Chapter Three: Threats
"It?" Xemnas asks, tone puzzled.
I tear my eyes away from the man who is obviously injured on the ground and look instead towards the hooded man. Braig...I certainly remember him. However he doesn't spare me a glance, even though I'm sure he can tell that I'm glaring at him. However he does tug down his hood, I can see that his eyes are anxious.
"He...you mean you let him take it? I knew we shouldn't have trusted you with such an important task, as if!" he says, anger evident in his tone.
Mariaul looks up sharply, pushing himself to his knees. "What? Do you seriously believe I didn't try to stop him?"
Xemnas gets to his feet in one swift motion, crossing his arms as he watches the other two. I stand up as well. If Xemnas doesn't know what they're talking about then there's no way I will.
"I insist you both tell me what you are talking about. What is this 'it'?" Xemnas asks in commanding tones.
Mariaul just scowls at him before looking again at Braig, raising his eyebrows as if telling Braig to tell him. I get the feeling that Mariaul really doesn't like working with this organization, but I could be wrong. Before he has a chance to speak Braig hauls him to his feet roughly, as a result a groan escapes Mariaul as he bends down to clutch his leg. Xemnas turns to Braig, staring at him pointedly, letting him know that he still expects an answer.
"It's got nothing to do with you, so don't worry yourself. If you're that concerned take it up with Xehanort," Braig says.
He begins helping the guy Mariaul into the castle. Xemnas also heads back towards it, gesturing that I should follow.
"My apologies. We will have to continue our conversation later," Xemnas tells me, as he walks through the door left open by Braig.
I nod. "Okay."
I follow Xemnas into the front hall, where Braig stands propping Mariaul up as they speak with Xehanort. The look of open alarm on Xehanort's face as he listens makes me very curious as to what they're speaking about. We're within earshot in only a couple moments, but it seems they're already finished speaking.
"What is going on?" Xemnas inquires of Xehanort.
The old master's eyes narrow as he turns to Xemnas. "Nothing of importance."
He opens a portal and takes Mariaul through it. And before Xemnas can address Braig again, the annoying man turns to me.
"So, isn't it about time you wake up Ventus? If he's even in there anymore," Braig says. I get the feeling this phrase was meant to irritate me...and it does.
"Not as long you're here," I say, moving towards him angrily. However Xemnas catches my arm, shaking his head no at me.
I turn away with an irritated sigh as Xemnas begins questioning Braig again. It's clear that he's getting nowhere with it. Finally, seeming to grow frustrated himself he turns away, muttering something about finding Xehanort. Not wanting Braig to try and speak to me again I walk away quickly, though I don't follow Xemnas. Instead I walk around the castle again, this time making sure to stay far away from Ventus's door.
I find myself near the top of the castle. Recognizing the changed area, I walk up to a door and unlock it. This is Master Eraqus's old room. I gasp, surprised at the colored walls. This room looks the same as it always did. Always a sort of messy neatness, if that's possible. A small smile spreads across my face as I see the familiar couch at the foot of the Master's bed where he used to read to Terra and I when we were young. He took in Terra first, when he was six years old. However neither Terra or the Master have ever told me about Terra's life before he became an apprentice Keyblade Wielder. Eventually Terra did tell me that unlike me he wasn't an orphan, always leaving me curious to know more. I came later, when I was seven, the Master took me in after my parents died. He explained that he was good friends with my father. A tear falls down my cheek when my thoughts return to the present. Master Eraqus is gone now, and it's all Xehanort's fault.
I sit down on the couch, staring into the distance. A sudden movement in the doorway catches my attention and I leap to my feet. I glare at the person in the doorway. The very man who has caused all of these problems for my Master, friends and I.
"Xehanort," I say, my greeting coming out sounding somewhat like a growl. "I thought Xemnas went to find you."
"He did, and now I have something I want to say to you," Xehanort says, walking forward until he's standing a few feet away, he summons his Keyblade and points it at me. "Stay far away from Xemnas."
"Why? Am I hurting your plans?" I say with a slight smile.
