~*Fulfilling Destiny*~

Maybe, this had been his fate from the very beginning.

A fierce satisfaction raged through Terra as he stared at the beaten and kneeling Master Xehanort. The old man, with his battered black and white robe and darkly tanned skin, had been his enemy all along. Goading him, blinding him, making him think up was down and right was wrong.

He had been so very gullible. Because of him, his dearest friends, Aqua and Ventus, were in mortal danger. Because of him, his teacher, Master Eraqus, was dead. But no more. Now, he would make amends for his mistakes and end Xehanort's life.

Terra tightened his grip on the handle of his faithful Keyblade, but did not move.

Xehanort was only upright thanks to his tight hold on his own twisted ebon Keyblade. His breaths were ragged, his orange eyes smoldering in his face with an unreadable emotion. He gazed steadily at Terra, sweat glistening on every inch of visible skin.

Their battlefield had been a great flat gray mesa rising over the Keyblade Graveyard, where hundreds of Keyblades, dull and dead, were thrust into the ground. The surrounding desert landscape was as empty as death itself, save for Terra's friends, and Xehanort's vile apprentice, Vanitas. The sky overhead was a swirling tempest of white clouds, a giant heart shaped moon releasing a strange blue light. Unnatural.

But, to make matters worse…

The Darkness is in me. I can feel it.

He had summoned it. Called it until he had been swept up in a veritable maelstrom of pure black power. It had given him the strength to fight and defeat the ancient but unbelievably powerful Master Xehanort. And now…and now…

I will use it to kill him.

The irony would be wonderful, surely?

But still, Terra didn't raise his weapon. Instead, he stepped closer to his adversary and glared down at him.

Then, the world shook. A flash of golden radiance tore across them, and Terra narrowed his eyes in an effort to see past it. Settling into a battle stance, he prepared for…whatever it was.

Xehanort weathered out the miniature explosion—(though they both were too far away to be affected by it)—before gasping. His eyes widened and a horrible joy spread across his features. Lifting one shaking, white gloved hand, he pointed forward. "Look at that!"

Terra was cautious. The oldest trick in the book, after all, was, Look over there! followed by a stab in the back. Regardless, he saw an odd light dancing across the old man's tawny pupils. Hesitantly, slowly, he turned…

And saw a beam of thick, slightly wavering golden-red light soaring towards the mismatched sky, passing even their throne of a mesa. It seemed to originate from the bottom of the canyons.

Terra heard Xehanort get to his feet, but he didn't care. A terrible feeling of dread was settling into the depths of his heart, and he struggled to maintain his composure. That…that could only mean…

Suddenly, his fleeting visions of things yet to come didn't seem quite so farfetched.

"The X-Blade has been completed!" Xehanort crowed, his hoarse voice finding new life.

His eyes itched to shed tears, but Terra denied them passage. He took two steps forward, desperation leaking into his voice despite his best efforts. "Ven!"

No, no, no…That must mean Vanitas…merged with Ven!

The X-Blade was capable of unlocking Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts was the ultimate power, the Heart of all worlds. The Heart of the Universe. But that seemed small compared to two details.

One, Ven, his little brother in every aspect except for blood, was in danger that he could possibly never be saved from. And two, Aqua, his dear friend, was with him. The entire world seemed to tremble, shake, and Terra found it hard to stand.

I can't…I…I can't let anything happen to them! This is all my fault!

Aqua's good luck charm, their trinket to bring them together always, seemed abruptly heavy in his pocket. The red star…His red star…it belonged with the other two, the green and the blue…

"It's our turn next, Terra!" Xehanort, almost forgotten, declared behind him before hefting his twisted black Keyblade and stabbing himself in the heart. A purplish-white light spilled out from around the wound.

Terra pulled himself out of his horrified reverie, turning with a startled, "What?"

The old man gradually spread his arms out, the Keyblade still buried within his chest. "I've…been waiting…for this day! Now I can finally throw away this old, frail body and obtain a younger, more powerful one!"

A pink globe lifted from his torso, trailing sparkling rosy dust, sailing upwards. Xehanort's figure became translucent, edged in yellow, beginning to fade.

