I HOLD NO CLAIM TO ANY OF THE ORIGINAL KINGDOOM HEARTS CHARACTERS! NOTHING! :(

Chapter Four

Terra

Castle of Dreams

"Your strength is amazing."

"Of course it is," Bailey snorted. "I've been training with soldiers every day to train both them and myself."

"This world you've been living at, I'd like to see it. To meet the ones you've been living with."

Bailey snapped her book closed. "I think not."

Terra looked at her in surprise. "Why not?"

"You are part of my past, Terra. I don't need my past to meet my present." Bailey frowned at herself. She knew that the moment that Mickey Mouse came to her in Radiant Garden that she would run into the others but she was going to try her hardest to try and keep her two lives separated.

Terra gave a soft look at her. "It really hurt you, didn't it? What he said to you that night."

"Just drop it, Terra."

"But-"

"I said drop it!"

The sound of someone crying cut off Terra's next words as they turned a corner in the forest. Stretching a frown across her face, Bailey stood there and watched as Terra approached her. It was a blonde woman, sitting there crying on a bench in a ripped up pink and white dress.

"Is something wrong?" Terra asked her.

~If there wasn't she wouldn't be crying, would she?~ Bailey snorted to herself as she pulled out that book of hers and began to scribble away in it.

"It's just that my friends made me the most beautiful dress," The woman began. "But my stepmother and stepsisters ruined it. And I was so looking forward to the ball."

Terra glanced away for a moment. "Darkness always finds a way into a wounded heart. You have to be strong. Strength of heart will carry you through the hardest of trials."

"But I-"

"Terra," Bailey's call made the young man turn to see that more Unversed decided to join them again. Giving a growl, Terra summoned his Keyblade and jumped into the battle to help Bailey. It didn't take long. Terra moved to talk to the crying woman again but Bailey moved forward first.

"Why are you crying?" Her voice was hard.

"I can't believe…not anymore…"

"Just sitting here doing so just proves that your stepmother and your stepsisters won. The only thing you should believe in is in yourself. No one else can help you get what you truly want."

"That may be true, but not everyone is like you, my dear," A friendly voice reached them as a blue form began to materialize on the bench that the young woman was crying on. "Some need a helping hand."

Bailey gave a snort as she took in the elderly woman. ~A helping hand, huh?~

"There's nothing left to believe in…nothing."

"Nothing, my dear? Oh, now, you don't really mean that."

"Oh…but I do. It's just no use."

Bailey turned away in disgust, leaving Terra to raise a brow at her. She really, really had change these last few years. The old Bailey he knew would comfort the crying woman, not scold her.

"Nonsense! If you'd lost all your faith, I couldn't be here, and here I am. Oh, come now," The Fairy Godmother helped Cinderella to her feet. "Dry those tears. You can't go to the ball looking like that."

"The ball? Oh, but I'm not-"

"Of course you are. But we'll have to hurry."

Turning back to the scene before her, Bailey began to scribble away in book as the events transpired and Cinderella was given a beautiful gown, a pumpkin was turned into her carriage, her canines into coachmen and the rats into horses.

~Where's my Fairy Godmother?~ Bailey chuckled to herself.

"I'm afraid this can't last forever," The elder woman told the happy blonde. "You'll have only till midnight, and then, on the stroke of twelve, the spell will be broken, and everything will be as it was before."

"Yes, I understand," Cinderella nodded, giving the elder a hug before she hopped in the carriage and gave a wave as it took off towards the large castle in the background.

"Why?" Bailey's question made the Fairy Godmother turn to her.

"Because, my dear, like I said, not everyone has a strong heart or faith in themselves like you do. It's a rare light that you have in your heart, my dear. Hold onto it."

Bailey just stared at her for a moment before glancing back after the carriage. "But why a ball?"

"Well, haven't you ever dreamed of dressing up in a gown and dancing with the love of your life? Or even pretended to be a princess?"

