Part 6: Beginning [by]

"I'm coming with," I said, before Master walked through a corridor of darkness.

Xehanort turned around, then nodded in acceptance. "Stay in the shadows." He waved his hand, "Come." We went.

I waited in one of the hallways of Eraqus' castle. I could hear the sounds of conflict as the Mark of Mastery test occurred. Finally, they finished, and the sound of footsteps came down the hall.

"What do you make of Ventus?" Master Xehanort asked.

I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall. My helm was tucked under my arm. "He ain't gonna cut it. Somebody's got to break that loser in."

"Not here you won't. I have to keep up appearances." He started to walk away.

"I know that." I placed my helm over my face. "He just needs a little incentive to leave home." I walked with Master toward the exit. "He'll follow that Terra anywhere."

Master stopped walking. "Really?... Then, let's make him leave." He turned to me. "I'll go missing. Knowing Eraqus, he'll send Terra out to search for me. Make sure Ventus is scared for Terra leaving." Then, Master opened and corridor of darkness and left.

I searched the castle for Ventus' room. It was easy to find, having seen the inners of this castle many times through Ventus' eyes. I peered into the room, finding Ventus laying on his bed, swinging the wooden Keyblade Terra had given him in the air. I snuck inside the room.

The bells to the castle rang, calling Eraqus' three pupils to him. "Perfect timing." Ventus jumped up, and I pressed my body against the wall behind the bookcase. Then, when Ventus passed me, I stepped out, leaned against the front of the bookcase. "Better hurry, Ventus."

He stopped, startled, then turned toward me. "Huh?" Turning around, he exclaimed, "Who are you!"

Time to antagonize him. "You'll never see Terra again."

"What! Get real, I can see Terra anytime I want!"

"Like right now? He's leaving you behind, and by the time you catch up, he'll be a different person."

Now, he was defensive. "Look, whoever you are, you don't know the first thing about Terra. Me and him will always be a team! You tryin' to pick a fight, or what!" He got in his battle stance, using the wooden Keyblade.

His arrogance made me angry. This was the closest I've been to him since Xehanort brought him away. I wanted to hurt him, kill him. With all my will power, I suppressed that urge. Walking forward so I could look away from him, I said, "No, grow up." I stood still at the other side of the room, refusing to too look at Ventus. "Is that what you call friendship? You'll never know the truth unless you go out and look for it yourself." I made myself turn, to look at him. "C'mon, what could you possible know when you're stuck here, looking at nothing but what's in your tiny world." I opened a corridor of darkness as I spoke, wanting myself to leave before my hatred took over, then, I left.

Nothing could have pleased me more than turning of Ventus then and there. At that time, he was weak, and he would never do as the other half of the χ-blade. So, I did something I know would help speed Ventus' growth. I traveled to worlds I suspected he'd go to and used spawned hundreds of Unversed upon each. That should keep him busy.

Over the next couple days I stayed home. I can live normally while I also control the Unversed, but it's much more productive to let my whole conscious flow into them. I learned many things about Ventus and his friends during this time.

This time was also a painful one as every Unversed was slain, and with each one's destruction I felt death. More Unversed were destroyed over these days then there were over the whole of my time training with Xehanort.

I couldn't take it anymore and cut off most of my conscious from them. Bored, I thought, and meditated. My thoughts kept tracing off to Ventus though. After meeting him after all this time...

During the time with Xehanort I did search for him, but to no avail. Master refused to tell me where Land of Departure was located. I'd travel from world to world, looking for him, hoping to be able to find him and strike him dead.

Now... now, I could do just that.

Instinct took over and a corridor of darkness appeared before me. I walked through and entered the Lands Between. I soared through the darkness until I came across Ventus on his Keyblade Glider. "Him again," I heard Ventus say. I faced him, then turned and went toward the Wasteland, knowing Ventus would follow.

Ventus landed on a circular platform. I went to him. He turned and saw me. "Alright! What did you mean about Terra being a different person!"

I stepped toward him. Master hadn't discussed it with me, but it was obvious, Terra would be the body that he'd take and make his own so that he can live longer and see to his plans. "Exactly what I said, idiot. The Terra you know will be gone, forever."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" His defensiveness was almost funny.

"Stupid, or true." I reached my arm forward and summoned my Keyblade. Now, I wanted to hurt him.

"A Keyblade?" Ventus realized right away what was going to happen next. He went into his battle stance, holding his Keyblade backhanded like usual.

"Good," I said, "let's see what you're made of." He lunged at me, and so the match began.

