AN: hello again people! I am so sorry in the delay of this update – I went away for a couple of days and got completely side tracked and it was hard to get back into the swing of things :P but I got there eventually…
If you have the time please leave me a review and let me know what you think! :) I greatly appreciate the feedback!
The Winds of Change
It took a while for the initial shock to subside, but Mel managed to get a grip on reality. She had to lie down for a bit, and she let Kyo fall asleep in her arms before she careful manoeuvred him aside comfortably and went to get a drink. She chugged the glass of water down and wandered over to the kitchen where she knew Aqua and Ven would be. They gave her concerned looks, but she kept it together – she felt too tired to get upset again.
"I'm going to go look for Terra." She told them, and they didn't argue or try to stop her. Outside in the full sunshine, despite the deep cold that hung in the air, it was warm enough in the sunlight, and she stood there for a moment, basking in the light and heat of the sun before she cast out for Terra and Leo. A trail of energy led her, as did the claw marks in the mud; Terra was trying and failing to shield himself from her, but she doggedly refused to give up.
It hurt her deeply, all the things Tom had said to her, but on another level she had felt all his pent up frustration – and despite her anger at him, she was desperately worried about him wondering the Corridors of Darkness, by himself. She didn't quite understand Terra's reaction, but she was determined that they could set things right again, and she didn't want him to be upset or afraid.
Leo came to greet her on the path, huffing loudly from the cold and something like exasperation. "Where is he?" she asked gently, stroking his face and feeling the tenuous connection to his energy peter out. Leo nudged her along and followed her down the path; Terra was curled up into a hunched ball under a tree trying to be inconspicuous. It might have worked if she couldn't pick up on his distress. Mel got as close as she dared before she spoke, standing a few feet away from him.
"Terra?"
He didn't move.
She sat down beside him on the cold ground, shivering in the shade until Leo settled down and offered his body heat to them both.
"Terra," she tried again, shaking him arm. Please…she silently begged in her mind.
Terra raised his head slightly, but didn't look at her. "Please go away," he asked her in a small voice.
"No." she said simply. She had already lost one member of her family to the shadows today, and she wasn't about to let another slip from her grasp either.
"You- should really…hate me…"
"And why would I do that?" she asked evenly. In the wake of her shouting match with Tom, she felt quite serene on one level – every last ounce of her anger and despair had been spent. All that was left was a deep calm, like that which followed a raging storm. The only things that bothered her now were her worry for Kyo and Terra, and of course Tom – wherever he was now.
"It's my fault…"
"Terra…?"
He sat up straighter, shoulders still hunched, dashing tears from his eyes. "What your cousin said…about the nobodies. And…that organisation. It was my fault…"
"How?" she asked, confused. "You weren't there, and you're not a nobody…"
Terra looked bitter as he wiped more tears from his eyes, not sobbing but just breathing heavily. "Ven told you…about what happened to him, right?"
"Yes." She said, remembering what he had said.
"The man who extracted the darkness from his heart…he manipulated me, and turned me against our master. And he succeeded in taking over my body. I…lost all control. And…" he bit his lip and winced at the painful memories, and Mel wished she had stopped to bring something with her for a cleansing – a rock, a feather, anything. It was much harder to work with just your mind when you and the person in question were in such states. "He willingly gave himself up – to the darkness…so a nobody was created, that went on to build Organisation XIII."
Mel frowned. The name rang a bell, but when the heartless situation had risen she had gone unwillingly to ground; she had been nowhere near strong enough to pitch in and help at the time. She still marvelled at how Sora and Riku had managed to accomplish what they had, at such a younger age than her. She had kept out of the crisis with the worlds reluctantly, using her means of divining to find the best thing for her to do, which was always a slight variation on the words, keep calm – stay safe – your time will come.
"They wanted peoples hearts…if I hadn't let Xehanort in, in the first place…this never would have happened!"
"Terra," she said slowly, realising this called for the utmost delicacy. "You really think I'd blame you for something so out of your control?"
He gave her a pleading look. "Even if I didn't actually do it – I still let him in! I still set things up so he could get away with it…"
"And you just sat back and let it all happen?" she said impulsively, as if someone else was speaking through her. Ah, she knew what was happening. She could feel a presence in the air behind her, a subtle energy that had come to her a few times before in the past, when she needed guidance in sensitive situations. "Did you really want it to happen?" This was a perilous game she was playing, but the dance of energy had already begun and she had to see it through to the end. Terra gave her a wounded look before he made a fist and pounded it into the earth at the base of the tree.
"Of course not!"
"Well you don't sound so certain." She prayed he didn't hate her after this. "You say it's your fault but that you didn't want it to happen. Which is it?" Usually she could see a person's weak points and tried to help them cement it up, or to strengthen them with kind words. Mel wasn't used to getting under people's skin, but she knew she had to now for Terra's sake – and she wasn't enjoying it at all.
"I didn't want it to happen!" he snapped at her, the floodgates barely holding his rage back.
"Why?" she said, trying to and trying not to sound challenging. It went against her nature to rile people up on purpose.
"Why? Why!" he stood up, trembling. "Because my friends got hurt because of me! I tried to kill Aqua! Ven was in a coma, our Master got killed – and that bastard managed to get away with it!" he paused, taking deep shaking breaths as Mel got to her feet, not even up to his shoulders. "He manipulated all of us! He drew the darkness out of me – he used me to try and destroy everything!" he closed his eyes, and punched the tree trunk mercilessly. "And I was stupid enough to let him! I spent years trapped, trying to break his hold on me, all the while he was tearing people's hearts out and trying to spark a Keyblade War, using my body to do it!" He ranted on, and Mel watched with a detached expression, waiting for the right moment. Whenever he stopped to draw breath the energy behind her directed her to say certain things that riled him up again and sent him on an angry tirade of his own. She knew when this was over he'd probably feel guilty, especially after her bust up with Tom, but her head felt very clear and her thoughts exceptionally sharp.
Terra took it out on the tree, beating it with his fists, venting his anger and frustration that he had kept bottled up at the bottoms of his heart. All the hatred, resentment and self-disgust boiled over and spent itself. He stopped, leaning against the tree with his right arm and his forehead, breathing hard, the draining sensation that usually followed crashing over him.
"Terra," she said, taking a stance.
He turned to her reluctantly and gasped when she plunged her hand into his solar plexus. She had only done this once before, and she was terrified of getting it wrong; the energy entity behind her led her hand and told her what to do. She had met this entity on several dream quests, and she knew they wouldn't let her make a mistake. The knotted ball of excess darkness, that was still clinging to him from before they had met, was lodged right in his power centre – it had been screwing with his system on and off for a long time now, causing the pent up emotions and interfering with his energy to give him spurious physical symptoms at best and internal psychological turmoil at worst.
Take it in your hand. State your intentions. Channel it to the ground, ask Mother Earth to take it as neutral energy. Feed it back to the Mother. Do it quickly in one movement.
Mel reached for his spine as she had before, but this time she wasn't just relieving the pressure, she was removing it. The knot resisted feebly in the light she let flicker from her own heart, all of her chakras wide open as she took energy from above for the task and prepared to channel it back down.
I'm doing this for Terra to help alleviate his burden, to cleanse and heal and help him on his path.
