Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ A Fragmented Tale ❯ The Memory of Xehanort ( Chapter 10 )

A/N: Yay! Another chapter! And guess what? It's not the LAST ONE! You lucky readers!

 

SupersexyPooka: Heh, I didn't want to keep you waiting so here it is!

 

 

A Fragmented Tale by cursed l0ve

 

Chapter Ten: The Memory of Xehanort

 

Merlin sat in one of the huge chairs surrounding the large table in the Disney library. Mickey was half way up on one of the ladders, reaching for a book. The wizard was reading one out of a hundred books piled on the table.

 

"I know it's here somewhere!" Merlin muttered, his eyes moving across the page like a typewriter. “You said it's related to the prophecy?”

 

“Yes, it should mention something about the Key and the King from the Keyblade Graveyard…” King Mickey mumbled loud enough for the old wizard to hear.

 

Merlin voiced out a reply and continued reading. A several minutes later, the silence was interrupted.

 

"Merlin! Stop your reading! I found it!" King Mickey announced, grabbing a book and sliding down the ladder.

 

With a wave of his wand, Merlin sent the rest of the old texts scattered around the room back to their proper places on the shelves. Mickey sat in a small wooden chair beside Merlin and placed the book on the table in front of them.

 

"Here it is, I finally found it!" the mouse sighed. "I asked them to bring back the memory of Xehanort, but the truth is right here!"

 

The book was small, with a dark red hardcover. There weren't many pages, but they were useful. Silver letterings on the side were tampered, but Mickey knew it from memory.

 

"The Keyblade War," he mumbled.

 

"The Key," Merlin said, staring at the cover. It wasn't a question.

 

"It's all my fault. If I had been more careful, if I had remembered those details about her, then this wouldn't have happened. Now the prophecy is changing and showing its true meaning."

 

"Your majesty, could you explain what you meant by that?"

Picking up the book, King Mickey sighed, "You'd be surprised. Alright, here we go..." the mouse leaned back in his seat and opened the book. He read several sentences silently, before closing it again. "Instead of reading directly from it, since it's all facts, I'll tell you as much as I can." He stood up and put the book down. "Let's take a walk. There's something I need to show you."

 

"Alright, your majesty," Merlin replied, standing up and following the mouse out into the Colonnade.

 

"Many years ago, there was a man that ruled a kingdom. He had a wife and together, they had a child. When the child was no more than a few months old, people began to take notice that there was something very extraordinary about the baby. So, they banished the child, sending it somewhere to a new world."

 

They turned into another grand hallway and continued down.

"This world is very different than many of ours. They call it a planet."

 

Merlin spoke up, "Earth."

 

"Yes, Earth. There, the child grew up under foster parents. One day, after many years, the King decided to have someone to retrieve the child again. He and his associate had plans in their head and there were theories. They wanted to try them out, and since the King's child had the power they wanted, he needed it."

 

"Ansem the Wise," Merlin said, the story falling back into a piece. "And Xehanort."

 

"Yes. I have been associating with Ansem at that time. And soon, Xehanort screwed up, submerging their plans into the darkness and created Heartless. Ansem the Wise disappeared, and Xehanort took over the name. At the same time, Nobodies were created, so there was Kerri."

 

"Ah," Merlin sighed as Mickey stopped at the doors at the end of the second Colonnade.

 

The mouse looked up at the wizard, "Xehanort asked Kerri to go to Earth and bring back the child. The child came to the Destiny Islands and befriended the kids. When Xehanort was ready, he took advantage of her power, and she opened the first keyhole. After that, Kerri brought the girl back to Earth, putting her under a spell, forgetting almost everything that happened."

 

He paused, turning to face the huge doors. He knocked twice, and a much smaller entrance opened up in front of them.

 

"The King, the child's real father, disappeared. Before you get confused, Ansem the Wise is not her father, but Xehanort. Yes, Ansem was the King of Radiant Gardens. And Xehanort, as the King, was the ruler of a world covered by sand. He controlled the keyblades. He resided in a castle out of clay, but one day, a Keyblade War broke out and destroyed everything. He was said to have died, along with the Queen. His other daughter still survives," King Mickey explained, looking up at the wizard again before nodding at the surprised look.

 

"That is why it is called a Keyblade Graveyard. Thousands of keyblades are left behind from those who died or retreated. The villages and people there are without rule. The Chasers are there to keep them in check. Anyway," Mickey continued, walking inside the room. Merlin ducked low to fit through the door. The room was pitch black. King Mickey snapped his fingers and candle-lit torches that were hung on the walls around the room came to life. In the center, against the back wall, was a bed. There was a silhouette on top of it. They walked closer.