Ventus was a giant pushover. In just over a minute I had knocked him to the ground. "That really all you got?" I asked, walking toward him. "Man, you are worthless. I'd be going against the Master's orders, but so what." I lifted my Keyblade, using magic to form a large ball of fire and darkness. "As far as I'm concerned, your job here is done." It shot toward him, then hit. The flames cleared and he was gone.

"Don't worry, you're safe," a new voice said. I turned to see a new person, a large mouse with large ears, looking away from me. Ventus laid unconscious on the ground in front of him. He jumped backward, then summoned a Keyblade. "Heal!" he said, lifting it into the air, casting a spell to cure Ventus. Ventus stirred, then looked up at the new person. Reassured, the mouse turned around and ran toward me. He stopped, then yelled, "Tell me how you got that! Keyblades are not something you use just to bully somebody around!" Then, ready to battle me, he said, "Here, I'll show ya!"

Ventus jumped to his feet and ran to the mouse's side. "We both will!" They nodded at each other and the battle began.

The battle ended with me knocked over. I stayed on the ground for a moment, then jumped back to my feet. For now, I was done. "Ha, you win. Consider yourself... on probation." A corridor of darkness appeared around me and I fled.

Ventus, Terra, and Aqua, all came to the world Radiant Garden about the same time. Hoping a time like this would come where they were all together, I had already created an Unversed that I know could challenge them. It could split itself into three, and so, each piece follow one of them, leading them together. Finally, when they all came together the battle ensued. The three of them worked well together as a team and destroyed my Unversed, but not after a having a long difficult struggle.

In the battle, I took notice of Aqua. Master had spoken once before about her. She doesn't hold a heart of pure light, but her's shines the most strong. "A perfect backup," Master had said. I wanted to test her myself, and so I went.

She was running through the courtyard when I stepped out. I stopped walking, and stood and stared. "A mask?" he said. "You're the boy that Ventus mentioned."

"Ah, yes, Ventus. Tell me something, has he learned to put up a decent fight yet?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'll be asking the questions. Why shouldn't I? After all, between the two of us, I'm the only one who will walk away from here alive." I summoned my Keyblade.

"Guess again," she said, summoning her own.

One on one, with no interference, and she trumped me. Yes, much stronger than Ventus, and much more worthy of becoming the χ-blade. I laid on the ground as she approached, having these thoughts about her.

"Who are you?" she said, reaching down to take off my mask.

I laughed manically when she grabbed the helm, making her flinch. This was great! She jumped back as I got to my feet. "Not bad at all," I said, "congratulations, I'll keep you around." I opened a corridor of darkness behind me, and turned to it. "Never hurts to have a backup." I stepped though.

Master called upon me to his chambers. "Vanitas, it is time. We must gather the them to the Keyblade Graveyard."

I knew this was coming soon, but, "Why there?"

"It's the only place suitable for this... the place where Keyblades clash. I already have means to bring Terra there. Kidnap that King who Ventus befriended."

"Yes, Master." I summoned a corridor of darkness.

"And, Vanitas, if you encounter the girl, dispose of her. Ventus has grown well enough."

With a sigh, still much preferring her as the other, I said again, "Yes, Master." And, I went.

The King was on a world called Neverland. I ambushed him, knocking him unconscious. One of his possessions, a colorful shard, fell from his pocket, but I took no care. I brought him to the Wasteland, leaving him to Xehanort. Ventus would be there soon.

I went back to Neverland, knowing Aqua was there. I spied from the top of the mountain as she talked to some of the worlds locals. She came to the realization I had been here, and ran off to find me.

There was a treasure chest that Aqua had been looking into. She was surprised to see something in there that Ventus had left. I went to the chest and looked inside to find the wooden Keyblade with Terra's name scratched into the hilt. Laughing, I took it, then heading off to confront Aqua.

We found each other at the camp ground. "So," I said, "having fun hanging out with the kiddies?" I walked closer with the wooden Keyblade in hand.

"How'd you get that!" she demanded.

"I think that kid has outgrown such a childish toy," I took it into two hands, "if you ask my opinion," then snapped the Keyblade in half. She gasped, and I through the remains to the side. "Just like I've outgrown my need for you." Then, I summoned my Keyblade.

"You freak!" she said, summoning her Keyblade.

This battle was the hardest I had faced so far. It was enduring and long. Finally, she struck me and I fell back, and started slipped into unconsciousness. Scared is how I felt, for I knew she could finish me off now.

"I've done it..." I heard her say, followed by the sound of something- her?- falling. "Finally..." Then, the sound of her falling again. "Ven, Terra, can rest easy."

I woke to find that both of us had fallen unconscious, and she was still out. Hearing the sounds of people coming, weak, I fled through a corridor of darkness. On the other side I found myself on the Islands. The smell of the air was calming and so were the sounds of the ocean. Leaning back on the sand, I rested.