Lost and Found [Zexion/Vexen]

[Matt]

Waiting

Vexen stood at the edge of a tall cliff, looking down at a mess of a world. As far as could be seen, there was nothing but lifeless badlands. The dry terrain, which looked as if it had been untouched by rain for years, was scattered with craters and other various scars. It was clear that these were not naturally created landforms; they had been created by someone or something. Of course, Vexen had a guess what they were. More than a guess really; he was quite positive. They were part of the reason he had chosen to come here in the first place.

Research, however, was not the main reason for this particular mission. Zexion, who was to be arriving any moment, would likely have figured that out. Exactly as he had been told in the message sent to him, this was not ordinary world. That was true. But the obvious fact of the matter was that Vexen did not require assistance to complete a reconnaissance mission. He was more than capable of accomplishing this, regardless of the uniqueness of the case. Having Zexion along merely for assistance was not necessary. But...

Number Four and Six had much to discuss. Much to discuss indeed...

[Fate]

What Do We Have Here?
Sunset Horizons by Yoko Shimomura.

A Corridor of Darkness went off not too far away from Vexen, signaling Zexion's arrival. He had received the message saying that there was a rather unique world that they would be looking at today. It was rather unusual to be called to do reconnaissance with Vexen since the two of them often went alone; both of them were rather good at reconnaissance and did not really need each other. That signaled, at least to Zexion, that there might have been an ulterior motive to this other than just looking at a rather unique world.

The two were standing on a large cliff now, overlooking what Zexion described as a dead world. There was simply no life here, or at least not anymore. It was dry, dusty, and battle worn by the looks of it. There were craters and scars that looked man-made, not natural. The feel of the world was also unusual. There was once life here; there had to have been. Curiosity lingered now; he wanted to know more about this mysterious world.

He turned his gaze over to Vexen now, walking over to stand a few feet away. "Hello Vexen," he said politely, "What an intriguing place we have in front of us today. I appreciate you inviting me to do reconnaissance with you to see it." Naturally, that phrase was empty since neither of them could truly appreciate things. "Hopefully I did not keep you waiting too long. This world will prove to be very fascinating." It already had his curiosity enticed when he arrived; there was probably a lot more waiting for him.

Though, there was other curiosity as well. Vexen did not simply draw him here just so they could look at this world and study it together. With almost any Organization member, there was always an ulterior motive.

[/size]

[Matt]

So...

"Why hello Zexion." he replied with matching politeness. "How nice of you to take the time out of your busy schedule to come." And that was certainly what the Schemer's schedules had been recently. Rarely was he to be seen around the Castle That Never Was, as he was so constantly out on missions. Yes, the finding of the Tool of Darkness-- or the Champion, as he had become know-- was likely the explanation for some of these occasions, but Vexen had a feeling that wasn't the only thing that Zexion was up to.

"Oh yes," he said, turning to face the other Nobody. A slight smile appeared on his face. "I do believe you'll find this trip to have been well worth your while." It seemed he had already managed to catch his interest. And they had still yet to even reach the main attraction.

His eyes wandered past Zexion, towards the direction that was quite evidently the one they ought to be moving in. "Well, let's get started, shall we?" In no particular rush, he began to walk, expecting to be followed. The path was several feet wide, and hung to the side of the cliff. Further ahead, it broke off and grew thiner, snaking it's way towards another set of small mountains.

"So tell me..." he asked simply as he walked. "What have you been up to lately?" Although this may have seemed like just another polite question, it was something Vexen was actually quite wanting to hear. There were things in particular that he was curious about, but he had left the question rather broad. He supposed would give Zexion the opportunity to tell him whatever he saw fit first, before pushing for anything specific.

[Fate]

This, That and the Other Thing

Yes, his schedule had been busy as of late hadn't it? He rarely stayed inside of the Castle long enough before he was off again, not sleeping much and spending most of his time in the castle writing reports. He would then be sent on a mission or make his own; most of this month was a good mix of both, though there was certainly a lot going on with Axel at the moment. Vexen didn't need to know about what he was doing with Axel or Sora right now.

He started following Vexen shortly after he started walking, intending to walk slightly behind him or next to him. The path was wide for the first part of it, allowing him to walk next to the Academic. However, it gradually grew narrower and he was still looking around as he walked. What was this place even called? Did it have a name? If so, why had no one heard of it until now? Did something happen here that made history forget it? out of all of his reading, Zexion was relatively sure he had never heard of a place like this. Part of him felt he should have too; something happened here, something on a large scale to cause this much damage to the land.

