Disclaimer; Disney and Square own it all; I only wish I did. Why in the hell cant I come up with these wickedly cool characters and twisted plots? Why?

A/N: This is it, folks, the final chapter. Finally! *Bells and whistles* Thanks to Lita of the Dancing Flames, Opiatepie, Alleycat18, Lucifer's Remnants, and MysteryKeyblader16 for their reviews, and thanks to everyone that read and favorited! :)

12.

He was surrounded by darkness again. In all directions, he could see no light, only the endless void. He looked all around, but he was alone in the darkness; there was no sign of Terra or Eraqus.

Can anyone hear me! he tried to shout, but his voice was silenced, and he could make no sound. What had happened? He had fought Master Xehanort, with the assistance of Eraqus and Terra, and he had won, so why then was he trapped in the darkness again? Had he damaged his heart worse than he had thought?

Or... had they decided that it was better to allow him to fall into a coma due to his fractured heart once the battle was over?

Why? Why would they do that after what he had done? Was splitting his heart in two and doing horrendous damage to it in the process not enough to prove he wasn't the monster that had tried to destroy the universe? He drew his knees up to his chest and rested his head on them. He knew the consequences of damaging one's heart. He knew that he would remain in a deep coma until either his heart healed itself, which could take years, or his body died for whatever reason.

Pain rose to fill his heart, and he laid his forehead on his knees and began to cry, but no tears slipped down his face, and no sound escaped his lips. He just wanted to go home... Was he going to be trapped here forever?

Open your eyes, Xavier.

He raised his head up and looked around. Elissa? he tried to ask, but of course, he could make no sound.

Xav'er. Wake up, Xav'er!

It's time to wake up, Xavier. We have patients to see.

Wake up! I need to thank you again for helping me save Isa! Got it memorized?

He tried to call out to them, but he could make no sound no matter how hard he tried. He tried to move towards their voices, but no matter what he did, they never seemed to get any closer, and he couldn't tell which direction, if any, they were coming from.

Someone, help me! I can hear you! he tried to call, but it was useless. He couldn't make himself heard.

Look up, Xavier. came a gentle voice, and he raised his head just as a light began to shine above him. He tried to reach for it, but he couldn't make himself move any closer. It was just beyond his reach.

Help me... he pleaded silently, and in response a hand appeared in the light, reaching out to him. He reached out and grasped it in his own and felt himself being gently pulled upward. He was pulled into the bright light, which allowed him to see the person that was helping him.

Eraqus smiled gently at him. "Your heart has healed, Xavier; it's time for you to wake up now."

Xavier returned the smile, blinking away tears. "Thank you, Eraqus."

Eraqus only smiled at him again and boosted him upward, where another hand caught his own and pulled him up even further. This time it was Terra, and Xavier engulfed him in a hug for a brief moment before Terra laughed and pushed him up, towards the light that beckoned above.

He heard the roaring in his ears that he had heard upon waking from his fever induced coma two years previous as the darkness scattered just like it had before. He then became aware of the feeling of a soft bed under him and warm blankets over him.

"Xavier?" Elissa's voice spoke from somewhere very close by, and he forced his eyes open to see her sitting in the rocker by his bed, like she had when he had been so very ill. He carefully sat up and she moved to sit on the bed beside him, and he just looked at her face for the longest moment as tears began to pool in his eyes and run down his face. It was really her; she was really there.

"Mama," he choked out, and he burst into tears and threw himself into her arms. Her warm arms came around him and held him tight as he buried his face in her hair, crying.

"Don't cry, Xavier." she said gently as he rocked him "You're home now."

"I'm home." he murmured "I'm home. I'm home. I'm home!"

She laughed lightly and squeezed him. "Yes, you're home."

He pulled away and sat up, and she gently wiped his tears away. "What about everyone else? What about Masa, Akim, and everyone?" His eyes widened. "What about Alexander? Is he okay?"

Elissa smiled at him, her own eyes damp. "Alexander is fine. So are Masa and Akim. All of your brothers are here, so is Taylor." Her face saddened suddenly.

"Mama?" he asked hesitantly.

She smiled tearfully at him. "There are some around town that are still missing, and..." She took a deep breath. "Your father is also missing."

