Hey, I hope everyone's doing alright! I'm glad to see that you all seem to be enjoying this story as much as I am! Shout outs:

Celeron96: Pretty much, haha! I can see why you say that! Thanks!

Lucenthia: Definitely, haha. Well try and remember everything that's going on with him, too! We will soon, I promise!

Shadowdragon1317: Well, it usually is, right? Haha, that viewpoint is pretty popular at the moment!

Legionary Prime: Yeah, thanks! A lot of stuff has been going on, that's really it!

T1M3: I'm sure he does, he just has other things on his mind right now. Yeah, don't worry, we'll be there soon!

Kristen Verne: Yeah, those things don't usually end well, do they? Haha.

The Unknowing Herald: I probably should have, haha. I promise we'll see more of them after the prologue, along with everyone else! Thanks!

Well, you should know what I own, so go on to the chapter!

Chapter 9: X-Blade Wannabe

She had known she was wrong the second she stormed out of the Land of Departure, but she didn't want to go back and face her father. For the past few days, she had just skipped around the worlds, doing her own patrols and ignoring the calls she got from the others. "What came over me back there? Why did I defend him like that, and side with him against my dad?" she couldn't remember how many times she had thought that, but here she was, thinking it again. A voice called out her name, startling her.

"Rayne! You alright? You've been pretty quiet for a while now." Andrix asked from his own rider. She shook her head slightly, as if waking from a dream. They were flying through the Lanes aimlessly with no destination in mind.

"Just thinking about things." she told him quietly. She did not feel like talking about it, especially to him. Back during their argument, she could have sworn that something inside her shifted venomously, making her even angrier. The more she thought about it, the more it scared her. What if the X-blade was waking after all this time? Would it lie peaceful and docile like before, or would it push to overtake her and deliver itself to the Divine Beings? The more this scared her, the more she wanted her father's advice, but she couldn't bring herself to contact him. She knew she had hurt him badly. She knew the moment the words had left her mouth, the way his face shifted and how stiff he had gotten. Thinking about it just made her feel even worse, and finally she was tired of it.

To Andrix's surprise, she reached up and tapped the side of her helmet, her earpiece flaring to life instantly. "Sora?" she asked. For several seconds, she heard nothing but static.

"Well, you've been quite the rebel, haven't you? I thought you grew out of your disobedient stage." Sora's voice finally echoed back, slight humor in his tone. She couldn't help but smile as she answered.

"Everyone likes to forget that I'm pretty much an adult now, but that doesn't change the fact that I am. Anyways, I need a mission. Something to do, something to keep my mind off of things. Do you have anything for me?" she replied before asking him. She heard him sigh, and then heard nothing for a few moments. He must have been looking through the databanks for patrol routes and reports from the world leaders.

"Well, I've got one thing. Vanitas was spotted in Ferelden a few days ago. You could go check it out. If he's there, he isn't planning anything good." he told her. She could tell he had something to say, but was holding back. Not wanting a lecture, she quickly agreed to it.

"Alright, Andrix and I will head there right away." she told him, reaching up to her earpiece in order to end the call when Sora spoke quickly.

"Um, no. Vanitas is a member of Maechil's Organization. I'm not letting you and a relatively new apprentice go in alone, even if he's mine. Your team is nearby. They'll meet you on the surface. I'm leaving headquarters right now, too. Riku and I are investigating a lead near the islands. If anything happens, you'll need to contact Eraqus, since he'll be the only one here." he explained, but she was no longer listening, irritated that he was sending babysitters to watch her.

"Got it." she replied icily as she ended the call. She glanced behind her, and could already see Lea, Ven, and Kairi's riders gaining on them. Of course, they had been following her. Perfect.


DENERIM, MARKET DISTRICT…..

The others noticed her irritation and chose to remain mostly silent as they walked into the city. She was so fed up with all of it. Not being able to go anywhere on her own, everyone treating her like a child, everyone thinking they knew better than she did, all of it.

They followed her silently, acting as more of a presence than actual people, knowing how annoyed she was. She finally rolled her eyes and walked into an outhouse to get away from them. She looked through the crack in the door and saw them standing awkwardly around. Smirking as she did so, she turned to the back wall and covered her hand in fire. She silently dragged it along the bottom of the wooden planks before dismissing the flames. She very quietly pushed them aside and crawled out of the opening. She didn't stand up until she was several yards away and ducked behind a street vendor.

She glanced back and saw them all standing around the outhouse still, not a clue. Rayne chanced a quiet laugh as she turned and ran down the next street.

Finally having a few moments to herself and relishing it, she took her time and walked slowly. It wasn't until she had gotten almost to the end of the street that she realized it was a dead end. She turned to go back the other way and stopped dead in her tracks.

For someone was standing between her and the exit, his red and black bodysuit the same as ever, and his black hair still as spiky as Sora's. Vanitas had his arms crossed, his yellow eyes staring at her with an odd expression. "Rayne." he greeted her calmly. She glared at him and, now wishing she hadn't ditched her comrades, tried to appear intimidating.