Terra lifted his Keyblade, unsure what to do, unable to take his eyes away from the heart of Master Xehanort.

The old man continued. "Now I can confirm it with my own eyes!" He drew his hands to his chest, smiling a gnarled smile. "What awaits before the Keyblade Wars!"

Briefly, Xehanort's hungry tawny eyes were fixed on the blue moon shining distantly, coldly, unaware of the tragic events occurring one after another. Then, he stared at Terra and smirked. "Your Darkness will be my weapon!" He pointed at the Keyblade apprentice with the authority of God, and Terra did the only thing he could do.

There was no time to run. To dodge. The heart was coming too fast. Slamming his shoulder brace, he brought his armor into existence…and waited.

Blistering agony.

I…What's…happening…

A murky aura shrouded him, even with his armor on. The armor was made to protect him from the Darkness, but there was too much…too much…His body stood stiffly, like a puppet with its strings pulled at cruel angles. Meanwhile Xehanort still lingered, his ethereal form focused entirely on Terra.

Then, lifting his head and closing his eyes, Xehanort became a cloud of golden particles that drifted into oblivion.

Terra felt something cold pressing down on his consciousness, and though he fought with all of his strength, he was crushed. Shadows enveloped his thoughts, and then—

-A helmet dropped to the ground. Followed by clattering bits of brown, red, and gold armor. A green handled Keyblade, with its massive bronze blade, soon followed. A young man stood there, his hair a pale snowy white, eyes burning the color of the sun. But there was no warmth to it, no light, no life-giving energy promising a carefree summer afternoon.

His lips turned up slightly. A melted, gravelly voice spoke using another's lips.

"His heart belongs again to Darkness."

The clouds whipped in the heavens, forever circling the unholy blue moon like a pack of ravenous wolves unable to reach their only prey.

"All worlds begin in Darkness, and all so end. The heart is no different."

Tiny, pale specks of light flitted to and fro, almost invisible to the naked eye.

"Darkness sprouts within it, grows, consumes it."

The moon seemed almost flat, not like the normal moon. There were black shades dappling its otherwise beautiful azure surface.

"Such is its nature."

The young man's head rose. "In the end, all hearts return to the Darkness from whence they came." A mere thought summoned a black-orange-purple aurora that shifted into a familiar twisted Keyblade.

As the white-haired male began to walk away…the helmet twitched. Slightly.

Golden chains surged into life all around the departing youth, spreading across the mesa like a disease. Against a background of bright orange, the same chains shrouded the battlefield, locking in the man with nothing but the forlorn armor of a fallen Keybearer.

"What?"

By the time he turned around, the scattered plates of armor had reassembled. Complete with its horned helmet, the armor of Terra was kneeling down, fingers closed around the handle of Gaia Bane, Terra's signature Keyblade.

The youth growled. "So, even as a Lingering Sentiment, you still wish to defy me?"

No one was sure exactly what Sentiments were. Strong emotions were said to bring things, objects, inanimate items to life. Almost like a specter, or a poltergeist.

In response, the Sentiment was silent. Was he even Terra? Was he even a he? A heart residing in the empty shell of a Keybearer's personal armor might not even classify as having a gender. Despite this, despite everything, the Sentiment rose slowly from his crouched position.

Aqua…Ven…

A heart remembered a star charm still resting in a pocket.

Terra said nothing. He removed Gaia Bane from the earth from which he was named, and standing there, facing his foe, he appeared every inch a true Keyblade Master.

Even with no physical body operating his armor, he was going to fight for his friends until his soul was removed from the mortal world.

Xehanort assumed a battle stance, a cocky smile on his face. Everything seemed to be covered in a sickly glow thanks to the dome of light over their heads. The chains continued to shift endlessly, ensuring no one could enter—or leave—the mesa.

With a shout, Xehanort lifted his Keyblade and fired a round of Dark spheres from its pointed tip. The Sentiment lifted Gaia Bane and blocked the shots, reflecting them back and causing the shocked man to stumbled backwards, taking his own blows. Terra followed this up with a powerful slice downwards, the resulting vibration sent Xehanort flying backwards.

Clearly winded, he landed on his feet, yellow eyes flaring in his stolen face.

