White Knight: Ten :The Lightning Strike

Terra's eyes widened, and he stepped away from his cousin. They were finally at the Light Region's wall, when Riku had broke the news.

Riku watched him attentively, waiting for the inevitable fight that was to ensue.

"W-what?" Terra gaped, stepping away from the younger boy. "You mean… oh God…" His jaw clenched shut, and he looked up at the mansion that was visible from the center of the town.

Riku nodded, and glanced up at the wall. "I know it's tempting, but you can't tell him."

"Are you serious?" Terra hissed, "you… How can you expect me to keep this from him?"

Riku rolled his eyes. "For his sake, you have to. We haven't even told Roxas. And he remembers a hell of a lot more than Ven does."

"I don't understand how you could keep something like this from them…" Terra shook his head, taking another step back. He was horrified. He wouldn't be able to keep this from Ven. It wasn't right.

"I told you." Riku sighed, and looked around. Towns people passed them, looking at them curiously. "It's for their sake. If Ven found out, he'd be over the wall in a heartbeat. Maybe it would be easier if Ven wasn't so watched by Xehanort, but he is, and we can't. He can't know. Neither of them can. Ever." Riku's eyes narrowed, landed on the sun, which was at it's peak in the sky. It was noon.

Terra's eyebrows furrowed, and he knew he wouldn't be able to confront Ven without feeling obligated to tell him. But, Riku was correct on many levels. Ven would no doubt run away if he heard, and who knows what Naminé would do if she found out Ven left. Chances are, Ven's departure would spark an unnecessary war between the Light and Dark Regions.

"Let's just go." Terra said darkly, striding past his younger cousin. The silver haired boy's shoulder's slumped, and he followed, nodding to the guards weakly as he passed.

Terra nudged Riku as they entered the Dark Region illegally. "Skedaddle. You were with Xion the whole day, remember?" Riku looked up, surprised.

He shrugged, and began to trek towards the mansion. "Good luck then." He said, giving his cousin a small smile. "You'll need it."

With that, the silver haired boy left without a word. Terra thought over what he was going to tell the Master, but the only thing he could think of is that he overpowered the guards, and got away. How he got over the wall was another story. He could probably just say he used his Keyblade, but he had to wonder if that would work.

He closed his eyes, and breathed in, hoping his nerves would calm. It was a fruitless effort, though. Nothing could calm him down.

Terra wondered why Riku was still around, when it was obvious Vanitas knew about his other life in the Light Region. What was keeping the secret a secret?

He slipped into the courtyard unnoticed, hoping he wouldn't bump into a certain young blond. He couldn't face him. Not with the information he had.

The whole castle had a depressing sense about it. Terra grimaced, and remembered Riku mentioning his 'death'. Xehanort was such a bastard. Did he really think he wouldn't come back?

Terra pursed his lips. He almost didn't. Maybe the old man was smarter than he looked.

The old man was obviously smarter than he looked.

Terra had to wonder where everyone was. They couldn't all be mourning.

He realized that they were working. All of them. They couldn't be bothered by his death, because they'd be punished for slacking off. Which meant Aqua probably wasn't in her room, and was around here somewhere.

She was the only person he wanted to see. The only person he could see without feeling uncomfortable, scared, or hopeless.

He walked down the dark hallways, feeling like a ghost, roaming the halls. In fact, he was practically that. A ghost.

He trudged along, turning, only to find a shock of blue hair waiting at the end on the hallway. Terra perked. He saw her standing, leaning forward, staring out the hallway's window. Her back was turned. Perfect. Terra crept quietly towards his friend, surprised at how happy he had been to see her.

When he was close enough, he gently slid his hands over her eyes, smirking as she gasped. She struggled almost immediately. He bent forward a little, whispering in her ear. "Guess who?"

She froze, her struggling ceased. She shakily brought her hands up to his, and pulled them from her eyes. He heard her take a sharp breath. "Terra…" she murmured, staring at his hands in disbelief. She spun around, her tiny maid dress flowing around her. Her eyes widened at the sight of him, living, breathing.