Xavier lowered his head. That meant that Jascha was a... He shuddered and leaned into his mother's embrace again.

"Xav'er?"

Xavier looked up to see Alexander standing hesitantly in the doorway. Letting go of his mother, he opened his arms, and Alexander smiled happily and ran up to him, jumped onto the bed, and climbed into his arms. Xavier wrapped his arms around his little brother, closed his eyes, buried his nose in the child's soft hair, and reached out with his senses to check the condition of his heart. To his immense relief, the child's heart was pure, full of light, with no traces of darkness in sight. Grinning happily, he tickled Alexander's chin, and the boy squealed in delight. His squeal attracted others to the room, and soon Xavier was crying hard in relief and joy as he was welcomed home by his brothers. They hugged him and ruffled his hair, and Masa gave him a brotherly knuckle rub on the top of his head.

"Heard you had quite the adventure," the eldest said with a grin, and the room fell silent as Xavier stared at him in wide eyed horror.

"You mean... you know... who I used to be?"

"Yes, child." Elissa said gently as she reached out and smoothed down a few strands of his hair. "Taylor told us everything, and it changes nothing. You are still my son, and we all still love you. It took a great deal of courage to do what you did, and I am so proud of you." She embraced him and kissed him on the forehead. "Welcome home, Xavier." Xavier leaned against her again and closed his eyes and more tears seeped out from under his eyelids. He heard his brothers, still laughing, leaving the room, but a few moments later, one of them returned.

"Xavier." Akim said "Taylor wants to see you at the hospital right away. He says it's important."

Xavier reluctantly sat up, and Elissa kissed him on the forehead again. "Go wash your face, get dressed, and go see what he wants." she told him, and he nodded and wiped at his eyes and he stood up. A few minutes later, he walked down the stairs, and Heras handed him his lab coat, which had been washed and pressed, and he gave his little brother a tight squeeze before he walked out the door. He made the short walk to the hospital in silence, enjoying the cool autumn weather, and hearing the breeze rustling the changing leaves in the trees.

The hospital housed two open wards that were currently empty, a small operating room, a few storage rooms, and three private rooms, and it was in one of those private rooms that he found Taylor, tending to Isa. Isa looked much healthier. He had gained weight, his skin had much more color to it, and he was breathing much easier. Lea was seated by his bed, watching him sleep, and he smiled at Xavier when the latter walked in.

"You brought him back with you?" Xavier asked, and Taylor looked up from adjusting the IV pump.

"Yes," he replied "His disappearance was discovered, so I thought it best to bring him here so he could recover in safety."

"Do you need my help with him?"

"No, I asked you to come here because Isa has something he wants to say to you."

"What? He woke up?"

In response to the questions, Lea leaned over and lightly ghosted his fingers down Isa's cheek. "Isa," he called quietly "Isa, Xavier's here."

Isa shifted in his bed, and a small whimper escaped his lips as his green eyes fluttered open. He looked around the room for a moment, and he smiled a weak, tiny smile when his eyes landed on Lea before he looked at Xavier.

"Superior," he said in a hoarse voice, and Taylor stepped out so Xavier could sit on the bed beside him.

"Just call me Xavier, Isa." he said gently as he grasped one of the former Luna Diviner's hands in his own. To his delight it was warm, showing that the circulation to it was no longer failing. "I'm not your Superior anymore."

Isa smiled tiredly at him. "Thank you... for saving me."

Xavier returned the smile. 'You don't have to thank me. Lea was already intending to get you; I just happened to be there when he did."

"If you hadn't taken us to Taylor's house, he would have died before I could have gotten him to a doctor." Lea insisted "So without you, he wouldn't be here."

"Thank you." Isa said again, and Xavier smiled as he lightly squeezed his hand.

"You're welcome, Isa. Get some rest now."

Isa sighed softly as his eyes sank shut, and Lea smoothed out his blankets and brushed his short blue hair back as he fell asleep.

"Thank you, Xavier." Lea said seriously "You didn't have to help us that night. Doing so put Taylor and Alexander in a lot of danger, so thank you."

"It should be me thanking you, for saving my life in the Keyblade Graveyard." Xavier said as he lightly ran his thumb across the back of Isa's hand.