The Sentiment felt revolted. After all, he was battling someone that had taken his own body away from him. But that didn't matter. Nothing did, except ending this.

For Aqua, for Ven, I will kill myself if that's what it takes to stop Xehanort once and for all!

Xehanort became a blur; racing to Terra's left before unleashing some more energy bullets. Terra reflected them with ease, but this time the "young man" avoided the projectiles. They continued in this way, seeking an opening in the defenses of the other. Time and again the Sentiment succeeded in repelling the white-haired youth's attacks, knocking him away.

But one time, he was too slow.

With a howl Xehanort suddenly emerged from behind Terra, slicing him viciously in the back. His armor rocked, and the consciousness inhabiting the body felt itself slip a little.

Is that all he has? The Lingering Sentiment thought with a scornful laugh. Nothing matters…nothing matters…except defeating him!

Terra whipped around in a circle, blocking a headlong, Darkness intensified dash from the man in his body. He also slammed down Gaia Bane the next time he neared, creating a rippling shock wave of white.

Retreating for a moment, Xehanort studied him with a baleful gaze. "You're more resourceful than I had imagined."

The Sentiment wasn't sure if he could answer. Even if he wanted to. His control over his armor seemed almost…wraithlike. As if he was detached from the world and using his mind alone to move at all.

Xehanort charged again, and though Terra blocked, the man twisted around and delivered a crushing combo sequence. Endeavoring to move out of his range, the sentient armor pulled back, maneuvering his weapon and reforming his guard. He countered the young man's berserker whirlwind with another powerful concussion wave, dazing his enemy momentarily.

A moment was all he needed.

As his conscious became closer and closer to fading all together, the Lingering Sentiment evaded Xehanort's next attack—it was clumsy thanks to his confusion-and instead ran to the edges of the dome, performing a swift healing spell that actually succeeded in tying Terra's mind back to his impromptu body.

Black petals swirled over Xehanort's head as he cast a Cure of his own. The white-haired youth then proceeded to magically remove boulders from the mesa, sending them hurtling towards Terra.

The Sentiment was undaunted. He simply couldn't be. What were mere rocks flying towards him with enough force to shatter bones compared to the lives of his friends?

I have to trust Aqua…to save Ven. She can do it, I know she can. I…won't be able to.

He wasn't a fool. At least, not anymore. There was no way to get his body back that he knew of, and therefore, Terra opted to murder "himself" if that meant Xehanort would die with him. Because not only did concern fuel the Lingering Sentiment of Terra. So did the all powerful motivator of revenge.

Darkness still listened to the animated armor, and he used it to avoid the stones, flashing in and out of existence. The shadows weren't even cold anymore. As he approached Xehanort, he ripped himself free from his own warping chain, catching the unsuspecting youth on the side just as he finished his incantation, seeing that his magical assault wasn't working.

Xehanort once more began dashing about the mesa, Darkness flaring behind him like a kite's tail. Terra blocked all of his assaults, but his own counters were too slow to catch the young man before he was gone again.

The old Keybearer in Terra's body snarled furiously, obviously becoming angry with the Sentiment's continued resistance to him. The shadows around his form took on frightening shapes, some like clawed fingers, mauling into the sentient armor with a mindless brutality. Enduring the hits, Terra retaliated with a swinging blow that created enough space for him to hastily step back a few steps.

Dipping into the earth itself, Xehanort sprang up in a burst of Darkness in an effort to catch Terra unawares.

As the vibrations rocked him, the Sentiment, knocked away, came back swiftly and hit Xehanort hard in the chest. Before he could continue, with a mockingly musical ping, a shield of Darkness caused his swing to rebound. The resulting shock that flew up his arm almost made Terra drop Gaia Bane.

Xehanort's Dark charge sequence repeated. All the Sentiment had to do to thwart him was to block and counter, and the shockwaves handled the rest. The white-haired male was becoming frustrated, and tired, flinging more arcane-animated boulders at Terra, he began to growl almost like a wild animal.

Still, the armor came. Unrelenting, tirelessly, moving through every attack even if the steps became a noticeable effort. His single-minded determination seemed to even intimidate Master Xehanort after a while.

For Aqua.