Bailey closed her eyes. "I don't have to dream of it when I can participate at the castle," She had been invited to the balls that the King threw in Radiant Garden but she never attended to it. She had no one that she ever wanted to go with and so she refused to stand there in a dress and just watch as the others there had a good time. Instead she went into the town and hung out with Lucient and Squall and the others. But if there was someone that she wanted to dance with there…

"Where did she go?" Terra's voice brought Bailey back out of her thoughts.

"To the royal ball at the palace. Go. And when you see her dancing you'll know that she believes, and that will help you believe, too."

"You sure you want to go?" Bailey asked him as the Fairy Godmother disappeared.

Terra gave a nod. "I think it would be a good idea. You can wait outside if you want."

"Let's just go then,"

They followed after the carriage and arrived at the palace not too late after just to see that the woman in the dress was in a bit of a problem.

"Not here, too!" Terra growled.

Bailey took off up the stairs in a flash, calling for Cinderella to duck down as she attacked the creatures that encircled her.

"Thank you," Cinderella gave her a small curtsy. Bailey gave her a nod before taking a seat on the railing of the stairs.

"There may be some in the palace," Terra commented. "It would be safe for you stay outside."

"Please, may I go with you? I so want to get to the ball." Cinderella pleaded.

Terra glanced at Bailey. The young woman tried to ignore his look but she sighed and gave it, standing up.

"If there are more Unversed inside, then you can't stray too far away from us. You could get hurt."

"Ok," The woman smiled with a nod.

"You're not worried?" Terra asked her.

"Didn't you tell me it was important to stay strong?" Cinderella asked him.

"Oh, um…I guess I did."

She then glanced at Bailey. "And if you weren't here to help me, then I would still try my hardest to get inside to the ball."

"Heh."

Terra shook his head with a soft smile as the woman moved forward for the doors. "Are you ready?" He asked the one behind him.

Cinderella nodded again. "Yes."

They had been right. The Unversed were inside as well and so the two Keyblade wielders had to guard Cinderella as they escorted her through the halls of the palace. There were a lot of them but with the two of them they didn't stand a chance. Cinderella reached the ballroom without a even a tear in her dress or a smear on her face.

"Ohh, Thank you…umm…"

"Terra," The man smiled at her. "And this is Bailey."

"Thank you, Terra," Cinderella smiled. "And you too, Bailey."

Bailey gave her another nod and watched as Terra gave her a short bow, spreading his arm in a gentlemanly way to give her the floor to the ballroom. Cinderella giggled and stepped onto the carpet, leaving the two of them there on their own too watch as the Prince greeted her and asked her to dance.

"Maybe just believing is enough." Terra commented.

"Of course it isn't," Bailey's voice wasn't as cold as it had been. He turned and watched as her eyes followed Cinderella and the Prince's moved across the dance floor. "But it's a good place to start. The next step is what's important; whether or not you have the strength to make it come true."

"Bailey," Terra smiled at her. "Does that mean if I believe it, I can find a way to return you to your normal self?

She turned with a sigh to hide the smile on her face. "You just don't give up, do you?"

"Nope; and I won't until I win, either."

She turned back to respond to him but she froze at the movement on one of the balconies. "Unversed," She growled, running for the doorway.

"But they're up there," Terra told her. "How are we going to get to them?!"

"I've been working in a palace for the last three years, Terra. I know the basic outlines of them. There should be a staircase through the foyer!"

Bailey seemed to be right as a trail of Unversed led them to the balcony that they had been searching for just in time for a large Unversed to attack and disrupt the ball. One of the men in blue began to call for the guards but there was no time to wait.

"Get out of here," Bailey ordered the dancers. "We'll take care of this!"

The Unversed, called the Symphony Master, was large in red and white and waved a stick as it controlled a floating drum, violin, and a trumpet. Taking it upon herself to take out the trio of annoyance, Bailey left the Symphony Master to Terra. Or she thought she had. Terra was knocked out of the way by one of the Unversed's spells, leaving the creature to turn its attention to the woman that was busy knocking the hell out of it's trumpet.