Anger is evident in his eyes, he takes a step closer and I quickly move to the side so as not to be pinned beside the couch, should he decide to use his Keyblade against me.
"Somehow, in the short time that you've been here, you have managed to place doubts in his head. As you are the only reason such doubts could pop up in his mind," Xehanort tells me, as we circle the room. I'm trying to position myself by the door. "So if you will not consent to show me where Ventus is and leave Xemnas as a lost cause I will have to kill you. The effect I believe will return the castle to the way it was. As such, I will be able to find Ventus, and my plans will remain intact."
I glare at him, summoning my Keyblade as I finally reach the doorway. "I will rescue both of my friends from you. So if you are so intent in stopping me, I'm afraid you will have to kill me."
Without more warning than his glare becoming more intense, he shoves his Keyblade at me. I leap backwards shooting a ball of fire at him, which he avoids easily, warping to a spot beside me. I leap backwards again, putting some distance between us. He tosses a couple different types of magic at me, seemingly calculating my ability to dodge. Getting into a good position I leap up, intending to strike him from the air. He lifts his Keyblade in response, however just before I reach him a blur with grayish hair steps in the way, holding two weapons pulsing with energy. Unable to stop in time, my Keyblade slams against one while I hear Xehanort's Keyblade hit the other. Xemnas pushes our Keyblades away, and I leap backwards. His expression is a mixture of surprise and concern.
"What's going on?" he asks.
Xehanort and my eyes meet, as his Keyblade vanishes. "Just a little argument."
Xemnas looks at me, uncertain. "Aqua?"
I look away with a sigh. Turning around I walk away slowly, while Xehanort departs through a portal. I feel Xemnas's eyes on me until I'm out of sight.
I'm startled awake the next morning by a strange noise. I sit up quickly, letting out a sigh when I see Xemnas. I smile at him.
"What's up?" I ask him, swinging my legs around the side of the bed.
He gazes at me silently for a moment, before smiling and holding out his hand. Which I accept to get to my feet. He lets go of my hand after a moment, but the smile remains. Whether it's a real one or not I can't tell.
"Come, let us go somewhere cheerful to talk," Xemnas tells me.
"Okay," I agree.
He hands me a black coat and matching pair of pants. "You may wish to where these if you don't want the darkness to effect you."
I nod. "Thank you."
He steps out of my room so I can change. After doing so I leave the room, pulling my hood up. Xemnas opens a portal and I follow him into it. We step out into Radiant Garden, the bright morning light making me have to squint.
Xemnas remains silent as we start walking into the town itself. The streets are crowded at this hour, with both adults and children walking about, their voices mostly caught up in the wind. Pulling out a small pouch Xemnas walks up to a small stand where a man is selling muffins and cookies.
"Here," Xemnas says, returning with two muffins. He hands me one and I smile at him before taking a bite.
We go back to the outskirts of the world, where Xemnas leads the way towards a bench amidst a sea of flowers. I sit beside him polishing off the muffin before speaking.
"How are you?" I ask.
He appears vaguely puzzled at such a question. "Perfectly fine."
"Do you come here a lot?"
He shakes his head. "Not unless I was going into Ansem's castle."
Silence fills the air, only broken by the sound of birds chirping as they fly about overhead. Xemnas leans back, staring up at the sky, his eyes appearing lighter from the glint of the sun in them.
"So, what other things did we used to do besides chat outside?" Xemnas asks me, turning his eyes to mine.
"Well, we trained together a lot," I say. "Sometimes with Ven, sometimes not."
His eyes focus on something over my shoulder and he's up and darting past me in one quick motion. I watch surprised as he catches a kid by the arm, they're too far away now for me to hear what he's saying. I get to my feet and run over.
"Xemnas? What's wrong?"
He tosses my munny pouch at me, not letting go of the kids arm. "This child, attempted to steal your munny."
"I'm sorry okay? Just let me go," the kid says, struggling to pull his arm from Xemnas's strong grip.