She made a strangled noise in the back of her throat, and the smirk fell from Terra's face. "Aqu-"

"Terra!" She nearly shrieked, throwing her arms around his neck. He gaped, quickly catching her before they both fell back. He could hear her teary laughs as she buried her face into his shoulder. A sudden happiness burst through his chest, and he felt it consume all other emotions he might've been holding before this time. He laughed, holding her up, batting the urge to spin her.

Her feet finally touched the ground again, but she didn't let go. Her grip around him seemed to be cast in iron, and she nestled her face into his the crook of his neck, and he felt something warm slide down his collar bone. He wondered if he should shake her off to see what it was, but he then realized they were tears.

Aqua was crying.

Because he was alive.

He was overwhelmed by the feeling that took over next, and he took a step back in surprise. She was muttering his name, laughing every few seconds, and tugging on the collar of his shirt as if it were to disappear at any moment.

The overwhelming feeling spread, and Terra thought he could stay like this forever, with his friend crying tears of joy for him.

Of course, Fate had other plans.

Terra heard it first. The deep clearing of throat. He froze in recognition as Aqua looked up. She pulled away from Terra almost immediately, flinching. She wiped her eyes, and looked down.

Terra turned, seeing what he expected. The Master's decrepit face had a new shine of malice. He gazed between Terra and Aqua, looking amused and sickened.

"It seems you've rejoined us, my boy." He said in what he probably thought was a gentle voice. It sounded like a weasel was dying in his throat, so it wasn't exactly comforting.

"Yeah. Thanks for your faith in me, Uncle." Terra said coolly, taking Aqua's arm, and pulling her behind him.

Xehanort's raspy laugh rang out, making the blue haired girl cringe into the back of his neck. "I only assumed, Terra. I never thought Eraqus would let you live under the crimes you committed." His golden eyes flashed dangerously. "What kind of deal did you strike, may I ask?"

Terra snorted, feeling the warmth of the previous feeling numb his nerves. "Deal? I didn't stick around long enough for that." His grip tightened on Aqua's arm.

Xehanort's whitish silver eyebrows raised. "Oh?" He sneered. "So you escaped on pure luck?"

Terra paused, Aqua's hair tickling his neck. "Basically? Yeah."

Xehanort smiled, but his eyes were narrowed in a sign of distrust. "You must have some luck, boy." He said, throwing one last glance at Aqua, who shrunk back.

"Aqua." He said, his voice menacing. She straightened, all her fear washing from her face.

"Yes, Master?" She asked steadily, peeking behind Terra's head.

The Master just gave her a blank looked, and he left.

He felt Aqua shudder, and he swallowed. He didn't like that reaction any more than she did. In fact, Terra read into it a lot more than Aqua had.

The Master was not impressed.

Terra took a deep breath, and turned to look at Aqua. She had paled considerably, and was staring at the spot the Master had been standing before hand.

"Shit." Terra muttered, glaring at the Master's ever shrinking back.

Aqua ignored the feeling of being watched. She had to. Because she knew she was, and she couldn't do anything about it.

Master Xehanort obviously didn't like how Terra and herself were acting earlier that day. And it could lead to trouble. For both of them.

It was dark, and she was heading in for the night. Aerith was probably waiting patiently in their shared room for her to return, so she could tell her a vibrant story of a hero from the Light Region. Personally, Aqua thought she was just dreaming about something she could never have, but the more Aerith spoke the tales of the hero, she began to wonder if Aerith had ever crossed the walls.

She yawned, thinking about her outburst when she had seen Terra. Usually she was so much more reserved when they were in public together. She never hugged him out in the open. Of course they chatted in the kitchen, but even then she was very tense. She hated talking to him right after a mission, but it was the only time she could see him, besides when she got up early, or stayed up late. And seeing him after the anxiety that he may not come back… it proved too much.

Aqua's mind wandered to Master Xehanort. Whatever had he thought of the scene, she wondered. It wasn't good.