Lea waved that off. "I couldn't let that geezer win, not after you'd risked so much to help Isa, so thanks. I mean it." Xavier smiled weakly and gave Isa's hand one last squeeze before he stepped out of the room and closed the door to find Taylor waiting for him.

"How long was I asleep?" he asked. Isa's drastic improvement couldn't have happened over night, so that could only mean that he had been out for a while.

"About three weeks." Taylor replied. "Personally, I'm shocked to see you up and moving so well after lying still for so long. Before we left Radiant Garden for here, Even told me that your heart had been damaged and that you would sleep until it healed, and he also said that once you woke, you would be fine, but I'm still surprised."

Xavier nodded; it didn't surprise him. Master Xehanort's knowledge, he assumed. "How is Isa doing overall then? He looks so much better."

Taylor smiled. "He is. The respiratory infection has mostly cleared, and his fever broke several days ago. I had to do a skin graft on his ankles and wrists, but those are healing nicely. He still has a long recovery ahead of him, and he may never get back to how strong he was before, but I'm confident that he'll be fine."

"I am very glad to hear that." He had Xehanort's memories of Isa as a quiet, collected teenager that was forever getting dragged into whatever mischief Lea had planned, namely sneaking into the castle. To think that he had been tossed into the castle's prison to rot was heartbreaking, and Xavier was suddenly glad that Even and Aeleus had thrown him in there that night.

Taylor clapped him on the shoulder. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning, Xavier. After all, you still have a year left in your apprenticeship, so no slacking off now. Now go home and spend time with your family." The old man pulled him into a hug, and Xavier returned it, and they stood there for a few moments before Taylor let go and went back into Isa's room.

Xavier left the hospital, but instead of going home, he wandered around the fields and town for a while. Many people were still out and about as the sun set, and Xavier watched them go about their business as he wandered idly through town. Children's laughter could be heard, as well as their parents voices calling them to come in for dinner/bath/bedtime. Other than a few damaged buildings, one couldn't tell what had happened, and he wondered briefly why Haven's Bridge appeared to be barely touched, while large parts of Radiant Garden were still in ruins.

It really didn't matter, he decided as he cut through the field to reach his family's farmhouse. The world was restored, they were home safe, and Master Xehanort was destroyed. That left just two more things to do.

He slowed his walk as the sun dipped below the tree line and stopped under the tree where Masa had found him in what seemed like a lifetime ago. His keyblade appeared in his hand, and though its appearance hadn't changed any, it looked less sinister, and it felt comfortable in his hand as he held it out in front of him as the wind kicked up around him and the tree. On the ground between two large roots, right where Braig had dropped him, a keyhole appeared in the grass, and he closed his eyes and pointed the keyblade at it. A second later, he felt the little beam of light fire from the tip, and he heard the sound of the world's heart locking away, never to be touched by the Heartless again. He opened his eyes as the wind died, and the keyhole faded and vanished from sight.

Dismissing the keyblade, he looked up at the starlit sky, towards where he somehow knew Twilight Town was at.

"I'll come for you soon, Jascha." he said to the sky, and then he walked across the field towards home.

OOOOOO

Xavier spent the next several days very busy. Isa still needed frequent care, and there were injuries and illnesses to deal with, many inflicted during the world's destruction. They were very short on supplies and other necessities, as the destruction had destroyed or scattered their stored crops, and Lea made frequent trips to other worlds to get what they would need to see them through the winter and early spring. He had to be careful; he didn't want anyone to follow him and find Isa or Xavier, so he had to venture pretty far out to stay away from the worlds and pathways that Sora and his friends visited. Not once did he complain, however. He and Isa had been welcomed in Haven's Bridge, and it was looking more and more that they were going to stay there permanently. Isa could never return home to Radian Garden, and Lea had no intention of leaving him.

He also made time to ward as many of the houses as possible. The castle that he, Eraqus, and Master Limahl had lived in had centuries of wards soaked into the stones, emplaced by every keyblade master that lived there. No Heartless could get through them until Master Xehanort destroyed the world along with the castle. Doing so tore the wards apart, which is why Heartless could appear at will in Castle Oblivion. Though he was technically not a keyblade master (Though he knew he could lay claim to the title if he wished. He had no desire to do so however.) he still knew how to create the wards. A keyblade wielder that lacked a safe place to rest didn't live long, and Limahl had taught them to him as soon as he had been deemed capable of casting them.