The words were firm and clear – her intention to heal and cause no harm in any way, shape or form.
She took the gnarled bundle of dark, negative energy and pulled. The shock in Terra's eyes widened as she met his gaze and murmured with her mind, "Sorry…" Mel pulled against the resistance and removed her hand, the energy actually visible for a moment – black and smoky with quivering solid black bolts like electricity – before she opened her hand and sent the energy from her crown chakra straight down her spine and along her arm, channelling it down through her own root chakra and into the earth where it was absorbed and neutralised, where it could no longer hurt anyone.
Terra gasped, clutching at his stomach before he fell to his knees, eyes wide with surprise. Mel exhaled sharply and sat down, panting. She was going to have a terrible headache later if she didn't drown herself with several glasses of water soon…
"What…was – that?" he managed to say in between gasps for air.
It took a moment for Mel to gather herself and answer. "Cleansing without a totem or tool. It's really hard to do it right…"
"But…" he was staring at her, wide eyed like a child who couldn't quite comprehend what had just happened. "You did that before, right?"
"Stimulating and balancing is different to cleansing. I'm sorry I said those things…" she bit her lip. "I had to stir things up to bring the darkness forwards before I could redirect it." The entity that had helped her brushed very briefly against her energy system in farewell, and then disappeared. Mel made an old sign of her people, curling her ring and little finger on her right hand over and tucking her thumb in, the other two fingers extended; with them she drew a circle around her torso and head, starting and finishing at her left shoulder, moving clockwise. She would be burning an offering later for the help she had received, but this would convey her respect and thanks for now.
"But…what did you actually do?" Terra was staggered. He bore all the hallmarks of an adrenaline rush; dilated pupils, increased breathing rate, shaking, and a sweat was breaking out across his forehead.
"The best way to trap and remove something is to make it active. Getting you angry made it easier for me to dislodge it from you. I noticed that knot in your spine the last time I gave you a touch up," she gestured at his stomach. He'd probably find a nice big bruise there come morning. "And because it was taking over from everything else just now, I could physically remove the energy. It was like a knot wrapped around your spine, and I channelled it back down to the ground, where the earth will neutralise it."
Terra stared at her uncomprehendingly.
"You'll understand when you recover." She assured him. "This was a more aggressive form of healing – it's not something I like doing often…"
They sat in silence, catching their breath, and after a while Mel did a quick grounding exercise on Terra, keeping the energy planted through his feet so it didn't float away. Eventually, he turned to her, his eyes still wide but his pupils closer to normal.
"Thanks…whatever it was you did…"
She smiled weakly. She was going to sleep like a log tonight…
"Don't mention it."
"And…sorry, on top of everything else…" he looked down at his shoes, ashamed.
Mel put a hand on his head, like he often did to her, and ruffled his hair. "I'm sure the rhyme and reason will reveal itself in due course. Till then, I'll just spend my remaining energy on worrying about you and Kyo, and Tom."
Terra pulled a face. "That was unfair, what he said to you."
"What's most unfair is that it affected you just as badly." She said evenly. The fault lines along her heart rippled but didn't tear again. "At least…now I know what happened, and I can honour my mother's memory properly. It's…considered bad luck to construct or conduct any memorial for someone if they aren't actually dead – I never did because I didn't know…" it generally meant being disrespectful, but it stemmed from an old and deep seated superstition that you were inciting the harbinger of death to follow the person. Mel kept most of her old customs at arm's length, but some of them still niggled their way into the back of her mind to sit and simmer.
Terra gave her a pained look before lowering his gaze. "I'm sorry…"
"It's behind me, so don't be, but thank you. I do value your friendship – and the others – very highly."
Terra gave her a sincere smile, and she returned it.
"Just promise one thing," she asked, raising her index finger to emphasise her point.
"Yeah?"
"Please don't blame yourself for something that was beyond your control. I don't like seeing you in that state…"
He cut her speech short as he gathered her up in a bear hug, saying nothing but, "Thanks."
XOXOX
Kyo was fiddling with a calculator Riku had left behind some weeks ago, idly playing with numbers. He was curled up against Leo's side in the corner of the library while the four wielders of the keyblade sat doing some written work with varying degrees of success. Ven was making little head way, and he kept thinking back on two days ago, when Mel had finally dragged Terra back inside. They both had mud-streaked legs and looked tired, but Terra seemed much lighter than before. Mel had scuttled back outside with a short wooden stave much like a wand with a crystal set into one end, and when asked she said she had to apologise to a tree. It was such a typical Mel thing to say that they didn't question her further on the matter.
Whatever Mel had done, Terra was much calmer, considering the revelation Tomasa had dropped on them. Ven had been worried he would get agitated and worked up, but Terra didn't mention it, and neither did Mel, so Ven only voiced it to Aqua when they were alone. They were both relieved, and she was curious despite the morbidity.
Still, Terra wasn't going anywhere, and neither was Mel – relief wasn't a strong enough word for how Ven felt.
"So if you're running low on manna, you can still cast an effective cure spell?" Mel asked, not quite grasping the concept of curative magicks. She had a very good repertoire for field medics and first aid, as well as her herbal tinctures she threw at them when they started getting sick, but the finer points of the cure spell under battle conditions still eluded her.
"Yeah, it just consumes what you have at the time," Terra said, pointing at the page she was reading from. "Then you have to regenerate your manna before you can cast another spell of any kind."
"Or just throw an ether over your head," Ven added.
They fell into companionable silence for a while, until finally Kyo slammed the calculator down on the floor with a crack. They all looked up at the noise, including Leo who jerked awake with a sleepy grunt. Kyo stood up and walked with purpose to the table they were convened at, and sat down in the chair next to Mel.
"I need to go." He said bluntly.
"Where?" she asked, neatly closing the book she had been reading and sliding it away from her. "Why?"
"I'm in your way." He said stubbornly, jaw jutting and sitting hunched over so he had to look up at her face. "In everyone's way. I can't fight, I can't control my magic – and I'm one more thing for you to worry about here. I'm just gonna get in your way if I stick around. I don't want to leave you or anything, I just…" he shrugged helplessly. "I don't want to be a burden to any of you."
"Of course you're not!"
"Don't be stupid," Ven added.
"But I am!" Kyo insisted, meeting Ven's gaze earnestly. "What can I actually do around here that'll help you guys?"
When no one else stepped forward to give an answer, Terra ventured, "Laundry?"
Aqua whacked him smartly round the back of the head with her battered old pencil case.
"I can't help you…I just feel like I should be doing something helpful, but I can't here…" he looked from one face to another, before finishing with Mel. "I'm sorry; I just don't think I should be staying here. I'll just get under your feet."
Mel's face twisted sadly and she cupped his face with her hand. "No…"
Ven looked from Aqua to Terra, and then frowned. Something was going on in Terra's head, and he wanted to know what it was; finally Terra put his own book aside and fixed Kyo with a look that the boy returned solemnly.
"Kyo, you like numbers, right?"
"Yeah?"
"And you like science? Like physics and things like that?"
"Yeah, I do. I like learning about how stuff works."
Terra thought for a moment before he deliberated over telling them all his big master plan.
"So?" Ven demanded, impatient.