He's probably suspecting… She blushed at the thought, and shooed it away. Hopefully, just hopefully, he wouldn't do anything.

But his face… She chewed on her lower lip, folding her fingers over her heart. It was as if he were disappointed in us, or something. Like he had expected us to be more dignified in public.

Or maybe that was his goodbye face.

She froze at the thought. She had recalled seeing it once, before a killing on the square. What did it mean? Goodbye to her? What was going to do? Kill her in front of everyone?

She shivered. She didn't like this new revelation. If the Master wanted her dead, he'd succeed. She took a deep breath, looking down at her dress, and soft flat shoes. They were much more comfortable than her steel armor ones, but if she were to get attacked, they were useless.

If all else failed, she could try her Keyblade. But she didn't stand much of a chance against Master Xehanort.

She felt so vulnerable in the dark hallway, all alone, with no one to come save her if she screamed. Terra was two floors above her. She had no chance.

She looked around the hallway, paranoia creeping up her spine. Who was here? She could sense the presence of another human being, but where?

Summon the Keyblade?

No.

Run?

Hell no.

Keep on walking slowly?

Eh.

It was better than standing around and letting herself get killed. She shakily began to move forward, her legs shifting almost mechanically to her commands.

She heard the rustle of air before the slam of boots to the ground. She spun, ready to call forth her blade, but she was too slow. She felt the air fly from her lungs, something struck her chest. She stumbled back, hitting the wall. She gaped, watched a leg come into view. She ducked, trying to recall all the self defense training Terra had given her.

She slid away from her attacker, hearing the initial cocking of a gun. She froze, leaving herself open. She felt a boot slam hard into her chest, and any air that was left exited her lungs. Her ribs ached, and she slid down the wall her back had connected with seconds earlier. Keyblade, she reminded herself. Keyblade!

She felt the familiar tingle, as it was being called into existence, but the cool barrel of the person's gun against her forehead made her dismiss it. Gun was faster than sword, no matter how you looked at it. She had never tried to deflect bullets, and she knew she wouldn't be fast enough.

It seemed it was the end.

Her stomach dropped, and she got a good look at her assailant's face. It was a woman. A woman she recognized. From the previous day. She had never thought that peeking into the pink haired woman's file would ever give her a reason to kill her.

Then, she realized, she was trying to kill her not because of the file, but for a different reason.

She was a soldier. And soldiers followed orders.

She stared at the girl's face, noticing that behind the scowl, and harsh eyes, she was very pretty. Her pale pink hair was soft, falling over her shoulder as if it had grown into existence like that. She was wearing a shoulder guard, that made her heart ache to see Ven, or Terra.

Aqua's eyes screwed, cross-eyed, staring at the barrel pointed at her forehead.

"They're gonna get stuck that way, you know!"

Her own voice rung in her mind, and she stared blankly at the woman. Her finger was at the trigger. Aqua almost could dare her.

Pull it. Blow my brains out.

And she would, she realized, her eyes widening. She would pull it.

Aqua was going to die.

She squinted her eyes shut, and awaited the blast.

A sudden pressure was placed on her forehead, and the gun scraped against her skin. The woman yelped, and Aqua looked up against her better judgment.

Her eyes widened as she was yanked up, and pushed down the hall. Riku's familiar long, silvery hair danced behind him as he kicked the gun away from the woman.

"I'm really sick of my father's assassins." He said through gritted teeth. The woman was much quicker than Aqua had imagined, and she kicked Riku square in the jaw. Aqua's hand tingled as her Keyblade was called forth, but Riku barked a command at her, making her stumble back.

When had she become the damsel in distress?

She backed away, feeling like a monster to leave Riku fighting the soldier, but her brain had become foggy in confusion, and she stumbled farther and farther away from the fight.

"What?" Terra growled, marching up to the pink haired woman. "You tried to kill Aqua?"

She rolled her eyes, folding her leg so her ankle rested on her knee. "Look, I already explained it to your boyfriend."

"Cousin." Riku corrected, looking at the woman sharply.