The wards that Xavier put around the houses were nowhere near as strong as the ones that the Land of Departure had once had, but they would help greatly in preventing the world from being overrun again by Heartless. Over time, they would gain strength as the families in the homes lived and loved. Light, innocence and positive emotion would strengthen them as time moved on, so, in the far future, they would be as powerful as the ones around the Land of Departure.

With everyone that was going on, it was nearly a month after waking up that Xavier was able to break away and go to Twilight Town. He had to wait until his mother was asleep; Jascha's loss had hit her hard, and she panicked if her children vanished from her sight for too long without knowing where they were at. He had informed Masa where he was going, but he hadn't said why, and his oldest brother said he would cover for him if need be. Taylor had also been told, and Lea had wished him good luck. The fire elemental had known what he was looking for.

Xavier made the long flight to Twilight Town without incident, and he landed in a quiet area of town, unseen by anyone. The streets were empty, and the clock tower informed him that it was still what passed for an early morning for the residents. That suited him just fine as he dismissed the glider and walked through town until he reached the hole in the wall that led to the mansion. A few Heartless bothered him on the way, but he made short work of them as he used his keyblade to open the gates and walk in.

The inside of the old building was quiet and falling into ruin, and Xavier reckoned that it wouldn't last another twenty years without some kind of restoration, but that wasn't important to him. He had come for one thing and one thing only, and he found it in one of the upper rooms. The white room was furnished only with a white table and two white chairs, and the walls were covered with drawings done in pencil and crayon: Naminé's work, he realized.

Standing in front of the window, looking through the sheer drapes at the forest was a single figure, and when he reached out with his senses, Xavier could detect no heart, yet the figure still had a human form.

A Higher Nobody, like Xemnas, Saïx, Axel, and the others had once been.

"Jascha," he said quietly as he stood in the doorway, and the figure turned to look at him.

"Xavier," his adoptive father said in a flat tone, and Xavier felt his own heart ache to hear the utter lack of emotion in the man's voice "You're alive."

Xavier felt tears burn at his eyes, but he blinked them away as he walked across the room. "I am." He wrapped his arms around the older man and laid his head on his shoulder. "And I am so glad to see you." After a moment, Jascha's arms came around him and returned the gesture, but there was no warmth in it. After a moment, he stepped back and wouldn't meet his son's eyes.

"There is something wrong with me, Xavier." he whispered "I feel empty, and I cannot feel, and I just feel so incomplete, and I don't know what it is or what to do about it."

"You have lost your heart, Jascha." Xavier explained gently "That is why you cannot feel. Those monsters that came took your heart, leaving only your body and soul behind."

"What can I do?"

"You can either return home with me and live as best you can without it, or we can try to reunite you with it right now."

"I will not go to your mother like this. I refuse to show her a lie. How do we take the second option?"

In response, Xavier pulled the man into a hug again, and as soon as his father returned the gesture, he whispered. "I'm sorry." and fired a ball of pure darkness through the man's back and into his physical heart, stopping it instantly. Jascha stiffened in his arms, and then he went limp as he began to dissolve into the darkness that had birthed him.

"This is the only way." Xavier said quietly as he stood by the window and held his father in his arms "The Nobody and the Heartless must be destroyed for them to be reborn as a complete person. When you find your heart, you will return home, and we will be there waiting for you."

Jascha looked up at him, his mouth moving soundlessly for a moment, before his eyes closed, and his body dissolved, leaving Xavier holding nothing but empty air.

He bowed his head, and a few tears slipped down his face to drip onto the floor. "Forgive me." he whispered, and he stood there for a long moment before he summoned his glider and opened a portal home.

He arrived home in the early morning, and he immediately went to Alexander's room. It was where Jascha had lost his heart, so it was where he would appear once he had regained it, but the room was empty and silent of all but Alexander and his quiet breathing. Xavier felt his eyes burn with tears again, but he hastily wiped them away. It was foolish of him to think that Jascha would appear so quickly. His Heartless likely hadn't been destroyed yet. With a heavy sigh, he pulled the covers up to Alexander's chin and kissed the sleeping child on the side of the head before he went to seek his own bed, though it took him quite a while to finally fall asleep.