 

"I may have rescued the child's body, but her spirit still roams."

 

Merlin stared at the sleeping figure lying on the bed once King Mickey brought a glowing orb close to her. The light illuminated the face of Aleron.

 

"So, you have the princess and the key in one," Merlin nodded. "But, what did you mean about the prophecy changing? If we have her, then we should be safe for now." Mickey's face grew forlorn.

 

"The truth is, when Aleron was born, she had a raging spirit within her. It was all Xehanort's doing. No one knew, but him. He already had plans for darkness so he put a dark spirit within her while the Queen slept. So, when she was born, she was sent away, the people didn't want the prophecy to be true. Before you say anything, I am aware that it spoke of the keyblade wielder, Sora. He is in danger now that her spirit is free. She could possess him in order to be able to wield the Dark Blade. From there, she will be able to follow after her father's wishes and purge the worlds into darkness."

 

"Yes... Xehanort was the king and her father. He was recorded dead during the Keyblade War, but actually, he disappeared and changed his identity as a scientist to put his plans in effect."

 

Looking down at the girl, Merlin twirled his long, white beard. "Making his own daughter do this! How ridiculous!" He sighed and looked at the King. "What do we do?"

 

Mickey looked up with pure determination, "We will go and warn them if it is not too late, and if it is, we can at least try to prevent something else from happening. I know one thing for sure; Aleron will most likely have killed off the Nobodies and Maleficent. And she will be using Kairi as bait and as a Key to unleash the great beast."

 

"Well, then! Let's go!" Merlin yelled, raising his wand and he disappeared in a swirl of blue. Mickey turned to look at the girl.

"Aleron, you are half-whole. Your good spirit resides within Riku. Your darkness will fade soon, and then you will wake," King Mickey whispered confidently, patting Aleron's hand.

 

The mouse scurried out the door and went to prepare for the unknown.

 

 

“Heh. Now, I can wield the Dark Blade, thanks to Sora.”

 

Riku stood up, staring at the possessed boy in front of him. He couldn't believe this was happening. Sora had fallen. Suddenly, he was reminded of the time he was possessed by Ansem. Or rather, Xehanort. Contorting his face with disgust, was the stranger a part of Xehanort? That had to be the only explanation for the repetition.

 

“Sora,” Riku whispered defeated. “I failed to protect you.”

 

The silver-haired man clenched his fists in anger and frustration. How dare they possess his best friend and get away with it. He had to do something. And where the hell was Aleron? This person had said Kairi was tied up inside the rock formation.

 

`What did that mean? I thought Aleron was the Key? Did the prophecy come out wrong?' he mused quietly. Perhaps, since they only had half of Aleron, and her soul half was within him, they had decided to use Kairi as a substitution. She was the Princess of Heart after all. `But Aleron is supposed to be the Key. Why the change?'

 

This was so confusing! He was beginning to get a headache. Growling, Riku approached Sora, but went around to pick up his keyblade. After testing it in his hand, he turned around, glaring at the two glowing blue orbs.

 

The boy smirked, “What do you think you're doing with that? If you think of getting rid of me, you're mistaken!”

 

Riku gave a similar twist of the mouth, “Tell me, who are you? And why is Kairi the one unlocking the Great Beast, not Aleron?” He furrowed his eyebrows, snarling. “And… where the hell is she anyway?!”

 

A new voice rang behind the group, bringing their attention to a mouse walking towards them. “As much as I hate to say it, Aleron is in front of you, Riku.”

 

Riku snapped his attention back to Sora, his glare at full force, “WHAT!?” He backed away in confusion. “You have to be kidding me, why would Aleron do this to us?” He looked down at Mickey. “Explain, your majesty! How can you accuse her of betraying us?”

 

Sora was laughing so hard, holding his stomach. “I never thought this would be so amusing! Do explain, little mouse. Be quick, I want to get this over with!”

 

Ryo, Matty, and Enya all were standing side by side. Their weapons were out and ready in case Sora would strike. Sora was smirking, holding the Dark Blade in his right hand. His eyes were glowing blue and the aura was green. Riku crossed his arms, carefully holding his Road to Dawn in his hand.

 

King Mickey took a deep sigh and spoke. Before he could say a word, Merlin appeared beside him in a pop. “Oh good! Merlin!” the King all but yelled in relief.

 

“Did I miss anything?” the wizard asked, looking around.

