young man, have got a lot of explaining to do.”

Xavier ducked his head and said meekly: “Yes, Taylor.”

“Yes, “ Ienzo said from where he stood by the bed, arms folded over his chest. “He does.”

The group, with the exception of Lea, who stayed upstairs to keep an eye on Isa, filed downstairs to the kitchen, where they sat down at the table, and coffee was made and distributed. Once everyone had their mugs, Ienzo turned to Xavier.

“Explain,” he said simply, and Xavier nodded, took a deep breath, and began to talk, with Taylor filling in when needed. It was Taylor that told of how Masa had found Xavier, unconscious and convulsing from a raging fever and carried him to his parents house, how they had feared that the young man wasn't going to pull through, their relief when he fever finally broke after several days, and his long recovery.

Xavier took up the tale from there, and he talked of his adoption into Elissa and Jascha's family when it became clear that he had no memory of his previous life, home, or family, working on the farm, being apprenticed to Taylor, and finally, the night that the Heartless came. He told them of how the Heartless and attacked Jascha and taken his heart, how the keyblade had come to him, his arrival in Twilight Town, and his travel through the worlds since then. He told them of his meeting with Raliaum, and the man's hostile attitude, even after Xavier saved his infant son.

“Ungrateful bastard.” Roxas muttered, only to be silenced by a look from Ienzo.

Xavier continued his story: The World That Never Was, meeting Emyd, and how Emyd had advised him to find Even and Ienzo so they could tell him where to find Naminé, finding Taylor and Alexander safe in Radiant Garden, meeting Even, being thumped on the head by Aeleus, waking up in the prison cell, and finally, meeting Roxas and Lea.

When he fell silent, Ienzo looked at him for a long moment, and then he nodded once. “You are being truthful, so I will keep my end of the agreement. I will convince Even and Aeleus to keep silent about you, nor will I tell anyone where Isa is.”

Xavier slumped down in his chair in relief; he had no doubt that Ienzo had the kind of influence over Even and Aeleus needed to make them keep silent. “Thank you.”

“Still, though you were telling the truth, you weren't telling the entire truth.” Ienzo's one eyed gaze looked at him intently. “What are you not saying.”

He hesitated; dare he tell them about the two personalities in his head that were warring with each other over him?

“Just tell them, Xavier.” Taylor said tiredly “They can't help you if they don't know everything.”

Xavier nodded, and with a sigh, he told of the two men, one young, one old, that he saw in his dreams, and the old man's plans for Kingdom Hearts. He also told of the young man and how he resembled Xavier so much, and how he was holding the old man back to prevent him from taking over, to give Xavier time to find a way to separate him off. Then he fell silent and looked between Ienzo and Roxas to see their reaction; would they think him crazy?

“Master Xehanort,” Ienzo murmured.

“And Terra.” Roxas added, and Xavier looked at them, confused.

“Who?”

Now it was Ienzo's turn to sigh. “You wanted answers, now you're going to get them, though you probably won't like what you're about to hear.”

“I need to know.” Xavier said quietly “Please tell me.”

Ienzo nodded. “Very well. Years ago, there was a Keyblade Master by the name of Xehanort, who gave himself over to the Darkness. As he sank further into its depths and lost his ability to feel regret and guilt, he began to plan on how to replicate the Keyblade War.”

“Keyblade War?”

“A war between all the universe's keyblade wielders.” Roxas explained “They fought over control of the X-blade, a powerful weapon born of a heart of darkness and a heart of light. Whomever has the X-blade can use it to summon Kingdom Hearts directly to him or her.” Seeing that Xavier still looked confused, he added: “Kingdom Hearts is the heart of all worlds, the entire universe if you want to go that way. It is the source of much power and wisdom, and many have tried to get their hands on it.”

“The Keyblade War was so massive in scale, that it only ended when the universe was destroyed.” Ienzo continued “When it was over, the worlds were gone, and only small fragments of light remained in the hearts of children. With those fragments of light, the children rebuilt the shattered worlds, or at least, that is what the legends say. No one really knows what happened at the end of the Keyblade War, but Master Xehanort wanted to know. To do that though, he needed to incite another one. To do that, he needed two things; the X-blade, and a vessel.”

“Vessel?” Xavier didn't like the sound of that at all.

“Master Xehanort was an old man, and he knew that he likely would not live to see the end of the new Keyblade War once it began. So he began to plan to possess another and take control of their body. He first tried with Ventus, a young boy that he had taken on as an apprentice, but the child was too light for his plan to work. Using his own keyblade, he split the boy's heart in two, shearing off the darkness that we all possess and using it to create another being, a boy that he named Vanitas. He now had the heart of light and the heart of darkness that he needed to create the X-blade, now he only needed his vessel. He found it, when he took Ventus to his old friend Eraqus, so the other Keyblade Master could keep the boy until he was needed. One of Master Eraqus' apprentices had darkness in his heart, and Master Xehanort felt that, with encouragement, he could make it grow enough that the boy could be used as a vessel.