"So – Kyo wants to be somewhere where he can help and make a difference, and where he isn't under our feet and causing us trouble,"
"He's not causing us any trouble here he is now." Mel said firmly, a flicker of displeasure behind her eyes at his words, though it was weak and hardly amounted to any strong emotion. Still, Ven took note of it.
"Yeah I am…" Kyo muttered, folding his arms. "Ouch!" he recoiled as she flicked his ear.
"Well, who do we know, who likes science, could probably do with an assistant, and can keep Kyo safe and happy?" Terra asked.
They all looked at him for a moment, before the penny dropped.
"You mean Ansem the Wise?" Ven asked.
"Yeah!"
Aqua looked thoughtful, turning from Kyo to Terra. "You know, that's not such a bad idea. Kyo, would you like to meet him?"
"Who's…that guy?" he blinked, looking uncannily like Mel when she was caught unawares – eyes wide, the same odd quality that seemed to absorb and reflect the light around them.
XOXOX
It was an unusual request, to say the least. Ansem was expecting Aqua and the others, with a prospective student in tow. He knew very little, because the message had been quick and vague on details, but he was happy to meet them all the same.
Truth were known, Ansem was reluctant to take on new apprentices; his back wasn't completely down after what had happened, and though he was adamant he was not going to let it render him incapable of trusting again, it still lingered in the back of his mind. This boy Aqua wanted him to meet was a relation of Mel's, so it was highly likely he was nice and trustworthy person, but Ansem would wait to see with his own eyes first, either way.
Ansem had been sat at his desk looking over a report the Committee had put together on local heartless activity when he had been summoned by Leon. As they left the castle and walked along the brick path out of the shade of the building, Leo was just rounding the corner of the postern, treading very carefully. There had been a deep frost for two nights in a row, and the ground was quite treacherous, which was probably why everyone was mounted on his back as he plodded along the sparkly, ice-strewn ground. Leon slipped away surreptitiously after murmuring something about meeting Sora and his friends, as the party debussed and leaving Ansem to greet them alone.
"Hey!" Ven called, waving merrily and jumping from Leo's back, skidding on the icy ground.
A teenaged boy wearing a Black Coat jumped after him and turned to help Mel and Aqua down while Terra slid off Leo's other side. The dragon sat back on his haunches and stretched his front legs, flexing his large wings that were now speckled with the occasional all-purple feather, giving him a mottled appearance. Another small plume was growing underneath his jaw, like a small beard of short, thick feathers all tipped with the same varying shades of purple.
Ansem smiled and greeted them, shaking Aqua's hand and eyeing up the boy curiously. At first glance, he was very different to Mel: slightly long, very curly red and copper hair, with fair skin and a smattering of freckles across his heart shaped face, and a long gangly frame. Then he was brought forward to stand squarely in front of Ansem, and the connection between them was unmistakeable – they had the same eyes.
"Ansem, this is Mel's brother – Kyo." Aqua said, gesturing at him. "Kyo, this is Ansem the Wise."
The boy stared at him, wide eyed, before hastily sketching a respectful bow. He gave Ansem the distinct impression that he was quite young in spirit, very childlike. He was holding Mel's hand, even though he was much taller than her and could have passed as her elder if not for the expression he wore.
"A pleasure to meet you, my dear boy."
"And you too." He nodded, focused on being polite.
Leo made an odd, hacking sort of noise that could have been a cough before he sat down on all fours, his tail flicking in agitation. He fixed them all with his large golden eyes and grunted loudly.
"What's your problem?" Ven asked, and he snarled in response.
"Easy," Terra said, putting a hand on one of his twisted horns.
Leo relented, but he glowered at the ground between his front paws, tail whipping back and forth restlessly.
"Is something the matter?" Ansem asked, concerned by the change in behaviour.
"He's just grumpy," Ven said loudly. "We had to kick him out of bed this morning."
Leo slowly rose to his feet, growling. Surprisingly, everyone took a step back with raised hands, so Ansem followed their lead. Mel carefully picked her way over to him, hands up in a gesture of submission before she reached up to stroke his nose.
"What's wrong?" she asked softly.
Leo snorted and looked away like a petulant child, eyes hard. He was annoyed about something, or maybe even upset, but he gave no indication of what it was that irked him so. In the end, Ven and Terra elected to stay outside with him while Aqua and Mel went inside with Kyo and Ansem. Because they were not accommodating Leo's ever increasing frame, they went into his study and sat down around the desk. Ansem reshuffled the papers he had been reading and set them aside for later before he fixed Kyo with a penetrating stare. The boy had been staring around the room in awe before he caught the man's eye, and then squirmed uncomfortably for a moment until Mel stroked his hair soothingly and he settled down.
"So, Kyo." Ansem said pleasantly, steadily gauging the boy's reactions. "Aqua tells me you like science?"
"Yeah. I mean, yes!" he gulped, giving Mel a pleading look. She just smiled and patted his hand reassuringly. It seemed he was determined to keep his manners despite his apparent usual and casual self.
"So, what about science do you like?" if there were to be any skulduggery he wanted to weed it out as soon as possible. Although, there was no guile he could find in the boy's eyes.
Slowly, Kyo told Ansem that he liked understanding how things worked, and he wanted to know why something was, like the colour of the sky or why some people had darker skin than others. He didn't seem too fussed about hearts and souls; when Ansem asked him nonchalantly Kyo shrugged and said, "It's basically impossible to understand anyway. The Heart of the World isn't something you play with – it'll play with you right back." At this point, Ansem had the distinct impression that Kyo shared some of Mel's magical abilities. She just sat through the discussion silently, looking from one face to another as they spoke in turn, occasionally giving her brother's hand a squeeze or tucking a stray lock of hair back. Upon closer and surreptitious inspection of his light, Kyo revealed even more similarities with her, and he found it impossible to not like the boy. When asked if he would like to see the main research lab, his eyes grew enormous and he nodded enthusiastically.
Kyo dragged Mel around the room, pointing at every other object and book, exclaiming loudly and asking a vast number of questions before he found one of Ansem's favourite contraptions, and to the man's delight Kyo knew exactly what it was for.
"See? See!" he thrust it in Mel's face, grinning with excitement.
"Yes, I can see it. What is it, then?" she asked, wiping the oily liquid from her nose and taking another look at the thick wire cubed-frame from a distance.
"You can make square shaped bubbles with it! Look," and Kyo dunked it in the tub of specially prepared water before grabbing a large pipette from the table behind him.
Ansem chuckled to himself, marvelling at the boy's enthusiasm. "He could give Sora a run for his money."
"I know," Aqua laughed, watching them both with a motherly fondness.
"It's a bit strange…he's very clearly a young man, and he has an exceptional mind." He had managed to perform several calculations for Ansem during their discussion without the aid of anything more than his brain. "And yet, he behaves much like a child."
Aqua's smile fell slightly, and she let her gaze drift to the ground. "Mel told me, before we came here, the reason why. She said I could tell you, because she didn't want to repeat it, but only if you asked and wanted to know."
"Well, I suppose if I am to consider keeping him here with me, I had better know." Ansem said evenly.