"I don't care." She snapped, "I can't go against orders, and I don't really care if I was going to shoot your girlfriend." She glanced around Riku's room, and scoffed slightly. "There's more important things on my mind."

Terra's fists clenched. "Why didn't you just kill her?" He asked Riku angrily.

"Because she's not evil, despite what you may believe." Riku said calmly, forgetting the boyfriend comment. "And I think I can help her."

Terra stared at him. "You want to help her after she almost killed Aqua?"

"Oh, you can talk." She shot at him, standing from Riku's bed. "Aren't you the Dark Region's great assassin? We're one in the same. Except I don't have the privilege of getting over the wall."

Terra fell silent. He shook his head, and glared out Riku's window. "I don't know why he tried to kill her anyway." He muttered.

Riku looked at the woman for an answer, and she rolled her eyes. "He thinks that if he killed her, you'd get the hint that he's still the boss." She shook her bangs out of her eyes, and sighed.

"He doesn't think I know that?" Terra grumbled, folding his arms across his chest.

"Apparently not, so let's just cut to the chase." She stalked over to Riku. "I didn't kill the blue girl. But I don't understand how you two," She gestured to both boys, making them glance at each other. "The only living family to the Master, are leading a rebellion."

"Huh?" Terra shot up straight, and looked at Riku in surprise. "Rebellion?"

The woman raised her eyebrows.

"Don't worry about it." Riku said, waving him off. "You don't have to be part of it. I just didn't want you to kill her after you found out about Aqua."

Terra snorted. "I'm already part of it. Remember this morning?" He asked, referring to his new position as spy. Riku's face spread into a sheepish grin.

"Okay," The woman said, "I don't care. Continue about why."

"Because Xehanort is a bastard. Nothing to it." Riku said calmly. "And I don't run the rebellion. I'm just inside ops."

"Inside ops?" Terra repeated distantly.

Riku shushed him. The woman seemed to be in thought, and she sat back down again, crossing her ankle on her knee. "So basically, you feed them information about the Master?"

"Yes."

"And does this ever come back to bite you in the ass?" She asked, looking bored.

"So far, no."

She looked at him, as if she were trying to analyze a lie. She glanced at Terra, who seemed to just be conveniently there, and sighed. "Oh, I'm going to regret this."

"So it's a deal? We get your sister out, and you join the group?"

She glared at him. "The only way I'm joining is if I see her safely cross the wall."

Riku smirked, and Terra jumped at the thought. "No problem."

She seemed to relax a little. "If she gets hurt…" She warned.

"She won't." Riku said, giving her a kind smile. "These people take rescue missions seriously. They'd gladly take a bullet for a sixteen-year-old hostage."

She took a deep breath, and glanced away. "Deal." She muttered.

"Whoopie." Terra said, "Just don't kill anyone."

The woman shot him a look.

Riku chuckled. "Terra, meet Lightning." He said gesturing to the woman, who glared at the brunette. "Lightning, meet the person who might just out stubborn you."

Lightning growled, and rolled her eyes.

*Whistles* Reviews, reviews, oh my...

And I didn't even threaten Terra that time! O.O

So, for all who guessed Lightning... *Cough* You got it right.

Basically the next chapter is Final Fantasy cameo galore, so be BRAAAVE MY KINGDOM HEARTS FANS! THE RANDOM SIDE STORY DOES HAVE A POINT!

There'll be som MAJOR VenNami next chapter, but after that we have another Teraqua section. But this one is CRUCIAL for the story to move forward. Just saying.

Okay, so I'm going to just THANK ALL OF YOU GUYS FOR THE REVIEWS! I'll try and update again this weekend (long weekened FOR THE FREAKING WIN! Yes. I'll try and update as much as I can (I want to get two chapters up, but I feel like I'm asking for too much. XD).

So basically, in like, two chapters, I'll pretty much be handing you stones to throw at me. Even I think that what I'm going to do is unfair, and I'm the sadist.

How did I do with Lightning's character? *Bites nails* It's my first time writing her.

Next chapter: Hope to Help