this is a request from sketchywolf, and Minato is his character. i hope you enjoy :)
She spotted him as she was leaving Twilight Town's station. A boy slicing down monsters that had appeared in the plaza around him. There wasn't any skill or technique in his actions, but she could see from the way he used the blade in his hands that he wasn't a stranger to it. How odd, she thought to herself, that a boy his age would have a Keyblade, but no Master to be seen.
Not only that, but she only knew of three other Masters besides herself. And as far as she knew, neither had this boy as their apprentice. Eraqus had only two, Yen Sid just one, and Xehanort none. Therefore she could not think of how such a boy would have obtained a Keyblade in the first place. And then there was the matter of the darkness she sensed within him. How much suffering had this child experienced for him to hold so much negativity in his Heart? Hoping to find an answer to at least one of these questions, she approached the boy.
"Hello there. My name is Iqarus, and I am a Keyblade Master." She smiled softly and bent her knees so that she was eye level with the child. He looked to be around 10 years old, but was short for his age, with shaggy black hair covering his face. "Might I ask your name?"
The boy brushed his hair to the side and looked at her with wide, solemn eyes for a long second, until at last he whispered, "Minato."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Minato. I see you have a Keyblade." Iqarus gestured to the blade still in his hands, and Minato's gaze followed. Now that she was closer, it looked vaguely familiar. "Are your guardians nearby?"
Minato's eyes darkened. "No. They're gone."
Gone? Then... "Do you not have any place to call home? No friends? How have you been eating?"
"You're pretty nosy." The child said this defiantly, but his shifting weight gave Iqarus the answers she was looking for.
"Hmm... It's no good for a kid like you to be on the streets, you know. How about you come stay with me? I could teach you how to better use the Keyblade, and you might even become a Master yourself."
At this, a glimmer of interest appeared on the boy's face. "A Master, huh?" His gaze wandered off to the side as he considered, then a small smile began to form on the boy's face. "Okay, sure. I'll go with you."
Iqarus straightened and offered him a hand to help him up. He shook it firmly and she held back a smile. "But first, how about you and I get some ice cream, hmm?"
"Ah, Iqarus. It's good to see you again." Eraqus stood and greeted his old friend cheerily as she entered his office. "And who is this? Have you at last taken up an apprentice?" He looked at the boy standing shyly behind Iqarus.
"As it happens, yes I have." She put a hand on the boy's back, nudging him forward. "This is Minato."
"Well, it's certainly a pleasure to meet you, Minato. I am Eraqus." Eraqus eyed the boy. He could sense something dark in the boy's Heart. Iqarus didn't seem to pay it any mind, but Eraqus felt he should keep close watch over him.
"It's nice to meet you, too." The boy fidgeted before asking timidly, "Are you a Keyblade Master too?"
"I am. And I also have my own apprentices. Would you like to meet them?"
A small nod from Minato had Eraqus calling out the door to the office. Soon after, a boy and a girl entered the room. The boy was taller than Minato was, with bright eyes exuding excitement. The girl was a little shorter, with blue hair and matching serious eyes. Minato found her extremely pretty. Their gazes passed over Iqarus before settling on Minato. The boy stepped forward, opening his mouth and letting loose a surge of questions.
"Hey there! I'm Terra! That's Aqua. What's your name? Where're you from? Did Master Iqarus bring you? Are you also training to be a Master? What's your favorite Keyblade? Do you like—"
Aqua cut Terra off in the middle of his interrogation. "Terra, give him time to answer!"
Terra hung his head apologetically. "Sorry."
Minato eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, overwhelmed. "I-i-i... Y-yes." The duo stared at him.
A long silence.
Then Terra started laughing. Aqua giggled a little alongside him.
"Wahaha, what was that? 'Yes'?" He was laughing too much.
Minato puffed his cheeks with a stubborn pout.
"S-stop laughing! Of course I'm gonna be a Master!"
"Oh, oh yeah?" Terra kept giggling, tears starting to leak from his eyes.
"Yeah! And I'm definitely going to become one before you!"
This got Terra to quiet down, but a grin was still wide across his face. "Yeah, right. Like I'm gonna be beat by some little kid."