Aqua deliberated for a moment before she spoke. "Mel and Kyo are half brother and sister. Same mother, different fathers. Mel's father is…not a very nice person. Kyo's father died when he was quite young, and he doesn't remember very much about him. A few years after her stepfather died, Mel's father came back to their town, and he broke into their house. She thinks he was probably drunk at the time… Anyway, he attacked them all, and Mel's grandfather intervened. He threatened to kill the man if he ever dared to show up there again. Kyo was quite badly beaten, and he became a nervous wreck for a long time afterwards. Mel said he as always a bit quirky and lucid, but after that…" she closed her eyes and exhaled loudly. "He wasn't quite the same. She takes pretty good care of him herself, and I think her cousin did to a certain extent, but he was always trying to get Kyo to be quiet and not speak so he didn't let on he was different. As you can see," she gestured at him now, grinning triumphantly as he showed Mel the square bubble he had made. "Once you get him talking its difficult to stop him."
Ansem considered her words gravely as he looked at the boy once again. "For such a trauma, he doesn't seem very withdrawn."
"No. Mel got him to start talking again, to make him crawl out of the shell he made to protect himself. And talking became a way of dealing with his problems. The only real 'damage' is that his emotional development became stunted to a certain degree – he's actually pretty mature in some respects, it's just he can't really keep a handle on his emotions. Especially when he's angry or upset. Then, he'll throw a tantrum like a child. And soon forget what upset him in the first place, in most cases." She smiled indulgently.
"Hey Aqua, check it out!" Kyo bounced over, waving the frame around with the little cube shaped bubble nestled in the middle of the shimmering sheets of pearlescent colour that stretched across the wire frame. "Square bubble!"
"Wow! Look at that,"
Ansem showed Kyo some of the things he was currently working on, and the boy lapped up everything with fervour. He had an incessant thirst for understanding, as opposed to knowledge – he didn't want to know everything, he just wanted to understand the phenomenon he could see in front of him. He also liked playing with numbers; he found a scientific calculator on one of the benches and sat down to play with it while Ansem took a box down from one of the shelves over a sink. He took the small coloured balls and plastic rods that he used to make large-scale models of molecules and placed them in front of Kyo. He put the calculator down, wide eyed again.
"I have a small task for you, Kyo." He said pleasantly. "I saw what you did with the cube frame, and I'm very impressed you knew what it was for."
Kyo grinned sheepishly.
"Now, I'd like to give you a little test."
"I'm slightly dyslexic." Kyo said in a small voice.
Ansem chuckled. "No, no. This is a reasoning and logic exercise. I just want to see what you can come up with,"
Kyo nodded and picked up the nearest pieces, looking at them closely. Ansem had used these materials before for the same task, and knew it would work, providing they ere used in the correct sequence.
"I'd like, if you can, for you to make me a triangular shaped bubble."
"Okay." Kyo said, eyes glued to the pieces in his hands.
Aqua came to sit beside him on one of the work stools and watch, while Mel hung back. Ansem went to stand beside her and they looked on as Kyo held one piece after another up to the light, discarding most and piling the rest up before he started fiddling with them, totally engrossed in his task.
"Your brother is a very likeable young man." He said eventually.
Mel smiled. "He's a handful."
"And exceptionally bright, despite his lack of emotional control. Tell me, what exactly is it you are looking for, for him?"
Mel took a while to respond, but when she did she met his gaze evenly and said, "I want him to be in a place where he can learn, exercise his mind. I want him to be safe and free to be himself without worrying that someone's going to call him out as a witch. But above all, I want him to be happy."
"And do you think he would be happy here?"
"Do you think you can give him the care and attention he needs on top of your duties?" she countered, eyes serious.
Ansem smiled at her. "Well, I'm very willing to give it a shot. I can hardly think of a reason why not to. And I think having Kyo around would be of help to me. He's very driven and focused."
"Only when he wants to be. Give him a challenge and he'll find some way around it, even if he has to spend days figuring it out. He doesn't think like other people."
"He's a lateral thinker."
"Mmm."
They watched Kyo dunk the frame he had made into the liquid, and then stare at it while his mind ticked away at the possibilities.
"Well, if you are happy to, I'll be glad to look after your brother. But I have to remind you, he will have to work to earn his keep."
"Oh, I don't think that'll be a problem." Mel said brightly. "He's been dying to work in a proper lab for years. He thinks the white coat and goggles look cool."
Ansem chuckled. "Well, I have a fun experiment he might like to try."
"Tah-dah!" Kyo shouted, standing up on the bar of his stool, waving the frame he had made with a small bubble suspended in the prism, a near perfect triangular pyramid.
"Well done," Ansem smiled at him – it had taken him only a matter of minutes to figure it out.
When they convinced Kyo they had exhausted the lab for now, Ansem showed him the wing of the castle that he would be spending most of his time in if he chose to stay. Kyo was delighted with the vistas he could see through the windows, and ran up and down the corridors and rooms trying to see every inch of the view below. Aqua smiled and wandered after him, and Mel managed to get separated from them somewhere along the way.
"That's okay," Kyo said with a grin. "She's probably just found something more interesting. She always comes back eventually. Hey, can you see that rainbow?" he turned fluidly to Aqua and pointed through a window at a fountain in the far distance, changing the course of conversation in one motion.
"Where?"
"Right over there! See?"
"Still not quite-"
"It's right there!"
"I'll go see if I can find Mel." Ansem offered, and left them as Kyo tried to convince Aqua of the existence of his rainbow. It wasn't long until he found her; as Ansem walked past an open door he heard the first strains of music coming from a piano, a soft melody that was soon accompanied by an equally soft voice. Whether by accident or design, her words seemed to be loaded with meaning as Ansem glanced through the door.
"As you go through life you'll see, there is so much that we – don't understand." Mel was looking down at the keys as she played; swaying slightly from side to the way some musicians did in time with the rhythm. She had a clear singing voice, if a bit quiet – much like her normal speaking voice; somewhere between an alto and a soprano. "And the only thing we know, is things don't always go – the way we planned." A break in the singing came as the chords shifted, and became slightly more pronounced; gearing up for the next part of the song, and her voice suddenly became very strong and rang out clearly over the piano. "But you'll see everyday that we'll never turn away-" her voice was louder, but the piano softened in comparison. "When it seems all your dreams come undone. We will stand by your side – filled with hope and filled with pride! We are more than we are, we are one." Her lips moved silently as she played what may have been a chorus, but she didn't sing out loud what the words may have been. The music again grew in volume and passion before tapering off into a soft lilt again, and when she began the next verse her voice was a much higher pitch, like a first soprano singing at the top end of a choir above all else.
"If there's so much I must be, can I still just be me – the way I am? Can I trust in my own heart, or am I just one part – of some big plan?" As the music rallied, she let her head swing back and sang the next part to the ceiling, the room reverberating with her song, returning to the slightly deeper alto line. "Even those who are gone are with us as we go on – your journey has only begun." The next line was slightly more poignant; it started soft and quiet, but ended strong and powerful. "Tears of pain, tears of joy – it's one thing nothing can destroy! It's our pride, deep inside – we are one!" As the chorus played, Mel embellished it with more tinkling to notes over the deeper chords beneath.