"Vanitas? I didn't think you'd come after us all by yourself. After all, didn't Ven trounce you more than once all by….." she began. Her eyes widened as he shot his arm forward, a ball of darkness soaring toward her swiftly. She quickly rolled to the side and dodged it, only to look up and find that he hadn't moved an inch.

"And I recall you as the scared little twerp who had no idea how much power she possessed. Times have changed for us both, Rayne! I'm one of Maechil's chosen now, just as you're a Keyblade master!" he replied somewhat coldly, and she heard something in his voice. Something that she almost knew to be longing.

"You're jealous because the X-blade lies with me and not with you, aren't you?" she guessed as they both began pacing back and forth, not taking their eyes off of each other. Vanitas' eyes flickered angrily, and his mouth curled into a sneer as he answered her.

"And why shouldn't I be? I've held the X-blade within me before! And I never feared it, not for an instant! You're just a scared little girl! You wish you'd never gotten it anyways, so why do you still have it?! What makes YOU a better host for it than me, who will embrace it? Nurture it, care for it, and help it realize its full potential?" he replied as he took a few steps toward her. She summoned Equilibrium in response, but he merely laughed. (Enter the Darkness, Birth by Sleep)

"Put that toy away. You don't know how to use it. Now, give me the X-blade, Rayne, or I'll take it from you as it leaves your body!" he roared as Void Gear appeared in his hand. She shook her head.

"Since when did you get so high and mighty?! Even with my own power, you can't win!" she told him fiercely. Vanitas smirked right before dashing toward her. She twirled her Keyblade and struck the ground. A shockwave of energy came up out of the ground and flew toward him, which he quickly leaped high and avoided. He held Void Gear up and blocked the fire spell sent for him. In the next instant, he dove into the ground head first and disappeared.

She took a few steps back and looked around for him, only for him to shoot up out of the ground, his blade swinging in a blinding flurry of slashes. She blocked what she could and back-flipped away. As her feet hit the ground, she saw his boot flying toward her face. It connected a second later and sent her crashing into the house behind her. He sneered confidently as he waited for her to come back out, which she did. She came leaping out of the dust with her blade held high.

She slammed it down on top of his as she landed, holding it with both hands while he held her off with one. "Like I said, you're too weak to use your power. Wake up and face reality. That power will be MINE!" he taunted before pushing back against her. She stumbled back with a slight yell and spun around. A massive wave spewed out of the tip of her Keyblade and engulfed him. As the water swirled around him and formed a dome, she saw his dark shape moving amidst the water, but she couldn't see what he was doing. Suddenly, he repulsed with energy. The dome of water exploded in every direction and knocked her off her feet. She quickly stood up again, but he rammed her in the face with the hilt of his Keyblade and she fell to the ground, dazed momentarily.

Her vision was swaying back and forth, and she couldn't even find the balance to get to her feet. She slowly raised a shaking hand up to her earpiece and tapped it. "Sora….? Anyone…..? I'm in…..Denerim, and I…..need help. V-Vanitas….." she managed to say. Sora didn't respond, and neither did anyone else. She finally managed to sit up, holding her face with her free hand as she glared at her opponent. (end Enter the Darkness)

"I told you that you couldn't beat me. I embrace my power, yet you fear yours. You shall never know victory while you are afraid to use everything you have." Vanitas told her calmly as he dismissed his Keyblade and began walking toward her.

Suddenly, a Keyblade flew through the air and soared toward the back of the young man's head. Vanitas whirled around and caught it just before it struck him, glaring at the man who threw it. Ven glared right back as he called his blade back to his hand and ran toward him. Lea, Kairi, and Andrix were on his heels. Relief and hope flooded through Rayne's mind at the sight of them. Hope…..that was dashed.

For at the sight of them, Vanitas just glanced up at the sky. Three differently colored clouds immediately descended to the ground next to him, and a glyph appeared in front of him. The clouds morphed into the formless humanoid bodies of Light, Darkness, and Corruption. At the same time, Saenatar materialized where the glyph was and stepped forward eagerly. "Well done, mortal. The X-blade is ours." he told Vanitas, who visibly flinched at the word 'mortal.'

"Not if I can help it!" Ven declared as he ran toward them. Saenatar glanced at him with a bored expression as he snapped his fingers. Immediately, the Divine Beings moved in on the four of them, colliding with a noise that shook the city. When the smoke cleared, all of them were gone.

For Ven and Light were dueling atop Fort Drakon, where the Grey Warden Aedan Cousland struck down the Archdemon, Kairi and Andrix were facing off against Corruption near the city gates, and Lea was out on the open plain pitting his flames against Darkness.

"Now that they are being dealt with…." Saenatar said as he turned to Rayne, Vanitas standing silently behind him.

"My friends are stronger than you think." she spat at him. He chuckled happily.