His attention was drawn back to Vexen with his question, which he was not surprised to hear. It was a casual question often asked between acquaintances, co-workers, friends and the like. It was relatively vague, meaning Zexion did not have to be too specific with his answer. "I've been continuing with the mission that the Superior assigned me, which is to track the Champion," he replied. Vexen most likely knew that the Tool of Darkness had a new name; news traveled fast in the Organization.

"Apparently, he was recently in Destiny Islands, the home world of Sora and Riku," he continued, "Though, the world was very intact and the scent a few days old. He did not seem to have any sort of impact on the world whatsoever, making me very curious. He also can no longer be traced, meaning we have to wait for him to appear once more." It was a long answer for what had been happening with him recently, but at least he gave some interesting information to Vexen that might just tie him over.

Once they reached the narrower part of the path, Zexion decided to walk behind him. "And you? What have you been busy with?" He was a bit curious since he hadn't seen Vexen around much as of late. Though, it was also a subtle way to move the conversation along away from himself a polite manner.

[/size]

[Matt]

To The Point

Answering the question that had been directed at him, Zexion explained that he had been following the Superior's orders and tracking the Champion. He then elaborated on the matter, telling how the enigmatic man had most recently been sighted on Destiny Islands, but his whereabouts were currently unknown once again. "Interesting." he replied, though he hardly found it to be so. His thoughts read more along the lines of: How uninformative... Nothing that the Schemer had just said was anything that he had not already known. Spottings of the Champion were big news, after all.

No, it was not the Champion that Vexen wished to hear about. What he was mainly interested in learning was Zexion's progress in a different one his endeavors that they had previously discussed. Unfortunately, before he could pursue this subject, he was interrupted by the formality of being asked what he had been busy with himself. "Well, as you know I had the mission of looking into Maleficent's pawns." he said briefly, choosing not to go into further detail than necessary. "And naturally I've been rather busy with my other research projects as well."

The two Nobodies were approaching the spot where the path cut straight into another cliff, though it was impossible to see beyond that from where they currently were. Having successfully gotten around Zexion's question, Vexen decided to get back to asking his, the important ones. "Speaking of the Keyblade Wielder... Have you spoken to him recently?" This time, the question was much more direct. The Academic had suggested that, if he wanted to learn the truth, that was what the Schemer ought to do. Of course, that was easier said than done, and who knew if a tactful way to do so had been found.

[Fate]

Is This What You're Looking For?

It seemed that both of them were dancing around the questions. Vexen's answer was vague and something he had already been aware of. It was not too hard to guess that he was researching and investing time in other projects; as long as no more Replicas were produced, Zexion was fine with not knowing. The Schemer had also not given Vexen any new information about the Champion that had not spread out into the Organization; any news about the Champion often did. Zexion couldn't say he wanted to know anything specific from the Academic, but he most likely wanted to know something from the illusionist.

Of course, this presented itself once they started following a path straight into a cliff. Zexion continued to follow as Vexen presented his question concerning the Keyblade Wielder. The question was not a surprise; the Academic had been the one who suggested talking with the Keyblade Masters about Xemnas. Though, Zexion had not spoken with Sora at all concerning that; he had already gotten his information from Riku and King Mickey by then. Sora had simply been warned about the Champion and his intentions, also being reunited with Kairi. Though, none of that was going to be said aloud; Vexen did not need to know about Sora and what the Schemer had planned for him.

"Yes," he answered nonchalantly, "Both Riku and King Mickey confirmed my suspicions. Xemnas did indeed use Kingdom Hearts for power after the rest of the Organization had been exterminated." He was not about to say that he had sent Axel to go talk to Riku, not wanting to risk exposure for either of them. Vexen received the answer that he wanted and that was all that mattered at this moment. He just had to be careful of what other questions were asked.

[/size]

[Matt]

Odd Detail

"I see..." So Zexion had found the proof he was searching for after all. Granted, he seemed rather quick to assume that both of his sources were entirely valid. Likely due to the fact that he desired to prove his hypothesis correct more than he wished to find the actual truth. After all, it was possible that Riku and the King could have lied, regardless of how probable... Hmm. The peculiarity of something dawned on Vexen. "I must wonder though: did you really choose to meet face-to-face with Riku over Sora?