Ansem started when someone put a hand on his shoulder – he had been so absorbed with listening that he hadn't noticed Terra appear behind him. The younger man smiled, and slid into the room, making his way over to the piano stool where Mel was perched. She didn't break off or stop what she was doing, nor did she look up from her work, but she did shift further up the stool to make space, and angled her body so she could still reach the higher end of the keys.
"We are one, you and I – we are like the earth and sky. One family under the sun! All the wisdom to lead, all the courage that you need." There was a purposeful pause as the music rippled before Mel delivered the line of the song. "You will find when you see – we are one." She played the same refrain of music, slowing it down to finish the piece until the final chord was struck, and the notes wavered in the air before tailing off completely, before she looked up at Terra.
"Nice." He said, his face not visible from where Ansem was stood, but he was probably smiling at her.
"Can I help at all?" Mel asked pleasantly.
"Think we found the problem. Leo's got a lose tooth. And he's not happy."
"Oh dear." Her lips twisted as if she was fighting a smile. "That can't be good…"
"How's it going with Kyo?"
"He's in love with the place. And Master Ansem. Thinks he's the best thing since sliced bread because he got to play with lots of new and shiny scientific toys."
Terra laughed, and they were about to embark on a new conversation when Kyo himself rushed into the room and skipped to Mel's side where he draped his arms around her shoulders.
"Mel, guess what!"
"I probably won't, so tell me anyway."
"Hey," Ansem turned to see Ven grinning at him before he slid into the room and pounced on Terra. "Sora found an ice cream shop that's open!"
"In this weather?" he said ludicrously.
"Hello again," Aqua said, appearing from a bend in the corridor.
"Hello," Ansem smiled at her.
"Hello yourself," Lea muttered, also appearing into the corridor with Leo at his shoulder, who looked quite dejected. He whined and called Aqua's name, stumbling to her and laying his huge muzzle on her shoulder, whimpering and searching for some sympathy. "That over grown feather duster of yours needs to see a dentist before he does any more damage to our fair city." Lea snapped at her. "Got it memorised?" he looked more tired than threatening.
"Memorised," Aqua said, tapping her temple and scratching Leo's chin. "So what's the problem?"
"Ven found one of his teeth is wobbling. Seems he's outgrowing his baby teeth."
Aqua fished a small book out of her pocket and noted something down in it while Leo whined loudly at her.
"Ansem, I have another favour to ask." She said, stowing the book away and fixing Lea with a look. "You can stay and listen to this too,"
"I'm bored." Lea whined, but relented. He tucked his scarf closer around his neck and shivered. Even in doors, it was still a chilly day.
"Wear a coat next time." She said unsympathetically.
"Who are you, my mother?" Lea snapped back.
"How may I help you?" Ansem said loudly to dispel argument.
Aqua checked to make sure the others were completely engrossed in their own conversation before moving them out of their line of sight. Lea followed curiously, hell bent on being clued in to whatever Aqua was planning.
"You know what the Mark of Mastery is?" she asked them both as Leo flopped onto his side on the floor, making the corridor vibrate.
"That thing Riku passed and Sora didn't," Lea sniggered.
"I am familiar with the term." Ansem said.
"Well, if I said would you like to be a witness to the exam, what would you say?"
"I'd say," Lea leant over dramatically so Aqua had to take a step back to keep him from being in her face. "Tell me more!"
"You get no say in the matter," she jabbed him in the chest and pushed him away.
"I find this intriguing." Ansem said with a smile. "Do you have a candidate in mind?"
"Candidates." Aqua verified.
"What are you up to?" Lea asked, arms folded and head cocked to one side.
XOXOX
Riku patted Leo's nose as Sora did a cartwheel and crashed into Ven, sending them both tumbling to the floor in a heap. Lea bounced past, pushing them down again as they tried to get up, and they initiated a battle using their keyblades and as many curses as they could think of. Aqua was wandering from group to group; stopping to admire the pretty little tune Kyo and Mel were playing together on a pair of flutes. Mel had borrowed hers, while Kyo had produced his from his pocket – it looked a bit like a wishbone, and it had a much deeper, richer range of notes. Kairi was perched on Leo's back, scratching his shoulders to his great delight, and Terra was tucked up in a corner set aside from the rest of them talking to the elusive Cloud, who Riku had seen very little of so far.
"Hey," Aqua called over the noise to make her presence known.
"Hey," Riku said dully, trying to ignore the others.
Lea was dancing circles around Sora, who was getting slowly angrier as he sang, "I know something you don't!"
"Like I'm falling for that one!" Sora shouted at him, completely falling for it.
"I know something you d-argh!" he bent double as Ven got his keyblade around the man's neck and tried to garrotte him.
"Behave!" Aqua shouted at them through force of habit. "Anyway. Riku, Kairi. I need to ask a favour."
"Sure," Kairi slid from Leo's back and came to stand next to her. "Anything."
"Isn't that one of Phil's hero rules – never make a promise if you don't know you can keep it?" Riku smirked and winced as Kairi tugged at a lock of his hair. "Ouch!"
"Shut up,"
Aqua waved a hand to placate them both before she smiled brilliantly and said, "I need some help with something."
"Yeah?" Riku recognised that look, and grinned back. "What are you planning?"
"Well, in view of the progress everyone has made recently, I am considering holding an exam."
"All right," Riku folded his arms and looked Aqua full in the face, his eyes darting aside to watch Sora and Ven tussle with Lea. He guessed where this was going.
"You're going to have a Mark of Mastery?" Kairi asked, wide eyed.
"Sssh! Keep your voice down," Riku hissed at her.
"Exactly. I think Ven can have a shot at it. And Terra and Sora deserve a second chance, too. Kairi, I don't think you, Lea or Mel are ready to take the exam just yet," she said apologetically. "I thought I should let you three know that. But," she added with a smile. "I'm going to need your help with running the exam."
"What do you need us to do?" Riku asked earnestly.
"Well, it's a test of more than just strength, and I have a few ideas, but I'm going to need help setting it up, and I'm going to need some participation."
"It's a test of heart," Kairi said suddenly, and they both turned to look at her. "Right?"
Leo exhaled loudly and started grooming her hair, making Kairi giggle.
"Yes. Which is why I need you."
"Tell us what to do." Riku said decisively.
Aqua chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Nothing's set in stone yet,"
They started discussing in low voices some options, throwing ideas around until Yuffie strode with purpose into the middle of the courtyard they had been filling outside one of the houses that belonged the to Committee. She stood tall and straight before filling her lungs and shouting at Sora and Ven, making them jump and trip over themselves in alarm.
"THROWING OUT TIME! ALL KEYBLADERS – CLEAR OFF!"
"I'M RIGHT HERE YUFFIE!" Sora shouted back, shaking her. "NO NEED TO SHOUT!"
"Be quiet," Aqua said loudly, nursing her skull and possibly a headache.
Riku punched Sora's shoulder as he walked past, smirking.
"And what's up with you?" Sora snapped at him, scowling.
Riku grinned at him, and in a soft voice echoed Lea's earlier song. "I know something you don't."
"Not you too!" Sora whined. "Why don't you love me?"
"With a face like that?"
