Chapter 10

"She needs to eat something," Namine murmured as she looked over at the closed door in worry. Her eyebrows were knitted together and her teeth chewed on her bottom lip. Roxas didn't respond as he seemed to be too focused on a journal that was in front of him. Only when Namine gently touched his shoulder did he look up.

"Kairi," Namine started, "She's been locked up in that room for a day, she needs to eat."

Roxas's eyes flickered up towards where the door was at the end of the living room. He was sure that she was listening to them as they spoke, but he couldn't sense much movement in the room. He had sensitive hearing, so he could hear her pacing across the floor that morning. She had done that a lot throughout the day, but at the moment she was silent.

He glanced back at Namine, knowing that she was right, "I doubt that she would come out if we asked her to."

"She'll have to come out eventually," Namine started, "Right…?"

Roxas's eyes flickered down towards the journal in front of him, "Maybe."

Deciding to switch tactics, Namine turned her gaze towards the journal, "Has Axel found any more of them? I'm sure that Diz is getting impatient. He doesn't want this knowledge to fall into anyone else's hands."

"Diz, huh?" Roxas grumbled, and she froze at the anger in his words. Roxas would forever hate the man, she knew. He was the reason everything was as it was. The reason that Roxas hated himself more than anything. Her gaze dropped to her bare feet, while Roxas went on, "Axel has been looking everywhere for them. He's starting to suspect that they're in the hands of the masters."

"Oh," Namine backed off then, knowing that that was probably all she was going to get out of him. With that knowledge, she silently retreated into her own room, casting one last look at the door to Kairi's room.

As she entered her room, she found herself staring at her drawings that lined the walls. Her bed was crammed in a corner and her sketchbook lay on top of the white sheets, opened to the last thing she had been drawing.

It was of a boy that was thought to be the one to save them. Sora, the boy with a blade and a bright light in his heart. But it was found that was not the case. Diz now said that he was only important because his heart easily connected with others. There was a theory that if she ever got close to him, she might be able to use that easily to her advantage. She was a witch, after all. Still, it was too dangerous to get close.

That didn't stop her from wondering what it would be like to talk to him once. She wondered if she realized that the role of hero had been stripped from him. One second he was someone that Diz decided needed to live, the next he was a nuisance. There was no place for Sora in their plans if he became a problem.

Still, he was Master Yen Sid's apprentice. This, coupled with the fact that his heart was so easily connected to others, made him someone that was important to the Master's. Even if he had no place in Diz's plans any longer.

She wondered if she thought about the brown haired boy too much. She always wanted to know more about him. If he was truly as happy as Diz made him out to be. He probably wasn't happy any longer. Not now that they've taken Kairi from him.

She fell back against her bed as she thought. Her mind was always thinking, although she herself was always soft spoken. Normally she poured her thoughts into her drawings. It felt like it was her only form of freedom at times. Yet, she knew that wasn't true. Now that Kairi was here, Namine could see into the girl's memories, and she knew that Diz would want to know everything he could about the girl. That meant that most of her art would be forced to about what Kairi thought about. What she remembered.

Staring up at the ceiling, she suddenly heard a knock, although it didn't sound like it was on her door.

Getting up, she opened the door, wondering where the knock came from, when she saw that Roxas had knocked on Kairi's door. He looked like he didn't expect an answer, and Namine doubted that he would get one, but he still seemed to be trying.

"You need to eat," he called out, "Kairi."

There wasn't a response, and Roxas knocked a bit louder. When there was still no response, he sighed, and Namine closed her door once more, knowing that there wasn't really anything to see. Everything felt like it was at a standstill, even with Kairi in their possession. She hated the fact that they had taken her. She wondered how it felt to be kidnapped from the only thing one's ever known. Yet, she didn't hold any ill will towards Diz.

He was the reason she had a purpose, even if it was a messy one. He said she had been born of the woods, and that was why she had the magic that she had. He was glad to have found her, and it was because of him that she had managed to survive the woods.

That didn't mean that he was right, though.

Everything felt grey in the woods. As Namine leaned her back against the door, she imagined the Hunter and the third Master. She didn't want to think about them, yet she knew that they were going to clash at some point or another.

Perhaps it felt like they were at a standstill because it was the calm before the storm.

A shudder ran down her spine at the thought. After all these years, she wasn't sure that she was ready to face whatever came next. She was selfish enough to wish that this time period would never continue on and that the calm before the storm would last forever.

In the little cottage she lived in in the woods, she wanted peace.

/

The atmosphere in town had gone from angry to fearful. Once the news of Aqua's attack spread along with the kidnapping of Kairi by the wolf, the townsfolk knew that they could do little against the forces of the woods if even those specially trained couldn't go against them.

Aqua hated to see the village like that. When she was younger it had been more lively, but as time went on and the wolf appeared, it grew duller. The dear memories she held of the place were slowly being replaced with ones that were much darker.

She wished that she could do something.

Instead, she watched Ven and Terra train, thinking about the darkness that was now inside her. She still couldn't remember what happened to her. It was a blank spot in her head and the more she tried to remember it, the more a pain would form in her head. She was starting to think that magic was used on her.

It was said that Aqua had an aptitude for magic. That made it easier for her to work with her blade, and made it easier to sense other things that possessed magic. Master Eraqus taught her in that art from when she was very young, including ways of healing. But even magic could only go so far to cure deep wounds.

It suddenly felt like it didn't matter whether she trained or not. There was darkness in her now, and she would not let that affect anyone. She wouldn't let it bring her down, yet knowing that she was corrupted was a harsh blow.