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but last time you saw Riku weren't you trying to dispose of him, and he attempting-- not to mention quite nearly succeeding-- to destroy you as well? This question was clearly purely rhetorical; they both knew it to be true. "With Sora never having met you, he seems like a much more logical choice. Doesn't he?" He glanced at the Schemer out of the corner of his eye, curious as to what his explanation for this would be. "In fact... when we last spoke, did you not point that out yourself?"

By this point, the two of them had entered a large canyon. It was well over twenty feet wide at it's narrowest, and it's stone walls extended up even further. There was still a ways to go before they reached their final destination.

[Fate]

Secretive in Nature

Zexion nodded his head. "I did. However, I found that Sora is more difficult to track than Riku is," he said, "If you remember correctly, I could not even sense Sora when he arrived in Castle Oblivion. He most likely has darkness in him now, but Riku was much easier to find." That was another partial truth. Sora was more difficult to track than Riku was and Zexion considered himself rather familiar with the darkling's scent by now. "I found that Riku was much more willing to listen than before. He seems to have matured since our last meeting. I did not want to risk meeting with Sora, who is more likely to attack first and ask questions afterward." Again, another partial truth. The Schemer had met with Riku before and he confirmed that the other was no longer hostile toward him.

The illusionist cast his eyes upward now that they had entered the large canyon. The pathways were not extremely wide, but the canyon was quite formidable in height. It held the same empty feeling that the rest of the world did, almost as if something should have been there but no longer was. Just what was beyond this canyon? Was it simply going to be more empty space, or was there going to be something that would say more about what happened to this world?

"Something happened to this world," he said, "I cannot detect a single form of life here and you have most likely come to the same conclusion that this world is rather old." It was a slight change of subject, but Zexion didn't just do it so he could avoid the previous conversation; he truly was interested in this world and its secrets.

[/size]

[Matt]

Mysteries

"Sora is also much more easily fooled, particularly with your unique talent." he replied, though the point of Riku being easier to find was a sufficient enough explanation, he supposed. Of course, if finding them was an issue, then that implied that they weren't in the obvious place. "So then I assume that means the keybladers are no longer residing on Destiny Islands?" This was not terribly surprising. With the balance between light and darkness having been so drastically tipped, it made sense that they would feel the need to look into it. Besides, knowing that the Organization was returning would also have put them on edge.

Vexen nodded in agreement to Zexion's observations. Although he still had many more questions to ask the Schemer, it did not bother him that Number Six was expressing interest in the world. It technically was the purpose of the mission after all, and it pleased him to have roused such curiosity. "Most all worlds are old, mind you. What makes this specific one different, is the fact that it has long since been dead. And without any hearts to lure them here, naturally there are no heartless." That was obvious.

"But you are right. Clearly something did happen to this world. Something big..." This something being the evident cause of the place's emptiness. A world didn't just die for no good reason. "I'm sure we will find more evidence of this mysterious calamity as we continue." From the overly-confident way with which he said this, it surely wasn't difficult for Zexion to guess that Vexen had not invited him without first looking into the world at least somewhat on his own.

None the less, there were still many questions to be asked and answered. "So, I hear Saix has returned to the Organization." Though the Diviner had been back for quite some time now, Vexen had yet to speak to him. Something he did not regret. He and the Schemer both hardly trusted Number Seven at the moment, and for good reasons.

[Fate]

A Cold Trail? Perhaps, Perhaps Not.

Vexen did have one point correct: Sora was easier to fool than Riku was as far as illusions were concerned. He truly believed the lie about Castle Oblivion being able to convey what was in one's heart. However, he had not been the one he talked to about Xemnas, choosing to go through Mickey and Riku first. To the next question, Zexion shook his head. "From my visit to Destiny Islands, I can certainly say they are no longer there. Where they are, I haven't the faintest idea." That was the truth. After he left Sora in Land of Dragons with Kairi, he hadn't bothered tracking him afterward. Riku was just not all that important to him at the moment.

He looked around the world some more as Vexen spoke, his eyes trying to pick up the slightest details, something that would lead somewhere. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could see that gave him any clues aside from the man-made damage. He couldn't tell how old it was or anything of the sort. Vexen was agreeing that something had indeed happened here that was on a large scale. His tone was also overly confident, which meant he knew something that the Schemer did not about this world. Zexion raised an eyebrow to this and to his next statement.