"Kairi! We're leaving!" Sora shouted over the noise of the others packing up, stalking away from him. Riku followed, snickering to himself. Sora just made it too easy for him to wind him up…
"Thanks," Terra was saying, shaking Cloud's hand before the blonde man departed with a curt nod, just as a large group of people came round the corner and flooded into the small courtyard. "Doesn't like crowds," Terra concluded to Mel, who was fitting a mouthpiece to Kyo's flute. "What's that?"
"Kyo hasn't been looking after it as well as he could be," she said, reaching a hand out and a moment later grabbing Kyo as he bounced past on his way to pester someone new. "You really need to take care of this, Grandpa wouldn't like it if it got damaged so you couldn't play anymore."
"I don't have the right tools." Kyo said forlornly as they shuffled out of the way of the tide of people.
Riku looked up at Terra, the sun glancing off the roofs around them and reflecting off his face. It was like looking at the calm sea left after a storm. He noticed Riku's gaze and tilted his head, giving him a questioning look.
"Something wrong, grasshopper?" he asked slyly.
"Shouldn't I be saying that to you?" Riku asked, tapping the little badge fixed to the collar of his jacket – the one outward sign he would accept and wear openly that ranked him higher than Terra.
"Don't push it," Terra said playfully, mussing up Riku's hair with both hands. "I still have a trump card!"
"Like?" Riku grunted, trying to flatten his hair again.
"I was born first."
Riku rolled his eyes. "Okay, you win."
"Hey grumpy guts!" Terra said brightly as Leo trundled over, carefully avoiding stepping on anyone as he went. "How are we feeling?"
Leo gave him a disgusted look and turned his back on them, stalking off.
"Well that was mean." Sora said loudly, watching the proceedings.
"I thought you weren't talking to me." Riku said mockingly.
"I said we're going home!" Sora stormed at him, marching over and grabbing him by the wrist. "And I'm not wasting my time again looking for you if you get lost! So you're coming with me now whether you like it or not!"
"Who went and made you Master of the Keyblade?" Riku said, trying to rip from Sora's grip, but he had a fist like iron.
"I had a keyblade before you! Back before it was cool. I win!"
"I was born first," Riku said flatly, Terra sniggering behind his hand before Ven struck him. "I win by default."
"My hair's softer than yours!" Sora challenged him.
"Oh yeah?!"
"Yeah!"
They were right up in each other's faces, about to start a fistfight, when Kairi wandered past with ice cream in her hands. Sora's eyes followed her, fixed on the soft, cold treats despite the frigid air around them. He followed with a second thought, leaving Riku behind.
"Oh sure!" Riku called to his retreating back. "Do a big number about never leaving anyone behind, but the moment you factor ice cream in-!" no one as listening. "Fine, be that way. See if I care!"
Sora scuttled back over and Riku reluctantly opened his eyes to scowl at him. He would never admit it out loud to anyone, especially Sora, but the wide eyed and innocent look on his face, and the ice cream that was held out to him, melted Riku's frigid heart.
"It's ice cream. It's full of sweet sugary goodness. I only abandoned you so I could get it for you."
"Guys, if you goof around any longer I'm leaving you here and going home myself!" Kairi shouted at them from the gateway.
"Remember how she nearly crashed into that ship last time?" Riku reminded Sora.
They both looked at each other with deadly seriousness before pelting after her.
"See ya later!" Sora shouted at the others, waving before they disappeared form sight.
"Bye!" Ven yelled after them.
"She wouldn't really," Riku said as they ran through the maze of back streets and alleyways to get to their gummi ship.
"I dunno. She's tried it before…"
They heard a revving noise as they approached the place their ship was parked, and they shared a look before pelting after it.
She would…
Riku was about to turn a corner with Sora to reach the place the ship was waiting for them, when he saw something from the corner of his eye that made him skid to a halt, sliding on the icy ground. It was like a shadow, but it stilled instantly and became a part of the wall on which it had been cast. Frowning, Riku went over to investigate, ignoring Sora's calls when he failed to turn up right behind him. There was definitely something behind that crate in the corner of the street… He edged closer and twitched the corner of the tarp that was laid over it, and the crate seemed to explode with a bundle of pitch-black feathers.
Riku yelled and dived out of the way as the bird tried to claw at his face, cawing loudly and leaving long gashes on the backs of his hands. Then it flew off down the street, and Riku heard Sora yelp as it attacked him as well. The crow shot off like an arrow into the sky, and was lost among the scudding dull clouds that were threatening rain. Panting, Riku wandered back to Sora, who was looking at his ice cream, belly up on the cobbled street.
"Aww man!" he slumped in defeat, as if he hadn't just been set upon by a manic bird.
"C'mon Sora, it's just an ice cream." Riku tried to reason with him, but Sora wouldn't be consoled.
"But-!" he looked up from the disaster before them. "Kairi bought that for me…!"
"Shut up," Riku said, walking past and taking care to avoid the sticky mess by Sora's feet, shoving his own and untouched ice cream into Sora's mouth. "Let's get going before Kairi destroys the town."
"Mmmph!" Sora spun on his back leg and hurried after Riku.
"Don't run with that in your mouth!" he snapped. "What'll I tell your mom if I bring you back with a stick through your brain? Oh sorry! You're only son was stupid enough to launch this into his brain and he's beyond useless now!"
"Thanks Riku!" Sora grinned, slurping on the ice cream as they approached the ship.
Kairi was waiting for them, tapping her toes impatiently. Then suddenly Sora groaned and put a hand to his head, almost collapsing. The two of them rushed to his side with concern, but Riku nearly kicked him when he moaned, "Brain freeze!"
"Idiot!" he hissed, and jumped when Sora shook himself out of it with a gasp.
"Riku! Your hand!"
There was a fine red line of blood trickling down the back of his hand.
"Oh," he raised it up for closer inspection, and shrugged, prepared to lick it clean when Kairi grabbed him by the wrist. "Hey!"
"Don't do that! What if it's infected? Come on, there's a first aid box in the cockpit…"
They were about to finally board the ship when Sora stopped and spun round again, searching for something.
"What's up?" Riku called, and Sora turned to him with a perturbed expression. "Sora?"
"I…thought I saw something," he looked over his shoulder again, frowning. "Must be imagining things."
"What was it?" Riku asked as Sora walked over to the ship.
"Kinda reminded me of Pete, but it was just that shadow from those trash bags over there." Riku frowned and tried to get a better look, but as he stepped back onto the street Sora called his name again, and he hesitated. "It's just a trick of the light, Riku. C'mon! Let's go home."
Riku didn't feel convinced, and as he turned to leave – sure enough the shadows flickered again, stilling the moment he looked back.
"Could've sworn…" he murmured to himself. A chill wind that felt as if it had nothing to do with the cold weather ripped through the square and matrix of alleyways, the temperature even in the glaring sunlight dropping a few degrees. Riku shivered involuntarily, wondering what was going on out there that was beyond his field of vision.
"Okay, closing the hatch now!" Kairi shouted at him, and he yelped, rushing into their ship to avoid getting locked out, the moment of contemplation shattered.
Kairi grinned unrepentantly and handed him a fresh ice cream. "Sora told me the tragic and epic tale of how he lost his and you nobly sacrificed your own so he could still have some."
"It wasn't that epic," Riku insisted, shovelling the ice cream into his mouth before she could change her mind.
