Redemption Frägment

Chapter Sixteen: Dark Corridor

“I’m going to kill him when he gets back,” Sephiroth said as he watched his son and his friends disappear onto the transport between worlds. Zack laughed and shook his head.

“If you really didn’t want him to go, you would have stopped him.”

Sephiroth snorted and turned away from the window, looking back at the dark haired ex-SOLDIER who was sprawled out on the bed in their borrowed room, leafing through a huge book he’d brought up from the downstairs library. Slowly, the ex-General moved to settle beside the ex-Major, watching those gold-green eyes scan the pages of words, unable to help the little smirk forming on his lips.

“Quit smiling,” Zack said off-handedly. “Do you want to kill poor defenseless puppies?”

“No, just poor defenseless boys.”

“Seph, he’s your son. You know he’s going to be like you.”

“He’s not crazy enough yet.”

Zack laughed and turned from his book to stare at his lover for a long while. He closed the book and pushed it from the bed, sitting up to face the older man, head tilting. “I don’t want him to be crazy like you. Only one of you is enough.”

Sephiroth gave a crooked grin. “Don’t I know it.”


Ansem led the group off of the transport at the first world they arrived at, a dusky place that seemed foreboding even to the man who piloted the transported. He’d warned them, but Ansem hadn’t said a word in reply, leaving Kairi to thank the man, but we’ll be okay so please stop trying to change our minds sir.

The three Islanders didn’t know where Ansem was leading them but he was leading them somewhere, his golden eyes slowly glazing over, as if he were in some trance. The other three just followed, weapons at the ready just in case as the darkness began to grow longer and deeper. The yellow-eyed boy led them through abandoned city streets, the four keeping close together as wind howled through empty buildings. Kairi shivered and lit her staff with a quick fire spell if only to give them a little bit of comfort as the darkness grew thicker.

Something brushed against all their minds, and Sora, Riku, and Kairi shivered. Ansem reacted with a jerk, eyes losing their Heartless-golden luster to appear almost a deep brown. His body trembled, and he almost dropped to his knees, but Riku was there to catch him, holding him up.

“You okay?” he asked.

Ansem nodded somewhat absently. “Yeah… but… come on. He’s waiting for us.”

“Who’s waiting for us?” Kairi asked as the group began to move again. Ansem only shrugged and kept silent, moving deeper into the darkness that swallowed up Kairi’s fire. It was instinct then, for the Keyblade Masters to form a triangle around their healer, Sora taking the left, Riku the right, and Ansem the front. They walked at the pace Ansem set, hurrying to get wherever Ansem was leading them. Their eyes just kept scanning the dark around them, waiting for something, anything, to leap out and attack them. Only nothing ever did, and though their weapons were all ready to defend and kill, it didn’t seem like they were going to need them. Ansem paused within the darkness then, moving forward step by step to reach out, touching a section of the darkness. His hand came away wet by the dark, the black, viscous fluid dripping from his fingers.

“That’s gross,” Sora and Kairi said together. Riku simply rolled his eyes. Ansem frowned and wiped his hand on his pants, turning to look at the youngest two in their group.

“It’s through here.” He said quietly, eyes drifting from Sora and Kairi to Riku. Riku just nodded and moved to follow Ansem through the darkness. Sora swallowed and moved through, with Kairi bringing up the rear and trying not to shriek about the dark fluid touching her skin. She was amazed to find out then that the darkness didn’t stain her skin or her clothes as she emerged, moving closer to Sora and Riku as she stared around the chamber the four had appeared in.

“What is this place?” she asked softly, seeing nothing but darkness, lit only by a soft jade light, illuminating a pathway for them to follow.

“The Dark Corridor.” Ansem replied in a hollow voice.

“A dark corridor?” Riku asked. “That’s impossible. Those can only be opened by those with the powers of the dark, and it’s dangerous to walk them.”

“No. It’s THE Dark Corridor. The original. The one where the rest branch off from. But… someone wants us here, that’s why we found it.” Ansem said. “Let’s keep moving. It’s probably just as dangerous.”

The four took a few steps forward before they heard it, a soft purring sound that began to grow louder and louder until they could feel the brush of wind against their skin, a sibilant voice ghosting across their minds.

-You’ve come.-

“Who are you?” Riku shouted, making his group stop in the dark. Kairi raised her staff, watching the flame flicker in the wind. Still, the fire persisted, the light making them a target to anything that was coming closer.

-You’ve come. Finally. We’ve been waiting such a long time for you.-

“For who?”

-For the fragment.-

“Fragment?” Ansem questioned softly. He frowned, looking at his own hands, noticing the pale flesh had now started to take on a dark tint.

-Come. Come before he notices you’re here, fragment. Come to us, and we will tell you what you need to know. What you need to know to be whole.-

-Come.-

-The voice was harsh, old, evil. The old man stepped before the masked young man, hands reaching out for the helmet covering the face.-

-Come on now. Stop fighting me. It’s only going to make the pain much worse. They have the Light, the weak, insignificant light. You, my child, will have the strength of the darkness.-

-No! I don’t want it! Leave me alone! Please!-

-Do you really think those three will come save you now? Do you? Do you think Terra will leave the side of his beloved Ventus to come save you?-

-He will! I’m his— he won’t abandon me!-

-He already has, little one. Now, forget this existence of light. Your name is Xehanort now.-

-No! No!- “No!”