Gaia Bane mercilessly tore into Xehanort's chest.

For Ven.

The Keyblade slashed from shoulder to shoulder, and Xehanort cried out in pain.

For Master Eraqus.

Energy bullets were blocked and sent right back to their villainous owner.

When a desperate Xehanort called on more boulders—(how much more could he take from the mesa without sending it toppling down?)—Terra simply slipped back into the Darkness, using it as cover and attacking his adversary with it at the same time in a method known as the Shoot and Lock by the Keyblade Disciples.

A large globe of golden light was created and shattered by the Sentiment's opponent, and blinded, Terra was almost too slow to avoid Xehanort's Keyblade when it came out of nowhere, seeking to cleave his head from his body.

What else can he do to me? I'm armor! The Sentiment's thoughts were almost…amused.

It was obvious that Xehanort was becoming weaker, for more of Terra's blows were landing successfully on his stolen form.

"I'm not finished yet," sneered the man with his face. His Keyblade morphed, changed, taking on an almost gun-like appearance.

Uh oh.

The energy had an electric look, and when it hit, the Sentiment was shot a considerable distance away. Regardless, he doggedly got to his feet and let out a hollow sounding laugh before healing.

The battle continued, but not for long, because Terra had the intention of ending it very soon.

"Xehanort!" The Sentiment wasn't certain if he had actually spoken or not, for the force of his fury was enveloping everything else in his mind. He broke past Xehanort's guard, shattered a Dark shield, and concentrated on nothing but making sure those nightmarish yellow eyes never saw anything again.

I…

"Grah…im…possible!" Xehanort tried to match Terra blow for blow, sparks flying into the air.

Will…

Gaia Bane descended again and again in continuous glittering arcs.

Not…

Golden eyes widened with something deliciously like real fear.

Lose!

With a roar, Terra knocked the twisted black Keyblade from Xehanort's hand and slammed him in the head. He collapsed on his back, frozen, still, his limp form sprawled flat on the gray mesa beneath the swirling clouds and the blue, blue moon.

He simply was not capable of breathing heavily, and thus the Sentiment just lifted his Keyblade and drove it back into the earth from which it obtained its title. Terra found his thoughts becoming slower now that murderous rage no longer drove him. He knew he would not be able to operate the armor much longer, from…wherever he was. At least, not here, not now.

Something like…weariness, but deeper than that, pulsed throughout his body. He gripped Gaia Bane's familiar handle and knelt down again, almost like he was worshipping something or someone.

He sat that way, unmoving, even when a gigantic explosion of light emerged from the same position that the first had come from, back when Xehanort was still an old man and Terra still had a true body.

The Lingering Sentiment would have smiled, if he could.

Aqua…she did it.

The light that was blossoming from the desert floor had a much cleaner look to it. Holy. It was undoubtedly good.

Ven must be safe.

The great radiance swept towards them with a deafening howl, claiming Xehanort's—Terra's—body in its embrace. As the light neared the Sentiment, sparkling and glistening against his armor and Gaia Bane, memories clearer than any other blazed into life.

Ven, grinning and cheerful, the little brother he had never known to wish for, and Aqua, smiling and dependable, their good luck charms hanging from her slender fingers. The best friend he had never deserved.

When the luminescence cleared, the orange dome was long gone. The only combatant left was an empty shell, unmoving armor forever gripping a Keyblade. Dots of light lifted from the dull Graveyard, shooting into the sky as the clouds closed.

The sky was still, the land was dark, and it was almost like the peace had never been disturbed and a blue moon had never existed.

Aqua…Ven…One day, I will…

The Lingering Sentiment didn't stir again until ten years later.

Right off the bat, as always, special thanks to strwbrymilk on YouTube for the translated Birth by Sleep videos! Also, I would like to thank ninetailedsaru2 for his battle footage of Terra VS Xehanort, very much appreciated!

This brings us to the end, I mean, I've done Ven's final boss, and Aqua's, and now I've finished Terra's. I might do Aqua VS Vanitas, I guess. Maybe. Oh, every one of these Final Boss things I've written has had one line repeated, though with a slight variation. Think you can find it?

I'd be so honored if you would drop a review!