"Anything with ice cream in it is epic!" Sora crowed, and then added, "I'm driving!"
"No way!" Riku threw him out of the way and raced up the stairs.
"Hey! I called shot gun!"
"Guys…" Kairi sighed, massaging her temples as the two boys fought their way to the cockpit, laughing as they went.
XOXOX
"I thought this was supposed to be an exercise in stealth." Tomasa said dully.
Pete glowered at the boy and stomped along the alleyway. "You just keep your trap shut!" It irked him greatly that he had been stuck on patrol duty, to give this little punk 'orienteering'. He didn't especially like Tomasa – the kid was pretty quiet, and quite snarky when he chose to speak, with little to no respect for his elders.
"You were nearly seen by two people in rapid succession."
"And did those nitwits come looking for us? No! Pipe down already – Oop!"
They both scuttled out of the way into the shadows again as they heard footsteps and voices. The scrawny blonde kid Ventus, or who ever he was, ran down the street and stopped in a patch of sunlight from another connecting alley, rubbing his arms and breathing tendrils of smoke into the air before shouting back the way he came. "Hurry up! I'm freezing!"
The blue haired woman followed at a fast pace, hunched over against the cold with a tall red haired boy Pete guessed was Tomasa's little cousin. Not so little, really – he was probably taller than Tomasa. He bounced along beside Aqua as she berated Ventus for running ahead and complaining.
Tomasa's sharp intake of breath could have given them away, so Pete slammed a hand over his mouth, nearly knocking a stack of boxes over in the process. Only the dragon seemed to notice this, trailing behind Aqua and the cousin…what was his name again? The dragon was about to come and investigate, but it yelped and raced ahead, knocking blondie over.
"C'mon, Leo. Time's a'wastin'!"
"That sound's like a cheesy line from a cheesy movie – and too much cheese is bad for the heart, Terra!"
"Kyo, you don't need to shout." Said the tiny woman with the long blonde hair, Tomasa's other cousin.
"But he's waaaaay over there!" the boy pointed.
Mel leant forward with a finger to her lips. "Indoor voices, Kyo."
Pete waited until they had walked on, and then went to follow them. "Let's not," Tomasa said, pulling a face and turning away. "Let's just go back now."
"Nuh-uh!" Pete took him roughly by the shoulder and dragged him along. "Orders are orders! Besides, Maleficent wants the low down on that there dragon of the keyblade! And the best way to do that is to follow. Capiche?"
"Fine." Tomasa said shortly, shaking off his hold and walking sedately by his side.
In a small square right at the edge of town they all got ready to leave. Kyo fought against putting on a Black Coat, complaining it smelt of garlic while Mel resolutely wrestled him into it. The others donned their armour and summoned those weird yet oddly cool gliders; the dragon had its own set of armour, and Mel carefully used a harness to clip herself and her brother onto the saddle before the portal to the lanes between was opened. The dragon raised its wings and crouched low for a moment, before bring them down with a powerful beat that launched it into the air, and the other keyblade wielders flew around it in a sort of convoy as they rose towards the portal – and then they were gone, as if they had never been there at all.
"Well now, that's interestin'." Pete said to himself, taking out a piece of paper and a pencil to write down what he had seen.
"So? Keyblade Dragon. Keyblade Armour. Goes without saying he'd have his own set." Tomasa quipped.
"Can it," Pete snapped.
"Why do all this covert stuff? They've got this book Mels showed me about the dragon. Apparently there've been loads in the past."
Pete turned slowly to look at Tomasa, as if for the first time. "Ya don't say?"
"Yeah. And she had this box she showed me with some stuff in if from when he was a baby."
"Why didn't ya tell me this before?" Pete demanded, snapping his fingers to summon a portal so they could go back to HQ.
"Where are we going? I thought you said we had to do recon."
"Maleficent needs to hear about this. Well don't just stand there Tom! Get movin."
"That's Tomasa to you." He snapped back, pulling his hood up and stepping in front of him.
"Yeah, yeah."
Maleficent was annoyed at first when they arrived well ahead of schedule, but then intrigued by what Tomasa had to say about his brief spell in the Land of Departure. She spent a while listening, and then even longer deliberating over the possibilities while Pete shuffled around anxiously and Tomasa sat rigidly in his chair – Pete didn't blame the kid; Maleficent could be quite scary.
"And why didn't you tell me this before?" she asked in a silkily smooth voice that could have been praise or could have been a warning signal.
"I didn't know you were interested in Leo. What do you want with him anyway?"
"I have a certain fascination for the keyblade. And to find tell of a dragon, tied to the keyblade – it is no mere coincidence. I want to see this power for myself."
"But that thing's too heavily protected," Pete interrupted. "It's always surrounded by those keybladers. And it's pretty strong itself – it'll be nearly impossible to get the jump on it!"
"Well, do what you said we should do." Tomasa said, and they both turned to look at him, seated at the large round table with his dark hair shading his eyes as his watched his trailing hand paint a sprawling pattern on the table top – the rhyme and reason only understood by him. "Recon. Find out as much as we can about Leo, and then figure out a way to isolate him."
"Heh – I like the way this kid thinks!" Pete chuckled.
"Silence," Maleficent fixed his with a stony, withering glare. "Now then, my dear," she went on more softly to Tomasa, but he stood up sharply and she appraised him coolly.
"You won't hurt Mel or Kyo, right? Or Leo."
"Peh!" Pete laughed, but was silenced with a look.
"I promise, that as long as you do what I ask, no harm will come to either of them."
"That's not good enough." Tomasa said stubbornly, and Pete took a big step back. It was never a good idea to size up to Maleficent… "I don't agree with them, but they're still my family! I won't let them get hurt by anyone!"
Maleficent was silent for a long time, and then she walked slowly with purpose towards Tomasa until she was right in front of him, and he looked up at her unflinchingly – brave kid, and exceedingly stupid.
"My, my. What a strong heart you have." She crooned softly, stroking his hair while he held very still. "I can help you make it even stronger. But you must stick to your convictions. And prove to me where your loyalties lie. If you do exactly as I say, then there will be no need for your cousins to be in harm's way." She put a hand on his shoulder and leant forward to whisper into his ear. "Am I understood?"
Tomasa gulped, but to his credit he didn't cower away or try to run. "Yes ma'am."
"Good. Then we are on an understanding. Pete!"
"What can I do for ya, boss?"
Maleficent turned and walked away from them towards the balcony, where the stormy sky outside was visible. "I want you to retrieve this book for me."
"That, err…may be a bit difficult. But!" he raised his hands in defence as she turned on him. "It'll just take some time – that place isn't always left unguarded! And even when it is it's not for long! And I'd need to know the right place to look-!"
"Stop your snivelling." She said coldly. "Pete, I want you to find the opportune moment to raid their castle, and then I want you Tomasa, to go in and get me that book. And the box as well. I don't care how long it takes as long as I get those objects. Understand!"
"You bet!"
"Yes, ma'am."
XOXOX
"You sure?" Mel asked, straightening Kyo's collar and smoothing his hair back.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Besides! I really like Master Ansem – he's cool."
"You like his lab." She corrected him with a smile.