She felt the attack smash into her back and she whipped around with a huge growl. She heard Terra call out her name but ignored it as she pulled her Keyblade back to strike a blow on the Symphony Master.

Terra ran forward to help but froze. A black mist swirled around Bailey's Keyblade and as it sliced into the Unversed he watched as the creature was disintegrated.

"Bailey," He stared at her in shock. She said nothing but closed her eyes as she put her Keyblade away. "Was that-"

He was cut off by the man in blue. "Thank you. You saved us all." He gave a sigh and glanced around the ballroom. "The guests were just starting to enjoy themselves."

Terra glanced to the side and gave a small grin. "Well, don't give up just yet." The Prince and Cinderella were still talking off to the side and the man seemed to enjoy that. "Tell me something. Have you always had a problem around here with those monsters?"

"No, I believe…they began to appear shortly after a boy in a mask arrived in our kingdom."

"A boy in a mask?" Bailey repeated him, joining the conversation.

"Yes. Those that saw him said the monsters obeyed his every command."

"Do you know where he is now?" Terra asked him.

"Well…no, I don't believe anyone has seen him since then."

"I see."

"He's most likely not here anymore," Bailey commented. "But if we can find him then we might be able to solve some the mystery."

"I agree," Terra nodded. The bell on the clock began to chime.

"Wait! Come back!" The Prince's voice made the trio turn to watch as Cinderella ran from the ballroom.

"It's midnight," Bailey commented. "Did time really fly that fast?"

Watching as one of Cinderella's shoes fell from her foot, Bailey gave a soft smile as the man in blue chased after her with it. She was in a rather good mood at the moment until she noticed another figure standing at the edge of the steps.

~Oh no,~ She sighed as Terra called out her name.

"Aqua!"

"Terra!" The young woman with blue hair called out with a smile. "So this is…Bailey?!"

"Nope, not me," Bailey sighed as she followed Terra down the stairs. She gave in with a sigh as the other woman gave her a huge hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay! I've been so worried!"

"Is that right. Well, don't forgive me for not returning the feelings."

Aqua pulled back with a confused face. "What's wrong?"

"Let her be," Terra told his friend. "She's in a 'pity-me' stage." Bailey gave him a glare and turned her back, pulling her book back out to write some more. "What are you doing here, Aqua?"

"Terra, Ven ran away from home."

"What?"

Bailey froze and turned to look at the other two. "Ven's out here?" Worry coursed through her. Ventus out here ,traveling the words by himself; something horrible could happen to the young man.

"I think he came to find you," She told Terra. "Do you have any idea why?"

"No…" Terra then paused. "Actually…just before I left, he tried to tell me something. I should have listened to what he had to say."

Aqua was silent for a moment. "So…did you manage to locate Master Xehanort?"

"No," Bailey snapped her book closed. "But it appears that he is looking to collect hearts filled with light."

"But why?" Aqua asked. "And why are you here? Did Master Eraqus send for you?"

"No, he didn't. I was asked to help you by Yen Sid," Bailey answered her. "And why he's searching for the pure hearts, we don't know; yet."

"All we can tell you," Terra began. "Is that his search hasn't taken him here."

"All right. I'll stay and see if I can find more clues." Bailey wore a frown as she watched Terra walk away. It wasn't there before but she could feel a tension between Terra and Aqua. She began to wonder what happened between them.

~Get it out of your head, Bailey~ She told herself, moving after Terra. ~It doesn't involve you; not anymore.~

"So, a masked boy," Bailey commented. "I wonder what he's up to."

"And does he have anything to do with Master Xehanort's disappearance?" Terra wondered aloud. "Master Eraqus said he first received word of this from Master Yen Sid. Maybe it's time we went and spoke with him ourselves."

"Finally get to see the old man in person, huh?" Bailey smirked. "About damn time."

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