Chapter 7
:) Another chapter up!
SHIT JUST GOT REAL, ZEXION.
Oh, yeah. WARNING- BBS SPOILERS.
Terra finished speaking, and leaned back against the chair, worn out. Zexion sat quietly, taking it all in. Then, after a moment, he spoke.
"So, let me see if I've got this right. You're Terra, a Keybearer. You and two others, Aqua and Ven, were sent by your teacher Master Eraqus to go after a missing Keybearer, Master Xehanort. The three of you split up, and Master Xehanort went after you, using your desire to gain the power to defeat him and the Darkness he'd tainted you with to make you work for the villains of the other worlds, which only served to further your corruption. When you finally caught up with him, he used Kingdom Hearts to unlock his own heart and place it within your body, trying to take control. You tried to fight back, but he proved too difficult, and ended up sending Aqua into the Darkness when she tried to help you. So, you did the only thing you could do- you erased your own memories, in an attempt to prevent him from carrying out whatever plans he had after he took your body. That's when we found you. And the memory wipe worked for a while, until we began the experiments on the heart, and Xehanort found his way to the surface again and began manipulating us. He was in control all this time, and it was all you could do to try to fight back, which apparently didn't work too well. Your consciousness barely managed to hang on this whole time, and after we were destroyed, Master Xehanort recreated his own body with his own heart and consciousness, after taking your power and heart for himself. Leaving you a much weakened Nobody to try to keep us all together. That's about it?"
Terra nodded. "Yeah, that's about it. You sound skeptical, though. Don't believe me?"
Zexion snorted. "Of course I believe you. This whole mess makes so much more sense now." After a moment, he added, "Besides. I met Ven, ten years ago. He saved me from some of those…whatever you called them. Unversed. Nice kid, looked a lot like Roxas but acted like Sora?"
Terra smiled in relief. "Yeah. That's Ven. You don't happen to know what happened to him, do you? That much I couldn't find in Xehanort's notes, and if he knew, he certainly kept it from me."
"Sorry, not a clue. But…have you been searching the Realm of Darkness for Aqua? Is that where you've been?"
"Yeah. I can't find her, not anywhere. I'm starting to lose hope…what if she…" He scowled in annoyance. "No, I can't think like that. I'll find her."
Zexion smiled and got up, walking over to Terra. Putting a hand on his shoulder, he spoke reassuringly.
"Don't worry too much. You said she's a Keyblade Master, right? She can take care of herself. She'll be alright."
"Thanks, Zexion."
Zexion walked towards the door, pausing to look back at the other man. He was already shrugging out of his coat, and glanced up at Zexion when he noticed.
"Yeah?"
"Should I call you Terra now?"
A laugh. "Sure, why not. Xemnas doesn't feel right anymore, anyway."
He frowned suddenly. "Where are you going?"
"To tell the other Apprentices, where else?"
Terra laid his coat on the chair and walked over. "Alright, but Zexion…be careful. I...there's…" He looked pained. "One of us is…has been…working with Xehanort. I don't want to tell you who it is, but…"
Zexion finished, paling. "But Xigbar said I should be careful that I don't find out anything I wouldn't like. But Xigbar was waiting here for me when I got to your room. But Xigbar tried to discourage me from speaking to you. But…oh, god. Xigbar's been…"
Terra sighed sadly. "Yeah. The whole time, even ten years ago. He fought me at Xehanort's order…I was the one that took his eye and gave him the scar. My Darkness went out of control, and…"
Despite his anxiety, Zexion couldn't help but be amused. "And here he was telling us this horror story about how fifty Neoshadows piled on him at once, and be barely managed to escape with his life, let alone both eyes. And after all that, it was just an accident after a skinny young Keybearer kicked his ass up and down the Garden or wherever."
Terra laughed. "When you put it like that, it isn't so bad." A pause. "Wait, skinny young Keybearer? I was nineteen! That isn't fair, Zexion."
The two shared a small laugh that died down immediately when they heard the sound of a corridor being opened in the hallway.
Terra looked over at Zexion sharply. "Hurry, go and find the others. He must have heard you. I'll look for him, but you have to get to the others and tell them everything. They'll trust it coming from you."
Zexion managed a wry smile in spite of the situation. "You actually trust me to do this?"
"You're not a little kid, Zexion. You're just as capable as anyone else."
"Got it. You be careful, Terra."
"Right back at you."
Two corridors opened, and the two split up.
Zexion darted through the corridor into Vexen's lab, and was dismayed to find it completely empty.
"Damn it, Vexen! Of all the times to grow some common sense and leave your cave!"
He made his way quickly towards the walk-in freezer, remembering that Vexen had moved some of his more delicate experiments in there.
But he never made it. About halfway there, he heard a corridor open, and felt a pair of hands grab him, one by the hood of his coat, the other over his mouth. He was dragged through the corridor, and spun around so that the glowing, loaded point of an Arrowgun was resting right in the middle of his forehead.
"Hate to do this, little guy, but I can't have you spoiling this for me. I'm already in enough trouble from the boss; I don't want the others getting involved."
"Xi-Xigbar -!"
"Don't worry; I'll make it quick and painless. You just seem to have a habit of finding out too much, and look. It's gotten you killed- twice. That and your ridiculous ego. You just can't stand anyone treating you like a kid, so you don't let anyone worry about you or help you. Now, if you'd just let Vexen go with you, this might not have happened. Oh, well. It's too late now."
Xigbar cocked his gun, and pressed the point closer. "G'bye, Ienzo. It's been swell."
Faced with his very swift and imminent demise, Zexion squeezed his eyes shut and prayed someone would find him.