Leo made a humming noise in his throat, beating his tail against the ground before running his teeth through the boy's hair one last time. Kyo giggled and ducked out of the way before scratching the dragon's neck. They stopped and looked up as Ansem the Wise approached them across the postern.
Terra felt a bit sorry for them, but Kyo had insisted on getting out from under their feet – less than a week after being reunited, Mel and Kyo were being parted again. But, as Mel had said, handing her brother a small stud earring she had managed to get hold of, they wouldn't be too far and they knew where each other would be. The little earring she had found was shaped like a five-pointed star, like a wayfinder, and Kyo wore it now in the top of his left ear, as did Mel in her right ear. Kyo had really liked the story about the paopu fruit, and was delighted to be a part of the circle.
"Good morning," Ansem said pleasantly.
"Hello again!"
"Hi!" Kyo waved happily, picking his bag up and folding his Black Coat neatly. "Here," he tried to give it to Mel, but she pushed it back into his hands.
"Keep it. I have my armour, and you never know when you might need it."
"Gees Mel, I'm not jumping into the darkness or anything, and this place's too light to worry about that sort of thing!" he flushed.
"Then keep it, for the sake of my sanity, if nothing else."
"Okay! I don't want you to go insane. That would be really bad."
Mel smiled and gave him one last hug, kissing the crown of his head before she nudged him along towards Ansem. He smiled at them, and Kyo grinned back.
"I promise to take good care of your brother." He said solemnly.
"Please. I'm counting on you." She said, looking a little bit tearful – Aqua put an arm around her shoulders as Ven took a step forward, flanked by Leo.
"Cause if you don't, you'll be hearing from us!" he said teasingly, Leo snapping his jaws purely for effect.
Ansem chuckled, and bowed deeply to Mel. "On my honour as a scholar."
"See ya!" Kyo waved at them again. "And thanks for having me. And Terra?" he added, shuffling his feet awkwardly. "Look after Mel for me, 'kay? I'm not the only one who needs watching."
Mel started, but Terra laughed and ruffled her hair. While she was smoothing the mess out he said, "Promise!"
Kyo stood in the same clothes he had worn when he first arrived – the dirt had been washed away, but his jeans and shirt were still stained from years of travel. His slightly too-big clothes hung awkwardly off his frame, and he looked like a child about to embark on some big adventure. They said their goodbyes, and had almost left him when he dumped his bag and ran back to Mel, flinging his arms around her and lifting her off the ground. When he eventually let go and they parted, Terra saw her hastily wiping a tear away, and he slung an arm around her shoulder.
"I'm fine," she insisted, using her sleeve to dry her eyes.
"He'll be fine. Ansem and the others will take care of him."
"Guys!" Ven shouted at them, already halfway across the postern. "Remember that meeting Aqua was holding today? Let's go!"
When they finally traipsed back home over the threshold, Mel still a little bit tearful, Terra was surprised to find Lea and Riku waiting for them. Lea berated them about being late before stalking up stairs to the great hall, where Sora and Kairi were waiting with King Mickey and Master Yen Sid; Donald was arguing with Sora over something while Goofy waved his hands and tried to calm the situation down.
"What's all this?" Terra asked, stunned. Aqua had said, 'meeting' and not 'council or war' – which was what this looked like.
"Places, please," Aqua called, bringing up the rear of the returning party with Leo.
They all lined up formally in front of the dais, from left to right was Terra, Ven, Sora, Mel, Lea, and Kairi at the end. Leo settled himself down behind them, sat back on his haunches with his wings extended either side so he seemed to take up even more room. Mickey was seated on one of the thrones, flanked by Donald and Goofy; Master Yen Sid in another, and Aqua and Riku stood in front of the third, surveying the group before them. Leo coughed, and recoiled from the look he received.
"I have gathered you all here for a reason." Aqua said loudly. She would have made an impressive image as a Master of the Keyblade if she didn't let her anxiety show – he had known her so long, all the little signs were there; the tilt to her head, the way her eyes were settling on the space above their heads as opposed to on their faces, and the way she fidgeted with her sleeves. "We are fortunate to have many apprentices gathered here, each chosen to wield the keyblade." She turned her attention to Terra, Ven and Sora and called their names. "Step forward."
Terra blinked, and exchanged looks with Ven; Sora had already stepped forward, perplexed. They followed suit, and Sora caught Riku's eye – they exchanged grins.
Looking to Aqua for his cue, Riku stepped forward to deliver his own speech. "Chosen wielders of the keyblade!" he started off with a strong and confident voice, but stumbled when Sora sniggered, setting Ven off too until Leo whacked them both smart round the back of the head with his tail. Terra stifled his own snort of laughter at the look on Ven's face. "We have made the decision, to hold the Mark of Mastery Exam for these three apprentices."
Terra blinked, letting the information sink in. Mark of Mastery? He'd be taking it with Ven! He grinned, and turned to see Ven with an identical grin to his. He did a little dance and fist pumped the air saying, "Yes!"
"You have a month to prepare in any way you see fit. You can ask for any training you wish, and train with anyone you chose – but you may not ask what the test will entail." Aqua said, unable to control her own smile. "You are dismissed!"
"Woohoo!" Sora jumped in the air in celebration.
"You haven't even sat the test yet," Lea said derisively, smirking.
"Who cares!" Sora crowed, undeterred.
"We're gonna be Masters!" Ven shouted. "Remember? Just like our dream!"
"Yeah!" Terra felt the excitement mounting – he might as well be a kid again. Sora's enthusiasm was quite infectious.
"Hey! We gotta start training!" Sora said, shaking Terra's arm in earnest. "Riku! Spar with me!" he shouted, running to the dais.
Terra felt something poke him in the ribs, and turned to see Mel stood beside him, Leo hanging over her shoulder, eyes bright with humour as Kairi and bounced as energetically as Sora. "Good luck. I'm sure you don't need it,"
"We'll take all the luck we can get!" Ven grinned. "We're gonna be Masters!"
Aqua made her way over to them, grinning from ear to ear. "Sorry to keep the surprise. I had to wait to formally announce it-"
Ven squealed with delight and flung his arms around her, nearly knocking her off her feet. "We're gonna be Keyblade Masters! Together!"
Terra wrapped his arms around the both of them, holding them close. His two oldest, bestest friends – it didn't matter what had happened in the past, what any of them had done or had been done to them. He was adamant, that he and Ven would pass – and they could be Masters together, just like they had dreamed they would. He looked up, over the top of Ven's head to see Mel standing with Leo a few paces away.
The young dragon was sat back on his hind legs, his shoulders back and tall, but he had lowered his head and neck so it was level with Mel's; his large eyes were closed, and he hummed contentedly as he slowly flexed his wings and tail, the purple spots showing vividly against the raven backdrop of his feathered body. Mel stroked his face, looking up at him before she turned her gaze to Terra. Their eyes met, and she smiled, leaning her cheek against Leo's muzzle and hugging him close. Terra grinned back, giving Aqua and Ven a loving squeeze.
"Together!" Ven said, leaning back just enough so he could see Terra's face, his smile impossibly wide.
Terra reached into his pocket and produced his wayfinder, holding it up to the light caught it just right to offset the colours.
"Always!"
XOXOX