This turned out to be the last straw, because Minato summoned his Keyblade and jumped at Terra. The two Masters, who had previously been watching silently, quickly stepped in to stop the fight before it could truly begin. Iqarus pinned Minato's arms to his sides in a tight hug while Eraqus stood between the boys.
"That is enough!" Eraqus glared down at Minato. "Control yourself, boy." The child's darkness was a problem. Why would Iqarus...? Eraqus then saw the blade in the boy's hand. Could it be? That shape... Of course, what with that Key combined with his... issues, it would be better to have the boy under a trained eye. It would have been troublesome to leave him be.
Eraqus took a breath and calmed himself. "Iqarus, take the boy to the library, let him cool his head."
The visitors left the room. "Are you alright, Terra?" The Master looked down at his pupil.
"Huh? Yes, Master." Terra looked at the door. "But what was up with him? Can't he take a little teasing?"
"Not everyone is like you, Terra," Aqua spoke up. "Some of us are a little more sensitive than you are. And, to be fair, you were pushing a little hard."
"Aqua is right. The boy is still adjusting to his new life. Be more careful with him, and don't be afraid to come to either me or Master Iqarus if anything goes wrong!"
The children nodded. "Yes, Master."
000
In the library, Minato hopped onto a table and sat, swinging his legs back and forth. Iqarus shut the door behind them, turning to face the boy. He was clearly still upset. She sighed, shaking her head.
"You must learn to control your anger," she said to him, "You can't go about beating up everyone who teases you. And please get off of the table. Sit on one of the couches. They were actually designed to be sat on."
With a huff, the boy slid to the floor and trudged over to a couch, plopping down, arms crossed. He had already been with her for nearly a week, and though he complied with her orders, learning to listen to someone other than himself was obviously a new experience for him. His Master followed him over and sat on the opposing bench.
"Why did you use your Keyblade?"
"He called me little! I wasn't about to let him get away with that!"
"And that is exactly what I meant by learning to control your anger. You musn't let darkness have the better of you, Minato. And attacking someone while they are unarmed is dishonorable."
Minato's face scrunched into a tight pout as he pulled his knees up to his face, hiding behind them in lieu of his now trimmed fringe. Iqarus sighed and stood once again, heading for the door.
"You are too old to be acting this childish. I am going to go apologize to Master Eraqus. When you've calmed down, I expect you to do the same. And Terra deserves an apology, as well."
Left alone, the boy sulked for a few more minutes before finally looking at his surroundings. The library was vast, much larger than the one in Iqarus' smaller residence. The shelves stretched up to the ceiling, maybe three or four stories high, and were packed full with books of various sizes and colors. Minato wasn't much of a reader, but even he was awed at the sheer size of the place. He unfurled himself and made for the nearest shelf.
Apologizing can come later. Why do I even have to? It's not like I actually got to hit him...
He reached the shelf and randomly pulled out a royal blue hardback, with gold lettering on the cover, and only about half an inch thick. Wings of Freedom. There wasn't anything on the back, but the title seemed interesting enough, so he flipped it open and began to read aloud.
"On an island far away, on the very edge of a cliff, stood a tower made of stone and wood and clay, reaching high above the ground and into the heavens. Inside the tower was an old and haggard inventor, who had once served the island's King but had recently fallen out of his favor, and his beloved son.
"The inventor, kept from escaping the tower by the King's men, wished for his son at least to escape the island and make a life elsewhere, while the son believed his father too valuable a talent to lose and wished his father be freed. There not being a way to leave by land or sea, as the King's army would surely be able to follow them and recapture them, the inventor began his work of inventing a way to fly."
"You have a nice voice."
Minato jumped at the unexpected sound and whirled around. "A-A-Aq.."
Aqua giggled as he stammered out her name, and he blushed. "You're very good. Do you read a lot?" she asks as she moves beside him, gazing over the books.
"N-not really. Do you?" he managed. He couldn't seem to help stuttering whenever he spoke to her.
"Every day," she sighed, passing a hand over the spines. "The worlds inside these books are incredible. I hope the real worlds I'll visit one day are just as amazing."
"..." Minato watched her silently as she smiled, trying to guess what she was seeing. Then he looked up at the shelves near the ceiling. "How do y-you get the ones at the top?" he wondered.