She remembered what had been said about Kairi and wondered if the girl had felt the same thing.

A yelp of surprise tore Aqua from her thoughts as she saw Ven's discarded blade on the other side of the room while Terra was pointing his triumphantly at his chest. The younger boy was frowning up at Terra, who only laughed in response.

"Keep practicing Ven," Terra said lightly, and Ven responded with a pout as Terra mused up his spikey hair.

"He's doing better," Aqua offered from the side, "His movements are becoming more fluid instead of erratic."

Ven offered her a slight smile in thanks, while Terra nodded, "I agree. Plus you're technique is unique so it'll be harder for the enemy to read. You'll end up becoming great."

This seemed to placate Ven as his pout disappeared. He was now grinning, looking almost proud of himself. Aqua smiled and got up. She knew that eventually, with the Mark of Mastery exam coming, they were going to be separated if Terra passed. It was moments like these that she wanted to remember. There was no use dwelling on the darker things when there were still times like this.

At the same time, though, she wanted to fight that darkness that threatened these moments. If it meant that she could protect her friends then she would do anything.

Out beyond the window, she suddenly noticed movement, and her eyes narrowed.

Automatically, Terra picked up the change in her attitude and asked seriously, "What's wrong?"

"In the gardens… I thought I saw something," she started, and Terra's back stiffened. Ven froze as well and the two boys shared a glance.

"Ven, watch over Aqua and I'll go search the garden," he started, and Aqua quickly protested.

"You can't go alone! What if something happens to you like it did me?" her blue eyes trained on him, and he frowned back.

"Ven's getting better but he can't come with me, plus you're still healing from what happened. I'm not going to let you open your wounds," Terra's voice had a tone of finality to it, and Aqua frowned in response. She wanted to help. Being rendered useless made her want to scream in aggravation. Instead, she swallowed it down and looked at Terra in the eyes.

"I'll go alert Master Eraqus then, if anything goes wrong, leave immediately," she stated, and Terra nodded.

Ven looked like he wanted to protest as well at being left behind, but he didn't say a word as Terra headed out to the garden and instead followed Aqua as she headed to Master Eraqus's study.

When they arrived there, Aqua knocked twice on the oak door and there was a pause that felt like it lasted for hours, until finally they heard him say, "Come in."

Aqua pushed open the door and entered the study. At his large desk, Master Eraqus was studying something, with books laying open, scattered before him. He told his pupils many times before that there was always something to learn, no matter how old they got, and that studying was the key to knowledge. And in the end, knowledge was power.

"Aqua spotted something in the gardens," Ven got out in a rush, "Terra went to investigate but…"

Master Eraqus's head snapped up at the proclamation. His eyes narrowed as he looked between the two of them and said slowly, "You saw something in the gardens? Do you think that it may be what attacked you, Aqua?"

Aqua chewed her bottom lip as she shook her head, "I don't know. I only saw a glimpse of it. But I don't want Terra out there alone, and he insisted that I was too hurt to go out there."

"He was right," Master Eraqus said as he stood up, "You're hurt both in body and in heart. I'll go deal with the threat, if there is one. Stay inside you two."

"Yes Master," Aqua and Ven both stated at once.

As Master Eraqus brushed past them, Aqua felt an odd sting in her heart. If she was considered hurt in her heart, did that mean that it could heal? She knew that there was a way to rid the darkness, she just didn't know what it was. She kept herself in the light for so many years, that now she didn't know what to do.

"Aqua?" Ven asked, and she realized that she had lost herself in her thoughts. She quickly brushed them away and offered her best smile for Ven.

"Sorry Ven, let's go," she told him. He nodded, his spikey bangs falling against his eyes, although he didn't appear to mind. Instead he followed Aqua out of the study and into the halls.

/

Vanitas smirked a bit as sat on the ledge of his Master's desolate castle. He almost felt like laughing at how easily spooked the pupils of Master Eraqus were. He never felt more amused then he did watching everyone through Aqua's eyes.

He knew that the heartless wouldn't stray near to the town, but his unverse were different. They listened to him, and with a single command they could swarm the town and no one could do anything about it. At the moment, he had them searching the woods to find the girl-Kairi- so that he could kill her.

Then the reign of terror would begin.

He almost felt...glee at the idea of all the causalities. He imagined that he could finally face his other half, and become the most powerful person of all. Even more power than his Master. The problem was, he didn't know who his other half was.

He had a clue, but it was hard to see if he was right, and he didn't want to accidently kill him. Whoever they might be.

From behind him, he heard footsteps and a voice, "What are you doing here, boy?"

"They found one of my floods," he said, and he nearly laughed. His toy was named Aqua and his most common unverse that he created was called a flood. The names fit in an odd way.

"Don't make them suspect there's anything more than the heartless," there was anger in his voice, but Vanitas didn't care. He was finding everything amusing.

"I've been searching for the girl with them," he started, deciding to change the subject, "I think they're pretty deep in the woods. Want me to flush them out for you?"

"Feel free to do as you wish, as long as they're disposed of. They're too much of a hindrance to my plan," more footsteps indicated that he was walking away, "Go back to your job before consequences befall you."

"Yeah yeah," Vanitas muttered under his breath, low enough for his Master not to hear. Instead, he looked down at the ground that was a couple stories below him and wondered when things would get moving. He knew that finding her was the start, but the question was, would it really be that easy?

A/N: Hello! I'm so sorry for the long wait on the update, college has started for me and I'm currently swamped with work, but I shall do my best to update faster! Thank you for reading!