"One Divine Being is more than a match for the entirety of the LE. Your friends are facing off against all three. In a matter of moments, their time in this pitiful realm shall be over. Should they not fall today, our invasion shall begin soon, at which time all shall end. It is merely a matter of when and where their deaths come. Now, we shall waken the X-blade. Come, Vanitas." he replied coldly as they both began to move toward her. She tried to back away, but was so weak that she fell down, and could do nothing else but scoot away from them, until her back touched a wall.

The two men stopped and looked up as a golden cloud shot up into the sky. "Light….." Saenatar muttered. Vanitas grit his teeth.

"Ventus must have somehow beaten him. He'll be here in a moment." he said. Saenatar sneered as he neared where Rayne was sitting.

"Even should he make it here, he will be struck down. It matters not. Besides, he shall not make it in time…." he replied as he reached out his hand toward Rayne, who tried to raise her Keyblade, but couldn't find the strength.

His hand was within an inch of her face when a blast of light hit his forearm and made him stumble backwards. He looked around furiously for the source of the attack, but then a larger, even bigger blast hit him in the chest and knocked him through the house just behind him. Vanitas raised Void Gear and looked around wildly. He smirked as he saw where it was coming from and raised his Keyblade up.

Eraqus had arrived. He had been the only one in the castle when Rayne's message came through. He had passed it on to Sora and Riku, who were on their way but wouldn't make it in time. And so he had quickly made his way here in order to help. Luckily, he reached her in time.

He leaped down off of the roof he was standing on and clashed his Keyblade against Vanitas', who glared at him. "You can't beat me, old timer!" he snarled as he pressed against him. Eraqus stepped backward and sliced cleanly, an attack that the dark boy barely blocked.

"I do not need to defeat you, merely delay you." he replied calmly as he stabbed his blade into the ground. Swords of light flew up out of the stone floor and homed through the air toward their target. Vanitas fearlessly took them head on, slashing each one out of the air with a single strike. But by the time he had gotten close enough to slash at the old master, he could feel the presence of the others, who evidently had found a way past the Divine Beings. He evaded Eraqus' strike and glanced back to see Kairi, Lea, Ven, and Andrix all heading down the street for him. He laughed quietly as he walked backwards into a dark portal and disappeared.

Eraqus sighed as he looked down at Rayne and offered her his hand. "Are you alright, child?" he asked her gently. She nodded slowly, even though her head was still spinning and took it gratefully. He pulled her to her feet and led her over to the rest of the group, where she smiled at them appreciatively.

"You sure took down Vanitas and that big guy pretty well. For an old man, anyway." Lea commented to Eraqus, who raised an eyebrow.

"And who do you think taught this one how to fight?" he replied as he pointed at Ven. The blonde laughed with everyone else while Eraqus beamed at him.

"Don't you mock me!" Saenatar roared as he appeared suddenly. He was behind Eraqus, his massive axe in hand. For Rayne, time seemed to slow down. Half of their smiles were still etched on their faces, not fully realizing yet. Even as she moved to stop it, she knew she would be too late. Saenatar reared his axe back and swung fiercely.

"NO!" she screamed desperately as she moved toward Eraqus. Her fingertips had just grazed the hem of his robe when the axe crashed into his back. The head was so wide that it reached through his stomach just a small bit. Then, time ran normally for her as rage filled every fiber of her being.

Saenatar picked his axe up into the air as Eraqus repulsed with momentary pain. His feet were no longer touching the ground as he hung limply, suspended from the weapon as blood sprayed out of his back like a broken dam. The Ancient let out a loud echoing chuckle as he flung the axe outward. Eraqus slid off of it and flew several feet before hitting the ground. As they turned to move toward him, Vanitas reappeared and stood in their way.

Tears were falling down both Rayne and Ven's faces, but all of them showed faces full of rage and hatred. Both Saenatar and Vanitas moved in on them, but in another moment, a ball of dark fire collided with the Ancient just as Ultima Weapon crashed into Vanitas.

Both villains turned and ran as Sora and Riku landed, having arrived in time to witness what had happened. "I knew the Divine Beings had given up too easily!" Lea let out furiously as they all quickly moved toward the fallen master, but they knew even before they reached him, that it was too late.


MEANWHILE, LAND OF DEPARTURE….

Jack had just returned a few minutes ago when he got an incoming call from Sora. He stopped and emptied his pockets on the countertop before answering it. "Hey, Sora. Where are you at? I thought you had roster duty today." he answered.

"Jack…..I….I don't know how to tell you this." Sora's voice came through from the other end, but he didn't sound like himself at all. Jack stopped what he was doing and put all of his attention on the conversation.

"Sora, is everything alright?" he slowly asked, unsettled by how the other man was acting. He could hear Sora trying to comfort someone on the other end, but couldn't hear what was being said.

"Jack, I….I'm so sorry. Eraqus is dead."

Ah geez. I knew it was gonna be hard to write this chapter, but I managed it. Well, thanks for reading and I'll see ya next time!