He was still tired when he dragged himself out of bed a scant few hours later to begin his chores before heading out to meet Taylor at the hospital. Thankfully, most of their animals had come through okay, and Xavier mucked out the horses' stalls and fed them before he fed and watered the chickens and helped Masa and Akim pitch hay to their dairy cows. He then went inside to clean up and have breakfast. Elissa served up pancakes and sausage with cheer, though the cheer didn't quite reach her eyes.

It was as he was slipping on his boots and lab coat (While trying to banish the persistent feeling that he was forgetting his ascot.) when a surprised shriek came from upstairs, where his mother had gone just a few minutes before. Xavier, Masa, Akim, Heras, Jachin, and Yuta all looked at each other, and then they all ran for the stairs, with Xavier in the lead, keyblade at the ready. He reached Alexander's room in record time, but instead of Heartless, he found a very confused looking Jascha getting the life squeezed out of him by his wife of thirty years, while Alexander sat nearby, giggling. Xavier and his brothers stared in silence before Masa and the others practically screamed with joy and piled into the room. Xavier held back, checked that Jascha did indeed have his heart, and then he just watched, unsure if it was okay to approach, after what he had done to Jascha's Nobdoy.

After a moment, Jascha looked up from his family and saw Xavier hesitating in the doorway. He smiled and held his hand out, and Xavier's knees nearly collapsed from relief as he walked up and was engulfed in the man's strong arms.

"Thank you." Jascha whispered in his ear, and Xavier couldn't help the sob that broke free as relief washed over him. "Welcome home, son."

A wall inside Xavier broke at those three simple words, and he began to cry. His father held him and murmured soothingly to him, and he felt his mother and brothers gathering around them. He was home, they were all safe, and Master Xehanort was gone, never to trouble him again.

OOOOOO

Life continued on as normal on Haven's Bridge for the next few weeks. Isa was discharged from the hospital, and, upon hearing that Lea had saved Xavier's life in the battle against Master Xehanort, Elissa and Jascha offered him and Isa a place to stay until they could get things sorted out. It worked out fine because, although he was well enough to leave the hospital, Isa was still under doctor's care, and him being in the house allowed Xavier to monitor him closely. It also proved to be a source of much amusement because like the rest of the former Organization members, Isa retained his Nobody's powers. Akim's first – and only – attempt to prank the newest member of the house had ended quickly when he'd practically gotten a Claymore shoved up his nose. The rest of them had decided that pranking Isa wasn't worth it after that. Lea they left alone after seeing him light the fireplace with a flick of his fingers one night. Funny pranks weren't worth getting singed over, it seemed.

Shortly after the first snow, Isa took his first steps in over two years, assisted by Lea and Xavier, while Taylor watched closely. The rest of the family cheered him on and applauded him once he had made it into the dining room, and Lea and Xavier eased him down into a chair at the table. By then he was a healthy weight, and the infection that had raged in his lungs was clear, though the damage it had caused left him susceptible to future infections. He still tired quickly as well, so after dinner, Lea carried him to bed.

After Xavier and Taylor checked on him and made sure that he was warm and safe under his blankets, Taylor returned to his own home, and Xavier went to his own room to spend a quiet evening reading. It wasn't until he was getting ready for bed himself that he felt Terra stir.

Terra had been quiet since the battle against Master Xehanort. Xavier had tried to speak to him many times, but each time there had been no response. He knew Terra was still there, but it was almost like he was asleep. So when he felt Terra stirring, he hastily sat up in bed and placed his hand over his chest where Terra's heart was resting aside his own. As soon as he did, a wave of sadness engulfed him.

"Terra?"

He heard what sounded like sniffling – was Terra crying? - and then: I want to go home...

Xavier felt a stab of pain in his own heart. "Terra..." He had forgotten all about that. He had not spoken to Aqua or been back to Castle Oblivion since before the battle, and he hadn't seen Ventus at all. It was no surprise that Terra was upset, but what could he do? Surrender control and let him take his body back?