She grinned. "Hehe, like this." And with a wave of her slender hands, a large, heavy-looking tome drifted off the highest shelf and floated gently down into her waiting grasp.
He watched this with his mouth agape, a small gasp escaping his lips when she caught the book. His eyes glittered as he exclaimed, "How'd you do that!?"
Aqua's grin transformed into a coy smile. "I'll teach you. But only if you tell Terra you're sorry."
"Wha? No way!" I've been tricked! The Master must have set her up to this!
Her smile disappeared. "You boys are so dumb. I even convinced him to apologize to you, too, but I guess you're too stubborn." Aqua stomped off to the door, dropping the book she held on the table with a loud thud.
"W-wait! I'll d-do it!" Minato cried as he hurried after her, tossing his novella beside the larger one. She stopped with her hand on the knob and turned to glare at him.
Then her face broke out into another grin.
"Alright! Let's go!"
The two left the library, soon finding themselves in the Grand Hall. It certainly was grand, with its ceiling even taller than the library's, to make up for its smaller width, and stained glass windows lining the front of the room. The children were on the top level of the hall, which held three thrones at the back of the room and ended around the middle of the room as a balcony. The floor below also served as the entrance hall, with magnificent double doors leading outside. To Minato, it seemed as if every room in the castle was oversized.
"This place must've been built for a lot of people," Minato said to himself. He thought he'd said it too quietly for her to hear, but Aqua heard him anyway and bounced ahead a few steps.
"Maybe. But there's only me, Terra, and the Master living here now."
"R-really? But it's so b-big! Isn't it lonely?"
She laughed, maybe a little sadly. "Yeah, kinda. But you get used to it, and it's actually really helpful when playing hide-and-seek!"
They descended the stairwell to the lower level, Aqua chuckling as she recalled the shenanigans she and Terra got in while searching for the other in the labyrinthian castle.
"M-Master Iqarus' place is a lot s-smaller than here. More like a big h-house than a castle."
"Is it? That sounds nice," she smiled at him. "A lot cozier than a place like this."
Before he could figure out what she meant, they were outside, at the top of another set of stairs. It was early afternoon, and the sun was shining brightly with no clouds in sight. Looking down, he could see Terra sitting at the bottom, waiting with his face resting on his hands.
"Terra!" Aqua called out as she bounded down the steps. A frown reformed on Minato's face as they approached the other boy, who shared the same look of displeasure.
"Aqua. I see you brought the newbie."
Minato grit his teeth. Control your anger, control your anger... He reached the bottom of the stairs and faced Terra. The two stared at each other, neither wanting to let go of their pride first.
Aqua crossed her arms. "Well?"
Minato unclenched his jaw and looked at the ground. "I'm.. sorry for attacking you." He snuck a glance at Aqua, who glared at Terra as if daring him to reject the apology.
Terra himself just shrugged. "It's no big deal. I wasn't hurt, and if you swing your Keyblade at me again, I'll just beat you up with my own." He paused, scratching his cheek. "And… I'm sorry for making fun of you."
"Yeah, w-whatever. I'm over it."
"Great! I'm so proud of the both of you!" Aqua clapped her hands. "Now let's go eat some snacks!" She turned to Minato and said in a stage whisper, "And don't listen to Terra. He doesn't even have a Keyblade yet."
"H-hey! Don't tell him, Aqua!"
Her laugh echoed through the mountains around them as she grabbed the boys' hands and dragged them back up the steps. The sun had begun to bear down on them, so everyone was ready to go back inside.
Aqua's bright smile and her soft hand in his made Minato warm inside. Or maybe it was just the sun.
Either way, the snacks their Masters had prepared tasted delicious.
"I don't get it. Why are Master Eraqus and Master Iqarus so interested in your Keyblade?" Terra wondered aloud while he and Minato were taking a break from training. Aqua was a little ways away, practicing her magic. She'd turned out to be quite gifted with it, which made the boys jealous.
It was a year later, and Minato trained alongside Terra and Aqua under Eraqus whenever his own Master left to investigate any disruptions in the worlds. Recently it seemed both Masters were preoccupied with a sudden influx of Heartless, and Iqarus had been searching high and low for where they might be coming from. But this hadn't stopped them from occasionally stealing glances at Minato's Keyblade, and the children could hear them discussing it in Eraqus' office every so often.