"Indeed he has," he said, "He arrived shortly after my return from the Deep Jungle with the Champion. I still cannot help but feel uneasy with him. I was attempting to tell Xemnas this, but he interrupted. Though, I sense the Superior does not place as much trust in him anymore because of this. We should keep a close eye on him." He left that topic there and decided to move on, continuing to follow Vexen through the canyon like area.

"What do you know about this world that I do not?" he asked, "Your tone suggests that you did your research. Where did it lead?"

[/size]

[Matt]

Almost There

So as Vexen had suspected the Keyblade Wielder and his friends had indeed left their home. Off to go "vanquish the forces of evil" or something, no doubt. Regrettably, Zexion was clueless as to their current location. Or so he claimed... The Schemer was quite the skilled tracker, and-- having observed them first-hand-- the Academic could attest to the fact that they were obviously not intellectuals. Especially Sora. They were unquestionably something that deserved keeping tabs on, and were Zexion remotely interested in doing so he would have been able to. But despite that topic's importance, it was not worth lingering on for the time being.

It was good to know that Number Six had already warned the Superior of the Diviner's treachery. Whether he had been totally successful or not, it sounded that Xemnas at least now possessed enough distrust towards Saix. That would help to complicate any sort of plotting that one was undoubtedly up to. Still, as Zexion said, they would need to keep a very close on him. "Indeed..."

Once again, Zexion was pulling the conversation back towards the subject of the unusualness of world which they were in. Trying to change the subject, was he? Or perhaps he was merely that curious. The truth was likely a combination of the two. "You are correct, I did do my research." he admitted with a look of amusement showing on his face. "However, I wouldn't want to spoil too much for you... You'll be learning what I have discovered soon enough."

They were beginning to near the the end of the long canyon, the exit now visible up ahead. Poor Zexion wouldn't have to wait too much longer to see... "I shall tell you this: the sheer scale of which what we are to find will certainly shock you."

[Fate]

Continuation of Questions

As per usual, Vexen was choosing to be cryptic. Zexion shouldn't have been surprised to not get a clear answer from the Academic about where the road in front of them led. It was not as if the Schemer had deliberately changed the subject back to the world either; he truly was curious about this world and what was hidden in it. According to Vexen, what they were about to see was going to be truly shocking. What could this desolate world truly be hiding outside of this canyon? Zexion had already tried sensing some sort of life again and again, which amounted to nothing.

The two continued to walk, the exit in sight. The illusionist made sure to stay behind Vexen, though decided to ask a question or two more to try and get something out of him that wasn't cryptic. "What do you mean by sheer scale Vexen?" It was the only thoughtful question he could think of at the moment, though a decent question. Sheer scale could be interpreted a number of ways, but Zexion interpreted it as something of massive proportion, one large thing that was great in size that would perhaps explain the barren state of the world.

Though, that led to even more theory. Was this world hit by something, maybe a large meteor of sorts? That would certainly bring desolation to any world, though one would think Heartless would still remain even afterward. Perhaps a large battle took place left its marks on the land. Zexion liked that theory more, though there were questions to be had with that. Why did the battle stop? Why was there a battle? Who had even fought in this battle and what was their motivation for doing so?

And, most importantly, why would it have gone unremembered?

[/size]

[Matt]

Behold

Following the path, which had quickly grown narrower and begun to slope uphill, the two Nobodies made their way out of the of the giant canyon. The sunshine hit them as they moved out of the dark shade that had filled the depths of the trench. "Exactly what I meant." the Academic replied simply, with purposeful vagueness and a lack of helpful information. Not only to annoy the Schemer, but more so because he did not feel the need to explain what would be only too clear in a short matter of minutes.

There was a large crater in the center of the small area they had reached. On the other side of it, to their right, was the entrance to the place they were looking for. It was here that the two tall stone walls met, leaning in on each other to create a sort of natural doorway. Or perhaps not quite so natural, considering that it was obviously a battle of men that had wrecked havoc there long ago. Taking the lead, Vexen began to make his way through it. “Don’t worry, we’re almost there.”

Due to the small width of the passageway, Zexion was forced to walk behind. This combined with the considerable difference between his height and that of the Academic, would have most certainly obscured his view as they approached the clearing. At least until close to the very end. Vexen on the other hand, could make out the weapons easily as they grew closer. “In fact… we’re here.”