Ansem’s hand shot forward, and would have broken Sora’s nose had not Riku pulled him out of the way. Sora’s eyes went wide, staring at the yellow-eyed Keyblade Master lying on the ground, head pillowed on Kairi’s lap. He stared at his friends, blinking his eyes when the images over-laying their real faces wouldn’t go away. Finally he sat up, holding his head, eyes closed tight. He felt Kairi’s hands on his shoulders, felt the concern the others had for him.

“Are you okay?” Sora asked. “You collapsed… started screaming.”

“Yeah… I just had… another vision is all.” Ansem picked himself up, brushing himself free of invisible debris just so he didn’t have to look into those electric blue eyes.

“Should we keep going?” Kairi asked. “I mean, we can always wait until you’re better.”

“If I don’t go now, I might never be able to.” Ansem moved, one unsteady foot in front of the other until he’d reached a momentum where he could propel himself forward without assistance or falling over. Sora and Riku and Kairi still kept pace with him, giving him silent support as he continued walking along the green-lit path. It began to spiral downward soon enough, the sibilant voice telling them to hurry with each passing moment. When the path finally stopped, it opened into a chamber limned in violets, greens, and blues. It was a breathtaking sight and the four moved forward, deeper into the chamber.

“Where the hell is this?” Sora asked, his voice reverberating off the walls, echoing back the four of them.

-This is our home. Welcome to it, Princess of Heart and Keyblade Masters of Light, Shadow, and Dark.-

The four teenagers unleashed their weapons, staring wide-eyed as there was motion in the darkness within the chamber, two large Heartless-yellow eyes opened within the black.

“What the hell are you?” Riku questioned, holding Way to Dawn at the ready. Ansem’s Redemption flickered and disappeared, moving forward slowly, despite the protest from his friends.

“You are the source of the Heartless, aren’t you?” Ansem asked softly, watching the yellow eyes soften.

-No, we are not. We are one who is Heartless but we are one who no longer exists as well. But we know you, child, for you and we have a history.-

“What sort of history?”

-Will you leave your friends to find out?-

Ansem looked back at Sora, Riku, and Kairi, watching them closely. Kairi was slowly shaking her head, but Sora and Riku’s eyes only held determination. Their permission given, Ansem slowly walked forward and held up his arms, feeling tendrils of darkness wrap around him. He heard his friends calling for him, but he couldn’t back out now. He stared at those yellow eyes and swallowed.

-Are you ready, child?-

“Show me.”

Those yellow eyes narrowed and Ansem was engulfed in the darkness, images flashing before his eyes, sinking into his brain. Memories, things he didn’t remember, things he’d seen in his visions and dreams, things he hadn’t even known, they all assaulted his senses. He felt his body arch and writhe, bend and break, twisting in horrible contortions as pain rocked his skeleton. He screamed, but he knew no one could hear his screams, that no one would come to save him.

-There you are, little fragment. Where have you been hiding?-

-The old man stole into the laboratory then, carefully walking through the rows of examination tables with half-formed bodies upon them, moving toward the tank that rested near the back of the room.-

-I’m glad you’ve come out, little one. Would you like to see your brother now?-

-Behind the old man steps the masked young man, slender hands reaching up to the helmet. It comes off with a soft hiss, silver hair falling free around thin shoulders, dull butter-yellow eyes staring at the form floating in the viscous blue fluid that allowed it to breathe.-

-Look, Xehanort, look how pretty he is. Look how beautiful your heart is. You struggled against me, Xehanort, so I had to remove your heart. But look, here he is. Aren’t you?-

-The old man steps up to the tank, pressing his hands to the glass.-

-What’s wrong, little heart? Miss your body? Don’t worry, little heart. Nothing’s going to happen to it. Once I get what I want, you can have your body back. All you have to do is serve me.-

-Never! I won’t serve someone like you! I won’t! I’m a Keyblade Knight, the Master of Twilight! Terra will come for me!-

-Terra? Terra is too busy declaring you rogue to come rescue you! He believes you’re mine; mind, body, and soul. Mine of Darkness. You won’t escape me, little heart. You have no power, fragment.-

-The old man sweeps away, the body moving after its master like a good puppet. There’s rumbling from above, rock tumbling down, smashing the glass of the tank. Coughing and spluttering, the heart’s form begins to disappear, melting into nothing as it races back for the body. But it’s far too late, the body taking the brunt of a vicious spell cast by Aqua, followed by a brutal physical attack by Terra. Broken, bloody, bruised, the body refuses the heart only to spare it the pain. But the heart takes refuge within the body, mouth opening in a scream as the helmet comes off, revealing to the three Knights the identity of their enemy.-

-Ki… Terra’s voice catches in his throat, eyes darkening with tears. They’re tears of betrayal, tears of hurt. He can’t believe that he is seeing the face before him.-

-Terra! You have to destroy him! He’s been tainted by darkness! Aqua calls, holding a wounded Ventus even as the blonde tries to stand.-

-Terra looks helplessly back at his companions, then to the apprentice. How could you? He asks.-

-It wasn’t me. The heart tries to say. Please. Terra. Brother.-

-You’re no brother of mine! Terra snarls, raising his Keyblade for a final blow. Die in darkness, Kikazune!-

He dropped to the ground hard enough for the breath to be driven from his lungs, his entire body screaming in pain as he tried to move. Kairi was at his side, casting a healing spell upon his form, Sora and Riku moving to support him.

“Ansem?” Sora ventured, rising when the taller boy managed to get to his feet. “You okay?”

“My name isn’t Ansem.”

The three Islanders looked at each other. “Then what is it?” Kairi asked.

Slowly, he turned to face them, whiskey-coloured eyes opening to stare at the three younger children. “My name is Kikazune.”