“When it came time for Terra and Eraqus' other apprentice, Aqua, to take their Mark of Mastery exam, Master Xehanort sabotaged Terra, causing him to fail the exam. He then played on the boy's anger and disappointment, and with Braig's help, slowly cultivated the darkness in Terra's heart, until finally, the boy was ready. Using his keyblade, Master Xehanort freed his heart from the confines of his old body, and he possessed Terra's body, wrenching control from Terra's heart. Just before this, Vanitas was able to rejoin with Ventus and create the X-blade, but Master Xehanort did not factor in the strength of Terra's will. Terra's rage managed to reanimate his discarded keyblade armor, and this animated armor defeated Master Xehanort and knocked him unconscious. At that moment, the X-blade was destroyed, and the explosion that resulted, sent the unconscious Xehanort here, to Radiant Garden.

“Aqua followed him here, and the two fought, and towards the end of their battle, Terra started to regain control of his body. Xehanort, in desperation, used his keyblade on his new body, hoping to force Terra's heart out. Instead he locked both of their hearts away, and the body that they now shared fell into the Realm of Darkness. Aqua dove in after them, and sacrificed herself to get Terra out, leaving herself trapped in there.

”The next day, Braig, one of Ansem's apprentices, who had been in Xehanort's scheme, led Ansem to where the unconscious man was lying. With both of the hearts in his body locked away, he had no memory, but the name “Xehanort' which he gave as his name when asked. Ansem took him in, nursed him back to health, and Xehanort joined Braig, Dilan, Even, Aeleus, and myself as one of Ansem's apprentices.”

Ienzo fell silent then, but the look he was giving Xavier told him that there was more to the tale, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear anymore. His stomach rolled in response to what he had heard and, he bolted from the table and ran into the bathroom, where he dry heaved into the toilet several times. He heard someone walk into the room behind him, and Taylor's hands began to gently rub circles on his back.

“This does not change who you are, Xavier.” he said quietly “Yes, your past is extremely unpleasant, but you are not Master Xehanort. You are not a monster, you are Xavier, the adopted son of Elissa and Jascha, and my apprentice.”

His heaves ended, and Xavier spent a few moments catching his breath before he responded. “I'm not sure that I want to know any more, even though I know that there is more to be told. What Ienzo said does not explain why people in this world are hostile to me. Xemnas and Organization XIII can't be all of it.”

“You can hear the rest tomorrow. It is almost three in the morning now, and you have a nasty looking bump on your head that needs looked at. Once that is taken care of, you're going to eat and go to bed.”

Xavier nodded and stood up on wobbly legs and walked back into the kitchen just in time to see Ienzo drink the last of his coffee and stand up from the table.

“I will finish this tomorrow.” he said “I will talk to Even and Aeleus and then I will come here. Is that acceptable to you?”

Xavier nodded wearily. “Thank you, Ienzo.”

“You are welcome, and about what you said earlier...” The blue haired man leaned over the table to stare right into Xavier's eyes. “I already know what it feels like to have a keyblade shoved into my chest, thank you.” And with that parting statement, he opened a portal and walked through. Taylor took a few moments to check the bump on the side of Xavier's head, and he concluded that the younger man didn't have a concussion.

“As hard as he hit me,” Xavier mumbled sleepily “I'm surprised that I'm not dead.”

“Lucky you.” Taylor told him as he slapped him lightly on the shoulder. “Now go take a bath, you need one.” Grumbling about bossy masters that loved to order their apprentices around, Xavier got up from the chair and wandered into the bathroom, where he gladly drew and sank into a hot bath, his first since Twilight Town. A few minutes later, Taylor brought him a set of pajamas that he said he had bought in town earlier in the day. Once he was clean and feeling human again, Xavier had a quick meal of eggs and toast, and then he stumbled up the stairs to the bedroom. Taylor was checking on Isa, while Lea and Roxas snored on pallets on the floor. Xavier climbed into bed with Alexander, and despite how tired he was, he smiled widely when the child snuggled close to him in his sleep.

“Xav'er.”

Wrapping his arms around the sleeping toddler, slightly surprised that he had not woken up when they were taking care of Isa earlier, Xavier snuggled into the mattress and was asleep within seconds.

Chapter 8 –- Chapter 10
Back to the Archive