Stepping out of fissure, he waited a moment for Zexion's mind to take in the incredible site before them, before finally announcing where it was they were. "Behold: the Keyblade Graveyard." Thousands-- maybe even hundreds of thousands-- of keyblade stuck out of the ground as far as the eye could see. The keys were dull, tarnished, and many even broken; things one never observed a keyblade usually. They were standing on a wide path, approximately twenty feet across, that met with another one identical to itself far ahead to form a crossroads.

"All that remains of the legendary, and now nearly forgotten, Keyblade War." He turned to face Number Six, interested to hear his reaction to everything he was seeing.

[Fate]

State of Shock

Vexen was refusing to answer his question, leaving Zexion to only follow him out of the canyon. They now were in a large crater, though they did not stay there for long. The Academic had him follow him through a natural sort of doorway formed by the two tall stone walls meeting. He couldn't see past Vexen either, though, his curiosity would soon be quelled. They were almost at their destination, wherever that may be. He waited until they were out of the narrow passageway and into light again, Vexen stepping away and letting him look at the sight in front of him.

His eyes widened and he gasped, almost petrified by what he saw in front of him. As far as he could see, Keyblades were stuck in the ground. There had to be hundreds of them-- no, thousands of them-- on this empty plain. They varied in size and build, though every one of them lacked what every Keyblade he had seen before had: life. Most were broken, the after-effects of battle having taken their toll on the prized weapons. Others were simply tarnished from the effects of time. None of them were as glorious as they probably once were.

Zexion barely heard what Vexen said as he took all of this in, though he heard the words "Keyblade Graveyard". Yes, that was what this place resembled. With the Keyblades stuck in the ground in an almost organized fashion, the paths even making a crossroad yards away, it served that purpose well. Far too many questions came into the Schemer's mind. Where did they come from? Who were their wielders? How long had they been here? Why had no one found this before? And what happened here? That was perhaps the most important question. If he received that answer, then the other questions would tie into that.

Vexen's next statement provided that answer and more questions. A Keyblade War? He had never heard of such a thing. What did he mean? He stepped forward more, walking closer to the Keybades on their right. All of them were lifeless and ruined. They were tarnished by a battle though, something that had also happened without anyone's knowledge. He turned to Vexen, standing next to these Keyblades still. "So that is what happened here," he said, shock still coming through his voice, "What I want to know then is more. What caused this Keyblade War to take place? And why has it been nearly forgotten?"

He limited himself to two questions, though Vexen undoubtedly knew that more were to follow.

[/size]

[Matt]

Answers

Unsurprisingly, Zexion was in complete awe at the sight of the Graveyard. It was the reaction one would expect from anyone. Keyblades had become such revered and prized item, regarded rarer than any jewels or precious metals. People acted surprised when they came a single Keyblade; of course seeing such a countless number of the weapons was shocking. Still in disbelief, the Schemer moved closer to the keys to the right, as if drawn in by them. Finally he pulled his eyes away from them long enough to turn around and speak.

The questions posed to the Academic were predictable ones. So he wanted to know "more" did he? Vexen considered withholding what he knew, at least momentarily, but he decided he would be generous that day. He would share what he knew with Zexion. Most of it. Though the source of the information, an interesting enough topic in and of itself, was not something he was likely to divulge for the time being.

"The Keyblade War was a massive conflict that took place long ago. There were not so simply only two sides, however for simplicities sake the war was fought between the Keyblade wielders of light," he said, raising his right hand, "and those of the darkness." He rose his left, then letting both drop back down to his sides. "As for what they were fighting over, it was the same thing that still manages to attract the interest of humans: Kingdom Hearts."

"This quest of lust for the unimaginable power of the heart of all worlds spread like wildfire, and even those who wished to stay out of it were caught in the middle of the fighting. It raged on, until eventually the World was cast into darkness." The singularity of "World" may or may not have been caught by the Schemer. But it was not just some small mistake of the tongue. It was exactly what he had meant to say.

"Over time, the World became what we are familiar with. A multitude of smaller worlds, each separated from each other and protected by boundaries, so that never again could another war so devastating could ever take place again." he paused for a second, before adding passively. "Or so it was, until our little experiments led to the crumbling of these barriers..."

And that was the tale of the Keyblade War.

Vexen recalled that there was still one question asked left that he had yet to answer. The reason for the forgetting of the ancient story. Although the answer to this question was much less concrete and should have been rather obvious. "Why has remembrance of this all but completely faded from history?" he shrugged. "Over time, many things are slowly forgotten, or at least twisted from the truth. If you searched the worlds I think you would find plenty of myths that bear a slight resemblance to this."