Takeo: A Fractured Heart (Wattys 2019)

Chapter 19: Confrontation

Takeo charged to Xehanort, and tried to punch him, but his fist phased through both Xehanort, and the throne he sat on. Takeo looked down at his fist in confusion, then back at Xehanort, who didn't even acknowledge Takeo's presence. In face, it looked as though he was looking through Takeo, at someone else. 

He turned around, and saw them. It was Takeo, and another person, standing in front of Xehanort. The Past Takeo was looking at the person he arrived with, who was kneeling before the throne. He had a shocked look on his face, and he looked back up at the man who was occupying the throne. 

"Tristam, what are you doing?! Bowing before Xehanort?!" Past Takeo yelled.

Tristam looked up to Past Takeo, and frowned, "I'm... Sorry Takeo. This is the only way to ensure one side wins."

Past Takeo had a look of bewilderment, "What do you mean?! We could take Xehanort down right now!"

Tristam shook his head, "No... He's too powerful. The Darkness... Is too powerful. They are already winning, fighting is no use anymore."

The present Takeo looked at the scene unfolding in front of him. He saw fragments of this on the stairwell, when he was standing with Otekax. This is what happened before he woke up in Traverse Town. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. This is what started Takeo on this journey, this moment with Xehanort, and the boy who he now remembered to be Tristam, his childhood friend.

"The Darkness will never win! You just have to believe in it Tristam! We can do this!" Takeo said, sticking his hand out to Tristam.

The other boy looked up at it, then brushed it away and stood on his own. "I'm sorry, Takeo. This is just how it has to be." Tristam summoned his Keyblade, and swung it towards Takeo's head. Takeo ducked, and summoned his Keyblade as well, swinging for Tristams legs. The two jumped around the throne room, fighting so fast that it looked like a blur.

The present day Takeo looked over to Xehanort, who was watching the fight unfold. Takeo balled up his fist in anger. "You... you caused all of this. If it wasn't for you, Tristam and I would never have gotten ourselves into our current situation. I would be happy, living a normal life..." Takeo stopped his sentence. He remembered the people he had met on his journey here. Hercules and Phil, Jane and Tarzan, Cid and Leon, Master Yen Sid, and... Emileigh.

A tear rolled from his cheek, and hit the floor. Suddenly, everything around Takeo stopped, and went black. Panicked, Takeo looked around to see if he could figure out what was going on. A dark portal opened, and Otekax stepped out of it.

"You again! Guess I get to beat you down a second time!" Takeo yelled. He charged at Otekax, but his Keyblade simply phased right through him. His eyes widened, and he looked back at Otekax, who had turned around to meet with Takeo.

"There is no need for violence, boy. You have beaten me. I don't know how, but you did it. I hope you're proud of yourself." Otekax said with attitude.

"Of course I'm proud! I stopped you and your Organization from... well... I'm not really sure." Takeo said, looking to the ground.

"Foolish child. You know not of what it is you even fought for. The answer is simple, you fought for yourself just to get your precious Heart back into one piece." said Otekax, pointing to Takeo's chest. "You know not of the events you have just put into place around you. This will not be the last time you see me."

Otekax faded away, and the black room slowly vanished as well. Soon, Takeo saw the battle resume in front of him between his past self, and Tristam. The fighting was fierce, and Takeo almost felt like he could feel the hits landing on him again. A blast of Dark Energy shot out from Tristam's Keyblade, and hit Takeo square in the chest, sending him plummeting to the ground.

Xehanort let out a laugh, and stood from his throne. "Good, young Tristam! You channeled the Darkness from within!" He said as he walked over to Takeo, his arms behind his back. Soon, Xehanort was standing over top of Takeo, casting a shadow onto him.

A smirk came across the face of Xehanort, and Tristam walked over. "What are you going to do with him?"

"Oh, I have my plans for young Takeo, don't mind that. In the meantime, why don't you wait for me in my chambers." Xehanort said, opening a Dark Portal behind Tristam. "I'll join you momentarily."

Reluctantly, Tristam went through the portal, while still looking down at Takeo. He had a look of what seemed to be regret come across his face. The present Takeo wondered what happened to him after this.

Xehanort took his hands out from behind him, and lifted one into the air. A Keyblade formed on his hand, with something that looked like an eye in the center of it. He slammed the Keyblad down, sending it directly into Takeo's heart.

Takeo's body slightly lifted off of the ground, and a light started to form on the inside of his chest. Within seconds, Takeo's heart was outside of his body, surprisingly in one piece. Takeo's body dropped back down onto the floor, lifeless.

The Heart remained floating in the air as Xehanort looked at it with an evil looking smile on his face. He pulled his Keyblade back, and thrusted it through the center of Takeo's Heart, twisting the Keyblade as he went. The Heart split into two, with one half returning to Takeo's body. The other hovered in front of Xehanort.

"You will introduce Takeo into our larger world, and then destroy him. Give him a sense of hope, and crush it. Then we shall see if you are worthy for my project." Xehanort said, placing his hand onto the fragmented Heart. Quickly, Darkness shot through the Heart fragment, and both Xehanort and the fragment went into a Dark Portal.

The room went black once again, and Takeo woke up once more in the throne room that he and Otekax had been fighting in. He looked to his left and saw that Otekax truly was no more.

But something was wrong. Takeo couldn't move, or feel anything for that matter. He looked down to his feet, and saw that he was slowly fading away.

"Why? I won! This shouldn't be happening!" Takeo yelled.

"T-Takeo?!" a voice from behind him yelled. He recognized that voice.

It was Emileigh.