 

“We came too late, but it seems like Aleron isn't in a rush.”

 

“Oh,” Merlin said, looking at the glowing Sora. Understanding came upon his face.

“Alright,” Mickey turned to the group. “I suppose I have some explanation to do.” He looked at Riku. “First things first, Aleron is King Xehanort's daughter.”

 

After that statement, a shout of surprise rang in the air and everyone looked sharply at the fiery Chaser. “You are lying!” Enya yelled in disdain.

 

Shaking his head, “No Enya, it is true. Aleron is your little sister.”

 

Sora chuckled and laughed out loud again. “That's why she looks so much like me! I was wondering if I was standing in a mirror and whether or not I dyed my hair and grew my ears! And if I got new eye contacts!” Sora threaded out sarcastically.

 

Enya eyed the possessed boy in uncertainty. She placed her molten eyes back at the mouse. “How is she my sister? I have no memory of her whatsoever.”

 

Sighing, he continued, “Well, you didn't let me finish. As I was saying, Aleron is King Xehanort's daughter, which makes you her sister. Xehanort placed a dark spirit within her while she was in your mother's stomach. So, when she was born, everyone did not feel safe with her because of her extraordinariness. They banished her to another world, a planet called Earth.”

 

“There, she was raised under a different family until a little over a decade ago, Xehanort ordered Kerri to bring her back to unlock the keyhole on Destiny Islands.”

The pieces fell in place and Riku finally understood. “Ah, I know now…”

 

Nodding, King Mickey continued on,” Yes. And I don't have to explain any further because you all should know the story from the past two years.” Turning back to Enya, he explained something,” You know of the Keyblade War, right?”

 

“Yes, I do recall that my father and mother both died during that time,” she confirmed.

 

“The truth is, your father never died… He disappeared. Xehanort abandoned this world and came to the Radiant Gardens, where he met Ansem the Wise. Together, they both worked on experiments of the heart. Xehanort was doing this for dark purposes, and you all know the rest. Anyways, Aleron is half whole. Her body is at my castle. Her soul is inside you, Riku.” He looked at the silver-haired warrior. “And her darkness has possessed Sora.” They all looked at the glowing combination.

 

“Wow! That was a great story!” He smirked. “Now, I have to go and unleash the beast! Have fun!” Sora said menacingly. And before anyone could say anything or stop him, he was gone.

 

 

“What are you guys standing around for? We have to go and stop him!” Riku roared, throwing his arms around.

 

They all nodded and ran towards the rock formation, but not before Riku picked up the Oathkeeper, and King Mickey retrieved the silver Kingdom Key. Both dual-wielding the keyblades, they rushed after the Chasers.

 

After a half-hour of searching, Ryo found the opening and they all filed inside the formation. Unfortunately, they were blasted against the rocks and held up by an invisible force. A smirking Sora came in their view.

 

“Heh. You forget… I'm not an idiot. I know you would try to stop me and I can't have that. No.” He looked up at Riku who was giving out a threatening look. “You were looking for Kairi, so here she is.”

 

Sora moved, so that they could see Kairi tied up on top of the strange purple rock. She appeared to be asleep, as if she had lost her heart again.

 

“Kairi!” Riku shouted at top of his lungs. He thrashed about, trying to free himself from his bindings, but failed after a couple minutes. Panting, he gave Sora a heated glare.

This, of course, amused Sora. He began laughing menacingly again. “Riku… Riku…You never cease to amuse me. I'm sorry that I disappointed you. I know you thought I was the innocent little girl you knew. Bwahahaha!”

 

Riku growled, “You are not her. You are just an evil spirit created by Xehanort for his use! You are nothing but a puppet like Maleficent under his control!”

 

Sora moved, crossing his arms and tapped his chin, “If I remember correctly, you were also a puppet. You were possessed by his spirit just as I possess Sora.”

 

Riku gave a snort and looked away.

 

“Heh. I knew that would get to you. Now…” Sora turned around to face Kairi. He approached her and raised the Dark Blade. “Time for the Great Beast to come out!”

 

 

End Chapter Ten.

 

A/N: Heh! Sorry if it's a bit short. This story's on a turning point! I have decided that this story will be a bit longer. I didn't want to end it too quickly and I'm thinking of exaggerating the plot. ^-^ I'll try my best to update! It depends on the time I have on my hands. Sorry for the cliffhanger! Maybe you'll decide to review! :D I ran out of ideas, so I gotta use my imagination again! I really need to start using outlines…

 

Next time… Chapter Eleven: The Awakening