No! Terra said vehemently Never that!

"Then what do you want me to do, Terra?"

…. I don't know...

"I don't want to keep you in there forever."

Terra said nothing, and after a moment, Xavier felt him settle down and go back to sleep. Xavier tried to do the same, but instead he only stared at the ceiling until the dawn brightened the room.

OOOOOO

Between Isa's care and the world's destruction, they were low on medical supplies, and Xavier and Taylor discussed how to get more, since they were going to need them for the upcoming winter, and their usual methods of getting them were currently lost to them. It was Lea that suggested that they get the from offworld, and shortly afterward, he took a trip to Radiant Garden (with stops in many other worlds on the way to confuse anyone capable of tracking portals through the Corridors of Darkness.) and returned in short order with Even in tow.

Since Vexen had been the Organization's medical person, with Zexion acting as his assistant, Even had assumed control of the castle infirmary at Radiant Garden, so he had easy access to suppliers. He sat down with them and compiled a list of things they needed, and while they were doing that, Xavier asked if Ienzo was acting as assistant like Zexion had once done.

"No," Even replied without looking up from the clipboard that he was writing on "Vexen does that."

Xavier gave him an odd look. "Vexen?"

Even raised his eyes to look at him and paused in his writing. "Do you remember the Vexen Replicas?"

"Of course."

"One of them survived, and I found him a few months after I was reborn and took him in." Even smiled. "I am so glad that I did. He was very ill when I found him and likely wouldn't have lived much longer. All of us, when we were reborn as our complete selves, suffered from strong feelings of disassociation, like we were disconnected from reality, or were dreaming. The only way to deal with it was to have something to focus on, so when Ienzo suggested that I go back to Castle Oblivion and see if there was anything of Vexen's that might interest me, I agreed, though I wasn't expecting to find one of his Replicas." He smiled again and stood up. "I'll get back to you with some of this within a few days. Some of the items may take a while, but I'll see what I can do to hasten it for you."

Taylor stood as well and shook the scientist's hand. "Thank you, Even. You've no idea how much of a help this will be."

"I'll get back to you as soon as I can." the blond said, and then he portaled out. Like Lea he would bounce to many other worlds before returning to Radiant Garden, to make it harder to trace where he had gone, and also like Lea, he wore his Nobody's Organization coat to protect his heart from the darkness that filled the Corridors. Xavier idly thought that he should look into getting one or two of Xemnas' coats (Though he would have to get the size adjusted since he was built much like Xehanort had been, leaner and less muscular than Xemnas.) just in case when Taylor asked him a question:

"What is a Replica?"

"A Replica is an exact copy of someone, down to the DNA. Vexen learned how to create them about a year or so before he died, and he created several of them, most of himself, though there were a couple that were of different people."

"So do they have their own mind?"

"Oh yes, they have their own mind, their own free will, their own soul, and their own heart, though if you want, you can capture a free roaming heart and use it..." Xavier trailed off as a sudden thought crossed his mind.

"Xavier?"

"Oh sorry, something just occurred to me. Are we done here for the day?"

"Yes we are. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning after you give Isa his physical therapy for the day."

"Alright, see you then. Goodnight Taylor."

"Goodnight Xavier."

Xavier stepped out into the cold night air, but instead of taking the quicker route home, he opted to take the longer one, through the fields and past the tree where Braig had abandoned him. Once he reached the tree, he leaned against the rough bark of the trunk and looked up through the bare branches up at the sky, at the small pinprick of light that was Radiant Garden, where Even and Vexen were.

He smiled and placed his hand over his chest and felt his own heart, as well as Terra's.

"Soon, Terra." he said with another smile, and then he stood up and walked across the frozen ground towards the lights that beckoned on the other side, towards home.

OOOOOO

Oh my god! It's DONE! Now just because that's the end of Burning Heart that doesn't mean it's the end of the story. There will be a one-shot follow up to this, as well as one-shot side story, though I'm not sure when those two will be up. I go on vacation here in a week or so, and I don't know for sure how much internet I'll have access to. There's also a couple other fics competing for my attention right now, so I guess I'll see what happens next.

Thanks for reading. :)