"Maybe they just wanna know where I got it?" Minato picked at the toe of his boot.
"Where did you get it?" Aqua asked, finishing her exercises and joining them on the grass. "Nobody just gets a Keyblade without someone giving it to them first."
"B-but nobody did give it t-to me. I don't th-think so, anyway." He still couldn't speak clearly around her, something both Iqarus and Terra teased him for.
"Yeah, who would give some kid who can't even t-talk straight a Keyblade? That's a disaster waiting to happen!" Terra grinned at Minato.
Minato frowned at the mock stutter, but he quickly plastered on a smirk instead. "You act tough, but you haven't beaten me once!" he shot back. He might not be able to do anything about his Master, but now that all three apprentices had Keyblades, Minato would challenge the older boy to a duel, and maintained an unbroken winning streak. Terra couldn't stand it. "On your feet!" Minato jumped up, his Key appearing in his right hand.
Terra followed his example, gripping his Keyblade tightly and readying his stance. "I won't go easy on you!"
"Like that would change anything!" The two faced each other and charged.
Aqua rolled her eyes. Boys. Fighting is always both the problem and the answer with them. Thinking this, she nevertheless watched the two intently.
000
The sun was beginning to set by the time the battle had ended, and both boys were splayed out on the ground, drenched in sweat and out of breath. In an unexpected twist, the duel had ended in a draw.
Terra laughed triumphantly. "Looks like I'm catching up."
"As if! You just got lucky!" the younger boy smiled.
"If you two are done, how about the three of us go look for clues?" Aqua spoke up. She had sat through the entire fight, and a small notepad was on her lap.
"Clues? For what?" Terra sat up.
She held up the notepad. "You were interested in Minato's Keyblade, right?"
Terra squinted at her notes. "'Heavy on right hand'... Aqua, these are comments on our swordsmanship."
"What?" Aqua quickly glanced at the pad and flipped back a few pages, blushing. "Anyway, we might find something in the library. I saw a book on Key bearer history with common Keyblades of the past inside. What if you have an old one, Minato?"
The boys looked at each other, then back at Aqua.
"A-alright. Let's look."
They kept themselves from running, but it still didn't take long for them to reach the library. More novels had been added since the first time Minato had been there, from Iqarus' travels, and it seemed the room had expanded to fit the new additions. Aqua had told him the library was enchanted to hold as many books as was needed, and Terra had complained that it made finding the older volumes even more difficult than it already was. This didn't discourage Aqua from her search, and she ran off into the depths of the library. Minato could hear her shuffling around and books being taken off their shelves or slid back where she had gotten them. Then Aqua reappeared empty-handed.
She shook her head disappointedly. "It's not here."
"You sure it wasn't just left somewhere else? Maybe the library felt it belonged in a different section." Terra was building a tower out of paperbacks that had been left on the table. "Or maybe one of the Masters are reading it."
"We could l-look and see?" Minato offered.
Aqua considered the idea. "Master Iqarus is returning this evening, and Master Eraqus is probably already waiting for her, so he won't be in his office to let us in."
"He won't be there to keep us out." Terra corrected.
Aqua's lips stretched into a mischievous smile. "You're right."
And they stealthily made their way to the office. As Aqua had predicted, the Master was nowhere to be seen.
"Here it is!" Aqua pointed to a book on Eraqus' desk. It was the same one she had retrieved to demonstrate her magic to Minato the year before, thick and faded. She flipped to a tabbed page and placed her notepad on the desk beside it. Next to her scribbled notes were drawings of Minato's Keyblade.
Aqua began turning the pages, scanning the images closely. Her mouth was drawn to the side and she made a frustrated 'hmm' every once in a while as she compared images.
A few minutes of quiet reading (with Terra and Minato looking over her shoulders at the pictures) later, Aqua flattened the book and pointed. "There."
A small sketch on the upper righthand corner, a mismatched handle that had a white, turned in wing on one side and a spiked black guard on the other, with its black shaft extending and transforming into another pale wing, a pulsing light at its base. Beside the sketch was a short blurb about the blade.