Walking up to the kid I bend down to his eye level, staring at him sternly. "I'm sure you know stealing is wrong."
The kid looks everywhere but my face, still struggling to get away from Xemnas, who simply gazes down at him in disgust.
"What was your reason for taking my munny?" I ask gently.
The kid still refuses to look at me, opting instead to bite Xemnas's hand. However instead of letting him go Xemnas simply grabs him in his other hand, his eyes filled with barely suppressed anger.
"There is no point in trying to reason with thieves. He only needs punished so as not to do it again," Xemnas says.
His hand alights with stun magic. I gasp, grabbing that arm. "You can't use magic! You'll hurt him!"
He doesn't glance my way. "I don't see why not. And it won't hurt him, it will just freeze him in place long enough to scare him from doing something like this again."
The kid whimpers slightly, still trying and failing to get away. I glare at Xemnas as the wind stirs our hair as it brushes past us.
"Let go of him...now."
Xemnas looks up sharply, his eye widening with surprise from my tone. After a small amount of deliberation he does indeed release his grip on the kids arm. I watch him run back into the city, glancing back at us every few steps.
"I don't understand," he says, staring at me curiously.
I sigh, still angry with him. "You can't use magic as a punishment on kids, don't you see how wrong that is?"
He frowns thoughtfully for a moment. "I'm afraid that I do not."
I stare at the back of his head in shock as he opens a portal and steps inside of it. Clearly trusting me to follow. After a moment I do so, and find him waiting a few feet away beside the entrance to Castle Oblivion. I run over to him, somewhat determined to make him understand this.
"That kid couldn't have been older than nine or ten. He's still in a place of innocence, I'm sure he had a good reason," I say.
He frowns at me. "He was hardly innocent."
"But it was wrong Terra!" I yell, slipping up and calling him by the wrong name.
I see the shift in his expression as anger filled his eyes. "...All thieves deserve to be punished."
I follow him into the castle. "Well yes. But not like—"
I stare in shock as Xemnas pulls out a Keyblade. I had no idea he could use one, but it definitely isn't Terra's. I list my eyes to his face and realize just how much the expression in his eyes currently reminds me of Xehanort. Just another reminder, that he is probably more Xehanort than Terra currently.
"You want to fight me?" I say, summoning my Keyblade as well.
In response he runs at me full force, Keyblade in hand. He tries to land an attack in a way very similar to how Terra would at times, putting all of his strength into one singular attack. I dodge it easily, knowing that there's no way I can take that much force with my Keyblade. I charge him and our Keyblades meet with a resounding clash of metal on metal as I hear portals opening around us. As we continue fighting at some point I can feel the shift between anger and mutual enjoyment in the fight. Xemnas becomes more strategic upon calming down, no longer seeming to rely on brute force. I take a few small leaps backwards, calculating him. I see a faint smile on his face from across the hall as he watches me, waiting for my next move.
I run at him, trying a technique I have often used on Terra. I swing my Keyblade towards his side which he moves quickly to the side to avoid. In the brief moment that he's looking elsewhere and readjusting his stance I spin around and knock the Keyblade from his hand, hitting in just the right spot for him to lose his grip on it. Straightening up I point my Keyblade at him, moving to block his way to his fallen weapon. At the last Terra grew used to this technique and would rarely fall for it, but I'm glad I decided it was worth a try.
Several people gasp, and I hear them begin speaking quietly amongst themselves, but I don't look over at them. Xemnas's gaze and mine are locked. After we've been staring at each other for several moments the beginnings of a smile appear on Xemnas's face. I grin as he starts laughing, all traces of anger gone from his eyes. I laugh as well, going over to pick up his Keyblade. I hand it back to him and it disappears.
"That was...fun," he says at last.
I nod, still chuckling. "Yes it was."
He heads towards the door and I follow, aware of several pairs of eyes watching us. When he pulls open the door I glance back at the room to see several hooded figures along with Braig and Mariaul watching us incredulously. Xehanort stands the farthest away. His eyes are filled with alarm that is quickly changing to horror. I smile, following Xemnas outside.