"'The Way of the Damned. A Key forged in light and darkness, it chooses those who have power over both Realms.' So it was an ancient one."
"Power over both realms?" Terra raised his eyebrows. "Looks like we've got a big shot with us."
Minato shot him a look then turned back to the entry. "But wh-what does that even mean?" I've only ever been to three worlds in my life, let alone another Realm.
"Why don't you try it?" Aqua said suddenly.
"Try what?"
"Using whatever power it's talking about."
"But—" isn't that Darkness? But Master Iqarus said...
To keep it in control.
"Okay. Umm…" He closed his eyes. So long as he could control it, everything would be fine, right? He concentrated on the darkness inside him.
He could feel it swirling around and he grasped it in his mind's eye, pulling it towards him. The other two gasped and his eyes shot open. In his arms was a small dark creature with glowing yellow eyes. It wriggled in his grasp, antennae bobbing as it looked around. Its eyes gazed up at him and for a second, it looked almost cute.
Then it leapt out of his arms at Aqua.
"Wait, stop!"
But it did not stop. Aqua screamed and dodged the creature, it soaring past her to the office door where it was disintegrated by Eraqus' Keyblade.
He was standing in the doorway, furious. "What are you three doing?!"
"I-i.." Minato began, but Eraqus interrupted.
"Summoning the forces of darkness into this world? Were you even thinking? What if something stronger than a mere shadow had appeared? Would you three alone have been able to defeat it? You have no experience in such matters!"
"Eraqus." Iqarus appeared behind him. "I believe they get the point."
"Do they? And whose idea was this, hmm?"
"It.. it was mine, Master," Aqua admitted.
Terra added bashfully, "We wanted to know why you were so interested in Minato's Keyblade."
"And that somehow led to using the darkness?"
"The book said I had power over both Realms. I didn't think—"
"No, you clearly did not. I am disappointed in all of you." He turned on Iqarus. "I had assumed you taught him to stay away from the darkness, Iqarus."
She pressed her lips into a thin line before answering, "Some things have to be experienced to be understood. That scar on your face should have been enough for you to know this yourself."
This was apparently a sore topic, because Eraqus glowered at Iqarus before returning his attention to the children.
"As for you, Aqua, I had expected you at least would know better than to meddle with dark powers." Terra flinched at his words, and Minato stared at his feet. "You and Terra, go to your rooms. We will discuss this more later."
Eraqus' pupils shuffled out of the room. At a signal from Iqarus, Minato followed after them. When the door closed, Iqarus said softly, "You know, Eraqus. Perhaps we are partially to blame, as well. We should not have kept it a secret from them."
The other Master sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes. Perhaps.. I was a little rough with them. But using the power of darkness.. He is a bad influence."
"Are your students' Hearts so weak that one curious boy can sway them to the dark side?"
"It's not 'one boy', Iqarus. He is their friend, and that gives him power over them."
"He is not evil, Eraqus."
"I know. That is why I worry."
The two said their farewells and Iqarus exited the office. Minato was leaning against the wall with his hands behind his back. She smiled at him as he looked at her, his face full of regret. "Let's go, Minato."
The two left the castle and headed back to Iqarus' house. The journey was quiet until Minato finally spoke up. "Master, what was that thing? Did I really summon something from the Realm of Darkness?"
"You did. It's an extraordinary ability, but one you shouldn't use, and I think you have already seen why. Stray too close to darkness, and you risk putting those you love in danger.." She paused, then added, "But do not walk too closely to the light, either, or you will be just as blind to their suffering."
"..That's a lot of responsibility you've just given me, Master."
Iqarus chuckled. "I suppose so. Then shall I take responsibility for choosing tonight's dinner?"
"Huh? Absolutely not! You always pick the gross stuff!"
"Vegetables are good for you. You shouldn't be so averse to eating them. But if you think you can shoulder that responsibility.."
"Don't underestimate me, Master! I'll protect my friends and choose dinner!"
And like this, the rest of the way home was filled with laughter.
So this was chapter one! Thanks a lot to SlicedPeaches for their help with making sure this was readable. sorry for how long this took, but i hope you enjoy the next chapter too! hopefully it'll come out a little faster